On the Fifth Day of Christmas....We are interrupted by the Hens!

As mentioned on Tuesday,  here are the Hen's.  Not the ones of the Christmas Carol fame, but the wonderfully whimsical hens from the Hey, Chick stamp set which will be available during Sale-a-bration starting on January 4!  I think these images are absolutely adorable and lots of fun to create with.  And, even better, they will be available as a FREE item with a $50 purchase (pre-shipping and tax, of course).  Be sure to check in for all the wonderful products that will be available not only in the Sale-a-bration collection of products but in the new Occasions Catalog which also launches it's sales on January 4th.

Here's another of the images from the set.  This one's my favorite with the fabulous hair and tail!  I'm sure I'll be using the set a lot, so check back for more samples soon.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

 Not a Calling Bird, I know, but it is a Bluebird.  What a gift on Christmas Eve when I looked out our upstairs window and saw this gorgeous bird in our Bradford Pear tree along with three others.  A lovely splash of blue to brighten a rainy morning.  I took the photo through the screen and window which gave it an additional hazy look.  Immediately after I snapped this one, all four of the visitors flew off to other adventures.  I hope they're enjoying the Season, too.

So to honor the Bluebird, here's another Christmas Card in blues.   I saw so many similar versions of this card on Pinterest that I decided to make one of my own.  The Star of Light Stamp set and matching Starlight Thinlits Dies are some of the highlights from the Holiday Catalog for me.  I used them for cards and for tags and for the luminaries I previously posted.  Color scheme this time is Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White and Silver.  Not quite the blue of the birds, but still beautiful for the season.  Enjoy.

Stamps: Star of Light (Holiday Catalog, p. 9)
Ink: Island Indigo, Pool Party
Paper: Island Indigo, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper
Accessories: Big Shot, Starlight Thinlits Dies, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals.

On the third day of Christmas...

...here is another of the cards I donated from the auction.  It's not Three French Hens, as in the song, although, wait until later this week and the Hens just might make an appearance.

   I think this year the Peace On Earth wish is especially appropriate, as it is always.  This card uses some of my favorite seasonal colors.  Night of Navy, Island Indigo, Whisper White and Silver create a calm for me.  I hope you enjoy this card and have a few minutes of Peace for yourself this week.  Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Joyful Nativity, Holly Jolly Greetings
Ink: Night of Navy, Versamark
Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Island Indigo
Accessories: Big Shot, Christmas Greetings Thinlits Dies, Confetti Stars Border Punch, 2-1/2 Inch Circle Punch, 2-inch Circle Punch, Metallic Foil Doilies, Metallic Enamel Shapes, Fine-tip Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

On the second day of Christmas...

Paper Curiosities is back to blogging.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.  If you're celebrating Boxing Day today, I hope it is full of  visits with friends and family and cozy gift exchanges.

After 2 weeks with a really nasty cold, I'm finally feeling a bit more like myself and ready to finish out the Holiday Season with some fun Christmas and New Years posts.  So without further blabbing from the blogger....

Here is the next card I donated for the Church Auction.   I really like the Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.   It's really gives a lovely texture to the backgrounds of cards.  It reminds me of my favorite cozy sweater that my Sister-in-Law gave me years ago.

The card comes together very quickly.  It's so much fun to create with stamps that fit perfectly inside a die-cut shape!  Here's what I used:

Stamps: Wondrous Wreath, Banners for Christmas
Ink: Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Very Vanilla, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Warmth and Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories: Big Shot, Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Wonderful Wreath Framelits Dies, Bunch of Banners Framelits Dies, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Llamas! Alpacas! They're Everywhere!

Seems to me, everywhere I turn these days I'm running into a Llama or an Alpaca.  First it was on TV in commercials.  Then it was at the Common Ground Fair in Maine last September (here are two of my favorite pictures..)

It just seems like these animals are definitely ready for their close-up!

Even Stampin' Up! got on the Llama bandwagon when they introduced the Birthday Fiesta stamp set (page 11 in the Annual Catalog).  (See my post from June 27 for a sample!

Enter the Holiday Catalog and what do you know?  Another Llama!  So, what better way to continue our Holiday Crafting season than to make a tag with the Fa-la-la-la-llama!

Here it is in all it's "tangled" glory.  I used the Lots of Labels Framelits Dies to create the tag base.  Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper for the background and some of the many Holiday Baker's Twine colors to add texture and functionality.  I hope you enjoy this tag, and celebrate the Llamas and Alpacas as they have their moment.  Enjoy.

Stamps: Fa-la-la-la Friends (p. 30 HC)
Ink: Basic Black Archival Ink, Garden Green, Real Red and Garden Green Stampin' Write Markers
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Big Shot, Fiesta Framelits, Lots of Labels Framelits, 1/8" Hand-held Circle Punch, Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine, Baker's Twine Trio Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals

Into the Holiday Swing

What better way to get into the Holiday Spirit than making Gift Tags.  Even better, using a moose to decorate the tag!  This year, my daughter and I are filling the house with woodland creatures as a decorative theme.  So this moose from the Jolly Friends stamp set (page 29,  Holiday Catalog) was a perfect choice for making gift tags.  I used that cozy plaid paper from the Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack cut with the Layering Ovals Framelits and mounted on a coordinating Garden Green layered oval to make the tag base.  Then a I gave the moose a cozy Cap and Scarf and added a sentiment from the Oh What Fun! stamp set from the Annual Catalog (p. 31, if you are looking for it).  I've made a set of five to give as a gift.  Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Jolly Friends, Oh What Fun!
Ink: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Paper: Garden Green, Kraft Card Stock, Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories: Big Shot, Layering Ovals Framelits Dies, Jolly Hat Builder Punch, 1/8" Hand-held Circle Punch, Baker's Twine Trio Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals

Extra Light for All

Hello December.  As the Winter Solstice approaches, I find that I am always in search of little sources of light.  This year, I decided to create some.  These luminaries are made with Vellum Card Stock, the Gift Bag Punch Board and the Starlight Thinlits Dies.  They come together really quickly and with an LED tealight or votive inside create an instant Glow for a table or mantle.  When we get them set in the Holiday Decor, I'll post another picture.  However, I'm planning to make these for my friends who, this year in particular, seem to need a little extra Light in their lives.  Here are some dimensions for the tall and short ones.  Hope your life has some extra light in it, too!  Thanks for stopping by.

Tall Votive luminaries:  use 6" x 11" vellum piece and make the gift bag on the Medium setting.

Shorter ones:  use 4-1/4" vellum piece and make the gift bag on the Medium setting, as well.

Run the two sides through the big shot with the Thinlits Die before you assemble.  I also trimmed down the side flap that takes the adhesive so it wouldn't block the holes from the Die.

Paper:  Vellum Card Stock
Accessories:  Gift Bag Punch Board, Starlight Thinlits Dies and Fast Fuse adhesive

Here are some more views for you to see where the dies are placed.

Hope it helps with your reconstruction!

Thanks again for reading through.

Happy Crafting!