SOU Sketches Reveal: Making Christmas Gifts

Stuck on You has a new Die Cut challenge being revealed today.  The task is to make something using a "gift" die cut.  I make a lot of my Christmas gifts.  I always liked receiving hand made gifts so I like playing that joy forward.  I thought I would scrap this to help me in giving them up...lol.  Sewing projects can be like your children.  You just hate to let them go. 

 

 

 I used my Silhouette to make these die cuts incluing the title, mat, gifts and even the journaling block which is a print and cut item.

Gift Grin

This is our, normally very serious, grandson's response to our question of whether he was ready for his brother to open his birthday gifts.  It was really refreshing to see a two year old happy for another who was about to get toys, when he wasn't.  His grin was priceless to us.  They share very well, so I think he knew that whatever his brother was to get, he would be able to play with too.

I wanted to use a big gift on this layout emphasizing the size of his grin.  The story tab is placed to emphasize the journaling that is to be placed in the bow. (The journaling is not there yet.  His mother doesn't want his name posted anywhere on the web and the journaling will have his name.)

I used the Cricut Imagine to create the papers using the Hop Scotch patterned paper.  The gift was cut from Slumber Party.  The title was cut from Cricut Craft Room Basics using solid colors from the Hop Scotch Patterns cartridge.  The mats were cut using Cricut Craft Room Basics and Hop Scotch as well.  I covered brads using my i-Top tool using the scrap papers I had left over from the die cuts and I placed them with the flag and word stickers, from Teresa Collins Fabrications collection, in various spots and colors to create my visual triangles.  It is rare that I limit my page to two big items like this, but that grin was really big.
 

Gift Bags

It is time to get my ho ho ho on and start wrapping gifts and making them special with some home made embellishments.  These two bags are my start.  I use traditional and non-traditional colors in my holiday wrapping.  We live in a log cabin which is very dark inside.  I decorate in red, white, hunter green and burgundy and then use all sorts of colors for the gifts to make our tree really pop.  Being eclectic by nature, I just love how it all looks when pulled together with the room.

 

I bought some cheap bags at Dollar General (2/$1.00) and decorated them.  This is a favorite gift wrapping tactic that I often use.  I took a basic sketch and applied it two ways.  On the red bag the design was an embellishment on the bag on the green bag the design was used on the bag itself.   

For the red bag embellishment, I made the borders from a Martha Stewart Punch. The die cuts of the snowman and the snowflake were from Gypsy Wanderings.  The red wood look tag was cut from the Forever Young Cartridge using the pattern from Greetings Inside and Out  . The matting was cut using paper from the Teresa Collins Fabrications collection. I sprayed white seam binding in Frost from Tattered Angels to dye the ribbon.

 

 On the green bag, I used the same punch on the tag, but raised it up behind the tag more, to give it a different look but similar shape as the border on the bag.  I used images from Santa's Village to make the die cuts The red wooden look tag pattern came from Greetings Inside and Out.  I scattered 20 mini snowflakes punched from an old EK Success punch I bought years ago.  I put them on the bag and the tag to pull the design together better.   Both bags took about 20 minutes to do, so if you decorate your gifts, you will find this overall layout to be very versatile and fast.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

SOUS Card Sketch Challenge: Wish

This is a card that I made for the Stuck on You Card Challenge.  This one was totally out of my element for my style is very linear and this required curves in my mind..  I love these challenges for they make me stretch myself.  Here is the sketch...

This is my creation:

I used my Silhouette die cutter to make the embellishments and the card element papers.  The card itself was a scrap I had in my ever growing scrap basket.  I need to start using this stuff.  It runneth over.  I added a bit of Prima bling and die cut the title, again using my Silhouette

SOUS Sketch Challenge: A Perfect Fit

I have great news! I have been selected to be a Team Designer for Die Cuts on the Stuck on You blog. I am so thrilled and am working on my first project this weekend.  Can't wait to get it out there for you. It's going to be built for fun.  They have another layout Sketch Challenge going on this week.  I found it as the perfect opportunity to scrap pictures I took back in the Spring.  I am running behind. 

I used Teresa Collins Fabrications line for the papers and fussy cut the flowers that take the place of the circle in the sketch.   I also reversed the page horzontally for the pictures layed better that way with the big flowers for the order I wanted them in.  I made the brads using my I-Top tool in both small and large.  I then inked the edges in Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Barn Door.  I put gesso over the black flower for it was stark. I then ran some blue shimmers over it and then gold to soften it up a bit more and have it blend with the colors on the page.  I used the Wildflower Punch around the Page border punch by Martha Stewart for the solid color in the background in a shimmery cardstock.  The title was cut using Tim Holtz strip alpha die called Market Place.

