Handmade Christmas -- Part 2

Handmade Christmas gifts are the best!  The time and love that go into creating a gift with the receiver in mind is worth far more than any store-bought gift could ever be.  And handmade card sets are the perfect gift for the person who has everything or the person you don't really know enough to know what's on her wish list.

On yesterday's post, I talked about my process for creating giftable card sets.  If you missed it and would like to know more, please click here to check out the post.

I create today's card set using the retired Skylark paper packet.  I received a bulk pack of this paper as part of my consultant kit when I signed on with CTMH.  And I'll be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the designs -- the main side is a soft floral design with various images scattered throughout.  While beautiful, it's just not my taste.  However, the back side is a sweet yellow lattice pattern that when paired with the other colors in the Skylark collection makes fabulous projects.  This set turned out to be my favorite out of all the gift sets I made.

One last note before I get to the pictures, To finish off my card sets, I like to put them in a clear goodie bag (usually found at the dollar store) with one of each card design facing out either side of the bag.  I use the included twist-tie to secure the bag closed and add a coordinating tag with some twine.  This last step really takes the gift from a bunch of cards to a beautiful handmade card set that almost anyone would be happy to receive!

The completed set

Card Sample

Card Sample

Card Sample

Card Sample

Card set packaged and ready to gift

Supplies used:

*Happy to Be Friends stamp set

*Skylark paper packet (retired)

*12" x 12" Kraft cardstock

*12" x 12" Lagoon cardstock

*12" x 12" White Daisy cardstock

*White Daisy card bases

*Desert Sand Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Lagoon Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks stamp pad

*Gold shimmer trim

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Until next time, remember to design it with {heart}!

Damask Divas July Blog Hop - Skylark

Welcome to the Damask Divas' July Blog Hop featuring the Skylark paper pack from Close to My Heart!  If you came from visiting Sarah Gardner at Irish Crafter, then you are in the right place.  If you just happened upon my little corner of the blog world, you should definitely head over to the Damask Divas blog and start from the beginning of the hop. 

For today's layout, I used the Skylark paper pack, the Cricut Artiste cartridge, and a fun pattern from the Magic how-to book.  I absolutely love our CTMH how-to books.  They take the guess work out of designing a layout.  I also used the Skylark chipboard complements.  By combining these great products, I was able to create a quick, easy, no stamping layout.  I didn't have any photos on-hand so I simply added photo mats, measured at 1/4" larger than the recommended photo sizes -- which will allow me to easily add photos at a later time.

 {click to enlarge}

Supplies used:

*X7177B - Skylark Paper Packet

*X7177C - Skylark Complements

*Z1790 - Cricut Artiste Collection

*Z1853 - Aqua Dots

*1273 - 12" x 12" Desert Sand Cardstock

*Z2118 - Desert Sand Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

To order these or any of our other fabulous Close to My Heart products, please visit http://jddesigns.ctmh.com.

Thank you for visiting me at JD Designs and for hopping with us on the Damask Divas July Blog Hop!   Next up on the hop is Michelle Southworth.  I hope you'll head on over to her blog as she has some great inspiration for you, too.