Curled Paper Wreath

I broke out of my non-crafty funk and made some Christmas gifts this year. Of course, I didn't want to post them before the gifts were given. ;) One of my favorites is the curled paper wreath, inspired by this wreath made by Lisa Stenz. 

I made my wreath using Jingle paper (retired) from Close To My Heart.

The wreath was really easy to make! Here's what you need:

• Styrofoam wreath (I used one about 8" in diameter.)
• 8 - 12 pieces of B&T paper (patterned paper - preferably 2-sided), cut into 1/2" strips
• Straight pins
• Bone folder

You will curl the paper strips like you curl ribbon on a gift: hold the strip at the end with one hand, and pull the bone folder across the strip with the other hand, making the paper curl. I cut all my paper and curled the paper while I watched TV. It was a great mindless activity!

I tied the ribbon to hang the wreath around the top of the wreath first. Next, start pinning the curled strips to the wreath. It worked best for me to place the pin in the center of the strip rather at one end. (Ask me how I found out!) Keep pinning until you completely cover the front, sides, and inside edge of the wreath.

As a finishing touch, I sandwiched a long piece of white baker's twine between two Dimensional Elements snowflakes, gluing it together with Liquid Glass for a strong hold. Once it dried a little, I used Stardust Glitz Glitter Gel on each side to give it some sparkle and shine. After the glitter gel dried, I tied the snowflake to the wreath. 

I love how it turned out! It's a great way to use up paper, and it makes a great gift. 

My brother and sister-in-law received one for a gift, too, pictured below. I used a larger wreath (about 12", I believe), and I used Believe (retired) Close To My Heart paper. They loved it!

Another bonus - your arm muscles get a workout! Enjoy!

Studio J Saturday - Believe

Here's another Christmas layout using Believe. I pretty much stuck to the layout provided, but I used Stickease for the title. The "Believe" Stickease and the swirls Stickease are separate. I made the swirls appear to come from behind the title by dragging them where I wanted them placed, right-clicking and selecting "Send to back," then right-clicking again and selecting "Bring forward." Sending it to the back puts it behind all paper layers; bringing it forward moves it up one layer.

Studio J Saturday - Waiting for Santa (Believe)

It doesn't get much cuter than a little boy waiting for Santa! The "Ho ho ho" paper from Believe seemed perfect for this layout. The cute little Stickease are the perfect touch. I used the Quick Title Tool to add "Waiting for Santa." It is so easy to make it the exact size needed. I also rotated the title.

When Mike's mom finishes the journaling for this page, I'll add the cardstock to the page. Since it will cover a little of the printed brads, I'll add the real thing to give it some dimension. I love making hybrid pages with Studio J and traditional scrapbooking!

Left Page

Right Page

Wonderland Stocking Card

I love it when a card just kind of makes itself. This one came together so easily! I was inspired by this post found on Pinterest. My bff (also known as the Art Philosophy cartridge) helped out, too, by cutting the stocking (3 1/2") and the snowflake (1 1/4").

Here's a peek at the inside:

You can find the items to make the card on my website.

Items used:
Paper: Wonderland Level 2 Paper Packet; Kraft cardstock; Twilight cardstock
Ink: Chocolate
Embellishments: Neutral Embroidery Floss; Chocolate Waxy Flax; Chocolate Striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Bling Assortment
Other: Ruler; Paper Piercing Kit; Stardust Glitz Glitter Glue; 3-D Foam Tape; Liquid Glass; Art Philosophy

Believe Christmas Card

I'm so excited to be able to make some new cards and projects! This card is for two challenges -  Mojo Monday (sketch) and Heart 2 Heart (inspiration photo). The oval image was cut using Art Philosophy. I love that cartridge! So many of our stamp images are designed to coordinate with the images on the Cricut cartridge. Super easy!

Items Used:
Believe Level 2 Paper Packet
Art Philosophy
Cardstock/Ink: White Daisy, Holiday Red, Topiary, Sweet Leaf, Gray Wool
D1492 - Christmas Love
C1469 - December 25th
S1110 - Holiday Magic
Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
Designer Brads - Rhinestone
Bitty Sparkles
3-D Foam Tape

Here is the sketch and inspiration photo for the card:

O Christmas Tree

Have you joined the Pinterest craze yet? I find so many ideas on there! The project I worked on today was inspired by this idea that I saw on Pinterest. She used nesting templates and a die cut machine; I decided to use the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut my images. I thought it was much easier!

To start, I selected six different papers (2 pieces of each) in Christmas colors. (See the last of my stash of Cocoa Cafe papers?) I think all my papers are retired from previous catalogs. This is a great project to use them up!

I cut the scalloped circle 11 times on each paper, starting with 1" and increasing to 6" by 1/2-inch increments. I ended up with enough to make two trees.

