I love everything about this card - it's not that I think it's the best card ever made but it has everything I love - broad gingham ribbon, embossing - scallops and Ripe Avocado PTI card, with Versamark!! yum. I do also like the design and plan to make a few more.
This started as a 'no idea' card and i fell lucky - got some cheap ribbon at the supermarket and was dying to use it. Made backing paper with versamark using the oval sentiment from the Merry and Bright stamp set. Embossed some pure white CS with a scalloped nestabilities die and wiped all over with the ink pad (Spring Moss) Used a sentiment from PTI Holiday Wishes in Ripe avocado ink. Used the Merry and Bright tree stamps to make the wee tree and surrounded the oval cut out with a scalloped oval - both nestabilities. Heat embossed a white snowflake and punched it out with a marvy snowflake punch (PTI) added a wee brad. Had a load of fun making this.
Now here's the interesting bit - as a thank you for all you ladies and Gentlemen (Hi Curt!) who come to visit me often I have a fab Martha Stewart book to give away. The wee counter passed 50,000 the other day - you have no idea how much I appreciate your visiting - and I thought it was high time for a treat. If you click on the link it will take you to an amazon page showing the book. It is a new paperback edition of Martha Stewart living - Holidays.
What you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite Christmas family tradition is - or just your favourite family tradition if you don't celebrate Christmas. I hope to draw a winner on that random number generator thingy around 10pm on Friday night (my time - sorry I've no idea what time that is where you are!! Lol) Good luck and Many many thanks for coming to visit.
Hope that tickles.
OH! Love it!!! Great colors, layout and details!
ReplyDeleteClaire. Your card is just beautiful. Even though my Mother has passed, we will still get together with my Brother's family in the morning at my Mother and Father's house, then go to Mass, and then off to my cousins house. Now that the "Twins" My Mother and my cousins Mother have both gone to our Lord Jesuse, it will be bittersweet, but this is what we have done as children and have continued on as adults with the love of family at Christmas time. May God Bless. Thanks for the chance to win. Alice R.
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous, Claire!
ReplyDeleteClaire this is just beautiful. I love, love, love the ribbon. And I really love the embossed piece. The white around the embossing is awesome. What a cool idea! -Molly B
ReplyDeleteDarling card, Claire - I LOVE your "cheap" supermarket ribbon! It's perfect on your card!!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas family tradition growing up was going to midnight church services. It always made Christmas seem very special, plus I got to stay up late at least that one night a year!!!
I see I may be #1 & I know I saw a #1 picked once on a blog, so here goes!!! ;-) TFS the book, Claire!!!
Claire, I have so enjoyed visiting your blog. Your creations are amazing and they are so inspirational, too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas tradition is going to church on Christmas Eve and celebrating the reason for Christmas which is Christ's birth.
As we enter the church we are each given a small white candle because at the end of our service we have the lights off except for the Pastor's candle. Then he lights the leader's candles and they go row by row and light the person at the end's candle and we light our candle off each others.
We are doing all this while singing Silent Night, Holy Night and it is such a touching and meaningful moment for me. It is very emotional as you see the light of the sanctuary grow just from the candle lights.
Sorry to go on and on but I love this tradition. Thanks for the chance to win.
Laurie G from Boston (and PTI forum)
Hey! I'll play along!
ReplyDeleteLove your ideas and appreciate you sharing them across the seas.
All the best
What a gorgeous card. I love that snowflake on the ribbon.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas tradition is that I make a polish dish on Christmas eve.
BTW, Love your work!
Beautiful card Claire!! That ribbon is gorgeous! My favorite Christmas traditions is baking cookies and pies all day on Christmas Eve. My grandma, mom and now my sister and I all do all the holiday baking then.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on so many hits! Your blog is wonderful!
I enjoy visiting your blog, as your creations are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteEach year, our family exchanges ornaments. We enjoy decorating our Christmas tree each year, and looking at all the special ornaments we have received in years past.
Happy Holidays to you and yours, and thank you for the chance to win.
Debbie S
LOVE this Claire - you can put it right in the mail to me!! LOL! :) The shaded panel is brilliant!! Favorite tradition?? mmmmmm, my mom's fabulous Sour Cream Coffee Cake - it's not Christmas morning without it! :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is gathering with my extended family on Christmas Eve every year, like a family reunion. We pig out and play the dirty santa game, which is always so funny.
ReplyDeleteYour card is beautiful!
Claire, I am an avid follower of your blog. I love your style. This Christmas card is wonderful. I love how you made the white scallop look like rick rack.
ReplyDeleteOur favorite tradition is putting up our tree on Thanksgiving day.
Oh Claire - this is very NICE! I love all the little details on this one, especially that ribbon! As for favorite memories, it has always been decorating th etree while listening to Christmas music and making cookies. Now making cookies with two kids under 5 has taken on a whole new meaning - but I still love it! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteThis is so pretty, Claire! I love the colors and everything about it. Love your idea to sponge the embossed rectangle and where you added the ribbon, image, and snowflake. Love it all!!
