Gingerbread Minnie

Remember last week when I shared the Gingerbread Mickey towel I appliqued? (You can find that post here.)  Well, this week I decided to make his companion, Minnie.

She turned out every bit as cute as the Gingerbread Mickey and I was thrilled to have a complete set.  Until I remembered that I had reduced the size of Mickey because I initially thought about adding some verbiage on the towel with him.  So now I need to go back and recreate another towel with each of the appliques in the appropriate sizes so I can have actual sets that 'match'.

Appliques with Character has both Mickey and Minnie as a set here.  BUT, you can also purchase them separately and save money.  Don't ask me why, and it may just be a special she's running, I don't know.  Either way she has Gingerbread Mickey and Gingerbread Minnie currently in her dollar section.

So if you like embroider these are a great find for making some special Christmas gifts.

Christmas Advent Towel

Hey everyone!  I'm back with another Christmas in July project.  This time it's another kitchen towel.  I found this fun design over at Thanks4The Adventure - where I find so many of my fun designs.  This particular design is called Advent Christmas Tsum Tree.

Right away I am going to admit that I was remiss when I stitched this project.  While my towel turned out looking good it could have looked better.  How you ask?  Well, I forgot to use my WSS (water soluble stabilizer) on top of the towel so that my stitches would not sink.  Personally I like to use Floriani's Wet N Gone but any brand will do really.  (I've used the brand from Joann's with success as well.)

Now I know what you're thinking.....well, if you've followed some of my other posts where I've embroidered towels.  Why would I use WSS on this towel when I've talked about using Heat 'n Gone?  The answer is because this particular towel has an applique for the "base" of the project that would help hold the stitches in place (in my opinion).  And with the Tsum Tsums being a filled stitch I didn't want to have to iron over that much embroidery to remove the topping.

At the end of the day though I suppose it doesn't really matter which stabilizer is used for the topping.  It's really a matter of preference.  Either way though I'm still learning as I go, and trust me when I say there is A LOT to learn.  

Elf Candy Box

Today I have a plastic canvas project to share with you.  I've always loved stitching plastic canvas.  It is the craft that I first learned (well other than sewing in Home Ec) and sold at craft shows.  And like my other crafts it's one that I do in spurts.  Here lately those spurts are because of a precious granddaughter who likes to play in my yarn.  😍  But she was on vacation with mom and dad this past week so I was able to play a bit and created this Elf Candy Box.

This elf is one of many wonderful designs created by Dick Martin.  He was/is very well known for his plastic canvas patterns.  The man was sheer genius and over the years I have worked to build my stash of some of his patterns.

This one is from 1982 and is part of the Canvas Capers line put out by Leisure Arts.  It was an unopened kit that I lucked out and found on either Ebay or Etsy.  He's a cute little guy and I managed to get him finished the night before the kids came back from vacation.  Talk about timing....

Walking Dead Ornament

I realize it's only March but I have several boxes of ornaments screaming to be altered and turned into something other than clear glass.  Since I've been playing with using alcohol ink for wall art I thought I'd try my hand at ornaments as well.  This is just one of the half dozen I've inked.

 

Creating the ornaments was easy.  I gently added a couple drops of ink into the ornament, allowing it to run down the side and then swirled ever so slightly.  Then using a can of compressed air with the straw inserted I gave quick taps to allow the air burst to spread the ink inside the ornament.

 

Once dry I looked at how each ornament turned out and when I looked at this one I knew it was perfect for turning into a Walking Dead one.  The file I used for this ornament is one that was shared in one of my FB groups.

 

And there you have it.  My very first Christmas ornament AND project for 2017.  😁

Checking the List

Happy Friday everyone.  There are two crafting days left before Christmas (if you count today) and I am almost ready.  How about you?  Are you ready?

 

Last Friday I told you I was sharing my last Christmas card of the season but I was wrong.  I squeaked out one more Christmas card for today's Cardz TV Anything Goes Challenge #7.   For my card today I used the Just Elfing Around file from Marjorie Ann Designs. 

 

Instead of using all the traditional red, green and white colors for her outfit I decided to do something a bit different and I used shades of grey.  I thought the grey and white snowflake print along with the light green for the hat went well together and gave her a beautiful touch.

