GIFT BOW CHRISTMAS CREATIONS - BONUS PROJECT AT CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

It’s time to create all of those cute Christmas projects you need to make! Be sure to add these three projects to your list! All three are made using the Gift Bow Bigz L Die. The cute snowman makes a great decoration for any room, the angel ornament is perfect for any tree, and everyone would love to get a treat in this cute Santa box. These projects can be made quickly, so you can make them for all of your friends and family. Don’t forget to make one for yourself, too! This would also make a great Christmas, product-based class.

Isn't this a fun and festive ensemble?!?!  This project, designed by Christy Fulk, is the November Bonus project at Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site.  When your friend subscribes, just let us know!

TEA TIME

I apologize for the terrible photo, but I really wanted to share the card that I made for my sister's recent birthday.  This is such a dainty, feminine card and seemed like a good match for my sister.  It was quite an easy card to make, thanks to the Box Cards file that I had purchased a while back from svgcuts.com.  Due to the size of the card, I used the Envelope Punch Board to create a 6" square coordinating envelope and, as you can see, I placed pearl jewels on most of the flowers.  It's difficult to see, but the white panels on the front, left, and right of the box are dry-embossed, and I left the back panel blank so that I would have space for a handwritten sentiment. 

SNOWFLAKE FLIP CARDS & MINI ALBUM

Are you ready for some snow? Or at least a few snowflakes? This set explores using the Snowflake Flip Card Thinlits set to make four cards that double as gift card holders, a box to hold those lovely cards and a mini album. This would make a wonderful gift for someone special or a fabulous winter class project!

The tutorial for this project, designed by Amanda, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Even though we're at the end of November, it's not too late to subscribe!

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - CARD CHALLENGE #41

Each month, Craft Project Central has a Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge, and I liked this month's sketch so much that I wanted to make another card for the challenge.  You can see my first card HERE.  I've made all kinds of cards in the past, but I don't recall ever making a card where the layers were positioned in the top left corner as is called for with Card Challenge #41.  I love this sketch, and I actually really, really liked the way this card turned out.  Each step of the way, I had no idea what I would do next.  The first thing that I did was stamp the leaf image (For all Things stamp set) using Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Hello Honey, and Island Indigo ink, and I then embossed the stamped card stock with the Tiny Triangles embossing folder.  The die-cut house image (Holiday Home stamp set, Homemade Holiday Framelits) was colored with markers, and then I used the same colors of card stock to create the banner.  The Island Indigo and Pear Pizzazz layers were assembled onto the Naturals Ivory card, and tiny linen thread bows were adhered to the ends of the banner.  

Have you created a card for this month's Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #41?  If you create a card and upload it to the web site, your name will be entered into a drawing for a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central!  For every 10 cards uploaded to the web site, a winner will be selected! 

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

For today's MISM project, I used a couple of elements (die-cut thankful and the punched heart from Champagne glimmer paper) that were lying on my table.  I arranged them on a piece of Naturals Ivory card stock that had been stamped with the leaf image from For All Things stamp set using Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Island Indigo, and Hello Honey ink.  I used the Scallop Edge Border punch to create a decorative "line" for the sentiment from Naturals Ivory card stock and added part of a doily to the top left edge of the card.  Using Hello Honey and Island Indigo ink, I stamped two banners from Banner Banter stamp set, cut them with the Banner punch, adhered them to the card, and added a row of three rhinestone jewels.  The finishing touch was a piece of crochet trim tied around the right edge before adhering the layer to a Cajun Craze 3" x 6" card.  I love the punch of color that the stamped leaves add to this feminine card!

SEASONAL PRINTER'S TRAY

This Christmas Printers Tray and matching card would make a unique gift, that will be used year-after-year for someone special on your list.  The colors – Lost Lagoon, Soft Sky, Smoky Slake and Pear Pizazz - go together to capture the image of a silent, snowy night.

Isn't this a pretty project?  I've decorated a printer's tray before, and I know that it's a lot of work and takes a chunk of time.  Sharon Maranich designed this project, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

TRIANGLE-SHAPED LANTERN

Make this triangle-shaped lantern and learn how easy it is to make your own template. Switch out the vellum for cardstock and turn it into a gift box for teachers, friends, and neighbors or fill it with some treats as a party favor. Either way, it would also look great as a party or holiday table decoration. You can also make it in different sizes. Learn how to make your own heat embossed design, using a mask. Great for class projects, stamp clubs and/or camps.

This pretty ensemble was designed by Monika Davis, and didn't she do a great job?  Her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

A WREATH FOR EVERY SEASON

Inside this lovely box are six different card designs using the Wonderful Wreath stamps and Framelits. Get a glimpse of the endless possibilities of this truly wonderful wreath set. This makes a wonderful gift or class project, and it’s all wrapped up ready to give to someone special!

I'm excited about this idea and look forward to following Amanda's tutorial, which you can find at Craft Project Central.  Have you started your subscription yet?  

