As the kids are home from school next week, I am trying to get my Christmas shopping done this week.  And it is actually going pretty well after a rough start yesterday. I went out early yesterday morning armed with my list. And at the first three stores I bought nothing! None of the three had a single item on my list or anything I wanted instead. Fortunately, the day got much better after stopping at the fourth store and I am close to finished now. 

In my family, only the kids get gifts which is okay since they are usually more fun to shop for anyways. My littlest nieces and nephews are getting Zhu Zhu pets. Aren’t these all the rage right now? I lucked out and found a store that had just received a new shipment so there were lots of pets to choose from.

And the bigger kids are getting gift cards with a small gift.

Today’s project is one of the gift card holders I designed for the teens. Please leave a comment and let me know if you like it.

Keep reading for the step by step directions.   

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Stamps: Winter Post (111780)

Inks: Old Olive (102277)

Paper: Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper (117159), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Old Olive (100702), Very Vanilla (101650) 

Big Shot: Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976)

Punches: Word Window (119867), 1" Circle (119868), 1-3/8" Circle (119877), Designer Label (119862), Corner Rounder (119871)

Other: Metallic Brads (119741), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

 Cut Old Olive cardstock to 4-1/4” x 11”. Score at 2-3/4”, 5-1/2” and 8-1/4” along the long side.

Apply Sticky Strip along the top and the bottom of the inside edge of one of the mountain folds, applying the tape right up against the side.

Remove backing from tape and adhere together as shown.

 Use the Word Window punch to create an opening in the top of the folded paper by punching in from each side.

Ensure the opening is large enough to fit the gift card.

Use a 1" circle punch to cut out a half-circle notch to cover where the Word Window punches meet. 

The finished opening. 

 Punch a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock with the Word Window punch. Secure to the Jolly Holiday designer paper with two Metallic Brads.

To create a buckle closure, cut a 1" x 5" strip of coordinating designer paper. Round or punch the edges of one end. On the squared end, secure the strip to the middle of the back of the gift card. Wrap around to front making sure it will fit the Word Window tab.

Cover the back strip with Cherry Cobbler cardstock that has been embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder.

Attach the designer paper to the front of the gift card holder.

Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper

12 Sheets, 2 each of 6 double-sided designs

Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla

$12.50, #117159

Page 174 of the Idea Book & Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

Need a small gift for co-workers or for the kids to hand out at school? Snowman Kisses to the rescue!

For these cute little projects, I used the 100 mint size of Tic Tacs that I purchased at Sobeys. 

I cut the Real Red cardstock to 5-1/4” x 3-1/2” and scored it in 2-1/8” from each side. I punched a 1” circle on Whisper White cardstock and framed the punched circle with a 1-3/8” circle punch and punched again.

Next, I adhered the circle to Baja Breeze cardstock and punched a 1” circle again in the same place. After adhering the Baja Breeze piece to the Real Red cardstock I punched the 1” circle a third time so the Tic Tacs will be visible.

To make sure the Tic Tacs stay in place, I used Sticky Strip to hold them inside the back cover.

A fun project to make and to give! Please let me know if you have any questions on these Frosty Tic Tac holders or any of my other cards or projects. I can be reached at darlene@dreamingaboutrubberstamps.com. Thanks!

I adhered the Real Red grosgrain ribbon under the Baja Breeze panel and wrapped it around the back so I could tie it on the side with a bow. 

The Snowman kisses verse inside the Tic Tac holder reads:

Don’t think it, ink it!

These two cards use the exact same layout with different colours of cardstocks and papers. 

The first card is Crumb Cake, Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler cardstock with Jolly Holiday designer series paper. The second card uses Always Artichoke cardstock instead of the Old Olive and Deck the Halls designer series paper in place of the Jolly Holiday dsp.

I was surprised by how different the feel is to each of these – the card on the left is more contemporary and bright while the card on the right has a more traditonal, vintage sense to it.

For both cards I used a greeting from the Bright Christmas stamp set with Cherry Cobbler ink on a Crumb Cake card. I added a Cherry Cobbler punched ornament that I embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder for the Big Shot.

The Old Olive and Always Artichoke cardstock measures 5-1/2" x 2" and each designer series paper square is 1-3/8" x 1-3/4".

These cards were great for Simple Saturday since they were fast and easy to prep and assemble. It is also a great layout if you need to make lots of cards for any occasion.

