Naughty or Nice?

This year did Santa find you.....

Naughty....

or

Nice?????

Either way, I hope he found you this Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas from 2amscrapper!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

On this Christmas Eve, we celebrate it as a holy day and save the secular Santa Claus celebration for tomorrow.

We will go to mass to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. This used to be at midnight, but now mass is earlier in the evening here in our small town. There may even be some snow on the ground to make it feel and look like Christmas here in the midwest.

After mass, we will eat our traditional meal of pierogi.  It is not a true Christmas Eve meal eaten in Poland.  I think that involves serving fish as one of the courses.

But my mom taught me how to make homemade pierogi as her mother taught her. (Note my apron which DD1 gave me last year for Christmas,) My grandma's pierogi fillings were from a region in Poland that now is part of Russia.  No potato fillings.  One is cheese (farmer's cheese to be authentic but I use ricotta) and one is a mixture of ground beef, onion, and hard boiled egg. The dough recipe is a cheater--grandma cooked from scratch, a pinch of this, a handful of that.  My mom showed me an easy recipe in the Fanny Farmer cookbook--it's actually for ravioli dough. (I got my Fanny Farmer cookbook from my aunt as a wedding gift 45 years ago--my mom's I gave to DD2.)  I still roll and hand form the pierogi.  After boiling the pierogi, we sautee them in butter and serve with dollops of sour cream. I continued the tradition with my family.

This year I served them the day after Thanksgiving when all my children and their families were together here at our home and had an early gift exchange. But I saved a few for tonight for the hubby and me to enjoy.

Christmas is a time for nostalgia.  My cousin always sends me a box of candy from the store where my mom used to work as a teenager in Milwaukee.  I get out my dolls, bringing back childhood memories of family and tradition.  (The doily upon which I placed my dolls is one of the many cotton thread crochet items my grandma, mom and aunties made.)

I hope you have a wonderful holiday and are creating and celebrating your own traditions. 

Tomorrow I'll be back with a Santa Claus post.

(The card and tag shown in this post are recent makes as part of the Gecko Galz design team.)

Let It Snow

Here is a little project I made for DD1.  I put it on her package as a gift tag.  However, it is a square with a board backing so it could be framed as a picture or a magnet could be added to the back and placed on the fridge. The board is a bit smaller so that the snowflakes are see through. Unfortunately, the camera has the background a dull grey.

The background is packaging which I hoarded.  I assume it's from flowers or similar embellies.  The snowflakes were already punched and the blue glimmer paint was already sprayed on.  I love when half the work is already done for me!

This stamp set, Christmas with Barkley Let It Snow is from the Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC on-line store (I'm on the Rogue Crew).  I acquired it last year yet this is the first chance I've had to use it! I stamped directly onto the background.  Then I stamped again on paper and fussy cut the dog.  I stamped the hat a third time and layered it on top.  Coloring was with Copic markers. I accentuated the snowflakes with Marvy Liquid Applique; after drying a bit, I applied the heat tool to make the snow puffy.

Entering these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps Challenge 94 Anything Goes @ Christmas x
Avenue 613 Challenge 103 Anything Goes;  Optional Twist Winter Solstice Use Snowflakes x
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge December Extra x
Fashionable Stamping Challenge 88 Turn Up the Heat Jan 10
Sentimental Sundays: Challenge 238 Anything But a Card Jan 11
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Winter Inspiration x
The Artistic Stamper: December Anything Goes x

Holiday Shadow Box

With Christmas in mind, the Unrulies are to show you ideas for using boxes.

I had hoarded a Prima flower box, the kind that has a draw that slides out.  I took the acetate off the front and made a shadow box with a hidden second scene.  I also finally used some hoarded gorgeous Cozy Christmas designer paper from The Scrap Cake.  My digital images of a vintage girl and snowman are from Heather Hudson's My Artistic Adventures Etsy shop.

I made this for my little granddaughter who loves pink.

All of the details about this box and lots more photos of it can be found in the article I wrote for Unruly PaperArts blogozine, posted on December 15 HERE.

Entering these challenges:

Craft Hoarders Anonymous:  Challenge 21: Celebrate the Season (due December 14 PT--the dates don't match because of the time difference) x
Live and Love Crafts: Challenge With Love (due December 31) x
Mema's Crafts:  Anything Goes for Celebrate the Holidays or Cold Winter Days x
Pile It On: Challenge #49 Anything Goes (end of year--longer deadline) x
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge:  Merry Christms from the Elves December  (this is new to me--my granddaughter's favorite song right now is "Holly Jolly" so I thought it was "meant to be" that I enter a challenge at this site) x

Bees Knees

It's the bees knees!  I remember my mom using that expression.

