Advent calendar extravaganza (with Taheerah Atchia)

Hi there!

Advent calendar extravaganza is the festive event of the season! This "hop with a twist" was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day. Joining in the fun with Taheerah are 100 special guests - each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration. Just like an advent calendar, you'll never know where you're going to be visiting next until you "open the door."

And that's not all! With 25 amazing sponsors taking part as guests, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize every single day!

Join in the fun every day at taheerah-atchia.com to see what special surprises await behind the door.

I have a couple of cards to share today, using stamps and dies from today's sponsor: Neat and Tangled.



I volunteered to make a Christmas card with Maia's 2nd grade last week, and was able to share how I illustrated all of the images, and how we build our cards from start to finish. We made the one on the right, but it was fun to show them how with only a few tweaks, you can make 2 entirely different cards.



This was a fun full day, cutting out enough card pieces for 25 students, plus another 10 of everything because we all know some of the kids will be needing second chances here and there!

Santa and the North Pole sign are from Santa's Wonderland, the little penguin is from Get Yeti, and the candy card is from Beary Merry. I printed out the french greeting to fit into the banner from Mermazing so that I could have them all die-cut to match the rest of the images. I kept thinking: I designed these stamps, and I couldn't have included a french greeting? gah! I need one for sure next year. Most of Maia's classes are in french!



I showed the kids how to sponge ink onto a piece of patterned paper to add dimension. They really enjoyed doing that!



I snapped a pic of Maia's card to show you the kids' finished product. She was a little upset she didn't have copics to work with in class, but I think it turned out great! I brought a glue pen and glitter too, so they could add shine to their snowbanks. It's hard to see here, but  Maia's card is a shimmering masterpiece!



Here is my variation card: I kept the same layout, but switched out the patterned paper and images to create something new. The little boy/snowman from Christmas pageant is out pulling his dog-on-a-sled (from Get Yeti.)

I hope you like what I've created for you today! Before you go, don't forget to leave a comment! By leaving a comment on both my blog, and Taheerah's, you'll be eligible to win a prize today. And be sure to check out the Neat and Tangled blog today too, as they are sponsoring the prizes today!

You will have until 23:59 EST on December 31st to enter.

♥.

Special delivery (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there!

Welcome back to day 2 of this month's Neat and Tangled release week. Today, we're showing off an incredible treat packaging die designed by the always-innovative Miriam Prantner. This truck comes together so easily! The main part of the truck is all 1 piece, which is incredible. I hate finnicky box dies. There are a ton of little tiny pieces that you could use to decorate the truck, but if you're like me (with the fat fingers and the hand shakes) you could leave many of them out and still have a really cute finished box.



I'm still in Christmas mode, so I decorated a little treat package to gift out to the kids for advent.

The snowman is from Beary Merry, and the figgy pudding and sentiment are from Holiday Baking. They fit so perfectly in the back window! It looks like a little food truck window!



The top view gives you an idea of how the truck closes at the top - isn't that so perfect?



I was able to fit 2 of these Lindor chocolates inside, in case you'd like to have an idea of how big the box is.

I hope you like it! There is so much more truck inspiration on the NT blog this morning - click! 

♥.

noel with the gang

Hi there!

Can you believe there are only 4 more sleeps until Christmas? I can't wait!

Last week, I brought all of the pieces that Thomas' 4th grade class needed to create this card:

I used Beary Merry and Elfs and Their Shelf (both from Neat and Tangled) as well as the Noel die from Lawn Fawn and the Burst die from Avery Elle.

All of my favorite companies on one card!



It was a very fun experience, and they are apparently asking if I would come again in the new year. Some of kids were so meticulous, adding shading to the snowman  and the bear's scarf without my telling them to - it was obvious they were crafters already!

They loved the white gel pens too. I think some of the parents will be making trips to Michaels very soon!

♥.

'tis the season!

If today's card looks familiar, it's because I posted a sneak peek on instagram awhile ago, but never shared it fully to the blog. It's one of my favorites this year:




I used a few Neat and Tangled sets to create this card: Into The Woods for the critters, the little santa from Elfs and Their Shelf, and the santa mug from Beary Merry.

I love how the black background makes everything pop!



I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

♥.

pumped for Christmas!

Hi there!

