Yuletide Dreams - December 2024 Gecko Galz Projects

Happy Holidays, friends!

Am I the only one who can't believe that Christmas is a mere five days away?  This month seems to have flown by; lucky for me, my gifts are purchased and I only have a few more to make.  Speaking of makes, today I'm showcasing my second tag for the Gecko Galz 25 Tags of Christmas as well as my design team projects.  The theme this month was Yuletide Dreams, and I've created some fun cards that will take you on a trip through Christmases of years ago.

 First up is my second tag of the month.  I adore art that features winter scenes with a horse-drawn sleigh and so I knew that I wanted to feature this beautiful image as soon as I saw it.  I wrinkled up some brown shipping paper and glued it down to a tag.  Ink blending with some browns adds age to it, and it takes on such a vintage appearance.  I then created a wreath from burlap ribbon by wrapping the ribbon around a chipboard circle with the center removed.  I glued the image to the back of it and then adhered it to the tag.  I added light touches of brown ink shades onto the wreath before gluing down the berries, branches, and flower.  A quick ribbon of red & green plaid was glued down to the top along with another flower, and I created a sentiment with my label maker.  I really love how it turned out!

My first card is a throwback to the the mid-century modern design of the 1950's and early 1960's.  Filled with teals and pinks and silver garland, it's a celebration of Christmas during a time that was changing from traditional to modern.  It is constructed of a shadow box frame on the front of a card to give it depth, and I used some acrylic magic string to allow for the appearance of floating sentiments.  How cute is it?!?!

My next few cards are a throwback to times earlier than the first.  All are fun and festive and include layers to give dimension.  Each of the images really spoke to me, especially on the last card, a waterfall card, in which I used several images.  They're all so nostaglic!

I hope that you enjoy each of these projects, and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.  Until next time . . . be well!

Happy Holidays - Tuesday Morning Sketches

Hi, friends!

Christmas crafting is in full blown mode.  Just about everything that I’m working on lately has to do with the holiday season.  The sketch for this week also worked very well for a Christmas card.  I used paper and ephemera from Simple Stories to create this it.  It has a bit of a retro feel to it.  It’s such a fun design!

Thanks for stopping by Paper Play.  Until next time . . . be well!

Magical Christmas Designs - Gecko Galz November 2024 Challenge

Welcome back to Paper Play, friends!

The fun part about this time of the year is that we celebrate so many holidays.  This month we've moved on from all things dark and beautiful to the magic of Christmas!  November's Gecko Galz Challenge theme was Magical Christmas designs.  This was a fun twist on the typical Christmas crafts since the word magical may be interpreted so many different ways.  I decided to focus on the magical beings of the season - elves, beings of nature, and angels.

I created four projects for the challenge - a tag and three greeting cards.  For the cards, I went with a theme of using a line from a Christmas song as the greeting.  I think that I found the perfect images to accommodate them!

For the tag, I used a chipboard tag as the base so that it would be very sturdy.  I painted the tag, glued down the elf image, and then stenciled holly and ivy with colored grit paste.  I made the burlap wreath by cutting a chipboard circle with the center cut out and wrapping the burlap around it.  The burlap is glued down to the circle.  I added some vintage grunge to the wreath using Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stains, and then glued it down to the tag so that the elf image was in the center.  I glued down the sentiment strip and some additional floral elements and the tag was finished.

 

 

 

The first card design came to me as soon as I saw the image of the Green Man/Forrest Man.  I immediately thought, "Let heaven and nature sing."  Seeing as though he is a being of nature, I thought it appropriate that he be surrounded by nature.  I grabbed a wreath die and cut the wreath elements out of a darker green cardstock.  I lightly added some Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink to darken it up a bit, and then spritzed them with some Tim Holtz Distress Spritz to get some shiny mica on there.  I glued the wreath down to the image so that it was in the center and then added poinsettias and acrylic bubbles.  I wanted a somewhat plain background so that it didn't take away from the beauty of the wreath and image.  To start, I cut a piece of brown packing paper down to 4"x5.25" and wrinkled it up into a ball.  This technique creates a beautiful dark background that looks vintage and has little veins running all over it when you adhere it down.  I opened it up and adhered it down to a cardstock base (A2).  I ink blended some Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink over it to add more aging to it, and then ran a gold metallic marker around the edges of the card base.  I glued the wreath down to the card base and created the sentiment with a label maker.

