Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas...one last tag:

I have used this vintage image before in a Christmas card...it's one of my favorites.The idea for this design came from a 2008 Somerset Studio November/December magazine cover. Rachel Killpack had used the image to make a  fabulous "Christmas Star". The image is from a very erethral  French Christmas postcard. Those type of  photos were very popular in that era. The top of the postcard (which I cut off) read "Joyeux Noel". The tag was distressed front and back  with Tim Holtz's Bundled Sage. The edges were distressed with Iced Spruce ink. I used the Stampendous Shabby Pink embossing enamel and a flourish stamp to create the back ground. The edges of the image were distressed with Antique Linen ink. The tag is embellished with gold star tinsel garland and a larger gold star.

Red Velveteen Dress

I remember as a kid , my sisters and I would get new  red velveteen dressed for Christmas

This image of a Victorian girl, wearing a red dress reminds me of those holiday dresses.
The tag is covered with a patterned paper of red sheet music and a patterned paper of red and green paisley. Edges of the tag are distressed with Tim Holtz's Antique Linen. The bouquet of holly that she is holding is accented with red and green Stickles

Red and Green

I know there must be some little kid out there that's is feeling like Christmas its taking for ever to come...on the other hand I feel like it's barreling down on me like a high speed train!

Back to the Christmas tags...
 This vintage post card is of a young lady all dressed up in a white fluffy snow suit holding a a ball of Holly.

 The background of the tag is Holly patterned paper edged with Antique Linen distress ink. The snow suit and the Holly ball are accented  with Stickles. Two  green Holly leaves with red berries are place on the corners of the image.
I wonder who decided that red and green would be the official  Christmas colors?

Santa's Elves, Snow Queen and Christmas tags

Like Santa's elves, I have been busy working at my design bench. I haven't been making toys, I  have been creating Christmas tags. My table was covered from one in to the other with vintage Christmas images, holiday patterned paper, embossing powder, Stickels, rhinestones, embellishments and a dozen different colors of Tim Holtz Distress Ink

The craft  tag for this lovely Snow Queen was covered with distress ink and then embossed with Stampendous Shabby Pink Embossing Powder, it gives the Flourish background stamp  great dimension. The Snow Queen image was cut from a Vintage postcard, embellished with Stickles and finished off with gold pleated ribbon and white lace.

Christmas Tags, Tim Holtz and Toy Envy

Tim Holtz  started his 12 tags of Christmas this week. He is creating and sharing some

wonderful treasures over at his blog. 

While Tim is just getting started on his tags, I have been teaching my tags the last few weeks at

Scrapbook Barn.  Tim will be making 12 tags (hence the name "12 tags of Christmas") 

I designed and have been teaching 3 tags. 

Tim has always been an over achiever...but I do envy all those wonderful 

toys he has to create with.

These tags are fun to design, they can be used to decorate a tree or a grape vine wreath,

tie them onto a ribbon to create a banner, add one to a package or a gift bag, trade in a “tag swap”, 

mail a tag instead of  a Christmas Card 

or you can design these tags for yourself... just collect and enjoy them.

I will be teaching 2 more  tag classes at Scrapbook Barn, 

December 5th, 5-6:30 pm and December 6th, 1:30-3 pm. 

Grand Opening!

It's time to make if official...

For the last 2 months I have been working on creating a Etsy store ( I know... you were wondering where I had been.)

I have the shop stocked with cards, mini albums, fairy wings, shadow box and other fancy stuff.

One of the items is a Santa Claus album...

 you did know that it's 131 days until Christmas didn't you?

Click on the Etsy shop button to see some more treasures.

Compliments of the Season

Best wishes for a

Happy Christmas

and a magnificent

New Year

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

This Fall a friend of mine, that knows how much I enjoy old photos gave me this one of his aunt as a child. The detail of her coat, hat and shoes are amazing. I knew I wanted to use this picture in a Christmas card. While it doesn't scream Christmas...it does look very winter-y. After a few attempts of trying to make the photo work...and not liking what I was coming up with, I went looking for some inspiration...and found it in a 2008 Somerset. Frieda Oxenham had a wonderful design that I semi-scrap swiped.
The background of the card is 7Gypsies "Venice-Canal" patterned paper . "Black Soot" Distress ink for the stamp and the edges of the card. I highlighted the stamp design with the "magic pen" (gotta love the the magic pen). A glittery shear aqua ribbon runs down the side...and aqua lace across the bottom, along with the word "Merry". A large white lace snowflake (which started out life as a daisy) is covered in "Star Dust" Stickels and embellished with a rhinestone star. All topped off with a sprig of Holly on the hat.

