Carrie Stamps

December Happy Stamping Box

Get your December Happy Stamping Box NOW!

Ordering is now open for the December Happy Stamping Box!

The Happy Stamping Box is a kit by mail and a LIVE virtual class with me! 

This month we will be making Christmas Gift Tags with a cookie theme! 

For the December Box I have teamed up with Inky Stamper to bring you the Cookies stamp and die set.  

As well as Spellbinders/FSJ with the Cookie Exchange stamp and die set. SO, this month you are getting two stamp sets and two die sets!

In the December Happy Stamping Box you are going to get all the things to make 12 Christmas tags. They are shape tags, all designed by me and unique to this month's box.

PLUS, get a FREE BONUS card when you sign up by December 3rd!  Registration for this box closes on December 5th.

With the purchase of the HSB you will get an invitation to my private facebook group, The Happy Stamping Box. There you will have access to the printable PDF tutorial and this is where the virtual class will take place. If you are not able to make it to the LIVE class, a recording will be available for you to watch at your convenience for up to 3 weeks after the LIVE event.

Here's the breakdown of what is included with the December Happy Stamping Box:

OPTION 1: THE FULL KIT $65 (shipping included)

12 exclusive die cut shape tags, Cookies Stamp and Die set, Cookie Exchange Stamp and Die set, Die cut embellishments, Journey Glaze, Sparkle Cuts glitter, Ribbon and Twine assortment, Wooden button assortment.

OPTION 2: TAG KIT ONLY $30 (shipping included)

 This kit is for those who already have the stamp and die sets and just want the tags to create.

SUBSCRIBE!!!

Subscribing to the Happy Stamping Box means that you will automatically get the Full Kit HSB every month.  You will have an automatic payment so you don't have to worry about going to a website and clicking and paying. Subscribers get a $5 discount on their box, free shipping and automatically get the BONUS card! You can cancel your subscription at anytime by visiting PayPal to adjust your automatic payments.

Click here to SUBSCRIBE for just $60 a month (subscribe by 12/5/19 to get the December Box, subscriptions after that will start with the January box).

FREE BONUS PROJECT:

To earn the 6th BONUS project, purchase your kit or subscribe by 12/3/19.

WHAT YOU NEED:

You will need to have some basic supplies on hand to make these projects. Like: scissors, glue, adhesives, coloring medium of your choice (markers, pencils, etc.), die cutting machine, ink pads, etc.

WHEN IS THE LIVE CLASS?

The December Happy Stamping Box class will be held LIVE in the private Facebook page on Saturday, December 14th at 9:30am MST.  If you can not make it to the LIVE event the recording will be available after the event in the Facebook group page for you to watch at your convenience, for up to 3 weeks.

You will be added to the Facebook group page (The Happy Stamping Box) about 1 week prior to the LIVE class. If we are not currently friends on Facebook please find me and send me a friend request when you sign up for the class, find me under Carrie Cady Rhoades, then I will be able to easily add you to the page. You will then need to go to that page to accept my invite at which point you will have access to the page. 

DETAILS:

All products for the kits will be ordered and prepared by me after the registration deadline of December 5th.  I do not have all the product on hand, it is ordered based on registrations.  The ordering, cutting and preparation of these boxes take 10-14 days after the deadline. The expected shipping date for the boxes is 12/09/19. 

Happy Stamping Boxes can only be mailed with in the United States at this time, send me a special request if you are outside the US at carrie@carriestamps.com

Registration closes on 12/5/19.

The PDF tutorial will be emailed and  posted to the Happy Stamping Box FB page on or around 12/09/19 for you to download and print. Use this to prepare for and along with the LIVE class or recorded video.

Every one is welcome to join the Happy Stamping Box; new stampers, professional stampers, beginners, etc.  Please feel free to share this invitation with your friends.  I hope you try out the Happy Stamping Box, I know we will have fun creating these cards together!

QUESTIONS?

Please leave a comment on this post if you have any questions, I am glad to help. Or contact me by email at carrie@carriestamps.com.

As always, I can not wait to stamp with you!

Tone on Tone Glimmer Hot Foiling

I am excited to be bringing you another fun idea with the Glimmer Hot Foil system. For today's cards I made tone on tone backgrounds with the Art Deco Border Hot Foil Plates. That mean, I used red foil on red card stock. The results are stunning and elegant. Make sure to check out the video on the making of these cards, linked here and at the bottom of this post.

Here you can see the three cards I made using Red, Green and Black foils and card stocks.

I used the same stamps and dies to turn each of the backgrounds into cards. With these shiny, eye catching backgrounds not a lot is needed to create a stunning card.  In the video I will show you my tips and trick for getting these borders dies lined up to make quick backgrounds.

Which one is your favorite?

For the green card I added some ink to the edges of the holly leaves so that they would stand out against the green background.

The black card is a smaller square card. Made to this size because of a booboo that happened when making it. A good lesson in make it work, even when something goes wrong.

I love how these backgrounds and cards turned out. It is so satisfying to hold these cards and turn them in the light to get the full effect of the shine from the foiling.

See the Hot Foil machine in action and the making of these cards in this video.

If you have yet to do so make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel, I upload new videos twice a week.

Below are all the supplies I used to make these cards, listed and linked for you.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by, I will be back again soon with more creative ideas for you.

Glimmer Hot Foil + Watercoloring

Hey there stamping friends. Today I am sharing a home decor project made with the October 2019 Glimmer Hot Foil kit of the month, Sunset Harvest.

