Gnome Sweet Gnome

I got the Gnome Sweet Gnome set in my shipment the other day, and decided I better do something with it.  Now a gnome needs to live in a tree, so I used up left over Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper to make the tree base, and the baby needs to be in there, so I made him, and her a little hatch to live in comfort in their trees.  The gnomes are colored with Stampin Write Markers and because they are known for their fashion sense I colored them with every color I liked.  I love to color.  Now, I am not the crazy gnome lady, however, I do have the Travelocity Gnome at work (given to me by a student a year ago because I frequently sing the "Gotta Get Outta Here" tune at work, and the Saskatchewan Rough Rider Gnome is a must for every Saskatchewaner - yes he lives in my house, I dare not put him outside, 1 in 3 people living in Alberta is from Saskatchewan)!  Now, off to see if i-tunes has yet to get either Green is the Color or Rider Pride on it, and if not I will just listen to it on  www.riderville.com/page/audio.  GO RIDERS GO!!!   Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

High Tech Quilting

My husband is always very diligent about making sure that I have the latest technology gadgets, even though I am not always that good with these devices!  This year was no exception, as my phone has a small screen, and is too slow to load some web pages (redeyecrafts.blogspot.com), and my I- pod touch only has Wi-Fi, and there is not usually a hotspot in horse riding arenas, or the other places I sit while my son participates in extra curricular activities it was decided I needed something with portable internet capability.  So, I now have a Galaxy Pad (using it now - have learned to use the flash)!  Of course, it needs a cover, so I made one this evening out of some fat quarters in my stash (fabric - not cookie).  I think it is pretty, and this is my first post using the Galaxy Pad.  Seems to work well so far including taking the picture with it!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Felt Gift Card Holders

I made these felt gift card holders for Christmas for the few gift card presents I had to give out. 

For this gift card I used a white piece of felt cut 2 3/4" wide by 7" long, folded in half, and used a blanket stitch around the edges, using 2 strands of White Baker's Twine.  The felt wreath sewn on is from the Winter Wishes Stitched Felt in the Stampin Up Holiday Mini Catalogue.  

This gift card holder was probably the easiest as I used the Winter Wishes Mittens string as the string for the gift card holder to hang from!  Again, stitching along the edge is with 2 strands of White Baker's Twine.  By now, my son was wanting to help, so he has now started to practice the blanket stitch.

The last gift card holder, has the most work put into it.  For this one I used green felt and my Stocking Accents die and ran it through my Cuttlebug (shhhhh..... this thing has not disappointed me and has cut what ever I managed to shove into it).  I used my Husquvarna sewing machine to stitch the tree down (again an awesome machine - no cleaning in 3 years + and sews what ever I decide to feed through it too - I like to experiment).  Then because the tree looked blah, I decided to put on beads which I did.  Finally, used 2 strands White Baker's Twine to blanket stitch around the edges and create a hanger.  Seven year old child helped with sewing again. 

Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

B-I-N-G-O

I think I got this Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper last fall in a buy three get one free promotion (at least I hope it was free and I did not exchange currency for it).  I am just not a fan of this paper.  So, late last night I decided it was time to craft it up and get rid of it!!  As I looked at the Bingo cards, I thought who would use this???  Then, I decided I would!!  Now, the irony to this is: I HATE BINGO.  I cut the BINGO cards out then adhered to matching card stock (real read, old olive, blushing bride, and early expresso).  I then used self laminating sheets over the cards so that they will endure small hands playing with them.  Then I cut 24 1" circles in the corresponding colors and self laminated them again.  As for the calling numbers and letters I used the 1 1/2" scallop punch to punch out 24 of each of the letters "H" "J" "O" "L" "L" and "Y" and on the back of each of these 24 letters stamped the  25 & Counting stamp set.  The numbers were punched out with the 1" square punch and adhered to the reverse of the letters, and then the letter and number combos were self laminated.  I made a folder from early espresso card stock and more of the Letters to Santa DSP and then put the cards in a plastic bag (used White Staz On ink and the snow flake from Bright Hopes to decorate the bags), the callers numbers/letters in another and the markers in another bag.  All of the bags are stuck inside the folder with velcro dots.  The raccoon image on the front is from last years Merry Crittermas stamp set (OMG - I used last year's stamp set).  Now, off to play BINGO with my son.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Glitter Christmas

