Perfectly Plaid Christmas Card and Caregiver Idea

Hi Craftin' Friends.

Hope your Labour Day weekend brought you the relaxation and/or fun that you needed. At our house back to school doesn't bring the same hustle and bustle it once did, but as a retired elementary school teacher, my mind can't help but go back to those days of preparation and excitement. For my Mom, who was a school secretary for many years, it was always a time of extra work and a sense of purpose. This Labour Day found her confused about where she was, but she still felt a need to get to school.

Recently, Mom has been feeling lonely, and because she no longer remembers when she's had a visitor, I decorated a Guest Book for her visitors to sign. Thanks to whoever gave me the idea. I apologize for not remembering who it was. Mom won't be able to read the book herself, but when I visit, I can share it with her, and I really think this will help her to feel less alone.

Mom's Guest Book is just a notebook I purchased at Michael's some time ago. I wished I had the Pressed Petals Journal from the Annual Catalogue, but I didn't want to wait for it to be shipped, so I made do. I chose the Petal Promenade from last year's catalogue, because it seemed feminine and bright. I have found when covering notebooks, it's easiest to cut 2 pieces for the front and the back, then cut a "binding" piece from coordinating paper. After gluing the front and back, trim any overhang. Then I put Tear N Tape along the edges of the binding piece and adhere it at the front and the back. The Petal Pink scalloped circle is cut from the Layering Circle dies, then embossed with  the Subtles 3D Embossing Folder. The Whisper White circle was cut using the largest circle die from the Stitched Shapes dies. Because I wanted Mom's book to be personalized, I stamped the words in Calypso Coral using the letters from the Make a Difference Stamp Set. The floral image is stamped is from the same stamp set and stamped in Petal Pink. The bow was tied using ribbon from the Occasions Catalogue 2019.

Now to my Christmas Card. The products used in this card are from the Holiday Catalogue, which goes live for customers today! For this card I used the Perfectly Plaid Stamp Set and the Wrapped in Plaid Designer Series Paper. The card base is Cherry Cobbler and cut to a standard card base (5 1/2" by 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"). The top and bottom pieces of DSP are cut to 2 1/8" by 4", and the Shaded Spruced cardstock strip is 1" by 4", embossed with the Subtles 3D Embossing Folder. I wrapped the cardstock strip with the Diagonal Striped Cherry Cobbler ribbon. The Christmas tree was stamped in Shaded Spruce and Soft Suede (for the trunk). Since the tree stamp is very detailed, use a spoon to press the ink into your ink pad to get the detail to show up beautifully. The Ho Ho Ho is stamped in Cherry Cobbler.

The inside of the card used "generations" of stamping to create the effect of depth with the trees. Generations in stamping, just means stamping more than once without re-inking the stamp, so the three trees in the bottom corner were stamped without re-inking. I did the same thing with the trunk in Soft Suede. Again the sentiment was stamped in Cherry Cobbler.

I hope you liked this card design. I find it fun and easy to create cards when I start with a card I like, then vary the elements a little. If you create a card using this basic design, why not share it on my Craftin' Granny's Stamping Friends group page on Facebook. We'd love to see what you make. If you're not a member of this group, please send me a message and I'll be pleased to invite you to join.

Thanks for stopping by today. If you are in Canada and don't have a demonstrator, let me know if you'd like a Holiday Catalogue. If you're a caregiver, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I'm finding being a caregiver to be as challenging as parenting, and that's saying something! On the good days, it's also very rewarding. 

Happy Crafting, Friends!

Craftin' Granny