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WELCOME

Welcome to my Christmas blog. If you arrived here from my other blog, Gracenotes For Today then you already know all about my love for cardmaking, home dec items, sewing projects and graphic design.

This site will host anything with a Christmas theme, either NEW or that was previously on the Gracenotes For Today site. Also, to the above list, I will include some of my poems that are perfect for use with cardmaking.

I'm so happy you decided to drop by. Please feel free to comment on anything you see here that inspires you.

~ Grace

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Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
November 22, 2024

Under the Mistletoe

 

Mistletoe Moment

When it's impossible to be with your special person on Christmas, we can reminisce or dream of a mistletoe moment with that loved one. Although this year is a little sad because of travel restrictions, my mistletoe card will bring a smile to my recipient's face (and possibly a tear).

Design Details

For this card, I wanted an arbor for the couple to stand under. Design Space did not have an appropriate arbor so I made my own using a window frame and removing the inside panes and bottom ledge.

The couple are from the Suburbia cartridge, since I knew my recipient would appreciate the vintage look.

The gold background is actually sparkly but not a thick cardstock -- perfect for this application.
 
To fill the space on the right, I decided to use an embossing folder that I've had for a few years but never used. The ornaments needed a little something extra, so I painted them with clear Wink of Stella. Photos just can't capture the shine and slight sparkle.

Mistletoe Moment


I actually designed the circular mistletoe sentiment to be placed on the card's front. It just didn't fit well there, so I came up with an inside design. The mistletoe sprig is the same as the one used on the arbor, just larger for impact.




The inside verse was prepared in word, using a circle shape as a mask, exactly the same size as my "Cricutted" embellishment. This method let me type my words all around the circle. I was able to get the correct spacing by keeping the "masked circle" on my screen until my message was completed. Then I deleted that circle.



Above photo illustrates text wrapping around the sentiment piece.



February 21, 2024

FAMILY SKATE - Two Christmas Card Designs

 Family Skating Silhouettes

This Christmas, I decided to design something more NON-traditional, and yet, it IS traditional. What do I mean?

I came across silhouettes of people skating that just happen to look EXACTLY like my children! This technique is not your typical Christmas design. Yet, the designs themselves are nostalgic for me.

A Swiss-like Scene

Daughter and Son-in-Law

My daughter and son-in-law love to travel. One of their favourite places is Switzerland. They also love to get out in the fresh air and go for walks, no matter if it's winter or not.


I designed this card, keeping in mind their love for Swiss home architecture, mountainous terrain (hills, in this case) and big beautiful pine trees. The couple skating on this card look exactly like them!


Long and Winding Skate Path
Daughter, Son-in-Law & Granddaughter


This little family is perfect for my other daughter's little family. They were thrilled with it and told me: "It' just like US! How did you do that?"

It's like I always say: Cardmaking has to be personal to the recipients, or why bother! This year, I was delighted with how these two cards turned out.


November 02, 2023

BELIEVE IN THE BABE

 Believe in the Babe of Bethlehem

The Title Says It All


In recent years, each Christmas season we see the word "Believe" showing up in holiday decor items. But what does THAT mean? Believe in what?

Of course, for many people, it is assumed that the word means believe in Santa Claus. However, the Christmas story, the REAL story is not about a jolly man in a red suit.  In fact, St. Nicholas himself knew about and reverenced Jesus.

The Design

The card is 5 x 7" in shades of soft teal, taupe and aqua, with accents of gold foil cardstock.



I created this card as a reminder of the truth about Christmas. The Babe of Bethlehem, of course, refers to Jesus who is the entire reason for CHRISTmas. In fact, one fabulous Christmas store in Frankenmuth has become world-famous for its size and Christmas decorations, trees and ornaments. Busloads of people flock to Bronner's year round to experience the sparkle and delights the store holds.

What I (and thousands of others) love is that Bronner's specializes in Nativity sets and scenes, and Christmas items that are all about the birth of Jesus, who was and still is, Saviour of the World.

Poem Inside:  My Christmas Wish for You

I wrote this special poem especially for Christmas 2020. It was a sad time of lockdowns and despair. Yet, the beauty of Christmas was not lost by those who treasure its meaning and joy.


I'd love to know your thoughts about this card.




