Mixing Old and New!

I have a customer who loves hand-stamped cards, but does not enjoy making them. That means I make them for her, haha...! That also means that she is happy to use retired product, and since I have plenty of that, I am also happy to use it up! And I like the chance to dust off old sets I loved!

I prepped seven card designs for her this Christmas, and you get to enjoy them now! (two I won't be sharing, they were designs from previous years that she had not used) Each of these might possibly use both current and retired products...I'll make a note.

This blue card was designed first and she asked for a different color combo instead. So here's the two of them together! The star and the words and the card stock are current, haha, the DP and the nativity image are retired. Which one is your favorite?

Supplies for the blue:

Stamps: Star of Light (words & star), Joyful Nativity (retired)

Ink: Soft Sky, Lost Lagoon (retired), Smoky Slate

Paper: Soft Sky & Whisper White card stocks, All Is Calm DP (retired)

Supplies for the brown:

Stamps: Star of Light (words & star), Joyful Nativity (retired)

Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, Early Espresso

Paper: Season of Style DP (retired)

This is a retake on a card I designed last year, but I like this gold-ish paper with it, so I'm sharing it anyway. It is a simple card but I think it has a big impact.

Supplies:

Stamps: Joyful Nativity (retired)

Ink: Real Red, Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White & Real Red card stocks, Season of Cheer DP (retired)

Accessories: Gold Bakers Twine (retired)

I've hardly got to touch my Paper Pumpkin kits lately, but these words come from the October kit, if you got one. If not, they were entirely sold out...

Supplies:

Stamps: October 2017 Paper Pumpkin (greeting- sold out), Winter Memories (retired)

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Soft Sky & Mossy Meadow (retired) card stocks

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon (retired)

I feel like I used a sketch for this, but I'm not sure where from... I used all my usual sketch blogs, even those that are no longer up and running, and I browsed pinterest to death sooo...if this sketch is yours, I appreciated the inspiration!!

Supplies:

Stamps: Christmas Magic (retired)

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Whisper White card stock, Holidays Fancy Foil Vellum DP (retired)

Accessories: Emerald Envy ribbon (retired)

This is a retake on another card I made last year. I really was bummed that I didn't get to use those designs- can you tell?? This is just time consuming because the wreath is two die cuts layered, so however many cards you want to make, you have to run it thru the Big Shot twice. And the cute bow is retired...

Supplies:

Stamps: Star of Light

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Garden Green card stocks

Accessories: Swirly Scribbles Dies, Festive Fireside Framelits (bow- retired), Garden Green Bakers Twine (retired)

And there you have it! Five (or six) cards to inspire you for your own last-week-before-Christmas creating! Which one is your favorite? 

Christmas Thank You's!

It was high time these were made and mailed!! My son made his thank you cards two weeks ago and my daughter wrote most of her thank you letters then too- what's with mom?! My parents gave me this stamp set for Christmas so what better set to use for Chrsitmas thank yous? And since the stamp set is now retired (rude!) I used card "kits" from past years that include retired items, haha. Oh well. Back to current things another time!

First up, THIS sketch from Retro Sketches.

Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Memories
Ink: Early Espresso, Gumball Green marker, Real Red marker
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Gumball Green, First Edition DP
Accessories: Gumball Green stitched ribbon, Brights Buttons, White Bakers Twine, Mini Glue Dots

This card uses a sketch I was directed to that is HERE, on Craft Project Central.

Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Memories, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Pool Party marker, Lucky Limeade marker, Wisteria Wonder marker, Island Indigo marker, Soft Suede marker, Early Espresso marker
Paper: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Whisper White, First Edition DP
Accessories: White Bakers Twine, Mat Pack, retired corduroy Baja Breeze button

And the third card uses a sketch I've seen a few bloggers use in the past week or so, so I added the site to my list over ---> and yeay- more card challenges for me! LOL!

Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Memories
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Pear Pizazz (retired), Soft Suede, Very Vanilla card stocks
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Blender Pens, retired soft suede ribbon