June Christmas cards...

I did have June's Christmas cards and tags finished by June 25, per my commitment to myself ... I just didn't get them posted. There were too many things happening last week.

Since my last day of work was Friday (and I work from home), I had to get my computer cleaned up and ready to send back to my employer. This took a while, since I am not one to delete emails and files as I go. I'm always afraid that as soon as I delete something, I'll need it! I also wanted to make sure that I did everything I could to make it as easy as possible to train the person who will take my place. I created documents explaining, step-by-step, some of the more complicated duties I had, and I also created folders of the letters and other documents I had written (there were thousands!) so that the next person can draw on these for ideas when they take over my writing duties. I hope these preparations are helpful and make the transition easier for my supervisor and for the people who depended on the work I did.

So, that brings me to today--my first "real" day of retirement. And where am I?  Sitting at my computer typing away. But this time, it's only for the fun of doing it...and it really feels good!

Here's my first Christmas card for June. I used the Winter Wonderland cartridge for this and the other ornaments I've used here.

The lacy edge on the red CS was a Marianne Creatables die that I like very much.










The ornaments on these cards are a little fussy to cut and put together, but I love their intricate designs.

I was a little disappointed with having heat-embossed the sentiment in gold. I wish now that I had used an off-white embossing powder, because it doesn't show up as nicely as I wish it did. Oh well. There's always a next time.

Here's the inside of this card. You can really see the detail in the border die on that center piece of CS.

The ornament on this card is one of my favorites in the Winter Wonderland cartridge.  It's really simple, but I love the greenery and berries at the top of it. As you can see, I used a little gold glitter CS for some extra sparkle.

The inside is very simple--just a gold-embossed sentiment in a pretty, swirly font.

This was the very first ornament I cut from the cartridge. I like the addition of the flat-backed pearls on this one. And once again, I used some gold glitter paper. I've now used up all my gold glitter paper. Darn! Guess I'll need to go shopping (he he).

This very simple card was actually my favorite. I love the snowflake-embossed background. The gentle color really lets the ornament take center stage. My one disappointment on this card was the way the Liquid Pearls flattened out. I should have used my Viva Decor pen. Those pens tend to make nicer, rounder pearls. I still like this card, though, and I even like the inside!

I embossed only the top of the sentiment panel and then heat-embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder.

I always make some holiday cards that say "Merry Christmas" and some that say "Happy Holidays" because we send them to our non-Christian friends, as well. I want them to know that we are thinking of them and wish them well, even if they celebrate different holidays or no holiday at all. And we often get holiday greetings in return from them, so it's a nice exchange. Do you send holiday cards to non-Christian friends, such as Jewish, Muslim or even Buddhist families? To families who practice no religion at all?

Finally, here's a picture of the tags I made this month. The little rectangles were all part of a page in one of my 6" X 6" paper packs. I just cut them out and added them to a die-cut tag, along with some twine or ribbon and wee bit of embellishment.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and remember to laugh--a little or a lot--every day.
Cheryl