Holiday Gifts

In this world of ready made gifts I really want to give something hand made to those I appreciate. The most precious gift you can give someone I believe is that of your time and effort. My kids have the best teachers and every year I want to show them how much I appreciate them so here are some things I made for them.


























These are some personalized cards in what I hope are colors they like.

They are 4 1/4 and 5 1/2 cards cuttlebugged with the polka dot embossing folder then 1 1/2 inch strip of whisper white CS edge punched with the SU scallop border punch then topped with 1inch strip of decorative paper from DCWV. I put their initials in my Just Rite Stamper and punched it out with 1 3/4 inch circle punch and used dimensionals to attach. A set of 8 makes a lovely gift, I hope!


This is the purple version- although it looks more blue here.

6 more days to Christmas!

Happy Birthday Card

Yes, today is my birthday- it has been so hectic with work and holiday potlucks, cardmaking and gift shopping that I have not had time to enjoy the season at all-let alone my birthday- and it's like this every year- but I got home and found this card in the mail from my mother and it instantly cheered me up. Isn't it lovely? I love how she used the round tab punch and border punch to make the container for the flowers. There is a center of sparkles in each flower. There is so much dimension to this card. I am so happy- I am going to just revel in this moment.....

Missus Santa Box

Here's the Missus santa box as promised.

She is made from just one box so the front and back is double the Santa Pant legs.

here's the how to:


























Take a 4 1/4 x 8 " red CS and score at 1/2, 1 3/4, 4 1/4, and 5 1/2 and the bottom across at 1 1/4" to match the Santa Pants. Cut out the solid lines and score at dotted lines.

as shown here on the left and fold into a box and use sticky strip to tape down. You do not want the box to fall apart using less expensive glues here!

Use Scallop Circle #2 die to make the large scallop and cut to size and score - whatever you find pleasing to make the apron part. Use a scallop circle punch to make the bib part.

You want to stickly strip down the bib part first, then tape down the apron. Take 2 3/8 inch strips from a 8 1/2 inch wide paper- You won't need the whole length - I just took a whole sheet and started to cut strips that's all. Use stickly strips on ends.

Tape down the strips onto the bib and back- I like the back to be in the center and overlap the two strips to mimic the old fashioned aprons like this.

tape a white taffeta ribbon around as a belt and tie a separate ribbon and tape down using glue dot to make a neat ribbon..

Use the heart to heart punch to punch some heart using the Candy Lane DS paper. and tape down as desired to accent.

My little finished Missus box. Isn't she sweet?

only 9 days until Christmas!

Let me know what you think of this!

Lynda

Santa Pants

This is the how to on the Santa Pants on the right.

I saw something like this at my LSS where they were selling this "kit" and I thought I can figure this out so here is my version. This is using a quarter sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 CS but can be adjusted to any size you need. It is basically your 2-4-6-8 box in a smaller version. It's just that you need 2 of it- one for each leg.




















Take a quarter sheet of paper 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and score at 1/2, 1 3/4, 3, 4 1/4 as shown, the score the bottom across at 1 1/4 inches- Just make the bottom scoring whatever the width of the box would be. Cut the silver marked lines and cut out that little 1/2 x 1 1/4 corner if you wish. You will need 2 of these in real red CS. ( I used white here to better show you the numbers and scoring lines) Fold into 2 boxes.
For the santa's pant cuffs, I thought of using felt and other dimensional fabric but I wanted to keep it totally SU so I did faux suede technique here.

Another crimper use- take a 3/4 " strip of whisper white CS and run it through the crimper a bunch of times until the fibers separate and then peel back to reveal the softer suede like center.


like this. If it separates unevenly, try separating from a different corner.

Tape the faux suede onto the bottom of the pant leg boxes and tape the 2 boxes together to make the actual pants. Try to put the seams on the inside to make it nice and neat.






For the belt I used a 3/4 inch strip of brushed silver CS. I drew 2 horizontal lines about 1/8 inch from the edge then put a line every 1 inch increment to separate out each buckle then put shorter lines about 1/4 inch from the edge. It seems like a lot of work but try to punch out the small slots with a small piece of paper- IMPOSSIBLE! It is much easier to have a long strip you can slide in to punch the holes in the buckle evenly as shown. For the last two left on the striip, punch holes on both sides

before cuttings the two buckles apart. Now you have the buckle.

