Christmas Tag

Hello! Happy Tuesday! I am enjoying my day off for Election Day (I hope you all got out to vote!), and I decided to start on my Christmas tags. I think this year I'm going to keep the wrapping simple and let the tags do all the work! :)

I used this week's MFT Wednesday Stamp Club sketch #96 for the layout. Papers are from Lost and Found Christmas 6x6 by Mind's Eye.

Here's a list of MFT products used:
Seasonal Sentiments
Die-namics Traditional Tags STAX
Die-namics Jumbo Banner Day STAX
Die-namics Dainty Dots Border
Die-namics Let It Snowflake
Kraft Cardstock
Whip Cream Felt
Kraft Button
Hemp Cord

I cut the Dainty Dots Border from a cork sheet, and I cut one of the cork circles from the border to fit perfectly over the punched hole. I embellished with lots of adhesive rhinestones.

That's one tag down, many more to go! It just might be time to play a little Christmas music and get to work! :)

Thanks for stopping by today -- have a great day!

Christina

Wednesday Stamp Club: Simply Die-namic!

Hello there! It's been quiet here these last few days, I know. Like many of you, I have been busy with that Christmas to-do list! Today is my kids' last day of school, and I sent my little girls off this morning with gifts for their teachers. Since the theme for this week's MFT Wednesday Stamp Club is Simply Die-namic, I used a few Die-namics to dress up the gift bags. I did two identical bags, one for each of their teachers.

On the front of the bags I adhered felt snowflakes made with the Let It Snowflake Trio, and I placed adhesive rhinestones in the centers. I used the Small Scallop Border across the bottom. The paper is from the Modern Homemaker 8x8 pad by October Afternoon.

I used the Textile Rectangle to cut the tags. I stamped the music notes from Inspired By - Love to create the background. I glittered up some chipboard initials with Glitzy Glitter. Another felt snowflake and a jingle bell finish each tag. 

Stop by Kim's Blog today after 11 am for more details about this week's Wednesday Stamp Club! We hope you will play along! :)

This will be my last post before Christmas, as I'll be spending time with my family. I want to wish you and your family the merriest and most blessed Christmas! May the peace and joy of Jesus's birth be in your hearts always! :)

Merry Christmas!
Christina

Poinsettia Tree Tag

Hello there! Happy Thursday afternoon! I had hoped to post this earlier today, but all four of my kids are home because of a snow day! We've been watching movies and drinking warm beverages, but I managed to sneak away to post this project! :)

NINE days until Christmas... how can that be? I'm having fun making tags for packages, and here's one featuring the Poinsettia Tree Cling Stamp by Impression Obsession. I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with Vanilla embossing powder.

The sentiment is from JustRite's Christmas Nested Frames. I framed it with a die from the new Nested Frame Custom Dies from JustRite Stampers by Spellbinders. I inked the edges of the tag and sentiment with Tea Dye Distress Ink. I topped the tag with 1.5" brown satin ribbon, Red Burlap String, and a Prima Peridot Love Letter Rose.

I hope your holiday preparations are coming along well! I have quite a bit of wrapping to do and some cookies to bake, but there is still time, right? ;)

Thanks so much for taking time to visit today! I really do appreciate it!

Have a great day!
Christina

Mitten Ornament Gift Card Holder

Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I had several gift cards to buy for Christmas this year for teachers, nieces & nephews, and friends. We crafters are all about the presentation, you know, so I made this mitten ornament/gift card holder.

I made a template from an ornament I had purchased a few years ago, then I traced it onto some My Favorite Felt. I cut out two and machine stitched them together, leaving the top open. I embellished the front with more My Favorite Felt and three Die-namics: Hearts a Plenty, Let It snowflake Trio, and Small Scallop Border. 

Before I adhered the scallop border to the top, I inserted an eyelet in the corner for the twine. I wanted to be sure it would be sturdy when hung on a tree. Then I covered the eyelet with the felt scallops and sewed a button in the corner. The tag was made using the Merry & Bright set.

I finished the edge of the mitten with four strands of red embroidery floss. Beate has a great tutorial for the stitching HERE on her blog.

So, now after the recipient uses the gift card, she or he will have an ornament for the tree! :)

That's it for today! Thank you so much for taking the time during this busy season to spend some time with me! :)

Have a fabulous Friday!
Christina

Ornament or Tag?

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today I have an ornament/tag to share with you. I have been wanting to use these 2010 Heirloom Ornament Nestabilities since I received them -- I thought they would be great for gift tags.

