Shake, Shimmer & Bella Bear — A Christmas Shaker Card
There are certain things that are simply more fun when they shake.
Snow globes. Christmas presents when nobody is looking. Possibly a cocktail after a particularly long December afternoon.
And, of course… shaker cards.
Today’s Christmas creation for the Polkadoodles Design Team is packed with stars, snowflakes, sparkle and one ridiculously adorable little Bella Bear who looks far more prepared for Christmas than I currently am.
Coffee? Yes.
Christmas shopping started? Absolutely not.
Shaker card? Priorities.
Bella Bear Has Entered the Christmas Chaos
Can we first discuss Bella?
She’s sitting there in her little Christmas hat — complete with a bauble perched on top — holding her present and looking entirely too pleased with herself.
I colored Bella with my Copic markers, sticking with traditional Christmas reds, greens and warm neutrals. And because she’s a digital image, I was able to size her exactly the way I wanted her for this card.
Copic Marker combination:
Bella - W5, W3, W1
Bella's Hat - YG 67, YG63, YG61
Trim on Hat - C1, O White Gel Pen to create little dots of texture.
Present & Bauble - R39, R27, R24
Gold Bow & Bauble Stripe - Y28 + Gold Metallic Gel Pen
That is still one of my favorite things about working with Polkadoodles digital products.
Too big? Make it smaller.
Too small? Make it bigger.
Want to print six of them because you suddenly have an idea at 10:47 at night and apparently sleep is no longer important?
Go right ahead.
Digital crafting understands us.
And Then We Shake Things Up
The shaker itself was made in the usual way, although “usual” makes it sound much more civilized than my craft desk looked while I was making it.
I used nesting postage-style dies to create the frame, added a piece of clear window sheet behind it and then built up the back with foam tape to create enough room for all the sparkly goodness inside.
A little liquid glue helps give everything some extra stability because there is nothing festive about your shaker card suddenly exploding across the recipient’s kitchen table.
Although admittedly, that would be memorable.
Then came the best part.
Filling it.
Stars. Snowflakes. Shimmery little bits. Wintery things. Sparkly things. Things that I probably bought because they were shiny and assumed I would eventually find a purpose for.
And here we are.
Your Shaker Mix Doesn't Need to Be Fancy
Here’s one of my favorite little shaker-card secrets:
A lot of my shaker bits come from the dollar store.
Yep.
You absolutely do not need an elaborate collection of specialty shaker mixes to make these cards. Check the craft aisle, seasonal section and especially the nail-art supplies.
Those tiny nail gems are FABULOUS inside shaker cards.
Stars, rhinestones, little metallic shapes… if it's tiny, sparkly and will move when I shake it, there's a reasonably good chance I'm going to put it inside a card.
This is also how one accidentally develops an entire drawer labelled Tiny Sparkly Things.
Or perhaps that's just me.
Another Reason I Love Digital Crafting
The background paper on this card is printable too, which means I print what I need, when I need it.
No sacrificing the last sheet of your favorite patterned paper.
No hoarding it for eleven years because you're waiting for a project “worthy” of using it.
And no discovering that you need another piece after you've already cut into the only one you owned.
Print. Cut. Craft.
Same thing with sentiments. Having a collection of digital sentiments means there's always something available for Christmas, birthdays, thank-yous or whatever other occasion I've suddenly decided to make a card for while drinking my second — fine, third — coffee.
I've added links to the Polkadoodles digital image, printable papers and other products I used so you can easily find them if you'd like to create your own version.
Winnie White Christmas Printable Paper
Candy Cane - Winnie White Christmas Embellishments
Christmas Cards Should Be Fun
I love a beautiful elegant Christmas card.
But sometimes Christmas needs a card you can pick up and SHAKE.
This one has texture, sparkle, movement, layers, an adorable bear and enough tiny stars floating around inside to make my craft-room-loving heart very happy.
And really, isn't that what Christmas crafting should be?
A little bit magical.
A little bit sparkly.
And just chaotic enough that you're still finding one rogue snowflake on your desk sometime around Easter.
Happy Christmas crafting!
