You've Got to Pack a Pocket or Two

"You've got to pack a pocket or two" are not the words of the Artful Dodger, but instead of a happy gift giver!  These Petite Pockets are the perfect size for packing with a gift card of any amount.  I love the bright yet cool color combination for this Petite Pocket as it just screams winter to me.  And the use of the mitten thread to wrap around the closures to anchor the flap shut tight is if I might say "totally adorable."

Check out a few fun challenges for this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments and Shirley's Winter Wednesday Blog Hop.  If you have been thinking about adding your Christmas creation to Shirley's hop--do it.  I am waiting to see what your making :0)  Over at Hand Stamped Sentiments their theme is Anything But a Card.  Go check stuff out and do a little Christmas surfin'.

Supplies are from Stampin' Up!

Stamps - Petite Pairs

Inks - Basic Black & Real Red Markers

Paper - Baja Breeze & Very Vanilla Cardstocks, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP

Accessories - Petite Pockets Bigz XL Die, Subtles Brads, Basic Rhinestones, Winter Wishes Felt Accents, Modern Label & 1/2" Circle Punches

Merry Christmas craftin', Elizabeth

Tags, Tags, and More Tags

This year I am not leaving all my wrapping for Christmas Eve.  Giving presents their presence is something I really enjoy, so this year I want to have plenty of time and adornments for each gift I wrap.  For today I am showing my first batch of gift tags.

For these tags I used both shapes from the Two Tags Bigz Die through my Big Shot.  The red pattern paper is from the Brights Designer Stack and the white layer is not your average cardstock, it's the gorgeous Shimmer White cardstock.  For the tree I used the Pennant Parade stamp set along with the coordinating Pennant Builder Punch.  For the greeting I used the Many Merry Messages stamp set which is an awesome grouping of images.

Come back for more gift wrap tags and embellishments.  For now check out all the Winter Wednesday blog hoppers by clicking on their links below.  It would also be really cool if you added your latest Christmas creation to the hop.  Check out Shirley's blog for the instructions.  It's easy and fun!

Happy craftin, Elizabeth

Turkey Day?

I know Thanksgiving is sometimes called turkey day, but I don't know why I call it that.  I am not a fan of turkey at all.  I love all the yummy Thanksgiving fixin's, but the bird itself pales in comparison to the glorious prime rib roast that we serve.  So, from this day forward I shall not call it turkey day instead I'll say "beef day."

My autumn Thanksgiving inspired card was cased from the awesome Tami W.  I love the mixture of Spice Cake DSP with the Hello Doily background stamp.  Adding the Ivory Velvet Ribbon with Silver Glimmer Paper punch accents make this card gorgeous.  I do have to share that I really like the look of adding text to cards, it just lends a finishing visual layer.  The "With Love" greeting is one of four pieces from the Hand Penned stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  It's a beauty of a stamp set and is a must have item for your collection. 

Here's how you make the Box Pleats for a 4 1/4" wide card:

• Cut a strip of designer paper or cardstock 1.5” x 9”.
• Using the Simply Scored Tool score the strip at 1”, 1.25”, 2”, 2.25”, 3”, 3.25”, 4”, 4.25”, 5”, 5.25”, 6”, 6.25”, 7”, 7.25”, 8”, and 8.25”.
• Fold on the scorelines by folding the first score back and the second forward, then the third score should fold forward and the fourth should fold back.  Repeat this pattern to form the box pleats.
• Glue pleats in place.
• Align folded pleats on card front, adhere to card, and trim sides where needed.

Happy craftin' and have a filling BEEF day, Elizabeth

SALE SALE SALE!!!

There are lots and lots of great items on SALE, but two of Stampin' Up!'s brand-new products will be discounted 20 percent only during the first 24 hours of the sale
(November 21, midnight - 11:59 PM [MT]):

Simply Scored
Regular Price $29.95, 24-Hour Sale Price $23.96 


Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps
Regular Price $16.95, 24-Hour Sale Price $13.56

You can visit my Online Store (click on the "Shop Now" button once there)
to see all discounted products or view this PDF.

Happy craft shoppin', Elizabeth

 

Winter Wishes Wreath

Have you checked out the Winter Wishes felt accents in the Holiday Mini Catalog? You get four each of mittens, snowflakes, holly & berries, and wreaths. They are super charming and add a quick touch of whimsy and dimension to any Christmas card or tag.

 

My layout for this card was inspired by this week's Connie and Mary sketch challenge. You can also use this sketch for your next project and then show it off on their website ;0)  

Click, visit, be inspired, stamp, upload! That's all you have to do.

My card base is made from Naturals Ivory cardstock, the DSP is Holly Berry Bouquet, the stamps are Petite Pairs, the embossed border is made with the Framed Tulips folder, and the wreath is from the Winter Wishes pack of felt accents.  The final details to finish the card are a couple Basic Pearls, a tiny Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine bow, and a dusting of gold glitter.

Happy card makin',

Fabric Friday

Welcome to another installment of Fabric Friday!  This JOY banner whipped together pretty fast for me thanks to the help of the Perfect Pennants Bigz L Die.  I cut six rectangles of the Candy Cane Designer Series Fabric and three rectangles of Fabric Adhesive larger than the pennant shape.  With the Fabric Adhesive I fused two of pieces of fabric together and repeated that with the remaining four pieces.  Once I had my three fused rectangles I ran them through the Big Shot to cut the pennant shapes.