I made this card in November at Karina's Coffee Talk.  The card is pretty straight forward, but it is the bottom portion that makes this card "Top Drawer".  The bottom portion of this card is made using the double sided sticky sheets from Stampin Up.  A layer of lace (polyester - not cotton) is placed over one side of the sticky sheet and then glitter poured over.  Pat all of this down then remove the lace carefully.  The remaining exposed sticky surface gets another layer of glitter on it.  Pat this glitter down as well, and TAH DAH!!!  When I made this card I knew that there was only one person who could fully appreciate this card, and that is my grandmother - the woman who LOVES glitter.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...


Kathy

Christmas Gift Tags

While wrapping presents the other evening I decided that I should have at least some home made gift tags to go on my purchased and home made Christmas presents.  However, it was 2235 hours and I was tired, so I thought about how I could make quick and easy tags.  A look in my cupboard found the Warmest of Wishes Stamp set from the Holiday Mini (one of the things I love about being a hobbyist is that I can get all of this stuff without having to host a party - heehehehehehee).  So I opened up the package, used garden green and stamped the image on a piece of whisper white card stock that I had scored at 2.5" with my Simply Scored tool.  I then used the label punch to punch these out being careful not to go through both layers at the edge, then used a piece of white bakers twine through the center to make the hanger.  I used the tree from the Jolly Bingo Bits set on the inside as none of my to and from labels fit inside this (hmmmmmm - might have to invest in some of these).  Now, what do these look like on the presents?   Well, unfortunately, I forgot to photo the tags on the presents prior to putting the presents in the box for the post (DOH!).  Hope this inspires your own creativity...


Kathy

Merry Rocky Mountain Christmas

I have always dreamed of having the "perfect" magical Christmas.  Over the years I have tried all kinds Christmasy things with our son to try and create those kind of Christmas memories for him.  I think that this year I may have succeeded.  We are fortunate to live in Alberta only about 3 hours from those magnificent Rocky Mountains that people from all over the world come to see.  We have spent the past week just outside of Banff, very close to Canmore in a wonderful resort with Chalets.  Over the past week we have climbed up the surrounding mountains in a perfect snow fall (big, fat, white snow flakes), gone skiing at Nakiska, skated in an outside rink under the shadow of the Three Sisters at the resort and downtown Canmore, and visited all the wonderful little shops in Canmore and Banff.  I will show some of the wonderful treats I found at my favorite stores over the next few days.  The gingerbread house above, comes from a box, however, it was the best I could do with not being at home.   We have had the "best" time here, and have decided that we will do this again next year to start a family tradition for our son and have a "magical"Christmas every year.  Merry Christmas and Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!!!  For today I have chosen to post a picture of the stocking that I made for my son a couple of years ago.  It is rather large and at the time I made it he was 5 and actually fit inside it!!  I bought this stocking as a quilt panel, but as it was rather large I decided it would hold up better if I actually lined and quilted it, so that is what I did.  The funny story attached to this stocking is that several months later while at a quilt store with my mom and she came across this panel.  Her comment "here's a stocking for some greedy child", to which my son exclaimed, "hey grandma, that's like my stocking".  I will be hanging this shortly as I know Santa will be filling it while we are at church this evening, and leaving behind the usual pair of cozy jammies for Christmas Day.  Merry Christmas everyone, and Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Sweet Dreams

