French Holiday Set

~ photo heavy post ~

Howdy.  Welcome.  Before you asked, I haven't quite finished my trophy cups.  But, I promise, I will.  As they will be for sale at my next Craft Fair - this Friday!  I was able to work on a few other holiday projects.  For those of you who don't know, I love taking non-holiday pattern paper, and creating holiday projects.  {smile}  I do love typical holiday pattern papers, but sometimes, its fun to set out side of the box.  Exercise your creative mojo, so to speak!

A month ago, I saw quite a few wonderfully creative projects using Gilded Lily pattern paper by G45 (Graphics 45).  And let's just say that I fell in love with both the paper and the projects.  So much so that I went out and purchased a few sheets of the pattern paper.  Then, it just sat there.  (I'm sure this sounds familiar to a lot of you - smile)  This pattern paper has royal images of Marie Antoinette, crowns, lilies, script, dots, and flourishes.

I set out to start working on holiday projects to have for sale, at my next holiday craft fair.  And then, I grabbed that beautiful Gilded Lily pattern paper.  I also stopped by Mojo Monday challenge site to get a layout.  This is this week's sketch:

and here is what I did with the sketch:

Let's look at each piece separately!

First, the bag:

As you can tell, I rotate the sketch.  I also used a 'tag' for the circle piece.  The tag is heat embossed with pink embossing powder.  I used cream velvet ribbon for the top of the tag.  But I didn't want a lot of bulk with a traditional tag 'loop', so I tied the velvet ribbon with kraft twine, and added a jingle bell.  {jingle bells are fun!}  I switched out the floral accent piece with a holiday shabby chic piece.  {smile}

and a close-up:

I wanted the bulb and snowflake to move, so they are tied onto a Tim Holtz safety pin, that is secured to the front of the bag with a rhinestone floral brad.  I also added some fabulous trim in a make-shift 'junk bow': tulle, pom pom trim, crochet trim and thin ribbon.  I used kraft twine to hold everything together.

The gift card holder:

I wrapped some white cotton trim and seam binding around the top flap of the gift card holder.  I  layered a silver glitter snowflake on top of the trims.  And then added that sweet bow, with a snowflake charm tied to it.  {smile}

And the inside of the gift card holder.  Simply tuck the gift card into the bottom flap.  The sentiment is heat embossed with silver embossing powder :  Greetings of the Season.  Elegantly simple.

and now the stocking stuffer - chocolate!

I used some of the scraps of the pattern papers, and wrapped some chocolate candies.  I added a cream crochet knot, tied on a simple tag stamped with 'Noel', and tied the gold cord into a simple bow.  {smile}  Something elegantly simple.  Perfect {smile}

Well, thank you for looking.  I hope you have found some inspiration and get an opportunity to craft something fabulous, too!

Floral & Gold Holiday Gift Card Holders

Howdy! and welcome.  Just a quick post, to share what I have been crafting.  I'm working on quite a few items for my upcoming Holiday Arts & Craft Fairs.  {smile}

I don't know about you, but when I see green and red, I instantly think of Christmas.  Maybe it's because of my age.  When I was a child, those were 'holiday' colors.  But, now days, there isn't a color combo that screams Christmas anymore.  {frown}  

When I started crafting for holiday craft fairs, I knew folks were looking for something new, and unique.  And that is when I started making holiday cards and packing in non-holiday colors.  Let me share with you what I have made.

My first gift card holder uses 'Valentine's' paper from G45.  It's about love and romance.  And, yeah, I can work with that.  So, I took the floral pattern paper and the text paper, and mixed them very nicely.

G45 - Mon Amour

I used real red card stock by Stampin' Up! for the base.  I just love the richness of this color, and the weight is just delightful!  The pink card stock matt and tag were made with Amuse Studio pale pink card stock.  I used the red foil paper for the scallop trim.  I used a vintage green seam binding for the multi-loop box.  I added a silver cord bow (Stampin' Up!) and a vintage pink glitter bulb for a decorative piece.  The tag was stamped in Basic Black classic ink, using the holiday jar stamp set by Paper Trey Ink.  I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.  {smile}  So, I will be making some holiday gift bags, holiday cards, and large gift card holders with these papers.

My next holiday gift card holder uses this 'new' holiday pattern paper from Stampin' Up!.  It's black, white, and gold.  Not traditional holiday colors at all.  But, it looks so elegant together!

