Grandma's Sequins

Christmas is really sneaking up on me and I am soooo behind!  Get a jump on your own Christmas projects by joining our "Christmas - Not a Card" challenge this fortnight at Creative Cutting Challenge.

I was inspired by this Pinterest project for my design team project.  Man, do I love Pinterest!  I only wish I had enough time to apply all the fantastic ideas I see there...sigh.

Some months ago, my mom let my sisters and me divide my paternal grandmother's stash of vintage pearls, sequins, and beads.  Grandma was a wonderful beader and we are fortunate to each have several beautiful Christmas ornaments created by her very own hands.  When I saw the Pinterest post, I immediately thought of my grandma's beads.

I used The Creative Pointe's "Joy Ornament" SVG to cut four layers of cardboard.  I replaced the center oval cut-out with a large heart shape. The top layer of cardboard was embossed with Tim Holtz's woodgrain texture fade and all layers were given a coat of artist gesso.  Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint and layers of Distress Stains add just enough vintage-ness.  

I recycled clear acrylic packaging to create the windows at the center of the ornament.  These were sandwiched between the layers of cardboard...adhered with Glossy Accents...with the sequins loose in between.

I actually broke into my cherished antique glass glitter to decorate the edges of the ornament.  It was the perfect touch.  A simple ribbon loop hardware piece and wired tinsel create a hanger and a big fluffy bow finishes things off.  Overall, I kept the ornament neutral to really make those colorful sequins pop!

Other Challenge Fun
Make It Monday:  MIM #167
Paper Playtime:  Challenge #23 - Sparkle
Crafty Calendar Challenge: All Things Christmas!
My Time to Craft:  Challenge #243 - Baubles

Supplies:
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Joy Ornamente’
Inks:	Delta Ceramcoat artist gesso; Distress Stain ‘Pumice Stone’, ‘Tarnished Brass’, ‘Brushed Pewter’, ‘Picket Fence’; Distress Crackle Paint ‘Clear Rock Candy’
Embellishments:	Grandma’s sequins; Stampin’ Up! hardware; Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’; wired tinsel; Cody Foster & Co. vintage glass glitter ‘Silver’
Tools:	SCAL; Cricut Expression; Sizzix Texture Boutique; Tim Holtz texture fade ‘Wood Grain’; Glossy Accents; SU! eyelet tool
Misc:	Cardboard; clear acrylic packaging

CCC #7: You Hold the Key

Happy New Year!
We're back from holiday break and the theme for our seventh two-week Creative Cutting Challenge is "Valentine's Day - Not a Card".  Click here to check out the creative inspiration from our Design Team and join the challenge.  Even if you don't use SVG files yet, you will find some great ideas from these talented ladies!

I love making Valentine's Day crafts.  Something about all the red and pink and hearts and glitter takes me back to making my Valentine "mail box" out of a shoe box or paper bag back in elementary school...those were the days!

I went a little "grungy" with this heart locket.  There was so much ink involved, I actually snapped on the ol' latex gloves.

The Details:

• I started by cutting the heart locket from The Creative Pointe's "Valentine Hearts" SVG set out of cereal box cardboard.  It measures approximately 5" high.

• For the base, I used metallic Distress Stains, a little Starburst Spray, and some Walnut Stain Distress Ink to create a rustic metal look.  For a little more interest, and to keep up my resolution to include stamping on my projects whenever possible, I also added some French script in clear embossing over the top of the first inky layer.  For an even more corroded appearance, I used Tim Holtz's technique of flicking water onto the inked surface...this reactivates the Distress Inks and gives it a really cool effect.

• I sprayed the center inset piece with Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray in Tiger Lily Red Orange.  I used Barn Door Distress Ink to deepen the red, then added a layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  The crackle paint adds such depth to the color!
• Once the CP was dry, I antiqued the surface with a little Walnut Stain DI and added the "you hold the key" sections.
• I layered a sheet music image from The Graphics Fairy in the key hole and then glued the center inset piece to the base.

• Some hand-dyed seam binding in a crinkly, fluffy bow and a K&Co. key finish things off nicely.

Challenges:

The Graphics Fairy: Brag Monday #169

The Paper Players: Challenge #127 - Love Is in the Air

Simon Says Stamp & Show: Embrace the Old

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Pure Poppy’ (backing)
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Valentine Hearts’
Image:	The Graphics Fairy ‘Sheet Music Postcard’
Stamps:	Stampin’ Up! ‘French Script’
Inks:	Distress Stain ‘Brushed Pewter’, ‘Tarnished Brass’, ‘Aged Mahogany’; Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst Spray ‘Tiger Lily Red Orange’; Distress Ink ‘Barn Door’, ‘Walnut Stain’, ‘Festive Berries’; Top Boss embossing ink
Embellishments:	Zing embossing powder ‘Clear’; Distress Crackle Paint ‘Clear Rock Candy’; K&Co. metal art ‘Life’s Journey’; Hug Snug seam binding
Tools:	3M spray adhesive; Glossy Accents; Mister; heat gun; SCAL; Cricut Expression; foam brush; foam ink blending tool; tweezers
Misc:	Recycled cereal box

Joyful Tree

Sharing a 3-D project with you today that was an inky, glittery delight to make!  Sometimes it's so good to just get messy!  (Although my studio looked like it had been hit by a glitter bomb and you know how hard that stuff is to clean up...ugh!  Oh, and I now own a box of latex gloves for when I want to get super inky. J)

The Details:

• This tree stands about 8" high including the base.  To create the tree, I cut two pines from The Creative Pointe's 'Pine Trees & Pine Cones' SVG set from cardboard.  

