By Special Request......Instructions for Tammy :)

(Please excuse my photo's....some of them are not great. That's the thing....my camera rocks, but sometimes I can't figure out what I did to change the settings. Such as in this case. The flash was working/then not working/then working. FRUSTRATING! Perhaps, if I'd read my manual and actually learn how to use my camera.....
that would make it a little easier! But, who has time to do that?!?!?!)



On with the instructions for this card!! For this card, you need to choose 4 colors of cardstock. For mine, I wanted to use the traditional red/green Christmas combo, but with a twist! I wanted to throw in my pink and finally, the brown. So, I got sheets of WorldWin Papers
ColorMates Cardstock in these colors: I also used an additional sheet of white cardstock, but in retro-spect, next time I would use the darkest color of your color pallet. Because in the final card, there is one space where I can see the white cardstock and it makes me *crazy*!!!


Anyway.....the first thing I did was make a template out of WorldWin Crafty Board!
Man, I love this stuff!!!! Because, you know I love my chipboard!!! Now, the reason that I made the template was because I knew once I made one tree with the template I would want to make more!!! So, this was an easy way to make making more, easier. (what was that sentence? completely redundant! oh well, you get the point, right?!)

So, the template is made with these measurements.....
3 1/2" across the bottom from side to side &
4 1/2" from the top point to bottom base



Then, I took the template and traced it onto the white cardstock.


Then, I cut a strip of pink to make the point. I layed it over the outline and used a ruler to draw the lines to cut the point. Then, I cut it w/ my trimmer. Then, I cut a bunch of other cardstock strips w/ my trimmer. I did not measure any of these strips (that would take waaaaayyyy tooooo lonnnng!!) So, I just made sure to cut a variety of widths to make it interesting....and as I cut them, I would lay them on the "outline" and making sure to make them look random. Once the outline was full, it was time to apply adhesive to the back of the strips. In my opinon, the easiest way to do this is to use my Xyron X. (another thing I love!!) That way I can get adhesive evenly across the entire strip, including all the sides for good adherence. And because I hate waste (because I am money conscious) I make sure to load multiple strips at a time, to maximize the amount of adhesive I can effectively use and reduce waste of my adhesive.


This is what it looks like when it comes out of the X on the adhesive strip. (notice the others are all raw edges on one side, that's because I tore them rather than take the time to trim them, because I knew they'd be trimmed later.)
The only one perfect is the pink pointed one we cut earlier.


Next, we are gonna start peeling the strips off the adhesive strip, starting with the pink pointed one. Then, just work from the center, applying strips one by one. Make sure they are exactly side to side to make sure it looks neat and even.


Once all the strips are applied to the cardstock base, then you will take your trimmer and trim off all the excess cardstock strips to form the tree shape.


Once the tree shape is completed, cut a trunk for the tree. Then, take your Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink pad and ink the edges of your tree, the trunk and your card base. You do this by using a light had to "swipe" the edges with the ink pad. The "cat's eye" shape of this ink pad makes it easier to manage where you are putting the ink. When you are finished with that step.....you attach the trunk to the tree w/ adhesive. Then, apply adhesive and attach tree to card base.


Then, cut the red oval and stamp or print your sentiment on the oval. Use adhesive to attach the oval into the metal oval plate. I also add a pop-dot behind the red oval to help give it the 3-d effect and keep it securely in the metal plate.

Cut your ribbon to go around card. Knot it and feed it thru one side of the metal oval and then feed it thru the other side, but don't knot it yet. Apply the metal oval to the card, using the pop dot to stick it down. Then, knot the other half of the ribbon and trim ribbon ends. AND YOUR DONE!!!!!!