I asked my Facebook friends what they thought I should do with this kit and Hope Jones said I should make a framed home decor piece. So, that is what I am doing. I also thought it would be fun to watercolor in the images.

I have been wondering how watercolor paper would do when hot foiled. And if you are hot foiling watercolor paper then you might as well go ahead and watercolor!

For my framed piece I not actually putting the finished project into a frame but on to a stand up clipboard that I have had for a while.

The size of the piece is 6" x 9", it's a lot of space to fill, so I knew I wanted to make a cool background.

I started by painting my 6" x 9" Canson Watercolor paper with a wash of watercolor paint. I used my 36 Pan set by Arteza. I used the color Jade Green, it shows up a bit more blue in the photos than in person.  I painted so that the color got lighter as I worked my way toward the bottom of the paper.

While this was drying I set about hot foiling my pumpkins and leaves. I wanted to use the Copper foil that came in the October kit, but it did not see to foil well on the watercolor paper even when I adjusted my shims. So I tried Gold and it worked great. Some foils seem to do certain things better than others.

Then I started watercoloring my images. Here's what I found about watercoloring a Glimmer Hot Foil image.

A puddle of watercolor paint can dry on top of foil and dull that shine.

Here are my tips to overcome this.

1. Avoid painting over the glimmer hot foil lines.
2. If you get a puddle dab it up with a paper towel.
3. If a puddle dries on your foil, wet the line with a fine paint brush and dab it up.

As you can see I did not have much issue with the watercolor covering my shiny foil.

Once my watercolor background was dry I added to it with the Cement Tile stencil by FSJ and some modeling paste. I love this stencil!  It really added what this piece needed so that the bottom was not so bare, cause who likes a bare bottom? Don't answer that!

I splattered the background with Cool Pool Silk to finish it off. I stamped a sentiment from the Gather Together stamp set on a Special Day die cut.  With the sentiment done and all my glimmered pieces die cut (cause the kit comes with coordinating dies! yay!), I was able to start assembling.

The sentiment is adhered with foam squares. I used liquid glue to adhere all the glimmered pieces, except the two yellow leaves that are popped up.

For accessories I added a piece of ribbon around the top. The ribbon is called Sweet Haystack, I love the texture of this ribbon, it's perfect for fall projects! The last touch were a sprinkling of Rainbow Drops. These rainbow drops I used are actually orange, but because they are slightly translucent the background gives them the look of rust. Which goes perfectly with the Pumpkin Bread card stock I used for my sentiment.

I really enjoyed making this and playing with watercoloring. I am going to go set it on my mantle now. But don't you think this would make a great gift! 

You can watch the making of this piece in the video below. If you have not yet done so I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

 

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to stop and visit me! I'd love for you to say HI, I love to chat with my fellow paper crafting friends!

You can find all the things I used to make the project listed and linked for you below. Affiliate links have been used which means I get a small percentage of the sale when you shop my links, at not cost to you. When you are inspired by a creator and you shop their links you are helping to support that maker. Thank you!

 

2 Glimmer Hot Foil Plate 2 Foils 1 Card

I am back with another Christmas card using a background from my BEST GLIMMER HOT FOIL PLATE video.

I paired up a Gel Press Print and the Scattered Dot Glimmer Hot Foil plate with Aura foil to create this background. My goal was to use another Glimmer Hot Foil plate for this card, the Merry Christmas Tree Glimmer Plate. This plate set was designed by Sharyn Sowell. I once saw a video of how she creates/designs her dies. It was amazing. She cuts them from paper with scissors. Like a very intricate snowflake. I was in awe and knew, based on that video that I wanted to own some of her dies or Glimmer Plates. They are works of art truly. You can watch the video that hooked me right HERE.

Now let's take a look at the card for today.

You wouldn't know it to look at this card, but it too a lot to get it done. It was one of those cards where everything I tried did not work.

Watch the video to see what I mean and let me know if this has ever happened to you.

I am glad a stuck with it and ended up with a card that I like.

I love when you turn this card in the light you get the waves of rainbow over the background and the tree goes from blue to silver. I really do have a lot of fun with that Glimmer machine!

Did you catch the last video I did with another background from the BEST GLIMMER HOT FOIL PLATE video?  You can watch that one HERE and tune in next week for a Halloween card with the background that I double foiled over a Gel Press Print.

Making Christmas cards this early in the year gives me mixed emotions. I am sad to let summer go but I am looking foward to fall. I love fall, it just seems to go so fast and then it's winter and then Christmas and I am never as ready as I want to be. So now I am happy that I am one Christmas card closer to being ready. See, I am all over the place!  How about you, do you like making Christmas cards in summer?

Below I have listed and linked all the things I used to make today's card. Thank you for your support, when you shop these links you are helping to support this blog and my YouTube channel at no cost to you.

 

Thank you so much for taking time out of you day to visit my blog. It means so much to me to get to share my creations with you. If you have any questions I am here to help!

 

THE BEST Glimmer Hot Foil Plate and a card!

Hey there stamping friends. Have you jumped on the Glimmer Hot Foil wagaon?  I did and I'm not sorry!  I'm having so much fun with it I thought I would share with you the BEST Glimmer Hot Foil plate out there. Okay, in my opinion. If you follow me or know you then you already know that I love backgrounds. I love background stamps and making my own backgrounds from all kinds of media. So, it will then come as no surprise to you that the BEST Glimmer Hot Foil plate, I my FAVORITE Glimmer Hot Foil plate is a background plate. Scattered Dots is the BEST Hot Foil plate.

