The Joy of Christmas

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.  I wanted to show you one of the Christmas cards I created this year.  Although Christmas is over, you can use this technique year round.
You don't need a ton of stamps to create a beautiful card.  This lovely  card uses just one stamp.
Start by trimming your card to the size you want it to be or use a pre-cut card.
Mount your Holly and Branches Stamp to your stamp platform.  Color the stamp using various markers Distress Markers.

Don't be afraid to layer your colors.  The leaves will all turn out just a tad different and add a more realistic feel to your card.  If the marker dries as you are coloring just breathe on the stamp and it will rehydrate the ink.

Cover the entire piece of the card.  Once the holly is all stamped cover the entire card with a bit of Pumice Stone Distress Ink to age it.  

Mount the base to the card.  Add a bit of ribbon.  

Punch a circle out and color it using a bit of Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  Use the outer ring of the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Doily and emboss it using Charred Gold.  Attach the doily to the circle.  Attach the circle to the card. 

Use the Tim Holtz Script to die cut the word "joy" and adhere it to the center of the circle.

Using the funky festive dies cut out some holly and pop it on the corner.  Your card is now complete.

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season.  Have a happy and safe New Year!
Jess

Good tidings ATC journal

Hi Everyone,
I have a really fun project to share with you that I created for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

This ATC ticket journal is the cutest thing ever.  

I made one of these a few months back.  You can check out that post here.  When I was creating my spring themed journal all I could think about was how cute this would look done up for Christmas.

The basic steps are the same as the Spring journal.  Prep the journal by painting it.  Using collage medium, add Tim Holtz Christmas Collage paper randomly to each page.  

Once all of your collage paper is down add stamps using a permanent ink. I mostly used the Tim Holtz Holiday Postmark Set(but if you look closely you will spy stamps from about 5 other sets).  You can also use paint on your rubber stamps, just make sure you clean them off right away.  Once it's dried it will be on there forever.  The funky green branches you see here are stamped.  Stamp in a green paint and then add red berries with the end of a paint brush.  

 These are all of the inside pages.  I put a photo on every other page and the opposite sides are just fun piles of ephemera.

Most of the photos got a little something to dress them up for the holidays.  

These little anter brads just crack me up.  I used some of the Tim Holtz holiday snippets, a photobooth photo, and a chit chat sticker here too. 

This guy's hat and scarf are from the Christmas Shape Set.  Both pieces were embossed using Emerald Creek powders.  The hat is Mercury Rising and the scarf is the Spiced Candy and then there is a layer of Vintage Beeswax.    

Her wintery broach is from the Snowflake shape set and covered with Distress Glitter.  

Here are the rest of the pages.  This one has a little 3d stag sticker. 

Her santa hat is a brad.

The peppermints are made out of perler beads. 

I love the vintage Christmas seal on this page.  

The tree is from the Christmas Shape Set.  It was heat embossed using Charred Gold from Emerald Creek.    

I did my cover last.  The ribbon is glued under the frame and it has an eyelet in it.  The buckle is attached with a brad that you can see on the backside of the page.  The chip quote is embossed with Charred Gold on the edges 

The center of the poinsettia is the brad that is holding on the buckle.    

The buckle was a great way to hold this guy together since it's pretty chunky.  

I hope you enjoy this little book.  I had a blast making it.  Have a very Merry Christmas! I hope there is no coal in your stocking.

Jess

Mini Album Makers Challenge

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Hi Everyone,

 

My favorite day of the year is coming up.  Each year my mum and my  sister come to my house for cookie day.  We bake all day long, I'm talking like 7am-9pm.  We have our favorite recipes we use year after year.  We keep those in a little notebook.  We do like to try new recipes each year too.  More and more often we are finding new recipes on the internet.  I thought it was the perfect time to make a Christmas themed phone/tablet holder so we don't get baking supplies all over our phones.
 These phone holders are so easy to put together(there are only three pieces). They would make an awesome gift!

