Stamped Christmas Cards in Reds and Greens...

Good Day,  It has been a while since my last post and I have a lot to share.  It has been so busy here, I feel like I don't know if I am coming or going.  

These are the first Christmas cards I have made for Christmas 2012.  I received a large box of rubber stamps from my mother just before Christmas.  Before she became ill, she had quite a collection of stamps.  She ran a home business making and selling stamps.  So not only were there mounted stamps in the box, she sent a ton of unmounted stamps from all occasions.  I am planning on sorting through them, making sets, and selling them.

I am really happy with the way these cards came out.  They are some of my favorite Christmas cards I have made.  I just love the deep greens and reds in the papers.

These three cards will be presented for the ABC Christmas Challenge - "A" Anything for Christmas.  Be sure to check out their blog if you like challenges.  The best part, by the time Christmas rolls around, you should be more than ready to send your Christmas cards to family and friends.  

Let it Snow Card - Front

Let it Snow Card - Inside

Merry Christmas - Front

Merry Christmas - Inside

Joyous Christmas - Front

Joyous Christmas - Inside

Paper: Recollections All Season Paper Pad
           Red & White Card stock
           Fiskars & Cloud 9 Designs Christmas Kit
           Scraps from my stash

Ink:     Versa Mark Watermark Stamp Pad
            Impress Black

Ribbons are from my stash no manufacturer listed

Embellishments: Fiskars & Cloud 9 Designs Christmas Kit (stickers)
                           Making Memories (eyelets)

Stamps:   Recollections
                and from my mothers inventory

Thanks again for stoping by to visit. I hope you have enjoyed my cards.  Hope to see you again soon.

Have a wonderful day!

Reindeer Games - Tag you're it!

Good Day.  I hope you are all doing well and staying warm.  It has been unusually cold here for Georgia.  If I am sitting still, I have my blanket on my lap and feet. 

I have a cute little Reindeer tag to share with you today.  I used my Cricut  Expression, with the Paper Doll Dress Up Cartridge to cut the shape. They were easy to design in the Cricut craft room where I welded two of the deer together at the antlers to make a gift tag.

Aren't they cute?

I am loving their craft room.  I had been using their Design Studio software for sometime now, and the craft room works pretty much the same as the software.  However, there are some pluses with the craft room.  

#1 it is free to join

#2 you can use it to design anywhere and anytime with an Internet connection

#3 you can save your cartridges as favorites in the library so you will always know which you have

#4 while you cannot cut from cartridges you don't own, you can view and design with all of them and have a good idea of what it can do before you buy
#5 you will have access to digital images you can't purchase elsewhere

You are limited to cutting on two registered devices, but I would think this would be sufficient for most crafters.  Myself, I only use my desktop computer with my Cricut machines.  However, I could easily authorize my laptop, and then I could potentially design and cut anywhere.

Reindeer Tags with googley eyes

Four tags fit easily onto a piece of 12 x 12 kraft card stock.  I then used Pebbles chalk to add dimension to the front of the cards.  Brown chalk for the body and black chalk for the antlers and hoofs. I chalked in  shadows to create the legs.  A bell was tied around their necks with red DMC embroidery floss.  A red glass bead was glued on for a nose. The finishing touch was the googley eye.  It really added to the tag.

Close up of Reindeer.  Love the eyes, nose and bell.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed my project.  Keep warm and have a wonderful day!

Christmas Card Challenges Using Birdhouse Digi

Front of Card

This cute bird house digi is from Doodle Pantry.  Their theme for digital challenge #17 is to use a Doodle Pantry Image.  This card is also being used for the weekly challenge, a Christmas theme, at  OWH Stars & Stamps blog.  And for Challenge #17 - Too early for Christmas? over at Cardmadfairy's Digi Days Challenge blog.  There are some really cute images and some great ideas at these sites.  So be sure to stop on by and check them out.  They also have lots of fun challenges. When I find that ever elusive job, these are definitely some of the first places I plan to go shopping at.

The image is printed on water color paper.  Cardinals remind me of Christmas, so I colored the birds red using my Pebbles chalks.  Then finished the Christmas/Winter theme with red and green chalks for the bird houses. 

I used Microsoft PowerPoint to print the sentiment onto white card stock.  Sometimes I can have a hard time coming up with sentiments.  I find most of my quotes in my Webster's New Explorer Dictionary of Quotations.  However I found this list of quotes for Christmas on the Begin Crafting blog.  She has a lot of cute ideas, so you ought to drop on by.  

Inside of Card

The red card stock and the holly print papers are from a kit by Fiskars & Cloud9 Designs.  The 5" x 6.5" card base is by the Paper Studio.  I found them and the ribbon at Hobby Lobby.  It is hard to tell from the photo, but the bird house and sentiment are mounted on the same pearly paper as the ribbon.  The paper is from my stash so I do not know who made it.  I really like the shinny red ribbon against the color and texture of this paper. 

I used the same papers on the inside of the card, just to "dress" it up a bit.  The circular stickers are from the same Fiskars kit.  It is hard to see, but they are plastic with clear color and add some dimension to the page.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look.  

I hope you have enjoyed my designs.  

Have a wonderful day!

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoy my card on your way through OWH World Cardmaking Day Blog Hop. Clicking the banner above will help to guide you on your way to your next stop.

My Christmas card uses:

OWH Sketch #6

Patterned paper by Creative Imaginations and Debbie Mumm

Card stock from my stash

Sentiment by me & my BIG ideas

Classic Chalks by Pebbles Inc.

Gold Offray Ribbon & Organza ribbon by The Ribbon Boutique

Thanks once again for stopping by.  

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your Autumn Weekend.  

The weather should be simply gorgeous here.