*Merry Christmas Crafters &  Friends - New and Old 

Welcome to my blog!  

If you're here to see the fabulous project that is featured in my Youtube Video " Christmas Shadow Box Card " I will just add a few pointers and information to help any of you - YOU MUST TRY ONE OF THESE! 


Watch Laura Cline's Tutorial Video below at the end of this post.
My Christmas Shadow Box Card.....

*Here is the beginnings where I took a kraft blank of the basic card structure and I covered it with some designer paper....I made a second one in Very Vanilla since I thought it would be better to create two right away, and after Christmas I will come back and finish the second one in a whole other style!

*Now I have created the "accordian-pleated" Shadow Frame.....

....and I have gilded the interior fold edges with metallic gold paint.

*I have added my backing paper to the Shadow Frame....it is very pretty paper which cannot be captured properly here as the circles have delicate glittery edges....so pretty. 

.....smooched edges with FROST Smooch, and added bling, and you can see that the Greeting from Christmas Lodge Stamp Set has also been embossed using the same embossing powder/glitter mix I mention in the video....

*I am keeping the palette in frosty metallics with some blue to counter all the natural tones and the flowers add just a dash of red!  But I used a metallic pen to add an accent here and there such as the Star - but then afterwards I added tiny rhinestones to the star....you can't help but glitter this project up! You can't!

SUPPLIES

Stampin' Up!

Five Petal Flower Punch

Cardstock: Espresso, Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobler, Very Vanilla

Frost Smooch

Clear Rhinestones

Versamark Pad

Other ...

Tim Holtz Distressing Powder in Weathered Wood

Ranger's Clear Embossing Powder

Martha Stewart Silver Glitter

My Mind's Eye Christmas 12x12 Cardstock Stack

Gold Metallic Paint

Variety Embellishments

***

CREDIT GOES TO:

my friend " The Country Rose" on SplitCoastStampers 

for the inspiration!

LAURA  CLINE'S  " SHADOW BOX CARD TUTORIAL"

THANKS FOR COMING BY!

Hey-Ho-Ho....
Often wonder what to give as a small token of your appreciation ....and at this busy time of the holidays?

Look no further than the ever-useful GIFT TAGS!

They may be the 'small touches in life' but as hand-made gifts - they are perfect for saving your friend time and money!

Recently I had such an opportunity to give a lovely person a wee gift - a Mom - who gave a group of young teens a very nice afternoon of crafting and lunch.  To offer up a note of appreciation I used the following:

1. Stampin' Up! Tag and Curly Label Punches 
2. Stampin' Up! small size stamps - from A Cute Christmas {retired}
3. Stampin' Up! Real Red / Whisper White / Marina Mist Cardstock
4. Stampin' Up! Markers {various}
5. Stampin' Up! Espresso Bakers Twine
6. Stampin' Up! Dazzling Details 
7. and the ever useful sparkly shreds!  whoooo! 

  I thought a group of 6 tags was a nice set - but you stamp and colour away onto white cardstock  as many heart-warming scenes as your heart desires!  I love snowmen and the stack of gifts were real fun to colour - then its a glob of Dazzling Details on each - let dry then its time to package them together! 

Here they are getting their colours on!  

String em up together!

Let's bag them with good ol' sparkly shreds and a plain bag... 

and finally pop them in, staple a folded 'topper' on and voila...!

HOSTESS GIFT TAGS

 * So hope you have a special Hostess in mind! *

Here is a really cute stamp set from Stampin' Up! called

 "No Peeking"! 

Here is the card I made with this set at Maria's stamp event in November...

Very sweet isn't it?  And I like the style of the greeting - so I think a child would LOVE a card like this!

But after searching the internet, I could see that crafters are having a field day with this stamp set - there were so many great projects out there - whew! Fabby stuff!

Here's a few that grabbed me from talented Stampin' Up Demos like

 Andi Potler and Sandi MacIver's tags to Connie Tumm's and Carrie's {Carrie Stamps} cards!  

Click on their names to visit their respective blogs!

...tags galore!!! Excellent!

...just awwww! 

...great for twins!

... love the colours and layout!

This is what I luv-luv to see with a stamp set - real versatility and imaginative possibilities! 

Stampin' Up! No Peeking Stamp Set

wood mount #126290 $29.95 CDN

clear mount # 126292 $21.95 CDN

Now GO craft!  