In this video I am going to show you 5 ways to use it. Then I am going to share a card made with one of these background and a video of the making of that card. So much fun on the blog today!

Tell me, is this not the best Glimmer Hot Foil plate??? 

For my first card using one of the backgrounds from this video I am going with the green dots on green paper. Perfect for a Christmas card!

I used the new Spellbinders die set, Santa's Workshop for this card. What a fun stamp set!  I love the dome, it's a fresh new way to make a scene. This card here resembles a snowglobe. I added glaze and sparkle cuts glitter to give it a snowglobe feel. 

I love how the light hits the scattered dots in the background as well as the sparkle cuts glitter on my glass dome.

You can watch the making of this card in this video here:

Stay tuned, I will be back very soon with card 2 with another Scattered Dots background.

Below I have listed and linked all the supplies I have used to make this card.  When you click and shop these links you are helping to support my blog and YouTube channel at no cost to you, thank you for your support!  It means so much to me!

 

 

Rainbow Glimmer Unicorn Card

Pin It:

This card is packed with fun things!  It starts out with a Gel Press Background, then I throw in a Glimmer Hot Foil layer over that!  And I have some Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker coloring on the Magical Unicorn stamp set.  Pretty sure I can not go wrong with all these great things!

Check it out for yourself, in this video.

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel HERE. I post new videos every week.

Let's take a closer look at today's card.

This card started with the rainbow background, created by brayering 3 liquid colors onto the Gel Press.  The three colors I used are; Candy Apple, Lemon Drop and Cool Pool.  When you brayer these, they blend together and create the orange and green. Once the colors are blended you lay a piece of card stock on top and press gently onto that Gel Press. Peel it up to reveal your one of a kind print.

Then I took that print and added a layer of hot foil!  I used my new favorite Glimmer Hot Foil plate, Scattered Dots. Having the gold dots over the top of the rainbow background it what makes this card so special.

The coloring was lots of fun. I really enjoy coloring with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on Bristol Smooth paper. They blend so nice!  Arteza markers are very similar and I use those too, just as I did in today's video. I have linked both sets of markers for you below, as well as all the other products I used to make today's card.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think I should to with the five backgrounds I made in the video.

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:

Glimmer Hot Foil Mother's Day Card

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's!  I hope you know, whatever stage you are at in motherhood you are doing a good job. I know we all feel like we can do more and do better, but it's okay to take a moment and tell yourself you are doing good. Show yourself some love today.

I am sharing the card I made for my mom and my mother-in-law. When I got the May Glimmer Kit of the Month from Spellbinders I immediately thought of Mother's Day cards! Here is picture of what comes in the kit, a Glimmer Plate set and a roll of foil. 

The filigree plates you see here are not dies, but plates to be used on the Glimmer Hot Foil System. Which is basically a machine that heats up a platform on which you put the glimmer plate, foil, and card stock. Once heated you run all this through a standard die cutting machine. This will press the design on the glimmer plate into the card stock in foil.  Pretty cool really!

The glimmer plates are not dies, even though they look like it. They are for transferring images in foil onto something, like card stock.  But it just so happens that this month's Glimmer Kit came with two dies as well. The oval and piece in the center of the package are dies that coordinate with the set. So you can die cut the center of your foiled image and die cut out the smaller filigree pieces!  I love it. However, I did not use either of the dies on today's project.

What I love so much about this plate is that I was able to apply it to my card stock and then add very little to it and still have a card that is stunning.

You can see the difference between the hot-foiled image, which is pressed into the paper and the embossed sentiment which is raised up on the paper.

You can see all the Glimmer Hot Foil products that Spellbinders has to offer HERE.

And if you are interested in getting a Glimmer Kit of the Month you can find out more about that HERE.

You can see the making of this card and the Glimmer Hot Foil system in action in this video, from my Facebook live demonstration.

Below you will find all the things I used to make this card linked for you.

Thank you so much for stopping by, I'll be back soon with another paper creation. 

 

 

My Favorite Die

Welcome to another FSJ Creative Team Blog Hop!

Not only is this a Blog Hop but it is also a giveaway!  Keep reading to find out how you can be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Spellbinders/FSJ. And a stamp set from me! 

The theme of this Blog Hop is My Favorite Die. One of my favorite dies by Spellbinders/FSJ is the Card Carrier Die set. 

I have made a lot of fun things with this die and have found that it is very versatile for a 2 piece die set. Today I am going to show you a variation of the gift bag as well as another way to use this die. 

First up is the bag. 

This is a generous bag that is big enough to hold three or four A2 size cards. The sides are gusseted and it really looks like a mini paper bag. 

I cut a piece of Whip Cream card stock to 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" as a panel for the front of this black die cut bag. I created a background by stamping the Graduated Dots background stamp on the Whip Cream card stock with Clear Pigment ink and then rubbing on a light blue PanPastel.  I love the soft look of this background, but for some contrast I then splattered it with Black Licorice Silk. 

I dressed up the front panel with some stamped flowers and a sentiment from the Layered Rose stamp set. This is the stamp set I am giving away over on my YouTube channel. Click the video below to watch it on my YouTube channel. Leave a comment on my video on my YouTube page and you could be one of two lucky winners that I will be giving the Layered Rose stamp set to. 

