Keeping Christmas - November 2020

Good Morning and welcome to the November edition of the Keeping Christmas Blog Hop. This will be the last Keeping Christmas for 2020, and the last for the foreseeable future as well. Kelly has announced that she will not be continuing Keeping Christmas in 2021. 

What a pleasure it was participating in this wonderful monthly challenge, thank you Kelly and the rest of the Keep Christmas participants.

I used a simple layout for my card. I did not want too many layers so it would not cause me problems when I mail it. This is another napkin card, I could not resist the holiday design.

This napkin like all others has three layers, I removed off the two bottom ones and only used the top design layer. I brushed Mod Podge onto the cardstock, then laid the napkin over it. I used my brayer to get the napkin solidly adhered then I added another layer of Mod Podge. I have had this panel sitting on the corner of my desk for a couple of weeks so it was ready to use.

I added a layer of black cardstock in behind, then a layer of foam tape. I heat embossed the sentiment in white on black. I finished the card by adding some gold sequins and half pearls

Be sure to take some time to visit all the ladies on the Keeping Christmas blog hop. Leave some comment love behind and enjoy all the fabulous inspiration.

Kelly Lunceford (Creator)
Claire Broadwater
Lori Tecler
Nance Salkeld
Marybeth Lopez
Nancy Penir
Carol Hintermeier

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Indesign napkin, Simon Says Stamp - Inside Christmas Greetings, Mod Podge. sequins, pearls.

Keep crafting, and you still have time to make some cards for the holiday season...

Nina

Napkin Notecards

My fascination with paper napkins and Mod Podge continues, and I think it will for a while. I was out getting the last of any Christmas gifts I needed yesterday and may have picked up a few different napkins designs to play with.

I seem to have been lucky because I have not messed up a napkin yet, rice papers work pretty well too however tissue does not. For today's post, I made a set of 4 cards to send to my MIL for a Christmas present.

These were made from a single napkin and I love that the design is large enough and has two different directions that I could make the pattern on the card slightly different for each one. You can see some small wrinkles where the napkin folded slightly.

Each napkin has three layers, I stripped off the two bottom ones and only used the top design layer. I brushed on a layer of Mod Podge onto the cardstock, then laid the napkin over it. I used a brayer to get the napkin pressed down nicely then I added another layer of Mod Podge. I let the panels dry overnight.

I cut the card bases, added a writing panel inside with a matt of black cardstock. I die cut the black matt for the napkin panel with a stitched square. Once the napkin panels were dried I die cut them with a square, I glued the matt and panel together then added a layer of foam tape to finish.

Each card is approximately 4.5in by 4.5in.

Anyone need to swap napkins :). I will have a few leftovers if I am making 4 cards per napkin.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, napkin, Mod Podge (Matte).

Thanks for visiting,
Nina

With Deepest Sympathy

This is the last of my stretch of sympathy cards, my son needed a card for a friend so I wanted him to have a selection to choose from. 

I have this current fascination with Mod Podge. I have a glossy one and a sparkle on in my craft room but the other day I found a few more types at Walmart. I am excited to try them out.

This card is made with a napkin.. fancy that, also a current fascination and the gloss Mod Podge. I used a simple design, I love this pretty design on the napkin. I die cut the panel once it had dried and added a layer of black cardstock. I also layered it with some foam tape.

The sentiment is heat embossed in white and popped up with foam tape.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, napkin, Mod Podge, Simon Says Stamp - Sympathy greeting mix.

Thanks for stopping by,
Nina

Watercolour Sympathy

I used simple layers for my card in this post. I die-cut patterned paper with stitched rectangles then added a grey-blue cardstock in behind. Both panels are popped up with foam tape. I heat embossed the sentiment on a coordinating piece of patterned paper. 

I think this paper is pretty in a subtle way, looking like a watercolour.

Supplies: White and blue cardstock, Designer Paper - Paper Rose, Simon Says Stamp - Sympathy Greeting Mix, Simon Says Stamp - Stitched Rectangles.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nina

A Day of Remembrance

                                     

In Flanders fields, the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

  That mark our place; and in the sky

  The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

  Loved and were loved, and now we lie

      In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

  The torch; be yours to hold it high.