This week 13 at Claudine's Art Corner, it's all about bees for our Altered Playing Cards. You can see her two cards HERE.   Once again, this is a perfect prompt for me because I bought several honeycomb and bee crafting items but have yet to use most of them.  I guess I was waiting for the perfect project so thanks Claudine for the nudge to create with them.

Again, I'm learning technique, so I try to use as many of the same products as Claudine does in her samples. Again, not in my comfort zone which I think shows in the outcome of the whole grunge look.

CARD 23

Base is acrylic paint sponged onto the altered card.  I used 2 different sponge textures with USArtQuest Perfect Pigment Yellow Ochre and Burnt Umber.

I hand rolled a bit of the honeycomb background stamp from the Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC Getting Grizzly stamp plate. You can see it best in the top right corner. I used Stampin' Up early expresso ink as it was the darkest brown I had.

I didn't have the Tim Holtz honeycomb die.  I realized the purpose was to have an outline of the honeycomb so the card base could show through.  Therefore I got out my Ranger Walnut Stain dabber and used the Red Lead Paperworks honeycomb stencil to create the same effect.  DId not get the same result of a sharp contrast.

My bee and sentiment are from Crafty Secrets/Heartwarming Vintage Queen Bee digital set.
Copic marker Y17 Golden Yellow to color bee.
Honeycomb strip is from Darice Bee embossing folders.
Honeycomb strip and sentiment pounced with Ranger Vintage Photo Distress  Ink
The only glossy thing I could find was Rock Candy Stickles, forgetting it makes ink jet images bleed. But that is what you see on the "bee button".


CARD 24

Base is a waterproof ink rubbed onto the altered card.  I used Memento Dandelion.  I used Red Lead Paperworks honeycomb stencil which had the mirror effect of the Tim Holtz stencil that Claudine used. I applied it with VersaMagic gingerbread chalk ink.

Honeycomb strip is from Stampin' Up scrapbook paper.
Bee Happy sentiment embossed on top of it is from Darice Bee embossing folders.  Embossed words pounced with Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Bee from Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC Getting Grizzly stamp plate.

Like  Claudine, I decided I needed to cover up something from the gesso base coat.  I noticed some dark marks after I had assembled everything.  So I grabbed a Ranger Wild Honey distress marker and filled in 3 of the honeycombs and then added dots of gold glitter on top.

I still have 3 cards to do to catch up.  Hopefully that will happen later today or tomorrow.

Coffee Journal Pocket

I am soooo glad I discovered Monica at TaylorMade4U Cards.  Not only do I love the cards she's making for Riley Stamp Co, but she discovered a humongous coffee blog hop----just in time for me to enter!

The link to the actual host site (Tsuruta Designs) for THE HOLIDAY COFFEE LOVERS BLOG HOP is HERE.


Linky to remain open until Friday, December 12th @ 11:55 pm pacific.  Blog Hop participants (those that link up with a newly created holiday/winter coffee/other favorite holiday hot beverage project) are eligible for Sponsored prizes.  

Please TURN OFF word verificiation and enable Comment Moderation♡

Hop ends on Sunday, December 14th @ 11:59 pm pacific.  Comments made before the end of the hop are eligible for the individual blog sponsored prizes

Not much time to enter.  Oh, which way to go on this?

I decided to use a coffee filter as a journal pocket for the mini album I'm making.

Inks, papers and coffee stamp are from Stampin' Up.  Early Expresso, Crumb Cake inks; Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake card stock, Perfect Blend stamp set.
Female image is Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi: .Eccentric Art.
Crafty Individuals ink splats stamp.

Please note:  I do not have word verification on.  I know Blogger has tried something new that has created issues for others.  If you try to leave a comment and discover this feature is on my blog, please let me know.  Thanks.

A Couple of Vintage Santa CAS cards

I made a couple of quick CAS (clean and simple) cards to get in the mail, using the Crafty Secrets Vintage Santas digital images we were given for entering last month's linky party.

In photoshop elements, I altered the black and white image to sepia and then printed it on beige cardstock.  I originally was going for a kraft and red theme but after it printed out, I knew that brown frame was a perfect match for Stampin' Up Early Expresso cardstock.  The hubby likes unadorned cards for easy mailing at the post office.  I think these fit the bill, yet look rich and elegant.

