Christmas Card 2017

Our Christmas card this year has an oval manger scene with the Holy Family, angels, shepherds, animals, and a border of vines and flowers, with the words "Silent Night - Holy Night" above and below the oval.  The card has a wide white border and is computer-printed on Neenah card stock. 

Since 2010, we've used one of my annual Nativity drawings to print our cards.  This one is from my 2016 Advent calendar.  If you'd like to see past years' Christmas cards that I've drawn, click here, then scroll down.

And here on my Mostly Markers drawing blog, you'll find my 2017 Advent calendar drawing (work in progress through Christmas Day) with a link to the other eight years of calendars, and more of my Advent-Christmas drawings as well. 

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Scene with Fence, Trees, and Cat - Before and After

My sweet scene today revisits this "before" card, one of my favorites from four years ago.  My "after" design is a bit simpler and uses some patterned papers instead of the Copic marker details. 

Usually when I revise a card, I prefer the newer version.  But in this case, I like them both.  The "before" has a more painterly, cozy feeling, and today's "after" is more crisp and graphic in style.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red), aqua mist, cocoa bean (medium brown), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), and rustic cream.
• Patterned papers are the bitty dot, leaf, and stripe prints from PTI ripe avocado (green), summer sunrise, and classic kraft pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are PTI picket fence, PTI ad sense (sun), PTI polka dot parade #6, PTI star gazer (tiny sun shape on bow), Impression Obsession cat set, My Favorite Things fresh cut grass, and WPlus9 pretty patches: tree (retired).
• Punch is Martha Stewart bow.
• The cat's eyes are tiny dots of brown Micron pen.
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from PTI keep it simple: thinking of you, stamped with PTI cocoa bean ink cube.

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Green Mugs with Red - Just Because

 

Bright red, green, and white in a simple design.  I made a few dozen of these for our local senior center, and in December, another volunteer will write cheerful notes to enclose with meals for some of our shut-ins.  I like the warm feeling of the mug on the red print "tablecloth."

Note: the gray borders are background, not part of the cards.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source spruce (solid green - mug on top card - discontinued), My Favorite Things red hot (solid red - leaf sprigs on both bottom cards), and Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is pure poppy (red) damask print (horizontal strip on all cards), pure poppy bitty dot print (leaf sprig on top card), and pinefeather (dark green) bitty dot print (mug on bottom left card) from PTI pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired); and pinefeather small plaid print (mug on bottom right card) from PTI bitty big pattern pack.
• Leaf sprigs are cut with PTI heart-2-heart #12 dies.
• Mugs are cut with Silhouette Cameo, using a shape from this design.  I stretched it vertically and enlarged it to fit my layout.
• The sentiment "just because" is from PTI keep it simple: just because, stamped with PTI pinefeather ink cube.  For the top card, I stamped first with PTI new leaf (bright green) ink, layering the two ink colors (stamping twice with the MISTI) to match the solid green mug.

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Red Flower Print with Yellow Gingham

Bright and cheerful.  The flower print provided my color scheme, and I used a simplified layout from last week's two square print cards.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source peacock (teal) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the gingham print from PTI summer sunrise (yellow-orange) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and a flower print from Basic Grey PB&J 6x6" pad (retired).
• Die is from PTI double-ended banners.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you, stamped with PTI orange zest and pure poppy (red) ink cubes.  Layering the two ink colors (stamping twice with the MISTI) makes a nice red-orange match for the floral print. 

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Square Prints on Stripes - Two Versions

Two cards with multicolor prints on striped backgrounds.  I made the floral card first, then looked for another print (the plaid) to make a more masculine version.  It was fun choosing the colors to layer while keeping the focus on the print squares. 

