Gift Card Holder Tutorial

Heyya! Happy Friday!

As promised, I have a tutorial for making super cute little gift card holders like the Christmas ones I made.

Start  with a piece of cardstock measuring 6 1/2” x 4 1/2”  You should be able to make 3 per regular sheet of 8 1/2 x 11” cardstock.

Score your piece at 2 1/8” and at 4 3/4”

Now go ahead and use an edge punch.  I like to give them a nice scalloped edge.  This is on the top, as shown.

Use a 1” circle punch halfway or less into the paper to give the little circle notch at the bottom.  If you like, you can first add some pretty patterned paper to the face of that piece.  If you choose to do this, make the piece 1 1/2” x 4” then punch out the half-circle.

Fold the bottom up and staple at the top.  Don’t staple more than once along the edges, or it will show under the front flap when your holder is closed.  Make sure to staple right near the edges or your gift card won’t fit inside.

Now use either twine or cardstock to bind your little gift card holder.  If you’re using twine, it needs to be at least 12” long so you can tie it up nicely.  If you’re using cardstock, make sure the strip is at least 10” long.  It’s pretty cute if you crimp it to look like a coffee cup cozy.

Bind it and add an embellishment or any stamping you’d like to do.  Snowflakes for Christmas worked well.

Here’s the little template I made myself

Good luck making yours!

Shauna
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Christmas Gift Card Holders

Hi there, lovely people,

The other day I taught a Christmas Gift Card Holders class.  I was pretty pleased with the results, and what everyone made.  They all turned out so well!

My guests/students each made 2 of 2 designs (with a bit of variation), and one of a third design.  Bring on the last minute gift card presents this year!

The first design is very clean and simple, using lots of punches.. a snowflake punch, a label punch, the background label punch, and a scallop punch. Whew!

We used some funky Designer Series Paper to brighten things up, and a glimmer brad for extra Christmas sparkle.

The next gift card holder is more of a traditional Christmas style.

For this one, we used Versamark ink for the watermarked background words, and the stamp is done with markers, and the ever fun “huffing” technique ;-)

Oh, and I used a one-inch circle punch for the half-circle on the inside.  I think it adds a nice touch.

We all required 4 hands to tightly tie the twine in a knot.  You don’t want it randomly slipping off your gift card holder, now do you?  There could be gift card accidents..

The last design is probably my favourite.  I was going with the coffee cozy idea – hence the crimped band.

I love blues with browns.. ok, anything with brown.  Brown seems to add warmth and happiness.

Using the crimping tool was probably everyone’s favourite part.  It makes such a fun rattling sound!

Someone sure has a thing for Tim Hortons ;-)  Notice how those are 3 DIFFERENT gift cards for there.  Ugh – I just don’t like their coffee.  Even a short stint working there couldn’t get me to like it.

Now, go make these!  You’ll thank me!  And they’re so super easy, but pack a good wow-factor.

Tutorial coming your way soon.

Shauna
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Clean and Simple polka dots

Hi again!

Today I’ve got to rush off to play a hockey game.  I have very few goals for hockey.  #1 is to not get hurt.  #2 is to have fun.  That’s it!  I usually manage to achieve both goals.

I made a card this afternoon for the latest challenge over at Clean and Simple Stamping.  Circles and polka dots and scallops and glitter.  Ooh, and a button too!

To soften things up a bit, I used some Distress Inks around all the edges of everything.  I think I’m a bit addicted to those beautiful inks!  Aaaand I got to use my new circle cutting tool.  I love it!

Here’s the sketch I worked with:
FTL118

So many Christmas cards.. yet never quite enough.  There are still more to be made this year!

Cheers,

Shauna
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Super Quick Tags!

Heyya!  It’s super cold here, well, as far as weather on the west coast goes.   The other day I was crazy enough to play ultimate in –8C.  Brrrrrrr.  I think my lips went numb.

