Nativity Ornament

Merry Christmas!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  I'm popping in to post an ornament I made this week.  It's essentially a copy of the one Betsy Veldman made for the release of these stamps and dies.  I made six of these ornaments for gifts.  It took me two days!

It seems simple, but it involves lots of steps and can be time-consuming.  Still, I really love them!  I'm not sure the photos capture how cool these ornaments are in person.  I adore miniature things and these make quite an impact.

I used the Petite Ornament: Square die by Papertrey Ink and cut two pieces from Enchanted Evening cardstock.  I stamped sentiments from Oh Holy Night on two of the clear inserts with Cotton White Staz-On ink and then assembled the ornament without closing off the top yet.  Betsy made a great how-to video for this which you can see here.

I used the Petite Places: Nativity dies to cut White, Dark Chocolate, and Kraft cardstock for the various pieces.  I assembled the tiny stable and adhered it to a white square.  I diecut and stamped the individual scene figures and glued them in place around it.

It's funny that I didn't notice until posting these pictures that I missed pushing out some of the filigree in the box top.  I need to fix that!  lol

After finishing the scene, I inserted the whole thing in the ornament and glued it to the base.  That's when I closed off the top and added a ribbon hanger.  I seriously love these!  I'll make them again, but they will only go to someone who really appreciates the time they take.  It's a labor of love.

Can you believe that 2015 is almost over?  All my kids are home for the holidays and I am loving it!  I'm trying to savor every moment with them.  Life is good!

Stamps:  Petite Places: Nativity, Oh Holy Night (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Cotton White (Staz-On)
Paper:  White, Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Petite Ornament: Square die, Petite Places: Nativity dies (Papertrey Ink); Scor-Tape; white ribbon

Star Tree Tag

One more tag to post!  I started this tag a couple weeks ago when a friend came over to stamp, but I fussed with it several times for a week until I was happy with it.  It uses an old Stampin' Up set called Peace on Earth.  I used the globe ornament image from this set for a tag two years ago.  Check it out here.  For this tag, I used the star tree image.

I cut a tag from white cardstock using the Tag Sale: Quilted die by Papertrey Ink.  I stamped the tree in Tuxedo Black ink and colored the stars with a Handsome Hunter marker.  Then I used a glue pen to add Black Licorice glitter to the star tree.  It is so pretty in real life!  The flecks of black and green really give depth to the color.

I stamped a sentiment from Peace on Earth by Verve Stamps next to the tree.  I really love the design of the stamps in this set.  I colored the "night" banner section with Copic markers.  Both of the stars (in the sentiment and on the tree) were colored with a Daffodil Delight marker and then embellished with Lemon Drop glitter.

I cut a piece of Enchanted Evening cardstock with a die from Tag Sale #10 by Papertrey Ink.  Using Harvest Gold cardstock, I cut a star with a die from Blueprints 8 by My Favorite Things and glittered it with Lemon Drop as well.  The finished tag is so pretty with all the sparkle!  A bit of dark blue ribbon and it's ready to use.

Stamps:  Peace on Earth (Stampin' Up); Peace on Earth (Verve Stamps)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Enchanted Evening, Harvest Gold (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  B91, B95, B99
Misc:  Tag Sale #10 die, Tag Sale: Quilted die (Papertrey Ink); Blueprints 8 die (My Favorite Things); Handsome Hunter and Daffodil Delight markers (Stampin' Up); Black Licorice and Lemon Drop glitter (Martha Stewart); glue pen, blue ribbon

Sparkle Tag

I love these tags!  They are not my original idea, by any means.  Vanessa Menhorn posted a snowflake tag on her blog two years ago here.  I just used the dies I own and put my own spin on the design.

Can you see the sparkle?  If not, scroll down to the close-up pics.  There is lots of glitter, of course!  I made these tags earlier this week when my friend Shannon came over to stamp.  They are a quick design and so very pretty.

I used my Fancy Flakes dies by Papertrey Ink, cutting the medium-size snowflake from white cardstock and the small one from Spring Rain cardstock.  I used a glue pen to add crystal glitter to the white snowflake.  I pulled white buttons from my stash and used Glossy Accents to glitter them as well.

I layered the snowflakes and buttons on a Kraft tag cut with the Tag Sale #3 die by Papertrey Ink, offsetting it slightly to go off the edge.  Then I stamped the word "sparkle" from Snowfall Additions in black ink.  Once I added white ribbon, these tags were complete!

