Archive for the ‘christmas’ Category:
Last Day: Holiday Catalog & Scentsational Season
My friend Becky Strater made these adorable Gift Card holders as a twist on our Stamp Club project from earlier this month (the Punch Art Elf). I loved them so much that I wanted to share them with you. I know Christmas is over, but so (almost!) is the Holiday Catalog. TODAY is the last day to order!
So if you love these little trees, they were cut using the Scentsational Seasons Framelits (love them – see them online – 127814) and today is the last day to order these shapes and the coordinating stamp set.
Did you see how Becky made the 3d trees? She cut out 3 tree shapes from the Framelits: 2 of designer series paper (remove the trunks) and one from Old Olive card stock. Then she folded the designer paper trees in half and glued the shapes together.
Pretty neat, eh? If you’d like the directions for the Two Tags Die gift card holder, they’re here on my blog.
Don’t forget — last day to order these shaped framelits is today!! While you’re at it, be sure to check out the Clearance Rack for extra bonus bargains, while supplies last!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Ink: Real Red, Paper: Red Glimmer Paper, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, In Color 2011-2013 Collection Designer Series Patterned Paper, Designer Series Paper (retired); Accessories: Scentsational Season Framelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Two Tags Die, Big Shot, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon
Subscribe to the comments for this postSimply Sent: Christmas greetings by text
Do you ever text greetings or photos to your friends and family? Just for fun? On holidays? Well this year I decided to pull out the new Simply Sent App for smartphones from Stampin’ Up! and craft a few digital greeting cards to txt to family.
Here’s the quick one I created for Christmas:
This iPhone app allows you to create an e-card-from a template or completely on your own-and send it via e-mail or post it on Facebook. And it’s free!
Here’s something you should know about this app: it’s not My Digital Studio on a mobile device, not even close. This scaled-back version will give you a taste of what you can create when you buy MDS.
Download it from iTunes or the App Store today! Just search: SIMPLY SENT
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Video Wishes: Merry Christmas from Stampin’ Up!
Thank you for being party of my stamping family this year! I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy sharing project ideas.
Merry Christmas to you and your family – and all the best in the coming year!
Here’s a fun video wish from Stampin’ Up!… 12 days of Christmas, stampin’ style!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Classroom Christmas Treats: MDS Style
I’m a big fan of using MDS for school projects. (check out some MDS school projects on my blog) So recently I volunteered to teach a My Digital Studio class at a local school, showcasing a few ideas on how MDS can come in handy. Every teacher can use a little time saving help, right?
Each teacher had the chance to make a classroom set of holiday goodies for his or her classroom — my treat. The projects used the Very Merry Twenty-Five Designer Tags Template (see it online - 127756) with the My Digital Studio software (see MDS2 online – including the free 30 day trial).
Are you a teacher? Ask me how you can get the MDS software free for your entire school! Just drop me an email.
Are you a digital crafter? Be sure to think about how you can use printed items from MDS or MDS2 (quick to personalize) and combine them with “real” elements to create projects.
Here we printed out the triangle pennants on one sheet, then the circles on another sheet. The triangles were cut with the new Paper Trimmer (see it online – 126889) and the circles were punched with the 1-3/8″ Circle Punch (see it online – 119860).
We layered the pieces with Stampin’ Dimensionals (see them online – 104330) and added bling — Rhinestone Jewel Accents (see them online – 119246).
Add the tags to 1″ x 8″ Cello Bags (see them online – 124134) and you’re all set! And you’re not limited to just pencils. The 1×8″ cello bags are great for lots of treats. Here are some other ideas from my blog.
Or want to learn more about MDS2? Here’s a link to your software options, including upgrades from MDS and the free 30-day trial (which I highly recommend!!).
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Supplies: Very Merry Twenty-Five Digital Download, My Digital Studio, 1 x 8″ Cello Bags, 1-3/8″ Circle Punch, Paper Trimmer
Gift Bag Video Tutorial: Last Minute Ideas for Christmas
Are you getting close to “done” with your Christmas prep? Here’s a last-minute Video Minute with Meg that will give you a fun way to turn your extra Christmas cards into gift bag toppers.