The fun variation I did to make this bag different is that I did not use the die that comes with this set to make the handle. Instead I used ribbon. I wanted the ribbon to lay flat on the inside of the bag and that is why I created a liner. I die cut a second strip of just the top of the bag to give the top edge a second layer. I will show you how to do this in the video demonstration. 

Now, take a look at this coordinating pencil holder. 

It is a fun way to use just one die cut panel from the Card Carrier die. With just a few cuts and a fold you can make this cut little pencil holder. Of course it could hold lots of things, chocolate is always good! 

You can see how I made these projects in this video, be sure to click over to my YouTube channel and leave a comment on this video for a chance to win the Layered Rose stamp set I used on these projects. 

 

And now you will want to hop along and see what the other designers have made for this blog hop: 

Next Up: Lezlye Hardwick-Lauterbach https://lezlyelauterbachdesigns.com/?p=764

Jill Hillard https://www.stampwithjill.com/my-favorite-die-blog-hop-&-giveaway/

Marty McGee: http://martyzstamps.com/?p=2422

Don't forget to comment on this post to be entered to win a $25 Spellbinders-FSJ gift certificate. How Fun!!! You can comment below on this post or on my Instagram post to be in the running for the gift certificate. Good Luck! Giveaway closes on Sunday, March 17th 11:59 pm CT. Winners will be announced in our blog hop post the following Monday, 3/18/19. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Below you will find links to all the products I used. 

 

Little Monster Valentine

All the fun Valentine gifts and decor are on full display every where you go. Recently I was walking through Walmart and saw some cute little stuffies for Valentines Day, they were little monsters. And so cute.  So that is what inspired todays card. I pulled out my Eyes On You stamp set from Halloween and decided to use it to make a Valentine card. 

Below you can see the little monsters that sparked my creativity.

I loved the pink and purple together and so that is the color scheme I used for this Paper Bag Envelope Card. 

For this card I started with a die set from Spellbinders called the Paper Bag Envelope. It is currently on clearance for $8.09!  Which is a reason to love it, right! 

The top layer of my paper bag, the background, was die cut using one of the dies from this set. Then I used my True Color Fusion inks by FSJ to blend a background. Then I stamped the heart from the Eyes on You stamp set over the top of the blended background in the same colors as the ink I used. The ink colors are: Grape Fusion, Watermelon Fusion, and Bubble Gum.  

The insert for this Paper Bag Envelope is 3-1/8" x 4-7/8", I personally write this on the packaging for the die, so that each time I go to use this die I do not have to figure out what size to cut my insert. 

To color in my monsters I used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. These are a water based marker, that blend with each other. I used #084 - Deep Violet, #080 - Violet, #083 - Lilac, and #999 - Blender for the large monster on the front. I accented the monster in the card insert with #026 - Light Pink. One important think you want to take note of here, these markers work the best on Bristol Smooth card stock by Strathmore.  If you have tried these markers and have not loved the result give them a second try on Bristol Smooth card stock and you will change you mind.  I have also used these markers on image that have been stamped and embossed with black powder on watercolor paper and have loved the result as well. 

Below you can watch the making of this project from last nights Facebook Friday live demonstration. 

 

Scroll to the bottom of this post to find all  products I used to make the projects link for you. 

Thank you so much for stopping by, I love sharing my creations with you and hopefully inspiring you to create as well. 

Affiliate Links have been used at no cost to you, thank you for shopping with me and allowing me to share what I love with you. 

 

Balsa Wood Ornaments

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!  Once again, it snuck up on me!  I feel ready for Christmas, but still have cute things I want to make!  One of which were my Woodland Critter ornaments from Balsa wood. You may have seen my felt and paper ornaments from these same dies. Today I am sharing two ways to make ornaments with dies and Balsa wood and of course I am using the same little critters. 

First lets start with the painted critters. 

They started with a piece of Balsa wood, which is very light weight and about the thickness of fun foam.  It is commonly used for making models. And it die cuts very nicely! 

I die cut all the pieces to make my raccoon and glued him all together with a hot glue gun.

Then I pulled out my FSJ acrylic paints, Black Licorice and Whip Cream. I love these thick paints with a matte finish.

I mixed the black and white paints to make a custom gray and painted the entire piece that medium shade of gray.  They I added some more black to it and painted his mask with it. Then I used the black paint by itself for the eyes, nose and lines on the tail.  And white paint alone for accenting. 

Then I took a scrap of sandpaper and sanded the edges of the ornament to give him a distressed look. I found that it is best to sand in the direction of the wood grain with a gentle touch as you can easily break this wood. 

To finish him up I added some Journey Glaze to his eyes and nose.  Then I die cut a holly and berries from the balsa wood as well, using the Woodland Critters Winter Add-On die set. I found that when die cutting balsa wood with a wafer die like the holly the die will flatten the wood and make it almost paper thin, so be careful. To color my holly, I wondered if ink could be used, so to test it out I just pressed a scrap of it in to my ink pad.  I loved the look so much I did not paint on the ink or anything, I just pressed my die cut holly leaves on to the Kiwi Slice pad. And the berries onto the Cranberry Bliss pad.  Since these were so thin I die cut a card stock set of leaves and berries from the coordinating colored card stock and glued the wood pieces to that, for stability. I hot glued the holly on and added Journey glaze to the berries. 

I did all the same things for my fox, but I made a lighter gray color for his body than the gray for the raccoon. 

