30 Days of Holiday Projects with Xyron - Holiday Books Advent Tags

Welcome back to my second post for 30 Days of Holiday Project Ideas with Xyron.  Today, I wanted to share with you our family's Advent Calender for this holiday season.

Instead of 24 days of candy or activities, we are doing 24 days of holiday books!  Between the books we already own, checking out books from the library, and stocking up on some new affordable books from Scholastic Books, it's been a great month of reading thus far!

Using the new holiday papers from American Crafts, Crate Paper and Imaginesce, I made some super simple and easy tags to decorate the tissue paper wrapped books.  Here's how!

1.  Die Cut Tag Shapes.  I have recently (within the past year or so) started collecting steel dies to use in my manual die cutting machine (i.e. Xyron Creatopia with Shapez Component or Sizzix Big Shot).  Don't get me wrong.  I love my Silhouette Cameo (electronic die cutting machine) but there is something nice about not having to be at my computer and being able to cut other materials like felt or foam that keeps me reaching for my steel dies.

Here are the dies that I used for this project - from Spellbinders and Xyron, Sizzix, Lil' Inker Designs, My Favorite Things and Avery Elle.

I then die cut them out from a selection of super cute holiday papers from Studio Calico, American Crafts, Crate Paper and Imaginesce.

2.  For Layered Tags, Distress Edges with Ink.  For some tags that have layered pieces, I like to use Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo to distress the edges.  It makes the top layer stand out more.

3.  Apply Adhesive to Tag Pieces and Adhere to Tag Bases.  For the pieces that will be layered on the top of the tag bases, I run them through the Xyron 5" Creative Station with Permanent Adhesive.  This ensures that there is edge to edge adhesive on the shapes and it makes the process go SO RIDICULOUSLY FAST!!

 Then simply assemble the tags together.

4.  Punch Holes in Tags.  Using a We R Memory Keepers Crop a Dile, I punched little holes in the top of my tags.

5.  Apply Number Stickers to Tags.  Since it's an advent calendar, you need numbers!  I used a variety of American Crafts Thickers to put the numbers of the different tags.

6.  Choose your Books and Wrap Them Up!  Finally, choose a selection of books and wrap them up.  I personally like to use tissue paper since I have so much of it after buying some from Costco like 20 years ago.  :)  Using a white or kraft base also really helps the tag to be the main embellishment on the wrapped books.

7.  Add the Tags with Twine.  Finally, add the tags to your wrapped books with some pretty twine.  I used some Lawn Trimmings from Lawn Fawn.  Then display them all out for the kids to enjoy!

Since we don't have a mantle, I displayed ours on the piano along with some other homemade holiday decorations.

I hope that inspired you to try something new this holiday season (or for any holiday)! And just so you know, I don't put all the books out at once.  I get a good number of them from the library and mix them in with books we own.  That way, I don't have to have 24 Christmas themed books!  We also always have The Night Before Christmas reserved for Christmas Eve.

Check out these other advent calendar ideas from my blog.  Here is a banner advent calendar and a muffin tin advent calendar.

And please make sure to visit the Xyron Facebook Page all month for more awesome holiday inspiration.  As always, thanks for stopping by!

30 Days of Holiday Projects with Xyron - Holiday Yard Sign

I'm so super excited to be part of the 30 Days of Holiday Project Ideas with Xyron!  Make sure to follow the Xyron Facebook Page all month for awesome inspiration from our design team!

For today's project, I wanted to make some Christmas decor.  I have been obsessed with signs lately after walking around a local craft fair and wanted to make my own using some delicious Holiday paper from Studio Calico.

Supplies:  Adhesives (Xyron 5" Creative Station, Xyron High Tack Double Sided Tape); Patterned Paper (Studio Calico); Chalkboard Paper (DCWV); Die (Lil' Inker Designs); Letter Stickers (America Crafts Thickers); Stamps (Stampin' Up); Washi Tape (Freckled Fawn); Die Cuts and Stickers (Imaginesce); Foam Board, Fence Post.

You will be shocked at how easy it is to make.  And if you don't want to adhere the little signs onto a fence post, just use them individually around the house!  Want to make one yourself??  Here's how.

1.  Cut Down the Foam Board and Patterned Paper.  Cut out three pieces of foam board and holiday patterned paper to 12" x 3".

Craft Tip:  Instead of foam board, you could use any strong base like cardboard or even wood.

2.  Adhere Patterned Paper to Foam Board.  Using the Xyron 5" Creative Station, apply adhesive to the patterned paper.  Apply the paper onto the foam board.  Using a craft knife, trip the paper as needed to make sure that the the front of the signs are completely covered.

3.  Distress Edges.  Distress the edges of the sign with some ink to give it an antiqued look.  Here, I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Photo) applied with a foam applicator.

