Reindeer Tag

Hi, Christmas design elf Katrina here with a very quick Tag idea using the Creative Express Reindeer duo stamps.

I just cut a tag using the Alterations tiny tags die, stamped the reindeer as slightly darker tone than the card and added a red gem for his nose and some of the Creative Expressions bakers twine to attach the tag to the gift.

Sometimes the simple things work the best!

                                                        Love Katrina

Reindeer glass charms

Ho ho ho, its design elf Katrina here with a little crafty project that will impress all you friends and family on Christmas day or at your Christmas cocktail party!!   A cute set of glass charms made using the lovely new reindeer stamps, wire and some shrink plastic.

    If you have never used them the way they work is you choose a charm and then hook it around the bottom of your wine glass. That way you know which glass is yours!

The first thing you need to do is stamp the Creative Expressions Duo Reindeer stamps onto some of the Judikins shrink Plastic using a Black archival ink and leave them to dry.

Once dry colour in. I chose a permanent ink pen but you can use all sorts of things like coloured pencils, Alcohol inks and chalks. You need to make sure they are all different so you know which one is yours.

You then need to punch a hole in the top, remember these will get quite a bit smaller so make a larger hole then you need.

Then its time to shrink them down. You can either do it in the oven or the way I prefer, using your heat tool. Instructions will be on the packaging of your shrink plastic.

Now you can make them into glass charms, cut a piece of wire long enough to go around the stem of the glass and also to make the hook and eye. Find something around the house to use as a form ( I used the wooden pole thing I put the kitchen paper on ). So make a loop, wrap the wire around the form. Repeat as many times as you want charms.

Take a jump ring and put through the hole in the top of your shrink plastic reindeer, then add another jump ring and thread onto the wire along with some beads to make it pretty!  Form a hook at the end to go through the loop, this will secure the charm around the stem of the glass.

Repeat until they are all made up into charms and you are ready to go!

I chose to do red, green and gold. A standing and jumping reindeer for each colour.

Have fun

                      Love Katrina 

Steampunk Christmas Card

Hello, design Elf Katrina here with a slightly different Christmas card today.

 I have been playing with a couple of the new U-Mount Christmas stamp sets, Steampunk and Newspaper Holly. The Steampunk Christmas is such a different Christmas stamp set and although it is aimed at Christmas there are plenty of stamps that could be used all year around. The newspaper Holly is just so easy to use and is just that little bit different.

 Of course being a bird lover I was instantly drawn to the metal bird, a bit more red wing than robin I think but what a great image! So smart in his top hat!

So, I stamped out onto the PaperArtsy smoothy paper the bird, light bulb flowers, small gear, merry Christmas and 25 and coloured them in using distress ink and cut them all out

I then stamped out the U-Mount newspaper Holly in Distress ink, Pine needle, and then used the same colour to colour in the background using blending foam.

The background holly was then cut using the PaperArtsy small oak leaf, twice.

The card was then put together, I stamped the background pattern from the Steampunk Christmas a couple of times in the same red as I used to colour in the flowers, now Poinsettias. The Poinsettias were layered up using some glue gel to give them a bit of hight.

There we have it a slightly different card for the festive season, hope you like it.

                  Love Katrina 

Owl Christmas card

Hello, me again, design Elf Katrina. Today I have another fun card using the new owl Christmas stamp from Crafty individuals, along with the U-Mount newspaper holly background stamp.

 I stamped both images with pine needles distress ink and coloured the letters in with my jellyroll pens. The owl himself was coloured with distress inks but the crown and bow tie had to be sparkly so they were coloured with the Jellyrolls too.

I then covered a 5x5 square card with the background and inked the edges with the same pine needles ink, mounted the owl stamped image onto a piece of the Core dinations Kraft core nostalgic ( the smaller 

4.25 x 5.5 is perfect for matting and layering ) and popped it onto the front of the card.

     Have fun

                       Love Katrina

Glitter gift box

Hi there, design elf Katrina here. Often a sweet little gift box finishes off the perfect gift, so when I saw this new stamp from Crafty Individuals I thought it would be perfect for the top of a gift box.

I stamped the stamp in blue onto PaperArtsy smoothy card, used Distress ink to colour the boots and coat. I then cut it out 

I  made a box to fit the size of the stamp, I did a tutorial for box making earlier in the year, out of white card and glued the stamped image to the lid.

