Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Advent calendar extravaganza (with Taheerah Atchia)

Hi there!


Advent calendar extravaganza is the festive event of the season! This "hop with a twist" was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day. Joining in the fun with Taheerah are 100 special guests - each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration. Just like an advent calendar, you'll never know where you're going to be visiting next until you "open the door."

And that's not all! With 25 amazing sponsors taking part as guests, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize every single day!

Join in the fun every day at taheerah-atchia.com to see what special surprises await behind the door.

I have a couple of cards to share today, using stamps and dies from today's sponsor: Neat and Tangled.

advent calendar extravaganza

I volunteered to make a Christmas card with Maia's 2nd grade last week, and was able to share how I illustrated all of the images, and how we build our cards from start to finish. We made the one on the right, but it was fun to show them how with only a few tweaks, you can make 2 entirely different cards.

advent calendar extravaganza

This was a fun full day, cutting out enough card pieces for 25 students, plus another 10 of everything because we all know some of the kids will be needing second chances here and there!

Santa and the North Pole sign are from Santa's Wonderland, the little penguin is from Get Yeti, and the candy card is from Beary Merry. I printed out the french greeting to fit into the banner from Mermazing so that I could have them all die-cut to match the rest of the images. I kept thinking: I designed these stamps, and I couldn't have included a french greeting? gah! I need one for sure next year. Most of Maia's classes are in french!

advent calendar extravaganza

I showed the kids how to sponge ink onto a piece of patterned paper to add dimension. They really enjoyed doing that!

advent calendar extravaganza

I snapped a pic of Maia's card to show you the kids' finished product. She was a little upset she didn't have copics to work with in class, but I think it turned out great! I brought a glue pen and glitter too, so they could add shine to their snowbanks. It's hard to see here, but  Maia's card is a shimmering masterpiece!

advent calendar extravaganza

Here is my variation card: I kept the same layout, but switched out the patterned paper and images to create something new. The little boy/snowman from Christmas pageant is out pulling his dog-on-a-sled (from Get Yeti.)

I hope you like what I've created for you today! Before you go, don't forget to leave a comment! By leaving a comment on both my blog, and Taheerah's, you'll be eligible to win a prize today. And be sure to check out the Neat and Tangled blog today too, as they are sponsoring the prizes today!

You will have until 23:59 EST on December 31st to enter.

♥.




157 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh Elena, those are such cute cards! Very easy to create multiples! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Your cards are so cute! Love the wintry scenes.

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  3. Bravo for braving a mass of 2nd graders and creating such a fabulous card! Wonderful use of the various stamp sets, too!

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  4. I think it's awesome that you made cards with the kids! Very cute cards!

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  5. Cute cards plus you are a brave (but nice) soul doing the card class with a room of second graders. ;) Happy holidays!

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  6. Beautiful! How fun to make cards with a bunch of kids... I had my little 5 year old great niece over to make a birthday card... it was a blast!

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  7. These are SOOOOOO cute! Gorgeous coloring!

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  8. Fun cards! Love the images in this stamp set.

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  9. Ooooh! So cute and it's a Mass production, , Hats off to you and your hard work!

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  10. Oh, how adorable are these two cards?! I absolutely love Neat & Tangled and their cute designs! Every release they come out with something I am putting on my wish list :)

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  11. these two cards are just too sweet - thanks for sharing:)

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  12. What a wonderful idea for the kids!! Absolutely adorable cards. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Love your cards and how cool to help out at the school!

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  14. two sweet cards and I bet the second graders were delighted with their cute cards!

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  15. This was a big project and great way to work with children.

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  16. I love that kids are learning to make their own cards with your wonderful stamps. So many young people do everything electronically they miss out on all the fun. What a great project for everyone

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  17. I always LOVE seeing your fun cards! You are such a
    wonderful talent and I love your designs.

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  18. I love the puppy with the antlers! Your cards are very beautiful and amazing!

