Christmas Cocoa Packets

If you've visited the Unity Blog recently, you might have seen my hot cocoa packet project in the Helmar hop.  I've been so inspired by Michelle Wooderson & Melissa Phillips' 12 Days of Christmas posts.  Mich makes the cutest brown bag packets & I wanted to try one out for myself.  I'm not sure exactly how she makes hers, but I made mine out of a basic brown lunch bag.  These are SO easy to do & make really economical gifts.

To make my packets, first cut the bottom off of the lunch sack.  (This end is going to be the top of your packet.)  Next, fold the bag about 3/4ths of the way up.  At this point, I trimmed my patterned paper and stitched along the edges.  (Make sure to do any decorative stitching before you adhere it to your bag!)  Adhere your paper and stitch along all 3 sides of your lunch bag.

You'll now have 3 pockets that you can use to hold a little note, a card.... or a hot cocoa packet & candy cane!  Just finish decorating your bag however you like.

(adhesive) Helmar: Square 1/4" Zapdots,  3-D Scrap Dots clear circles, 1/2" Round Zapdots(stamps) Unity: Jillibean Snowflakes fall from HeavenPatterned Paper:  Tinsel & Twig, the Girls' PaperieOther: Melissa Frances rub-on, hand-dyed wrinkle ribbon,Tiny Tag:  Viola Mahr's Etsy Shop

Christmas Notions Crafting Kit

One of my favorite things about this craft is mixing and matching different supplies to create something fresh and new.  It's kind of like putting together a really great outfit... only in paper form.  :)


I love the sewing trend that's become so hot in the scrapbooking market!  Everywhere you look, you'll find stitching & buttons.... sewing patterns.... dress forms.... and everything in between!  I thought I would bring together several trendy products (both fresh & new AND vintage) to create a one-of-a-kind kit that's perfect for dressing up your holiday projects.  I used a traditional Christmas color palette, but the products are completely universal & could be used for any time of the year.  Here is a card I made from bits & pieces from my Christmas Notions Kit:

This kit is newly listed in my Etsy shop & comes PACKED with everything you need to make a wide assortment of cards, gifts, or layouts.  Some of the papers included are from The Girls' Paperie Tinsel & Twig collection and October Afternoon's Modern Homemaker & Thrift Shop lines.  Here is a list of the nearly 70 items included in this kit:


Kit Contents:
- 12 pieces of trendy patterned paper (The Girls' Paperie, October Afternoon, & more!)
- Maya Road decorative edge kraft envelope
- ribbon card (green tulle, red polka dot ribbon, Merry Christmas satin ribbon, black gingham, & green bakers twine)
- large cream tag
- 3 large tags made from vintage pattern pieces
- 1 small tag with baker's twine
- die cut dress forms (2 each made of red felt, cork, & patterned paper)
- 2 Jillibean Soup journaling circles
- Wild Card
- ticket
- "Please Return By" tag
- scissor & measuring tape die cuts
- 2 glittered flowers
- 3 red flowers
- 2 gingham flowers
- 6 buttons
- bingo token
- 3 handmade medallion/scrunched floral embellishments
- embroidered floral brad
- Maya Road chipboard sewing pieces
- 3 sentiment die cuts
- 3 chipboard flourishes
- 1 large sheet from a vintage sewing pattern

(click on photos to enlarge)

The papers are cut to both 5-1/4 x 4" and 6" x 4".  (The smaller papers mat perfectly with a standard A2 card base.)

I wrapped a long piece of green tulle around a cream parcel tag & then topped it with several other coordinating ribbons & baker's twine.  The tag doubles as a ribbon card & can be decorated to create a great gift tag, bookmark, or embellishment.

The chipboard flourishes and sewing shapes can be misted, painted, inked, or paper pieced!

Here is a closeup of one of the vintage sewing pattern medallions that I handmade.  I love these vintage bingo markers too!  The kit includes two medallions and one puffy scrunchy flower.

Some of my favorite pieces in this kit are the die cut dress forms.  There are 2 made from adhesive-backed cork... 2 from red felt... and 2 from sewing pattern paper.  The decorative-edged kraft envie is pretty fun too!


The kit is packaged in a large glassine bag, wrapped in a large piece of vintage sewing pattern.  (I used part of my sewing pattern for the background of my card.)


I'm brainstorming several other kit ideas - so let me know if you're looking for anything in particular!  :)

Hip Hop! A HUGE Sale, Free Stamps + more!

Hey guys!  It's Thursday... and that means it's another fun, hip-hopping day full of Unity inspiration!  Have you been to the Unity blog yet today?  If not, make sure to stop by!  There is a HUGE sale going on today along with lots of fun freebies!  Speaking of freebies... how would you like to win this Melody Ross stamp set?!?

I absolutely LOVE these Brave Girl stamps!  And... you can ONLY find these in stores.  But... I'm giving away this set to one lucky commenter today, courtesy of Unity Stamps!  Yippee!

I made this card using Unity's September's Kit of the Month.  If you're not currently a KOM subscriber, you can read all about it HERE.  The kits are amazing... and there's no membership commitment... so it's a great, flexible way to build up your stamp collection.

Now... make your way to Scrapper Extraordinaire.... Jen Erickson !

Unity's New Store Kit of the Month is HERE!

Hey guys!  Have you seen the latest Store KOM from Unity?!?  You can find out more about them AND see fun projects made by all of the designers on the Unity blog today.

For my card, I used the Bold Insight set. I just thought the flowers were gorgeous & had to get them all inked up first!  :)  I was so excited when I looked at my stickers from The Girls' Paperie.  They had JUST the words I wanted to add to create the perfect sentiment!  The font of the 'friendship' stamp is really cool too.  (Don't you just love it ?!?)

Have an awesome weekend!!!