Well, I got to work with some October Afternoon The Thrift Shop paper, my Cuttlebug and Polka Dots embossing folder, and Just Rite's Christmas Nested Sentiments, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

I topped the ornament with Crochet ribbon and the MFT Die-namics Let It Snowflake Trio. There are three layers of felt and paper snowflakes under all the Glitzy Glitter -- take my word for it! :) Other details: button, jingle bell, burlap string, stitching, and a tiny rhinestone on the "i". I sponged the sentiment flag with Tea Dye Distress Ink.

Although this project started out in my head as a tag, I love it so much that's it's now on my tree! I think I'll be making a few more!

That's all for today -- thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a great day!
Christina

JustRite Friday Challenge

This week, Stamper's Dream is sponsoring the Friday challenge on the JustRite Inspiration Blog . The challenge is a sketch, and the prize is a $50 shopping spree at Stamper's Dream . Trust me when I tell you that you won't have any trouble spending it there when you see all the latest and greatest products Michelle has in stock, including the complete JustRite Christmas stamp collection!

Just use the sketch challenge #037 to make your card, then post it on the JustRite Inspiration Blog using Mr. Linky. You have until Thursday, September 30 at 9 am.

For my sample I used Whimsical Christmas and Christmas Nested Sentiments. I inked the edges of the circles with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The paper is from the Holly Jolly 12 x 12 Kit by My Mind's Eye. I gave the design lots of bling with some adhesive rhinestones. After all, what are the holidays without a little sparkle? ;) 

Please visit these members of The Dream Team to see what fabulous challenge card samples they have made for you:

Michelle
Tosh
Cammie
Laurie
Amy
Christina (You're here!)
Karen

Thanks so much for the visit today!

Have a Fantastic Friday!
Christina

JustRite Christmas Blog Hop!

Hello, everyone! Happy Wednesday to you! Today The Dream Team from Stamper's Dream is joining JustRite Stampers for their newest Wednesday feature, 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hops! Every Wednesday until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining some of the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing the JustRite Christmas Collection of stamps! So mark your calendars for Wednesdays at 9am Central for great Christmas gift, card and project ideas, starting at the JustRite Inspiration blog!

For my project today I used the Whimsical Christmas set to make this fun tag! There's no better way to spread some Christmas Cheer than by giving away a bag of tasty treats, don't you agree? :)

I stamped the image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink, and I colored with Copic markers. I applied some Icicle Stickles to the snowflakes for some extra shimmer. I inked the edges of the image circles with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The paper is from the Holly Jolly 12 x 12 Kit by My Mind's Eye. I created a pleated paper "ribbon" and machine stitched the pleats in place. I love the contrast of the sparkly rhinestone flourish and the earthy brown button. You might not think they go together, but it works here!

I had the idea to emboss this lined coffee bag, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out! I ran it through my Big Shot on the Multipurpose Platform with both extra tabs removed. The bag is long, so I embossed in three sections. Since the Snowflakes pattern is random, everything blended together perfectly!

Even the side flaps were embossed! I lightly applied Vanilla craft ink onto the embossing to make it pop. Then I filled the bag, rolled the top, and clipped on the tag!

Please visit these designers' blogs (after 9 am Central) to see what fabulous Christmas projects they have for you on the hop today!

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Michelle Rodgers
Amy Sheffer
Heidi Blankenship
Christina Fischer (you're here!)
Kazan Clark
Tosha Leyendekker
Laurie Schmidlin
Sankari Wegman
Cindy Lawrence
Kellie Fortin
Denise Marzec
Stephanie Kraft
Karen Giron
Kathy Jones
Leslie Miller
Carolyn King
Angela Barkhouse
Michelle Kovak

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Christina

JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! This week is JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream, and the Dream Team has been posting some amazing projects! Here is the schedule for the week, so you don't miss a thing!

Monday
Michelle , Cindy , Denise , Laurie , and Amy

Tuesday
Denise , Cindy , Amy , Tosh , and Cammie

Wednesday
Laurie , Leslie , Karen , me and Tosh

Thursday
Michelle , Leslie , me, Karen and Cammie

My project today features an image from the Vintage Christmas 3 1/4" Borders & Centers Set. I covered a wooden tote box with BasicGrey Wassail paper, then I sanded the edges and inked them with Tea Dye Distress Ink. I cut out the image with one of the Labels Nine Nestabilities and sponged around the image with Antique Linen Distress Ink while it was still in the die.  Coloring was done with Prismacolor Pencils. I applied Stickles to the stars, and I embellished with a red button tied with natural burlap string.

