Christmas in July

It is always so frustrating to me that December is the most stressful month of the year.  I love Christmas and have felt robbed for the last couple years as my life has become busier with older and more kiddos!  I decided to utilize the lazy days of summer to get ahead of the game.

 

I made the tags and cut out the fabric for these sand art brownie jars right now then in December all I have to do is fill them!  I love giving these to my neighbors every three to four years.

 Saw this wreath on Pinterest and made it my own! I made the extra stars into ornaments. Thanks Little Birdie Secrets for the great idea!

I send out about 120 Christmas cards each year...most home made. I made 50 of these cards and 30 of two other styles!  This will definitely make December a lot less hectic!

The 12 Days of Christmas (in Feburary?)

I finally finished a project I started last November!  I can't wait to include it in my Christmas decor next year.

Sample a simple Christmas

I am hosting another card night at my church. This time it is Christmas cards (yeah!)  The goal is to give everyone really simple ideas using mostly scraps and stamps to make a whole lotta cards really fast.  The only prep I do is bring some samples and all my ink, stamps, and scraps.  The guests bring their paper cutters, card backs, and adhesive.  Most of the women who come have made cards and stamped before so I can just enjoy making my own cards and, mostly, have fun with my friends!  Here are some of the card ideas for the night:

This card is the definition of simple!  I cut the the ornament out with the Joys of the Season cartridge on the cricut and stamped directly onto the paper. 

Supplies: cardstock (Very Vanilla, Stampin Up; River Rock, Stampin Up), patterned paper (Ornamental Christmas, The Paper Studio), ink (Baja Breeze, Stampin Up; River Rock, Stampin Up), ornament (Joys of the Season, Cricut), stamp (Hero Arts)

A really easy way to achieve a simple but complete look is to cut out images from the scraps of paper and then adhere them on top of the same image on your card with pop dot.  This card looks a little more complicated but the techniques are really simple.

Supplies: cardstock (kraft, The Paper Studio; Pear Pizzaz, Stampin Up), patterned paper (Oh Christmas Tree, My Minds Eye), ink (Cranberry Crisp, Stampin Up), die (Top Note Die, Stampin Up), stamps (Stampin Up)