Willow & Paisley

Jingle ~ Sketching Through the Snow

 

I'm cutting it really close to get my card in to the Jingle Belles current challenge.  This week was a sketch.  I don't really do many sketches (in fact I hardly do any challenges at all and I must see about looking for some more to try) and my card is certainly a loose interpretation but I like it!  It's bright and colourful to say the least. 

 

 

 

 

Christmas was one month ago.  Can you believe that?  Wow, does time fly by or what?  The great thing about this Christmas card challenge blog is that I already have 4 cards ready to give away next December as I'm making 2 of the same card for each challenge.  What a great feeling that is!

 

 

 

 

Technique Tuesday Tiles - Stencils!

 

Hey Everyone....well, since I'm not been doing much crafting these days I thought I'd pop in here to share a blog post that I did for the Technique Tuesday blog back in December.   Enjoy!  

{{p.s....I just heard about a thrift store in Calgary that I had no idea existed.  I'm not even sure how that is possible.  A co-worker told me about it and she said it's a good one!  Oh yes, I will be going there this weekend and hopefully I will have a thrifty post for you!!}}

 

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Hi Technique Tuesday Fans.  Charlene here and I have a fun little project to share with you.  I'm going to show you how I made Trivets using chipboard as stencils.  If you love chipboard you are going to have fun playing with these Tile Toppers from TT, I promise!

 

 

Here's the list of materials I used:

Technique Tuesday Tile Toppers ~~ both the Classic set and the Flora & Fauna set

Spray Paint including a clear coat

Ceramic Tiles

{{the previous homeowners left these but tiles are readily available and super cheap}}

Cork

Painters Tape

Glue and Glue Dots (which are not in the pic)

 

 

 

OK let's get started.  After choosing which designs I wanted to use I started to separate the pieces.   

 

 

 

I chose to use the "negative" portion of the Tiles as that is the areas that I wanted to be painted.  I used Glue Dots and 2 sided tape to adhere the image to the centre.   

 

 

 

Once I covered the edges of my ceramic tiles with painters tape I used the frame that I cut apart (see above) to create a border. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then outside we went!  {we as in me and my tiles...ha}  I took my chances and sprayed these on the deck even though it was a bit windy that day.  The painters drop cloth comes in very handy.  As you can see from my test sprays in the bottom right corner I couldn't decide on the Grey or the Orange paint but the grey won out in the end.  I did about 3 light sprays allowing about 10 mins to dry inbetween. 

 

 

 

Who else loves spray paint?!  I may or may not have several more cans in the basement.  I've recently heard that the fine line between collecting and hoarding is "dust".  Judging from the top of that stand I'd say I just crossed over the line.  Yikesa.  But come on people....I can't resist the temptation of picking up a new colour when I'm out and about.  {{Anyone else have these issues?  No?  Just me?}} 

 

 

 

Here are the ceramic tiles after removing the Tile Toppers and the tape.  The chipboard can be used over and over again.  The swirly frame didn't have as clean of lines but you would just use more Glue Dots in more areas to avoid that from happening.  As it is I like that it has a antique-y look.  These Trivets have also been sprayed with 2 coats of a clear sealer spray. 

 

 

 

My very last step was to cut some cork to fit and glue it on the bottom.  The E-6000 worked perfectly and that cork is not going anywhere.  

 

 

 

So there you have it.  My final product just waiting to be used at the dinner table.  While I plan for these to be used as Trivets I think they will look great displayed in the kitchen when they are not in use.  

 

Thanks so much for visiting.  I hope I've inspired you to think of different ways you can use products that might originally be meant for paper crafts.  I'd love to know if you've "stenciled" anything lately.  If you have any questions at all just leave a comment and I'll pop in here to answer ya.  

 

 

 

 

Peace - A Giveaway - Winner Chosen

 

Congrats to Janice Aeschliman.  You are lucky #13 and ou won the Sign of the Times stamp set.  I will email you to get your address from you so I can pop it in the mail. 

 

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:13Powered by RANDOM.ORG

 {{I did enter 25 in the Max section based on the number of entries but when I copy and paste it keeps reverting to 100.  I couldn't get the image to save properly}} 

 

 

Hey everyone....in case you have not heard already Technique Tuesday is having their annual Progressive Sale.  Each week they discount the retiring stamps further and it's up to you if you grab them now or gamble and wait for the next weeks bigger discount.....hoping the stamps you want are still there.