When I had all my pieces cut, I sorted them by size and inked the edges with Cocoa ink.

The base of the tree is pretty simple - a 12" dowel rod and a cardboard base. I used part of a CTMH mailing box for my base. It didn't seem sturdy enough, so I reinforced it with some, let's say, creative items.

Hey - it worked!

Next came the fun part - making the tree! Starting with the largest (6") circle, I stacked three of each size all the way to the top of the dowel rod. To give the pieces a little separation, I tied a piece of grosgrain ribbon between each of the larger pieces (3" - 6"), then I switched to organdy ribbon for the smaller pieces since they could be a little closer together.

I topped my tree off with a 2" two-sided star, also cut on the Cricut.  Be sure to check out the other Art Philosophy Cricut creations on the linky party hosted by Lisa Stenz! You can find complete directions for the linky party {here}.

Christmas Tags

Making tags is so quick and easy with the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge! The video below shows you how --

Mistletoe Album

My dad and stepmom spend the winter in the Orlando area, so this year they flew all of us down to spend the holidays with them. What a great gift! We had a wonderful time (in spite of chilly weather), and I wanted to share some of the pictures with them as a little thank-you. I made this album for them using the My Creations 3-ring Binder, Flip-Flaps, and a Level 1 kit. It went together very quickly! It will go in the mail to them tomorrow.

The cover

The My Creations 3-ring Binder comes with five tabbed pages. I cut the tabs off and made my own. I also used a Flip-Flap on each page, so I was able to get a total of 3 photos on each page, leaving the facing page for journaling. I cut the Level 1 kit pages into 5 x 7 inch pieces (3 per page). The page is actually 7 1/2 inches wide, so I added a strip of colored cardstock on the edge of each page like a binding. I only had to add one sheet of New England ivy cardstock for the front and back inside covers. The rest all came from the kit!

Flip-Flap open

My sweet nephew Duncan

Flip-Flap open - My daughter and my youngest nephew Gavin

Items used:
Paper: Mistletoe Level 1 kit
My Creations 3-ring Binder
Stamp sets: Just for the Holidays, Picture Perfect
Accessories: Flip-Flaps, Mistletoe Level 2 Assortment (retired), New England Ivy Designer Ribbon (retired), Cranberry bulk ribbon, Essential and Autumn Harvest brads (retired)
Ink: New England Ivy, Cranberry

Christmas Ornaments - Part 2

More ornament fun! This idea has been making the rounds among the CTMH consultants. Again, I can't claim it as an original idea, although the design is mine. These could not be easier to make! Grab your reinkers, Prisma Glitter, and some clear ornaments, and off you go!

Take the hanger off the ornament, and put a couple of good squirts of reinker in the clear ornament. I used Cranberry in one ornament and Olive in another. Carefully swirl it around until the entire inside is coated with color This may take a little while to get comlete coverage. I set the inked ornament on an empty container to let extra reinker drop out of it.

Add a generous amount of Prisma Glitter to the inside of the ornament. Cover the opening and SHAKE until the inside is covered with glitter. It's amazing to see what looks like a dark color (like the Olive reinker) turn lighter and glittery!

After the ornament was "glittered  up," I decorated each one using the Winter Cheer Glitter Rub-ons. The rub-on itself is a type of sticky substance. It can be a little challenging to see the image you're cutting out, so hold the sheet at an angle to be able to see the pinkish outline. After the rub-on is in place, cut a small piece from the included glitter paper and rub it over the adhesive. Like magic, the sparkly image appears!

Sorry that the quality of these pictures is rough. The ornaments are challenging to photograph since they are so reflective.

Cranberry and Gold:

Olive and Silver:

The Cranberry ornament on the tree. The lights shine through it and make it beautiful!

Products used:

• Z134 - Prisma Glitter - $4.25
• Z2216 - Exclusive Inks Reinker (Cranberry) - $4.25
• Z122 - Winter Cheer Glitter Rub-ons - $13.95
• Clear ornaments (Michael's)
• Silver ribbon (retired)
• Total - $22.45 (enough to qualify for a FREE D-size stamp set of CTMH's choosing!)

Optional add-ons:

• Z2237 - Exclusive Inks Reinker (Olive) - $4.25 (or any color you'd like to use!)

Christmas Ornaments - Part 1

I promised you a project that is around $20 so you can take advantage of the Plenty for Twenty offer on my website! I saw this idea on another consultant's blog (Creating with Christine) - many thanks to Christine Adams for sharing her amazing ideas! Disclaimer - I made my ornaments almost exactly like Christine's because I loved what she did! These only took me a couple of hours to make, and they would make a wonderful gift. Remember to save all the little pieces you punch out - these make the stars and flowers in the center of some ornaments.