 

For the bells on the toes of her shoes I opted for green gems and then finished off the card with a Grinch Green colored skittle from DoubleClick Connections.

 

The stamped sentiment on my card is from the Merry Everything stamp set from Cardz TV Stamps.

 

And now that you have seen my take on this week's challenge, be sure to create your own project, link up and play along with us.  Remember Anything Goes!

Christmas Story Mugs

I have another set of coffee mugs I'd like to share with you today.  These I made after finding a picture during a google search. 

 

Unlike most of you I have not seen The Christmas Story.  At least not all the way through from beginning to end.  I've seen a couple of scenes like the one where he gets his tongue stuck to the flag pole and the one where Christmas dinner is ruined because the dogs get to it.  But I think those are the only ones I've seen.

 

Still I know that this is a Christmas classic and this phrase is somewhat iconic.  So I thought why not make a set of these mugs to give as a gift.....

Red Truck Ornament

Five more days until Christmas.  Four for crafting, and I am feeling the pinch.  I don't have all my presents made or purchased.  It's just been a crazy, busy, chaotic past few months.  But I'm getting there.

 

Today I'd like to share a Christmas ornament I made.  It seems that the latest trend is the vintage red truck - AND - YES - I jumped on the bandwagon.  I saw this Christmas Truck file over at Apex Cuttables and just had to sit down and play with it.

 

This ornament I did differently than all my others.  I didn't think that the glitter technique was right for showing off this fun, memory making truck.  So instead, I decided to fill the ornament with miniature Styrofoam balls, or foam pebbles.  This is the same 2 inch, flat disc ornament that I have used for the majority of my ornament making this year.  I find that they are much easier to work with than the round ball shapes.

 

If you haven't finished your gift making yet, these would make great little gifts to give to friends, family, teachers or other service providers you frequent.  Just add their family name and year on the reverse side of the ornament and it's personalized and ready to go. 
 

Just Chillin'

It's Friday!  And now only eight days until Christmas.  YIKES!!

 

Today I want to share with you what will most likely be my last Christmas card for the season.  (And we all know what season comes next.  That's right......Valentine's. 😍 )

 

For today's card I used the Holiday Penguins from Marjorie Ann Designs.  These little guys are always so cute and they're easy to piece together.  For this little guy I opted for a pre-embossed paper for the hat and stocking.  Then for the stocking I chose a glitter paper to a bit more texture.

 

The stamped sentiment on my card is from the Just Chillin' stamp set by Cardz TV Stamps.

Meowy Christmas

Happy Thursday everyone!  If you're doing the Christmas countdown there's only 10 days left!  Are you ready?  I am but I'm still crafting too.  There are just too many great designs screaming to be made into gifts.  For example this Meow Christmas file from Apex Cuttable Designs screamed at me to be made into coffee mugs for my son and his girlfriend.

 

Is this not one of the most adorable things you've seen?  I mean it's perfect for a cat lover! 

 

So here's what I did.  I started with a stoneware mug from the Dollar Tree.  Then I cut my design from Oracle 651 vinyl (I buy mine from the Vinyl Spectrum) and adhered it to the mug.  Yep, it was that simple.  Now the thing is these mugs have to be hand washed because the heat from a dishwasher could cause the vinyl to lift and or wrinkle/shrink.

 

I can't wait to give them these mugs.  I know that they are going to love them.  In the meantime, I have more Christmas gifts to get made so be sure to stop back by and see what I'm crafting up.

Santa's Tie

I have a fun card I'd like to share with you today.  When I saw this design - Santa Claus Tie - over at Apex Cuttable Designs I knew it would be perfect for a card and I was right. 

 

I decided to cut my tie using a sheet from the DCWV Holiday Glitzy Glitter mat stack.  The white piece of the tie I ran through my embossing machine to add even more texture.  I had thought about adding glitter or flocking to the white but then thought that might detract from the red glitter of the tie and stuck to the embossing as an accent.  After piecing the tie together I added it to a pre-embossed card blank, also from DCWV.

 

The stamped sentiment is from the Naughty or Nice stamp set by My Craft Spot.  Sadly, they are no longer doing business.

 

And now this card is on its way to my I Run 4 Buddy.  I know he's going to love it.

