Guest Blogger: Ada

Hi!

Today you get a break from my cards.  I recently bought a bigger desk for my crafting space which allows my kids to craft with me if they desire.  During the Summer school holidays Ada crafted with me a few times. Today I have for you one of her cards.

She likes being an independent crafter, so she chose everything.  The ornament cut out was from my stash of scraps that may come in handy (do you have a stash like that too?).  Other than that piece she chose, stamped and arranged everything else. Oh, and she cleans up after herself too - winning!

I really love that she likes to try out new things (the sponging on the front) in an effort to be just like me.  It certainly makes me feel loved.

Bye for now,

Tina

One Final Christmas Card

Hi!

Today's post is a bit of a reminder that the current Holiday catalogue is about to end, and a lot of the products in it will be gone forever. You have until February first to place any orders.

The products I used on this card were some of my favourites from the Holiday Catalogue.  They include Colour Me Christmas stamp set, Christmas Messages stamp set and the Season Of Style DSP stack.

The design of this card came from a thank you card I received from a fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, Angela Footit.  I liked how easy it was to recreate as a Christmas card.

Well, that's it for Christmas cards for now. I doubt I'll make any more for a while - I'm a bit Christmassed out!

Tomorrow the new Occasions Catalolgue begins, as does the Sale-A-Bration brochure. Sale-A-Bration is always exciting, but this year it's even better as the minimum spend requirement has been lowered.  You now only need to spend $90 to receive a freebie! There are lots of gorgeous freebies on offer.  You've seen some on my blog, and I will continue to post more in the coming weeks.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #196: Just Add Christmas Projects

Hi!

I'm pretty certain that it's Friday (see my previous post!!), which means it's time for the very last Just Add Ink challenge for 2013.

This week we are challenging you to show us your Christmas projects.  Apart from Christmas cards my biggest Christmas project is my December Daily album.  This year it's been a much easier task thanks to Stampin' Up!'s Season Of Style suite of products.

This is the first page, which isn't actually the first page.  The Adelaide Christmas Pageant is on in early November and really marks the start of the Christmas season for us.  I couldn't possibly leave it out!  I also included the Special Children's Christmas Party which is on in late November.

This is my title page.  I'm still deciding on a photo for the bottom left pocket, which is why it's blank for now.  I will add the year over the photo when I choose one.

The hardest part, which isn't really hard at all, is choosing which pocket page to use for which day.  You also have to think about the day that is going on the other side of the page.  The page above is the front and the page below is the back.  I knew that I would have a lot of photos on day 6, but not many on day 5.  I picked the 16 squares page to suit the busier day and then cropped my photos for day 5 to fit the pockets.  It's a really cool effect!

Any spare squares I just fill with some of the Season Of Style DSP Stack papers.

My main tips for completing a December Daily are:

• Keep it simple - don't try to document everything every day.  Pick one thing from the day and document that.
• Plan ahead!  I wrote down what we were doing each day so I knew which days would be quiet and which would be busy. On the days where we have nothing on I will do a page about a Christmas tradition, or favourite things about December.
• I also made my date numbers in advance.  I made them all on 2x2 inch squares and used the same colours and materials for them all to keep the look uniform.
• Having a home photo printer certainly helps to keep on top of the album and up to date, but it's certainly not an essential.

See you over at Just Add Ink with your fabulous Christmas projects.

Bye for now,

Tina

Color Me Christmas Reindeer

Hi!

Today's super cute Christmas card was a CASE of one I found on Pinterest.  You can see the original card here.  It was such a cute card that I didn't change much.

This was a really quick and simple Christmas Card.  When I first made the card I heat embossed the reindeer and present (on this inside) before colouring, but in the end I switched to stamping in Stazon ink as it was much quicker and less messy.  Quick and easy is good when it comes to Christmas cards!

I changed the embossing folder too, as I don't have the snowflake one.  If you squint a bit the polka dot folder looks a bit like snow.  Well, not really, but I can pretend it does!

A bit more colouring finishes off the inside.

Bye for now,

Tina

JAI #184: Just Add Bows

Hi!

Are you ready for another Just Add Ink Challenge?  I am!

 

This week Nikki has challenged us to Just Add Bows.  Not too difficult a challenge for most cardmakers!  The hardest part is choosing which ribbon to use.

This week I decided not to make a card, but to make a 3D project instead.

I've seen a lot of pictures of the Box In A Bag on the internet and have been meaning to try one for ages.  Now was the time! I added a little twist though, by making one in miniature.  I followed these instructions, but instead of using the larger sheet of DSP I used a sheet from my Winter Frost DSP Stack.  I had to adjust the base to fit the smaller paper.  I cut a 2 1/2 inch square and scored it at 1/2 on all sides.

I used a watercoloured stocking from Colour Me Christmas as a tag for my Box In A Bag - a cute little finishing touch.

Stamps: Colour Me Christmas
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer Pen (retired)
DSP/Cardstock: Winter Frost DSP Stack, Watercolour Paper, Pool Party
Other: Scallop Trim Punch, Silver 1/8" Ribbon, Organza Ribbon, Blender Pen, Paper Snips, Sticky Strip

I hope you can play along with us this week at Just Add Ink.

Bye for now,

Tina