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . AND A WINNER OF THE CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL SUBSCRIPTION

The November My Paper Pumpkin (MPP) kit from Stampin' Up! arrived on Saturday, and it is pure awesomeness!  I don't often use the word "delighted", but that's what I was when I opened the box and saw the projects--8 gorgeous die-cut gate-fold cards and 8 festive tags!  Of course, the kit also included a stamp set, Stampin' Spot ink, and all of the elements to complete the projects.  Since they were so quick to make, they were perfect for my MISM share today.  

If you received this card, wouldn't it make you smile?

 The kit even included a decoration for the envelope.

After taking the photo, I added some stamped snowflakes to it.

The tags in the kit aren't just tags . . . they are awesome tags!

Lastly, I want to share a card that I made using the punched out letters (Happy Holidays) from the Lost Lagoon tag.  It just seemed like the right thing to do to create something with them and, since there are extra silver foil die-cut snowflakes, following is what I made:

Wouldn't you love to receive a fun project kit each month?  There are enough supplies in the kits for you to share with a couple of friends, and we all know how relaxing and therapeutic it is to get together with friends to stamp and create.

Get your subscription started by clicking on the Paper Pumpkin link in the left sidebar!  Or just click HERE.

WINNER!  WINNER!  WINNER!

With my November 11th blog post (HERE), I mentioned that I had a one-month FREE subscription to Craft Project Central to give to one lucky person. The one and only easy requirement to get your name in the drawing was to leave a comment HERE, and I promised to announce the winner today.  I appreciate each of the kind comments and the time taken to get entered in the drawing.  The winner is:

Marcia Enns

who wrote, "As always, Regina, your projects are fabulous! I love repurposed items and your ideas are so creative."  Marcia, if you'll email me at randari at hotmail dot com,
we'll get your subscription started.

CHRISTMAS TREE IN GIFT BOX

This gift set is perfect for a hostess, friend or co-worker.  The box is easy and quick to make with Stampin' Up!'s Gift Box Punch Board.  The lucky recipients will burst with excitement when they open the "exploding" box and find the beautiful free-standing Christmas tree ornament inside!  The tree can be removed from the box and used as a decoration for their desk or kept as a keepsake ornament to treasure for years to come.  The accompanying card makes the gift box feel even more like a gift!

I love this adorable gift set, which was designed by Carol Lovenstein.  That satin ribbon . . . my, oh my, and that 3D tree!  The complete tutorial for this beautiful ensemble can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet?  You should treat yourself right now!

"TODAY & EVERYDAY"

What is it about those three lanterns that kept calling to me from the Stampin' Up! catalog?  The Today & Everyday stamp set is (IMHO) an odd mix of images, and I recently gave in to the urge to own it.  I used an Aqua Painter to color the lanterns and added a doily and ribbon before calling this card "done".  I like this image just as much as I did when I dreamed of being able to make a card with it, and it's one that I will surely use again and again.  There's something to be loved about an image so generic that it is basically along for the ride to deliver a message.

The matryoshka dolls . . . now this is the image in the set that I thought I'd never use, but sometimes I just don't know very much about myself.  Although the dolls could have been much more elaborately colored, I kept things simple so that I could get this card of thanks ready to go.  Each image in the set has a sentiment, but I cut them off to be used independently and chose my sentiment from Stampin' Up!'s And Many More stamp set.

TRIO OF TREES

This sweet holiday gift display comes together quickly and uses just one package of designer series paper! Plus, with all of the leftover designer series paper pieces, you’ll be able to add a bunch more custom little gift boxes – they’re fun and addicting to make! You can frame the card to make a great mantle display, or use it as it’s displayed for a special gift to give someone!

If you're like me, you are really liking that blue and green color combo in Julie Beltramo's ensemble.  Her complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central beginning today.

RECYCLED BOTTLE GIFTS

Guess whose project is featured at Craft Project Central today?  That's right!  Mine!  How did you know that?  :-)  Following is the description that accompanies the tutorial for the recycled bottle gifts:

Create three holiday gifts by recycling Starbuck’s drink bottles.  This tutorial will demonstrate three unique gift ideas with festive decoration, and the gifts are sure to be a perfect fit for some of the names on your list. 

 

I had a wonderful time working on the three bottles, but I have to admit that I had an early start on the painted bottle (the one in the center that's boxed) since I made painted vases (shown below) for the ladies in my family a few months ago.  The one that I did for Craft Project Central is definitely nicer (I promise!), and I demonstrate a really neat technique in the tutorial! 

Be sure to visit Craft Project Central and get your November subscription started.  I will be giving a FREE subscription to one lucky person with my Make-It-Snappy-Monday blog post on Monday, November 17th.  To be entered in the drawing, click HERE and leave a comment on the post that features my project.  That's all you have to do!  Don't forget to come back here on the 17th to see if you're the winner.

DID YOU KNOW . . . that no matter when your Craft Project Central subscription gets started, you will have access to your subscription month's tutorials for 11 months?!?! 