*

  

Hey Crafty Friends --

I decided to craft {what a surprise} a small Hostess Gift to give my friend recently and had a 'bucket' of fun doing it.  I made some scented potpourri! And presented it in a cute dish - looked great.....:) {grin} 

Not only was this fun, it was easy.  Real easy.

I know that the really nice packages of potpourri in the stores look the way they do because they add decorative elements to the mix - such as nice pinecones, or glittery straw stars - etc, etc. instead of just the plain-looking potpourri mix.  And what's a nice girl to do when money is needed to buy many, many gifts.  DO IT YOURSELF!!!!   So with that in mind, I made my way to the DOLLAR STORE - where else!

I had to actually ' pay '  for the pinecones {when I should of picked some nice ones off the ground in the fall, oh well...} but that was offset by the nice glittery straw balls, and white stars I found!  Lastly, I needed some scented oil.  And then a container.  [note - you can use clay pieces as well to hold the oil scent]


So  let's see that written down, my shopping list =   natural materials [pinecones, small straw or wood, or clay-shaped accents], plain potpourri mix, scented oil, container, clear cellophane wrap & ties, gift tag, ribbon,  bucket, rubber gloves, stir spoon.

Create - Create- Create..!
OK - when you gather your supplies, clear the table....grab a large container, don some gloves and dump everything in that container, for me it was a large pink bucket!

Pour on the scented oil.....i used a mix of expensive boutique essential oil, and a generic pretty apple-berry scented oil.  Do it a few swigs at a time - you don't want to overpower it!  Better to be add more. 

Here's the special "accents" I added to the plain bag of potpourri I purchased, and one of the oils [red box]. Just these items alone give your mix the coveted 'designer' look.  Pretty sneaky, huh? Darn right!

 

Here it is in the cutesy red bowl I found at the Dollar Store!  I decided smaller would be the right size for a Hostess gift. Therefore, if you make a whole bunch of the mix - you could potentially have many gifts!   

Create a pretty Gift Tag - here is another lovely Hostess Stamp Set from SU! I embossed the image in white embossing powder which is striking against the red paper!  The Designer Paper accordian-fold rosette is hand-made and the chipboard tag has been coated with red paint and glitter, and isn't it PRETTY all together?  Why not make a few of these one night and save yourself time? You know you're going to need them - there's always those last-minute gifts!

 

Here it is all wrapped in cellophane, tagged and oh so ready to give!  

 

And here is our own in a pretty plain white dish. 

Smells w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l  !!!

Hope you enjoy making your own home fragrant with  scented Holiday Potpourri. 

***

 

 Just one of the many cards we created. 

This features SU!'s new Snow Flurry Bigz Die

*Hellooooo!

Boy am I tired - but happy!!!   I now have several really nice HOLIDAY CARDS ready to go and I didn't even have to think them up!  Thanks to Maria's 2nd Annual Holiday Craft Event in Peterborough!  Yessiree...I attended as a guest and had a fab time - THANKS MARIA!!!

Keep your eye out for Maria's event next year if you're in her area [Kawartha Lakes] and you'll have a lovely time and come away with great cards!  And maybe win some prizes!

We also had a pot-luck lunch since it was an all-day event and I enjoyed all the nice dishes the women brought, and I enjoyed meeting them as well - very nice ladies who all made the event feel cozy and friendly!   

Maria and her friend Jane keep well-organized and help you when you need it, and Maria brings along some nice items to purchase {bring along a little spending money! its worth it :) }.....Jane has a little funny streak and made me laugh a few times!!!  We especially had a little fun at Maria's expense because Maria has the most worn-out stamp scrubber we've ever seen!  Maria - it's time to pony up, lol!  Maria's a good sport - she has to be to put up with us...."Maria?".... every few minutes, ha ha.  
 **
VISIT Maria's blog  " CRAFTY MARIA'S STAMPING WORLD" for more great ideas. 

All the supplies can be found in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Catalogue :)  

 Here are more of the very lovely selection of cards we made....lots of layers, fun punches and accents to add....and the day just swam by we were so absorbed by the process!  

Looking forward to next year Maria!
** 

CHRISTMAS  BOTTLE  TAGS

TUTORIAL

Here is one of the items which sold out fast at the craft fair I participated in Nov 10 [see earlier post].

I was told by my friend Maria, a fab crafter in her own right, to do these but I didn't really think I needed to make that many - boy was I wrong!