In the spirit of all things Christmassy, I’m doing a Christmas Gift Tags class this Saturday.  20 tags in 2 hours? Yes please!

These are all done using Stampin’ Up!s Tags til Christmas set and some punches.  I just love this set of stamps!  Inking with markers makes it possible to get the two-tone tags.  Add a bit of glitter, some twine, and you’re done.

I still have so many projects to get to.  More Christmas cards, some non-Christmas card set gifts, and Christmas gift card holders (my next class).  Fun, fun, fun!

Shauna
Posted in Christmas, tags | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Clean and Simple Snowflakes

Heyya!

Today I decided to make a Christmas card; notice a trend?  This one’s for the latest sketch challenge over at Clean and Simple Stamping.  See their sketch below.  I also added some scallops for Glenda’s Random Amusing Challenge 92. I’ve been wanting to participate in one of her challenges for a while now!

I really like this scallop punch with the large eyelet holes along it.

I had spent the morning playing with some digital papers I have, and liked what I saw when I layered these snowflakes onto the light blue paper.  I added some pearls, did some sponging around the edges.. et voilà!

The snowflakes are from Design House Digital, and the blue squares paper is from Two Peas in a Bucket.  For the tag, I punched out a 1” circle, then used my wee punch to make the tag hole.

And here’s my inspiration.
FTL117

Happy winter!

Shauna
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Blue Ornaments on my Christmas Tree

Hiya lovelies,

‘Tis true, I do have blue ornaments on my Christmas Tree.  It’s not up yet, though.  Maybe tomorrow?  We’re going away for a while in December, so I’d like to get the tree up soon so I can enjoy it a bit more!  Plus, I’m doing some Christmassy classes this month.  The tree would help with the ambiance.

I also did a whole batch of blue ornament Christmas cards.  To all my friends, if you receive one this year, pretend to be surprised!

Note the swirls?  Someone asked me recently if I have a lot of certain styles of stamps.  Swirls would definitely fall into that category!  Butterflies too.

I used products from lots of different companies on this card.  Inkadinkado, Stampin’ Up!, some random Michaels sale rack company, AMuse, and the scalloped square paper is by Design House Digital.

For the ornament, I tied a piece of ribbon in a single knot, and adhered with mini glue dots.  I also added little dabs of crystaline glitter glue.  The swirls are just stamped in VersaMark (or one of the most versatile inks ever).

I’m nearly there!  Only a few more Christmas cards to make this year!

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Teacher On Call

The title of Teacher On Call took on a whole new meaning this week.  Instead of rushing into a classroom of 30 middle school or high school students to whom I had to speak French, I got the pleasure of being the substitute teacher for a card making class at my favourite stamp store.

The ladies were lovely, as always.  I had a grand total of THREE students!  Unfortunately a fourth person had forgotten about her class. 

I quickly deciphered the instructions for the two cards they were to make (they made 4 of each card), and away we went.  There’s nothing like jumping into the unknown, but I’m used to it by now. 

This class came with two bonuses for me – the cards were already designed, and I got to make one of each for myself.  Woohoo, two less Christmas cards to make this year, plus some prettiness for my blog!  I have to say though, I won’t be cutting out that many poinsettias ever again.

The red dots on the poinsettia card are done with glitter glue, and the gold centres are done using the tip of a stylus dipped in Stazon gold ink. Beautiful.

These cards are both so elegant, which works, since they were for the aptly named “Classic Christmas Cards Class.” Oh my, alliteration galore!

The very best part? Someone else did the set-up and the clean-up for me.  Why can’t everything be like that?!

Shauna
Posted in Christmas | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Pumpkin Scones of Deliciousness

Hiya, lovelies!

I have a pretty popular recipe to share with you.  You know those delicious pumpkin scones at Starbucks?  These taste just the same.  Definitely a breakfast of champions, complete with the two glazes.

They’re easy to make too.  Try them out!

