Christmas Cards - Part 1

So, it appears that I am a little behind on my posts on my papercrafting blog. I seem to spend more of my time on my other blog, posting about life, the kiddies, etc. So, it is only now, that I am finally posting some of my Christmas cards.

I sent out about 70 cards this year....all of them hand made. It is the first year that I have hand made all of them. And, because I am a glutton for punishment, I didn't make them all the same design either. I think I ended up with about 8 different designs in the end. This was mainly because I didn't want to get bored with it, and because I wanted to use supplies I had on hand.

Here are the first few pics. They aren't the best pics. I am always struggling with lighting. I need to photograph the cards when I have a lot of natural light, and in winter, that can be tough! The day I took these photos was less than ideal in the lighting department, so they all have a bit of a yellowish tinge to them. Oh well....I will keep trying!

If you have any questions about how any of them were made, just leave me a comment, or email me offline. I don't want to bore you with the step by step on all of these cards. That would be way too boring and would take way too long!

So Much Fun

I had a lot of fun making this girly card for a customer. It was going to her sister, who was celebrating her 30th birthday. So, in honour of the occasion, a lot of effort went into this card!

This was the first time I tried paper piecing with a stamped image. This means that you stamp the image, then you re-stamp the same image on a piece of patterned paper. You then very carefully cut around the re-stamped image and piece it together with the original image. It sounds confusing, I know.

Basically, I cut the wall paper out from a stamped image on patterned paper and then pieced it onto the stamped image on solid paper. The result was polka dot wallpaper. But, wow, did it ever take a long time!

I am really happy with the end result though. I love blue and chocolate brown. They are my colours of the moment.

I hope you like them too!

Celebrate Love

This is an anniversary card that I recently made for a customer of my card club.

The way the card club works is simple.....you give me a list of your events and dates for the year, and I make you a custom card for each one. You receive your cards two to three weeks before the event date, acting as a reminder, and giving you time to personalize the card and send it on to the recipient.

For obvious reasons, this club is great for those who are busy, and often forget events due to a hectic schedule. Alternatively, it is also great for those who have an appreciation for those things unique and hand made.

It is difficult to tell in the photo, but the ribbon closure ties in with moss coloured green leaves on the patterned paper. I haven't gone colour blind. :)

Happy Birthday, Sis!

I normally wouldn't post a card before the recipient has actually received it, but I am pretty sure it is safe...this time.

This is a birthday card that I made for my older sister, Kathy. It is in the mail, on its way to Canada as I type this post.

I know that Kathy has been really busy working two jobs lately, so I am pretty certain she won't be reading my blog.

I can't really tell you why, but this stamp has always reminded me of my sister. I was thrilled to finally get the chance to use it! Kathy is a bit of a sun worshiper, so I can totally see her sitting lounging like this.

The flowered and striped papers are actually glittery....that is very "Kathy" too. She is a glittery kind of girl. The flowers were done with a punch and the girl was stamped with an acrylic stamp set. She was then water coloured using CTMH ink pads and a small brush.

This is one of only two times I have tried my hand at water colouring.....and I am fairly pleased with the results. What do you think? :)