Friday, December 30, 2016

2017! Happy New Year!

Wow!  2017!  Where does the time go?!
I've got a good start on my 2017 handmade cards challenge.  January cards are done.

I was after a classy glitzy look for this New Year greeting.

The mail carriers did well delivering this envelope with the large bold year in their way of easily identifying the address.


I liked the subdued color scheme I used and it seemed a good fit for my Grandson's birthday card.  I also liked the big bold numbers on the envelope.  And I really love getting some extra mileage from a card idea.  


May 2017 be our best year ever for one and all!
xxx
Annie

Monday, December 19, 2016

Money Gift Wrapping

My most favorite gifts to wrap are money gifts. 


And I certainly had some fun with these!


It's all about the wrapping.


And the glitz!


Everything is ready.  It's now all about the coffee with Bailey's Irish Cream and enjoying the sights and sounds of this beautiful Christmas season.

Merry Christmas to everyone
xxx
Annie


Friday, December 16, 2016

Snowflake Christmas Card

I DID IT!  I made handmade greeting cards for the entire year for 2016!  Inspired by my daughter, who makes all her cards, I challenged myself to make the cards I would need all year, and I DID IT!

I wrote out a calendared list and kept to it.  It did get a little dicey from July on, but I managed somehow.  

This is my Christmas card.  I knew if I were going to mass produce, it had to be simple.  But I loved this simple elegant card as soon as I saw it on Pinterest here.  Having an Embosser/Die Cutting machine makes life much simpler and funner.  


I stamped, then heat embossed the phrase, then die cut the sentiment for the card inside.  That way I was free to mess up without ruining the card.  


To say the least, I am quite proud of myself for completing this self challenge.

May you all have a very merry, bright & cheery, happy little Christmas!
xxx
Annie

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Christmas Postcard Swap

I wanted to join in Sheila's fabric postcard swap.  But one of her rules is that the postcard front AND back are to be fabric.  Although I started my postcards way back in the beginning with fabric backs, I quickly came to prefer paper cardstock backs.


I find that a paper back is more accepting of creativity.  

I finally let Sheila know that I wasn't joining her swap because I'm too old to spend my time playing in a way that I didn't want to.

Sheila is so kind, she offered to swap with me herself.  She was also curious about my cardstock backs and would like to see one for herself.  Sheila received this JOY postcard from me.


And I received this beautifully stitched Dove postcard from Sheila.  The music is a great background for Sheila's beautifully appliquéd Christmas dove.  Thank you Sheila!


Ho Ho Ho
xxx
Annie

Thursday, December 1, 2016

November 2016 Calendar Journal

For November I played around with some lettering practice with a single word each day.

This style lettering is easy when the brush tip of the pen is new and stiffest.  Once you letter with it for a short while, the tip gets softer and I find it is harder to make nice looking letters.


No surprise here, I'm getting bored with covering the "notes" section and the blocks with the blank blocks at the beginning and ending of the month.  Why won't someone who loves doing that create these calendars as blanks for me to buy?!!!

I probably should have a little Tequila with that whine.

Happy Day!
xxx
Annie