12 Weeks Of Christmas - LAST WEEK Candlelight Christmas Gift Card Holders

Week 12 - Phew, we made it - Yay!  How fun was that?  The best thing for me is I have all my Christmas cards, all my boxes, bags, gifts made for Christmas day.  Wow, Christmas day is only 3 more sleeps as my kids would say.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for visiting my blog throughout the year & to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

My last post for this series is a gift card holder.   It is based on the design of one I did in this post.  I changed the DSP but the design is exactly the same.  I used Candlelight Christmas DSP on these and also the very cute Mixed Medley Hostess stamp set  & 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punch which are all from the Holiday Catalogue which is ending January 31st.  I know I will definitely get a few packs of this DSP to put away for a rainy day ;)  See that ribbon - that is the 7/8" Cotton ribbon stamped with the Border Banter stamp set.  Yes, this is in the Holiday mini also.  I like to fray the edges, however you can see in the 1st photo I have a little No Peeking Reindeer one without the fraying.

Candlelight Christmas Gift Card Holders

No Peeking Gift Card Holder

Inside the gift card holder

Mixed Medley & Daydream Medallions Gift Card Holder 

Stamp Sets: Mixed Medley, Daydream Medallions, No Peeking, Border Banter, Wacky Wishes (Hostess main catty).
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Real Red, Candlelight Christmas DSP.  

Ink:  Early Espresso, Real Red, Lucky Limeade.

Cool Tools:  1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 1 1/4 Scallop Circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Sticky Strip, Word Window punch, Circles #2 Sizzix Die, Big shot ( for no peeking card), 7/8" Cotton Ribbon.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks Of Christmas WEEK 12: A Gift Ensemble

This is my last week if the 12 weeks of Christmas Promotion :(  I have had so much fun creating for it I have decided to do a Saleabration version in the new year.

Here is a little ensemble my Stamp club girls made last week.  With Christmas upon us I thought we could look at ways to present gifts using our stamps, DSP & inks. I focused on Early Espresso, Very Vanilla & the Candlelight Christmas DSP.  The bag was easy. A quick roll across the front with the builder wheel, a snowflake and a bow made of tulle.  The card was even quicker.  I knocked 15 of these off in one go!  I just lined them up and wheeled away.  The kraft box was a little more difficult and required lining up but looked great.  **A word of warning when using wheels with words.  Stamp a sample 1st on a bit of scratch paper to check that the words are the right way up.

Gift Giving Ensemble

 We give a lot of wine as gifts so a bottle tag was needed to finish off the ensemble.  The one I made was given away so this is another of my creations based on that original version.  I used the Champagne glimmer paper on this one, unlike the original that only used Very Vanilla & Early Espresso.

Bottle Tag

I have had fun trying out some of the wheels this month.  I had previously overlooked wheels, however when faced with making 50 Christmas cards/tags/bags I decided they might be worth a try.  I must say it was well worth the investment of only $7.95 each.  Next time you are looking for a quick decorating stamp try the wheels as they are perfect for this job.

Stamp Sets: Choc Full Of Cheer, Snowflake Party Builder Wheel, Good Cheer Builder Wheel. 
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Champagne Glimmer paper, Candlelight Christmas DSP.  

Ink:  Early Espresso.

Cool Tools: Bigshot, Builder Wheels, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Silver Brads, Delicate Doilies Sizzlits, Naturals Wooden Buttons, 1/4" Early Espresso Grosgrain Ribbon, Glue dots, Stapler,  1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 3 1/2" Early Espresso Tulle.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 11 Island Indigo Christmas Lodge Tree

Well, I guess we are coming to an end of these posts since Christmas is only days away.  Yes DAYS away people!   I have one last Christmas card to share with you and it is one of my favourites.  The photo is a bit on the dodgy side and it doesn't show all the glitter sorry.

I know,  I have a slight addiction to the Christmas Lodge stamp set and also to flags & Island Indigo so I thought - Why not put them all together!  This is one of my Christmas cards I'm sending out to family & friends.   I used Island Indigo on the card and then "thumped" the stamp with a midnight muse marker before stamping, giving the image a 3D effect.  I then added Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  It sparkles at night & is so pretty but unfortunately the camera did not capture that.

