The Twelve Posts of Christmas ... Post 4

  Hello, friends! Welcome back for another fun Christmas project! Today I want to share a Christmas card I created with scraps and some of my favorite Tim Holtz dies.

 

 

To create this card, I layered some scraps of Stampin' Up DSP over an Early Espresso card base and added a layer of twill ribbon and a glitter stamped Top Note label. Then I die cut the reindeer and ran him through the Big Shot using my woodgrain embossing folder. I embellished the card with some hand-dyed seam binding ribbon, a felt rose, and a rolled pine cone and holly leaves. I finished the pine cone off with some liquid applique for a snowy look.

 

 

 

For an extra special touch, I stamped the inside of the card and the envelope with pine branches and pine cones. I had such a good time creating this rustic card! 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Twelve Posts of Christmas ... Post 3

  Have I ever finished up all my holiday preparations HOURS before bedtime and had time to do something fun on Thanksgiving eve? The answer is no! Until today. Turns out planning ahead really is a good idea.

  I'm here to share a fun and fast holiday card and tag made with Stampin' Up's Season of Style washi tape, Tim Holtz tissue tape, and my favorite Fiskars Season's Greetings stamp set.

 

For this super easy holiday card, I traced my ornament die onto my kraft card base and covered the shape with strips of washi tape. Then I cut a 4 x 5 1/4 piece of Whisper White card stock and cut the ornament out with Framelits dies, ran it through the Big Shot with a snowy embossing folder, and stamped the sentiment with markers.

 

For a final finishing touch, I rubbed pearlescent paint over the raised areas and tied a piece of baker's twine for an ornament hook. I applied the white piece to card base with dimensional adhesive.

 

This super easy tag took only five minutes, and it's such a sweet little fella! I stamped the sentiment with my Basic Black marker first. On a scrap piece of white card stock, I laid out strips of washi tape and then die cut the Christmas tree. I added a glitter paper star and woohoo! Instant adorable gift-giving!

 

  Hope you've been enjoying your stash of washi tape while it's such a trendy look! Have a lovely holiday filled with friends and family (and pie), my friends!

The 12 Posts of Christmas ... Post 2

  Woohoo! Pie day (aka Thanksgiving) is right around the corner, and I'm back to share another super fun Christmas project!

  This project was inspired by Luvleescrappin on YouTube. The base is an advent calendar from Kaiser Craft, and I had a blast making all the fun 3D elements with Graphic 45's Nutcracker Sweet collection!

 

After I assembled the calendar, I painted the base black and covered the drawers with papers from the collection. I found some number stickers at my local Joann's and covered them with glossy accents. Then I started the fun part ... creating the Nutcracker scene!

 

 

 

To create the living room scene, I glued a piece of patterned paper to the base, then attached a square for the window. I used cardstock strips to create the window panes, and covered the panes with Picket Fence Stickles.

 

 

I fussy cut images from the paper collection and layered them on chipboard to make them sturdier. I created Styrofoam bases for the curtain panel, Clara, the clock, and the banner, and glued the bases to the back wall of the calendar. I added a Christmas tree, some ribbon for curtains, and some candy pieces to finish the scene. 

 

The coolest part about this project is that it has space in the back for a flickering battery-operated tea light that creates the look of a flickering fireplace.

 

Here's a link to Luvleescrappin's video:

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today, and be sure to eat an extra slice of pie for me!

Coffee and Friends

  Hi, friends! I'm back today to share a sweet and simple card I made this week using Stampin' Up's Perfect Blend stamp set. I love this set, and I love coffee (okay, I probably love the set because I love coffee,) so I've been really excited to use it.

 

  The papers were a mish mash of scraps from my stash (mostly My Mind's Eye, I think). I paper pieced the coffee cup and added lots of faux stitching for a home made feel. So quick and so cute!

 

  I hope your week of preparation for Thanksgiving is fun-filled with lots of family. Thanks for stopping by today!

The 12 Posts of Christmas ... Post 1

  How's that for a creative title? You may have noticed that the blog has been a little stagnant lately, but that doesn't mean that I've been in zero crafting mode! I've been busy creating Christmas projects over the last few months to share with you in a special blog series. I was going to wait until December 1 to start, but I'm afraid the season is about to get super busy. I'm playing for my daughters' Christmas program this year, and I have to have 22 pieces ready to play in the next few weeks. Yikes!