I went with the Nutcracker theme and filled the box with nuts in a cello bag! The tag was stamped with a sentiment from Christmas Nested Frames, and I tied the tag to the cello bag with red burlap string.

I'll have another JustRite Christmas project for you tomorrow! Thanks so much for visiting today!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Christina

JustRite Christmas Week Continues!

Hello there! It certainly has been a busy stamping week for me, and today I have two posts! I'm excited to be able to share another JustRite project with you -- this one features Groovy Snowman, available now at Stamper's Dream.

I used BasicGrey Wassail 6x6 paper. I punched out a snowflake from the paper and covered it with Polar White Flower Soft. I stamped the star border with white craft ink on kraft paper and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. All the edges were sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I colored the image with Copics.

 

If you haven't seen all of the JustRite Christmas projects from the Dream Team this week, here's a little recap so you don't miss a thing!

Monday - Leslie, Me, and Michelle

Tuesday - Amy, Leslie and Michelle

Wednesday - Karen, Amy, and Denise

Thursday - Denise, Laurie and Michelle

Friday - Me, Laurie, and Karen

I'll be back in just a bit with this month's MFT Greatest Hits -- I hope you'll stop back to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christina

Christmas in July JustRite Style!

Happy Monday, everyone! It's JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream, and we're celebrating Christmas in July! The new Christmas and winter stamps are fun and so versatile -- you can find them HERE! I used an image from the Holiday Cheer 1 3/16" Borders & Centers Set for my project. I thought it would be fun to make a tag for a bag of Reindeer Food. This tag measures approximately 5.5" x 3".

My girls love to make Reindeer Food at Christmas time, and we are always sure to sprinkle it on the lawn Christmas Eve! It's easy to make -- just mix oats, granulated sugar, and colored sugar crystals. The glittery crystals will attract the reindeer, and they will stop to eat the oats! :)

The paper is from the Eskimo Kisses 6x6 pad by BasicGrey. I punched out a snowflake from the paper and covered it with Polar White Flower Soft to make a wintery embellishment. I colored the reindeer with Copics, and I sponged the edges of the paper and cardstock with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Stop by the Stamper's Dream Blog this week for more Christmas in July fun! You won't be disappointed! :)

Thank you so much for visiting today -- I'm so glad you stopped by!

Have a great day!

Christina

A Balanced Holiday

Hi there! Happy Tuesday! Today's MFTeaser is of the set A Balanced Holiday. When I saw this set I immediately thought of this project -- a Countdown to Christmas Frame! It will definitely help me keep things balanced this Christmas season! :)

I purchased the frame at Michaels. I just love that the opening is at an angle -- perfect for the theme! I covered the frame with paper, then I sanded and inked the edges. I screwed two cup hooks into the frame. They were red, but I colored over them with a Copic marker to make them brown. I printed out the numbers and "Days 'til Christmas" on the computer. I punched out the numbers and matted each on a scalloped circle, then I inserted eyelets into each number so it could hang from a hook. Finally, I stamped, colored and paper pieced the image to place inside the opening. I added some MFT Adornments crystals to the tree.

Here's a closeup of the image. So cute and fun! :)

Tonight at 10:00 pm Eastern is the MFT Release Blog Hop! There are SO many great sets in this release -- you won't want to miss all the eye candy! Then be sure to stop by the Release Cocktail Party Wednesday from 8-10 pm Eastern. There will be more teasers, lots of chatting, and prizes, too! You can get the scoop HERE on the MFT Member Company Forum.

I'll be back tonight for the Blog Hop -- I hope you will, too! Thanks so much for visiting today!

Have a great day!

Christina

Blessed Christmas

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today I have another All That Scraps Preview to share with you! The image and sentiment on this card are from the set Reason for the Season by Cookie Crumbs Stamps. I just love the sweet, homespun images in Diane's sets! :)

I kept it simple -- just the image panel, sentiment, some BasicGrey Wassail paper and a big bow! I colored with Copics and sponged around the image and sentiment.

All of the new ATS releases will be available Monday, October 5 at 10:00 pm Eastern. You can stop by the ATS Blog to see more previews!