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this beautiful image as soon as I saw it, and the sentiment "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" immediately came to mind.  I thought of this cute little angel and the fox sleeping by the moon.  I wanted a very metallic aesthetic for this card to offset the softness of the image and help accentuate a winter feel.  The card panel was created by ink blending some blue, green, and purple inks onto white cardstock.  I then spritzed it with some Distress Sprtiz colors.  Once dry, I ran some Walnut Stain Distress ink around the edges.  I created the moon by die cutting a circle from black cardstock and then cutting it into a crescent shape.  I rubbed it with some silver gilding wax and then with some Distress Spritz on a rag and let it dry.  I fussy cut the image and glued it to the backside of the moon, and then adhered the moon to the card base using double sided foam tape.  I created the sentiment with a label maker and adhered it to the card, and then glued down some crystals to act as stars in the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

There were three other angel images that I wanted to use.  I thought of a collage but couldn't find quite the right arrangement.  I then remembered this photo strip frame die that I have from Whimsy Stamps and knew it would be perfect.  I created a slimline card base with Kraft cardstock.  I die cut the frame from Kraft cardstock, blended Tea Dye and Vintage Photo Tim Holtz Distress Inks over it, and then spritzed it with some Distress Spritz.  I ink blended some Tea Dye ink over each of the images and adhered them to the dried frame with double sided foam tape strips.  I then glued the frame down to the card base.  I thought about a sentiment related to angels and these beautiful images brought to mind, "Angels we have heard on high."  I created it with a label maker and adhered it to the card.

 

 

 

 

I really love these non-traditional Christmas cards and hope that you do, too!  Thanks for spending some time with me on the blog today.  Until next time . . . be well!

Holiday Wishes with Tuesday Morning Sketches

Hello, friends!

It’s Tuesday, which means that it’s time for this week’s Tuesday Morning Sketches share.  My mind automatically turned to Christmas when I saw this week’s sketch.  It reminded me of a candy cane and so I ran with that inspiration.  White and red with metallic green stripes.  An easy, yet fun, way to say Happy Holidays!

Here’s my card and the sketch:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  Until next time . . . Be well!

BPM/IBFS - Here We Come A-Caroling

Welcome back to Paper Play, friends!

It's hard to believe that Christmas Eve is only four days away.  The weeks leading up to the holiday just seem to fly by so fast.  I was able to squeeze in a viewing of A Christmas Carol, which is one of my favorite Christmas movies.  (Side note: I enjoy both the 1938 and 1951 versions, but prefer the 1938 one!)  It always helps put me into the Christmas spirit.  That's why I knew that I had to make a card with the stamp featured on today's card - Vintage Style Christmas Carolers.  It looks like they stepped right out of Victorian England!

Here's what I used to make it:

• Vintage Style Christmas Carolers Art Rubber Stamp
• Beyond the Border Christmas Set 1 CLEAR Stamps designed by Pam Bray 
• Wishing You a Merry Christmas Stamp by Gina K Stamps
• Beautiful Christmas Tide Sheet Music Paper from Grabie
• Concord & 9th Cranberry Premium Dye Ink
• Altenew Evergreen Crisp Dye Ink
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen
• Delicata Golden Glitz Pigment Ink
• Lawn Fawn Jet Black Ink
  
• Sizzix Clear Embossing Ink
• Ranger Clear Embossing Powder
• Ohuhu alcohol markers
  

Here's how I made it:

• Stamped the holly & berries stamp from the Beyond the Border set horizontally in alternating gold, evergreen, and cranberry rows onto a 4.5"x6.5" white card panel.
  
