2013 Christmas Cards - November

Wow!  We made it to another November!  This is the last month in the Christmas Card making for the year since at the end of November we have to get them signed, addressed, and sent out to arrive at the beginning of December (or at least the 2nd week of December).

I wanted to center my design around the sentiment this month, and once I started playing with ideas, it got to be a much more detailed (though not difficult) card by the time I was finished.

I started with the Merry Christmas at the top, and used the striped embossing folder for the bottom half and covered the edge with the Cherry Cobbler seam binding and a bow to show off the mug.

 

Then I stamped and die cut the mug in Smoky Slate,  the candy cane in Cherry Cobbler, and the gingerbread man in Chocolate Chip.  I colored the rhinestones on the mug with a blue Sharpie and added pearls on the gingerbread man's buttons.

 Here's a shot of all three:  the front, the sentiment, and the stamped envelope.

I hope you've enjoyed all my Christmas cards this year.  Since I changed the rules to include the stamped sentiment on the inside and the stamped envelopes, I'm so much further ahead of where I was last year!  It will be so easy to include a note, and signature to finish each of them quickly at this point, and sent out some really beautiful Christmas Cards!

Last year (2012) with all the challenges and extra cards I made, I had 72 to send out to friends and family.  This year since I made one card for each day of July, I have 112 cards in total to send!  My list has expanded, and I have more co-workers this year as well so having the extra 40 cards will definitely be a good thing.

Please enjoy!

2013 Christmas Cards - October

Late September and early October were really hectic around here!  Lots of in-laws drama (which I don't partake of), and things going on at work.... it was enough to even get to work much less craft.

After our Stamp Camp weekend I was more energized and had some projects to get moving on.  It was the perfect time to get caught up on my Christmas Cards!

As always, I made 6 for the monthly goal - with one of my favorite stamp sets, Watercolor Winter.  I kept everything red with just the Old Olive green on the holly for an addition of color.

 Here you can see the inside sentiment and the envelope.  Remember, "No naked envelopes!"

This Triple-Double stamp technique is one of my go-to favorites....  Triple Time Stamping with a Two step stamping set.  Quick, easy, and really beautiful!

Three colors in the entire set of cards.  Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, and Old Olive.

Please enjoy!

September's Christmas Cards!

On September's Christmas cards, I'm using almost all new product from the Holiday catalog, except one.

I recently rediscovered how much I really love the Stampin' Up Silver Embossing Powder!  It gives a beautifully smooth, shiny surface.  You don't have to fight it, you don't have to worry much about coverage, etc.  It just embosses beautifully.

SO, with one of the newest stamps that really caught my eye, I decided to make it really stand out and use very unusual colors.....

Before I go much further, let me tell you September's Challenge:   Sentiment!

Your 6 (or more cards) must have the sentiment as the focal point on the cards.

  I used the very last of my (small) stash of the new Smoky Slate cardstock, embossed it and inked the edges.  The black rectangle shows off the silver embossed piece spectacularly.  This is one of those cards that don't translate well on the computer, but are stunning in person!

I also love the new rhinestone embellishments.  The gray ribbon is a retired satin ribbon that just needed to be at the bottom. 

Here you can see the completed 6 cards.



Please enjoy!!!

2013 Christmas Card Challenge - August 2013

Happy August!  Whew!  I'm glad it's here.  While I never get tired of making and thinking about making Christmas cards....  the July challenge I set for myself was just a little stressful!  Looking for designs, thinking about designs...  but I did it!

While at home in Wisconsin this past June for family celebrations, we spent some time in Door County - Ephraim, Sister Bay, etc. etc.  If you ever get the chance to go.... definitely take it!  We were there just before it got really busy - it was wonderful!

I especially LOVED the Tannenbaum shop - set in an old Lutheran Church.  I've already mentioned it here.  What I need to do is post some of the MANY pictures I took at the shop.  The tree toppers were so original!  The themed trees!  Just WOW.  :)


So, on to this month's challenge - I'm not sure if the shopping malls still do this, but I remember clearly from the 1980s they would decorate for Christmas in lots of jewel tones.  Burgundy, turquoise, lime green, bright pinks,  with gold and silver accents.  I really loved those colors together!


The theme for August is:   Mall Colors - or Jewel Tones   either way you like to look at it. :)

Here are my cards for the challenge.

I used the current ornament and die set from the Christmas catalog...  in these colors:
Elegant Eggplant, Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade (ret.) and Melon Mambo.  The double bow at the top is in Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon (ret.) and gold cord holds the ornaments in place.

