December Daily - Day Six

What a fun weekend it's been! And a very busy one too! Friday, the kick off for Raleigh's Winterfest was great fun and our craft booth was in an excellent location. We could see the stage and all the performances along with the tree lighting ceremony. Sales were a little slow since this was a first annual event and I don't think a lot of people knew there would be crafts for sale. We did sell a decent amount of things and made a lot of contacts so I feel that overall it was successful.

Saturday and today were full of Christmas shopping. A little shopping for me too. ;) I received a 40% off coupon to one of my favorite home decor stores and couldn't resist a lovely vintage looking mirrored tray. It's round and has some beautiful etching on it with a dark wood frame and brass handles! Heavenly! Anyway, I found some fabulous gifts for my family too and enjoyed the music at the mall, seeing the kids with Santa, dining out, and girl time!

On this December Daily post I'd like to leave you with another simple craft you can make for your own use this holiday or something that would make a great teacher, coworker, nieghbor or hostess gift.

These gift tags are so easy and fun to make! They are made of red card stock cut into 2" x 4" rectangles and folded in half. Then cut some 1 3/4" squares from white card stock and run them through an embossing folder. I choose one with polka dots. Then simply top the tag with any sticker or dimensional embellishment you like. These holiday ornments are dimensional stickers from Martha Stewart. You can't really tell from this photo, but there are glitter accents on them that really make them sparkle! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are enjoying the holidays! :)

Christmas in July

I'm getting an early start on my Christmas cards and ornaments and thought I'd share and hopefully inspire you to get started too. Each year I make a handmade card and ornament for our friends and family members and I make a lot of goodies for my Etsy shop too. It may seem a little difficult to get into the spirit of Christmas when the temps outside are sky rocketing, but put on a holiday CD and you'll find yourself singing along and crafting away in no time!

Jingle All the Way Ornament

I've got a little extra bounce in my step this morning! While going through my e-mail I got a newsletter from Two Peas in A Bucket, my favorite web site for sharing scrapbook pages, craft projects and a great place to purchase paper craft supplies. Anyway, I was scrolling through their newsletter when to my surprise, one of my projects, this Christmas ornament, was featured! It feels great to have others enjoy my work!

To make one, the base of the ornament is made of chipboard from Bazzill Chips of Bazzill Basics Paper. The 'Jingle all the Way' sentiment is a K & Company Grand Adhesion three dimensional sticker. I used a Heidi Swapp Ghost snowflake and topped it with a Dress-it-Up glittered snowflake accent. The jingle bells are fastened on with bakers twine. The hanger is made with pink grosgrain ribbon. Fun to make! Enjoy!

Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I love Christmas, it's my favorite holiday! There's so much to enjoy during the season, like listening to Christmas music, sipping hot chocolate and decorating the tree! Our son loves his Advent calendar and decorating the gingerbread house. I take pleasure in baking, making Christmas cards and ornaments for our friends and family. It's great fun to receive holiday cards with photos and letters from those who live far!

If you're a craft bug like me, this is the season to make lots of gifts, like this Jolly ornament. I make lots of things, not only for our family, friends and Christopher's teachers but for my Etsy customers as well.

Crafty Weekend

I've been bitten by a craft bug this weekend! I've been making cards and ornaments and just plain having fun trying out some new techniques and embellishments. This ornament was made in part with my Silhouette digital craft cutter. It's a breeze to make scalloped ovals in any size you desire. I'm addicted to throwing a pinch and dash of glitter on just about every project these days. I love the way it sparkles along with the silver tinsel stem I added as a frame for the Victorian image. This little ornament is currently up for sale in my Etsy shop at www.cardblanc.etsy.com.

Christmas Ornaments

It's that time again, time to start making my annual Christmas ornaments for friends and family. Making ornaments is one of my favorite holiday activities that I started doing years ago, a tradition I adopted from a friend.

One year I made mini wrapped Christmas present ornaments and made the mistake of not telling everyone not to open them! I had to make a lot of those over again! Another year I made ornaments from cookie cutters and scrapbook paper, a fun idea I found in a Martha Stewart magazine. I believe the first year I started making ornaments, I made miniature wreaths all decorated just like the larger versions. Last year's ornament was a wire and beaded icicle. One of my all time favorites was a miniature wreath made with the smallest 4mm jingle bells.

So, what will it be this year? I started playing around with a paper type ornament made with old sheet music and stitched holly leaves. I like how it turned out, but to make a lot of these might be a little time consuming. And besides, I can't post a photo of the ornament I go with this year since it would ruin the surprise! So, maybe this ornament will be something you want to make for your friends and family, or just for your tree. If you have any questions on how to make one like this, just send me a comment. Thanks for visiting.