Christmas in July - Hark the Herald Angel sings

When I look back on Christmas time in my childhood my fondest memories are of Advent.
Each Advent Sunday we would sit at the kitchen table, light the candle(s) on our Advent wreath and read a Christmas story followed by a few Christmas carols. Often the night would end with Christmas baking or Christmas crafts.

One of my favourite crafts was making paper angels that we would use for decorating the table and bookcases. Although my little angel is a treat wrapper/favour it can easily serve the purpose of decorating a table or mantle. I could see several angels forming a choir or maybe add some with little instruments.

I opted for a little sparkle and used some of my very old Paper Adventures glitter paper for her dress, but she'd look Just as pretty with regular cardstock, or maybe embossed  (lace pattern) paper.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Paper Adventures, Bazzill
Ink: Blushing Bride, Crushed Curry, Marina Mist - SU, Memento - Tuxedo Black
Stamp: Provo Craft Paper doll faces
Die: Curvy Keepsake
Punches: see full instruction sheet below for a list of punches
Misc.: white gel pen, rose/red chalk, 5/8" gold organza ribbon

Punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon for a few more Christmas inspired creations.

Christmas Lanterns

I am almost at the end of my "Note Tag" creations. Today I have a wonderful trio of lanterns to share.
I added a bit of greenery and a bow and used them on some Christmas cards, but they could have many different uses.

I used the same basic design and identical supplies for each of the three cards.

First I stamped my music background on white cardstock. Then I cut the banner shapes. I generously inked the edges and sponged all over with So Saffron for an "aged paper" effect. The lanterns have been mounted on the large shape from the Apothecary Acccent dies which was embossed with stars and also inked with So Saffron. I used my Punch Bunch pine twig punch for the greenery but the Martha Stewart punch or any pine twig die would work just as well. Instructions for the little 3-d bow are also below.
Note that some parts of the punch art lanterns could easily be hand cut or cut using a paper trimmer. But I cut all parts with my note tag punch. After having played with that punch for so long I found this easier and faster.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso - all SU
Dies: Banner Framelits - SU, Apothecary Accents Framelits - SU
Punches (for the greeting): small and large oval by SU
Stamps: Music Background - Hero Arts, All Year Cheer I - SU
Embossing folder: Lucky Stars - SU
Misc.: clear and red 1/4" rhinestones, foam mounting squares, white gel pen

Little 3D bow instructions:

Card 1, small Lantern close-up:

Punch art instructions for small lantern:

Card 2, medium lantern close-up:

Punch art instructions for medium lantern:

Card 3, large lantern close-up:

Large lantern punch art instructions:

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon.

Sweet Treat

Today I have a cute cookie themed creation to share.
This would work really well on gift tags accompanying a sweet treat from your kitchen - perfect for baked Christmas goodies.

 

Both the cookie sheet and the cookie jar were made using the Note Tag punch. The Greeting is also on the note tag pucnh (curved top has bene trimmed)

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler - all SU
Stamps: Got Treats - SU, Crackle - IO
Dies: Top Note - SU
Misc.: foam mounting squares, 5/8" beige organza ribbon.

Full punch art instructions below (I split them into two separate recipes).

 

Thanks for stopping by; come back soon for more punch art creations.

Christmas Candle Trio

If you recall I mentioned in my post featuring the bird bath and fountain punch art that I came up with that particular design while making candle holders. Well, today I am sharing that Christmas candle holder card.

It features a trio of different candle holders, all made from the note tag punch. Each candle holder design can easily be used for a bird bath, fountain, outdoor planter or pedestal design as well.

This card is a large 5.5 x 8.25", half sheet, card.

I added a few pine twigs made of super jumbo fern punch pieces behind the candle holders. The candle holders were decorated with small pearls for a little extra bling. I mounted the largest candle holder first, then the medium holder with one layer of foam squares. The smallest candle in the front was mounted with 2 layers of foam squares to create perfect depth.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Early Espresso - all SU

Stamps: French Script background - SU, Fun Phrases - SU

Misc.: pearl bling, foam squares, 5/8" red organza ribbon.

 

Punch art instructions for the three candle holders and the basic candle below:

 

Here is a quick example of how the candle holder design can be used for planters and display pedestals.

