the CLASSroom

Christmas Photo Tray by Sharon Harnist

Remember when I made this Fall photo tray project?  I promised a Christmas version and here it is!  When I made the Fall tray, I used repositionable adhesive to hold each panel in the tray.  That made it easy to remove each section and store them until next Fall, enabeling me to change out this tray seasonally!

 

Once you decorate one of these trays, you'll be hooked -- they are so much fun! Here's how I created each section, starting at the top:

 

On the top left is Spellbinders Wreath die, cut from a Memory Box Dill Notecard.  I sanded the embossed areas of the die cut, then added Christmas Red Stickles for berries.  Jillibean Soup Red Twine ties up the the wreath that is adhered with  EK Success 3D Dots.

 

In the center of the wreath, I placed our family monogram using Ellen's Traditional Seasonal Alphabet Digital Download -- a red letter H tied up with a bow coordinated perfectly with these gorgeous Webster's Pages Waiting For Santa Petite Papers I used!  The darling Christmas Wish List in the center section is a fabulous Melissa Frances Retro Printed Chipboard piece!  I thought it might be fun to have my girls write their wish list to Santa here!

 

For the top right section, I made a Tim Holtz Paper Rosette and topped it with another piece of the Retro Printed Chipboard.  The Christmas tree is a fabulous dimensional Melissa Frances resin Christmas Tree that I airbrushed with these Copic markers:

 

The YG63 was used to base airbrush coat the tree, then YG97 used to add depth directly with the brush tip.  These colors were still a little too bright for the papers, so I finished the piece with a light airbrushing of E25 to give it a more antiqued look.  The tiny tag in the middle far right side, tied with red twine is another MF chipboard piece!

 

On the bottom left section, I hand trimmed a letter "A" ornament from the Webster's paper (both my girls' names start with an A!) and popped it up with foam squares on top of a Martha Stewart Large Snowflake punched piece of cream Webster's paper.  The center section has another Melissa Frances Retro Printed Chipboard snowman that says "Holiday Memories" and is accented with a Melissa Frances Candy Cane.

 

The photo of my girls was framed with Spellbinders Snowflake Frame, cut from more Webster's Waiting For Santa paper.  The bottom right section has another Retro Printed Chipboard "the Season's Greetings" large postage stamp adorning the Webster's paper.

 

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today -- I hope this Christmas home decor piece puts you in the holiday spirit on this almost first day December!  ~ Sharon

Paper: Webster's Pages Petite Papers-Waiting For Santa, Copic X-Press It Blender Card, Memory Box Dill Notecard,
Dies & Punches: Spellbinders Wreath & Snowflake Frame; Sizzix Tim Holtz Paper Rosette Decorative Strip Die, Martha Stewart Large Snowflake punch,
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers: YG63, YG97, Y26, R39, E25
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray, Melissa Frances Christmas Tree Applique, Retro Printed Chipboard & Candy Canes; Traditional Seasonal Alphabet Digital Download, Ranger Stickles-Christmas Red, Jillibean Soup Red & Brown Twine, Sanding Block, EK Success 3D Dots, Glue Dots-Mini & 3/8",

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas

ETA: For those who are waiting for my tag - I am working on it. ;-D I wait until Tim posts his tag and use it as inspiration - mine will be posted in the evenings when I get a chance to complete them :-D You have until I post my tag to leave your comment below to be included in our random drawing. There will be another one posted later today!

Tags shown above were created by Tim using his Alterations Dies.

Tomorrow starts the beginning of Tim's tags - it is always fun to see what he has up his sleeve! For those who are interested in a supply list he has explained why it is hard to provide one here. WE have tried to figure out a way to help you shop for these supplies in an easier way this year. Tim has given us permission to copy his tag and use it in the store, so we will be creating a special category in the left hand column called "12 Tags of Christmas," as well as a special feature on the home page of our store. Each morning we will load a picture of the tag Tim has created the previous day. For ease in shopping we will relate all the supplies he has used to  create that tag beneath it. We hope that this will make it easier for those who would like to purchase those exact supplies :-D To receive 15% off the products in this category simply use the promo code --- timstags --- upon checkout.

