Welcome to the first ever, Simply Sweet Christmas Inspiration Hop! I have realized, since having a baby, just how little time I have to craft! I have been making Christmas cards and mass producing them like crazy this year. That is something I have never really done before!
I asked my bloggy pals from The Challenge Design Team and my dear pal, Julee Tilman, to join me in an inspiration blog hop focusing on LAST MINUTE SIMPLE YET SWEET Christmas cards or tags! So if you are looking for some inspiration for those last minute Christmas cards, you have come to the right place!
I am absolutely in love with the adorable Verve Set called Jolly Jingles. It was perfect for my simple card idea. I wanted to create a flat, mail-able card that was easy to mass produce. I stamped the sweet deer image in Memento Black ink across the card panel that I cut from white card stock.
- The panel measures 2.5" x 5.5" and the Kraft matting behind it measures 2.75" x 5.5".
- I coloured the deer with Copic markers, keeping the colours simple.
- Then I stamped some light gray snowflakes in the background.
- The sentiment was stamped in Memento Black ink as well.
These cards took about an hour to make from start to finish. I made 6 of them...so 10 minutes per card I guess! That must be a record for me! And I must share that I was struggling with my glue gun!!! So I think they would have take much less time for me. I could have shaved off at least 10-15 minutes in total.
Jolly Jingles
But maybe colouring isn't your thing and you need something even more simple and easy to mass produce!? Well I completely understand!!! So I also created a set of three simple cards using some older Christmas paper and some glitter washi tape. I combined it with some pretty Verve sentiments too!
Designer paper- 3" x 5.5"
Card Size-A2 4.25" x 5.5"
So please hop along and be sure to visit each blog.
There is a lot of inspiration and ideas to get your creative juices flowing!
Lesley Croghan (You are Here)
Would you like to win these three cards with three envelopes?
I would love to send them to someone!
Please read the instructions below.
In order to qualify to win please...
1. Visit each blog in the hop and leave them a comment.
2. Leave a comment on my blog telling me about your "Christmas Cards"...how many do you make and what style do you usually use?
The Giveaway Contest closes on Saturday, December 2nd.
Lesley, these are all simply wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYour cards are darling! I have been enjoying seeing all of your wonderful Christmas designs! Thanks for putting this together! I had so much fun!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards Lesley !!!
ReplyDeleteDelightful! Jo x
ReplyDeleteSuch darling sets, Lesley! Love them all. Thanks for inviting me to hop along! <3
ReplyDeleteForgot to answer your question. :) I make a random amount of cards each year, since most of our acquaintances just get a photo card of the family. Sadly I was so sick last year that not many of my handmade cards made it out the door. Guess I've got a head start this year! I don't make many of the same design, so the style ranges to whatever fits my mood when I'm stamping.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for showing us your beautiful cards. I always admire crafter who can make a simple card so beautiful. I on the other hand am not equipped to do that...everything is either, layered, die cut, sparkles, watercolor, distressing, mixed media, shakers, embossing, etc. ...real pretty and takes a lot of time to create. However, I enjoy create these so called masterpieces everyday! Thanks for sharing and have a blessed holiday.
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, most folks on our list receive photo cards that I have printed at Mpix. (Love the quality of their printing.) I make a couple dozen cards in a clean, layered style that go to special friends and family members.
ReplyDeleteLove those cute cards with the row of reindeer. The other cards are nice too. I make a lot of Christmas cards all year long as I give them to my family, friends and my church family. I enjoy making Christmas cards so I usually have quite a few made up. I probably make over a hundred during the year, and I make different kinds.
ReplyDeleteGreat cards Lesley!!!
ReplyDeleteThese are really nice! Life has gotten in the way and I now returning to card making after a 7 year hiatus. I used to make about 150, 10 of each kind. I get bored with design after 10. I am down to 50 cards needed. I always have good intentions and start in Sept, and then the last week before Christmas I am scrambling to finish. I would love to be gifted with your cards.
DeleteWhat a great hop, Lesley! Love the idea... especially since I'm knee deep in mass producing cards this weekend. I usually make about 40 cards (this year it's more like 60). Even though a lot of people have stopped sending cards, this is my hobby and a big part of my life, so I make a point of making them, and giving them out. The more I need, the simpler they get, but I usually do a mix of patterned papers and a wonderful Verve sentiment!