The planter plant is made of three (3) mega grass shapes (Nankong punch). My potted plant uses the following punches: Pot: Designer Label (cut in half) -SU, Bird Builder (10 - greenery) - SU, tiny flower - MU. I sponged my blue background with a little Marina Mist. The lattice was sponged with So Saffron and Crumb Cake and adhered over the background. I used three pieces that were trimmed to fit the card front. The small planter was glued to the card front. The pedestal, butterfly and greeting were mounted with foam squares.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Ink: Basic Gray, So Saffron, Crumb Cake, Garden gree, Always Artichoke, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Early Espresso - all SU

Stamps: Dreams de Jour - SU, Label Love - SU, Crackle background - IO

Die: Lattice - Bigz - SU

Misc.: foam squares.

Punch art instrucitosn for just the planters/pedestals below.

 

Thank you for stopping by! Come back soon for more punch art creations.

Christmas Hurricane Candle

With Christmas only seven weeks away it's time to finish making cards and get them mailed before it's too late. Therefore the next few creations are all Christmas themed in nature.

First up is this lovely card featuring a hurricane candleholder.

The candle and decorations are of course all punch art. The glass portion is made from the large die in the Apothecary Accents set by SU. I cut this form vellum and stamped it with snowflakes in a pearl white to add a frosted/engraved design to my "glass".

Here is a close up of all the different pieces required for the hurricane candleholder.

I used the SU snowflake for my pine branches, a large holly punch for the other greenery and a large pinecone punch to decorate my candle. But you can use any greenery punch shapes or even small dies (Impression Obsession has several) to decorate your candle. The branches were cut from the Tim Holtz branch tre die sgape.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip - all SU, pearl white - Club Scrap.
Stamps: Festive Flurry - SU, Bright & Beautiful - SU
Dies: Apothecary Accents Thinlits - SU, Note Tag - SU, Branch Tree - Tim Holtz  Sizzix
Embossing folder: Lucky Stars - SU
Punches: Snowflake - SU, large holly - PB, large pinecone - PB, Jewelry Tag - SU, 3/8" circle - EK papershaper, (Candle instructions below)
Misc.: foam mounting squares, 5/8" red organza ribbon, white gel pen.

Full candle punch art instructions below (yes, it' my beloved Note Tag punch)

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon for more Christmas creations.

Bird Bath Punch Art

This design came about while I was trying to make candle holders (upcoming project).
As I was putting together the various shapes I'd punched I realized this could easily be turned into a bird bath (and a water fountain) as well and these two pretty and serene designs were born.

First a closer look at the bird bath version.

 

This is a 5.5 x5.5" card. I first stamped the floral background then die cut my shape. Next I stamped the bird image, sponged on some colour and cut out just the bird. I assembled my punch art bird birth; then stampes it with the crackle texture. I added some shading with my daubers, inked all edges of my cardstock pieces and assembled the card front.

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Stamps: Simply Sketched - SU, Serene Silhouettes - SU, Crackle - Impression Obsession

Ink: Always Artichoke, Eggplant Elegance, Basic Gray, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Real Red - all SU

Ink Markers: Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum, Eggplant Elegance - all SU

Dies: Banner Framelits - SU, Oval Framelite - SU

Misc.: pearl accents

 

And here is my second creation - a water fountain - using the same punh art design. 

 

This is a large 5.5 x 8.25" card. I first embossed a white piece of card 5.25 x 8" in size with the brick texture. Then cut the arch opening as well as the actual archway (2nd piece of card) using my Coluzzle. I hand cut 5 semi triangular stones. All pieces were sponged and inked along the edges. Next I created my punch art fountain. The base is made of 2 strips approx. 1/4" wide. The top one I angled the ends and the bottom one I rounded the corners using my note tag punch. I then stamped the crackle pattern, added shading and then stamped the moss texture to all pieces using my Lovely as a Tree stamp. I used this same stamp to create the greenery on my blue background. I also sponged the blue card with a little Marina Mist for a little texture. The water swirls were stamped with Versamark and clear embossed. I then assembled the archway. The stones on the arch were foam mounted, and then I again used foam squares to attach the arch over the background. The bushes are the tops of the tree stamp. I hand trimmed them and attached with additional foam squares on either side of the entry way.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree - SU, Sincere Salutations - SU, Crackle - Impression Obsession, Flourishes - Autumn Leaves

Ink: Always Artichoke, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Basic Gray, Early Espresso - all SU,  Versamark,

Embossing folders: Brick - Sizzix - Tim Holtz, Tiny Mosaic - Provo Craft Cuttlebug

Misc. Foam mounting squares, Coluzzle arch template.

 

Punch art instructions below.

 

Thanks for stopping by! Comes back soon for more punch art projects.

Welcome Baby - Baby Bottles

This little design was not planned. The baby bottle came about purely by accident while playing with my Note tag punch.