Christmas of course is all about family, and that of course means that the family usually comes to visit.  Now, I know that it is never easy to sleep in a new bed, in a different place and yet usually most people will always tell you they slept well, when we all know they didn't.  A co-worker of mine tells the best story about sleeping on a futon in a basement at her sister in laws and how awful it was and yet she proudly tells everyone that she told the sister in law that it was a great sleep!  So, knowing that family members do not tell you how awful their sleeping conditions are at your house, I decided this year I would try to make it a little easier.  I made this "Dream Pillow" a few weeks ago at a Gift Ideas class at a store here in Edmonton called Earth's Aromatique.   When I made it I had big plans as to how to make this way better using my sewing machine, and maybe some embroidery, but alas that still has not happened.  This pillow is made from a block of silk fabric folded, and filled with a wonderful blend of herbs, one of which is something called Mugwort (I love the name of this stuff - it sounds like something Gargamel would use to catch a Smurf!).  I am going to tuck this into the spare bed and along with the polar fleece sheets, and warm woolly quilts hopefully everyone will have a somewhat restful sleep.  Nighty, night........  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Cookie Party

On the weekend I hosted my first ever Annual Christmas Cookie Party.  My friends Alyssa, Brandy, and Kathleen joined me for this event.  First we made these boxes to take our cookies home in.  The boxes are the Kraft boxes available from Stampin Up, the card stock is Garden Green, and the paper is from the Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper set.  The Poinsettia is again made from the Joys of the Season Cricut cartridge, cut from Cherry Cobbler Paper, and then inked with the flat stamp and tea stain ink.  The center of the poinsettia is lemon colored flower soft.  I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and the cookies (strawberry marshmallows dipped in chocolate, Milk and White Bernard Callebaut chocolate apricot bark, sugar cookies stamped with the Stampin Up cookie stamp, and finally caramel shortbread (the caramel set like stone on top of the shortbread, so we all have to enjoy it warm or will be paying for a dentist's infant son's education !!).  Next year will be even better!!!   Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Christmas Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes that I made for my son's grade two class.  I made the cupcakes from a cake mix I purchased while in Montana in November.  The cake mix looked so fun, however, I was slightly disappointed when I opened the box and found that the candy bits were simply a small packages of cake sprinkles!!!  Anyways, they worked and the cupcakes do look like this inside.  The marshmallow decorations on top were also picked up in Montana.  I made a quick simple icing paste, added more sprinkles and put the marshmallows on top.  Apparent early reports are that the cupcakes were "really good".  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Grade Two Gifts

A lady at work asked around a few weeks ago, if others with children gave out cards, or just treats at Christmas to classmates.  I of course said "BOTH".  My son made these a few weeks back.  I found the template for the gift wrappers on the Stuck on Stampin  website.  We used the Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White and Baja Breeze card stock and then stamped the design with the Merry Winter Stamp set.  The images were colored with the Stampin' Write markers.  Inside these little wrappers is 8 hershey's kisses and 1 peppermint patty (candy - not Snoopy's friend).  The wrappers were closed and Cherry Cobbler seam binding added for decoration.  Hope the grade 2's like them, and Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Santa's Boots

On the weekend my son and I went to a class at Greenland Garden to learn how to make these wonderful festive center pieces.  I love this garden center as I can kill any plant (sometimes the plant puts up a fight and lasts vigorously but eventually it realizes there is no hope - like the cactus that I forgot to water for 2 years!!!), and yet they are always so helpful and non judgmental about my lack of skill or green thumb (as a Registered Nurse - not sure any one should have one of those - usually requires an amputation), and they offer classes to help those of us with issues.  This was one of those classes.  We were given all of the organic matter that you can see, and actually taught how to use it, arrange it and care for it.  Now if only I could stop sneezing from it that would be great!!!  The little red birds in it are an awesome addition.  After finishing the class we went for a stroll through their Christmas store and got some more really cute Christmas things for the house!!!   Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

