Christmas Cards That Worked

I think these may have been 4 of the cards from my workshop but they're great so I'll post them and probably use the templates again!  Thanks Sandi!

And A Few Random Occasions Cards!

One Mother's Day card from last year, I think.  I love the bold print and colors of the flowered paper but find it tough to actually integrate into most cards.  This attempt worked okay but I still think there is something babyish about it.  Maybe if I'd lost that additional flower?  I do like the paper tearing effect, though.

This was very simple for a bridal shower. 

One attempt at making a wedding card using the often-seen mismatch of papers, textures, and colors that many card makers use.  However, my creations don't seem to ever turn out as functional and put-together as theirs! 

Another mash-up of colors and textures.  I'm a big fan of purple and grey's together so I think I like this card a but more than the previous one.

I can't remember what this was for, but I think the window effect is very nice if done right.  Not sure this card works but the colors are lively and cheery!

I buy way too many Valentine's stamp sets and paper and really only have one person to give these cards to.  So, in general, Bryan usually gets 3-4 but I only managed one for him this year.  It's okay, a little babyish again, I think. Next year I will do better (and will begin in January).

This was for Bryan for our anniversary. Working off a template for a young boy's birthday card and with minimal stamp sets to choose from, this ended up looking like another boy's card, so I'll keep the template and change the sentiment!

Again, I buy these stamp sets (in this case a Thanksgiving one) and never use them.  So, I decided to make Thanksgiving cards for both my parents and Bryan's Mom this year and this was the card (they both get the same one).  I think it turned out relatively well. 

A Collection of Recent Birthday Cards

Card-making has not been at the top of my list of things to do over the past year as I have been focused on completing my Holistic Nutrition program.  However, I have been able to complete a few cards for friends' and family members' birthdays and still want to keep a reminder of those that I deemed alright to wonderful!

A birthday card for my Mom (2014?)

Birthday card for my Dad, I think! (2014)

For my friend Shari!

For my future sister-in-law!

Another Dad card (2015).

I think these were for my friend's daughters.

No idea who for, but I thought this one turned out pretty well.

The gears card went over very well with Bryan (even though it wasn't for him).  Another birthday card for my Mom, too.

Inside of the above cards.

Again, no idea who this was for, but I like the simple look and the white ink on the darker paper - it really stands out!

A custom creation using a friend's design, but instead I played with my new seashells stamp set!

I love this card!  The first attempt did not go so well - I had a momentary relapse into my kindergarten creativity days with that one!  However, after sleeping on it and playing around a bit more, I think this one turned out really well. 

More Xmas Cards

Inspired by my recent card workshop, I awoke at 6:30AM on a Sunday (who does that???) eager to pull out my card stuff. I haven't seen my stash since August, with my busy work, school, fitness and recently acquired writing schedules so it was nice find time to work on a few new ideas. It does help to have an occasion to focus on as well, so that's one good thing about the season.

 

My accomplishments in the wee hours of the day:

 

 

 

Picture the right one rotated to the left 90 degrees.

 

I especially like the Santa Card!!

 

 

 

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Christmas Card Workshop

Yesterday afternoon, my good friend Sandi hosted a Christmas Card-making Workshop at her house. She is a talented Close To My Heart consultant who graciously took the time to design eight beautiful cards for the attendees to make. In addition to the design, she also spent hours cutting out all the paper and card stock in various sizes to ensure we didn't have to do this step. Many thanks and appreciation goes out to Sandi for taking this on and inviting us into her home.

It was a fun afternoon spent with friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in quite some time. We chatted and told stories, catching up on each others' lives.

I made seven cards in total using four of the designs. I'm proud of my work this time as I made fewer mistakes and the cards all ended up looking quite nice!

 

Two cards, front.

 

And their respective insides...

 

The next two.

 

The inside.

 

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Two Weddings and a Shower

Weddings are such magical times for everyone, but especially for those getting married that day. I love to see the joy and exhilaration of both parties as they vow to be there for each other forever. Trying to create wedding cards that exude some of that amazement and thrill was tough. I hope these are appreciated but I would like to work on more to get things more romantic and wonderful.

 

 

And, of course, when every good girlfriend is anticipating their wedding day, there is a bridal shower thrown in her honor. My good friend Kelsey has anxiously and, at times, not so patiently awaited her wedding day and I know that she and Matt will endure and prosper, growing old together with each loving, passing day. They truly were meant for each other.

 

 

 

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A Thank You For Great Friends

With our 3 week vacation to Italy, we were very fortunate to have our great friends Dale and Jocelyn volunteer to look after our house and the cats. While it's just a card, I'm hoping that this helps to express just how very thankful we are that they were able to help out. I hope one day we can return the favor for them!

 

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