To add the hanger I hot glued a piece of twine to the back of the head and then covered up the twine with a small scrap of balsa wood. 

Now let's chat about the glittered ornaments. 

I loved the look of the raw wood on these ornaments so much I wanted to preserve that look in an ornament too. 

Here is what the fox looks like before glitter was added, just die cut balsa wood pieces hot glued together. 

I then painted the entire fox with Journey Glaze.  I squeezed some out onto a paint palette and used a paint brush I did not care too much about to paint it on the fox.  Then I sprinkled on Sparkle Cuts chunky glitter. I was IN LOVE!  Once the glaze dried I added another layer of glaze to the eyes and nose. 

And then I realized that this ornament needed some holly and berries too. So I just repeated what I did for the painted ornaments and then covered the holly with glaze and sparkles cuts and used the glaze to glue it in place. 

I adhered the twine the same way I did on the painted ornaments, sandwiched between the back of the head and a scrap of balsa wood with hot glue. They hold really well. 

I LOVED making my own ornaments this year. I hung a few on my tree and gifted a few. 

You can see my felt critter ornaments HERE and my paper critter ornaments HERE, made with all the same dies. 

Scroll to the bottom for the links to the products used to make these ornaments. 

 

Woodland Paper Ornaments

Today I am sharing some fun ornaments you can quickly and easily make out of paper, specifically card stock. These were made to be sturdy and stand the test of time. AND of course they are cute as can be! 

My critters were die cut using four dies from Spellbinders; Who's There, Bandit, Hey Foxy and It's a Bunny Thing.  All four dies are currently on sale, which I loved!  To give them all a Christmas feel I used the Lawn Fawn  die set; Woodland Critter Huggers Winter Add-On. 

To make the ornament sturdy so that they can be used for years to come I die cut 3 of the owl body pieces from Whip Cream card stock. I glued them together, layering them up to make a very sturdy and thick ornament. For the pieces that go on top I did 2 or 3 layers, this help with the sturdiness and give the ornament some dimension. To dress up this owl I used the ear muffs, mug, whip cream and mittens dies from the Woodland Critters Winter Add-On die set.

Isn't he so cute all bundled up? I die cut the mittens from felt to give some added texture. And to bring this owl to life I added some white highlight with a gel pen to his eyes, beak and feet and covered them with Journey Glaze.  I adore glitter, so I add some Journey Glaze to the ear muffs and the heart on the mug and sprinkled it with Sparkle Cuts by FSJ while the glaze was still wet.  I love that this glitter is clear and you can still see the stripes of the ear muffs when it is covered with the glitter, giving it an ice feel. 

Look at the naughty little raccoon, she stole the Christmas goodies!  This raccoon is also 3 layers of card stock, Riverstone by FSJ is the gray card stock I used. I do LOVE FSJ card stock, it is so sturdy and it perfect for these ornaments. I gave my raccoon a Santa hat from the Woodland Critters Winter die set as well as the candy cane and ginger bread boy. I love the look on his face, like he just got caught sneaking candy! 

I added accents to his eyes and nose with a white gel pen before coating them with Journey Glaze, this white line helps give life to the eyes and shine to the nose. I also used Journey Glaze for the candy cane and the white of the hat. The white of the hat also got a dusting of Sparkle Cuts. To make the buttons on the gingerbread boy red, I used Nuvo Drops in Autumn Red. I love that the Autumn Red has a shimmer to it, almost a pearlized look.  To give make the gingerbread boy's eyes white, I sandwiched a piece of white card stock between the Hazelnut blend layers of body. 

This fox is just so darn cute!  He looks like he's going to give you is prized possession, this giant candy cane. The giant candy cane is from Spellbinders, it's the Christmas Candy Canes stamp and die set designed by Joanne Fink. This set has two candy canes, one facing each way with a coordinating die for each as well a bow stamp and die. 

My favorite thing about this fox is his paws!  I got them from the Owl die, they are the owl's feet. Giving him the candy cane to hold really makes this ornament. 

I colored my stamped candy cane in with colored pencils and then painted it with Sparkle Silk. Last I covered it with Journey Glaze. It's one of the prettiest candy canes around!  I added the holly to his ear to finish off the fox and of course covered it with Journey Glaze and Sparkle Cuts for more shine and shimmer.  If you look closely at this fox you can see that one of his layers is white. I tried a middle layer of a light weight white chipboard, as this was my first ornament in the collections. I did not like that the white showed and that is when I decided to use layers of card stock for a more seamless look. 

I had a lot of fun with my bunny!  His neck was a little small for the scarf in the Woodland Critter Winter Add-On die set. So I cut  the long scarf piece and then put this piece  back in the die, scooting it over so that one end hung out one side and die cut it again, making it shorter. Then I die cut the other scarf piece that has a score line where you fold it over the other scarf piece, love that!  This die also cuts the fringe at the end of the scarf!  Genius!  The holly and present are also from the Add-On die set. I got a little gel pen happy on this one, but I love the look of the fine white lines/stripes on his scarf and the delicate dots on the gift.

Now if you are going to have a giant tail, it should be glittered, right!!!  That's all I have to say about that. 

To attach a string to these ornaments I simply glued on the already knotted string between the card stock layers. 

I hope you have enjoyed these ornaments. I had a blast making them!  And think that making sets of ornaments is going to be something new I make for friends and family. My grandma has made me ornaments all my life and it has really become a very special thing to me, I think I want to carry on that tradition. 

