The Sophisticated Sled Bundle is an elegant set. I love the detail in the dies and the ability to build a sled. This card could be a winter card or a Christmas card. I hope you enjoy the details as much as I do!
The card base is Basic White Thick and then is layered with Basic White embossed with the Exposed Brick Embossing Folder. I adhered the layer with Dimensionals. All the sled pieces are die cut from the Sophisticated Sled Dies. Check out the video on how to assemble.
Video Demonstration
Cardstock Cuts for this project:
Basic White Think – 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ card base scored at 5-1/2″
Basic White – 5-1/4″ x 4″ panel, Skates Die
Country Woods DSP – 2-1/2″ x 2-1/4″ for Sled Die
Basic Black – 4″ x 1-3/4″ for Sled Track Die
Shaded Spruce – Foliage Die
Cherry Cobbler – Laces Die
Stampin’ Up! products used to create this project:
This Kit by Stampin’ Up! is all about Christmas Cards. At the holidays I find Stampin’ Up! Kits extremely helpful as it is always when we are the busiest and everything you need, along with directions, are in the box. Check out this Christmas Wishes Kit that has everything you need to make 8 cards with envelopes.
This kit comes with bright red card bases detailed with gold foil and coordinating gold, shimmer envelopes. Create your own Christmas cards using the precut paper pieces, the stamp set, and Stampin’ Spot. Use the included address labels to send your cards to your recipients!
Video from Stampin’ Up!
Stampin’ Up! products used to create this project:
As huge fans of college football, our holiday season, starts on Labor Day weekend. For me, an Ohio native, I was born and raised Ohio State University fan. My husband, Nathan, is a fan and graduate of the University of Miami. When we first started dating, Miami fans did not like Ohio State because of the Championship game of 2002. So we figured if our relationship could survive a football season we were good. It took a little longer to win over the family.
When Nathan and I first started dating, Miami did not like Ohio State—particularly because of the 2002 Championship game. If our relationship could withstand that football rivalry, we figured we could handle anything. And, though it took a bit longer to win over the family, our shared love of college football has been one of the great aspects of our relationship.
We also have family in South Bend, and our fall visits often revolve around catching a Notre Dame game. While we cheer for the Fighting Irish, we also enjoy adding a bit of playful rivalry to our game-day experiences.
My cousin, Michele, and her husband, Chris, at a Notre Dame game. We always enjoy the football season with them.
Nathan Causing a little trouble back in 2014.
Our fall travels often include finding exciting games to attend. Last year, while in San Francisco, we couldn’t pass up the chance to see Stanford take on Oregon.
We have had University of Miami season tickets for the last 13 years. The first games I went to, I gave Nathan a hard time feeling like it was a college football game. I mean, I could wear shorts to the games the whole season (Ohio girl, remember). But I have taken to the culture. Especially because they play in the Miami Dolphins stadium. We have club level seats, so we are under cover, have an air conditioned food area, and we have access to two full bars and a wine bar. (spoiled).
As the season unfolds, we continue to celebrate and enjoy the rich traditions of college football, whether we’re cheering from the stands or exploring new stadiums across the country.
The Kits Collection by Stampin’ Up! is all about making crafting fun, accessible, and inclusive! They’re always working hard to design a collection full of different product options to allow us oodles of options when it comes to finding that perfect project or gift.
This kit would make a great gift to someone who loves to send cards. You can assemble the kit yourself and give as a completed product or give the kit as the gift. They can make there own cards and card keeper box.
This kit comes with everything you need to make 10 beautiful all-occasion cards. With a variety of sentiments, you can create an assortment of cards fit for birthdays, saying thanks, and more. It also comes with the cute storage box that is perfect for keeping these all-occasion cards organized and ready to go.
Video from Stampin’ Up!
Stampin’ Up! products used to create this project:
Cutouts are a good cookie to make ahead. I used “The Best Sugar Cookie” recipe from Our Best Bites – https://ourbestbites.com/sugar-cookies/ These cookies are Delicious! I baked the cookies but froze them undecorated. My husband and I will decorate them together during a weekend just before Christmas when we finalize all our cookies and make up the gift plates.
