July 2021 Christmas Challenge

[mpizzazz]

Your challenge this month is to make Christmas cards that reflect where you live-the types of flowers or trees, weather, location like beach or desert-whatever makes your local location different/special from the standard Christmas motifs.

The cards with shell wreaths I stamped the last time I went to ReCreate in 2019. I believe it was Debi D's stamp. The diecut shells might have been from a swap. The strips of brown "sand" on a few of the cards are our actual beach sand on double sided tape.

[jmp1022]

How pretty
Love the shells on them

[Keitha]

Very clever challenge! Not meant as a cop out, but can I just say that all those standard Christmas motifs - snowy scenes, pine trees and deer etc - are reflective of where I live, LOL? I'll definitely give this one some thought.

[pamcook]

They're beautiful!
Great idea.

[Monica]

Beautiful cards, Marianne!!

Keitha, how about moose or something else that also fits the area you live in? Any big hockey teams there? And now I'm wishing I still lived in Alaska because I have so much I could have done for there.

[pbp908]

These are gorgeous, Marianne!

It's kinda hard coming up with something that reflects here, and I know Pam may have the same issue. Some Christmases have been spent in shorts and t-shirts with the AC running full blast, some have been cold. Some have been wet, some have been sunshiny, and once in a millennia may have had a bit of snow. Maybe I can do something with bare branches?? That seems to be the only constant here during the Winter!

And actually, that gave me an idea.

[pamcook]

Beautiful cards, Marianne!!

Keitha, how about moose or something else that also fits the area you live in? Any big hockey teams there? And now I'm wishing I still lived in Alaska because I have so much I could have done for there.

Isn't WA part of AK? I'm always surprised by how distorted geography can get. When we lived in CA and told people we were from Ohio, they assumed we meat Iowa. When we planned our move from CA to NC, people assumed we meant ND. Now that we're on the east coast - everything west of the Mississippi is "out west" and it's all a blur. I spent HOURS with my mom learning the states and their capitals. It was a cute toddler trick for her to drill me about them in front of my aunts.

[pamcook]

These are gorgeous, Marianne!

It's kinda hard coming up with something that reflects here, and I know Pam may have the same issue. Some Christmases have been spent in shorts and t-shirts with the AC running full blast, some have been cold. Some have been wet, some have been sunshiny, and once in a millennia may have had a bit of snow. Maybe I can do something with bare branches?? That seems to be the only constant here during the Winter!

And actually, that gave me an idea.

Dang it - I was going to ask you for some ideas. I suppose I'll go with pine boughs? For some reason, I can't make vintage tobacco ads work... of course there's basketball and hospitals?

[mpizzazz]

Yes, I did think of those of you (and me formerly) for whom all the traditional Christmas images hold true. And I loved all the deer, cardinals, evergreens, snow, etc. but it doesn't seem quite right for here. So, you need to think out of the box! maybe, birds, plants, foods, scenery, something not usually considered Christmasy.

[katymjo]

I'm giving some thought to this one, now that I've discounted Kippers and Dracula as ideas for Whitby-themed Christmas cards!

[mpizzazz]

I'm giving some thought to this one, now that I've discounted Kippers and Dracula as ideas for Whitby-themed Christmas cards!

The mind boggles!

Ahh, kippers! I don't suppose you have braved the hordes to go up to the kippery (or whatever a kipper smokehouse is called)!

[katymjo]

Well, if it's not Kippers and Dracula, Whitby must be beach huts and seagulls! I picked up an 8x8 pad of beach themed paper a couple of weeks ago and used that, with some stamps I'd had for a few years and not used very often.
In case you're wondering, according to Bram Stoker's "Dracula", he came ashore at Whitby harbour in the guise of a huge black dog, and disappeared into the maze of little back alleys. He's probably still there!

[Keitha]

Very nice, Kathryn! I saw Bram Stoker's Dracula - a very la-di-da screening/party in LA that I went to with a producer friend, but I didn't remember about Whitby. Couldn't tell you if that's in the movie or not.

[nchoney]

Marianne! Love the cards with the shell wreath! I'll have to try that!!

[mpizzazz]

Oh, those are really cute, Kathryn! The wreath embellishments fit perfectly on the huts.

Debi, I cut up some of the wreaths and bows to fit the cards. I thought the bow was awfully big and wanted the wreath to stand out more.