The Christmas Chronicles: Alberto's Tales and Traditions from Italy

Alberto Gava Christmas Cards Christmas Chronicles Copic Coloring Kelly Taylor Illustrations Sweet Holiday

Today is Volume 2 of our Christmas Chronicles + GIVEAWAY and we have the pleasure to introduce Alberto Gava from Italy! 

Meet the Maker: Alberto from Italy
Hello crafty friends! I'm Alberto, a 28-year-old who lives in the north of Italy, in a small town near Milan. I was born and raised in a small town near Venice, and then I moved here at 19 to follow my dreams...working in a craft shop!

Unfortunately, the shop closed down after COVID, but this gave me the chance to work harder on my passion, cardmaking! After a lot of effort, nights spent coloring, and a LOT of work, I can proudly say that I can do this for a living!

The Project
Im sharing this card using Sweet Holiday stamp set illustrated by Kelly Taylor! 

Words and Wishes: Italian Holiday Greetings
I think "Buon Natale" is the most common one, which means "merry Christmas"! You can also add "e felice anno nuovo," which translates to "and a Happy New Year!" Then we have the traditional "Buone Feste," which is "Happy holidays!"

Tinsel and Traditions: An Italian Christmas Journey
I adore decorating for Christmas! I'm famous in my circle of friends as a "crazy Christmas person" because I usually decorate my whole house for the holidays! We have 5 Christmas trees in the house, and every corner, every little spot has something that screams "CHRISTMAS."

When I was little, I used to decorate with my mom, and we used the traditional red and gold tones! It was low profile compared to what I'm doing now, but I really enjoyed those moments! We also used to do the presepe, which is a traditional representation of the nativity...a lot of people do this in their houses!

Now, speaking of my Christmas decors, since I moved in with my boyfriend, we started making the Christmas tree the first year, and then every year, we keep buying new things and new home decor! We now have 5 Christmas trees, and every room (bathroom included!) has some Christmas decors! 
A few more Christmas trees! 
With time, we moved to more neutrals and vintage decors, and our mostly used color is white! You can see it from the pictures!
We love the vintage style for decor. 

Sounds of the Season: Festive Music from Italy
We only have a few Christmas songs, which are "Bianco Natale" (White Christmas...but it's not as the English one, it's completely different!) and "tu scendi dalle stelle" (You come from the stars). Most of the songs we usually listen to during Christmas are the popular American ones! My favorites are "Carol of the Bells" and "Jingle Bells Rock!"

Gifts and Gratitude: A Very Merry Christmas Giveaway 

The PrizeWin the opportunity to choose any 10 products from our website. Entry DetailsTo enter, simply leave a comment on any of the 6 blog posts in our series. Each comment on a different blog post counts as a separate entry so be sure to comment on all of the Christmas Chronicles blog posts. Eligibility: This giveaway is open to participants from around the world, but you must be at least 18 years of age to enter. Deadline: The entry deadline is December 26, 2023, at 23:59 CST.

Winner Selection & Notification: The lucky winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries and announced on our blog on December 29, 2023. If you're the lucky winner, please contact us at jen@pfstamps, and we'll guide you through the next steps to claim your prize.

Festive Farewell
Thank you so much for reading me today; I wish you a very Buon Natale from Italy! 🇮🇹🎄✨

Buon Natale, Alberto

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  • CHRISTI L STEINBECK on

    I would call this a little piece of Christmas paradise. IT is just stunningly beautiful. We have dreamt of me getting to Italy since my husband grew up over there. He loved it there and has many friends still there. I love your gorgeous blue card. I am speechless over that. IF I said that around anyone that knows me they wouldn’t believe it for I am never speechless. Thank you for sharing your talents with us! Merry Christmas!

  • Mary Zimmerman on

    Love blues and thank you for sharing your holiday decorations and traditions. Looking forward to see more inspiration from you in the future.

  • Anonymous on

    Wow! The very best in blue for sure! Love the card and the photos! Welcome to the Picket Fence Studios Party Alberto from Italy! I look forward to your future shares!

  • Beverly Jordan on

    Thank you for sharing your tradition of Christmas and your beautifully colored card with us! Italy has been a very special place I have had the fortune to travel to on 3 different occasions, and would have loved to have been there over a holiday time. Because the area I live in Orlando, FL is so Mickey oriented, and commercialize, I tend to treat my home as a respite away from it. So I have traditional colors, fun displays, nativities, and have traditional blown glass ornaments and ones from years ago that are for my adult children’s as well. There are no collections of specialty but of memories. Not set color scheme either but eclectic. In fact, I purchased a Fontanni nativity set (Italian) when my children were toddlers because they couldn’t break them, and it sits in prominence with Florida sunshine streaming in to its Bethlehem scene. Hoping to visit Italy and see of its beauty personally some time during the Christmas season! Merry Christmas, or Buon Natale!

  • Rebecca Fowler on

    What gorgeous decorations! I would be tempted to leave them out year-round.



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