Saint Nick’s little bag of tags

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We made the cutest tag pouches at convention last July, and I kept mine out where I could see it to remind myself to make it again.  A week or so I found the opportunity:

Santa tag pouch

  • Jolly Old Saint Nick and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
  • Riding Hood Red textured card stock; Whisper White and Old Olive smooth card stock
  • Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper
  • Basic Black and Riding Hood Red Classic ink pads
  • Riding Hood Red and Blush Blossom Stampin’ Write markers
  • Frost White Shimmer Paint
  • Jewel tag,  Scallop circle and word window punches
  • Old Olive Striped Grosgrain ribbon and Linen thread

Did you know we still sell the Blush Blossom Stampin’ Write marker?  The card stock, ink pad and all that are retired but the marker is still available and it’s perfect for faces.

I’m rather fond of these.  November hostesses get one of these and I need to get busy and make a few more.  Here’s what’s inside:

Inside the Santa tag pouch

I used the Tags for Christmas stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog to make little gift tags.  The small cello tag is attached to the inside of the pouch with a couple of rows of Sticky Strip, and the little tags fit perfectly inside.

Exploring In Colors

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A couple of weeks ago a friend asked me to do a Thank You card for her workshop.  She wanted it to be something simple and reproducible.  She was looking for inspiration for gifts, and thought if she could take the same card and produce it in a few different colors she could make sets.

No problem, I said.  That’s an easy one, I said.

Famous last words.

Maybe the muse was on vacation.  (I live on MAUI, for goodness sakes.  Where would my muse want to GO already?)  Maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself.  Shoot, maybe it was the hormones – they’re responsible for everything else that goes wrong in my life!!  It took much longer than it should have, but I came up with something that made us both happy:

Vintage Vogue Thanks in Poppy

  • Vintage Vogue and A Note of Thanks stamp sets
  • Very Vintage Jumbo Stampin’ Around Wheel
  • Whisper White, Poppy Parade and Early Espresso card stock
  • Early Espresso and Poppy Parade Classic ink pads
  • XL Decorative Label and Bitty Circle punches
  • Crop-a-dile; Stampin’ Sponge; Early Espresso 3/8″ taffeta ribbon

My goal for this card was to come up with a design that could be made in the 2010-2011 In Colors.   I think that’s what made it challenging for me.   I wanted to highlight the great value in the Card Stock and Classic Pad In Color kit –  5 Classic ink pads plus a 20 sheet assortment of the 2010 In Color papers for $29.95 (item 120952).  If you haven’t done the math yet, I’ll do it for you; that’s getting the paper assortment (valued at $6.95) for free.  It’s even in the catalog on page 165, but it doesn’t jump out at you so I like to point it out at workshops…or even in blog posts.

 

Turning lemons into lemonade

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One more for the tag stash – and this one will fit in a mini envelope:

 

Jolly Santa

  • Jolly Old Saint Nick and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set
  • Whisper White, Basic Black and Always Artichoke card stock
  • Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler Classic ink pads
  • Cherry Cobbler, Basic Grey, Blush Blossom and Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write markers
  • Basic Rhinestones

I don’t like to color in large areas, and Santa’s suit gave me fits, but that weird pink spot is from my poor, weary camera.  The sack o’ toys was doing the same thing til I decided to make the lines perpendicular and create a woven pattern.  BFO, as Jan Wakeland says – Blinding Flash of the Obvious.  Lemons to lemonade and all that.

Rub his belly for good luck

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The Snowman from Jolly Old Saint Nick had to make an appearance at ACACCE.  I struggled to come up with a card that made me happy but that would satisfy the needs of a range of stampers from veterans to newbies:

The Baja Snowman

  • Jolly Old Saint Nick stamp set
  • Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz, Soft Suede and Whisper White card stock
  • Baja Breeze, Soft Suede and Basic Black Classic ink pads
  • Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz and Soft Suede Stampin’ Write markers
  • Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dot Textured Impressions Folder, and Tasteful Trim Bigz die
  • Bitty Buttons and Bitty Circle Punch

I really like this guy.  Jean Fitch commented that he almost looks like he’s hangin’ ten on a board and maybe that’s what makes me so fond of him, although I’ve yet to see a surfer in a top hat.  I think it’s his ample belly – and the way he smiles when he pats his belly –  that makes me smile.  He knows it’s there and he just doesn’t care.