I used lots of pearls and rhinestones on this card....   13 pearls and 10 rhinestones each!

Now on to your part of the challenge!  The basic rules and regs. of this challenge can be found HERE.
Basically, make six (more or less) Christmas cards based on the theme stated above, and add your link to the Linky on this page. 

An InLinkz Link-up

2013 Christmas Card Challenge! July 2013

Happy July, 2013!  I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL 4th of July - celebrating with family, cookouts, fireworks displays in the backyard or in the community...    We always went to Ruth and Hamilton's for 4th of July, and then when we were older, hamburgers and brats, and the fireworks in Sheboygan over the lake (Lake Michigan).
Coming back from our honeymoon, we were fortunate enough to have a room in Jacksonville, Florida on July 4th overlooking the ocean - and were able to see Jacksonville's fireworks from our balcony.  Completely unplanned, and really spectacular!!

SO... here we are in July!  5 months until Christmas!  Are you preparing?  Have you started planning gift purchases or are you a last minute buyer?

I like to plan ahead, and have ideas for gifts I'm making already in mind.

SO, on to July's Christmas Card Challenge.

The theme for July is:      WREATHS!

SO SO many options for wreaths...  Martha Stewart's branch punch wreath,  Cricut cuts, stamps, punches....

Find your favorite type of wreath and have at it!

I'll admit that I really LOVE this card!  Every time I make a card or project there's always something I feel I could improve on - or would change the way I make it the next time.  This one - I just think looks pretty awesome.

 All the paper is Stampin' Up:  Lucky Limeade, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, and the DSP paper pack Festival of Prints.  The doily is the Tea Lace Paper Doily.  SO pretty!

The wreaths are stamped with Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Cherry Cobbler ink, and Versamark with white embossing powder to emboss the stamp on the front.

 The wreath stamp, inside sentiments, and envelope stamps all come from sets I purchased from CTMH ~ Close to My Heart.

 The white embossed Christmas stamp on the front is from the Stampin' Up set Seasonal Sayings, and I used the new bow maker my Dad made for me to tie the bows from some of my SU satin ribbon.

Click HERE for the complete list of rules and regs. (They're easy, I promise!) in order to compete in the challenge.  The best part of competing in my challenges?  Your Christmas cards will be all completed, hand-made (not rushed) and ready to send out right after Thanksgiving.  What a great way to give hand-made cards and not feel that extra pressure at the holiday!


Basically - make 6 Christmas cards complete based on the theme - including the inside sentiment with a stamped envelope (No naked envelopes!) to complete this month's challenge.

Enter your card link below into the Linky to be entered into the prize drawing!

An InLinkz Link-up

2013 Christmas Card Challenge - June 2013!

Summer is almost upon us - Spring storms all around with rain, lightning, thunder, and tornadoes.  Yes, we're right smack-dab in the middle of Tornado Alley.  Shelter-in-Place plan, work plan, out and about plan....  trying to be prepared, but always with a tinge of worry.    Oh well.  Spring still is my favorite season.  With all the rain we've had, things are beautiful, green, flowers blooming...  so much better than the drought! :)

SO.   After all that, the Christmas Card Challenge for June!


Click HERE for the complete list of rules and regs. (They're easy, I promise!) in order to compete in the challenge.  The best part of competing in my challenges?  Your Christmas cards will be all completed, hand-made (not rushed) and ready to send out right after Thanksgiving.  What a great way to give hand-made cards and not feel that extra pressure at the holiday!


The theme for June's challenge is:    Try a New Technique


This has to be something you've never done before - paper tole, tri-fold cards, shaving cream technique, alcohol ink backgrounds,  Oh! there are hundreds!  "Your imagination is your limitation."   Here's your chance to try something you've never done before.

Mine?  I've never given the Black Magic Technique a try and really wanted to. You Tube is a wonderful resource as is Splitcoast Stampers.  I personally like the videos so I can actually see what they're doing.  Helps me remember better. :)

Here you can see 3 of the 7 cards I made this month... so you could get a good close-up of some of my favorites.

I used the Stampin' Up 2-step stamping set called Watercolor Winter for these cards.  It might be retired, but it's so awesome for so many different things.  This isn't the first time I've used it.

 1st step to the Black Magic Technique is to stamp the image on black cardstock in white craft ink.  Use the heat gun to dry the craft ink.

 2nd step to the Black Magic Technique:  (This one takes the longest.)  Use watercolor pencils and color in the images over the white craft ink.  I used different shading with the reds.  They show better in person, as always.