Craft Tip:  Notice the difference that distressing does.  The bottom sign is already inked along the edges while the top two are not.  This is a trick that I apply to almost all of my paper crafting projects.

4.  Embellish the Sign Bases.  Using just American Craft Thickers (dimensional letter stickers) and some simple embellishments, create your holiday signs.

For the top sign, I wanted to make a chalkboard Christmas countdown.  Cut out a small piece of DCWV Chalkboard Paper with a Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Rectangle die and then adhere onto the patterned paper with the Xyron 5" Creative Station.

And here is a shot of all three signs, ready to be mounted onto the fence post.

5.  Cover Fence Post with Washi Tape.  I bought this little fence post from Home Depot for 50 cents.  Super cheap!  I just covered it with Freckled Fawn washi tape to add some extra holiday flair.

6.  Adhere Signs onto Fence Post.  Finally, I just adhered the signs onto the Fence Post with some Xyron High Tack Double Sided Tape.

Craft Note:  If you want them to be more secure, I would suggest using a small nail to adhere the signs onto the wood.  But you're using it inside and don't have little ones, I think the double sided tape will work fine.

And here is another look at the finished project!  I will note that because it is unsealed paper, I would probably not leave it outside.  Even in Hawaii, it rains a lot this time of year.  But it would be the perfect sign for placing inside a potted plan indoors.  Or just use the signs individually around the house!  So many options and so super easy!

Make sure to visit the Xyron Facebook Page all month long (and into December) for daily inspiration!!!

As always, thank you for stopping by!

Xyron and Doodlebug - Christmas Photo Tray

If you know me, I love all things cute and adorable and I don't think any other manufacturer epitomes that better than Doodelbug Design Inc.  I squealed with delight when I found out that I would be working with their 2013 Christmas collection, Home for the Holidays, for this blog hop with Xyron.  It uses traditional red, white and green (which is my favorite) with the most charming images.

For my project today, I worked with a 7 Gypies Photo Shadowbox Tray that I have been pining over for years.

I finally caved and bought one of Blitsy a few weeks ago and was eager to get it decorated as a home decor piece that I can change out with each month.  Here is what I made...

And here is how I made it...

1.  Select your Photos.  This step is always the most time consuming part of any photo-based project for me.  I decided on which openings I wanted photos, printed them on my photo printer, and then cut them down to fit into the shadowbox openings.

2.  Make Decorated Cards for the Other Panels.  Then, cut down patterned paper and decorate like you would little ATC or Project Life cards.  I focused on the beautiful patterned papers and stickers from the Home for Holidays collection.

For the largest panel, I used various letter stickers with the "Merry Christmas" sticker from this sticker sheet.  I purchase most of my thickers when they are on clearance from TJMaxx or Marshalls.  Often times, the thickers (especially the chipboard ones) aren't very sticky.  I simply run them through my Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker to adhere onto my project.

Tip:  I also use DIY Foam Tape to adhere many of the stickers onto my paper and photo panels to create quick and easy dimension.

3.  Adhere Photo/ Paper Panels to Shadowbox.  To create a shadowbox that could be used throughout the year, I wanted to be able to quickly and easily change out the different photo and paper panels.  To do that, I reached for my Xyron Magnetic Tape.  It's also my magic weapon when making mini albums and other projects that need a small closure.

Finally, I simply covered the front and sides of the shadowbox with the Let it Snow Washi Tape.  The adhesive is just strong enough to stay put through the holidays but light enough that I can pull it off later one without worrying about any damage to the shadowbox itself.

To display, simply place on an easel (or I used a plate stand) and you have created a beautiful home decor piece that can easily be adapted throughout the year!

Supplies:  Doodlebug - Home for the Holidays (Patterned Paper, Stickers, Washi Tape, Flair); Adhesives (Xyron Magnetic Tape, Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker, Xyron Mega Runner, DIY Foam Tape); 7 Gypsies Photo Shadowbox Tray; Letter Stickers (American Crafts, October Afternoon, Basic Grey); Lil' Inker Stitched Rectangle Die.

Here are some closeups.  That photo of my son in the Santa hat was taken by my good friend and fellow Navy Spouse, Melissa Grady (Melissa O Photography).  She's now in Florida so if you need a photographer for anything, she is certainly your girl!

I absolutely adore the flare badges in this collection and they were the perfect embellishment layered with other stickers in the collection placed directly on the frame.

And check out my daughter (home sick from school) insisting that she get photographed with the shadowbox.  Love her (and thankfully she is finally feeling better today after 8 days of fever).

Make sure you head over to the Xyon blog for awesome inspiration all week long featuring Xyron and Doodlebug!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Xyron and Basically Bare Blog Hop - Christmas Activity Book

Today I get to share with you this adorable Christmas activity book I made for Charlotte using some awesome products featuring Xyron and Basically Bare!

