CHRISTMAS!

Can you believe that 1/2 of the year is already over!?!? I say WOWZERS so I had to kick off the reminder to you with a Christmas Card! This is my kind of card….simple but has a big and bold WOW to it! For those of you that are new to Stampin' Up! we will be having a holiday catalog which will be available to order August 1st.

Click here to see the "carry over" list of products from last year. There are some real keepers in this group and I am excited to see the new products later this summer! I was super happy that this stamp set is still available as it's a beauty!

It's hard for me to say that I hope this post gets you in the festive mood (I am sure that many of you are laughing) but if the 2nd half of the year goes like the 1st part…we better start pacing ourselves in preparing for the holiday season.

I can honestly say even though I have no idea what the  new stamps will be…but I would be tickled for this to be a card that I would send out ! Let's get to it!

• The over all size of the card is from Crumb cake and the size is a 5" square card! The very vanilla layer is just 1/4" smaller and then the Always Artichoke is just a smidge smaller….that's 1 8' to me! (This color combination is always a favorite of mine for the holidays – there is something so warm and comforting about it)

• As you can see in the below picture, I do not waste paper whenever possible! I highly encourage you do try this…it becomes a habit and you will always be happy that you are not always going for full sheets of paper!

• Simply layer the card stock as shown and then I took a piece of the NEW Gold Satin Ribbon and adhered it to the back and then made a simple loop and then ties a very small piece of lineb thread around the center part – easy and beautiful!

TIP/COMMENT – We all know that Stampin' Up! came out with lots of new ribbon this year (yeah!!!!!) but I will say that when I saw this satin ribbon…there was an immediate WOW – it is luscious and is great to work with – remember today is the last day to order from my ribbon and paper share…I strongly say if there are 3 ribbons that I would order they would be…

1. This satin ribbon…WHY??? it's beautiful and ties like a dream!
2. The cotton ribbon – WHY??? the colors are spectacular and it is the easiest to tie (even for me!!!)
3. The 1 1/4" Grosgrain – WHY??? you are probably thinking exactly what I was thinking…there is no way that I would ever use a whole roll but when you see how it jazzes up a project – WOW

Click here and see my Ribbon Share and you can see how practical and affordable it is to get these above ribbons…this way you can "play" with them and see what works for your style of crafting before investing in a whole roll (sounds familiar)

• Heat Embossing is like Christmas to me…I still get as excited every time I do this technique…it's like "magic" and I feel like a real artist at heart! Isn't this just beautiful in the gold? I stamped the image using versa mark (a must) and then used the gold embossing powder over before hearting it with the heat tool…..I just smile every time I see the powder turn to the shiny finished product!

• Stampin' Ups! Vellum has a great weight to it and it is a breeze to "fussy cut" out…the raised part from the embossing makes it so easy and actually very forgiving. The hardest thing with working with vellum is adhering it to your project as you can always see the adhesive.

TIP: To conquer this problem, look at your project and see a place that you can add some sort of embellishment …like here, I used the small pearls! This allowed me to place a glue dot underneath and you will never see it.

•  After using the pearls I looked at it and thought…this is a special card…and some more pearls are in order! I rarely use the pearls that are "connected together" on the sheet and this just did that special touch to the ribbon….love it!

• You know what's left to do….the envelope! The handy envelope punch board made it a breeze and then the gorgeous liner came from the Gold Soiree Designer Series Paper Pack…just beautiful!

I know that I always try to make cards for a purpose and guess what? This card has a purpose now! Every year my family goes to my dear friends home for Christmas Eve and we have the most amazing dinner, friendship and lots of laughter.  We have been getting together for over 20 years.

My dear friend Emma goes "all out" as she loves this celebration of the 4 families! It was truly a highlight for my Mom as she always looked so forward to this special evening!

I thought it would be fun to send her a Christmas Card letting her know how special it is for our family to spend it with them each year and how we are looking forward to another year of memories!

Well….I hope that this card brought some cheer to your heart! When I hold this card in my hands I know that my Mom would have adored it…she would say – "It is so simple yet so classic" and it is indeed! Beautiful does not mean complicated!

Please feel free to email me and click here to see the Weekly Specials…..(woot-woot for the envelope liner framelits and the square framelits – my top 2 picks) Remember, have the basic tools and your projects will come together in a snap!

Enjoy the day…..please email me if you want any ribbon or paper…and until tomorrow!

Joyful Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$16.95

Gold 5/8" Satin Ribbon

$6.95

Gold Soiree Specialty Designer Series Paper

$12.95

Envelope Punch Board

$19.95

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

$4.95

Heat Tool

$29.95

 

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