Christmas cards of yore

Every year at about this time I create my annual Christmas cards. They have to be different each year is about the only rule that I have. And, since I make 100 or so, they have to be easy to make. Or at least, not ridiculously tedious~~of course I say that so glibly here, but I'm often kicking myself by about the 50th card when I'm committed and there's no turning back...

Anyway, here are some of my cards from years gone by that I didn't end up sending. I will be offering these for sale on my etsy site in the next day or two.


This little beauty has a textured paper star adhered to a royal blue card stock card. Gold spray paint applied at a sharp angle highlights one side of the ridges of the star. The blue card was artfully spattered with gold paint as well.



Vellum envelopes allow the star to shimmer through. I think a pen with gold ink would be best for addressing these, don't you?



One year, I just took a photo of one of my quilts, "Mixtec Sun" and printed it on heavy card stock on a matching gold background. Simple but effective. And maybe even a little pagan.


This card represented my experimentation with stamping. I used a commercial stamp with a tranquil winter scene and stamped it in a subtle sepia tone to match the cream card stock. Then I added the text, stamping each letter individually. Next, I hand colored the scene with various shades of colored pencils, keeping the palette subtle and low-key.

To finish this card, I applied a few dots of fine stamping glitter of a clear iridescent shade to mimic a light snow fall. Hard to photograph, but trust me, its there.

I'll post some more cards in the coming days. Still to come: fabric collages, home-made paper accents, more spray paint, even some nail polish.