My dear friend, Bev (YT: NewCrafterBev) has asked crafty friends to create handmade holiday cards for veterans (she lives in an area with lots of military and vets). Ever since I saw this card (photo at right) at Francine Vuilleme’s 1001 Cartes blog HERE, I have been wanting to try my CAS version of it, so I thought this would be the perfect chance to get my holiday crafting on!

I used three of circle dies from the Diemond Dies Die-Normous Stack-Ems Circle Nesting Die Set and randomly cut out three circles from yellow card stock. I inked the edges of the card front as well as the die cut holes with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Wild Honey. Note: my readers can get 10% off and free worldwide shipping at Diemond Dies on all orders of $35 or more by using the coupon code: thankskristina at check out.

Then I got out the adorable Lawn Fawn Merry Christmouse for Simon Says Stamp exclusive holiday stamp set from last year (I LOVE this set!) and picked out three of the mice and the swiss cheese Christmas tree and colored them up with the following Copic colors:

Mice: W0, 1, 3 and R20 for inside ears and blush
Hat and present ribbon: R35 and 37 with clear Wink of Stella for the white trim of the hat
Present: BG32 (red and this aqua is my favorite holiday color combo)
Cheesy Christmas tree: Y21, YR24, E24, E25, and Y38
I stamped the tree and the mouse with the present in the area where the larges hole would be directly onto the card base. I stamped and fussy cut out the other two mice so that they could pop up out of the other two holes, with their little front paws cut with an X-Acto blade so that the paws could hand over the die cut hole edges. I also colored the backgrounds of the card base areas that would show through the die cut holes of the card front with Y00.

For the inside of the card, I stamped out the “Merry Christmouse” sentiment from the stamp set, and stamped out and colored up another little mouse with Santa hat. The Copic ink had bled through the card front onto the inside of the card, so I covered that up with a sunny colored paper scrap from my scrap box. Then to use up the circle die cuts from the card front and to add a little visual interest and energy to the inside of the card, I adhered those randomly to the inside of the card as well (an extra circle went on the back of the card to cover up the ink bleeding of the little inside mouse to the back of the card base).

The following is a process video sharing how I made this card:

This card is being entered into the following challenges:
Crafty Gals Corner CASE-It Challenge
Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge
Craft Your Passion Anything Goes Challenge
Just Keep On Creating Anything Goes Challenge
Not Just Cards Anything Goes Challenge
Addicted to Stamping Photo Inspiration Challenge – inspired by the orange and yellow and large round moon

613 Avenue Create Anything Goes Challenge