Christmas in July - July 14, 2015

Here you can see the car moving from the deer (in the last card from July 11) towards the bear.

Many of the same techniques on these cards..Photopolymer stamps to line up the car with the tree on top so nicely!  Watercoloring for gradients in color of the car windows and Christmas tree... and the bear.  I didn't want to make him too dark.  He's probably a Polar Bear in Smoky Slate.

Quite a dirty Polar Bear... not white at all!  :)

Christmas in July - July 11, 2015

 Here is the second of three White Christmas stamp set cards.

I have to say something about the photopolymer stamps - I LOVE them!  I hear the consensus from friends I stamp with as well.  It's so easy to line up the images with the clear stamps!  SO easy!  They also have another benefit... they're so much more cost effective (cheaper)!

I again watercolored the images.  I like the control it gives, and if you look closely at the tree on top of the car, the shading ability is GREAT!

Christmas in July - July 7, 2015

 This is another one of those Christmas cards I just love!  We made these in my stamp club a few years ago, and I make them again and again each year.  Last year, I believe I made a set of 6.  This year, just one for today.

I'll tell you one trick I use.  I keep that strip I cut off to expose the Merry Christmas, and adhere it to the back of the front flap to cover the back of the brad.  Then no one knows it's a brad, and it has no way to fall off.  It's a heavy brad.

Dress Cards - Happy Birthday!

Again this is the Painted Blooms DSP.  There are just so many pretty patterns in this Designer Paper!

I have 2 wonderful friends that craft with me.  When we can, we get together once a week to work on whatever project we've got going.  It's a great time to connect with friends, and I enjoy making snacks to share.  I like to try new recipes, and it's even more fun to share them.

 My friend saw one of the dress Christmas cards I made last year, and requested it.  The problem with that was that once I sign and seal them during the year, I don't remember which card is which! 

 SO, with her birthday in June, and this beautiful paper, I made some dresses! 

Happy Birthday, my dear friend!  :)

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!