Thank you so much for visiting today! I'll have another preview for you tomorrow, so I hope you'll stop back! :)

Have a wonderful day!
Christina

Funky Holiday Card

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's card is a little more clean and simple than I usually make. Although I love all the layers and texture in my cards, sometimes I need to change things up a little bit to keep things interesting! I hope you like it! :)

This is definitely a funky Christmas card, but I love how it turned out! The image is Bird on a Tree by Robin Pickens, and the sentiment is from the Fall cling mounted set. Both are from American Art Stamp. I DO love this Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper, and I thought the colors would work for a holiday card! I colored, of course, with Copics.

That's all for now! Thank you so much for visiting today!

Have a great day! :)
Christina

It's Ornamental!

Hello! Happy Thursday! Even though it's not quite autumn yet, this week's My Favorite Challenge is to think Christmas! The challenge is to create an ornament or holiday decoration. I used a paperboard star from Michaels to create this Joy ornament. I covered it with BasicGrey Wassail paper and used Bling Bet and MFT Adornments for the letters. I embellished the top with ribbon, Martha Stewart branch punch, and more crystals.

I used ink to antique the edges -- I really like the vintage look it gives. I used Papertrey's Ink's Chamomile Vintage Touch tea dye ink .

This is the star before antiquing. Okay, but plain.

Here is the star after sponging on the tea dye ink. Much better! :)

I hope you can play along with our Ornamental challenge! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Have a great day!

Christina

Christmas in July

Happy Saturday! I hope you have a good weekend planned. Chris is taking Kyle and Megan to my brother-in-law's farm today and overnight, so I'll be hanging with my two little girls at home! I think they already have some miniature golf on the agenda! :)

It's been hot and humid for a couple days, but that didn't stop me from playing the Ways to Use It Challenge -- Christmas in July. I had been itching to ink up these new stamps from American Art Stamp, and the challenge was perfect! :) I paired Paisley Bird with Ornaments with a sentiment from Greetings Words. I colored with Copics and sponged the edges of the image panel. I had a little fun with the ribbon and machine stitching, and I love the way it turned out!

Well, I'm going to see what my girls have planned for today! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Have a wonderful day! :)
Christina

Stamps: Paisley Bird with Ornaments, Greetings Word (American Art Stamp) Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), So Saffron (SU!) Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, MFT Perfect Paper Panels Paper: Wassail 6x6 pad (BasicGrey) Other: Copics, BasicGrey button, linen thread, paper piercer, 1 1/4" striped grosgrain, sewing machine, sponge, dimensionals

Wrapping Things Up!

Well, probably like many of you, I've been scrambling these last couple days to finish up my Christmas preparations. I've been doing some wrapping and picking up some last-minute gift cards! I had purchased ornaments to give to each of the couples in Chris's family, and here's how I wrapped them up:

I found one more use for my Top Note die! :) I cut out the shape from Kraft paper, then I folded it in half. I stamped the images from Winter Post on the front and stamped the to/from on the inside. I sponged around the edge of the tag and attached it to the bow with gold cord. I made my own "designer wrapping paper" by stamping the snowflake onto kraft wrapping paper.

I hope you all are finding some peace and quiet among all the hustle and bustle of the season. I'll be taking a couple days off to enjoy Christmas with my family, but I'll be back on Friday with some fun C.C. Designs cards!

I wish all of you and your families a very merry and blessed Christmas!!! :)

All products Stampin' Up
Stamps: Winter Post Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa Cardstock: Kraft Other: 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Big Shot, Top Note Die, gold cord, 1/16" handheld punch, stamping sponge

Easy Classroom Treats

A quick post today -- I just wanted to share the treats I made for Caroline's preschool class. Easy and relatively quick, with no embellishments -- after all, they are for four-year-olds!

I had some more fun with the Top Note die! I used the SU! hostess set Deer Friends and last year's Dasher paper (I'm so glad I hoarded it!). The 1 3/8" Circle punch and the Scalloped Circle punch were used on the images.


That's it! Now, I'm off to take her to school in the pouring rain -- let's hope these treats survive! :) Have a great day, everyone -- thanks so much for stopping by!

It's a Wrap!

Hi there! Happy Friday to you! I've been busy with all kinds of things today, but I did get a chance to make this quick and easy candle wrap. I love Yankee Candles, as I'm sure many of you do, and I would be thrilled to receive one as-is -- but, being the obsessive paper crafter that I am, I couldn't just leave it as-is!! ;)

This project took me just minutes to make -- there is no stamping at all! I used my Cosmo Cricket Wonderland paper pack, some SU! cardstock, and a few embellishments, and that was it!