The message inside the card reads...

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

I hope you do just that!

Celebrate the Season

My Tucson Sister asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year...
I always answer the same..."a trip to Hawaii."
"No really what do you want?"
"Okay...if not a trip to Hawaii, I want you to make me a Christmas Card..." TS made me this beautiful card. The poinsettia is made from folded pieces of a deep red mulberry paper with flakes of gold. The leaves are folded pieces of dark green mulberry paper that have a scalloped edge...mounted on cream color card stock.The message in side the card reads: Celebrate the Season.
Very cool!

Holiday Stress

Tis the season...candy is made and placed in tins to pass out, parties have been attended, the house is semi-decorated, tree is trimmed, gifts are packed up and shipped off, Christmas cards are made and mailed, shopping is done...can you say "Holiday Stress"!
Now I told you that story to tell you this story...
As I was rushing past the sun room on my way to the next seasonal chore, I spotted the cat napping. Not a cat nap mind you...but a curl up in the sunshine to get warm, with not a care in the world nap. Didn't this cat know that Christmas was only a few days away, and there was "stuff" to do!?!

I sat down on the stool and proceeded to chastise her on all the reasons that nobody has time to be napping in the middle of the day this time of year...she could care less. I'm sure she was secretly laughing a me...I would never admit it to her...but I was really envious of her nap in the sunshine...what a way to spend a day!

PS...for all of you that have asked why I haven't blogged more often...please re-read the first paragraph!

Cards, Banners and Magic Pens

Have you ever heard of a "magic pen". It has probably been out for ever, and I have just discovered it. Jennifer added a "magic pen" to each of the Mystic Paper Design Team kits...it is wonderful! It's a Sakura brand Gelly Roll pen...Clear Star...it's just like a magic wand full of fairy dust.
I used it to out line every image on the vintage post cards for my Design Team project. The easy choice was to make Christmas card. Along with the "magic pen" I embellished the cards with red, green and crystal Stickels.

The cards were fun to make...but I needed more of a challenge. What to do with all the postcards. I thought about my designer friend Melissa... she creates these amazing banners. Maybe I could make a Christmas Banner...I have never made a banner before...how do I even start a banner? Having no clue as to what I was doing...I made a banner.

Once again ever image was embellished with the "magic pen" and Stickels...

Remember the bag of berries from the shopping spree at Savers?

Those got used too...

When I turned the Christmas Banner into Jennifer, I got a "that's stinkin' cute"...

which everyone that plays at Mystic knows that's high praise indeed.

And talk about "great minds running in the same gutter"...Sheri's design team project was a banner too...it's wonderful! Jenna's design team was a unique twist for Christmas...very impressive. I haven't seen Holly's or Surina's projects yet, but I'm sure they are great.

With the design team project turned in, I can now get started designing this years Christmas cards...

I still have a few weeks don't I?

Savers Shopping Spree

I went in to Savers the other day. I only went in for one item...a blue table cloth. I wasn't going to wander up and down the aisles checking out all the treasures...I was only going in for a blue table cloth...Okay a blue table cloth and a pillow...
That happened to be the day they had tons of "cool junk"...and a 20% discount. Every where I looked were wonderful items, with all kinds of design possibilities!

Before I even got up to the check out counter I had come up with a half dozen ways to alter this Styrofoam head. Just looking at it you are coming up with some ideas too...I'm right aren't I?

I have no idea what this was meant to be...but for 69 cents, minus the 20%...

once I snipped the lace off the pillow thingy...I have all this great lace and a couple of ribbon flowers.

I must have pick up and put back the plastic bag of Christmas berries 3 or 4 times. I was sure I had some at home. Besides what was I going to do with a

Bag 'O Christmas Berries?

AH HA! I have a Mystic Paper Design Team project due the end of the week...

a CHRISTMAS PROJECT!

Vintage Post Cards

This season's Mystic Paper Design Team all got together for a meet and greet in the downstairs class room at Mystic. It was fun to meet all the designers. Design Team kits were passed out...always a good thing! The day before the meeting, Jennifer and I went through the shop and picked out paper, ribbon and embellishments for each designer. We all will be creating a project of our choice with Christmas paper. My kit had flower ribbon, Crystal Stickels (one of my favorites!), a gorgeous shade of red card stock and... a huge sheet of Cavallini "Holiday Postcard" paper. I love vintage post cards...but what am I going to do with a whole sheet if them?

