Oh come all ye Faithful

It is almost Christmas and as promised I managed to squeeze in the time to finish the instructions for the two remaining pieces of my nativity scene.

When I created the shepherd I knew that I wanted to not only have him hold a shepherd's staff, but I wanted to add a little companion to his side. At first I had a bit of trouble coming up with a simple design for a very small sheep; but I persisted and the results are this adorable little lamb.

The angel was a simple process as I had created a similar one back in July. This time the angel is wearing heavenly robes tied with a silver sash. I also used switched out the white paper of her wings to vellum.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill and Recollections
Die; Curvy Keepsake - SU
Punches - see individual instructions below for details
Misc.: silver rope trim, butcher's twine, white gel pen

Instructions for shepherd and his little sheep:

Instructions for heavenly angel:

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my nativity punch art. Merry Christmas!

We Three Kings

I'm trying hard to get these to you before Christmas. I managed to find the time last night to complete the instructions for the next three pieces so today I am sharing the three kings (wise men) of my nativity punch art.

We have Gaspar in his green cloak and golden crown:

Balthazar with a purple cloak and black beard:

Melchior in a golden cloak & crown and white beard:

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill, and Recollections
Die: Curvy Keepsake - SU
punches: various, for details see individual instructions below
Misc.: Gold foil paper, white gel pen, red rhinestone.

Instructions for: Balthazar:

Instructions for Gaspar:

Instructions for Melchior:

Thank you for stopping by! Make sure to come back for my next post which will contain instructions for the two remaining nativity characters (as well as the darling little sheep).

Nativity Punch art - Manger

As promised today I am sharing the instructions for the manger portion of my nativity punch art.
All characters are free standing as the base is made from the Curvy Keepsake die.

Baby Jesus in the manger is adhered to a base made from acetate. I made the bottom portion a little wider than I normally do for these treat holder so it can accommodate an electronic tealight. As you can see in the photo below, it's quite amazing how much light one of these little things can generate.

The manger uses the tall, pointed portion of the Curvy Keepsake die, which allows for the star to be overhead.

Both Mary and Joseph were made from the shorter, handled portion of the same die.

 

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections and Bazzill
Die: Curvy Keepsake - SU
Punches: various, see individual instructions below.
Misc.: white gel pen, a little bakers twine, electronic tealight - optional.

Manger instructions:

Mary instructions:

Joseph instructions:

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you come back for my next post which will feature the three kings/wise man for this nativity.

Punch Art Nativity

I have been very busy with work and preparations for Christmas. Unfortunately this didn't leave as much time for crafting as I would have liked. I did manage to finish this sweet nativity this past week.

They are of course all made using the Curvy Keepsake die as the base. I did not intend these to be used as treat holder, although they can, but rather as a display. The Curvy Keepsake base allows each character to stand on it's own and in the case of the manger it doubles as a votive holder.
This would be perfect to do with the family. Kids can easily help with the assembly of characters, and even punch some of the shapes.

I will try my bets to finish the instructions for all over the weekend so that I can still post them before Christmas. My plan is to have three posts, the first with Joseph, Mary and the babe, then the three wise men and last the angel and shepherd.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you come back early next week for the first set of instructions.

Holiday Luminaire

For the past few months I have been lucky enough to be able to enjoy an evening with a small group of crafty friends.
We get together in the first week of the month at one of our homes and just relax, chat and craft a little. Usually everyone works on a project they have already started but as it is so close to Christmas we discussed maybe organizing a specific craft for the holidays everyone would enjoy.

I can't take credit for the project idea itself, that was all Linda's. She came across a photo of a holiday luminaire made from a recycled jar featuring a paper silhouette scene around the outer edge. We then worked together to organize supplies and instructions.
The most difficult part was to find a template for the silhouette scene. We wanted to make the project simple but provide everyone with the opportunity to make it their own without needing the skill to draw a design themselves.
I looked through my various dies and large punches and came up with the idea to use some of these as stencils to create a scene of choice. This worked rather well and only required the windows to be cut free hand.

Here is one of my luminaries (yes, I made more than one)

These are the basic die (and bare tree punch) shapes we used:

I always find it such a pleasant surprise when I am able to use some of my paper crafting supplies in a new and unexpected way.

To create my silhouette scene I started by drawing a base line a few inches from the bottom of my black cardstock for the ground. I then placed various trees and houses along this line and outlined them with pencil. The scene was then cut out using scissors or a craft knife. I actually used both, scissors for the basic outline and my craft knife to cut out the  "in-between" spaces and windows.

The results were this lovely scene:

 

I used a strip of double-sided adhesive tape along the bottom edge of my jar to attached the paper. The top of the jar was then finished with paper raffia, a little gold wire and a Christmas charm.

  

I quite like how this turned out and made a second one for my sister. I could see several of these sitting on a fireplace mantel or window sill for a very pretty holiday decoration.

And these are not limited to Christmas. I am now thinking of making some for next Halloween changing the scene a little by adding bats and ghouls, maybe a witch. I'll have to see what dies and punches I have that will work best

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections black
Dies used for templates: Happy Home - SU, small & large fir tee - Sizzix (original red)
Punch: Mega bare tree - EK Success
Misc.: mason jar, raffie/ribbon, brass charm, wire.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon. 

