Tag Archives: Christmas in July

North Pole Trading Company Exploding December Daily

Photoplay North Pole Trading Company Exploding December Daily by Kathy Clement Photo 01

Photoplay North Pole Trading Company Exploding December Daily

Hello, Friends! For today’s installment of Christmas in July, I have a North Pole Trading Company Exploding December Daily to share with you. This is such a fun project, made with a festive paper collection from Photoplay.

I’ve become just a little bit addicted to exploding boxes! They are such a great way to house a lot of photos in not a lot of space. It’s also nice that they can double as home décor. And sometimes I just get tired of making albums and folios. Somehow, a box seems like so much more fun.

This is especially true when you can add a box full of mini candy canes inside! If you count them, you’ll find 25: one for each day from December 1st to December 25th. How fun is that?

I designed the box with a magnetic wooden Christmas Tree topper so it would be easy to store. This also makes it easier to access the candy canes inside the box. See? I’m always thinking! You can leave the topper off and display it on it’s own, too.

North Pole Trading Company Exploding December Daily Tour on YouTube

it’s always easier to see how a project like this one works if you can watch a video tour. So I put together a quick introduction to the paper collection and a tour of the exploding box. I hope ou enjoy!

Bonus Christmas Card

Since I already had this paper collection out on my workspace, I went ahead and put together a super quick an easy Christmas card.

Create a 5 1/2″ square top fold card.
Then mat the following layers together;
- 5 1/2″ square of North Pole Trading Co red solid
- Green Plaid pattern cut into a 5 1/4″ square
- 5 1/4″ x 2 1/2″ strip of snowflake paper as a belly band
Now stitch these layers together and adhere on the card front.
Next, die cut the Santa patterned paper with the largest Spellbinders Picot Petite Circle. Back with foam tape and adhere in the center of the card.
Then die cut 2 of the Christmas trees using the matching dies. Layer together with foam tape. Decorate with die cut snowman ornaments. Place foam tape on the back of the trees to add dimension.
If desired, add glitter to the trees. Then back the gift packages from the sticker sheet with foam tape.
Fussy cut the Santa from the ephemera pack and back with foam tabs.
Now layer the Santa, presents and tree together in a nice cluster.
Finish with flowers and ribbon.

A Peek Inside

Dress up the inside with a pocket, tag, gift card wallet and stickers.

This is a great way to dress up a gift card!

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Christmas in July! Maybe I can squeak in one more project before the month is over.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

SUPPLY LIST

Exploding December Daily

Photoplay North Pole Trading Company Collection
Cardstock from your stash
- 1 sheet 12×12 kraft
- 2 sheets each red and green 12×12 (I used Spectrum Red Licorice and Green Thumb)
Bottlebrush Christmas Trees (Mine are from Prima Christmas in the Country/out of stock)
Mini Christmas Ornaments (check the Dollar Store)
Glitter, Prills and Stampendous Shaved Ice
Christmas Plaid Ribbon
Burlap String
Mini Rusty Jingle Bells (I used to get these at Darice…but they are out of business)

Retro Snowmen Christmas Cards

Christmas in July: Retro Snowmen Christmas Cards from Polly’s Paper Studio

Hello, Friends!

Beat the summer heat with some adorable Retro Snowmen Christmas cards! Today I have a trio of super adorable cards to share with you in my Christmas in July event. These cutie pies from Polly’s Paper Studio are part of the amazing Retro Christmas Creativity Kit. The kit is loaded up with 63 pieces including patterned paper, images, ephemera and pre-tied bows. I’m betting these snowmen will melt your heart!

See? I told you they were adorable!

I added burlap and embellishments from my stash to the super cute paper, ephemera and bows that come in the kit. For this 7″ x 4″ card, I created a little banner to go with Mr. and Mrs. Snowman.

I mounted the image and Bingo card onto the burlap panel. Scraps of paper from the kit were cut into banner shapes and then glued over this wire coat hanger that I found in my stash.

The apple green satin ribbon bow that come in the kit matches the hanger so well, and it just makes the whole design pop.

On the inside, a snowman was stamped onto one of the labels that comes in the kit. There’s plenty of room to write a personal note on the side.

The kissing snow people couple is totally adorable. I really love the candy cane stripe paper that came in the kit. Again, I used scraps from the kit to make the banners and the sheet music tag. The paper in this kit is so cute I didn’t want to waste a bit of it!

I did dig into my scrap bin for the paper on the inside of the card.

This Dapper Dan Snowman is stylin’ in his top hat and striped scarf. And don’t you love that Bingo Card? It comes in the kit! The black polka dot paper is from my stash.

The gorgeous bow comes in the kit. I added the tags and brads from my stash.

And a peeky a the stamped interior of the card.

I could not believe how many projects I made with this kit! I’ll be sharing the altered art box and mini album I made later this month, along with a really elegant card. I would finish a project and go, “Wow…I have enough to make another card!” And the images are all so cheery…I really had a blast!

If you love retro images, patterns and colors, this kit is the one for you. But don’t wait too long…these kits sell out really fast!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

These cards are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Retro Ladies Christmas Cards

Polly’s Paper Retro Ladies Christmas Cards: Christmas in July Post

Hello, Friends!

It’s Christmas in July at Kathy by Design! I know it seems odd to be sharing Christmas projects in the middle of a heat wave, but you’ll thank me in December when all your cards and hand made gifts are neatly packaged up and you can sit back, relax and pat yourself on the back for having been clever enough to get a head start on things. (You’re welcome!) Today I have 3 totally adorable Retro Ladies Christmas cards to share with you. They are from Polly’s Paper Etsy, and I fell in love with them right away. I think you will agree:

These take me right back to my childhood. My mom always wore an A-line dress with a big pleated skirt. If she went shopping, she put on her hat and gloves. Everyone did! Our small town had one main street, all decked out with Christmas lights from Thanksgiving to New Year. The shops stayed open late (til 9!!) and everyone bustled about under the soft light getting their holiday shopping done. It was magical!

Each 5×7 top fold card has a slightly different embellishment. But they all are dolled up with a Christmas Ticket collage, also from Polly’s. You could print these large enough to be a focal on a card, but I printed them small to use as an embellishment.

This stylish Retro Lady was touched with a bit of Art Institute Glitter Glue and white glitter. She needed a big old red rosette to mimic her candy cane stripe pleated skirt. I also topped my mini jingle bells with glue and glitter. The candy cane ribbon was in my stash of Christmas ribbons. I’m not even sure where it came from, but it was perfect for this project.

The papers are retired Stampin’ Up. The stamped sentiment is from them as well.

Poinsettias dusted with Viva Decor White 3-D Stamp paint are keeping this Retro lady company while she decorates the tree. The metallic gold string is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

Matting the designer paper layers helps to anchor the card. And I used a red paper clip as an ornament hanger for my little jingle bells.

Finishing the inside of a card is easy. Just bring elements from the outside of your card (the papers) to the inside and you’ll have a design that really works.

I sewed a banner at the top of this card and added a row of ruffled ribbon on the base. It makes me think of a Christmas tree skirt.

I looped some metallic string on the top of my Christmas ticket, just for fun!

Did you notice that this card is built on a black cardstock base? I wouldn’t normally use black on a Christmas card, but I really liked the way it grounded these bright, retro colors and designs.

So, have you started your Christmas cards yet? If you’re looking for inspiration, you might want to check out the holiday digital collage selection at Polly’s. She has so many adorable vintage images in all kinds of holiday themes. Grab a cold glass of iced tea and take a peek!

I’ll be sharing more Christmas ideas throughout the month of July, and I feel a little giveaway coming on…so stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!