There are all kinds of different Santa post cards...

With Santa Claus dressed in his famous red suit with fur trim...

This Santa must not have got the memo about NO SMOKING...

Some of the post cards on the sheet are of snowmen...

Snowmen are fun... except this one...I don't know, he looks like he should be part of a Christmas project of Mike's at Jack and Cat Curio..spooky!

There are 25 vintage post cards on a sheet...does this mean I have to design 25 projects? You know how fast Sheri is. She probably has her project finished and turned in already...of course it will be very cute!

This will be the first project for the new design team members, Holly, Jenna and Surina. It will be fun to see what wonderful designs they create.

Christmas in July

I was surprised how easily the Mystic Paper Christmas in July Design Team
project went together. I'm not sure it was so much the theme, as it was the Basic Gray patterned paper...hey it's no secret, I am a Basic Gray girl!
With names like "Winterberry", "Merry Happy", "Brandy Butter" and "Spruce" how can you not create wonderful Christmas layouts. Basic Gray knew what they were doing when they created the "Wassail" line...this paper would be great for non holiday pages too. I really did have a good time with the Element stickers. I mounted a few of them on chipboard to give the layout some dimension. The journaling was printed on white vellum.I haven't played with that in a while.
The Vellum Glue Dots make it much easier to apply the vellum to layouts. If you are not using vellum because it's to annoying to figure out how to make it stick to you page, try the Vellum Glue Dots... they are great.
Not sure where to find the dots...Mystic has them!
Of course I added"Old Paper" distress ink and some "Star Dust" Sitckels.

My new favorite paper is the "Brandy Butter". This is a lovely shade of yellow with hints of red distressing. The Element Sticker page had some fantastic borders that I layered. The distress ink on this layout was "Tattered Rose".

What to do with the Daisy Ds Picture Hanger?

I wanted something unexpected...but couldn't come up with any ideas. Sometimes you need a little bit of creative help... I scrap-swiped this idea from the Internet. I can't remember were, so thank you to who ever came up with such a fun idea!

With the last little bit of paper and stickers I designed a Christmas card. After all what is Christmas with out Christmas cards?

I'm going to click over to see what Sheri, Lindsey and Yasu designed with their Christmas in July kits...want to come with me...just click!

Another "Oh by the way"...

Wednesday night I had great Heritage Scrapbooking class at Mystic. Lots of information and ideas to get the ladies started with all their old family photos, letters and memorabilia. If you are still wondering what to do with all your family treasures, call Mystic and sign up for the next class. It will be Saturday the 15th of August. Don't you think it's time to get your grandma out of a box and into a Heritage Scrapbook album?

168 Days till Christmas

It is difficult to even think about Christmas when the temperature here is above 100f and getting hotter every day. But that is just what the Mystic Paper Design Team is doing for their July projects. My first thought when I opened my DT kit and saw all the wonderful Basic Gray pattered paper was Hooray...I haven't had my all time favorite paper in a while.

Then I took a second look...it was the Christmas line "Wassail". Was there some mistake? Did DT Captain Sheri really intend to give me Christmas paper? Seeing the confused look on my face, Kim told me it was for Christmas in July. With a tear in my eye at the very thought that "yes...soon...too soon, it will be that time again"

I pulled the rest of the Christmas goodies out of my bag.

Besides all the wonderful paper there was a page of Basic Gray Elements stickers, they are always a great addition to any layout, a yard of holiday green striped ribbon and some Daisy Ds picture hangers.

So to get me in the holiday mood I have set my Air Conditioning very low, and have Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" from the CD player...I am designing Christmas in July. You would think with this much warning I would start designing my Christmas Cards...naaaa, I'll wait until December!

I wonder what Lindsey, Yasu and Sheri got in their kits?

Oh by the way!

I had a great class last night at Mystic Paper. It was a workshop for Heritage Scrapbooking. Lisa and Ann came with all their treasures and wonderful ideas. They both have photos, ephemera and fantastic stories for the albums that they are working on. Want to join in the fun? I am teaching the Heritage Scrapbooking Class again next week at Mystic on Wednesday the 15th of July from 3:30 to 5:30. This class is full of information to get you started and will prepare you to join Lisa, Ann and I the following Wednesday on July 22nd from 3:30 to 5:30 for the continuing Heritage Scrapbooking workshops. All you have to do is call Mystic Paper and sign up.