A Nativity... with button people!

When the Holidays of 2018 are finally all over, and the New Year of 2019 steps up to take its rightful place, I'll have that same old feeling of *WHEW!* and the relief of "normal schedule". And yet, I'll hopefully have many more nice memories to add to my 2018 experiences- with a good jump on 2019. We do quite a bit of our planning of travel, vacations, and Missions during these last weeks. And it seems like our view becomes one of "We have an ENTIRE YEAR ahead!" But, in reality, it's only another 364 days until Christmas again. It's true: the older we get, the shorter each year gets. So I'm pretty used to seeing an idea over Christmas and thinking "That's what I'm gonna make for next year,". I'll yet once again, get a good jump on it by making use of those After-Christmas Sales...check! Then, draw out my idea, tuck it into the saved items, and find a good spot to store it... half check (not done fully yet). And FINALLY; forget all about my great idea & what I was going to make, as well as where I put it all.... definitely already check! By the time I decide on what I will really end up doing...I'll be LATE and flying around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get them all finished... check. ALWAYS; check. So when I got the idea to do these (about the time I made one for a FF Challenge near mid-2018), I thought it would be pretty simple to do, but look FANTASTIC!

Well, I think I can say I pretty much "nailed it" to match the vision in my brain, but as to how 

it goes over for others...well, I'll let the audience be the jury here.

So, here's the share on "How To" and let's hope I took enough photos for you to easily follow!

                                            

                    I started out gathering materials- that included an order of all-white MatteStock

             (the hard kind of cardboard used to help frame a photo inside the glass/wood frame) I 

            found for a great deal on amazon.com. This stuff is sold almost any way you'd like and

             in just about any color/core color you'd like. A stack of 50 goes a long way over many

                                    projects during the year and -usually for me- into the next.

       This would be my hard base shell for each of the 8 houses I needed for the peeps on my list.

                        I also needed to order the TH Alterations Die Surf Shack- that embellishes

               the TH Alterations BigzXL Die Village Dwelling (this was already in my drawer).

                                          

          And, of course, that 12x12 burlap stack by The Paper Studio found at Hobby Lobby.

                                         

                                        

                       After die cutting the base pieces (roof, floor, ONLY 3 sides of the house die

                are needed; the entire FRONT WALL- with the front door- will not be needed at all...

                                   and porch roof, porch flooring from the Surf Shack die)....

            AT THIS POINT: I didn't bother worrying about the windows. I wasn't sure I wanted any. 

                                  I needed the same cuts of each roofing piece from the burlap-

               BUT- the burlap needed to be slightly larger in all directions on all sides. An "overlap"

                  to look realistic. So out came the TH snippers; my trusty standby Helpers which cut 

                    the burlap very neatly and nicely. I'm an "even-balancer" and can eye-ball it with  

                         pretty good accuracy, but you could also use a pen to mark out dots or lines

                                              to use as guides for keeping your lines straight. 

             

                                         

                   After cutting all the coverings of overlapping burlap for the main roofing pieces,

                   I did find that some small snippets needed to be made; the mid-way indent on the

                main house top piece, and little snips made on the corners to allow them to all "hang".

                   Those ends and corners were very stiff, but after the roof is all together, and some 

             Distress Ink in Vintage Photo was applied to the edging, with some Distress Black Soot

                    "streaked" to look like dirt or soot from smoke, those corners became softer.  

                                          

                         Now, I saw I would need some coloring over that stark white of the sides 

                   of the mat board. I know, I know; I'm too detailed. But my OCD tells me that if

         I can see a flaw, then I must fix it! All I could think of was those TH Distress Crayons and

           how I finally had a new package of them just waiting to be tried out. Yep- like a charm! 

                                      

               When it came time for adhering the materials together, I had a feeling I would need 

          to break out the hot glue gun again for this one. The burlap was too thick and too strong 

      for a mere Glider Tape, and Glossy Accents (my usual go-to glue for just about ANYTHING 

          craft-wise or household use), simply because the only glossy thing about this project was

  going to be added at the very last. I just didn't want little glimmers of glossiness showing up in the         

         light since I am usually pretty heavy-handed with my Glossy Accents and actually LOVE 

     that bit of extra glue that hardens to a gloss. In the end, the hot glue gun worked VERY nicely!