I really love these tags!  It would be so easy to whip up a bunch of these.  They are the last of my Christmas mystery tags, but I still have one more single tag to post tomorrow.  I've had a lot of fun in my studio the past couple weeks!   :)

Stamps:  Snowfall Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Kraft, Spring Rain (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Fancy Flakes dies, Tag Sale #3 die (Papertrey Ink); Crystal fine glitter (Martha Stewart); Glossy Accents (Ranger); glue pen; Cream buttons (Papertrey Ink); white ribbon 

Santa Stache Tag

Anyone who knows me well will not be surprised.  Phrases constantly trigger lyrics for me and I often burst out in song as a result.  I seriously considered typing my post title as "Santa's got a brand new stache" to the tune of a song from the SHeDAISY Christmas album.  (replacing the word "bag" with "stache")  In fact, I immediately turned on the song to sing along.  Welcome to my warped little world.

Aren't those tags adorable??!!  I had so much fun making these.  They were quick too, other than cutting and waiting for the flocking/glitter to dry.  The tag base is Kraft cardstock cut with the Tag Sale #10 die by Papertrey Ink.  I stamped the bottom with a sentiment from Get Your Santa On by Stampin' Up.

The Santa head image is from a Stampin' Up set appropriately called Santa Stache.  After stamping it on white cardstock, I colored the hat and face with Copic markers.  I didn't think to add the simple grey shading until after I had flocked three Santas already, but I like the dimension it adds to the one tag.

I hand-cut each Santa head and an extra set of mustaches.  I added white flocking to the hair, eyebrows, mustache, and beard.  I love the texture!  It just begs to be touched.  I popped up the extra mustache on each Santa with foam tape for dimension.

Finally, I added a bit of Diamond Stickles to the lines on the hat band and pom.  Oh, and some silver ribbon.  I really love these tags!  The sentiment makes me giggle.  It made my son do a double take.  lol

Stamps:  Santa Stache, Get Your Santa On (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  C1, R20, R29, R59, R89, E00, E30, E42
Misc:  Tag Sale #10 die (Papertrey Ink); Diamond Stickles, Cotton Ball White Fun Flock (Stampendous); silver ribbon; glue pen; foam tape

Stocking Tag

I love these tags!  I got my inspiration from a card posted by JanTink on her blog.  Unfortunately, I can't find the exact post, but it was a trio of stockings against a woodgrain background.  I liked the look and did something similar for my tags.

The stamp set is an old one by Stampin' Up called Stitched Stockings that had a coordinating punch.  It made putting these together much quicker than if I'd had to cut them all out by hand.  I punched the stocking out of patterned paper (Trim the Tree dsp).  I stamped the cuff/toe/heel with Garden Green ink on white cardstock and then punched those pieces out as well.

I threaded some natural twine through Pure Poppy buttons and tied little bows for an accent on the stocking cuff.  For the tag, I cut white cardstock with the Tag Sale #1 die by Papertrey Ink.

I stamped a piece of Dark Chocolate cardstock with Dark Chocolate ink for a lovely tone-on-tone woodgrain background using Hardwood by Stampin' Up.  Then I layered it on a piece of Garden Green cardstock and a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock that was punched with a scallop border along the bottom edge.

Once assembled, I added a Cherry Cobbler ring around the hole (from the same tag die) and then stamped the "Ho Ho Ho" sentiment from Stitched Stockings by My Favorite Things.  A bit time consuming, honestly, but the tags turned out really cute.  Even teenage boy approved!  :)

Stamps:  Stitched Stockings, Hardwood (Stampin' Up); Stitched Stockings (My Favorite Things)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Garden Green (Stampin' Up); Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink); Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Trim the Tree dsp (Stampin' Up)
Misc:  Tag Sale #1 die (Papertrey Ink); Stocking Builder punch, Scallop Border punch (Stampin' Up); Pure Poppy buttons (Papertrey Ink); solid natural twine (The Twinery)

Bethlehem Tag

I went a little simpler with these tags.  Every year I make mystery tags for my kids' gifts and need four of each one.  After creating several more complicated designs (which will be posted soon), I wanted to do a design that would go quickly.  My kids have been begging me to wrap their presents for days!  I couldn't use the tags until I got them photographed for my blog.  What's funny is, I decided to use these tags for my husband instead and made a different set this morning.  Such is the life of a creative soul!

Aren't those pretty?  I cut the tags out of Enchanted Evening cardstock using the Tag Sale #8 die by Papertrey Ink.  It's such a rich blue.  I cut the Bethlehem Border die by Taylored Expressions out of black cardstock.

Before adhering anything together, I stamped and embossed a pretty Star of David using silver powder.  The image is from Star of Wonder by Verve Stamps.  The word "joy" is from a sentiment in the same set.  I stamped it repeatedly using VersaMark ink to create a border at the top and bottom of my scene.

These were quick to put together.  I spent the most time lining up the words.  Naturally, I had to use silver ribbon to match the star.  I love these simple and elegant tags!

