Hello and Happy Friday! This month is flying by! I was looking forward to visiting my family for Thanksgiving, but they have a shelter in place order. Needless to say, none of use is getting together in person. We might try meeting on Zoom. Looking on the bright side- I can stay home and make more Christmas cards!

The card for today’s Fun Fold Friday is called a Gate Fold Card. The band with the poinsettia on it is a Belly Band. This elegant holiday card is super simple to make so you can send one to your friends & family to spread the Holiday Cheer.

Measurements: Very Vanilla Card Stock (CS) card base: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 scored at 2 1/8 and 6 3/8 inches; Very Vanilla CS: 5 x 5 inch for stamping, a 2 inch circle and 1 3/4 x 2 3/4 inches; Red Velvet Paper: 2 x 3 inches and 1 1/2 x 9 1/8 inches; and the Poinsettia Place Designer Series Paper (DSP): 2 x 5 3/8 inches. You will also need 9 1/8 inches of the Vanilla open weave ribbon from the Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack.
Stamping: Starting with the Memento Black ink, stamp one of the complete poinsettias, two berry sprigs and three leaves onto the 5 x 5 inch Very Vanilla CS. Use the Real Red ink to stamp the sentiment “May Magic & Wonder bloom this holiday” onto the 1 3/4 x 2 3/4 inch Very Vanilla CS.
I used the Stampin Blends Alcohol Markers to color the images. If you have not tried them yet, I highly recommend them. I have tried other alcohol markers that are more expensive and have not gotten results as good as I have with the Stampin’ Blends. The colors for this card are: Light & Dark Real Red, Dark Cherry Cobbler, Light & Dark Mango Melody, Light & Dark Old Olive and Dark Mossy Meadow. I will show you how I got the look I did, but this is just one way. There are many other ways to color with the Blends. To start off, I colored the leaves completely with the Light Old Olive.
I added some shading with the Dark Old Olive followed by the Dark Mossy Meadow. You could go over the leaf again with the Light Old Olive to blend everything together.
The berry sprigs were colored first with Light Real Red, then Dark Real Red followed by a little Dark Cherry Cobbler. For the poinsettia, I outlined the top layer of petals with the Dark Cherry Cobbler to try and achieve a 3D look. Next I colored the entire poinsettia with the Light Real Red.
I blended the Cherry Cobbler outline into the Light Real Red with the Dark Real Red. To add a finishing touch, I added a little more shadow with the Dark Cherry Cobbler. Note: The best part of coloring with the Stampin’ Blends Alcohol Markers is experimenting with them yourself to see what kind of look you get.
Cut all the images out either by Fussy Cutting with your Paper Snips or using the coordinating Poinsettia Dies with the Stamp and Cut Machine. Fold the Very Vanilla card base with the Bone Folder to get crisp folds.
Adhere the Poinsettia Place DSP to the front flaps. Adhere the 2 x 3 inch Red Velvet to the inside. Use Stampin’ Dimensionals to add the sentiment card piece on top of the Red Velvet.
Add the berry sprigs. Tip: For very delicate items I use a tweezers to position the item after first applying a wee bit of glue.

Wrap the 1 1/2 x 9 1/8 inch Red Velvet Paper around the card so that it is snug but not tight. You want it to slide off easily, but not fall off. Also wrap the ribbon around. I did not need to glue the ribbon to the Red Velvet except where I attached the ends of the Belly Band in the front. Tip: I recommend using a strong adhesive to attach the ends of the Belly Band. Examples of a strong adhesive are the Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue and the Tear & Tape. Both can be found in the 2020-21 Stampin’ Up!® Annual Catalog.
Adhere the poinsettia leaves to the Very Vanilla 2 inch circle. Use Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere the poinsettia.

Use Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere the Very Vanilla CS Circle to the front of the Belly Band, covering the ends of the Belly Band. Add some Bling! with the Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels. Tip: I use the Take Your Pick Tool to transfer the rhinestones to the card.

Viola! That is all there is to it! This card is a really fun way to share the Holiday Cheer with a loved one!
On Tuesday, November 24, 2020 there will be 10% off select products from the Annual Catalog. If you are still planning your Christmas cards, look over pages 56 to 63 of the 2020-21 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog. There are 12 stamp sets for the Holidays! Click HERE to check it out now!
Thank you to all of you who came by today. I so appreciate you! Thank you to all of you who have placed orders to help me keep my business going. These are difficult times and it is so nice to have your support. I have my own “Black Friday” Special. When you place an order for $35 or more between November 22 -27, 2020, you will receive your choice of a free package of Rhinestone Basic Jewels or a Bone Folder from me!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to start on your Holiday cards & gifts!
Theresa
Beautiful Card! 😊
Thanks so much Christy!