"the great outdoors"...

...is this fortnight's theme at ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ and while i'd love to take credit for such an awesome idea, the suggestion actually came from our lovely guest star and fellow belle shanna picard. as soon as i starting planning my card i immediately focused on snow, pine trees, reindeer, and all the "classic" images. but then i found this gorgeous "holiday style" cityscape from october afternoon, and it dawned on me that there's just as much xmas... and just as much OUTSIDE... in the city as the country! for that matter, the entire southern hemisphere celebrates christmas in the summer, so in those parts you're more likely to find santa in board shorts catching some waves or lounging under a suitably bedecked palm tree! which just goes to show that this theme is as flexible as it is fun, so there's no excuse not to join in, darlings!

patterned paper: october afternoon, dcwv, american crafts; glossy black cardstock: ranger; dimensional chipboard sticker: k and co; ribbon: making memories; lace: from my stash; ink: colorbox; adhesives: elmers brand gluetape runner, 3m foam tape, gluedots

i used the current retro sketch (and pretty faithfully, for once, lol!) to guide my layout:

now why not head on over to ♥JINGLE BELLES♥ where miss shanna and miss stephanie both coincidentally happen to have gorgeous holiday cards in outdoor settings to inspire you! (what are the odds, darlings?!)