Holiday coffee can treat containers...

I have been saving (i.e. hoarding) my husband's Illy coffee cans for a very long time now and I keep intending to make great treat containers for whatever the next holiday is, but never seem to get around to it. I can't recycle them because they are too good to get rid of- they are solid, have great screw tops- you get the idea. I now have accumulated enough of a stash that it is impinging on my stamp storage space, so I decided they must be used for my next stamp class.

The coffee people didn't plan well for crafters like me. These cans are 11.5" in circumference, so you need to use 12x12 paper to get around the can- if they were just a bit smaller, you could use a vertical half sheet of 8.5X11 card stock, which would really be more convenient!

For this can, I started with a 4x12" strip of Chocolate Chip and randomly stamped snowflakes in the same ink all over it. Then I punched an eyelet border on both sides of a 4.25" strip of Garden Green and overlaid a strip of Merry Moments Designer paper. I adhered the patterned paper to the Chocolate Chip with strong adhesive from my ATG gun and adhered the whole thing to the can with Tacky Tape.
I stamped the snowflake ornament from the Delightful Decorations set in Garden Green craft ink and embossed with clear EP, then punched out the image with the ornament punch (I love not having to cut these out by hand!!). I hung the ornament from the Real Red grosgrain ribbon with a little hook I made from wire- really simple to make and darned cute!

For the top, I stamped and embossed a snowflake in Real Red and layered it onto nested circles made from Real Red, Garden Green and Chocolate Chip card stock. I added a circle layer on the bottom of the can to write the "To: and From:" since my Ornament was tacked down to the can with glue dots. You could also add a tag for that info onto the ribbon, but I didn't want it to detract from my cute ornament!

One important note: the inside edge of the can is a bit sharp since it had a pull top lid inside to keep the coffee fresh. I tried several ways to soften that edge and finally settled on a layer of Crystal Effects glue which covered the sharp edge perfectly.

These cans can be filled with cellophane bags full of cookies and other treats, or maybe some craft supplies for stamping friends!

Thanks for stopping by~

 




Supplies:
Stamps: Snowburst, Delightful Decorations
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Real Red, Very Vanilla, Merry Moments DP
Ink: Real Red, Garden Green Craft
Accessories: Wide Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Ornament punch, Eyelet edge punch, wire, Sizzix machine, nested dies

Charlie Brown trees...

Hi Everyone! Hope you're first day back after the long holiday weekend hasn't been too painful! I am trying to wade through the masses of email and get myself organized for the coming weeks, both at work and at home- a monumental task for sure!

When I first saw the Patterned Pines stamp set, I knew I wanted to make a Christmas card using some of the Thoroughly Modern designer series paper and "alternate" Christmas colors. The bright pinks and teals remind me of the aluminum trees that Charlie Brown waded through before finding his little wooden tree.

I started with my favorite 5-3/4" square card base and layered on a strip of the teal pattern paper accented by a strip of Whisper White punched with the lattice edge punch from MS. I colored the trees on the Patterned Pines stamp with Melon Mambo and Taken with Teal markers, stamped them on a WW rectangle and added rhinestone toppers to each tree. After tying some white organdy ribbon around the card with a little dotted Melon strip for contrast, I layered the image onto Teal and Kraft card stock and mounted it on the card front with dimensionals. A rhinestone brad studded snowflake and a simple greeting complete the card- super fast and easy!

This is one of the cards we'll be making at my class this week, so be sure to come or get your kit! Thanks for stopping by~

 




Supplies:
Stamps: Patterned Pines (hostess- Holiday Mini catalog), Christmas Greetings
Paper: Melon Mambo, Taken with Teal, Kraft, Whisper White, Thoroughly Modern
Ink: Melon Mambo, Taken with Teal (markers), Basic Black
Accessories: lattice edge punch, rhinestone brads, rhinestones, dimensionals, white organdy ribbon, melon mambo dotted grosgrain ribbon

Let the race begin!

It's now offically the weekend after Thanksgiving and less than 4 weeks until Christmas-yikes! Every year I say that I am going to be more organized than the prior year, but somehow it still creeps up on me.  I wonder if Einstein ever examined the time continuum in December- the days clearly disappears twice faster  than any other month!

I had hoped to get some things done for the holidays this weekend, but I got layed low with bronchitis so I got very little accomplished. I did get a few cards done for my upcoming class in between naps, though, and wanted to share this one today.