If you'd like to see my felt ornaments made with these same dies, you can find that post HERE. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and letting me share my ornaments with you. I hope you are inspired to create some of your own. 

Below you will find links to all the products I used to make today's projects. Affiliate links have been used at no cost to you, thank you for your support. 

6 Gift Card Packaging ideas

What is the best last minute gift?  Gift Cards of course. If you want to dress your gift cards up I have 6 ideas for you!  Make the gift card gift a little more special with cute packaging. 

IDEA 1 - Alter a Tag

For this gift card holder I die cut three tags, using the largest tag die from the Special Day Tag die set by FSJ. Two from the blue snowflake printed paper (from the Dear Santa paper by Spellbinders) and one from white card stock. I glued the two printed paper tags back to back. Then scored the top of this piece at 1" and folded it down. Gluing the tags back to back makes this thinner paper more sturdy and since the paper is one sided, I have the same pattern on the folded down flap as I do on the front of the tag. Adhere this to the white tag using a thin line of glue or 1/8" double sided tape, leaving just enough room for the gift card to slide in. 

The singing tree is from the Dear Santa die cut shapes set that matches the printed paper.  And I used another of the die cut shapes for the back of the tag/holder.

IDEA 2 - Use a gift card die

This is a no brainer, I love that when I just need a quick gift card holder I don't have to create something from scratch. I can die cut this Gift Card Sleeve with cute paper it's ready to go. 

 And using the Dear Santa paper and pre die cut images makes it even easier! 

I used another small die cut on the back to hold the flap of this envelope like sleeve shut, so no need for velcro or for the recipient to rip it open. 

IDEA 3 - Use dies to create a shaped gift card holder

I die cut two of the these mittens to make this holder, just sandwich two back to back and leave an opening at the top for the gift card. Look at the dies you have and see what you might be able to use to make a gift card holder. I also have a stocking die that I made gift card holders with last year.  Here's a little tip for sandwiched shape dies as gift card holders. Use a few layers of double stick tape to adhere them, giving a little dimension to the opening, making it easier to get the gift card in and out. 

With so many cute die cuts in this pack it was fast and easy to not only make the front of my holder cute, but also the back. 

IDEA 4 - What dies do I have that could hold a gift card? 

When creating these gift card holders I did just what I mentioned above and found this Window Pocket die, and found that it will fit a gift card nicely if attached to an insert! 

In the window here you can see the insert with out a gift card, but what is fun about this holder is that the recipient gets a peek at their gift card. 

Just add the gift card to the insert with a few glue dots or foam squares. 

See how the window gives a little look at what's inside!  

IDEA 5 - Use a little box for a gift card plus treat! 

I thought this holder would be perfect for a Starbuck gift card and candy cane! 

IDEA 6 - Put a gift card inside a card, with a sliding holder. 

On the outside it is a normal Christmas card. Made very easily, I might add with the use of the Dear Santa paper and die cut pieces. 

On the inside...

A fun spot for a gift card using the Gift Slider die!  You can die cut this piece and add it to any card. It's fast easy and cute!  I can take the cards I already have on hand and add this to include a gift card very easily.  

I love all of these ideas, because they are fast any easy. I don't use kits that often now days, but I have to say they are a blessing at Christmas time for last minute tags, gift card holder and cards.  I recommend finding one you like to make your holidays a little less stressful and still help you feel like you hand crafted heartfelt gifts. 

At the bottom of this post I have linked all the things I used to make todays projects. But before you go I have one more project with the Dear Santa paper and die cuts.  A mini gift bag, a gift card could be added to this insert too. But I decided to make little gifties for my crafty friends, sharing some of the extra die cuts left from this kit. And a personal note on the insert. 

Thank you so  much for stopping by and spending some time with me!  I hope you are leaving inspired to create. 

 

Glimmer Hot Foil for the Holidays

I have been having lots of fun playing with my new Glimmer Hot Foil System by Spellbinders. Don't we all just love new things to add to our crafting line up!  Well, the Hot Foil system is that new thing for me. It uses heat and pressure to apply a foiled image to paper (or other medias). 

In today's share I am showing you the basic method of Hot Foiling. But there are several other things you can do and ways to use this machine. 

For this card I used the Happy Holidays hot foil plate and red foil. 

The plates for the Hot Foil System look like dies, but they do not cut the paper they press into it. And you can see the crisp shinny image of the "Happy Holidays" looks amazing on this white card front. 

I found the directions that come with the machine very helpful and when I bought the machine it came with everything I needed to make my first hot foil impression. It comes with a shim, plate, cooling mat, tweezers, two rolls of foil (silver and rose gold), and a set of hot plates. 

When I purchased my machine I also got a roll of red foil and this Happy Holidays plate. Here you can see the same hot plate used with red foil on pink card stock. 

I know you'd like to see this machine in action so I am attaching a video of how I made the squirrel card here for you.  

In the video I share with you my fun new markers the Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. 

 

They are really great!  I love how easily they blend. I do recommend watercolor paper for these markers or Bristol Smooth cardstock, for best results. As several of you have asked, here's a link to where I got my set of markers. Note: you can purchase smaller sets than the set of 80 I got. There is a set of 48 markers, HERE.  A set of 36 markers, HERE.  And a set of 24 Zig markers, HERE.  They even have a set of 12 which has a lot of good color and because you can blend these markers you could make a lot of custom colors with this set, see it HERE. 

