Keeping Christmas: February

Hello! And welcome to February's blog hop for 'Keeping Christmas'.

It's a card hop for inspiration, and just plain joy for doing our 

Christmas cards any time of year. 

2 cards with the same layout and stamp set from Concord & 9th's Christmas Florals

and a stamp called Woven Stripes.

1st card is stamped with Momento Northern Pine, and colored with copics.

The Merry and Christmas letters are die cut with shimmer card stock.

The centers of the poinsettia, Nuvo Gold drops. I wanted a down home country

very traditional look to my card, so the stripe stamp was turned and stamped

again for a plaid look.

If you like a more contemporary look for a card, this card's chrome and black is 

on target. Same background stamp, this time, 1st white embossed, then stamped

with silver ink. Both times on the vertical.

Stamped with Jet Black Archival, and painted with Metallics, one of my

favorite mediums on rich dark cardstock.

If you look closely, the silver mirror letters are placed just above the stamped 

black letters for a bit of shadow.

2 more cards for the Christmas pile! Still a long way to go, folks! But

it feels so good to get a stash going. Do you like creating Christmas cards

throughout the year? It sure helps during the busiest time of year, to have

some if not all of my Christmas greets done!

Be sure to check out all the designers on the hop for more inspiration.

Here's a list:

Kelly Lunceford (Creator)

Vicki Finger

Claire Broadwater

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Nancy Guse

Marybeth Lopez

Nancy Penir (me)

Carol Hintermeier

Keeping Christmas: January

Greetings Blog Friends, and welcome to my 1st Christmas Card Making

January post! A monthly post especially for creating Christmas Cards.

I'm so excited to be joining a group of fabulous designers honoring Christmas all

year long. Vicki Finger asked if I'd like to join. Of course

I said 'yes'! Once a month on the 25th we post a Christmas card or 2, or 3. The 

object is to be ahead of the Christmas Card Rush. Wonderful! I LOVE Christmas,

all it represents, and all the sharing of a season of joy and giving.

So, with thanks to Vicki and Kelly Lunceford for inviting me, let's get to my

cards.

Christmas is a time to honor and send love to special people in my life.

Among those very special to me are 3 aunts I adore! They just happen to

think my handmades are collectible treasures. That means doing extra special things

that let them know how much I treasure them.

Creating brings me more pleasure than I can express. Last year I added

some of Spellbinders Shapeabilities die sets to my stash: Grand Snow Globe and 

Grand Holiday Cabinet, and ran out of time before I could use them. Isn't that

always the case during the busiest time of the year?

These die sets allow you to create a 3-D vignette, which

folds flat for mailing. (note: you do need extra postage).

There are 6 panels to be cut, a front, a back and four more to decorate creating a

vignette or scene. Together with the slotted side panels, your project becomes

a 3-D greeting.

For one of the 6 die cuts, I created a window with vellum. To do this, I traced around the

circle die, cutting it just a bit bigger so it could be glued to the back. This allowed me to

float the bird with the star as though it were flying toward the tree. The tree is actually

on the panel behind.

The finished vignette with it's matching card. The scene on the front of the envelope is 

done by die cutting a mask, inking around it with metallic gold ink, stamping the tree

and poinsettia (the Greetery), and drawing lines for the address. Very special for 

my very special aunt.

Card 2 features the Shapeabilities Grand Holiday Cabinet die set, paired with their

Reindeer Prance Layering Set.

This set also folds down for mailing. 

And the 3rd is another snow globe in red and gold.

This one uses some of the same elements as the first, with the addition of Spellbinders'

Starry Forrest set.

3 cards for 3 special people, all ready to send. I'm absolutely sold on doing

a few each month, and am thrilled I was asked to join 'Keeping Christmas'.

Be sure to visit all the designers. I know there'll be oodles of inspiration.

Here's a list:

Kelly Lunceford (Creator)

Vicki Finger

Claire Broadwater

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Nancy Guse

Marybeth Lopez

Nancy Penir

Carol Hintermeier

Christmas Card Ala C9

A Very Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends!

I'm sharing a few of the cards I'm sending out using Concord and 9th's new release

for the holidays. Together with a few oldies but goodies from them too!

If you follow C9 at all you're familiar with their Turnabout stamp sets, a real

favorite of mine. Holly Berry Turnabout is stamped 4 times in green, then 2

times in raspberry (Altenew Inks) I have the Turnabout jig which makes it super easy!

Silent Night stamps inside the oval window. Holly Berry sprig and berries.

