Christmas ornaments

Happy holidays! I've clearly fallen behind on my blog posting this month. The couple of weeks before Christmas felt crazy, school was in session until Dec. 22, and I couldn't seem to get anything done. Now this week I've been lazy and doing as little as possible: lounging in my pajamas, reading, napping, etc. Maybe next week, with the new year, I'll start to get back into more of a "normal" routine. But for now, here is a quick post to share some Christmas ornaments I made.

The base of the ornaments (thin wooden circles) and the twine are from a craft store. I painted the ornament bases with acrylic paint -- at least two coats for each ornament -- and then splattered them with gold watercolor. (The background of the candle ornaments is more red in person; the photo came out very orange.)

While the bases were drying, I used a couple of die sets and various card stock colors to die cut different focal images. I know the mushrooms aren't very Christmas-y, but they were a special request from a friend. And I actually kept one of those ornaments because I really like how they turned out. :)

I adhered the die-cut pieces to the ornaments with liquid glue and foam tape. I used a permanent marker to write "Happy holidays" or "Merry Christmas" on the back, along with my name and the year. The last step was to add on the twine.

I actually made a second batch of ornaments with different colors and images, but I finished them at the very last minute, so I didn't get to take any photos. But the basic materials and process are the same. These also would be fun to make for other holidays or occasions -- or even to use as gift tags,

The next thing I have to share will probably be the desk calendars I made; I'm just not exactly sure when that will be. So thanks for stopping by, and if I'm not back before the end of the year, I hope you have a magical, marvelous new year!

Scrap bookmarks

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some crazy quilt scrap papers I made with leftover pieces from gel press prints. I decided to cut up one of the pages to make some bookmarks, and here are the results:

I cut the scrap paper into 2-3/4" x 5-3/4" pieces and was able to get six out of the sheet. Then I looked up quotes about reading and books online and wrote one quote on each bookmark. (I tried to add a little character to my lettering, but it's mainly just printing. I would love to work on my hand lettering -- I just need to find the time and focus!) I rounded the corners of each bookmark and used black pens and a white paint pen to add doodles and details: dots, stitches, swirls, etc.

Once I was happy with each bookmark, I removed the backing paper and adhered them to white card stock. (You could adhere the entire sheet to card stock before cutting it. I wasn't sure if the bookmarks were going to work, so I decided to wait and add the card stock at the end.) 

To finish off the bookmarks, I slipped each one into a little plastic sleeve. I don't know where these sleeves are from or what their intended purpose is; I found them at work on a table of stuff that teachers were getting rid of. I took them thinking that they might work for bookmarks, so I was pleased to see I was right -- and I love that I was able to use something that would otherwise have been thrown away.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Hanukkah

I kindled my eight little candles,
   My Hanukkah candles, and lo!
Fair visions and dreams half-forgotten
    Were rising of years long ago.

- Philip M. Raskin, "Hanukkah Lights"

I created this menorah using the Essentials Arches dies from Ellen Hutson. I taped several of the dies together so there was even spacing between them and then ran them through my Big Shot with shimmery white card stock. I ended up with several skinny arch outlines that I trimmed and glued together to make the menorah. Each arch die also cuts out a very narrow frame, which I used for the candles. I used alcohol markers to color the candles two different shades of blue.

In addition to the shimmery white card stock, I added sparkle to the background by splattering metallic watercolor paint over a blue ink-blended rectangle and used a gold gel pen to draw the candle flames. I finished the card with a simple sentiment strip.

Wishing everyone who celebrates a holiday filled with peace, love, and light. Happy Hanukkah!

2023 Christmas card recap

It's December! How did that happen? I've still got a lot of tasks to check off my to-do list before the holidays, but I'm chipping away at it. I hope that I'll have more projects to share soon, but until then, here is a recap of all the Christmas cards I made this year.

Click on the name of the month to see the full post for each card design.

January: Upcycled tissue paper

February: Festive faux postage

March: Watercolor wishes

April: Quilt blocks

May: Mittens & Mistletoe

June: Nordic notecards

July: Cheery snowman

August: Simple peace

September: Seasonal Snapshot cards (also includes Halloween cards)

November: Woodland magic

If you're still working on your Christmas cards, I hope these designs bring you a little inspiration. I may have finished making my cards, but I haven't started sending them yet -- that's always such a daunting task!

Thanks for stopping by!