 

Check out this link to see all the stamps that are being retired.  Then scroll to the bottom of that page to read about how to get the discount code (which includes signing up for Newsletter, visiting their Facebook or Blog).  We are entering the final week of the sale tomorrow and it runs January 9th - 15th.  With the discount code you will get an awesome 60% discount on the retiring stamps.  Score!  If you have any questions let me know.   

 

 

 

I just happen to have an extra stamp set called Sign of the Times and while it is being retired I'm hoping one of you would like to give it a new home?  Leave me a comment if you would and I'll make a random draw on Thursday January 12.  I will mail it anywhere.  Be sure to leave your email address so I can get in touch with you to tell you that you are the winnah!!! 

 

 

 

Have the best day ever! 

 

 

 

 

 

No Time Like the Present(s)

 

Yes, it's a Christmas card. 

(Don't freak out too much)

 

 

 

I know, I know......we have all de-Christmasfied our houses and put it out of our minds for another 11 months (unless you are my neighbor and still have your tree up and plugged in 24/7 since mid-November.  Seriously, I'm mystified by it).  

 

BUT making a Christmas card falls into my plan for 2012 to SIMPLIFY.  That's the word I chose for myself this year but I want you to know that it's just really a fancy word to allow me to be lazy when I want to be.  I'm all about full disclosure. 

 

I am planning on playing along with the lovely ladies, Stef and Lauren, over at the Jingle Bells blog to make a Christmas card (or 2) every two weeks.  This way when it comes time to mail my cards next year I will potentially have 50 cards ready to go.  You see, when I sat in my craft room for hours late one night to mass produce Christmas cards for my co-workers just days before the 25th, I was kicking myself for not joining in last year.  I do not want that to happen again.  It was not fun. 

 

 

 

 

This weeks prompt over at Jingle Bells was to either make a card with a Christmas present on it or use wrapping paper.  I chose the wrapping paper route and cut out squares which I rounded the corners of and attached them. It was a bit messy because I am a Mono Multi girl and wrapping paper is thin and the paper warped pretty easily.  I did make 2 but the other one ain't pretty. 

 

I heat embossed my front sentiment from Believe by Ali Edwards and also stamped the inside of the card.  Is it ok to say that I'm kinda thrilled I don't have to put away my Christmas stamps anytime soon?

 

 

 

 

I'm linking up to:

 

P.S....I'm going to be back soon with a stamp giveaway.  See you. 

 

 

 

 

The All Things Love Technique Tuesday Blog Hop

 

Hello Everyone!! 

Welcome to the All Things Love Technique Tuesday Blog Hop.

Technique Tuesday’s Stamping Techs are blog hopping again, and we are sharing love-themed projects this month.

 

 

 

 

For my card I used the Mon Ami Paris stamp set.   This includes the little key, the sentiment and the large fleur de lis on the heart (heat embossed in red on red) as well as the teeny tiny fleur de lis that I stamped on the patterned paper and heat embossed in white.  This stamp set is so detailed and it's so very easy to make a clean and simple card have some character and interest.  

 

Be sure to check out the blogs of everyone taking part in today’s blog hop.

 

Tanis

Ashley

Char (You're here)

Daniela

Tobi

Laura

Sharyn

Kris

Jaclyn

Teri

 

 

 

We love reading your comments so we will have some random draws for prizes.

From the comments received on all the blogs, we will pick one lucky person to win the Bear Necessities stamp set.

 

We’ll also pick one person to win the Home Tweet Home stamp set.

 

 

You don’t need to comment on all the blogs to be eligible to win. But the more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

 

Comments must be posted by midnight on Dec. 28th. The winner will be announced on Dec. 29^th sometime on the Technique Tuesday blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have the best day ever!

 

 

Thrifty Finds - Christmas Decorations

 

Merry Christmas Eve.  Yep, I'm going to share a Thrifty Post today because it's mainly Christmas items and after tomorrow, well, I'm pretty sure I'd get some funny looks if I was posting Christmas decorations.

 

Speaking of funny looks I am going to first tell you how it is I actually have time to do a blog post when I should be freakin' out and getting everything ready for Christmas Day.  Not long ago you might remember I mentioned that we were staying home this year and it was just going to be the 2 of us at home.  {{We thought we would do Fondue.}}  Well, it turns out my bachelor brothers in law are staying in town so they are coming over and I needed to figure out what to do for our dinner.