December 12, 2019

Tis the Season - Christmas Card

Featuring Snow Background

Tis the Season Christmas Card. Designed by Grace Baxter


Tis the Season card inside. Designed by Grace Baxter
Tis the Season Christmas Card - Inside

Card Details

Buck and Doe Christmas Card, designed by Grace Baxter
Card size:  5" x 5"

Cartridges Used:
     Anna Griffith's Winter Wonderland - Buck and doe
     Winter Frolic - Tis the Season sentiment
     Christmas - Pine trees

Trees: 2 sets 
     Cut 2 @ 1.848w x 1.379h
     Cut 2 @ 1.924w x 1.458h

Deer:
     Cut 1 @ 2.959w x 2.679h
     Cut the buck from gold CS and the doe from silver

Background:
     Cut from beige cardstock 4.5" x 4.5"
     Spatter with watered-down white craft paint

Snowy Hill: 
     Cut a piece of white cardstock 5.5"w x 2.5"h
     Tear the top edge and add sparkle pen. I used Wink of Stella, Clear



November 26, 2019

Double-Flip Nativity Card

Christ the Saviour is Born

I designed this card to tell the story of Christmas. Shepherds in the fields, amazed by the large star over the stable where Baby Jesus rests in the manger.

Card Front


3-panel nativity scene Christmas card. By Grace Baxter
Christ the Saviour is Born ~ Card Front

The Nativity panel is doubled to display when card is closed and open.

Card Inside


O Come, Let Us Adore Him ~ inside panels

Details

Card size: 12"w x 5-1/2"h
Closed card is 4" w x 5-1/2"h

All panels created in Cricut Design Space. Bottom banner spans the entire card; designed in Word.

Front panel: The words 'Christ' and 'Saviour' are cut twice from white and once from gold foil cardstock. Inside, the large gold star was made the same way.

Fonts used: Cricut Sans and Botanicals
Shepherds from: Dimensional Scenes - Nativity
Nativity panel: December 25th, Teresa Collins
"Christ" and "Saviour" from Every Day is a Holiday



December 01, 2016

Merry and Bright


Strings of Lights


Merry and Bright

This cheerful card was fast and fairly easy to make. The colourful background is not in the typical Christmas colours, but it gives a modern youthful look to the card.

Merry and Bright, Christmas card. Designed by Grace Baxter

Two cartridges marry perfectly for the theme
"Merry and Bright"

Merry and Bright, Christmas card. Designed by Grace Baxter

Cartridges Used

Christmas Cheer:  for the strand of lights
Winter Frolic:  Merry and Bright sentiment


Frosty, Shimmery Snowglobes


Snowman Globe 

Everyone loves a snow globe. These ones are no exception. For these ones, I used acetate for the glass to make them more realistic.


Joy Snow Globe card, by Grace Baxter


I kept the backgrounds simple so as not to detract from all the details inside the globes. For both cards I used a snowflake sky that is shimmery. It provided just the right background for the snowman and the church.

Country Church Snow Globe

country church snow globe card, by Grace Baxter

Each globe has sparkly snow inside, but the Peace globe is an actual shaker. Another time, I would not bother with fussing to make it an aperature. It was cute enough without that feature, but the OCD in me always strives to make things as realistic as possible. Sometimes, simpler is best.

Cricut Cartridges Used

Christmas Solutions - church
Joys of the Season - snow globe, "Joy", snowman
Winter Wonderland (Anna Griffin) - "Peace"


December 21, 2015

Elegant Blue Christmas Tree


In Quiet Elegance


Sometimes it is refreshing to pause and just reflect on the blessings of Christmas. In designing this card, I chose to step away from my usual fussing with details. 

blue sparkle tree card, designed by Grace Baxter

The sentiment is simple. The tree is stately and elegant. Blue sparkly cardstock gives it life and shimmer. And for extra sparkle, I added an abundance of crystals.

Background of Noel

In the late 14th century, "Noel" meant "feast of Christmas" and from old French, noel means the Christmas season in reference to the birthday of Christ. As a masculine proper name, it means "born on Christmas". In that case, perhaps I should have named my Christmas Day son Noel (which would be pronounced "nowell" in its masculine form.)

Inside, there is a personal message.



December 15, 2015

Bringing in the Greens

The Holly and the Ivy

In my November 24th post, I offered a chance for my followers to share their favourite Christmas theme, and I would make a card featuring that theme. In response, Cocoa's Mom expressed her favourite theme:
What a fun idea, Grace! My favorite Christmas theme is the greenery. From the special 'Bringing in the Greens' service at church to the holly sprigs Mom tucked behind every picture to the tree lighting in the nearby town, this was the signal that the season was upon us. And, of course, my favorite carol is "The Holly and the Ivy!" : )

So here is my card, designed from the inspiration Cocoa's Mom provided. I also love designing cards and tags around themes provided in Christmas Carols . See my jumbo tags from Christmas 2014, featuring Away in a Manger and Silent Night version 1 and Silent Night version 2.



