Oh 'deer' it's almost new years...

Hello! Once again, time has slipped away and the post I intended for Christmas day didn't happen.  So even if I didn't post, know that I was wishing everyone a very happy Christmas season!  I even had a card to share...

I always try to make some Christmas themed thank you cards to give to friends and family.  This year I went with a very simple idea-a reindeer face.  DH didn't think everyone would immediately see the deer, so I added a mouth.  Of course, the inside sentiment gave it away anyway!

The card was so easy to replicate. The hardest part was using the corner rounder on the top where it was two layers... I created the inside using MDS and a variety of stamps and text I had on the program.

I hope you have a wonderful, healthy, and peace filled new year! Thanks so much for visiting and have a fantastic day!

Card Recipe: Paper-soft suede, basic black, real red, Accessories-3/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches, MDS software program

Cozy Little Christmas Card

Hello!  I'm so glad you stopped in again!  My mini break taking care of DH has come to an end and I'm back to work again.  It was actually pretty nice having the time to get the decorations up and I even did a little baking.  I didn't get a ton of crafting time though.  However, I did manage to make a few cards using the Snow Festival DSP that was in my paper pile.

This pattern reminds me of a cozy warm sweater that someone's granny may have made as a gift, so I'm going with the cozy little Christmas card theme!  The hardest part was finding a way to add a sentiment without taking away from the sweater theme.  I probably spent over an hour thinking and testing out different ideas.  I finally settled on the layered circle oval with a little soft suede distressing around the edges to make them stand out from the white and baja breeze on the pattern.  It took me another 10 minutes to get the right sharpie shading for the enamel dots so they went with the colors as well.

I ended up making 6 of these and now I think my card stash might just be complete!  Now I just need to get those Christmas stamps purchased and address those envelopes... Wish me luck!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day.  Happy crafting!  For my fellow Christians of German descent, Happy Feast Day of St. Nicholas! Hope he brought you something wonderful!

Handmade for the Holidays

Hi!  I have something a little different to share with you today.  Every year, my daughters participate in our family's Thanksgiving Day ornament swap.  My girls create their handmade ornaments, wrap them, and join in the Sneaky Santa game played to receive new ornaments.  My Mom and her sisters still get together for Thanksgiving, so it's a pretty big crowd and the game is always a lot of fun.  Most players bring purchased ornaments, so the handmade ones are quite unique and always a crowd favorite.  

DD1 loves to embroider and wanted to use embroidery on her ornaments.  She was trying to think of a way to frame her pieces, when she received inspiration from a beautiful handmade ornament I received from a dear blogging friend, Heather.  She loved the idea of using the canning rings as a frame and quickly set to work creating her rustic Christmas ornaments.

DD1's ornaments

Heather's ornament

DD2 enjoys making things out of paper and found materials, so she created three tag style ornaments using wood tags as her base and applying pretty Christmas papers.  She really liked the poinsettia I made for my scrapbook page and wanted to make her own to go on the tag. 

DD2's ornaments

I think all of these ornaments are absolutely beautiful! Now I just need to convince my DDs to make a few extra ornaments to add to their mother's tree!

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope these talented people inspired you to make some lovely decorations for your own tree, or maybe even to give as gifts!  Have a wonderful week, and for those who celebrate Advent with me, Happy First Week!