If you have children, you can still make up the cookies in advance and then decorate later as a craft project near Christmas. I used to do this with my nieces and loved it. Sadly, they have moved away so this tradition is no longer possible. But they do get to enjoy the cookies when they visit over the holidays 🙂
If you want to decorate them now, you can. I recommend glace Icing as it sets up well. Buttercream will stay soft and not freeze well (especially if stacking). I use the glace recipe from Our Best Bites – https://ourbestbites.com/tutorial-cookie-decorating-with-glace-icing/ It sets up and tastes really good (which is hard to find). The only note I will mention is, if you freeze decorated, the glace will go from a shiny to a matte finish. But the taste is the same. If you are decorating with kids, think about how old they are. I recommend butter cream for younger children and glace for older children.
Quick story: I have three wonderful nieces: Zoe, Piper, and Wrigley. When they were young, my brother and sister-in-law dropped them off to decorate cookies while they did Christmas shopping. The youngest, Wrigley, was probably only 2 or 3 years old. I gave her a plate of some butter cream frosting and a cookie to decorate, and she sat there and used the cookie as a spoon to eat all the frosting. I, of course, let the other two girls eat all the cookies they wanted as well. We had very few finished cookies when were done but we had so much fun. I was also very satisfied giving my brother back his girls full of sugar 😀
Notice that I only cut out 4 designs. We learned a while back it is easier to decorate assembly line style than to try to do all sort of different things. (Note: if doing with kids, definitely do all sorts of different things). When we give out plates of cookies, people only see a couple so if they all look the same, it is okay.
I was able to double the recipe and make 80 cookies. There were more but they had to be taste tested. My husband says that is the most important part! There will be no judgment had if you listen to Christmas music while baking cookies, it helps get into the mood.
I love to make my own gift tags. I think they make a gift a little more personal. I have a lot of ideas for gift tags that I want to make this year so I will have several posts on gift tags. These are made with the Peaceful Seasons Bundle. Checkout page 24 from the new Mini Catalog for where I got the design.
I used Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow to create these tags. The sayings are stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed in gold. The ribbon is the Cherry Cobbler and Gold Ribbon. On the back I heat embossed the words To and From from Greetings of the Season Set. Checkout the video on how they are assembled.
Video Demonstration
Cardstock Cuts for this project:
Mossy Meadow – 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″
Cherry Cobbler – 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″
Stampin’ Up! products used to create this project:
I think my favorite thing about Christmas is my husband and my traditions. We have many fun celebrations that we do every year, and we are always open for new ideas. I thought I would share with you our traditions and maybe you will share with me yours. We can swap ideas!
Activity Advent
Everyone is familiar with Advent Calendars. One year I bought a wooden Christmas Tree Advent Calendar with 25 tiny drawers. I painted it and decorated each of the drawers.
This is where we put our Advent Activities that I shared in the October Checklist Post. This is a cherished tradition of ours. I would be honored if it became one of yours too.
Christmas Eve Dinner
Every year we host Christmas Eve dinner for the family. And every year we have a theme; often it is a country. We research holiday traditions and dishes. Sometimes we do traditional foods for the holidays and sometimes we do traditional foods with a holiday spin. We also have a themed cocktail, table decorations, and dessert. Some of our themes have been:
Chinese Take-Out Style (Christmas Story Theme)
Mexico (traditional dishes served at Christmas)
Victorian (Traditional English Christmas)
Italian (Feast of the seven fishes)
Epcot, Holiday’s around the world
Japanese traditional Christmas meal (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
Peruvian
Cuban
Little Tree Presents
This tradition was started by my husband’s parents. Starting seven days before Christmas, they come together each evening and open a “Little Tree Present”. These gifts are small trinkets and are usually Christmas themed. This way the person can enjoy the item while celebrating Christmas. Examples are Christmas socks, mug, pin or earrings, spatula, etc. You get the idea. When my husband and his brother were young, they would get candy or little toys or games.