                                      

                       Here's where it's time to add that Distress Ink. The hot glue stuck the pieces

                     together firmly enough that vigorous rubbing with Blending Tools was easy. 

          And that stiff, strong burlap actually softened up a bit and did a natural ragging/shredding. 

         All that was left to do on the upper part of the house was to glue the roof pieces together and

         then glue the rest of the bottom half of the house to the roofing. So far: it was looking CUTE!

                                     

                This part begins the walls. The first thing was to choose IF there were going to be

       windows, and then WHERE those windows would be. I decided that since this was a "stable",        

     only one window was needed. There were only going to be 3 walls total (remember: I don't need  

      the entire FRONT part of the Village Dwelling die- the wall with the front door), and a back  

   window would look cute to peek in from the backside of the finished project. So having all those  

  windows to cut- that work just got nixed for me. I only needed to put my plan for "wood" walls into 

   the making. That part was solely based on Tim Holtz's Halloween Inspiration: CLICK HERE 

                                      

           I loved the way Tim chose to make each "panel" of siding from individual "boards"- the

       entire thing seemed pretty easy to do, just rather time-consuming. BUT; good things happen in

       their own time, and I wanted these gifts to keep on giving for years to come. If the PAPER gift 

                itself wears out... the idea and "How To" can still be looked up, copied, or shared.

        So while I wanted to keep that idea of wood slats, I did things a bit differently than Tim...

       I took plain Kraft Stock from a paper pack randomly purchased for heavy duty inside stiffness

          for my Tags. It actually started out a very similar color to one of the shades I wanted. I cut 

  several 8 1/2 x 11 sheets into four pieces each, then ran each smaller cut piece through my Big Shot

   (it was late at night, so the Vagabond had to stay off) and used my new TH 3D Impresslit Lumber.

    I chose my fave go-to Distress Ink, Vintage Photo, and dabbed it across the "top" inside for some

                     dark inset impression of deeper bark veins. I ran each piece just once... for now.

                                        

                                                  

            Next; I used some Vintage Photo in the Distress OXIDE Ink. This time, I used my 

    Blending Tool to 'scrub' the ink all over the embossed "wood panel". I used a bit of pressure so 

that the inside grooves would get a bit extra here and there. I used my heat tool to dry all the inks at 

   this point. And THEN: I redid the previous step before this: I inked up my 3D Impresslit and ran   

   each piece (again, inking up each time for each piece) through the Big Shot for a second time.....

                                         

                          .... and THIS is what I ended up with....compared to what I started with!

                                                

                  Then, I took each of those smaller panels and cut each into 5 sections. This would

                be entirely up to each person's preference, but I chose random sizes: 3 wider than 2. 

           And on the 3 wider 'slices' of the former panel; I used a TH Distress Ink Marker (in Black 

         Soot) on the FINE side of the 2 sided marker, to draw a line dividing those wider pieces into  

   what LOOKED like 2 more slices each. Then I also used the same Distress Black Soot to run along   

  the edges of each cut slice that was going to show up on the top side of each newly created panel....  

                       

                                           

                     ..... the new panels that would be created by slightly overlapping each piece 

                   -using Glider Tape- making sure that the edges with the Black Soot are the ones 

                                                   showing and the unedged parts are underneath.                                               

                                           

            Now it was time to put the wood panels onto the walls. This is when I found that it was 

   going to work better (due to the thickness of the Mat Board) to just trim off all the creased folds   

   that are supposed to fold over each section to hold them to the next section. After all; the sections

       would already be held together by the WOOD PANELS. So it made it much easier to simply       

     "wrap" the entire frame together using Glider Tape once again. By using a blade knife to help  

      trim the window opening (there would be a trimming around the window on both inside and      

      outside- as it was available on the Surf Shack die. The only REAL tricky part? To make sure

                        I had enough panels made up to cover EIGHT stables! And, I did!

                                                 

                  Here you see I am wrapping all around the bottom of the house part- with the seam

         left on one corner of the outside, and one corner seam on the inside. Each of the slants of the roof parts helped cover the slants of the inside- but I kept the "wood" all going in the same direction.

