Tina's Christmas Banner

Hi there. For this weeks project I decided to make a Christmas banner.
It's actually hanging at my LSS (where I'm teaching my 3rd class on how to make it tomorrow). 

I used Graphic 45 papers, Kaisercraft diecuts, Stickles, Kaisercraft Pearls, and I heat embossed the Kaisercraft chipboard letters.

I used Martha Stewart and Fiskers punches to make the rosettes .

4 Weeks til Christmas!

What a great week. The blog has been packed full of decoration ideas and we love you popping by. Thanks to the Design Team who have impressed us once again with their skill.

We’ve been busy getting the shop ready for the BIG move. We open in a week tomorrow. So it’s long days and late nights at the moment (thus the late blog and I'm sure a few spelling errors!)

Thanks to those of you who sent through decoration ideas. We know it’s getting busy at this time of the year – but we appreciate seeing your projects too! The entries have been loaded up on the Competition Gallery and the winner for this week is…Xanthe! Well done and we'll send your package of Little Yellow Bicycle Papers out to you this week.

The new theme for this week is Home Decoration. Basically anything you would use to decorate your home. It could be along the lines of a Christmas Decoration (remember those fun crepe paper decorations that you’d string along the curtains?!) or anything your heart desires. It might even be your Christmas Tree that you have put up this weekend… Surprise us and go in the draw to win the gorgeous paper collection from The Girl’s Papiere – Tinsel and Twigs. Please send us the entries by Sunday night 6pm (technically 6pm but it is the night before the new shop opens and I have a funny feeling I won’t be home by 6pm!!!). How about I do that blog on Monday night (and give you an extra day!)

The shop is looking grand. Here’s a sneaky peek of the progress. I’d love to show you the picture of the foyer – but the pink couches are there and I don’t want to ruin the surprise!

Now is the time to reveal Betsy’s Decorations. I was supposed to do it on Wednesday – but it appears that a couple of the other designers blogged that day – so you’ve had to wait til now. We oohhhed and aahhhhed when Betsy brought these into the shop! Enjoy…

Heart Baubles. These are cute and super easy. Betsy used a heart stamp and embossed it 4 times on green and four times on red and then cut around them. She folded them in half and attached one half to one heart and the other half to another. Before she closed it off she put some gold string down the middle and a lovely bead at the end. They are really pretty.

Here Betsy has made use of her Octagon Spellbinders (on special at the moment at $99 for a set of 4!). She’s cut 3 of them out and had folded them in an accordion fold then repeated the same with a smaller one. Put a brad through the middle and attach it onto 2 Scallop Circles (sandwiching some ribbon in between. Beautiful!

This stunning little number has been created by using the Fleur de Lis Spellbinder (my fav). From memory I think Betsy has cut 2 of the large shape to create the white larger piece and 2 of the smaller die for the gold section in the middle. Add a brad, some rhinestones and then attach to an old ribbon reel that still has some ribbon on it! Repeat for the back including some ribbon for hanging. I love it!!

This cute box is a Stampin’ Up Favourite and it holds a hanging decoration. Simply make some cones and stick them to a back circular piece. Add a scallop circle centre and a brad. Okay – so you might want the template. I suspect you’ll find it on any Stampin’ Up website!

Finally the Goody Box. This is the coolest box I’ve seen in ages. I don’t actually think it’s a Tree Decoration – but we’re going to show it off anyway! Betsy is going to be running this as a Workshop as part of our Opening Event on the 22th Dec. It’s a 10am – 10pm event. Betsy’s workshop is in the morning, Crafting in the arvo and then Scrap and Sing at night. That will be fun as we provide you with some great entertainment. Only $20 and that includes the pizza dinner and Betsy’s Workshop.To book call the shop on (03) 688 8566 or email at artfullcrafts@gmail.com or book online www.artfullcrafts.co.nz

Right it’s time to head off to bed (before midnight – yay!) and we’ll catch you here tomorrow to see what’s been created.