 

{{cue the angels singing}}.......TURKEY TO GO!  OH. YES. WE. DID!

 

 

We ordered our entire Christmas dinner from a hotel here in Calgary!!  All we have to do it pick it up at our chosen time slot and come home and serve it.  And eat it!  I cannot tell you how happy I am about this decision. I don't even care if it tastes like cardboard....but it won't.  There was no way I was cooking for 4 people.  I know it's not hard to cook a turkey but the dinner overall is ALOT of work whether it's 4 people or 14 people.  My amazing hubby told me about it as a friend of his ordered this last year.  I was literally jumping for joy once we placed our order.  

 

 

Ok, moving on.....here's some of my Thrifty Finds and how I used them in my Christmas decorating this year. 

 

The swinging doors I showed a couple weeks ago are used in a display on a ledge as you come in the front door.  We don't have a mantle on our fireplace and this is the closest place I have to mimic a mantle.  The swinging doors were $3.50 for both.

 

 

 

 

This wreath is HUGE.  I paid $3 for it at a garage sale 2 summers ago.  I bought a couple fake Poinsettias at Michael's and cut them apart to slip into the wreath for Christmas.  In the spring I put in some birds and and a nest.   Yep, that means the wreath just stays there all year round.  I'm too lazy to take it down.  I need to find a piece of furniture for that space. 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought this little green dish at the thrift store on Thursday for $1.00.  It's perfect for the Christmas cards we have received. I normally have them in a basket but I like this better.  Oh and there are my musical bells.  I hung them on my lamp rather than putting them in a window. 

 

 

 

Ok are you ready for this cuteness??  My amazing friend Brenda totally GETS me!  She bought this for me at Value Village for $9.99.  She knew it had to come and live with me.  I swear people I might go all Clark Griswold on you one of these years.  I love him and he is so cool when all lit up!

 

 

 

I have been absolutely obsessed with looking for these vintage ceramic trees.  I found the tiny one for $1.00.  The bigger one below was half price so it was $1.50.  Those were from the Mennonite Thrift store several weeks ago.  Alot of the little "bulbs" are missing.  I need to order some on eBay but don't you love the Lite Brite pieces that someone used?  If that's not thrifty goodness, I don't know what is!  LOL. 

 

 

 

Here is where they are displayed in my living room.  I'm not good at the whole vingette thing.  I just put things out cuz I love to look at them.   The green sleigh is one of my all time favorite vintage finds last year.  I believe I paid about $2.50?  The coloured glass balls are also vintage.

 

 

Here is the "find of the year" in my opinion. How appropriate that the find of the year is at the end of the year!  Again.....let me tell you I am obsessed with these green ceramic trees.  I thought I'd never find one.  On Thursday I went to the Mennonite Thrift Store and immediately spotted this little tree on the floor.  $4.  Oh man.

 

 

Then I turned around and this larger one was lit up sitting by the cash register.  I die.  It said $7.  I asked if I could buy it and they said yeppers!  {{If you are a thrifter you know exactly how I felt that minute when I found the very item I've been dying to find and not only one but two!!}}

 

When I was at the cash register the lady grabbed a shopping basket and was trying to put these in it.  I had no idea what she was doing but apparently there was a Christmas Basket Sale meaning that if an item did NOT fit in the basket it was half price.  She said "that will be $4 dollars".  I literally gasped and loudly said NO!  Total?  I'm still confused how it came to $4.  I feel like I ripped off the charity thrift store.  All I know is that it was like that IKEA commercial where the girl thinks she got such a good deal she runs out yelling "start the car" to her husband.   Yep, that was me, except I was by myself.  

 

 

Here they are displayed in a corner of my kitchen.  I took the photo at night so it's really off colour but you get the idea.  

 

 

I have really enjoyed decorating my house this year but the really BIG question is ......WHO IS GOING TO TAKE IT ALL DOWN????  OMG

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

 

 

Loonie Stampers - Oh Christmas Tree

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Eve's Eve.  Today our Maria had us create using a Christmas tree.  Suits me just fine and I might as well get the holiday crafting in while I can as Christmas will be over before you know it!  But wow, talk about colour saturation.  My camera went crazy with these colours.