FREE CARD KIT! Just a reminder that the It's Cold Outside stamp set used on today's cards is the November Stamp Set of the month. When you purchase this set from the link above I will send you an exclusive card kit, using this stamp set. So that you can make your first card on me!  Just email me your order number and I will send you your card kit! (email: carrie@carriestamps.com)

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog. If you have any questions about the hot foil system I am here to help! Or any other questions, just reach out. 

Below are all the things I used to make these cards. Affiliate links have been used at no cost to you. 

 

Gingerbread Boy Ornament

Welcome to the November FSJ Creative Team Blog Hop!

Today we are sharing with you NON card projects for the holidays. 

 

My project is an ornament or home decor piece. 

It was easy to create my gingerbread man using the new Gingerbread Boy Garland Tag die set. This gingerbread boy measures about 5-1/4" tall. 

To make my gingerbread boy more cookie like and sturdy enough to be an ornament for several years to come, I die cut three pieces from Hazelnut Blend card stock and glued them together. This left me with a much stronger and sturdy piece. I then sponged the edge with Riverstone ink, giving him a darker, just baked look. All of his accent pieces are die cut using the same die set, I love that it has so many fun pieces that you can use to dress him or HER up. I actually die cut two of teach pieces that accents him, to make them thicker. And all the white and red pieces have been covered with Journey Glaze and Sparkle Cuts ( a chunky glitter). 

Now let's talk about how I made the baking sheet.  I used Riverstone card stock, cut to 4-1/4" x 6". I cut three pieces this size. I then rounded all the corners. I sponged one of the pieces that became my top layer.  I then stamped my sentiment from the stamp set, Stay Cozy, and embossed with with White embossing powder. 

To create the handles for the pan I die cut 4 rolling pin pieces from the die set, Let's Bake. I glued two together and then cut off the handles of the rolling pin. 

I glued this to the back of the front piece of my pan. And repeated this for another handle at the bottom of the pan. Finished it off by sponging it with Riverstone ink. Then glue the other two pan pieces to the back of the first, covering up the pan handles and making for a very strong ornament. 

Then I used my Crop-A-Dile to double punch holes in the top two corners of the pan. I needed larger holes so that the thick twine, Tied Up With Sting, would fit through. 

I tied the knots on the front side of the pan for fun visual interest/ I liked how it looked. 

Next I created some charms to hang on my pan. 

I die cut these kitchen pieces from the Let's Bake die set by Spellbinders. I used Cranberry Bliss and Whip Cream card stock. Each piece is three layers thick to make them stronger. Then I coated each piece with clear pigment ink, by pressing them into the stamp pad. Then I sprinkled on some homemade embossing powder, a mix of clear embossing powder and Sparkle Dust (a very fine glitter). I use about 3 parts clear embossing powder to 1 part glitter. I love the shine mixed with glitter!  

Thank you for letting me share my gingerbread boy creation with you. Be sure to hop along and see what my fellow designers have created for you this month.  

Next up on the hop is Christine Chan at Love of Sparkles. 

Here is the list of blogs on the hop incase you get lost along the way.

Kazan Clark

 

Lezlye Lauterbach

 

YOU ARE HERE: Carrie Rhoades

 

 Christine Chan

 

Jill Hilliard

 

Marty McGee

 

 Below you can find all the things I used to create this project. Affiliate links have been used at no cost to you. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit, be sure to hop along and leave comments letting the designers know how much you love their creations. 

Cinch and Go Poinsettias

Today I am sharing a fun new die set by Spellbinders, the Cinch and Go Poinsettia die set, designed by Becca Feeken. I love poinsettias for the holidays and have wanted a good poinsettia die set for a while now. And this die set definitely delivers! 

It not only die cuts but embosses texture into the petals of each flower! 

The largest flower was done by die  cutting one of each flower from the die set and layering them up. The leaves are just the largest flower die cut from Olive Green card stock. It is helpful to have a tool to shape the petals. The center flower here was shaped by using a crease tool.  The smaller flowers were made die cutting two of the smallest flower from the set and layering them up. But the petals were shaped using a large stylus tool. I demonstrate how in the video below. 

The wreath I attached the poinsettias to is from FSJ, Spruced Up 3D Wreaths. They are about 3-1/2" in diameter. The come green, but I frosted mine with the addition of some white acrylic paint. 

This mini wreath would be a great topper for a gift that could then be used as an ornament or decor piece. 

This second project features poinsettias in non-traditional colors. 

I attached these to the top of a store bought gift box, found at Walmart. To adhere my flowers to the box I first tied on my Oatmeal Cookie Satin ribbon. Then adhered a large die cut circle to the ribbon. 

I then adhered my flowers to the circle instead of to the box. Now the entire ribbon/flower piece can be removed and the box in tact. 

To add interest to these flowers I sponged some Oatmeal Cookie ink to each of the petals, giving them a more vintage feel.  I finished off the box with a simple tag stamped with 'tis the season, from the Snowmen Days stamp set by FSJ. 

Below I have a video on the making of the poinsettia flowers, included a few not shown here! 

 

Below I have linked all the products I used to create the poinsettias as well as the projects in this blog post. affiliate links are used, at no cost to you. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Please let me know if you have any questions. 

It's Cold Outside Christmas Card

Time to share the Christmas card I made on Monday night with the It's Cold Outside Stamp Set of the Month. 

It is very similar to yesterday's Fall themed card. I also made this background on my Gel Press with the Buffalo Check Stencil. I love the matte look of the acrylic paint on my card stock and it has a bit of texture that you can not get with ink. 

