Polished to Perfection

Holiday Hoppin' with Spellbinders

 

Welcome to the 2nd Day of the Spellbinders™ Paper Arts Holiday Hoppin’ Blog Hop!   If you missed day one here is a link to my post with the hop list.

JustRite is thrilled to be included in this event!  All of the designers in this hop are showcasing the newest products available, just in time for your Holiday crafting and gift giving. 

 

Lots of creative ideas are in store, as well as prizes galore!  Each participating company has donated towards the prize package listed on the Spellbinders Blog.  A total of two identical prize packages, one for each day, November 18 and 19 will be given away!  To enter, just leave a comment on a participating blog!  Comments in the first 48 hours of the post are eligible.  One commenter each day will be randomly selected as the winner.  Winners will be announced on November 22, on the Spellbinders Blog! 

November 19th Hop List:
Mona Pendleton
Gina Hanson
Deborah Young
Becca Feeken
Julie Overby
Kimberly Crawford
AJ Otto
Margie Higuchi
Beth Pingry
Jennifer Holmes
Kerry Urbatch
Shona Erlenborn
Tammy Inman
Jessica Turner
Brenda Hurd
Julie Koerber
Rae Barthel
Rachel O’Crowley
Kellie Fortin
Kristen Cohen
Joy Dickson
Candy Rosenberg 
Laura Craigie
Stephanie Hester
Leesa Crutcher
Nina Brackett

 
For my projects I used Spellbinders  S4 -286 Snowflake Pendant and S4-293 Lacey Circles Die # 2.  If you read my blog you know that I adore snowflakes and love to create handmade Christmas Ornaments combining JustRite Stamps with snowflakes.  So you can imagine how excited I was when Spellbinders Introduced a SnowFlake Pendant at summer CHA.  I also have fallen in love with Spellbinders Lacey & Eyelet Dies because they make the perfect diecut for crocheting on the edge!!  I must admit I hadn't crochet in years but it really is like riding a bike.  You can see my other crocheted on the edge projects here & here.

 
For my snowflake ensemble I used JustRite's Whimiscal Christmas Centers.  To crochet on the edge you of the Lacey die cut you need to use at least 80 lb paper.  For each of my snowflakes today - I stamped the image, die cut it and then crocheted on the edge of the Lacey die cut. 

Here is a close up view of the crocheting on the edge.

Instructions for Crocheting On the Edge of the Lacey Die.  Place your crochet hook inside the lacey scallop hole and pull up a loop of crochet cotton and slip stitch. Chain one then single crochet, 2 double crochets , 1 single crochet then move to the next Lacey Scallop repeating - 1 single crochet, 2 double crochets , 1 single crochet in each lacey scallop. When you have filled each Lacey Scallop, slip stitch into the top of the first single crochet and cut your crochet cotton and weave in all the loose ends.

 
My ornaments are double sided (I die cut 2 snowflake pendants and adhered them back to back) this sentiment from the Whimsical Christmas set on the backside of each ornament so that if the snowflake spins on the tree it will still have a pretty design element on the backside of the snowflake.

 
To create the red snowflake I used a jumbo dauber to distress my natural white paper using Memento Rhubarb Stalk Ink. These will make perfect gifts for my sons teachers!!  Enjoy the rest of the HOP!!  Don't forget to leave comments for your chance to win a huge stash of prizes!!

Just a reminder that JustRite has all their JustRite Original Christmas Stamps on sale for 25% off - sale ends Nov. 29th.  Plus receive free shipping on orders over $50.00.  JustRite also just added great stamp sets to the Super Sale Section of the website -- lots of great  $10.00 Deals!!  Have fun shopping!!

Project Recipe:
JustRite Stamps: Whimsical Christmas, 2 " Clear Stamper
Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilites Lacey Circles -Die, Snowflake Pendant Die 
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest- Natural White
Inks & Markers: Tsukeniko Memento Tuxedo Black, Rhubarb Stalk, Jumbo Sponge Dauber; Copic Markers -R27,R39,R46,R89,0,C0,C3,E33,E97,Y38,Y13,YR04,YR09,B00,BG01,YG03,G24
Accessories: V2 Vellum Adhesive, Art Glitter Institute Glitter, Red & Green Crochet Cotton, US 9 Crochet Hook 

 

Gala Glitz Nested Poinsettia Treat Wrap

Today I am sharing with you my Nested Poinsettia Treat Wraps.  The Basic Happy Holiday Poinsettia Treat wrap bag instructions can be found on the JustRite Website under featured projects.  Now as you may remember I have been playing with Gala Glitz lately and I just couldn't resist making a version of this treat wrap with the Gala Glitz Red.  The jars of Gala Glitz are rather small ---so remember that you only need to apply the Gala Glitz on the portion of the poinsettia leaves that are going to show.
Here is a closeup so you can see just how divine the Gala Glitz is on the Poinsettia.  For the center I used one of the images from the A Merry Little Christmas set and embossed it with Ranger Super fine detailed embossing powder.  I used a versamark watermark embossing pen to highlight the scalloped edge of the stamped image in gold embossing powder. 