The nice thing is you can put these on WINE or WATER BOTTLES, and I think on any present which they could slip on to....maybe bubble bath bottle. right? 

They are super easy to make - I used the following:

Stampin' Up! Punches

 2.5 inch Circle Punch

1. 3/4 inch Circle Punch

Holiday Stocking Punch 

Scallop Border Punch

Corner Punch or Small Circle Punch

Small Oval Punch {optional}

Cardstock in minimum of 2 colours for tag

Cardstock scraps for stockings  

Glitter Cardstock for accents  {optional}

To: and From: rubberstamps {optional}

Instructions 

[using cardstock of choice] 

TOP OF TAG 

1)  Punch a 1. 3/4 inch Circle from cardstock 

2)  Position 2.5 inch Circle Punch around the negative circle space

created from step 1, and punch. You should now have a cardstock "ring". 

This is the ring that will be at the top of the tag. 

3) Create a  rectangle from cardstock - about 3 x 5 inches. 

4)  Place the 1-3/4 Circle Punch in half-way of the top edge, punch.

5) Glue your ' RING' to the top - matching the circle inside edge to 

the newly created half-circle top edge of tag. 

Trim the cardstock from  outside the ring using a Corner Punch to create corners at top.

This helps to create the top of the tag's neck.

6) At this point, I lightly score a line across the top of the tag, on either side of the ring - just so it bends a little when draped over a bottle neck.

BASE OF TAG

7) Decorate the base of your tag! 

I used the Holiday Stocking Punch from Stampin' Up! (2011 Holiday Mini) 

and created all sorts of stocking pairs - which parts I mixed up in a

pleasing fashion.  If I add a mix of glitter or shine or velvet cardstock - it really 

makes those stockings pop!

8) Trim the length of your tag if you need to, and add a nice border accent

near the bottom. I often used the Scallop Border Punch for this, but I also

used just strips of scrap cardstock.

OPTIONS

Emboss the cardstock for the Tag base,

Sponge ink over edges, 

Sprinkle glitter over tag as accent,

Add embellishments: buttons, brads, ribbon, etc. 

BACK OF TAG

8) I added two small oval tags {used Small Oval Punch} in vanilla cardstock, and stamped

To: on one oval, and From: on the other oval.  Tied them loosely together with baker's twine, and 

glued them to the back.  You can decorate the back of the tag more but its most likely not needed.

VOILA - DONE!

This sounds more than it really takes to make these - you can get in the swing of things and 

make several of these in a session! Get some cocoa and brownies together with friends or family and have a yummy TAG-MAKING TIME! 

 GIVE HANDMADE THIS YEAR!

Come and join me at the West Rouge Holiday Artisan Sale this coming Nov 10th!  Picture a cozy time looking at all the lovely items 'HAND-MADE' no less......I'm all excited!!!   Now I am going back to work to making my cards for this event - remember, if you need Holiday Cards, come and see what I have for you!  *

My projects will be on temporary hold as I take a holiday!  Hope everyone is having a fab-U-lous summer!
See y'all later!

PATIO PARTY ROSETTES -  12" WALL ART  by Taylor B! 

HERE IS A GREAT HOME DECOR PROJECT FEATURING ROSETTES AND STAMPIN' UP'S PATIO PARTY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER!

Entering this project is FUSSY FRIDAY'S 'FANCY FOLD CHALLENGE 66 " HERE

PART I 

 I have a few choice words about rosettes which range from "Awesome" to 'arrgh!' on the occasion when I am all thumbs trying to put one together!!!

Luckily the Gods were good to us when they gave us steel dies!

We can now punch out rosette embossed 'blankets' and then construct those into the final, nifty, folded rosette of old!  And Stamping Up! has a great rosette die because it can make very large rosettes as you can see in my wall art project - just as it makes smaller ones too!

 So its way better .....but there are those days, when I can not put glue to paper and paper to paper without something slipping and going crooked!!!!  However, I put my thinking cap on and came up with a solution!

 I made 'rings' to the size I needed and placed my creased and nearly finished rosette into this ring to attach the stablizing 'backing' - the smaller sized paper 'core' we glue at center to the squished folds to keep them in their correct position.

  In the past, this is exactly where I goofed up!  I'd have my usual paper circle sitting and push my rosette coil down to glue it onto the circle core only to have the rosette coil shift - and then its less than perfect, and maybe even less than stable!  But my new found method works! Here in pictures is how......

