Thursday, December 24, 2015

Christmas Tomte


Hello!

One more sleep till the big guy in red arrives!  Are you excited?  My boys haven't slept in days and to be frank I'm looking forward to Boxing Day when there's nothing for them to get up early for (other than putting together the million pieces of Lego that are soon to arrive)!

All the Christmas prep has put me behind in my blog posts.  I have been spending countless nights in my card room but all that crafting just hasn't made it to the computer yet!  My biggest goal in 2016 is to get back to blogging more regularly - we'll see how that goes!  In the meantime, I thought I'd quickly share this little guy with you.  Isn't he the cutest??

Our new neighbours moved in just down the road from us a little over a month ago and they collect Tomte's or Swedish gnomes.  I've always loved them but didn't know what they were called until they told me a bit about them. Folklore says that they protect your home and family from evil and misfortune.  If treated well, they will deliver gifts at the door; similar to our Santa Claus.  It is customary to leave behind a bowl of porridge with butter in gratitude.  But be sure to not insult them, as they will usually play tricks and steal items from the home!

Because of their love for collecting Tomte's I thought I would try create a punch art card featuring one for their Christmas card.  Many of the pieces are hand cut, but I plan to share the pattern in an upcoming post. The trees were cut using my Silhouette but could easily be re-created with punch art pieces as well.


And probably my favorite part of the whole card?  I got a chance to use the new Wink of Stella available in the new Occasions Catalog!  It adds the most wonderful glitter and sparkle with virtually no work or mess!!  It's a definite MUST from the new catty! 

Supplies:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog


That's all for now!  I have a few more odds and ends to finish up before tonight so I best get on it! They'll be 15 people here tomorrow for a HUGE feast - I can't wait to be in a pleasant food coma! I hope you have a wonderful, festive holiday and are surrounded by those near and dear to you.  From our family to yours, have a Merry Christmas!  I'll see you all back here next week! 

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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Sleigh Ride Envelope Card

Hello!

Everyone keeping busy with the Holiday prep?  I'm up to my elbows in last minute projects, gifts, and baking.  I hope I can finish it all in time!

Today I thought I would share this card fold I stumbled across called an Envelope Card.  I enjoyed making it so much I ended up making four of them!  They are all different so I thought I'd share one with you today then the rest a bit later with all the instructions on how to make your own.  The great thing is that you can make them for any occasion and with as little or much dimension as you would like.  I kept this one fairly simple but if I were in an extra crafty mood to make this one again I'd add a few additional pop up trees in the background of the scene.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to cut out the tree, sleigh, and lamp post.  My lighting wasn't co-operating when I took the photo but the tree was cut from Dazzling Diamond glimmer paper and looks so darn pretty I can hardly stand it!


See how simple it all folds together?  Add a little greeting to this side and seal with adhesive.  Flip over and add a mailing label and its all ready to mail (with a little additional postage of course!)

Supplies:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

That's all for today but I'll be back tomorrow with the instructions and three more cards using this fold!  I hope you can stop by!

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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Home for the Holiday's in a Tea Cup



Hello!

I loved making the Spring version of my Front Porch in a Tea Cup so much that I just couldn't resist trying a Holiday/Christmas version! I'm so happy with the way it turned out - if I could find a cottage like this I'd definitely move in; how about you?

As with my previous version, almost everything is hand made.  The only store bought items are the little trees and beads and a few other little trinkets to add finishing touches.  Each piece of siding is hand cut and stamped; along with all the small paper details you see.  And, as usual, all papers are Stampin' Up!

The little snowman was so fun to make that I couldn't resist making a batch of them to use in other projects!  They are the absolute perfect size for little wee things like this and add a little whimsy to the scene I think.

Small pine boughs with berries adorn the white picket railing and a scattering of freshly fallen snow add sparkle above the window and door and stairs.  The evergreen is decorated for the festive season in the front yard with garland sprinkled with gold decorations.  

A quick view of the top of the tea cup; I just couldn't cover up the pretty pattern with more snow so I left it exposed to enjoy.  The small cuts of branches help add height and dimension to the side of the tea cup and make the cottage scene look slightly more "woodsy".

I'm planning on taking this tea cup along with a few others I made to a small craft show later on in the week. If it doesn't find a loving new home I'll be placing up for sale either here on the blog or in my Etsy shop.  So, if you love tiny wee things be on the lookout!  I've made a few winter as well as summer ones that I hope to share here later this week if all goes according to plan.  I'm not sure about anyone else but I'm not nearly as far along in my Holiday prep as I normally am for this time of year! Now, you could say that it's because of my excess crafting, but I'll just chalk it up to busyness elsewhere in my life...like remembering to move that dang elf every night...LOL

Have a great day all!  Until next time...

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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

A Christmas Story Birthday


Hello!

Sometimes I make a card and it just becomes "THE ONE".  The one that can compete with no other and takes all the glory...this leg lamp card is that card for me LOL.  My sister and I LOVE LOVE LOVE A Christmas Story movie and when I stumbled across this cutting file in the Silhouette store for my Cameo I had to have it to make it part of her birthday card.

The Hearth & Home Framelits were the perfect background addition; I mean what's a leg lamp if it can't be proudly displayed in a window, right?  And even more dual purpose, the window box portion of the die set became the table top for the lamp to sit on.

Supplies:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Now the only dilemma that remains is how many more of these do I make so I can have a string of leg lamp garland in my front window?? ;)  I feel a Christmas tutorial post coming on...hehehe

Just a quick note before I sign off; have you had a chance to sign up for my 12 weeks of Holiday Newsletter yet?  This week marks Week #10!  I can't believe how fast the time has flown by!  And don't fret if you've missed past newsletters and are just joining now.  There is a archival link when you view the newsletter in your web browser, or, if you can't find it just send me a quick email at melissa@porchswingcreations.com and I'll be happy to forward the earlier weeks to you.

Have a fabulous day!  Until next time...

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