One moment of everyone tearing open gifts and then it is done always feels like a letdown. This tradition allows you to extend the gift giving and the holiday fun. If you have small children, they also get to open gifts earlier and they are from you and not Santa. It is also a time for the family to come together each night prior to Christmas, slow down, and enjoy the moment, which is what my goal is in all my traditions.
Other Traditions
We love to fully enjoy the holidays, and we want to do everything, so we have a bunch of Activities, besides the Advent Activities, that we do every year:
Picture with Santa
Decorate the Tree Together
Fancy Dinner Date on 12/23
Listen/Read Christmas Carol
Bake Christmas Cookies
Local Christmas Light Drive
Handmade Cards
Handmade Package Toppers
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
I want to add a new one this year: Make Eggnog from Scratch.
I would really love to hear your traditions. Please comment and share!
Today, I am featuring the Winterly Tree Tops Suite. I was able to attend Stampin’ Up!’s Creativity Now virtual event over the summer. Creativity Now is a demonstrator-only online event were demonstrators can see exclusive sneak peeks, get a behind-the-scenes look at Stampin’ Up!, and receive specialized technique training for crafting. Additionally, all attendees have the opportunity to see and purchase product from the new mini catalog before anyone else. This is one of the many perks of becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.
This card uses one of the cards that was a make-n-take but I made it have more of a Christmas look to it. This card uses several techniques including Masking and Stampin’ Bends so be sure to check out the video tutorials to see how they are done.
When assembling the card, I used scotch tape to adhere the 3 branches to the back of the birds. I then used Mini Dimensionals to adhere the birds and branches to the front of the card. The Merry Christmas is punched out using the Heartfelt Hexagon Punch and then adhered to the front of the card with Dimensionals.
Video Tutorial – Masking
Video Tutorial – Stampin’ Blends
Few More Samples
Here are the make-n-takes we made as part of the Creativity Now event.
The colors for this card are Shaded Spruce and Crumb Cake. The border is colored in with Shaded Spruce Stampin’ Blends. The birds are fussy cut from the Designer Series Paper.
The colors for this card are Basic Gray and Misty Moonlight. The bird was colored with Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2.
The colors used for this card are Blackberry Bliss and Crumb Cake.
The colors used for this card are Mossy Meadow and Basic Gray. This is the card I modeled for the Christmas card.
The colors used for this card are Copper Clay, Shaded Spruce, and Very Vanilla.
This is a 3D project using Scalloped Gift Card Box. It uses Metallic Enamel Effects Basics. The top is first smeared with the Gold Enamel Effects with a Palette Knife. The wreath is used by adhering two bows together.
Cardstock Cuts for this project:
Cherry Cobbler – 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ card base scored at 4-1/4″
Basic White – 5-1/4″ x 4″ panel (inside card), 5-1/8″ x 3-5/8″, 2-1/2″ x 2-1/4″, 5″ x 2-3/4″
Stampin’ Up! products used to create this project:
It is almost September! How are you doing with your preparations? Are you already falling behind? Or are you ready for the next steps?
In September we start on our crafts and check off some tasks early. I like to use September to start to declutter the house to get ready for all the holiday decorating. It is not just Christmas we are preparing for but Halloween and Thanksgiving too. If you declutter and organize now, it will make decorating that much easier next month.
Christmas Cards
If you haven’t started yet. Now is the time. If you finished your Christmas Card List last month then you know how many you need to make. I recommend adding 10% for those you might have missed or those who might enter your life between now and Christmas.
I will continue posting my card ideas all the way through November, but I hope you have some plans already. My Stamp-A-Stack classes have already started. Last weekend one of the cards was a Christmas card and they will continue making some this month too!
Gift Shopping
I know we have already been tracking our ideas but keep on it. This is the biggest area I always struggle with and the more I pay attention to people and what is going on with them, the better my gifts.
