One Perfect Pair, Three Christmas Looks | Holiday Cards by Vicki

Sometimes the easiest way to see what a coordinated collection can do is to give it a little room to play. 

So STAMPgirl Vicki has been creating with Perfect Pairs: Classic Christmas, and her three projects show both sides of the collection. 

Two cards let the coordinating stamps and ephemera do most of the work, while a Christmas tag brings in a couple of other STAMPlorations products for a completely different take.

Let the Ephemera Steal the Show

For her first card, Vicki kept things wonderfully simple and let the Christmas stocking ephemera take center stage. She paired two of the colorful stockings with the coordinating Merry Christmas sentiment and kept the rest of the design clean and white. The stockings bring in so much color, pattern, and Christmas charm that they really don't need much else. The simple white background gives them plenty of room to shine, while the coordinating sentiment completes the design without competing with the focal images.

Sometimes the best thing you can do with a beautiful piece of ephemera is simply give it some space.

Turn a Cardmaking Collection into a Christmas Tag

Vicki took Classic Christmas beyond the card on her second project, creating a vintage-inspired Christmas tag. She started with the Luggage Tags die to create the tag shape, then covered it with a sheet from the Faded Botanical collage paper pack. She stamped the coordinating Classic Christmas stamp onto the tag and added the fabulous Nutcracker ephemera from the collection. The combination of the vintage-inspired collage background, definition-style stamping, and detailed Nutcracker creates a wonderful old-fashioned Christmas feel.

It's a great example of how a Perfect Pairs collection doesn't have to stay on a card. Once you have coordinating stamps and ephemera that already work together, you can bring them into other types of paper projects, too.

Keep It Clean and Simple

For her third project, Vicki went in the opposite direction and created a clean and simple Christmas card using the same Classic Christmas collection. This time, she used the coordinating Merry Christmas stamp and simply cut out the stamped sentiment before pairing it with the beautiful ornament ephemera. The result is elegant and understated, with the detailed ornaments providing all the visual interest the card needs.

There is something especially satisfying about a card that doesn't need a lot of extras. When the artwork and sentiment already coordinate, sometimes less really is more.

One Collection, Lots of Possibilities

I love how different these three projects are, even though they all started with Perfect Pairs: Classic Christmas. The stocking card is clean and cheerful. The Christmas tag has a vintage, layered feel. And the ornament card is classic and elegant.

That's the beauty of Perfect Pairs. The coordinating stamps and ephemera give you a natural starting point, but they don't dictate what you have to make. You can use the pieces together for a quick card, bring in other supplies from your stash, or take the collection beyond cardmaking altogether.

Discover What's Possible

Perfect Pairs: Classic Christmas combines a coordinating two-stamp set with a collection of full-color ephemera cuts designed to work together from the start. You can keep things simple and let the artwork do the work, or use the coordinating pieces as a foundation for something more layered and personalized.

Vicki's projects are a great reminder to look beyond the obvious. Try the ephemera on a tag or other paper project. Use the coordinating sentiment by itself. Pick one or two focal pieces and give them plenty of space. Or bring in other STAMPlorations products and see where the combination takes you.

Explore Perfect Pairs: Classic Christmas and the other Perfect Pairs collections in the STAMPlorations store.

Until next time, keep creating with confidence -- and let Perfect Pairs do the coordinating.