The Season of Giving

Happy Monday! The Christmas season is in full swing around here! The holiday parties have begun and yesterday I held my Stamping Symphony team Christmas party at a favourite local restaurant, The Old Marina. While many of our group weren't able to join us due to distance or other holiday commitments, those who were able to come enjoyed good food, and good company as we toasted the Christmas season. I seriously love spending time with these special women who have enriched my life in so many ways!

We had such a great afternoon and even exchanged handmade gifts. So. Much. Fun!

Speaking of gifts, I thought it might be appropriate to feature some gift ideas in this week's Live @ Five video. As the holidays draw nearer, we'll all be needing neighbour gifts, teacher gifts, treats for service providers and more, so I have some quick and cute ideas to share with you this week. The first is this adorable gift box made with products from the Wrapped in Plaid Suite...

I used the gold mini pizza boxes as my foundation. They are super-quick and easy to assemble AND look UH-MAZING! I die-cut the largest circle from the Stitched Circles dies from Cherry Cobbler card stock and embossed it using the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. I layered it on a scalloped circle in Shaded Spruce and then adhered it to my box.

The sentiment is from the Perfectly Plaid stamp set and is stamped in Shaded Spruce ink. To create my 3-D tree, I punched 5 trees using the Pine Tree punch from Wrapped in Plaid DSP. Now the trick here is to punch three trees from the front side of the paper and then flip it over and punch two more from the back. This is necessary because the punched tree isn't symmetrical, so in order to match up the punched trees when gluing them together, one must alternate them. If that sounds confusing, be sure to watch my Live @ Five video tomorrow when I'll be demonstrating exactly how to make one of these boxes. If you miss the live broadcast, the replay will be posted on my YouTube channel later tomorrow evening.

Those teen-tiny snowflakes are from the Snowflake Sequins...they are so adorable! These little boxes are super-quick and easy to make...I should know...I made 20 of them in an afternoon for gift for some special people.

Thanks for stopping by today...I hope you have a great week! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram for news about a 24-hour Flash Sale happening this week! I don't have all of the details yet, but once I do I will post on social media...don't miss it!

Product List

Perfectly Plaid Bundle (En) [151143] $41.25	Wrapped In Plaid 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [149596] $20.00	Gold Mini Pizza Boxes [152068] $9.50	Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119685] $12.00
Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146981] $12.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $13.25	Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad [147088] $10.25	Shaded Spruce/Gold 3/8" (1 Cm) Striped Ribbon [149597] $9.50
Snowflake Sequins [150443] $8.25	Stitched Shapes Dies [152323] $41.00	Layering Circles Dies [151770] $48.00	Pinewood Planks 3D Embossing Folder [152320] $14.00

Perfectly Plaid

Happy Monday! Did you miss me last week? I've been down and out with a nasty sinus cold and am just now getting back to normal. So much has happened since my last post! The day before I got sick, I attended Stampin' Up!'s OnStage event in Toronto...in fact, I didn't just attend, I spoke at it! I did a business presentation in front of 600+ people and lived to tell the tale! Right before I went on stage I literally thought I was going to faint...and then suddenly I was on the stage and the teacher in me took over. I got started and it was like I do this everyday...well, I kind of do...but not for 600 people! My class of 25 is more my style. ;) Here's a pic someone snapped of me during my presentation...

I really had such a great time and so enjoyed sharing my business tips with other demonstrators.

The night before I was able to attend CentreStage, as special evening for demonstrators who hold the title Silver Elite or higher. It was so much fun to attend with some wonderful friends from my team...

Of course, the best part of any Stampin' Up! event is the people I get to share it with. Several members of my Stamping Symphony team were able to make the trip to Toronto for the day on Saturday. I loved having so many of them there! (Check out the newest members of the Stamping Symphony...coming soon to a Sale-a-bration brochure near you!)

Now, how about a project? This week I am all about the Perfectly Plaid bundle from the Holiday Catalogue...

This has been one of my most-used bundles this season. I have A TON of projects to share with you this week, so be sure to follow me on Instagram and/or like my Facebook page so you don't miss a single one! Here is today's project...

I used the Gold Glitz Delicata metallic ink to stamp my trees and sentiment. That ink is FANTASTIC! So much so that it is already sold out :( I hope you were able to snag some before it went away. It is a great alternative to heat embossing for those who don't have the tools to do so, or who, like me, are in a hurry sometimes ;) Here's a closer look...

The DSP I used is from the Wrapped in Plaid Specialty DSP pack. I am SO addicted to that stuff! I'm not kidding when I say I have gone through at least 8 packs this season! I drew my color palette from the DSP, using Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce and Night of Navy card stock for my trees.  The gems are from the Holiday Rhinestones...I love that they all coordinate perfectly!

The Whisper White background panel is embossed using the Subtle embossing folder, thought it doesn't show up especially well in the photos. I used the Hammered Metal embossing folder for the gold foil circle behind the trees...so pretty!

I kept the inside really simple, just adding a Whisper White panel with a stamped sentiment from the Perfectly Plaid stamp set.

I'll be demonstrating this card and two others in this week's Live @ Five video over on Facebook. I hope you'll join me, but if you miss the live broadcast you can always catch the replay on my YouTube channel or the Video Tutorials tab at the top of this page later in the week.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...have a spectacular week!


Product List

Perfectly Plaid Bundle (En) [151143] $41.25	Itty Bitty Christmas Cling Stamp Set (En) [150513] $30.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $13.25	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100867] $12.00
Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146981] $12.00	Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119685] $12.00	Gold Foil Sheets [132622] $6.75	Wrapped In Plaid 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [149596] $20.00
Golden Glitz Delicata Metallic Ink Pad [150711] $15.00	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [147110] $10.25	Subtle 3D Embossing Folder [151775] $14.00	Hammered Metal 3D Embossing Folder [150646] $12.25
Layering Circles Dies [151770] $48.00	Christmas Layers Dies [150654] $39.00	Classic Label Punch [141491] $24.00	Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels [150457] $8.25