I find a variety of rings to create different sizes of rosettes....here I have used a coffee cup which I cut witha a hobby blade and scissors, but try other 'rings' like biscuit cutters, hoop frames, maybe you have your own ideas. The ring's purpose is to "contain" the rosette coil.  The rosette coil is what I call the strip of accordian-folded paper that is joined at its ends to form a coil!  Now you can focus on securing the rosette's many folds at its center by attaching a paper backing!

Here's my backing.....

First, you need to establish a center - so I created a center guide! 

I made a square chipboard coaster into my ' base ' and marked 

the 'center' with pencil guide lines.  

Here is my rosettes "backing" circle core I 

spoke of just waiting for my rosette coil! I pinned the backing circle to the 

chipboard base AND the pin will act as my "centering guide" when I add

the rosette - you'll see!

Here I have positioned my ring and secured it with push pins.  You won't get a proper centered rosette if the ring shifts around! The glue has been added to the paper backing and everything is peachy! 

I added my rosette coil over the center pin which tells me that the rosette is centered. And pushed the loose rosette coil down and the glue will work its magic!  AND THIS IS WHY IT WORKS FOR ME...the ring helped me place the rosette into position and kept it there while I set it up - no shifting, sliding and I get the backing on dead center!!!  No more lop-sided results.  Instead I can focus on making the next one :) 

When it is safe to remove the rosette when the backing circle has dried in place, I can flip the rosette over and add a decorative center front!  I will be able to do this step easily since the folds are secured in place underneath to the backing. By decorating the rosette's front, you will also be doubling the strength of the rosette - you could almost set a drink on it by the time you're done!  

OK - I will be doing more on this project next time as you can see how I put the project together! 

Just one more picture and a final point.  

DIAMETER SIZE AND DEPTH OF ROSETTE

When you create ' rosettes ' the size and thickness of the rosette depends on the following:

a) the length and width of your folded strip of paper will determine the rosette's size overall 

b) the depth and number of your folds will determine how thick your rosette turns out.

See the pictures below and notice what I mean.....

The deeper, smaller rosette has folds at every half inch on a shorter length of cardstock whereas the more shallow but larger NAVY rosette on the right has a longer 'strip' of paper which was folded at every 1/4 inch. 

You can take this concept to every extreme - from the tiniest rosette with teeny-tiny folds to gigantic rosettes which make wonderful banners!  So please return to see my next set of tips and tricks to make fun and easy projects featuring the "ROSETTE"! 

My GIANT rosette fits beautifully into a 12x12 inch frame! 

To make life easier you will need a scoring tool - preferably one such as Stampin' Up!'s Scoring Tray! 

Designer Paper = Patio Party by Stampin' Up! 

Rosette XL Die by Stampin' Up! 

Project designed by Taylor B! June 2012. 

END OF PART I

You know I love animals, but I love heartwarming animal tales probably even more!

Awwww....!

THRILLED AGAIN! 

  THIS CARD MADE  

' CLEAN and SIMPLE FAVORITES OF THE WEEK ENDING JUNE 16'

at SPLITCOAST STAMPERS.

Always a happy feeling when you receive a nice surprise such as this – which is why I highly recommend you try creating a card and entering into an online community forum! You just never know –some lovely person may honor you with a lovely surprise too! 

WEDDING CARD

With more Owl  'love' from my Owl Builder Punch!   If you thought the TWINS Birthday Card post was cute as a bug - or 'bird', then feast your eyes on this one!

A custom-made card for my friend Ruth - Hi Ruth!   Ruth has two bright young things in her life who are hitching the knot and needed a card!  Hmmm, a fantastic opportunity for a wedding card  for two young people in love!  Why, its my chance to do the PUNCH ART OWL WEDDING COUPLE!

If you have perused the internet in search of custom cards for weddings, you already know

that the "dressed up owls" phenomenon is one section of the owl craze that has taken over

the western hemisphere - maybe the globe!

And Stampin' Up!'s OWL BUILDER PUNCH - is a huge part of this craziness!

Consider our popular Stampin' Up! punch - the BIRD Builder Punch too because it can add a 'wing' to your owl and a branch {besides you'll love the bird}. Both punches have matching stamp sets  :)

 Now, back to the wedding card.   Check it out........eh?!?   Isn't it so adorable !!!

Really I'd love it if I received this.