You may be surprised how fast and simple these are to create. One punch, punched from three different colours and each double punched once. Very quick and easy. After I assembled my little bottles I added a little measurement guide with a pen. The bottles were mounted using foam squares.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Crushed Curry, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Basic Black - all SU
In Marker: Soft Sky - SU
Stamp: A Word For You - SU
Dies: Banner Framelits - SU, Lacey Ovals - Nestabilities - Spellbinders
Embossing folder: Square Lattice - SU
Misc.: 5/8" organza ribbon (blue or pink), foam mountign squares.

Full punch art instructions below.

 

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon!

Chinese Lanterns Note Tag Style

When I played with the Note Tag punch and came up with the soup bowl from my last post I immediately noticed that the punched shape looked like a Chinese lantern. So today I am sharing my card featuring this little creation.

I left this card very clean and simple making the lanterns the focus.
I lightly sponged the blue background I glued to the front of my card. Then strung my lanterns (hung with a little wire loop) on butchers twine and adhered everything with glue dots. I stamped my greeting at the bottom of a 5.25 x 4" white card, cut my die and mounted it over top of my card front using foam squares.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Stamps: Art of the Orient - SU,  Feeling Sentimental - SU
Ink: Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip - All SU
Die: Window Framelit - SU
Misc.: black butcher twine, silver wire, foam squares.

Punch art instructions below.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by; hope to see you again soon!

Let's do lunch

I love how cute this little lunch invitation looks.
My daughter and I love Japanese food so this was a perfect fit for a mother daughter lunch date.

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Stamps: Kanji Collection 3 (background) - Stamp Workz, Definitely Decorative Tea Time (steam) - SU, Art of the Orient - SU

Die: Window Frames Framelits - SU

Ink: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Smokey Slate - all SU

Ink Marker: Basic Black - SU

Punch: 1" square for banner tails, Note Tag- see instructions below

Misc.: 1/4" black rhinestone.

Note: chopsticks were hand cut, greeting was PC generated, font is Oriental 

 

Punch art instructions below

 

And here is a little teaser of what's coming up.
Yes, as you may have guessed these all use the Note Tag punch.
How many punch art creations can you identify?

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon!

Sending You My Love

I have another fast and simple card to share today. I have to say I love the look of step up cards. It's amazing what a difference it makes to have the card front split into 3 sections. It seems to make the items "pop" a lot more than on a simple folded card.

 

I hope you aren't bored yet with my enthusiasm for the note tag punch because I'm not quite done yet.

Although today's  project is a fast & simple one I have several more involved designs coming up that will probably surprise you. If there is one punch you want to add to your collection I'd definitely recommend this one. The versatility is amazing!

 

As you can see below, my "punch art" really just consists of folding the note tag and adding a couple of lines in Smokey Slate to create a little mini envelope.

 

 

and here are the extra views from left and right angle:

 

 

You can see I've even finished the inside of the card, although the little hearts I added in the corners are hard to see. 

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Ink: Smokey Slate, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso*, Basic Black - all SU

Ink marker: Smokey Slate - SU

Stamps: Many Happy Returns (greeting and envelope border **) - SU, Distress background - Impression Obsession, Soft Swirls background - SU, Music Notes background - Hero Arts

Punches: Word Window - SU, 1" square for banner tail (PB), various heart punches; these are all older. The largest curved one is an EK Success large Papershaper. The 2nd largest-wide heart on the font panel was a one time exclusive key chain punch (around 14 year old). The larger one used on the side panels is an old All Night Media punch and the little heart is from a Punch Bunch border punch (the heart is in the centre and on either side is a little spray of tear drops). But honestly, any small to medium heart shapes would work for this design.

Misc.: white gel pen, 3 x 1/16" clear rhinestones

 

* I don 't like when my stamps get stained form black ink. So quite often I use Early Espresso. It's usually dark enough to fool the eye and does not stain my rubber stamps the way black does.

 

** This stamp set came in 3 large stamps that I cut apart to make into little one line stamps. They all fit the word window perfectly and it makes the border designs more usable.

 

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon for more punch art creations.

Snappy Birthday

And as you've probably already guessed today I have another note tag punch creation.
This time I made a little camera that is the focus of this cute birthday card.

 

As I opted for a step card I have two more photos showing the card from slight left and right angles for a bit fo a different view of the details.

  

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Ink: Basic Black and Early Espresso - both SU, pearl white - Club Scrap

Stamps: By Definition Background - SU, Print Pattern Background - SU, Wacky Wishes - SU, Perfect Punches - SU

Die: Little Letters Thinlits - SU

Punches (otehr thna punch art): Word Window - SU, 1" square - SU (for banner tails)

Misc.: Foam mouting squares, 4 x 1/4" clear rhinestnes, 1 x 1/4" red rhinestone.

