Thank God I married a man who can cook!

Happy Christmas eve folks! I am just popping in with a quick post as I need to ready the house for Christmas Eve guests. My honey is making lasagna, deviled eggs and he already made veggie and chicken soup, I am making my famous rolls and veggie chili and each of my kids want to bake something. I’d say I need to supervise them in the kitchen today but really it is the other way around LOL! I’m no hero, or martyr, when it comes to holiday entertaining  if someone offers to bring something I accept, I use frozen pies (I found 2 vegan Sara Lee pies at the supermarket yesterday-Score!) because, let’s face it, Mrs. Smith and Sara Lee know a heck of a lot more about baking than I do!

As I worked on holiday projects this year I would die-cut the scraps into tags, and I am glad I did because when it came time to wrap I couldn’t find the peel and stick variety I bought last year. I like these better any way…that does not mean I am above using office printer labels for gifts in a pinch…see…nobody’s perfect  So, folks, my advise for today is not to get hung upon the details. Christmas will come whether or not your dishes and gift tags match, if extra people come over and they have to drink from jelly jars, so what, (if you-know-who can sleep in a stable your guest will survive drinking from a Mason jar) welcome them, make room, and oh yeah, one more piece of advise; marry a man who can cook! Merry Christmas and til next time happy crafting!

Fast & Easy Gift Card Holders!

Wow, Christmas is 11 days away and it really snuck up on me (which is quite odd since I have been working on Christmas projects since June because of magazine deadlines) so I made these cute gift card holders to wrap up my last-minute gift cards for the hard to buy for folks on my list. I used my new Gift Card Holder SVG set on this:

My favorite part is that the cuff of the mitten slides off to reveal the gift card:

Wait, did I say that was my favorite because I think I would love this one the most:

You could substitute movie or theater tickets for the gift card in the wine hanger for a truly personal gift.  And I must admit I do enjoy that wine in the pic and it is only $7 a bottle-score!

I like that these gift card holders can be hung on the Christmas tree so they won’t get lost or buried in a pile of presents and they are pretty to look at too. You can whip up a bunch of the ball ornaments and add a little embellishing for a tree full of charming treats:

You can snag this set instantly right here. Well, I have presents to wrap and cards to address so I am gonna scoot, thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

 

Simple Sunday: Easy & Chic Ornaments {the kids can make!}

Today I want to share some quick ornaments my kids made for the craft fair last weekend. All you need is clear glass ornaments and acrylic paint.

Here’s how:

1. Remove the brass hanger from the ornament. Clean the glass ball with rubbing alcohol, squirt a bit inside the ball and swirl it around and let dry upside down so the alcohol can run out.
2. Make a drying board by sticking straight pins in a piece of cardboard or foamboard.
3. squirt two colors of paint in the ornament, place a folded paper towel over the opening and hold it there with your thumb and shake until you ornament is coated with paint on the inside.
4. Place on the board upside down to dry. This will take several days.
5. After the ornament is dry you can put the brass hanger back inside.

Happy crafting!

 

50% off Everything at Lindsay’s {and cute shoes!}

Howdy folks! I know the holidays are busy so with that in mind I want to have a sale you can use NOW when you really need it! Most of the products I sell at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff are designed for crafters so they can make beautiful things to give as gifts or even sell. That’s why I am having a sale NOW at the beginning of the month so you can get a great deal and still have time to spend on handmade cards, gifts and packaging and maybe make a craft or two with the kids. So hop on over to save 50% off everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff now through Sunday:

I wanted to share a cute ornament idea made Design Team member Diane Bove using my 3-D High Heel Shoe Template:

Now that is my kind of tree! These would be adorable craft fair items too…infact if I get a minute between now and Saturday I might just whip up a few to have in my craft fair!

I’m gonna keep it short and sweet today! Don’t forget 50% off at Lindsay’s now through Sunday and til next time happy crafting!

Exploding Box Ornament!

I am so into making ornaments this year, maybe because I am going to be in a craft fair in one week and I am desperate to make stuff to sell LOL! Or, prehaps just because it is fun;) Every year I make some sort of photo ornament for my folks and that is just what I thought of when I designed my Exploding box SVG kit:

By punching a hole in the lid and box bottom I was able to run a folded length of seam  binding through he hole and make an ornament.

Best of all it only took minutes to make since I cut the SVG file with my Cricut. I decorated it with papers from K&Co (double-sided paper is perfect for this because you see both sides!) and stamps from About Art Accents.

Here is what the exploding box looked like before I decorated it:

You can buy the SVG/printable kit here. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Thanksgiving Sale! 50% OFF!

Who needs black Friday when you can shop at home in your jammies? I myself plan to stay in my PJs til noontime today and work on some crafts with my kids Hubby always has to work til 2pm on Thanksgiving so the kids and I watch the Macy’s parade and make stuff, it has kinda become a tradition! If you are looking for some fun crafts to make (SVGs, templates, digistamps, printables, etc) check out the 50% off sale today at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff. Here is a fun SVG set I made for traditional 3-D snowflakes. I learned how to make the snowflakes traditionally but folding and cutting was tedious and time-consuming (it took me over 30 minutes to make 1) so I designed an SVG cutting file and now I can make these in 10 minutes, they are easy enough to make once you get the hang of it that my kids can make them and they are so pretty hung from fishing line like I did here:

I think I will add some glitter to them too. You can find the 3-D snowflake SVG kit here and it is 50% off today!

