February Christmas cards: Cards from calendars

It's been a rough few weeks, and I haven't had much energy for card making. But I did want to make my February Christmas cards, and I just managed to squeeze them in. Rather than making cards from scratch, though, I used pages from old calendars. I really like the finished cards, but I'll admit that it does feel a bit like cheating.

The calendars I used for my cards today are from Paper Source, which is a stationery and gifts retailer. They have a good variety of calendars and planners, but some of my favorites are the ones featuring their own colorful artwork. One style is large (about 12" x 20") with the artwork filling the whole page and a small calendar grid in the bottom right corner. This style is specifically designed for you to repurpose the pages, and the backs are even printed with cutting guides for things like file folders, gift boxes, bookmarks, and cards.

I had two of these calendars from several years ago, and I finally decided to start cutting them up. For some of the pages, I did the suggested projects -- I really like the file folders, for instance, and the prints on those pages are often too large for cards. A couple of the pages I made into my own gift bags using a gift bag punch board. But for most of the pages, I simply cut or die cut them into rectangular pieces to use on card fronts. I've got a pretty good pile going, and I used some of the wintery ones for this batch of Christmas cards.

Supplies:
Stamps: Inside Christmas Greetings (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Handsome Hunter, Sahara Sand, Poppy Parade, Shaded Spruce card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Shaded Spruce (Stampin' Up!), white paint pen (Posca)
Accessories: Layering Circles and Stitched Shapes dies (Stampin' Up!), Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Merry Sugar Script die (Birch Press Design), rhinestones (Stampin' Up!), white gesso (Art Basics), liquid watercolor shimmer (Taylored Expressions), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)
Other: Old calendar pages (Paper Source)

I think these birds on the snowy pine branches are so cute. I used rectangle stitched dies to cut pieces for six card fronts. To make the cards with the stitched rectangle panels, I mixed some white gesso with liquid watercolor shimmer and then painted over the snowy areas on the branches. Then I thinned the mixture a little more and splattered it on the pieces to create the look of falling snow. (Some of my splatter drops got a little gloppy -- I guess those are just big, fat snowflakes.) I was hoping the shimmer would show up in the gesso, but it really doesn't. Oh, well. I still like the result.

When the gesso was dry, I mounted the panels on Handsome Hunter card bases. For the "merry" sentiment, I die cut the word three times for each card and glued them together before adhering them to the card so it really stands out. I also added a rhinestone or two to each card for a hint of sparkle.

When those cards were done, I used the extra bits and pieces to make two more cards. For those cards I used Sahara Sand card bases, which was almost a perfect match for the background of the calendar page. I used a circle die to create a focal image for one of the cards. For the second one I hand cut a bird and several branches and berry clusters from the leftover scraps. I layered the pieces together and then used a white paint pen to make dots around the completed image. I added a few rhinestones to those cards, too. 

Supplies:
Stamps: Stitched with Cheer (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade card stock (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Garden Green (Stampin' Up!), white paint pen (Posca)
Accessories: Bunch of Banners dies (Stampin' Up!), Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables dies (Lawn Fawn), Ovals Collection dies (Stampin' Up!), 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circle punches (Stampin' Up!), paper piercer (Stampin' Up!), sparkling clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute), foam tape (3M)
Other: Old calendar pages (Paper Source)

These bears are adorable, too, but since they're a lot bigger than the birds, I was only able to make three cards from this calendar page. For the top two cards, I used dies to cut out the images; the rectangle piece was cut with a stitched die, and I used a paper piercer to pierce a hole in each scallop of the oval for an extra little detail. For the bottom card I just used my paper cutter to cut out the image and then rounded the corners. I added punched or die cut a stamped sentiment for each card and added a few clear sequins over some of the snowflakes for a little shine and simple embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by!