I am going to be giving it my best shot to play along as well! AND we are going to give away some FUN items here as well! Giving yourself a little creative time each day is truly a sanity saver! So who is going to join me - leave me a comment below and you can be the winner of our first blog candy item - Tim's "A Compendium of Curiosities."

 For your chance to win, simply tell us what product you are most interested in learning about below by leaving a message in the comments box. We will randomly select a winner and post the name of that individual on the following day's blog post. Be certain to check back each day for a new blog candy item (and see if I was able to get a tag made following Tim's lead - LOL!)

Let the excitement and creativity begin! -Ellen

heartfelt gift clips by Cindy Lyles

Hope you and your loved ones had a happy Thanksgiving - we are officially into the holiday season...for today's projects, I am working with Maya Road's Bingo numbers.  These come in red or brown numbers, and shapes/images are available in black.

We'll also be using clothespins.  Clothespins are everywhere in the blogsphere, magazines and crafting world in general...functional, clean lines, made from wood, and perfect for altering.

I am also using Maya Road's small round tins.  We are creating clips to be used for jazzing-up wrapped packages, that can subsequently be used in other ways after the gift is opened.

Working with new October Afternoon papers Schoolhouse and Modern Homemaker, a 1-3/8" circle was punched and adhered inside in the tin.  Select a number or numbers that work(s) with what you need.  For the above, it will be a clip for a Christmas package.

For each tin you'll need a Paper Rosette as well.

After adhering the 1-3/8" patterned paper circle inside the tin, followed by the bingo tile, add a scoop of clear shard glitter.  I sealed the Maya Road tin using Tissue Tape.

Cut downward snips into the tape so it will lay neatly...

...then fold them down on to the back of the tin.  Neat and clean.  The tissue tape has adhesive on one side, making this procedure easy.

Adhere the tin to a paper rosette, then adhere the unit to a patterned paper covered clothespin.  Tie a bit of Baker's Twine.  Adhere to a wrapped parcel...recycle the decorative clip into a tree ornament or fancy chip clip or bill sorter... 

The Maya Road bingo numbers of 29 and 11 add up to a nifty 40th birthday clip addition - adding color and cleverness to the traditional black.

Hope your turkey day was full-filling, and thank you for stopping by the CLASSroom today!

Christmas Past Wall Hanging

So happy you took some time to join us in the CLASS room today!

I have a fun holiday decor item that I would love to share with you. The Christmas Past collection from Graphic 45 has so many beautiful patterns and colors that work seamlessly together, those along with a few bits and baubles from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology line came together to make a wall hanging that would be great for a focal place on a wall, hanging from a special door or placed on a wreath hanger for your front entryway.

I used Craft-a-board as the base and various sheets of paper from both the 8"x8" pack of Christmas Past and the 12"x12" as well. All the pieces were inked with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink with a foam applictor around the edges and the holly leaves and berries were cut out by hand, inked and then had Distress Stickles applied for extra texture and dimension.

Punch a hole in the top and set an eyelet, use Jump Rings to attach Muse Token and a Swivel Clasp with the Typewriter Charms spelling "JOY".

Attach Game Spinners to Timepiece clock face with a brad and then adhere in place.

To create the wire hanging piece I used Vintaj 28 wire on the spool (the finer gauge, if you want it be sturdier use the 18 gauge) and cut four pieces of the length that I wanted and then twisted them together. For the coil that is over the top I wrapped the wire around a small paint brush handle and then threaded it over the twisted wire piece. Then attach to the Hinge Clips by threading through the holes and then twisting into place.

Use Scrapbook Adhesives Dimensional foam adhesive to attache the leaves and berries and any other little bits you may want to add, I used some Blank Canvas Studio Paint to fill in the letters on this Philosophy Tag and then attached it to the project with a Trinket Pin.