The Christmas Table

I have this "thing" whereby I believe that a home must have a wooden old fashioned styled table in the dining room, or the place is just not "home"  I have always had wooden tables in my own home, however a few years ago I found the perfect table.  It is oval with pull out leaves, and has the pedestal with big wooden feet from one end to the other, so no legs on the side.  I LOVE this table.  Now, because I am neurotic about how things look I do not want scratches or burn marks on my table. To prevent that from happening, I have a vinyl table cloth with flannel backing on the table (the table is rubbed down regularly with Scott's Liquid Gold), next the table cloth, and then a clear plastic tablecloth over top of it all.  Due to the last layer being plastic and my rule about a hot supper around the table each night, I have various quilted projects on the table at all times, to absorb spills, and absorb the warmth of plates and serving dishes on the table.  Last year I found these fabric panels (2 of each design) at Sew Divine and instead of just sewing them together, I quilted them so that they would have a layer of batting between the sides of fabric.  A quick stitch in the ditch method around the edges and pictures and they were done.  Took them out of the Christmas closet the other day, and they are ready for service again for another Christmas season.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Dazzling Details Christmas Tree

Rather than finish off my tube of Dazzling Details like Stampin Up would probably like, I decided to use it again to finish my paining project.  I painted this plaster Christmas tree, and once dry rubbed Dazzling Details all over and let it dry.  It is hard to see the glitter effect on the tree, but it is there.  The tree did not turn out as well as Santa did, however, not bad, and better than using only on paper!!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Winter Friends Quilt

Look what I found in the Christmas closet!!  I made this quilt for my son last year as a Christmas present (he actually asked Santa for a Christmas quilt!).  The center panel and coordinating fabrics I purchased at Sew Divine, and the long arm quilting on it was done by Melinda at Sewing with Class.  The quilting does not show up well in this picture, but the stitch is giant snowflakes in red, blue and green multicolored thread.  My son thought it was fantastic because of all the animals on it.  I just like it because it is bright and makes me feel like Christmas.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Holly Berry Soap

Today is last minute stocking stuffer ideas.  When I was at the mall on the weekend there was a booth all set out dedicated to bath bombs, bath soaps, and salts.  So I decided to whip up some of my own today.  The soap is made from a holly berry mold I have around the house, and a cocoa butter soap base.  I scented it very lightly with grand fir, orange and vanilla oils so it would smell slightly Christmasy!  I wrapped the soaps in parchment paper and used up some more of the last years Designer Series Holly Christmas paper and tied the package closed with Cherry Cobbler Seam binding.  Of course there was some of the clear green glycerin left over so  I made...... wait for it.......

A smiling Merry Christmas crocodile!!!!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

I must be bored

Today's project is another red eye special.  No, I did not complete it late at night (or early in the morning for some of you), I really had red eyes while creating it!  Today I was in the presence of someone with too much perfume and so now I feel all miserable and stupid as I took a Benadryl and only got a short nap in before the supper time telemarketers started their calls (really at supper time - I know they need a job - but really????).  After supper I was still feeling woozy so I decided to craft.  Here are the results.  Hmmmmm, nothing special, I know.  But, I did make the box, and used my new Simply Scored tool to make it and the new Stocking Accents die from Stampin Up.  I did not go to any real effort though as I did not feel like cleaning up my mess.  The box will hold the 6 3x3 cards and a couple pieces of chocolate, so now maybe I will Craft this forward (an initiative of Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks etc. publication).  I used the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin kit for the papers and stickers on the cards, and I really was not creative tonight as there is only 1 piece of contraband product on there (shhhh...it's the star on the top of the tree - isn't it awesome?).  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Edible Ornaments

This evening my whole family got involved with my crafting project of the evening!!  My husband and son put the gummy lifesavers on the licorice strings, and then we all got "stuck" making balls out of the Rice Krispie squares recipe (found on your own box of Rice Krispie's).   No, they will not hang on the tree as the dog will think that they are treats for him.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Bells & Boughs Christmas Card