I cut two strips of Always Artichoke cardstock and overlapped them slightly to get the correct length, then I crimped them for some texture before securing them around the candle. I cut strips of Wonderland paper and centered them over the cardstock. For the tag, I used one of the journaling cards from the paper pack, matted it on Chocolate Chip cardstock, then added a gold eyelet. I used my Martha Stewart punches to punch snowflakes from more paper, and I added some rhinestone centers. I tied chocolate satin ribbon (Offray -- purchased at Walmart) around the candle neck, and I tied the tag to the ribbon with gold cord.

Pretty easy, huh? This would be a great hostess or teacher gift. It's sitting on a shelf in my home right now, and it just might stay there! :) I hope this gives you some ideas for your own quick gifts. This time of year, we need all the time-saving ideas we can get!! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit -- have a great day and a fantastic weekend!

ATS Challenge: Gift Card Holder

Happy Wednesday! Today's ATS Challenge is to create a gift card holder. There are so many tutorials for gift card holders on Splitcoaststampers and on blogs everywhere -- you're sure to find one that fits your purpose! Or, you can create your own template -- I've done that many times before!

I saw a tutorial for the card I'm making on Gina K.'s Blog in THIS post. The finished size is 4.25" square.

All the images, inside and out, are from AmyR Stamps. I used Build a Holiday to create the trees on the front. The paper is from the Be Merry collection by My Mind's Eye. I *love* it! I Cuttlebugged the cardstock background and added some Mica Flakes glitter (Martha Stewart) under the trees. The sentiment is from Amy's Christmas Sentiments set.

Here's the inside of the card. I used a SU! Word Window punch to create the opening. I punched once, then punched again on either side until the opening was the correct size.

And here's the back panel. I used a stamp from Amy's Christmas Card Verses set. There is still plenty of room for a personal message!

Now, it's time to make your own gift card holder! Use keyword ATSDTC30 when uploading to a gallery. Be sure to upload to the ATS Wednesday Challenge Gallery -- Christine and Amy are always looking for the next ATS Guest Designer! The ATS Blog will be updated later today with the Design Team samples for the challenge -- be sure to check it out!

That's all for today! Thanks so much for the visit -- I'm so glad you stopped by! Have a great day!

Stamps: Build a Holiday, Christmas Sentiments, Christmas Card Verses (AmyR Stamps) Ink: Basic Black (SU!) Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Soft Sky (SU!) Paper: Be Merry (MME) Other: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft); Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain, word window punch, oval punches, old olive brads (SU!); Mica Flakes glitter (Martha Stewart)

More December Previews!

Hello, everyone! I hope your weekend is off to a great start! I gave myself a "day off" yesterday to spend time with my family. We watched Christmas movies and did a little house cleaning in preparation for Christmas decorating! So, I have two cards to show you today, both made with new C.C. Designs sets.

The first one is a pocket card I made with the set Winter Bear. This set almost didn't happen -- Christine was going to release the images as digi images, but as soon as the DT saw them we begged for rubber!! I'm a sucker for snowmen, so this set just might be one of my favorite CCD sets yet! :) I colored with Copics and paper pieced the hat and sweaters. There is Stardust Stickles on the snow and white Fun Flock on the hat pom pom.

This second card was created with the set Sugarplum Snowy Scenery. I stamped the house and watercolored it with an Aquapainter and inks. I stamped and watercolored the snowman and trees, then I cut them out and mounted them on dimensionals. I added Stardust Stickles to the snow and on the snowflake centers -- this card is really sparkly IRL!

Here's a detail closeup...

I finished the inside of the card with a sentiment from Christmas Verses by AmyR Stamps. The verses in this set are just beautiful!

Don't forget to visit the ATS Blog to see more samples of the new sets and to find out how you can win them! I'll have one more preview for you tomorrow along with the Sunday Supper recipe. All the new sets will be available Monday at 10:00 pm EST!

Thank you for visiting today -- I always appreciate it so much! Have a fantastic day!

Winter Bear Card

Stamps: Winter Bear (C.C. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, White Craft (SU!) Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Ballet Blue (SU!) Paper: CTMH Other: Ciao markers (Copic), Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), Lily White fun flock (Doodlebug Design), heart eyelets (CTMH), red dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts), silver cord, stampin' dimensionals (SU!)

Snowy Scenery Card

Stamps: Sugarplum Snowy Scenery (C.C. Designs), Christmas Verses (AmyR Stamps) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko); Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie (SU!) Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Regal Rose (SU!) Paper: Let it Snow (Imaginisce) Other: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), white mini brads (Doodlebug), Aquapainter, lg oval punch (SU!), white organdy ribbon, sponge, dimensionals