Christmas Card Extravaganza!

I haven't posted in such a long time and realized it's because I haven't sat down to make a card in a really long time! Today I decided I HAD to do something. I knew I could have a bit of time during baby's nap and sat down at noon when the phone rang. My real estate agent was asking to bring someone by at 2p. I looked around the house and realized EVERY room was a disaster, and new instantly that card making would have to wait... again.

We were frantic (the kids and I) getting things pulled together and after a full day of errand running I just couldn't keep myself away any longer. At the time of day when I should be focusing on food, kids, baths and such, I found myself pulling out stamps instead.

I finally received my Hero Arts Stunning Snowflakes Design Block in the mail last week. (it took over a month to get here... ugh!) When I first saw it I thought it would be the perfect thing to make quick and easy, yet elegant holiday cards. I picked up a few different mediums in which to try the stamp and played around tonight.

The first one I did was with regular ink. I think it turned out pretty nice. Simple, but it seems a bit naked still. I think a little hardware is in order. I have had this SU! Not Quite Navy for a long time, but am just now gaining a real love for it.  It's really striking on white.

The next medium I really wanted to try was acrylic paint. I have seen Pine do this all the time and when I went to my local craft store they were having a clearance sale on acrylics but nothing was organized into colors. I dug through and I picked up what I thought was white paint only to find out its has an opal finish. Which is great because it gives a nice shimmer to it, but I was hoping for more of a thick white on craft look. I really like how this card turned out and hope to use more paint in the future. The kids really LOVED the paint and thought it was cool.
I had also picked up some Stampendous Crystal Snow. Which is glittery and snowy all in one. I love it on certain things, but I think this Pure Poppy is just too much for it to stand out. I really love glittery snowflakes, aren't they great?
Again I used only ink on this one but stamped some swirls in Aqua Mist first and then Dark Chocolate snowflakes over it.  I was really excited about the making this shabby chic but then I really dropped the ball. I put some gold Perfect pearls on the bottom but decided I hated it and tried to scrape it off and then put some crystal snow over it. Basically it looks like I dipped it in caramel and licked it off. mmmmmm. that sounds good. 

Also, I sponged some Dark Chocolate on the edges, but over did it. My poor card looks like it was dropped in dirt...and caramel!!!  Very shabby, but not so chic!  I have ordered the scallop edge punch from SU! and plan on re-making this card with it at the bottom and with a little more wisdom. And then I will eat an ice cream sundae.

And last, my good friend, and personal SU! Demonstrator Ann taught me about Perfect Pearls (I think she uses a different brand though). She did a great tutorial on how to use them and I thought it would be perfect for my snowflakes. I picked some up from the local craft store with a GREAT coupon and really do love them. Today the sun was streaming through the window and you could see Perfect Pearls floating all around the room. Even the baby was fascinated by it. On this card I actually used Copper and Gold and swirled them around. I set it with some hairspray. I really love the look of it. Very simple, yet elegant. And only one layer so we don't irk the postman.  Now I am realizing I have tried out so many different kinds, by the time I find something I really love I will have made more than I need!! That's obsession for ya.

Thanks for stopping by!

k