Today I thought I would try something different.  I went into my craft room with the intention of making a "nice" Christmas card.  I picked a color of paper (Cherry Cobbler of course - probably my favorite Stampin Up color), looked for a piece of Designer Series Paper and this green piece of the Frostwood Lodge was still setting on my desk.  I got another piece of paper, by now I was beginning to sort of get a plan, so took out a piece of Garden Green card stock.  After that was stuck down, I decided I needed a Christmas stamp set, so reached into the cupboard and took out what was on top.  Bells & Boughs.  Perfect.  The rest of the card was then planned, as I colored the image (I love to color), and then for added impact I put on the felt holly berries, sponged around the image with Early Espresso Ink to "age" it and adhered to Early Espresso paper, used Stampin Dimensional's  to elevate the image and lastly put on the Early Expresso Quilted Ribbon.  The ribbon did not work out the way I wanted, so another felt piece to the rescue!!  TAH DAH!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Another Advent Calendar

I LOVE Advent Calendars.  I am not sure what is so exciting, the count down, or the tiny treats (probably the treat).  This version I made a couple of years ago with random papers and stickers I had, and again was based on the boxes of Karen Foster.  I found it the other day in my Christmas stuff and of course it had to be put out on display with the others.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Mystery Christmas Quilt Clue # 5

This is clue # 5.  I have made 4 of these strips.  Six different colors were used and cut into 2 1/2" strips and then sewn together in strips of 2 and then sub cut into 2 1/2" units.  I think they look so pretty on the red eye with the Christmas trees around them.  Clue # 6 arrived in the mail with the finishing instructions and the option to make the project larger.  My son of course thought we should make the bigger project, so I will be calling The Quilt Patch tomorrow morning to order the rest of the finishing kit!  Will it be done for Christmas? HAHAHAHA!!!  Not likely, - still not sure if last years version of this will be done for this Christmas as it still needs the binding.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Poinsettia Twister

Remember how I always take home fat quarters like homeless puppies?  Well, here is my Christmas version of the Twister table topper using 4 more of the homeless fat quarters.  The pattern for this is from Designs to share with you.  I bought the fat quarter package from Sew Divine as well as the backing.  Now, it sits on my table with one of the school fund raising poinsettia's on it and makes the house very Christmasy!!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

The Annual Poinsettia

Every year my son's school does an annual Christmas fundraiser selling Poinsettia plants.  These poinsettia's are AWESOME, and usually last until August when they are thrown out due to vacation schedules.  I have several friends and colleagues that purchase these plants yearly and so to say Thank you for their support of the school I always include Thank you cards.  These are the cards I made this year.  I used my Cricut and the Joys of the Season cartridge.  The card stock is real red, garden green and whisper white from Stampin Up.  After I cut the poinsettia's I used the Distressing Essentials Kit from Stampin Up to flat stamp across the leaves with tea stain ink, just to give the leaves a more "real" look.  I rolled the edges and then used glue dots to adhere each layer and then place on real red ribbon placed over whisper white card stock embossed with the Snow Burst folder.  The centers are made from Flower Soft that I had lying around the craft room.   The last picture is of one of the poinsettia just after being taken out of the plastic wrap, it will get much fuller.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

The Stockings Were Hung by the Red Eye with care...