  
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend that maybe allows for a little personal crafting time :o)

B-

Tattered Florals Poinsettia Card by Debbie Olson

Welcome! Today when I was brainstorming about what kind of project I would work on for the Classroom today, I found a couple of sheets of Basic Grey's Jovial 6" x 6" pad that I was drawn too. I especially liked the floral sheet with the black background, so I began searching for a poinsettia stamp. I found only one in my stash that might work, but I found a die that looked like it would make a perfect poinsettia, with a few layers of cardstock--the Tattered Florals Alterations die.

In addition to the Jovial paper and the Tattered Florals die, I also used some Vintage Photo Distress ink, a Zva Creative black flourish, and a Memory Box Peace Collage Stamp.

I cut two layers of red cardstock and one layer of green cardstock, stamping the red layers with the Peace Collage stamp in white ink (to coordinate with the printed paper), and distressing all edges with the Vintage Photo Ink. The center of the flower was from a package of plastic snowflakes that I've had for a couple of years (I don't see them in stock any more). I airbrushed the snowflake with a Copic YR12. For the sentiment I stamped a Hero Arts "Merry Christmas" sentiment in red and hand-trimmed a banner edge. The rhinestone flourish went with the black background and added a festive air to my poinsettia. 

Next I cut out a second set of pieces along with a chipboard base (for stability) so that I could create a hanging ornament. It turned out pretty cute--I might have to make a few more of these for our tree! I sprayed the ornament with a UV blocker sealant so that the red cardstock wouldn't fade in the sunlight.

I have really gotten a good bit out use out of the Tattered Florals die--a die for all seasons. Thanks for stopping by the Classroom today!

Supplies:

Tattered Florals die, Peace Collage, Jet Flourish, Jovial 6" pad, Vintage Photo Distress ink, Copic YR12, Hero Arts Holiday Sayings set, Natural White, red, and green cardstock.

Jovial Christmas Blocks and More by Julia Stainton

The holidays are such a wonderful season to craft for. There is something special about handcrafted Christmas cards, decorations and gifts that both the giver and the recipient enjoy. This is one of those projects I was enjoying so much, I spun the scraps into two more items before I could bear to leave my craft table.

It all started with this little Noel blocks idea I've had in my head for quite some time. These little blocks are 1" square and are best covered with scaled down papers such as the 6x6 mini paper pads. This project and the following uses the Basic Grey Jovial 6x6 paper pad.

To create the block project, cut little 1" squares of patterned paper and adhere to your blocks. I found the blocks to be just shy of an inch and the Titanium Black mini Scissors by EK Success were really great for trimming closely. After covering all sides of each mini block, they were so easy to embellish with tiny accents. The noel sentiment is created with the Tim Holtz Stencil Type. You can adhere these blocks together in a permanent arrangement or just set them up each year the way you wish.

So my project was done but I had all these darling little scraps of paper on my desk. What's a girl to do but to put them to good use? First off, I had all these 1" strips left over from covering the wood blocks. They quickly made themselves into a card front. From the larger scraps I created my own "chipboard" stars with Craft-a-Board from Essentials by Ellen and some star dies.

 

A tag size piece of Craft-A-Board left on my desk inspired the remaining project.

 

It's covered with patterned paper and then die cut for a negative star shape. Hmmm... What if I backed the tag with Crystal Clear Plastic and stamped my sentiment in the window... It was quick and fun and I'm happy with the result. I wonder whose present this will adorn this year.

 

Supplies: Classic Solar white cardstock by Neenah, 6x6 Jovial Paper Pad by Basic Grey, Craft-a-Board by Essentials by Ellen, Crystal Clear Plastic by Ellen Hutson LLC, Nested Star Dies, twine, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, 1" Square Wood Blocks, Bean Stalks Twine Red & Brown by Jillibean Soup, Holiday Sayings Clear Design stamps by Hero Arts, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by Ranger, Kiwi Chandelier Crystals by Heidi Swapp, Tim Holtz Stencil Type by Advantus, Red Vintage Sew-on Buttons by Jenni Bowlin, Tim Holtz Mini Pins by Advantus, rose silk ribbon by May Arts, Cropadile by We R Memory Keepers, Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Black Wood Bingo Numbers by Maya Road

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and enjoy getting ready for the season ahead!

