Prancing through the Snow!

YIt's almost that time of year and I have begun making Christmas Cards for family and friends.  I have been getting new supplies this past couple week and this is my first card.  I used several of Tim Holtz's BigZ Dies from Sizzix.  Love them!

I started off the card with a Stampin Up! Pear Pizzaz card stock card base.  I used Tim Holtz's "Holiday Knot" Embossing folder to create the sweater background.  On top of that I die cut a snowflake from Tim Holtz's Bigz die "Layered Snowflake" and a deer from the "Prancing Deer" die.  

The gold foil "Joy" die cut is from Stampin Up!'s "Wonderful Wreath" framelits.

Finally, I added some burlap ribbon and a thin strip of gold foil and some sequins to finish off the card.  

I really love the Bigz dies because you can cut through multiple pieces of card stock which is a time saver and very helpful when mass producing cards.

Hope this inspires your own Prancing Deer card!

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Trim the Tree with Christmas Cheer

This Christmas card was inspired by one of my most popular blog posts that I did three year ago.  You can check it out here.   The tree is the main focal point and I think its curves are timeless and that is what everyone likes about it.  So, why not use the same tree in another card?  Well, that is exactly what I have done and I like this card as much as the previous one.  Here is how I did it:

The tree I used from a Cricut Christmas Solutions, cut at 4.5" on green glimmer paper.  I first used Simon Says Stamp's "Bundle of Stitched Shapes".  If you look close you can see the stitching detail around the edge.  I them made it into the background with a stencil and texture or embossing paste.  The stencil is Tim Holtz's "Holiday Knit".  I just love the texture it adds and it's subtlety behind the tree.

For the red banner, I stamped it with Stampin Up's "Sweet Essentials" Christmas Cheer sentiment.  For the finishing touch, the holly and berries were added from Papertrey Ink's "Holly Jolly Die Collection".

I may be inspired to see what other backdrops I can come up with to support the star of this card.  That tree is
Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Circle & Texture Happy Birthday Masculine Card

Can I say, I love the new crafting supplies that I have gotten recently.  I feel much more like myself when I can get in my craft room and have a few moments to myself.  That is hard with three boys running around, but I am sure going to make more of an effort.

This was a fairly simple card that I made to celebrate my Father-in-Law's birthday this week and only took about 15 minutes to make.  I used the "happy" die cut and the "Birthday" Sentiment is from My Favorite Things.  

For the Chevron Background I used Texture Paste and a Tim Holtz Chevron Stencil.  I only used the center chevron and masked over the ones I didn't need.  I let that dry for a moment and the I punched out some circles.  The largest circle is photo paper that I experimented with ink and water.  I think it add a touch of whimsy to the card.  The other circles were cut from scrap papers that I had on hand.  I think enamel dots would look nice on this as well.  I used foam dots and glues dot to assemble the layers.

I can't wait to get onto the next project.  This was so much fun!

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Children's Ornament Series, Part One - Poinsettia Ornament

If your like me, you are always looking for cute crafts to do with your kids.  With the holidays coming and kids home from school, this Poinsettia Ornament fits the bill. 

In looking at Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die, I noticed the the middle sized flower looked very much like a poinsettia flower.

  

With this inspiration, I decided that I could make it into a really cute ornament.  To make it kid friendly, I used red and green fun foam.  For the center, I used a EK Success Flower Punch and a yellow rhinestone.  

I am offering kits of this ornament and well as several others, come check them out at my Etsy Store, Melanie Makes.  This would make a great gift, stocking stuffer or activity for a play date.

Thanks for stopping in and as always happy crafting,

Melanie

Christmas Gift Card "Make & Take"

For my local friends, I am offering my first "Make & Take" class here in Charlotte this coming Thursday.  We will be making three Christmas Gift Card Holders. Please check out my Facebook page, Melanie Makes for the details.

If you aren't a local to Charlotte and are interested in these Christmas Gift Card holders I would be happy to make some and send to you for $10.  I will be posting some of these on Etsy too.

Thanks - Melanie