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  19. Theses are all adorable! I love the little dog on the sled! I love your bright coloring technique too! Wow!

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  20. What a great project for the kids - getting them to color their Santa images and make a card. Love the 2nd sample as well - THANK YOU.

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  21. You've created a duo of delight, Elena! What I really love about your post is that you designed these for - and with - your daughter's Gr. 2 class. My niece is in Gr. 2, so you've certainly given me a wonderful 'plan' to use with her classmates! Thank you for sharing your amazing inspiration at Taheerah's Advent Extravaganza!
    ~carol

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  22. What adorable cards! I'm sure the kids were just delighted! That was a lot of prep work, and a very good idea to have some extras on hand! :)

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  23. Truly adorable cards! I especially love the wee little puppy on the sled. So fun!

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  24. What cute cards! How sweet of you to make cards with your daughter's class! I'm a retired elementary school teacher (23 years just in 2nd grade...the best grade ever!), and you are so right about having extras for second chances!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  25. Wonderful cards! Love your colors and composition! Glad you're helping another generation find their creativity!

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  26. What fun creating with kids! As a retired teacher, I miss seeing the kids so excited and creating with them something for their parents.

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  27. These scenes are so sweet! I agree, once all the pieces are cut out, playing around during assembly is FUN! Thank you for the beautiful inspiration! Merry Christmas!

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  28. Very cute cards and so great of you to share your love with a school group.

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  29. Hi Elena!

    What fun to be able to share your card making process with the children in your daughter's class!!! These cards are adorable. I just love the little kid dressed in a snowman suit, pulling his dog with reindeer antlers!!! Maia did a great job on her card! I've got to take a look at that pageant set -- it looks too wonderful to pass up!!! Thanks for sharing your stories and inspiration! Merry Christmas & Joyeux Noel!!

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  30. Your cards are adorable, Elena. So many sweet little touches. You do such a wonderful job with the Neat & Tangled stamps, and I really want to thank you for sharing your talents with us in this special event. Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!
    Karen Letchworth

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  31. I like the cute snowy scenes you created.

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  32. Darling cards.
    Love the little girl in the snowman suit.
    the puppy with his reindeer antlers is
    so cute.
    thanks for sharing

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  33. Wow, fabulous cards! What a labour of love, making all the bits and pieces for your daughter's class - bet they had so much fun! Maia's card is fabulous - I had to look hard to see which one was hers.

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  34. Gorgeous cards! Thank You for the inspiration.

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  35. These are so cute. How much fun those 2nd graders must have had and what a special treat for them.

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  36. So cute. And I love how you involved the class. Very creative. I'm sure the kids loved coloring their cards. I love your little scenes and adorable characters. Just wonderful. Happy Holidays.

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  37. So cute!! How fun to share your card making with the class! I bet it was a lot of fun!!

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  38. Wow, a 2nd grader did this? Super cute.

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  39. Wow you were busy and your daughter did an awesome job!

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  40. Apologizes if I'm going mad, I can't remember if I messaged on this card, long day, what a great card to have 2nd grade make, bet they loved working with these adorable images x

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  41. What a fun project for those kids!

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  42. Aww, so adorable and fun... and made me smile! Love your cards.

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  43. Happy, colourful card; and so great that you did it with the class ! Lots of preparation, but I'm sure everyone was happy with the result !

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  44. Oh my, these are fabulous and so fun!! Love your coloring, too!

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  45. These cards are so adorable! What a wonderful idea and way to spread the joy of cardmaking!

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  46. Maia's card is as good as yours. Tell her she did an excellent job. I love both of them.

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  47. What fun to craft with your daughter, she did an awesome job. These are just too cute.

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  48. Very cute! I made similar cards this year. Lots of die cuts. I colored mine first with Copic markers and then cut. Thanks for sharing!

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  49. I like crafting with kids and making cards and other things with them. My daughter would have wanted copics too! LOL! Very sweet card and lovely images!!!!

