Baby, It is SO Cold Outside! SO COLD

Welcome to my blog and to 2017!  We are getting a chilly start almost everywhere and that makes the "Baby, It's Cold Outside" theme so much fun.  Thanks to Susan Mostek for choosing this one.  Her husband is a meterologist.  Do you think she may have had some inside information on the weather that was to come??  Mmmm....... 

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One of my favorite things about crafting is that my friends and family who have January birthdays get winter themed birthday cards.   A goal of mine for 2017 (just as it was for 2016) is to stay on top of getting handmade cards done for everyone to whom I want to send greetings.  I did pretty well last year, but want to be even more organized this year.

My strategy is to use my Inkwell Press planner pages for Important Dates and record all birthdays and other dates I want to remember.  In January, I count all the cards I want to send for the next two months for men.  Then I make that number of cards appropriate for men.  I do the same for women, children, teenagers, etc., but at separate creative times.  I collect these cards in my birthday planner, ready to send when the time comes.

This was a fabulous class taught at Rocky Mountain Art Retreats by the talented Mandy Welch.  She taught the construction and the inside layout for the planner.  The design for the cover is mine.

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This artistic adventure gave me a chance to use my beautiful Tim Holtz Grunge Flakes.  I stamped the snowflake on Specialty Stamping Paper with Wendy Vecchi Watering Can ink.  I used white Perfect Pearls powder and dusted over the ink right way to get a subtle shimmer to the snowflake.

The next layer for my focal point are the beautiful holographic die cut snowflakes from Creative Impressions.  I didn't want to use the holographic effect however, so I dabbed Picket Fence Distress Paint on them and let dry.  I used my heat to to just warm the paint a little to speed drying.  This caused the snowflakes to begin to curl a bit which I didn't mind, if it was only a bit.  This helped with the lift for a more dimensional effect.

Creative Impressions also has several sizes and colors of snowflake brads which are fantastic for altering.  This one got Picket Fence Distress Paint and then dipped in Rock Candy Distress Glitter, then dried with heat tool.  I repeated this step a couple of times.

Another tiny die cut snowflake layer and a pearl competes the layered snowflake for my focal point.  Additional die cut and brad snowflakes compliment the front of the card.  I dabbed a little additional Diamond Stickles for more glitter still.  The silver glitter ribbon is from Creative Impressions.

The background panel is Shadow Vintage Double Dot paper from BoBunny, one of my favorite paper collections.  I almost always need this paper when creating, especially for cards.  I cut the panel into strips, distressed the edges and then adhered them all down on a white panel for additional dimension.  Additional Watering Can stamped Grunge Flakes fill out the background.

I liked the way these turned out but they definitely needed a little extra attention for mailing.  This one is best for hand delivery.  

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Thanks for your time and I hope you've got a teaspoon of inspiration for your own creative time today!

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