Christmas Clothespin Wreath

This cute Christmas wreath is made using clothespins.  Two of the demonstators in my group made clothespin wreaths for fall and they inspired me to make this one for Christmas using Stampin' Up!'s Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper.

Because the wreath uses clothespins pinned to a wire frame, you can decorate the other side of the clothespins for a different season.  When it's time to change your decorations for a different holiday, you flip the clothespins around and you have a wreath ready for your next event.  I like the idea of using the same wire frame and changing out the clothespins.  It greatly reduces the amount of storage space you need.

On the other side of the clothespins, I used Stampin' Up!'s Howlstooth & Scaringbone Designer Series Paper which can be found in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday catalog.  This paper is perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving and fall.  My friend, Connie, gave everyone this Halloween witch at our fall scrapbook retreat.  She was perfect for turning this into a Halloween wreath.

To decorate the wreath, I CASE'd the ornament on the cover of the Holiday catalog using the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set and Holiday Ornaments Framelit dies.  I didn't have the Designer Rosette Bigz XL die with me at the retreat, so I used the scallop circle punch to make a slightly different rosette for the center of this ornament. For the center of the ornament, I used my new favorite combination of Stampin' Up!'s vintage faceted designer button and a pearl.

Using a hot glue makes it easier to assemble the ornament and add the tulle.  When I'm working with hot glue, my new favorite tool is this 6 x 6 silicone craft sheet.  It protects your work surface from the hot glue and the heat from the hot glue gun.  When you're finished, you can pop off any of those hot glue bits that end up on the silicone craft sheet.

Here is the Valentine's Day version.  It was fun figuring out how to make the rosette heart.  

You can make the clothespin wreath for both Christmas and Valentine's Day in a class I'm teaching.

Date:  Saturday, December 1
Time:  2 to 5 pm
Location:  Arlington, TX
Cost:  $25 fee includes kit

The kit includes the wire frame, clothespins and everything you need except for adhesive.  Contact me at sharon@sharoncheng.com to register for this class.

Stampin' Supplies for the Christmas Clothespin Wreath

Item	Description	Price
128051	Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set	$25.95
127816	Holiday Ornaments Framelits	$24.95
129950	Ornament Keepsakes Bundle (save 15% on the stamp set and framelits)	$42.95
126896	Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper	$10.95
126840	Gumball Green 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock	$6.95
101650	Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$8.50
126966	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
126861	Gumball Green Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
125577	Large Pearl Basic Jewels	$4.95
127555	Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons	$5.95
118874	2-3/8 Inch Scallop Circle Punch	$16.95
127841	Cherry Cobbler 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle Ribbon	$6.95
127853	Silicone Craft Sheet	$5.95

Visit my online store to get your supplies for this project.  Remember that when you purchase $25 or more in product, you are eligible for my Rewards Program.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

Thanksgiving Turkey Using Designer Rosette Die

Looking for Thanksgiving projects? 

I saw this turkey on Tim Holtz's blog and just had to make it with Stampin' Up! materials.  It gave me a chance to use my Designer Rosette Bigz XL die.  You can change the sizes of the rosettes by cutting your paper strips in different widths.  To make the three different sizes for this project, I cut the strips 1 1/2" x 12", 1 5/8" by 12" and 2" x 12".  You'll need two strips of each size to make one rosette.  I used the Howlstooth & Scaringbone Designer Series Paper which works for both fall and Halloween.

I used the pointed end of the rosette for the turkey.  You can see how the scalloped end looks on this Christmas tree that I made.

For the body of the turkey, I glued two pieces of cardstock together and cut out the pattern provided by Tim.  I cut a slit in the scallop circle in the center of the rosette and added a little glue to hold the turkey body in place. 

I sponged the rosettes before they were assembled.  It was much easier to add shading with Soft Suede classic ink when the paper was still flat.  Hot glue seems to be the best way to glue the rosettes to each other.

While you can't see it in the picture, I used another scallop circle at the bottom to make a stand for my quirky turkey. 