Another gorgeous bag

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I wish I could claim credit for this:

Kellie's Candy Cane Bag

I guess I can take credit for making one of my own and serving as an inspiration.  This is Kellie’s Candy Cane fabrics Scallop Square bag and I love it.  She let me borrow it for display purposes only and was VERY careful to tell me that she wanted it back.  Smart girl.

Angie Kennedy Juda has a great tutorial video on making this bag if you’d like to have one of your own.

My bag has the added benefit of being constructed with the help of Captain Stupid Head himself, who is sleeping right next to my computer monitor at this very moment.  It’s one of his favorite spots and he is happy unless I have technical issues that cause me to shout and/or pound the desktop.

Building up the tag stash

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I like to have a healthy stash of gift tags long before I start my Christmas shopping.  You could consider it a security blanket; if I have the tags, the packages will follow.  I mail a lot of gifts (thank you USPS for Flat Rate Boxes!!) and they need to be purchased, wrapped and tagged before they’re mailed.

I had a few extra tags from the Two Tags die sitting on my DISASTROUSLY messy desk and started to play with the Tags Til Christmas stamp set:

Pine Tag

  • Northern Hearts, Jolly Old Saint Nick and Tags Til Christmas stamp sets
  • Riding Hood Red and Naturals Ivory card stock
  • Vellum and Deck the Halls Designer Series paper
  • Riding Hood Red and Early Espresso Classic ink pads
  • Always Artichoke Stampin’ Write marker and Frost White Shimmer paint
  • Ornament and XL Decorative Label punches; Blender pen
  • Hemp twine and Linen thread

I inked “Merry Christmas” on the sentiment from Saint Nick and stamped it on the vellum, then set it aside to dry for a while.  For some reason I find the red inks take longer to dry – must be something to do with the pigment – and the vellum makes them slower still.  I trimmed it to a long strip and then set it in place over the Designer Series paper before I punched the ornament shape.  A couple of drops of Tombo the Wonder Adhesive hold it in place.

On the inside…OH!  Here:

Open Pine Tag

As I was saying…on the inside I just stamped a few more of those cheery little snowflakes from Northern Hearts and added that snazzy XL Decorative Label.  I inked the stamp in Espresso and Blender penned (yes, it’s a word, I just made it up) the ink off the branches so I could marker it back in Artichoke.  I painted the tops of the pine cones with lots of Frost White to look like piled up snow.  We do have some pine trees (and cones) growing on Maui, but snow – well, not so much.  You have to imagine that part.

 

 

 

 

Don’t blink, it just might change…

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…not the post, but the look of the Maui Stamper.  I’ve been playing around with My Digital Studio, a VERY cool program.  It does so much!  I’m just experimenting with blog headers right now, so bear with me.  You could compare it to changing your hair, except this transforms in the blink of an eye.  That’s actually something of a problem.  Imagine if you could go long to short to straight to curly to auburn to blond…all with a couple of clicks.  How’s a girl supposed to make up her mind?

How about a hint of Razzleberry  to offset all this green?

Just Believe in Razzleberry

  • Just Believe and French Script stamp sets
  • Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry and Wild Wasabi card stock
  • Rich Razzleberry and Wild Wasabi Classic ink pads
  • Rich Razzleberry 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Oval and Scallop oval punches
  • Basic Pearls, a Blender pen and a Stampin’ Sponge

It’s all about the color and the pearls, girls.  I can’t see myself walking out of the house in these colors but I sure love them on a card.  I suppose if they were put together just right in a print I would wear them, but it would have to be in measured doses – I’m too short for more than that.  You can dream about long skinny legs all you want, but for me it will just be a dream.  Closer to the floor when you trip, that’s my motto.

What all of that has to do with cards is a mystery to me, but it’s late and I’ve played too long with my new header.  Take a good look because I’m not promising it will stick around!!