Even though my lists say gift shopping, I really don’t start buying until November. I just collect what I want to buy, my ideas. I have several people on my list that might purchase an idea for themselves before Christmas, so I wait a bit to be sure it is safe. (Mom, if you are reading this, I am talking about you). 😉
Now is also the time to see what wrapping materials you have left over from last year. Before I started doing this, it would never fail that I would be in a store with the Christmas stuff that came out early and see a deal on wrapping paper or bags. I would buy them because I thought they were cute just to get home and discover I had 4 rolls of paper that I bought because they were cute in after Christmas sales and forgot. It is always good to have your actual needs on a list for when you do see that must have item. This will keep you buying what you need and not what you don’t need.
Plan Baking
I know we have already started working on our Make Ahead cookies, but here I am talking about everything else. We make 5 different types of cookies each year. We often change up one or two so I will test drive a cookie or two to see if they will taste good or be able to survive a week or so. We tested out a cookie this year that was delicious but learned we had to eat it immediately. The next day they were already too soft and were falling apart.
I will share with you which Cookies we are making this year:
Cutout Sugar Cookies – I will be making these this month. I use Our Best Bites for this recipe too – https://ourbestbites.com/sugar-cookies/ and I use the glace icing of theirs too. It sets up firmly and still tastes amazing!
Baklava Sugar Cookies – This is a new one this year. I will be making this ahead as well. We tested it and was able to make it up completely and freeze it and it still held up well and tasted great when it thawed. This is a little bit more work so I am glad I can do it in advance. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/baklava-cookie-recipe
Christmas Kiss Cookies – We usually have a type of kiss cookie. For many years it was the traditional peanut butter kiss cookie, but we started to mix it up. This one is fun; however, uses a LOT of sprinkles! https://www.sprinklebakes.com/2019/12/christmas-kiss-cookies.html
Italian Lemon Drop Cookies – The lemon cookie is a nice refreshing change for the palate. For the icing, we use the Glaze icing from Our Best Bites. We already have it made to decorate the Cutouts, so it made it easier. https://cakescottage.com/2017/11/29/italian-lemon-drop-cookies/
Something you might notice is there are six cookies here and I said we usually make five types. This is part of the planning. We can choose which one we are going to cut so I am seeing if I have enough that I can make ahead so we can do all 6six. 😀
Cookies are not the only baking you should be planning. What baking, if any, are you doing for Halloween? Thanksgiving? Christmas Dinner? If you plan this now, you can see if there is anything that you can do in advance.
I created a fall birthday card for my September Birthdays. I used the Changing Leaves Bundle. I love how the stamp set, dies, and embossing folder all work together seamlessly! Again, you will see I used the Iconic Celebrations DSP, I just can’t get enough of it!
In this card I have the card base and 3 layers. I liked bringing more colors to the borders; however, it could be done with just the top white layer as well. The top layer is embossed with the Changing Leaves Embossing Folder.
For the Mossy Meadow leaf, I first embossed the cardstock making sure I had the leaf I wanted completed in the image.
I then die cut out the leaf and adhered it to the front of the card with Dimensionals. The saying label is also added to the front of the card with Dimensionals.
I hope I was able to bring you a little fall coolness to your day with my fall birthday card. I would love it if you shared your fall creations!
Cardstock Cuts for this project:
Cajun Craze – 11″ x 4-1/4″ card base scored at 5-1/2″; 5-1/8″ x 3-7/8″ panel
Mossy Meadow – 4-3/4″ x 3-1/4″ Changing Leaves Die
Basic White – 5-1/4″ x 4″ panel (inside card), 5-1/4″ x 4″ panel; 5″ x 3-3/4″ panel embossed
Iconic Celebrations 6″x6″ DSP – 4-1/4″ x 2″ panel
Stampin’ Up! products used to create this project:
I am a project manager by day and a crafter by night. I love Christmas and want to do it all every year. I will share with you how I do it and enjoy it too!