Here’s all you’ll need:
- Christmas card
- Gift bag (or paper lunch sack)
- Ribbon of your choice (bonus points if it matches your card!)
- Hole punch (I used the Little Labels Punch Pack for extra flair – see it online)
And of course, you don’t need to limit yourself to only Christmas! This last-minute minute also works for birthday gifts, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.
Curious about the card itself? Here’s the original project with details and supply lists on my blog.
Or looking for more packaging ideas? I am a huge fan of gift bags & boxes! Here are more ‘boxes & bags’ ideas from my blog.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes, Seasonal Sayings; Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green; Paper: Note Cards & Envelopes, Raspberry Ripple; Accessories: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Rhinestones Jewels, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon;
Make A Monster Christmas: A 5 year old’s view of Christmas Cards
When you’re a 5 year old boy, your idea of the perfect Christmas card doesn’t necessarily line up with the traditional view of frou-frou trees, snowflakes and flowery messages. Nope. I asked a 5 year old if he wanted to make a card and he pulled out his favorite stamp set… Make A Monster (see it online – clear 120606 or wood 118742).
When you’ve just turned 5, you’re also not too particular about whether the greeting is stamped right side up or not 
The monster’s hat comes from the Owl Occasions stamp set (one of MY favorites — check out all these samples) (shop the set online). It’s always good to have a santa hat stamp on hand. Never know when you might need to ‘deck a monster’ or other character. Don’t wait too long for Owl Occasions though — it disappears after January 2nd when the Holiday Collection Catalog ends! (browse the Holiday Catalog now)
Don’t limit your monsters to just Christmas though… Make A Monster is Tucker’s favorite stamp set for birthday cards too (see his teacher card here).
And apparently the set has wider appeal, because it was one of the favs for the girls in my Summer Scrap Camp last summer — ages 7-14. We made Shrinky Dink charm bracelets (see their bracelets here).
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Make A Monster, Owl Occasions, More Merry Messages, Ink: Real Red, Basic Black; Paper: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Real Red
New Stampin’ Technique: Misted Alcohol Resist
Last month at my Stamp Club we made a fun card with a free form and flow-y technique. Is that a word? I think you’ll see what I mean though! The technique is called Misted Alcohol Resist (click below for a bigger picture). And you can never go wrong with the Lovely As A Tree stamp set (see it online – 127793)
Meg’s tutorial directions for Misted Alcohol Resist:
- Heat emboss image on Glossy White card stock (see it online – 102599). I used Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (see it online -101930)
- Spritz card stock with Stampin’ Mist, water or alchol. Drip 5-6 drops of reinker and tilt card stock to distribute.
- Blot any drips that gather at the edges of the card stock to prevent saturating edges.
See how the ink runs but the image resists? I don’t know about you, but we’re dreaming of white Christmas here at our house!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Greetings of the Season; Ink: Midnight Muse, Versamark, Reinkers in Lucky Limeade, Midnight Muse & Pool Party; Paper: Whisper White, Glossy White, Midnight Muse; Accessories: Iridescent Ice Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Ink refills, Stampin’ Mist
My Digital Studio: Winter Bulletin Boards for School
Do you love My Digital Studio yet? I’ve been posting lots of ideas, and using the program at home for even more projects. But here’s one that I wanted to share for teacher ideas. I got volunteered to put a winter bulletin board together for a local school (that’s what happens when you don’t go to meetings ) so I pulled out my MDS2 and got to work!
The words are printed from MDS2, and the SNOW part of the title is done with alphabet ‘punches’. Here’s what I did:
- arrange punches on page and fill with snowflake designer paper
- print everything on Whisper White card stock
- use Dazzling Details (see it online) to add sparkle to the letter edges
The snowmen are digital stamps from MDS2, and I ‘stamped’ them on my digital project, sized them, and printed them.
After printing, I embellished the snowmen with Rhinestone Jewels (see them online). Everyone needs a little bling, right?
To pull the whole board together, I used my Big Shot die cut machine (see it online) and the Snow Flurry Die (see it online – 127813). The Silver Glimmer Paper (see it online) definitely added some gorgeous sparkle.
