December Inspiration Station Blog Hop Challenge

This month's inspiration photo! 

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Worth the wait!  This post had the potential to be four pages long lol, so, I'll post pictures of the process I did in creating this card and give just brief descriptions :)

Used shades of browns to reflect the tones of the inspiration photo, retired Stampin' Up! embossing folder and Tim Holtz Alterations brick embossing folder, Anna Griffin slim line window die (cut off to just the window portion). 

To create the snowy backdrop for the window I used light grey ink roughly blended over grey cardstock cut to fit behind the window.  I used retired Stampin' Up! layered trees and snow drift dies for the scenery and light brown ink to add texture to the window.

Added the same light brown to add depth to the brick embossed parts.

I used a die from the Anna Griffin pop-up Christmas tree die to cut a template for the tree.

Cut, embossed and folded the aperture that will allow the tree to pop out of the scene when the card is open and folded the tree to fit in it.

Folded 1/2" in on the ends of the aperture to attach it to the card base.

To create the glow of the fire in the fireplace, I started with white pigment ink and added the same light grey ink around it for shadowing and soot. Added a layer of yellow and orange ink for the backdrop of the flames.

Added the light brown ink and the light grey ink to the rest of the fireplace parts and assembled it. I used foam tape to lift the mantel up for depth.

Went thru my stash of vellum scraps to pick out flame colors.

Cut and layered "logs" with foam tape to layer up the flames for the 3D effect.

So far so good! I was inspired to re-create the inspiration photo as closely as I could, reminiscing of Christmas in my living room when I was a kid.

Time to trim the tree! Gold glitter cardstock and Hero Art Christmas tree dies to recreate the look of the old fluffy gold garlands we had when I was a kid. Used the same die sets to cut out the ornaments, green garlands and bows. Also added a fun holiday kitty to the fireplace hearth.

Used the same dies from the Hero Arts set as well as some left-over Anna Griffin gift embellishments to get plenty of gifts under the tree. I layered them with foam tape for depth.

This card project took me nearly a week to put together lol because of life getting in the way, but I am super happy with how it turned out. I won't be listing all the specific items I used as most of them, if not all are retired. However, I hope this project inspired you!!  If you try any of the techniques I used in this card, be sure to tag me on social media @scrappystampthefunup, I'd love to see your take on it. And be sure to head to the Inspiration Station blog to join the hop and see all our creations!  Happy Holidays from The Paper Creative LLC and Stamp the Fun Up! See you in 2026!