Tuesday, November 28, 2017

DIY Instructions - Christmas Ornament


DIY Ornaments with Spellbinders Dies 
(This is part one of two.  You can find part two here.  )

It's the season of Christmas card making and Christmas ornaments too!  I had time to make a few ornaments and provide a quick and easy DIY tutorial
Scroll on down the page for the tutorial.  

I enjoy adding to my Christmas ornament collection every year with something handmade.  It's so fun and satisfying to pull the collection out  and review the years at a glance.  

Part two of my featured ornaments can be found here.  

Ornaments make great keepsakes and little gifts of appreciation plus the added bonus of handmade ornaments is your ability to customize each ornament for your intended recipient.  

This year my ornaments were made using a cool die from Spellbinders.  
When I first looked at the Spellbinders Hannah Elise Layering Frame  Chantilly Paper Lace Collection by Becca Feeken , it reminded me of a graceful tree ornament.  
What do you think?   Am I right, or am I right?  


Quick and Easy DIY Tutorial


Fold each diecut in half lengthwise.   A Bone folder and scoring board will  give you a nice crisp fold.


Tip:  Heavy weight paper works the best in my opinion because it holds the structure of the ornament. 
I used gold metallic mirror cardstock (there are so many gorgeous rich metallic Mirror Cards to choose).   
 



Step 2.  Glue the pieces together - two at a time.  


Step 3.  Once all four pieces are assembled, your ornament should look like the photo below.    





Step 4.  Add a ribbon for hanging.  Now you're set to decorate. 
Here are some close ups of the details.   The leaves are from Prima Marketing (Prima -Victorian Christmas Leaves ) and are velvet holly leaves misted green using Prima Color Bloom Spray Mist - Lime Wedge .   

TIP:  You can use  a paintbrush dipped in stains or mists or even thinned out paint to customize your  embellishments and get the exact color you desire.   Bundled Sage Distress Spray  or Crushed Olive would be great as well - something like that to get the leaves green in lieu of actual green leaves.   

The flower is from Petaloo and the red floral berries are from a craft store - nothing special but what a great inexpensive filler (this is the time to grab a bunch on discount for the season .


 
 I value your time and wish you a wonderful holiday season and Christmas.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Spellbinders Black Friday - Weekend 50% off Sale



Spellbinders is having a crazy sale that features a large selection of dies and products.  
50% off.....seriously. 
You know crafters don't joke about deals.  
(Here's a link to Start shopping shop for Spellbinders )

I have a bunch of projects linked below using some of my favorite dies from Spellbinders that are on the GRAND 50% off crazy list.  

As a side note - many of my projects are made using Maja Design papers.  US folks can find Maja Design papers here

Let's start your  "must haves" list (50% off)

You can find the blog post link here. 
 You NEED this die.  
 You can see this autumn card here.

This bold blue card also using the Spellbinders Shapabilities - Swirled Strip Etched Die   and the blog post for this card can be found here.    
And it's 50% off


 Folks in the US can find a great selection of Maja Design papers right here.   


and it's 50% off!


This sweet card can be found here with product list.
I've used two dies here from Spellbinders: 

and it's 50% off!



 You can see this card posted on my blog right here.  
It features my favorite fun-loving die from Spellbinders... Spellbinders Shapeabilities Die-D-Lites Sea Animals 
So adorable 
and it's 50% off!





Here is another sweet little easy card with dies that can be grabbed for 50% off!
Spellbinders Die-D-Lites Seahorse and Sand Dollar Etched Die .

Spellbinders Triple Tear Etched Dies S4-490





This is a card that doubles as a gift holder.  You can see the original blog post right here


And the  list of Spellbinder dies offered at 50% off goes on and on.  But only for a short time. 
Here's a link to Start shopping shop for Spellbinders 

You can shop for Maja Design paper collections right here

Monday, November 13, 2017

Joyous Winterdays Snowflake Cards


I'd like to share a joyous winter card featuring the gorgeous holiday/winter collection from Maja Design, "Joyous Winterdays" and some new dies and stamps from Spellbinders  

This collection, shown below, is a perfect Holiday/Winter combo with the warm traditional Christmas colors paired the blues and creams for those winter day projects.  This means you have a holiday collection that you can continue to use well past Christmas. 

 Actually all Maja Design papers have patterns that can be used year round.  This helps make your paper purchase savvy and smart. 

 The Joyous Winterdays papers used on this card are: 
Blizzard
Chilly (B-side)

I am absolutely in love with the delicate designs of the papers, especially the one called "Chilly".  
You can clearly see this pattern and color isn't limiting in terms of season.  


I paired these papers with some new dies and stamps from Spellbinders.  I'd say it's a perfect match.  
and
I am loving this die/stamp combo.   It's super fun. 
I stamped and layered the snowflakes with foam tape for added dimension.   I also added some thin foam under the gorgeous delicate Spellbinders Hannah Elise Layering  Becca Feeken .


OK my cards usually don't need extra dimension as they are already bulked up with embellishments but I can't help myself.  It's sort of my take on the saying, "go big or go home".  

I can't begin to tell you how much joy this collection brings me.  I love each and every sheet.  Because so many of us tend to hoard the paper we adore instead of actually using the papers, one might ask, if I love the paper so much, how can I possibly CUT IT UP???   

Well friends, papers and cards and your lovely projects are meant to be shared.  If the Maja collections bring a smile to your face while creating with them, imagine how they will truly light up the face of someone you love when they receive your card or project.  

So go ahead - CUT those papers.  Use those papers.  Share those papers.  That's how we show our love for Maja Design. 
 
Look at the beauty of that snowflake die/stamp set. I'm obsessed with snowflake and winter products...in paper only, not real life snow.  Phooey to that mess. But these snowflakes are simply wonderful.  

