‘Tis the Season…already?

Yes, it’s time to get your brains working and figure out what you’re doing for your hand-stamped holiday cards this year! That was mean for a Monday, wasn’t it? Well, I plan to make it up to you. I had a burst of creativity over the weekend, so for the next 10 posts, I’ll have a new holiday card design to share. Some may look complicated, but they really aren’t…no sweat shop origami cards this year!

To jumpstart my Monday (everyone here was lethargic…too much family fun over the weekend, I suppose), I made some really hearty (and that does not mean not tasty) multigrain hot cereal. We picked apples yesterday, so guess what ingredient will feature heavily in our meals this week? Yes, apples! I’ve been making myself a pumpkin coffee smoothie for the last few mornings, and being a pumpkin fanatic, I wanted to incorporate that, as well. The result was delicious!

I just cooked some multigrain hot cereal according to the directions on the package and added some brown sugar. Okay, quite a lot of brown sugar. Then I stirred in a handful of craisins and about 1/4 cup pumpkin (from a can) for each serving. Some diced apples on top, and voila! My kids thought it was great, too.

Now for the card….

All Stampin' Up!: Delightful Decorations, Christmas Greetings, and
Distressed Dots stamp sets; Cherry Cobbler, Baja Blue, Old Olive, and
Whisper White Cardstock; Cherry Cobbler, Baja Blue, and Old Olive inks;
Cherry Cobbler Bakers' Twine; Ornament punch

To make the 3-D ornament, I stamped then punched 3 identical ornaments. Fold them in half vertically and adhere the sides. Tie your bow after you make the ornament 3-D, or the tie will be too tight for it to fold out. I think it would be cute with some rhinestone bling added to the sentiment, but wanted to keep this simple and quick. You could also put Old Olive ribbon on top of the paper strip for a little more texture. My favorite feature of the Christmas Greetings set is that it has a nice little verse for inside the card, as well as the front. And it's inexpensive!

Tune in tomorrow for another card idea! And maybe another use for apples….