It's Your Birthday: SOU Challenge

I made this card for the Stuck on You Card Sketch Challenge this week.  The task is to use an owl on whatever creation you like.  I LOVE owls, so this was fun.  It was nice to take a break from Christmas cards for a change.

 

 

 

I used the Silhouette Die Cutter to make the owl branch and hearts.  I also printed the card using a pattern they have available as well.  I had some old lace paper ribbon that I folded for accent. The sentiment was printed using the Prima Alphabet Stamp System.  I am still learning the tricks to this for making it a clean print but I love how versatile this tool is. 

(Heart) On the track: SOU Challenge

 I made this for the Stuck on You Sketch Challenge this week.  I used to think that race tracks were about nothing but cars running fast.  While racing is important, there is another element that is involved as well.  Our family loves racing. It is the one thing we all do consistantly together.  Whether it is the love for a son nephew boyfriend or just for the car there is something there for everyone to love.

 

I used My Minds Eye diecuts from collections I bought two years ago.  I figured it was time to start depleting older stash.  The title was made using Basic Grey little letters and Foam Thickers.  The paper in the background was printed on my Imagine the solid cardstock is from Coordinations and a stack I bought at Walmart in black.  The frame was actually made by the negative of a border I punched for another project.  I hand cut the tire and punched the hubcap with an EK Success small starburst circle punch.  It is popped up from a journaling spot which again was from My Minds Eye. I cut small strips of paper to underline the title so it could be seen better and used the same paper that the border on the right was cut from using a Fiskars border punch.  I wanted to emphasize the blue sky behind the girls to tie it all together.  More journaling will be written in the bottom left black corner with a white gel pen.
 

SOU Challenge: Fall Perspective

I made this for the Stuck on You Die Cut Challenge.  We are to use the words Fall or Autumn somewhere in the layout. 

 

 

 

I used my Cricut Imagine and the Autumn Celebrations cartridge to make this Fall Layout.  I also used Copic pens to offset those die cuts that were off scale at the bottom..(little tip).    I went with rounded fall icons to go with the picture of me in the pipe.  I also was very round last year too. :)  The banner at the top was made by cutting a die cut from the Tim Holtz mini album die label in half.   The border on the bottom was cut using a Martha Stewart border punch.  I tucked the ribbon underneath it and added two buttons stacked on one another to create more color.  The title was made using the Cricut Alphabet.  The stamps were used with Memories ink in Artprint Brown

Here and Now

I made this for two challenges.  The first being the Prima Contest being held this weekend.   The other is the Glitter Girl Challenge where I was to use ribbon on my layout.  This photo was actually  one taken on Halloween, but I wanted to emphasize the mother and son aspect of it in my coloring so I went with softer tones.  In retrospect, the pic should have been in black and white for it to be more appealing.  My lesson learned on this one was not to be afraid to go with a black and white photo if the colors in the layout do not match the picture....

 

I used Glimmer Mist to create the background paper.  The honeycomb pattern was cut using a silhouette pattern to make the stencil.  The other stencil is from Prima.   I used an old paper from the Cottage Chic Collection to make the banner strips.  I cut the frame from my Silhouette. It was supposed to be a black chalkboard frame, but my printer gave me gray.  I called it kismet and went with it.  I embossed the two clock stamps from an older Making Memories stamp set and used black opal embossing powder...it has glitter in it....ergo the opal.  The die cuts came from some sizzix cuts and from Echo Park elements in This and That Charming found at Jessica Sprague.com.   The flowers are from Prima and I centered them with clear bling but colored the bling with a copic pen to match the blues.   The gromets are from Tim Holtz.

Life at the Cafe

The men in our family, and in our area have grown to look at our local diners as a second home.  They all tend to migrate there to eat and catch up on local gossip. One has to go to the diner to be in the know.

 

This design was pretty basic. I used kraft cardstock and a few strips of paper and a little banner to add interest.  The stickers were from my stash and I am not sure who made them.  I tried my hand at the cute splatter trend using a glimmer mist, but mine turned out more like blobs as the paper soaked it up. I guess it takes more practice.  I embossed the flourish by the title using Zing embossing powder.  Wow!  That stuff really pops and was just what the page needed to tie it all together.