Christmas in July

Hi there! So we did actually end up going to the beach yesterday and had a great time...the tide was way out so the kids had a lot of fun exploring and playing in the sand. We saw starfish, crabs, moon snails, and even a little eel. Today we enjoyed story time at the bookstore and playing outside. And I even got a little more crafting time in too!

So this week's challenge over at The Shabby Tea Room is to create a Christmas card. Since Christmas is soooo far away still (although I know it will sneak up on us quickly) I just wasn't ready to really dive into traditional Christmas colors, Santa, or snowmen. Instead I was inspired by Bo Bunny's Peacock Lane collection to use a very different Christmas color combination and I was also inspired by the Card Style Classy and Elegant challenge in the Moxie Fab World to create this card.

I am so pleased with how this turned out! I love the rich turquoise and purple together and all the glitter really kicks this card up a notch, don't you think?!

A few design tips from this card:
- Cover your chipboard snowflake with white paint or ink and let dry before adhering glitter. This allows the glitter to really shine and prevents the kraft chipboard from showing.

- Adhere a transparency/acetate overlay by using Terrifically Tacky Tape (or other strong adhesive tape) in hidden places. I attached my snowflake overlay by using tape along the edge where I knew I would be placing my ribbon over and another piece is under the stamped sentiment.

- Look at your stamps in a whole new way! Sometimes using just part of a stamp is exactly what you need for a project. Here I emphasized the word peace with my thickers and then masked it on my stamp.

- Finally, don't be afraid to try mixing different colors...you never know what fabulous creation you might come up with!

Details:
White Cardstock and stamp - Papertrey Ink
Turquoise and Purple paper - Bo Bunny (back side of double dot paper)
Glitter Letters - American Crafts
White glitter on snowflake - Martha Stewart
Ribbon - May Arts
Snowflake Overlay - Making Memories (Mistletoe collection)
Rhinestone - Me & My Big Ideas

If you're up for creating a Christmas or classy/elegant card, there's still time to play in both The Shabby Tea Room and Moxie Fab challenges!

I'll be back tomorrow with two more cards to share!