Creative Christmas Bundle Countdown – 3 Days Left!

Number 3 Advent Numbers by Connie HanksJust THREE more days before this bundle of creative goodness is available!

Today, I’m sharing another podcast by Melissa from Digital Scrapping HQ, featuring another contributor to the Creative Christmas Bundle. This time she is interviewing Jen Weber from Funk and Weber Designs.

Meet Jen Weber

Jen Weber headshot

Jen Weber

Hi I’m Jen Funk Weber! I learned to embroider about the time I learned to read. I also learned to sew, thanks to a crafty mother and an unattended sewing machine. Barbie clothes and furnishings were my first specialty.

As a member of the 4-H Sewing Club, I began designing clothes and crafts, cutting patterns from taped-together newspaper. I took up embroidery again while winter care-taking for remote lodges in Alaska. Ribbons won at the State Fair called attention to the designs and led to requests for patterns which led to Funk & Weber Designs. Together, my husband Mike and I create colorful (usually), playful patterns that bring together our love of nature, wildlife, puzzles, and subtleties.

In addition to print and digital patterns, Funk & Weber Designs offers online stitching and finishing classes.

Podcast

Jen is crazy about needlework. She even creates patterns! Here is what she is offering as part of the bundle. I haven’t stitched anything in a LONG time. This is so cute, it is very tempting!

Christmas-Cross-Stitch-Christmas Creative Bundle

Jen’s December Tip:

“We all have routine things we do at this time of year. Pick one thing and mix it up! Doing the same things over and over can get boring and sap your creativity. Change things up to reinstate the creative fun!”

Meet the Crafters & Designers of the Creative Christmas Bundle!

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures!

KS

Christmas Creative Bundle Countdown – 4 Days Left!

Advent Numbers from Connie Hanks for the Advent Calendar kitJust four more days until the Creative Christmas Bundle is released! You are going to love the creative jumpstart it will give you on your holiday preparations!

The bundle includes:

  • Scrapbooking templates and digi supplies (use them as sketches for paper scrapping)
  • Pocket page scrapping cards
  • Advent calendar printable supplies, tutorials, and suggested daily activities (This number “4” is from Connie Hanks’ Advent contribution)
  • Cut files for Silhouette and Cricut
  • 2015 Calendar
  • Gift ideas and tutorials
  • Christmas-themed cross-stitch patterns
  • Printable Christmas cards
  • Tutorials for making photo gifts
  • Tutorials on using smart phone apps deal with photos & printing
  • Art Journaling tutorials
  • PLUS bonuses galore

The bundle is perfect for makers, scrappers, and crafty people who are looking to make this Christmas their most creative one yet.

Melissa Shannon from DigitalScrapbookingHQ is doing a series of interviews with all the contributors. Here is

Cara Vincens from the Hooting Pirate joining Melissa to kick off this season of the Scrapbooking Inspiration Podcast. (The podcast is below Cara’s info.)

Cara Vincens from the Hooting Pirate

Cara Vincens

Hi, I’m Cara, I’m a Canucklehead (Nova Scotia) living in Luxembourg with my tall, dark and hot hubby. He’s French and the reason I came here in the first place. Wouldn’t we all do anything for love?  Though, it’s not like he had to twist my rubber arm to come to this fairy tale land, we love Luxie! We have 6 children… nope, not a typo! And only one of those is a girl. As you can imagine, she’s a spitfire.

As far as crafting goes, I’m a mixed media artist and I do a lot of paper crafts but I absolutely love scrapbooking. I love every single moment of the process, from the stories (oh, how I love to tell a good story!) and the photos, to the design, techniques and product (who can resist all those gorgeous products!). I love bright, happy colours, lots of white and lots of white space and lots of layers and clusters!

My first love was sewing, and I can usually incorporate it into my scrapbooks. Sometimes however, my cheating heart strays… it’s usually as Carnaval approaches and all those fabulous costumes are tempting me. I get that itch to sew on fabric (gasp!)… and I cheat on Scrapbooking, but she always takes me back.

 

 

Cara’s December Tip

“Plan ahead! If you start early there’s not a big rush to get things done. It’s not too late to start now, especially if you have the projects in the Creative Christmas bundle!”

Cara’s Creative Christmas Bundle contribution

Check out these fabulous printable cards!

Cara Vincens Printable Christmas Cards

The Creative Christmas Bundle

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures!

KS

Creative Christmas Bundle

Creative Christmas Bundle Projects and ideas from 15 crafters and designers.

Projects and ideas from 15 crafters and designers.