Thanks to Crafty Secrets for the monthly link up party that gives us the opportunity to acquire amazing digital images for personal use.  The December Linky Party is HERE

I'm also sharing this at Unruly Paper Arts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up party.  I can't believe we already at day 12!  It's been great fun visiting blogs and sharing our art.

Gift Tags for Grandkids

These two gift tags are for my grandchildren.

If you're a follower of my blog, then you've seen the pink holly girl I made for my granddaughter.  I was looking for something for my grandson when I came across Billy Bumps.  I love these dolly dingle paper dolls so much that I decided to find a matching one for my granddaughter.

This just involves fussy cutting and adding the tag loops and a few buttons.

Materials:
Billy Bumps from Alpha Stamps
Paper Dolls from the Graphics Fairy
misc buttons, pearls and trim from stash
Gelly Roll clear star glitter pen

I'm also linking up to Day 11 at Unruly Paper Arts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

Entering these challenges:

ABC Challenge:  Y is for Your Family (due Dec 23) x
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge - Extra for December x

Clean and Simple

Heather asked us to make a CAS (clean and simple) card with her My Artistic Adventures (MAA) digital collage sheets.  You can see more inspiration at the MAA Challenge blog HERE.  And there still is time to enter the MAA December Christmas/Winter challenge.

Clean and simple seems to be the way to go as we quickly are coming upon Christmas.  I pulled out the leftover pieces from previous design team makes and quickly put together a card.  Some simple layering and gluing and it's done.  The best part is that it's flat for mailing!

I used some heavy stationery which I cut into a standard size card.  Then a scrap of Stampin' Up gumball green card stock for a mat, the 3 snowmen and 2 word strips from the MAA Vintage Snowmen collage sheet.  The bit of holly is from the Victorian Vintage Holly Girl collage sheet.
Easy Peasy.  And off to the mailbox....

The collage sheets I used from Heather's My Artistic Adventures Etsy Shop can be found HERE:





I'm also linking this up to Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party:  Even if you aren't participating, I hope you pop over to see all the inspiration that's been posted there.

Christmas Tag and Get Your Free Digital Stamp

This is Number Eight of The 24 Christmas Tags at Gecko Galz!  Please visit the site HERE to see this tag and all the other tags the design team members have made.

Our 24 tags of Christmas:  Each day we will feature a new tag, starting on the 2nd of December , with amazing techniques on the Gecko Galz Blog site. And each day we will give away a FREE digital stamp just for visiting and following our design team member who is featured that day....but wait there is one more little fun twist to this each week --we will do a random drawing for everyone who took part that week i.e. followed the blog and requested a stamp and that lucky person will win a fabulous prize of the week as part of our Christmas spectacular!

And I'm linking up to Unruly PaperArts blogozine Twelve Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

I have a personal collection of nesting dolls so I was unable to resist making a tag with this image from this month's From Russia With Love collage sheet. 

Materials:

From Russia With Love collage sheet

Large tag 10.5 x 5 inches (I cut to size a piece of Crate Paper "Restoration Collection: Fringe")

trims

sentiment stamp (I used a rubber stamp from Artistic Stamper "Snowy Woods" plate.

black ink Sharpie marker

foam tape and/or foam squares

scissors

The technique I'm showcasing is paper layering.

Directions:

Crop doll from collage sheet and resize four times.  (My largest doll is 4 inches tall.) 

Print dolls.  I printed the second doll twice.  I printed the first and second roses twice.

Fussy cut dolls and extra roses.

Edge dolls and roses with black Sharpie.

Decorate the background of a large tag or cut a tag from patterned card stock.

Using foam tape on back of largest doll, adhere to tag.  Adhere a rose with foam squares.

Using foam tape, adhere remaining 3 dolls.

Returning to second doll, adhere a second doll with foam tape.  Adhere a second rose with foam tape.  This image now has 3 layers and "stands out" from the others.

A side view will demonstrate the layering.  The dolls literally "pop" off the tag.

Stamp a sentiment.

Add trims.  

To add interest, I fussy cut the top of my tag along the scallop pattern and added trim to the bottom to "anchor" the dolls.

I chose trims that I felt matched the heritage of fabrics and materials from this part of the world.