SPECIALS reminder: Selected Spellbinders $39.99 (singles) and $99.99 (sets of 4). Cricuts on Special including the Cake Cricut. Lots of items in the Clearance Bin. Head to the website to check it out…

The Christmas Message continues...

We have had the passages of Scripture where Mary and Joseph have both been told by an angel that she will give birth to a son who will be the Messiah. Next Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant with a son – called John the Baptist.

Luke 1: 39 – 56

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Joanne - Tree Decorations Kids Can Make!

Hi Everyone!!

This week I've decided to show you some decorations you can get your children/grandchildren involved in!

Microwaveable Salt Dough Decorations.

You will need:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 1/2 cups of hot water
• Christmas cookie cutters
• Rolling pin
• Whatever you choose to decorate them with, paint etc

I have only used half on the mixutre here and I got over a dozen ornaments.

Mix the flour and salt, then add water and kneed into a dough. Roll it out and use cookie cutters to cut the shapes you want.

Dont forget to put holes in them for the string to hang them with. Make the holes a little larger than you think you will need as they tend to close up a little when cooked.

Now the directions I had found wernt very clear on how long to cook them in the microwave. I put about 5 flat on a dinner plate (dont put them on paper or plastic) and cooked them on high for 4 minutes, checked them, then cooked them for between 2-4 more minutes. Keep checking on them all the time.

One thing I must say is DO NOT leave the microwave while they are cooking please!! They burn very very quickly and I dont want any fires started. Most of mine were taking 4 minutes then another 4 minutes to cook but my last ones decided that 4 minutes and 2 minutes were enough and when I opened the door to check on them they were burnt and smoking, so please be very very careful!

After they are all cooked and cooled down you can decorate them however you wish! I havent decorated mine as I'm planning on giving them away as a little before Christmas craft :)

You could also use Embossing Folders to press a design into them before cooking and add food colouring to the dough.

Thanks for reading :)

Clarissa - Tree Decorations

Hi everyone.  Hope the stress levels aren't rising too much as Christmas gets closer.  It's nice to try and enjoy the journey towards Christmas as well as the day.

Button Wreath.
I'm a bit of a button hoarder, so instead of just looking at them (the colours are all sooo pretty!!) I thought I'd delve into them and actually make something.

To make this, thread the buttons onto thin wire with some ribbon tied in between along the way.  Twist the wire at the top and trim off the ends.  Tie a bow over it, attach some more ribbon to hang it, and you're done!  Easy!  


Next are a set of ornaments using the Kaisercraft Wood Flourishes.

These would have been hanging beautifully on my tree but my camera was not being at all co-operative and I couldn't get the colour to show up, so instead they are hanging outside on my "healthy" looking tree  :o)

I've covered these with one of my favourite products - Opals embossing enamel.  I love it because the colours are vibrant and you can reheat it and put on as many layers as you need.  Then I've used Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Gold mixative over the top.  Unbelievably it's the first time I've used this and I really like it.  I love the distressed looks that Tina achieves so I got brave and tried it.


The last decoration is also a Kaisercraft Wood Flourish and I've used green opals, pearls and some gold seed beads on the star.

Lowri - Tree Decorations

Hi Everyone - Lowri here.. Having just read Shirl's post I cannot believe there are that few days until Christmas!! She is absolutely right of course - this time of year is so busy!  I have a few different ideas for tree decorations to share..

Musical Kaisercraft Flourishes

I love these flourishes from Kaisercraft - one word of warning - they are VERY delicate! Even prizing them off the paper can be tricky so handle with care. They are so beautiful though..

Christmas Tree
I painted the tree with red paint and then stamped over the top with white ink using the Kaisercraft Sheet Music stamp. To give a little lift and sparkle I have added some rhinestones..

Christmas Bauble
Here I gave the ornament a base coat of red and then dry-brushed white paint over the top to try and get a vintagey look. Again I used the music stamp and added some rhinestones for bling.

