Christmas Basket

I know that I had said I would showcase some of my christmas cards, but I just couldn't resist this! I had the idea of filling baskets as Christmas gifts this year......let me tell you it's not as easy as I had thought! However, after all my shopping and searching, it is finally time to assemble the final product.

Red and green basket filler ($1) hide some secret items in the bottom and wrapped presents seal the top. I got the floral pick for .99 cents and the roll of ribbon for $1. The basket itself was $2.99. So all in all it's not much different than spending money on ribbons and bows for wrapped gifts; and this way it packs more of a visual punch.

By the way: I thought I was bow challenged before I found these easy directions on the Better Homes and Gardens website. Check it out:

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/gift-wrapping/how-to-make-a-pom-pom-bow/

Solemn Stillness in PInk

Okay, so a snowstorm dumped a foot of snow on us yesterday, and now we're done cleaning out. Sort of. If you count having to finish a path to the wood pile and shoveling the deck as done.....

So here's the card of the day:

I used the stamp set Solemn Stillness from Stampin' UP. It is a 2-step stamping set, so I stamped the background tree in a light pink (I used Pretty in Pink). The next step is to stamp the swirl tree with the star over the light pink background. I used a Stampin' UP ink called Real Red, but any true red color would work. I then heat embossed the Real Red with a clear embossing powder. After that I sponged Pretty in Pink all over the white cardstock around the image. The final product is mounted on Real Red paper and wrapped in a bow with some silver ribbon. That whole piece is then mounted onto Pretty in Pink cardstock. Here's another view of the card:

Happy stamping everyone!

Polar Bears in Blue

Has everyone recovered from Thanksgiving? I had a very nice relaxing weekend and I hope all of you did too! Soo......the Christmas rush is on!

Over the next few days I will showcase some of the Christmas cards I have made for family and friends. Today's card is a card I titled Polar Bears in Blue, although the scene could be used with any monochromatic color scheme.

The image, background and sentiment are from Stampin' Up set titled Polar Express. I absolutely love these fun, whimsical polar bears! I first stamped the sledding pair on the darkest paper with a white pigment ink pad and then added the snow around them. Next I ripped the edges to make them look like they're going down a steep hill. I then matted it on the next lighter sheet. Then I stamped the sentiment on the upper right corner of that sheet. The whole thing was then mounted on the lightest blue to make the card. A quick and easy Christmas card that looks fun! Don't you want to go sledding now?