  The first project I want to share here is a set of cards using my absolute FAVORITE stamp set from last year's Stampin' Up holiday catalog, Wonderful Winterland. These cards also use sentiments from the retired Snow Much Fun stamp set from Stampin' Up, the Season's Greetings stamp set from Fiskars, and papers from My Mind's Eye Merry Little Christmas 6 x 6 paper pad.

 

Aren't these little ducks just too much? The stamp only has two ducks, a mommy and baby, so I stamped two extra babies to extend my duck line. :) I colored them with Copics and added polka dots to their scarves and boots with a white gel pen, and I used Picket Fence Stickles to create the look of snow under their feet.

 

 

 

I paper pieced this little guy's snow suit and layered him over a Spellbinder's Circle and Scalloped Circle die cut.

 

 

I used some more paper piecing on this card and layered my image over a doily die from Stampin' Up.
 

 

 

This one might be my favorite! This is a fun shadow box card with a neat 3-D effect.

 

 

To create this card, I cut a hole in the top layer of my card and put my stamped image and background on the second layer inside. The hill was created with self-adhesive fabric from DCWV that I watercolored with markers and an aqua pen. The best part about this shadow box card construction is that it lays flat for easy mailing.

 

 

  Thanks for stopping by today, my friends! I'll be back in a dash with another Christmas project.

Season of Style Mini Album

  Hello, friends! Today I'm back to post some detailed photos of my Season of Style holiday mini album. If you would like to make one of your own, I'll have a pdf version of the class instructions available. Just send an email to pianohearder@gmail.com if you'd like to receive a copy. I would love to see your finished projects too!

  I'll post a picture of every page here for reference. I tried to go into as much detail as possible in the directions, but I did create them for an experienced group of crafters. The instructions cover basic construction only, but I'm happy to answer questions about decorating and embellishing as time allows. I hope you have fun with this fun suite of products from Stampin' Up!



 

The cover

 

The first page has a horizontal pocket with a removable file folder style photo mat.

 

 

Page two has a diagonal pocket with several photo mats and journaling tags.

 

 

Page three has a short horizontal pocket.

 

 

The fourth page has a vertical pocket with plenty of room for photos and tags.

 

 

 

Page five features an overlay that's adhered in the center. Each side opens to reveal space for two wallet size photo mats. The right edge is also open for a pocket.

 

Page six holds a 4 x 6 photo in the center and folds out with a magnetic closure on the left side.

Page seven has two horizontal pockets. A small photo wallet made out of a treat bag clips to the top of the page.

 

The eighth page features a flip book held by a vertical coffee sleeve.

 

 

Page nine has another diagonal pocket with a photo mat that slips inside. The right side of the page is open for a pocket as well.

 

 

Page ten has a fold out photo mat with a magnetic closure on the left.

 

 

This cute little envelope clips to the back cover to hold extra wallet photos. The Banner Christmas stamp set is so perfect for the chalkboard technique!

 

  Thanks for stopping by today, my friends! I had so much fun making this album and working with this fun suite of paper, journaling tags, and other fun holiday goodies. Have a wonderful week!

Season of Style Mini Album Weekend!

  I can't believe that our annual mini album weekend has already come and gone! I had so much fun hosting my lovely ladies for this fun project featuring Stampin' Up's Season of Style collection. As usual, my super-talented friends created spectacular projects, and we made some great memories too!

 

 

 

The lovely ladies hard at work!

 

 

Jae's album turned out 100% pure AWESOME!

 

 

Stacy's cover featured embossing with a lovely shimmer accent. So beautiful!

 

 

We were so happy to have Lauren join us this year. Her "lodge" vibe featuring woodgrain on her album cover was just perfect!

 

 

Erika, my great friend and crafty mentor, created an absolutely stunning album!

 

 

We love having the beautiful and HILARIOUS Connie join us for our classes. Her album cover looked like a sparkling holiday snowstorm. Ooh la la!

 

  I somehow missed snapping a picture of Gia's gorgeous project, but I'll try to twist her arm during the holidays to get a good photo to put up because her project was just awesome! (Sorry, Gia!)

 

 Check back soon for detailed pics of the album and for free project instructions!

 

  A HUGE thank you to my wonderful friends for another wonderful weekend of laughter and creativity. You are the best!!