Couldn't waste the die cut oval! One more card with Holly Berry greenery cut from

Shimmer cardstock. Mistletoe Messages sentiment.

I think I stamped 30 card fronts with the turnabout set, using different colors.

This one with Christmas Cottage stamp set taking center stage.

I ran this one through with an embossing folder, and inked the card a bit.

One more with green card stock.

Played around with some different Christmas greenery too.

This background created with Woven Stripes Background stamp. 

Here's how I created the plaid: Stamped the allover stamp once, turned

and stamped again. Then filled in with a red pencil. 

Couldn't stop with this technique, and experimented with different bg color card stock.

the bow and berries cut from C9's Holiday Foil Paper Pack.

Well that's it for some of my Christmas cards. Will be posting others with 

sets from different companies soon!

Happy Holidays!

12 Kits of Occasions: November All is Calm All is Bright

The Holidays are upon us, and at 12 Kits our very special hostess, LindseyLarsen  from 

Occasional Crafting has given us the perfect kit for the season. 

Thanks to Lindsey, we always have the most gorgeous image photo. 

She showcases each image, every paper, and captures perfectly the very

essence of each kit. This month was her turn, and she gave a kit full of Christmas. 

So thankful for her thoughtful and carefully planned Christmas kit!

Here's what I did with 'All is Calm All is Bright.

I love the earthy colors and flora and fauna she provided. Honestly one of the easiest

kits to create with. Lindsey gave us everything we needed!

Really love the wow factor this jumbo ornament gave this card.

Lindsey gave us elements to create cards with the reason for the season.

So happy to have PTI's Petite Places Bethlehem so I could do a few cards with these

precious dies and sweet messages.

Concord and 9th bold black plaid bg, and copper script 'merry' on C&9's mirror green

card stock circle.

And finally this trio celebrating under the mistletoe!

Loved this kit, and love Lindsey for helping speed along my Christmas cards!

I'm working on a few more with my leftovers. I'll post them when done.

Merry Christmas Blessings!

12 Kits of Occasions: November It's Christmas!

Welcome to 12 Kits' November post, coming to you in December! 

November is Tracey McNeeley's month and there was a problem 

with our kits getting to us, but all's well, and the kit was just what was

needed by this grandma with 11 grandchildren. Honestly full of festive

fun and jolly animals and the cutest holiday paper... well, take a look.

Leading off with a closeup of my first card. Wanted you to see fussy cuts from designer paper  

Tracey sent that helped create my 'Happy Pawlidays' card for Shepherd, 7 years old.

Each card that follows was made for the youngest ones in my family, ages 4 - 15.

Hopefully, you're in the mood for some Christmas critters, and even a Santa too.

Cutting into some of the images on the designer paper was a theme I used on almost

every card!

Joy Snowglobe goes to Ana. She's 14, and we share a love for collecting all things Christmas.

This guy is for Nate, 13. I love that Tracey included so many masculine papers, like this

green plaid.

Eli is 4. He'll love the play on words, 'Santa Paws'!

A tangled puppy goes to Noelle, 8. She has a dog that looks just like this cutie.

Garrett is 15, and a total animal lover. I think he'll love this duo.

This MFT Santa and his pup goes to Reagan, 13. She'll love his jolly ol' self!

And one more tag, cuz you can never have too tags at Christmas time,

I used every adorable critter Tracey sent, most all the festive papers, and twine and

bling. This was kit I loved, every single bit! Thank you Tracey. You made this

grandma's Christmas cards easy doings!

All items sent out with November's kit is available on the 12 Kits' blog.

Have to mention a special guest with us this month, an

ex member of our group, Joyce Mehrberg.

Be sure to drop by her blog and give her some love.

https://the12kitsofoccasions.blogspot.com/2018/12/its-christmas.html

Festive Friday #40

With this pastel and silvery confection as our inspiration,

I created 3 cards for Festive Friday this week.

Don't know about you, but getting new dies (and stamps!) have to

be played with.

Couldn't stop cutting Hanging Ornaments from Memory Box.

First did this card

Impossible to show the shimmer, just like frosting on a cake!

Then did a 2nd card,

Kept the bg simple and changed the sentiment.

Shimmer and glitter paper everywhere.

3rd card

3rd card made with the leftover dies from the previous 2.

Honestly, just couldn't let those pieces go to waste!

Can't decide my favorite. 

May have to play some more...

Shimmer Paper: PTI

Sentiments: Waltzingmouse

Festive Friday Challenge #40 (September 12-24)