Paper Crafting: 2023 Christmas Cards

 

Now that I know my Christmas cards have been received and the Post Office hasn't sent me a cease and desist order, I can share the cards I made for friends and family this Christmas season. I previously shared the Hanukkah cards I made and said in that post that Mr.Chocolate thought I was nuts when I said I'd be quilling our cards this year. Here are the Christmas cards! I'm still old school and since cardmaking is my first crafting love, I love making them for those I love! 

Supplies:

• 110lb Cardstock for Card Base (Recollections from Michaels)
• Holiday Themed Papers (Michaels)
• Coordinating glitter and Foil Papers (Recollections)
• Coordinating Quilling Strips
• Coordinating Sequins

I was on the lookout early for the Recollections holiday papers this year. Frosted Juniper and Glistening Snow are from this year. Black and White Winter is from last year. 

I'm consistent in my card construction:

• Cut 110lb paper 7x10
• Score
• Cut chosen decorative papers in panels and layer
• Attach focal 

I didn't take pictures of the quilling process ( I need to grow more arms and hands), I used a random approach and cut out the base tree shapes using my Cricut Explore and then just started making coils and swirls! 

I like to make a few different versions of cards versus making the same card for everyone. Part of that is because I can never limit myself to one set of papers and another part is because I try to match cards to their recipients. For this set, I cut modern looking trees from gold glitter paper and used silver and gold edged quilling strips from Quilling.com and finished with mirror sequins and rhinestones.

I used the Frosted Juniper papers for others, matching the colors with green glitter trees and coils in blues, greens and whites, and then embellished with rhinestones and sequins.

I loved the Black and White Winter stack I got last year (so much so I bought another after Christmas!) and have a few friends who are black and white fans like me. 

For these I cut trees from glitter silver and white papers, and then used coordinating quilling papers. 

I get these ideas before thinking about mailing them and then wait with bated breath! 

Sharing At:

Sundays on Silverado

Last Minute Fourth Of July Project: Firecracker Candle

I don't do a lot of decorating for the Fourth, but I have a few things on my mantle. Since we can't light fireworks in our city I wanted something that symbolized them so I altered a candle 

For this project you will need: 

• Tall jar candle ( ie prayer candle available at Dollar Tree or grocery store) 
• Patriotic colored papers (I used products from CutCardstock.com)
• Coordinating cupcake liners ( mine were left over from Christmas!)

Here's the plain candle and papers. To add a little extra sparkle to the "sparkler" go around the top and bottom rims of the candle with clear embossing ink and then dip in bright gold embossing powder and heat emboss. 

Measure and tear cream cardstock, trim it as well with gold embossing powder and adhere to candle. I used extra strong double sided tape but hot glue would work too. 

For the stripes, tear strips of the red paper and crinkle them ( I like vintagey looking Americana) and adhere them to the candle. 

I was going to make a lollie for my focal point and then remembered some red and white cupcake liners I had left over from Christmas so I ran to the kitchen and got those. 

Punch a circle from cardstock, fold cupcake liner in quarters and adhere to cardstock circle. Repeat until satisfied with thickness. 

The cupcake liners I had came in two different sizes so I made another layer of them using the smaller ones. Finished up with smaller punched circle in the middle, a navy button, and gold rhinestone center.  Shown here on my mantle with a previous Fourth project you can see here

Got Dry Skin? Then You Want To Read This. Oh and Giveaway!

Yep. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carmex. The opinions are my own. 

You might be wondering what the heck a crafty chocoholic  blogger is doing writing about a company that’s known for its lip and skin care products. Well I have lips and skin.

In this case, it’s about Carmex Healing Cream and Hydrating Lotion. I have had dry skin my whole life and have tried just about every product there is. These are definitely among my faves.

Being up to my elbows in glues, paints, glitter ( not to mention chocolate on my fingers)  needless to say, I wash my hands A LOT. But working with paper A LOT, I also want something that doesn’t leave my hands feeling greasy and is bad for my paper projects. Have you ever put on lotion and then felt like you have to wait hours for it to dry?  I hate that.

The Carmex Healing / Hydrating lotion is great! It is filled with Vitamin E and concentrated aloe and absorbs quickly. It’s also man friendly. How do I know? Because Mr. Chocolate steals mine! He got all excited when he saw who the box was from and I was all “back off buddy or write your own blog and become a Carmex blog squad blogger”.

In addition to the Hydrating Lotion, they make a Healing Cream which is wonderful if you’ve got some really dry skin. (Me!) The Healing Cream is thicker and more concentrated and a little goes a long way. With Spring upon us, sandal weather can’t be far behind so time to get those heels looking good. Great for knees, elbows, those areas that like to be a little stubborn.

So why am I telling you all of this?

Sure Carmex sent me some goodies but guess what? They want to send one of my readers some too! And no Mr. Chocolate, even though you follow me and I love you and everything, you don’t automatically get picked. Nice try and no you still can’t have mine.

Simply follow the Rafflecopter instructions and a winner will be picked and notified by 4/4.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Super Cool Magic Box Birthday Present

I mentioned last week that I had a chance to get together with one of my besties for a belated birthday celebration. This is the same friend who last year made the cutest gingerbread house Christmas “card”. Well she surprised me with this incredible magic box.The photos don't do it justice.

 

I’ve seen this done on a smaller scale as a card but she went big and did three levels.

Knowing my love of black and white and grey, she picked some gorgeous papers and made it so the lid and the sides alternated patterns.

Using more coordinating papers, she lined the inside of each layer and made a pocket for quotations that she printed in black and white and laminated. Each pocket contains a different quote.

In the very center was a birthday crane with a Happy Birthday Wish. I love all of the fibers and embellishments she used.

This is one of my favorites! My party pants are right next to my Big Girl Panties!

I will treasure this treasure forever!