A complete product list will follow the photos, but I only used the Dimensional Elements Ornaments, ink, embossing powder, and Prisma Glitter. Super easy! (And more than a little messy -- you will sparkle for days after using the Prisma Glitter!)

Products used (including prices):

• Z1337 - Dimensional Elements Ornaments - $4.95
• Z1336 - Pearl Opaques - $2.95
• Z134 - Prisma Glitter - $4.25
• Z2192 - Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad - Pacifica - $5.25
• Z2194 - Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad - Sky - $5.25
• Silver ribbon (retired)
• Total - $22.65 (which qualifies you for a FREE D-size stamp set that CTMH will select!)

Optional add-ons

• Z669 - Silver Embossing Powder - $3.95
• 1764 - Craft Tray - $7.95
• 1512 - Bonding Memories Glue - $6.95
• Z891 - VersaMark Pad - $9.95
• Z555 - Craft Heater - $29.95
• D1243 - Peace on Earth - $22.95
• D1440 - Everlasting Life - $22.95

You don't have to stop with just inks -- the Dimensional Elements handle embossing and distressing and look great with paper, too! Because the ornaments are layered, you can place a photo in some of the ornaments. Let your creativity flow!

Christmas treats

It's that time of year -- time to decide what to give the co-workers. Coming up with something appropriate and within the budget can sometimes be a challenge. I was so excited to see these cute little treat cans because they were just the ticket! They're not difficult to make, and they're fun, too -- how do those treats get in the can with the pop top intact?

Start with a can with a pop-top lid. These can be a little challenging to find. I found some with fruit at WalMart.

Open the bottom of the can using a can opener that removes the entire lid with a safety edge. See how the can's upside down in the picture? Be sure to save the bottom you remove; you'll put it back on later!

Empty the contents of the can (or cans, if you're making several of these little gems) into another container then carefully wash the can and the bottom piece. Remove the label.

Once the can is dry, the fun begins! Make sure the can is right-side-up now. Cover with paper and decorate as desired. I used the Aspen paper packet since my treat cans are holiday themed.

I used my Cricut to cut circles for the top and the bottom of each can and attach. Fill the can with the desired treats -- I used Hershey's kisses and Hershey's white chocolate peppermint kisses -- and carefully glue the bottom back on. Liquid Glass works great for this! I got excited about filling the cans and forgot to take pictures of the process, so you'll have to rely on your imagination. To be honest, I also got a little distracted by the peppermint kisses -- oh, WOW! they are great!

The finished product is at the top of the post.

I wanted to include my homemade hot chocolate mix in the gifts, too, so I put 1 cup in a holiday container. I tied a ribbon around the container with a chocolate-covered peppermint stick (found them at Aldi) and a tag. I stamped the tag with a retired stamp set (Coffee Shop) and wrote directions for making the hot chocolate on the back. Simple and easy!

Hot Chocolate Mix

1 lb. box Nestle Quik

8 qt. dry milk

1 box powdered sugar

1 lb. jar powdered coffee creamer

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. I like to put the ingredients in my big Tupperware bowl, put on the lid, and SHAKE!

To make the hot chocolate, stir 1/3 c. of the hot chocolate mix into a mugful of hot water. Enjoy!

Mojo Monday Sketch 116

I have another Mojo Monday sketch for you today! When I saw the circles, I knew I had to try the card. My mind has been on Christmas cards, so I wanted to get some more mileage out of the Jingle papers.


I just got the Winter Cheer Glitter Rub-Ons and could hardly wait to try them out! I'm not usually much of a glitter girl, but these are just sparkly enough without being too sparkly (if there is such a thing!). There is a little trick to using them, but once you get the hang of it, they are AWESOME! The Glitter Rub-Ons come with sheets of the rub-ons which are a glue-like substance. I found that if I hold the sheet on an angle while I cut out the desired image, I can see it better. Once you cut out the image, flip it over onto a hard surface and rub the back to make sure it's totally on the clear transfer sheet. Remove the backing and carefully place the image where you want it. A word of warning -- once the image touches the paper, you're committed! Rub just like a regular rub-on. I like to use my Basic Grey tool with the wide black flat end. Then cut a piece of the glitter transfer paper and rub on top of the glue. Gently rub additional glitter on using a circular motion. I was pleased with the results!



This card was quick and easy -- give it a try!

Jingle Card

I got me some mojo going this morning with this sketch from the blog Mojo Monday. I used the following products from CTMH to make this 5 x 7 card:

• Jingle Level 2 Paper Packet
• Cranberry Designer Ribbon Rounds
• Heartfelt Wonder Die-Cuts
• Adhesive pearls
• C1371 - Holiday Jingle

And from Fiskars: Threading Water punch