Island Indigo Christmas Lodge Tree Card

Stamp Sets: Christmas Lodge, Greetings Of The Season
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Island Indigo, Midnight Muse, Festival of Prints DSP Stack  

Ink:   Island Indigo, Midnight Muse

Cool Tools: 1" Square punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 11: For the Birds Christmas Cards

Whilst away on holiday last week, I spent a few hours of each day creating my Christmas Cards.  It was so nice to create without distractions of everyday life.  Some of my family & friends will be receiving one of these very soon.

I love the For the Birds stamp set and had set my mind on using this set for my Christmas cards this year.  Here are a few of the many cards I made using this stamp set.

For all these cards I used the Festival Of Prints Designer Series Stack which is such great value & it has so many pretty patterns.  For the cardstock I used Very Vanilla, Island Indigo & Cherry Cobbler.

Stamp Sets: For The Birds.
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler.   

Ink:   Black Stayzon, Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake.

Cool Tools: Bigshot, Finishing Touches Edgelits, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Window Framelits, Snail, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, 1" Square punch.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 10 Candle gifts

Having just returned from a nice little pre-christmas holiday I am ready to get back into the swing of creating again.  I feel like I have lost my mojo after that little break, so the answer is to lock myself in my stamp room and to see if anything comes back.  Stay tuned for those results!

Wow! We only have a few weeks left of my 12 weeks of Christmas promotion.  How quick has that just gone by!  Well, as we come to a close I thought I would share a few quick gift giving ideas instead of a cards for a bit of a change.  I recently held a candle stamping class where we all stamped our favourite images onto church candles. It was hard to choose my favourite but here are a few.

Christmas Deer & Beautiful Season

Christmas Deer & Snowflake Soiree all wrapped up ready to be gifted.

Christmas candles are very easy to make once you get the hang of the melting process. I had so many options of stamp sets to use but these were my 3 favourite designs.

Stamp Sets: Christmas Deer, Snowflake Soiree, Beautiful Season, More Merry Messages.
Paper:  Non-SU Tissue paper & wax paper  

Ink:   Black Stayzon, Early Espresso, Midnight Muse, Real Red, Pacific Point, Marina Mist, 

Cool Tools: Rhinestones, Stitched Satin Ribbon, Seam binding ribbon, glitter, 2 way glue pen, heat tool. 

A 60th Birthday Card - Female VS Male

As a nice change to all these Christmas projects I have made two different birthday cards.  My husband came home yesterday and requested two cards.  One female, one male - both needed for 60th birthdays next week.

I had an idea to use Everything Eleanor but when I sat down to make it it came out very different than intended & I ended up using Apothecary Art stamp set & Label Framelits instead.  Do you have this happen to you?

I really love Primrose Petals which is surprising as I was not that keen on it when it first came out.  I am an In Colour girl all the way and tend to reach for those before the usual colour families.

60th Female Card - Close Up

60th Female Card 

Then, to make the male version I wanted something a bit less "fluffy" if you know what I mean.  I haven't used the paper piercing mats before so I thought I would try using them on this card to add something different to the design.

60th Male Card Close Up

60th Male Card

For the male version I used some retired DSP called Elegant Soiree.  The Apothecary Framelits were a bit to rounded so I trimmed the top & bottom to give it a more masculine feel.

FEMALE

Stamp Set: Memorable Moments, Apothecary Art, Kindness Matters.
Paper:  Primrose Petals, Old Olive & Very Vanilla.  

Ink:   Black Stayzon, Primrose Petals, Old Olive

Cool Tools: Big Shot, Framelits - Labels Collection, 1" Square Punch,Dimensionals, Pearls, Champagne Shimmer paint (on butterflies), Blender Pen

MALE

Stamp Set: Memorable Moments.
Paper:  Baja Breeze, Soft Suede & Very Vanilla, Elegant Soiree DSP (retired). 

Ink:   Black Stayzon, Baja Breeze.

Cool Tools: Big Shot, Framelits - Apothecary Accents, 1" Square Punch, Dimensionals, Festive Paper Piercing Pack, Metallic Brads.  

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 9: Christmas Lodge Revisited

The Christmas Lodge stamp set is such a lovely set, I could not go through the 12 weeks of Christmas and post only one card made with this set.  Today I made a card using colours I would not normally associate with Christmas.  Ridinghood Red & Bashful Blue.  I pulled these colours from the DSP I was using from the Festival Of Prints DSP stack.  I have seen a similar card on Pinterest too using a similiar layout.