Stamps:  Star of Wonder (Verve Stamps)
Ink:  VersaMark
Paper:  Enchanted Evening, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Bethlehem Border die (Taylored Expressions); Tag Sale #8 die (Papertrey Ink); silver embossing powder

Merry & Bright Tag

I love this sweet, wintry tag!  Of course, I'm partial to cardinals and the bright pop of red in a snowy landscape.  It's one of those projects that made feel giddy while creating it.   :)

I cut my base tag using the Tag Sale #4 die by Papertrey Ink.  I've used this one a lot, since it's one of my favorites.  Notice anything?  Your eyes aren't deceiving you.  I made one tag first and when I made the other three tags a week later, I used a different color of cardstock.  Oops!  I didn't even realize it until I was nearly finished.  The original tag is Spring Rain and the other tags are Aqua Mist.

I cut some pieces of white cardstock with the Stitched Hillside Borders dies by Lawn Fawn, cut them again with the Tag Sale #4 die, and then glittered them to mimic snow.  I love doing that!  Glitter makes me happy.  Sparkly too.  I went to church last Sunday with glitter on my skirt and probably my face as well.   lol   It's all over the house right now.

I stamped some small snowflakes from Tag-Its #8 by Papertrey Ink using VersaMark ink for a subtle snowy background.  After gluing the tag pieces together, I stamped a sentiment from the same set in black ink.  The tree trunk is Dark Chocolate cardstock cut with the Branch Out die by Reverse Confetti. 

After stamping the bird from Swanky Snowdudes on white cardstock, I colored it with Copic markers and glittered the white parts of the hat.  Naturally.  :)  Then I just adhered it to one of the branches.  Paper Smooches has such darling images.  I adore this little bird!  I added a bit of white ribbon for a final touch.  Love.  I had so much fun making these tags.

Stamps:  Swanky Snowdudes (Paper Smooches); Tag-Its #8 (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento): VersaMark

Paper:  White, Aqua Mist, Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)

Copic:  R29, R59, G46

Misc:  Tag Sale #4 die (Papertrey Ink); Stitched Hillside Borders dies (Lawn Fawn); Branch Out die (Reverse Confetti); Crystal fine glitter (Martha Stewart); glue pen

Warm Winter Wishes

Time to post my Christmas gift tags!  I actually made this one several weeks ago, but life has been really busy around here.  I finally got stuff photographed yesterday.  I used this tag for a hostess gift of one of my glittered nativity ornaments.  Luckily, it matched the snowman gift bag I had in my stash!

Cute, huh?  This tag was really fun to make.  I cut Aqua Mist cardstock with the Tag Sale #5 die by Papertrey Ink.  I cut white cardstock with the Puffy Clouds Borders dies by Lawn Fawn and then cut them again with the tag die.  After I added glitter, I simply layered them on top of the tag which was stamped with a tiny snowflake in VersaMark ink.

I stamped the cute snowman and snow shovel from Frozen Friends by Newton's Nook on white cardstock and then colored them with Copic markers.  To match the snow underneath, I glittered the bit of snow by the shovel.  I cut the images out with scissors and then glued them in place.  I stamped the sentiment from Tag-It's #8 by Papertrey Ink directly on the tag in black ink.

As a final touch, I stamped white tissue paper with snowflakes using Hawaiian Shores and silver ink.  I used Rustic Snowflakes by Papertrey Ink.  I love coordinated tissue paper for gifts and stamping is such an easy way to custom-make your own!

I'm happy to say the gift was well-received!  I love it when people appreciate the hand-crafted touches and understand the time that goes into such a gift.  Be looking for more new tags over the next few days.  I've been having lots of fun in my studio!

Stamps:  Frozen Friends (Newton's Nook); Tag-It's #8, Rustic Snowflakes (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink); Silver (Encore Ultimate Metallic); VersaMark
Paper:  White, Aqua Mist (Papertrey Ink); white tissue paper
Copic:  0, C1, R24, R29, R59, G28, E30, E42, E57, E59, YR15, YR24
Misc:  Tag Sale #5 die (Papertrey Ink); Puffy Cloud Borders dies (Lawn Fawn); glue pen; Crystal fine glitter (Martha Stewart)

Turkey Tag

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I was lucky enough to spend it at my brother's home with his family.  It's so great to have a sibling close by now.  I made butterflake rolls, my grandmother's recipe and a Thanksgiving tradition, to share with everyone.  They are so good!  I wanted to take a little hostess gift, since my brother and sister-in-law were doing most of the cooking, and I made a tag to accompany it.

The images are from a darling set by Taylored Expressions called If Turkeys Could Talk.  I stamped and colored the turkey with Copic markers on white cardstock and cut it out.  I cut the tag from white cardstock using the Tag Sale: Quilted die by Papertrey Ink, along with the narrow banner from Dark Chocolate cardstock.  The sentiments were stamped in black ink.

