Mojo Monday 118 - Lovely as a Tree

We drove home from Calgary last night and I was inspired by the prairie sunset along the way. Even though we were driving east, we had a 360 degree view of the lingering sunset. It reminded me of exactly why I live here in spite of the cold! I used this week's Mojo Monday Sketch (better late than never). The itty bitty tag is from the new Tiny Tags set to be released January 5th and the snowflake charm is from A Charming Place.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Tiny Tags
Ink: Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Regal Rose, Versamark
Accessories: Perfect Details Texturz Plate, White Gel Pen, Tiny Tag Punch, Grommet, Ribbon

On Board Trinket Tags

I have to put in a plug for the On Board Trinkets found in the clearance rack of Stampin' UP!'s online store. I bought the kit awhile ago, but as always waited until the very last minute to pull them out to create my tags for those extra special gifts. The regular price on these was $29.99 CAD and they are on sale while supplies last for $10.99 CAD. They come with 6 9x9 sheets of chipboard plus matching die cut patterned paper. These were so easy to make. I printed wallet sized photos and used my punches to cut them out, covered the chipboard with the matching die cut paper, added some ribbon and tiny tags and was done! If you look closely, you'll also notice a sneak peek at a stamp set that will be featured in the new occasions mini catalogue. The itty bitty tags, as well as the 4 you were stamped with a new set called Tiny Tags and punched out with a matching punch. I think I have a new favourite punch!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Season of Joy Card

I'm loving the Season of Joy stamp set this year! I sat down with my ink, sponges, and Season of Joy stamp set this afternoon and came up with this "one last Christmas card". Now I need to move on to the wrapping and tags!

Last Day of the 12 Days of Holiday Sale & A Special Offer from Me!

Today is the last day to take advantage of the great specials on select Big Shot dies and Decor Sheets. As my gift to you, from now until December 25th, I am offering the Big Shot machine for only $99.95 Canadian (sorry, Canadian customers only). That's below demonstrator cost! This promotion is my own special promotion and will likely not be honoured by other demonstrators. Because it is a personal promotion and not one offered by Stampin' UP!, sales tax and shipping will be calculated on the full price. Orders may be placed through me or through my store. For orders placed through my store, I will refund the $32.95 by cheque, so make sure your mailing address is complete. Order today to take advantage of the 12 Days of Holiday Sales as well.

Check out what I made with my Big Shot, Chocolate Chip Decor Sheet, and the Tulipe Die (all on sale). This is part of my Stampin' Studio. I rescued the change table and baby dresser from my own garage sale when they didn't sell right away. They're not exactly top quality, but the decor piece dresses them up a bit. I literally did this in exactly 10 minutes from start to finish.

Here's a bit more of the room. The chocolate chip Decor fits quite nicely with my Create Decor Elements piece, which was my very first purchase when Stampin' UP! released their line of Decor Elements.

Using Decor Elements Sheets with the Big Shot

I needed a quick and inexpensive gift so I got out my new Decor Elements Sheets and got to work on this Cookie Mix in a Jar gift. Thankfully I stockpiled IKEA jars for just this occasion! Now that Stampin' UP! has released coloured Decor Elements Sheets, the possibilities are endless.

Here's how to use your Big Shot to create your own Decor Elements.

Begin by cutting a piece of the Decor Sheet to fit your die. I used the Snowflake. Run this piece through your Big Shot following the same instructions you would for a normal piece of cardstock. Do not remove the negative piece.

Next, cut a piece from the included transfer paper to the same size as the piece you cut for your die. Remove the backing and stick the sticky side over top of the good side of your Decor Sheet.

Flip the piece over and burnish slightly with your applicator tool to make sure that the piece sticks to your transfer paper.

Next, remove the negative part of your Decor Sheet from your image. I had to use my paper piercer to pick out those itty bitty snowflake pieces.

Your image is now almost ready to apply to your surface.

Before applying, I like to flip the piece one more time and burnish the back to make sure that it will come off the transfer paper easily.

Flip it back over and remove the backing from your image.

You are now ready to apply your new Decor Element to the surface of your project. Make sure that the surface is clean. Apply your piece by carefully sticking onto the surface of your project, then using the applicator tool to burnish it.

 I found my Cookies in a Jar Mix at All Recipes. I tied a bow on the top and added a tag with the baking instructions for the cookies. It made a quick and easy gift that I know will be appreciated.

Tomorrow is the last day to buy Decor Elements Sheets on sale. Go to my store to see all the items available during the 12 Days of Holiday Sales.

