Shock! I made a Christmas card.

For a lot of people the name of this post will be surprising but if you know me you will also be surprised that I have actually made a Christmas card.   Fact is I do not like this time of year and all the commercial pressure that has completely swamped the spiritual message.   Christmas adverts and "present" ideas and those big tubs of chocolates started appearing in the shops months ago.  Children's expectations are whipped up to the idea of a mountain of gifts, adults feel pressured to measure up and put themselves in debt to do so.   The day it's self becomes a frenzy of preparing and cooking an enormous meal, by the end of the day everyone is worn out cross and a bit miserable.  

I love giving presents not because of any expectation  but because I want to.   There does not have to be a specific day or reason, well apart from Birthday's they are personal.  If there is something a person will like or might find useful, and I am in a position to do so I will get it for them, just because.

So Christmas Cards, the craft challenge world completely put me off making Christmas cards.  When doing the challenge lists it seemed that there were more and more weekly, fortnightly, and monthly "Christmas" being the object of the challenge.  Seriously every week from January to December making Christmas cards!  For you that might be a wonderful thing and if you enjoy it nothing could be better. The effect on yours truly was to be completely turned off the whole idea.  So much so that Christmas Cards came off my project making list completely and I've not made/sent one for a few years now.

So what is different this year?  Well my brother (his birthday card was the subject of an earlier post) really liked getting his birthday card.  I am his next of kin, he lives alone and this year has experienced some serious health problems.   An idea for a present occurred and given the time of year I thought it would be a suitable "Christmas" present.   A card naturally is needed to go with it.

Dusting off the old Christmas themed stamps and papers this design presented it's self.   Again unusual for me there are stacks of designer papers in my craft room mostly unused because I never know what to do with designer papers.   The snowman story on the other hand is an old favourite of mine, the magic of the story is simply enchanting.   Stamped onto white card and fussy cut, it has been coloured with ProMakrer pens then curved over a scissor blade and attached to the card with different height sticky buds.

Hopefully this will be a cheerful and uplifting card for my brother.

So after my rant about how turned off I have become about Christmas, this effort is still being shared with a few challenges!

I Love Promarkers - This is the second week of their fortnight themed challenge Anything Goes + Christmas.

Cardz 4 Guyz - Week one of this fortnightly challenge aptly their theme is Snowmen.

Retro Rubber - Week one again of a fortnightly challenge, there is a picture inspiration (see below).  This is a great rubber stampers challenge as you are required to use stamps that are older.  Well Mine is wood mounted with the copyright 2009 S.Ent. Ltd and I've probably had it since then.

7th December today, so by my reckoning Monday is about the right time to start to get Chrismassy.   The important thing is that YOU enjoy yours when ever and how every you celebrate.