The Christmas Countdown is On!

Hello!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We did.  Now, on to my Christmas card making decisions!  In the past, by Thanksgiving, I liked to have my card ideas complete for what cards I was going to make for Christmas.  Now, that is when I was making 4 or 5 different ones but making 12 to 15 of each.  That is way too many to make of one card!  Plus, I had no blog then. So, this year, as I make cards for the blog, my idea is to make 5 cards like the one, and by the time I hit 12, I will have more than enough!  At lest this is my idea starting out!  Will you see 12 different cards from me?  Maybe, maybe not. I have seen so many fun ideas, especially papercrafting ideas.  We'll see how it goes.  I also have a couple of handmade Christmas presents to make that I will be showing you.  Just know, that my blog posts might be more intermittent than usual, with all the creating going on.  The goal for each card is to create the card, post it on the blog and make the additional cards like it before moving on to the next card idea.  I have one last thing to say on the subject of Christmas cards.  I know there are few crafters that make cards to send to everyone, and the list is even smaller for the people who don't craft.  And if I would only send to the ones that send to me, I could cut this list down to almost nothing.  But, for me it is one of my Christmas traditions and traditions are hard for me to break.  Yes, it does cause some stress, but it always gives me great enjoyment.  It is part of the giving at Christmastime.  It really is what Christmas is all about.  So go make a few cards and send them! 

My first card is already made and I am in the middle of making several more like it!  Let's get to it!  Enjoy!

Is this card cute or what?  My friend let me borrow her two new sets from The Cat's Pajamas and even though they are not exactly Christmas designs, I couldn't resist!  Really, any winter design can be used for  holiday cards, especially when you add a sentiment like "holiday wishes" like I did!  The big snow hills were made with a new Sizzix die I got.  Yes, you usually see scallops pointing down, but I thought flipping them would make perfect snow hills!   I don't do a lot of glitter because it just goes with me everywhere, but I can't do Christmas cards without it.  So, I added glitter at the tops of the hills and on the snowflake.  It really adds to the effect! 

Recipe:

Paper - Red Snowflake paper by Imaginisce called Swirly Snowflakes, Dot is by Bo Bunny called Ocean Dot, Cardstock White, Aqua
Stamps - Ski Bunny & Feel the Wind by The Cat's Pajamas, Holiday Wishes by Hero Arts
Ink - Versafine Black, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol
Tools - Classic Scalloped Oval, Classic Oval, Create A Flake 2, Ribbon Tags Trio,& Classic Circle Nestibilities, Snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder, Marvy Corner Rounder.
Other - Ribbon by AMuse, Quicky Glue Pen, Art Institute Crystal Glitter, Glitter Dots from HL

Tina Tip:  I thought the ribbon tag needed some color behind it but it was already tied with the ribbon on the card when I decided this, so I didn't have the actual piece to trace around.  I made a discovery ... you will get the perfect layer if you lay the actual nestibilites die on paper and trace around the outside of the die.  It will layer perfectly with the cut one!  So, many times I have tried to make a layer behind a labels die but it doesn't look that great, because I don't cut evenly around the die.  Next time, I will trace around the actual die and it will layer even and perfectly.  Easy Peasy!

Happy Stamping!
Tina