SU! Winter Wonderland Specialty DSP

I used basic black card stock by Stampin' Up! for the base.  I love the depth of the black and the weight of the card stock.  I used shimmer white card stock by Stampin' Up! for the matts.  I wanted white, but it looked too flat.  So, that is why I used the shimmer card stock.  I tied a multi-loop bow with some vintage black seam binding.  I tied gold cord into a simple bow, and attached a single gold jingle bell to the bows.  I stamped the sentiment from the Wonderland stamp set in basic black classic ink, onto a gold foil trimmed tag I picked up at a big box craft store several months ago.  (They were used for a different project - birthday party tags).  I will be using this pattern paper for gift bags, large gift card holders, and a few holiday cards.  

Well, thank you for stopping by!  My first craft fair is this Saturday!  Yikes!  It'll be here soon!  Hope to see you there!  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Roses & Reindeer

Well, the crafting hasn't stopped.  But, I am taking a small break to post a few pictures.  I love sharing what I create, but I always under-estimate the amount of time it takes to photograph, edit, and post images. {frown}

A wonderful lady who works at my Dentist office, came by my last craft fair (@ Tramway Community Church) and purchased all of the gift card holders I had created.  {smile}  It is very nice to 'sell out'.  And this gave me the push to create some new ones, using some different pattern papers, and embellishments.

These little cuties are a blast to create.  It really forces you to think differently.  The space to embellish is only 4" x 2 1/2", with a slope.  So, it needs to be minimalist, without looking bare.  It's always good to have a challenge, right?

I forgot to photograph these before I packaged them.  So sorry for the cello bag glare.  

Speaking of packaging.  What is stamped on the bag topper is what is heat embossed on the inside.  Also, there is a dot on the back of the bag topper, to show what color of embossing powder was used for the inside.

Recipe:  The top gift card holder:  I used the roses G45 Christmas paper for the outer flap.  The polka dot pattern paper is Aqua dots & stripes by Echo Park.  I used garden green card stock by Stampin' Up! for the base.  I also used the new real red cotton ribbon by Stampin' Up!.  It is soft and ties some beautiful bows.

The bottom gift card holder:  I used Eskimo Kisses by Basic Grey.  That paper is easily 3 yrs old.   I only had scraps, so the top panel piece wasn't wide enough to fit across the whole card.  So I made it into a panel.  I added a text pattern paper So Noted by Carta Bella.  The gift card base is made with Pool Party card stock by Stampin' Up!.  I also used the new cotton ribbon by Stampin' Up! in blushing bride.  

I tied on snowflake charms from Stampin' Up!.  Yeah, they are new this holiday season.

I created two different by equally perfect sentiment pieces.  I stamped both in real red classic ink onto whisper white cardstock; both from Stampin' Up!. 

Look for these and many more different styles of gift card holders at my next craft fair this Saturday @ La Cueva High School, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Thank you for stopping by.  I'm heading back into my craft room, to finish some more gift card holders.  And a few more cards, gift bags, and gift card/box combos. {smile}

Months in French Country

~ photo heavy post ~

Thank you for stopping back by.  I know this year is starting busy, but I'm happy that you have taken the time to swing by and take a look at what I have created.  I have chosen a few of my favorite month layouts.  Enjoy the eye candy {smile}.

March 2014

I'll start with March.  I love the mix of pattern papers, along with the machine stitching along the top edge of the banner.  This layout is clean and simple.  But, I think that leads to the over-all beauty of it.

April 2014

 Another clean and simple layout.  I didn't add a whole lot to these pages.  But, I really love the look of the sparkle clay cameo with the toile pattern paper.  I added a blossom shape text paper piece behind the cameo.  I wanted an additional pattern, but I felt that another blue pattern paper would get lost.  I wanted to add some sparkle, so I cut a foliage piece out of silver glimmer paper.

Easter, is on April 20th, this year.  So, I stamped the bunny in a circle in pink ink on the calendar page.

August 2014

 I had fun with this one.  August always means 'back-to-school' for us.  So, that was my thought process for this calendar page.  I used a large sun flower pattern paper, along with a trimmed down library card, and a wooden ruler.

September 2014

 I love the look of the small floral print with the stamped banner piece.  The colors, and pattern really do work well together.

December 2014

And last.  December.  I used the same pattern paper for the first month and the last.  I think the rooster image along the right side of the calendar page really adds a french flair.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how the text on the pattern paper works so well with this project.  December, is a month that I make cookies with my grandchildren, so the mini ginger man cookie cutter, seemed like the perfect embellishment.  Christmas, is marked by a circled tree stamped in green ink.

Once again, thanks for stopping by.  I made another calendar today.  I'll post photos later this week.  I used pattern paper from Teresa Collins, creating a whole different look.  Stay tuned.