Take a 8 1/2 inch wide black CS and cut a 3/8 inch black strip. Run the black strip through the belt buckle as shown on the sample and tape down as shown.

take 8 1/2 wide paper and cut 3/8 inch strips in red for the suspenders and place 2 sticky strips on either end as shown.

Tape the red strips in the front on either side of the buckle straight up.

then angle the strip and tape down in the back to create the criss cross in the back as shown.

Finished pants. Fill with Hershey's kisses or other goodies- candy canes, etc. You can use larger paper - half sheet and score at 2-4-6-8 and bottom at 2 inches to make a bigger box or use a whole sheet- score 1/2 inch to tape down- that leaves you 10 1/2 inches, divide by 4 - so 2 5/8 on each side and across the bottom. This makes for a really cute center piece. Finally all my math skills coming in to full glory!

I will do the Missus Santa tutorial tomorrow.

I am too wiped to think....

Santa and Missus side by side from the front.

Santa and the Missus their backsides showing.

Only 10 days until Christmas!

Thanks for looking!

Easy Peasy Gift Card Holder

I needed a quick giftcard holder and I CASED a Christmas card designed by our local stamping royalty Mercedes Weber- check out her new blog at http://www.mercedesweber.blogspot.com/.

She has a contest right now to decorate a gingerbreadhouse template for the gingerbread man. If you see that beautiful jar she made for the local stamping group swap, I was the lucky gal who got to take it home.

Here's the how to for the gift card holder. In different cardstock color to show you it can be done for any occasion. Take a 4 1/4 x 11" CS and score at the center to make a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card- Your basic A2 size- score 3 1/2 inches from both ends. Valley fold the outside score lines and mountain fold the middle score line.

If you have difficulty punching a straight line, you could draw a line with a pencil before you punch it out.

Use the word window punch to punch out the slot where the gift card will go in the middle fold as shown below.

Sticky strip the 3 sides of the punched hole as shown using 1/4 inch sticky strip and glue the sides above and below the punched hole together.

This is what the inside looks like after it is taped closed with the gift card in the hole.

Decorate the outside as desired- For this blue giftcard holder I used baja blue CS and whisper white- stamped with baja blue ink- then sentiment punched out using large oval punch- the edges are sponged with same color ink. Tape down the 5/8 striped grosgrain ribbon. It has a nice texture so even with just one tie it will stay in place without actually making a knot so it is easy to open for the recipient and the gift card is really secure as you can see in the first picture. This gift card was inside my little beautiful jar that Mercedes made so I got 2 gifts that night. Thanks girlfriend!

11 days to Christmas!

I am still not even close to finishing my Christmas cards- I think either it will not go out or it may be more like New Years day cards.......

Lynda

Snowflake Card

I love free stuff- on the back of every designer series paper pack there is this extra thick cardstock that is used to ship the paper that is perfectly white instead of the kraft color that most companies use to pack their papers. I used my snowflake #2 die from Stampin' Up and used the 2 way glue pen to apply the glue and dazzling diamond all over and it is really sparkly IRL although a little hard to see on this picture. The base is ridinghood red CS with a ski slope DD paper and kiwi diecut with top note and stamped in artichoke with Winter Post stampset. punch hole in center of snowflake and top note and put a circle ice crystal brad in center- here is green one but hard to tell that it is a crsytal. This was one of my make and takes at my workshop yesterday and surprisingly was the easiest of all the projects. Could easily be mass produced if you needed a quick Holiday card.

12 days until Christmas!

Lynda

Notepad and pen gift set

This is a notepad and pen set that I made for last year's Christmas gifts- updated with Love you Bunch set for this year. I did not have a blog and was new to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and when I posted it on line a lot of people asked how it was done and as I was a newbie to the electronic world I was only able to describe what I did in words- but here it is step by step picture tutorial for you all.

























The size of the paper will depend on the size of the cube- here I am using a 3x 3 size note cube so my measurements follow that size.

Take a 8x8 ridinghood red CS and put it diagonally on the scor-pal with the top and bottom on the 6" mark- which is the exact center. Because my cube is 3x3 I scored 1 1/2 in from either side from the center so at 1 1/2, 3, and at 4 1/2 and on the right 7 1/2, 9, and at 10 1/2. If your cube is bigger or smaller use 1/2 the width of the cube to figure out which increments you need to score on either side.



