Christmas Engagement Invitations (Invitatii de logodna la Craciun)

While getting engaged at Christmas is not something out of common I was very surprised when Georgiana asked me for engagement invitations in Christmas style and colors. So  went crazy with red green and cream, velvet ribbons, buttons, snowflakes and hearts until I came up with 3 designs that the future bride picked for her engagement party.

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Iata invitatiile pentru logodna Georgianei. Cu toate ca e ceva comun sa se faca logdna de Craciun nu m-as fi asteptat ca cineva sa-mi ceara si invitatii in stilul felicitarilor de Craciun.

The invitation wording will be handwritten as is the handstamped background for the text and envelope lining.

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Interiorul plicurilor si al invitatiilor sunt stampilate manual, mesajul urmand sa fie scris tot de mana.

Christmas Cards 2012 (Felicitari de Craciun 2012)

Although I started out making cards for fun, with a wedding stationery business and a toddler on top of being a wife, I no longer have time to do that. Occasionally though somebody would order a set of cards and that is how these Christmas cards were made for a shop in Malta owned by a couple for whom I made wedding invitations.

Probabil singurele felicitari de care avem timp anul acesta sunt deja in drum spre Malta unde vor fi expuse spre vanzare in magazinul unui cuplu caruia mai devreme anul acesta i-am fcaut invitatiile pentru nunta.

The first two designs are not new, just small adaptations of my creations from previous years.

However, since in Malta Christmas keeps its religious nature more than in other countries I was asked to do something with angels. We didn't have much time to create, but I still enjoyed finding the perfect angel image and the perfect quote for the next 2 designs.

In timp ce primele doua sunt modele mai vechi cu mici modificari, urmatoarele doua sunt create special pentru cultura din Malta unde Craciunul pastreaza inca mult din semnificatia sa crestina.

Same angel, but we added a beaded frame and a handmade envelobox instead of the classic envelope.

Acelasi inger, dar am adaugat o rama cu margelute in tonuri de albastru si un plic special, cu o grosime de aprox. 1 cm.

Getting Ready for Christmas (Ne pregatim de Craciun)

Work in progress, almost ready to be packed and shipped to a gift shop. The holiday spirit is not yet here so I have been mostly working without inspiration but usually it comes too late to make cards and gifts in time.

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Am facut poza acesta sa o trimit unei cliente din alta tara care asteapta cu nerabdare felicitarile de Craciun pentru magazinul sau. Inca spiritul sarbatorilor nu si-a facut simtita prezenta, dar daca as sta sa-l astept felicitarile nu ar mai fi gata la timp pentru Craciun.

Lace Tree Vintage Christmas Cards

The only Christmas cards I made this year and the fastest I ever made.

It was a small but important order from Casa Italia and although my production time was limited to a few hours I enjoyed making them. Thinking of Diana, the owner of the shop, and the joy with which she receives my work, I couldn't but put passion in making these cards.
I hope the recipients were equally pleased. They were truly sent from the heart and I hope I will soon make time to tell you the story of a wedding planned from the heart by Diana and the role I played in it.

A Traditional Christmas

I am not at all about traditional although I have sweet memories about the things my brother and I used to do as children around Christmas.
Lately I am all about doing things the way they make me feel good, feel different, feel myself. The moment I stopped doing things in order to please others and started doing them in order to please myself was the moment my life totally changed in a good way.

So here's to Traditional Christmas, to the great food my grandma makes, to the clean houses and beautiful carols.

May God bless you all and, above everything else, may your hearts be filled with love, peace and joy!


I am entering this card to what is probably the last card challenge for me this year: ODBDSLC42
The challenge is about traditional Christmas and the card has to include 3 traditional elements from a list. Mine are: red, silver and gold. I don't know if my star an reindeer qualify as ornaments although they are actually ornaments I bought from a gift shop but on this card I used them to create a scene rather than act s ornaments.

Another Christmas Card in a Box

I am done making Christmas cards and decorations. I should be sending the last ones out to friends and family in the morning. However I do have a few more things to show you before closing the holiday theme chapter this year.

This card is one that I am very proud of because I actually used one of the negatives from my die cutting. I don't do that often. I also love the color theme, and the simple elegance of the design.

Pink Winter Card

Pink...

Not my favorite color, but sometimes I like working with very soft pinks.


I quickly made this card last night for OTWC Challenge #37.
Here is the inspiration photo.


And a close up of my card. I was so happy to receive some pink buttons from a challenge I won over The Craft Garden blog. I don't have too many buttons in my stash. I never used them before.

Snowflakes

Yesterday morning we had our first snow. Although winter is not my favorite season, there is something magic about it: snowflakes, gifts, carols, chimney smoke.
Here is a card to celebrate the arrival of winter.

