Golden Moments

Easy, Mess-Free Glittered Gift Tags

Hello again! Back today with more ideas for handmade gift tags using the Dear Santa collection from Photo Play Paper. These all have glitter to give them a bit more shimmer and sparkle, but were created mess-free using iCraft tape and sheets from Therm O Web.

It is easy to add some glittered stripes to an existing patterned paper using tape - simply peel, stick, and shake off the excess.

It's hard to see the clear glitter in the photo, but in real life it adds a nice sparkle.

In addition to stripes, you can die cut shapes from iCraft sheets and add glitter to any die cut, easily and so much neater than using a liquid glue.

I had a hard time stopping. :)

You can find all the details and lots more photos on the Therm O Web blog HERE.

Thanks so much for visiting today. I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Sparkling Foiled Winter Gift Tags

Hi there! Hope your holiday preparations are going well. December always seems to sneak up on me and I find some of my ideas falling by the wayside as time runs short. Does that happen to you? However, one of the things I love to make are gift tags. They don't take a lot of time to create, but can have a big impact. Add a special tag to a plainly wrapped gift or gift bag and suddenly you have something extra festive.

These are some of the foiled tags I created for Therm O Web to use in magazine ads. The photo above was taken by the talented Joe Kay. I've been a big fan of his work ever since seeing his images in Crafts 'n things (now Craft Ideas) magazine. Not only are his photos great, but he has a real talent for staging things that makes them shine.

Using an electronic die cutter makes these tags easy to mass produce. 

After adding a base layer of silver foil using a laminator, I added a second layer which was "painted" on using a special adhesive. The effect is much prettier in real life than my photos show.

Once dry, simply press on the second foil color to add the "paint".

You can read the full post, including a supply list for all the cut files used, over on the Therm O Web blog. They are also having a fantastic giveaway that you won't want to miss. 

To read the post and enter the giveaway, click HERE.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous day.

 

Gold Foiled Christmas Card and Ornament

Hi there! This weekend has been wonderful with all my boys home for the first time since August. There is something about having everyone home tucked in their beds that allows me to sleep better than I ever do when they are away. I wonder if I'll ever get used to having them off on their own? Thankfully, I still have a few more years with my youngest at home before he heads off to college.

With November almost over and Thanksgiving behind us, it is time to turn our focus to the upcoming winter holidays. On my to do list for tomorrow is putting away the fall decor so I have a clean slate for my Christmas decorations. I like to take my time and add a few things here and there each day until it feels like enough. I've noticed that as the years pass, I'm happy with fewer decorations and generally things that are handmade or ones I've really come to treasure. But I also like to make room for one or two new pieces each year. 

I have lots of seasonal projects to share and will try to do a better job of posting a few times each week between now and Christmas. First up is a handmade card and ornament using the new Dear Santa collection from Photo Play Paper along with gold Deco Foil from Therm O Web.

Also in the mix are stamps and dies from Papertrey Ink. I am in love with their new ornament die and hope to make several to give as gifts.

The gold Deco Foil adds a festive touch to any project and I really like the way it worked with the new Photo Play plaid paper. 

 

It can be a challenge to capture the shine and smoothness of the gold foil in a still photograph. I'm hoping to tackle videos in 2016 and think foil, and other things with lots of texture or shine, will be much easier to see in that format.

If you would like details about the supplies used and instructions for creating these projects, you can find them HERE.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! 

 

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to pop in here between making batches of goodies (totally addictive Candied Pecans and a knock off of Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark) and wrapping to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2015! I'm sure ready to put 2014 behind me!

Here is a peek at a project I did for mambi for CHA - I'm on the snowglobe bandwagon and can't stop making them. Very inspired by Papertrey Ink and the fabulous Betsy Veldman.

Happy Holidays!!

 

Quilled Christmas Cards with 3Birds Design

Ho Ho Ho and Happy Hanukkah! Not much time left until Christmas. How are your holiday plans progressing? I still have lots to do but am trying to take my time and relish the process. I've been especially thankful this year to be able to fully enjoy the season with my family and friends. Nothing like a bit of cancer to help reinforce one's priorities in life! I'm still carving out time to be creative - although most of those projects need to be kept under wraps for a bit longer. Fun stuff though, I promise. I'm looking forward to 2015!

