Tim Holtz Colorize Gertrude and Theodore Xmas Cards

Hello there, I made 5×7 inches Christmas cards using Tim Holtz Colorize die sets.

I’m also sharing a sneak peek of a new Spellbinders die set that will create a gorgeous die-cut frame and it will be available at the Simon Says Stamps next Monday.

In this post I’m featuring:

Giraffe – GERTRUDE Colorize Die Set
Bear – THEODORE Colorize Die Set
Winter Clothes – WINTER WARDROBE Die Set
Xmas elements – FESTIVE THINGS Dies Set
Background frame – Spellbiners Eyelet Lace Frame .
Distress ink colours used : Rusty Hinge, Walnut Stain, Tea Dye, Gathered Twigs, Faded Jeans, Speckle Egg.

Tim Holtz Colorize Die Sets

I have been curious about the Colorize die sets by Tim Holtz for a long time and I finally decided to purchase THEODORE ( the bear) and GERTRUDE ( the giraffe).

Behind each die, you will find embossed the cardstock colour you will need to die-cut using it.

This will allow you to identify the different parts.

With these dies, you can even die-cut the white reflects on the critter’s eyes and nose … those are tiny!!!

The Die Sets

THEODORE ( the bear) contains 9 dies and GERTRUDE ( the giraffe) contains 10 dies.

Some of the dies will cut various parts of the animals so you will have more than 9 or 10 die-cuts to put together each critter.

The bear has fewer parts than the giraffe and I found it slightly easier and quicker to assemble.

Once I finished, I was shocked…… The level of detail is insane!

The different die-cut layers made out of different cardstock colours add an incredible look and feel.

I totally love them and so did everyone at home.

The Paper

The paper used always makes a difference.

To be honest, I have never loved the wave textured cardstock (240 grams) and I will refrain from using it for card panels or backgrounds BUT to work with Tim Holtz Colorize die sets it is defo a must-have…

It is just fantastic + It really looks pretty!

So I decided to use mostly textured cardstock for the bear and the giraffe today.

I used a few colors of textured brown cardstock that I have in my stash, also cream, pink, yellow, black, and white.

As I did not have many shades of brown textured cardstock, I die-cut some pieces out of white or cream cardstock and change the colors of the pieces using different brownish Distress ink colors.

To make the color more even and to add contrast and interest, I applied Distress inks over all the pieces.

Adding the Xmas Spirit to the Tim Holzt Colorazize die sets

To add the Christmas spirit to the cards today, I also used Winter Wardrobe Die Set and Festive Things Dies Set.

With some of the dies included in these sets, I made the hats, scarfs, Xmas trees, presents, little branches, bows, or any other element different from Theodore and Gertrude on these cards.

I had to cut and shape the scarf to fit them to the different critters.

As I used blue cardstock for the scarf, I used Faded Jeans Distress inks to darken the edges.

To do the shadowing on all the other die cuts regardless of their colour, I used brown inks ( Rusty Hinge, Walnut Stain, Tea Dye, Gathered Twigs.)

Other supplies used:

I made 5×7 inches card bases out of Ivory cardstock.
Then, I die-cut background frames using Spellbiners Eyelet Lace Frame and ivory/ cream cardstock 300 grams.
Using also the Spellbiners Eyelet Lace Frame die set, I die-cut out of mint and sand cardstock solid shaped frames to glue behind the frames with intricate die-cut detail.
I also inked a piece of white cardstock using Speckle Egg Distress ink to add at the back and in the center of the frame.
To add shimmer , I splatter the inked background using a DIY glitter pen made using an empty Nuvo Shimmer Pen refilled with Spellbinders Sparkle Silk.
I also applied the DIY pen over some areas of the images.
To embellishadded I used some of the smaller Gems in the Spellbinders Silver Mix Gems.
Using a black and a white pen, I added black and white dots to add more interest.
The black glaze pen produce a nice glossy finish on the areas were it is applied.
The sentiments are pre-printed from SSS Sentiments Strip Reverse Holiday Pack.