And to add to the fun I am submitting my card to 2 challenges:
1. Our Daily Bread Designs #39: Snowflakes. I hope I wind this time. I really want some of their stamps and dies.
2. Easy Craft Projects #26: Snow. Thanks Val, I learned about this blog from you.

I am adding this card to my Christmas stash to send out to friends and family. I was thinking to start sending them early. Better earlier than late or never. Hoping to get some more done this weekend among masquerade invitations :) I have a whole list of challenges to get me started.

Discovering Myself

I had a great time making this card for the Our Daily Bread Challenge.
I have none of their stamps or dies yet, but I am hoping to get my hands on some.
The challenge was simple: make a holiday card, any holiday.




This card is already sold although I never made cards with the intention of selling them before. However since being pregnant I have set out to use as much as possible of my stash. I will not be able to work in a studio outside the house after the baby is born, at least for a while, and I can't keep all that stuff in our small apartment.

So I decided to try making and selling my cards and stuff online. The success I had was unexpected as everyone complained about bad sales.

It made me wonder: "what's my secret?" and while I was playing around with Christmas papers and embellishments this weekend I realized it was going with my own style that made the difference. I have so much inspiration around yet I am not able to CASE my own cards (and believe me, I tried). Sometimes I spend more than a day working on a desin. I see some combination I like but I often can't find that finishing touch I need, so I let it sit on my table for days, sometimes abandon it, sometimes make a totally different thing than first intended. Anyway, I HAVE TO like the final result.

I am so happy that through card making I can learn more about myself, about what I like, what I don't like and I love how going with the things that make me feel good my life has improved tremendously. In the past years I have learned to let myself go, to stop doing things that would please others and do more to please myself. I have learned to smile more, to believe more, to live a better life.

Snowflake and Berries (2S4Y #66)

I had put away my Christmas stuff and started back on wedding design when someone from a Romanian company bought all my fancy Christmas cards and asked for more.

So I set out to work with my new goal in mind: USE UP YOUR STASH, STOP HOARDING, MAKE ROOM IN THE HOUSE FOR THE BABY!
So far it's been such a liberating experience to start cutting through all those lovely papers and use up all those beautiful embellishments I have been holding on to.



This card is based on Laura's Sketch #66 from 2S4Y, one of my favorite challenge blogs.

I will have more Christmas cards to share through out the following days.
For those wondering, I am doing great, the baby is growing and kicking and I am really enjoying this period. Three months to go until sleepless nights and diaper changing.

Oh, Christmas Tree...

A quick and simple Christmas card.

Little Pine Cones

Just another Christmas card.

Crystal Snowflakes (Fulgi de cristal)

One of those cards I love but would not make again :)

Una dintre acele felicitari care imi plac, dar nu le-as mai face inca o data.


And my new found addiction: matching envelopes.
Si noul meu fix: plicuri asortate.

Merry Christmas to you all! (Craciun fericit tuturor!)

Christmas is such a special time! For me it's a time for meditation, a time to think of the things I am thankful for.
I am thankful for my passion for crafting and I am thankful for my online friends.
Merry Christmas to you all: MGC group, blog followers, lurkers, customers, sweet friends, Cuttlebug Challenge DT. You are too many to name, but I wish you all a wonderful time, lots of love, peace and joy!

Cu ocazia Craciunului, acest extraordinar timp pentru meditatie si multumire, as vrea sa va urez tuturor multa pace si bucurie, sa aveti parte de multa iubire, sanatate si tot ce va doriti. Craciun fericit!


On the eleventh day of Christmas...

Tis Winter Wonderland card is inspired by my friend Mel from Mel Stampz. She is an incredible artist, so inventive her creations always take my breath away.

Mel, you have been my muse this year. Thank you very much for your friendship!


In a unsprezecea zi de Craciun...

Felicitare "Feerie de Iarna", inspirata de prietena me Mel. Daca vreti sa vedeti creativitatea la ea acasa, trebuie sa-i vizitati blogul: melstampz.

Invitations to Christmas Dinner at Swan Palace (Invitatie la Cina de Craciun la Palatul Lebedelor)

This year my Christmas color palette is white, silver and light blue so when I had to choose my tutorial for the 12 Days of Christmas Celebration over the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog, I immediately grabbed the 7 swans.

Anul acesta, culorile mele pentru Craciun sunt alb argintiu si albastru deschis. De aceea, cand a tebuit sa-mi aleg tema pentru numaratoarea inversa de Craciun organizata de Cuttlebug Challenge Blog am ales cele 7 lebede.


I am also doing a lot of wedding invitations with feathers in this period, so swans were the perfect choice.

In plus, in perioada aceasta lucrez la foarte multe invitatii de nunta cu pene, deci nu se putea ceva mai potrivit decat tema lebedelor.

