Well, the cards are (finally!) done and sent, pressies bought and wrapped so now it’s time to sit back and enjoy Christmas.  Yaaaay.

Yesterday I spent the day cooking with the kids. They got to pick all their favourite foods and we had so much fun – and made a huuuuuge mess, but hey that was half the fun.  Cupcakes, fruit pies, choc-dipped fruit and more.

I even found some time to decorate this little ‘double-pocket bag’ that my friend Keah showed me how to make. I decorated the front with the ‘roo from Happy Christmas Mate, using Real Red and Old Olive cardstock and ink to tie in with the stripes on the Dashing designer series paper. It’s the perfect size for a gift voucher and matching gift card.

Hope you have a safe and very merry Christmas, and enjoy the festive time spent with those we don’t see often but especially those we see and love every day.

Ho ho ho,

It’s that time of year when the kids are finishing up school and kinder, and all their other activities, and there are lots of people to thank. This year I’ve had fun making Christmas Tree ornaments out of the wonderful scallop punch, a couple of circle punches and yummy peppermint cream chocolates from Cadbury’s sandwiched in the middle. They make fun little treats and look great when done up in a gift box.

These are acetate ‘matchboxes’ I made for the girls in my Stampin’ Up! group at the recent Melbourne Regional training day. They perfectly fit 3 of the Peppermint Cream Sandwiches inside. The slide-off ‘lid’ is made from clear acetate sheets (similar to overhead transparency sheets) which are available from office supply shops.

This one (above) features the Level 2 Free Hostess Set Spring Solitude – now that is one understated stamp set! When I first saw it I thought ‘not me’, but it has really grown on me. With any of the 2 Step stamp sets it takes a little more effort to see their potential, because it’s not immediately obvious what you can do with it, but let me tell you this is one great little versatile set! Colours: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum.

Better get back to the chocolate, oops I mean stamping…

I had a scrap of Fall Flowers Designer Series paper in my hand, and was just about to drop it in the recycling bin, when inspiration hit for this little project. I tend to keep every little piece but my scrap bucket nearly needs its own room, so I’m trying to get tough on that.

All it took was a rectangle of Fall Flowers DS paper (approx. 7cmx11.5cm), a strip of pre-cut Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon (I knew it would come in handy one day), and half a sheet of Really Rust cardstock. I cut the cardstock down to 18cm x 13cm. The long side is scored at 8.5cm in from each side, which created a 1cm spine. This particular notepad has a coil binding at the top – perfect for tying scraps of ribbon to – but that means we do need a wider spine.

This covered notebook is similar in concept to one I posted on my old blog (over here).

The textured Die-Cut Bloom (from the Spring Mini Catalogue) is sponged around the edges with Really Rust ink. I love the effect of sponging on textured cardstock – it really brings out the grain so beautifully. You can click on the photos to see it better.

The narrow Old Olive thread tied in the button is actually the edge cut from the grosgrain ribbon. Waste not, want not!

The little project has inspired me to dig down into my scrap bucket more often and see what I come up with. Next time I’ll take a before photo!