Keeping Christmas - Feb 2018

Good Morning Sunday!

WOW, can you believe two months ago was Christmas Day?  Two months of the new year almost gone already!  

Since today is February 25th, it's time for another 

Keeping Christmas Inspiration Hop! 

The Team will be hereevery month on the 25th 

to share cards and inspiration 

and 

to add to our Christmas card stash 

throughout the year.

The whole idea is to have some Christmas cards in our stash all ready to go for December 2018!

My card this month contains some old and newly created items.  We crafters like to hoard --- paper, stamps, paper, die cuts, paper, sequins...did I mention paper?

I have a basket where I keep my background papers that I create with alcohol inks, watercolor, distress inks, etc.  I also have a small bin of card bases in all different colors that I started out to use for a project and then didn't.  One of my goals this year is to try and use up a lot of my papers, die cuts, embellishments that I already have sitting in a bin.  

So, that's what I've done with my card today.  The gold splattered card base had been sitting in a bin since Christmas, not as long as a lot of other things but it was perfect for my project today.

As I said I have a lot of handmade backgrounds I need to use up and so I pulled out one of these very bright blue watercolored ones to die cut and stamp into a globe ornament.

SUPPLIES: 

STAMPS: World map - The World Awaits; Sentiment - Here We Come A Caroling; Border strip - Happiness Enclosed -- All Catherine Pooler Designs.

PAPER: Watercolor Paper (Strathmore); White card base (Neenah Crest Solar White); Gold Foil (Stampin' Up); Gold glitter paper (Stash).

INK: Something Borrowed - (Catherine Pooler Inks); Versamark; Gold spray stain - Gold Color Spray Shine (Heidi Swapp);

EXTRAS: Super Fine Gold Emboss Powder- (WOW); ZigZag circle Die (My Favorite Things); Tiny Stars - Star Confetti Die (Hero Arts); Bow Die - (Impression Obsession); Gold string (Stampin' Up).

I cut the circle from a zig zag stitched circle die then inked up the map stamps (The World Awaits) in Versamark and embossed in gold.  Next I die cut an ornament top and bow out of gold foil paper and glued to the top of the globe along with a piece of gold string.  Then, I cute a thin strip of white cardstock and stamped the striped border (Happiness Enclosed) in Versamark and embossed it in the same gold.  I stamped the sentiment (from Here We Go A Caroling) in "Something Blue" CP ink.  I finished off the card adhering some tiny gold stars I had saved from a previously cut and used Star Confetti Die by Hero Arts.  I added them with some Micro dots.  Finally I added a blue gem to the ornament bow.

So, one way to make some fairly quick and easy Christmas cards is to raid your stash of already made backgrounds, card bases and/or old die cuts and pair them all together.   You'll not only clean out that stash of scraps and spares that keeps piling up but you'll also build up your Christmas cards.                                                                               

Now hop along and be sure to visit each blog. 

There is a lot of inspiration and ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

Kelly Lunceford

Lesley Croghan

Anita Madden

Broni Holcombe

Claire Broadwater

Julee Tilman

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld (You are HERE!)

Nina Forsyth

Vicki Finger

Keeping Christmas Blessings!