• This is where things get messy.  I embossed the trees with Basic Grey's 'Flowers' embossing folder, then added layers of color with Starburst Sprays and Distress Inks until I was happy with the piney color.
• Once completely dry (they were pretty saturated), I aligned the trees and marked my center points on the tops and bottoms of both.  I drew a center line from the top to halfway on one tree and from the bottom to halfway on the second tree and then used my craft knife and a metal ruler to cut along the lines.  This allows you to slide the two trees together to create your dimensional pine tree. I used Glossy Accents to glue the two pieces in place.
• A light coat of Future floor polish and a dusting of crystal glitter works well for the frosted look.
• For the icicles, I found that the best technique is to use GA and glitter.  I applied heavy lines and drips of GA along the branches and then sprinkled on mostly crystal and some white-gold glitter.  For best results, do not apply Stickles for your frost or icicles.  It will look good at first, but as it dries it sucks up the green ink.  You can see some of this still on my tree.

• Now for our base.  I recycled an empty ribbon spool to create the tree base.  First painting it with brown acrylic paint, then adding patterned paper circles to the top and bottom, and finally wrapping some jute twine around the center.  I just love the look of it...and it was so easy!

• The tree is attached to the base with generous amounts of Glossy Accents...that stuff is amazingly strong!  I added a bit of reindeer moss and more glitter along the base of the tree.

• "JOY" was stamped on light green patterned paper and embossed in red.  I cut the sentiment apart and into tag shapes and punch small holes in the tops.  A piece of twine was strung from limb to limb and the individual JOY tags were tied to it with more twine.  To keep everything in place just as I wanted it, I applied more GA to the twine near the knots and on the tree limbs and added glitter.  Two birds with one stone:  the twine is now frosty and it locks the banner in place.

Challenge:
Simon Says Stamp Challenges: Simon Says...Anything Goes

Supplies:
Patterned Paper:	Basic Grey Figgy Puddy ‘Nestled’ 12x12; My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found ‘Christmas’ 6x6
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Pine Trees & Pine Cones’
Stamps:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Merry Merry Messages’
Inks:	Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays ‘Ponderosa Pines Olive’, ‘Cattail Copper Brown’; Distress Ink ‘Peeled Paint’, ‘Forest Moss’, ‘Walnut Stain’; VersaMark; Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint ‘Dark Burnt Umber’
Embellishments:	Glossy Accents; LSG micas ‘Oak Leaf Olive’, ‘Pine Cone Brown’; LSG two-toned embossing powder ‘Terra Cotta Rust’; jute twine; Papertrey Ink rustic button twine; Martha Stewart glitter ‘Crystal Fine’, ‘White Gold’; Distress Stickles ‘Clear Rock Candy’; reindeer moss
Tools:	Sizzix Texture Boutique; Basic Grey embossing folder ‘Flowers’; SCAL; Cricut Expression; Future floor polish; Makin Memories ribbon glue; heat gun
Misc:	Cardboard; empty ribbon spool

Be Jolly Pocket Ornament

Here is the last pocket ornament for this Christmas.  This one is for my only niece and after four boy ornaments, I was so relieved to be able to play with the frills and flowers again!

The Details:

• This ornament has so many elements that I personally LOVE that it's hard to choose a favorite, but I do adore the uniqueness of the feather fill.  I was going to use the same fill on all five pockets, but while digging in the much-picked-over Christmas floral section of JoAnn, I happened upon some feather picks with little jingle bells mixed in.  How could I resist?!
• Working our way down, I used ribbon as the hanger for a soft, feminine touch.
• I found this gold mesh ribbon last season in the clearance bin...what a fabulous find!  It makes a lovely topper and the pearls add a creamy softness.

• Christ is the reason for the season, and this vintage image from The Graphics Fairy is just gorgeous!  I added just a bit of Stickles to His halo and the dove.
• The dimensional "Be Jolly" sticker is nestled in with a felt and silk poinsettias, some leaves, and a bridal pick.

• I used my tiny attacher to seal the bottom of the tube and covered the evidence of my shortcut with some velvet ruffle ribbon.