Today I have a few cards that were created for a joint 3Birds Design and Therm O Web design week featuring the 3Birds Quilled Holiday Card Kit. Just look at all the goodies they pack into this kit!

I'm very new to quilling and my shapes are pretty basic, but it is a very interesting technique and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it more in the future. Here are three cards I came up with using the kit:

The first card uses one of the 3Birds round window cards as a base. I quilled the berries on the wreath die cut.

You can see the window a bit better in this photo:

The next card base is really unique - it folds up to become a shadow box frame. I love the way these look and the dimension is even better in person. The poinsettia is quilled using one of the pre-cut petal strips that comes in the kit.

The last card came together quickly because everything is pre-cut, including the quilling strips to create the flowers. Just roll them up, glue, and adhere to the card.

There are lots of beautiful examples of quilling on the 3Birds website. There is also a fantastic giveaway going on, so be sure to stop by the Therm O Web blog, leave a comment, and enter the contest.

Have a wonderful day!

Easy 10-minute Photo Ornament

Happy December! I spent this morning taking down the fall decorations and trying to mentally switch over to the Christmas season... hard to do given the unseasonably warm weather we've had the last few days. Thought I'd pop in here with a very quick and easy photo ornament. These are inexpensive and easy to mass produce. 

The base is a ready-to-finish ornament from the craft store. Simply punch or cut a square in the center of a scrap of holiday paper, trim to fit the outside of the frame and ink the edges. Insert your photo (aren't my nieces cute?) and add a dimensional sticker to the top along with a piece of ribbon. Done.

10-minutes and you have a fun little gift that can double as package tag.

Thanks for visiting!

Handmade Holidays Blog Hop

Welcome to the 4th Annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop! I'm excited to be joining over 100 creative blogger friends in the craft industry as well as some product manufacturers to bring you a plethora of inspiring gift ideas you can make now to give to your friends, family, and colleagues.

Be sure to pin and bookmark these ideas for this holiday season and to use throughout the year! Each day of the hop features approximately 30 gift projects and you can "hop" from one blog to another to check them all out.

The project I created for the hop is a photo-themed Advent Calendar/Pin board. Now that my parents have downsized and no longer put up a Christmas tree, I thought this countdown calendar would be something fun that they could display during the holidays as well as use during the rest of the year as a bulletin board. 

Click on any photo to enlarge.

The calendar is made up of 25 pockets each containing a photo from prior holidays. Included are photos of all their grandkids as well as a few of my sisters and I when we were growing up.

When the holidays are over all they need to do is remove each of the Christmas pockets and they will have a pin board to use during the rest of the year.

There are three main parts to this project - the pin board, the pockets, and the inserts. For the pin board you will need an 18" x 24" frame, a roll of cork, and a piece of fabric a few inches larger than the interior of the frame.

 

Remove the glass from the frame and trim the insert about 1/8" on each side to accommodate the added thickness of the cork and fabric. Cut the cork to fit and adhere using Therm O Web's Sticky Lines.

Sticky Lines work like hot glue, but without the mess and possibility of burns. Place the Sticky Lines around the edges and press the cork into place. Cut the fabric a few inches wider than the frame insert and staple around the edges; trim excess fabric and place the insert into the frame.

The next component of the calendar are the pockets. This project is a great way to use up scraps! Double sided papers work best. 

Die cut 25 pockets and adhere using Therm O Web's tape runner. 

Inside each pocket is a photo and mini clothes pin that is used to clip the photo to the front of the pocket as the month progresses.

 

A cardstock backing gives the photos more stability. Die cut 25 photos and 25 pieces of cardstock. Sometimes it can be tricky to adhere photo paper so I used a double adhesive method to create the inserts.