 

I added some snowflake elements to this card by stamping a snowflake background on the green circle using the Cold Snap stamp by Spellbinders. 

The black snowflake element is 3 die cut snowflakes from the Snow Flowers die set by FSJ. I just glued the three snowflake together to make it a thicker element. Once in place on the card I covered it with Journey Glaze. 

On the LIVE demonstration (see video below) I said that this month I would be making a card and matching tag each week with this Stamp Set of the Month. So, here is the matching tag for this card. 

It's very similar to the card. Take a close look at the sentiment. I added a shadow to the stamped image with a light gray colored pencil. Giving it a shadow and a bit of a vintage feel. 

This tag was die cut from the Special Day Tag Die set. After die cutting the tag, I added a hole in the top of the tag for my twine and a hole in each of the scallops at the bottom. 

What a cute set, I so enjoyed making a tag to match my card. Below you will find all the things I used to make these projects as well as the video to the Live demonstration of this card and the fall card.  You will want to see how I made the background for these on a Gel Press.

See the making of my first two card using the November Stamp Set of the Month, It's Cold Outside, here: 

NOTE: When you purchase the Stamp Set of the Month at my On-Line store then I will send you an exclusive card kit to make your first card with your new set on me!  Just email me your order number and the address that you want me to send the kit and tutorial to. (email: carrie@carriestamps.com)

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog. I am here to chat if you have any questions and of course I'd love to hear your comments too. 

Christmas Candy Canes in Rose Gold

I love a good challenge! When my friend Lael said she'd like to see a Christmas card with rose gold, I took that challenge! 

I thought my new Christmas Candy Cane stamp and die set from Spellbinders would look great in rose gold. So I stamp both of the candy cane images in Clear Pigment ink and embossed them with Rose Gold Embossing powder. 

I used a surprising product to color in the lines of the candy canes to add more rose gold to them and to splatter the background. It's Peaches and Cream Silk. 

Isn't it the perfect match to the Rose Gold embossing powder. You can see how I made this on the video below. 

 

Here are all the fun things I used to make this card:  

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit my blog, I hope that you're leaving inspired and that you will come back again soon.  And join me tomorrow night at 8pm MST on my facebook page for a LIVE video demonstration of my November stamp set of the month. 

Charming Cottage Candy Cane Box

I am excited to announce that Spellbinder and FSJ have joined forces! Now when you shop for FSJ products you will also be able to shop for Spellbinder products!  This is a great new partnership and I am happy to be a part of it and now share with you even more cool products that I love. 

 

And I am starting with my favorite Spellbinders die set, Charming Cottage. This is a set of 15 dies that includes the die to cut this gable style box that is very easy to put together.  You can see all the dies and a more traditional use for the box. 

For my box I used Cozy Prints paper from FSJ. Their printed paper is very sturdy and will hold up to die cutting, even with dies that make a crease. And this box is fairly sturdy. 

I love that several of the dies in this set also emboss details into the pieces!  My favorite die in this set has to be the little bow.  There are so many things you can put this bow on. 

You can watch the making of this box on the video below. 

I filled my box with old fashion looking Peppermint Twists by See's Candy, you can find them HERE. 

  

Thank you so much for stopping by, I love crafting and sharing my creations with you brings me joy!

Merry Everything Shaker Card

Today I am having a Christmas Card class in the studio and we are making some fun retro inspired cards. I thought I'd share one of them with you today. 

For this shaker card I die cut the three snowflakes using my Silhouette Cameo electronic die cutting machine. 

I then stamped the Flannel Life image over the top of this in Cool Pool ink. I wanted the snowflakes to stand out a little bit more, so I sponge around them with the same ink.  When I did this I put the paper on my envelope, so now it has snowflakes sponged on it. 

The elements in my shaker card are called Holiday Elements from FSJ. They have a very retro Christmas feel. 

My favorite part of this card is the deer. I stamp the deer image from the Merry Everything stamp set on the back of a piece of corrugated stock. Then I cut it out and flipped it over. Now I just have the silhouette of a deer.  I sponged the edges with Oatmeal Cookie ink to give it some depth. 

Isn't his bow precious!  That is from the Charming Cottage Box Die set by Becca Feeken. I am seriously in love with this die set, look at all the fun things included. 

Stay tuned for cute things with this die set! I'll be using it lots more! 

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will stamp with me soon, my November virtual class will be open for enrollment next week! 

Classic Frosty Card

This week I got to get together with some of my favorite crafty friends here in Idaho. We stamped and snacked and visited. I provided one of the make and take projects for the evening. It features a snowman die set (The Snowman Builder Die set) I fell in love with from Spellbinders. 

He's so cute right!  I love that these dies also emboss texture into the card stock. 

As you can see, you have a lot of options when building a snowman with this die set. I chose just do make a snowman face. 

I used a fine point maker to hand draw on his mouth. I used a white colored pencil to make the white in his eye and I used a blush colored pencil to color a cheek. 

Here's a fun thing I did on this card, the white die cut oval is die cut from the card base, which made a hole in the card. But my black card base covers this. It also creates a black oval on the inside of the card. 

So I added a stamped sentiment and a heart in that oval. 

That makes a fun element on the inside of the card and it saves you on card stock. 

Both of the sentiments on this card are from the Snowmen Days stamp set from FSJ. 

Thanks to every one reading this for stopping by and visiting my blog, you are a blessing to me!