On the 22nd Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

Still finishing up my outdoor decorations in the frozen tundra we call Chicagoland. Today I wrapped a couple cardboard boxes, wrapped them in colorful plastic tablecloth sand added bows to them both. Next I took some leftover plastic bowls( from my Halloween crafting) bought from my local Dollar store, glued them together and created ornaments out of them. The ornament holder is made rom sample-sized cups I snagged from a thrift store eons ago (I use them when I paint).The hooks are over-sized jump rings.

I decorated each with a White Posca marker and adhesive bling. They sit gracefully at Santa's feet in my lamp post garden in front of the house. And if the weather doesn't warm up, they will be the last decor I put outside before Christmas!! Yikes, it's cold...Note in the photo below, the grass, though frozen, is still green. The weather went from mild to freezing that fast. I am so glad I stuck those metal candy canes into my grass last week...

On the 18th Day of Christmas Crafting...

I love making shadow boxes, especially for Christmas and Halloween. Today's project features a house-shaped shadow box made of wood. After lining the back with holiday designer paper, I riffled through my holiday stash and found characters, presents, trees and decorations enough to fill all three cubbies. I look for bags of small holiday ornaments and knick-knacks at garage sales and thrift stores throughout the year.

In the bottom cubby, there's Mrs. Claus baking Christmas cookies while elves are making toys. In the middle, Santa is trimming the tree and putting presents under it. The top compartment is where candy canes and poinsettias are stored. I finished the box off with holiday buttons and stickers after decorating the roof with paper doilies, a bell and a holiday greeting.

I used to facilitate workshops for shadow box making, but the store front closed after a couple years. Now I make them for craft fairs and take commissions for specifically-themed ones. 

On the Fourth Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I found a burlap-wrapped cork board in need of a lot of TLC at a thrift store last year. After taking off the frame, I made pockets and covered them with designer papers that were in my stash. I put last year's handmade cards in the pockets to show how it worked after attaching a Santa head and bow to the front. I added snowflake stickers to the frame. 

I think it's time to pull last year's cards out and start slipping this year's cards in...

24 Days of Christmas - Day 14 - Santa Wreath

 

You know I can't pass up a bargain. I bought 2 skeins of that thick fluffy yarn that seems to be the rage for 2023 during the summer. After finding the Dollar Tree metal wreath, I watched You Tube and looped my yarn through the spaces between the metal rings. I fell in love with its fluffiness!! I mean, it looks and feels like freshly-fallen snow (well, looks at least).

Then I trooped downstairs to be an over-sized ornament shaped like Santa's head and attached it with clear fishing line to hang in the center of the wreath.  I pulled miscellaneous items from my holiday crafting supplies and decided on various snowflakes, as well as a few pinecones, poinsettia flowers and a bird.

I like the white wreath against my mahogany door. It really pulls the eyes to it. I hope you like it too!!

Christmas Craft Creations - Christmas crafts (obviously)

Crafty Gals Corner - tis the season

Fab & Funky - Christmas

Sisterhood of Crafters - Christmas

The Holly & Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes

Try It in Tuesdays - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Christmas Crafts All Year 'round - ANYTHING GOES CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY 

Santa is Sensational at the 12 Months of Christmas

Christmas is getting awfully close now, crafters! Do you have enough handmade cards for this year? There's still time at the 12 Months of Christmas to create your holiday cards AND have a chance to win prizes.
This month the guest sponsor is Limited Runs, and I chose to create this spin card using a digi image called Santa Cup. I printed my image twice, coloring one cup empty and the other cup with coffee. So when the card comes out of its envelope, the recipient will see it as it is above - empty.

When the card is opened, you'll see the cup has coffee - lucky for you because it puts you back on the NICE list. As the front of the card says, "NO COFFEE = CRANKY SANTA".

After creating the spin card base, I covered it with patterned paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles.

