Project Inspiration Pocket Album

You will find a beautiful Christmas stamp set on page 81 of the current Autumn/Winter 2103 CTMH Idea Book. In this Project Inspiration CTMH video they are not only featuring this stamp set but also the My Creations Kraft Pocket Album found on page 126. Although you can make this pocket album into many different types of albums in this video you will see how to make it an album to hold all the beautiful Christmas Cards you will get. Check out this video to see how.

Christmas Project # 15

I have my last project before Christmas to show you now. CTMH has a product called Dimensional Elements Ornaments. They are a white chipboard in 6 different ornament designs. You can decorate them using a number of products. They take inks, and chalk very well. You can cover with papers too. I also used the Prism Glitter and embossing powder  to add to  some of them too . They are a lot of fun and with all the stamps, papers, ink colors, chalk colors and glitter you could make them in so many ways. Here are my set of 6. I am going to get these again and decorate in another 6 ways. They are fun to make and use as ornaments on the tree and/or add to a gift as an added gift to the recipient. I hope you enjoy them.

Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Project #14

Today I have two of the same card with just a few changes with papers and sentiment. This card again uses the Mistletoe paper line. The main stamp set used is the Adorn-ables stamp set. The sentiments came from two different ones. One was the December Word Puzzle and the other was a misc. set I own. Added to the stamped branch are punched fern sprigs from a Martha Stewart punch and punched circles that were run through a Xyron and then glitter was added. This card is a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 .I still have a few more cards and projects to post so come back in the following days to see what else I have. Thanks for stopping by. I would love some comments too.

Christmas Project # 13

Christmas cards are one of my favorite things to make and send for the Christmas Season. Here is one of my favorites. I love the look of it and the message it carries. I used the Mistletoe papers. This is yet another beautiful paper from that line. I also used the stamp sets Everlasting Life for the "Peace On Earth" and Adorn-ables for the Ornament. The cranberry card stock at the top of the card was dry embossed and sanded. The ornament was decorated with mini pearls and an organdy white daisy bow. Using the organdy ribbon not only gives an elegant look but flattens nicely for mailing and still looks good when the card is opened by the recipient. The card size is again the standard
4 1/4 x 5 1/2.  I hope you enjoy this one.

Christmas Project #12

Today I have another standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card that is very quick and easy to make but gives a look of elegance. The B&T paper is from Mistletoe Level 2 and the Creative basics Mistletoe pack. The Apron Lace border punch is used on one edge of the New England Ivy  B&T paper. Add the sentiment on the lower portion of the card with " Holiday Commentary". At the top some ribbon and a button was added along with a few sprigs of fern from a Martha Stewart punch. Add a little red gem at the tail of the word Christmas and the card is complete.
Thanks for looking. I'll be back again tomorrow with another card. See you then.

Christmas Project # 11

I have some more cards for you. I am trying to keep them flat for mailing purposes this year. Not as easy task to do when I love all the bling etc. But with glitter and embossing I hope you like how they turned out. Some of them were cased from other talented crafters and some are my own and some are a combination of the two.
I post a couple today and the next few days I will get them all posted for you.

Both of these cards used the Mistletoe Level 2 paper. I made the letter "O" by stamping from the All the Best stamp set. This is a really nice stamp set that comes in the Mistletoe Workshop Kit. I stamped the round ornament and added Prism Glitter to the swirl design. I added waxy flax for the hanger. A scalloped border punch and some sheer ribbon to finish it off. The sheer ribbon flattens easier for mailing and still looks good when opened. I used some misc. sticker alphabets letters to finish the words. The colors are Olive, Garden Green, Cranberry, and White Daisy. I added Red glitter to the cranberry dots on the B&T paper to accent them a bit more. Very simple cards but they don't really look simple. Enjoy!! Come back tomorrow for a couple more cards.

