Jingle Bell Joy

Morning Crafty Friends,

 Today I'm bringing you a little Jingle Bell Joy—with real bells!  I found these tiny gold jingle bells which seemed perfect for making a mini wreath for my JOY card.  

 Just string the bells onto a piece of craft wire–let them bunch up for a nice full wreath.  Form a circle with the wire by twisting the ends together.  The Tiny Bow is attached with a gummy glue dot to keep it firmly attached to the bells.  

I created the gold star background by inking the Starry Nights stencil with gold pigment ink onto green cardstock–I usually tape the stencil down with removable tape to keep it in place while inking.  Press the inkpad onto the stencil in different directions to work the ink through the stencil onto the green paper.  Carefully peel off the stencil, sprinkle gold embossing powder onto the wet ink then emboss with a heat tool. Now you have a pretty patterned background with texture and shine!

Layer patterned papers onto a top folding notecard, add the star paper then adhere the red "J" and "Y" letters (from the Typewriter Lower Alpha die set) with foam tape leaving room for the jingle bell "O".  The bell wreath was attached to the paper with clear foam tape for sturdiness and invisibility– yes, I managed to postion a gold embossed star right in the center–not planned but happy with the result.

This card can be sent inside a small box or padded envelope but usually I deliver these bulky cards in person with homemade cookies or See's candy.

 Christmas is less than a week away!  May you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year with good friends and loved ones.  Thank you all for faithfully visiting this blog and for your wonderful, kind, encouraging comments throughout the year.  Now, go get your jingle on!