Joy comes from and because of Him.
Russell M. Nelson
Hey there from Nannyland,
Designing my yearly Christmas card to send to friends and family is always one of the most stressful challenges I face during the busy holiday season. Happily, this year I had Anna Griffin's Nativity Easel Card Dies to make the task simpler. The die set includes the easel card base and all the layering pieces, so all I had to do was choose how I would use them and in what colors. And, of course, die cut and assemble the card. And address and send them. Sooo...yeah.
I printed beautiful night sky paper from my digi library and I love the way it looks in my background. I chose glossy gold foil and white cardstocks for my layers because the embossing shows up nicely on them (much better in person). I created the sentiment "stoppers" in Cricut Design Space and signed them in a script font, which saved my tired pinkies from having to sign each card individually. I have pared down my list to about 30 cards, which is still a little labor intensive, but when done in assembly line fashion, goes pretty fast. I was able to finish my cards before Thanksgiving this year, which is a huge accomplishment for me. It felt so good to have them done so I could concentrate on some handmade gifts for the people on my list, decorating the house and holiday recipes.
Next year I'm determined to get my cards finished early again. It was blissful knowing all I had to do was add envelopes and stamps when my holiday calendar began to squeeze me for time.
A lot of people don't know what an easel card is, so I printed this note on card stock, which also served as a protector for mailing my layered card.
I didn't manage to get my Christmas quilting projects done this year, so one of my 2023 resolutions will be to start sewing them in July. Seriously, I think I can pull it off. I'll be posting them next Christmas. Another New Year's resolution is to think positively. 😀
Merry Christmas, everyone. Stay well and have a blessed time with friends and family.
Thanks for visiting Nannyland.
I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit.
Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)
Playing along with:
A beautiful Nativity scene in blue, white and gold. Elegant and perfect as an easel for display. Thank you for joining the challenge at Allsorts.
ReplyDeleteThat's it, Nancy, stay positive! I am loving easel cards myself and you've created a beautiful card with your star studded background and wonderful layers. Hugs for the holidays! Cheer for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you could join us this month at Die Cut Divas for some die cutting and Winter or Christmas themed cards.
ReplyDeleteOh, Nancy...this is truly STUNNING. What a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus and what Christmas is truly all about. The greatest gift ever given. This is stunning. Thanks so much for sharing with us at The Four Seasons Challenge. We really appreciate your participation and look forward to having you join us again soon.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Karen L, DT
P.S. I'd LOVE to have you come play along with us at Word Art Wednesday.
Always Anything Goes/Family Friendly and LOTS of great prizes.
Our Annual Blog Hop is taking place now and there are LOTS of great PRIZES to be won.
You can find all the fun here:
www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com
Karen L, DT
The Four Seasons Challenge
Word Art Wednesday
Beautiful traditional Nativity scene. Thanks so much for joining us at Allsorts challenge this week ".
ReplyDeletePauline xx
This looks really lovely in the colours used, many thanks for sharing with us at Allsorts Challenge.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas and our thanks for your support of the challenge this year.
B x
Gorgeous card, I love the blue and white color palette. Thanks for playing along at The Four Seasons Challenge.
ReplyDeleteDonna xx
Absolutely beautiful! And loving the easel style to make it extra special! Thank you so much for sharing with us at Allsorts challenge!
ReplyDeleteWow so beautifully done! Thanks for linking up to our December challenge gallery at Die Cut Divas. Happy holidays!
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous Nancy! Such rich colors! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Four Seasons Challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back again soon.
ReplyDeleteDarlene
FOUR SEASONS CHALLENGE
DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS
Lovely traditional card Nancy. I like the idea of the instructions being included and that it serves double duty as a protector for your card. Thank you for entering the Christmas and/or Movement Challenge at Incy Wincy Designs.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty, a wonderful card, and such a great idea to give the directions about setting up the easel! Thanks for sharing with us at Four Seasons.
ReplyDeleteA lovely easel card. The gorgeous Nativity scene is perfect for Christmas and the embossed die-cuts are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining in with the Crafts Galore Encore December Challenge “Anything Goes”. Good luck and Happy New Year x
Beautiful card. Thanks for entering your wonderful creation in the Anything Goes challenge at The Crafter's Cafe
ReplyDelete