Turn the CS 1/4 turn so your score lines that you just made are now going across left to right.
This is a little tricky but shift your point from the center score line about 1/8 inch as shown on the left and then score again on the right at 7 1/2, 9, and at 10 1/2- (so that the box is a little bigger on this side), shift the CS then 1/8 to the right of the 6 inch mark then score again on the left 1 1/2, 3, and at 4 1/2 (so the box base will be 3x 3 1/4.


You should have a box kind of like this now. One side of the box will be a tad bigger than the other side.

Cut the corners in like this. This is done because I am obsessive compulsive and like my corners to have no raw edges when all folded.

along the shorter side use 1 1/4 circle punch to punch a half circle after you fold the edge over.

This is what the box will look like after you punch it out and fold the box in and tape it down. Fold up the shorter sides up first and tape down. then fold over the longer side as shown with sticky tape- very important- you do not want your box to fall apart!

You may have to trim a little of the corner on the side that the 1/2 circle is punched because it shows through your punched circle.
The edge of your box will be nice and neat-as shown on the left if you do it this way.

The cube will fit nice and snug- you need the 1/4 inch leeway on one side so that the bulk of the folded cardstock will fit inside the box.

take a 1/2 DD paper - here is Candy Lane from the Love You Bunch bundle special. It will be a little short at 12 inches. Tape it as shown with the gap in the front- it will be hidden by the accent element.

Stamp the scalloped image from Love You Bunch Set onto pink pirouette CS and punch out with the 1 1/4 circle- I trimmed it a bit more to follow the image.

Color with blender pen with ridinghood red as shown.

Attach with dimensional as shown. This is cute as is if you want to keep it for yourself but as a gift you want to do a little more.

Add a belly band with 1" chocolate chip CS and sticky tape down followed by 3/4 inch DD paper- here coordinated Candy Lane paper.

Stamp the heart image from Love You Bunch set onto Pink Pirouette CS with ridinghood red ink then white gel pen to accent some of the flowers. Add Dazzling diamond Glitter with 2 way glue pen and attach with dimensionals.

Take a RSVP pen and take out the pen part- take a 3/4 x 3 1/4 inch strip of same DD Candy Lane paper - use the pen to roll it tight and replace inside.

Put the cube inside a acetate bag and tie ribbon- here ridinghood red striped and tie pen onto gift.

This is for a Christmas gift swap for my local stamping group. I hope they like it!

15 days to Christmas!

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Billy & Lilly Sledding

This is another stamp from the Billy and Lilly Winter Set from Pink Cat Studio at http://www.pinkcatstudio.com/Stamps/LilyBilly/LBP1_LilyBillyWinter.htm

I used Baja Blue CS cuttlebug embossed the snowflakes then tore some WW CS and dimensional glued in place after stamping snowflakes in Baja Blue and warm winter wishes in black. Some white liquid applique-(could never wait for it to dry- I smeared it with my fingers to simulate snow on the ground - heated it then some 2 way glue all over and dazzling diamond glitter to create the background. Lilly and Bill are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black then face colored in with copic (R00)- note the face-no smearing- the ink dried immediately and it is a true black and it looks really clean. I think I finally found the black for coloring in- Color the rest with markers then again liquid applique over Lilly's fur collar and trim and Billy's pompom then glitter the top as well. Very glittery and textural- although I am not sure how well the image shows up here.

18 more days to Christmas!

Martha Stewart Elephant Punch Card

I have thing about Martha Stewart. No matter what people said I was one of those people who always kinda liked her. I've been subscribing to her magazine since its inception and I even DVR her show every day infomercialling her craft products. When I saw this elephant punch I HAD to HAVE it. I just thought it was so sweet. I dreamed about doing colorblocking with it and I thought it turned out very sweet. I just grabbed 5 colors from the soft & subtle group of colors.

Take barely banana CS base. punch out 1 1/4 inch squares from pretty in pink, almost amethyst, bliss blue and certainly celery and punch out an elephant with the same colors. Cuttle bug the squares with the polka dot embossing folder. ( I tried to polka dot the banana CS but it was just too much and this seemed prettier.) Stamp baby image from Punches Three- (hostess set) in celery and lilac and dimensional mount over olive polytwill ribbon .