Several days before the New Year, I woke one morning and was just fed up with my down mood that had persisted throughtout the holidays. I was "kicking myself in the hindquarters" for not forcing myself into my craft room to make Christmas cards, and I vowed never to let that happen again.
In January, I pushed myself into my craft area and gave myself a good talking to. I needed a New Year resolution...I told myself that by the end of January, I had to make enough cards to cover family and long-time friends for Christmas 2021 (about 70 cards). I could not come out of my craft area or put away what Christmas materials I had out until I got to the 70!
This blog post is for my fourth 2021 Christmas card design, which is a take-off of an unfinished 2019 card kit from my Stampin' Up mentors, Daralee Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum. Its design was originated by Dar, and I modified and embellished upon it, changing it to make it my own. In so doing, I found 15 challenges that would fit my card (a new record, I believe!!), as follows:
1) CCC21APR - Christmas Card Challenge/ April 2021 - Animals. Put a critter on your card...meet my "dashing deer!"
2) AOCC21 - All Occasions Card Challenge/ January 2021 - Ongoing Annually. This challenge encourages you to set goals ahead for each month to complete and mail your cards timely! I set that I needed at least 6 Christmas card each month and made all 6 in this same design.
3) USEIT2021 - Use It Challenge/ January 2021 - Ongoing Annually. This challenge requires you to use old, long unused items gathering dust and/or old/ new items purchased but seemingly forgotten...never opened or used! I brought out two old dies with dust from 2018...Dashing Deer and Frosted Foliage, plus a new/ old die purchased in January 2019 and never opened and used.
4. S2S20NOV - Stamp 2 Save (aka Stamp 2 Support One Another)/ Christmas Cards - 11/5/20. You are challenged to make at least 5 cards that support the theme. Playing my Challenge Catch-up, this is my third Christmas card design posted.
5) MMTPT640 - Teapot Challenge/ Open Your Eyes - 10/27/20. I'm playing my "Challenge Catch-up cardmaking building my 2021 Christmas card stash. The challenge says to show how you've been feeling this past year with your card. I was really down throughout the 2020 holidays. I think because I couldn't really look forward to seeing my family or participating in any of our Christmas traditions...no Christmas Eve church, no soup night and no gift sharing, which led to no Christmas card crafting because of my mood. I gave myself a swift kick for the New Year and made (70) 2021 Christmas cards throughout January. This my fourth design, which has a blue cardbase for my past mood, but a cheerful, dashing deer, while I remembered the traditional Christmas Eve reading during my childhood of "The Night Before Christmas" and the clatter of prancing and dancing little hooves on the roof!
6) WT808 - Ways to Use It Challenge/ Day-Off Activity - 9/3/20. If you could take a day off, what would you do? I took a three week hiatus and made (70) 2021 Christmas cards! (No laundry, no housecleaning, no cooking, and lots of pre-fixed meals...needless to say, I had lots of catch-up housework when I re-surfaced!)
7) MSP35 - Misti Monthly Mondays--2020/ Not an A2 - 7/6/20. Make a slim line or any other size except the traditional A2. My card is an A7 card...4-3/4 x 6-1/4 inches...my favorite size.
ABC13D4 - Alphabet Challenge--Round 13/ D = Deer! - 2/21/21. My letter D card's main focal point is a dashing deer, which starts with the letter D as required.
9) MIX370 - Mix-Ability Challenge/ Leap Year - 2/28/20. This challenge requires you to use at least two items on your card that are classified as mediums, plus meet the challemge theme. Put something on your card that leaps, i.e., frog, kangaroo, or do the LEAP word challenge...elements on your card that start with each letter. I actually think a deer leaps when running, especially if startled. Here is my word LEAP...L=layers; E=embossing folder; A=adhesives; P=patterned paper, Pretty Peacock cs. Mediums used: glitter, clear embossing, stamping ink.
10) F4A489 - Free 4 All Challenge/ Sensational Silhouettes! - 7/5/19. My card has a copper silhouetted dashing deer.
11) SCSCCJUL19 - Fan Club Monthly Christmas Card Challenge/ Antlers to Waddling - 7/1/19. I chose a reindeer for his antlers!
12) WORD0519 - Fan Club Monthly Theme--May 2019/ Memories & Milestones! - 5/15/19. My card meets the theme interpretation of being inspired by a childhood memory, which concerns my Mom always reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve and my visions of reindeer prancing & dancing on our roof, when she read, "I heard on the roof the prancing and pawing of each little hoof." I'm playing the WORD challenge for LIFE. L=layering, leafy-edged frame; I=ink, ivory cardstock, indigo blue cardbase; F=foil; E=embossing folder.
14) SC701 - Sketch Challenge - 6/13/18. Sketch adjusted: I added a sentiment banner below #5 panel.
15) FS581 - Featured Stamper Challenge/ ponygirl2 - 3/25/18. It was fun to browse ponygirl2's lovely gallery. I chose her deer card to CASE: Leaping Deer!. I chose this card for its reindeer Christmas theme, the leafy pine fronds, and the shiny foil all caught my eye. I kept the Christmas reindeer theme, the foil on the deer, though mine is copper and embossed, and leafy fronds on my framing. I changed the color scheme, the sentiment, and its application style. I added more color layers, and changed my layout.
Registered: January 20, 2010 Location: Brampton, Ontario Posts: 26157
Mon, Apr 19, 2021 @ 4:24 AM
Kudos to you for getting a good start on your Christmas cards! I haven't done any yet. Love your copper deer! The teal colour goes so well with copper.
Registered: February 27, 2007 Location: LaCrosse, Wisconsin Posts: 39720
Mon, Apr 19, 2021 @ 5:39 AM
Making Christmas cards is tough for me and I try not to get rattled about it. But a kick in the pants can be a good thing. So very pretty, love the copper.
------------------------------ Jean Bean the Dancing Queen "You can play a shoestring if you're sincere." -John Coltrane
Registered: June 29, 2004 Location: Sugar Land. Texas Posts: 79784
Mon, Apr 19, 2021 @ 5:59 AM
If I am having a good week of stamping, it is my practice to make one of the challenges I do in the week be either a Christmas challenge or a challenge that I give a Christmas theme to when it can lend itself to it (like a color, technique, or sketch challenge). Even if I just do two a week, I will have about 100 cards ready to go.
I find it very challenging to include so many challenges into one card. Kudos for you doing that. A challenge really does motivate me, but it requires too much thinking on my part and hunting down the supplies to ever do more that two or three inclusion type cards.
------------------------------ LizThe joy of the LORD is my strength.Right Brain Madness --My blogProud member of the redDivasKSS certified multi-step stamperFan Club member since 2004
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Splitcoast Challenge Host Proud Fan Club Member
Registered: April 11, 2016 Location: Posts: 30054
Mon, Apr 19, 2021 @ 11:18 PM
Love this and the blue with the copper. TFS Happy day
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