button tree Christmas card

Hi there! As I was floating around blogland I came across a new challenge I hadn't seen before. It was the challenge at Just Add Ink and this week (that link will take you there) was for the "Bah Humbug"challenge. You can use a Christmas sentiment, but no Christmas product on your card. This card was actually a Paper Crafts mag reject that never got posted. But the call for the magazine had been for the exact same thing, so I knew it would fit the requirements of the challenge since it had fit the requirements of the call! 

So to make a Christmas card without any Christmas goodies? Not really too terribly tough. In this case I CASEd my own card from last year! I had loved this O Button Tannenbaum card when I made it, so that was the jumping off point for this little guy. I started out with a DP base and a red mat, I think that DP is MME "Stella and Rose." I cut a triangle by cutting a rectangle first, then finding the center point on one of the short sides and cutting up to that point from the each lower corner with my paper trimmer. I used my favorite tree die (looks to be currently on sale if you likey;).

I used the technique I had described in the "Button Tannenbaum" post for the buttons...

"I picked out my buttons and fooled with the layout of them a little on the tree which I had taped down. Then I adhered each button down with a glue dot, and that step is important, even though it will gum your needle up a little. it would just be too hard to keep your layout otherwise. Then, I used a paper piercer and punched a little hole through each button hole. I laid down a paper piercing mat beforehand, but the backside of an old mousepad works just as well. Then I threaded my big needle with a long piece of my Crate and Barrel bakers' twine, (I'm doing my darndest to use up all 2300 feet!) lol, in all seriousness, I'm using it on my Christmas presents TOO! And I stitched through the holes I had pierced. It took a bit of time, but was SO much faster than if I hadn't used the glue dots or pirced the holes. Those two steps saved me loads of time when it came to the sewing."

All the buttons were from my stash and that red and beige upholstered brad was really old, just from a box of random embellishments I had laying around. Probably either from Oriental Trading or Recollections would be my guess. Used the red tape in my old-school labelmaker for the sentiment. 

Well that is all for me tonight! I am currently working on a pretty sparkly, mixed-media home decor item I can't WAIT to show you!! But... first it has to dry! See you soon! :)

xoxo, Noelle

supply list: DP: My Mind's Eye; baker's twine, Crate and Barrel; buttons: SU! and other manufacturers; labelmaker & red tape: Dymo; upholstered brad: ???; solid Real Red, Old Olive, Soft Suede cardstock: SU!

DUST IT OFF!: that upholstered brad is so old! And I bought that 2300 foot spool of bakers twine over a year ago, and it's still going strong! :)