TCP's Vintage Holiday *Limited Edition* New Release Blog Hop!

TCP's Vintage Holiday Limited Edition New Release Blog Hop!

Welcome to the *late* edition of The Cat's Pajamas' VINTAGE HOLIDAY/Limited Edition/New Release Blog Hop!!! (<--- quite the title, don't you agree? Not sure everyone else is referring to it in such a wordy way, but you know me: I'm windy.) The hop begins at the oh-so-prolific/productive/pleasant/puppy-lovin' LORI's blog, and if you're hopping along in order, you should have hit me via that vivacious, vibrant bon vivant, CHRIS VERNUSO.

Now, when the challenge to make a vintage card was issued, I quaked in my boots. Me and vintage? We go together like buttermilk and vodka, which is to say: not at all. Still, a challenge is supposed to be challenging, no? So, I comtemplated what vintage means to me: distressing, inked edges, and shabby chic are the first things that came to mind. I grabbed the most vintage looking Christmas paper I had in my stash - Cosmo Cricket's Dear Mr. Claus 6"x6" pad - and went to work.

Here's what I came up with, using the adorable new TREE-MENDOUS set, and our newest line of CutUps dies, the TOPPERS:

I just love that fun little tinsel/garland - perfect with the sentiment! I found a few spools of it in a gift store in Missouri. I'd never seen it before. Wouldn't it be perfect to decorate a Barbie Dream House? (I should have had a daughter...) Before I get even further off track, here's a detail shot, so you can get up close and personal with Mr. Bear...

Now, when I first saw the Toppers, I have to admit, I was a bit mystified. The unfamiliar scares me like fire scared the cavemen. But, since it was my duty as a member of the Cat Pack to figure these futuristic gizmos out, I reluctantly did so. And now, in the words of Buddy the Elf,

TOPPERS are GENIUS!!! You're going to have to play with them a bit, but once you get started, the possibilities are truly endless. As you can see on my card, I used the scallop with holes for the text printed paper layer, and then the scallop without holes for the dark green border around it. I also decided to play around with the regular scallop to created the green background panel behind the image, and for my sentiment panel in the upper left-hand corner.

By the way, I'm thinking that when our illustrator Zlatoenia drew this image, she must have had me in mind. Have you ever seen my Christmas tree? It's 9.5" tall even though my ceilings are only 9" high. Here's a pic of it from last year:

The 8.5" tree I first ordered just didn't seem big enough for the room, so what was I to do? I mash the top of this one and put two stars up near the top (because, again, one just doesn't seem like enough...).

Speaking of enough, my goal this year is to take the sentiment I used on this card as a personal mantra for this holiday season. Not in a snarky way, but more in a 'don't sweat the small stuff' kind of way. I don't know about you, but I always try to cram SO MUCH into this time of year that I often fail to enjoy it - I merely survive it. In other words, I'm my own worst tinsel tangler. But, no more! This year, I'm going to have FUN, damn it!

I'll let you get back to the FUN of this fabulous blog hop, where your next stop is none other than the fantastic TRACY FALCO!

Don't forget to hit up The Cat's Pajamas store just as soon as you're done hopping - those exclusive LIMITED EDITION rubber cling sets aren't going to last long, and you NEED the new dies. Just sayin'! :)