A couple for the guys

I have sorted out my blogger problems...although I still have used 99.66 % of my free storage, I have learned how to resize my photos to 800x800 pixels or smaller. The photos then don't count in the storage room ticker as they are in the "free size" and slide in uncounted!!! Yay!.

 I am still busy creating the rest of my Christmas cards.
DH has a couple of friends that are divorced and live alone. I was trying to think of cards to make  that were more masculine in feel.

The first is quite simple really...two strips of  embossed design paper, a Memory Box poinsettia and a stamped sentiment. A little plain perhaps, but it will have to do...I debated on a nice brown ribbon behind the flower, but since I had already stuck the striped paper down, I decided against pulling it back up to affix the ribbon. If I make another, I will definitely add a ribbon.

 I gave a generous outlining of stickles over the edges of the poinsettia and the sentiment to try to make up for the lack of umph! Everything on this card came from my snippets collection, or from my stash.

The second card is for a fellow that DH has known since he was in elementary school. He has us over every Christmas Eve and likes to decorate his house as well as his tree. He kind of goes for a certain look to his decorations so I thought this card would suit him.
I used two scraps of designer paper that weren't quite big enough to fit the card base. I added a piece of ribbon where the 2 pieces joined and popped a kraft card stock Memory Box snowflake die on top. Next came another of the infamous dollar store fabric snowflakes topped by a K and Co poinsettia and a wee sprig of holly. The sentiment is mounted on another snippet of kraft. I stickled the kraft bits a couple of weeks ago and stored them in my photo album snippets system, waiting for the right card to use them on.

Here is a closeup of the layered, stickled snowflakes and poinsettia.

I am going to skip the recipe tonight as I am a wee bit tired from the Black Friday sales! My daughter drove down and rented a lovely suite for us. It was so wonderful to have the time away with her. She worked all day, drove across the border and almost to Seattle,...then  we shopped til 2:00 am, getting all the "timed" bargains of the evening. Back to the hotel room for 3 hours of sleep and got up in time for the JoAnn's 6am opening!
 My two greatest  bargains were a new Fiskars Procision trimmer regular price $119.00 and i got it for  $35.99 inclusive of tax.. It was 60% off and then we had the infamous additional 25% off for getting up at the crack of dawn! I also got her a Cricut cake machine for.....you won't believe it....$29.00 It came with one cartridge and I have another at home. It is for that same daughter for Xmas although it won't be a surprise. I totally missed this bargain. She found it on a bottom shelf sort of hiding in the shadows in the clearance section. She was undecided as young Mums always seem to think of their families first and don't often spoil themselves. I offered to get it for her (as one of her Xmas presents) and slide it under the tree. She got a stern warning to look surprised on Xmas morning! Somehow when it rang through, the computer applied the 50% off coupon to it...even though that coupon does not include clearance. $29.00 I can hardly believe it...this machine will work with any paper just like a regular cricut as long as you don't use it for cakes...if you use it for cakes, it will still cut the paper but might leave your paper grease marked. She now has to decide which she wants to do most...I think it will be cakes!

After we loaded up the van, I went back in to purchase another but alas it did not ring up with the additional discount...but $59.00 is still a great price I think.

I am entering these 2 cards in the following challenge:
1. Pixies Crafty workshop  The first card is completely from snippets or stash
The second card is half from stash...the designer paper and the poinsettia are new (hangs head in shame).
2. Sarrn's Stamping for Pleasure Join in on the 25th of each month to enter your Christmas themed cards.
3. Craftyhazel's Christmas  The second card is the one I am submitting. It is the card for the fellow that invites us each Xmas Eve for nibbles and drinks.