I'm entering these challenges:

All Crafts Challenge for Dec/Jan:  Not a card
Craft Hoarders Anonymous:  Celebrate the Season due Dec 14

Disclaimer:  I've had a couple of comments about my coloring.  I want to clarify that these images are from Gecko Galz and I did not color them.  I have not mentioned coloring or use of markers in my description but felt I should address this misconception since I entered this in some challenges.

His and Hers Gift Tags

I'm following Kathy by Design's blog HERE and she posted the most beautiful project yesterday for 613 Avenue Create.  So I was inspired to join in the challenge.

I needed to make two tags to place on the Christmas presents for my daughter and her husband. They are similar gifts for their home so I decided to distinguish the identical gift boxes with His and Hers tags.  I thought of my carolers die which I had yet to break out the the packaging.

Entering These Challenges:

A Song in Your He(ART) #21 Have  Your Self A Merry Little Christmas,  my inspiration was the song lyric:  Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. (due Dec 9) x

Eclectic Ellapu: Vintage (due Feb 1)

Order of the Opus Gluei Challenge 197:  Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (dec 13) x

The Cheerful Stamp Pad:  Challenge 101:  Signs of Christmas (Dec 22) x

Pile It On:  Anything Goes Christmas (Jan 3) x

613 Avenue Create Challenge 101:  Anything Goes with a Twist:  Create Your Own Challenge
one item from each column (due Dec 13) x


Column #1: patterned paper:  Prima ready made tags
Column #2: die cut:  Sizzix Victorian Carolers (Tim Holtz)
Column #3: solid color paper Coredinations black
Column #4: buttons
Column #5: ribbon

Linking up the Unruly Paper Arts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party:  Day 7  8.

I procratinated and didn't get my post done on Saturday so I missed my goal of posting every day. I'm somewhat under the weather with some throat/cough thing that crept up on me.  Then I was determined to find black letters for my tags.  I had moved my craft room to another floor and threw all the bins into a closet.  The bin with the letters was in the back of the closet.  Need I say more? Then I had to sort the letters.  You know, do I really have two "s", one for each tag?  You get the picture.  Then I sanded the coredinations paper and didn't like it so I had to die cut the carolers again. Finally, I had to come up with 6 buttons that were the same size.  Somehow the notion of sorting through buttons isn't so exciting or theraputic at midnight!

Candy Jar Card

My second card for the challenges I told you about in yesterday's post.

Materials:
precolored digi images from Imagine That!:  Jars of Cheer and Sweet Tooth Papers
Stampin' Up gumball green cardstock and ink
white card stock run through Cuttlebug with a snowflake embossing folder
Sweet On You rubber stamp sentiment from Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC
baker's twine
Marvy pine green glitter pen
Ranger Xmas Red Stickles 

I layered the jar image on top of the digital paper and added shadowing for dimension prior to printing.  I cropped and printed part of the bow and fussy cut it to layer on top of the image with dimensional foam.  Tucked inbetween the two layers is my stamped tag/twine.  I used a  glitter pen to highlight the green candy and used Stickles on the berries.

Challenges I'm Entering:

Imagine That! digis by Kristi: challenge  Use Any IT! digi (due end of December) (2nd entry)

The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up--December at Lisa's blog  (Decosse's Dynamite Doodles) before the new site starts up in January (due end of December) (2nd entry--qualify for free digi paper)

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge #206: Bright Colors

And I'm linking up to the Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up party--6 days in a row for me--half way there!

Christmas Mouse Card

It's a busy time of year!  So here's a CAS card.

Pardon the pun, since I made a mouse card, but this all came about because if you give a mouse a cookie..... (a story about how one thing leads to another)

I've come across a new blog challenge site, The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up, that will officially start in January.  Lisa had been doing this as part of her blog but decided to start a separate blog just for the challenges.  Goal is to make a minimum of two Christmas cards a month.  This is a Christmas card only challenge.  Optional each month will be a theme with a sponsor prize. If you link up 2 cards during the month, you get a free digital paper as a thank you gift.  The paper doesn't have to be used in future link ups.  The link to the new site is HERE 

BLOG CANDY ENABLER:
In the meantime, Monica and Lisa are offering blog candy which I've posted in my candy jar on the sidebar and a free digital paper for following their easy 4 steps to acquire it.

And then I found one of their sponsors, Imagine That, who offers free images each month.  Kristi also has two challenges each month, one with the required Imagine That digital stamp of the month, and one with any of her images.  I quickly bought 3 items in the store because I fell in love with them which allows me to enter her second challenge.