 Since this is a 2-step stamping set, I then took the top image on each card, stamped in white craft ink again, and left it white for some extra definition.  The Merry Christmas is stamped with Versamark ink, covered with white embossing powder, and heat embossed with the same 'gun'.

Here you can see all 7 of the black magic cards (I made the Holly and Berries as a bonus card to see what it would look like.)  with one showing the completed inside, and one of the envelopes.  "No naked envelopes!"

 Basic rules:  Create 6 cards in a new technique you've never tried before.  Finish the insides and stamp the envelopes.  Take a picture or a few - enter them here before midnight the 20th of June to be considered in the voting.

2013 Christmas Card Challenge - May 2013!

 They always say April showers bring May flowers - well, here in the mid-south (some say the Southwest).... we had SNOW on May 2nd - which breaks all known records...

It's been a LOT colder than normal this year, and with a 2 year long drought - the amount of rain we've had lately is a wonderful thing!


On that same bent, the Christmas Card Challenge theme for May is:

SNOWFLAKES!

Punched, embossed, hand-cut, scherenschnitte (I really LOVE that technique), Cricut cut, etc. etc. etc. 

Click HERE to see the entire set of rules for my Christmas Card Challenge!

Basically, create 6 cards based on the month's theme including the inside sentiment and stamped envelopes to coordinate with the stated theme.

I've used this Cartridge before, and spent a little time working on picking small pieces but I think they turned out very well!!
There is a Nativity snowflake, snowmen snowflakes, gingerbread men snowflakes, Christmas candy snowflakes, and a Santa snowflake!  It cracks me up that there's a snowman snowflake since snowflakes are their source. LOL  :) 

I also embossed each background with 2 different folders - an old favorite, and a new larger design.

I hope you enjoy these really unique, unusual snowflake cards!

     

              

One of the new rules this year is to have the insides and envelopes all complete.  I did stamp the insides of the cards with a sentiment, but forgot to take a picture!  Whoops!  :(

 

 

2013 Christmas Card Challenge - April!

April!  Has Spring arrived or is Old Man Winter hanging on where you are?  We've got a mix - 80° one day, 30° the next - snow predicted, but the daffodils are blooming, and my grape hyacinths are up in the flower bed in front of the house.  Who knows what's next?  Spring?  I hope so - Christmas might be my favorite holiday, but Spring is my favorite season.

Let me jump right into the theme for April:  Christmas Icons!

Sounds strange, doesn't it, but when I searched online - there were thousands of images!  Then I really started getting ideas!  Put it this way... I didn't make 6 cards this month. ;)

SO, just for inspiration, I have some of the images I found online.  Here they are:

Alright - on to my samples for April's challenge.  I mentioned that I didn't just make 6 cards this month, I actually ended up with 20, or I should say I STOPPED at 20!

We didn't travel this year for Spring Break, so I had the whole week to play in my craft room in addition to some other things I wanted to get accomplished.

OK, for my first 6 cards - a Christmas Door - what's more iconic to Christmas than a door with a wreath on it?  We made these at a Stamp-A-Stack this past November, and I really loved 'em!  Isn't that antique brad doorknob cute?  I used 2 different brads.

 

 The wreath was made with the 'new' 1 1/4" scallop punch and a 3/4 inch scallop punch from some of my green scraps.  Gotta LOVE using scraps when you can! Above you can see my craft table.  NO, it's never clean - I just can't work in clean.  It isn't possible. ;)

For the next set of 6 cards, I got out my Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set and had to choose!  There are 24 in all, and in a moment you'll see how I incorporated a few others for the inside and envelope.  They make wonderful Inchies!  I also added some rhinestones and Stickles to add some interest.

 Click HERE for a link on how to make these awesome, easy, quick bows!

 Here you've got the envelope and inside view of these mini-icon cards.
"No naked envelopes" is a quote I heard from Shelli Gardener at the Regional in Dallas last month - It resonates - 'naked envelops' - LOL


Here is the last set - I actually made 8 of these in total 2 of each design, and one red and one green for each icon.
These are a shameful CASE from another Stampin' Up Demo with some of my own touches added.  I remember clearly when I first saw them.    Enjoy!

 Yes, the gingerbread men, trees, cocoa cups, and candy canes hold the card fronts together!
Below is a picture of the inside - I made an extra die cut from the original cardstock for the backing to give it extra strength.

 Here are the envelopes - giving just a little hint of what's inside.

Please leave a comment. Thanks so much!