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  50. I love this! I will definitely do it this way next year if I get invited back to do another card class. I had about 20 kids from 6-14, but had way too many choices for them to grasp the concept. I like this idea much better. Thank you.

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  51. Love Neat & Tangled, and these cards are wonderful!!! TFS!

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  52. Oh how cute
    these cards
    are!
    Carla from Utah

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  53. Super cute cards - love the Santa and the snowman.

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  54. Love the snowman and Santa on your cards.

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  55. I bet the kids will treasure their handmade project and always remember the fun they had doing it. That's what makes Christmas!

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  56. Awesome cards! Love the variety of scenes with the same stamps!

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  57. Such sweet cards! How fun making cards with second graders!!

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  58. Your images are always the best! Love both of your amazing cards!

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  59. Adorable little scenes you created, very nice.

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  60. Adorable card and so nice of you to make a special memory for so many kids. Who knows what you might have started :)

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  61. These images make me smile and I love what you have done with them.

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  62. Both of your cards are so adorable. I bet you had a lot fun of teaching the children. Thanks for sharing...

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  63. Oh goodness, these cards are so sweet! Love these stamps from Neat & Tangled.

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  64. Oh goodness, these cards are so sweet! Love these stamps from Neat & Tangled.

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  65. Oh my how cute are these cards! Love the sweet little scene on each one.

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  66. What adorable scenes--love them both!

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  67. Great cards. Can I just say, I love that font! Thank you for sharing.

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  68. Adorable cars! So fun and festive!

    Sammibug aka Samantha Houp aka Sammi

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  69. Two adorable cards and a terrific lesson for a class of second graders! Best yet, they all got to take them home and share with their families. Thank you for sharing with us also.

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  70. How adorable! Sounds like a fun time making these with the kiddies!

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  71. Adorable slider cards and what an awesome Mom you are to cut so many of these out and to teach a class fo second graders...great memory for these kids.

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  72. wow! what lucky second graders!

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  73. I love how you created a "make your own card" for all the kiddos in your daughter's class! What a labor of love. And I bet they had a great time making their own cards. Plus, with yours to go off of, they had some pretty great inspiration. Thanks so much for sharing with us, too, and for participating in Taheerah's advent calendar.

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  74. WOW! You were adventurous to make all those parts and pieces for your daughter's class! Your daughter's card is awesome. She must take after her mother. ;D Thanks for the inspiration!

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  75. Adorable. Both of your cards made me smile when I saw them. What a busy and great project!

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  76. Great design, great cards! How wonderful that you were able to instill the joy of creativity in little ones! TFS!

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  77. wow you have been busy, super adorable! I have that set, its so cute!

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  78. Your cards are adorable Elena. These images are simply adorable.
    How fun it must have been showing your daughters classmates how to make a card and I can see why your daughter was disappointed to not have Copies to use. Haha So cute!

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  79. I love your adorable cards and your wonderful illustrations!!

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  80. Both cards are so adorable! You are brave to take on a classroom full of kids, good on you!

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  81. Wow!! These are super cute adorable creations!!

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  82. Cute cards. Especially like the one with the sled.

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  83. Such a cute cards. You made an andorable Christmas scene.

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  84. The scenes you created are beautiful! These are going to put a smile on the recipient's face!

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  85. Adorable cards Elena and brave to do a class card making group too. I used to be a primary school teacher and was in the Foundation Unit for the first few years with over 80+ children who all needed a Christmas hat, calendar and card. This took a while to do with 3, 4 and 5 year olds. :O)

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  86. LOVE the adorable scenes and wishing I had been one of those in the class!! Neat & TAngled is the cutest critters!! Can't get enough!

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  87. Such cute cards! And, you have a lot of courage and stamina to show 25 kids how to do this! Love your little girl's card.

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  88. you're so brave to do such a detailed card with kids--bet they loved it though! so pretty!