So back to my CAS card.  I kept it clean and simple by using Kristi's already colored image from her Mouse Skate digital set.  I paired it with the sentiment before printing it out.  I used two coordinating colors of Stampin' Up paper and a matching ribbon ( Gumball Green and Cherry Cobbler).  Then I added 3 red gem stickers and embellished the fur on the image with my Gelly Roll clear star pen. Easy peasy.

Challenges I'm Entering:

Imagine That! digis by Kristi: challenge  Use Any IT! digi (due end of December)

The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up--December at Lisa's blog  (Decosse's Dynamite Doodles) before the new site starts up in January (due end of December)

And I'm linking up to the Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up party--Day 5 for me!

Gecko Galz December

December happenings at Gecko Galz:

There is a cyber Monday sale going on all month long at Gecko Galz etsy shop HERE.

We are also doing our 24 tags of Christmas.  My tag will be up December 9.

Each day we will feature a new tag, starting on the 2nd of December , with amazing techniques on the Gecko Galz Blog site. And each day we will give away a FREE digital stamp just for visiting and following our design team member who is featured that day....but wait there is one more little fun twist to this each week we will do a random drawing for everyone who took part that week i.e. followed the blog and requested a stamp and that lucky person will win a fabulous prize of the week as part of our Christmas spectacular!

This is my design team inspiration for the Gecko Galz December cross promotion with Robyn Gough Designs.  

Materials:

Merry Wishes digital paper pack from Robyn Gough Designs

Gecko Galz image from Angel Darlings collage sheet used in recent blog hop

Gecko Galz tag from Christmas Tags collage sheet

Instructions:

This is a totally digital composition.  

Select paper and icons from Merry Wishes digital pack

Crop Gecko Galz images.

Layer all products.

Add shading for dimension.

I'm entering this in:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #100 Digital background and Digital Image
Digitally Sweet Challenges #116 Anything Goes  two entries as this is totally digital

I'm also linking up HERE--Day 4 for me:

Tag Tuesday: Let's Dance

I haven't had time to play at Tag Tuesday, but I took this week's theme Let's Dance and made it into a holiday tag so that I could post it at Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

See all the Tag Tuesday players' takes on this week's theme HERE.

Be inspired and join in at the UPA Link Up Party HERE.

Materials:

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas paper collection

The Paper Studio Cmas Music Collage green paper

Ranger Distress Inks:  Dusty Concord and Tumbled Glass for music; distress markers to edge images and tag

Misc ribbons in stash

Glitter pens: Gelly Roll clear star and atyou Spica green and gold

Process:

I fussy cut the dancer and roses to layer them, adding glitter with pens.  I curled the roses up.  I used foam tape to adhere dancer.

I wet distressed the music strip.

I'm Entering these challenges:
Crafting By Designs:  Anything Goes with a Twist--All Things Christmas until December 25
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge-December
Eclectic Ellapu: Vintage Christmas until February 1

Snowmen and Trees Side Step Card

It's time for My Artistic Adventures Challenge #14.   Since it's a busy time of year, there is only one challenge this month.  You can enter HERE

I love Heather's Victorian Vintage Snowman collage sheets.



I paired them with Heather's Non Traditional Christmas Tree Tags collage sheets


And I printed the candy canes from Heather's Vintage Mitten Candy Cane collage sheets.



ALL OF HEATHER'S COLLAGE SHEETS CAN BE FOUND AT HER My Artistic Adventures Etsy Shop HERE

I made a side step card using a tutorial that can be found on the internet.  I reversed it so that the largest block was in front for the sentiment and so that, when I stair stepped the trees, the smallest were furthest away.

Put them all together, and this is what I came up with:

I always edge my images in ink.  Some of the images are on foam for a 3-D effect.  I used a gold glitter pen on the trees the snowmen are holding.

And I'm linking up to Unruly PaperArts blogozine Twelve Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

I'm entering these challenges:
ABC Challenge:  Y is for Yuletide (due December 14)
Creative Corner Challenges:  Winter Wonderland (due December 6)
Digitally Sweet Challenges:  #116 Anything Goes (due December 25)
Festive Friday photo inspiration--final 2014 challenge (due December 3)
Get Creative Challenge #3 Christmas (due December 14)
My Sheri Crafts:  Challenge #147 Oh Christmas Tree--must have a tree in it (by December 12)
My Time to Craft:  Challenge 269 Snowmen (due December 5)