The tag was quick to assemble once the turkey was done.  It turned out really cute!  Not to mention, the tag dressed up the bottle of sparkling juice very nicely.  My sister-in-law loved it!  :)

Stamps:  If Turkeys Could Talk (Taylored Expressions)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  E41, E42, E55, E57, E59, R29, Y38, YR24
Misc:  Tag Sale: Quilted die (Papertrey Ink); ribbon

Peace

It's time for the monthly Papertrey Ink blog hop!  I've missed the last few, but I managed to get a card made today.  I got stuck partway through, but a little break to watch some Doctor Who got the inspiration flowing again.  The Doctor fixes everything.  lol  My kids and I are enjoying the start of Thanksgiving vacation!

Obviously, the picture inspired my use of an ornament.  We were given the color combo of silver, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal and Simply Chartreuse against pops of crisp white.  Challenging to say the least!  Am I the only one who struggles with color combos?
After drawing some pencil guidelines with a ruler, I stamped the sentiment "Celebrate the reason for the season" repeatedly on a diagonal to create my background on white cardstock.  The sentiment is from Vintage Ornaments by Papertrey Ink and I used Hawaiian Shores ink.  I then randomly stamped tiny snowflakes from Snowflake Sparkle with silver ink.

I cut an ornament from Hawaiian Shores cardstock using the Vintage Ornament dies.  I stamped the tiny nativity images from Petite Places: Nativity on the ornament with black ink.  Then I added glittery dimensional sparkle with Silver Stickles along the top of the ornament and on the bottom tip.  On the little loop, I sponged silver ink.  (note to self...next time do that before the Stickles)

I stamped several pine branches from Tinsel & Tags Sprigs using Simply Chartreuse ink and three berry clusters using Tropical Teal ink.  All were die cut with the matching dies.  I layered them on my card to mimic a swag.  I looped a narrow piece of silver ribbon to hang the ornament.

I cut two Wonderful Words: Holiday dies out of white cardstock, layered them together for dimension, and rubbed them with silver ink.  It adds a nice subtle silver tone to match the snowflakes.  I assembled everything on a Tropical Teal card base.

I really like how this turned out.  Fun non-traditional colors!  Check out other cards for the blog hop here.

Stamps:  Vintage Ornaments, Petite Places: Nativity, Snowflake Sparkle, Tinsel & Tags Sprigs (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, Simply Chartreuse (Papertrey Ink); Tuxedo Black (Memento); Silver (Encore! Ultimate Metallic)
Paper:  White, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Vintage Ornament die, Wonderful Words: Holiday die, Tinsel & Tags: Basics dies (Papertrey Ink); Silver Stickles, silver ribbon

Silver Snowflake

I have a weakness for snowflakes.  Snowmen too.  I just love wintry images.  I purchased the Festive Flurry set from Stampin' Up last year along with the matching dies, but hadn't used them.  Yesterday, I was in the mood to make a simple card and these large gorgeous snowflakes are perfect for that.

On a white card base, I adhered a strip of scalloped Going Gray cardstock and a strip of Winter Frost dsp.  I embossed the snowflake with silver embossing powder, one of the quickest ways to add lots of impact to a card.  Then I cut it with the matching die and popped it up with a bit of foam tape.  I stamped the sentiment from Holiday Button Bits by Papertrey Ink in Basic Gray ink.

I could easily make a lot of these.  It's a quick design, but still very elegant!

Stamps:  Festive Flurry (Stampin' Up); Holiday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  White (Papertrey Ink); Going Gray, Winter Frost dsp (Stampin' Up)
Misc:  Festive Flurry die (Stampin' Up); Scallop border punch (Stampin' Up); silver embossing powder

Poinsettia Joy

This is not my original design.  I wanted to clarify that right off!  I CASE'd a card by Paula Dobson found here.  I loved the simple elegance of her design.  I only made small changes and that was to add glitter (naturally!) and use a different mat color and sentiment.

I stamped the large poinsettia from Joyful Christmas by Stampin' Up over the white strip and the Pinefeather card base at the same time. It left a small gap between the pieces due to the cardstock thickness, but that was easily covered by the black cardstock mat.

I colored the flower with Copic markers and added Golden Rod Stickles to the stamens.  Because.  Glitter.  Sparkle.  Glitter is a necessary element for Christmas.  lol  I was thinking of all the silk poinsettias in the craft stores.  Very few come without glitter.  :)

I used a large Joy sentiment from Merry Wishes by Verve Stamps.  I love the flourish-y font.  Then it was just a simple matter of gluing everything together!  I may make a few more of these to have on hand for Christmas cards because it's perfect for mailing.

Stamps:  Joyful Christmas (Stampin' Up); Merry Wishes (Verve)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, Pinefeather, True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Copic:  0, C1, Y15, G24, G28, BG99, R24, R29, R59
Misc:  Golden Rod Stickles