Posted on by wherethejourneytakesme

creating a simpler Christmas * day 4

Today I have made a start on the Christmas card.

I have been working on a lino cut wreath design but in case I don’t get the time to finish it I decided on these little hand stamped ones too. I like the idea of sending out love and peace to everyone.

They were very simple to make and I love the simplicity of the design and the crumbliness of the texture from using wooden rather than rubber stamps. I chose the message ‘Peace on Earth’; it seemed to fit with the candle theme quite well.

I used small cream cards from a selection of the blank card stocks I have accumulated over the years and a tiny wooden candle stamp I bought from Oxfam a long time ago for £1.49. I tried out the copper coloured ink pad I bought the other day from the Range. So very minimal cost.

The key to making cards is those little finishing touches that really help to personalise them. I usually print out an inner leaf paper, stamp the back of the card with a ‘homemade’ stamp and add a further tiny stamped motif on the envelope flap.

The message inside is one of my favourites from the book of John ‘ the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it’ – such an appropriate bible reading for our world at the present time.

I also thought a touch of glitter would be nice to add to the flame.

I have made a quick mock up of the lino cut print too – this year a simple wreath overstamped with a little copper ink using fir tree branch motif. The red berries will be added afterwards by hand.

This is just the first ideas roughly sketched in felt tip pen. I am not sure if I prefer the scroll writing of the second stamp or maybe I will have a look out in a craft shop for a Season’s Greetings message.

Anyway this might end up being next year’s card so I will have plenty of time to play about with the design.

On the home front we have now heard back from the garage, they assessed the car yesterday and got the parts and today it is ready for collection. Let’s hope we can pay the bill – I think it wil be a sit down job.

I have more returns to Sainsbury’s so we will pop round there and I will try not to buy anything. When we get home I do need to have a good tidy up – crafting can be a very spread out untidy job.

Now I have the cards I need to get on with the yearly news letter – I send a lot of them out by email but still have to enclose some in with the card. It is often quite therapeutic looking back over the year and you can see a balance of the good things that happened along with the ‘lesser’ good or in our case, this particular year, the pretty awful.

I will be back creating more for my simpler Christmas tomorrow. Have a good day x

28 Replies to “creating a simpler Christmas * day 4”

  1. I love the simplicity of your candle stamped card. The Christmas cards I’ve made this year, my first year of cardmaking, are quite fancy affairs – I enjoyed being creative and playing around. However, next year I think I’ll go for simplicity and quiet elegance.

    I hope your car repairs aren’t as much of a sit down cost as you fear!

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    1. I don’t think the cards will be everyone’s cup of tea but they were simple which was the whole point of them I am sure yours are beautiful too – there is no limit to the decoration you can use at Christmas – are they on your other blog? I must link to your card blog address so that I get your new posts.
      The car repairs will be what they are and we will have to absorb the costs – maybe it will eat into that winter fuel payment we have just received! x

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  3. Love your cards. the candle one is so delightful it could inspire me to have a go although we have already bought all our cards for this year, maybe next year.

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  4. The cards are beautiful in their simplicity. This is one craft I’ve never tried, but I think I may be inclined to give your method a go especially as we don’t exchange with that many people these days. You’re right, it’s definitely the finishing touches that make it special and the verse you’ve chosen is perfect. xx

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  5. Once again I wish I had your eye. And the steady hand. Any cards I make are either messy and skewif or overdone. Or both. I love the simplicity of the candle. And you’re right, the little touches complete it.

    Good luck with the car repair bill. It’d be very pricey here as we do not have many French cars so would have to pay a premium. I wonder if it was caused by the bump from the lady in the car park. Or was it just coincidental?

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    1. It seems it might have been caused by the gritter spray on the motorway the hydraulics are sensitive to grit if it gets into the part that controls it -but one way or another you have no option other than to pass it. It was expensive – almost £400 but there is nothing we can do other than pay the price! We are picking my mum up tomorrow who is coming to stay for a few days so I am just glad to have it working again.
      I love handmade cards even if they are a bit messy and skewif – it adds to the charm.

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      1. Ouch. Now I’d be worried that this would happen again. It is why I changed cars until I settled on one that is very reliable. Our automotive society says they are very rarely called out for it. That’s what I want. No breakdowns.

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  7. Your cards are beautiful, Vivien. You have such a good eye for this sort of thing.
    I hope the bill for your car isn’t too eye watering. X

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  8. The true beauty in your cards are all the little touches you add–an elegant script of profound meaning, a small stamp here, a touch of glitter there. Touches of love for those you care about. Embraces the true spirit of Christmas. Well done.

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  10. I love your handmade cards, they look very professional. I have made my own Christmas cards for years, like you I keep it simple. In the early days of making them I remember them being really complicated but by the time you have made 50 or 60 of them it can become a little tedious! I on with making mine but they are no where near finished, just the ones that are to be hand delivered to friends in the next few days and the overseas ones.

    Glad hear that the car has been fixed and you can get it back now.

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  12. We’ve had a pretty disastrous year in many respects this year, but I guess we’re still standing, so that is something.

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