• Cut an oval from the center of the stamped card panel using an oval die.
• Ran gold ink along the inside of the oval and along the outside of the white panel.
• Cut the Beautiful Christmas Tide paper to 4.5"x6.5", stamped the carolers onto it using black ink, stamped it again using clear embossing ink, then applied clear embossing powder to the stamped image, and set it with a heat tool.
• Colored the stamped image with alcohol markers.
• Applied some Antique Linen ink with a blending tool.
• Placed double sided tape to the back of the card panel and adhered it on top of the sheet music paper.
• Placed double sided tape onto back of card panel and adhered it to a 5"x7" green card base.
• Stamped the words A Merry Christmas onto a strip of green card stock using gold ink, cut the strip to size, and adhered it to the inside of the oval with double sided tape.
• Ran gold ink around the edges of the green card base.
• Placed pearl stick on jewels in the corners of the white card panel

I really like this card.  It reminds me of A Christmas Carol and helps me feel the Christmas spirit.  I hope that you enjoyed today's post and wish you a wonderful holiday!

Until next time . . . be well!

Creating with the Gecko Galz - December 2023

Happy December, friends!

Thanks for stopping by Paper Play to see what's new.  It's hard to believe that the month is already half-way over and that Christmas is less than two weeks away.  I've been busy crafting design team monthly projects, gifts for friends and family, and Christmas cards.  Speaking of which . . . today I'm sharing my creations for the Gecko Galz design team.

First up is one of two tags that I created for our 25 Tags of Christmas event on the Gecko Galz blog.  Comfort and Joy was made by: shrinking a digital stamp from the Christmas Traditions set of digital stamps, coloring it, adding some grit paste, adding some grunge with Antique Linen Distress Spray Stain, framing it with these beautiful gold frames and a sentiment from the Compliments of the Season kit, and adding some ribbon.  I fell in love with this digital stamp as soon as I saw it.  It looks like an idyllic Christmas morning to me.

My second tag will be shared on December 22nd . . . stay tuned!

The next shares are all my creations for the December challenge.  The theme for the month was Winter Elegance.  My interpretation of the theme was focused on finding that elegance in everyday life.  I showcased the products used with bits of sparkle and glitz to add the elegance.

This beautiful Victorian winter shadow box was made with two different Gecko Galz collections.  The background picture is from Merry Little Christmas and the rest of the items are from  Christmas Spirit.  I started by painting the square wood shadow box with some Patina colored chalk paint, applied a coat of crackle medium, and then applied Oatmeal colored chalk paint over it.  This process achieved a crackle look that made it look like it was older and had been painted over a few times.  Once dry, I glued the background image inside of the box.  I then applied grit paste the a piece of styrofoam and glued it to the inside bottom of the box.  I fussy cut the images, glued stick pins to the back of them, and stuck them in place inside of the shadow box.  The sentiment was attached to the top with some double sided foam tape.  I sent this as a gift to my dear friend Kathy and I'm happy to say that she loved it!

My two Christmas cards were made with images and paper from Christmas Spirit and Compliments of the Season.  I love these images so much and wanted to showcase them in a beautiful way.  I aged the photos and background papers by distressing the edges with a plastic knife and then running some Tea Dye Distress Ink around the edges.  I also applied some of the ink to the paper for some added grunge.  The result is vintage Christmas cards that will bring a smile to anyone.

