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!

Cheerio,

kathy

These cards are available for purchase in my ETSY shop.

Hello, Ribbon Lovers! Welcome to the RRR Patriotic Challenge! Summer is fast approaching with all the wonderful patriotic holidays we love so much. So hooray for the Red, White, and Blue! I’ve created a super fun vintage patriotic card using the Really Reasonable Ribbon May Ribbon Club Assortment.

These ribbons are the perfect mix for summer fun. I dug into my Patriotic Creativity Kit from Polly’s Paper Etsy and had a blast making this card.

I love this sassy sailor lassie with her perky curls and mischievous grin! I layered her up with papers and ephemera from the kit, and then added both a white doily and a red felt doily along with a royal blue foil die cut medallion (Spellbinder’s Exquisite Circles) and a red foil scalloped circle (Spellbinder’s Classic Scalloped Circles Large.) I used Tim’s Crescent Moon and Stars Die to cut out some foil stars and then the real fun began! I layered on fabby ribbon in Electric Blue Satin with a Grosgrain edge, Tiny Electric Blue Stars and Tiny Poppy Red Stars. Then I topped it all off with a bodacious double layered bow tied with Patriotic Plaid Ribbon. Now if that doesn’t make you want to stand up and sing the national anthem, I’m at a loss!

I tapped the focal image with Versamark ink and heat embossed with Ultra Thick embossing powder. When the embossing had cooled, I gently bent the image, creating hairline cracks. This “cracked glass” technique adds a wonderful vintage feel to images like this.

So, I’m still at the beach…and the fun ends tomorrow. While you wait for me to come home, why not visit the rest of the challenge projects on the Really Reasonable Ribbon BLOG, and then did into your crafty stash and create a patriotic themed project with ribbon and link it up to the RRR Patriotic Challenge? I’ll be stopping by to take a look!

Carry on, troops!