Designer Rosette Christmas Tree

This tree was made using Stampin' Up!'s Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die.  This Christmas Tree and my Thanksgiving Turkey were made using the same die.

 

I like this die because you can make 3 different designs:  the two shown here and a straight-edged rosette.  You can also make several different sizes.  The die cuts and scores your paper strips to make the rosettes.  You will need two paper strips to make one rosette.  Hot glue works the best to hold the rosettes together.

Part of the idea for this tree came from this idea on my Pinterest crafting board.  I started by making a cone out of cardstock using the instructions on the blog for the fabric trees.  I used 8 1/2 by 11 card stock and a ruler to draft the circle.  It was pretty easy using the holes that are already in the ruler.  I made the biggest circle that I could using the holes in the ruler.  I taped and stapled the circle into a tree shape and then started adding the strips I die cut using the Designer Rosette Die.

It was easiest to put Sticky Strip on the top edge of each strip of paper.  Then I cut each scored line on the rosette strip leaving a 1/4" uncut edge on the top.  I cut off strips as needed to fit the tree.  I found that I could use 3-4 sections at the bottom of the tree.  At the top of the tree, it was easiest to tape one section at a time.

For the last piece of paper at the top, I used the scallop circle on the bottom right of the Perfect Pennants Bigz Die.  It was easier to get around the pointy part of the tree using 1/4 of the scallop circle. 

At a craft show, I had seen some trees covered in newsprint with ribbons at the top. I decided to use that idea instead of the more traditional star or a plain top.  Stampin' Up!'s seam binding ribbon is perfect because you can scrunch it to give it more texture.  It comes in Cherry Cobbler to coordinate with the Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper. After the tree was completed, I put it on a wine glass that I bought at our local thrift store.

The Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper is 20% off through Wednesday, Nov. 28th.  Be sure to check it out along with the other Stampin' Up! bargains during Online Extravaganza.  I've used this paper for several different projects including my Christmas Clothespin Wreath and this Christmas card.

Stampin' Supplies for the Designer Rosette Christmas Tree

Item	Description	Price
125594	Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die	$42.95
123126	Perfect Pennants Bigz Die	$32.95
126896	Be Of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper	$10.95
120992	Cherry Cobbler 1/2 Inch Seam Binding Ribbon	$6.95
127555	Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons	$5.95
119247	Basic Pearls Jewel Accents	$4.95

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

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I am thankful to have some time to play with My Digital Studio 2.  I've had the program for awhile, but haven't had a lot of time to use it.  You can buy MDS2 for 50% off this week!

This digital card uses a photo of my Quirky Turkey that I made earlier this month.  This Thanksgiving Turkey has become one of my top 5 blog posts.  He's thankful that he gets to come back every year because he isn't good to eat!

For the photo of the Thanksgiving turkey, I changed the background to More Mustard.  That made a great background for the sentiment from the 2013 Quotable Calendar Template digital download (128138 $14.95). This digital kit was designed to make a calendar.  However, the download includes a 41-piece stamp brush set, 6 Designer Series Papers, and 12 embellishments that you can use for other projects like this card.

We made the Designer Rosette turkey at stamp club last Sunday.  Everyone had a great time making their turkeys.  It's much easier when you use the Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die. The difference is that they used the smallest pearl from Basic Pearls Jewels Accents (119247 $4.05) and colored it black with a Sharpie marker for the eyes.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and count your blessings!

Avoid the Black Friday crowds and shop online with Stampin' Up!'s Online Extravanganza.

Creatively yours,

Sharon Cheng
Richland Hills, TX

My Facebook Page

Pinterest

My Online Store

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