Last, but certainly not least, are my vintage Christmas ornaments made with images from Christmas Spirit.  They are SO easy to make and (now, I may be a little biased!) beautifully elegant.  The hardest part of making them is cutting the hole in the front of the ornament.  The ones that I used were made of a thicker plastic so I used by Dremel tool and the circular cutting blade to cut the shape.  It takes a little bit of a steady hand, but the blade glides through it like butter.  It may take a couple of passes to get the shape as you like it.  I then used the sanding attachment and sanded down the sharp edges.  Note that you may use an exacto knife if you don't have a Dremel tool, but it may take a little longer and require more pressure if the plastic is on the thicker side. It's all smooth sailing once the holes are cut!  I painted a base coat of chalk paint on each (Patina on two, Frost Blue on the other), let it dry, and then applied a coat of crackle medium.  Next, I added some extra fine white glitter to my top coat color, mixed it up, and painted it on.  I did also paint the inside of each ornament with a couple of coats of this glitter paint.  I used super glue to attach a small piece of styrofoam to the inside bottom of the ornament.  Once dry, I glued one of the images to that piece of styrofoam to keep them in place.  I had previously made outside decorative pieces with some moldable foam clay and moulds.  I painted them and attached to the ornaments with glue.  Grit paste was added around the hole to give it a little extra snow effect and dimension.  Here's a tip for you - the grit paste can also hide any imperfections made from cutting the hole!  Made an oopsie?  Cover it with grit paste or glitter glue!  Let's keep that secret between us, okay?!  The last step was to apply some gems (pearls and silver balls) to the ornaments.

I hope that you enjoyed reading about my inaugural projects as a member of the Gecko Glaz design team.  Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the steps outlined above - I'll be sure to answer them for you!

 I wish you and your loved ones the merriest of holidays and my heartfelt best for 2024!  Until next time . . . be well!

BPM/IBFS - May You Never Be Too Old

Hi there, crafty friends!

Thanks for stopping by Paper Play today!  The holiday season is in full swing and Christmas magic is in the air.  Today's post is all about that.  I have always loved the saying, "May you never be too old to search the skies on Christmas Eve."  It's so nostalgic for me - it brings back Christmas memories from my childhood and the good times that we had as a family.  Not to sound too corny, but those really were different, and in some ways much nicer times: spending time with family, the excitement and anticipation of Santa Claus visiting, and the magic of the season as seen through a child's eyes.

The card that I'm sharing today on the Blank Page Muse blog today captures that magic.  It has a vintage feel to it thanks to the wonderful rubber stamps designed and sold by Blank Page Muse.

Here's what I used to make it:

• Country Lane Cottage Line Art Rubber Stamp by Rick St Dennis
• Vintage Santa & Sleigh from Winter Wonderland Stamp Set
• Beyond the Border Christmas Set 1 CLEAR Stamps designed by Pam Bray
• May You Never be too Told to Search the Sky on Christmas Eve sentiment stamp from Bella Carta
• Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain Stormy Skies
• Tim Holtz Distress Spray Mica Winter Frost
• Tim Holtz Distress Grit Paste Opaque
• Altenew Pure White Ink Spray
• Altenew Evergreen Crisp Dye Ink
• Lawn Fawn Yeti White Pigment Ink
  
• Ohuhu Alcohol Markers

Here's how I made it:

• Stamped the village in black ink onto a horizontal 4.5"x6.5" white card panel
• Made a stamping mask by stamping the village onto masking paper, fussy cut it out, and placed it over the stamped image on the card panel.
• Sprayed card panel with Stormy Skies spray ink and then with Winter Frost Spray Mica
• Used a heat tool to dry the panel.
• Sprayed some white ink spray onto my glass craft surface, spritzed it with water, and used a paint brush to add some "snow flakes" to the sky.
• Removed the stamping mask from the village and colored it with alcohol markers.
• Inked one of the trees from the Beyond the Border Christmas stamp set with Evergreen ink and stamped it next to the village; repeated this two more times for a total of three trees.
• Used a pallet tool to add opaque grit paste to add snow to the ground around the village and trees.
• Used a paint brush to add some opaque grit paste to roof tops and bushes.

• Stamped Santa & sleigh onto a piece of white card stock; colored the image with alcohol markers and fussy cut it out with detail scissors.
• Stamped the sentiment with white pigment ink in the upper left hand corner of card panel and dried it with a heat tool.
• Added double sided foam tape strips to the back of the Santa & sleigh image and adhered it to the sky in the card panel.

• Adhered double sided tape to the back of card panel and centered it onto a 5"x7" navy blue card base.

These stamps are gorgeous and work so well together!  I love this country cottage stamp and think that I'll be creating seasonal cards to show life in this village.

My hope is that this card invokes some wonderful Christmas memories for you and helps you believe in the magic of Santa Claus this holiday season.  I'd love to hear from you if it did!  Please consider sharing a comment with a favorite Christmas memory, favorite Christmas movie, or whatever you may like to share.

Thanks again for spending some time with me on Paper Play today.  Until next time . . . be well!

 

BPM/IBFS: Vintage Santa, Two Ways

Happy Holidays, friends!

As the old song goes, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year!”  Making Christmas cards, creating Christmas ornaments, and any other type of holiday crafting is the creative time that I enjoy the most.  I think that’s because of all the wonderful holiday memories with my family.  I often think of those memories as I sit and create.  Just add some Christmas tunes and I am in my zen!

Today’s share is a double feature using the same stamp - a nostalgic vintage Samta Clause.  I wanted to make a traditional card and also something that could be both a decoration and a card . . . so I made both!

Project 1

My first creation was this traditional Christmas card featuring the vintage Santa framed by colorful rows of stamped Christmas trees.  There is a lot of dimension in this card, and I love the vintage look and feel of it.

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Vintage Santa holding toys Holiday Art Rubber Stamp
  
• Beyond the Border Christmas Set 1 CLEAR Stamps designed by Pam Bray
  
• Christmas word stamp from the Steampunk'd Christmas Holiday Red Rubber Art Stamp Sheet
• Spellbinders Nesting Diamond Dies
• Dark red, dark green, and cream card stock
• Tim Holtz Distress Antique Linen Spray Stain
• Concord & 9th Cranberry and Wheat Premium Dye Inks
• Altenew Evergreen Crisp Dye Ink

Here’s how I made it:

• Stamp alternating Cranberry and Evergreen rows of Christmas trees onto a 4”x6” cream card panel

• Use a diamond shaped die and cut a diamond in the middle of the card panel

• On a 4”x6” green card panel, take a nested diamond die that is two sizes smaller than the one just used in step above and cut a diamond in the middle of the panel
• Put a 4”x6” cream card panel behind the green card panel and stamp the vintage Santa image in cranberry onto the cream card panel
• Adhere green card panel to panel with stamped Santa image with double sided foam tape

• Adhere panel with stamped Christmas trees to green panel with double sided foam tape
• Adhere completed card panel to 5”x7” red card base; may use double sided foam tape or double sided tape, depending on how much dimension you would like
• Stamp the word Christmas onto scrap piece of cream card stock with Wheat ink; cut out the word in a rectangle shape; lightly spray with Antique Linen spray stain; adhere to card with double sided tape

Look at those layers of dimension!  This was such an easy, yet very classic, card to make.  I love the way that it turned out!

Project 2

The second way that I used the vintage Santa stamp was in making this vintage curio box.  This curio box may be used as a decoration and may also be used as a card if you put a blank piece of card stock on the back of it.  

I love that it’s multi-purpose.  It can also hold a gift card on the back if you make a slot for one or put a pocket back there!

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Vintage Santa holding toys Holiday Art Rubber Stamp
• Sizzix Thinlits Curio Box Bigz Die by Tim Holtz
• Carta Bella Wood Grain Paper
• Recollections Holiday Paper
• Chipboard - 1 8.5”x11” piece
• Cream card stock
• Gold card stock
• Concord & 9th Cranberry Premium Dye Ink
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Antique Linen & Vintage Photo

I made a video to show how I made the curio box.  You may see it on my YouTube channel.

I hope that you enjoyed learning more about the versatility of this amazing stamp from Blank Page Muse and my creative process in using it!

Thanks for spending some time with me today on Paper Play.  Until next time . . . be well!