2018 Christmas Cards

I haven't been posting a lot, but I have been busy making things including my 2018 Christmas cards. I'm old school and while I know there are all kinds of cool things you can order online I still like making my cards. 

I was a little frustrated this year ( and have seen other card makers and paper crafters express similar frustration) that both Michaels and JoAnn had very paltry supplies to choose from. Usually there are several paper stacks and coordinating embellishments but both stores disappointed this year. I was able to find two stacks by Recollections that I liked and who am I kidding? Like all crafters, I had "stash" from prior years. Not the point Mr. Chocolate so don't even start. 

This year, I incorporated adhesive foils in my card making. I like to spread the love so I used my Cameo 3 to cut my Cricut adhesive foils :) 

For this one, I went with a monochromatic approach using SEI white on white papers, silver glitter paper, silver metallic foil and iridescent sequins. Sized and cut the "dot tree" (Silhouette Online Store) and then layered onto a metallic white panel, then glitter panel and SEI panel as shown. Finish with iridescent sequins. 

Since I can never settle on one card to make, I usually make a few different ones. This year, I made three different versions. For the second one, I used black cardstock as the base card, and then cut my focal using metallic gold foil (Cricut) , layered onto black cardstock, trimmed closely and then layered using foam tape onto red velvet paper panel, matted with black and onto coordinating papers. Finished with iridescent sequins and red self adhesive rhinestones. 

For the third card, I cut a snowglobe image ( Silhouette Online Store) from the gold foil and like the ornament card, layered onto cardstock, trimmed, layered onto white and silver panel as shown and then used panels cut from the Recollections pack I did find this year. Again finished with iridescent sequins. 

While I might have been cranky that my favorite stores didn't have the selection I wanted and I am happy with the papers I did find, c'mon, we're creatives...less is not more. More is more!! 

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy December all! Hope you're staying warm and cozy. We finally turned our heat on here in the desert! Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating and for those of us counting down to Christmas....YIKES! My halls are about 85% decked and cards went out today. Let's see some ideas from last week's party. 

I've seen these cookie displays in bakeries and boutiques and just love them. All That's Jas has a tutorial on how to do your own. 

I love creating holiday vignettes which are a great way to use up stray ornaments or miscellaneous found pieces. Follow The Yellow Brick Home shared some wonderful ideas. 

I am a total "Potterhead". Fell in love with the Harry Potter series from the moment I read the first word to my son, and while he's moved on, I'm still enamored by the "Potterverse". If you have a beloved but worn copy ( or find one in a thrift store), here's a way to make a special ornament for the Potterhead in your life from Reviews Chews and How-Tos. 

Finally, what are the holidays without Fudge? And what's better than Fudge but Peanut Butter Fudge? From Raes Books and Recipes. 

Now let's see what you've all been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday eve once again and welcome to the last BFF Open House of November. Yikes!!! Pressure's on folks. How on earth did it get to be December already? 

Let's see some inspiration from last week's party! 

Let's start with this super cute Triangle Tree from Adventures of A DIY  Mom. Love !! So many possibilities to paint / vinyl / stencil / stain / all of the above!

Speaking of wood, how about this gorgeous tray from Hazel and Gold Designs? Make one for yourself to use during the holidays and one for a gift! 

The holidays are prime baking time so how about these Double Decker Christmas Brownies from  From Playdates to Parties ? 

Or you could whip up some of these Salted Brownie Bites for entertaining, a cookie swap, or just because! From Somewhat Awry. 

Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week! Let the countdown begin!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Thanksgiving US friends. I love having a holiday that's focused on gratitude and thankfulness. I'm ever thankful for all of you who choose to share your time and talents here. Hope you've had a wonderful day filled with great food and time spent with family and friends. 

And now the countdown truly begins to Christmas and Hanukkah comes super early this year. Yikes!  Let's take a look at some ideas from last week's party. 

Nothing says Winter and Christmastime coziness like a Hot Chocolate Bar. There's something about having things to choose from to make that cup of cocoa extra special. Check out this idea from Kippi At Home. 

Faeries and Fauna reminds us to bring a little Christmas cheer and romance into the bedroom with this beautiful  Chalkboard Sign. 

When you're out tomorrow (or shopping online) don't forget to add some clear ornaments to your cart so you can whip up some of these Farmhouse Style Ornaments shared by Artsy VaVa. Great for your own tree or as gifts! 

Save any jars from today and make some of these DIY Snow Globes! Shared by Repurpose and Upcycle. 

Now let's see what you've all been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

It's the most wonderful time.....of the week! Time to see what you've all been up to this week. Can you believe Thanksgiving is a week from today? Me either. So let's take a look at some project ideas it's not too late to whip up for next week. 

What's the best thing after finding a bargain find? Making it even better bu adding lights like Chas from Chas' Crazy Creations did with this canvas she found on sale for $5. Add battery operated lights and take it to a whole different level! 

If you're hosting, you could put this fab Gratitude Box from The CSI Project out for your guests ( or bring to your host/hostess as a great gift).

If you haven't decided on your Thanksgiving table decor yet, check out The Red Painted Cottage for some gorgeous ideas. I love the combination of naturals! 

Finally, I'm on a lifelong campaign to bring more chocolate to Thanksgiving. These Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls from Munchkin Time do just that!

Now let's see what you've all been up to this week!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday Eve all! Hope you've had a great and creative week. In this month of gratitude, I'm thankful for many things. This week it's some good news about my mom's health at a recent Dr. visit. As always, thankful for all of you who choose to share your creative talents here on my little corner of the internet. 