  If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

      In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

With Sympathy

For this card, I used a simple clean layout that showcased the panels. I die cut a piece of patterned paper then added a layer of brown cardstock in behind. I popped it up with some foam tape.

For the second panel, I stamped the image then added the layer of brown cardstock. The sentiment is heat embossed with white on brown and each of those layers has foam tape. I finished with some brown Nuvo drops.

Supplies: White and brown cardstock, Designer Paper - Craft Consortium, Penny Black - Dreamy, Simon Says Stamp - Sympathy Greeting mix, Nuvo drops.

Thanks for visiting,
Nina

Mayne Island

This is not a crafty post but I wanted to share some pictures from my weekend away. I had a milestone birthday at the end of last week and my sweet and wonderful husband treated me to a weekend on Mayne Island.

Mayne Island is small and quaint with some fabulous outdoor areas to explore. 

We were blessed with some amazing sunrises and sunsets.

We explored some of the parks and hiked lots.

Overall our time was wonderful, lots of time out of doors.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nina

Holiday Sparkle

Good afternoon and Merry Monday, I have a pretty quick and simple card for today's post. I did a huge clean up of my craft area last week in lieu of crafting, I think it was impacting my creativity so I took that time to refresh and renew my space. 

I think it worked because yesterday I had a hankering to craft, I was away so that was not helpful but I want to see what comes from it this week.

I did manage this card though, isn't this little scene adorable. Why mess with that? I pulled out an old favourite, my stitched rectangles and cut out the section of the scene I wanted. I added layers of black cardstock and foam tape to pop the panel up. I added some shimmer white watercolour for a snowfall effect. I had some pre-cut die cut sentiments from Taylored Expressions and voila.. done.

Supplies: White and Black cardstock, Designer Paper - Caio Bella, Simon Says Stitched rectangles, Taylored Expressions - Simple Strips Christmas.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nina

May your day be wonderful.

I am pretty excited about this post, I love this project. I have been looking at napkin cards for a while and they have intrigued me. So much so that I have picked up some patterned napkins just because I could see them as cards.

I have been a bit crafty challenged this past couple of weeks but I really needed a card for a specific occasion so I could not procrastinate anymore. My mind went through a dozen ideas before this one came to me.

I pulled out some thick watercolour paper and some Mod Podge and went looking for my napkins. I cut the panels I wanted and started to put it all together.

I layered the Mod Podge first, applied the napkin then used a brayer to lay it flat, I added a second layer of Mod Podge and set the panels aside to dry for a couple of hrs.

I die cut the first one with a rectangle die-cut, the second with the postage die-cut and the third on with a die for a gift card envelope.

I heat embossed some sentiments in white on black then created some thread nests from silver thread.

I put together the card first, I added a layer of black cardstock to the bottom napkin panel, then added some foam tape. I die-cut the postage die in black then cut the second panel to fit in the center so the stitching was visible then added a foam tape to pop it up. I added the tread nest and a popped up the sentiment to finish.

I then moved on to the second part of the project, a gift card envelope, I put it all together then added the thread nest and the popped up the sentiment.

I love how these turned out, I can see me playing with more napkin projects in the near future. I used the textured side of the watercolour paper so the end result almost looks like a linen finish.

Supplies: White and black cardstock, Hero Arts - Infinity rectangles, Impression Obsession - Postage Dies, Simon Says Stamp - Tiny Words Birthday, Give Card Envelope, threat, Mod Podge.

Keep Crafty,
Nina

Warm Heart

I saw some Christmas decorations up today... It is a bit early for me but then again I can make holiday cards throughout the year.  It's Merry Monday, so I have a holiday card to share.

Today card is pretty simple, I pulled out a new 12x12 paper pack and the sentiment panel looked perfect for this card. I cut two panels of coordinating cardstock and set them on the card base offset.

I added some foam tape to the top panel then added some pewter gems.

Supplies: White cardstock, Designer Paper - Authentique, gems.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nina