To demonstrate how delicate these are - my husband just this second stepped on this one by accident whereby it shattered into a hundred pieces LOL. He might be getting humbugs in his stocking this year...


Clay Ornaments

CuttleBug Stamping
These were so much fun to make. I have used some DAS white clay (from any craft store or the Warehouse here in NZ), rolled it out to about 1/4 inch and then rolled it on top of a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  I have played around with using the embossed and de-bossed sides for different effects. I then used a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes

I have then painted them with 2 coats of acrylic paint, a light brush of metallic acrylic paint and then I have sanded off the top layer with sandpaper to reveal the embossed pattern.

You can make 70+ of so of these from a $10 pack of clay - so VERY cheap! Get the kids involved - think how excited the Grandparents would be to receive handmade ornaments from the Grandkids!!

Acrylic Stamp Stamping!

To make these ornaments I simply rolled the clay flat and pressed the Kaisercraft Be Merry Stamp hard into the clay using an acrylic block and then cut around it with a knife.  I saw something similar on the Kaiser blog and thought it would be a fun way to try and make a tree shape!

Once again I just slopped some paint on - left to dry overnight and then sanded off the top layer. You HAVE to try this - it's so simple and all the design work is done by the stamp. It takes a bit of practice to get the pressure right - but if you make a mistake you just re-roll and try again!



Paper Cones

These are pretty self explanatory! Make a cone of paper and fill it with goodies to hang on your tree. To make the cone I drew a circle and then cut it into quarters. I used strong double sided tape to hold it together and then threaded organza ribbon to hang.  HINT - you might want to put a little weight (just small garden stones) into the base of the cone to stop it flipping over when you hang it up!

I have used the Kaisercraft "Be Merry" papers here - they don't show up too well in the sunlight though..

Now I should also say that I don't have my Christmas tree up yet!  Both mine and my sisters birthdays are in early December and the rule when we were young was that the tree goes up after my sisters birthday on the 10th!
I used a few trees in my garden for the pics, including one in our forestry block that the kids have already marked out as this years tree for the lounge - I think we might have to raise the roof to get it in though!

Don't forget to enter the draw for this week by sending in YOUR Christmas Tree Ornaments to Liz :-)

Any questions - just post it in a comment and I will reply.

I have some extra Christmas projects on my blog too at http://papervinenz.blogspot.com/ and you have until tomorrow to enter the draw for a great prize pack and customized card-set. Lowri :-) 

Easy Tree Decoration - Shirl

Hi Everyone,
Its my turn for a Tree Decoration, (although I'm still gob smacked after seeing Tina's amazing creation)
Mine is pretty basic (pity i don't have my tree up so I could get a good pic of them)

anyway on the weekend I went to a 12 hr crop for a cause (run by Melissa Kennady) its always such a fantastic day with lots of fun and raffles....I won a big pack of assorted Wooden & chipboard shapes and these little wooden christmas baubles were amoungst it...I've just colored them in with my jelly roll pens and backed them in some Christmas paper..added some bling and a rub-on on some acetate...bit pushed for time this week as I'm sure everyone is....1 month today till christmas....I am so not ready for it YET!!!!!

Tina's Christmas ornament

Sorry my post is a bit late. Have had an extremely hectic past two weeks. My daughter's dance concert was on Saturday (Two 3 hour shows, and they danced in 46 dances between the two of them). I spent the week before sewing costumes for 10 dancers and had to pull a few all-nighters to get them done. Up early Saturday to do their hair and makeup, and get them to the Entertainment Centre by 9am. Then busy selling raffle tickets, & helping backstage for the first show. Phew....still exhausted thinking about it! I got to relax and watch the evening show, which was fantastic.

Haven't had a chance to do any scrapping til tonight, so here's what I came up with. I'd seen something similar on the net ages ago, by 'Liz(perspicacious.org)' on Flickr. Mine is a little different using only five 'petals', and adding the flowers to the centre.