                                               

                Making the bases of all the 7 that would be gifted, was pretty easy, There would be

            push-button candles inside the tops of those. But on the one I was keeping for myself; I 

      had a rather different idea I wanted to try. My inspiration came from my own Guest Designer

                          spot on an October 2018 FF Challenge. (  CLICK HERE TO READ )

                    I found some shiny gold metallic in a stack in my stash that I thought would work

                  for both strength and looks. This was one of those times my stash coughs up nicely!

                                          

                   So I basically just used the main base I cut from Mat Board (back at the start of this) 

            and just used another cut of this gold stack for the other 7. But on this one: I cut and folded

                         until I had a risen stage for covering up the little surprise underneath it all...

                                                 

                                   ... A SET OF LEFTOVER HALLOWEEN CLEARANCE!!

                   Since purple was considered to be a rich cloth color affordable by only kings,

                 AND, that was rightly suited for The King of Kings: the very reason we celebrate

                                 these holidays: CHRISTmas is about the birth of JESUS CHRIST.

                                        

                  I'd purchased the button sets and the 'littles' at Hobby Lobby- specifically finding

                      the right ones I wanted.  The only "blonde moment" was when I picked up 8

                            sets of the main Nativity crew and the little note favors; I skipped out on

                       the set of 3 Wise Men and some camels. I kinda wish I'd gotten at least 1 set.

                                               

                        I had this brain dance when I figured out that I could die cut 2 of the porch floors

         from the Surf Shack die, put them together like a box (empty sides in with the Mat Board cut 

          trimmed down to fit inside for some stability) and use that also as a bit of a mini stage riser!

                 The pieces all fit so well inside and by using hot glue, it's all kept pretty securely.

                           The final results really had me excited! Grandson Cole LOVED it, too!!                                 

                                          

                                                Nativity as is- without light switched on.

                                         

                                         

                                         

                                         

                                                        Nativity with light switched on.

                                         

                                         

                                         

                                         

                                         

                A hole cut through the bottom,  threaded all up along the walls and then to the front

      and back of the pieces inside on the riser, gave a soft regal glow. Dots of hot glue secured it all.

                                         

                                         

               Given inside the Gift Sacks....they were light to carry and also very personal.
                                             That's the way CHRISTmas should be. ;)


                  Thanks so much for joining me on this crafty journey- whether you popped in to
        read one or two posts, or stayed for the entire ride! What a year it has been, and I am so very
         grateful for being able to live in a place where we are allowed not only to come together to  
          share, but that I am in such AWESOME company: the people who enjoy CRAFTING!!
      Thank you for the tips shared, the dies and tools passed on (in bargain circles), and inspiration
      shared. But, THANKS most of all.... just for honoring me in the humble way of calling you all
                                                                   "FRIENDS"!

                                  Be Safe ringing in 2019,
                                          and as always;
                                   HAPPY BLOGGING!

Personalized Gift Sacks that make the best Gifting!

  Getting done with your Christmas gifts is only HALF the job done; getting them DELIVERED is what finishes the job entirely! And what better way to give a gift than putting it inside beautiful wrapping? Admiring the wrap is half the fun of opening a gift, and personalizing that wrap is even MORE fun gifting to someone! I made at least 10 of these and each one only took mere minutes to design. The embellishment of the flower pop on the front took 3x longer than decorating all 10 sacks with names.


                       Here's the easy "How To" on these cool personalized keeper Sacks...

                                 
        I started out with a set of Tim Holtz Cling Foam Stamps: Type Lower Case Letters I'd
       purchased earlier in the Fall that was on clearance at JoAnn Fabrics. It was a bargain I
                  couldn't refuse...not that I ever HAVE refused anything Tim Holtz...lol!
           While shopping, picked up a 10-pack of plain brown-wrap-paper gift bags from
           the party isle in Hobby Lobby, for just $2.00. I already had the rest of what I needed to make the basic bag: Ranger Archival Black Ink Pad &Reinker, and clear stamp mounting block.
GRANTED: it would be much easier if you had multiple sets of the same lettering stamps,
     but only Tim and his main Helpers are likely to have that kind of stash, and storage!!
          So, I thought up this system that was easy-peasy and much less trouble than
              measuring and outlining it all...

