StarLitStudio

three-page card for multiple gift certificates

My youngest daughter has an amazing and incredible fourth-grade teacher, and we collected enough funds from the entire class for two gift cards - one was credit-card sized and the other was slightly larger.

I created a holiday card for this teacher that featured various-sized pages to house each gift card.

First page was the smallest pocket, to house the credit-card sized gift card...

...and the second page housed the larger gift card to a restaurant. All chipboard, stickers and patterned papers are from Holiday Style.

The last page featured my attempt at a whimsical font, my inspiration gleaned from the many incredible calligraphers on etsy. 

Pillow boxes housed Visa gift cards for the two aides.  Miniature wooden spools and burlap string.  Amazing staff at an amazing school.  Best wishes for all the best in the New Year!

holiday matchbox gift holders for earrings

Handmade earrings comprised a couple of gifts this year - a tutorial of how I created these is here.  Papers are Holiday Style from October Afternoon.

Here's the outside of the matchbox packaging.  Tags were created using leftovers scraps from yesterday's project and inspired by Mish!  Happy Monday!

teacher holiday gifts

Started with boxes of these...double chocolate and salted caramel - yum...

Plastic tubes with metal caps are from sks.com - mini vanilla wafers are from the local grocery store, and I crushed the candy canes in a double zipper bag using a wooden rolling pin.  Even double-bagged they still made a mess.

End result!  Outer clear packaging is meant to house handmade cards and envelopes - sourced at clearbags.com and perfect for this gift idea.  Manila tag is one created from about two dozen using Holiday Style scraps, a few punches and a sewing machine.  Love using scraps this way - inspired by Mish.  Attached using Peppermint Divine Twine and ivory twisted jute from May Arts.

Lots of wonderful teachers and school staff to prep for.  Patterned papers are Holiday Style from October Afternoon.

The secret to creativity and perceived genius is to hide your sources.  So, here is my source for this idea! Oh she's in a snarky mood today...

  Happy Christmas!  More earrings tomorrow.

 

holiday cards

Holidays got you running around like a madman/madwoman?  I am done and very thankful for that.  Had a new lower wire put in on my braces today - going to search for Advil as soon as I upload this post.

Card bases are Memory Box Kraft and measure 5" x 4-1/4".  The horizontal strip measures 5-1/2" in length, so the card is technically an A2.

Today's projects are a couple of holiday cards that will be hand-delivered with gifts using Holiday Style from October Afternoon.  I'll show the gifts that go with these cards in another post...which I'll write after the Advil kicks in...lol.

The red berry stems are from Michaels; burlap string is May Arts.  The rosette die used is from Sizzix - I used one of each rosette size on each card.

The glitter star was created by adhering a piece of red line tape (the 8x10 sheet cut down to size needed) to Memory Box Water cardstock, then die cutting.  Removed the protective film exposing the adhesive, then dunked the star into a vat of antique silver vintage glass glitter.  So sparkly! And virtually no shedding of glitter.  The OCD adult in me really likes that.

Stars are die cut from a Spellbinder die.  Sheet music is from an old hymnal (sourced on ebay) that I'm recycling.  Burlap string is from May Arts.  Husband's gift to his secretary is next.  Happy Holidays!

holiday gifts for school staff

A peek at a few gifts created for the school secretaries, school nurse, and so forth - Memory Box Country Landscape die, using white cardstock, and mounted with foam tape, backed with October Afternoon Holiday Style patterned cardstocks.  Circle Spellbinders dies used.

I started with whole spices - whole spices will last for years so I purchase them in bulk. Bay leaves, cloves, star anise, rosehips and cinnamon.

My workroom smells wonderful! 

Used these jars - short and perfect for this project.  Sourced at my local grocery store.

The progression of adding the whole spices from left to right. 

Using a Big Bite I punched holes all over the metal lid (device allows a long reach).  One could use a Crop-A-Dile and punch holes in as far as the unit will reach as well.  These holes will allow the spices' scents to permeate.

Peppermint Divine Twine and red burlap string were used to anchor a mother-of-pearl button (grlyhead on etsy), mini bells, and mulberry leaves around a narrow strip of burlap.  A dot of fabric glue anchors the knot on the bow.  Best wishes for a great week!

ladies luncheon invite

The annual holiday luncheon for the neighborhood ladies - thirty invites needed. Original invite above.  I modified the design when the two doilies proved too time-consuming and altered the design to incorporate one doily, centered.

Used a homespun bag folded in half horizontally and created a machine-stitched pocket.  Note:  Once folded in half horizontally, the bag is then stiched on three sides - one side being the fold.  The fold does not create the bottom of the pocket.

Top of stitched bag/pocket was punched with a Martha Flower Bed punch.  The invite itself was computer-generated - two per sheet of standard white cardstock.  By making the insert a little longer it still fit into an A6 envelope, but 'you're invited' peeked out of the top of the pocket nicely.

Spellbinders and Memory Box dies (Country Landscape), oodles of foam tape used.  Paisley patterned cardstock is old MME from my 'I am trying faithfully to use what I cardstock I have' pile.  Red cardstock is Memory Box Crimson.

Using assembly-line style techniques this project moved right along.  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Julie's class winner & holiday cards

The winner of Julie Ebersole's The Gifted Stamper Class is Helen Nelson - I'll email you Helen!

A pic of just a few quick designs of my personal holiday cards sent this year - I needed NINETY cards this year...oye!  I used general designs by others to save time, and simplified them where needed - making one sample to make sure it was quick, then making five more, then moving onto a different design.

By doing it this way - six cards per design and doing roughly 15 designs, versus one or two designs and making 90-45 of each - it decreased the stress, the 'oh why do I do this every year' and the 'when will this be over'... and instead, added fun, pleasure and joy in playing with paper!

I only colored one set of six - speed was crucial and coloring with Copics quickly is just not possible for me.  But these were fun to do!  Best wishes for a great weekend! 

holiday tags in window tote

I ordered lovely olive wool felt online, and it is too thick to cut with Papertrey or Spellbinders' dies - only the Sizzix steel dies will work on this super thick stuff.  If you have Sizzix dies you know you can cut like four layers of cardstock - bam!  This felt is so thick only one layer at a time will work. I think it was meant for felting...which I have not tried but probably will sometime in the future!

So I die cut some trees with an older Sizzix primitive tree die I had on hand, and made some holiday tags a la Dawn McVey.  Two each of four styles are housed in a clever box.  'to' and 'from' is stamped on the obverse of each tag. 

Stamps and dies (Sizzix primitive tree the exception) are Papertrey Ink; snowflake is a Martha Stewart punch. 

The clever box is from Nashville Wraps - Gourmet Window Totes.  The box size is 5-1/8" x 4-1/4" x 2-5/8" with velcro closures (see two photos up).  Thanks for stopping by today!

homespun tags into cards

Simple tags transformed thanks to inspiration by Betsy Veldman and Melissa Phillips.  Strung manila tags are from Staples.

The cute chipboard houses were painted with white (Picket Fence) crackle paint, allowed to dry, then sewn on a sewing machine, then embellished.

Patterned paper & brads are Basic Gray Eskimo Kisses.  Mini fringe trim, French doilies, Parsley (Memory Box) cardstock and coordinating envelopes.  Card sizes are 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".

 The bag (Papertrey bag & merry dies) holds them all.  One more down for the gift pile! Blue crackle house on bag uses Broken China Distress Crackle Paint, and the big honkin' brads are made with patterned paper and an i-top tool.

Interior sentiment on all cards - Papertrey die and stamp.  Yikes the holidays are right around the corner!

country landscape die

This simple & clean design will comprise a few of our holiday cards this year.

Spellbinders labels 8 and Memory Box Country Landscape die used.  Card bases are made from Crimson and Dill cardstock (Memory Box).  White cardstock is from Papertrey Ink.  Card sizes are 5-1/2" x 4-1/4".

No waste!  White layer is mounted with foam tape.  Happy Sunday!