I started with a fantastic album with a gate fold cover and lots of different types of pages inside - cardboard, canvas, even a plastic page (which I sadly melted trying to emboss some snowflakes...yes, an obvious duh moment at 3 am).  :)  This project also reflects my attempt to use up my massive Christmas stash with older papers and embellishments from a number of companies.  So without further ado, here goes.

Here is the book cover.  I used my Xyron 5" Creative Station to cover almost all of the pages in the book.  (I would have used my Creatopia but it's on a barge somewhere in the Pacific Ocean headed to Hawaii.)  But it worked beautifully.

Since the cover was a gatefold and I wanted it to stay closed when not in use, I just added some velcro to the backside of the circle scallop to create a faux clasp.

For the first page, I created this stocking stuffer game for Charlotte.  Inside the library pockets are some cards with numbers.  Whatever number she draws is the number of candy canes she needs to put in the stocking.  To make sure that the game pieces would last, I laminated them using my Xyron 5" Creative Station again.

For this library pocket, I just simply embellished it with a chipboard piece that I ran through my Xyron machine and filled it with some festive Jenni Bowlin Studios digital files that I printed on Kraft cardstock.

On the canvas page, I stamped a number of pine branches from a Lawn Fawn (Ornate Ornaments) set using my Faber Castell PITT artist pen big brush.  I then stamped, colored, cut, and laminated a number of different ornaments and pine cones (from the same Lawn Fawn stamp set).

I then attached some velcro throughout the tree and on the ornaments so that Charlotte could decorate the tree as she pleased by just mixing up the pieces.  (I think that the Xyron magnet tape would work just as well - but again, my tape is on a barge somewhere headed to Hawaii.)  TIP: I noticed that the velcro I bought kept sliding off of the laminated pieces so consider using a hot glue gun or stronger adhesive to attach the velcro to laminated pieces.

In this little cute envelope, I just put in the extra candy canes, ornaments and cards from the various games in the book.

And for the last page, I made a matching game by stamping a number of different holiday images and then covering them with laminated presents that have velcro in the back.

Supplies:  Basically Bare Album, Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye); Cardstock (Neena Paper); Stickers and Embellishments (My Mind's Eye, Imaginesce, Crate Paper, Echo Park, American Crafts); Stamps (Lawn Fawn, Paper Smooches, Chicken Girl Designs, Technique Tuesday; Inks/ Pens (Derwent, Copics, Tsukineko, Faber Castell, Uni-ball, American Crafts; Digital Elements (Designs by Dani, Jenni Bowlin Studios); American Crafts Knock Out Punches; Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron 5" Creative Station; Xyron 1.5" Sticker Maker); Other (Silhouette Cameo, Photoshop CS5, HP Printer, Craft Foam by Creatology).

Make sure that you head over to the Xyron blog for more awesome projects all week featuring Xyron and Basically Bare!  As always, thanks for stopping by!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Xyron/ Faber Castell/ Creative Imaginations Blog Hop

If you're coming here from the Xyron Blog, welcome!  I'm so excited to share with you my gift giving ideas for this awesome blog hop with Xyron, Faber Castell and Creative Imaginations.

1.  Christmas Advent Calendar/ Banner.  So there is a selfish motivation behind this project.  As always, our plans have changed and we will be spending Christmas in San Diego before moving out to Hawaii.  We weren't able to secure housing before the holidays and the idea of spending Christmas and Charlotte's birthday in a hotel room just made me sad.  That being the case, ALL of our Christmas decorations will be in a storage locker somewhere in Honolulu.  However, I refuse to let that stop our family from having a happily decorated "home" (i.e. a few bedrooms in my parent's house), even if everything is made out of paper!!  So here is the Christmas Advent Calendar/ Banner I made for Charlotte (now hanging in the upstairs hallway and ready to be filled with wonderful holiday activities).

Supplies:  Patterned Paper and Stickers (Creative Imaginations); Cardstock (Neena Paper); Die Cuts (Imaginsce); Stamps (Lawn Fawn); Cording and Clothespins (Walmart); Inks/ Pencils/ Colors (Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens Big Brush, Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens; Faber Castell Gelatos; Memento Dye Ink; Versamark; Copics; Embossing Power by Hampton Arts); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner; Xyron 5" Creative Station); Digital File by Silhouette; Silhouette Cameo; Heat Embossing Gun.

All of the patterned papers are from the new Creative Imaginations holiday line, Holiday Joy.  I personally adore the traditional Christmas colors and the bit of blue throughout really makes it an absolutely lovely collection.  I cut 24 library card pockets on my Silhouette Cameo using Neena Solar White cardstock and glued them together using my Xyron Mega Runner.  I embellished the front of each pocket with a bit of decorated patterned paper using Lawn Fawn Stamps, stickers from the Holiday Joy collection, and the amazing products I received from Faber Castell.

