Christmas Treat Holder

I LOVE candy.  I know that there is irony somewhere in there, but it's true I really do love candy.  It is not often that I find a candy I do not like.  Of course there are those awful Carmel things in the orange packages that are given out at Halloween, and those designer flavour jelly beans that taste like dirt, wet sock and yesterday's fish, but most candy really is good.  I decided that I need to make a jelly bean holder because I really had nothing better to do this morning.  I started with a Window Sheet and cut it 2.5 " wide and 8 1/4" long, I scored it with my new Simply Scored Tool at 2/4/6/8/ 8 1/4" (the last score is for the sticky strip to hold it together).  The box base and top are a 3" square scored at 1/2" evenly around and secured with more sticky strip.  The base is anchored to the Window Sheet with more sticky strip to hold in place the lid is just put on top for now.  I used the sticker pack from the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit to decorate the box.  Then I filled it with the jelly beans I had left over (amazing).  Hope this inspires your own creativity...


Kathy

Christmas Mini Scrapbook

Today I decided it was time to brake into my Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit not just for stickers.  I decided that I would see if and how quickly I could make a mini scrapbook.  The entire project was less than an hours, I used only products that I had easily accessible, and so in under an hour I had the whole project completed.  The cover is half of a 12 x 12 sheet of card stock scored with the Simply Scored Tool at 5 7/8 and 6 1/8 for the seam binding.  The fold out portion of the album is 11 x 11 scored length and across at 5 1/2 " to get the four equal squares.  I did make a cut along the seam on the left hand side between the top and bottom layers to allow for easier closure of the book.  The pages are decorated with the Designer Series Paper and cards tock included as well as the sticker packages.  For the cover I ran a piece of early espresso card stock through the Snow Burst Embossing folder, stamped the Christmas Lodge Stamp set in Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso ink and sponged the edges with early espresso, used a bit of 3/8 Quilted Satin Ribbon and foam dots to raise off of the embossed background.  A really quick and easy to make Christmas gift I think.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Birch Tree Scrapbook Page

So, while most of people are making Christmas cards and Christmas scrapbooks, I am making summer ones.  I must be confused..... (for those of you that know me - you know this is no laughing matter, but more a way of life), and I digress.....   I bought the Designer Series Paper pack of Frostwood Lodge because it has beautiful cottage Christmas prints.  A must have item.  However, one particular piece of paper did not put me in the Christmas mood, but more of a nostalgic summer one.  As a child my favorite part of summer was going to Waskesiu Lake in Prince Albert National Park (PANP).  It is still the best lake I have ever been to.  Waskesiu Lake in PANP is at the edge of where the Aspen Forest meets the Boreal Forest and there are lots of birch trees amongst the Coniferous Trees.  So when I saw this piece of paper I knew I had to do something with a lake theme.  This summer we were fortunate enough to find one almost alright lake in Alberta called Crimson Lake and it is located at the edge of the Rocky Mountains but in an Aspen like region as there were lots of birch trees there as well.  So, although it is early November I had to make a scrapbook page about Crimson Lake.  For the layout I used the 12 x 12 sheets of Cardstock from the 2011 - 2013 In Color series; the background is Pool Party, the lake is Island Indigo, the grass is Garden Green, and the sand is crumb cake with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz sprayed over top to look like glistening sand (ooooohhhh top drawer).   Stamp sets used were Summer Splash and Sunny Fun both from the Summer Mini.  I left the photo mats as plain white to possibly resemble clouds in the sky and will sponge the edges a bit once the photos are matted.  Then I had a left over piece that I had tried to score and make a lolly like all the cool people are making right now - that did not work out, so I made it into an umbrella and a toothpick wrapped in a glue dot holds it all together quite nicely.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Mystery Christmas Quilt Clue # 2

These are the two blocks that were made as part of the Mystery Quilt mail out that I am participating in from The Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.  I am expecting clue # 3 in the mail any day now, so thought I better get these two done.  There are also stick arms for the snow people that I have not cut out yet as they are attached later in the process and knowing me if I cut them out of the fabric now, it will be 2065 before I find them again!  The bodies of the snow people are cut from flannel and they are sooooo cozy.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Halloween Cupcakes

My son's class has been allowed to have a Halloween party during school hours this year due to good behavior in the classroom.  Of course my son wanted me to make cupcakes for the party.  I looked all over Edmonton but was unable to find string black licorice as he wanted spiders on his cupcakes.  I made the chocolate cupcakes, the icing, painted a black stripe in the icing bag so that the icing would have a black/grey edge to it as I piped it out, and then put Halloween sprinkles on top thinking that would be great!  However, he took one look at them and the big blue eyes looked at me and said "Where are the spiders"?  Hmmmm, how can I disappoint that face.  So, out came the icing bag and this time black icing was made and I drew spiders on top.  Now, my drawing is terrible so these are the worst spiders ever, but it is Halloween, so I think that they just might do.  Kid response to these:  COOL.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Grade Two Treats

These are the Halloween treats that my son gave his Grade 2 class for Halloween.  I made these cards to fit over a treat size package of popcorn twists.  I did not realize until right now that only the french language portion shows!!!  The cards are standard size cards.  The base is Old Olive card stock, followed by a layer of basic black and then Designer Series Frightful Sight paper (except for the star paper which was in my paper stash - not cookie), and then layered with 1/4" black gros grain ribbon.  I used my Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge to cut out the ovals (white in 1 1/2" and old olive in 1 3/4").  Now everyone knows I love my Cricut, so when I saw that Close to my Heart was partnering with Cricut I got very excited.  I placed an order for this cartridge and the deal of the month at the time allowed me to get the "Wicked" stamp set for $5.50.   I thought that was a great deal.  The black cat on the oval is stamped from this set.  I am however a little disappointed in these stamp sets.  First I do not like the sticky feel to the stamp image, secondly I did not like the slipping that occurs with these images when they are stamped.  As most of you will know I use any product that is of good quality and am not "loyal" to any one brand unless I think it is clearly superior and in this case I do now believe that Stampin Up does have a better stamp. Hope this inspires your own creativity...

Kathy

Halloween Pail and Foldout

Last week I attended a class by a Stampin Up demonstrator here in Edmonton named Krista Frattin.  I originally saw her pail creations at Regionals here in Edmonton.  After a few attempts at these pails with measuring tape and Exacto knife I decided it was time to learn how to properly make these pails.  So, I looked up her website (see link above - she has several class options for you) and booked into this class.  She also planned for us make this lovely little scrapbook foldout, and if you look closely on the first page there are mini clips with which to anchor photos, so that you can change these out yearly (and you all thought I just forgot the clips there didn't you?).  My son was not sure whether to use the pail he made at his kids scrap booking class or mine, so he simply decided that this pail could wait in the car in case we needed another trick or treat pail!  I think this is a pretty top drawer production, and so it will now sit on top of my shelf in the craft room until next year.  Hope this inspires your own creativity...