Let's see some ideas from last week's party! 

I'm always down for a good wreath project and this Drop Cloth wreath from Play Dates to Parties is one that can be up year round. 

Printables are such a great way to change things up and bring a little seasonal decor in without to much fuss. This is a beautiful one for Fall from Clearwater Cottage. 

Got fabric scraps ? That means you could easily whip up this cute Fabric Turkey Wall Hanging from Adventures Of A DIY Mom. 

Finally, I know some of you are already decorating for Christmas or planning your Christmas decorating. There are some AMAZING ideas here from Satsuma Designs. 

Now let's see what you've been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

OMG it's NOVEMBER! How is that possible? Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. 

We are in full holiday making mode now aren't we? Let's see some inspiration from last week's party!

Love this Rag Wreath from Vintage Paint and More. How perfect is this until it's time for Christmas / Hanukkah decor ?! 

LOVE this Faux Hand-Lettered Paper Scroll from Hazel and Gold. This would be fun for every day decor or a special one for the holidays. 

You know how you can see the same thing over and over again at thrift shops? Things that were trendy at some point but no longer? Shoppe No. 5 took one of those and udpated it to still look beautifully vintage but go with today's design trends. You have to check out her post to see what "Paddle With A Heart" means! 

Finally, while caramel isn't limited to Fall, for me it's the time of year that screams it. So how about an easy 3 Ingredient Caramel sauce like this one from Fluster Buster?

Now, let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Til Death Do Us Part Couples Shower Candles

 Happy Halloween all! Hope those of you with Trick or Treaters are prepared for tonight. We are winging it. We have no idea if we'll get any at all but I was a Girl Scout so I'm prepared with candy ( my favorites just in case no one shows!).

My BFF just threw an amazing couples shower for "our" daughter and future son-in-law. The inside joke is that I'm her "real" mom because we tend to like a lot of the same things, and those things are very different from what my BFF tends to like. We all converge around Harry Potter!  Since we were pregnant together, there's always been a connection there.

The wedding isn't until January but "our" daughter LOVES Halloween and all things skully and gothic so October was the perfect time for the shower.

Supplies:

• Plain Prayer Candles (Dollar Tree)
• Black Vinyl ( I used Cricut Glossy Black)
• Skull Image ( downloaded from Silhouette online store)
• Decorative Paper ( I had this in my stash)
• Washi Tape (also stash)

Tip: if you need Dollar Tree items in a specific quantity and don't want to risk your store not having enough, you can order online and have sent to your store for you to pickup. I had a little hiccup with mine but it's the first time it's happened and luckily the store still had the 20 candles I needed.

I wrapped the bottom of 10 with the silver paper and 10 with the black and silver paper.

I used a strong double sided tape to adhere. I had some coordinating washi tape in my stash so I used it with the silver paper. 

My images were busy  cutting on my Cameo while I was wrapping the candles. Once they were cut, the fun began: weeding. Not my favorite part of vinyl, but oh so necessary! 

Weeding As Art ! These are all my little scraps removed from the images. 

Once the weeding was complete and the transfer tape applied, applying the images to the candles was easy peasy.  My BFF was so happy with them and they went perfectly with how she'd decorated for the shower. 

DIY Felt and Zipper Bat Collar

I think I love dressing up at Halloween as an adult almost more than I did as a kid. We had some "Halloweekend" fun at some local festivities in our new hometown and I wanted to make sure I was dressed for the occasion so I whipped together an ensemble using a mini Jack Skellington themed top hat I picked up on a trip to Disneyland. I'm showing the basics of the collar here but I finished my ensemble off with a zipper ring and skull earrings. 

Supplies: (I had everything in my stash which made things even better!)

• Felt
• Flat Backed Rhinestones
• Beads
• Zipper
• Glue ( I love love love Beacon 3 In 1)
• Old Broken Jewelry

I wasn't going for perfection so I freehand drew a bat themed template on a piece of scrap paper to use as my pattern. Cut two of these from black felt. Set one aside. 

Cut both ends of a black zipper off so you have two sides. Set one aside. Measure along each side and down the middle as shown  and sew ( I just did a hand stitch) your zipper to the felt. 

I will pick up jewelry pieces when they're on sale or at thrift shops etc. because sometimes it's cheaper than buying actual supplies. These were a pair of chandelier earrings that had additional dangles I used for a different project. I found these at Top Shop for $2!  I sewed these on either side of the middle zipper as shown. 

The rest I just kind of winged. I had some clear rhinestones I glued to each side and did a little bead embroidery with gunmetal and white seed beads. I finished the top of the collar with other silver beads in my stash.  When you're done with your collar top, grab the other piece of felt that was set aside and some scrap ribbon. Sandwich the ribbon between the two pieces of felt and glue using either hot glue or as mentioned above I love Beacon 3 In 1 glue. It holds and is water proof if (not that I plan on getting this wet). 

Of course, "makers gonna make" right? I had that other side of zipper sitting there staring at me. Oh hey I could make a rosette or something! I was thinking pin but thought nah , I want the collar to stand alone. How about a ring? OK! Found a ring blank in my stash. Did a spiral rosette with the zipper. Glued to the ring. Easy peasy! 

I already had a pair of skull themed earrings I made for a different occasion. They went perfectly with my look! 

I'd made these to wear to a fun "Til Death Do Us Part" bachelorette party and shower for my BFF's daughter. 

I was really humbled by the compliments I got because we were at a few artisan markets and galleries this weekend and what creative person doesn't feel validated when other artists compliment you on your work? !

Who says Halloween's just for kids? Where's my candy? Chocolate, of course!