Easy Christmas Card

As December is only a few days away I figured I better get my butt into gear and working on some of my Christmas cards and my December Daily album.  November flew by and I am not quite ready for the next month. 

A simple card without bulky embellishments that I can mail without extra postage or fear of damage before it reaches its intended recipient was a must for me.  To me the card is simple and elegant.  It shares an important message without having to add very much to it.  

A little bit of info on the card here.  I used watercolor paper and watercolor paints to paint the background blue.  After it dried completely I used a gorgeous stamp set from Hero Arts and black Staz On ink.  The nativity and the phrase are not attached so you have a bit of versatility here.  I then used a clear and yellow Stickles to outline the star and halo over the manger.  I mounted it on white card stock and then stamped  “Praying You Have A Blessed Holiday Season “ inside. 

Easy enough to mass produce if that is your thing.  I usually make 2 or 3 different designs and then make a few of each.  I only send about 30 cards and with a nice coupon from Shutterfly for 10 free cards I only need to make 20 to mail out.  I will make a few extras for my daughters teachers and a couple neighbors. 

I hope this card inspires you to try painting your own background.  It was super easy and I love the watercolor background against the black ink. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Handmade Holiday Blog Hop

Hello there!  Today I am joining many fabulous ladies who have created a little bit of holiday magic using our paper crafting suppliesto share with you. If you are following along with the blog hop you should have arrived here from Jennifer’s blog.  If you are just checking in on my blog or are a little bit lost and want to start from the beginning of the blog hop, visit Amanda’s blog to get back on track.

I made a small little 4x5 inch canvas board into a small bit of décor.  This is an idea that I originally picked up from the Crap I’ve Made blog.  Here is a quick run down of how I put this together.

You’ll need a canvas or other background of choice, scraps of papers, Mod Podge, acrylic paint and a piece of contact paper.
I cut all my pieces of paper into 1”x1” squares and used a layer of Mod Podge to adhere them to the canvas.  Once you have your canvas covered with the scraps rub over it with a brayer or something similar to make sure the papers are firmly adhered.  Let it dry for a few minutes while you cut your desired shape.  I have found that a piece of contact paper makes a fantastic little stencil and it cuts nicely when I use my Cricut.  I cut a tree from the Winter Frolic cartridge for this project.  Add the cut shape to the papers and smooth out any wrinkles and ensure you have the contact paper adhered completely.  Add a thin layer of acrylic paint and let it dry.  If you want to add another for better coverage go ahead.  I like to see the other papers peeking through a bit.  While the paint is just a little tacky carefully lift the contact paper off the papers and let the paint dry completely.
I added some Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type stickers at the bottom and outlined the tree with a Sharpie to help it stand out.  I then added a thin coat of Mod Podge to seal it.  While it was still wet I added some gems to finish it off.  Now since my edges were all uneven I added some fantastic tinsel ribbon with some hot glue to cover them up.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!  The next stop on the blog hop is Adele’s blog.

Finally

We have snow! Really it is just barely a dusting of snow but none the less the ground is white. I think there is something magical about December snow. Everything looks better. Christmas lights, trees, roof tops. As I sit here drinking my coffee and typing this it is snowing now and Aubrey looks out the window every so often and tells me there is "nose" outside.

I am really enjoying the magic of the Christmas season with the girls this year. While they certainly don't get the entire idea of it all just yet they greet the lighting of the Christmas tree with lots of clapping and giggles every day. I hope they always get such joy out of the little things.

Cookie Time

On Monday night I decided to be brave and let the girls help me make cut out cookies. Aubrey and Lolo both love being in the kitchen with me and this time was no exception. I love this picture because both of my babies are looking and smiling at the camera at the same time. The stars must have been aligned just for me!

It Was an Experience!

On Saturday morning all 3 of us got up early and got ready to leave the house. Saturday was the day we were going to meet Santa Claus. I put Aubrey and Lolo in cute little green and brown dresses and pulled Aubrey's hair into a braid. We left home around 9:30 and pulled into the Grafenwohr Px parking lot at 11:00. Santa was arriving at noon so I took my girlies into the Px and picked up a few things. We got in the line at 11:45 and waited for Santa. Right at noon the jolly guy arrived and walked through the line saying hello to all the children. When Santa walked up to say hello to Aubrey she put both hands on her hips and turned away! My sassy little girl. Lolo was not a fan of Santa at that point so I had to pick her up. The line was moving quickly and by 12:10 it was our turn to sit with Santa. First up, Aubrey. She still wanted nothing to do with Santa. I tried to set her in his lap and she stiffened right up and refused. Then I tried to get her to stand next to him and didn't work either. Ok, 1 kid down and no photo with Santa. Up next, Lolo. I picked her up and set her in Santa's lap and my baby was crying the entire time. She wouldn't sit with Santa and wouldn't let go of me. So, 2 kids and not a single picture of them with Santa Claus. For nearly 2 hours after we left Santa just the mere mention of his name caused Lolo to burst out into tears. My poor baby sobbed the entire time she tried to eat her lunch! I don't think we will be going to see Santa anytime soon. Thankfully Lolo is past the tears part when we mention his name.