Category: 25 days of holiday crafting | 2011

24/25/festivus

PRIZE WINNERS:

sharon andrews = mybook winner

connie = stamp winner

email me your mailing info  (mflaum @ comcast. net) and I’ll get it out to you after the wackiness of the holidays.

[re: my post title: if you don’t know what I’m talking about: re Festivus… it’s a Seinfeld thing and you should know it’s hilarious + part of Flaum culture due to fire department work schedules… minus the pole, and usually without airing of grievances but you never know!]

Honesty time:

I am going to flake out on days 24 & 25 of my crafting series. I’m owning that + choosing to do so. Even as ahead as I was, time caught up to me and I’ve been choosing more kid/family time than crafting time so really don’t have anything else that hasn’t been covered so far to share. As I promised to share only REAL projects in this series, and that I just caught myself trying to invent something quick to share to meet a random number of ideas/posts I’d set arbitrarily, well that doesn’t work!

I *AM* making the apron tutorial + sharing a new cookie recipe. But I’ll do so in January vs in the next 24hrs.

The holidays aren’t approaching, they’re here. We’re handing out baked goods, wrapping the last of the gifts, and greeting everyone with “happy holidays” or “Merry Christmas” wherever we go. I’m fully in that zone, and to be perfectly honest I’m needing to cut down my to-do list and removing “make 2 more crafty holiday posts in next 48hrs” from the list would free up a few hours AND let me breathe easier. Plus it might help let me relax more and twitch less. I’m trying very hard to do just that.

just keepin’ it honest…


So every year I take about a week (around Christmas) off from blogging, just wanted to let you know I’m checking out a few days earlier than planned and heading off-line. I’ll be back December 28th. I MISS my blogging when I take this break, but it’s good to take a breather. Plus I’ve been working on this new site design (what do you think so far?) and my eyeballs need a computer break!

Wishing you a Christmas (or any other holidays you celebrate) filled with joy, merriment, and lots of good times. Take photos, don’t count calories, and enjoy yourself however you can.

credit: Christmas bird from www.rhonnadesigns.com

23 | December Daily format

It’s crunch time.

That time when everything is coming together and yet still SO MUCH TO DO. That time when stress is high, and everything can be drama. It’s a few days until Christmas.

So ask me how December Daily is going, and I’ll tell you! I’ve written about 8 pages. I have plans to write a lot more, and all of them will look like this:

I open a word document, set the top margin for 4 1/2″, then type my title, a quote if there is one (from one of the girls, etc), then type my story. Print onto cardstock, stick in the binder.

You see, by making the top margin 4 1/2″ I know I can easily put any 4″ high photo up there, at any time. I can add decor such as ribbons or tapes, embellishments at the bottom if there’s space…

and more importantly: I can do it next week. AFTER the baking and the parties. AFTER the hoopla.

But the stories are getting told, remembered, and saved NOW.

Better yet? Takes as few as 5-10minutes to jot one down and print it off. I’m faster typing and there are no worries about spelling errors.

Still fun: customizing the embellishing will add fun to this project, but the simplification of telling detailed stories in the now takes the pressure off.

Game on.

now excuse me while I go run around my house and do as much as I can tonight so tomorrow may potentially be more serene…

22 | craftiness + gift cards

It’s no secret that I love giving gift cards (light, fast, easy, great for those hard to gift people) – but I also like to dress up my gifting of them too. Now I know time is running out (eek) and holidays aren’t just coming – they’re HERE! So I created a tutorial for two gift card holder ideas. Just grab some scrapbook supplies and (like me) sneak in some craft time.

To see the video tutorial I created, and full supply lists visit Scrapbook Update for my article: http://www.scrapbookupdate.com/2011/12/18/video-making-fabulous-gift-card-holders/

These gift card holders feature the ADORABLE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT Basic Grey Nordic Holiday line that has so totally dominated in my gift wrap this year. LOVE!

Now I’m off to make some lists, make some executive decisions on what truly “must” be done and what can be skipped, and try to enjoy more than worry about the holiday week ahead…

Pink Persimmon + Lisa Pace = great stamps!

 

 Pink Persimmon is a stamp company that is locally owned, and they are such great ladies! When they asked if I’d like to try out some of their new Lisa Pace designs I said of course! So today I want to share with you a tag technique I’ve been using a lot this holiday season – and you can see the tags I’ve made with the perfumery set.

First use distress stain (a light color) all over a manila tag. Then stamp text image with SAME COLOR of distress, but the ink pad (not stain). It is faint, but there is a slight color difference that gives you a great watermark-like effect.

Then stamp in a darker color the bottle image, stamp the entire tag with versamark ink, coat in embossing powder, and heat until the powder is set into a glossy finish. (and that’s it!)

Aren’t they lovely? My plan is to use these on some packages for the holidays – just adding a monogram sticker or something simple, and a note on the back perhaps. I jus adore these bottle stamps. So fancy and the coordinating text stamp is going to be used a lot around here as well I’m sure…

 I just love this process for making quick, sturdy, fabulous tags that could act as page embellishments, adorn gifts, or even be for a card. What’s even more fun? I’m going to give a set of Pink Persimmon stamps away!

Aren’t they so vintage chic? I love them – but I’m going to share that love and give this set (shown above) away to one of you darling blog readers! Just leave a comment here, winner will be drawn around the 21st…

Happy Crafting!!