These are super fun and easy to make!!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

JustRite Snowflake Ornament and Treat Wrap

Do you need office or teacher gifts? This treat wrap is a super fun project. I have several versions to share with you this week. For all my treat wrap bags I used an Accucut die to create the wrap.  But you can create your own using your diecuts and a little ingenuity. What I love about this wrap is that after the recipient devours the candy they have a beautiful ornament left for their tree. For this on I used a 4"Darice Snowflake (They can be purchased in sets of ten snowflakes at Michael's). I used a distressed ink pad to give it a vintage feel.  Then I sprayed it with V2 Vellum adhesive from Helmar and sprinkled it with Crystal Ultrafine Transparent Art Glitter from the Art Institute to give it back it's sparkle.

 
For the red layer I diecut the smallest Poinsettia die and adhere Gala Glitz Glitter to just the portion of the tips that extended beyond my center image. If you haven't played with this chunky glitter with beads and sharred glass you are in for a real treat. I love it!! The center image was stamped using just the center Snowfake Image from A Merry Little Christmas. I used my scalloped SU Punch to punch the image and then accent the scalloped design with more Crystal Glitter as well as highlighting the interior of the stamped snowflake.  For the mat layer I used a larger Su punch and highlighted those scallops with a Krylon Gold Leafing Pen. For my sentiment for the treat wrap I stamped the Merry Christmas to you sentiment from the A Merry Little Christmas Stamp Set.  Using my SU punch, I punched out the image and sprayed it with V2 Vellum Adhesive and added more Crystal Art Glitter. I let it dry for a few seconds and then used my finger to gently rub off the excess glitter so that my sentiment was readable. Of course this also meant that I would personally be glittered as well. But then again what would the Holidays be without a little glitter -Right!! The beaded snowflake accent is from Jolee's.

Stop back in tomorrow to see my other Treat Wrap designs.

Supplies: Stamps: JustRite A Merry Little Christmas borders and centers, AccuCut -Treat Wrap Die, Cosmo Cricket-Oh Joy: Mitten Mitten, 4" Darice Snowflake, Spellbinders Nested Poinsettia Die, Art Institute Glitter- Gala Glitz Red Art Glitter, Crystal Ultrafine Transparent Art Glitter, Helmar- V2 Vellum Adhesive,Krylon Gold Leafing Pen

JustRite Snowflake #3

This is the third snowflake for the class I taught in Houston.  For this snowflake I used a sage versamark pad and a red chalk pad to alter my 6" Darice glitter snowflake.  I die cut the copper foil paper using the Renaissance Heart pendant.  The Copper paper was very bright and shiny...to tone down the color I sprayed the diecut with Vellum Adhesive and applied crystal glitter rom the Art Institute.  The Sleigh image is one of the images from the Old Fashioned Christmas Stamps.  My entire Christmas Tree has handmade Christmas Ornaments on it -- I can't wait to add this to my collection.

 
Thanks for stopping by!!!

JustRite Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to the JustRite Christmas Blog Hop.  Today 33 designers are showcasing the New Christmas Releases from JustRite Stampers which are now available for purchase on the JustRite website.

Today I am sharing with you a Custom Christmas Card I designed for the JustRite catalog. 

 

I just love how you can combine JB 08780 1 5/8" A Merry Little Christmas Stamps with theJustRiteJB 08405 2" block with 15 point font and the New JB 08785 Holiday Demi Phrases to create your own stamp image.

 How fun is it that you can design Christmas Stamps with your familie's name on it!!  Here are just a few of the phrases that I have custom designed for this blog hop and future Christmas projects. 

When I played with the first 2" stamper prototype for the first time.  I loved how the 15 point font fit on the block, but I was amazed at how many 15 point letters it took to fill the rim of the block.  And I instantly knew that I needed to give you the tools to make writing on the outer rim of the 2" stamper a breeze.  So I developed 15 fun Holiday Demi Phrases --- I started the thought now you need to finish the demi phrase.

To read more about how you assemble all three JustRite Products to make these custom designs read my post today on the JustRite Blog.  JustRite also has some fabulous blog candy available for those of you who take the time to visit the entire Christmas Blog Hop.  Be sure to read all the details on the JustRite Blog.

