Deer Under Glass

This is one of those projects that just evolved … I had no intentions of making it, but somehow, it just sort of happened.

I started with new plastic deer from Tim Holtz. I painted each one with a healthy layer of Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and then coated them in a variety of glitters … this one a microfine glitter from Art Glitter.

I then pulled out a Melissa Frances cloche I had … I painted the base white and then glued the deer and a pink tree to the top. I poured a bit of “snow” into the glass and glued the glass to the base. Then, I added a bit of vintage glitter to the edge.

For the bottom, I filled an old crystal salt shaker that was long missing its top with glitter and snow and glued it to the bottom.

And added a bit of ribbon as a final touch.

It adds a beautifully vintage charm … maybe next year we will have a pink Christmas?

A Banner of Joy

Yesterday, I showed you my barn wood tree … one of the items on the tree is a Joy banner I made this year. Here’s how I did it …

I started by cutting some paper out with the Tim Holtz Postage Stamp Die. Then I scored the top and folded it down, so I would have something to attach to the ribbon.

I used other Tim Holtz dies to cut out the poinsettias, letters and ovals. Then I trimmed a few bits of paper from the stack I bought and added it to the front of each piece of the banner.

I added Scor-Tape to the  backs of each one so I could adhere the ribbon, as shown in the photo above.

Here’s the finished banner …

… and here it is hanging on my barn-wood tree.

Kreaxions Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to the Just Imagine/Kreaxions Blog Hop.

So glad you could join us!

We’ve kept it short and sweet so hop along to each blog, leaving a comment along the way. One participant will be chosen from the comments for a $10 Just Imagine Crafts gift certificate. The designers have tips, tutorials, and/or prizes so don’t miss out! The winner will be posted on the Just Imagine Blog and Facebook Page on Dec. 7. The punches the designers used will also be on sale for two weeks in the Just Imagine Store.

If you arrived here from Laura Cox’s page, you’re in the right place. If not, click here and start at the beginning!

My card features papers from Prima’s Sweet Peppermint Collection. I created a card base and then layered cardstock and printed papers as shown. (I added Distress Ink to most of my edges for additional depth.)

Next, I used Kreaxions Punch 902 and the Kreaxions Punch Mate to punch a short border. (If you flip over the punch, you can easily line up the punches.)

Then, I trimmed the paper, so I was left with just this …

I used scissors to cut the paper so I had two borders.

I then inked each border and added them to my card front.

After adding the final piece of paper, it looks like this …

Thank you so much for stopping by!

There is one more stop on this blog hop … click here to see what Charity Hotrum created!

A Fox in a Pot

Karen Burniston came out with a great die for Elizabeth Craft Designs … The Flower Pot Pop Stand comes with 12 dies and costs only $21.95 … a great value, in my opinion.

The package includes the dies to make this adorable flower pot, a piece that attaches it to a card base, and a variety of flowers, leaves and a butterfly. The flower pot folds flat and can be placed in a card or stand on its own.

This one was made using only the dies in the package … (paper is from Ken Oliver; Glitter Dots are from ECD)

but then I wanted to have a bit more fun, so I put Dutch the Fox (a die from Elizabeth Craft Designs) in the pot and added some of the holiday props to him. I mean, who doesn’t love a fox in a Santa hat with wire rimmed glasses!?

I attached the fox pot to a card.

Here’s the front … (the paper is from Authentique and the stamps are also from Karen Burniston and Elizabeth Craft Designs.)

Here’s how it would look if you opened it the way a card is traditionally opened. You can see I had a lot more space to add stuff, but I stuck to just the fox and a few pieces of holly (also an ECD die).

And, amazingly, this is the card folded flat for mailing. You just open it and

here he is! I love it!

Here’s a great video that shows you how easy it is to make …

And, once you make the pot, you can add anything you want to it! Amazing!

Pointing the Way

This past June, my husband and I spent a week in the Upper Peninsula. We were supposed to spend the time camping, hiking and photographing nature. Our campsite was right on the beach of Lake Superior and I imagined several evenings sitting in front of the fire, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing on shore, while watching the sun set.

