handmade card

Our handmade holiday card inspiration continues with this magnificent creation by Rick V., Midwest Regional Manager for Paper Source. The corporate office was buzzing when this wonderful creation arrived.

Of course we had to find out more, so here is his story…

Having spent the past few years in the Pacific Northwest, the mountains, snow and beauty of the moonlight shining on the snowy trees was the initial inspiration. The snow and surroundings are amazing after a nice snowfall.

The card went through several rounds. At first it was going to be a pop up card, but I could not perfect it in time (will probably be included in my card next year). Then, the idea of cross sections of wood spurred this iteration, as did our Faux Bois stationery and rubber stamp. The layers of trees and forest animals completed the idea with additions added throughout the process.

I like to incorporate sensory into my cards, so I worked in a small electric tea light. Scent seemed like natural addition, so I also included a small sprig of incense to evoke the feeling of light reflecting throughout with the scent of the forest ever present.

The subtle variance in color of the eco white, luxe white and stardream quartz cover weight papers worked well in creating dimension and texture. It was only enhanced by our white glitter wrapping paper, unryu fine paper and inkjet vellum paper.

The Silhouette Machine was used to cut the layers. (To remember that I used to make cards cut by hand seems crazy now!) The components were assembled using super tacky tape, Zots of every size, and foam squares.

Diecut Project

The packaging consisted of a long white shipping box. I used our large circle labels for the addresses and a band of Silver Birds fine paper.

I have been making handmade holiday cards for 25 years, and the process evolves each year. It was sure a fun project — I hope it is as fun to view as it was to create.

–Rick
PS colors: chartreuse & moss
Latest fave: Custom Stamp Gift Box

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24 Responses

  1. jennifer e. says:

    This is stunning!

  2. Jennifer says:

    Love this!!! Absolutely beautiful!

  3. Jessica says:

    Wow, that card doubles as art! Beautiful

  4. Terri says:

    Wow! This is stunning! A work of art! I love that you shared Rick’s process for creating this beauty. I also love that he used one of my favorite poems for his inspiration.

  5. Chrystina says:

    Goodness gracious, I’m impressed. It’s so intricate, and beautiful!

  6. Teresa L says:

    Gorgeous and I love your attention to details: sight, senses, tactile.
    Happy Holidays to you, Rick, all the Creatives out there.

  7. Unbelievably gorgeous… the textures, the layers, and the light! What a fabulous gift this is! Beautiful, thank you for sharing!

  8. Natalie says:

    Projects are always more beautiful in person than the photograph shows…I can only imagine how wonderful this is in real life.

  9. This is absolutely stunning! What an amazing idea and so beautifully executed. I really love the layers and depth…and I’m a font junkie so I love the mix of fonts. Thanks for sharing! Have a Merry Christmas!

  10. Ashley says:

    Amazing work! So very proud of my Uncle and his art work!

  11. debbie kaste says:

    Gorgeous card. Would LOVE to take a class to learn how to make this beautiful piece!

  12. patricia says:

    What a gorgeous card! Love it!

  13. Basak says:

    This is one of the most beautiful cards I have seen in last years. And believe I have seen a lot (ok, I mean only European Countries :(…)…

    But this is wonderful, it makes me dream, so inspiring… I wish I could see it closer. I want to look again and again and again…
    Basak

  14. Carlene says:

    That is amazing. Rick is so talented!

  15. Cindy says:

    Wow – I’m inspired!

  16. laura mcdonald says:

    any chance you could put together instructions on how to do this project? how many cards do you make for the holidays? just beautiful!

    thanks!

  17. Marcy says:

    I love my silhouette cameo… I use her everyday. However, I can only dream about designing such beautiful items… If you ever create instructions for this lovely design, please send one my way… You are quite talented!!!

  18. Clare says:

    This is just so magical, beautiful, and unique! I’d love to learn how to do this too!

  19. Sue says:

    Would love to know if you have a tutorial for the beautiful card?

  20. c says:

    Absolutely wonderful!!!! What artistry.

  21. laura says:

    how about a pattern? = )

  22. Diane says:

    OK. Did you ever manage a pattern? Complements of cancer, I am still in the dark ages. I do all by hand. Thank you for sharing.

  23. Samara Joseph says:

    This is an awe inspiring card. Did you do a tutorial or instructional video for the project? I would love to try my hand at such a beautiful creation.

    • Meg Kowieski says:

      Hi Samara!
      We agree that it is such a beautiful card – unfortunately, though, a tutorial was never created, as this was originally a submission for our annual Employee Christmas Card Contest. If you have a go a creating your own version, though, we’d love to see what you come up with!

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