Vintage Christmas Mixed Media Card for RRR

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Vintage Christmas Mixed Media Card for Really Reasonable Ribbon

Hello, Friends!  Our recent spell of chilly weather inspired this Vintage Christmas Mixed Media Card.  You can almost feel the wind howling outside the frosty windowpanes when you look at these young ladies bundled up against the blast of winter winds.  If my mother was anywhere near these two gals she would exhort them to “put on a hat and some gloves for heavens’ sake!”

The deep blues, teals and grays of this card speak of winter, and cold, blustery winds and rosy cheeks.  I’ve warmed up the color palette with a pop of red from Really Reasonable Ribbon Christmas Plaid Ribbon and a bright red poinsettia.

A Bit of Mixed Media

To add to the frosty feel of this card, I layered die cut foliage behind the large poinsettia.  This was dry brushed with white chalk paint to give it more of a wintry appearance. Machine stitching, paint spatters and a bit of distressing create a nice vintage vibe.

A Peek Inside

Of course, I added a pocket with tea, chocolate and a honey stick to finish the interior of the card.  The flip page has a cute vintage image and a blank sentiment panel hidden behind it.

This paper is from the retired Authentique Solitude collection.  I mixed in a bit of Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Ephemera to bring in more pops of color.  It suddenly occurs to me that this is a red, white and blue Christmas card.  I’m not sure I’ve ever done that before, but I think I like it.

That’s it for me today, friends!  I have my granddaughters coming and I need to get ready for baking and crafting with them.  Then this weekend I have to get busy with the December Card Kit for Button Farm.  Oh, what a busy time of year!  At least I am never bored!

No supply list today, friends.  I’ve linked to the ribbon, but the other items are retired, so I cannot link to them.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Cheerio,

kathy

 

Quick and Easy Gift Tag Tutorial

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Echo Park-Gnome for Christmas-Gift Tags Tutorial-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Quick and Easy Gift Tag Tutorial with Echo Park Gnome for Christmas

Hello, Friends!  It’s Throwback Thursday and I’m rolling in late with this Quick and Easy Gift Tag Tutorial .  Today we’re working with Echo Part Gnome for Christmas to make these fun tags.  These make great stocking stuffers, Secret Santa Gifts and would even look great on the Christmas tree!  You could attach them to pretty ribbon with a clothespin and then they’d be home decor, too.  Use whatever paper collection you have on hand, or even mix and match.  What fun!

Save Time with G45 Tags and the Tag Die

I cannot count the number of projects I’ve made using Graphic 45 Tags as a base.  They are attractive, sturdy and such a time saver!  Pair the tags up with the Regular Tag Die, and you’ll have these sweet gift tags made in no time flat.

If you have an envelope punch board (and really,  you should!) pull it out and make the size envelope that calls for 6×6 paper.  Since we’re using the 6×6 paper pad, there’s no measuring or cutting necessary.  Just put the paper in the punch board, score, punch, fold and you’re done!

What’s on the Back of the Tags?

To cover up the ends of the belly band on the back of the tags, cut a 3″ x 4″ panel of white cardstock,, stamp with the Gnome for Christmas stamps and adhere.  Cute, right?

Die cut a small tag and stamp with small images, spatter with gold paint and add a Christmas charm.  This is a great place to write the recipient’s name.

Embellishments

Dress your tags up with a cluster of jingle bells, Christmas beads, mulberry flowers and foliage.  You can make your own flowers, or save time with pre-made flowers.

Gnome for Christmas adhesive brads and gold glitter stars add a bit of sparkle and shine to the tag design.

Gnome for Christmas Quick and Easy Gift Tag Tutorial on YouTube

If you’d like to see how one of these tags comes together, then please enjoy this short tutorial on my YouTube channel.

 

If you would like to see more gift tag tutorials, check out this link.

I hope you enjoyed this late, late, late Throwback Thursday tutorial.  You will find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Stamperia Winter Valley Deluxe Tea Party in a Box

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Stamperia Winter Valley-Deluxe Tea Party in a Box-Reneabouquets-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Stamperia Winter Valley Deluxe Tea Party in a Box with Reneabouquets

Hello, Friends!  I’m popping in quickly today to share this Stamperia Winter Valley Deluxe Tea Party in a Box.  This was not a planned project.  A funny thing happened while cleaning up my work desk.  I was putting these lovely papers away one moment, and the next thing I knew I was knee-deep into creating this sweet project.  What can I say?  These papers are delightful, and I could not resist another play date with them.

While there is no tutorial for this project, I did create a little project share video where I’ll share tips and techniques with you.  I’ll add the basic folio measurements in the details box below the video on my YouTube channel.

Winter Moon

This time, I invited some Reneabouquets Printed Beautiful Board to the party.  How precious is this scene with the children and the deer?  It was such a good match for this paper collection that I just had to invite it in.

A Reneabouquets Holly Corner helped to frame this sweet winter scene.

A Peek Inside

Although I created this to serve as more of a lap book, I did make sure to provide some photos and journaling.  This paper speaks to me of winter creatures and starry skies that I just wanted to let it tell a story.

Loaded with flaps and pockets and even a pop up page, this interactive folio is really fun to flip through.  You’ll see all the details in the video below.

