LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFTS - BONUS PROJECT AT CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

We all have that one holiday gift we forget to buy, don’t we? The new neighbor, our hair stylist, Uncle Joe who just moved back to town…forgetting a gift for any of these could cause more stress during a season that should be fun. If you have a last minute addition to your list, here are a few ideas that are quick and relatively simple. Best of all, they use products that almost every crafter keeps on hand. The projects use the Jingle All the Way Bundle to create gorgeous gifts anyone would love to receive. They also make beautiful home décor pieces for your holiday decorating. And since they’re winter themed, they can stay up into the New Year.

Even if you don't need a last-minute gift, you'll enjoy making these!  This ensemble, which was designed by Buffy Cooper, 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!

HONEYCOMB STAR ORNAMENT GIFT SET

Make this beautiful 3D honeycomb star ornament to deck your halls with some holiday sparkle. Or give this lovely ornament as a gift with the coordinating card and box that allows the ornament to spin inside and show off that sparkle. This would make an excellent hostess gift or class project! The patterns, colors, and stamps can easily be changed out to match those of another holiday if you don’t celebrate Christmas.

The tutorial for this lovely project, which was designed by Amanda, can be found at Craft Project Central.

ALTERED MUFFIN TIN DECOR & GREETING CARD

As the holiday season is nearing, wouldn’t it be fun to decorate your home with this holiday décor item? Perfect for your table, wall, or refrigerator, this sweet 3-D project could also work as a countdown calendar, and for hiding holiday treats and treasures. Give your craft punches and dies a workout to make holiday scenes, getting a glimpse of all the fun and precious things you are looking forward to. This project is also great for holiday stamp camps and small classes.

You'll have a lot of fun creating this project, which was designed by Monika.  Her complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

"HELLO DECEMBER" ORGANIZER & HOLIDAY ACCESSORIES

You’ll say a happier hello to December when you’re organized and ready for this busiest of months!  This project features the Hello December 2015 Project Life Card Collection and Hello December 2015 Project Life Accessory Pack as a fun organizer…with the support of a double Berry Basket to help keep everything together!  This project also includes lovely ornaments, three sets of holiday gift tags and three holiday greeting cards.  This project and these amazing Project Life cards…in combination with the bright, fun accessories...are the perfect canvas for an organized December and a lovely holiday season!

The instructions for this project, which was designed by Sue, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet to this month's awesome tutorials?

ADVENT CALENDAR BANNER BOX SET

Celebrate each day of December up to Christmas with a sweet little treat all held on a twine banner in these cute little boxes that are all decked out in red and gold. Want to give this banner as a gift? The coordinating box holds all 25 boxes folded flat with mini clothespins, twine, and decorative trim.

The tutorial for this fun project, which was designed by Amanda, can be found at Craft Project Central.

SYMPATHY TUNNEL CARD . . . AND THE WINNER OF A FREE ONE-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

Instead of the usual Make-It-Snappy-Monday blog post today, I decided to share a tunnel card that I made two nights ago for a special aunt and uncle whose son passed away.  I guess all stampers have their own unspoken rule-but-not-really-a-rule, and mine is that I don't send ready-made sympathy cards--regardless of how many I may have on hand . . . as I need one, I make one.  I don't really know why I do that (just as I don't know why I mention this each time I share a sympathy card) but, somehow, it just feels like the right thing to do.  Besides, it affords me the opportunity to think of the family and the one who has passed as I create the card.  When someone receives a sympathy card from me, they don't know that I created that particular card especially for them, but it's important for me to know that I gave that thought and time along with a little piece of my heart.  About the card . . . there's nothing really special about the front:

but the inside (IMHO) is quite special:

Stampin' Up! products featured on this card include:
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Cajun Craze
Stamp Sets:  Sheltering Tree, Heartfelt Sympathy, Blessings from Heaven (retired)
Ink:  Cajun Craze
Punches:  Elegant Butterfly, Scallop Oval
Sizzix:  Lots of Labels Framelits, Fluttering Embossing Folder
Accessories:  Rhinestone Jewels, Metallics Sequin Assortment

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

With my November 12th blog post (HERE), I promised that I would announce the winner of the FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central .  To be entered in the drawing, there was one simple requirement . . . just leave a comment HERE about my project.  Thanks so much to those who took the time to comment.  I only have one subscription to give away, and it goes to #8 . . . SUE ROOT.  Congratulations, Sue!  If you'll email me at randari at Hotmail dot com, we'll get your subscription started!

CHRISTMAS LODGE GIFT SET

With the holidays approaching, many of us are looking for creative gifts and packaging to show appreciation for the wonderful people in our lives. Look no further! Delight someone special on your list with this beautiful Christmas Lodge Gift Set! The Christmas Lodge Gift Box looks like it was taken right out of a charming mountain scene. It is a stunning way to package goodies or a gift and can be used as a decorative centerpiece after the gift is opened! The December 2015 Mini Book is the perfect gift to go inside! Learn the simple saddle stitch to create this custom book and create a photo album or journal to capture all of the Christmas memories this year. A coordinating card tops off this festive ensemble! If you want a quick way to package gifts and treats this holiday season, the tag in this set is an easy way to dress up a cellophane bag. 

There's so much to take away from this tutorial, so be sure to really study the sneak peek photo.  Better yet, get your Craft Project Central subscription started today so that you can start working on any or all of this month's awesome projects--one of which is this project was which designed by Julie.

"PEACEFUL PINES" STAMP-A-STACK . . . AND CARD CASE!