Have fun making these turkeys for your Thanksgiving celebration.  It's quick and easy thanks to the Big Shot and Stampin' Up!'s exclusive Designer Rosette Bigz XL die.

Stampin' Supplies

Item	Description	Price
125594	Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die	$42.95
126906	Howlstooth & Scaringbone Designer Series Paper	$10.95
102316	Naturals White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$7.50
126968	Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
126978	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
127811	1-1/4" Scallop Circle Punch	$15.95

Visit my online store to get your supplies for this project.  Remember that when you purchase $25 or more in product, you are eligible for my Rewards Program.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

More Christmas Swaps

Here are some more pics from the Christmas swap we had at our last demonstrator meeting.

Remember that on Monday, Oct. 29th, you can get most of Stampin' Up!'s stamp sets for 15% off.  You'll have time to get what you want to make your Christmas cards.

Marilyn Young made this beautiful card using the Watercolor Winter stamp set (129727  $18.95) from the Holiday mini catalog.

Look carefully and you'll see the rhinestones she put in the center of each poinsettia.  Yes, they're Stampin' Up!'s Basic Jewels (119246 $4.95).  How did she get red ones?  With a red Sharpie marker!  While the rhinestones come in clear, you can make them any color you want with Sharpie or other solvent-based markers. 

Christi Beck made this cute hot chocolate holder with a candy cane stir stick. It only takes 1/2 a sheet of card stock. She used the Wacky Wishes hostess stamp set which is free with a minimum $150 order or workshop.

Janet Holmes made this gorgeous card using several items out of the Holiday mini catalog.

Champagne Glimmer Paper  127885  $4.95
Snow Flurry Die 127813  $21.95
Greetings of the Season stamp set  128033  $11.95
Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder  127819  $7.95
Candlelight Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper  126901  $12.95

I hope you have been inspired with these projects and the ones I posted earlier.

Have fun making your Christmas projects. Remember to stop by my online store on Monday, October 29th to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s 15% off sale!

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

Christmas Swaps

In October, the swap theme for my downline meeting was Christmas!  It was so much fun swapping and getting different ideas for Christmas.  It's great knowing so many talented people who can create such different projects using paper. 

This first card was made by Karen Hale.  She used Stampin' Up!'s new Snow Flurry Bigz die (item 127813 $21.95).  After seeing this snowflake used in several different ways, I decided to get it.  I look forward to creating some fun projects to share with you in the future.

Gail Peterson made this card using the Delightful Decorations stamp set (127787 $16.95).  She used the leaves from the bird builder punch (117191 $16.95) to make the branches. 

This is a snowflake made by Mary Hamilton.  She does a great job of making projects using paper folding techniques.  She's going to show us how to make this snowflake at our November demonstrator meeting.  I'm looking forward to learning to make this snowflake.

I'll share more of the swaps that I got this month in future posts.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

Christmas Snowflake Soiree

The Operation Write Home Bloghop was so much fun.  There were many wonderful cards on the bloghop.  I was inspired to make this card thanks to a card made by Pamela Young. 

Here is Pamela's sketch.  Her card reminded me of a quilt pattern called Cathedral Windows.  Thankfully, Cathedral Windows is much easier to make with paper than it is to make with fabric!

The Very Vanilla card stock is cut 3 x 4 1/4 inch.  The Cherry Cobbler mat is 3 1/8 x 4 3/8.

 To make the windows, I punched seven circles with my 1-inch circle punch.

I then folded each circle around a template I made of a 5/8" circle.  It's easier to fold if you'll use chipboard to make your template.

Using a clear mount stamp made it much easier to stamp the "Believe" sentiment in the right place.  I stamped the sentiment and then added the windows.

Stampin' Supplies

Item	Description	Price
127925	Snowflake Soiree Stamp Set	$21.95
126896	Be Of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper	$10.95
119868	1-inch Circle Punch	$12.95
119246	Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Card 2)	$4.95

Please remember that when you order from me, you are eligible for my Rewards program.  For every $25 you order, you get credit toward a free stamp set of your choice. 

