Woo Hoo - It's RUDOLPH DAY AND Challenge Day - double Whammy!

Morning all,

Well, it's Rudolph Day once more ... what exactly IS Rudolph Day? Hmm, now that's a tough one .. it's all about preparing for Christmas well in advance of December 24th!!! So Christmas Day doesn't just kind of sneak up on you ... which it can (and HAS, at the Purple Palace!) ..... there are all sorts of sites and challenges to help you prepare - even the likes of the home shopping channels do "Christmas in July" to try to get you "in the mood" to start making your purchases and cards .... I set myself a project to use some images that didn't immediately scream CHRISTMAS at me, in order to make some Christmas cards and I came up with the four below - see what you think ....

CARD #1- utilising a non Christmas image or two .... add a Santa hat, some snow
and a sentiment and BINGO!

My Crazy bird and Visible Image flower stem - NOT CHRISTMAS-y!

And the co-ordinating insert and envelope

Materials used:

• White 12 x 17½cm, 300gsm, scallop edged card blank and matching sized envelope
• 10½ x 15½cm white card panel (x 2 including insert)
• 11 x 16cm red card panel, for matting
• Stampers Anonymous bird crazy image stamped using Ranger Archival watering can ink .... stamped on to insert, envelope, image panel and separately on to a scrap of white card (makes cutting out so much easier if you don't have to faff with the quiff!!)
• Alcohol markers to colour the image on scrap card which was then cut out, brushed with Paper Artsy Gloss Glaze before adhering directly over the image stamped on my front panel
• Santa hat (All Night Media) stamped on to scrap of white card using Versamark ink, sprinkled with Red embossing tinsel and the excess shaken off before heat embossing and cutting out, gluing in to place on my crazy birds head - at a jaunty angle!
• Visible Image INKognito flower stem stamped using Versamark ink, sprinkled with WOW! white puff embossing powder, excess shaken off and then heat embossed. For the insert I simply stamped using Memento London fog ink
• Stamplorations sentiment builder sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink

And here's another make:

CARD #2 - using a non Christmas-y downtown skyline but by adding
some glitter (snow) and a sleigh and it makes a Christmas card

A close up of the image panel - you just know Santa won't be stopping here ...
not with all those lights on!

The co-ordinating inside and envelope

Materials used:

• 15cm square white, 300gsm, scallop edged card blank and matching sized envelope
• Scrap of white card coloured with Distress Inks: tumbled glass, salty ocean, stormy sky and black soot
• Hero Arts cityscape (not Christmas-y) stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Distress marker in spiced marmalade used to colour in odd window  ... lights on!!
• Inkylicious Sleigh image stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• I then die cut the image panel in to a circle and die cut a slightly larger circle of navy, to mat
• Inkylicious sentiment stamped directly on to the card blank using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Crystal stickles dotted randomly, to simulate stars

And another ......

CARD #3 - using a swipe image, a regular tree and it's not too Christmas-y
but add a sparkly snow, some glitter and a Christmas sentiment and suddenly
- it's a Christmas card

A closer view showing the twinkly puff embossing powder!

And the co-ordinating inside and envelope

Materials used:

• 12 x 17½cm white, 300gsm, scallop edged card blank and matching sized envelope
• 10½ x 15½cm white card panel 
• 11 x 16cm deep green card panel, for matting
• Art Impressions tree image (not Christmas-y) stamped using Adirondack bottle green ink
• Visible Image swipe (SOOOOO not Christmas-y) stamped at the base of my tree using Versamark ink.
• WOW! White puff twinkle embossing powder sprinkled liberally over the swipe, the excess shaken off before heat embossing - gives a lovely twinkly dimensional feel to the card
• Penny Black sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• For the insert I used a See D's sentiment instead

And, finally, another of those FABULOUS birdies ...

CARD #4 - using those fabulous crazy birds
Using cool and Christmas-y colours, some twinkle
and a large sentiment and you have another quirky Christmas card!

And a close up of this cutie!!

And  my co-ordinating inside and envelope

Materials used:

• 5" x 7" white, 300gsm, scallop edged card blank and matching sized envelope
• Snippets of card:- water colour card, black and red (linen effect DCWV) card
• Stampers Anonymous "Bella Lugosi" image (you've never seen Bella Lugosi looking QUITE so warm and fuzzy have you?!?!) stamped twice, on to water colour card
• Brusho's used water colour style to both colour "Bella" and add the background: lemon, orange, scarlet, dark brown, turquoise. I only painted the wings on the second image, and then cut them out.
• Signo uniball white gel roller to highlight "Bella"
• Personal Impressions parcel (not Christmas-y) stamped on to white card snippet using Versamark ink before sprinkling Sparkle 'n Sprinkle "Christmas Fire" embossing powder liberally and then heat embossing. I then cut out the image and attached with a glue dot
• The spare pair of "wings" was attached over the original with the aid of dimensional foam
• Paper Artsy splatter image stamped using Versamark ink and also "swiped" across the bottom of my image panel before sprinkling with WOW! white puffy tinsel embossing powder which was then heat embossed for the "snow" .... so far not a single truly Christmas-y image .....
• Stamplorations sentiment builder stamped on to the card blank using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink ... finally a Christmas image .... on a Christmas card!!!!

So, it IS possible to make Christmas cards without using much in the way of a Christmas-y image!!! Woo Hoo. I'll be entering these makes for the following challenges:-

1. Craftbubble2½ (membership required) Craft Mad and Loving It Group - July Rudolph Day - USE ONE (or more) NON CHRISTMAS IMAGE/S TO MAKE A CHRISTMAS PROJECT ... once I started I just couldn't stop! ...... card # 1
2. Morgan's Art World - challenge No. 3 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY ..... card #1
3. Crafting For All Seasons - challenge No. 106 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY .... card #1
4. Penny's Paper Crafty - challenge No. 237 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY ......... Card #1
5. CASology - challenge No.156 - LINE ...... card #1
6. ABC of Christmas - O FOR OFF THE EDGE ........ card #2 (downtown skyline off the edge)
7. Crafters Cafe - challenge NO. 126 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY ...... card #2
8. Scraps of Life - July Rudolph Day - A Christmas themed make ..... card # 2
9. Holly Jolly Christmas challenge - July - INSPIRED BY A CHRISTMAS CAROL/SONG - card #2 (Santa Claus is coming to town)
10. Christmas Stamping All Year Round - challenge No. 51 - A CLEAN AND SIMPLE CHRISTMAS CARD ..... card #3
11. Going grey with Scrap Creations - July challenge - CHRISTMAS IN JULY .... card #3
12. Addicted to Stamps & More - challenge No. 154 - CAS (Clean And Simple) ..... card #3
13. Eureka Stamps - challenge No. 150 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY ...... card #3
14. Happy Little Stampers - July CHRISTMAS challenge - TREE - card #3
15. Ooh La La! - challenge No. 185 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY ..... card #4
16. Deep Ocean - challenge No. 108 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY ......  card #4
17. Tuesday Throwdown - challenge No. 254 - CHRISTMAS IN JULY  ........ card #4
18. Scrapbook Stamp Society - challenge No. 71 - ANYTHING GOES/optional HOLIDAY ...... card #4
19. Simply Less Is More - challenge No. 234 - RECIPE, USE SNIPPETS ...... card #4

Hope you will follow the links to see which ones I've entered for which challenge! None of my cards will be entered for all of them so, if the challenges have max numbers of other challenges then I hope I shan't have broken any rules. AND (of course) it means four more Christmas makes to add to my collection for 2015 - I now have 54! ..... Woo Hoo!! Happy Rudolph Day everyone!