ReplyDeleteClaire, your card is so beautiful!! I love how the white scallops show around the card - reminds me of the frosting on little gingerbread men:)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blog views!!
Every year for the past 36 years we've gathered at my BIL's house for dinner and to exchange gifts. They have a very large house and it is always filled on Christmas Day. My SIL is a fabulous cook and loves to cook. One Christmas she had a sit down dinner for 26 people and then more people arrived for desserts and festivities!! The house was filled to the brim with people of good cheer:)
Hello Claire, I love that ribbon! My favourite Xmas tradition is to prepare some traditional Xmas food with my family.
ReplyDeleteClaire, your card is wonderful! It feels so much like a homey Christmas. Thank you for sharing all your creations with us. You're very talented. My favorite Christmas tradition is making lefsa with my hubby. Since we live far away from family, we do it together. It's a time when we can remember family & celebrate the holiday traditions we grew up with.
ReplyDeleteYour Cards are soo beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOur Favioute Christmas tradition is going for a walk on Christmas Eve too look at all the lights, the kids just love this.
I'm a recent addition to following your blog (about a month or so) Love your cards.
ReplyDeleteFav tradition has to be family get togethers at this time of year, always hectic (I have 3 sisters, all with young children). Also leaving chewed up carrot on the floor, crumbs all over the table and an empty glass for the children to find on Christmas morning, and having a good old complain about Father Christmas being a messy so and so.
Sharon B
What a gorgeous card Claire its wonderful
ReplyDeletemy favourite family tradition has to be getting the decorations out and decorating the tree Its real family time
congrats on your hits
Hi Claire - I love the card and the sentiment.
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of traditions we like to keep each year but my favourite is simply baking on Christmas Eve. My family love the warm mince pies and we have lots of visitors to enjoy them too. I can't wait.
This is such a beautiful card, that ribbon is gorgeous!! My favorite tradition is a fairly recent one. I have been spending Christmas with a friend and her two children. I was single and she had no family in the area. While we are at Christmas Eve church service, Santas elves drop off Christmas pajamas for everyone. The girls get such a kick out of this. I am married now and the first year my husband got pajamas too they were shocked! This is one of the traditions that we want to carry on with our own children some day.
ReplyDeleteOMGosh Claire! This card is knock down gorgeous! The detail is wonderful. I really like how you highlighted the embossed area of the card. That is a great effect. The tree stamp is super too! And, like everyone else, I LOVE that ribbon! Thanks so much, btw, for singling me out as the only gentleman of the group! LOL I feel special! Our tradition here is that Jay's side of the family (Cuban) celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve by making all the traditional Cuban fare. Then on Christmas, we make the American traditional fare and pig out again! LOL We seriously need weight management after the holidays! Thanks for the chance to win! It's always such a blast to come see you! Best, Curt
ReplyDeleteI love everything about your card! I'm a wide ribbon lover.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is my side of the family gathering on Christmas Eve. We started doing that years ago because we all seem to have too many places to visit on Christmas day. By gathering on Christmas Eve, we are not rushed and we can eat, talk, eat again and play gift giving games. We are free to enjoy Christmas Day with our spouses and children and a visit with the in-laws.
such a pretty card as always, Claire! i love all your work and this is no exception. My favorite Xmas tradition is shopping! so exciting to think of the look on my family/friend's faces when they open my presents...and of course, I have to take advantage of the great deals and grab something for myself as well!
ReplyDeleteQuinnie V.
Love this blog! Our favorite tradition is just simly spending quality family time together. SharriC
ReplyDeleteLove your card... I am a very much into traditions..I think they are important,especially for children. At my house, our tree is decorated with ornaments I've picked up over the years from our family vacations together, ones that my adult children made as children and I add to them yearly. We as a family, gather together and go up the mountain and have breakfast together...But my favorite is on Christmas day... I always buy a special plate, date it and pass it around for everyone to sign on the back, even the little ones who can't write yet...they can scribble.... They can write anything they want but it becomes a lasting memory as to who sat at our table and shared the love of Christmas with us.. I cherish all of these "traditions so much"
ReplyDeleteNice job on the card. I would have to say lighting the Hanukkah Candles with my daughter. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I made this post in time...but worth a shot.
ReplyDeleteYour card is beautiful!
My favorite Christmas tradition is going the Mass on Christmas Eve. For some reason it is very special time.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a great book.
This is just the sweetest card! I have never visited your blog before, so I can't say if it's the best card you ever made, but it sure ranks as a winner with me! I'll be checking out all your other goodies too!
ReplyDeleteLeAnne
Hey Claire! I just got back from vacation and I wanted to stop in and compliment your gorgeous card!!! I love the way you used that spellbinder die. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI know your giveaway is over (I'm not here for that) I just had to tell you how breathtaking this card is. Seriously dreamy in my books. I love that ribbon too and what a neat embossing idea.
ReplyDeleteWHOA! Gorgeous!!!!!
ReplyDeletejust come across your site from splitcoast and am loving it. you are truly talented :) I love the card - am jealous that you are able to buy from papertrey ink because it is simply too unaffordable for us internationals!
ReplyDelete