I then embossed some Coredinations Whitewash card using the new Couture Creations Embossing folder A Magical Time and cut up some of the pieces to fit around the sides of the box, sanded and used the Coredinations dust buddy to take the dust off.

I then cut a piece of the wonderful Stix-2 Self adhesive sparkly acetate sheet to fit over the stamped image and embossed some of the dotty borders on the embossing folder to frame the image.

Now all you need is the gift to go inside!!

                                         Love Katrina

Angel christmas card

Hi There Katrina, the fruit Pixie design elf here with a nice quick Christmas card for the festive season.

     This is such a beautiful image stamp from Creative expressions. It is a nice big stamp and comes with a lovely sentiment too and its always good to have some different words to use on your cards.

  I teamed it with some sheet music paper for the background and guilded her with the IndigoBlu maga flakes using their Flitterglu.

   If you are having problems gilding your stamped images then make sure you use the Flitterglu. Apply it sparingly to your stamp using the Phat foam, like you would ink, then stamp you image. Press the flakes onto your image and then rub off. If you have the scoochy foam then that dose finish it off.

                                                                                             Love Katrina

Starry frame Christmas card

Hi there, a very Christmasy design elf here with a nice quick but lovely little Christmas using one of the new dies from Crafty individuals.

I love this die cut frame because you can glitter lit up to your hearts content for Christmas but you can use it any time of year really.

I also used just one of the many beautiful images from the Crafty individuals Christmas miniature pad. If you need some quick cards then this pad is ideal. The colours are both traditional with traditional vintage images and something a little different like the one I chose for this card.

The background paper and the paper I cut a second frame to used the stars from are both from Black Market Paper sugar plumbs       ( 50% off at the moment )

Then just add glitter!!

Ultra Thick Embossing Snowflake tree decorations

Hi there, design Elf Katrina here with my second set of Ultra Thick Embossing decorations.

   These were made using the melt pot and the Cosmic shimmer and Imaginations Ultra thick embossing crystals,mica flakes,Judikins Rox and a snowflake cookie cutter.

For this snowflake I used clear, some gold luster and a touch of the pearl that was already in the melt pot. I then placed the cookie cutter onto a non stick craft sheet and poured the mixture in. Leave to cool until set and then remove from the cutter and make a hole in the top of the snowflake either with a hole punch or by pushing a pokie tool  through the warm UTEE.  Once it was completely cool I added a strip of music paper and a snowflake and snow die cut to finish.

This snowflake was made with clear UTEE with mica flakes, poured into the cookie cutter and left to cool.I then added a couple of die cut snowflakes and a gem to finish.

The gold snowflake is made using clear UTEE , added the Judikins rox and pour into the cookie cutter. Once cold I added a piece of the Alterations lace die, a snowflake and a gem to finish.

One little tip, use something soft to hang them on the tree like thread or bakers twine,  don't use wire as it can brake the top of the snowflake, as I learn't :(

                     Love  Katrina

Ultra thick Embossing tree decorations

Hi Design Elf Katrina here. I am sorry it has been a while but I have been doing secret work for Father Christmas! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well too.

     I have been having some Christmas fun with the melt pot and Ultra Thick Embossing crystals to make some decorations for the tree.

  This is my first set simply made using the clear Ultra Thick Embossing crystals, cookie cutters and a texture tread. I then coloured them with Alcohol ink.

  Here are my clear Ultra Thick Embossing decorations

These two trees were made by melting and then pouring clear Ultra Thick Embossing crystals into a cookie cutter that is positioned on the texture tread. I used a snowflake one, I adore snow and love everything with a snowflake on it! But any f the texture treads would look great Make the hole on the top while the ornament it still warm. I then applied Bottle green Alcohol ink to the back. 

These two were made in the same way but using a round cookie cutter and then I used Steam blue Alcohol Ink but you could use any colour that matches your colour scheme. 

For these three I used small cutters in the same way to capture individual flakes!

These look lovely on the window, if they were clean! Of course beautiful on the tree with the fairy lights behind them but why not add one to that special gift this year to make it look even more special!

Thanks for looking and I am so sorry about the state of the window!! Stay tuned for another idea for Ultra Thick decorations!!

                                      Love 

                                                          Katrina