To string my pennants together I stitched a long strip of Twill Tape across the top of the pieces.  The JOY letters were cut from Red Glimmer Paper and the Serif Alphabet Bigz Dies.  Just a few buttons, snowflakes, and rhinestones to finish off the banner and I was done!  It's the perfect size for embellishing a mirror or maybe a wreath.

Join the fun over at Shirley's Christmas Blog Hop...here is all you have to do:

1. Add above badge to your post with link back to Shirley's blog.

2. Anything goes, it just has to be Christmas.

3. Has to be a new post.

4. Add the Hop to your Post

Happy fabric craftin, Elizabeth

Ice Ice Baby

Inspired by the Stampin' Success, a monthly publication for Stampin' Up! demonstrators, I put together this festive Christmas box.  The box is made with two pieces cut from the Favor Box Bigz XL Die for the Big Shot.  Just slip one inside the other and there you have a box!

I used the Bells and Boughs stamp set, Pool Party Classic Ink, Real Red Craft Ink, and Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder.  This embossing powder is MEGA GORGEOUS.  It's clear mixed with Dazzling Diamonds glitter and so perfect for anything, especially holiday projects.

I have added my box to Shirley's Christmas Blog Hop and you can too.

Shirley's Christmas Blog Hop...want to join the fun, here is all you have to do.

1. Add above badge to your post with link back to Shirley's blog.

2. Anything goes, it just has to be Christmas.

3. Has to be a new post.

4. Add the Hop to your Post

Happy craftin, Elizabeth

Fabric Friday A Framed Table Setting

Today is an exciting day as I have created a special Fabric Friday post for Passionately Artistic, a weekly linking party.  Pop over there and join in the fun.

One of my favorite things to do during the Holidays is designing table settings for fancy dinners.  For this year I wanted to do something entirely different from what I usually do.  Instead of chargers under the dinner plates and namecards placed at each setting I thought I would combine the two within a frame.

First I found an old ratty 11" x 17" frame which was in need of a face lift and then I gave it a quick coat of Heirloom White spray paint.  For the base of the frame I wrapped a piece of tea stained muslin around a piece of 10 7/8" x 16 7/8" foam core board.  To help the fabric stay in place I used batting adhesive on the front side of the foam core and cloth tape on the back.

Next I stenciled a pattern on to the muslin using Craft Pigment Ink in Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip.  For the name I backed a piece of Spice Cake Designer Series Fabric with iron on fabric adhesive.  Then I cut the letters out of the fabric using the Alphabet Simple Bigz Dies and my Big Shot.  Then I peeled the adhesive backing and ironed the letters on the muslin.

To set the table I layered a green bamboo place mat under the frame and then placed my dishes.  I played with the direction of which way to place the frame.  I like it with the silver ware on and off the frame.  Either direction works for me and it will depend on what I come up with for the centerpiece.  To pump up the napkin I quickly snipped and ripped an 18" square of another pattern from the Spice Cake Designer Series Fabric and layered it on top of a soft blue 22" square napkin.  For the napkin ring I cut a couple tags from the coordinating Spice Cake Designer Series Paper and a banner greeting from the Hand Penned Holidays stamp set.  I love how the text adds a little something something that just finishes the look.

Well, now I am off to Good Will to find five more frames, enough for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Come back for more!

Happy fabric craftin, Elizabeth

Folded Frame For Dimension

With the woodgrain pattern paper from the Frostwood Lodge DSP I created a fun frame with just a few quick folds to showcase my focal point.  All you do is score 1/8" and 1/4" on all four sides, snip out the four corners, then fold up on the 1/4" and back on the 1/8" scorelines.

My favorite part of the card is the added bling (Basic Rhinestones) which peak through the Mica Flakes.  The Quilted Ribbon also adds a soft texture and a welcoming feeling.  The images are all from the Christmas Lodge stamp set.  When I work with this set I always seem to want to layer the images.  It just jives for me and makes me a happy stamper.  Embossing folders also make me a happy stamper.  The base of this card was textured with the new Starburst folder from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Happy Christmas card makin', Elizabeth

Convention Inspired

For today I thought I would share another card crafted by the amazing Julie Beltramo.  She and I both loved a card very similar to this one which was demonstrated at Convention this past summer.  I am so glad to have received this one in our swap.

Julie used the Stitched Stockings stamp set and the coordinating Stockings Builder Punch.  When we swap we do things a bit different that the regular ol' swap.  There are eight to nine of us in the swap and each of us is assigned a stamp set to feature on our swaps.  With that set we make four different designs and then copy them eight to nine times for every one in the swap.  In the end I receive up to 36 beautiful full cards to showcase new stamp sets in the mini catalogs.  Julie's set was Stitched Stockings.  I have one more of hers to share, but I'll save that for another day.

Enjoy, Elizabeth

P.S.  Fabric Friday will return this week.  Look for a new and special Spice Cake fabric project set to post on 11/11!

Way Too CA YOOT!

Can you say Ca Yoot? This card is super-uber cute and perfect for a brand new baby girl. Put together by my superfriend Julie B., this card was made using the Stitched Stockings stamp set and the Stocking Builder Punch.  She has also used the Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack along with a panel of Whisper White cardstock.  The adorable clothes pin detail is also from Stampin' Up!  You can find them in the Idea Book and Catalog.