Peace on EARTH Goodwill to Men

We're still celebrating Earth Day by creating cards that featured recycled or repurposed elements.

Here's what we created this week:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "Would you believe this adorable santa and sleigh illustration was on the cover of a clothing catalog? Well, it was, a December or two ago! Of course I thought it was far too fabulous to toss away with the recycling, so I saved it, and this week it's the centerpiece of what I think is a really fun (and totally postage-friendly!!!) Christmas card. Gotta love that, right?!"

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "When I come across magazine illustrations I think would make fun art, I tear them out and save them in a file folder ... I think this one was from the December issue of Bon Appetit.  I just loved the peaceful feeling of the image.  All I added was a stamped sentiment and a little bling in the sky."

Remember, you have until 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, April 23rd to link-up your Earth Day card.

Joy to the Earth

Once again, it's the time of year to Celebrate Earth Day at Jingle Belles.

That means we're asking you to look around your house or your office and see what you can re-use, re-purpose, re-cycle or up-cycle ... maybe it's some twine in the kitchen, or even a bit of corrugated cardboard in the garage ... is there a gorgeous glossy advertisement in the magazine you've just finished ... or even some packaging from your art supplies that's just too pretty not to re-use.

Here's what we created for Earth Day:

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "Last year I picked up a box of envelopes at an Estate Sale, and when I got home, I discovered that it also contained Christmas cards received by the owner.  For this week's card, I recycled one of those cards (aren't the colors fantastic) using the Sweet Sunday Sketch.  I even recycled the back of the card (which was the same perfectly aged ivory as the card front) by using it to stamp my sentiment ... I love that I was able to give such a beautiful design a second life.

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "A few years ago at my local crafting store i saw cards sporting gorgeous metal embellishments, and asked who the manufacturer was. It turned out they were made by one of the employees using the store's Cuttlebug machine, and flattened-out soda cans! Of course I rushed home to try it myself and discovered that although one has to be VERY careful cutting open the cans, the diecutting process couldn't be more simple! I used a Tim Holtz steel-rule die for this card, and the only thing I like better than the handsome reindeer is that no one would guess he started life as a can of Diet Dr. Pepper!"

Link your own card here before 6pm (EST) on Wednesday, April 23rd. Keyword for galleries and our Flickr group is JB:14:08. Have fun and be creative!

An InLinkz Link-up

Vintage, With Style

We were spoiled for choice this fortnight, and had a grand old time soaking up all the inspiration in the gallery. Here are three completely different, but equally exceptional, takes on the "Spirit of Christmas Past"!

Katja of Katzz Creaties
...layered lots of lovely new goodies with vintage style to create this intricate masterpiece!

Cyndie of Reis' Pieces of Paper
...scanned a beautiful vintage postcard to be the centerpiece of her fun and festive card!


Claire of Claire's Crafty Creations

...used paint, gesso and ink to create this idyllic old-fashioned Christmas scene, literally from the ground up!

The lucky random winner of the Christmas ephemera pack and a $10 gift certificate to the "Just Enough Stuff" etsy shop, is #11, also known as...

*Brenda of Butlers Abroad*

Please email us at jinglebellesrock @ hotmail (dot) com to claim your prize!

We'll be back at midnight with a brand new prompt we hope will bring some holiday cheer to your environment, so be sure to check back then!

Walking in a Vintage Wonderland

We're still celebrating all things vintage or old-fashioned in feeling. Be sure to scroll down to the original post to see all of the cool and creative ways your fellow ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ have found to interpret this theme, and to link up your own card. Meanwhile, here's what we made this week:

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I re-purposed another vintage holiday card I found at an estate sale ... my favorite elements are shadowy bells in the sky and the chunky glitter on the colored bells.  All I added were some cardstock mats and a Christmas Magic Sentiment."

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "This is one of the quickest cards I've ever made. Partly because I happened to have a lovely little card-sized piece of vintage sheet music entitled "Old Santa Claus" and the perfect diecut Santa from an October Afternoon Miscellany Collection which did most of the work. Of course it didn't hurt, either, that I also had the gorgeous new Cardabilities Sketch (#96). Sometimes it's THAT EASY!" :)

Spirit of Christmas Past

We're celebrating the look and feel of Christmas long ago, by making cards with a old-fashioned feeling. For you that might mean dipping into a cache of actual vintage paper or lace; stamping or downloading (or scanning) vintage style illustrations to use as a focal point; or even just using some of the gorgeous vintage-inspired paper and embellishments that are available in crafting stores. Maybe you'll mix it up and use a little bit of everything? The choice is yours!

Here's what we made this week:

Lauren's Card

Lauren says, "I don't think it's a secret that i love and collect all kinds of vintage paper and ephemera... both Christmas-themed and everyday, so obviously I was always going to go all out this week! I've used an illustration trimmed from an old holiday card, some vintage lace, old doilies and a bit of beautifully yellowed sheet music. A little bit of everything I love... all in one place!"

Stephanie's Card

Stephanie says, "I started with an illustration from the top of a piece of vintage sheet music.  I used colored pencils to add highlights of color ... I wanted it to look like a vintage hand-colored black and white photographs.  The layout is this week's Unscripted Sketch, but I moved my jingle bells embellishment to the right side of the layout because they looked a bit odd coming out of the fair lady's head."

Remember, you don't need to use any AUTHENTIC vintage materials on your own card, just try to capture the spirit! But if you'd like a chance to acquire a few older goodies, we do have a lovely little prize this week:

One lucky card-maker will receive a Christmas-themed ephemera packet like this one from Lauren's Etsy shop, Just Enough Stuff, as well as a $10 gift certificate to spend on anything else you'd like from the shop! So be sure to link up your newly made, vintage-vibed holiday cards before 6pm (est) on Wednesday, April 9th, for a shot at the prize. Keyword for galleries and our flickr group is JB:14:07. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Fanciful Foliage

We loved the wide variety of foliage featured in the designs for this week's challenge ... here are a few that we thought were particularly fabulous.

Margo S.

of

My Scrappy Spot

Featured her foliage with beautiful holiday candles ... 

the sparkling flames are a perfect touch ... and that sentiment is oh-so-true.

Mrs. Pink's Hobby

rocked the water-coloring with her lovely holly branch ... 

and we loved the idea of using painter's tape to mask her frame.

Fabiola

of 

Mon P'tit Monde

featured both a stunning foliage background ... as well as lovely dimensional poinsettias ... 

we loved the pearl centers.

And the random winner of a surprise prize is:

Lori Turner

of

Inklingly Yours

Lori ... e-mail us your mailing address, and we'll get your goodies in the mail.

Check back at midnight for a fun new prompt (and yes ... there will be prizes involved again).

Festive Foliage

We're still celebrating the Holly & the Ivy this week ... or any other festive foliage you'd care to feature. Here's our second take on this prompt:

Lauren's Other Card

Lauren says, "I've been completely addicted to sketches again lately, especially the fortnightly one at Cardabilities! The current layout (#95) is pretty much tailor made for incorporating a cluster of assorted flowers and greenery, making it perfect for what I wanted to do this week!"

Stephanie's Other Card

Stephanie says, "I started with a glittery gift tag that features three kinds of foliage and designed my card around it using this week's CAS(E) this Sketch and beautiful holiday papers (including even more foliage on the background paper)."

So bring on the greenery this week and share your festive foliage creations with us.  Remember, you have until 6pm EST on Wednesday, March 26th to link-up your design (and I think I will throw in a little prize for one lucky participant ... just because I can).