Christmas Lodge Banner Card

I used the Framelits Window collection and the 2 1/2" Circle punch.  I sponged the edges of the lodge circle in Bashful Blue ink and added a bit of snow by using a white gel pen and a bit of Dazzling Details.  The sentiment is from Petite Pairs.

Stamp Set: Christmas Lodge, Petite Pairs.
Paper:  RidingHood Red, Bashful Blue, Festival Of Prints DSP Stack.  

Ink:   Black Stayzon, Bashful Blue, White Gel Pen

Cool Tools: Big Shot,Perfect Polka Dots EF, Framelits - Windows Collection, 1" Square Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch,  Dimensionals, Pearls, Dazzling Details. 

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 8: Christmas Handbags

How cute is the Sizzix Petite Purse?  When Stampin' Up released this die in their new catalogue I was really looking forward to making them.  I got to have a little play with it at Paperific this year and decided it would have to be mine & soon! The Bigz Petite Purse die is a great size for the big shot & although SU suggest you use the extended cutting & crease pads, I have found I can use just the standard cutting pads and get an excellent result.

I am making little Christmas handbags with some surprises inside for my class participants this month.  They would be lovely as table gifts on Christmas day or even little party favours.  Here are a few I have made recently using the Snow Festival DSP and Be of Good Cheer DSP.

Christmas Petite Purses

Snow Festival DSP purses

Left - Snow Festival DSP & Right - Be of Good Cheer DSP.

Stamp Set: None!
Paper: Be of Good Cheer DSP, Snow Festival DSP, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, 

Ink:  Real Red, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede.

Cool Tools: Big Shot,  Bigz Petite Purse Die, Boho Blossoms Punch, Merry Mini's Punch Pack, 1/8" Mini Brads, Dimensionals, Rhinestones.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

 

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 8: Flocked Acetate Twisted Easel Card

When I first opened the Candlelight Christmas DSP I was a bit puzzled by what I could use the acetate flocked sheet for.  I let it sit there while I quietly worked my way through the rest of the pack, then this morning while cleaning my windows I had an idea.  I wasn't sure if it would work but thought it was worth a try!

I have seen a few of these twisted easel cards and have always wanted to try one.  I also had the Watercolour Winter stamp set I was dying to try out too.  So with all that in mind I got busy creating and here is what I came up with.

Twisted Easel Flocked Acetate Card 

Close up of the window effect

The little candle is a battery operated candle and flickers just like a real one.  It looks so lovely flickering at night.

Stamp Set: Watercolour Winter, Snowflake Soiree.
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Candlelight Christmas DSP.

Ink:  Real Red, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede.

Cool Tools: Big Shot,  Framelits Window Collection, Dimensionals, Real Red 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Glue Dots, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Apothecary Accents Framelits.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

Stamp-A-Stack 2012

We had a lovely time this weekend making all our Christmas cards for the holiday season.  Not only did we manage to make 12 cards in 4hrs but we had a lot of fun doing it.   Here are the other cards we made.

Holiday Collection Framelits Cards

Jolly Bingo Bits Joy Card

Holiday Colleciton Framelits Cards

There are a lot of different products used in these cards so I wont go into details.  The Holiday Collection Framelits Cards use the versatile Festival Of Prints DSP Stack which is such great value.  I have made 2 different versions in Cherry Cobbler & the other in Crumb Cake.

The Jolly Bingo Bits Card has been cased from the many I have seen on the internet.  I am not sure who originally designed this card so can't give them credit sorry.  It is a fun card using the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set & circle punches. 

We also made the Midnight Muse Ornament & the Polar Party cards from the previous posts as I wanted a different colour selection to the usual red & green.  

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

Stamp-A-Stack Christmas 2012

I am running 2 Stamp-a-Stack classes this week for those of you who need lots of cards without the hassle of having to think up ideas and make them all at home.

There are 3 designs and you make 4 each of these cards.  Here is a sample of one of the cards you could be making this weekend!  There are still a few spots left in my Sunday 1-4pm and Monday 7-10pm classes.  If you would like to join us then email me at ftaraineri@bigpond.com or phone me on 0411113530 to book your place.  I hope to see you there.

Stamp-A-Stack:  Christmas Blessings Ornament Card

Stamp Set: Ornament Keepsakes, More Merry Messages.
Paper: Whisper White, Midnight Muse.