Holly and the Ivy Christmas card, designed by Grace Baxter

I did some research to learn more about the tradition of  "Hanging of the Greens" or Bringing in the Greens.


Card Inside

Holly and the Ivy, inside story, by Grace Baxter

You'll find the story on the inside of the card. I never realized before that the carol, The Holly and the Ivy goes back in history to the days of the Pilgrims. The words are important to the whole idea of "Bringing in the Greens". This card was fun to make. Thank you, Cocoa's Mom for the inspiration!



Holly and the Ivy, card front, designed by Grace Baxter


Cartridges Used

Elegant Edges - Scalloped border, frames for music
Anna Griffin's Winter Wonderland - holly


December 04, 2015

PRINTABLE FAMILY TAGS: COLLECTION #4

Family Name Tags

Tags for cards and gifts and place card names, oh my!

Collection #4

Here is Collection 4 in the series of Family Christmas Tags.
To see detail, click on any image to enlarge.

Make It Personal

Instead of using the generic family titles, you may substitute first names for your family members. Note: Not all names will fit with certain designs. Eight (8) letters or less work best. If in doubt, ask.


Green Glitter - dimensional and glittery


Mom
Dad
Son
Daughter
Brother
Sister
Grandma
Grandpa


Red Happy Christmas

Mom
Dad
Son
Daughter
Brother
Sister
Grandma
Grandpa

Please read all instructions before ordering:

To Order Tag Sets

  1. Leave a comment in the comment box below stating the set you want. Be sure to provide your email address. This is necessary in order to send your tag sets. Your information will be kept confidential and will not be displayed on the blog.
  2. Your ordered sets will not show copyright information.
  3. Payment of $4.00 per set is easily handled through PayPal. Order as many sets as you want. When ready to order, click this link and you will be taken to PayPal. Go there now by clicking HERE
  4. As soon as payment notification is received, your printable tag set will be sent to you at the email address you provide.
  5. The file you receive will be a high resolution PDF.
Note 1:  If you want to substitute family title names for your own personal names, be sure to provide the names you want in your comment.

Note 2:  Font size and design determine whether or not your preferred name will fit onto the tag. Generally, long names work best with smaller fonts. If in doubt, just ask.

Click HERE to order. You will be taken to PayPal for payment.


I'd love to see the projects you create with these festive tag designs. If you leave me a comment with your link, I'll visit your page and "like" your project.

~Grace

December 01, 2015

PRINTABLE FAMILY TAGS - COLLECTION #3

Continuing with more Printable Family Christmas Tags, here is the next Collection in the series.

Titles include:
Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, Brother, Sister, Grandma, Grandpa OR Gramma, Grampa. See Note 1 below for other name options.

COLLECTION #3

Please read all instructions before ordering:

To Order Tag Sets

  1. Leave a comment in the comment box below stating the set you want. Be sure to provide your email address. This is necessary in order to send your tag sets. Your information will be kept confidential and will not be displayed on the blog.
  2. Your ordered sets will not show copyright information.
  3. Payment of $4.00 per set is easily handled through PayPal. Order as many sets as you want. When ready to order, click this link and you will be taken to PayPal. Go there now by clicking HERE
  4. As soon as payment notification is received, your printable tag set will be sent to you at the email address you provide.
  5. The file you receive will be a high resolution PDF.
Note 1:  If you want to substitute family title names for your own personal names, be sure to provide the names you want in your comment.

Note 2:  Font size and design determine whether or not your preferred name will fit onto the tag. Generally, long names work best with smaller fonts. If in doubt, just ask.

Set 1:  FloScript Ornament



Mom
Dad

Son

Daughter

Brother

Sister

Grandma

Grandpa


Set 2:  Blue Snowcap Stars


You may have up to 8 names, so be sure to specify your preferred 8 names in your comment.


Mom
Dad
Son
Daughter
Brother
Sister
Grandma
Grandpa

See details on how to order at the top of this post.
Your ordered set will not show the copyright watermark.

Again, to order click the following link
which takes you to a paypal page: HERE

Watch for Collection #4 coming soon!


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