So it is that time a week where I link up with several Card challenges out there.  This week has been a lower canvas creation week for me and a higher card making week.  This is for two very small (or large depending on your point of view) reasons.  One, I need to get my Christmas Cards done.  And two, the kids school schedule is whacked this week, so I don’t have long periods of time to work on the line up of canvases I need to get done.  That will be for next week when the kids are out of school…and yes, they are out all week for thanksgiving.  I have yet to decide if I am thankful for this or not.

Anyway, the xmas card sweat shop is in full flow, and slowly I am getting things done.  Did I mention my schedule was totally messed up because of different school hours?

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The first card comes to us from Can You Case It who was asking for a color challenge this week.  Now, remember I am in full xmas card mode, and the colors of yellow, neutral, and brown screamed Thanksgiving.  So nothing like a little curve ball to start your day.

Luckily I have a great stamp pack from Paper Smooches called A Blessed Christmas, that is nativity themed instead of santa or winter themed, so I was good to go.  I blended in some Distress Ink focusing in on the theme and stamped the three wise men over it.  I used my sparkly get pen to try to give the stars some shimmer (not seen in the photo unfortunately) and I added a little bit of raffia to break up the one dimensional feel and knew I had a perfect little card for my aunt.  (And yes, there is a post it note on it earmarking it for specifically her.)

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Next we have a really fun little challenge from Craftin Desert Divas, who ask for noting more than to make it sparkle.  And just like all good card makers, I love me some glitter.

I grabbed my little elf friend from My Favorite Things Elf Girl stamp pack and colored her in quickly with my alcohol markers.  I covered her cloths, hat, and shoes with Wink of Stella clear glitter, and placed her over a sheet of extra sparkly green glitter paper.  (By the way, if anyone out there has a high shine, high glitter, low glitter dump and stick to everything around you, please share it with me.  I am not happy with how much glitter comes off of this paper and sticks to me.  I do however like the look of it which is why I keep using it.)  I embossed my sentiment from the same stamp pack with gold sparkly embossing powder, added a thin strip of gold glitter paper, and a few red crystals, and had the perfect little glittery elf.  Don’t ask me where she’s going, I don’t know yet, but I’m pretty sure to a house with little kiddos.

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Now we have the biggest card challenge of my week, a doozy for this time of year from Cup Cake Inspirations.  If you don’t know this group, there are worth looking into.  They do a new twist on an old theme.  Instead of just giving you colors, picture or sketch to work with, they instead give you a picture of a cupcake.  Yep, a cupcake.  They take colors from the frosting, and themes from the display, and send you on your merry way.  The problem was the colors coming off of the frosting were ballet, butter, and coral, and I am deeply imbedded in christmas red and emerald green.  How do you craft an xmas card from ballet, butter and coral?

But as I’ve said before, and I’ll say here again, I am noting if not up for a good challenge.  And this time I refused to concede the need for more christmas cards.  So I dug through my stash of holiday themed stamps, including the random old ones from a decade ago when I was making my oldest child’s baby scrape book, and searched for ideas.  Finally I pulled out Hero Arts Christmas Crystal stamp pack and set about making it work.  (Please note, I was actually watching Project Runway Junior while I was doing this card, and every time Tim Gunn said “Make it work”, I, yes, pretended he was talking to me.)  I used Distress ink and water to create the soft back ground over the white embossed crystals.  A little wink of stella over things, and a black pen to help pop the sentiment, and I feel in love with the soft romantic feel of the whole thing.  I don’t do romantic often, but when I do, I always wonder why I try to avoid it.

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Finally, I did a little something different for me.  I follow Jennifer McGuire, and if you don’t, you should because she is amazing.  She is doing this phenomenal campaign this month called ‘Share handmade kindness challenge’, urging people to give handmade cards, crafts and goodies to people in their world, hoping that in the process of sharing, that kindness becomes contagious.  This week the challenge was to share kindness with children.  Since I have three little people that I love desperately, I whipped up some thanksgiving cards in mass, knowing I was going to share one with each of them.

I broke out my little thanksgiving girl from My Favorite Things Turkey Time, and colored eight of them in mass with my Spectrum Noir markers.  Then added some fall themed foliage, some brown and orange ribbon and had a stack of eight cards ready to go.  Three of the cards were earmarked for my kiddos teachers since I won’t see them next week and three of them were marked for my kiddos, leaving two extras in case I needed them.

And here is where things fell off the tracks.  So I picked my kiddos up early from school cause it was a minimum standards day, which means I picked up my kids from school at 11:15 in the morning.  (I told you my whole week was a mess).  I had not had time to put up my mess from my workstation, and my youngest child found my recently completed cards, but not yet addressed or signed to individuals.  Being a lover of all things crafty, she asked who they were for, spoiling my surprise of giving them to them.  I explained to her that in fact one of them was for her.

In the innocence of a child she asked if she could do what she wanted with her card, and I said sure.  She informed me she did not want me to give it to her, but instead to the office staff of her school, cause they are going to be lonely next week without any kids.  (She’s five and I think she still believes that the office staff lives in the office full time.)  Well, not to be out done, my middle child jumped on the band wagon, followed quickly by my eldest.  Knowing it was more important for them to know the importance of making someone’s day, I handed all eight cards over to them.  Within minutes sentiments had been written, cards stuffed in envelopes, and cards addressed to school like individuals.  Each teacher, both of the gals in the office, the principal, a teacher all my kids adore, but none of them take class from this year, and our neighbor who walks to school with us.  Each of these women received a little thanksgiving card that my kids felt it was really important to receive a note.  None of them got there special little card I had planned for them, but maybe that is the whole point.  They felt it was more important to share it, then receive it.

(And yes, when they go to be tonight they will find a little note tucked into their pillows, cause lets be honest, they still need a little kindness.)