I'm excited today to share a sneak peek of the project that I designed for this month's edition of awesome tutorials at Craft Project Central.  Following is the introduction that I wrote for my project:

You’ll enjoy the ease of using one stamp set and one set of dies to create a variety of Christmas cards that feature an array of simple decorative elements and techniques.  With this tutorial, you will make six cards and decorate a stamp case for storing them until time to drop them in the mail.  Once the case is empty, you’ll probably end up placing a gift in it for someone since it’s decorated and ready to go!  This ensemble is perfect for a class or stamp camp!

How would you like to win a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central?  To get your name entered in the drawing, all that's required is for you to leave one little comment at Craft Project Central (click HERE) where you see the sneak peek photo of my project.  It's really that simple!  On Monday, November 23rd, I will announce the winning name here on my blog so be sure to come back for a visit on the 23rd to see if you have won!

A MOSAIC BEAUTY

I am pleased to share this gorgeous work of art that was waiting for me when I walked in the door tonight. 

Isn't this a great card????  It's got color, texture, sparkle, and even better than just good design . . . it's got style!  Debbie, pat yourself on the back for not only creating a beauty but for also making my day.  Way back when I was a brand new Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Debbie was the first new customer who contacted me and was interested in classes.  Over the years, I think of her more as a friend who has been faithfully attending my classes. . . for 10 years!  That's actually one of the best things about being a demonstrator--the friends you make along the way.  It sounds cheesy to say that, but it really is true.

 

DECORATIVE MASKS SAMPLER INSPIRATION CANVAS

What can you do with decorative masks?  This tutorial is designed to expose you to a myriad of techniques you can use with your purchased or DIY decorative masks!  Learn how to combine masks with modeling paste, inks, sanding blocks, pens, and more!  This canvas incorporates all of these techniques into a beautiful home décor item that is perfect for gift-giving or hanging on one of your walls.  Let’s explore what you can do with decorative masks!

There are a lot of fun techniques included in this pretty canvas, which was designed by Michelle.  You can find her step-by-step tutorial at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet to this month's awesomeness????

NOEL SQUARE PILLOW BOX GARLAND GIFT SET

Hang this festive garland for the holidays! The Square Pillow Box Thinlits Dies makes this cute décor item a cinch to put together! Plus, you’ll learn how to adapt the pillow box to make an Altered Open-Top Pillow Box – perfect for holding some special treats. After you’ve made a set for yourself, you can make the coordinating card and give another set as a gift! 

The tutorial for this creative project, which was designed by Julie, can be found at Craft Project Central.

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - SKETCH CHALLENGE #53

This month's Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #53 at Craft Project Central is a really easy one, and you'll have no trouble creating a card to upload for the challenge!  A picture of the sketch is shown below, and there's even a FREE tutorial which you can find HERE.

I chose to create a Christmas card for the challenge:

My card features the following Stampin' Up! products:
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Pacific Point, Silver Glimmer
Stamp Set:  Jingle All the Way
Ink:  Pacific Point
Punches:  Triple Banner, Snow Flurry
Sizzix:  Decorative Dots Embossing Folder
Accessories:  Silver Cording Trim, Metallics Sequin Assortment, Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

If you read the list of products used, you may be wondering what I did with the punched snow flurries.  I did a dumb thing, actually.  I punched them from Pacific Point cardstock with the intention of having them embedded with the embossed blue layer.  They are, indeed, embedded and nearly invisible to the naked eye.  Now, why didn't I know that was going to happen?  Oh well, it is what it is.  

Did you know that for every 10 cards that are uploaded HERE, a name will be drawn to receive a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central?  That's pretty awesome!  If I were you, I'd get busy making a card for this challenge and get it uploaded!

POINSETTIA CHRISTMAS TREE & FRAME

If you love poinsettias at Christmas time, then this Christmas tree and picture frame will be perfect additions to your Christmas décor. The tree is full of poinsettias, and the frame has a beautiful large poinsettia attached to it. The frame would be perfect for a picture of your kids with Santa! This tutorial teaches how to make two different size poinsettias with the Festive Flower Builder Punch. It also features the Reason for the Season Stamp Set and Season of Cheer Designer Series Paper. 

Doesn't this look like a gorgeous ensemble?  The talented Christy Fulk has been busy making a lot of poinsettias and, apparently, put them to work in a beautiful way!  You can find her step-by-step tutorial at Craft Project Central.

"PRETTY THANKFUL" FUN-FOLD CARD

I needed a special thank you card to send to my parents, and I wanted to make something with a fun fold or unique design.  This design seemed to fit the bill.  A lot of time and thought was spent on this card and, surprisingly, I didn't have to make a second one which is normally the case when I try something new or different.  The only problem was that--after all was said and done and I finished being pleased with myself--I realized that I had nowhere to enclose the check that needed to accompany the card.  And that's where the handy dandy circle clip came to the rescue.  I've had those clips for YEARS, and it was quite nice to finally have a use for one of them after all the times that I have moved them from one jar to another and to a container and to a box and back to a jar and so forth and so on during many re-organizations in my stamp room.  

I haven't had time yet to make specific notes about this card design, but I hope to do that soon.  It's really a fun one in that the red strip with the white dots is attached to the front and back panels, but it has the necessary folds to be bent--or straight--when opened. There are a lot of design options with this card, but I mostly left that task to the patterned paper that I chose! I won't lie . . . this card is a bit bulky, but sometimes that just doesn't matter when something special is needed for special people.

THANKFUL SCRAPBOOK WITH POCKETS

This fun-to-make book can be used for so many things – scrapbook, gratitude journal, cookbook, and more! It features the gorgeous Into the Woods Designer Series Paper for a fabulous fall look. There are lined pages for writing, pockets for adding items, and room for pictures. Preserve your autumn memories or give it as a gift with the matching card. This project would also make an excellent class or club project.

Today begins a brand new month of awesome project tutorials at Craft Project Central, which is where you can find the tutorial for this wonderful project, which was designed by Yapha.