The stockings were hung by the Red Eye with care in hopes that some mending would occur (not likely - I love to sew and quilt but when it comes to "fixing" things not so much).  Every time I look around at the projects people create with scrapbooking stuff there always seems to be a plethora of banners.  So, not to be left out I decided to make one this evening.  I am quite proud of myself for these as a few weeks ago when class handouts came in at work, I decided to keep the cardboard backing from the packages and you never know when some cardboard might come in handy.  For this project it did.  I ran the cardboard through my Cuttlebug (a Big Shot die cutter would work as well) using the Holiday Stocking die, and then the papers from the Christmas Lane Scrappin' Kit.  Some of the trim is from the cardboard as well.  The stocking trims were embossed in the Snow Burst, Perfect Polka Dots, Square Lattice, and Stripes embossing folders, and the decorations are from the Simply Scrappin' kit.  Tied it all together with Cherry Cobbler seam binding.  Entire project including photo, download and blog entry less than 1 hour!!  Perfect project if you need more knickknacks around your home.  Now back to the quilt I was supposed to be working on!!!  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Have a Very Minkee Christmas

Minkee is a product of which I am confused over.  I love the feel and the look of it, but due to my allergies I have to wear a mask when sewing with it to prevent getting the fibers in my airway and then the spray adhesive required to adhere it to the backing then requires me to wear one of those masks painters wear so as to not breathe in the fumes.  It is a very big process as is the clean up.  I have tried hanging it outside for the fibers to blow off - not good enough, tried putting it in the dryer to get all of the loose fibers off - not good enough.  For this quilt I tried both of these techniques (a little from column A, a little from column B).  To make these quilts I first determine how long I want them to be, and how many color stripes I want on the front.  Once the back is cut to length then I divide that measurement by the number of colors I want and use a 1/2" seam allow to determine the length of each stripe.  The width of course is the same as the back.  I usually use the bamboo blend batting inside as it has given me the fewest problems.  The first strip is sewn on facing up along each edge and then each additional strip is laid on top of the previous strip right sides together and sewn the entire width of the quilt.  Once sewn down, each stripe is then tacked down with spray adhesive and smoothed out for lumps and then the next strip goes on.  I suggest starting early in the day so that you get it completed as these quilts make a BIG mess.  Once done it is so cozy to snuggle with.  Again, it just feels all warm and cozy like Christmas when this is taken out of the box.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Bath Bombs

Guess what ???  I like to make things!!  Not sure why, must be some kind of genetic or mental defect, but I really like to know how things are made and if I can control what goes into the making of the product, even better.  Today I decided it was time to make some bath bombs for Christmas presents, as well as replenish my own stock.  I made three of these, however, I forgot to take a picture prior to taking one to Karina when I returned all the stuff I had borrowed from her.  Thought it would be a nice gesture since I am constantly bothering her for something (I come up with ideas in the middle of the night, don't have the supplies, nor the patience to wait for a shipment all the way from Stampin Up), she runs my own personal Stampin Up General Store!!  Thanks Karina!!  I scented these lightly with lavender and a bit of vanilla (vanilla essential oil goes with everything I think), I put some dried Calendula bits and a flower in each bath bomb as well to make them look "organic" and homey.  I always love the feel of my hands after doing these.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Mystery Christmas Quilt Clue # 4

This is the clue for week # 4 of my mystery quilt from The Quilt Patch.  It is getting exciting because I really have no idea what this quilt is going to look like.  So far I just have a bunch of random pieces, but I am sure I will love the quilt when I see it as I always love the quilts that the Quilt Patch ladies come up with.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Hot Chocolate Gift Bags

I have had lots of requests from people on how to make these mini bags, so this is a post specially dedicated to these bags.  The fabric was purchased last fall from My Sewing Room in Calgary.  Every time I am back in Calgary I have to go there, and always find something I just cannot leave behind (like this).  I sewed the bags using the pattern from my favorite website All People Quilt.  Once at this website search for Small Treat Totes.  These bags are so easy to make, it took me longer to make the cards!!!  The cards are stamped from the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set from Stampin Up and the colors used were Garden Green and Real Red.  I have also included a picture of the bags with tags as in addition to the package of hot chocolate I included a bag of chocolate mint marshmallows, and a bag of peppermints to enjoy.  Through the back of the tags before I put on the decoration I punched two holes so that I could run a tin tag tie through as I was certain that no string or ribbon would close a bag tight enough to keep marshmallows soft.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy