Why Christmas In July?

Have you ever truly wondered...why Christmas in July?

The earliest known occasion to make the phrase 'Christmas in July' literal was in July 1933 at Camp Keystone, a girl's summer camp in North Carolina, which celebrated with a Christmas tree, gifts, and a visit from Santa Claus!

In the southern hemisphere, winter falls in July. Therefore in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, in order to have Christmas with a winter feel, Christmas in July events are held. 

In the northern hemisphere, some people throw parties during July that mimic Christmas celebrations, bringing the atmosphere of Christmas but with warmer temperatures. 

In some western countries, July has a limited number of marketing opportunities. In the United States and Canada, there are no national holidays between the first week of July and Labor Day, leaving two months with no holidays. Therefore, to justify sales, shops will sometimes announce a Christmas in July sale! 

My mother always started her Christmas shopping in July but never really said why or if she did, I forgot (no surprise!)....now I know...she was a smart and savvy shopper! 

So, on that note... I don't start my Christmas shopping in July but I have actually started making my Christmas cards and tags earlier this year since I now have more time to hang out in my little crafty space! Does that count??!! 

INGREDIENTS

The Paper Studio, Old World Winter ~ patterned cardstock

Fiskars ~ border punch, circle punch

Snowmen, sentiment, ribbon and button from my long lost stash!

Happy Crafting!

TTFN!

~Purple Passion Party Time~

Happy Friday! 

It is raining like cats and dogs here again and the flowers are loving it!

On that thought...I'm showcasing a flowery card I created for my niece Lindsay's birthday. 

She is a young lady who enjoys good times with family and friends! 

I don't see too many creations incorporating the color purple, so this is what I came up with. 

I decorated the inside too, but...(you know me!)I did not get a pic before sending it off. 

Click photo to enlarge

Recipe:
Recollections~cardstock
Prima,Doodle Deux~patterned paper
Inkadinkadoo,Morphic Flowers~clear stamp
Scrappy Cat,Birthday Wishes~clear stamp
VersaMagic,purple hydrangea~chalk ink
Martha Stewart~butterfly punch
Queen&Co~black pearls
?~washi tape,ribbon

Have a fun weekend!

TTFN

and 

Happy Crafting!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Make A Wish!

Good day to you!

I was interested on the reason of why we make a wish and blow out the candles on our birthday cakes. 

So I did a little research. 

This is what I found...

The History Of Why We Blow Out Birthday Candles

Putting candles on cakes can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks. It was their special treat to please the goddess of the moon, Artemis. 

They baked round honey cakes to symbolize the moon and decorated with lit candles to represent the moonlight to please him. 

The celebration was enhanced by the idea that the smoke from the flames of the candles would carry an offering up into the sky where they believed Artemis lived.

The tradition of lighting candles for birthdays continued in Europe. Candles were sometimes kept burning all day on a person's birthday, as a celebration and to ward off evil spirits. 

In Germany, one big candle was placed in the middle of the cake. The birthday holiday was known as Kinderfest, a celebration of the holiday but also an occasion to keep careful watch over little ones who were supposedly more vulnerable to evil spirits on that day.

Traditionally, it was believed that the blowing out of candles indicated one's prayers to the gods. The practice of making a silent wish and then attempting to blow out all the candles so the wish might be granted originated from this idea.

Some cultures believe it is bad luck to blow out the candles until after the evening meal is eaten.

Now you know!!

Trying to create a masculine themed card/scrapbook layout is a little challenging for me :(   

No flowers, no ribbon, no flourish can sometimes be somewhat 'boring' to my eyes. So this is what I came up with for my brother's birthday card. 

Recipe:

Scrappy Cat ~ Birthday Wishes, stamp sentiment

ColorBox ~ Chestnut Roan, chalk ink

Signo ~ White, pigment ink pen

We R Memory Keepers ~ Cream Soda, twine

Buttons, patterned paper and raffia ribbon from my stash!

Hope you like my bit of history and the card that inspired it!

Oh, one important issue...my sister said she left a comment on a previous post which I did not get any notification to approve (bad google!) 

So if anyone has left comments that were not posted, please know that I would not purposely delete any of your kind and generous comments! 

Thank You for stopping by

and 

Happy Crafting!!

aka The Rebel Blogger

~ Create Art ~

It is a beautiful last day of April here in Pennsylvania! 

As I picked up this card I made a couple of days ago, I started to think about the words on it....

Create Art

I believe that the ability to create art -no matter what kind- is a human trait in all of us. We are hard-wired for creativity. 
It is just a matter of honing it to a specific craft. Art is a lifelong challenge, there is always so much yet to be discovered. 
You can make anything you want, if it is pleasing to you, it is successful. 
There is never a wrong answer!