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project is a card that wasn't exactly a snap to make; however, it will be the next time--now that I know the easiest way to achieve the stained glass look that I wanted.  It actually took about six tries before it occurred to me to just stamp and emboss the image onto glossy white card stock and, believe me, I did call out a few times to Mary, Jesus, and Joseph.  Lovingly, of course.  When I first got Stampin' Up!'s Gentle Peace stamp set, I will not lie . . . I looked at it and wondered how in the world would I use it.  I gave it a try, though, and still wondered what possessed me to order it.  Tossed it to the side, thinking I'd never use it, but it kept calling to me--I was so bugged that I would have a stamp set for which I truly had no use.  The image is beautiful!  Finally, I convinced myself that I could color all of those little sections, and it wouldn't kill me.  And I did that, but I'm not ready to share those cards yet.  ;-)  So how did I create this card?  I inked the image with VersaMark, stamped it onto glossy card stock, sprinkled black embossing powder all over (and all over the table, the floor, the room!), and heat set it.  Stamping Sponges were used to swipe ink (Elegant Eggplant, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise) all over the embossed image, and then I used scissors to cut out the stamped and colored image.  It needed a mat, though, so I scanned the cut image into the Brother Scan 'n Cut and let that machine cut the perfect mat, which was then adhered to the Wisteria Wonder card stock that was embossed with Stampin' Up!'s Tiny Triangles embossing folder.  I guess you're understanding how this card wasn't a snap to make, but all of the trial, error, and set-up is now complete so that I can make many more cards like this one in much less time.  Finishing touches were a pretty white satin bow tied around the Wisteria Wonder layer, but I forgot to add a rhinestone jewel to the star before taking the photo.  I'm glad that I found an easy way to enjoy creating with this gorgeous stamp set, and I will admit that the time it has taken for me to color the image with Stampin' Blendabilities markers also feels like a worthwhile investment of time because it absolutely looks stunning when colored.  Okay . . . just because it doesn't seem fair to talk about it and not show it, below is a sneak peek of two cards that I've made where the images were colored with the Blendabilities markers.  

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE FANCY - CARD CHALLENGE #41

Each month, there's a new sketch challenge at Craft Project Central, and this is the card that I created for Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #41:

I had the most fun with this challenge!  For one thing, it's an interesting design, but I further challenged myself to use Stampin' Up!'s Visions of Santa stamp set and coordinating DSP and have to admit that this is my favorite project thus far featuring that quirky stamp set.  My banner was created by punching assorted images from the DSP, which seemed really appropriate for the sentiment.  Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Card Stock:  Naturals Ivory, Real Red
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz (ink pads & markers)
Stamp Set:  Visions of Santa
Sizzix:  Circles Collection Framelits
Punch:  Banner
Accessories:  Stampin' Dimensionals, rhinestone jewels, linen thread, Santa & Co. DSP

Wouldn't you like to create a card using this month's sketch? 

Did you know that for every ten cards submitted for the Sketch Challenge, Craft Project Central will choose one winner who will receive a FREE one-month subscription to the site?  That would be a fun prize!  You can find a tutorial for the sketch and upload your card HERE.

"FESTIVAL OF TREES" VOTIVE BOX & CARD

We all need little gifts to hand out during the holidays, right?  This votive holder is easy to assemble using the Envelope Punch Board!  It makes a great teachers gift, hostess gift, or thoughtful handmade gift for anyone!  The coordinating tent-card and envelope add just the right touch!

Indeed, this looks like a quick and easy gift to have on hand.  The complete tutorial, by Laurie, can be found at Craft Project Central.

MIX & MATCH WINTER HOLIDAY BOXES & TAGS

This festive holiday packaging includes four different size square boxes along with four gift tags that can be mixed and matched. Using shades of blue and silver, there are options for both Hanukkah and Christmas, with designs that will work for either one. This project set is great for a stamp camp, a class, or just getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. It includes instructions for two square holiday cards as well.

Just look at all of that sparkle!  One of my favorite Stampin' Up! products is the glimmer paper, and this collection of boxes and tags, designed by Yapha Mason, have such a pleasing wintry look.  The tutorial for each item can be found at Craft Project Central.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . LAST HURRAH FOR HALLOWEEN

I didn't want to share this project earlier because I made these to give to my great-nephews yesterday.  Admittedly, the inspiration came from Pinterest and was a real snap to make.  Stampin' Up! products used to create these treats include:

Stamp Sets:  Merry Everything, Holiday Home

Card Stock:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, White Craft, non- SU Copic markers (to color Dracula)

Punches:  1" Circle, Note Tag

Sizzix:  French Fry Box (love this die even more than I thought I would)

Accessories:  non-SU Harvest Corn thick twine, acetate bag, washi tape

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS TABLE DECOR

Take time to count your blessings during the upcoming holiday season!  This set includes a blessings bank, gratitude cards to fill out and insert into the bank, place cards to gather blessings from your guests, and a blessings list that your guests can fill in and take home with them.  This set can be used to adorn your holiday table or you can use the box, gratitude cards, and lists as a way to remind yourself how blessed you truly are each and every day!

This lovely ensemble, designed by Michelle Wecksler, begins the November edition of awesome project tutorials at Craft Project Central.