Gingerbread Favours

It is that time of year when the Holidays are only a few weeks away and our family gets together each weekend to bake Christmas cookies; and Christmas baking would not be complete without gingerbread cookies.

I whipped up a "batch" of gingerbread themed Curvy Keepsake favours that would be perfect for gifting a couple of small homemade gingerbread cookies.

Isn't this little couple just adorable? I think they came out rather cute. Best of all, whether you want to make a boy or girl, the pieces needed are identical, the assembly just differs slightly.

For the boy; add the bow at the neckline for a"bow tie" look and 2 pieces of icing trim at the top of the head for hair.

For the girl, place the bow on the head and move the trim to the neckline for a necklace. And if you like, add some eyelashes.

Either favour/wrapper can hold a few goodies, such as 2 cookies placed in a little clear bag, or as shown below, 2 peppermint patties.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections

Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler - both SU

Die: Curvy Keepsake - SU

Punches: see instructions below

Misc: white gel pen, black marker

Also a little note. I have found a much better way to cut the Curvy Keepsake pieces needed for these treat wrappers that results in a seamless bottom piece which expands a little further to accommodate a thicker gift item.

Start by cutting a 3" wide strip from an 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock; your piece should be 3" x 8.5"

Fold this piece in half on the long side, so you end up with a piece that is 3" x 4.25" and then cut the Curvy Keepsake die shape with the fold is at the bottom.

 

The cut piece should look like this:

Now just trim the excess on the side as shown.

Fold on score lines, and then glue the top "handles" together. Your favor shape is now ready to finish.

Gingerbread instructions:

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

Winter Moose Favour

Winter in Canada would not be complete without including a great, big moose. So of course I had to make a winter themed moose favour. This cute fellow would be great for any huntsmen on your holiday gift list.

Note, when I say big, I mean big. This favour is a good 2 . 5 " taller than the mouse favour from my last post. He was made in the same style and can therefore hold a nice treat in his tummy.

Although he is adorable as is I thought a little holiday greeting would create the perfect  finishing touch. This would also work well with a simple "hello" or a birthday greeting.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: Bazzill, Recollections

Ink: Early Espresso, Mossy meadow, Crumb Cake - all SU

Sentiment die; Wonderful Wreath - SU

Misc.: white gel pen, rose/red chalk

Punches/dies needed as per below instructions.

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

Winter Mouse Favour

When I came up with the idea to make a cute little mouse treat wrapper I was rather excited to get started but for some reason he gave me a little trouble and just refused to look like the mouse image I had in my head. It took a bit of adjusting but he finally came out how I pictured him.

He is rather cute but still very masculine looking. I think he'll make the perfect treat for my teenage sons. I plan on filling him with a few homemade Christmas cookies tucked inside a clear bag.

To give you an idea what he looks like stuffed, h he is filled up with 2 peppermint patties.

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections, Bazzill

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray, Strawberry Blush, - all SU

Sentiment die: Wonderful Wreath - SU, Curvy Keepsake - SU

Misc.: black marker, white gel pen

Full punch list as per below instructions:

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

Penguin Christmas Favour

I thought a few more Christmas favours would come in handy now for classroom gifts as well as  party and holiday treats. This time I focused on some frosty wintertime friends.

To start off this little collection of Curvy Keepsake treats is this handsome little penguin decked out in his winter attire.

As with all my Curvy Keepsake favours his tummy can hold various little treats such as peppermint patties, Tic Tacs or even a clear bag with a couple of homemade Christmas cookies.

He can also be finished with a Holiday greeting (or someone's name).

Supplies used:

Cardstock: Recollections black, rest is old Bazzill

Ink: Cajun Craze, Marina Mist, both SU

Sentiment die: Expressions Thinlits - SU

Misc.: white gel pen, black marker

Punches and dies needed for the treat holder/favour as per below instructions.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again soon for more fun and frosty Holiday favours.

Curvy Keepsake Christmas lantern

I have been playing with the Curvy Keepsake die again and have come up with several really cute Christmas designs. Today's is not a favour/treat wrapper but rather a single layer, flat die/punch art design.

With the addition of a couple of other dies I turned the Curvy Keepsake into this cheery Christmas lantern.

Although my below instructions list the exact dies I sued, the lantern opening can really be cut using any oblong or oval die shape and achieve similar results.
And if you don't own the SU Bow builder punch, an actual ribbon bow will work just as well.

My card is standard A2 (4.25 x  5.5") in size. The white embossed background was cut to 4 x 5.25".
The interior of the lantern consists of a white piece of cardstock cut to fit the opening that was sponged in several shades of yellow to create the feeling of a warm candle light.

The finished lantern was attached with foam tape for a little added dimension. The sentiment was stamped onto scrap white cardstock, matted on black and fishtailed using a star punch. Finishing touches consist of a few random pieces of sequins for a bit of Holiday sparkle.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollection
Stamp: Christmas Sentiments - Club Scrap
Embossing folder: Scroll border - Darice
Ink: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Craft White, Cherry Cobbler, Mossy meadow - all SU, Tuxedo
       Black - Memento
Punch: large Star punch - SU (for lantern see instructions below)
Misc.: foam mounting tape/squares, gold sequins

Lantern instructions:

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