Ink:  Midnight Muse.

Cool Tools: Big Shot,  Delicate Designs Folders, Dimensionals, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon, Glue Dots, Rhinestones. 

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 7: Polar Party Peekaboo Card

After my last post I decided to make a simple card using another of my much longed for stamp sets - Polar Party.   I have loved this stamp set since the 1st time I saw it in a USA catalogue and was crossing everything we got it here in our catalogue.   I was so happy to see it made it!

For this card I used the cute little polar bear from the Polar Party stamp set and the sentiment is from More Merry messages.  I used my favourite embossing folder Lacy Brocade and cut out a little Label framelit and raised it on dimensionals.  Yes, I am the banner queen and I could not help myself from adding these under the sentiment made from the Snow Festival DSP and the Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack.

Polar Party Peekaboo Framelit Card

Stamp Set: Polar Party, More Merry Messages.
Paper:  Real Red, Whisper White, Marina Mist, Snow Festival DSP, Subtles DSP Stack.  

Ink:  Marina Mist, Real Red, Black Stayzon, 

Cool Tools: Big Shot, Lacy Brocade EF, Framelits - Labels Collection, 1" Square Punch, Dimensionals, Marina Mist 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon.  

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 6 : A Christmas Lodge

Well look at that we are halfway there!  Are you still here?? Can you believe Christmas is only 6 weeks away? I have not even thought about Christmas shopping so I think I had better start soon.

I saw a card like this on Youtube and thought "I think I could make something a bit like that."  It was made by Amy Celona,  and you know what I did manage to recreate it in my own way!  Youtube is a great resource for getting ideas for Stampin' Up! stamp sets - just type in the name of the set or style of card and up come lots of videos.

I have been desperately waiting for this stamp set to come here to Australia since it was released in the USA.  I love its huge tree and cute little snow covered lodge.  Ok, so we don't get snow here at Christmas but it is lovely just the same.This card is a sidestep (fancy fold) card.  My stamp club girls were wanting to make a few fancy fold cards and this one came to mind immediately.  I hope they like their versions of it as much as I did.  It is so much prettier in real life.

Hope you like bling because this card really sparkles and shines! There are quite a few different elements here.  I used the silver glimmer paper for the snowy ground cover & snowflake, Gumball Green for the ribbon and leaves of the branch.  It is so much prettier in real life as the camera just doesn't pick up all those sparkles.   

Christmas Lodge Side Step Card

Christmas Lodge Side Step card in Early Espresso.

Close up of all the bling

Stamp Set: Christmas Lodge.
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Silver Glimmer Paper, Candelight Christmas Specialty DSP. 

Ink:  Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Crumb Cake, Champagne Shimmer Paint.

Cool Tools: Big Shot, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Delicate Design Folders,  3/16" Metallic Brads,  Paper Piercer, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Glue Dots, 2 way Glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

A Quick Thank You Card and Tag

We went on a short holiday last week and I had a friend mind my dog while we were away.  I needed a card and tag to decorate her bottle and here is what I came up with.  Mind you I only had 10 minutes to make it to take to her!

 Tracy loves lime green and orange so that is why I have used those colours.  It was way out of my comfort zone as I don't usually use either of those colours.  How cute it that little dog.  Funny thing was when I went to pick up my dog she ran off just like in the photo and we all had to try to catch her.

Stamp Set: Storybook Friends, 14 Phrases (demo stamp set)
Paper:  Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade

Ink:  Crumb Cake & Pumpkin Pie Markers, Basic Black ink.

Cool Tools: Big Shot, Two Tags Die, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, Pear Pizazz 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, 1 3/4" Circle Punch.

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 5 - Diamond Fold Snowflake Sioree

Wow can you believe it - 7 weeks till Christmas.  I have not even started to think about shopping for Christmas yet either.  Best get started soon or else it will be here and I will be empty handed!

Here is my week 5 post - Diamond fold Snowflake Soiree card.  This is quite an easy fun fold card to create and can be done without a score tool if you don't have one, although it is much quicker if you do.

I played around with different ways of inking up the snowlfakes from craft white ink to illuminate ink  but my best result was with my own concoction. The snowflakes were stamped in Versermark & then I used my own special recipe of embossing powder.  2 teaspoons of white embossing powder and 1/4 teaspoon of Dazzling Diamonds. Boy does it sparkle!  It's very hard to capture in photos but the last one does capture some of it.