You can see more projects using the snowflake stamp/die set right here.
Where to shop 
You can shop for Maja Design products here

You can shop for all your Spellbinders dies here.   They have amazing sales and frequently have BOGO (buy one -get one)sales too!  

US folks can shop for Maja Design collections here and the new Joyous Winterdays collection is here
International folks can shop for the new collection as well as all the collections using the Store Finder link found here

Maja Design - Joyous Winterdays Collection - Blizzard paper and Chilly paper
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Hannah Elise Layering Frame  Chantilly Paper Lace Collection by Becca Feeken S5-329
Spellbinders Snowflakes Holidays 2017 by Stephanie Low -Stamp & Die Set -SDS-089

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Cards for the Season of Peace and Joy


It's time to get those holiday and Christmas card ideas into high gear.  I have some products that certainly can help get you into that cheerful crafting holiday mood.  

I'm featuring Spellbinders and Maja Design papers today for inspiration.  

These are the Spellbinders products I used.  

and 

While the stamp and die set are from the Holiday 2017 collection, this set can be used year round.   Turn that wreath into a beautiful Spring Wreath card for Mother's Day or use for birthdays.  Finish your card using the "Love" stamp sentiment and you're done.  Perfect. 


Time to talk a bit about the Maja Design collection I used.  
 My oh my so gorgeous.

This is the Joyous Winterdays collection - complete with warm Christmas colors and  blues/creams for after the holidays and beyond. 
I used the "Christmastime" 12x12 paper on this card  for the red diecut frame. 


The sweet pine cones were stamped first onto watercolor papers, then die cut.   I find that stamping before die cutting is the easiest and most precise.  

The pine cones were coated in Ranger Glossy Accents  after painting with watercolor paints.  

So where can you grab all these yummy "Must Have" products?

You can shop for all your Spellbinders dies here.   They have amazing sales and frequently have BOGO (buy one -get one)sales too!  

US folks can shop for Maja Design collections here.   The new Joyous Winterdays collection is here
International folks can shop for the new collection as well as all the collections using the Store Finder link found here

Thanks for sharing your time with me as you visit my page.   


Products used:
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Annabelle's Trousseau Layering Frame Medium Etched Dies Chantilly Paper Lace Collection by Becca Feeken S5-327

Spellbinders Love Peace & Hope Holiday 2017 by Stephanie Low -Stamp and Die set  SDS-093

Ranger Glossy Accents 
Maja Design - Joyous Winterdays Collection
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paints
Floral Berries

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Pop-Up Christmas Ornament Swag Card - DIY Instructions




DIY - Unexpected Card using Unexpected Colors for Christmas

I love making cards that have a surprise inside - cards that are not JUST cards, but cards that deliver a smile and a little piece of me to those who open it. 

And Christmas is all about smiles, love and joy.  
So that's exactly what this card is all about.  It features
 some spectacular Spellbinders dies and stamps:

 and
Nothing beats a quick video to show the true impact of a pop-up card - the "cuteness factor".   
I used watercolor paper to create the ornaments. I wanted a thick heavy paper and had planned on coloring the dies with watercolor paints.  

When selecting paper for your project, keep in mind the mediums you will use for coloring.  Thin paper may not produce the best results. 

DIY Instructions for making the ornament swag

Step 1.  Create your ornaments by stamping, die cutting, then coloring your piece.  I find the process easier if I stamp first, then die cut.  
Step 2.  Make a small slit on each side of the ornament to help in the stringing process.  
Step 3.  Time to string the ornaments together.  I used gold jewelry thread and wrapped the thread around the top of each ornament.  A bit of tape also helps secure the tape and hold in place for the finishing step.  
Step 4.  Finishing touches - cut 3 dies from cardstock.  Glue the die to the backside of the ornaments.   This helps to secure the threads and cover up the messy backs. 

I glued the cardstock die cut off center a bit leaving a beveled edge look (notice the white edges peeking out from the pink cardstock.)
When you flip the swag over, it adds a nice accent of color.  
Step 5.  Time to glue the swag to the card.  I used the mini tree border stamp and die from the Spellbinders Happy Holiday Ornaments Holiday 2017 by Stephanie Low Stamp & Die Set   to help anchor the swag and hold the strings in place.  
Besides being adorable, they are totally functional in hiding the string.   

Make sure you allow enough thread so that when the card is opened it can hang nicely without being pulled too tight.   I used about 18 inches of jewelry thread for this swag. 

Front of the Card
I am going to transition to the front of the card. 
I backed the ornament with foam tape to add dimension.  From there, I was able to build my embellishment cluster under and around the ornament using more gold jewelry thread, 
floral berries, sequins, AND some Spellbinders leaf dies. 

The main embellishments in my cluster are diecut leaf vines from Spellbinders,  Spellbinders Shapeabilities Layered Leaf Vines - Timeless Heart Collection by Marissa Job .   

Some of the leaves were cut from watercolor paper and some from green cardstock.  Those leaves from watercolor paper have a bit of accenting added to the tips of the leaves using distress inks (Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Festive Berries and  Crushed Olive  applied with  Finger Tip Sponge Daubers


Thanks for stopping here.  I value your time.  

You can shop for all your Spellbinders dies here.   They have amazing sales and frequently have BOGO (buy one -get one) sales too!  

Products Used:
Shapeabilities Tallulah Frill Layering Frame - Chantilly Paper Lace Collection by Becca Feeken -S5-328
Spellbinders Happy Holiday Ornaments Holiday 2017 by Stephanie Low Stamp & Die Set  SDS-090
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Layered Leaf Vines - Timeless Heart Collection by Marissa Job -S4-795
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Festive Berries
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Crushed Olive
Sponge Daubers - Finger Tip