Unity's August Store Kit

Hi guys!  Have you seen the new store kits for August?  I don't know if it's the hot weather that's making me long for a new season... or if it's the fact that school's getting ready to start again -- but I just can't put down these stamps!  They're awesome!

I used the school themed set on last Thursday's post with the video tutorial... and the fall set was used on one of my Dirty Dozen cards for this month.  Speaking of the Dirty Dozen, today is the reveal day for August... so if you're a Fan Club member, make sure to check it all out!  This month's theme is 'Fabulous in Faux'.

Here's another card I made with the Learning {Year By Year} set.  All of the Unity Design Team girlies made something for your viewing pleasure on the Unity Blog yesterday, so if you haven't checked it out yet & would like to see more ways to use these sets, you can check it all out HERE.

I used a parcel tag as my focal point and just stamped the cute little apple image repeatedly to create a background.  Another one of my favorite stamps in the set is the ruler image.  I created another background on the kraft card base by stamping the image repeatedly using Versamark ink.  The pink paper, 'August' sticker and ribbon are from the Girls' Paperie line.

Hope you're all having a great Sunday!  School starts on Tuesday for my oldest, and I have to say... I'm excited to be getting back into a routine.  My younger guy is starting at a new preschool in a week.  I wonder if the teacher will end up having my number on speed dial before the year is up???  ;)  It is definitely going to be interesting.

A Winner... A Sneak Peek... & My Jiffy Card!

Hey everyone!  I'm playing catch-up here after being under the weather... so I have several things to share with you!  First up.... I have a winner from my Thursday Hip Hop post!  Drum roll please..........

Lesley Oman said...

i did it! im following you. x

June 24, 2010 4:06 PM

Hooray!  Lesley, please contact Jimmi @ jimmi.mayo@gmail.com  and let her know what stamp you won, along with your contact info!  :)

And... here's an adorable Sneak Peek of the upcoming July Kit of the Month by Unity!  This set is going to knock your socks off!  :)

And... last but not least... here is a card I made for our June Jiffy Challenge!  The other girls posted last Friday, but... like I mentioned... I was a sick-o and had to wait to post until I felt up to the challenge.  :)  This month, Carole Burrage picked this hot tamale Elzybells Surfer Girl image. Yeah.  I want my abs to look like that again.  Not fair.  ;)  Michele Boyer chose one of my favorite paper lines from this season!  It’s Shabby Flower from The Girls' Paperie line.  Mmmmm.  Me likey.  I decided to add a little more of my yummy Girls' Paperie stickers to create the sentiment.

(click on image to enlarge)

Make sure to check out the other girls' cards this week!  I MADE myself not look yet... just to make sure I didn't unintentionally steal any of their ideas.  :)  I'll race you there!

• Michele Boyer
• Carole Burrage
• Kim Hughes
• Alli Miles
• Lori Craig
• our guest this month, Michelle Woerner

June's Store Kit Hop! Yippee!

Hey guys! Today, the Unity girls are showcasing the newest Store Kit(s) of the month. You can order either the top or bottom kit... or the kit in it's entirety! I love options. :)  CLICK HERE to find out more about these sets!

Today, I used the background block found in the Quiet Essence set. I love it's soft, almost quilt-like feel & I thought it would be perfect to use on a baby card.  My layout comes from this week's CPS sketch.

Here's a close-up of the stamped panel.  I stitched a little trail for the butterfly with my sewing machine.

Now, make your way to Jen Erickson's blog to see more inspiration!

Supplies:

- Stamps: (background image, Quiet Essence set)  Unity Stamp Co.

- Ink: (Sweet Blush) Papertrey Ink; (Antique Linen Distress Ink) Ranger

- Cardstock: (Kraft, Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink

- Patterned Paper: ("Paisley" & "Diecut Newsprint Scallop", Paper Girl Collection) The Girls' Paperie

- (Orchid Pink Seam Binding) Hug Snug

- (Paper Girl Chipboard Alphabet Eclectic) The Girls' Paprie
- (Light Green Pearls) Kaiser Crafts

- (Snugglebug Girl Rub-ons) Little Yellow Bicycle

- Sewing machine/thread

Instructions:

1. Make card from cardstock.
2. Adhere green patterned paper.  Ink Edges.  Trim a panel from diecut patterned paper.  Adhere to bottom section of card..  Tie ribbon in place.
3. Stamp background image repeatedly onto cream cardstock using pink ink.  Ink edges with brown ink to distress.  Machine stitch stamped panel using zig-zag stitch.  Stitch trail coming from butterfly.  Stitch along bottom edge of pink patterned paper.
4. Adhere rub-ons & pearls.  Adhere chipboard letters with dimensional adhesive to spell "Baby".

Picnic Basket Blossoms

Hi guys! I've had such a nice morning! It seems like forever since I've been able to get into my craft room and get my fingers all inky. :) Today, I wanted to try out a couple of challenges that have really inspired me.

The latest {Embellish} challenge was too gorgeous to resist!

I also wanted to try out this first sketch challenge by Waltzingmouse Stamps. What a cute design!

For my card, I pulled out one of my favorite Papertrey Ink sets - Vintage Picnic - and framed it with my Waltzingmouse Very Vintage Labels no. 4 stamp.  I used a Dear Lizzy rub-on for my sentiment & placed it right on top of my home-made wrinkly crinkly ribbon.  The floral printed coral cardstock is a Jenni Bowlin print by Core'dinations.

Here's a close-up of my picnic basket.  I used a scrap of yellow gingham paper from the Girls' Paperie to paper piece and added bits of glitter to my daffodils with a Copic glitter pen.  I added some extra glittery goodness by spritzing a panel of brown cardstock with some yellow Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

Thanks for taking a look at my blog today!  Hope you have a great day!