Kraft & Gold Gift Wrap & Giftcard Holder

I've been busy wrapping presents today...and have a couple of simple ideas to share. I wrapped everything using kraft paper with gold polkadots (a bargain from the clearance section in Home Sense), and had previously made a set of personalised gift tags, so decorated a plain kraft gift bag to match. I stamped my Stampendous 'Delicate Snowflakes' stamps on to the bag using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them with 'Metallic Gold Sparkle' embossing glitter by WOW.

Using some of the wrapping paper, I made a simple folded giftcard holder (I followed this tutorial by Kristina Werner)

I threaded some gold ribbon through a channel at the back, and tied it in a bow to hold it closed.

Challenges for these items:

• City Crafter - Snowflakes (Gift bag only)
• C.R.A.F.T. - Anything Goes
• Crafting with an Attitude - Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
• Cute Card Thursday - Embossing (Gift bag only)
• Everybody Art - Christmas
• Happy Little Stampers (Christmas) - Anything Goes (Optional Snow) (Gift bag only)
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Christmas
• Stamping Sensations - Winter Sparkle (Gift bag only)

ABC Christmas Challenge - N & O are for?

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so that means that we have a fun new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today! I'm the host, and we have two themes:

'N is for Name'

&

'O is for On'

Our sponsor this month is Neat & Tangled

Prize - a $25 Gift Certificate!

There's also a little prize from me:

I made a set of simple personalised gift tags for my family members using trees from the 'Scribbly Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, and a set of alphabet stamps by Clear Stamps. I stmped on to some Papermania kraft blank tags using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed them using 'Metallic Gold Sparkle' powder by WOW. I'll change up the twine to something fancier when I use these, but for now just left the sting on them.

I'm also entering these tags into the following challenges:

• Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes
• Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
• Heartful Stamping - Anything Goes
• Holly & the Ivy - Anything Christmas Goes
• Love to Scrap - Anything Goes
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

For my 'O  is for On' project, I picked a cute Penny Black stamp of a chicken on a snowboard (called 'Snow-board Ride'). I doodled a simple border, then added in a slope underneath his snowboard and coloured him using watercolour pencils. The sentiment stamp is from the 'Tattered Christmas' set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• AAA Cards - Use a Frame
• CAS-ology - Zoom
• Happy Little Stampers (CAS) - Animals
• Merry Christmas - Anything Christmas Goes
• Penny Black & More - Things with Wings
• Simon Says Stamp (Wednesdays) - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

PBSC November - Thank You

It's the first Saturday of the month, so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...the theme this month is:

'Thank You'

As usual, we are sponsored by the awesome 1-2-3 Stitch:

Prize - a $20 voucher!

I decided to combine my 'Birthday Bears' stamp set with 'Bear Blank 1' (a lucky charity shop find, as he's the only one of the original bear blanks missing from the recent clear stamp set). I coloured the bears using watercolour pencils, then added the letting using a set of alphabet stamps by Clear Stamps. For the background, I used a strip of stripey paper from the 'Vintage Charm' pad by My Mind's Eye...adding some faux stitching using my CutterBee Bug and a black gel pen. I carefully cut the bears out, and added them to my card mounted on 3D foam pads.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• CCEE Stampers - Thank You
• Craftaholics R Us - Thank You
• Crafty Cardmakers - Thankful
• Crafty Catz - Anything Goes (Optional Bears)
• Simon Says Stamp (Mondays) - All Creatures Great & Small

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies...as well as all of the information about our design team call...please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

ABC Christmas Challenge - Y is for...

We have a brand new ABC Christmas Challenge starting today...Lols is hosting and the theme is:

'Y is for Your Family'

Create a personalised card/tag

We are sponsored for this challenge by Fred She Said:

Prize - $10 Gift Certificate!

I made a set of personalised gift tags for family and friends. I used the reindeer stamps and co-ordinating dies from the 'Holiday Cheer' Framelits set by Sizzix/Hero Arts. I stamped the reindeer on to kraft card. in black and red...cutting out the jumpers from the red version and layering them over the top of the black ones. I made the background for each tag from plain-ish papers from the 'Winter Wishes' collection by Echo Park, and the 'Eskimo Kisses' collection by BasicGrey. I embossed the blue paper using a couple of Cuttlebug snowflake folders, and the trees (cut using another of the dies from the Framelits set) using my trusty 'Swiss Dots' folder...then I sanded over the top to reveal the white core. The 'snowy' ground is simply a piece of torn white card. I added the names using a set of alphabet stamps by Clear stamps, then added some twine (from Lakeland) to tie each tag on to each gift.

I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:

• Corrosive - Anything Goes
• Crafty Sentiments - Christmas
• Crazy Challenge - Christmas
• Cutie Pie - Lots of Cuteness, not on a Card
• Gem of a Challenge - Anything Christmas
• Loves Rubber Stamps - Winter or Christmas
• One Crazy Stamper - Anything Goes
• Stamp & Create - Anything Christmas
• Whimsy Inspires - Anything Goes

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the ABC Christmas Challenge.

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Anything but a Card

It's the first Saturday of the month...so that means it's time for a new Penny Black Saturday Challenge...and this month the theme is: 

'Anything but a Card'

As usual, we have some fabulous prizes on offer from our lovely sponsors:

The Ribbon Girl:

1-2-3 Stitch!:

Prize - a $20 voucher

I've made a little post-it note cover...using 'Toot the Flute', and some little alphabet stamps from a set by Clear Stamps.

I simply cut a piece of kraft card big enough to fold over the post-its, then glued them on to the base once I'd stamped and coloured my image...the kraft coloured post-it notes are from Tiger.

I'm also entering this into the following challenges:

• Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
• Shopping Our Stash - School or Office 
• That Craft Place - Music

For more inspiration from my lovely DT buddies, please pop over to the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

PS - I have candy on offer at the moment...you can find it here.