Christmas Project 10

Today I have a cute little 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 card. It can be used as a gift tag or gift enclosure. I used the following CTMH products.
9033 Wishes Card book
B1313 Stamp set "Merry Pursuits", X7115B Jingle Level 2,
X5808 Creative Basics Jingle, Z1104 Clear sparkles,
Z1313 Stardust Glitter Glue,
1771 Waterbrush, markers in the colors of
Z2366 Tulip marker
Z2367 Creme Brulee marker
Z2342 Parchment marker
Z2390 Gypsy marker
Z2357 Olive marker
44751 Black Archival ink to stamp the little Elf
I then colored him  in with markers and the waterbrush. There are 4 little Elves in this stamp set. Besides this little one struggling with the strand of lights there is one holding a package, making a snowman and skating. I have all of them in the works so I will be back to show you those once they're done.
I also have 6 more standard size cards to show you. So stay tuned.

Christmas Project # 9 An Elf has been working....

Remember my post titled Christmas Project #4  where I showed you some ornaments I had made with Re-inker colors and Glitter? Well there is a Christmas Elf (little ole me) that is that has been busy making quite a few more ornaments. I had so much fun with the first few I couldn't resist.  I made some cute little heart shaped ornaments as well.  In addition I decided to make some boxes that would hold them in case they are given as gifts??? (I don't want to let any secrets out if you know what I mean?) The 3 larger boxes are the Cupcake Box I used in this post. I got to thinking that it would be the right size for the Ornaments too. Plus it has a clear window on the top that adds to the beauty of the packaging. I used a Cricut Cut file to make these boxes. It used 3 cartridges--George, Plantin Schoolbook, and Accent essentials.I changed the window shape on the lid otherwise they are the same as the Cupcake boxes. The smaller box was made by hand.  This one has a clear top and front to display your beautiful ornament.  I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder and my Cuttlebug for the top portion. Add a ribbon handle and a flower and tag and you have a beautiful box to set off the Ornament. The small box was created by a talented crafter named Becky Roberts. She made it for a Cupcake box but like my larger box I thought it would work for an Ornament box too. I am showing one of the small Ornaments in it but the Glass ball Ornaments fit as well. Thank you for sharing these directions Becky.
So on to some pictures of the boxes and Ornaments. I am showing the boxes with the lids on and off so hopefully you can see better how they look.
The ornaments are either left plain with just a ribbon bow at the neck or decorated with Rub-Ons, glue dots with Prism Glitter,or sparkly trim. So here we go: 

I hope you enjoyed this project!!!

Christmas Project 8

Today I have a gift card holder for that Starbuck's lover on your list. This was a project I got a couple of years ago from a good friend anf fellow Fiskateer. I finally got around to making it!! Can you believe having something for so long before getting it done??!! Anyway the Starbuck coffee sleeve is most likely not the same design this year but you can make it with any of the sleeves they have. I'm not a coffee drinker so I can't say first hand what may be available there this year.Here's how I made it.
First is the cover. You cut on side open with decorative scissors and the other side you punch 2 holes 3/4" from each end for the ribbon closure.

This is the first page when opened. On the left is the sleeve as is with an arrow added. On the right is a double-sided paper that is the size of the entire sleeve when opened. This picture is showing the back side of this paper. The following picture will show the opposite side and it covering both sides.  In addition some more papers were layered along with "Eat" (the start of the phrase Eat, Drink and Be Merry). Some Raindots were added for a little bling, along with Rub-Ons from a Heidi Grace Xmas line.

Turning the page shows you the center paper that was cut to fit the entire opened sleeve. On the left Ornaments were stamped and colored in with CTMH markers. I also added some glue and Prisma Glitter to add a little sparkle. You also punch the same 2 holes in the fold of this paper  to run the ribbon through. The right page has the word "Drink" which has some Raindots and Rub-Ons also. It also has a strip below the main word saying "latte, mocha and coffee that is..." Just a little clarification for the word "Drink". lol

These are the last pages. The left page is the completion for the " Eat, Drink and Be Merry" phrase. Some green rickrack was added for a little decoration.  The right side is where you slip the gift card in where the arrow is pointing at. I plan on writing "Love from...to ..." on the arrow. With some Rub-Ons placed on the Merry Christmas tag and a couple of flowers this page is done. Add the ribbons through the holes in the fold and the gift card is complete.
I hope you like it.