A cheery little tree

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One more Crystal design from ACACCE:

This was based on a swap that I received at convention, and I changed my version from the version Crystal did.  Hers said Happy Holidays, and although that’s a perfectly acceptable greeting I don’t generally like to use it.  It’s one of my little quirks – one of many, I might add.  The stamp set is Holiday Happiness, and here’s another version:

We had a substantial stash of that red gingham ribbon – it’s retired now, but this card would be just as pretty with any number of other ribbon choices.  Crystal had the ribbon tied across the base and I decided to make a bow instead, but I think my bow got a little carried away with itself .  Ribbon has a way of doing that to me!

By the way, if this was your swap I would be very happy to acknowledge you.  I think this was packaged in a clear envelope with the swapper’s name on a separate slip.  You can guess how long that stayed together, especially with a half dozen women looking through my swaps when I got back to Maui.  We had a swap viewing frenzy!

Something old, something new

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Last year we fully intended to use the Tree Trimmings stamp set for ACACCE (see prior posts, I’m lazy).  As often happens, we fell in love with another design and Tree Trimmings lost out.  This year we moved it forward because Crystal was inspired with all sorts of shimmery goodness:

Tree Trimmings Concord Crush

  • Tree Trimmings and Many Merry Messages stamp sets
  • Concord Crush, Brushed Silver and Shimmery White card stock
  • Bashful Blue, Concord Crush and Pale Plum Classic ink pads
  • Concord Crush Stitched-Poly ribbon

A couple of stamp sets from last year’s catalog suddenly look a lot different when you put them together with a brand new color like Concord Crush!  And if you haven’t checked out that new ribbon yet, don’t be afraid that it’s poly.  It is very soft to the touch and easy to work with, and it has great body.  It’s perfect for a big feature like this.

Now that I look at it, this card should have had a couple of rhinestones.  Stay tuned – you may see it again!

Up on the rooftop

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At convention this summer one of the bonus goodies I brought home was a full package of the Deck the Halls Designer Series paper.  I’ve hoarded it a bit, waiting for just the right project.  Then a few weeks ago I broke down and ordered a Decor Elements Design a House to play with:

Santa on the Roof top

  • Decor Elements Design a House
  • Jolly Old St Nick stamp set
  • Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper
  • Vellum; Chocolate Chip, Whisper White and Always Artichoke card stock
  • Real Red and Basic Black Classic ink pad
  • Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray and Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Modern Label and assorted Circle punches
  • XL Two Step Bird punch;  Scallop trim punch
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Embossing Folder
  • Silver Glass Glitter
  • LOADS of Tombo, the wonder adhesive; Sticky Strip;  and a few mini glue dots

Do you like it?  I’m really excited because I broke out the glitter – and it’s not like Dazzling Diamonds at all!  It’s VERY easy to clean up and so far I haven’t heard any complaints from Mr. Maui Stamper, also known as He Who Does NOT Like Glitter, Not One Little Bit.  The Glass Glitter stays put with Tombo.

Here’s a side view:

This was fun, but I’ll repeat what I heard from others – don’t rush the Design-a-House.  I took my time tracing the templates onto my Designer Series papers and adhering them to the walls, and I used a LOT of Tombo because I didn’t want any air bubbles.  I used the flat applicator side on the Tombo bottle and covered the wall before I put the paper on,  and I was pleased with the results.  I did go a little over-the-top with the windows, because instead of cutting them out, I cut an “X” through the DSP and folded it back in around the opening to create a finished edge.

The chimney is Chocolate Chip cardstock that went through the Big Shot with the Lattice embossing folder.  The scallop trim under the eaves was cut as one long strip, but it wouldn’t sit flat when I attached it underneath the roof, so I trimmed and mitred the peaks.   The wreath on the front door is a circle – I think the 1 inch – with another circle – I think it was 1/2 inch – punched out of the center.  I layered the Tombo on and covered it with Glass Glitter and just let it dry.

Wouldn’t it be fun to have a collection of these over the years to showcase Stampin’ Up! Christmas papers?