Stamping On The Bayou

17 More Days til Christmas

WOW... I can't believe December is passing so fast! There are only 17 more days until Christmas, so count them down in style!

I made this countdown calendar a couple of years ago and it is still so pretty! You can make it too with current product from Stampin' Up!'s Idea Book & Catalog or Holiday Mini. Wouldn't the Christmas Cocoa specialty designer series paper be beautiful? This On Board Clipboard (109192 - 13" x 7 1/2") is available for $15.95. Don't forget the Tombow Adhesive (110755 $3.95)... it is the best for projects using chip board!

Whether you are using punches or Big Shot die cuts, you can make so many characters and creatures. I used the Scallop Circle, Large Oval, Curly Label, Word Window, and 3/4" Circle punches to create Santa Claus. The holly leaves were created with a scrap of Old Olive and the 1/2" Circle punch.

How do you countdown to Christmas? Share your tradition with me and you may be featured on my blog next week. Leave me a comment or send an email with a photo of your countdown calendar to nickole@stampingonthebayou.com.
 
 

Save time with My Digital Studio

Are you pressed for time this Christmas? Save time with My Digital Studio! I used it for my cards this Christmas (I'll post soon, I promise!) and I am VERY pleased! I can't wait to get it back from Stampin' Up!'s professional printing service. This sample shows one of the cards available in the Designer Template section of My Digital Studio. This is the JPEG of the card...

 
  
The real thing...

You can even print text, images, and such on the inside!

It's not too late to find out about this amazing product. Late registration for the My Digital Studio Class (Saturday 1 -3) is available by contacting me by Friday at 6pm {nickole@stampingonthebayou.com}. There are a few spots left. 
 
 

Christmas Postcard

One of my favorite things during Christmas is checking the mailbox. Normally, it is filled with bills and solicitations, but from Thanksgiving to Christmas it is a surprise every day! I've already begun receiving Christmas wishes from friends and family! I finished my family's Christmas card yesterday. I'm using My Digital Studio and I will post it as soon as I can. Anyway, this is a sample of a Christmas postcard that I made for Tish H.'s workshop back in September. I like making postcards because it shows my beautiful children AND my artwork without having to sacrifice one or the other to display. This card was really simple and there is a pull-out for you to write well wishes without taking away from the card!

My new favorite colors for Christmas are Real Red and Soft Suede. It is very old fashioned looking and that is just my style! The horse and sleigh image comes from the Yuletide Christmas stamp set (116855). It is in the Holiday Mini and may not be available after January 4th.

I made a pocket behind the photo with Stampin' Dimensionals so that the pull-out wouldn't fall through the card.

To see more great ideas in person, host a stampin' workshop! Check out the calendar of events to find open dates for your private party!
 
 

Berry Christmas

I love this set from the Holiday Mini! It is such a versatile set... use it on your Christmas projects and then again on any winter projects! Here are some samples I recently made. It was so easy, Stampin' Up! artists did all the work for me! These were the Make & Takes at the Fall Regional Conference hosted by Stampin' Up! These samples utilize the Berry Christmas (116509) stamp set and one of my favorite tools, the Stamp-a-ma-jig! If you are a perfectionist, you need this tool. Many times, I just eyeball where to stamp an image. But, for certain projects, you need that image in an exact place... the Stamp-a-ma-jig saves the day!

Two beautiful cards that anyone would be happy to receive this Christmas! 

A beautiful gift card and a lovely set of notecards (perfect for teacher gifts)!

8 1/2" x 8 1/2" scrapbook page and Bitty Box of Tags (uses the Big Shot die, Bitty Box & Envelope - 115967

If you like these projects, leave me a comment by Friday, December 4th, 2009! Two winners will be selected at random to win a Make & Take packet* for ONE of these awesome projects! 

*Make & Take packet will include card stock, accessories, embellishments, and full color directions to create the project. It does not include the Berry Christmas stamp set.
 
 

Time to Focus

on Christmas!!!! Today, I celebrated my first Christmas celebration of the year at the McGehee Family Festivus! Had a great time with y'all. Needless to say, I had to be ready with wrapped gifts on Wednesday as we are in Mississippi at the Natchez State Park. I have two cousins with daughters and each of the girls received a special treat with their gift.

For their tags, I used Sweet Treat Cups to include their special Bottlecap Necklaces. So that the tags wouldn't be destroyed, I covered the back of the Sweet Treat Cup with tin foil so that they could just poke it out! The proceeds from these necklaces were donated to Baby Jude Duet. Baby Jude was born in September with heart problems (not sure what the medical term is) and a friend decided to sell these bottlecap necklaces to help raise money for medical expenses. Aren't they adorable? I was so happy to help this family as they are friends and live in the South Lafourche community.

We did have some baby boys at our celebration and this was the tags for their gift! It is one of the tags from the Two Tags die cut for the Big Shot. It's going to make creating tags so much easier! Look how truly sparkly it is! Love the Simple Snowflake stamp (115554) and the Jumbo Snowflake punch (116628)!

Check this blog for even more Christmas ideas in my 25 Days of Christmas postings! Everyday between December 1st and December 25th, I'll post some wonderful ideas for packaging, cards, gifts, and more!!!