To create my card I used Spellbinder's Fleur de Lis Pendant die which is my favorite set of dies from the new Spellbinder's Release.  I die cut turquoise mirrored paper for my first mat layer and a multi-toned green DP from Basic Grey cardstock for the back layer.  I love glitter and this card has tons.  The card itself is a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" Turqouise Glitter Card from Die Cuts with a View.  The fun beaded snowflakes are Jolies Stickers. After I stamped my image with I diecut  and embossed my image with the Spellbinder's Scalloped Circle Nestabilitie I chalked the embossed area with a copic markers then added Designer Dries Clear Adhesive and Ultrafine transparent Crystal glitter from the Art Glitter Institute to the edge of the diecut.  I also applied glue & glitter to the center of the snowflake image.For even more bling I added Kaiser Pearls and multiply shapes of rhinestones.

JustRite Stampers Blog
Becca Feeken
Sankari Wegman
Sharon Johnson
Kazan Clark
Sharon Harnist
Laura Davis
Debbie Olson
Michelle Woerner
Taylor Van Bruggen
Jenn Balcer
Michelle Wooderson
Lori Craig
Lauren Meader
Beate Johns
Barb Schram
Kimberly Crawford
Michele Kovack
Jami Bova
Kellie Fortin
Jennifer Buck
Heidi Blankenship
Angela Barkhouse
Lisa Somerville
Gerrie Johnnic
Kathy Jones
Debbie Seyer
Kim Sonksen
Terre Fry
Sheryl Dickinson
Bonnie Sharp
Mary Pfaff
Holly Simoni
Angela Robledo
Thanks for stopping by...be sure to check out all the fun projects from this fabulous group of designers!!

Decorate a CD Gift Box using Lockhart Snowmen

I absolutely adore these snowmen from the Lockhart Stamp Company...they are individual stamps ..so you can make your own family.  I also love their holly and bough border (9002 Holiday Ribbon from the Millinery Collection). Anyone who know me persoanlly knows I love snowman, they adorn all of my handpainted christmas ornaments and my snowman paper designs.  I absolutely love the possibilities these cute little snowman have.  I found these great CD Boxes at the Dollar Store - they come 3 in a packet with a variety of fun designs. I am always looking for great gift ideas and I thought these would be cute with a CD or even with a Gift Card inside the box.

So to start this project I cut a 4 1/2" x 4" piece of white cardstock, then I stamped the Holiday Ribbon border. The border was longer than my paper, so I used a mask on both sides of my paper so that I could make a square frame with the bough border.  Next I cut a Scalloped Oval using my Spellbinders Nestabilities I used Steel Blue Elan Metallics from World WIn and dry embossed it with my Snowflake A2 Embossing Folder. (choose the size oval that fits inside your bough frame).  To color the bough border I used YG67 Copic Markers to color the holly leaves and then I used Apple Green Prismacolr Pencil to color the boughs.  Then I highlighted the holy with my Olive Spica Micro Glass Flake Pens and the boughs with my Melon Spica.  I colored in the berries with my Red Spica.

Using Adriondack Pitch Black I stamped all four snowman and colored them with a combination of Copic markers and Spica Pens.  Then I cut each one of the snowmen our and placed 3 of them on my scalloped oval using foam squares.  I used 2 layers of foam squares to add the smallest Snowman to my family.  For the snow I used snowtext writer and Crystal Glitter from the Art Glitter Institute.  I used a pallete knife to put the snow in place, since my snowman were 3-D.  I placed the tallest snowman on the right hand corner.  To balance the red in my card I used American Crafts Rudolph paper to mat my image.

Know if you have been reading my blog - you know I always like to do one more step...so as I was writing this blog it occurred to me that the Tonic Snowflake Border Punch...Punches the cutest scrap baby snowflakes - so of course I retrieved the the snowflakes from the belly of my punch and they just happened to be this beautiful pale blue and a perfect size to add to my card.  So here is the upgraded design: 

Aren't the baby snowflakes cute??  In the larger version of this photo you can actually see the shine of the microglass flakes- I was so hopeful that you might be able to see them in this photo post...it really makes my cards just pop.

Directions for Peppermint Pebbles Christmas Tree #8

Finally here are the directions for making the Peppermint Pebbles Christmas Tree!!

Supplies: 1 - 12 X12 Sheet of American Crafts Maids- A-Milking, 1 - 12 x12 Sheet of Christmas Twinkles- Pebblies Inc., 1 1/2 bags of clear glass accent gems, glue gun, styrofoam cone, smallest circle die cut from your Spellbinders Nestibilitie set, Designer dries clear adhesive from the Art Glitter Institute, an ornament (for top of tree-from Walmart) and a bunch of berries on wire (from the Dollar Tree Store).