So if  you still have this paper out on your desk, here’s another fun idea to help you bring it to life.  It’s probably one of the sweetest collections I’ve ever worked with, and I wish I’d bought more!  Does that ever happen to  you?

Stamperia Winter Valley Deluxe Tea Party in a Box Project Share on YouTube

If you’d like to walk through this darling project with me, I hope you’ll enjoy this project share video.

 

If you missed yesterday’s Stamperia Winter Valley Mini File Folder Album tutorial, you can find it HERE.

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks so much for stopping by friends!  Stay cozy!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Stamperia Winter Valley Mini File Folder Album Tutorial

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Stamperia Winter Valley Mini File Folder Album Tutorial-Graphic 45 File Folder Die-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Stamperia Winter Valley Mini File Folder Album Tutorial

Hello, Friends!  I’m running late today, but I think you’ll forgive me once you see this Stamperia Winter Valley Mini File Folder Album Tutorial.  It’s just so doggone cute!  The base is made with the Graphic 45 File Folder Die and kraft cardstock.  Quick and easy to make, and versatile (you can dress it up or keep it clean and simple) this is the perfect little stocking stuffer or swap gift.

Good Things in Small Packages

This little cutie measures just 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, but it is a giant when it comes to interactive elements like flips, hidden pockets, and sweet images.

You’ll learn how to make this fun pop up page in the video tutorial.  You can keep it simple with just one pop up element, or go big and add three, as I did here.

Making the pages is quite simple, as you just cut them out with the same file folder die.  No measuring required!

Created to be more of a lap book, or story book, you will also find room for a few small photos on the back of the flip pages.

The little houses in this collection delight me.  They are just so cozy and happy.  Wouldn’t you like to celebrate the holidays in one of them?

Stamperia Winter Valley Mini File Folder Tutorial on YouTube

Would you like to take a tour of the Winter Valley paper collection, enjoy a walk-through of the finished album, then learn how to put it all together?  Then please enjoy this video tutorial over on my YouTube channel.

Thanks so much for joining, me friends!  Sorry for being late today, but the holiday season has me running a bit behind.  There’s so much to get done, and the days just seem to fly by!  I’ll be back tomorrow with a little project share.  Then Thursday will be our normal Throwback Thursday tutorial.  Isn’t Christmas crafting fun?

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright Cookbook Cover

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Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright Cookbook Cover-Kathy Clement-Kathy by Design

Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright Cookbook Cover and Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe

Hello, Friends!  I thought I’d pop in today and share how I put together this Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright Cookbook Cover.  Last year I decided I really needed to update the “made from scratch” cookbook that I’ve been using for the past 30+ years.  Many of the pages were falling out, the spine was crumbling and it was just a general mess.

While I was editing the recipes, I decided I wanted to have 2 separate binders: one for my everyday recipes, and one dedicated strictly to my holiday recipes.  Christmas baking is a very big deal in our family.  When our first son was born, I started a tradition of baking each family member’s favorite cookie at Christmas time.  Not a big deal, as our family consisted of just Dale, Peter and myself.  But then along came Liz…followed quickly by Kimberly and Andrew and finally Joel.  Oh, and my mom moved in with us, too.  So that meant 8 different kinds of Christmas cookies each year.

Then, the kids got married, so their spouses had to have their favorites…and then…the grandchildren…so you get the picture.  I make about 12 different kinds of Christmas cookies every year.  And of course there are the special breads and main dishes and sides that we enjoy at various parties and holiday meals.  See why I  needed a separate cookbook?

Double Duty Kitchen Decor

The cookbook looks super cute displayed in the vintage hutch that sits in the eating area of our kitchen.  The Simple Stories Snap Binder even matches the color of the hutch!  When Sophie and I were decorating for Christmas yesterday, she said, “Nan, you really should decorate the cover of this recipe album and put it in the hutch.”  So I did.

Because this is a “working” binder, I kept the embellishments a little simpler.  No big bows or fancy floral displays on this creation.  Just a few stickers from the paper collection, some cute kitchen embellishments and a simple ribbon border dress the cover up nicely.

Here’s a look at the spine.

TIP: Cut chipboard to fit inside the  metal label frame.  Now you can adhere the cute sticker to the chipboard and dress up the spine.

The ribbon border runs all the way around the base of the album.  And I could not resist adding this sticker to the back cover.

Simple Stories Baking Spirits Bright Cookbook Cover Process Video on YouTube

This isn’t really a tutorial, because I don’t really teach you anything.  But I do invite you to watch me dress up the cookbook cover.  If you’d like to join me, please enjoy this video on my YouTube channel.

 

My Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe

Since we’re talking Christmas and cookies and all things yummy, I thought I’d share my favorite Christmas cookie recipe with you.

Gingersnaps:  Soft and chewy, old fashioned flavor.  I like to double the spices.

  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup molasses (I like Grandma’s Molasses)
  • 2 1/4 cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • Coarse sugar like turbinado for rolling
  • Mix shortening, brown sugar, molasses and egg thoroughly in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  • Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Dip tops in granulated sugar. Place balls, sugared sides up, 3 inches apart on cookie sheet.
  • Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until set but not hard. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

I hope you enjoy!  What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?

You can find a linked supply list below this post.

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Cheerio,

kathy

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