 

Full punch art instructions for the camera below.

 

Mantel Clock Punch Art

I have another quick little punch art card using the new Note Tag punch from SU.
This time I've made a little mantel clock. You can add details to it using small border stamps, or border punch pieces as I did. I hand drew the clock face, but if you happen to have a stamp around 3/4" to 1 1/4" in size that would work wonderfully.

I used a border punch to create a little carved details on my clock. You can see what the full punch shape looks like on the right hand side of my card. It is made by Punch Bunch (PB) and is called "Crown border". PB is closing down but you should still be able to find this border punch for purchase online. I used a nailhead circle frame (old stash) to secure the clock face, but you could just mount the 12" circle on top of a 1 1/4" circle for a framed look. The face and 2nd layer of the clock or foam mounted.to create more depth. I also foam mounted my greeting.

This is just a thought, but could see how this mantel clock design can easily be turned into a grandfather clock for a scrapbook page border by adding a long piece with a door between the bottom of the clock and the curved foot/base.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill (I think the green is celery). The card base is actually ivory but it doesn't show well in the photo.
Ink: chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, both SU
Stamps: French Script background - SU, Express Yourself - SU
Embossing folder: Woodgrain - SU
Punches: Crown border - PB, 1" circle - SU, Note Tag - SU, 1" square (banner tails) -SU, 1/2" circle - SU
Misc.: 1" brass frame nailhead, brown butchers twine, foam mounting squares, black marker.

Full punch art instructions below.

Happy Travels

This little creation is so simple and again only uses one punch. The little suitcase or briefcase would work really well on a Father's day card as well if dad works in an office.

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Stamps: Open Sea - SU, Gorgeous Grunge - SU, Rummage Alphabet - Making Memories

Embossing folder: Travel Signs 1 - Tim Holtz - Sizzix

Dies: Banners Framelits - SU, Tickets Framelits - Sizzix

Punch: 2" circle - PB (note tag - SU, for punch art)

Ink: Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip, Early Expresso - all SU

Misc.: foam mounting squares, scrap of paper (for little tag), 1 - 1/8" brass mini brad, black marker, blue butcher twine.

 

Full punch art instructions below

 

School Days Note Tag Style

Today I am sharing three simple punch art creations using the note tag punch. Note that the backpack is the pefect size for most paperdolls. I realize this is a littel late for back to school, but the punch art could easily be used on a card, gift tag or gift box for a teachers gift, or a scrapbook page featuring school photos.

I apologize, the card is a rather simple and fast one meant just to showcase the three pieces.

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Stamp: (note paper) Stampology - Autumn Leaves

Punch: spiral binding - SU

Ink: Real Red, Garden Green, Marina Mist - all SU

Misc.: black marker

 

Punch art instructions for all three pieces below.

Thanks a Latte

I have a quick post to share before calling it a night. This one is a fast and simple one inspired by my beer mug. You may not have much use for a beer mug/ice cream float but don't write off that basic design just yet. A hot beverage like coffee, tea or hot cocoa can be featured on many different cards for various occassions.

 

And this is very fast and simple as it requires only one punch. For the hot steam you can use a die like I did, a stamp or hand draw some swirls.

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Marina Mist - all SU, pearl white - Club Scrap

Stamps: Hello Doily - SU, Latte Love - Fiskars

Dies: Apothecary Accents - SU, Flourish 11 - Sizzix

Punch: Large Lace - SU

Embossing folder: Devine Swirls - Cuttlebug - Provocraft

Misc.: foam mounting sqaures, white gel pen, 4 - 1/4"black rhinestones

 

Punch art instructions below.

 

More projects coming this week.

Here's a sneak peek so to speak

 

 

Octoberfest Cheers

I was going to hold off on sharing this perticular card but as my son pointed out it works great for Oktoberfest.

So here is a "Cheers!" to you with another note tag punch creation.

 

This is a great masculine card. Think Father's Day, birthdays etc. The beer mug could also easily be turned into an ice cream float and can then be used for general birthday cards as well.

 

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Patterned paper: Paper Loft

Dies: Two Tags - SU, Apothocary Accents - SU

Punches (excludespunch art): corner rounder - Creative Memories, Round Tab - SU, Small and large oval - SU 

Embossing folder: Modern Mosaic - SU

Stamp: And Many More - SU, Layered Labels- SU

Ink: Basic Black - SU, Pearl white - Club Scrap

Misc.: Foam mounting squares

 

 

Full punch art instructions below.