The tape runner works well with most photo papers and the SuperStik glue stick is super strong on cardstock. Apply tape runner along the edges of the cardstock and cover the interior with glue stick. Then apply glue stick to the backside of the photo and wait about 10 seconds or so before attaching them together. This creates a really strong bond once dry.

Next comes the fun part - decorating the pockets and inserts. I keep a box of leftover Christmas embellishments and stickers and used those for this project. Some of the items in there are pretty old, but I don't think my parents will complain that I used something from 2010. :) 

If you have any questions about the products or steps used to complete this, just write your question in the comment section and I'll do my best to get back to you asap.

 

I'm pretty sure that metal snowflake is at least 10 years old... it feels so great to be able to use up older supplies on a project like this!

 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog - hope to see you back again!

Are you ready for lots more creative handmade gift ideas and projects? Follow along on our blog hop! Simply click on each of the links below to be taken to that post with additional information and photos on how to create a handmade gift project. Have fun and pin away!

Clearsnap 

Ellison Educational Equipment  

Walnut Hollow 

Graphic 45 

Neat and Tangled 

Therm O Web 

Westcott 

Elizabeth Craft Designs 

Pink and Main 

The Buckle Boutique 

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 

Rowland Technologies 

ICE Resin 

Hydrangea Hippo 

Clearsnap - Suzanne Austin 

Stencil1 - Ed Roth 

Graphic 45 -Nadya Lifa 

Cookies for Breakfast- Beth Pingry 

Cupcakes and Crinoline - Mary Beth Sharkey 

Elizabeth Craft Designs - Frances Byrne

Lazy Mom’s - Joanna Grzeszczak   

Homemade Ginger - Megan Kapple 

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L - Asia King 

Ellison Educational Equipment - Anna-Karin Evaldsson 

One Artsy Mama- Amy Latta  

Therm O Web - Alice Golden <----- YOU ARE HERE

Lovely Etc - Carrie Spalding

ICE Resin - Clare Horner 

Pink and Main - Yolie Burke

The Buckle Boutique - Stephanie Nericcio 

Modern Surrealist - Marisa Pawelko 

A Little Craft In Your Day - Tanner Bell 

Artsy Findings - Cheryl Waters

Stampin Mindy - Mindy Baxter

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We'd like to give you a way to save and stock up on your favorite Therm O Web and HeatnBond® products! Take 20% off your order today through November 16th! Use coupon code: makeit

Offer may not combined with any other offers. Good through November, 16 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow our Handmade Holidays Gift Ideas Pinterest board for even more inspiration!

Follow Jennifer Priest of RainMaker Media Works + Hydrangea Hippo's board Handmade Holidays on Pinterest.  

A huge thank you to our sponsors for this hop - please visit their blogs & websites below and follow them. And be sure to come back tomorrow for another 30+ amazing Handmade Gift Ideas!

 

 

Clearsnap || Ellison Educational Equipment || Walnut Hollow || Graphic45 || Westcott || ICE Resin || Therm O Web || Rowland Industries || Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L || Pink and Main || Elizabeth Craft Designs || The Buckle Boutique || Neat and Tangled

Additional Sponsorship provided to bloggers by:

Sakura || Fairfield Processing 

Save the Date!

Excited to be joining in the fun - mark your calendars - this is one blog hop you won't want to miss!

Thanks for visiting!

Days of December Mini-Album - Part 3

Back again with the final batch of foundation pages for my Days of December mini album. You can find part one HERE and part two HERE. These pages are just the base of the album - photos and other embellishments will be added as the month of December unfolds.

The last page features a fun technique using iCraft tape and Therm O Web's new iCraft Deco Foil. You can read about it here.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please let me know if you have any questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Days of December Mini-Album Part 2

Hello there! If you missed the first ten pages of the Days of December mini-album, you can find them here. Remember these are just the foundation pages of the album - all the fun stuff will be added after it happens in December.

 

Note that the "JOY" letters are tacked down with a tiny bit of adhesive as a placeholder. In the completed album I plan to permanently adhere them over a large photo.

I'll be back tomorrow with the last batch of pages. Thanks so much for visiting!