Favourite Five Christmas Cards from 2013

I am a little late in joining in Debby's fun this year and sharing my Favourite Five Christmas cards - and hopefully will make it with my Favourite Five Creations from 2013 as well.  With family visiting, staying and needing to be fed, I've not had time to spend on the pc, but things should gradually start to settle down now, although we still have lots of DIY snagging jobs that need to be completed and I am determined that by the end of 2014 we should be all spick and span and tidied up!

Looking through my 2013 Christmas collection on Pinterest (makes life so much easier with a folder designated for the year's Christmas creations) I've selected my Favourite Five, so here is number 1 created with a Lili of the Valley stamp coloured with my Copics and finished off with glitter.


I was able to get a set of Go Kreate large dies that would go through my old Cuttlebug and give me fancy shaped cards, and of course my Marianne Design die cuts with the little mini poinsettias from a couple of years back that are so very useful and more than paid for themselves, together with new leaves and a mix of new and old snowflakes.  I have been trying to be a little bolder with my colouring this year so the mix of red and blue that is still popular this year meant I could use up some of the previous year's stash.


My second card stays with the red/blue colour mix thanks to some freebie magazine papers by Nitwits and a little bit of false blanket stitching - I discovered felt craft in 2013 and it's obviously been rubbing off on my cards.


The cute little girl image is a digi design by Sylvia Zett and available at Wee Stamps.  I've had problems with my printer all year so haven't been able to play with my beautiful Wee digi images as much as I would have liked, and this little Wee Berry has come off the printer larger than expected, so I coloured her with my Copics and fussy cut her out.  The embellishments are yet more Marianne Design die cuts with little pearls to finish things off.

For my third card I've chosen another stamp from Lili of the Valley that I treated myself to this year, again coloured with Copics and using more of the freebie NitWits patterned papers


This was my DT card for Cute Card Thursday's square challenge and my attempt to do a 'less is more' kinda design - so virtually no embellishments! Oh I could have chosen any number of my LOTV creations in my Favourite Five, together with Wee images they are probably my favourites!

And for card number 4, a design with no image, just die cuts, paper and ink, something that I've been doing more of this year, but don't get me wrong I still love my colouring in!


I'd had the Marianne Design stocking die for quite some time but hadn't figured out how to use it.  The papers are from an old K&Co Classic pad and work quite well, I think, for this shabby chic style I've created.  I've used a mixture of old and new MD die cuts and particularly like the new pine cones that come with the twigs.

Finally, number 5 is another die cut creation with my Marianne Design dies, and a new to me Darice embossing folder that looks like cracked ice


I struggle with the vintage style so was pleased how this turned out.  The reindeer head and pine cones were cut from dark brown HOTP card and distressed with an emery board - a different effect from being inked and I'm very happy with the result, of course now I need to find a UK stockist of HOTP card, it's smoother than Coredinations and also thinner, but that makes it easier to work with the dies especially when layering, inking or distressing.

Well that's my Favourite Five - I'm off to visit Debby and add my selection then wander about some of the other entries looking for next year's inspiration to pin onto one of my Pinterest boards.