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful! I love the coloring on the reindeer!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards, Lesley! Those reindeer are sooo adorable! I love all the different styles of them. So glad to be a part of this hop! xx
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Lesley! Love both styles of cards you made!
ReplyDeleteSo many beautiful cards! I love that sweet reindeer! And the glitter washi tape with those pretty papers and rounded corners are sheer CAS perfection! I make around 65+ cards using an illustration drawn and Copic colored by my son each year. This artwork is his Christmas gift to me. I share the cards with family and my crafty friends I have made through these years of card and tag-making. Thanks for sharing this wonderfully inspiring Hop with all of us!
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous cards Lesley! I love how beautiful and FAST they look to make too! This hop is a great idea! Have a gorgeous Christmas season! I always make my own cards, around 30 or so, all the same design, but usually I use a lot of die cuts that I can mass produce in a way!
ReplyDeleteTake Care!
Michele
What a fun hop to get gobs of wonderful holiday inspiration! Both your designs are awesome for batch-making, Lesley! I especially love the one that uses scraps of wrapping paper or paper from the endless mound of pp we all have!! Hugs, Darnell
ReplyDeleteThis hop is such a fabulous idea, your cards are so cute. Thanks for inviting me to play along.
ReplyDeleteThese are all wonderful, Lesley!!
ReplyDeleteOh, I like your reindeer cards, so cute!! The other with the PP are pretty. The strip of sparkle really kicks them up a notch!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great hop, Lesley! Right around now we all need some CAS ideas to get moving on our holiday cards. Love both your versions. You colored the reindeers so perfectly, and the second set was a great way to show off some pretty patterned paper!
ReplyDeleteOh, Lesley, what a wonderful blog hop, and I LOVE it because I've been so behind the last few years due to health issues. But I love to make at least 50 cards that are special. However, my card needs continue to increase, so I am looking for more CAS cards, and these are fabulous! I love this sweet reindeer, and what a great process. I love mass-producing cards, but I also love to make extra-special ones that I color and really fuss over. I'm not a real CAS gal, but when push comes to shove...I love a beautiful CAS. Thank you so much for this blog, and now I'm off (thanks to Julee's letting us know about it). Hugs!
ReplyDeleteCharming Christmas cards, Lesley! The challenge of your blog hop is a great one since there seems to be so many time-stealers in our modern lives. I make however many I can get created. For the past 2 years or so, I have been sending winter theme New Years card for at least 10-15 friends and relatives that got missed with a Christmas card. Several months back in June-July, I posted a blog showing some Christmas cards I created. I think I got 8 made. However in August, we had a house fire that started in the laundry room and spread to the kitchen before it got put out. Those Christmas cards were on the kitchen table in a stack of patterned papers, cardstock, and next to other craft supplies that turned to ashes! So about 10 days or so ago, I started again but have very limited supplies at our temporary rental house; therefore I'm making postcards with a set of Bible art journaling stencils I was given by a church friend. I'm making it work. Example: a pennant type banner swag gets inverted and I use 3 of the triangle sections for pine trees! I have the words "believe", "joy", and "Jesus", which are perfect for Christmas. Anyway, my style normally is a collage, multi-media mix but this year will be simpler. Hopefully, I can get to visit all the participating blogs and be a contender for winning your 3 adorable cards!!! I am blessed. God spared our lives and those are 2 tremendous reasons to be thankful.
ReplyDeleteI can always use ideas for quick and easy cards...and actually don't mind mass producing once I get into the groove. I make about 50 cards each year, with some of them fancier than the others. I make and send more CAS cards than fancy..especially to people who don't craft!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I love both ideas, but those reindeers are so darn cute! I just might have to get that little reindeer stamp set. Thank you for hosting this blog hop! It is a life saver for me this year. Sending warm hugs your way! XX
ReplyDeleteLove your cards Lesley, especially the reindeer cards. I'm pretty sure I will be "borrowing" this idea soon!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to tell you that I LOVE these cards! Thanks for sharing and inspiring me. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteLove those adorable little reindeer Lesley! So stinking cute!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards, the reindeer ones are so much fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat fantastic, simple ideas. I love the reindeer cards, but the cards with a piece of Xmas paper and Washi tape are just brilliant for all those beautiful Xmas papers which are too pretty to use! Now I can use them so someone else can enjoy them too. Thank you.
ReplyDelete