12 Cards for Christmas- card #4

 

Moving on to card #4.

This ones pretty much on the neutral side. it’s a little rustic looking, but yet not. The glittery silver leaves add elegance.

 

The tiny envelope could be used for holding a small item. Mine’s empty, but wouldn’t it be fun to tuck a gift card, tickets, or a special note inside for the recipient? Just make sure they know it’s in there!

 

Some yummy twine and a big old thrifted button finish up this pretty package.

Speaking of packages, do you enjoy gift wrapping? Comment here for a chance at the prize kit and tell me about your Christmas presents. do you wrap them all up ahead of time and place them under the tree to enjoy for a while? Or do you wait to go into a wrapping frenzy on Christmas Eve? Do you prefer an easy  bow, or do you like to take time making each package look extra special?

I try to wrap all my gifts ahead of time. We love to have them under the tree as long as possible and try to guess what might be in each one. I love to make my packages look pretty, but sometimes I run out of time and so a simple bow does just fine. And I love wrapping gifts! Can’t wait to start!

 

InLinkz.com

Also used on this card:
patterned paper: Basic Grey, Kaiser Kraft
leaf: Michael’s
button

12 Cards for Christmas- card #3

Hey there! Back again with card #3! Are you enjoying yourself yet? I hope so!

This next card uses a non-traditional color scheme. It was one I spotted while browsing through a December edition of Better Homes and Gardens and it immediately caught my eye because it was unusual for  Christmas, but I loved it instantly. Shades of soft salmon and blue/green paired with an orange-y red and a hint of yellow. It has an almost tropical look to it, which could be perfect for those who celebrate the season in warm tropics.

I added a tiny bit of misting for a more casual look.

Since this card is decorated with poinsettias, this time leave your comment and tell me if you decorate with any poinsettias and what is your favorite shade? How about other flowers or greenery?

Me? I’m pretty partial to the pink ones. The white ones are second on my list.

InLinkz.com

This card also uses the following items which may be discontinued:
patterned paper: American Crafts and Little Yellow Bicycle
flowers: prima
gems: Studio G for Michael’s

12 Cards for Christmas- card #2

We’re going soft and much, much more subtle with this next card in the line up! Grey is always a favorite color of mine, and lately I’ve been loving it paired with plum. Grey goes well with almost any color for Christmas. It reminds me of ice and snow and lends a cooler tone to your projects.

A flower punched from vellum takes the frosty look a bit farther. Finish it off with clear gem brads and silver cord for a card that is wintry looking indeed!

So, speaking of winter, for this post, comment and tell me about your winter. Do you live in an area that gets snow, or is it warm year ’round? Maybe you lived in a snowy area in the past. Tell me about it. What’s the most memorable snow fall you’ve ever experienced? Maybe you’ve never really experienced snow and you wish you could. I’d love to hear about your snowy experiences.

I’ve had a lot of fun snow experiences. Living here in PA we get a really good blizzard every now and then. The winter that Eric and I were engaged to be married in the spring we had a HUGE snowstorm! I don’t remember the exact amount of accumulation, but I remember the roads had to be dug out because they were too deep to plow. We lived by a heavily traveled route that was down to one narrow lane with a wall of snow much higher than my head on either side. I’m sure there are some of you who are accustomed to snow like that on a regular basis, and maybe even a lot more. Now it’s your turn to share!

Leave your comment for your chance to win the prize kit.

card stock- Prism	card stock- Bazzill	Papertrey Ink card stock- white	vellum card stock- Papertrey Ink
patterned paper- Studio Calico	rubber stamps- Stampin’ Up!	clear stamps- Martha Stewart Crafts	ink- Stampin’ Up! Basic Grey
jewel brads- American Crafts

InLinkz.com

This card also uses:
silver cord: Stampin’ Up! (no longer available)

12 Cards for Christmas- card #1

Hello there! I’m so happy you could join me today for this fun event that I’ve been looking forward to bringing you. This is the second year I’m doing the 12 Cards for Christmas. Last year was so fun, so I thought I’d do it again!

Just to let you all know what’s happening, in case you missed it, every hour on the hour I’ll be posting one brand new Christmas card, starting now at 8:00 am (EST) and the last one will be posted at 7:00 pm (EST). I’ll be sharing cards made in all kinds of styles to make sure there’s something for everyone.

