Christmas Card Challenge 2010

I will be ready this year for Christmas! I get busy making other people's cards at Christmas that mine end up being rushed and not like I want them. So, I found a group last year that I knew I was going to join this year in January. It is on Splitcoaststampers.com and they challenge you to make 10 Christmas cards every month starting in January and ending in November. What a great idea!!


So, this is my January entry. I used Stampin' Up! A Wish for Peace and Night of Navy paper and ink. I inked my dove first with Versamark (sticky ink)and then with the night of navy. This gave it a navy color but the Versamark gave it some 'stick'. Before the Versamark dried, I sprinkled it with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and used a heat gun to set it. This made my dove very sparkly but it does not show in the photo too well.


It is so much easier to sit and make 10 cards then to sit down and know you have to make 100! This will allow me to use a few techniques that are more time consuming that I would if I were making them all at once. I can see this presenting one problem though, with 11 different designs that I know I will love, I am going to stress about who gets what card. Oh well, guess I will worry about that in November.

Journal Note Christmas Card

Journal Notes from Crafty Secrets make card making a snap. I needed a quick card for my mom so I figured my Journal Notes were the way to go. I embossed a piece of 2 colored card stock and then sanded it a little to allow the color on the other side to show through. This kind of paper is great for embossing. I added my Journal Note, using the top and bottom and that was it. Super Simple.

Frugal Stamping Tip: Journal Notes are a great way to be a frugal stamper. I did not use any stamps on this card (which can be expensive). So you don't need an arsenal of stamps on hand in order to have a great choice of images and sentiments to make a beautiful card.

Merry Christmas

This elegant card was made using 3D stickers from JoAnn's Crafts. I found some patterned paper in my stash that matched the stickers well. Since the stickers were 3D, I raised my sentiment up on 3D tape so it would stand out as well. I stamped the sentiment with my JustRite tiny letters and embossed it with gold embossing powder. I set a gold eyelet on the side and added a gold ribbon to tie the card closed. I got the idea for this card off the Better Homes and Gardens website, see their card here.

Sketch Challenge 253

I think Sketch Challeges are my favorite type of challenges because they really get my brain going. I tend to always use the same basic layout when I am left on my own to make a card but with a sketch challenge, I usually love the end result because it is so unlike anything I usually create.

For today's challenge (which was actually from last Wednesday but I just got around to doing it today) I used paper from Die Cuts With A View and didn't even use any stamps. I really like the layout and it emphasizes the focal image with the small triangles on the side.

Frugal Stamper Tip: All the paper used in this card was scrap. When choosing a layout where you are wanting to use up scrap, pick a layout with small pieces so you can use up all those odds and ends in your scrap drawer.

A Few Christmas Cards

Christmas is sneaking up on me so I finally bit the bullet and tried to come up with a few new Christmas Card designs today. For some reason, this year my brain is just not wanting to kick in to the Christmas mode. Maybe because it is about 70 degrees outside, beautiful and only October!


With the glitter paper on these 2 cards, I liked them without a sentiment on the front. I will just leave it off and put one on the inside.


This card is a little more fun...

Card Give Away

This is a card I gave away on my Facebook page this past week. I love the nice, quite winter scene of this card. It just looks so peaceful. If you want a chance to win free cards, become a fan of Paula's Handmade Memories on facebook.

No Time Challenge

I have been out of town for a few days and was happy to come back and make a few Christmas Cards. Sharon had a great challenge today and it worked with where my brain has been hanging out. I have been in a creative rut for a few weeks and this is not good since I need to be working on Christmas Cards and I can not come up with anything I like.

The stamp I used was one I won from the World Card Making Day challenges and it is from Magnolia Stamps. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up! Flaky Friends. I colored the snowman with SU markers and topped his star with gold stickles for a little sparkle.

Crafty Secrets Journal Notes

I have a few more favorite things to add to my arsenal of supplies. The company Crafty Secrets has a product called Journal Notes and they are indeed a crafty secret! This pad is filled with vintage images to make quick work of beautiful cards. One part of the page is the image and the other part is a place to write a few words or maybe even a grocery list.

The snowman card I used the image and the journal area as part of this card. The bow I tied with my new bow easy. I added some clear stickles to the snow line to add sparkle to the snow.




For this angle image, I used a metallic paper for the background that I embossed with my cuttlebug. I mounted the sentiment (also part of the journal note) with silver brads. I again used my bow easy for the small white bow.



Both of these cards were created for challenges on splitcoaststampers.com.

World Card Making Day

I was just thinking how cool it would be if my birthday was on World Card Making Day. I could be given the day to play challenges all day, making cards and go to the stores around town today giving away free stuff to celebrate the special day. OH well, it isn't so my husband took our daughter camping and I am home with my 1 year old today. I love him to death but he does not make it easy to sit and make cards.

Splitcoaststampers.com had a day full of challenges and here are my cards I created while playing along.

Challenge A - Make a quote or saying your focal point.



Challenge B - Make it pop




Challenge C - Go 80's




Challenge D - Gratitude, Chocolate, and a Sketch



Challenge E - Color Challenge



Challenge F - Make an ornament



Challenge G - Color Challenge & Challenge H- Sketch Challenge (I combined them)






Challenge I - Z Fold Card

Challenge J - Color Challenge




Challenge K - Sketch

Challenge L - Sketch

The First Christmas Card of the Year

My first Christmas Card of the season but I'm not loving it. I like the idea but my bow is not working for me. I think it needs a red bow and a material that is softer, maybe silk. For me though, this bow is really good. I learned a new way to tie them and I think with softer ribbon, this technique could work. I will have to practice some more though. Not too bad for a first attempt.

The stamp set is from Stampin Up Pocket Silhouettes and the sentiment is Stampin Up A Wish For Peace.

CPS 134 Sketch Challenge

I haven't done a challenge in a few weeks but when I saw the sponsor was one of my favorite companies, I had to play. It was a nice simple sketch from CPS and it gave me a chance to use some of my flowers. I have to admit, I never use them because I know what they cost (I am Frugal!) but the 4 jars I have of them are covered in dust so I figured either use them or throw them out. The Frugal in me won out and I used them. I am glad I did, I think it made a very nice Thanksgiving card. So, dust off some of your unused supplies and use them, you never know, you may just like it!

Be Thankful for the Little Things

I finally found time to use another image from my new JustRite stamps. The set is called Autumn Blessings. You can view the entire set by clicking here. The part of making cards I find most difficult is coloring images such as this one.

I am not good at shading and picking the right colors. A true artist could have shaded those apples and made shadows and did all sorts of wonderful things but the best I can do is just color them in. Considering my MAJOR lack in coloring skills, I am satisfied with the end result. I guess I just need to keep practicing so maybe when I find a spare hour somewhere, I will try to color another one of the beautiful images from this set.

I Love This Time of Year

The weather is crisp, the kids are back to Mother's Day Out and Preschool and I get to make Halloween Cards! My favorite cards to make are Halloween and Fall cards. I am really thinking about not sending Christmas Cards this year and sending Autumn Cards instead...would that be strange?

This card was very simple to make with some glitter paper from DCWV and my JustRite stamps. The little witch hat is from Stampin Up Year Round Fun.

Hostess Cards

I was asked to make a few hostess cards for a friend, she wanted a few Halloween and a few Fall cards. I love Halloween and Fall cards so I was more than happy to help her out! The new DCWV paper I got the other day made these cards a snap, paired with my JustRite monogram stamper.

Fall Is In The Air

In my opinion, Indian Corn and corn stalk bundles are the sign of fall. This was one of my favorite images from my NEW Autumn Blessings set from JustRite Stampers. Wait, who am I kidding, I loved them all but I chose to use this one first so I will call it my favorite. I colored it with SU Markers and I am very happy with it. I am horrible at coloring so for me, this is GREAT! I cut it out with my NEW oval nestibilities dies and used the leaf paper from my NEW stack of fall paper from DCWV. Considering how many NEW things I bought to make this card, it may be one of my most expensive! New stamps, new paper and new dies...wow, I shudder to think! Oh well, I think it was worth it so whoever I send this card to I sure hope they love it too.

2008 Christmas Cards

A handmade card is an excellent way to show someone just how much they mean to you, especially during the holidays. My handmade cards can be made with any color scheme you choose, any image I have, and nearly any sentiment you choose. The choices are limitless. You can order a mixture of different cards or specify a certain color choice. I have shown just several cards from my collection. Every card has either a 3D image on it which could be a ribbon, charm, or embossed background or a hand colored stamped image. Nothing on my cards is ever printed (unless you order a custom card and you send me an image), they are all hand stamped or paper cut out images. I will be happy to work with you if you have a special request as well. I can print a personal message on the inside of the card for you as well to save you from having to hand write them. I can also include a photo if you provide them.