Diamond Fold Snowflake Soiree Card

Sparkly Sparkles!

Stamp Set: Snowflake Soiree (Holiday Catalogue)
Paper:  12 x 12 Pool Party (textured retired),Whisper White, Silver Glimmer paper, Not Quite Navy
Ink: Versermark, White embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds.
Cool Tools:  Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Rhinestones. 

12 Weeks of Christmas WEEK 4 - Snow Festival Card Set & Bag

I have a special little project to share with you for Week 4.  Remember my Halloween post recently where I made a cute handbag out of 12 x 12 paper?  It can be seen HERE. I did say I would be back with a Christmas version SO here it is!

Handbag & Card set

I found the directions to make the 12 x 12 bag on Stamp & Scrap With Frenchie and thought I could use it for Halloween to hold lots of treats.  I have since made this Christmas version with a card set inside.  I used the Owl Occasions stamp set on the bag which is made out of 1 sheet of 12 x 12 Be of good Cheer DSP.

Inside the bag is this set of six cards all wrapped up in the gorgeous Gumball Green Ribbon. With the current Spool Time Promotion this could be yours free when you spend $60 before the end of October! (Time is running out so give me a call or email me with your order).

For the cards I used Snow Festival DSP. Two of the sheets of this DSP have pre-printed squares for cute tags so I decided to use some of those to make a quick cute card set to go inside my bag.   

Snow Festival Card Set

Snow Festival card set & Owl Occasions Bag

For those of you who would like to make one of these bags, here is Frenchie's Youtube video on how to create the 12 x 12 bag.

HANDBAG: 
Stamp Set: Owl Occasions. 
Paper:  Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Snow Festival DSP (flag behind framelit), Be of Good Cheer DSP (main bag). 
Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler & Gumball Green Marker Pens.
Cool Tools:  Big Shot, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Labels Collection Framelits, Adorning Accents Edgelits, Boho Blossoms Punch. Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Dimensionals, 3/8" Basic Glimmer Brads,  Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon.

CARDS:

Stamp Set & Ink: none

Paper: Snow Festival DSP, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green.

Cool Tools: Big Shot, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, Dimensionals. Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon (tied around cards).

Thanks For Looking,

TRICIA  

Friend To Friend Swap 2

As promised I am back with some details of my projects for the Friend To Friend Swap.  I sent Sue 4 items but lots & lots of Chocolate!

The card & glassine goodie bag can be seen in an earlier post HERE & HERE.  My next project was to wrap some of our Tim Tams.  I created a little halloween wrapper using the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP and the Googly Ghouls stamp set.

My last project was stuffed full of lots of things including a Cherry Ripe, Little AFL footballs, Crunchie Bar, Picnic bar, Geelong Cats Football coins and more!  It is a large Witches handbag to lure all those chocolate loving kiddies into her scary house and is made out of 1 sheet of 12 x 12 card stock.  No cutting just folding involved here.  It opens with a little velcro closure.  Once again I used the Googly Ghouls stamp set....this time I found my Googly eyes!

Witches Handbag

Here they are all together

Googly Ghouls Ensemble made by me for Sue.  

I will be back later to show you a Christmas version of this cute handbag in my 12 Weeks of Christmas promotion.

Thanks For Looking,
Tricia

Friend To Friend Swap

Hi Again.  I recently participated in a Friend To Friend Swap between USA, France & Australian Stampin' Up! Demonstrators with a Halloween/Fall theme.  You might have seen some of my earlier projects that were sent off to my swap recipient Sue.  Well, I just received my swap from Sue in USA and here is my haul!

Friend To Friend Swap by Sue Armstrong

Wasn't I spoilt rotten!  I have to admit some of those candy corns never made the photo as they accidentally on purpose fell into my mouth before they could be photographed!  They are full of sugar but are caramel in flavour and so easy to eat ;)

I realised after I saw this photo I had the Frightening Feline card upside down - silly me!  So here is a close up of it on it's own.

Frightening Feline by Sue Armstrong

How cute is that cat!  He is heat embossed and looks amazing in real life.  Thanks so much to Sue for all your hard work and for joining the swap.  I hope Sue enjoys all her goodies I sent her too!

Come back later to see what I sent Sue.   I will also be showing another of my 12 Weeks of Christmas Projects in the next few days. 

Thanks For Looking,

Tricia