Christmas Project 7

Today I have another Home Dec project to decorate your home for the Holidays. I used the paper Everlasting paper from CTMH. It is a Retired line but our current Mistletoe line would also be beautiful.  The circles are 4 1/2" for the largest which is Ponderosa Pine CS. The patterned paper circles are 3 1/2" and the center circle is 3". All the circles were cut with my Cricut Expressions machine. I also cut chipboard at the 4 1/2" size to give the banner stability. The letters were cut with the Cricut also and the Plantin School cartridge at 2 1/2" using the Real Dial Size. I cut them out of chipboard and 2 different patterned papers. One was from the Everlasting paper line and the other from the Perfect Day line which is available still. I also used the stamp sets Gratitude for the flowers and Playful Flourishes for the flourishes on the center circles. A edge was given to the Po0nderosa Pine CS circles using white paint to simulate snow. You use a distressing brush with a fairly dry brush. Fun and easy to do. To finish it put the circles together with the hinges. Add a photo hinge at the top and some ribbon. Remember you can click on the picture to enlarge it to see the details easier. Hope you enjoy this one.

Christmas Project 6

I have another card today. Simple and beautiful. I call this my Peace On earth card. It is a standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card size. I used the Mistletoe Level 2 paper pack, Cranberry ribbon, clear embossing powder and a large red Raindot. The flower was stamped with versamark on White Daisy CS and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Christmas Project 5

I have another card to share with you today. My card today is an Easel Card. I used the Festive Frills and Holiday Commentary stamp sets from CTMH. I also used the Mistletoe Level 2  paper pack, a Martha Stewart border punch called "Doily Lace" , cranberry Grosgrain ribbon and some Raindots for the berries. I used New England Ivy, Cranberry, and Black inks.

Christmas Project 4 is a Home Dec project

I called this a Home Dec project but it can also be a great gift idea too. I tried my hand at decorating some glass ball ornaments for  Christmas this year. I have seen some examples on the internet and here a few that I have tried. I made mine with Re-Inker Ink from CTMH. Others may have made them in a different way but I wanted to show you what I did. I plan on making some more and trying different techniques.
They are easy to do and don't need a lot of product in making them. I put about 30 drops of ink in the Ornament. Then swirl the ink until the entire inside is covered with ink. Pour out any extra ink. You can add  ink if the amount you dropped in to start with wasn't enough also. While the ink is still wet pour a matching color of glitter or a Prism Glitter into the ornament. Swirl that around and pour out any excess. Turn over into a container until dry. Replace your hanger part and you are ready to hang them on your tree. I tied some small bows with my Bow Easy tool and added that at the neck of the Ornament. It;s a great project for kids to do along with your supervision too.
For my 1st one I made one with Cranberry Re-Inker and Prism Glitter.

My next one was using Olive Re-Inker and Martha Stewart Green glitter. On the outside of the Ornament I placed small glue dots and then added Prism Glitter to the glue dots. Press the glitter into the glue dot until you no longer feel any stickiness.

My last one was using Cranberry Re-Inker and Martha Stewart Red glitter. I also added a Colonial White Rub-On from CTMH's "Love Story" Rub-Ons on the outside of the Ornament. It went on very smoothly. I think this one is my favorite. So far anyway... The CTMH products can be found here. Have fun making some of your own.

Day 6 of Christmas Projects

Today I wanted to tell you about the card I showed in the Part 2 of the Bow Easy post.
Here is the card

This is a 6 x 6 card. I used a number of techniques and that is why I thought I would give it it's own posting. The techniques I did are stitching with floss, rub on stitching, Cuttlebug dry embossing, Metallic Rub Ons, Bow Easy, UTEE & Glitter embossing, white Uniball signo pen, scalloped scissors and ink distressing.