I am so excited to tell you about a creative bundle of goodness, which I’ve been working on behind the scenes, in preparation for the big day it is released for sale, November 24th. It is a collaborative effort of 15 crafters and designers, which can give you a jump start with ideas and how to instructions on many great holiday projects!  You’ll want to be sure and go check out the information about the designers and sign up to get updates.

Here’s a peek at some of what you’ll find in the Creative Christmas Bundle:

  • 2015 printable photo calendar
  • Advent calendar, printable supplies, tutorials, and suggested daily activities
  • December Daily scrapbook sketches and more
  • Printable pocket page cards
  • Cut files for Silhouette and Cricut
  • Gift ideas and tutorials
  • Christmas-themed cross-stitch patterns
  • Printable Christmas cards
  • Tutorials for making photo gifts
  • Tutorials on using apps to create and print photos and photo gifts
  • Art journaling (for any time of year)
  • Upcycling for a green Christmas
  • Plus bonuses galore

You won’t want to miss out on this bargain, if you are even the least bit prone to creativity! Valued at over $250 it will be on sale for just $29.99!  You can meet the designers and sign up to get the email for the initial release here. The sale runs from November 24 – December 1.

Creative Christmas Bundle art journaling basics online class coverI am bringing my Art Journaling Basics class online, and the first release will be part of the Creative Christmas Bundle!

In this class you will:

  • Learn what art journaling is.  Discover ways you may decide to use it.
  • Receive tips on what to use for a journal. Don’t get lost in the sea of choices, you can make informed decisions.
  • Learn how to make your own journal by recycling a book. It’s easy to go green!
  • Learn about basic supplies and adhesives. Don’t spend money on supplies you don’t need to get started. Find out what you may already have on hand that will work.
  • Receive product recommendations. Get tips you can use to make your selections and save time and money.
  • Learn how to create five fast and easy ways to make backgrounds. Get started right away,  so you aren’t staring at a blank page wondering what to do next.
  • Receive a list of page prompts and learn how using prompts can spark your creativity. Never feel ‘stuck’ or lacking ideas!
  • Receive printable images and quotes to get started without delay! Great to take shopping!

Bonus 1You will also receive the original Artful Adventures Art Journaling Basics eBook for free! This ebook in .pdf format also contains links to the videos and the printables, giving you multiple options to access the class information.

Bonus 2: A private Facebook Group to connect with others and share your projects without the judgement of family and friends who have no idea what you’re doing! We’ll have our own fun!

What you get:

7 Lessons

5 Videos

6 Pages of Printable Images (91 single images)

2 Page of Quotes and online quote resources

Samples with basic description of steps to complete.

List of page prompts

Printable list of basic Product Recommendations

This class is a steal at $20, but it will be part of the Creative Christmas Bundle. So you can have access to the online class and do it whenever you want to, and get all the other goodies in the bundle as well! All content is available upon payment of your Creative Christmas Bundle. You’ll receive a code for your class registration, and there is no expiration date to access your content. Hurry over now to sign up and get updates!

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures,

KS

Mini House Thank You Treat Box

Welcome to another Make It Monday blog hop. I’ll link back to Connie Hanks’ project if you missed it, and also point you to the next stop on the blog hop at the end of this post. This week is a Thanksgiving theme, so I’ve come up with something you can use throughout the holiday season!

make it monday blog hop fall logo

Today’s project is a treat box made from one 12″x12″ sheet of patterned paper. I thought that with the holidays quickly approaching, this would be a great little trick to have on hand for those last minute needs. When I first saw this idea, the shape reminded me of a miniature house, and I immediately wanted to decorate it like that. If you have a lot of extra paper on hand, projects like this are perfect for using your stash. I’m not even sure where I got the paper I used for the main part of this box.

Before I get started showing you how I decorated my “house,” I’m going to show you the video where I first saw the idea. Julie Comstock describes it so well I decided to just let her do the heavy lifting here!

 

For Review:

  • First take the 12″x12″ paper and score it at 3 ” and 9″.
  • Turn the paper 90 degrees and score at 5″ and 7 “

Now, this is where I decided I better do my home decorating, or it would be too tricky to try and do it once the box took shape. The features you use for the house need to be between the 3″ and 9″ score lines, so that you are in the middle 6″ across the width of the paper.

mini house gift box outside decor

Begin the decorating between the 3″ and 9″ score.

I used a ruler to trace the outline of my door, which runs only 2 1/2 inches from the fold line. You want to leave plenty of room at the top because that is where you’ll be putting the “roof.”  The images are stamped in black from the Close To My Heart Thanksgiving Hostess set.