I started this card with a vertical Close to Cocoa card base and layered on Whisper White and the flocked red paper from the Christmas Cocoa paper collection from Stampin' Up. I absolutely love this paper- the combination of reds and cocoa colors is really great! I tried several images for this card and settled on Dasher, which I stamped in Close to Coca Craft ink and embossed with clear EP to make him really stand out. I cut my reindeer and a red mat out using a nested die set and my Sizzix machine and layered them onto the card with some Soft Suede dotted ribbon at the top.

The greeting was also stamped in Close to Cocoa craft ink and embossed and punched out with the wide oval punch. I used the same nested shape in Cocoa for the greeting background and added a red snowflake I punched with a MS punch and a rhinestone brad for accent. The last touch was a tiny red rhinestone for the reindeer's nose- too cute!

Don't forget to RSVP if you're coming to Friday's class- we're going to make lots of great cards, treat holders, etc and celebrate the holidays!

Supplies:
Stamps: Dasher, Holidays and Wishes
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Real Red, Christmas Cocoa
Ink: Close to Cocoa craft
Accessories: Soft Suede dotted grosgrain ribbon, Sizzix machine, nested dies, wide oval punch, clear rhinestone brads, snowflake punch

Simple Thanks...

Happy day before Thanksgiving everyone! I am up, caffeinated and have already been to the swim club for round one of swim team practice. I have already begun my "To Do" list for the Thanksgiving feast tomorrow (those of you who know me are aware of my list making habit!) and am trying to corral the elderly and children to be as little interference as possible (I'm hoping one apple pie will take them 2 hours!).

On to the card for today... I was going through stamps to use for my Thanksgiving place cards and I saw this set "Give Thanks" which retired last year and I have not used very much. I loved the galvanized bucket of apples and the swirly pumpkin images- they are really fun to color with Copics or watercolor pencils.

I started with a Kraft card stock base and stamped a background in Always Artichoke using a large background stamp called Flannel Plaid. Then I layered two strips of Very Vanilla punched with a lattice border under a piece of patterned paper from the "Sweet Slumber" set. After the image was colored, I cut it out using a nested die set along with an Artichoke background, layering the two pieces with the Riding Hood Red ribbon tied in between. The greeting was also stamped in Artichoke, punched out with the wide oval punch and layered onto an Artichoke die cut fancy oval shape.

Simple, country and reminds me of a New England Thanksgiving and pies! Speaking of which, it's time for me to move onto that task- pecan, pumpkin and apple pies- made with my neighbor who is an expert Texas pie maker! It's our annual tradition to bake together and it reminds me how thankful I am to have great friends like her!

Supplies: 
Stamps: Give Thanks, Flannel Plaid background

Paper: Kraft, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Sweet Slumber
Ink: Always Artichoke
Accessories: Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, nested dies, Sizzix machine, lattice punch, wide oval punch, dimensionals

Troubled Poinsettia...

This was one of those cards that went together so quickly, until it came to the image. I must have stamped 10 images trying to find the right one to go with this card! I tried a reindeer, a snowflake and a wreath before settling on this poinsettia. I tried a gold embossed version of the poinsettia, but the edges were too light to really stand out against this paper. At that point, I walked away from it, had a glass of wine and came back to it after dinner!

For the final version of this card, I ended up stamping the poinsettia twice in Always Artichoke Craft ink, embossed with clear EP and colored with alcohol markers. I cut the first poinsettia out using a nested die and my Sizzix machine and layered it onto the card front which was made from layers of Riding Hood Red, Vanilla and Wassail (Basic Grey) stitched on my sewing machine. I highlighted the center of the poinsettia with a yellow glitter pen and cut only the inner leaves from the second flower to layer on top of the main poinsettia to give it some depth.

I accented the Fancy Tag and Flourish dies with tiny gold rhinestones for a bit of sparkle and tied it all up with an ivory organdy ribbon- done! After all this work, deciding on a worthy recipient for this card will be hard-LOL!

I've finished my Thanksgiving food shopping and am off to begin making pies-yum! Thanks for stopping by~

Supplies:
Stamps: Poinsettia, Snow Swirled
Ink: Always Artichoke Craft and Classic
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Wassail (Basic Grey)
Accessories: Alcohol markers, ivory organdy ribbon, Sizzix machine, nested dies, rhinestones, sewing machine

Penguin love...

