Merry Music rosette Christmas tree ornament

I spent Saturday really getting into the Christmas spirit, crafting with some of my stamping friends... all but one of whom I met through Stampin’ Up!®. Our brief was to bring a simple project for everyone to make so, to speed things up, I did a lot of prep for this Christmas tree ornament before I went. 

For instance, at home I used some rubbing alcohol with several drops of Crumb Cake reinker in it to spray the Merry Music Designer Series Paper and give it a softer, “aged look. I did the same to the silver glimmer paper, to tone it down a little. 

I also die-cut all the pieces, including the birds... well, I confess I opened my Best Birds stamp set and discovered a pile of stamped and die-cut birds in there. I knew they’d come in handy eventually!  

If you didn’t want to hang this on your Christmas tree, you could use it as a gift tag on a special present.

Link to diagram (in German) and instructions (in English)

Please note the instructions are in centimetres but they do not convert to inches.

If you need instructions in inches, I suggest you search “Stampin’ Up! rosette tutorial” and work from there. 

Mix it Up Monday: Pretty Pines with Tree Rings

It’s Mix It Up Monday again and time for a Tranquil Tide combination that’s subtle, to say the least. It comes from my In Color charts and I thought it was perfect to use with Tree Rings and the Pretty Pines dies.  I coloured the pine cones with some Wink of Stella to give it a bit of festive glitz. 

Don’t forget the Online Extravaganza runs all week. Please visit helenread.stampinup.net for details and, if you order through me, please use the hostess code: CNVMKKYM

Log slice ornaments with Carols of Christmas

I didn’t make swaps for OnStage this year, but made these gifts for my team members who attended. I kind of guessed they’d be popular so planned a class around them so you too can join in the fun!

Come along and find out how to make the Mini Pizza Boxes turn green and much more...

Pretty Pines candle holder

This was my last-minute Christmas make – a couple of candle holders from recycled coffee jars. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to use the frosted berries I had leftover from last year’s wreath project and I didn’t have quite as much fake snow as I thought I had... which made it tricky to insert the lighted candle. But they did look very festive on our Christmas table...

Pretty Pines gift voucher pouch

Yes, I’m playing catch-up. The Garden Green project shown here was designed by my friend and helper Kelly for my last Hygge Night, where we created a wreath and a gift pouch. When a customer requested two gift vouchers, I decided to make a similar pouch in Cherry Cobbler (mainly because I’d run out of Garden Green).

I really love both projects, but have always been a sucker for Cherry Cobbler. It’s created using the Envelope Punch Board; just pick any size and then cut a simple strip of cardstock to wrap around it to seal. As long as you only stick your embellishments to the Crumb Cake strip, it will slide on and off so you can access the voucher inside.

Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad [126966] £6.00	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [126973] £6.00	Gold 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Natural Trim [141484] £6.50	5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon [141487] £6.50
Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550] £8.25	Copper Foil Sheets [142020] £3.75	Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder [141636] £4.50	Mint Macaron A4 Cardstock [138344] £7.25
Always Artichoke A4 Card Stock [108610] £7.25	Old Olive A4 Card Stock [106576] £7.25	Real Red A4 Card Stock [106578] £7.25	Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock [121685] £7.25
Tin Of Tags Photopolymer Stamp Set [142180] £19.00	Mountain Adventure Photopolymer Stamp Set [142194] £19.00	Warmth & Cheer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Cardstock Pack [141992] £10.00	Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies [141851] £23.50

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Mix It Up Monday: Pretty Pines with Sweet Sugarplum

Sweet Sugarplum is not your traditional choice for a Christmas card but it’s Mix It Up Monday, when strange and wonderful things can happen. I have to confess though, that I probably won’t be using this colour combination, taken from my current set of In Color charts, for any future Christmas projects. 

I tried a fancy fold, too, as you can see. I won’t give you the measurements as I’m not entirely happy with how it turned out; I think the side panels needed to be a little wider. Maybe next time…

I cannot stress enough how gorgeous the Pretty Pines Thinlits are. The pine cone dies are gorgeous - I’ve gone for radical Perfect Plum here but I can’t wait to cut them out in copper foil, they’ll look even more fabulous. You get mistletoe, too, and two sizes of bow… well worth getting in my opinion, even if you don’t want the stamp set. 

Same with Tin of Tags. I didn’t order the kit (although the tin almost swayed me) but the stamp set is invaluable. So the moral of today is; don’t be swayed by convention - go your own way!

If you’d like to order any of the products shown here (or anything else, for that matter), just click the images in the recipe list below and it will take you directly to my online store. Thanks! 

Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies [141851] £23.50	Tin Of Tags Photopolymer Stamp Set [142180] £19.00	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517] £18.00	Rose Red A4 Card Stock [108613] £7.25	Perfect Plum A4 Card Stock [108615] £7.25
Sweet Sugarplum A4 Cardstock [141423] £7.25	Old Olive A4 Card Stock [106576] £7.25	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] £8.25	Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad [141395] £6.00	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] £6.00

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com

Mix It Up Monday: Pretty Pines dies

I’m rattling through the Dapper Denim sheet of my latest set of In Color charts - I knew it would end up being my favourite colour from the new collection. Must hold back, I only have three left to do!

Yes, it’s Mix It Up Monday again and time for another project made with a colour combination from my latest set of In Color charts.

I couldn’t wait to play with my new Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies and they actually exceed expectations. They are so delicate but also very easy to use. I’ve stuck to pine sprigs so far, and went for an Old Olive (obviously), Always Artichoke and Soft Sky combination… I wanted to give the impression of a blue spruce, although I’m not sure I quite pulled that off. 

The background is the Softly Falling textured impressions embossing folder - a winner at any time of year but really comes into its own at Christmas. Remember to stamp your greeting before embossing! 

Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies [141851] £23.50	Tin Of Tags Photopolymer Stamp Set [142180] £19.00	Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139672] £7.75	Dapper Denim A4 Cardstock [141419] £7.25	Card Stock A4 Soft Sky [131292] £7.25
Very Vanilla A4 Card Stock [106550] £8.25	Old Olive A4 Card Stock [106576] £7.25	Always Artichoke A4 Card Stock [108610] £7.25	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] £6.00	Dapper Denim 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141424] £7.25

Links by TheseAreMyStamps.com