Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Blingy Gift Card Purse for Christmas - Lori Whitlock SVG

πŸ‘‰The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.     Dieter F.  Uchtdorf




Gone are the days when I worried that my friends and family would be disappointed if I presented them with a gift card instead of a meticulously wrapped package with a well-thought-out and tirelessly-shopped-for gift inside. I'm elated that gift cards are the acceptable, and in many cases preferred, option for gift giving.   

                                         


My family is more into cards than presents these days and I understand completely.  I can see why they don't want their mom picking out their clothes and electronics...and since we're being honest here, I don't want them at the mall trying to guess my size either! However, my heart was touched when I saw a man in Joann's yesterday buying a sewing machine and a cart filled to the brim with  fabric and notions.  I don't know his story, but I'm going to believe that someone very dear to him is going to wake up Christmas morning and be overcome with joy.  So yes, I guess a real heart-felt gift wins in the end....but I digress. Back to the joys of gift card giving.


If I choose to give a gift card, I can still create a classy presentation. These adorable little purse gift card holders are a fun place to tuck my gift card.  I downloaded this darling purse SVG from Lori Whitlock's shop and cut out several on my Cricut using glitter prints and solids for my layers.  I used Tombow mono glue to attach my blingy accents.

                                     

The pouch for the gift card is included in the download so all I had to do to finish my cute bag was add a self adhesive velco dot for the closure.

I love that these can be tucked into an envelope with one of my handmade cards (or a small gift bag) to make a very personal gift for a friend. I usually give a gift card for a movie or lunch at their favorite restaurant and sometimes I even get to tag along.  Win, win!!!

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you and yours!

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and create something fabulous
Nancy

Playing along with:
        International Art and Soul
        Sparkles Challenges
        Mix It Up Challenge
        Brown Sugar Challenge
        Emerald City Crafts Challenge

Friday, December 8, 2017

Peaceful Bird - Lori Whitlock Snow Globe Card


πŸ‘‰Learn the rules like a pro.  Break them like an artist.  Pablo Picasso



Hello there,

I chose my favorite colors to make this super fun  Lori Whitlock  snow globe card. With a few simple adjustments  this adorable shaker card was  easy to assemble.   I had a great time putting several of these together for my darling friends in my craft group.  My Cricut is my best "Buddy" (the Elf, get it?) 😊 during the holidays when I'm pressed for time and need to make multiples.

Here's my Panoply Pattern:

TECHNIQUES:
  1. I purchased and downloaded this Lori Whitlock SVG into Cricut Design Studio.
  2. I resized my card from A2 to A6.
  3. I cut out all layers except the ring, the chipboard base, the small snow flakes and the sentiment.  On this card I used a circle frame die from my stash to cut the red ring so I could cut a matching layer from a foam sheet to add dimension to my shaker. I found this easier than cutting and gluing several chipboard layers.
  4. I used a circle die to cut a circle of acetate the size of the globe.
  5.  I glued the light blue background piece (with the holes) to the white snow globe base.  I then embossed  the snow “mound” piece with swirls and added it to the globe.
  6. I glued the white foam layer to the snow globe and  let the pieces dry completely to prevent the confetti  from sticking to any leftover wet glue. 
  7. While this was drying, I assembled my bird and glued his cuteness to the snow mound.
  8. Once the base was dry, I added the sequin confetti to the center of the globe.   After my confetti was added, I glued the piece of acetate over the globe.  I carefully lined up the red frame over the transparency piece and glued it. That's it!  So simple and so cute.
  9. I added a silver paint pen border to the background layer and attached it to the card base and then added the snow globe to the background.
  10. I glued a rhinestone to the snowflake and added it to the  globe with a glue dot.
  11. I glued a die cut "peace"  to the snow globe base. 
TOOLS:
  • Lori Whitlock Bird Snow Globe Shaker Card
  • Bazzill aqua dotted card stock
  • Bazzill red card stock.
  • Blue glitter card stock
  • Silver glitter card stock
  • White Bristol Vellum card stock for card base and globe base
  • Acetate sheet from office supply store
  • Opalescent sequin and star confetti
  • Silver and blue sequin confetti
  • Swirl embossing folder
  • Blue rhinestone
  • Tim Holtz Christmas Sentiments "PEACE" die cut
  • Krylon Silver Leafing pen
  • Tombow Mono Liquid Adhesive
  • Sookwang double sided tape
TIPS:

Go easy on the glue.  It needs to be completely dry when adding the sequins and the acetate to keep the sequins from sticking where they shouldn't.  (Ask me how I know.😏)  Also, don't overfill your card with the confetti.  You want your shaker to "shake."

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and create something beautiful.
Nancy

Playing along with:
        Cute Card Thursday
        Creative Knockouts
        Crafty Gals Corner
        Fantabulous Cricut
        Cupcake Inspirations
        Craftyhazelnuts Christmas Challenge

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Patchwork Christmas Bibs - Machine Embroidered Applique

πŸ‘‰ Do something creative every day.





Hey there,

It's holiday gift-giving time and I just happen to have some of these fun festive bibs in my stash for the littles on my list. 


Check out these Easter bibs from my earlier post to see how I made them.   The holiday embroidery patterns all come from Etsy shops.






Having a fun and simple sewing project during the holidays is a delightful respite from all the hurried commotion going on this time of year.  Add a little Hallmark movie binge watching and a cup of hot chocolate and your holiday joy might just make it all the way through  New Years Eve.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and create something fabulous
Nancy.