Practical Scrappers New Years

I can't believe it is already time to talk about the New Year! Today Practical Scrappers is featuring cards and layouts for or about New Year's. I'm "sending" you this one:

Paper and dimensional sticker: MME Chalk Studio

Alphas: Glitz

Numbers: Simple Stories

Flowers: Prima

Embossing Powders AC Zing!

Chalk Studio cards

I know, I know. It has been a long time since I just crafted and blogged for the sake of it. Please forgive me, but know that I've been working on some fun projects and classes. These cards are a sort of "sneak peak" at one I made for New Year's that you'll in a little over a week. 

I was working on all three while at my LSS' monthly crop day (at the beginning of the month!) and we got to talking. While we got a lot of planning for classes in the next couple of months done, and I taught the owner a little about using her unused Silhouette Cameo, these cards were all I had to show for my day away from home. But they're so fun! It was nice to break into my own stash and wontonly create.

Paper: MME Chalk Studio

Feather trim: Recollections

Feathers: Paper Studio

Cork arrow: Fancy Pants
Enamel Dots: Teresa Collins

Paper flowers: Graphic 45 staples

Brad: Basic Grey

Ink: Ranger Distress Worn Lipstick

Glittered Vase for How To'sday

It's time for my second How To'sday post at Scrapbooksteals.com and I wanted to bring you something that could be an easy last minute Christmas decorating project but would also work for weddings or general home decor projects. Check it out! I even used loose glitter, something I almost never do!

Here's what you'll need for the project: Mod Podge, glitter, paint brush, removable tape (washi works), and a workspace to catch all the glitter.

You can see that I already taped up my vase with some washi in unequal bands around the glass. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to spaces inside the bands. And dump that glitter onto it, tap off excess glitter and put excess back into jar. I did one section of the vase at a time. Check for places that may not have held the glitter well and do some spot touches. 

Allow the Mod Podge to dry for a little bit, but while it is still a little wet gently remove the washi strips. Allow to fully dry and then apply a second layer to seal in the glitter.

I filled the vase with an assortment of tree and floral picks, white poinsettias, and clear beads. 

Here's how wonderfully this vase matches my tree! I'm thinking that since the aqua is also in our bedroom that I'm going to have to replace the poinsettias and relocate it so I can enjoy it all year long.

Paper Girls Challenge Blog - Use Christmas paper for a non-holiday layout

I seriously love that Charissa offered up this challenge at Paper Girls Challenge Blog - you need to use your Christmas papers for a layout that isn't about Christmas. Finding ways to use my stash unconventionally, especially themed papers, is something I am all about! 

For this layout I combined a design team assignment from my local store, they provided Fancy Pants Merry Little Christmas and simply wanted me to use it. Love when things work out like that! If you've been watching my posts all month, you'll know that I've really gotten some use out of the kit they gave me too.

Since the paper was a new line (and free) I thought I'd dig way into my stash and pulled out those buttons, one of my first purchases from Scrapbooksteals over 4 years ago, and some Thickers that are so old they're falling off their sheets. 

Thanks for stopping by, now take a break from those Christmas projects you've been working on and link up a fun layout!

Red Cups - Practical Scrappers Sketch

It's sketch time at Practical Scrappers and I'm using more of that fantastic paper that my LSS provided me to make samples for the store. 

Here's the sketch: 

And my interpretation:

There are somethings that just scream Christmas tradition and red cups are decidedly one of those things that customers look forward to using. Vance just likes hot chocolate, he doesn't really care so much about the cup, but I was surprised when I went looking for red cup photos that I only have the two. Really?! As often as we go there there really should be more!

Those speech bubbles were from a coordinating ephemera pack that I bought to help with my assignment. The reverse sides say "nice" and "coal" but I thought it would be a fun way to highlight the title so I flipped them over.

This layout is super thick, with lots of layering and foam dots it is not really a surprise.

The green ribbon and red Thickers are American Crafts and the buttons are from MME Winter Wonderland and were from my stash. 

Winter Platter

On Use It Tuesday we're featuring Winter/Holiday themed projects. Some of you might remember this Fall project that I did for Practical Scrappers a few months back, well for today's project I updated it for the new season!

Check out all those chipboard pieces - the letters have been in my stash an average of 3 years and the snowflake and clock for just over 1 year. 

I used modeling paste to white out the space around the letters, using the letters as a mask. After it'd dried a bit, I removed the letters and misted them and the burlap/modeling paste separately. While the letters were drying I rinsed some of the blue off of the burlap so the color would have some variation then I put the letters back into their spots. 

Those of you who saw the Fall version might remember these pinecones I'd made using my Silhouette Cameo, well I've brought them back with "snow" for the winter theme. Snow was created with good ol' Elmers and some white flocking that's at least three years old and hardly touched. 

What are you going to make to celebrate the new season?!

Now go link up those wintery projects on the Use It Tuesday page! It's been a good run, but the team is closing up shop after this challenge and I'd love to see us go out with a crafty bang. More details are on the blog, but let me just say that UIT really got me digging into my stash and using instead of hoarding and I'm sad to see it go. It's been an honor to play along with the challenges both as a participant and design team member.

Joy Christmas card using Practical Scrappers sketch

It's time for another Practical Scrappers card sketch! I busted into one of my favorite paper lines for this one - My Mind's Eye All is Bright. 

And here is my interpretation: 

You'll notice that the sketch has three distinct boxes, instead I used that chipboard sticker to create two of them and then put the layered sticker in the center as the third. The whole thing is much more fluid than the sketch, but it was definitely inspired by it!

Sadly with all that paper tearing and chipboard and layered sticker action, this card will not be able to go in the mail! Way to thick and yummy for that.

Shaker Cards

One of my favorite things about being on design teams is that they push me to get outside my comfort zone and try new things. Today's challenge for Paper Girls Challenge Blog did just that, I had to learn how to make a confetti shaker.  

Uh, and it's soooo easy that I don't know why it took me so long to try! I loved the process so much that I used paper that my LSS provided (Fancy Pants Merry Little Christmas) and will be teaching a shaker class there this weekend using these cards as samples.  

Easy, but it did take a little experimenting, this first one is a little wobbly looking. I attempted to make a pocket out of plastic and then adhere the pocket to the frame. The result was eh, it might work with a larger frame but I moved on.

I liked the effect of this one much better! I essentially made a shadow box with clear plastic packaging (yay for upcycling!), foam tape on all sides, and paper.

Products used:

MME twine

Pink Paislee Luxe Stars and Rub-ons

Unity Stamp Co. Grandma's Closet sentiment

Teresa Collins sequins

MME Winter Wonderland chipboard stickers