 

 

 

 

I pulled out the denim to cut out my tree and then blinged it right up.  I'm always happy to cut up the old pair of jeans and made something fun with it.

 

 

 

 

Dee   Regan   Wendy   Maria   Rhonda

 

 

 

 We are off to a friends Christmas party tonight.  Should be lotsa fun and I thought I'd share my drink of choice these days.  We had a little party a couple of weeks ago and I decided I was going to make a Whiskey Sour.  I've only ever had them on a cruise ship.  Well they turned out SO yummy and by the end of the night I do believe I had 2 or 3 others switching from wine to drinking these with me.  

 

Fast forward......the following week Mike needed a Secret Santa gift for an office party so I decided that I would make a Whiskey Sour Kit.  Apparently, it was a hit and got "stolen" a number of times.  Here is a pic of the "kit" I made.  {{Whiskey Sours don't normally have Club Soda in them but it's how I like them.}}

 

 

 

 

Behind the label is a canning jar filled with the simple syrup I made.  The lemons are Meyers lemons but regular lemons would be great and give it that sour kick it's supposed to have.  Wish you were all here to enjoy a cocktail with me!

 

  BE MERRY!

 

 

 

 

Jingle

 

 

 

I'm sure you've all seen all the Subway Art that has been all over Pinterest and blogs for quite some time now.  I love all those creations and I had that subway art idea in my head when I made this card.  It's a loose interpretation for sure but I like how it turned out. 

 

 I'm sure we all have a drawer full of Thickers and alpha stickers we don't use enough.  This was a fun way to use some of them up.

 

 

 

 

Ok, everyone.....4 more sleeps!  Are you all ready for the big day?  Do you have lots left to check off your lists?  Try not to stress yourself out, ok?  Relax and enjoy!  

 

This is probably the easiest year we've had that I can remember.  We are staying home and not travelling to visit family.  It's not our usual but I am very much looking forward to a nice and quiet Christmas....at home.

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Ornament Tree

 

Hey Everyone.  I want to share with you my very favorite Christmas decoration that I made this year AND my very favorite blog, Into Vintage, where the idea originally came from.  

 

This is my "Ornament Tree" and I think I just officially justified all those purchases of glass ornaments I made throughout the year by creating it.  Or at least that's my story!  Every single ornament is either vintage &/or from a thrift store with the exception of the little jingle bells.  Those are Martha Stewart (Home Depot) and I used them to fill in the small spaces.   If you ever spot vintage ornaments at Thrift stores you really should pick them up.  There are gorgeous compared to the "new" stuff in retail stores these days. 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE it!  I mean I really really love it BUT I am still IN LOVE with the original one that Amy created on her blog last December.  Hers needs to be published in a magazine.  Here it is below.  Isn't that amazing?!!

 

 

 

The "tree" is made by hooking ornaments thru the screen material on the back door in my kitchen.  I taped up some twine to get the shape and size I wanted and then just started adding the ornaments and filling in all the spaces. 

 

Because it's on my back door it really is quite temporary so I'd have to re-make it each year.  I won't mind doing that but then again I'm actually considering just storing it "as is" in the basement.  In a safe place, of course.  We never open that side of the door and the screen is always in storage anyway as I find it makes the kitchen look dark.  Maybe we will just carefully remove it and cover it with a sheet. 

 

 

 

 

Now the only reason I'm going to inundate you with a way too many photos is because I really suck at taking pictures.  I probably took 100+ photos at different times of the day and still none of them really do it justice.  I'll share some taken in different light. 

 

Thanks so much for looking and I hope you likey!  

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embellish Color Trends Challenge - Mixed Patterns

 

 

 

Happy Friday everyone!  Welcome to the current Embellish Magazine Challenge which is also the last challenge of 2012.  We know everyone is busy getting ready and enjoying the Christmas season but we hope you take some time for yourself to relax and get a bit crafty with us. 

 

 

 

 

Today we are asking you to use "mixed patterns" along with the colors shown above.  I have to admit I kinda screwed up and missed the "mixed" part.  I only used one pattern.  Whoops. 

 

 

 

 

I incorporated my colors by making a little embellishment with twill ribbon.  I stapled them together before securing it down which made it much easier to work with.  I used Hound Houndstooth for my embossed background pattern and my sentiment is from Loving Words by Ali Edwards.  

 

 

 

Have a great week everyone!!  Merry Christmas!