Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas card history and Card Case with Stampin Up


In our neighborhood stamping club we take turns leading the class with 3 cards we designed.  I really like these two card designs that Sharon did recently - The glimmery forest of trees and deer diecuts were sooo pretty and it challenged me to do a case of the two designs into one Christmas card using as many Stampin Up products as I could.

But I also thought you might be interested in a little bit of history about the beginning of Christmas cards that I read on another blog.  The first commercial Christmas card produced was in London in 1843. John Callcott Horsley produced them for Sir Henry Cole. The scene depicted both adults and children, sipping wine and having a spirited time. It was a bit controversial but proved to be a lucrative endeavor. The cards, a total of 2,050, sold for a shilling each. One of these cards sold in a 2001 public
auction for about $36,062.80 in American dollars! 
Wow!!

 So back to my card case....here is what I came up with - I did end up buying the stamp and deer diecut from a non-Stampin Up company, but all the other items used on it were Stampin Up!
  

 I used Stampin Up's very vanilla cardstock and the embossing folder in the holiday catalog, along with retired very vanilla satin ribbon, champagne glimmer paper, little star punch, gold cardstock, pool party cardstock, and pool party baker's twine.  The rhinestone was colored with a turquoise Sharpie pen.

On to more about earlier Christmas cards....
The early Christmas cards rarely depicted snow or religious scenes. They
leaned more towards flowers, fairies, and other fanciful designs depicting
the oncoming of spring. Again following the earlier traditions of Winter
Solstice! Humorous and sentimental images of children and animals became
popular as well as elaborate designs, shapes and decorations.


  I make up a calendar to put inside my Christmas cards, and here is the calendar I came up with - I also put a picture of me, my hubby, and our furbabies in the cards.  So all the recipient has to do to use the calendar is fold back the card.  And every time they look at the calendar they will think of us :-)

Towards the end of the Victorian period, postcards became very popular. But
by the 1920’s, cards and envelopes returned as the popular preference.
During World Wars I and II, many cards were produced with a patriotic theme.
During the 1950’s more humorous and risqué cards hit the market. 

The only prevailing type of card that has remained popular are the home-made, or
hand-made, cards. Producing the cards was a family tradition right along
with decorating the tree, exchanging gifts, singing carols, etc. Many often
accepted the card to be the gift as it was made, not produced, from the
heart and carried a high sentimental meaning. Consensus was hand-made cards
started due to economic reasons. Now many produce these for artistic reasons
or to avoid the commercialization of Christmas.
 

We are continuing to hold the tradition of Christmas card making, aren't we?  
And nowadays we can send e-cards and digital cards!
Hope you enjoyed this little bit of Christmas cards history!


If I didn't mind cutting out 20 little deer shapes, I could have used one of the Stampin Up deer stamp images lol.


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