Well its another Senior Design Team challenge for the Papertrey Ink design team!

This month was a lot of fun! Nichole asked the team to create a Christmas/Holiday card that incorporates photos!

Well I ALWAYS do a photo card-ALWAYS! I love giving people a yearly photo update. This year I cringe at the thought that it may get tossed away after the holiday. So, my simple solution, I decided that this year I am going to do a magnetic photo calendar card!

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Sending  You Happiness Through  the Year!

Instead of JUST a photo card, ours is a photo / calendar magnet card that you can stick right up on the fridge! Pretty cute huh?

This finished magnet is 5 3/4 X 4 1/2! The borders made it a bit larger than your standard A2 card. You could avoid the extra layers, or just change your own design.

I designed it so that while it represents the HOLIDAY, its not an obvious Christmas ONLY creation! Out on a limb was the PERFECT solution for this project! Given my children’s clothing colors-red & black, I went with that for my scheme. Now you could certainly use a black & white photo too, but I loved the POP the red “holly berries” (that what they are to me) brought to the project.

NOTE: This does use LAST years Christmas photo, so I will have to update with THIS year’s photo once I get them done. For the challenge I used what I had available. But I do really love this! Do you think people would notice if I used the same photo as last year?! LOL!

I did HOURS of hunting online for a FREE printable 2009 calendar. I have no clue how to make one, and found the PERFECT one! YEAH!!!

HEREis the one I used for my project!!! All my hunting will save YOU some time! LOL!

When I got the template I wanted, I then decreased the size by 50%, so it would fit on a card sized magnet. I didn’t want a very large calendar.

I  printed walllet size photos of  my children. Used my circle/tall /rectancle nestabilities to  create this. I cropped the photo with the circle, and then  the calendar with the rectangle. Using the next size up of the shape used, I made my scallop frames. For the large border I just used the tall scallop rectangles, using black cardstock, and I cut the scallop edges off, and adhered to the back of my white layer – Tip I found HERE! That was then layered onto a piece of Pure Poppy cardstock, that was sent through my Xyron 900, magnet maker!! So the entire back is magnetic! Pretty cool!

Now another part of our challenge was to create an envelope to match! I have a great system I came up with to create an envelope for ANY size card —>HERE!

So using that formula, I created my envelope for this project!

The ONLY difference was I decided to NOT put it together with adhesive, but rather make it a beautiful protective cover!

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This is the cover opened. I decorated my inner panels by measuring each finished panel and subracting a 1/4 inch on the layering panel.

I then fold in the top/bottom flaps (what would have been my envelope sides if adhered) and fold closed.

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I had some wide white grosgrain ribbon, that I stamped to match my card. I then used an image from the Papertrey Ink Anniversary set (not available for purchase-sorry :C) since I thought it was a nice match.

I felt the sentiment from Snowflake Serenade was PERFECT for sending such a calendar creation!

So there you have it. This is my fresh approach to sending a holiday card! Why not a yearly calendar? I know its perfect for those close to you. I honestly would not go through the trouble of making such a treasure for those on my “have to send a card to X” list, but would certainly do it for my most loved ones 😀 It’s actually more of a GIFT, than a card, don’t you think? You could replace a photo with an image for a general magnetic/card/calendar gift!

The holiday season is upon us, so have fun! I hope you let me know if this inspires your holiday card this year 😀 Oh and if this project didn’t do it for you there is so much more to come 😀

Be sure to check out all the Senior Design team member’s blogs for MORE great cards using photos! I am sure you will run out to the nearest photo place!

  • Debbie Olson
  • Lisa Johnson
  • Michelle Wooderson
  • Nichole Heady
  • Pine
  • and  Becky is playing along too!

    • Don’t miss the post below!

    Till tomorrow!