We knew it would be a little cool … we took hoodies and fleece-lined sweats to keep ourselves warm overnight. And, we packed plenty of blankets, as well.

We knew if might rain, so we bought waterproof coats and shoes.

What we didn’t count on was three days of wind and rain, on and off, all day and all night. By the third night, everything in the tent was damp feeling — even though it was dry. The wind picked up to about 40 mph, the rain was coming down in buckets, and the temperature dropped to 48 degrees. We went to bed early (there was nothing else to do) even though we weren’t really tired. Every few minutes, a gust of wind would lift open the rain flaps on the tent and suck out all of the warm air. Every time the wind blew, I got a little colder. I had my hoodie up and layers of clothing on, but I was still cold. And, I must admit, I was a little scared that the tent was going to collapse in the wind. I asked if we could get a hotel room. Matt told me just to snuggle a little closer and he would keep me warm. So, I snapped a few pictures of the raindrops on the tent, snuggled a little closer and prayed morning would come soon.

I had just about fallen asleep when I heard Matt asking if they had a room available for the night.

Ten minutes later, we were comfortably settled down the street at a motel. We cranked up the heat, put our shoes in front of it to dry (we had been playing in Lake Superior earlier in the day and the exteriors of our shoes were still wet) and took long, hot showers before going to bed. It was wonderful to be completely dry and warm that night.

We called it an early Christmas present, since we stayed at the Christmas Motel in Christmas, Michigan.

Amazingly, our tent survived the night … Everything was just as we left it, although it was still so windy the next morning, it nearly blew away as we were trying to get it down. A neighboring camper had to help us! We weren’t able to pack it up, but we did manage to get everything into the car.

Of course, I had to scrapbook this crazy night.

While waiting for Matt to register us at the motel, I had taken pictures of the temperature and the rain on the windshield. The next morning, I took photos of the sign and outside of the motel. I used those, along with the pictures I had taken of the rain on the tent, to help tell the story on my page.

I also used the Mosaic Moments Arrow Die … it’s a versatile die because you can use either the inside or the outside or both together! I made a video to show you how it’s done … click here to watch.

Have you ever scrapbooked the weather?

NOTE: I was compensated for creating this video.

 

Focus on Photography

My husband got me a new camera for Christmas. It shipped early, so I actually received it at the beginning of December — he wanted me to be able to photograph Christmas with it, but, I got so caught up in Christmas, that I forgot to take more than a handful of photos.

I did, however, get to take it with me when I went to Creative Passions Crop & Quilt Retreat in Chesaning, Michigan just before the holidays. Here are a few of my favorite photos I took there …

Creative Passions is a wonderful place, by the way … we stayed in the small space in the back of the church, called CP2B, which comfortably holds four with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fireplace. There was plenty of space to cook (or to set out the junk food, which is what we did) and crop. The owner provides so many amenities, including breakfast, bottled water, hair dryers, shampoo, lotion, every channel possible on the tv, WiFi and even a pencil sharpener! I loved my time there and cannot wait to go back. I only made it to two of the restaurants but I did find the best gluten-free pizza north of Detroit at the bowling alley. And, I was able to find a few Christmas presents in town, as well. It was nice being away from all of the hustle and bustle and big box stores for a bit. I have got to book another trip …

 

A Handmade Christmas

When my kids were little, I started a tradition of making them something special that was just from me. When I married my husband, I extended the tradition to include him. This year, I added my son’s fiance to my list.

Over the years, I have made my children personalized ornaments, albums, mirrors, calendars, posters, mugs, frames and more — all featuring photos I have taken. This year, I wanted to do something a little different. Since I am learning how to sew, I decided to make them each something from fabric.

For my son, I cut up a sweater I found at Goodwill featuring embroidered hula girls. It is so him. But, since it was a girl’s sweater, I added it to a pillow for his couch. He loved the fabric I chose and didn’t notice the imperfections in the sewing!

