Design Team Christmas Card Exchange

Every year at Christmas, the designers at FotoBella.com give something very special to each other...the gift of creativity!  Each designer draws the name of one other designer, then creates a Christmas card using holiday paper from FotoBella.com.  Today we would like to share the cards we designed with all of you!  Enjoy!

Apryl's card for Jessica featured Jolly ol' St. Nick from the 

"Dear Santa" collection by Bo Bunny.  This card is so bright and fun.  An illusion of a tree is created by using a cookie cutter style die cut, which allows the other colorful papers to show through! Brilliant!

Apryl added interest, texture and a bit of fun to her card by 

layering these other cute die cuts from the Ephemera Pack!

Jessica's card for Drea features the Russian Matryoshka Dolls! It is part of the "Merry & Bright" collection by Bo Bunny. She loved using the dolls in her design which come in both the "Noteworthy" Ephemera Pack and in the Chipboard Pack.

 Jessica made a "Double Z Fold" card which has been seen "popping up" all over Pinterest and on YouTube! 

Mixed media is this designer's forte, 

as you can see here in Drea's card for Jeri!  

 Drea used Bo Bunny's "Christmas Collage" paper collection and ephemera and "got inky" with Picket Fence distress ink. She used a postage stamp to mat the focal image and even got the sewing machine out to adhere some of the paper to her card!

This cheery greeting from MME is Jeri's card to ReNae.  

How stinkin' cute is this buck in his warm winter sweater?! 

These clean and simple papers, from the "Joyous" collection feature  a postcard style card.  When flipped over it reveals a pretty journaling spot.  The matching envelope features red and green sequins and a name plate with stickers. 

 ReNae's card to Apryl brings us back to Jolly ol' St. Nick again! 

It features a Victorian-inspired Santa Claus from Graphic 45's St. Nicholas paper collection. 

 Black and gold patterned papers were layered to create a faux frame, then I added a chipboard element, some gold gemstones, then finished it off with a bright red bow! The inside is gold with a wreath patterned banner across the bottom.

I added a personal sentiment inside.

We hope you have enjoyed our card exchange.  We invite you to post the cards you and your friends make for each other on our Facebook page! 

Or, Tag us on Instagram @fotobelladotcom.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!

Apryl, Jessica, Drea, Jeri and ReNae

Your FotoBella Design Team

Today is Christmas Card Day!

On this day, December 9, 1843, the first Christmas cards were created 

by Sir Henry Cole in London, England! 

Cole found that writing Christmas greetings to his numerous friends and colleagues was much too time-consuming.  So he asked a friend of his, artist John Calcotte Horsley to design a card which could be used by Cole but could also be sold to the public!

The original Christmas card showed three generations of a family raising a toast to the card's recipient. On either side were scenes of charity...with food and clothing being given to the poor. Mr. Horsley designed one thousand lithographs and hand-colored postcards which sold for a shilling each (in those days that was a whole day's pay!)

Early on, cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead they featured flowers, fairies and other designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of spring! Children, birds and animals were very popular themes of the day. 

By the 1850's many traditions of Victorian England were featured on Christmas cards including the hanging of the holly and Christmas trees.  These early Victorian Cards are favorites among collectors and paper crafters and are often replicated in today's paper companies such as Graphic 45, Bo Bunny, Carta Bella and others.

In fact, the December "2 Cards/ 2 Tags Kit by FotoBella I used Graphic 45's  "Children's Hour" paper collection which features beautiful Victorian designs.

December 9th is also considered the day to start mailing your Christmas cards!  Have you made them yet? 

If not, check our website for everything you'll need to make beautiful cards your recipient will treasure for years to come!

Happy Christmas Card Day!

December Membership Kit: Christmas Cards & Tags

It's hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner! 

In the next few weeks we all will be putting the finishing touches on our holiday decorations, and "wrapping" up our gift buying!  

For our "2 Cards/2 Tags" December Membership Kit I created 4 projects that could be made quickly and easily...yet would look like you spent hours on them!      

All four projects were made using the Graphic 45 Children's Hour paper collection. These beautiful cards and tags can all be made by you in an afternoon!  

They are the perfect compliment to a special gift, and the perfect way to say 

Happy Holidays to that very special person in your life!

Since they ship the second week in December, we wanted you to have the opportunity to see and order them now, so that you will have them in time to make and send them out before the holidays.

This beautiful Poinsettia card is sure to warm hearts! 

This gorgeous tag will look stunning on any gift!

The jeweled ivory flowers add a bit of sparkle!

Tags are great on gifts or as home decor!  

I love the textures on this one!

This kit is available NOW on our website! 

Order yours today!

And from all of us at FotoBella.com,

Happy Holidays!

Frank Garcia Classes at FotoBella!

FotoBella is so honored to have the one and only Frank Garcia teach two craft classes for us on December 10th and 11th, combined with our Warehouse Sale!

Frank is a product designer for Prima Marketing, an endorsed Prima Educator and an amazing mixed media artist. He is also Editor in Chief at PaperHaus Magazine.

He is famous for his mini albums, tags and dimensional projects. Frank's love for his art comes through in each of his classes.

If you love Frank's beautiful designs as much as we do, you will will not want to miss this opportunity!  

If you aren't familiar, be sure to check out his blog... you are sure to be inspired! 

Note: All classes will include lunch and snacks.

To register for a class click this link and you will be directed to the Event page! It will direct you to the Eventbrite site!

We look forward to seeing you there!