Deck the Halls with Sparkle and Bling

Over the past week or so since I came back from my hols, I have started to become uncomfortably aware that October is upon us already, and I have made very little progress with my Christmas card makes. It's normally around now that I start thinking about how I can devise an aesthetically pleasing but easy to create card that is relative quick to make in bulk (bearing in mind that my average time to make a card is 2.5 - 3 hours!) ... AND .... if it is reasonably flat so that I can post it with a normal stamp ... result!!

This daunting annual task is becoming somewhat easier with the advent of so many yummy cutting dies, especially from Marianne D. Last year I was very pleased with a quick make I made in batch using one of the Christmas tree dies (see here) ... and this year I have been tempted by the new bauble dies.Originally I just bought the baubles, but found when it came to putting them on a card I was a bit flummoxed as to how best to "anchor" them. I have now resolved this dilemma by investing in a "fir branch" die, and here's the simple result of my playtime.

I felt that the fir branch really benefitted from being cut out in glitter card to give it a bit of texture and depth; and I created a frame by drawing round a deckle-edged nestie using a sparkly pen. The picture isn't the best, but as I said at the beginning, alas October is upon us!

Image: sentiment by Pink Gem Designs;

Supplies: gems from my stash;

Tools: Marianne D Creatables LR0184 (Baubles) and LR0181 (Fir Branch).

Challenges:

Simon Says - Sparkle & Bling

Anything Goes #51 - Dies / Punches

Fab 'n' Funky #93 - Die Cuts / Punches

Sparkles Christmas #9 - Christmas Songs ("Deck the Halls")

Bling It On (October) - No Patterned Papers

Thanks for looking :-)