 

Don’t miss the 50% off sale at Lindsay’s stamp stuff AND MyGrafico today only. Happy Thanksgiving and til next time happy crafting!

Recycled Paper Bag Pins & Ornaments!

Happy Sunday folks! I have been in a creating frenzy since agreeing to have a table at the PTC craft fair. I wanted to make something that was cute and inexpensive for my table and came up with these:

 

I used supplies I had on hand, string, buttons and Paper Grocery Bags! Can you believe it! I made sure to have my groceries bagged in paper instead of my reusable bags (hmmm, Me thinks I will make some reusable bags for the craft fair too…) then I cut the bags open and painted the unprinted side with acrylic paint and let dry. I used 3 methods for cutting my bags:

1. I used a sizzix die to make the hearts
2. I used my Cricut and Doodlechams to make the trees
3. I free-hand cut the mittens with scissors.

It does not matter how you cut the paper, just make sure you fold the paper so you cut two at once so you have 2 the same wrong sides in. In the case of the circut I simply flipped one of the trees on my Gypsy before cutting.

After the shapes are cut you need to find some stuffing, a bit of cotton ball will do, and place it on one of the cuts lying face down on the table. If you are making an ornament hot glue a ribbon to the top at this time. Then add a bead of glue to the perimeter of the other die cut and press it on the first die cut with the cotton ad ribbon sandwiched inside. Now scrounge around for bits and bobs to decorate with! If you are making a pin you can glue on a backing. I used hot glue but you can use tacky glue if you have an aversion to burns

For the packaging I die cut a pretty frame and stamped ut with a SU! notably ornate stamp. If you want that die cut or to learn how to make your own custom die cut for stamps you have you can here.

Have fun making a practically free craft! When they ask you “paper or plastic?” at the store this week I know what you’ll say! Happy crafting!

50% off at Lindsay’s, a freebie and new Christmas products!

Howdy folks, I know it is a bit too early to start thinking about Christmas…well, unless, that is, you are selling at craft fairs and in that case you need cute packaging ASAP! And today is the perfect time to grab your needed supplies because it is 50% off today at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff! I was asked by a crafty customer to come up with some printables for her to sell her movie gift kits at craft fairs so I came up with the Holiday Bazzar set. How cute would it be to wrap a few bags of microwaved popcorn, soda bottles and candies and package them in one of those large plastic popcorn boxes from the dollar store, you could throw in a DVD too for a super cute and inexpensive gift!

If you wanted to really spread some holiday cheer you could leave the baskets on a friends doorstep with a note saying “You’ve Been Elfed!”, the 5″x7″ notes in the kit would be perfect for that! You can also used the cards for invitations to a cookie swap and recipe cards!

If you want a cute gag gift for the folks in the office how about some reindeer poop? I found this funny poem online that you can print and slip in the bag:

I woke up with such a scare when I heard Santa call…
“Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
I ran to the lawn, and in the snowy white drifts,
those nasty reindeer had left “little gifts”.

I got an old shovel and started to scoop
Neat little piles of “reindeer poop.”
but to throw them away seemed such a waste,
So I saved them, thinking you might like a taste!

As I finished my task, which took quite a while,
Old Santa passed by and he sheepishly smiled.
And I heard him exclaim as he rose to the sky~~~
“Well, they’re not potty trained, but at least they can fly!”

 

For the kids you might like to send them to school with “Snowman Soup” for their teacher and classmates! I found a poem for this too:

Snowman Soup
Was told you’ve been real good this year.
Always glad to hear it!
With freezing weather drawing near,
You’ll need to warm the spirit.
here’s a little Snowman Soup
Complete with stirring stick.
Add hot water, sip it slow.
It’s sure to do the trick!

Isn’t that cute! Both of the poems I found at The Organized Home.com.

Here is a look at the new printable kit and some other Christmas products you might enjoy, remember they are 50% off today only and two of the below products are freebies!

It’s been a while since I had a freebie so here are 2 sheets of tags you can use for your holiday gifts and packaging:

click the preview to download;)

While you are on the topic of holidays Halloween is right around the corner. Check out these spooky sets also 50% off today:

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Let’s hear it for the BUOYS!

Oh, I do love a good pun;) I was commissioned (well, la-dee-da don’t  I sound all artsy-fartsy!) to paint some lobster buoys this summer by a friend. She wanted me to paint a Santa on one and on the other some wording.

I used my die cutter and SCAL software to cut the letters out of gold vinyl after painting the buoy red. For Santa I drew an oval for the face and painted it peach and painted the rest of the buoy red (two coats) then I painted the black belt and white beard. Details on the face were added after the beard and hat fluff had dried. I used acrylic paint for this project and real lobster buoys. The buoys are made out of foam and really easy to paint on-no prep required!

So, if you are looking for an inexpensive Christmas gift of a craft fair item to make and sell why not paint a buoy? Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

You can make this gift quick!

Howdy folks! Need a fun gift for a little girl this Christmas? This is a perfect gift to make for your daughter and her schoolmates.

Click here to read my instructions, it is a 1 page PDF file that you can print and file away or save it on your computer for later. Easy-peasy!

Just a reminder that the 25% off sale is going on through midnight at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff:

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!