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