Pumpkin Scones with Regular and Spiced Glaze

Yield: 8 scones

Scones
2 cups flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Plain Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk

Spiced Glaze
1/2 cup + 1.5 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is very crumbly, and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, half-and-half, and the egg.  Fold into dry ingredients and form the dough into a ball.  Pat into a circle 1-inch thick on a lightly floured surface.  Slice into 8 triangles like you would a pizza.  Place on baking sheet and bake 12-16 minutes.  Keep an eye on it and remove when light brown.  Cool on wire rack.

4. For the plain glaze, mix the powdered sugar and milk until smooth.  Brush over the tops of the cooled scones.

5. For the spiced glaze, mix the ingredients together.  Drizzle over each scone, using a teaspoon.  Allow glaze to set about an hour before serving.

 

Enjoy!

Shauna
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Project 52: Fondue

Hi there,

Nathan and I finally had a planned date night!  It’s taken us a while, but I decided that we had to fit one in this week, regardless of our schedules.    We’ve been playing ultimate twice a week, I’ve also been playing hockey and doing stamping workshops in the evenings.. so yes, very busy around here!

Fondue-de-queso

I made us up the fondue recipe from Martha Stewart Living (see below).  I suggest you cut it in half like I did, unless you have 4 or 5 people.  I also chopped up some cubes of bread, and grilled a pile of root veggies in a tasty sweet and spicy rub.

Nathan and I devoured the yumminess while watching an episode of House.  We’re 8 episodes behind, which means I owe him a whole lot of TV time.

Note: I vastly prefer dates where we can actually talk to each other about plans, life, etc.  Sometimes, though, you just need to relax and let the TV wash over your tired brain.

Recipes:

Cheesy Fondue – for two

Mix together 1 cup each of shredded cheddar and gruyere with 1 T flour.  Bring 1/2 cup dry white wine to a simmer over medium heat. Gently whisk in cheese, a small handful at a time.  Allow to simmer on low.  Stir in a pinch of nutmeg.  Transfer to a fondue pot and enjoy.

Sweet and Savoury Roasted Root Vegetables

Slice up a big assortment of root vegetables.  I used carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, parsnip, and beets.  Toss them in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and the spice rub.  Bake at 425F for 30 minutes, stirring and turning them every 10 minutes.

Spice rub

  • 1.5 t cinnamon
  • 1.5 t chilli powder
  • 1 T brown sugar
  • 3/4 t  paprika
  • 1/5 t kosher salt

 

Try out those root veggies.  They’re delicious, fondue or not.  I’d bake them up for a great side dish any day.  This was my first time trying parsnips, and I LOVED them!

To see others’ dates, head on over to the Project 52 section of Simply Modern Mom.

Shauna
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Christmas Tree Workshop

Hi again, my lovely people!

Last night I had my first Stampin’ Up! workshop with non-family members.  It went really well, and I didn’t die from nervousness ;-)

Next week I have my next one, with a bit of a Christmas theme.  I’m pretty happy with what I designed as the Make and Take project.  I think it’s accessible for beginning stampers, but elegant enough for those who have done a bit of crafting.

I love all the swirls.. they add a touch of whimsy to the card.  Now, cross your fingers that this class goes well!

For this card, I was inspired by the Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World.  The sweater texture reminded me of the patterned paper I used, and the coziness reminded me of Christmas. 

Rising Ra Cardigan from Anthropologie

I’m off to torture my body tonight in a lively game of ultimate frisbee.

Shauna
Posted in Christmas | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Make and Take like Crazy

Heyya, happy Tuesday!

Now for the final instalment from my stampalicious weekend.  We did sooo many make and takes that I got out of there completely exhausted.  But it was a good, accomplished kind of tired.  Check out some of what the ladies had for us to make!

