SIP Challenge 78 - Winter Holiday with Unity Stamps

Hello everyone!  Wow....this month is just flying by and it seems that I have no time to do anything for fun!! How is everyone doing with their holiday shopping? Anyone finished yet?  Since it's summer here we are off to the beach for a few days and will enjoy seeing Santa on the sand!!  Honestly, I do miss this time of year in NYC with all the decorations hanging in the streets, the Christmas windows at Saks, Lord & Taylor, Macy's....Christmas music everywhere, bells ringing and all the holiday fairs. But.....I do NOT miss the cold weather!  

This week over at the Stamp Ink Paper Challenge Blog they are having SIP Challenge No. 78 - Winter Holiday - 

And I made two Christmas cards out of one main image.  I know that the phrase "I Am More Than What You See" does not seem "Christmasy" and was not created for this.  What I am trying to get across here is that Christmas is "more than just what you see".  By using it with half of the "snowflake" with the word "believe", I hope that people will look beyond the decorations, etc. to see the real meaning of Christmas.  Sound corny??  Tell me the truth!!  LOL

I started by stamping the image from Magical Days (Unity Stamp Co.) on to a piece of white cardstock.  Then I carefully cut it in half.

Next I placed the second to largest Stitched Square die (Gina Marie) over the image, secured it with painter's tape, and die cut it.  Then I took this image and placed it (temporarily) on a piece of red cardstock, positioned the largest of the Stitched Square dies so that there would be a small border, removed the white cardstock, and then die cut the red cardstock.  

I did this with the other half of the image also so that I would get two cards out of this one image.

Next, using the largest die from the Pierced Rectangle STAX (MFT), I die cut a piece of white cardstock.    I stamped the phrase "I Am More" on to my stamp positioner.  Using the piece of red cardstock as a guide I figured out where I wanted to stamp the phrase and drew a light pencil line.  Then I went and stamped the image using black ink. I heat set the image and then erased the pencil line.  I did this so that the image would line up perfectly with the phrase. 

After I colored in my image, I adhered it to the piece of red cardstock, which I then adhered next to the phrase.  I then cut a piece of white fun foam, adhered this to the back of the cardstock with the images and then adhered this to the card front.  I also adhered some crystals to the image.

Here is the second card using the other side of the image.

You will have to tell me what you think of these cards.  I LOVE this phrase by Donna Downey.  And although this stamp is geared more towards a woman to be used with some of the other images on the site, I think this phrase pertains to ALL of us. We are ALL more than what we see at a first glance.  No?  Please, tell me what you think!  

I hope to have another card or two done before Christmas.  So, until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael