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!

Sweet Summertime Pinwheels

Happy Friday everyone! I have been trying to find time to craft lately but I have been too busy playing outside with my boys! :) I did make some time this morning though to participate in a new challenge that I have had my eye on for awhile now, The Shabby Tea Room.


The challenge this week was to be inspired by this photo which immediately made me think of Echo Park's Sweet Summertime collection. I also was inspired by Scrapbook Trends current challenge to use circles on a project.

If you want to participate in either of these challenges you still have time...projects are due by Sunday.

Okay, that's it for me today...off to play some more with my boys! Don't you just love summertime?! Maybe I'll have enough energy to work on some projects after they go to bed tonight! :)