Hello Fellow Stampers ~~
Happy Monday!! It's nearly the middle of December! The tree is up, everything is decorated, I made my first batch of fudge for the season yesterday!! The Christmas shopping is pretty much complete; and I hope to write my Christmas letter this week and start getting everything put together to go out in the mail. Whew! It would be the earliest I've gotten my act together for the holidays in many a year! My year-end break from work begins this Friday, so I'm really looking forward to being home, having some down time, and spending time at my sewing machine and in the studio. It sounds lovely, doesn't it?!?
December Birthdays! Always a HUGE problem in my mind. Especially those that fall right on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. My goodness, I've got a number of those on the list this year; something that I hadn't experienced in years past until I met my current boyfriend! Goodness - do we even use that word these days?? LOL (BTW - stay tuned for a BIG announcement coming in that arena soon! ;-) ) Creating a birthday card this time of year that doesn't scream "Christmas" is the mission we have set out to accomplish this week!
My first set of cards I want to share with this theme are all created using the First Frost stamp set, Frosted Bouquet Framelits and Frosted Floral Specialty Designer Series Paper as the jumping off point. I absolutely LOVE this paper - the shimmer is to die for, and it runs throughout the entire set of designs, which is so wonderful! It's retiring very soon - so don't miss out on snapping up an extra package for your stash!
I really wanted to showcase the beautiful florals in this set of papers so my first two cards really showcase some of those. Our third card will be a "masculine" birthday card, that is simpler, less frilly, and I hope works well for a gentleman's birthday right on the Eve of Christmas.
This card uses the more neutral colors of gray (Galvanized Metallic paper for a little shimmer used here in the matting) and brown (Soft Suede), allowing the subtle coloring of Tranquil Tide to stand out. Some added extra glimmer is added using the Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper in Tranquil Tide.
I pulled out the Birthday Banners stamp set for this card, along with the Bunch of Banners framelits to create an easy birthday greeting. I added shimmer to the stamped flowers as well using the Re-Inker and Frost White Shimmer Paint technique I showcased earlier this Fall.
The inside of the card is simply stamped to allow for your message or sentiment.
This card also showcases one of the floral designs in the Frosted Floral Specialty DSP. I love the pinks and raspberries in this particular paper design; I cut the little floral stems using the Frosted Bouquet Framelits and the Merry Merlot color in the Joyous Noel Glimmer Paper collection. A lovely deep pop of color against the background. The sentiment was chosen from the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set, and works perfectly with the frames in the Frosted Bouquet Framelits.
The inside of this card already has the sentiment stamped, and these pretty cone stems from the First Frost stamp set to match the cut ones on the front of the card.
Our last card design today is for the masculine December birthday showcasing this same paper -- hard to believe isn't it!! With so much floral, you may not realize this wonderful stripe is in this paper collection. I chose the simple leaf pattern to offset the stripe and give some interest. And carried the leaves through the design with the cutouts using the framelit in the Frosted Bouquet Framelits. I coordinated in Pear Pizzazz, Tranquil Tide and the beautiful Copper glimmer out of the same Joyous Noel Glimmer collection. Those Galvanized Buttons with some Linen Thread give the perfect finish. The sentiment on the front? Maybe you still recognize our Eastern Beauty stamp set from the Annual Catalog. Don't forget all our wonderful all year long products!!
The inside is stamped with some wonderful sentiments from the Special Celebrations stamp set (also in the Annual). I love the color coordination of the Soft Suede and Tranquil Tide.
I hope you enjoyed this collection of Birthday cards for the Christmas birthday. We used a beautiful set from the Holiday Occasions Catalog, and I think these look nothing like Christmas, but still have the glimmer and fun! More to come this week . . . be sure to come back and visit. I cherish your comments, and do read every one!!
Until Next Time . . .
