The official Christmas card

Happy 2013!  While I'm recuperating from being awake after *gasp* 9:00 pm, I thought I'd let you in on what design I picked for our Christmas card this year.  We sat down with many of the Christmas themed cards I made over the course of the year and this is what I came up with:

I cut the card to fit my A2 envelopes on White Bazzill cardstock.  That's right, I buy the heavy duty stuff for the Christmas cards.  :)  Then I cut dark blue Bazzill and wrapped some silver ribbon from Michaels (it's the 360 brand).  I cut the Jesus and star from Winter Frolic with Bazzill cardstock.  The yellow and the silvery/off white color have shimmer to them, which looks very cool.  I drew Jesus' eyes and cheeks on with gel pen and I took his cheeks off using Cricut Craft Room.

The "Merry Christmas" banner is cut from Wild Card and stamped in blue ink with a stamp from My Creative Time's "Gift Card Sentiments."  I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the cards, but you can see the sentiment I used here:  Glory of Christ's Birth Stamp.  I stamped it in the same blue as I used on the front of the card.

Merry Christmas!

Hi bloggy friends!  Happy Friday and happy challenge day at Pause, Dream, Enjoy Challenges!  Today, our challenge is:

Question: Are you celebrating anything this month?

THEME: MAKE ANY TYPE OF CELEBRATION PROJECT

This month, we celebrate Christmas.  When I saw this challenge, I thought that it would be fitting to make a card that didn't have cute little elves or festive animals, but that represented the true meaning of what we celebrate this season: Jesus!

This card is on a kraft base.  I used pastel blue paper for the background, I'm not sure why it came out so bright in all the pictures I took.  I used some off white squiggles that I won in a prize pack from Julie at Cricut Chirp Challenges.  I cut Jesus from Winter Frolic.  His face was too small for me to want to cut his features, so I drew the eyes and mouth on with gel pen and colored in the cheeks with colored pencil.

I stamped the sentiment with My Creative Time's "Gift Card Sentiments."  

What are you celebrating this month?  Come to Pause, Dream, Enjoy Challenges and show us your celebrations!  You can stop by first and check out the inspiration from the rest of the DT ladies, and then get a-craftin'!

Christmas bird

Today I've got a card with the bird from Jolly Holidays.   I used a background paper from the All Seasons stack from Paper Studio.  I also used some red snowflake ribbon from my stash.  The bird's eye wasn't well defined, so I traced it with white gel pen and then went over that with silver stickles.

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but I stamped "Merry Christmas" from My Creative Time's 'Gift Card Sentiments' set in the top corner.

This card is going to be entered into the following challenges:

Exploring Cricut  Christmas Card                              

Paper Playtime  Christmas Colors             

Christmas tag

Today I have a tag to share with you!  I cut this tag from Plantin Schoolbook at 6 inches (which made it 4.5 inches wide).  I used some kraft paper for the shadow and some patterned paper from The Paper Studio for the tag itself.  Then I cut some sea green cardstock to go across the tag where I could stamp the sentiment "Merry Christmas" from My Creative Time's Gift Card Sentiments.  I had to mask the sentiment to get it that far apart, but I wanted the snowgirl in the middle.

The snowgirl is cut at 5.25 inches from Jolly Holidays.  I love the snow people on that cartridge- their smiles are just so me.  I haven't put any ribbon or twine into the hole yet because I haven't decided exactly how I want to use it- as decoration, as a kind of card, or as a tag for a present.

This card will be entered in the following challenges:
My Creative Time- Large tags
Paper Playtime- Anything Goes

Hope squirrel

I think I've mentioned before that one of the things I love about the Birthday Bash Cricut cartridge is that they have little hands that can be holding anything.  This cute little squirrel is supposed to be holding a number 1.  Instead, I cut a pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and have the squirrel holding that.

I put my squirrel on some patterned paper I had in my scraps.  Then I added some Fruit Punch Stickles to her tail for a little extra sparkle. I stamped the word "Hope" in the bottom corner with My Creative Time's "Inspiring Words" stamp set and then put three little gems underneath that match the color of the squirrel's fur.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Die Cuttin' Divas- Shimmer, Glimmer, Gloss
Cardz TV- Let's hear it for the girls

Believe

With October being breast cancer awareness month, many blogs are having pink challenges right now.  I chose the cloud that's raining down love from Create a Critter 2 and cut it at 3.5 inches.  Then I cut the cloud base again (the part that's pink in the picture) in white at about 2 inches, cut the raindrops off, and used it to stamp the word "Believe."  That sentiment is from Inspiring Words by My Creative Time.  

I used patterned paper from Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook 6x6 pad for the background over a gray card base.  Then I added some washi tape by Queen and Co.  I think it's technically from their Disney line, but I just like the black with polka dots as a general tape to have.  I added some Stickles in "glam pink" to the hearts and three small pearls as a finishing touch.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

Fantabulous Cricut- Get 'em squished

Celebrate the Occasion- Breast cancer awareness

Link up for Pink- Second annual Link up for Pink event

Hugs

It's challenge day again at Pause, Dream, Enjoy Challenges!  This week's challenge is:

Question: Do you smile often?

Theme: Create any type of project with FACES.

(Drawn faces, cut faces, stamped faces, etc.)

What a fun subject!  I think that my default face is kind of serious, because sometimes my husband will say "what's wrong?"  when I'm just typing a blog post or reading something online.  I always try to be conscious of smiling, especially when I'm out in public.  The day I made this card, I was having a kind of stressful day, and it felt really good to make a smiley card!

Speaking of Smiley Cards, that's where this entire card is made from!  I cut the hexagon card base in bright blue from Smiley Cards and then put the patterned paper over top of it.  Then I cut the hugs emoticon from a different button on Smiley Cards.  I am so happy that the Cricut Craft Room has allowed me to buy this cartridge.  I love it!  I used Cotton Candy stickles on his cheeks, and then stamped from my new My Creative Time "Gift Card Sentiments."  I love the font on this stamp set!  I'm excited to use it more.

How can you make us smile?  Join us at Pause, Dream, Enjoy challenges and play along!  There's plenty of inspiration from our other Design Team members over at the blog to get you started.  :)