It Takes All Kinds

Let the Christmas Count Down Begin

It is exactly 6 weeks before Christmas and it is time to ramp up the crafting activities.  In the next 6 weeks I want to:

Get my handmade gifts completed

Get my Christmas/holiday cards done

Figure out Christmas gifts for those I am buying for

Decide how I want to decorate the house and the tree

Make any decorations that I need

Buy a tree and get it up

Bake Christmas cookies and cupcakes

Package and mail to those not close by

I know that is is doable especially if I don't get sucked into the internet (Pinterest in particular lol) and I just stay calm and don't panic.  I am actually looking forward to getting it all done and especially to trimming my tree and decorating the house.

So what's on your count down list for the holidays?

 

Easy Gift Tags

Sharing another of my Rangerinklink group how tos.  This was very easy and quick to make.

Stamp image on cream cardstock with red paint.  Let dry then spray with Perfect Pearls mist in the colour Perfect Pearl.  Cut out image.

Spray textured Kraft cardstock with green Color Wash then with red Perfect Pearls mist.  Let dry completely and then cut to size.

Cut a piece of a musical sheet and ink the edges with red paint.

Assemble pieces by layering the stamped image into the Kraft and the Kraft onto the music sheet.

Add Liquid Pearls to Kraft layer to add dimention and to the stamped image to enhance it.

Attach to card form and use as a gift card.

You can also download the pdf file below with detailed instructions.

Download Gift or Mini Card

An idea for displaying your cards

It's getting to be that time of year when you will be getting piles and piles of Christmas cards in the mail. I thought I'd share a display that I made last year to hold my Christmas cards.

Instructions:

1. Find an open-back frame (with no glass). I bought mine on sale at Hobby Lobby, but you could also look at thrift shops. Mine is 18"x24" (the opening).

2. Measure the inside of your frame to decide how many wires you want going across & how far apart. I used 6 wires at 3" apart (except for the top & bottom one).

3. Mark on the back of the frame where you will want your wires on each side.

4. Using any sort of thin metal wire, cut a piece that will span the width of your frame, plus add a few inches at each end to attach.

5. Beginning at the top spot, attach a wire to one side using a staple gun. Be sure to leave a tail of about 3". Use a few staples to make the hold stronger.

6. Fold the excess wire over & staple again. This will help to make sure your wire won't come undone.

7. Repeat on the other side. You can make your wires as tight or as loose as you'd like. As you can see from the picture, I left mine just a teeny bit loose.

8. Repeat steps 4-7 for each row. You may want to cover the wires on the back of the frame with a strong tape so they don't scratch your walls.

9. Use clips to attach your cards/tags/decor. I used atc clips by 7 Gypsies, but you could also use binder clips, paper clips, clothespins, etc. Get creative!

 

Here is my frame filled with Christmas cards:

What unique ways do you display your Christmas cards?

Tutorial: Stacked Christmas Trees

I adapted this idea from one that I saw on The Small Object blog. Hers are made with fabric, but as soon as I saw them I wanted to try this with patterned paper.

You will need:

Assorted holiday patterned papers
Assorted ribbon, trim and embellishments
Adhesive
Sewing Machine (optional)

Instructions

Download the template, which can be found here, print and cut pieces out. Use template pieces to cut out four semi circles of patterned paper.

Either glue or stitch ribbon to the curved edge of semi-circles, leaving a bit of ribbon overhang

You can also use your sewing machine to stitch a zigzag stitch along the straight edge of the semi-circle

Now using adhesive, make the semi-circles into cones. To do this I ran a bit of glue along half of the straight edge, then bent the semi-circle so that the ends of the curves section
met and overlapped a bit. Cut off any excess ribbon.

Now stack cones to form tree, starting with largest.

Add a holiday or seasonal element to top of tree

Variations

Use glitter glue on edges instead of ribbon or trim (blue tree)
Add other embellishments e.g. buttons, to body of tree. (pink tree)
Use decorative scissors to cut edges of semi circles (pink tree)
Make bigger trees by cutting larger semi-circles

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! You can make an entire forest of these trees with your paper scraps!

Crayon Resist Christmas Cards

I finally got started on my Christmas cards after procrastinating for weeks.  These also served double duty as my monthly how-to for the Ranger yahoo group that I am a moderator on.

These were created using a crayon resist technique with dye inks.  It is a great technique to use with glossy cardstock especially when you want to color some areas of an image but leave some of it white. If you do not celebrate Christmas you can use different stamps and colored inks, for example winter scenery works great as you can have the snow resist the ink.

Below is a downloadable PDF file with step by step instructions on how I created these cards.  If you do not have a PDF reader you can download it free here.

Download Crayon Resist

Holiday Crafting Extravaganza!

Hello everyone! With the holiday season fast approaching, here at ITAK we are going to dedicate the next six weeks to a Holiday Crafting Extravaganza. Check back often to see lots of holiday craft ideas from the team including tutorials for cards and holiday decor!

Are you ready to get crafting for the holidays?

February means Sweet Nothings

February is the month of love and chocolate. Whether your sweet nothings are whispered or nibbled, lets get them recorded on a scrapbook page. Tune in to see what the team comes up with this month!

Cookie, Cookie, Cookie Starts with C

Nothing says it is time to celebrate like the smell of freshly baked cookies.  Every year I spend a weekend making cookies for my family and friends.  I turn up the holiday music and go on a baking marathon or as my husband called it this year Vernell's Cookie Factory.  The mixture of the music and the cookies totally puts me in the holiday spirit. So what puts you in the holiday, celebratory mood?

 

How do you celebrate?

What do you celebrate?

When you think about it, there are many things and many ways to celebrate. How do you celebrate? Can it be summed up in one picture? How do you feel when you celebrate? For me, it's when I'm among my friends and family, casual and laid back. But it's also when I coming to the end of a great journey into a book! Or accomplishing a longstanding goal. Whatever you do, and however it is done, it is a chance to rejoice and be happy...and of course scrapbook!!!!

A Christmas Past

Christmas has always been a big deal in my family. Even when it was just the four of us (My Mum, Dad, sister and I) it was always full of fun and excitement. I remember traditions like always having home made bread with smoked ham for breakfast on Christmas morning. My Dad was crazy about Christmas lights, so there was always at least one string up at the front of the house. Of course everyone's favourite part was opening the presents on Christmas morning! As we got older we even managed to wait until after breakfast! I found these old photos from various Christmases past and put them together on this page

I used a combination of Christmas theme and other products (like the house fabric paper) to convey my theme of Christmas and home and family.

Find some older photos and document what your Christmases past were like to share those memories with your current family!