How nice it is to finally have a Sunday off to drink my coffee in my pajamas, in relative peace and quiet (well, not so quiet with the aggressive Monopoly game going on in the background!). My FIL and his sister, Aunt Elaine, arrived yesterday for the Thanksgiving holiday and it is so wonderful to see my kids enjoy their grandfather and great-aunt. They are going to wear them out before the week is out!

Aunt Elaine was going through my craft room yesterday and wanted a penguin card for a friend who loves these little creatures. Just so happens I have a penguin stamp from this year's Holiday Mini catalog in a set called Cold & Cuddly- what do I not have a stamp for??

I was inspired to use the Snowfall transparency sheets for a snowy background, after seeing the card in the Holiday mini, and layered that over a card base made from rich Razzleberry. I used vellum tape to adhere it which is relatively well concealed. You can also adhere transparencies without glue by using brads, staples, etc.

I stamped snowflakes using the Snowflurries set (retired but wonderful!) then layered a white strip punched out with a MS snowflake border punch. A little Razzleberry dotted ribbon conceals the border between the different papers and makes a nice bow. I inked the penguin in black, then wiped off his heart and colored it in Razzleberry before stamping on Whisper White paper. This is a good way to ink in different colors, especially if you only want a small accent area.

I cut the penguin out using a circle die on my Sizzix machine, then sponged a blue background with the die still in place so that the edge remains white. It's a bit hard to see in this picture, but it makes a nice contrast edge! I layered him onto a Bashful Blue circle and a Razzleberry scalloped circle, then tie a ribbon of silver cord through the top before adhering him with dimensionals to the card.

The greeting was stamped, punched out with the Designer Label punch and layered onto a Razzleberry circle. A few rhinestones on the snowflake border and around the greeting for some sparkle and he's done! He's so cute-I may need to make a bunch of these for the holidays!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're enjoying a relaxing Sunday as well!

Supplies:
Stamps: Cold & Cuddly, Snowflurries
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Snowfall transparency
Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Designer Label punch, Sizzix machine, circle and scallop dies, Razzleberry dotted grosgrain ribbon, silver cord, vellum tape, MS snowflake border punch, rhinestones

Thankful Figs...

Happy Friday everyone! It is certainly a soggy one here in Houston today and I needed some serious caffeination to get me moving today. The happy news is that I thought I had to work this weekend and just double checked the calendar- I'm off! That's like a get-out-of-jail-free pass! I hope to work on some teacher gifts and other holiday projects this weekend, so more to come.

I am determined to finish off this year by making good on three resolutions I made last year: use stamps that have never seen ink, actually mail out cards I have made and get my holiday cards out by the first week in December. With Thanksgiving is less than a week away, I am under the crunch to make the "mailing cards out" part happen so I packed a few pre-stamped images and markers in my bag the other night and squirreled away a few minutes to color while on-call (the absolute in multi-tasking!).

This image is one I have had for a year or more and have never used. I was attracted to the figs (love them with blue cheese and proscuitto-yum!) and the detailed leaves. Until I started coloring, however, I never really thought about the complexity of recreating a fig- they're kind of brown, kind of purple and kind of green. A lot of trial and error later, this is about as good as they get in my hands!

After the image was done, it was cut out using a nested label die and layered onto a Chocolate Chip matching piece. The background was assembled using squares of Old Olive, Very Vanilla and an olive piece from Basic Grey "Periphery", then tied a piece of off white silk ribbon around with a big bow to frame the image. I used a bit of glue runner to tack the tails of the bow down so they would stay with a soft wave- it's a nice little trick that I learned from Sharon Johnson over at Splitcoast.

A different nested die cut piece in Elegant Eggplant was placed under the image to make it stand out and the greeting and a few pearls in the corners  finish it off. The whole thing was mounted on an Elegant Eggplant 5-3/4" square card which is my absolute favorite size, although the extra postage makes me cringe!

This work of love will probably go to my mother, although I know she'd rather have my silly pheasant from a few weeks back! Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

 





Supplies:
Stamps: Figs & Pomegranate
Ink: Rich Cocoa
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey "Periphery"
Accessories: Alcohol ink markers, Sizzix machine, Modern label punch, nested dies, pearls, silk ribbon, dimensionals