I figured my daughter has not gotten a new pillow since long before she moved out of our house four years ago (I was right, by the way). So I bought her a new pillow and made her a super-soft flannel pillowcase to go with it. It was a tough project … I waited in line for 2 hours to get the fabric on sale on Black Friday — only to discover that it would not work for the pillow. So, I went back to the store and started over. The pillowcase was supposed to take an hour to sew … it took me six hours, including a few times of ripping out the seams and starting over. The good news is she loved it and I now know how to do a French seam!

My future daughter-in-law received a sewing machine for Christmas, so I made her a mason jar pin cushion to go with it and filled the jar with a variety of twines, ribbons, fibers and lace. Although this is a fabric project, I actually used paper-crafting supplies to make it. Check back on Thursday for a tutorial of this project.

But, it would not be Christmas without at least one paper-crafting gift … so I made my husband a calendar on a clip board. This is a brand-new system from Doodlebug. They come in a rainbow of colors, but I kept this one simple in black and white for him. (He had been wanting a clipboard to provide a smooth surface to write on on his desk. I thought this would be perfect.) I included all of the holidays, birthdays and anniversaries he needed to know, along with some of the crops I will be attending, hunting seasons and gun shows in the area.

It was a wonderful Christmas with my kids and their significant others. We had tons of presents, plenty of Mexican food and lots of laughs.

Remembering: Sending snow to Guam

Today I am sharing an oldie, but goodie … this post is from 5 years ago, but I thought it would be fun to share again!My son, a corpsman in the U.S. Navy, is currently stationed in Guam. This will be our first Christmas apart.

He called last week and asked for me to send him his ornaments and I included a special gift from Mom.

It is a tradition I started when my children’s father and I were divorced. Each Christmas I give them a personalized, usually handmade, gift from me.  They open their special gifts on Christmas Eve and then I make them listen as I read “The Night Before Christmas.”

This year, since we will be apart, I thought I would send some of our traditions to him in the form of a mini wooden book.

It started with a mini album from KaiserCraft. I love their Beyond the Page line. You simply cut, sand lightly and cover with paper.

I wanted a winter theme, since he is living in the tropics, so I chose the new winter paper line from Bo Bunny.

I made a shaker box (super easy with Shake It from Impression Obsession)  for the cover and filled it with “snow,” in the form of Art Glitter and a Grungeboard Snowflake.

Inside, I shared some photos of him, along with the gifts of Christmas. I think he’ll enjoy showing his friends how cute he was when he was little!

In addition to snow, I sent him my love …Our tree (with Misty hiding underneath … she loves Christopher almost as much as I do!)And Santa … along with a photo that I know will make him laugh.On the last page, I made a stocking and filled it with a copy of “The Night Before Christmas.” I know as my kids got older, they only endured the reading to humor me (and because my husband told them that Santa wouldn’t fill their stockings if they didn’t make their mother happy), but traditions become important as you grow up, so I thought I would send it anyway.

Assuming he doesn’t read my blog, which I doubt he does, he should be surprised by his little book in another week or so … it takes a long time for mail to get to Guam!

Turning Stickers into Ornaments

I’m on the Elizabeth Craft Designs Blog today showing how to transform a Peel-Off Outline Sticker into an ornament that can be hung on the tree! Click here to see how easy it is …

Favorite Ornaments

Each Friday, Scrap It Girl asks everyone to post their favorites.

Today, she asked us to post our favorite ornament to make. For me, this was easy … I love to make ornaments and I love to make ones with a little dome on them by Globecraft & Piccolo. They are so versatile and so much fun to make.

This time, I opted to make one featuring products from Elizabeth Craft Designs.

I started by tracing the outer edge of the frame onto a piece of paper. Then I cut well inside of the line to create the back of the ornament.

I placed it on top of the center ring, which I had already painted white.

 

Next, I cut out pieces of the candle from Velvet paper and Shimmer Sheetz. I lightly inked the candle and wax.

I added a couple of sprigs cut out of cardstock and Glitter Dots.

I inked the top ring and then embossed it with an embossing folder. I then took ink and ran it over the top of the ring to highlight the embossing.

I put the dome on and added Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive around it. Then I put on the ring and used clothespins to hold it in place white drying.

I finished it off with a jingle bell and a couple of pre-made ribbons.

What do you think?