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  89. Oh wow, that must have been alot of work, but fun and worth it I'm sure! Your cards are wonderful. Thanks for participating in Taheerah's great event!!

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  90. Both of your cards are absolutely adorable! And, what a fun project for your daughter and her class.

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  91. These are such happy cards. And so vibrantly colored. Good job

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  92. Such cute cards! So many fun details...and how impressive to pull that together for the little ones!

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  93. Adorable cards! What a fantastic project to make with the kids.

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  94. These are both such happy cards! I'm sure the kiddos loved making them as well.

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  95. Oh what lovely cards you made! Keep up the good work, it inspires me.

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  96. Awwww hos cute!! They're both awesome

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  97. Oh goodness, these are all so cute and fun!

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  98. These little snow scenes are just so adorable and I love all the layers.

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  99. Gorgeous cards! The children would have loved creating their own cards! Thanks for sharing.

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  100. Oh, I bet those kids had a ball! The cards are adorable!

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  101. Very cute cards! I bet that was a fun project for the children to complete. Thanks for sharing!

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  102. Whew! I get tired after a batch of 6... let alone 25!! I wouldn't have thought it, but I actually like that pretty green sky best!!

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  103. WOW! Cute, adorable, CAS design, great use of color, texture...makes Great slider card too! Pure Happiness! Great job! Well Done!

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  104. Wow! Looks like you had a lot of fun. Working with young kids is always so enriching! Love the cards. They are cute and sweet.

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  105. Your cards are adorable!

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  106. SQUEAL!! Just AWESOME!! I just ADORE these Cards, and how FUN for the Kids!! THANKS SO MUCH for sharing and INSPIRING!! Have a FABULOUS New Year!! =)

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  107. Bless you for your patience both is preparing and working with second graders. I bet they had fun. Both cards are super cute.

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  108. What adorable cards! It is wonderful that you shared card-making with second graders, I think it is such a great idea to share the holidays with others!

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  109. Thank you for sharing these darling cards. I love cards that are easy to make en masse for children in my homeschool papercraft class.

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  110. Gorgeous scenes on these cards. It's always great to get children involved in crafting. Thanks for sharing your creativity.

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  111. I loved reading your blog! I craft with my 2nd grade granddaughter often. She goes to a dual immersion school here in the states. Most of her classes are in Spanish. I bought a set of stamps with lots of Spanish sentiments only to discover at the last minute, no Feliz Navidad! But it is fun, isn't it? Great cards! That's a lot of pieces to use with 25 little ones!

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  112. So much fun! I'm sure the kids loved it!

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  113. What a wonderful idea and a great way to get children involved! Your cards are beautiful and I love the scenes you created!

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  114. What a great idea, they did a wonderful job. I am going to do this with my niece, I know she would love it

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  115. You get the mom of the year award for making cards with your daughter's class. I am sure all the cards turned out great. They are super cute.

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  116. Such adorable cards! Love the design and the coloring.

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  117. Adorable cards, I love the puppy on the sled.

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  118. Cute cards and what an ambitious project with the students!

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  119. All the versions of this card are so cute. How generous of you to give you time and talents to your daughter's class. Your stamps are charming.

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  120. Love your cards. Thank you for sharing.

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  121. Gorgeous and fun festive cards!!

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  122. These are so cute!! And brave of you to stamp with a class of kids. I stress out enough with just my one.

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  123. You are one brave and fun Mama!! These are the things your children will remember..great job!!

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  124. Both of these cards are just adorable and what a sweet thing to do with your daughter's class, Elena. Looks like Maia is going to take after her Mom when it comes to craftiness. Happy New Year!

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  125. This is the cutest duo of cards !
    [margessw (at) icloud (dot) com]

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  126. Your little scenes are darling. Good for you for getting a new generation of stampers going.

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  127. What cute cards, love the fun holiday scenes.

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