Next I cut a little door from kraft colored paper, at 2.5″ x 1.5″. Bronze Shimmer Trim was used to create the three little windows on the door. The door knob is from of the Bronze Sparkles.

mini house gift box door

Kraft cardstock, shimmer trim and a sparkle complete the door.

The roof was created from a piece of paper cut to 4″ x 6″. I cut this one at 4.5″ wide so that I had a little excess to use a scalloped edge punch along the long edges. If you are going to punch the edges, it is easier to score the middle of the paper before you punch the edges so that you get the true middle of the paper.

mini house gift box roof

Cut at 4.5″ x 6″, and score the center before you use a decorative punch along the long edges.

Fold your roof over the top edge of your box, and secure all the layers together so they can be punched at the same time to have your holes lined up.

Secure all layers and punch holes in the roof.

Secure all the layers at the top of your box and roof to punch holes.

Fill your box with your treats. Be sure to use appropriate food safe plastic bags, parchment paper, or deli paper to keep the contents together and keep any oils from getting on the box.

Fill the box, using food safe plastic or papers

Fill the box, using food safe plastic or papers.

 

If you like, you can ink the edges on the roof before securing it over the top of the box. Put the roof on and now you can use whatever ribbon or fibers you have on hand to thread the holes you made and secure the roof over the box, to keep your treats safe inside! I used some bakers twine for this house, and here is the end result.

Mini house gift box for treats

 

Don’t miss the November Stamp of the Month!

It's the Little Things, CTMH November Stamp of the Month

“It’s the Little Things,” November Stamp of the Month

If you missed Connie Hanks‘ idea on turning Thanksgiving place cards into a gratitude keepsake + hostess gift, be sure and go back! Now it’s time to move forward to see how Melissa Shanhun is counting her blessings to create a gratitude album.

Register for updates, so you won’t miss anything!

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures!

KS

Blended Ink Background Technique

Welcome, it’s Make It Monday again! Today I wanted to share a background technique that is quick and easy and provides great results by blending ink.

make it monday logo

Kristie-Sloan-blended-ink-background_pin

It seems like every time I use this technique I use at least three colors. Today is no different. Supplies needed:

  • glossy card stock
  • ink pads (today I used dye based ink)
  • foam tipped daubers or sponge (I used my sponge rounds and cut them into 6 sections)
Minimal supplies for a background

Minimal supplies for a background.

So that you don’t cross contaminate your ink pads with a totally different color, be sure to use an applicator dedicated to one color. You don’t have to have one for each ink pad, but have one for yellow, one for orange, one for green, etc.

I like to start with the lightest color and apply it first. Just use your applicator and rub it on your ink pad. Then apply it on the glossy side of your glossy card stock.

Apply your first color

Apply your first color.

Next, you want to apply your second color, blending it up into the first color as you add it. You can use circular motions or just swipe back and forth.

Apply second color, blending it into the first color

Apply second color, blending it into the first color.

You may have already guessed, now you apply the third color! Again, blend it into to color you applied previously. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Remember it is going to be a background!

Apply the third color; again blending into the previous color

Apply the third color; again blending into the previous color.

A baby wipe can help you blend the color even more. However it will lift off a bit of the color as well, but can create a little different look.

A baby wipe can further blend the colors

A baby wipe can further blend the colors.

For the card I made with this background, I stamped a tree with Versamark ink, and then used black heat embossing powder. Because heat embossing will resist the ink, you can also emboss the image before you blend your ink onto the paper. Either way will work if you are heat embossing.

This was such a quick card. I used Bronze Shimmer Trim for even more pizzaz! And finished it off with a bit of bling from the Sparkles Brown and Tan Assortment. I already had the tree stamp, but it is very similar to the Always Grateful, Close to My Heart set.

A sunset background using the a blended ink technique

A sunset background using the a blended ink technique

 

 

make it monday logoI hope you’ve been enjoying the Make It Monday blog hops as much as I have! Did you land here from Digital Scrapbooking HQ? Melissa Shanhun always has great ideas on making memory keeping fast and easy. Today she shares how to use the new Project Life App for documenting a Week in the Life project. Next on the hop is Alice from Scrapbook Wonderland with a brilliant tip on using a postcard on a layout. Remember, to think broader than scrapbooks — think art journaling or mixed media, too!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to leave a comment.  You are always welcome to shop at my online Close to My Heart store if you are in the USA. The links for some of today’s products are below.

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures,

KS