Step 1:   Make sure you use either your Craft Sheet, TH Glass Mat, &/or extra scrap cardstock or      
                 paper  to lay under the edges of the sack, so the ink won't ruin the surface of wherever
                  you are working! You WILL go over the edges on this project. My custom-made
                  countertop would narc on me to the ChiefHubby.

Step 2:  Place lettering (of name chosen to print onto sack) onto the clear stamping block. TH    
                 Blocks do work better as they are grid marked for easy placement, but there are others
                  out there that are also grid marked.

TIP:  If the name you use has a double letter (such as my Sister's name , used here; pAmelA,
            place down the lettering as it is meant to start with the first double letter....

                                  pamel        is what I start stamping with

                                  p mel      then this is what I end up with after having ALL the letters on
                                                       the block- save for that last A needed- I take that first A off.

                                  p mela     and moved it to be the last letter

               If the double letter was anywhere in the middle- you could leave the space in any of the
                      2 places it appears. BUT, IF THE DOUBLE LETTER APPEARS ON EITHER
                        END: you MUST move it to an end place, or you will need to measure for a
                       space as you stamp. You can always use an extra odd letter on an end as a measure
                       but then you would need to remove it or tape over it before stamping.

                    Example:    Amanda      ~ has the letter A three times: in the middle & on both ends.
                                                           
                                      *mand*      ~ is how I would put the lettering with the * having
                                                                 NOTHING in those spaces,
                                                          ~  & now go ahead & INK the four letters (mand)
                                                          ~  Then put another similar-sized letter (in this case,
                                                                       the letters E and O in my set are about the same  
                                                                        sizes as the letter A. (I used plastic gloves and my
                                                                   tweezers to help these moves of lettering while inking.

 Step 3:  So, you've got the name's end letters on each end- don't worry about spaces
                       where you will move the doubled letter. We'll get to that down the line.
                         OK- Now you're ready to stamp!

     (PS: I am VERY RELIEVED to report that- according to Paula Cheny who posted to my
    inquiring worry over rumors of Tim Holtz being "discontinued at JoAnn Fabric Stores"...
  that rumor is COMPLETELY FALSE!!! YAY!!! It seems that JoAnn's simply has a wide/deep
   overstock in TH products and is clearing out before all his NEW 2019 ITEMS hit the shelves.
  I am taking HUGE ADVANTAGE of this - and YOU should also: some stores I have visited -  
  Minnesota, and a couple in Indiana, have already cleaned out. While the Online Joann.com is
    still going with huge bargains. The Funkie Junkie Boutique has also had several nice deals.)

Here is my first row of stamping the name Pamela (all lower case lettering stamps, remember)

I measure out the sack to make an UNEVEN number of lines- this makes it look more natural

than even number of lines, which I did try on my first practice sack.

In the case of this size of sacks; I chose to make 7 lines of her name. 

LOOK CAREFULLY at the top photo: you will see 

that you can read her name both UP & DOWN as well as RIGHT TO LEFT...

   

                      P mela          

                   pAmela

               p Mela 

          p mEla

       p meLa

    p melA

THIS is the GUIDE!

It was so easy to follow it since the block has grids that- in this case and most other larger sacks-

the grids can line up with the top line I just did first, with the next line down.

I stamped only ONE TIME each line, moving the name over by ONE LETTER SPACE to THE LEFT... I kept going downward and left until it had only the letters to fit that last line.

Now, you can see where the first letter met with the last letter as I went back to the top line

to fill in the rest of that line, moving down as I went before on that first stamp of the name.

DON'T REMOVE THE LETTERING YET!

But take that doubled letter (the A in this name used) and move it to the space it is needed.

My grid block now looked like this...

pamel

Here is where I took the A and stamped all the lines in the space where it was needed.

Again; the grid lines helped me keep it all straight in each line of lettering stamped.

I chose to do my Sister's last name on the other side of her sack, which had no problems

 or double letters to deal with. I followed the same lines pattern I did on the other side.

You'll notice that I flattened the fold to stamp the entire side.

Then, I decided to do the BOTTOM also- with the year of the current Holidays.