With my entire bin of Neat and Tangled stamps splayed out, I somehow ended up pairing Big Top Birthday with Beary Merry, Elfs and Their Shelf, and Nuts About You to create this card that kept me giggling the entire time I was crafting it:



I kept the card so simple, because I think the candy-cane-pumping strong man packs all the punch I needed. I stamped him first, and then masked him to be able to stamp the presents to the left, the snowman to the right, and the candy cane on top. The candy cane isn't that long, but a bit of selective inking and a black copic-friendly pen made it come together very easily.



I created the custom greeting on the computer, and then stamped and die-cut the banner.

This card is so silly, but I hope you can be inspired to see what images you can mix and match for your own funny Christmas cards!

♥.

Beary Merry Noel.

Hi there!

I've been neglecting the blog a little, with the busy-ness of the season (read: figuring out what to do with the elf every morning!) If you'd like to see what our elf has been up to, you can follow his adventures on instagram!

For now I have a Christmas card to show off,  featuring the sweet bear from Beary Merry.

I stamped and then colored the bear with soft brown copic markers (E51, E53 and E55.)

Then, I used the Journaling Alphas to cut out the letters to spell NOEL. I live in Montreal and we are very bilingual. I need cards for those french-speaking teachers and neighbors!

I love how the die set for Beary Merry allowed me to tuck the middle letters into his arms. It's just so cute!

Next, I used the large rounded rectangle from the Succulent Journaling Card die set and cut 2 layers: one out of white cardstock and another out of a pale aqua.  I used the Lucky Stars dies to cut stars out of the white layer, so that the aqua would show through.

I used some wooden stars and a kraft card base to reinforce the soft brown of the bear.

A white gel pen was used to add finishing touches to the letters and the bear.

I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

♥.

25 Days of Christmas Tags (with Neat and Tangled)

Hi there!

I'm thrilled to be taking part in Tracey Mcneely's 25 days of Christmas tags event. My 2 favorite companies are slotted back-to-back, with Neat and Tangled today and Lawn Fawn tomorrow. woot!

I used the bear from Beary Merry to create this rustic tag set:

He is holding images from the same set, but I also slid the new Santa doll (from Elfs and Their Shelf) into his arms - so cute, right?

The tag shape is from Neat and Tangled - Classic Tag 1 - and I used a rectangle die to cut an opening into the top tag.



I cut a matching tag out of red cardstock to layer underneath and stamped a plaid pattern in black ink. The entire tag has so much dimension!



I hope you like them! Visit Tracey's blog to find out more about her 25 Days of Christmas Tags event!

♥.

Big hugs! (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there!

I'm joining with Neat and Tangled to show off a new die, Big Hugs. It's a great oversized sentiment die in such a fun font!



I paired it with the deer from Into the Woods, and the snowman from Beary Merry, and made a frame out of the new Scalloped rectangle dies.

Aren't they cute together?

All of the new products will be for sale in the NT store as of TOMORROW, October 14th at 8AM EST.

I can't wait to see some of our new products featured in your own creations! For now, visit the NT blog to see what the rest of the design team has made - click!

♥.

Beary Merry and Little Baby Jesus (Neat and Tangled release week)

Hi there, and welcome back to another day of Neat and Tangled's October release week!  Today, I'm sharing the rest of my sets with you: Beary Merry and Little Baby Jesus.

First up, Beary Merry. You may already recognize him! He was my most popular Christmas digi last year, but I keep getting emails asking for the stamp version.

I love the dies we created, that allow you to slip the smaller images into his arms. If don't love coloring, this polar bear is the ticket. I gave him rosy cheeks and a red scarf and called it a day.

The little snow image included in the set is my fave - it's chunky and so fun to heat emboss.



I just love that quirky Santa mug - but it's gotten mixed reviews at my house. My son thinks it's weird, haha. I would totally be drinking out of that mug near Christmas-time!

Here, I colored the bear with my favorite brown copic combo: E30, E31, and E33. I keep a light hand when it comes to the darker colors. I colored yesterday's deer with the same combo.

The sentiments in this set are so fun, aren't they? Love those fonts!

For both cards, I also used a new die set being released this month, Scalloped dies. They are so versatile, and I love the little banner flags included.

Next, I turned another digi into a stamp - Little Baby Jesus:



I just think it is the sweetest image, and I love the sentiment. I used the banner flags included in the Scalloped die set to frame the image with the sentiment and added some wooden star accents.



If you're still with me, thanks for stopping by! I'd love to know what you think of these new sets! And check out the NT blog this morning for more design team inspiration - CLICK!

♥.