A Christmas Garland of Warm Memories

For me it's here!!  Not just Autumn, or Thanksgiving...  The WHOLE HOLIDAY SEASON!  I love it and I try to savor it for as long as possible!!  My decorations go up as early as I have energy for!!  and usually come down when the bright rebirth of Easter starts to send it's sunny rays through the house!

Of course I was excited when I was asked to make a garland out of some very special mittens a mother knit with love. Now that the child who received them was grown she didn't have need of the mittens but did not want to get rid of them, nor store them in a box where they couldn't be appreciated.  So the idea of the memory garland was born!

Reverse side of the Garland

    The words Warm Memories are a part of the garland, along with some fun charms, jingle bells and sparkly snowflakes.  It was then that I thought of the scrapbook idea of adding little frames for photos depicting some of the warm memories.  Since actual frames turned out to be difficult to come by, and the tiny frames I did have were quite heavy, I decided to make my own with silvery papers and large die-cuts.  I also plan to experiment with light weight medium in silicone molds!! (Stay Tuned!)

Instead of glue, I simply sewed everything to the mittens & strung them to sturdy jute cord.  This way the mittens were not damaged and can actually be used as mittens again should the desire ever arise!  Cloths pins were added to make it appear as if the mittens were actually attached to the cord with them.  I wanted the word "MEMORIES" to dangle like charms.  To make them sturdy I tripled the cardstock for each letter and then put small jump rings through the letters so they were able to move freely after I attached them to the end of several mittens!!

I finished the back of the garland and put my "Hi!" Notes Label on a snowflake!  Since the garland could be used in a window both sides are great to look at!!
 

Christmas Fun with Bugaboo Stamps!!

                                         

                                                  

Gosh!  The year has gone so fast!! This weeks PIP Challenge is # 1848 ~ That means we're in week 48 of 52 for 2018!!  Perfect timing though for a fun & easy holiday diy :)  Bugaboo Digi Stamps is this weeks sponsor and the generous provider of this weeks images "Christmas Tags"!  You can enter to win by simply uploading up to 3 of your current creations at the Pammies Inky Pinkies Challenge Blog.  One lucky winner will receive a $12 shopping spree in the Bugaboo Digi Stamps store!!! 

This digi set is simply wonderful!  I love the cartoonish drawings because they look so good with simple and bright colors!!  They are adorable tags but I thought it would be fun to try something different. 

       Each digi was colored and then die cut with corresponding circle dies in 3 or 4 sizes!  I decided to use bakers twine to string them and added a second row with a drop for extra interest.  
         





To connect them to the twine I cut additional circles in various matching papers, glittered, gold, DSP and sandwiched the twine between 2 identical size disks.  

For decoration I used Nuvo Crystal Drops, water colors, & gel pens to keep the colors bright & basic.

My garland is 8 feet in length.  I thought it would be cute on an antique window I have.  I also like the idea of draping it on a tree.  What are your ideas?  I would love to hear from you ;)  Send me a link of your project!!!!  I'll be watching for them on the PIP Challenge Blog too!!!

Hello "Busiest Time of the Year"!!

Welcome to the beginning

of my Christmas Holidays

Offering you a quick share of inspiration

****

I think most of these are self explanatory.  If you have any questions please post in the comments.  I ~ like everyone ~ am a little busy but I will try to answer right away!!  Thanks for looking, I hope you find some inspiration here! 

~ SO ~

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

<~ 0 ~>

let the fun begin!!

       Cozy Sentiments --->

Made with scrap paper strips!                     

The air subtly sparkles on this one.

Make quick & easy matching envelopes with

inexpensive pads of 1 sided papers. They're

light weight & make pretty interiors.

     



























the bird is stamped, but all the rest are made
strictly from embossing & die cutting!!  I'm hoping to share some other great Christmas/Winter inspiration but if not...
God Bless You & Merry Christmas 💝

Christmas in August!!

Is it really only August??  I felt a little Christmas vibe coming on!  Mostly I bet because of a fun new Challenge at

"Christmas Cards All Year 'Round"

The August Challenge is use yellow!  My favorite motif is pears, don't know why but I love coloring them and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a Summer quickie for Christmas!

I love the back almost as much as the front!!

Have a wonderful day, & don't forget to stop by Christmas Cards All Year 'Round to check out the other entries and maybe enter you own creation!!  Hope to see you there

Winter Cardinal

Water color blues & grays background

I love cardinals.  I think it is because of the startling red color of the males in the stark winter snow scape.  Lovely . . . .


This by far though, is my favorite bird stamp!  You can get it here:
http://www.franticstamper.com/Impression-Obsession--Cling-Mounted-Rubber-Stamp--By-Gail-Green--Snowy-Branch-Cardinal_p_115340.html

This was so pretty in person. I don't know why the lace
looks lumped but it wasn't & the card showed through
it.  The background was embossed with a clear
powder that has limited shimmer & sparkle. Subtle
but stunning in person!  The die cut star had a bit of
yellow water color on the inside & was then covered
in prisma glitter. It was then placed on a slightly
sparkling blue lace card stock

After stamping it and coloring it a couple of ways (water color background, vs water color cut out)  decided that I was obsessed with fussy cutting the whole thing and putting on different backgrounds!  I loved the simplicity of the snow scape at the bottom & use the stitched edge dies from Frantic Stamper (http://www.franticstamper.com/Frantic-Stamper-Precision-Die--Stitched-Scene-Builder-Edgers-set-of-4-dies_p_117394.html)

 

The red ribbon of paper is Peddlar's Pack Snow Flurry, stamped with white ink, cut to size & scalloped on one side. Then layered over a dark brown.  The background stamp is Stampin Up!'s  French Script in dark brown on Craft.  I love the natural element of this card but wanted just a bit of bling so I added the red sequins

 

    On this one I decided to try a wood grain embossing folder. This one is from  Tim Holtz ALTERATIONS. I inked the inside with several shades of green. After it was embossed I took a brown ink pad and rubbed across the raised areas.  Then a simple tag heat embossed with white branches, attached with brass brads holding the die cut sentiment JOY found at one of my favorite web sites https://www.papertreyink.com/pti-dies/papertrey-ink-holiday-double-cuts-die/ 
I layered ivory and olive ribbon beneath it putting that panel on top of a dark brown ~ pinking one edge & then onto cranberry cardstock.  I think this one is almost my favorite!!


