Some Christmas gifts

I'm popping in really quick to post pics of some Christmas gifts I made this year for friends. The bingo artwork is a repeat from last year with different patterned paper.

Stamps: Bingo Card, Jolly Bingo Bits (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Early Espresso, ? (all Stampin' Up)
Ink: (Stampin' Up)
Misc: ribbon, lace (Stampin' Up); buttons (Papertrey Ink); glitter

I've made several of these glass ball ornaments over the years. It's certainly not my original idea, but this technique makes beautiful ornaments.


Stamps: nativity (PSX)
Misc: glitter, ribbon, Liquid Laminate, glass ball ornament

I made two different candy-filled bottles. I got the Santa idea online ages ago. I don't know where, unfortunately. The small Coke bottle is my favorite with the cute polar bear tag. I filled it with white mint M&Ms. Yum! Then I just stamped and colored the polar bear, added the patterned paper to give the feel of water, and put Stickles along the edge to look like ice. The tag is tied on with raffia for a rustic touch.


Stamps: Polar Holiday (Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: White (Papertrey Ink); patterned (Close to My Heart)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Copic: 0 Colorless Blender, T1, T4, BG11, R29
Misc: raffia, mint M&Ms, Frosted Lace (Stickles); Labels Eight dies (Spellbinders)



Stamps: Tags So Much, Deer Friends (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Real Red (Stampin' Up); white, black, silver (unknown)
Ink: Real Red (Stampin' Up)
Misc: silver ribbon, mini M&Ms

2011 Christmas Card

This year's Christmas card is not original to me, but a CASE of one by Debbie Olson. I loved her card from the October Papertrey release using the set called Star of Wonder. The only changes I made were eliminating the stitching on the damask layer to save time and the pop-dots to save postage cost. I also used blue ink for the sheet music background instead of cream. I made fifty of these cards!


Initally I used a star stamp from the Nativity Silhouette set by Stampin' Up as shown here for the envelopes, but switched to the Bethlehem image from the same set when I realized most of my envelopes were bigger and the other image filled the empty space better. I'm glad I found cream envelopes in my old stash, because I typically just have white ones and the cream looked so much nicer with the finished card. It was great to use up what I had on hand!

Stamps: Star of Wonder, Background Basics: Sheet Music, Damask Designs (Papertrey Ink); Nativity Silhouette (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: 1-3/4" Circle punch (EK Success); Mat Stack 3 die (Papertrey Ink); silver marker (Pen-Touch), embossing powder

This next card is nearly identical to the one I already posted. A friend ordered ten of them for her Christmas cards. This time, I used a darker green ink for the holly and a dark grey ink for the basket image so it would stand out a bit more. Simple changes, but I like the result! I stamped the holly on an envelope to match.


Stamps: Tag-Its #9, Vintage Picnic, Holiday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: White, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); silver
Ink: Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); Tuxedo Black (Memento); Garden Green, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)
Copic: 0 Colorless, T1, Y13, YG11, YG 13, YG 17, R29, R59
Misc: Distressed Stripes embossing folder (Cuttlebug); white Filigree embossing powder; Double-Ended Banners die (Papertrey Ink)

December SFYTT sketch challenge

Woohoo! I achieved my goal of participating in the SFYTT sketch challenge every month this year. It certainly helped to get me stamping more regularly, which is one of the reasons I wanted to do it. This month there is no set sponsor, so I chose to use one of my Kraftin' Kimmie girls again. Posy and Piper were the first ones I purchased, and since I already used Posy in an earlier post, I pulled out Piper for this card. Isn't she adorable?

I stuck pretty close to the sketch, other than replacing the circle with a snowflake. I glittered the edges which turned out much thicker than I intended. The shape looks a little distorted. If I do it again, I'll use a glue pen instead to get a thinner line. Either that or cover the whole snowflake with glitter. I also wish I had used the more circular snowflake in the Damask Snowflake die set for better balance. Other than those small things, I think the card still turned out cute!

Here are my posts for the previous month's sketches:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

I will post this year's Christmas card soon. I'm still searching for some elusive addresses!

Stamps: Piper (Kraftin' Kimmie); Winter Mittens (Verve); The Snowflake Spot (Stampin' Up)
Paper: White, Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Copic: 0 Colorless Blender, T1, T4, E000, E00, E30, R20, E55, E57, E59, B91, B95, B97, B99
Misc: white embossing powder (Filigree); Blue Topaz glitter (Martha Stewart)

Waltzingmouse Tag Challenge

December has been so busy! I had nine performances in the span of fifteen days, along with school concerts and other family/church activities. I have three performances this week and then I get a bit of a break from major commitments. I am so looking forward to it! I love what I do, but there are so many things that need catching up and unscheduled time is so precious. I can't wait to sleep in and spend time with my kids! I can't believe Christmas is in just a few days. This past year feels like a blur.

Most of this month's extra time went toward stamping my Christmas cards. I'll show those in a future post since I still need to get them mailed (yikes!). Yesterday afternoon, I got some free time to spend in my studio so I made a tag for the Waltzingmouse challenge. This is actually my third try since I wasn't satisfied with the first two tags I made.


I used three different sets: Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy for the adorable gingerbread man and holly, Half Baked Gingerbread Joy for the sentiment, and Vintage Circles Small for the frame. It's difficult to see, but I clear-embossed a candy image in the center of the tag. Now I have the perfect little tag for some Christmas cookies!

Stamps: Oven Fresh Gingerbread Joy, Fresh Baked Gingerbread Joy, Vintage Circles Small (Waltzingmouse)
Paper: Rustic Cream, Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Dies: Tag Sale #4, Double-Ended Banners (Papertrey Ink)
Misc: white embossing powder (Filigree); clear embossing powder