Christmas Owl

Today begins challenge #6 for the Cardz TV Anything Goes Design Team.  That means you can make anything and play along with us.  The challenge goes for two weeks, closing at noon on December 22nd.  Up for grabs is a set of Cardz TV Stamps and a set of Cardz TV Die Cuts.

 

For my project I made this cute Christmas owl card.  I had a couple of these foiled snowflake card blanks left in my stash and thought it'd be fun to combine this owl with the blank.  The owl is from the Happy Owlidays file from Marjorie Ann Designs.  This particular owl was supposed to be holding a candy cane but I didn't like the way mine looked so I swapped it out with this fun gift bag "sticker" in my stash.

 

The stamped sentiment is from the Merry Everything stamp set from Cardz TV Stamps.  And now that you've seen my project for this challenge be sure to check out the other amazing designs our team has created for you.  Then create your own project, link up and play along with us. 

 

I can't wait to see what you create.

Elf Surveillance Cam

 

Happy Saturday everyone.  I am delighted to be your guest designer at Jaded Blossom Stamps today. Christmas is my favorite time of year to craft for and the past several months have been full of inspiration and fun.  In fact, one of today's projects that I have for you is based off a project from one of my FB groups.

 

As I'm sure many of you have noticed the Santa and Elf Cams have been a HUGE hit this year.  Another big hit again this year are the elves from Dollar Tree.  Last year I missed that craze but this year I jumped on the bandwagon. 

 

So for my first project, I made a couple of these fun Elf Cam gift sets using the elves and tins from the Dollar Tree.  My ornaments were made using the floor wax and glitter method.  If you've never made glitter ornaments before you can view a tutorial at the Ornament Girl here.

 

I also wanted to create a "report card" to go along with the set because after all what's the point of the Cam if the elf isn't going to report back to Santa?  For the report card I used the Elf Shoe Frame from the Silhouette store and stamps from the Elf Report Card by Jaded Blossom Stamps.

 

 

For my second project, I decided to combine my love for papercrafting with my love for plastic canvas.  I've had this kit of Toymaker Elves sitting in my stash for a while, and so I decided to take it with me on vacation and stitch these guys together.  I love how they turned out especially once I filled them with some peppermint bark.  The stamps that I used for these are the Winter Candies candy stamps from Jaded Blossom Stamps.

 

I hope that you've enjoyed the projects that I created to share with you today.  Thanks for stopping by, and many thanks to the wonderful team at Jaded Blossom for allowing me this opportunity to be a guest designer for all of you.

 

Have a safe and blessed and Christmas holiday season.

 

Harry Potter Book Ornaments

I wanted to try something a little different while making some new ornaments for our Christmas tree.  This year I decided to try these Harry Potter book ornaments.  They were very easy to make and Hobby Lobby had the needed ornament ball. 

 

 

 

Instead of using a red ribbon like was done in the tutorial I went with a color coordinating ribbon.  Sadly all I had in my stash were the thin ribbons, but that's okay since these are for me.

 

Now I just need to get my tree up since I'm behind the eight ball on that one.  Tradition has always been my birthday or Thanksgiving and I missed both of them this year.  But I will get it done this weekend.  😊

 

 

Grinchy Mugs

From lights to cutting boards and now mugs.  Not sure what I'm going to do when I run out of fun things to put vinyl on.  Of course I'm saving for a good heat press, but until then....

 

I have a couple more fun mugs to share with you.  This time they're Christmas mugs.  I found this wonderfully fun Christmas Grinch Hand file over at Cuttable Designs and thought it would work great on these mugs.  Now this file was originally created to have a monogram in the center of the ornament but I wanted a solid bulb so I released the compound path and filled it in.

 

I love how the colors of the vinyl pop against the white mug.  Someone is sure to love these fun mugs.

And now I'm off to enter this card into the following challenge:

Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday - Ends December 3rd

Ginger Cookies

Today I have a quick and easy Christmas card to share with you.  This one features one of the adorable gingers you'll find in the Baking Fun Gingers set from Marjorie Ann Designs.  These little guys are always so much fun to piece together and those cute little faces are sure to bring a smile to everyone.

I know it doesn't show up very well in the picture, but I decided to keep this card plain and simple by using a pre-embossed card blank.  Sometimes cards are just better that way and it keeps the design from getting lost with all the background fanfare.

The stamped sentiment is from the Gingerbread Christmas stamp set by Cardz TV Stamps.