This picture shows a close up of the ornament where I used the Utee. I took some red glitter and mixed it in with some of the clear Utee. Then heat gun and repeat. You end up with a clear dome but with glitter added. You can also do this with regular Clear embossing powder. It is a fun and cool looking little trick.

In this picture I am hoping to show you the Cuttlebug design on the Cranberry CS. After I did the embossing I took my Metallic Rub Ons and using the Gold went over the raised area giving it some highlights. Also you can see the zigzag rub on stitching, and the "Merry" done using a CTMH alphabet stamp and floss.

This is the Metallic Rub On product. I have had this for sometime originally buying it at a local Stamp store. I am not sure if it is still around but I thought if I showed you what it looks like you might be able to find it. It is a fun product to use.










Now for the directions in case you want to make your own Merry Christmas card. All CTMH products except where stated.

6 x 12 Colonial White CS for card base
6 x 6 New England Ivy CS
5 3/4 x 5 3/4 Bamboo CS
3 x 5 3/4 Cranberry CS
4 x 4 NewEngland Ivy CS
3 1/4 x 3 1/4 Cranberry
3 x 3 Colonial White
E1008 X Stitch Alpha (1") in size I stamped using a light ink color just enough to see the letters. I used Grey Flannel.
DMC Floss #347
1 3/4" Cranberry circle
1/4"  hand punch for New England Ivy circles
Utee clear with MS Red Glitter added
K & Co. rub ons
Sheer ribbon misc.
New England Ivy brads (3)
1/2" Col. White squares
New England Ivy ink
Gold cord
Cranberry ribbon
Bow Easy tool
Uniball Signo White pen
Scalloped scissors
Metallic Rub Ons

I know it seems like a long list and many techniques but it really goes together quickly. I hope you give some of these things a try.
Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a comment if you like what I do. I love to hear from you.

Day 5 of Christmas Projects

As promised I am back with another project today. This is a really fun Card/drawer project. You can fill the drawer with a number of things. A set of cards, candy, jewelry and a gift card are a few suggestions. This is my take from what I saw from Andrea's site. She is a very talented crafter. Be sure and stop by her site and take a look around.

This is the top of the project. The center area with the ornaments on it is a 3x3 card that is held closed by that large pewter brad but is easily opened as well.  I used Diamond Glaze and glitter to decorate my ornaments. It gave them a raised glittered appearance. Using my Stamp-a- ma Jig I was able to stamp the Merry Christmas in the bottom left corner. I will come back later with a little tutorial on using a Stamp-a- ma Jig if it is new to you. It can be used with both rubber wood mount stamps and clear acrylic stamps.

Here is a view with the drawer pulled out slightly. I inserted a brad through 2 pieces of ribbon for the drawer pull.

This last picture shows a better view of the drawer pull and drawer. I don't own the Big Shot or the die that cuts a scalloped square so I calculated a size to cut the top and bottom scalloped pieces with my Cricut Expressions and Mini Monograms.I'm happy with how it looks and had so much fun making this. I could see this made for a variety of occasions and in any number of papers.

Hope you enjoyed it!!! 

Day 4 of Christmas Projects

Today I have a really small little project but I think it is too darn cute!!!
It is a little purse that holds a Hershey Nugget size candy bar. Mine have Hershey with Almond in them. I played around with a few different techniques in making different textures on the strip of cardstock that is used to make the purse. I made some with just stamping and some with stamping and adding clear embossing powder for a patent leather look. I also added glitter to some. Some have bigger polka dots and others tiny polka dots. Even a patterned paper made a cute purse.  I hope you enjoy them.

Directions:
1. Cut a 1 1/2" x 5" piece of card stock
2. Score at 1 1/2, 2 1/2, 4"  fold on each line.
3. The end with the 4" score line is the flap (the shorter end)  use a 1/4" corner rounder to round those two edges.
4. Decorate your card stock strip anyway you want.
5. Punch a 1/8" hole right on the 4" score line close to the edge on both sides. This is to make your purse handle.
6. Take a piece of  ribbon and place an end in each hole. Tie a knot on the inside and trim close to knot. Make your handle so it stands up. Not to long not to short.
7. Cut a 1/4" x 5 1/8" strip and start at one end and fold it at each of the  folds of the purse. Glue down the center of your strip. I don't pre score because it doesn't exactly line up.
8. I used a flower and brad for my purse closure. Use a piercer and poke a hole throgh both layers and insert your flower and brad.
9. Take a nugget size candy bar and place a glue dot on the bottom and place centered inside the purse.