Because I'm not a great photographer, here's what you can't see, but made a big difference in the finished product: 
1) All of the snow on the branches was covered with the Smooch Pearlized Top Coat
2) The berries were colored with 2 or 3 shades of red & orange
4) Each bird was lifted by dimensional tape (the star was flat against the background)
5) The background of the die cut "JOY" was heat embossed with Ivory branches.  I wanted to keep the clean look but didn't want a large blank space either.
6) The backgrounds shimmered like a cold sky behind the birds ~ I just loved the effect!

Label's for Homemade Gifts

Hello everyone!  I'm sending out more Christmas Greetings!!  I hope you had a wonderfully refreshing and relaxing holiday season.  BUT !!! If that didn't quite happen and you're Christmas season was more like mine {Busy beyond belief with no time to think!!}  then you may be left in the backwash wondering where the time went and realizing that you've forgotten a friend or two! 

 

Well sisters, it's not too late and without feeling like you're running that frantic race, here's an idea to help you spend some quiet time crafting and even "cooking" alone or with someone you love (kids will really love surprising someone with this after Christmas gift idea).

The gift idea I've implemented for years is the warm hug of Gourmet Cocoa on a chilli Winter's day!  Here's how I do it ~ it is so fun and relaxing & because it is post Christmas there is no pressure to have it delivered "on time".  Recipients will just love that they've been thought of for no "reason!!"

For the jars I use anything with a lid!  I also really like glass because you can see the chocolaty goodness inside! I've used left over jars of all different shapes and sizes.  When I'm lucky enough to come across cute decorative jars and snap them up (like these!)

I like to make up names for the mix

and use a couple of circle punches

to add a label to the top. 

I use a simple (& really old) Word program to print out labels in the
fonts I like.  I print them on card stock and cut them out as needed. 

Add an extra layer of warmth by rubbing the edges of all of the tags with antique colored ink.  I also think for a brighter, more modern look colored inks would work great.

The Snowman Soup Stamp is a garage sale find, but I'm sure you could print out the same thing using the font you like best - & in a size that fits your jar. Click the photos to enlarge if you'd like to use the poem.

Punch or die cut labels and stamp with something Wintery and good! I think the options are endless.  Base it on how much time you like spending with your rubber stamps and coloring, which of course is an option & not a requirement!

For my labels I mostly used a straight
edge cutter leaving extra length which
I then inserted into a punch.
Ta-da! Custom shapes!!

When gluing together the labels for a curved
surface, roll and bend them AS THEY ARE
DRYING. They will stay on the jar much
better and won't pucker when you go to
bend them later

Layer as many or as few of labels and "dangles" as you'd like.  Then top off the whole thing with a strip of fabric as the ribbon.  I love the way the unfinished edges fray.  Regular ribbon works great for this too.  I just like the more rustic look!

For inside the Jar. . .  If you don't have a secret family recipe for the cocoa, feel free to use a purchased cocoa and "specialize" it by putting it in a blender with something yummy. Crushed hard candies like peppermint, cinnamon, or a dash of crushed candied orange peel, etc make the cocoa unique & customized. 

Your friends and family will love this warm winter hug, great for giving even past Saint Valentine's Day!

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas Card I made for my adult teen daughter.  MERRY CHRISTMAS MADISON!

Hello, I hope you are enjoying the after glow of Christmas. I know we are.  Now that all of the pressure and excitement is over there is finally time to lay on the rug in front of the fire and play board games, color, read . . .  I love Christmas!

In case you're noticing the shorts we worked on these this Autumn!! They have to be sent off a little early. I'm a little late with the posting!!

My daughter and nieces made Christmas cards for US Sailors overseas.  (Thanks to Carrie Lee-Walden on the Unity Show & Tell Facebook page, who collects them & sends them off)

I am so proud of their generous hearts and I wanted to share their beautiful creations with you.

I hope each year you find your self more profoundly touched by the message and meaning of Christmas. Our family wishes you 'Glad Tidings' and above all Love.  Merry Christmas! 

An inspiration for you:

My nieces had never rubber stamped before and LOOK what a beautiful job they did!!  If you've been afraid to give stamping or card making a try I hope these beautiful creations will inspire you to give it a try.  Ask a friend who you know has some supplies (she'll be thrilled to have a partner) and you'll find yourself having a wonderful afternoon.

PS DON'T FORGET, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE THEM IN DETAIL!!

All images stamped can be found at https://www.unitystampco.com/

Winter Frost Papers

Hello Friends!  Just some fun wintery inspiration for you.  This card is made from the Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper " Winter Frost ".  I layered bars of my favorites onto black cardstock and laid  that over a pure white card base. 

A  lace border was punched from the front bottom edge only.  I then put a blue ribbon under a sheer ribbon both with banner cut ends.  The sentiment was stamped and embossed on a die cut label whose edges were rubbed with shades of blue ink.  Add 2 gems for accents and "Ta-Da!!" a beautiful, Wintery card!!