Jolly Monday

Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. I got to celebrate my nephew's birthday and made him a special card. More on that tomorrow...be sure to check in then.

Today I have a Christmas card I designed for my upcoming card buffet. It was inspired by an adorable card by my uber-talented stamping sister Michelle Suit.
Check it out:

Isn't that little reindeer too cute??  He is from the Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set in the new Holiday Catalogue. I stamped him using Early Espresso ink on Kraft card stock and then punched the image out with the Cookie Cutter Builder punch. I coloured his ears and antlers using an Early Espresso Stampin' Write marker and added a red glimmer nose and a Real Red bow tie. I layered the punched image on a circle of DSP from the Presents and Pinecones pack. I layered that on an Emerald Envy circle and then a Real Red scalloped circle. All of the circles were die-cut using the Layering Circles Framelits.

The Whisper White background is embossed using the new Cable Knit Dynamic TIEF. It is INCRDEIBLE! Such a deep impression it looks 3D. Just be sure to lightly spritz your card stock with water before embossing so it doesn't tear. I matted the embossed panel on a piece of Emerald Envy card stock and then on a Mint Macaron card base. The die-cut sentiment is cut from Real Red card stock using the Christmas Greetings Thinlits. The stamped sentiment is from the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set and is stamped in Emerald Envy ink. The only embellishments are some Emerald Envy baker's twine and some little red mini jingle bells.

On the inside I added a Whisper White panel on which I stamped one of the sentiments from the Cookie Cutter Christmas set in Emerald Envy ink. I added another stamped and punched reindeer.

I am SO loving the Cookie Cutter products! So many options and so stinkin' cute! Have a marvelous Monday!


Product List

Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Stamp Set [142043] $26.00	Holly Jolly Greetings Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139882] $27.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25	Kraft 12" X 12" Card Stock [133674] $8.75
Mint Macaron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138337] $10.00	Emerald Envy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141415] $10.00	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102482] $10.00	Red Glimmer Paper [121790] $6.75
Presents & Pinecones Designer Series Paper [141986] $14.50	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974] $8.50	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad [141396] $8.50	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949] $8.50
Neutrals Stampin' Write Markers [131261] $32.00	Big Shot [143263] $136.00	Layering Circle Framelits Dies [141705] $46.00	Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143537] $13.50
Christmas Greetings Thinlits Dies [139659] $20.00	Cookie Cutter Builder Punch [140396] $23.50	Emerald Envy Solid Baker's Twine [141686] $4.00	Mini Jingle Bells [142002] $6.00

Falala Pillow Box

As we continue the countdown to Christmas I thought maybe you could use some quick and easy gift packaging ideas. Today I want to show you the little boxes I made to package and gift the tree ornaments I made for the members of my Tri-City Stampers team (see yesterday's post if you missed it!).  I used the adorable square pillow box die....check it out:

Pillow Box featuring the Embellished Ornaments stamp set and coordinating Delicate Ornaments Thinlit dies.

I began my cutting two panels from thick Whisper White card stock. I then embossed each panel using the Softly Falling TIEF before assembling my box. To decorate the box I began with a length of 1-1/4" Very Vanilla Striped Satin ribbon, which I wrapped around the box and secured with Fast Fuse. I then added a length of 3/8" white glitter ribbon over top of the Very Vanilla ribbon and secured it with glue dots. I layered a silver metallic doily over the ribbon. The ornament is heat embossed in silver on gold foil sheets and die-cut using the Delicate Ornaments Thinlits. I adhered the ornament to the box using dimensionals.

The die cut sentiment is cut from gold foil sheets using the Christmas Greetings Thinlits and is secured by looping some silver cording trim through the loop on the "f" and tying a bow.

Here is the box with the ornament I tucked inside for my team members:

This little box takes very little time to make, but can make even the simplest little gift special. I am a big believer in the power of pretty packaging...it goes a long way in make the recipient feel extra-special. Give it a try this Christmas and you'll see what I mean :)

Here are the supplies I used to create this project:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Peaceful Ornaments

So, are you ready for Christmas yet?  For the first time since...well, ever(!) I actually feel like I have a handle on things as we speed toward the big day. The house is decorated, the tree is up and I am almost done my shopping...I know...I can't believe it either!!
Last Saturday I held my team Christmas dinner as a small way of saying thank you to the amazing women with whom I have the privilege of sharing my Stampin' Up! journey. I wanted to give them a small keepsake, so I designed these ornaments for them to hang on their Christmas trees...

Christmas ornament featuring the Dove of Peace stamp set and the Christmas Greetings Thinlits.

I had several of these to make, so I needed to keep the design relatively simple. I found these little ornament frames at a local craft store and knew they would be perfect for what I wanted to do. I began by stamping the dove from the Dove of Peace set in Versamark ink and heat embossed it in gold. Then, because the opening in the frame was a 2" circle, I used my 2" Circle punch to punch out a portion of the embossed image. I removed the frame backing from the ornament, leaving only the plastic window. I used some of the long strips of dimensionals I had left over from the To You and Yours Shaker card kit to create a shaker frame for my ornament. I ended up having to cut the strips in half lengthwise so that they would be narrow enough not to show from the front of the ornament. I then added gold and silver sequins and stars from the Metallics Sequin Assortment before sealing my shaker with the punched 2" circles.

I added the die-cut sentiment, which I created using gold foil sheets and the Christmas Greetings Thinlit dies, by looping a piece of silver cording trim through the "p" in peace and then tying a bow. I removed the red ribbon that the ornament frame came with and added another length of silver cording trim with which to hang the ornament on the tree.
I have to say I am quite happy with the way these turned out...and my team were too.  I was so glad I could give them a small keepsake of the amazing year we have all had. Be sure to stop by tomorrow when I'll show you the cute little boxes I made to package and gift these ornaments in.  Till then, have a great day!

Here are the products I used to create this project:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Faux Metal Vintage Ornament

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a fantastic weekend!  Mine was busy, but we actually squeezed in some quality family time, which has been rare since school started.
Today I have a project AND a new tutorial video for you!  It has been far too long since I last published a video and I'm excited to share this project with you.  First, here's a look at the card:

Christmas card featuring the Delicate Ornaments and Christmas Greetings Thinlits

Can you believe there is *gasp* NO stamping on this card???  It is all about the die cuts.  I love the vintage metal look of the ornament paired with the modern colour scheme of Tip Top Taupe and gold.

I used the Softly Falling TIEF to emboss the card base. The background strip behind the ornament is Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum...soooo pretty!

So, without further ado, here is my tutorial video on how to create this look.  I hope you enjoy it!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog