the Last Christmas Card

This is it! The last of the Christmas cards of 2009! and I'm so tired from all this holiday hooplah, that I'm afraid you're getting few details. Except that if you still need some holiday stamps, you've got time to get them if you go digi! They can be in your "hands" almost instantly and you can finish up all those last minute projects! Run on over to Lindsay's Stamp Stuff for a great selection of beautiful and fun digital stamps for the holidays. Check out the great specials, too! I used an image from the Christmas Potpourri set (yes, it's my favorite). I just printed it out on some GinaK White Pure Luxury cardstock, colored it with my luscious copic markers, and paired it up with this beautiful, glittery paper from My Mind's Eye!
I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas or holiday season! Check out the design team for more inspiration and be sure to stop on over at Lindsay's blog to see what goodies she's got for you today for free!

Gifts Galore

Someone wake me when it's Valentine's Day! I declare, this Christmas season is exhausting. I can't seem to get anything accomplished because I'm always rushing off to attend something. Last night it was my husband's company's Christmas party. Tonight it's our bunko Christmas party. Sunday I'm off to a copic class. When am I supposed to bake, decorate, and shop?
Well, thank goodness Lindsay has come up with some ways to make my gift wrapping faster and cheaper! The LSS shop has these cool new Christmas Card, Tags, and Toppers Printable Kit. Look at what I started with. It cost .50 at the dollar store.

It's a bag, right! Nothing special...until I add a topper from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff which I just sized to fit the bag and printed it out. That's it!

This will look much cuter under the tree than that plain ole bag I started out with. I also used one of the ornaments in my favorite set Christmas Potpourri Digital Stamp set. I printed the image out on my GinaK paper, colored it with a couple of copics and spica glitter pen, cut out the ornament and added it to the tag that came with the bag. I did use SCAL2 and my cricut to cut out a mat for the ornament in red and drew in the wire hanger with a copic pen. But this project took just minutes to put together and I could very easily make dozens more in a short amount of time.
Okay, if this doesn't convince you to run right now and pick up these two sets, how about this:

ANDDDDDD...Lindsay's got a great new set in the shop which is just perfect for making calendars! Be sure to check out the special and all the great items in the shop to ease your holiday stress! Need some ideas? See what the LSS ladies have been up to this week and start by stopping by Lindsay's blog. Look under the tree. She may have a present just for you! Happy Holidays everyone!

Cocoa Craftiness

It's finally cold around here! Well, if you think temperatures in the 40s is cold, then, yes, we finally have winter weather. Yesterday, while I was all bundled up in my jacket and winter clothes at the grocery store, winter Texans walked in wearing shorts! No doubt they were laughing at all of us native South Texans as we shivered and talked about how cold it is. I guess it's all a matter of perspective!
Definitely feels like hot cocoa weather to me! So, I found this cool tutorial on Splitcoast for making a crimped envelope pocket card and I adapted it to hold a packet of cocoa. Combine that with the LSS Warm Winter Digital stamp set and you've got a great little gift to give one of your chilly friends to warm their hearts and tummies.

I printed one of the snowflakes from the Warm Winter set in different sizes on a kraft A2 envelope. Then, I traced over some of the lines and squiggles in the snowflakes with my Spica Atyou Glitter pens. I sponged the envelope edges and then, cut 1.25" off the short side of the envelope. I set the top part aside and ran the larger portion through a crimper. The crimping makes the "pocket" part a little smaller, but I bet using an embossing folder would have a similar effect. The idea is to have the 1.25" top part fit over the bottom part, so the bottom part (the pocket) has to be a little smaller. I added a snowman also from the Warm Winter set to front of the pocket. I colored him in with my copics before cutting him out and adhering him to the envelope. There are some more cute, cute snowmen in this set, too.
Now for the topper:

I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the topper and added a bow. Then I punched out a 1.75" circle from some sparkly DCWV cardstock. I printed out the steaming hot chocolate cup (also in the LSS Warm Winter set), colored it with my copics and then punched it out with my SU 1 3/8" circle punch. The snowflake on the topper is a Martha Stewart punch. And here's what it looks like right before you close it all up:

This is a really easy project to mass produce if you need some quick and simple gifts to give. Lindsay has another cocoa holder on her blog. Be sure to check out her recent posts to see how she created hers. Don't forget to grab this perfect winter digital stamp set, too. This goes beyond Christmas for designing throughout the cold weather months! And, as always, spend $5 dollars at Lindsay's Stamp Stuff and get a free digital stamp. While you're at the shop, be sure to check out Lindsay's latest set Winter Printables. You'll find lots of great design elements which will really speed up your holiday crafting. Need more ideas, don't forget to check out what the rest of the design team has come up with!
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Kraft envelope, DCWV Holiday Collection Glitter Mat Stack, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: LSS Warm Winter Digital Stamp Set 
Accessories: Fiskars Crimper, printer, Spica Atyou Glitter pens, copic markers, PTI Enchanted Evening Satin ribbon, SU 1 3/8" circle punch, EK Success 1 3/4" circle punch, Martha Stewart Snowflake punch, CTMH Foam Tool