 Have fun making some of your own.

Day 3 of Christmas Projects

Today I have a cute little Ghirardelli chocolate bar holder. It is a Matchbook style holder. Another quick and easy project to make. I love making fun and cute little things once in a while. It is a good feeling completely something in a short period of time if you know what I mean.

Here is the Matchbook outside closed view. I matted some layers of paper, inked the edges, embossed the word in the corner and stamped and colored with a blending pen the little owl on a branch. I cut him out and pop dotted him in place. I used 2 small rhinestone brads for the closure.

The inside is decorated also and has the container that holds the Ghiraddelli chocolate bar.  I matted some layers of paper again and inked the edges. I stamped and embossed Merry Christmas in Gold.

It works best to fold down one edge of the chocolate wrapper when placing it in the holder. Wouldn't a bowl of these be cute on your Christmas table? Or as a stocking gift?

Supplies:

Cardstock

paper trimmer

adhesive

Scor-Pal

Brads- two

Stamps

Directions:

1. cut one 5 3/4" x 2 3/8" cardstock

2. cut one 7 3/8" x 2 3/4" cardstock.

3. score the 5 3/4 x 2 3/8 piece at 2 1/4, 2 1/2, 2 3/4, 5,5 1/4, 5 1/2 this will make the inner pocket for the chocolate piece. Fold the score lines in mountain and valley folds and adhere closed with Scor Tape or Red line tape When positioned inside the matchbook the folds will be to the outside

4.Score the other cardstock piece at 3, 3 1/2, and 6 3/4

5. Add a narrow piece of tape to the 1/2" edge. Place the pocket against this edge and adhere. 

6. Place the 2 brads in this 1/2" strip and through the pocket. 

7. Turn over and spread the prongs. Place a strip of tape over the prongs and then press into place.

8. Add paper layers and stamped images. For the outside your bottom layer is 2 1/2 x 2 1/2, then 2 1/4 x 2 1/4, and 2 1 /8 x 2 1/8On top of that put your cutout stamped image or other embellishment.

9. For the inside pocket cut layers at 2 x 1 3/4,  1 3/4 x 1 1/2 and 1 1/2 x 1/12Again decorate as you would like.

I saw this over at Splitcoaststampers. You can check it out there if you need more explanation.

Hope you enjoy giving this one a try .

Day 2 of Christmas Projects

Today I have a cute little stocking that doubles as a gift card holder and a decoration on the tree. Again this is my take on a project I found in my collection of saved projects.  It is quick and easy to make. I used my Cuttlebug to give the stocking some texture. I also did some inking, pen stitching and stamping. The top hinges open to reveal the gift card inside. The loop is added so you can hang it on the tree.  Hope you like it.

 

 

Have a Great day!! See you again tomorrow with another project to show you.

Day 1 of Christmas projects

Well I know it has been a few days that I haven't been around but I am hoping to make up for that over the coming days. I am going to post a small project each day until I have each of them shown. I have been busy working not only on gift items but decorative items, cards  and even some sewing. There are some I will have to wait a bit to show so I don't give it away for the recipients though. shhhh don't tell.  lol

So here goes with Day 1 of my projects.I found a similar idea on the internet and thought how cute to make something like it. It is like a little mini piece of luggage.

Inside you can put a variety of things like, candy, small note cards, tags, etc. I don't have my inside done yet. The next picture will show it partially opened.

Isn't this a cute little idea? You could even make these for Thanksgiving and place what you are thankful for inside and the name of each person on the front.

Come on back tomorrow for Day #2's project!! See you then. I'd love for you to leave me a comment too.