There is a prize package up for grabs for one lucky commenter. Here’s the deal. You can comment once on each post which means you have 12 chances to get your name into the drawing.

Wanna see the prize? well, of course you do! Take a look!…………

Oh, wait! You can’t! Because there’s no photo! And that, my friend, is because you can’t take a photo of something that isn’t made yet! Hee! have I piqued your interest? I have decided that for today’s prize I would offer to make a custom paper crafting kit for the winner, valued at $20, sort of like the smaller ones found in my shop. Only YOU get to tell me what you want! You get to choose the theme and color scheme of your prize kit. Whether it be Christmas or another holiday or event, traveling, kids, pets, family, etc. Or it could be no particular theme at all. And in your favorite colors too! I thought it might make more sense for the winner to be able to choose what they’d like to have instead of me choosing everything. So take a look at the kits to get an idea of the kinds of kits I design and get your ideas flowing for what you’d like if you’re the winner! OK?
You have until Monday morning to leave your comments and I’ll pick a winner then!

Just a note: All of the cards I’m sharing today will be posted on my Etsy shop as I get the chance to post them. I hope to work on that throughout the day as the posts go up. But if there is one in particular that you really would like to have, just let me know and I’ll reserve it for you.

Ready to meet the first card? Well, alrighty then! Here goes!

This first one is bold and graphic in design with a bright color scheme and bold black zig-zags. A fun chipboard ornament finishes it off in style!

This card encourages us to “Eat, drink, and be merry” which makes me think of all the parties and get-togethers we have this time of year. So, for this first post I’d like you to tell me about a memorable Christmas party you have attended in the past, or maybe one you are really looking forward to attending. Or maybe one you’re dreading, like the office party maybe? Hee! I’d like to hear about your festive parties, banquets, fiestas, soirees, shindigs, and everything in between.

One Christmas party I remember was the work party one year where we sang the 12 Days of Christmas and every table had to take a turn singing a verse. By the end there were some funny antics going on as people started acting it out as well. Funny!

Your turn!

card stock- Stampin’ Up!	Papertrey Ink card stock- white	card stock- Stampin’ Up!	Papertrey Ink stamps- chevron
clear stamps- Market Street Stamps	ink- Stampin’ Up!

InLinkz.com

Also used on this card:
chipboard: DCWV
cord: Stampin’ Up!

Wishing you Peace….

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you, my wonderful blogland friends! I hope you are able to relax a bit today and enjoy the Christmas season to its fullest!

Today was a pretty relaxing day for me. Chloe woke up around 6:45 and crawled into bed with me until she heard her brothers wake up soon after. I snuggled down under the covers to grab a few more winks since my kids are finally old enough to be able to fend for themselves for a little while. My oldest two are able to pour themselves a bowl of cereal and one for their sister if anyone gets hungry.
I slept until I heard a tiny voice whispering “Mommy, are you going to be waking up soon?” I mumbled that I was, rolled over to look at the clock and discovered that it was 9:30!! I never sleep that late! I couldn’t believe the kids had all been so quiet. I found out my oldest had been instructing the younger ones to keep their voices down so mommy could sleep while they stayed busy folding their laundry and putting it away. How sweet are they? What a great start to the day!

After a bit of last minute grocery shopping, some lunch, and A Charlie Brown Christmas, the kids all got tucked into bed for a nap. Even my boys, who protested for a bit. We’re opening our gifts this evening and figured the kids would probably like to be able to stay up late to play with their new toys and it’s always more fun when everyone is in a good mood. How nice to have a quiet household for a however long the naps last! I plan to clean up my craft area. I need to get all the Christmas stuff put away and get ready for some mad crafting to take place over the next week since I don’t have much else planned while the kids are home.

I thought I’d share one last Christmas post with you all. I haven’t shown my mantle decor yet, and thought you might enjoy seeing it. I went with lots of neutrals this year, pulling out some things i already had on hand as well as a few items I picked up at the thrift store.

I made the Peace banner and paper garland a couple months ago to share with the ladies from church for our Christmas crafts and gifts session. I had the garland draped on some greenery when I shared it with them, but thought I’d pair it with my banner since my banner is pretty small and looked like it needed some company.

I made the garland by punching some circles from pieces of neutral colored patterned papers and sewing them together with my sewing machine. It was so easy and took practically no time at all to make.