Directions:

1. Wrap your Maids- a- milking paper around your cone and trim off the excess paper.  Use a glue gun to adhere the paper to the cone.
2. Using you smallest circle from your Spellbinder's Nestabilitie set - cut out 120 snowflakes from your Christmas Twinkle Paper (you should use about a 1/2 sheet). Using Designer Dries Clear Adhesive from the Art Glitter Institute adhere the snowflakes to the backside of your clear glass accents.  Set these aside to dry. (if you do not have the nestabilities circles yet- use a small circle punch -sized to match your pebbles)
3. Starting at the bottom of the tree adhere the snowflake pebbles with your glue gun, leaving room to add the red berries between your snowflake pebbles.  Since the berries are on wire - simply poke the berries into the cone.  Continue adding layers of Pebbles and Berries until you reach the top of the cone. 
4. Using your Circle Nestabilities find the circle size to match the top of your cone and cut out a circle from the Maids-a-Milking paper.
5. To adorn the top of your Tree - we went to Walmart and purchased this three dimensional topper.  Clip of the plastic hook and fill in the spot left from the hook with red stickles...the colors match perfectly.

Here is a close up of the tree:

Have fun creating this beautiful tree...thanks again to Angela for bringing this tree from design concept in my head to a real finished project!!

Christmas Tree #2 from American Crafts Christmas Scraps

 

Well, I'm now working on creating a small forest...I just can't stop the wheels from turning.  Remember that when I was creating the first tree, Angela was teaching an exploding box class.  Every time we teach this class we come up with a new twist.  Last week Angela came to my studio with this really cute flower/bow/ornament and I saw it and told her it would great on the top of the exploding box she was teaching that day. We agreed since it could be made from the scraps leftover from the exploding box. The box topper was a huge hit.  So we decided to make a Christmas exploding box with the great topper and the great addition of embellishments using my circle nestabilities dies. Tons of directions for these boxes have been on other blogs, so today I won't write directions today...since I have a ton of stuff to cover.  If you would like for me to post directions for the exploding box, just leave me a comment at the end of the post.  If you have not left a comment before on a post but would like to-simple click on the comment button at the end of this article and add a comment. Here is the box:

 

I love using the nestabilities on the side of the box for an embellishment. The snowflake in the center is a button. Since some of you may not know what an exploding box is - here is a photo of what happens when you take the lid off the box: You can put a ton of photos in this box - It's a great gift for dad's desk!!

Here is the box when you add the bow:

Doesn't it look great!!  Thanks Angela for letting me share it!!  Here is just the bow - which actually is also a great ornament too!!

I will post directions on how to make this bow/ornament later this week because after all this is a blog about Christmas Tree #2 ( The beginning of the forest).  Angela was finishing her bow - when the light bulbs went off and I could see how the parts to her bow would be just perfect for the next tree if I used them upside down.  To make Christmas tree #2 - You will need 2" x 2" scraps of Christmas Paper.  We used American Crafts and Pebbles Inc paper for this tree too!! Turn your square 45 degrees so the corners are facing North/South/East/West.  Now take the eastern corner and roll it toward the center of the square without creasing the outside.  Now bring the western corner in to meet it and adhere these together to make your cone.  I recommend making all your cones first and then assembling the tree.

Starting at the bottom of your cone add the first layer of cones using 1 1/2" straight pins about 1/2" from the top to the point of the cone. I used  2 7/8" x 7 7/8" cone to make your tree. Which took a total of 59 cones.

1. Layer 1- is 12 cones-tips should be even with the base of the styrofoam cone.
2. Layer 2 is 12 cones- place the following rows about 1 1/4" above the previous row.
3. layer 3 is 10 cones
4. layer 4 is 10 cones
5. Layer 5 is 9 cones
6. layer 6 is 6 cones

I bought red pearlized pins for the layer 6 of the tree since these pins will show.  When you get to the last layer of your tree place the tip of your paper cone 3/4" above the top of the styrofoam cone (if yours is flat at the top like mine was).  This layer should complete the point of the tree.  The pin tops will look like ornaments. The 3-d Snowflake was a piece of an ornament from the Dollar Tree store- it came with a large 3-d Snowflake and 2 small 3-d snowflakes - the topper is the smaller 3-d snowflake. For added decoration I used a Snow writer from Deco Art to decorate the boughs of the tree, while it was wet I added crystal glitter from the Art Institute.  For embellishments I added self adhesive rhinestones from KaiserCrafts and snowflake buttons. And my husband insisted that the tree needed a tree skirt.  So I have added a doilie which I backed with red cardstock so that you could see the lace work. Check back in tomorrow for Christmas Tree # 3.  Thanks for visting!!