Finally, I cut some edges for the board from polyester batting that I had tucked away. Voila!
Want to learn more about MDS2 from Stampin’ Up!? Of course you do! It’s a fabulous program for all kinds of digital crafting – photobooks, greeting cards, classroom materials and bulletin boards! You can see some of my recent projects here on my blog.
Or you can learn more about MDS2 and what it can do for you.
Are you a teacher? Ask me how you can get the MDS software free for your entire school! Just drop me an email.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Ho Ho Ho: Santa Cake Pops
Early in December my daughter decided that she wanted to make Cake Pops to kick off our holiday season. What says Christmas more than a red & white Santa hat? Plus we had red and white candy melts on hand, which is really why we chose these instead of the Christmas trees. Use what you’ve got, right? 
Speaking of using what we’ve got, Stampin’ Up! supplies came in handy for bagging and the tags!
- Gusseted Cello Bags (see them online – 127850) were perfect for packing up 4 of these babies
- Merry & Type stamp set (see it online – 122552) made for sweet Christmas tags
- Decorative Label Punch to shape them (see it online – 120907)
- and Rhinestone Jewels (see them online – 119246) because everything needs bling, right?
Have you made Cake Pops before? They’re pretty simple. Here’s what we did:
- Bake a cake and let it cool (from a box — they crumble nicely)
- Crumble the whole cake into a big bowl (little crumbs are best — try rubbing pieces of cake against each other for even crumbs)
- Mix 3/4 of a regular sized frosting can into the cake crumbs. It should be about like playdough
- Roll the cake pop mix into cones and set them in the fridge for a couple hours or the freezer for 15 minutes to firm them up
- Melt white candy melts or almond bark according to directions (these are designed to harden and will hold your cake pop together better than regular chocolate)
- Grab each hat by the top and dip about 1/3 of it into the white candy melts
- Dip your cake pop stick into the melted candy and stick it into the bottom of the cone
- Set up to dry — we drilled a long board and covered it with foil to make a stand, but you can also use cups with weights in the bottom
- Now melt red candy melts and dip the top 2/3 of the hat. Before the candy dries, add a mini marshmallow at the top. Let them dry again.
- To make the bottom edge of the hat thicker, gently work the stick out of the hat, re-dip in the white candy melt, pour on a little food glitter and reinsert the stick
Voila!
Looking for more Cake Pop ideas? Bakerella is where we got our recipe and the idea for the Santa Pops!
Looking for more Christmas project ideas? Here are a variety on my blog.
Or want to focus on little treats for coworkers, neighbors or friends? Don’t miss these projects with candy from my blog!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: Merry & Type; Ink: Real Red; Paper: Whisper White, Real Red; Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Rhinestone Jewels, Cherry Cobbler Scallop Polka Dot Ribbon;
Really? Only A Black Ink Pad?
Sometimes you just don’t have a lot of supplies on hand, and it feels like whatever you want to make just can’t happen because you don’t have what you *need*. But sometimes you have to be the MacGyver of card making, and create what you want out of two paperclips and a piece of string.
Remember MacGyver? If he can do all that with the scary haircut, then I’m sure we can do it, too!
For The Birds is a terrific all-occasions stamp set (see it online) and with the SITM Club Kit, you’ll get the stamp set as well as everything you need to make the skating bird card above – precut, pre-embossed and with the embellishments all ready to use.
So think of my Stamps in the Mail Club like the MacGyver kit of stamping… you have some great supplies on hand (I promise, it’s more than a paperclip and string) but the projects you’ll create will astound you!
There’s a quick technique tip in this card, too.
- Paper Piecing: When you only have limited ink colors on hand, use pieces of colored Designer Series Paper or card stock to add the color to your black stamped images. (like the scarf on the sweet skating bird)
It’s not too late to sign up for Stamps in the Mail Club this round — and this is the only holiday card in the bunch, so you’ll have plenty of time to create at your leisure this winter.
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Stamps: For the Birds; Ink: Jet Black Staz-On; Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, Whisper White; Accessories: Big Shot, Northern Flurry Embossing Folder;
