Oh, Christmas card, Free Christmas card . . .

It is time to send those Christmas cards out again this year and if you haven’t found just the right card that says you’re hip, you’re retro-stylin’ and you’re finally ready to send out greetings, but haven’t found the perfect card, look no further.

This is easier and cheaper than heading to the local card or box store, and it’s a one-of-a-kind card that no one else will be sending out this season. It’s the Swell Noel Christmas card . . . and it’s free!



Just click here or go to my U-Pick button at the left and download this charming holiday card to share with your peeps (the file is named SwellNoelCard.jpg). You will get an 8.5 x 11 file that can be printed on card stock, trimmed and folded, and stuffed into an A7 envelope. You get to add the details on the inside of how fantastic and wonderful your 2012 year has been, and your people get to enjoy a little bit of you for their holidays.

This card will make a swell addition to the complete collection of Swell Noel downloadable files from Lettering Delights. You can even embellish your card and envelope with many of the icons from this collection. It’s just a click away to view the collection, and start picking your favorites.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Here comes Santa Claus . . .

. . . some swell snowmen . . . and endearing deer!

Get ready to get these and other charming holiday icons as boxes and garland . . .

. . . 3D ornaments, bells, and medallions . . .

. . . alphabet, papers, and gift tags . . . as well as cutting and graphic files.

This Swell Noel collection is brought to you by the letters LD (Lettering Delights) and yours truly.

The Swell Noel collection has been popular in scrapbooking, fabric, Macy’s ornaments and table top decor, Christmas greeting cards . . . and now it can be popular with you too, when you get ready to make some swell creations this holiday season. Santa is not the only one coming to town this year!

Paperwhites and Poinsettias in Bloom for Christmas

It isn’t Christmastime at our house without paperwhites blooming. My husband gets full credit for the true, natural blooms in our home throughout the year, and this season is no exception. Though there's snow on the ground outside, something equally white (yet full of life) blooms in a vase on the dining table.

 

I grow my own version of paperwhites, and very literally make them out of white paper, of course. But I can’t stop there. I love poinsettias, the pink and coral variety, and do my part to also make them bloom from bits of paper into colorful crafted bouquets just in time for Christmas.



To make your own beautiful Christmas floral bouquet (from papers white, pinks and reds, mine are from Paper Source papers) you will want to get my Cut Flowers Christmas set from Lettering Delights.

The files used to make these poinsettias, paperwhites, sprigs, pine cones, and evergreens for the bouquet below are from the  Cut Flowers Christmas, Cut Flowers Evergreens, and  Cut Flowers Holly sets on Lettering Delights.



So delight your guests this winter with your own creations of nature brought indoors to bloom throughout the season.

Have a Holly-Bally Christmas!

Christmas decor seems complete when the tree is trimmed and the halls are decked with “balls” of holly. Well, in this case I have decked my halls with this holly ball. Just as I made the mistletoe ball, (see the post dated Dec 11 for details) I created this holly ball to hang for the holidays.

I used shades of green paper from Paper Source, cut many holly leaves with the Cut Flowers Holly set on LD, using mostly the two and thee shaped holly leaves (with holes in the middle).

I shaped the holly leaves with twists and bends using my bamboo skewer, thumb and forefinger. For the red berries, I used one inch mini ornaments.

When I had the leaves cut and shaped, I pinned them to a green styrofoam 5 inch ball using red pearl head straight pins. I distributed the berries throughout the ball and pinned them with the leaves into the foam ball. I added a thin green ribbon bow to the top and bottom, with an extra sprig of leaves and a berry dangling at the bottom below the holly ball.

I also created swags of holly garland with the same technique, choosing this time to string the shaped holly leaves and red balls along a thin green ribbon.

So, if you haven’t yet decked your halls for the holidays, consider creating this holly-day ball.

12 Days to Christmas!

I love the idea of an advent calendar for Christmas, but this year got away from me and since I can’t turn back time I have a solution for the count down to December 25. I also love miniatures so this idea is perfect for mini-me!

I have used the Cut Flowers Advent Wraps to make little gift boxes for tiny trinkets to hide in until it is time to open each in the 12 days left until Christmas. So, let’s get this mini project made and ready for gift giving, starting today!



To make these mini boxes I used twelve matchboxes (the little ones). I painted the inside sliders white with craft paint. I then used the Cut Flowers Advent Wraps (see chart below), 1-12 and cut each to fit the matchboxes, wrapped around each completely and attached with tacky glue (the wrap size is 2.125" x 4.5" to cover the entire box).

I thought it would also be fun to make a few of the mini gifts to put in the boxes, so I made some tiny necklaces of mistletoe and holly. These are so simple, they take all of five minutes to make. 

I got mini jars with corks and hangers from JoAnn Fabrics, (they come two in a pack, these are only about an inch tall). I cut out mini mistletoe and holly leaves from green paper using the Cut Flowers Holly set on LD. These are teeny tiny (about an inch or less in length). I curled and shaped the leaves, slid then into the tiny jars and added white pearl beads (about .125") and red pearl heads from straight pins (snipping with wire cutters). I secured the jars with the corks and they are ready for a thin ribbon or chain, and of course a neck to hang around.

The photo of the jar above is made with a little larger jar, about 1.5" and a little wider.

I filled the twelve mini boxes with tiny treasures I knew my peeps would like and left them by the little white feather tree for daily gift giving right up until December 25.

I also made a little word garland with the leftovers from the Cut Flowers Holiday Wraps. It’s a shame to throw away any leftovers, especially if it’s paper. So, ho, ho, ho, these words won’t go!

Whether you give gifts for twelve more days, or insist that they . . . don’t open ’til Christmas, do have a Merry Christmas with yours and a Happy New Year!



With these 12 mini gift boxes, you could even have a count down to the new year, and have your party guests open a mini new year’s gift every five minutes until the clock strikes midnight.

Okay, this would be even more fun for all you romantics ~ if there are any men out there who read this blog (not likely, I know) but let’s pretend (or if any of you girls are trying to help your brother or best buddy figure out how to ask his girl to marry him at 12 midnight on January 1) I have an idea. Have the last mini gift box at the party be saved for his girl and have her open it as the clock strikes twelve. Surly you can guess what would be inside ~ an engagement ring, of course, accompanied by a gentleman on his knee. Now, that would be a very happy new year for a couple of you.