Here’s a closer look at the banner. I stamped a subtle text print onto some doilies and layered the glittered letters on top.

You might also remember these tiny canvases I made a while ago. If you’re new to my blog you can check them out here. I tucked them in with some seed and twig balls I already had up, just to add a little Christmas flair.

They’re sitting on some vintage plates on an old stand I found at Goodwill. It sits on my hearth.

And there you have it. My Christmas 2010 mantle and hearth decor.

My prayer for each of you this holiday season is that your hearts would be filled with peace and joy and love as you celebrate Christmas. I’m so thankful for that tiny baby who came to show us God’s love and to fill our hearts with joy and peace all the year through. Blessings from our family to yours!!

Merry, Merry Christmas!!!
Hugs and love to you all!

Last minute gift idea

Hey there! I know many of you are busy getting last minute shopping done and putting the final touches on your hand made gifts and cards. But I thought I’d share with you the cards and gifts I made for my sons to give to their teachers today, just in case there’s a last minute gift you need to hand out to some special people.

First the cards. Let me just start off by saying that I cheated just a tiny bit. I needed something quick and, yes, I’ll admit it, I was getting a little tired of making Christmas stuff and just wanted to be done already! So when I saw these beautiful downloadable gift tags on the Dear Lillie blog I knew I had found the solution to making some beautiful, quick and simple cards for the school teachers. Thanks, Dear Lillie!!

Here are the cards. I printed out the Silent Night tags, adhered them to a dark brown card and then simply added some ribbon and called it done.

A beautiful pinkish red ribbon for the female teachers and green polka dot ribbon for the male teachers.
Here’s a close up look at the pretty script.

As a simple hand made gift for the teachers I decided on hot chocolate on a stick. You may have seen this before, but I saw it for the first time last year around Christmas, thought it was genius, and knew I had to make some of my own this year. I used this recipe and it turned out great!

I packaged them into simple stamped brown paper sacks because that was all I had on hand. Half a dozen hot chocolate sticks fit nicely into each sack. A coordinating ribbon and a tag to explain the contents finished it off.

It’s rich, but it’s really good! Each batch makes 36 servings, so you get a lot! I made two batches of the hot chocolate on a stick. One for the teachers and the other for us to enjoy and to share with family on Christmas Day.

So, if you’re looking for a fun Christmas treat to make or need a last minute gift to hand out, this may be it. it’s been declared a winner at our house!

Also, a friend shared this on facebook today and I think it’s just so cute. It made me smile. Actually it made me laugh out loud. So I thought I’d pass it along to you to enjoy as well.

Happy 3 days before Christmas!!!

supplies: card stock: Stampin’ Up!; ribbon: Stampin’ Up!, Papertrey ink; print out: Dear Lillie

Twisted Cards #38

Hi there, lovelies!

How are you?
I thought I’d pop in to share the latest sketch from Twisted Sketches that went up yesterday.

You can see the sketch and the design team’s cards here. This week’s twist is “chipboard”. I have a lot of chipboard, so it was great to be able to dig through my stash to find pieces that fit with this week’s sketch. Here’s the card I came up with.

The chipboard snowflakes are from SEI. Don’t you love that damask patterned stamp in the background? It’s from TCP studios. I haven’t used it much yet, but I just love it. It’s going to be seeing more ink soon!

My interpretation of the sketch was pretty loose this time. I stamped the designs instead of the swirl element you see in the sketch and added three chipboard pieces instead of the two the sketch calls for. Go ahead and dig through your chipboard stash and play along with us! We’d love to have you join us!!

Toady’s a relaxing day for us. We attended Saturday evening services last night at our church, so we had an entire day to just relax and take it easy. I’d like to head off to do a bit of crafting, and maybe sneak in a nap somewhere in there.
I hope your weekend is wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by!

supplies: card stock: Paper Studio; patterned paper: Basic Grey; stamps: TCP Studios; ink: Stampin’ Up!; chipboard: SEI; sentiment: Making Memories; baker’s twine: Martha Stewart Crafts; pearls: Queen & Co.

SSD Tuesday sketch #55 and new release blog hop!

Welcome to the Skipping Stones Desing Blog Hop to celebrate the release of two new sets, Sentiment Frames #1 and Brrrthday! Today the DT and Guests of SSD will be featuring cards using Sentiment Frames #1. If you’ve just happened upon my blog today, make sure to start from the beginning at Skipping Stones Design. You should have arrived here from Barb’s blog.