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So, on the seventh day of Christmas I made invitations to an imaginary Dinner at the Swan Palace. Remember the swan princes story? Well, she has both arms in my story :)

Asadar, in a saptea zi de Craciun, am facut invitatii la o cina de Craciun imaginara la Palatul Lebedelor (imaginar si el). Mai tineti minte povestea lebedelor? In povestea mea printesa ramane cu ambele brate :)



The centerpiece is very quick to make. Just mix some white feathers with silver snowflakes and add a candle in the middle. If you haven't been here for the Festival of Lights blog hop, here is a tutorial for the vellum lantern I used as central piece.

Aranjamentul central este foarte usor de facut. Amestecati doar niste pene albe cu fulgi de nea argintii si adaugati o lumanare alba sau argintie in mijloc. Daca nu ati fost pe-aici cu ocazia festivalului luminilor, puteti citi acum instructiunile de realizare a lanternei din calc pe care am asezat-o in centrul aranjamentului.



My central motif this Christmas is the white butterfly. I put it everywhere: on invitations, cards, Christmas decorations, walls, trinket boxes. They are so soft, delicate and elegant! So why not have a Christmas dinner invitation with a white butterfly? Why not add some white butterflies in your feathers and snowflake centerpiece.

Craciunul acesta, motivul meu decorativ central este fluturasul alb. Il gasiti peste tot: pe invitatii, felicitati, cutiute de bijuterii, pe pereti, ca decoratiune pentru brad, de ce nu amestecat cu penele din aranjamentul pe care tocmai vi l-am prezentat.


Visit Cuttlebug Challenge blog for a step by step tutorial on how to make the invitations and centerpiece plus a series of ideas to take this theme further.
I hope you have been inspired by this idea and I would like to hear from you.

Pentru instructiuni de realizare a invitatiilor si aranjamentului vizitati Cuttlebug Challenge blog. Am mai scris acolo si alte idei cum puteti dezvolta tema lebedelor albe si fulgilor argintii.
M-as bucura daca cele prezentate v-au inspirat si daca mi-ati lasa un mesaj despre asta.

Dentist Christmas Cards (Felicitari de Craciun pentru dentisti)

Do you know anyone crazy enough to hand cut 100 Christmas teeth? Hehe, you're right! That's me!!
Cunoasteti pe cineva suficient de nebun incat sa decupeze manual 100 de maselute? Hehhe, intr-adevar, eu sunt aceea!


So, on the sixth day of Christmas which turned out to be 3 full days, I made these cards for all the dentists working with a certain dental lab (50 cards). Tony is a nice guy and the dental work his lab makes exquisite, so I strongly recommend them.

Asadar, in a sasea zi de Craciun, care s-au dovedit a fi 3 zile pline, am facut aceste felicitari pentru totii medicii cu care lucreaza un anumit laborator dentar (50 felicitari). Tony e un tip dragut si lucrarile facute de laboratorul sau sunt excelente.



Cutting them was quite an easy task compared to cutting all those pieces of double sided foam adhesive and mounting the 3D images on the card fronts.

Taiatul imaginilor a fost floare la ureche pe langa taiatul spumei dublu dezive si montatul maselutelor pe felicitare.

Handmade by Meda Around the Web (Handmade by Meda pe web)

Handmade by Meda...
When I first started this blog I had no Idea where it would take me. I just enjoyed the journey.

Handmade by Meda...
Cand am inceput acest blog, nu aveam cea mai vaga idee unde ma va duce. M-am bucurat tot timpul de calatorie, de fiecare invitatie sau felicitare pe care am creat-o.


Today, another of my invitations designs is featured. This time on a wedding planning blog: WedShare Daily.
Here is the inspiration board where my princess masquerade invitation is showcased.

Azi, descopar inca una din invitatiile mele publicate pe un blog de idei pentru nunti: WedShare Daily. Mai jos e colajul din care face parte si invitatia mea pentru bal mascat.



I have also recently been invited to sell my handmade cards on an online gift shop: e-cadou.com
De asemnea am fost invitata sa particip cu felicitari si cadouri de vanzare pe e-cadou.com.

You can see my Christmas cards and gifts for sale here.
Puteti cumpara felicitarile mele lucrate manual de aici.

This is my favorite card from the shop. It has so many layers of paint and napkins and stamps that even I can't remember how I made it.

Aceasta este felicitarea mea preferata din magazin. Are asa de multe straturi de vopsea si servetele si stampile incat nici eu nu mai stiu cum am facut-o.






The envelope is handmade from Fabriano Paper and stamped with an elegant Studio G stamp. No it's not a background stamp. I just stamped it repeatedly to make it look like a damask pattern.

Plicul e facut manual din hartie Fabriano, iar modelul din interior l-am stampilat cu cerneala aurie. Nu, nu am o stampila asa de mare ci am stampilat modelul unul cate unul pana am obtinut efectul acesta de damasc.