And now I'm off to enter this card into the following challenge:

Hiding in my Craft Room - Any Holiday - Ends December 3rd

Snowbuddy Like You

Hello my fellow crafty bloggers.  Today begins another fun Anything Goes Challenge over at Cardz TV.  

 

You have until Thursday, November 24th to be inspired, create, and link up your anything goes masterpiece.  So c'mon and play along with us.  But first let me tell you about my project for today's challenge.

 

I used this cute little snowman with his ornament from the Snowy Christmas file by Marjorie Ann Designs.   I do admit that instead of piecing together the intricate pieces to create the reindeer for the ornament I opted for an easier solution and used printed paper.

 

For my snow covered ground I ripped two pieces of white paper to use as my ground.  I ran these through my Xyron machine and then covered them with two different Martha Stewart glitters - crystal fine and snow.  

 

My sentiment is from the recently released stamp set titled Winter Cheer by Cardz TV Stamps.

 

Now that you've seen my project be sure to the check out the other wonderful designs our team has created for you.  Then create your own, link up and play along for your chance to win a free stamp set.

 

I can't wait to see what you create.

Holiday Hello

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Now that it's November you're once again going to be seeing quite a few Christmas projects.  Christmas is my favorite holiday and I absolutely love crafting for it.  Not just Christmas themed projects but projects that are perfect for gift giving and whatnot.

 

With that in mind I do have a Christmas card to share with you today.  This is another card in the shaped card series from Marjorie Ann Designs and is called Santa Bear.  I absolutely love her shaped cards and this one was no exception.

 

The sentiment that I used on my card is from the Merry Everything stamp set from Cardz Tv Stamps.

 

Now I'm off to enter my card into the following challenge:

 

Hiding in My Craft Room - Freestyle Challenge - Ends November 5th

Grinch Candle Holder

A while back I shared some Bumble candle holders I had made.  Today I'm sharing some Grinch holders.  The Grinch is my all time favorite Christmas cartoon.  So much so that whenever we visit Universal Studios I have to go to Seuss Land so that I can find the Grinch and have my picture taken.  It's tradition!

 

To create these I bought wine glasses from the Dollar Tree and turned them upside down.  I applied my vinyl and then came back and sprayed the glasses with Krylon Glitter Blast in Citrus Green.  After that dried I sprayed with the Krylon sealer spray.

 

The Grinch faces are from a file shared in one of my FB groups.  The "fur" at the top for his tuft of hair is Lion Brand Fun Fur in lime green.  I thought the jingle bells would be a nice little finishing touch.

Bumble Candle Holder

Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys is one of my all time favorite cartoons.  So when I saw a file for making Bumble ornaments I had to have it.  Only I decided to do something a bit different.  Instead of ornaments, I decided to make some candle holders.

 

To create these I bought a pair of wine glasses from the Dollar Tree and turned them upside down.  I applied my vinyl and then came back and sprayed the glasses with Krylon Glitter Blast in Diamond Dust.  After that dried I sprayed with the Krylon sealer spray.

 

And there you have it.  Fun, unique candle holders all ready for the winter holidays.

Gingerbread Spice

 

It is with great excitement that I announce that the Cardz TV Stamps design teams are back in action.  The fun started last week with the Sketch Design team and the Gallery team.  This week the Anything Goes team steps out with their first challenge - and as you guessed it's anything goes.

 

I haven't had a lot of crafting time this past week.  Or at least not with my papercrafting.  With my first show of the season upon me I spent a lot of time just making final preparations to be ready for the show.  So between that, my "real" job and babysitting my three month old granddaughter, I did find a little time to create a couple things.

 

For today's challenge, I created a Christmas card.  (You can never have too many)  Using the Baking Fun Gingers from Marjorie Ann Designs I did a print 'n cut to create this quick and easy card.  When it comes to the more complex designs I love that this feature is available. 

 

To finish off my card I used the newly released Gingerbread Spice stamp set from Cardz TV Stamps.

 

 

I also used a couple of skittles from DoubleClick Connections.  These are the Stream and Pink Sherbert colors.

 

Now that you've seen my take on the anything goes challenge be sure to check out the other wonderful designs our team has created for you.  Then create your own project, link up and play along with us.  You have until noon, Thursday October 13th play.