Combined with the blog hop today, it’s also Skipping Stones Sketch Tuesday which means we’re showcasing another great creation from our Guest Sketch Artist this month, Maile Belles. We’d love for you to play along with the sketch and link your card at the Skipping Stones Blog. A free stamp set is up for grabs to a lucky winner that joins our sketch challenge!

Here’s a look at this week’s sketch.

And here’s the card I made with it.

Here’s a look at the two new stamp sets being released today.

Brrthday is on the right and Sentiment frames on the left. (Thank you, Barb, for the photo)

I don’t know if you can tell by looking at the photo, but the frame on my card is actually a little smaller than the size of the frame in the stamp set. I discovered a little trick for changing the size of images like this. I meant to make up a little tutorial on exactly how I did that, but I just didn’t get the time.
But basically what I did was stamp a little less than half the frame, re-inked it, flipped my image and stamped the other side to complete the frame. If you’re totally confused by that and would like me to share a tutorial on just how I did it, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you get the chance to play along with this week’s sketch challenge. If you’re hopping along with us today you should be heading over to Gladys’s blog where I’m sure she’s got something super wonderful to share with you today. If you lose your place in the blog hop, just head on over to Skipping Stones Design for the list of blog hop participants.

Tomorrow I’ll reveal the winner of the prize package in my 12 Cards for Christmas showcase from last Saturday. Maybe it was you!!!

Catch ya later!!

supplies: card stock, patterned paper, ink: Stampin’ Up! stamps: Skipping Stones Design; ribbon: Papertrey Ink; flowers: making Memories; pearls: Prima

12 Cards for Christmas- card #12

Whew! we made it to card #12!
This one is just one more made from that fabulous grey paper. This time I paired it with a pretty turquoise. Goes to show you how versatile grey is. It looks great with any color.

snowflakes this time. I thought the patterns in the paper resembled snowflakes a bit, plus I already had the stamped snowflake card left over from another project. That made this card a breeze to finish.

If you’re not a fan of grey, I apologize for the amount of grey cards I showed in this Christmas card lineup. I just pulled some of my favorites from the stack of cards I hadn’t shared yet here on the blog and the grey ones made the cut. Can you tell grey is one of my favorite colors?

Comment here for your chance to win the prize package. This time tell me about any Christmas parties you will be attending. Work parties, friends parties, anything. We, sadly, don’t have any Christmas parties at all. Nobody we know does a Christmas party, or if they do they don’t invite us! Hee! Maybe I should host my own next year. Wanna come?

I hope you enjoyed my day-long parade of Christmas cards. I enjoyed sharing them with you. I feel as if I’ve just run a marathon, though, with all this blogging. But it’s been fun hanging out with you here today on Sweet Paper Treats.

I wish you a wonderful weekend! We’re off to watch our kids school Christmas program.

supplies: card stock, ink, patterned paper: Stampin’ Up!; stamps: Skipping Stones Design; button: papertrey ink; thread: no source

12 cards for Christmas- card #10

Hello again! Time to meet another card! Meet card #10!

We have another grey one this time around. Another non-traditional color scheme. This time the grey was paired with a deep, rich, fuschia color. The result is a sophisticated card for the most discerning folks on your card list.

I much prefer pink over red for Christmas anyway, but this ribbon is just so yummy! I think it dresses up the card nicely. Add a few pins for a glamorous touch.

Comment here for your chance to win the prize package. Tell me about your Christmas meal. Do you have a Christmas brunch after opening the gifts? Or maybe you have a nice candlelight supper on Christmas Eve. Or maybe a huge turkey dinner later on Christmas Day. Or maybe you have a special meal some other day. Or maybe none at all.
Ours seems to kind of change every year as we shuffle our schedule to accommodate the schedules of the rest of the family. I normally make something a little special on Christmas morning and then we often have a fantastic meal made by my mother-in-law either Christmas day or Christmas Eve, whichever works out. Their signature Christmas specialty is surf-and-turf on the grill. let me tell you, it. is. delicious!!! I hope they make it again this year!

supplies: card stock, patterned paper, ink, ribbon: Stampin’ Up!; stamps: Hampton Arts; pins; no source