Christmas Tree from American Crafts Christmas Scraps

Today was a great playdate day!!  Angela was here teaching an exploding Box class and we began playing with this project that I have been designing in my head for days. When I was making my clear ornaments from scraps it occurred to me that the same strips - 1/2" x 6" would work to create this Christmas Tree.  The scraps of paper are from American Crafts, with the exception of the 5th layer - which is from Pebbles Inc.  I started with a Styrofoam cone and working from the bottom up I began gently folding my strips of paper in half without creasing the center fold.  I used straight pins to place the strips of paper on the cone.  You need to have pins that are fairly long so that your strips of paper will stay in place.  Here is a view of the tree as I was making it:

Next time I would use pins without fancy balls on all the layers until I got to the top, where they show as these pins are more expensive then flat headed pins.  The biggest challenge Angela and I had designing this tree is trying to figure out how we would finish the top, since my cone had a flat top and the strips of ribbon were also flat at the top. After a trip to the store, I found a great 3-D snowflake which was part of a larger ornament at the Dollar tree store which fit the bill, to fill the top space of the tree your top definitely needs to be 3-D. For a finishing touch I used a Snow Writer from Deco Arts to drip snow from the top of the tree to cover the top of the Styrofoam.  Next I added a little Crystal Glitter from the Art Glitter Institute for a little bling. Then I added this cute little ornaments I found at Jo- Annes Fabrics between the scraps of paper. I love buttons, so next I cut off the shanks of my snowflake buttons and began gluing them on the tree.  For the finishing touches I added self-adhesive Rhinestones from KaiserCrafts.  Now of course this tree just started the wheels of creativity turning and you will have to stop back tomorrow to see the next Christmas Trees Angela and I designed. Wouldn't these be perfect for centerpieces for a Holiday Party or even a Christmas Wedding!!

Added Notes: I started with a cone that was 2 7/8" x 7 7/8". The finished tree is 11" tall and 7" in diameter.  Your paper really needs to be doublesided.  My Pebbles paper is not, but all the American Crafts Paper is. 

Make it 3-D - Poinsettia Christmas Card

Several of my students have been looking for a great Poinsettia stamp - I found this great stamp from Inkadinkadoo, and I can't wait to show you a couple of cards I made with this stamp and how dramatically different I could make the same image look.  This week I have been playing with some 3-D images from Ectasy for a later post..which inspired me to try and 3-D this image and I am so happy with the results.  In order to 3-D this card I stamped the image 4 times using Adriondack Pitch Black Ink. Using Copic Sketch markers - R29 and R59 I colored in the Poinsettia's petals on the first image, I used G07 for the grean leaves. This will be the base of the 3-D image. On the second image I colored most of the poinsettia with the exception of the petals and the leaves that were in the far background. Next I cut out these and using foam dots I placed them on the 1st image creating a second layer. On the third stamped image I colored the petals closest to the top of the flower and cut these out and popped them up as the third layer.  On the fourth stamped image I colored just the centers of the flower and popped them up as the fourth and final layer.  Using my Swirls A2 Folder I dry embossed my red cardstock mat using my Cuttlebug for a little more dimmension and texture. the next mat is this great Holly Paper from Magenta and the cardstock is Shamrock green from World win treasures collection  The embellishments are all buttons from Jesse James. 

For the second card I chose an entirely different technique to show you how different you can make an image look.  I stamped the image using Stazon Jet black on a laminating sheet and let it dry for a few minutes.  Then I removed the backing.  To make a mini shovel I cut a coffee stirrer at an angle and slowly began placing red micro beads on the image where the poinsettia petals were.  I placed green micro beads on the leafs.  Using the coffee stirrer I was able to scrap off any beads that inadvertently landed where I didn't want them.  When I was finished placing the microbeads I used a white glitter from the Art Glitter Institute to fill in the remaining exposed lamenating sheet. To highlight the beads and the glitteron the image I placed it on a piece of darkgreen cardstock and adhere it to the cardstock by adding small dabs of designer dries clear adhesive to the backside of the microbeads. I cut a mat from Worldwin Bronze Elan Metallics and punched the corners of the mat with my tonic corner punch.  The Rhinestones are self-adhesive and are from Kaisercrafts.  The Noel is from the same button assortment as the previous card, but I altered it and made it gold using my Gold Krylon Leafing pen.  The paper is St. Nick Vintage Snowflake from Making Memories.