Sunday, December 25, 2011

Majors and Minors - using it all up

I'm getting a head start on next Christmas while I'm still in the mood.  If you're a card-maker like me you know all about having a pile of scraps to deal with.  It's almost never that a single card idea uses up all the paper you've chosen.  The idea you have in your head becomes the Major. The challenge becomes how you adapt that idea to use up the scraps, creating the Minor. 

Here is a sample of one of my Majors and Minors.  It's a reoccurring theme for me.  There is a rendition of "T'was the Night Before Christmas" on my all time favorite Christmas album by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians that I hear in my head all season long.  Inevitably it results in the sugar plumb card. 

The larger one - the Major - was my original design idea, 5x7.  The background paper is from Pink Paislee's snow day collection.  I had been hanging onto a pack of felt snowflakes from American Crafts for forever and decided it was time to use them up.  I added glitter brads and stamped images along with punched out rings to create the 'visions of sugar plumbs that danced in their wee, little heads.'  The header image is from Unity Stamps - an image by Webster's Pages.  I may color it, but have plenty of time to decide.  Everything is embossed with clear powder to make the edges shine and the stamped images glossy.  It adds to the 'sugar' feel I was trying to create.  Some images are popped up with foam to add dimension. 

Since I used up all the glitter brads on the Major, I substituted crystal bling on the Minor.  The ribbon is American Crafts, again, and has the same color scheme as the background paper.  I reversed the paper for the Minor just to mix things up.  I think I'll get out my glitter glue and glitter up some of those dots in the background, just to keep the 'sugar' idea prevalent in both.  

Happy Christmas, Everyone! - AMK

Saturday, December 17, 2011

So the Wise Men don't get here until January, right?

Hand made Christmas cards. Let's face it, Christmas cards are a paper crafter's wet dream.  We love making them.  Look at me, it's after midnight and I'm blogging about making them.  Of course I should be ACTUALLY making them, but I tried and kept making a mess so I must be tired.

I need 47 in total to send.  So, yeah...I may have to invoke the "Wise Men" rule this year. 

As I recall my Catholic upbringing, the nuns made a big deal about the Wise Men finally showing up sometime in January.  I think it's the 6th?  The Feast of the Nativity, or Epiphany or some such thing as that?  Somebody help a bad Catholic out here on the date, please? 

At any rate, the "Wise Men" rule CLEARLY states that if you get your Christmas cards in the mail before they show up to the Nativity Party, you are not late.  Keep that in mind, y'all....

So far it's been a Crafty Brown Christmas here in the Burg. I cannot tell you exactly why I am digging this stuff, but I am.  I used to just have the plain stuff and that in itself was fun, but now they started printing on it.  How cool is that? 

The one with Prancer on it and his chorus line is a bit of a repeat of one I did for the store a couple years ago.  I never made it for Christmas delivery, just the store sample.  Same goes for the little white fox.  You can't outfox Santa!  Hah! 

The final one is also a remake of one I did even longer ago.  I like the idea of the calendar with the pin in it.  The pin is new to the design this go around (does it look like a push pin?), and I switched out the Santa image for one with more fur on his costume so I could use my liquid applique to puff it up.  That stuff is cool.  You need to get some.  

Oh - and how about those eyelets?  Come on, admit it.  You have THOUSANDS of those things and you quit using them because they fell out of vogue in the paper crafting world.  Well everything old is new again, apparently.  Get on board...

All cards are A2.  Any questions about any of the products used - shout them out.  Happy Christmas! - AMK




Thursday, December 15, 2011

The 2011 Cookie Book Reveal

Ta Da!  The annual cookie exchange took place last weekend and was yet another fun time with friends.  To all those of you brave enough to participate, THANK YOU! 

The book this year had a jacket that you slide off to reveal the embossed metal cover.  Then you open to reveal the pocket pages where the recipes are all tucked inside each pocket.  Page numbers and an index tells you who made what recipe.  Some books were red and some green, the letters and numbers and pages were all different for all the books so everyone gets something just a little bit unique.

Colleen took pictures, so shortly there will be photos to add to the book.  Because, what's a cookbook without pictures, right?  Happy Christmas everybody! - AMK