So, what’s your preference – contemporary or traditional? Pleave leave a comment below and let me know. 

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Stamps:  Bright Christmas (Clear 121318, Wood 121678)

Inks: Cherry Cobbler (119669)

Paper: Jolly Holiday (117159), Deck the Halls (120810), Crumb Cake (120953), Old Olive (100702), Always Artichoke (105119), Cherry Cobbler(119685)

Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder (116824)

Punches: Ornament (119847)

Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

This card uses Old Olive cardstock with the Jolly Holiday designer series paper for a contemporary looking card.

This card uses Always Artichoke cardstock with the Deck the Halls designer series paper for a traditonal looking card.

Bright Christmas Stamp Set

Set of 3

Clear $12.95, #121318

Wood $16.95, #121678

Page 22 of the Holiday Mini Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

I usually make a special card for my parents at Christmas. And this is it. Don’t tell them!  I am going to add it to the new recordable sound card from Stampin’ Up! and let the kids and the dog record a personal message for their grandparents. 

This card was lots of fun to make but what a mess. If you don’t like glitter everywhere, work carefully!

To clean the embossing folder once you are finished, just wipe it clean with a damp cloth and let it sit open overnight.

Scroll down to watch the video. (If you received this message by e-mail or in a blog reader, you may need to visit my blog to see the link.)

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Stamps: Gifts of Christmas (115372) 

Inks: VersaMark (102283)

Paper: Brushed Gold (102935), Whisper White (100730)

Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder (116824)

Other: Fine Galaxy Glitter (114286), Gold Embossing Powder (109029), Embossing Buddy (103083), Powder Pals (102197), Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (109070), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder

$10.95, #116824

Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine

$132.95, #113439

Pages 204 – 217 of the Idea Book & Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

Did you know that December 9th is Christmas Card Day?

In 1843, the first Christmas Cards were sent by Sir Henry Cole. Until than it was traditional to exchange a handwritten message but as Sir Henry needed to send more than 1000 greetings, he commissioned an artist to create a Christmas Card he could send instead. See the original card here. The first Christmas Card’s inscription read: "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." After 150+ years, no different than many of the cards I send and receive each year.

Today, I want to share some cards I made using the Jolly Holiday Designer Series Papers and Old Olive Satin Ribbon. I still have not decided on a final design for my personal Chrismt Cards this year so one of these may just be it. Do you have a favourite? Leave a comment and let me know.

Scroll down to see a larger image of each card. 

Are you a messy or a neat stamper? I always make such a mess. I grab everything as I think I might need it and never put away what I decide not to use. I thought I would share a photo of my work space yesterday after I had finished making these cards. Yikes!

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Stamps: Gifts of Christmas (115372) or Jolly Old Saint Nick (Clear 121321, Wood 121711) or Tags til Christmas (Clear 121169, Wood 120847), Four the Holidays (116921)

Inks: Cherry Cobbler Marker (119681), Old Olive Marker (100079)

Paper: Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper (117159), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Old Olive (100702), Certainly Celery (105125), Very Vanilla (101650) 

Big Shot: Northern Frost Decorative Strip (120901)

Punches: Oval 3/4" x 15/16" (120908)

Other: Certainly Celery 5/8" Satin Ribbon (117292), Regals Brads 119737), Deck the Halls Big Designer Buttons (121002), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

This card uses the Gifts of Christmas stamp set which is one of my favourites. I coloured the pointsettia image with the Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive markers and stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock. After layering onto Cherry Cobbler cardstock, I adhered it to the card with dimensionals. The greeting is from the Four the Holidays stamp set. 

This snowflake card might be my favourite of the three I made today. I used Old Olive, Certainly Celery and Cherry Cobbler cardstocks to create colour blocks and then added the greeting from the Jolly Old Saint Nick stamp set. The snowflake was made with the Northern Frost decorative strip for the Big Shot and I added a Cherry Cobbler brad from the Regals brads package to the center.

 For this card, I used the small oval holly & berries tag image from the Tags til Christmas stamp set. I coloured the stamp with Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive markers before stamping onto Very Vanilla cardstock. I punched the stamped image with the oval punch and added it to the card with linen thread. To finish the card, I added a Cherry Cobbler button from the Deck the Halls Big Designer Buttons adhering it with a mini glue dot.

Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper

12 Sheets, 2 each of 6 double-sided designs

Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla

$12.50, #117159

Page 174 of the Idea Book & Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

To be honest, I bought this Jolly Old Saint Nick stamp set only for the big Santa face. I love that Santa face! See for yourself on page 26 of the Holiday Mini Catalogue. Isn’t it adorable?

But the more I use this set, the more I appreciate all of the images and how well they work for making fast and fun Christmas cards. For this card, I paired the snowman with the "Wishing You a Merry Christmas" greeting to make a card with a completely different look from my Santa cards. And the snowman and snowflake images can be used well after New Years for thank you and birthday cards since winter will be here for awhile yet. 

This card uses just one colour, Night of Navy, with the Whisper White. I think it makes this card really clean and crisp looking. I also used only Night of Navy accessories – the 1/4" and 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbons and Regals Big Designer Buttons with some rhinestones from the Basic Rhinestones package for more bling. I added rhinestones to cover up the stamped snowman buttons as well as the center of the navy designer buttons.

My first December newsletter goes out tomorrow with a fabulous special only for my subscribers. If you haven’t subscribed yet, do it now by signing up in the box below (if you are not reading this post on my blog, click here)

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Stamps: Jolly Old Saint Nick (Clear 121321, Wood 121711)

Inks: Night of Navy (102977)

Paper: Night of Navy (100867), Whisper White (100730) 

Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing folder (116824)

Other: Basic Rhinestones (119246), Regals Designer Buttons (119744), Night of Navy 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (119773), Night of Navy 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (109036), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

 Jolly Old Saint Nick

Set of 6

Clear $21.95, #121321

Wood $30.95, #121711

Page 26 of the Holiday Mini Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

This Christmas Card was lots of fun to make!

I decided to create a small garland with the Mini Vintage Tags for this card. Since space was limited it needed to be a shorter word and "merry" worked well. I created the letters out of Always Artichoke cardstock using the Billboard Decorative Strip for the Big Shot. The letters were adhered to the tags with mini glue dots that I rolled so they would not be visible. Remember to leave the holes uncovered so the linen thread can be inserted to hold the letters in place.    

For this card I used the ‘Merry Christmas" greeting from the Four the Holidays stamp set. Using an Always Artichoke marker to colour only "Christmas" and omit "Merry". I stamped the greeting onto the Crumb Cake cardstock and then added the linen thread with the letters adhering on the back. Next, I layered this piece onto Always Artichoke cardstock. If necessary, you can use more mini glue dots to hold the letters to the cardstock and keep them evenly spaced.

The card itself is Always Artichoke cardstock with layers of Crumb Cake cardstock and a coordinating pattern from the Deck the Halls Designer series paper. I layered the stamped piece to the card with dimensionals.

The Mini Vintage Tags are about 3/4" of an inch wide and feature shimmery gold cardstock inside a silver ring. These petite tags are so pretty and will work with lots of projects and cards. Add a package to your next order!

Have you entered to win my blog candy yet? If not, click here to see the original post and enter to win by midnight tomorrow.

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Stamps: Four the Holidays (116921)

Paper: Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper (120810), Always Artichoke (105119), Crumb Cake (120953) 

Big Shot: Billboard Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die (114510)

Other: Mini Vintage Tags (118763), Linen Thread (104199). Mini Glue Dots (103683), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

 Mini Vintage Tags

12 tags per package

$6.95, #118763

Don’t think it, ink it!

Can you believe that tomorrow is December 1st already? Where does time go?

There is something about it being officially December that makes me seriously start planning Christmas. I start thinking Christmas in November and maybe even in October but the planning for me actually doesn’t start until now. I just can’t put it off anymore. What baking will I do? (probably not much, I’m a cook not a baker).  We always host Christmas Eve at our house so I need to plan the menu. I need gifts for my kids and friends and family. Does anyone else have more fun buying stocking stuffers than the actual presents? I love shopping for stocking stuffers maybe because they can be more fun and frivolous than the gifts. 

And of course, cards. It is definitely time to decide on a design for my cards and get them made. But before I commit I still wanted to play with a few more designs this week. 

Click on the flyer below to see all of the Handmade Holiday Bundles currently available at 20% off from Stampin’ Up! In addition to Contempo Christmas, the bundles include a Vintage bundle featuring the Bells & Boughs stamp set, a Tags til Christmas bundle with the decorative label or ornament punch, a Gifted bundle with the Mini Lunch Sacks and a Frame Gift bundle with a Chunky Frame and Decor Element.