2014 Desktop Calendar

~ photo heavy post ~

Whew!  I am finished.  There is a great feeling of accomplishment when you finish a craft/project.   I almost stuck this whole project in another bag and pushed the whole thing into a drawer.  But, I printed my resolutions where I can see them each day.  To help motivate me, so to speak.  And, it worked.  I saw these resolutions again this morning, and made the decision to sit down, and finish this lovely project.  I'm glad that I had {smile}.

Here are the finished pages: 

January, February, March, and April

May, June, July, and August

September, October, November, and December

The bound, completed desk-top calendar

bound, and standing

I used a few pieces to complete this project:  Paper Trey Ink small calendar pack, Calendar Basics stamp set, Graphics 45 French Country pattern paper, and (2)  4" x 4" paper coasters.   To ensure that the calendar, as a whole, looks cohesive, I used the same elements, and simple layouts.
I stamped each month in soft suede classic ink, regardless of the colors in the pattern paper.  I did stamp a little symbol on a few American holidays: St. Valentine's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I will stamp a few Birthdays, our wedding Anniversary, and a few other dates we celebrate: Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day.
To pull/hold the desk top calendar together, I used my Bind-It-All {smile}.
I can add a whole lot of embellishments on a project.  But, I wanted to keep the pages flat.  That way they would lay flat, and not be too bulky.    However, I couldn't help myself with a few embellishments {smile}.

This week, I will share with you how each month looks.  I'm super happy with how the finished project turned out.  So much so, I'm anxious to start working on my next desk-top calendar.  I do want to use some different pattern papers, to give each calendar an unique look.  So, until then . . .  have a great week, and don't forget to carve out some time for you!

A Gardener's Journal

Welcome.  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weekend.  I wanted to share a covered journal I recently created.  A fellow blogger had sent me an email about a submission call to an International crafting magazine, and suggested that I apply. So, I did.  The submission guidelines stated to create an altered project with a 'summer-time' theme.  Sounds easy.  Sounds fun!

I altered a hard-cover journal for writing down notes, from my garden.  I thought the whole thing sounds wonderfully summer-y!

here is what I made:

I really had fun altering this hard-cover journal.  I purchased the 'book' from the $1 bin @ a big box craft store.  And altered the front cover.  Because who wants some random image with horrible yellow stripes?

To start, I covered the front of this hard-covered journal with white cardstock.  I adhered it right to the cover, and sanded the edges, so it would be flush.

I used pattern paper from the Secret Garden collection of G45 (Graphics 45).  I just love this paper.  The images are so sweet, and pretty.  Very appropriate for a summer growers journal {smile}.

I layered a large scale floral print to the blue matt, for my 'base' piece.  From there I added all the layers and pieces.  In this G45 collection are some framed images that coordinate with their collection.  So I selected my favorite.  Are you surprised that there is a bird cage in the image?  I love the bird and floral piece, with the background text.  I looks so vintage, and pretty.

I matted it with a blue checkered piece.  I really wanted to do alot of blue accent pieces.  They contrasted so nicely with the corals.  I added a white resin architecture piece, from Melissa Frances, to the top of the framed image.  I also distressed some blue buttons in varying sized.  I tied each button with cream twine and added a pearl to their centers.  I stamped the sentiment on this piece, 'Plant a SEED.  GROW a dream.' in basic black classic ink, right onto the paper.  

I added a chipboard piece, that is also with the Secret Garden collection.  The clock image reminds me that we don't always have enough time, and planting season is pretty short.  I kept with the vintage-theme, and distressed the edges with white distress paint and glitter.  I tied a piece of peach-coral colored ribbon to this piece and added a color spritz paper blossom.  I made the leaves with a piece of green pattern paper from this collection, and distressed the edges of the leaves with paint and glitter.  And adhered it to the chip board piece.

I made a small trim piece with soft suede cardstock and the text pattern paper.  I love the contrast between the text and the floral images.  I machine stitched some tea-stained trim and seam binding to the accent piece.  I added a multi-loop bow with my own collection of trinkets.  I added a tag to the bow.  I stamped 'Fleurs' (french for flowers) in basic black classic ink, on to the tag, and distressed the edges with paint and glitter.  I added a 'crystal' dangle, from 7gypsies, to the tag.  I added a flat back jeweled 'button' from Webster's Pages, to the center of the bow.  And I topped the bow with another spritzed paper blossom with hand-made leaves, those edges were distressed with paint and glitter.

I had alot of fun creating this altered journal.  But, my creation was not selected to be published.  I'm sure their crafting magazine is packed with gorgeous creations, maybe next time.

Thank you for stopping by and having a look.