I made this using Graphic 45 Christmas Past paper, Spellbinders and Marianne Designs dies, plus a little bit of ribbon/cord, gold Stickles, and Kaisercraft pearls.

I cut five labels, and then used the four smaller dies as a guide to cut four < > shaped cuts. Hopefully this shows up on the photo. ( Make sure you don't cut through the centre.)

I curved the first < > shapes around a pencil and then glued them to each other, overlaping the point.


Bend the centre of each petal to glue it to the next. I used the Marianne Designs Poinsettia die to cut some flowers, I adhered these to the centre, and added some Stickles and a pearl. I hope the pictures make this easy to understand

Christmas Countdown - 5 weeks to go! Decoration Week...

It's time to start thinking about decorating the tree! Will you join us this week and send us a decoration idea? If so you'll go in the draw to win a selection of the new Little Yellow Bicycle papers that are arriving this week. Get your entries to us by 6pm Sunday 28th Nov and we'll load them up in the Competition Gallery. That's where all your projects get showcased. There are some really great ideas in their from the public and everyone goes in the draw to win something. I loved looking at the stocking stuffer/scraps ideas!

We had fun at the Midnight Madness this week and we all got a bit silly as the night went on! You can tell by the comments that were written on the projects (Competition Gallery) that it was getting late. One of our regulars has won the prize this week - Kathy C! Well done! We'll give you the prize next time you're in the shop.

Thanks to all the Design Team members. They are putting in a fab effort with the Christmas Countdown. I know they apprectiate the comments you leave. I'm being so inspired by them too!

Well it's been a busy week for us. We got the keys for the new shop - so I have been naughty again and haven't made anything myself for the blog! But Betsy did pay me a visit and she brought in the canvas that she's been working on for her grand-daughter. Betsy only makes cards (so she says) so I think you'll be suitably impressed with what she's completed...


I love this collection of flowers. The one on the right is from the Kaiser blog a few weeks ago and it's so effective and simple!

Anyway, I do have something to show you. We got the keys to the new shop this week and this weekend we removed walls and relocated a 1/2 glass partition into an office wall. Viv, Mark and Genevieve came over and the girls cleaned windows while the boys finished the DIY. Cheers!

Here's the shop front. Pretty stocked with the HUGE shop frontage. Great for displays etc.

I've got the key!

Viv and Genevieve scraping sellotape off the windows!

Do you think the broom is too big?! This is where those huge new couches will be living...

Removing one of the walls to make an even bigger shop.

Yay all done! This room will be the Kaisercraft space.

We were going to spend today painting - but the sun came out and so we decided to move furniture instead. Graham and I were both a bit weak and slow today though. We think the fresh air is making us a bit too relaxed! Tomorrow we are going to cover up the windows so noone can see in... Then we'll get the spray gun out.

So we'll give you another update soon... Join in the fun this week and send us your decoration ideas...
:-) Liz

Lowri - One last Stocking Stuffer/Scrap Idea

Hi Everyone! Hope you are having a good weekend. Raining here in Marlborough which is actually a relief after the 30+ plus degree days we have been having this week!

One last idea for you - which I was going to keep for another time but I am so excited it worked I want to show everyone!

Fridge Magnets

Seriously - how useful are magnets?! I have yet to see a fridge that didn't look great all covered with family pics and to-do lists from last month!!  These were made using scraps from the Jungle Bug and Hey Birdie Collection. The largest piece I used was a 1" circle again - and all the other supplies came from the $2 shop!

These really were made from scraps as all I had of this range were the scraps left from the SENZ class I took with Liz and the Kaisercraft ladies in June!

This Jungle Bug collection is so much fun for boys stuff.  Here are a couple of close-ups...

Have a great weekend scrapping and don't forget to email your Stocking Stuffers and Scraps ideas to Liz to be in to win a great prize!

I am also having a prize give-away on my blog too - so check it out to be in to win some goodies and a card-set.

http://papervinenz.blogspot.com/2010/11/exciting-news-plus-blog-giveaway.html

Lowri