Sharing Cards Made By Others....

As "2013" closes to an end...  I hope each of you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas season with family and dear friends?  I know I did! Spending Christmas time with my 5 year old grandson and family always gives me great joy.  Seeing the excitement and anticipation from my grandson opening his gifts from Santa on Christmas morning always makes it a little more delightful and exciting even for me (Grandma)!  

 

The past couple of years I've embraced a couple of  new and dear friendships with other blogger's out there (that I've never met) but who took time to send me a lovely homemade Christmas card this year.  Thank You!  It touched my heart to know that you thought enough of me to make, send and share your cards with me.  I enjoyed receiving them from the bottom of my heart! 

 

Let me share with you some of the Christmas bliss that was so graciously sent to me and my husband this holiday season.

 

This beautiful card (below) was sent to me from Jill from "Ribbon Challenged" (new blog friend).  She spent extra postage to send this one to me but I will always cherish it.  Thank you Jill!  I always save homemade cards that others send to me.  This and the others I received will go into my saved box pile to look and admire again at a later time. 

 

 

 This beautiful card (below) all in blue and silver was sent to me from Peggy Dollar (new blog friend) who is very active and well known on Split-Coast Stampers.  She even took the time to emboss the envelope so pretty.  It really added that extra touch when receiving the card.   She may have inspired me to take time do the same to each of my Christmas envelopes next year.  Thanks again Peggy!

 

 

This one is from Nancy my dear friend and distant relative.  Nancy and I usually get together once a year and delight in stamping and creating cards together when she visits me.  I love it Nancy!

 

 

This group of cards are sent to me from various personal friends who usually send me homemade card wishes each year.  I always look forward to receiving those homemade cards from them. I know from experience that sincere love and great care went into making each one of them. Thanks Cheryl S, Cheyl L., Sue, and Pam.

 

 

 

I hope your holidays were extra special and you enjoyed the love of good times and sweet memories to etch in your mind and heart, for years to come?  Wishing each of you a blessed and Happy New Year! 

 

From Leanne...

Season's Greetings...

 

 

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm still hustling along trying to be prepared.  So one last post before Christmas to share with you my cards I made to send out.

 

 

Here's a peek at the inside verse that I computer generated to the inside of each of my cards.

 

 

However, I did start my cards early in the year so I would be able to send these out right after Thanksgiving.  I never want to be making my cards at the last minute and find it easier to do them a little bit at a time during the months when I get inspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I started them early in June and took pictures for you along the way to show you how I do little bits at a time.

 

 

I stamped and embossed about 35-40 of the Poinsettias and cut them out at my leisure.  It then punched out many of the Martha Stewart ivy branches and glued the branches to the back of the Poinsettias and let them dry well. What you can't see on my pictures is I used green glitter paper to punch out the green branches to give the card more bling.  I used Stickles Iridescent Glitter  on each Poinsettia to add a little more shimmer look to each flower, as well  Unfortunately you cannot see the pretty glitter on the green branches on my photos.  Doing so just added enough bling and simplicity to each card to look quite simple but elegant.

 

 

 

I always try to make my Christmas cards simple as possible since I send out at least 35 each year to dear friends and family and don't want them to be to bulky for extra postage. 

 

 

 

I hope your all ready for the Christmas holidays and may your Christmas be filled with love and blessings in 2104!  I am wishing each of you a MERRY Christmas!

 

 

from Leanne and family!

Soap Santa-tizer...

 Christmas is right around the corner and were all beginning to feel the rush.  So here's a quick look at something little I plan on giving to friends this season.

 

I enjoy giving a little gift to friends during the holidays so early on in the year I got busy and made my own version of SOAP SANTA-TZIER.  I've seen other versions out there and hoped this would make a sweet little gift for giving.  I do have a computer program that I was able to come up with a Santa background of my own that I liked.  I then transferred the background onto a jump drive and took it to Office Max to have them lazar print it onto clear transparency paper.  

 

If your not familiar with this procedure the print has to be done on a lazar printer so that the ink will not run when you place it into the soap solution. I cut the transparency paper design with an oval die cut and folded the cut piece small enough to place it into the soap solution.  I then rolled the paper to about a pencil size and slid it inside the soap. The transparency paper will open automatically and unfold nicely in the solution.  

 

You then decorate the bottle to your likening. I enjoyed making my own gift tags to attach and used cello bags to help decorate the look for giving. 

 

 

I hope this finds you all feeling ready for the Christmas season and have all your shopping, baking and cards mailed?  I have the luxury of being with my family and grandson who is now 5 years old....so our Christmas this year will be extra special with fun and laughter.  Hope yours is as well? 

Merry Christmas greetings to you all and may your season be filled with the holy spirit of Jesus and his abundant blessings to you in the coming New Year.

 

Merry Christmas Bird...

 

I made this card in July and entered into a contest a Joan's Garden and actually won her contest with a nice surprise (a nice stamp).  But today I wanted to show you again since it's so close to the holiday that is fast approaching and hoped it would give you a little Christmas inspiration.

 

Thanks for stopping and may your Christmas dreams and blessings soon be at hand.

 

 

from Leanne