MCT 12 Days of Christmas: On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

Wow! I can't believe we're already on Day 10 of our "12 Days of Christmas" with My Creative Time! If you've come here from Trell's blog, you're on the right track! If not, mosey on over to Emma's blog to start this hop from the beginning!

For the last eight years, I've sent out handmade Christmas cards to my friends and family. Every year, I start the design process with the intention of making a simple card with a bit of pizzazz! And every year, I'm glued to my craft room table for DAYS as I painstakingly hand-glitter hundreds of paper circles (2009) or meticulously color a kitty wrapped in hand-drawn Christmas lights (2010). Sometimes my creativity gets away from me.

But this year, I opted to order my Christmas cards. *pause for gasp* After creating my photo guest book for our June wedding, I had credits left over with Picaboo and needed to use them ASAP after the wedding (they expired at the beginning of July). With no real idea of what I wanted to do with my leftover credits, I bit the bullet and designed/ordered printed Christmas cards with one of our wedding photos. They've been sitting in my craft room closet for months now - waiting to be addressed.

But here's my dilemma: what WILL our friends and family think when they open up our card to find that it's been... PRINTED?!?!?! I can only imagine the SHOCK they will feel and all the dirty looks I'll get at our Christmas gatherings! *giggle* Of course, I'm just teasing. But I really got to thinking about how I could spice up our printed cards and give them a handmade flair...

click photo for larger view

Adding a few embellishments to our Christmas card was just what it needed for some extra personality! I set two silver jumbo eyelets to string my red satin ribbon through. Linen thread ties the sentiment (Mixed Holiday Sentiments, MCT) and felt heart (Heart Die included in the 100% Sweetness stamp set, White Felt from Papertrey Ink) to the bow. The sentiment was cut out using MCT's Curly Label Die and I hand-cut the green layer behind it. I added a couple of blue rhinestones to the heart to finish it off.

It looks like this year I've finally followed through with my plan to NOT spend the entire holiday season working on our Christmas cards. But with my added embellishments, I can rest easy knowing that our friends and family will receive a hand-crafted Christmas card from us - a tradition they've come to know and love.

***12 Days of Christmas Give Away Alert***

To qualify for ALL the AMAZING giveaways for the next 12 days, you must comment on every blog in this hop! You will have until Tuesday, December 13th @ midnight to have all of your comments in! VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE LEAVE A WAY FOR US TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE WINNERS! There are some AMAZING giveaways for this special 12 day event and some SURPRISES to help celebrate My Creative Time's One Year Anniversary! Yep, Emma released her FIRST set of stamps one year ago! So make sure you are tuned in because this is ONE hop you do NOT want to miss!

Thanks for stopping by on our hop today. I'm your last stop. Come back again tomorrow for more fun Christmas ideas! I hope you were inspired!

-Veronica