Winter Watercolor at Christmastime Vintage Card Trio

 

Hello! I love anything vintage and especially at Christmas, older things just make me smile. Like my 80's flocked bird ornaments and Tim Holtz Christmastime greeting stamps embossed in gold. 

Making flat cards is such a challenge to me, but more important than ever as our postage costs have soared. I had to resist adding the charming embellishments and will save those for the hand delivered cards.

When I saw the images in Tim's Winter Watercolor set, I knew I had to pair them with the vintage greetings on some rare-to-me CAS cards. This one's super simple, without a contrasting border. Hopefully the stitching helps to frame the gorgeous watery greenery and berries. I had to consider the size of my envelopes, and didn't want to trim off any of the watercolor goodness.

I loved this one even before I added the tiny die cut berries. Splatters of gold Distress paint on these two cards give a bit more of a vintage vibe. After trimming it down to size, I embossed the edges very subtly in gold before layering on white card, then on plaid paper from an old Tim Holtz Christmas stash.

This was actually the first card I embossed with the greeting, and being the obedient maker that I am, I dutifully swiped over the already stamped card with my Embossing Buddy. Although, I had stamped the foliage a couple of days prior, so it should have been well dried, the little powder bag is now Candy Apple red! I salvaged the panel by spritzing some of the little specks of red ink left behind with water and dipping the card in watery puddles of corresponding inks, and lastly, embossing a few of the berry clusters. I also added some die cuts for visual depth. A little messy and busy perhaps, but I swear it looks better in real life and someone out there will appreciate my efforts! No time for do-overs.

I'll be sharing these cards in a couple of my favorite challenges: The Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog, where the challenge is 'Yuletide Delights' and Country View Challenge, where December's challenge is 'Christmas Anything Goes'. Thank goodness I have them to keep me motivated to keep making and sharing some of my makes on my blog.

Off to make some more cards; hopefully they will arrive at their destinations before the New Year. I'm a little off schedule this year, but enjoying all the festivities and time spent with family that go along with Christmas. That's what really matters. Hugs! Sara Emily