The greeting is part of Stampin' Up!'s versatile "WORD PLAY" Stamp Set. The pretty

embossed border is our  FRAMED TULIPS {Textured Impressions Embossing Folders}.

My ribbon is the luscious Organza Whisper White Ribbon.  

The Bride and Groom can be dressed up in a variety of ways. My decisions 

were influenced from the many other versions I have seen on the net!

See my previous post to understand about creating skirts with scallop edges using a plain Oval 

and a Scallop Oval punch.....and any questions you have, please comment or email me!

THANKS FOR COMING BY!

SUPPLIES FOR THIS PROJECT

Stampin' Up!

Punches = Owl Builder, Bird Builder, Large Oval and Scallop Oval;

Embossing - Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder;

Cardstock = Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie;

Embellishments = Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Rhinestone + Pearl Basic Jewels,  Dazzling Details 

Good Morning!!!

I've something special to share today.....take a look at this handprinted greeting....and you will notice that it reads 'birday' and this is the funny part because when my daughter meant to write birthday and realized the goof up, she groaned because there was 10 mins. before she needed the card - of course!  But when I dashed to gather something to correct it, my brilliant daughter said "well, it does go with the card!"  And I stopped in my tracks because she was soooo right!  Yeah - a happy mistake!   Whooo-hooot!

...and here is why the greeting matches.....are they not adorable!!!!

TWINS!   And TWIN BIRTHDAYS no less!

CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR A CLOSE VIEW

How'd She Do That?  

• Begin by punching a 1/2 oval section off the side of cardstock with the Large Oval punch. 
• Follow w/ the Scallop Oval punch positioned above the mini-bite you made using the Large Oval, and punch creating a lightly curved 'scallop slice'.  Make this as deep and wide as you like! [Trim later]
• Repeat to create as many scallop 'layers' - 2 or 3 for a tutu!  More for wedding dresses!  
• Then, layer the slices and attach to the Owl's vest piece. 
• Trim the scallop layers to meet the curves of the dress or owl. 
•  Trim vest top to create a bib. [optional]
• Embellish - have FUN!

* TECHNIQUE TIP - when you are working on plain cardstock - add interest by chalking the background 

as was done here with the pink-ish rectangle behind the owls.  This helps for your focal piece or accent

to 'pop' and is especially helpful when using minimal numbers of colours ! *

I too have been in an owly mood lately - you will see another project soon which features my OWL BUILDER PUNCH - the builder punches are awesome because you can do sooooo many "other" projects with them!  The stamping community always comes up with brilliant ideas, so if you can't think of one, chances are someone already has!  So invest in one!   And Stampin' Up!'s OWL BUILDER PUNCH is a great one to start with......ok, moving on!

Pink for little girls.....border punches, birthday stamps, and colouring done with inks and pastels!  A little bling....well, you can see from the pics how cute this card is - not to hoot our own horn too loudly, but hope this inspires YOU to acquire the punch and make some awesome fun!

include yourself inside the card...!!! 

I think the reason I LOVE LOVE LOVE this punch is because of the number or ways you can play "dress-up" with the owls!  I mean, c'mon - you have to love being able to customize your owl or owls like here today with little girl sundresses AND sunglasses!!   Yeah?  And its so fun!  That is the scary part - we could sit all day and create dressed up owls!

A happy set! 

And if you have TWINS in your family, this card is one of many you could make.......!


Cheers!
Taylor

SUPPLIES USED FOR THIS PROJECT

Stampin' Up!

Punches = Owl Builder 118074, Bird Builder (wings) 117191, 1" Circle 119868, Large Oval 119855, Scallop Oval 119856, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle 119854;

Stamps = Sock Monkey Accessories (retired) for balloons.  

Dig this Birthday Card - featuring some really fab new products like our cute TICKET PUNCH!!! 

Happy Birthday Card (4" x 4") Stamps Itty Bitty Banners Stamp Set You're Amazing Stamp Set Paper Calypso Coral Card Stock Early Espresso Card Stock Pool Party Card Stock Whisper White Card Stock World Spectacular Designer Series Paper Ink Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad Calypso Coral Stampin' Write Marker Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker Island Indigo Stampin' Write Marker Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker Accessories & Tools Linen Thread Stampin' Dimensionals Ticket Duo Punch Big Shot Bitty Banners Collection Framelits Dies Labels Collection Framelits Dies Argyle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder