One-Layer Wednesday 147, Use-Your-Stamps Challenge, Never Before Used Stamps (NBUS), And a Christmas Card...

*An interruption in my regularly scheduled blog post... In an effort to post my Wednesday or One-Layer Wednesday post, I ran out of time.  Time being after midnight, tomorrow, the next day.  It's now Thursday, the 4th of July.  I would be horribly remiss if I didn't wish all of you a very happy 4th of July! 

God bless our military and their families. Along with all of our veterans and retires.  Thank you for all you've done in the name of peace.
 
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On to today's post.  Yes, I really did say Christmas and I know, it's only the beginning of July...! I'm sure you've all heard the old "Christmas in July" saying, right?

Before I go any further, I should mention this is a rather lengthy. I'll be glad to wait if you need to grab a cup of coffee, iced tea, or sweet tea (for those of you who live in the south). 

So, this week's One-Layer Wednesday host is Susan.  Her challenge is to use glitter or something shimmery on a one-layer Christmas/holiday card.  You can see Susan's post here. 

So here's my sparkle.

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I thought I would play around with some non-traditional colors.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm all about tradition.  I love the traditional reds and greens of Christmas, but I have to admit when the Christmas displays go up, I can't wait to see what's new and trending. What do you think the trends will be this Christmas season?    

Here's a peek at the inside of my card. I like the way the gray Washi Tape coordinates so well with the silver embossing. 

Earlier I mentioned the Use-Your-Stamps Challenge.  Susan, (the creator of the OLW Challenge) recently started her Use-Your-Stamps Challenge. You can see the rules here.  Really, the rules are very simple!  Please don't let the word rules scare you off.  Just think of the gratification you'll receive in knowing that you really did use all your stamps.  Then you can purged the ones that are outdated, overused, or you just don't care for anymore.  This of course, makes room for more stamps.  Did I hear a YES?  I thought I did. After reading Susan's challenge, I knew I needed to participate!  So this is my first post using my never before used stamps. 

Now, the Never Before Used Stamps (NBUS) is another stamp challenge that the very funny, and oh so adorable, Darnell also started recently.  This is another challenge involving your neglected stamps.  I think I'm seeing a trend here.  I hope you'll visit both sites and join in.

The Stamps used in today's card all fall under the Use-Your-Stamps Challenge and the Never Before Used Stamps Challenge (NBUS). I'm still searching for an accounting system that will help me track these challenges!

And finally, Susan's Christmas card challenge falls perfectly in line with my blog plan for July.  This month, my focus is on Christmas.  I'll be featuring a different category (cards, tags, packaging, etc.) each week this month.  My hope is to motivate you to start early this year.  My personal goal is to start earlier this year.  This all falls under the category of better planning.


OLW147 Rules

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single layer of card stock folded in half. No other layers of paper allowed.

2. Make a sparkly card using glitter, glitter embossing powder, or some other shimmery substance (Brilliance, Smooch, Glimmer Mist, Twinkling H2Os, etc.). You can even use a card base of shimmer cardstock! The key is to get sparkly. Remember to keep the embellishments to a minimum.

3. Post your card somewhere online and link back to Susan's blog using the InLinkz button on the sidebar. If linking to a blog post, please be sure to link to the specific post and not your blog's home page.

4. The most important thing is to...HAVE FUN!

Supplies:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Vintage Ornaments & Gina K Designs - Sentiment
Paper: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Papertrey Ink - Hibiscus Burst & VersaMark
Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Stamp Positioner, Silver Cording, & Washi Tape