For some pockets, I used the Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen Big Brush to directly stamp images onto the patterned paper (like this pine branch from the Ornate Ornaments set from Lawn Fawn).

You can use the Faber Castell Gelatos to create beautiful colored backgrounds to enhance embossed stamped images.  For this pocket, I stamped a large snowflake image from Amuse Studios on to patterned paper using Versamark Ink and then embossed it with clear embossing power.  I then colored on a variety of different colors using the Faber Castell Gelatos, rubbed the color around with my finger, and then cleaned off the embossed image using a baby wipe.

The Faber Castel gelatos were also perfect for simply distressing the edges of each pocket.

Additionally, I used the Faber Castell PITT Artist and Brush Pens to directly draw and color some images.  To hang the pockets, I stamped numbers (Lawn Fawn Quinn's Numbers) onto circles and adhered them onto scallop circles (this was done in a snap using my Xyron 5" Creative Station).

These circles were adhered to mini clothespins using the Xyron Mega Runner.  Finally, the large scallop circles at the beginning and end of the banner are shapes cut from my Silhouette Cameo and then adhered together using some DIY Foam Tape.  The Santa and Elf images are just die cuts from the last year's holiday collection from Imaginisce.  To give the circles some more strength, I adhered a piece of cardboard to the back of each circle.  These circles are adhered directly onto the wall using 3M Command Poster Strips.

2.  DIY Library Kit.  As a kid, I remember trying to catalog our entire book collection and making check out cards for each one.  My sister even instituted a library card/ borrowing system!  (I know, we were super cool kids.)  :)  I wanted to make a kit to recreate this creative play for my daughter.  Since her favorite color is purple, these winter themed patterned papers by Christine Adolph for Creative Imaginations were perfect!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper and Die Cuts (Creative Imaginations); Stamps (Lawn Fawn, Office Depot); Inks (Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen Big Brush; Memento Dye Ink); Digital Files (Lori Whitlock, Silhouette, Carina Gardner); Adhesives (Xyron Mega Runner, Xyron 5" Creative Station - Laminating Cartridge); Silhouette Cameo; Photoshop CS5.

Using my Silhouette Cameo, I cut eight library pockets from the patterned paper and adhered them with my Xyron Mega Runner.  I then ran each pocket through my Xyron 5" Creative Station and trimmed the plastic backing around each pocket.  This effectively made each pocket into a sticker that could be directly adhered to the inside of any book.

I then stamped a library card stamp from Lawn Fawn (Check This Out) onto coordinating Creative Imaginations patterned paper and cut it out to slip into each library pocket.

To complete the kit, I paired it with an office date stamp and a library card I made on Photoshop and laminated with my Xyron 5" Creative Station.

Finally, I cut this cute Scallop Favor Box by Lori Whitlock on my Sillhouette Cameo and placed all the cards and stamps inside.  

3.  Fabric Flower Headband.  For my final project, I wanted to showcase how you can use the Faber Castell Gelatos to make your own colored sprays.

Supplies:  Red Fabric Tote; Faber Castell Gelatos; Mini Mister by Ranger; Twinkling H2Os by Creative Imaginations; Adhesive (Xyron 5" Creative Station, Glue Gun); Felt; Elastic Band.

To make the fabric flower, I started with this little red bag that Charlotte got at a birthday party.

I cut the bag apart and ran a large piece (about 24 inches long) through my Xyron 5" Creative Station.

I then cut the fabric into 1 inch wide strips.  After making sure to burnish the fabric really well onto the plastic backing (to make sure that the adhesive transfers onto the fabric), I pulled each fabric strip off its backing and folded it in half lengthwise.  (Note that because this is not the fabric adhesive that you can otherwise get with the Xyron Creatopia, the adhesive may not adhere perfectly to the fabric.)

Each strip will make one fabric flower.  I basically followed this tutorial.  You initially roll the beginning of the strip into a tight roll.  I glued that down onto the center of a fabric circle using a glue gun.  And then just roll and glue the fabric strip until you get a complete flower.

Once the flowers were made, I set them aside to make a red shimmery spray to intensify the red color of the flower.  To make the spray, I colored the bottom of a small plastic container pretty liberally with a red Faber Castell Gelato.

Then I added a bit of water and some Twinkling H2Os in Red Pearl.

Once completed diluted, I poured this mixture into a Mini Mister and saturated my fabric flowers with the spray.

Once completely dry, I sandwiched the flower and a piece of felt onto an elastic headband with a glue gun.  Viola, the perfect headband to match those cute holiday dresses.  Here's a photo of Charlotte wearing hers while making Daddy a present this morning.

Whew!  That must be the LONGEST blog post ever!  But just goes to show much fun you can have when working with some of the best manufacturers in the industry!

As always, thanks for stopping by!!