A super cute gift card holder type card (on the inside) – perfect for any coffee or tea lover. 043 

Not your usual Christmas colours.  This card was stamped using a technique where you ink up a piece of felt as your ink pad037

A very pink and red Christmas – there was a special technique for the bow, and of course I’ve forgotten it by now!039

Check out this neat card! Easy to make, too.  I just love the sponging, and that scrunched ribbon look.040

This card took a whole lot of concentration, with all the layers.  You had to do everything in just the right order.041

Halloween fun!  A Cute little Halloween treat cracker.042

Thanks to all the ladies for an incredibly fun and inspiring day!  And now, I’m off to the big city to take my little sister to her first ever big concert.  Woot!

Shauna
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Christmas Inspirations Galore

My Stampin’ Up! meeting/fun day came with so many Christmas card inspirations.  One of the ladies put together this countdown to Christmas kit.  So precious… but pretty big!

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I didn’t partake in the card swaps, but I snapped some quick pictures of all the cards before they got snached away.  Here’s a selection from the swap.

Fun with snowflakes and ribbon

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Jolly Snowman Christmas – Lots of beautiful sponging here010

Prancing Deer011

Swirls and Greetings012

Stripy Snow Globe (for reals!)013

Purple Post Card for Christmas014

Old Fashioned Christmas018

Fun in the Snow020

Traditional Cardinal021

Inspired yet?  How about some super neat 3-D projects?

A package of Christmas Tags029

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Tic Tac holder.. That’s what snowmen are made of.023

Candle package024

A wee Christmas box025

Santa’s little notebook027

Little treat house028

Whew.. a whole lot of Christmas.. this is almost overwhelming, even for me!

Still to come – our make and take cards and projects!

Shauna
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A day of Crafty Goodness

Hi again.  I really do exist, I promise.

The other weekend I got to spend a full day with other like-minded ladies, making pretty things with paper and ink.  What a whirlwind of a day!

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Our first challenge was to make a collaborative card with a very limited selection of supplies.  We got together in random groups of 4 and started working away.  I think we did pretty well!  We decided to keep it fairly simple with some pretty decorative papers

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Here’s what the others came up with.  A whole lot of amazing creativity by everyone!

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Next came the card swap, project swap, and a whole bunch of make-and-takes.  More on those later ;-)

Shauna
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Lots of Cake

Hey there, lovelies!

Since I got super lucky and had the day off today – I didn’t even have to silence my phone to not accept any calls.. I legitimately didn’t get a call for work – I decided to have some crafty fun times.

I’m definitely a fan of the sentiment on this card.  Cake? Yes please! With lots of icing. Sounds like a dream come true right about now.  And if you can just magic away the calories, that’d be good too.

This card is a whole lot of Stampin’ Up! products.. well, more than any other company, at least.  The stamps, the scallop border, and the sign plate punch – all Stampin’  Up! 

I used Versafine Onyx Black for my images.  Trust me, this is the best ink EVER on porous paper.  Next, I painted in my image using Twinkling H2Os.  The background paper is a digital one that I picked up from Design House Digital.

Luckily I have some delicious chocolate cupcakes with mocha icing in the freezer.  Defrost away, little gems..

Shauna
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A sketchy Hallowe’en

 

After a long and stressful week of family illness, I needed some time to myself.  Time to relax, decompress, do some cooking and some crafting.  Hey, can I just do that every day?

I wanted to make a Halloween card with my new stamp set.  I haven’t made many Halloween-themed-anythings before.  Look at me go!  It’s a day of firsts.  I also used my crock pot for the first time.  A delicious stew awaits us for dinner.  Hopefully the stew doesn’t have a wee spider sneaking up on it…

I used mostly Stampin’ Up! products, plus a Martha Stewart punch.. some Tim Holtz ink.. you know how it goes ;-)

This card also goes with the sketch over at 2 Sketches 4 you.  Check them out.
sketch

Have a happy Tuesday,

Shauna
Posted in challenge, halloween, sketch | Tagged , , | 2 Comments