Challenges:

For Fun Challenges: Christian Christmas

Ruby's Rainbow Challenges: #44 - Nativity

Flourishes: Timeless Tuesday #200 - Deck the Tree Trimmings

Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge: Vintage Christmas

The Ribbon Carousel: RCC75 - Holiday Spirit
The Graphics Fairy:  Brag Monday #168

Supplies:
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found ‘Christmas’ 6x6
Image:	The Graphics Fairy ‘Baby Jesus in Manger’
Embellishments:	K&Co. stickers ‘Christmas Cheer’, ‘Snow Globe’; floral picks; Webster’s Pages designer trim; Stickles ‘Platinum’, ‘Crystal’; Celebrate It mesh ribbon; Crystal Stickers pearls; Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’
Tools:	Glossy Accents; hole punch; tweezers; 3M spray adhesive; hot glue
Misc:	Empty toilet paper tube

Teen & Twenties Masculine Pocket Ornaments

In the essence of time on our mad dash towards Christmas day, I'm sharing the pocket ornaments that I made for my older nephews all in one post.  They don't vary much from each other in layout, but the elements are all different.  The age range of the older boys is 16-20, so I wanted these to be youthful and masculine, but not stuffy.

Let's go youngest to oldest, shall we...

Jake's

• Who's my go-to guy for masculine elements?  That's right, Mr. Tim Holtz.  I used Christmas salvage stickers on all three of these ornaments.
• I added some chunky glitter to the top of the "Christmas Snow" lettering for a little extra detail.

• My new favorite way to do banners!  Wrap a short length of ribbon around a wire (or string) and staple very close to the wire with your Tim Holtz tiny attacher.  Cut one end at an angle and cut the other end at the opposite angle to get a fishtail banner.  
• Another fun banner element is to just tie a button onto the wire with baker's twine.

Cody's

• Color is key.  Pom pom trim is not girly if it's grey!  Each one of these pockets is stapled along the bottom with the tiny attacher.  Glitter ribbon hides the staples on the other two and pom pom trim makes for a fun fringe and staple disguise on this one.

• Another easy banner trick that I'm sure you've been seeing out in blogland is to use washi tape.  Just wrap, stick, and trim...cute!

Calvin's

• Look beyond the Christmas stash...this blue glitter star is from a K&Co Americana set and the ticket twill tape is just from the everyday stash, but both add a fun, but grown-up, touch to Cal's ornament.

• I employed my tiny attacher once again here to attach the wire handle to the base.  It's just a heck of a lot easier than running the wire through punched holes and then having to wrap the wire without any sharp ends or ripping your pocket.  Just curl the ends and staple!

Challenges:

Simon Says Stamps: Simon Says...Merry Christmas (Calvin's)

Anything Goes Challenge Blog: Challenge 82 - Traditional Colours (Cody's)

The Crafty Bloggers Network: Challenge #6 - Anything Goes

Make It Monday

Pretty Little Ribbon Shop: December Challenge # 17 - It's Christmas! (Jake's)

Simon Says Stamp & Show: Gift-spiration

Unstampabelles: Challenge #18 - Christmas

Jake’s Ornament Supplies:
Cardstock:	DCWV
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye ’12 Days of Christmas’ 6x6
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain ‘Barn Door’
Embellishments:	Joann glitter ‘Crystal’; Darice baker’s twine ‘Red / White’; wire; Holiday Inspiration glitter ribbon; Tim Holtz salvage sticker ‘Seasonal’; K&Co stickers ‘Snow Globe’, ‘Yuletide Border’; buttons; ribbon
Tools:	TH paper distresser, tiny attacher; wire cutter / pliers; Wondertape; hot glue; glue dots; Zig 2-way glue pen; hole punch; 3M spray adhesive
Misc:	Empty toilet paper tube

Cody’s Ornament Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Real Red’, ‘Sahara Sand’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye ‘Winter Wonderland’ 6x6
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’
Embellishments:	Tim Holtz salvage sticker ‘Seasonal’, tissue tape ‘Symphony’; washi tape; We R Memory Keepers washi tape ‘Red Tape’; Hobby Lobby felt snowflake; K&Co sticker ‘Snow Globe’; buttons; Darice baker’s twine ‘Red / White’; MME Lost & Found Two pom pom trim ‘Breeze’; wire
Tools:	TH paper distresser, tiny attacher; wire cutter / pliers; Wondertape; hot glue; glue dots; 3M foam tape, spray adhesive; hole punch
Misc:	Empty toilet paper tube

Calvin’s Ornament Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Confetti Ivory’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye ‘Winter Wonderland’ 6x6
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; ‘Faded Jeans’; Distress Stain ‘Barn Door’
Embellishments:	Tim Holtz salvage sticker ‘Seasonal’, epoxy sticker; Paper Studio ribbon ‘Ticket Stubs Twill’; Holiday Inspirations glitter ribbon; K&Co die cut cardstock ‘Americana’; wire
Tools:	TH paper distresser, tiny attacher; wire cutter / pliers; Wondertape; hot glue; glue dots; 3M spray adhesive; Glossy Accents; decorative scissors ‘postage stamp’
Misc:	Empty toilet paper tube