Re-Purposing Gift Bags!

Hello my crafty friends!

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and holiday celebrations with your family and friends!

Now that the holiday gift giving season is winding down, I want to share an idea I have for saving the gift bags that are no longer able to be reused.

Once the gift bags are torn or part of the design are covered with old ‘To’ and ‘From’ stickers, they need to be given a new life.

I cut out a portion of the bag and put it on a card front. I also fussy cut a sweater image and added some foam tape on it and attached it over the same image on the paper.

Bits and pieces of left over Starfoam border stickers were used to accent the edges of this new card.

Another Christmas gift bag that was used several times and could have been tossed into the trash was used to create two other cards.

This well-used gift bag had large panels of Santa Clause and some holly sprigs. One of the Santa panels had a crease in it that I was unable to completely get out. (I ran it through my Platinum 6 embossing machine to flatten the crease a bit.)

I placed a strip of paper with a thank you sentiment stamped on it across the creased part of the panel. Problem solved!

A panel of a sprig of holly from the same gift bag was used to create another thank you card.

These two well used Christmas gift bags could have been tossed in the trash, but instead they were repurposed into greeting cards that can be used as a note card or a thank you card. Hopefully these cards will used to send a note of thanks to someone special.

I hope this encourages you to save a gift bag and turn it into a note card or a thank you card. It always feels good to repurpose something into something new!

I appreciate you visiting my blog. Wishing you a good crafting day!

~~Vickie~~

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Sharing Holiday Cards!

‘Tis the season to create and share holiday cards. I love to create Christmas cards and notecards with holiday and winter themes. Here are a few of my favorites! Hope you like them!

I hope some of my cards inspire you to create your own holiday cards to share with your family and friends!

Thank you for visiting my blog. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you!

~~~Vickie~~~

Vintage Craft Supplies!

Hello blogging friends!

Once again, my blogging posts had been put at the bottom of my ‘to do’ list since the holiday season took my time in other directions. But I am back and want to share this short story with you.

I have several items that my two sons had when they were younger. These stencils were theirs and, if I remember correctly, were included in one of their McDonald’s Happy Meals in the 1990’s.

When I was creating a New Year’s card, I needed smaller numbers to match the snowman on this card.

These number stencils were the perfect size! Now these ’vintage’ stencils are in my crafting stash! Thanks McDonald’s!

What is the oldest item in your craft space that you have used recently? I’m sure I am not the only person that hangs on to things from their children’s past!

Enjoy your crafting day and thank you for visiting my blog!

~ Vickie ~

Scarecrow Season!

When I stamp this scarecrow on a card and then dress him in layered papers, he comes alive and makes me smile! He can be a simple note card or a thank you card. I can imagine him holding balloons to celebrate a birthday!

I would love to design a scarecrow card for you! Contact me at horsemarkcards@gmail.com for special requests or information.

Thanks for visiting by my blog! Enjoy your creative day!

~Vickie

Something Special in the Mailbox!

Taking my key and opening my home mailbox in December was a nice experience. I quickly sifted through the flyers and unsolicited advertisement letters to find the special envelopes. Most of them had handwritten addresses and some were labeled with our address neatly typed. What was tucked inside was most important—a Christmas card from members of our family and special friends.
December mail is the best!

I enjoy December for a variety of reasons. December birthdays! Our youngest son, my brother, our niece, our nephew (born on my birthday, several years later!), and a few friends all got to celebrate with birthday cake. Of course, December also brings Christmas, which is a wonderful time we share with our family and friends.

Now that the Christmas card rush is over, I return to my mailbox, as many of us do, to find advertisement flyers, unsolicited notices from companies wanting my business, and perhaps an invoice inside an envelope. This is also the time when the credit card statements come, reminding many that the holiday gifts and expenses still need to be paid. Now, going to the mailbox is not as exciting, and can even be depressing for some.

However, as the New Year begins, we need to remember our family, friends, customers and clients on a continued basis. A thank you card is certainly appropriate and should be given if you have received a gift over the holidays. Thanking the host for a wonderful dinner or party you attended will show them how much you appreciated their efforts and generosity.

Sending a birthday card to acknowledge someone’s special day is always appreciated. Many of us may not exchange gifts, but giving a card to someone to let them know you are thinking of them is in many ways better than giving a gift. They will know you took the extra time to select a card for them and write a personalized message.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Who is the lucky person you will be giving a card to?