Christmas Project for Kids

During the holidays, when kids are out of school, why not have a fun project for them to create? With the Simple Seasonal Thanks stamp set (111548 $17.95), your kids can create their own thank you notes. Stamp the snowman image on Whisper White or Shimmery White card stock and cut out. Color the hat, scarf, and nose with Stampin' Write markers for a vibrant, perfect color match to Stampin' Up! card stock. Adhere the snowman onto 1/4 sheet of card stock. The finished card can be simple like the one shown. Or, to step it up, add designer series paper, brads, ribbon, etc. Over the Thanksgiving holidays, I get to start the first of many family Christmas celebrations of the year! My aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side of the family will celebrate Thanksgiving next Thursday and then our Christmas on the Saturday! So, on the Friday in between, I'll have a project for all 8 kids to make.

If you and your kids like that project, you can also make them for birthdays! Try the Simple Birthday Thanks stamp set (111546 $17.95) from the Idea Book & Catalog (see below).

Ever need a gift in a pinch? Make a set of birthday or Christmas thank you notes to give to family or friends. Click here to purchase either or both of these sets.
 
 

Tic Tacs and Sweet Treat Cups

When I got the Sweet Treat cups, I knew I would do one project using the peppermint flavored Tic Tac breath mints. This is what I came up with.

The 1 3/4" Circle punch does not go all the way through the card. In fact, the Deck the Halls matted frame pops off the card to be used as an ornament. Once Christmas is over, you can get to the mints without felling guilty about destroying the card! See the close-up below.

Stampin' Supplies: Sweet Centers and Season of Joy stamp sets; Real Red, Whisper White, and Shimmery White card stock; Real Red Classic ink; silver Encore ink; Sweet Treat cups; 1 3/4" Circle and 1/16" Circle punches; Big Shot; Petal-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder, Silver elastic cord; Real Red gingham ribbon; Stampin' Dimensionals
 
 

Quick Christmas Cards

Both of these cards were really quick and easy, but still look lovely and are made from the heart. The blue one is a note card size, a perfect size to accompany a wrapped gift or used as a bag tag. This 3 x 3 card was made with Brilliant Blue card stock another color option for the holiday. I love the Yuletide stamp set from the Holiday Mini, it is so versatile. Here I chose to color the nutcracker image with my Stampin' Write markers.

The other card is a perfect size for gift cards or that most treasured gift... cold, hard CASH! It is a 6 x 3 card embellished with punched images and a Fire Circle Rhinestone brad.

Note Card: Yuletide stamp set; Brilliant Blue and Naturals Ivory card stock; Old Olive and Basic Black Classic ink; Brilliant Blue, Real Red, More Mustard, Basic Black Stampin' Write markers; Sleigh Bells ribbon

Money Card: Patterned Pines and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets; Real Red, Whisper White, and Basic Black card stock; Real Red Classic ink; 1 3/4" Circle and Modern Label punches; Fire Circle Rhinestone brads; 5/8" Basic Black grosgrain ribbon
 

Be Merry Progressive Page

I love scrapbooking, but let's face it sometimes it is tough to fill the 12 x 12 page. It takes a while for that creative inspiration flowing. When you start smaller though, it's not so difficult. Here, I have started with a 6 x 6 page. Note on the left side of the photo below. There is a spot for a 3 1/2 x 5 photo with a Santa postage stamp embellishment, designer series paper, and ribbon. Punch a border and a mat for the stamped image and you're done.

Next, I mounted that 6 x 6 page onto an 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of card stock. I added more spots for photos and elements like more coordinating designer paper, a matching stamp set, a little more ribbon, elastic cord, and a mini library clip. The trick here is to tie every thing together and with Stampin' Up! it's super easy because of all the coordinating products.

For the final piece of the puzzle, mount your finished 8 1/2 x 11 page to a coordinating 12 x 12 piece of card stock. For this particular layout, I really only had space for a title - the Big Shot made that easy to complete! I ended up with a beautiful page ready to crop and drop photos into.

Christmas Punch and Patterned Pines stamp set; Handsome Hunter, Real Red, Whisper White, and Kraft card stock; Real Red and Handsome Hunter Classic ink; Silver Encore ink; Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper; Scallop Edge, Square Scallop, 1" Circle, 3/4" Circle, 1/16" Circle punches; Iridescent Ice embossing powder; Big Shot; Alphabet Simple Letters Bigz die; Mini Library Clips; Kraft Taffeta and Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon; Silver elastic cord; Vintage Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals
 
 
 

You know Dasher...

and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixon. Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen! I just couldn't help myself (hehe). This a la carte stamp set, Dasher has so many possiblitlies! For this sample, I used the "metallic" looking Soft Suede snowflake pattern from the Christmas Cocoa specialty designer series paper found in the Holiday Mini. For that extra touch, I also used the new Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint also found in the Holiday Mini.

To create the frosted Dasher, stamp first in Bermuda Bay. Clean your stamp. Shake the shimmer paint container to thoroughly mix. When you open it, there will be paint in the lid. I used a sponge dauber to apply the paint directly to the Dasher stamp. Using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, allign the stamp just to the left of the first image. I also brushed the edges of the white card stock with the sponge dauber.

For more sparkle, I added some of the shimmer paint to a white 5/8" jumbo brad with the same technique. Make sure to heat set it on the glossy surface of the brad. (Safety Tip: Use tweezers so you don't burn your fingers.)

Dasher and Christmas Punch stamp set; Bermuda Bay and Whisper White cardstock; Christmas Cocoa Specialty designer series paper; Bermuda Bay Classic ink; Wide Oval punch; Champagne Mist shimmer paint; sponge dauber, 5/8" Jumbo Brad, Bermuda Bay polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals