Christmas Crackers

Papertrey Ink Favor It Box 8

Christmas Crackers

 

Every year my family has a big Christmas feast complete with Christmas crackers. 

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the tradition, each guest has a cracker.  You hold onto your cracker and the person's sitting next to you.  On the count of three, everyone pulls and pops resound.  Out falls a paper hat, a joke, and a prize.  My favorite prizes are in the musical crackers with whistles and sheet music.  One year, I couldn't play because I kept laughing every time it came to blow my whistle..We Wish You a Merry Christmas was missing a few notes.  Alas, we all had aching bellies from all the laughter.

 

 When I saw Papertrey Ink had a cracker die, called Favor It Box 8, I was over the moon.  I ordered it as soon as I saw it.  Now the die is only $25. To buy 12 crackers costs that amount, so what if the fillers are costing another $25? I know the family will love them and we can customize them for the years ahead.  I was able to find the snap mechanism, paper hats, and silly jokes on the Internet.  I am still waiting on those fillers, but had to start assembling them.  Then I had to show you how cute these are!   

 The crackers are made from Theresa Collins Christmas Cottage papers, washi tape, and embellishments.  I even tied them up using her fiber and bakers twine.  I love this Christmas Cottage line, the texture is like linen and the designs are just my style for the Holidays.

 Christmas dinner should be even more special with these gems at each place setting!

Foggy Mornings are Impressive

Morning Dew / Morning Do?

 

 

My oldest son brought this leaf to my door this morning.  He thought I would like it.  He carefully delivered it, so as not to disturb the water droplets. 

 

He is amazingly considerate and he knows me so well, I dew love it (I can't help it, my Dad has trained me in the art of puns).  Even though it started as a silly pun, I like the idea of the...

morning dew or morning do...

off to run errands.

 

Favorite Papers Revisited

So here is it is, another "using up old stash" project....

EAT

In the notion of revisiting favorite paper lines, I rediscovered Basic Grey Nook and Pantry. I made several recipe books with this paper line when it first came out, but I hoarded the papers in my favorite kitchen colors: yellow and green. 

 

Of course, I thought I would use these for something special,  and stashed them in a drawer.  Until, I decided to revisit a few favorites... I also ran across a pressed particle board book and I converted into a kitchen wall hanging.

 

Each layer of patterned paper is backed with a layer of Old Olive SU cardstock and distressed. 

 

 

I punched extra holes and strung up the sign using SU ribbon. 

The SU lace edging adds an elegant touch.   And I think the velvet rickrack is by Mya Road, but I have had it in my stash so long, I am not sure. 

 

This is now hanging in my kitchen and it adds a bit of retro fun to the space!

 

 

 

Peony Lady Card & Box

Peony Lady Card and Box

 

 

I have been trying to revisit some of my very favorite papers of all time.  Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante is one of those lines.  I bought a ton of it, because I loved it (and still do).  So I decided to rescue it from the recesses of my paper storage and to make something with it. 

 

 

 

A good friend of mine has a birthday today and I thought it was the perfect time to use those fav papers.  I also broke out a set of stamps I have never used, Studio 490 Alphabetical Art.  I used the flower to stamp of some cardstock.  I then cut out each one, conditioned the paper, and layered them up to make a beautiful peony flower.  The paper is white core, so I colored the edges with my Copics to soften to look.  I added greens, blues, and oranges to make it look to be copper.  

Pretty...

The lady is from a Stampers Anonymous stamp.  I stamped her in black Memento and colored her with my Copics.  Each limb and the head are attached with brads, so that you can move her arms, legs, and shake her head. 

  Gotta love an interactive card!

 

 

 

 

 

Since it was such a dimensional card, it needed a box. Time to break out more of the papers and some Copics to shade the pretty lady's face in.

 

 

 

 

 

I am particularly found of the section with a watercolor effect shading her cheek and chin.

 

 

I added some Tim Holtz tissue tape and decorated the inside of the card in a snap!

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Renee!

Royal Rose Ball

So what have I done with all my rolled roses?

 Royal Rose Ball

 

 

I die cut them from the Royal Rose die by My Favorite Things and Red Riding Hood Red cardstock from Stampin' Up.  The centers of half of the roses are stick pins with pearls on the ends.  These pins are holding the roses in a Styrofoam ball I bought at a local craft store.  The remaining roses are glued onto the ball using Tacky Glue. 

 

This works great as long as you don't use the rose ball as a soccer ball...whose eight year old boy would do such a thing?...

 Yes, mine did and you could have used his eyes for saucers when he saw one of the flowers fall off.  Not a problem, a little more Tacky and all was fixed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wrapped the ball with a ribbon, tied it, and tacked it down with the roses with pins. 

Then I tied it to my ceiling fan in my guest room.

I think it is a vast improvement to a plain white ceiling fan.