Another Christmas Card

I decided to simplify my next Christmas card design.  The first one I made took quite some time but I still wanted to use the Memory Box holly leaf wreath die.  I liked how it turned out with the Martha Stewart branch punch die cuts.  So this time, I thought I would make the standard A2 card.  I would create a nice background using modelling paste.  I would mount the wreath and add a sentiment.  I also decided that I would make all the ones that I was mailing the same so that it would go faster.

Less time consuming -- yes.  Simpler design -- yes.  Not too thick so easier to mail -- yes.  Able to complete a whole whack of them in time to mail today -- um, well, see, um -- no.  I have managed to get two completed and the bits and pieces ready to do 4 more.  Thankfully, I only mail about a dozen cards. 

The rest of the cards that I have to make get shipped in my Christmas packages so I don't have to worry about whether or not they are "mailable".  The added bonus is that they don't have to be completed this week.  I still have at least one more weekend since they don't need to be on the Greyhound until later next week.

Here is design #2 with the Memory Box holly wreath die:

Not the best photo I am afraid to say.  We are getting some snow today and the lighting sucks.

Have a good Monday.  Off to pick up the kiddos from school and try to get a few more of these done.

Christmas Cards

Every year I try to figure out what I want to do for Christmas Cards.  Should I do one design over and over again or should I do separate designs for each person.  Should I just give in and buy the cards instead.  This year, I thought that I would try to do different designs for different people. I would try to use up some of this stash that is littering my house.

So here is the first of the cards, I used some old Basic Grey paper that I have had for years. I embossed it, painted it with white painted, inked it with Distress ink and then painted it with Gesso to emphasis the embossing.  The wreath was made with a Memory Box die that I picked up recently and my favourite Martha Stewart punch - Branch.  The gold bow on the wreath is also a Memory Box die.  Boy was that fiddly to fold and glue but it was worth it.  The banner is a Tim Holtz die which I embossed Merry Christmas in gold.

I finally used the WRMK envelope punch that I have had for a while.  I am loving the idea of making special envelopes for the cards -- adding that extra touch.

Since the envelope is a dark colour, I needed to have a light coloured label for the address information.  I used a large Spellbinder's label die.

One down...many more to go. :-)

Have a good Monday.

Last of the Retreat Layouts

This is the last of the retreat layouts that I completed.  This is a more clean lined and much less layered layout than I normally do but I did not want to take to much away from this photo.  It is hard to get both kiddos looking at the camera, smiling reasonably, and not goofing off at this stage.

I coloured the canvas resist flowers with Distress markers so that I could be more precise in my colour placement.  I, then, misted the canvas to spread the ink.  It also made the colour less intense.

Now that I have shared all the layouts that I completed last weekend, I just need to keep this going.  I need to sit down and work on some of the ideas that have been percolating over the last week.

Have a good Saturday.

Looky, looky...a craft related post.

Not much craft related was finished this week except some glue gunning of Halloween costume bits but thankfully, I have no plans this weekend.  I am not travelling, the kiddos are not travelling, we have no family visiting.....a quiet open weekend to relax and play....(at least I hope so. With my luck, I have probably jinxed it by saying it out loud).  I am seriously thinking of playing some more with pretty paper.  The retreat did rejuvenate my interest in crafting once again.

Speaking of the retreat, here is another layout that I completed.

My two kiddos and my niece at my parent's house.  The photo was taken in the summer in my parent's backyard.  I finally dug into some Basic Grey paper that I have been hording for a bit.  The spotted leaves are made with washi tape.  Washi tape is starting to become my goto embellishment.  Love the stuff.

Happy Friday....TGIF....

It was a dark and stormy night...

When the 10th doctor landed amongst a vampire nest, his only worthy ally was a vampire hunter that he had met in a previous Halloween adventure. All did not go as planned since vampire had managed to get her hands on the 11th doctor's sonic screwdriver.....and managed to thwart their plans to exterminate her.

Happy Halloween everyone. Hope that your night is full of ghouls and goblins.