When engaged in your art, your mind is constantly churning with new ideas, and imagery. 
During those hours spent in your creative mojo, your thoughts and mindset is always shifted into a state that is free from stress, anxiety, and negativity. 
Getting lost in those moments while creating is liberating!

Creating art is a great enabler of opening us up to each other and guaranteed way to connect with like-minded people. 
No matter what type of art you make, it is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding things you can do.

'Art' - the definition is wide open!

I have found 'art' to be a driving force in my life...messy, unorganized craft space and all  :)

BE HAPPY and CREATE ART !

You're the Best!

Hello!

I would like to share a card I created for my husband, whose birthday is coming up next week. 

He is an all around American kinda guy...we're talking a t-shirts, flannels, blue jeans man who rides a Harley! 

So I thought red, white and blue would be perfect! 

I am just not sold on the ribbon.

Don't get me wrong....I think it goes great with the card but Tom and ribbons don't go together!! 

I am picturing him fumbling with the ribbon, trying to figure out how to open the card! 

Changing it up a bit before I give it to him is probably what will happen. 

My creative juices just haven't sprung into action as of yet on this one  :(  

Any ideas flowing in your mind?

Happy Crafting!

TTFN!!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Sweet Baby

Can you believe it's Thursday already? 

This week is flying by too quick! 

Just when I thought 'spring has sprung', here comes another cold front.

Well, anyhow, spring has got my creative juices flowing and I wanted to create something pastel/springy! 

So this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

Baby carriage ~ Cricut Wildcard Cartridge

Patterned paper ~ DCWV, Nana's Kids

Layered flower ~ Hampton Art, Studio G

Sweet Baby & frame stamp ~ Fiskars, All Year Greetings

Embossing ~ Sizzix, Dots and flower set

Stickles ~ Cotton Candy

I used Hampton Art pink ink on the small chipboard square and the frame...but can't find the name of the color on it.

Buttons and ribbon from my long lost stash!

Thank You so much for stopping by!

Happy Crafting!

aka The Rebel Blogger

You Are Delightful & CutterPillar Pro Giveaway

I have been missing in action for a few days. The flu bug got the best of me and had me out of commission.

BUT....

I am back and feeling better (yeah!) with another creation of mine. 

I wanted to do a CAS on white cardstock with a just touch of color. 

So I added washi tape from my stash, that has been collecting dust! 

Recipe:

Hampton Arts ~ precut card

Inqueboutique ~ felt embellishments

Fiskars ~ stamp

Bellablvd ~ buttons

We R Memory Keepers ~ twine

Oh... and PS!

I ran across a fabulous giveaway at OH MY CRAFTS on Facebook.  The prize is a CutterPillar Pro!! 

It is the ultimate precision cutter and the blade never needs replaced! I could have so much fun with this! Lets see...matting would be a breeze, I could finish my niece's lapbook with ease!

Hey, that rhymes!

Go check them out. You can't win if you don't enter!!

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Spring Is In The Air FCCB #153 Challenge

Fantabulous Cricut challenge theme this week is 'Spring Is In The Air'. You are to use a kite or balloon on your project!  So here is my entry...

I could not decide which pattern from this paper pad to use for a balloon... I love them all! So I went with several balloons incorporating most of the patterns!

Supplies used:

Cricut Cartridge ~ Stretch Your Imagination 

Patterned Paper ~ Simple Stories Harvest Lane

Stamp ~ Fiskars Sentiments

BakersTwine ~ Memory Keepers Blue Lagoon 

Ink ~ Colorbox Chestnut Roan & Dune

Enjoy and happy crafting!

aka The Rebel Blogger

Dad's Birthday Card

Today is my Dad's 82nd birthday! 

I tried to make a masculine card for him real quick...

nothing fancy, just hand wrote on the inside,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I used a piece of patterned paper from my stash for the mat. I inked the edge of the card with ColorBox brush pad in black. 

The tag is an old Fiskars stencil that I have had since I started scrapbooking. I then inked around the tag and the flourish with my favorite color....ColorBox spanish olive! I used Stazon ink in jet black, but do not know the brand name of the stamp used for 'dad',  then topped it off with a matte black brad and used pop dots to add a little dimension. 

The bakers twine is from WeRMemoryKeepers.

The faux stitching is made using a Zig pen.

Simply done for a loving and simple man!!

I wish to enter this card at Simon Says Stamps Anything Goes Challenge

Thanks for visiting my little corner of cyber space!

aka The Rebel Blogger