Christmas Cards

Isn't it amazing, the amount of stash you build up over the years without really trying?  I keep Christmas bits and bobs in a box file and decided that whilst I was downstairs looking after the boys, I would do a bit of crafting in between.  Cards are easy to pick up and put down, so they seemed a good choice of project.  I have no idea what these papers are called, but they were a freebie with a craft magazine some time ago - so I thought I would challenge myself to use them all up!  All variations on a theme, but they certainly got my Christmas cards started off with a bang. 

Warning - image heavy post! 

Using the Tim Holtz Elegant Flourish die and some blue glitter paper - very simple!

Scalloped scissors for the border.  Craftwork Cards "Oh my words Christmas" for the sentiment - makes card making so quick and easy. 

Using up some of my extensive Bazzill "Just the Edge" strips and a bit of left over card embossed with the Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder. 

A co-ordinating frame, again with free magazine paper from a different collection.  

White peel-offs and the end of the blue swirly ribbon as a tag.  I made up my own sheet of Christmas messages and printed them off on robust card. 

I've had the dimensional snowflake stickers for years and years - you only need one!  The blue scalloped border is cut from glitter paper.  

I cut a bunch of white snowflake die cuts last year with my friend Tara's Sizzix snowflake dies.  Easily customisable with Promarkers and Stickles.

Using my Tim Holtz keyholes die and bits of leftover free magazine paper.  

Lots of scalloped circle punches and a way of using up just a left over strip of patterned paper. 

Even though the paper above is really busy, I really like this card - I think the double scallop is really effective, especially when paired with that snowflake dimensional sticker embellishment. 



And some left over handmade purple paper - again, with just a strip of patterned paper.  I used up one piece of that collection last year, but from the remainder, I have made 25 cards - a great staple if you're on a budget.  All quite easily achieved using some crafting basics - circle punches, ribbon, shaped scissors and some die cuts.  Voila!

Freebie Mag Papers and Cardstuff ....

What do you do with the freebie mag papers you pick up?  I wouldn't dream of using them for layouts (because they're shiny, and look like freebie mag papers, :lol:) but I use them all the time for making cards. 

Now that I've mentioned freebie mag papers, the first two cards don't use them at all!  :lol:  But they do use up scraps and old stash, as is my norm.  Dear viewers, you will get heartily sick of me saying that!  It is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, m'lud. 

Using up the aperture cards my friend Tara gave me, and some thick vellum cutesy images my friend Judith gave me about six years ago.  I've got heaps more!  I've actually coloured in the images with promarkers, but the result is very subtle - perhaps because of the thickness of the vellum? 

I actually don't like cute images - or at least, certainly not the Magnolias or Tildas or whatever is all the rage at the moment.  But I will use whatever I have, so here is the result.  And it is cute, at least.  Flowers are American Crafts Greenhouse, which I have been saving - they're perfect here, I think. 

Two scraps of patterned paper - and that's almost it!  Honestly, I don't scavenge - but people give me things they won't use ALL the time.  My friend Moira gave me some Papermania ribbons - the purple and the orange were part of the set.  The purple dotted paper is Basic Grey Fusion and the floral is a scrap of DCWV (I think) that one of my students was going to throw away from a class.  Tut!  So simple, but I love the really bright colours. 

NOW onto the freebie mag papers!  I picked up the Scrapbook Magazine, which I don't do very often, and the papers are by American Crafts - one is a heritage range, and one is a sweet range? 

Again, more Papermania ribbon, some stamping and bling and done! The pink lifts up the blue and adds some fun, I think. 

More of the same background paper - a twist with a curvy message by Craftwork Cards.  I really like the curvy messages now! 

Same ribbon, many of the same elements - but a different result.  The pink adds lots of zing, but also makes it very feminine, I suppose.  They were supposed to be masculine cards at the start! 

This last one is quite formal, but I believe the message makes it quite versatile. 

The gold stickles add real impact IRL - just a dotting around the journalling frame and between the Martha Stewart Loopy punch edge and the gold ribbon.  I really like the message "celebrate in style" - it could equally apply to birthdays, anniversaries, good news in general, or exam results!  A very satisfying feeling to use up what most people throw away without thought.