Paint the base white.  Make sure the edges and at least one side are really well done since they will be exposed.  Paint the edges of the other pieces white too.  The other two pieces get covered with patterned paper.  I used some of the Tim Holtz Christmas wallpaper to cover the back piece.  This paper looks and feels like real wallpaper.  It's nice to add the tiny bit of texture to the project.

These snowy flourishes are coming to the shop soon.  You get two in a pack.  Paint both pieces white, then cover them with a clear Rock Candy  glitter.  

Insert the pieces into their slots. Don't forget to add a bit of glue to hold them in securely.   Technically your piece is completely put together at this point.  But we will embellish this! Glue to snowy flourishes to the back of the piece.  Then cover the base with Grit Paste from Ranger.  While the paste is wet sprinkle on more rock candy glitter.  Leave the space where your phone will sit paste free.  

Paint an ideaology resin snowman and cover him with rock candt glitter.  Add teeny mercury glass holly berries to his hat.  While the grit paste is wet stick the snowman in the paste.  In front of the small piece of chipboard add a chip quote Christmas saying.  Again, do this while the paste is wet and it will dry in place.  

One the back add a couple bottlebrush trees, teeny presents, a deer, and peppermints.  Another Christmas sentiment will complete your project. 

I hope you have a great kick off to your holiday season!

Jess

Song of the Snowflakes Tag

Hello Everyone,
Today I have created a tag to put on top of a Christmas gift. 

Stamp  Snowflakes from the Winter Wonderland set.  The snowflakes are stamped using Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass, and Peacock Feathers.  Using the same colors blend the background together.  

Make sure you stamp some of the snowflakes off the edge to make it appear as if they are falling. Add  Weathered Wood and Pumice Stone ink around the edges to finish the background.   

Stamp the Feathered Wings using embossing ink.  Emboss the wings using a detail gold powder.  Add Perfect Medium to the wings and then use Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls all over. This fills in the white areas, but you can still see all the fine detail of the stamp.   

Using Christmas clipping stickers create a little snowflake story.  Add white gel pen around the clippings.  Scribble with a silver gel pen all around the background of the tag.  You can't see the scribbles when you look at the tag, but when you turn it in the light it picks up little hints of shimmer.    

Attach the wings to the back of a paperdoll.  Use foam tape to adhere the doll to the tag.  Color her cheeks using a Spun Sugar Distress Marker.  Add tiny silver flowers to her hat.  

Wrap up your brown paper package with string and pop that tag right on top.  

If you'd like to hop along with Blank Page Muse click here.

Happy Holidays!

Jess

Quiet, but not blind

Hi Everyone,

I have a great technique filled card for you today.  Let's jump right in!

Using Distress Heavy stock blend together several shades of Distress Ink (Scattered Straw, Squeezed Lemonade, Fossilized Amber, and Wild Honey).  Spritz with water and dry completely.  Take a tiny bit of Distress Micro Glaze cover most of the background.  Stamp the Floral Lace stamp using Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink and spritz with water.  Using the micro glaze on most of the background keeps the top layer of ink from blending into the background.  It also keeps some of the intricate stamp pattern, but not all of it.  The look is wonderfully aged and tattered.

Take clear texture paste and the Latticework stencil to the background.  Don't worry about it looking perfect.  Imperfect looks better! Once the paste is dry use the Forest Moss Distress crayon to scribble over the paste.  Smudge the crayon using your finger and the pattern pops up adding another layer to your background.

Stamp the Large Bird Man on Watercolor cardstock.  Color him in using a waterbrush and Distress Markers.  Once he is dry fussy cut the image.

To finish the background stamp your two sentiments( Oh darling  and I was quiet, but I was not blind) using archival ink.  Back them with black cardstock and play with placement on your background.  Once you're happy with placement you can glue them down.

Run plain black cardstock through your die cutting machine using the Botanical 3d embossing folder.  Take a Distress Crayon in Tarnished Brass and highlight the raised areas.  The slight gilded effect is so gorgeous.  Adhere this piece right under the focal background piece you created.

All that's left to do is layer up your background.  On this card the black is attached to a distressed piece of gold cardstock.  The gold is mounted to a sage green card.  A bit of burgundy ribbon was the finishing touch.

Happy Crafting,

Jess