I always like to put a strip of EZ Clear Duck Packaging Tape across the bottom

 of all my sacks...while this was not a heavy gift, I never have to worry any gift will break through.

Use the same pattern as before. Numbers seemed to be easier. Or maybe it just LOOKED that way!

Now, you can see how the Poinsettias I made really made the sacks special looking!

If you missed the "How To" on the TH Poinsettia Die/Embossing Folder Set...

CLICK HERE

I'm very pleased with how easy this TH Cling Letters Stamp Set worked for these!

And I think everyone liked the personalization of the sacks as well as the pretty 

Poinsettias adorning each one! In any case- it was a FUN way of GIFTING!

                                 

                           

                                Thanks, yet again, for taking the time to peek in and see what's up

           with the latest project! I am thankful for each page view as I'd never even noticed it

          until a few months ago.... and it knocked me over with a feather! 

                                I have one more thing to blogpost: the actual gifts that went into these

           sacks! I really think you'll like them.... and while making all 8; I came up with another

           cool idea I hope to try out during one of the 2019 Challenges the Designers on the

            Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog will come up with. I hope you can JOIN US!

                                                            Until next time:

                                      Please be SAFE &

              

                                  HAPPY BLOGGING!!

Poinsettias; on Tags & Gift Sacks!

     Christmas has come and gone, but I still wanted to share a few posts of things I've made this year- all 3 items are first-time crafts for me, since I hadn't had much chance to use these certain TH dies/products. While I am late getting these posted; it's only that I haven't had the proper chance to work the photos of these already-given gifts. That's all good, since the business now involves chillin' with the peeps! Two more gatherings/events to attend & the Holidays come to a close. That means clean up, & inventory for the next season of the year: the deep freeze of Winter. Sitting here in warmer (but rainy today & in our jammies) Florida, I contemplate the coming season: NOT my fave by far! But, it's a chance to try out all the new crafting items I found at bargain prices; courtesy of my fab ChiefHubby (who is at the very moment of this typing, a front-row-50-yard-line Attendee at the Purdue vs Auburn Music City Bowl football game (the only BOILERMAKER from our sidecompletely surrounded by 6 or 7 Auburn "so-called family" *huff* lol) who drove back UP to Tennessee from here last night. We'll head home early next week- with him having driven the same route 4x in 12 days.

I need a VACATION! *grinning*

     Ok, this will give you the basic "how-to" for the Tim Holtz Alterations Bigz Die; Poinsettia...

       I purchased a full 12x12 stack (The Paper Studio) for use in several projects over the

December gift-making days. This stack has a thick paper-backing which holds up really well- 

without having to put a card stock in between a double-sided Tag.

I purchased the TH Alterations Poinsettia

Die/Embossing Folder Set At The end of 2017, then promptly forgot I had it!

So as the Holidays got closer, I took this set out for some serious fun.

Out came the TH Thinlits Set: Greenery.

This is a very versatile die set, and cutting in different shades, patterns , & colors....

it’s really easy to make these dies look like  many more different cuts than the four included in this set. 

          (*Thinlits are NOT meant for cutting thicker materials such as the burlap above. 

Always check your die’s instructions for material limits.)

             I made several cuts of just 3 of the four dies of TH Greenery, and from the Poinsettia Die, 

              the following cuts were made to make all the petal layers I wanted for just one flower.

                                       (*The above photo shows all cuts I used to make 

                          TWO FULL POINSETTIA BLOOMS WITH GREENERY BACKING.)

                   2 green- large petal cuts (this is the “dying”,oldest, most putter set of petals

                   3 red patterned- again using the largest petals.

                   3 solid red colored- using the medium petals. The solid gives a background to 

                                   the smallest petals in front of them.

                   3 red patterned- using the smallest petal cut.

                   1 green “stamen” cut for the center. You can double up on this if you want, 

                                    for added thickness & pop.

Tip: I usually cut 3 layers at one time in the Bigz dies, and was able to emboss 2 layers

of the cuts at one time in the embossing folder, just fine, with no tearing or other problems.

Tip: When layering more than one set of cuts to emboss; turn the folder “backwards”

 (top/front side onto the table) & use the 

black outlines to make lining up the cuts easier, & much faster!

