ALL HEARTS COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Speaking of blessed ... here at Simon Says Stamp and Show, we are honored to have Jim The Gentleman Crafter as our Guest Designer this week!  I am such a fan of his work!  He's always coming up with something utterly amazing!  And just when you think you've seen it all ... he comes up with something else to knock your socks off!  Check out his blog and his very cool piece he's created especially for us this week.  Or you can click on the Simon Says Stamp and Show link above to see The Gentleman Crafter's creation as well as the other beautiful pieces made by my Design Teammates, just for YOU!

This week, our theme is "A project with heart". 

Since it is now officially the Christmas season, I decided to create a sweet little vintage Christmas box using a plain paper mache heart shaped box as my base.

Here is my finished top; complete with snowman, snowflakes, poinsettias and a Merry Christmas wish!

I began with a plain paper mache heart shaped box with embossed hearts on the side.

I painted the box with a basecoat of Claudine Hellmuth's Modern Red acrylic Studio Paint.  Then I sponged a little of Claudine's Dash of Red Studio Paint over the entire box.

I wasn't quite sure where I was going with this project when I started.  But, I knew I wanted it to have a vintage feeling. So, I added gold highlights to the box.  I mixed Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Powder with a little water to create a "paint" and then I carefully painted over all of the embossed areas.  Next I lightly dry brushed some perfect pearls powder over the entire box.  Finally, I added even more gold highlights with a Gold Paint Dabber by randomly swiping it over the box.

I got so engrossed with this project that I forgot to take a picture of the paper that I used to cover the top of the box.  It is from the new Kaiser 6.5 x 6.5 Turtle Dove Paper Pad.  Those papers are amazing....very vintage and beautiful! The one that I used has a semi metallic gold sheen with red metallic sheet music on it....beautiful!  I hated to cover it up!  Then I die cut Tim Holtz' new Tattered Poinsettia out of some Kaiser Christmas paper that I already had.

I added some gold paint dabber to leaves and edges and then edged the leaves with Platinum Stickles.  When that dried, I glued them together and placed a Turtle Dove Giant Rhinestone in the center.  I tucked some cream colored tulle underneath, tearing it into strips and then tearing the edges. (You can also see bits of that beautiful Kaiser paper peaking out from underneath the poinsettia).

Here is another poinsettia that I created using Tim's new die cut.  This time, I did not use the largest set of leaves in the flower.  I used sheet music to cut this flower and then inked it with Fired Brick and Evergreen Bough Distress Inks.  Then I edged the leaves with the Platinum Stickles.  In the center of this flower is a small bronze metallic button from Tim Holtz' Accoutrements.  It is located in the upper right side of the heart, tucked underneath the "Merry Christmas" tag.  Again, ou can see the beautiful Kaiser paper that I used to cover the top of this box.

The "Merry Christmas" tag was heat embossed using Queen's Gold Embossing Powder onto manila cardstock that was lightly inked with Fired Brick Distress Ink.  I then colored inside of the letters using a Peeled Paint Distress Ink Marker.  Finally, I lightly swiped an embossing ink pad around the edges of the tag and sprinkled the Queen's Gold Embossing Powder over it.  I brushed away the excess with a regular small paint brush and then heat embossed the edges using a Heat It Craft Tool.  I love the "Merry Christmas" design of this stamp.  It is also from the Kaiser Turtle Dove collection.

The snowflakes are die cut using Grungeboard and Tim Holtz' Mini Snowflakes.  I covered them with DecoArt Snow-Tex to give them a white texture.  I then lightly sprinkled them with Martha Stewart's Crystal Fine Glitter.  When that was dry, I lightly sprayed them with a honey stain spray to "age" them a little bit.  Then I edged them with Platinum Stickles.

My festive little snowman is Tim Holtz' Winter Wonder Sizzix die cut.  He it cut out of plain grungeboard.  I also cut the Mini Heart in his tummy and added the vintage picture of Santa and a little child (taken from a vintage Christmas post card).  The snowman was texturized the same way as were the snowflakes.  I used Platinum Stickles around the mini heart.  Mr. Snowman's face was created using Black Diamond Stickles for his eyes and mouth.  His little carrot nose was colored in using a Spiced Marmalade Distress Marker and topped with a touch of snow.  His arms were colored in using a Frayed Burlap Distress Marker and then I added a little snow.  The scarf he is wearing was an old piece of vintage ribbon that I've had forever.  I thought it looked really cute on him...very festive.  The Tim Holtz Tattered Banner that he is holding is stamped using Jet Black Archival ink onto manila cardstock distressed with Fired Brick Distress Ink.  The edges of the banner are highlighted with Platinum Stickles.  The stamp is part of the Kaiser Turtle Dove matching stamp collection.  

Here is a look at the finished side of the box.  I added some gold metallic Dresden trim to the top of the box and also the bottom of the box.  I love the vintage feeling that it added.

And here is a better dimensional view of the completed box.  Very vintage, very Christmasy and very fun to make!

Now it's your turn to put on your creative thinking caps and enter our projects with heart challenge.  You could be the lucky winner of our most generous sponsor's 

   
$50.00 credit voucher!  You could also be selected as one of our TOP THREE PICKS for the week....a very nice recognition!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and remember to take time to play!  It's SOUL FOOD!