Card details:

• For the floral card, card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) melon berry (light orange - not pink like my image), ocean tides (muted teal), prairie grass (green), and stamper's select white.
• For the plaid card, card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) enchanted evening (blue), canyon clay (orangey brown), ripe avocado (deep green), and vintage cream.
• Patterned paper is a floral print from Recollections midnight garden (thank you, Vicki!), a plaid from Simple Stories so rad 6x6" paper pad, and the stripes print from PTI fine linen (tan - floral card) or aqua mist (plaid card) pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Die is from PTI double-ended banners.
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from PTI keep it simple: thinking of you (both cards), stamped with PTI prairie grass (floral card) or simply chartreuse (medium green) edged with ripe avocado (plaid card) ink cubes.

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Mint Green Herringbone with Bright Green and Yellow Stars

I love to play with colors, and at times I'm adventurous with my color combinations.  But without this example (2nd photo in link) by Nichole Heady, posted on her Capture the Moment blog, I would likely not have tried this color scheme with mint green, bright green, yellow, and grays all together.  From Nichole's example, I also used the general layout of the card and the herringbone mat.  Thank you, Nichole, for your inspiration!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stormy sea (medium gray), mint julep (light mint green), green parakeet (bright green), harvest gold (yellow), and soft stone (light gray).
• Dies are PTI mix & mat: herringbone, photo finish strips, seeing stars, and super star borders (small gray star was trimmed from border).
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you II, and the stamped stars are from Paper Smooches seeing stars, stamped with PTI green parakeet ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Notched Circles with Stars and Hearts - Blog Hop for Dawn!

Here's my second card for the We Love You Dawn! blog hop, posted on Nichole Heady's Capture the Moment blog.  It's a happy, bright, and festive card to celebrate Dawn's progress as she continues to recover from her recent transplant surgery.  I'm cheering her on, along with many more of her fans.  In the blog hop, which will continue all week, we are posting cards made with her stamp and die designs created for Papertrey Ink (PTI). 

Today's card is focused on Dawn's standalone die designs.  Many of her dies coordinate with her beautiful stamp sets, but she also designed some of the classic everyday border dies that I've used so many times - rickrack, stars, and hearts - as well as the very fun notched flowers, which I also love as interesting circle shapes.  (Here's a bit of PTI trivia: the December 2012 funky florals limited edition stamp set was designed to coordinate with Dawn's notched flower dies from the April 2012 release.  So in this case, the dies came first before the stamps.)  Though I tried a few different sentiments on my card front, I liked it better with no sentiment, and I'll write an encouraging note inside to mail to her soon.
 
Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) harvest gold (yellow), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), lovely lady (medium pink), raspberry fizz (deep pink), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), blueberry sky (medium blue), tropical teal (less green in real life), and stamper's select white. 
• Patterned paper is the bitty dot print from PTI spring rain (light blue) bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI notched flowers (small and medium sizes), heart border, XL rickrack border, and super star borders, including the individual stars which are trimmed from the border.

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Purple Flowers with Banner - Blog Hop for Dawn!

My flowery card is for the We Love You Dawn! blog hop, posted today on Nichole Heady's Capture the Moment blog.  A week ago, Dawn received a small intestine transplant.  Throughout her years of medical challenges, she's been a great inspiration with her positive spirit, her faith, and her courage.  Dawn, you are in my prayers!  The blog hop will continue all week, and some of Dawn's many supporters and admirers will be posting cards made with her stamp and die designs created for Papertrey Ink.

The sentiment "thank you so much" is perfect to express my appreciation for Dawn's beautiful designs, tutorials, and examples.  I'll write a note of encouragement inside my card and mail it to her today.  I used two of her stamp sets, listed in the card details below, and I love how her ornate sentiment banner flows so nicely with the flower arrangement. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) ripe avocado (dark green) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the bitty dots print from PTI spring moss (light green) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• I cut a paper mask for the sentiment banner and sponged it inside with PTI lilac grace ink cube, using a round Ranger ink blending tool to apply the ink.
• The leaves and flowers are from PTI floral sketches, stamped with PTI royal velvet (dark purple), amethyst allure (medium purple), lilac grace (light purple), simply chartreuse (medium green - leaves), and limeade ice (light yellow green - flower centers) ink cubes.
• The swirly-framed "thank you so much" banner is from PTI thank you kindly, stamped with PTI royal velvet ink cube.

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Navy Stripes with Green

Very crisp and clean, with interesting details in the curved edging, the pinked circle, and the different stripes.  The navy, green, and white color scheme works very well for a bright and simple card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green), dark indigo (dark navy), and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is from PTI dark indigo bitty big pattern pack.  I used both sides of the paper for the wide and narrow stripes.
• Dies are from PTI limitless layers: 1-3/4" circles and to the point edgers.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI thank you kindly, stamped with PTI dark indigo ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Dots on White with Turquoise

Dotted paper, cut in a scallopy shape, with an orangey brown border layer.  The three turquoise colors (twine, solid card stock, and dots) are different shades, but they mix well on the card. 

Note: the gray border is background, not part of the card. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) canyon clay (orangey brown), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), and rustic white.
• Patterned paper is from the Authentique Free Bird (retired) 6x6" collection.
• Twine is ocean stripe from The Twinery.
• Dies are from PTI edgers #3.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you, stamped with PTI smokey shadow (dark gray) ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, White, and Blue Plaid with Banner on Yellow

Happy and bright!  I like the banner placed on the plaid, and the stars add to the cheerful effect.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source royal blue and Papertrey Ink (PTI) harvest gold (yellow) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is from Doodlebug patriotic picnic 6x6" paper pad.
• Embossing folder is Darice stars asst [assorted].
• Die is from PTI keep it simple frames.
• The small stars on the banner are from Paper Smooches seeing stars, stamped with PTI harvest gold ink cube.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI textile impressions.  I needed an orange-toned red ink to match my patterned paper, so I stamped twice (using the MISTI) with PTI orange zest (orange) and then pure poppy (red) ink cubes.   

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Leaves on Text - Aqua, Teal, and Green

Green leaves with teal accents, stamped on a soft aqua text background.  I like this one a lot.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) aqua mist and stamper's select white.
• Die is from PTI sketched shapes (long wide banner).
• The leaves are from PTI life (retired) and larger than life, and the berry cluster is from PTI tinsel & tags sprigs (retired), stamped with PTI simply chartreuse (green) and tropical teal ink cubes.  
• The background text "just because" is from PTI fill in the blank, stamped with PTI Hawaiian shores (medium turquoise) ink cube.
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from PTI keep it simple: thinking of you, stamped with PTI tropical teal ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Turquoise and Orange with Black and White

Another card with black and white.  The diagonal sentiment and turquoise panel break up the blocky lines of the background plaid.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) orange zest, Hawaiian shores (turquoise), and true black. 
• Patterned papers are gingham from PTI orange zest pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and another gingham (two sizes) from PTI true black bitty big pattern pack.  In real life, the orange gingham matches the solid orange color.
• Dies are PTI wonderful words: hello and tipped tops (medium).

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red and Yellow Star Banner on Black and White Print

I love to play with color and try different combinations on my cards, and so I need to remind myself sometimes to use black and white.  It has a clean, crisp impact that I do enjoy.  The bright red and yellow star banner makes a less-busy background for the sentiment banner, which fits nicely in the starry space. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red), bright buttercup (yellow), and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the polka dot print from PTI true black bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI notched star banner and fabulous frames.
• The sentiment "just a note" is from PTI winter woods, stamped with Versafine onyx black ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Quilt on Tan with Blue

I enjoyed using these patterned paper colors to select the colors for my quilt block.  The embossed textures in the tan background and the sentiment strip add to the overall quilted effect.  

Also this card with another color scheme.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) blueberry sky (blue), fine linen (tan), honey nut (golden brown), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), pure poppy (red), and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is from Pink Paislee pen pals 6 x 6" pad.
• Dies are PTI county fair quilt block (no longer available) and photo finish strips.  The tan card stock is embossed with the PTI infinity frames die.
• I used an old 1/4" hole punch for the center dot.
• The sentiment "thanks" is from PTI limitless layers: labels (retired), stamped with PTI enchanted evening (dark blue) ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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