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

Triple Time Stamping with French Foliage

French Foliage is one of my favorite Stampin’ Up! sets with leaves. It has a variety of leaves and a nice script image too. This card came about because of a request from a friend, Rose Conkwright. She wanted to learn how to do the triple time stamping technique and said I could put a twist on it if I wanted. So here is my triple time stamping technique card with a twist!

The twist is that I added sponging to the card. It allowed me to vary the color in the background rather than just having the color of the card stock. One of the things I like about fall is all of the different colors in the leaves.

To make this card, first cut 3 pieces of Very Vanilla card stock in the following sizes: 

5 1/4 x 4 inches 

4 1/4 x 3 inches

3 1/4 x 2 inches.

Then cut 3 pieces of Midnight Muse card stock in the following sizes:  

8 1/2 x 5 1/5 inches and fold for the card base 

4 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches

3 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches

You’ll also need a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock that is big enough for the largest leaf in the French Foliage stamp set.

Layer the three Very Vanilla pieces of card stock from smallest to largest.  Lightly tack the three pieces together well enough to sponge and stamp on.  Remember that you’ll have to take these three pieces apart later.

Sponge these 5 colors:  More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Cherry Cobbler on both the layered pieces of Very Vanilla card stock and the scrap.  You can use other colors that you like as long as you avoid mixing colors that make a muddy brown. 

More Mustard is the color that you will use the most.  Notice that the color is sponged on unevenly and that several spots do not have any ink on them. I recommend keeping it light when you first start.  Remember that you can always add more ink to make the card darker, but you can’t take off ink to make it lighter. 

Add Pumpkin Pie.

And then Old Olive.

Add just a little bit of Not Quite Navy.

And use Cherry Cobbler lightly too.

Still keeping all three layers together, stamp the following images in these colors:

Oak leaf and sentiment of your choice in StazOn Jet Black
Small leaf in More Mustard
Middle Leaf in Cherry Cobbler
Script in Always Artichoke

Make sure your leaves go in different directions.  I stamped three of each leaf.  Don’t worry if there is a little gap in the stamped image between the layers. It will be covered up when you add the Midnight Muse layers.

Stamp the oak leaf on the scrap piece of Very Vanilla that you sponged.  Cut out the leaf.

Pull apart your sponged and stamped layers.  Add the leaf and Midnight Muse ribbon to the top layer.  I used Stampin’ Dimensionals under the oak leaf.

Add the other Midnight Muse layer, attach to the card and you have finished your Triple Time Stamping with a Twist card.

Here is a different version of the same card.

Stampin' Supplies

Item	Description	Price
121166	French Foliage Stamp Set	$14.95
126707	Sassy Salutations Stamp Set	$17.95
101406	StazOn Jet Black Ink Pad	$7.95
126964	More Mustard Classic Ink Pad	$5.95
126945	Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink Pad	$5.95
126953	Old Olive Classic Ink Pad	$5.95
126971	Not Quite Navy Classic Ink Pad	$5.95
126966	Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink Pad	$5.95
126972	Always Artichoke Classic Ink Pad	$5.95
126847	Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon	$8.95

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

Pumpkin, Pirate and Pilgrim Owl Punch Art

Stampin' Up!'s owl punch is one of the most versatile punches. For Halloween and Thanksgiving, I made  these three owls. Here are my pumpkin, pirate and pilgrim owls.

Here is a close-up of the owls on my Halloween card.

The pilgrim owl uses the cupcake punch to make the crown of the hat.

I also tried a new type of card.  Here is how the card looks when it is open.

To make the card, I cut a piece of card stock to 4  1/4" x 10  3/4".  From the left hand side, score at 1  3/4" and 6  1/4".  Use the 1  3/4" circle punch to punch the hole at the top.

I'm giving a more detailed tutorial to anyone who makes a purchase through my online store before November 1, 2012.  You get more details on how I made both cards including the pumpkin, pirate and pilgrim owl.  Place a minimum of a $25 order to get credit toward a free stamp set through my Rewards Program.

Here are more projects you can make using the owl punch.  

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store