December 2021 : The Artistic Divas World

Are you ready for Christmas?

All my adult life, I worked on holidays. That is just what you do when you are a nurse. It never bothered me because I just don’t get holidays. Who decided that a specific day should be a holiday anyway? Christmas is one holiday that I stopped participating in long ago. When it became all about gifts and money and outdoing the neighbors with decorations, I said enough. So I always volunteered to work Christmas so others with small children could be home with them.

Since retiring, I find that I am more understanding of the need for holidays, but I still choose not to participate in them. This year, and every year, my sole hat tip to Christmas has been to send cards that are handmade by me. I enjoy the process and love to send them to my friends and family. Sending cards at Christmas gives me joy, even though it is a lot of work, it is well worth it. This year is no exception. I finally found a video on YouTube that described a new type of card. So I took my inspiration from Ellen Crimi-Trent’s video and went all out. I made a total of 13 cards using metallic watercolor on black paper. I have to say they were beautiful and so different. I forgot to take pictures of them, so I can’t show them here. I’m sorry.

Since it was such fun, I have decided to make a card-a-day to prepare for next year. I found another video that gave me ideas, so I am currently making several cards alike. Below is a picture of the two I have completed and the beginnings of several others. I do plan to stick to a card-a-day, but since the background has to dry naturally, I made those up ahead of time.

What are you doing to get ready for Christmas this year? Are you doing anything special? Do you send Christmas cards out still? I’d love to hear what you have to say on this subject so please leave me a comment here.

Homemade Christmas Cards Anyone?

Leave a Comment / Crafts / admin

Every year, I try to make my own Christmas cards. I have managed to get them done and in the mail the last 3 years. I usually paint my cards, but I could just as easily collage, or craft some. I try to find unusual cards to make, so I scour YouTube for videos about making yours own Christmas cards starting mid-October. This year, I have really had a hard time because I don’t want to make a card with lights, or ornaments, or trees, or wreaths on it and that seems to be the videos I am finding. That said, I finally decided to see how I could make those same type of cards but with a different spin. That was an interesting search for me on YouTube. I started by searching painting videos, card making videos (just not Christmas ones) or some combination thereof.

I was about to give up and go with the usual cards, when I found this video and I knew in a second that this was the card for me to make this year.

Yes, I know that it is a tree and it is pine boughs, but the use of metallic paint really makes it different, don’t you agree? So this week I will be busy making cards to get in the mail as soon as possible. It is a little late, since my search took me so long, but I think they will still get there in time. What do you think?

Do you make your own Christmas cards or do you buy some? I know some people have even stopped sending cards anymore and I think that is a shame. Getting a Christmas card from friends far away is a perfect time to catch up on their family news that may not have been posted all over social media. Anyway, these are the cards I will be making to send out this year. I am so happy I finally found something different.

Thank you for being here with me. I know that time is a premium item right now so I really appreciate yours. If this post interested you, you could go to my FB page, and see other similar posts. If you go there, please like that page and leave me a comment so I know you were there. Please leave me a comment here to tell me what your thoughts are on sending Christmas cards, too.

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