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Stamps: Contempo Christmas (Clear #120594 $14.95, Wood #118734 $19.95)

Paper: Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper (117159), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Very Vanilla (101650) 

Other: Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding (120992), Antique Brads (117273), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

This week my Christmas thoughts all seem to be in black and white. I did a Christmas card consultation yesterday with Michelle and we designed a photo card that she will be sending out as her holiday cards. The family photo had all of them in black t-shirts so it seemed natural to use black and white for the card. It turned out great!

And this week I have also been preparing for my Black and White Christmas card class which is tonight. I have a few more spaces if you want to attend. Please e-mail me. The class fee is $25 and we are making 12 cards. Can’t make it? Watch for the class instructions to go on sale tomorrow.

Although not a traditional colour combination for Christmas, I think there is a certain elegance in black and white cards. Even for Christmas.

For this card, I used the Holiday Happiness stamp set. I really like this cute little stamp set and the price is right at only $14.95 for clear mount and $17.95 for wood mount. If you haven’t ordered supplies yet for your Christmas cards, this stamp set is a great choice.

Instead of stamping the ornaments onto the branches, I decided to add rhinestones. And since I was adding bling to the card, I decided to go all out and use silver cardstock and embossing powder as well as the Silver Tinsel Trim from the Holiday Mini catalogue. Thanks Kathy for the reminder that I haven’t used this fun product enough! 

This is not your usual Christmas Card but I hope you like it!

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Stamps: Holiday Happiness (Clear #120792, Wood #120786)

Inks: VersaMark (102283)

Paper: Basic Black (121045), Whisper White (100730), Brushed Silver (100712)

Punches: Large Oval 1-3/4" x 7/8" (119855), Scallop Trim Border (118402)

Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder (116824)

Other: Silver Tinsel Trim (120994), Basic Rhinestones (119246), Silver Embossing Powder (109131), Heat Tool (100005), Embossing Buddy (103083), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

Holiday Happiness Stamp Set, Set of 6

Clear $14.95, #120792

Wood $17.95, #120786

Pages 31 of the Idea Book & Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

Click on the flyer to the right to see all of the Handmade Holiday Bundles currently available at 20% off from Stampin’ Up! 

 To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps: Gifted (Clear #120480 $24.95, Wood #116982 $33.95)

Inks: Baja Breeze (111833)

Paper: Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper (120809), Baja Breeze (111352), Whisper White (100730)

Punches: 1-3/4" Circle (119850). 2-3/8" Scallop Circle (118874)

Big Shot: Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die (120893), Circle #2 Die (114526)

Other: Mini Lunch Sacks (121031), Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (109070), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

Gift Packaging Bundle

Includes the Gifted stamp set and

a package of 10 Mini Lunch Sacks

Clear $24.72, #124084

Wood $31.95, #124084

Click Here for the Flyer

Don’t think it, ink it!

This card is not my usual simple style. I don’t often add lot of layers and adornment to a card but I did for this one. The big Old Olive striped ribbon really adds to the Over the Top feel of this card.

First, I ran a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock through the Big Shot die-cutting machine using the Petals-A-Plenty embossing folder. Next, I adhered the wide and narrow strips of Jolly Holiday designer series paper to the embossed piece and ran it through the Big Shot again using the Top Note die. This was so much simpler than cutting each piece separately and then trying to align each of them.

I added layered squares of Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla cardstocks angling them as a diamond between the points of the Top Note. After stamping and punching an Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler ornament, I added them to the card with dimensionals. 

Finally, I tied a big bow from the Old Olive striped ribbon and added it to the side of the card with a dimensional.  A step up from my usual cards and definitely a card that needs to be hand delivered. I hope you like it!

Click on the flyer below to see all of the Handmade Holiday Bundles currently available at 20% off from Stampin’ Up! In addition to Contempo Christmas, the bundles include a Vintage bundle featuring the Bells & Boughs stamp set, a Tags til Christmas bundle with the decorative label punch, a Gifted bundle with the Mini Lunch Sacks and a Frame Gift bundle with a Chunky Frame and Decor Element. Take a look!

 To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps: Contempo Christmas (Clear #120594 $14.95, Wood #118734 $19.95)

Inks: Cherry Cobbler (119669), Old Olive (102277)

Paper: Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper (117159), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Old Olive (100702), Very Vanilla (101650)

Punches: Ornament (119847)

Big Shot: Petals-A-Plenty Embossing Folder (116824), Top Note (113463)