 

Claudine Hellmuth Creative Layers Stamping

I have been wanting to play with Claudine's new stamps for several weeks now and I knew that today just had to be that day! I had watched the video she produced and so had seen how she used the stamps and now it was my turn to give it a try.

I love the off registration printing technique that Claudine used for these designs and felt that a very simple layout would show this off in a fantastic way.

As I sat at Breakfast this morning I noticed the latest Chico's catalog peaking at me. I just had to open it and look ;-D. I was totally taken with some of the new colors for this season. Fig, pink and gray/silver - I like it a LOT! I have been stuck in a "green phase" for a very long time, but I decided this color combination was one I just have to explore :-D

The delightful thing about paint is that you can mix ANY color. By combining Sky Blue and Modern Red (yes, trust the chart :-D) I was able to quickly mix the color above.

Next I mixed the fig color by combining Modern Red and Purple Palette. Delicious! To make it darker I could have added a tiny speck of black, but I was satisfied with the current value.

Initially I was a little concerned about clean-up, but after viewing Claudine's video I decided her clean-up method looked tried and true. I placed a Rub It Scrub It pad in a Rubbermaid container and added just enough water to cover the pad. It worked like a charm!

The other must-have tool in my opinion is a Non-stick Craft sheet. Use this sheet as your stamp pad, then simply allow the paint to dry and it scrapes off in a jiffy.

One important tip is to allow the paint to dry before adding the next color. I cheat and use my Heat It tool to speed up the dry time.

So paint was totally cool, but I was also curious what other types of products would work with the foam stamps. As you can see in the photo above the Perfect Medium pad combined with Perfect Pearls made a gorgeous silver backdrop.

I stamped the dress using the Shell Pink Pigment ink pad. I also tried stamping with a dye ink pad and it worked well also. SO if you are afraid of paint then simply use one of the other inking products you already own.

 

A little "bling" around the neckline to add that silver sparkle and my project was completed. Super quick and easy!

I would love to hear what you think of this "newest" color trend or share what colors you are currently loving. Thank you for stopping by the CLASSroom again today!

stamps: Claudine Hellmuth Creative Layers Domestic Clear and Foam, Studio 490 Be Happy Make Art

ink: Adirondack Shell Pink Pigment Ink Pad, Archival Jet Black, Perfect Medium

paper: Neenah Solar White Classic Crest, Memory Box Cotton Candy and Dove Gray accents.

accessories: Studio Paints - Modern Red, Sky Blue and Purple Palette, Memory Box Sparkling Diamond Gemstones, Pewter Perfect Pearls, Perfect Pearls Brush Pair, RubIt ScrubIt Pad

Adding Dimension and Texture to Your Stamping, by Sharon Harnist

 

Today I would like to show you how to add some texture and dimension to your stamping, to create some interesting effects!  In the photo above, you'll notice a protruding branch that adds dimension to the Memory Box Nesting Birds stamp I used.  Here's how I created it:

First, I stamped the birds with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah Natural White cardstock and then base coated the nest with Copic E31 marker:

 

Coloring the nest first, provides a base of color so the white cardstock doesn't peak through our final finished image.  The birds were colored with Copic R00, R01, T1 & T3 markers.  I didn't have just the right color of Flower Soft I wanted to use for the branch, so I combined Flower Soft's Ultra Fine Black & Toffee colors together to make my own custom color!

 

If you haven't tried Flower Soft's new Ultra Fine line, I think you will be very pleased with the different texture these create!  Next, I cut a piece of Flower Soft Wire to the length I wanted, to form the branch. The Flower Soft Glue is the best type of adhesive for this technique, as it is thick, stays where it is applied and latches on to the Flower Soft material fabulously!  I applied the glue to the wire and then sprinkled on my mixed Ultra Fine Flower Soft.

 

For the nest, I also used the Flower Soft Glue to outline the stamped nest and form some "twigs" for dimension -- then I sprinkled on the Toffee Ultra Fine Flower Soft.

