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.

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.

Christmas in July - in the Meadow we can build a Snowman

Fur me, Christmas time isn't Christmas time without snowy winter weather (although I know this doesn't apply for many other parts of the world), so I can't forget about Mr. Snowman while planning this theme.

My frosty little fellow is so cute with his flower buttons and eyes he just invokes a big smile.
I really utilized the new tree builder punch to create him. I found that it's a very versatile punch with a bit of imagination.

He's the perfect size to hold mints or TicTac, and even a little clear bag of snowman poop inside his belly will work well.

You could also make him one sided (skip the second die piece) and turn him into a cute gift tag or card front.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Recollections, Bazzill
Ink:  Mossy meadow, Tangelo Twist, Early Espresso, Marina Mist - all SU
Die: Curvy Keepsake - SU
Punches: see list noted in instructions below.
Misc.: black marker, white gel pen, rose/red chalk

Full punch art instructions below.

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

Christmas in July - Merry and Bright

This fun favour is also made with the long side of the Curvy Keepsake die. It's so fast and easy to put together it lends itself perfectly for party favours or classroom gifts.

Due to the extra height of using the longer side of the die, just like my tree favour, this will fit a gift card. And it's easy to close, just tie a bit of ribbon through the front and back slot. You can also easily add a little gift tag to the tied ribbon, or stamp a sentiment on the front of the bulb.

Two peppermint patties fit very nicely and I nestled a gift card in between to show how neatly it fits inside. Below is a close up of the contents. But don't let that limit you. Any small gift item or sweet treat will work well (TicTacs, mini chocolate bars, packet of gum...)

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill silver, Recollections red
Ink: Cherry Cobbler - SU
Die: Curvy Keepsake - SU
Punch: Scallop square - SU (scallop edge scissor will work really well too)
Misc.: 5/8" silver ribbon, white gel pen

Instructions below:

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

Christmas in July - Oh Christms tree

I've been enjoying using the Curvy Keepsake die to make favours/treats, but as you may have noticed I repeatedly use the shorter "handled" side. Well for the next couple of projects I thought the longer, pointy side would be a better choice.

First up is this sparkly Christmas tree.

 I used the thin slot cut into the die to tie the top of the front and back together with a pretty ribbon. The bow also serves as my tree topper.

An added bonus to using the longer part of the die is it now fits a gift card.

I slid one between two peppermint patties to help it stay in place. This would make a really great stocking-stuffer.

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Ink: Mossy Meadow, Chocolate Chip -  SU
Die: Curvy Keepsake - SU
Punch: Tree Builder - SU
Misc.: 5/8" gold organza ribbon, gold sequins, rhinestones and pearls.

Fill instructions below:

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