Quick & Easy Secret Santa Gift: We Whisk You a Merry Kissmas

Here's another Secret Santa Gift from last week. I'm so glad I signed up at work for this gift exchange. Not only was it a blast trying to hide the fact that it was me (one of only a handful of "crafty" people on staff), but it actually got me back in my Stampin' Studio doing what I love!

I can't take the credit for this idea. It can be found at Organized Christmas (although I think the hand made tag makes it so much more personal). There are also many examples floating around on the web. The gold mesh was left over from a gift I received last Christmas. White would have matched a little better, but I don't think the recipient noticed!

I also found a chef's hat at Dollarama, which fit the theme perfectly even if it didn't match the colour scheme.

Paper Rose Tutorial: New Use for Stampin' UP!'s Ornament Punch

This project started out with me trying to figure out how to recreate a paper rose that I saw online. It was August and my Stampin' UP! preorder containing my Ornament punch was sitting on my table, when I had a lightbulb moment. Instead of trying to hand cut a dozen or more tiny paper petals, what would happen if I punched them out instead? This was my second flower attempt, which explains why it looks a little squished (I was having a tough time deciding how to glue it down flat). I've also made these flowers out of tissue paper and plain paper. See this post for a Faux Suede rose that I added to a card.

My first attempt at this didn't turn out quite as well as my second. It's definitely a practice makes perfect type of project. However, I loved the result. Here's how to make your own. Feel free to email me if something isn't quite clear!
Begin by punching out 10-12 cardstock ornaments in the colour of your choice. The points of each ornament will become petals. Spray your cardstock ornaments with water and crumple them up to distress them. To add dimension to your finished rose, use an aquapainter to watercolor the base of the petals. Here I used Crushed Curry on So Saffron cardstock.



Roll your first petal into a bud shape. Start at one end and roll to the other end, curling the petal as you go.
To create your next petal, pinch the base of the petal to create a fan shape. The higher you pinch the base, the smaller your petal will be. Use three smaller petals to add to the bud you've created. I found that SNAIL adhesive worked to hold the petal temporarily in place while adding more petals (make sure they're dry).
Keep pinching the base of the flower bud as you add layers to it.

Continue adding petals to your rose until it's the size you want it to be. I used a total of 12 petals on my finished rose. To finish my rose, I wrapped the base with sticky strip to hold the petals in place and trimmed as close to the petals as possible to eliminate the bulk. I punched four more ornaments to create the leaves for my final project.

Thanks for looking. I'd love to see your creations!

Embossed Acetate Pillow Box

This was my Secret Santa gift for yesterday. It was quick and easy to make. My new favourite technique is to emboss Medium Window sheets with the Petals-a-plenty embossing folder and then lightly sand the top of the image. The pillow box is filled with chocolates covered with a stamped design.

Simply Inspired Easel Card

I'd love to say that my Christmas cards are all done, but I must confess that I haven't finished making, let alone mailing them. I'm much better at the shopping part than I am at the getting things made part! While browsing a local shop I discovered this Peace Decoration and was inspired by the concept. Here is the card that I created as a result.

The card is an easel card. There are several tutorials around on how to make them. I based mine on the one found on Splitcoast Stampers . Cut a sheet of cardstock in half and score at the 4 1/4" and 6 1/8" marks (accordion fold these). Next cut your card front - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4". Glue the smallest panel of your folded piece to the top half of your card front. Add an element with dimensionals or a button to the base of the card to hold everything in place.

I kept this card simple in case I actually get around to making my cards this year!

Stamps: Season of Simple Grace, Serene Snowflakes
Cardstock & Ink: Kraft, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Bella Bleu Designer Series Patterned Paper
Accessories: Frost White Shimmer Paint, Big Shot (Top Note Die & Serif Essentials Die), Chunky Glitter

Christmas Card with Ornament Vase

I'll start with the usual apology for the length of time between posts. I stepped away from my blog (and pretty much crafting in general) to take a deep breath and focus on my family and my career. Fall is always busy at school, but this year the full time job combined with an increase in time spent on extra-curricular has kept me beyond busy. While I won't promise to update every day from now on, I am planning on updating with projects counting down to Christmas. I've been back in my craft room creating projects for our "Secret Santa" at work, so it's a good time to get back into the stampin' groove!

This was one of those "quick & easy" cards. I love the new Petals a Plenty embossing folder in the mini catalogue. I also cut the tip off an ornament punched with the ornament punch for a quick vase. Check back later this week for a tutorial on how to make paper roses out of the ornament punch.

Stamps: Season of Joy
Cardstock/Ink: Bermuda Bay, Ruby Red, Garden Green