Have I inspired you to create a couple more holiday cards? The theme is Anything Goes, with an optional twist of "Sensational Santa". Prizes for this newest challenge at the 12 Months of Christmas are:

The Ghost of Christmas Past Visits the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog

The best part of Christmas is the memories of Christmases past. Charles Dickens hit it spot-on when he wrote A Christmas Carol, pulling Ebenezer Scrooge and his readers into the heart of Christmas with his spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Around my dinner table at Christmas, we a single place setting  for all those who can no longer celebrate with us. Memories of their laughter and love keep them alive every year.
This spirit of Christmas Past inspires April’s Optional theme of The Ghost of Christmas Past (a Vintage Theme) at the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog. The guest sponsor is Luna Girl, a perfect match for this theme as you will see from the offerings of our DT.

I used an image from Luna Girl's Pink Christmas 2 Collage Sheet, along with the following papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles': Vintage Damask 1: Rich Colors Paper Kit in Green, Pink Glitterati Textured Paper and Brown Paper from A Grungy Christmas Paper Kit
The rest of the embellishments are from Carolyn's Scrap Creations and various crafters at Pixel Scrapper. 
The challenges are always ANYTHING GOES but there's always an optional theme. You don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month and have your name thrown into the year-end draw for some extra digital goodies. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15.00 gift certificate from Lunagirl. Please add the letters FT after your name when you link your cards so that we know you're interested in that $15 Luna Girl prize and let the spirits inspire you to create a vintage Christmas card this month!

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree with Rick St Dennis and the Outlawz Greetings Challenge

The days are counting down! Just eleven more days until Santa shows everyone if you've been nice or naughty. While Santa, I'm sure, is so very busy getting ready for the big night, he still takes a break now and then to "Rock around the Christmas Tree" with Mrs. Claus. LOL

Today starts a new challenge over at the Outlawz Monday Greetings blog. The theme is to put some music on your project, and this week's sponsor is Rick St Dennis. 

I played with this cute Christmas image called Christmas Couple. 
After coloring with my trusty Copics, I fussy-cut the couple out and placed them, well, not under the mistletoe, but close enough. Everything on my card is leftover from last year except for the image. I think I have enough stash supplies left for another year of crafting without buying anything new!! Yikes, I need to join a twelve-step program. Maybe I'll head a new chapter of Crafter's Anonymous. If not, I'll just have to enable some local crafters by giving my stuff away!
Meanwhile, back at the Outlawz, we'd really like to see your "musical" projects this week. Carve out some time to craft and join us as we head into Christmas. 

Challenges I am Entering:

A Gem of a Challenge - Anything Christmas Goes

Crafty Friends challenges - Christmas

Craft for the Craic challenges - Christmas Cheer

Fussy & Fancy challenges - Happy Holidays

Working Ahead Again

I have a big problem when I try to clean off my work table. I'll get to a certain image, paper or embellishment and ZAP the muse will strike and I make a "quick" card---creating a bigger mess than when I started. Does anyone else have this same problem??

Today it was finding a stash of Christmas embellishments...

...which led me to thinking about The 12 Months of Christmas Cards Progressive Challenge blog,

...which led to these two new Christmas cards.

 The first uses a cardstock background on which I doodled a border with white gel pen. I used Christmas stickers and adhesive glittery snowflakes. Very easy, very quick!
The second uses a Squigglefly digi image, adhered to an embossed and distressed background of blue cardstock. Again, I embellished with snowflakes. Santa is grinding out a love song, as he just visited several hundred houses where Mommy was caught kissing him (optional theme). Shh! Don't let Mrs. Claus find out...

And I now have another two Christmas cards to add to my growing stash. As a bonus, everyone who plays in the 12 Months of Christmas card challenge (entering two cards)  receives free digital paper from Lisa of Decosse's Dynamite Digis. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!! LOL
Now, the trick will be to keep my work area clean and organized so that come Thanksgiving, I can find all my lovely cards to send out!!  Wish me luck!