To create more texture, I used the Tim Holtz Paper Distresser to rough up the edges of the piece of Webster's Pages Petite Papers-Hollywood Vogue background paper I adhered to a Memory Box Licorice notecard, using Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares.  The foam squares were also used to raise the stamped image and create more dimension.

 

Part of a Zva Jet black swirl frame adds even more texture (and bling!) to finish this card that could be used for either an anniversary, wedding or general love occasion!

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom today ~ hope you have a wonderful weekend!  ~ Sharon

 

Stamps: Memory Box Nesting Birds
Paper: Webster's Pages Petite Papers-WonderFALL & Hollywood Vogue, Neenah Natural White cardstock, Memory Box Licorice notecard
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers: E31, R00, R01, T1, T3
Accessories: Flower Soft Ultra Fine-Black & Toffee, Flower Soft Glue, Flower Soft Wires, Zva Jet black swirl frame, Tonic Tim Holtz Paper Distresser, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares,

Using an Out of Season Stamp For This Season

Often I have a stamp that I just adore that doesn't get enough face time before the season changes, so what could be better than thinking of ways to give it a little extra love?

Often a simple adjustment can be made with masking, or using different colors when stamping it. But sometimes the theme is so seasonal that those adjustments won't do the trick. That was the case that I had with the Hero Arts stamp set Say Hello.  A very fun and whimsical group of images that I love to use and coloring in the little leaves and flowers in the Spring and Summer was very fun. But now with the leaves changing and Thanksgiving on our minds I wanted to create a card with this image that I could share with a friend who has really been there for me. So with a few patterned papers from the Cosmo Cricket Togetherness line, a Quickie Glue Pen, some Spiced Marmalade and Scattered Straw Stickles, a Peach colored Copic Spica pen and Walnut Stain Distress ink I gave this adorable tree some fall flair.

First stamp out the image onto a few of the patterned papers and fussy cut out a few of the leaves from each color.

Use the Quickie Glue Pen to adhere them in place, and then scatter a few of the extras along the bottom for the fallen leaves.

Color in the smaller leaves with the Peach colored spica pen.

Carefully dot the Stickles onto the smaller flowers (since we stamped with Distress ink the ink will be compromised if it gets to wet or smears)

Adhere the cute little owl into the tree using 3-D Foam squares for a little extra bit of dimension.

On the inside of the Kraft Hero Arts card base stamp the sentiment from the Essential Message set.

Tie a bow from a double sided satin and adhere in place, this ribbon was one of my thank you ribbons from the fabulous customer service note that Ellen sends in every beautifully packed box  :o)

Easy to make quite a few of at once, this could be changed up a little and made into an adorable Christmas card as well.

So I want to leave you with this challenge, look at your stamps with a fresh eye and see if you can take some of them from one season to the next. You will get more value from your crafting dollar and be proud of yourself when you are done!

B-

Printer Tray Family Collage by Debbie Olson

Welcome! Today I have an altered item to share; I had ordered one of the black Printer Trays several weeks back but wasn't sure what I wanted to make with it. When the new Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 line came out, I knew that the vintage office look would be perfect with my printer tray.  

I started with the printer tray, an assortment of Circa 1934 papers and elements page, and some snapshots that I had taken one beautiful October day in our back yard. (The pictures were taken with a digital camera, converted to black and white in Adobe Photoshop Elements, and sized roughly for the openings before being printed with a Canon Selphy CP760 printer.)

Tip: Be sure to measure carefully before you cut your pictures; sometimes the shapes are 1/16" more or less than a standard size. Leaning on my woodworking husband's advice, "Measure twice, cut once." 

 

After you have the photographs in place, fill in with bits and pieces of patterned paper, buttons, string, tags--whatever your heart desires!

I considered leaving my photographs and papers just tacked with a bit of adhesive so that I could change the pictures seasonally, but I ended up using Ranger's Matte Accents to glue the pieces thoroughly. I'll just order another tray. . . or two. . . Christmas presents for grandparents, anyone?

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!