Here are all of the products available at Simon Says Stamp that I used in this project:

InLinkz.com

GIVE THANKS NOTE PAD OR DINNER FAVOR

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of all of the blessings in my life; my family and friends, my health, my home.  It is my Thanksgiving wish to you and yours that you are blessed.  Thank you for the joy you have given me as you stop by my blog and leave such positive and much appreciated comments about my work.  They encourage and inspire me so much!

This week's theme at Simon Says Stamp and Show appropriately enough is "THANK YOU".  I chose to create something that could be a reminder to give thanks everyday, a small gift, or even a nice favor left at everyone's place at your Thanksgiving Dinner table.  
I created a little festive note pad.

This note pad began from Tim Holtz' Matchbook Die Cut.  It is the larger of the two.  I cut two of pieces from Tim's Seasonal Paper Stash Thanksgiving papers.  One piece for the interior and one for the exterior.  I also added a little piece of Tyvek in between the papers where the scored folds are automatically added when die cutting the matchbook.  The Tyvek will fortify the scored lines so that they will not wear out when opening and closing the matchbook cover.  I added the Tyvek with 1/4" Scor Tape.  Then I put the two sides together, (wrong sides of the paper together) also using 1/4" Scor Tape.  Just be sure you line up the edges and the scored lines so that they will all match and remove the backing from the Scor Tape as you are lining up and taping the covers together.  I supposed you could just glue the covers together, too.

Next I added embossing with Queen's Gold Embossing Powder.  I inked the edges (a couple of sides at a time) of the exterior of the matchbook and then covered the inked area with the embossing powder.  Using a dry paint brush, I removed the embossing powder from areas that I did not want to be embossed.  When I was happy with how the powder looked, I heat set it with my Heat It Craft Tool.  

 Back Side of Exterior

I like the additional rich and festive look that the embossing powder provides.  It really dresses up an otherwise plain edge.  Then I sat the matchbook cover to the side and began creating the items that would embellish the top.

I began by cutting some of Tim Holtz' Mini Tattered Leaves out of manila cardstock that had been distressed with the colors of the turning leaves:  Rusty Hinge, Squeezed Lemonade, Ripe Persimmon and Evergreen Bough Distress Inks.  After I had blended all of the colors on the cardstock, I used Tim's spritz and flick method to create more interest on the leaves.  Then I sprayed the cardstock with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist to give it a bit of shimmer.

After I cut the leaves out of the distress cardstock, I embossed them with clear UTEE.  To do this, I inked all of the colored sides of the leaves with embossing ink.  Do this quickly because the Distress Inks will begin to come off of the cardstock, as they are water reactive.  Then I sprinkled the leaves with clear UTEE and tapped off the excess.  I heat set them until all of the crystals had melted into a clear, protective covering on the leaves.  Then I distressed the leaves with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

Next came the little pine cones.  I used kraft paper and Tim Holtz' Tattered Pine cone die cut  to create my little pine cones.  After I cut out the pine cones, I distressed them with Gathered Twigs.  I only used about half of the pine cone die cut to create the smaller ones that I used on the cover.  I made three of them.  I also added a little black cats eye to the edges of the pine cones.

I hot glued the leaves and the "twigs" from the pine cone die cut together directly onto the matchbook cover.  (Be sure you leave room at the bottom of the cover for the bottom flap to be able to pull up).  Next I added a little raffia bow.  Then I hot glued the pine cones in place on top of the leaves and the raffia.  Finally, I added a little "Give Thanks" tag using raffia and tied it into the pine cones.  The little tag is cut from Tim Holtz' Tiny Tabs and Tags die cut.  I had measured the size of the tag that I wanted to use and then computer generated "Give Thanks" to fit within that tag.  Then I just laid the wording in place on the die cut and cut it out.  

I loved this little note pad but it still needed something. Then it hit me....it needed just a little touch of Stickles here and there to give it a warmer, more festive fee.  So, I barely added some Stickles to some of the edges of the leaves: Paprika on the more orange leaves and Platinum on the greener leaves.  I also added just a touch of Platinum to the greenery that is part of the pine cones die cut, the pine cones and the perimeter of the "Give Thanks" tag.  You can see the difference in the two pictures above...with and without the Stickles.
NOW the cover was finished! 

To create your own scratch pad, cut paper - in this case, I used Kraft paper - to fit inside of the matchbook cover.  I cut my papers 3" x 2 7/8".  Next, I used 1/2" Scor Tape at what would be the top of my scratch pad.  Line up all of your papers and just press them down onto the Scor Tape.  Cut off the excess ends of the Scor Tape.  It does a pretty good job of holding the papers in place until you use them.  Then peel off the back side of the Scor Tape and press it in place along the already scored top of the matchbook.  Perfect fit!

So there you have it; my little "thank you" project.  The matchbook is simple to put together.  Then you can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish when embellishing the cover.  

Now it's your turn to create a "thank you" project and post it to our challenge.  You could be the lucky winner of our sponsor's 

You could also be honored as one of our TOP THREE entries for the week.  Good luck!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

to you and yours.  Take time out to remember all of the wonderful people in your lives and give thanks for the many blessings you enjoy. 

Here are the products available at Simon Says Stamp that were used in 

creating this note pad:

InLinkz.com