While I do have both the TH Tags Thinlits Set and the TH BigzXL Tags & Bookplates Die,

I chose to cut the burlap with the much-stronger BigzXL. 

              Next is adding a bit of dimension to each petal/layer of paper by using TH Distress & 

               Distress Oxide Inks with a Blending Tool. You can use any slightly-darker, or slightly 

                 lighter shades as you like, but I chose Old Paper & Iced Spruce Distress Oxides

        for the Greenery & the outermost green  petals, and went with Fired Brick Distress (regular)

               for the large and small red patterned petals. The middle petals that were a more 

                         solid red color got edged all around in Vintage Photo Distress Oxide.

           You can see where the Distress & Distress Oxide Inks allow the embossing on the petals  

             just barely show, while at the same time; rimming the edges & making them stand out.

            A VERY IMPORTANT STEP: using a craft heat gun/wand to dry the Distress/Oxide Inks.    

                 Otherwise; the Inks  will still be “wet” & will smear onto hands & other objects.

                                           

                                               I start layering the Greenery pieces first. 

          (I was in the kitchen to keep an eye on cookies baking at the same time, so I was using

         my Craft Sheet- which is heatproof and kept the glue gun from harming my bar cabinet's  

           custom-made countertop. Those Craft Sheets still come in handy, so don't toss it just

                because you've done likewise & are now using that AWESOME TH Glass Mat!!)

                       Start with 2 pieces of Greenery cuts- setting them in a natural "floral pattern".

             This is where my 6 week college course taken upon my graduation from High School

        (with an Honors Diploma in May 1984) on Floral Arrangements comes in handy! I wasn't sure      

         what I wanted to do for a career, but I was 18 years old & had my own wedding coming up 

       that I wanted to create everything for- all hand-made MYSELF. And, yes, the ChiefHubby & I 

            were successful; with a VERY LIMITED income at the ages of 18 & 21 out on our own!

             Check your nearest campuses- especially city colleges- for their list of cirriculum from 

                    which you may find professional/craft courses both very affordable, & useful!

              Next, add more Greenery, keeping each layer as natural-looking as you build up.

        Then begin the first layer of petals- starting with the two green petals. These are the two 

         most outer leaves. Before adding each Petal cut, turn it over and add a one-layered line 

        of glue in a "dot",then follow the middle of the individual petal moving out toward the pointed

      end of each, until you have created a glue "star" on the backside. Allow to cool a few minutes 

         before turning the petal right side up and adding it as a new layer. Just press down with the

        glue gun's point to reheat the middle "dot" on the underside. (For some un-even natural look;

        try reheating here or there just a bit along one of the lines of the underside middle of one petal.)

        The cooled glue "star" on the underside of each Petal layer pushes each into a bowl-shape;

                 as each layer is added, the middle stays pushed INWARD (where it was reheated)

         while the outer edges are pushed UPWARD from the Greenery. It looks like an actual flower!

         

Once I got going, I was busy reheating a Petal cut into the "stack" while the

next Petal was cooling. This was a quick process, and before I knew it: I had these 2 finished!

That's a good thing; I had 12 to get done altogether.

 And, I am now seriously looking into purchasing a wireless glue gun!!

Look at how PRETTY these turned out!!

I made 2 Tags from this (1 for a family gift exchange & 1 to keep as usual)...

                                     

  Closeup: sewing around the edges (just one burlap side at a time & 

then adhearing both sides (front & back) of the burlap die cut Tags 

& embellishing the top with some TH IdeaOlogy: Pinecones on Wired Pins

-purchased from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Backsides of the 2 Poinsettia Tags.

The 2 Tags that went together for an exchange gift.

The "Merry Moose" Tag on the right side can be found by clicking HERE

THANK YOU: for checking in to see this latest post...

& MOST ESPECIALLY, THANKS to all who followed my "Sneak Peeks" 

on various Social Media all year long!!

You've given me some AWESOME INSPIRATION to keep on Craftin'!

I hope you will be inspired enough from this step-by-step to give it a try!!

Another Post will be up shortly- GOD willing!

Here's hoping your CHRISTmas was a wonderful time, 

& another hope for a great 2019!!

Be Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!!