I want to make our end-of-year session as easy for everyone as possible. After thinking about it, I realized everyone had already submitted any requests for decorating materials for their Christmas Planner Box. Not really any need for me to bring it all to the Center or for you to have to drive all the way to my house.

So, let’s do one more simple Christmas project and enjoy some treats and each other’s company at our usual time and place.

The image shown here is a card from a long time ago, done in the Paper Crafts Class in 2016.

Please let me hear from you in the comments below, if you plan to attend.

This is my prototype for the class I will be conducting at the DuBose Conference Center.  Please read on for important details regarding this project. You can ask any questions you may have in the comments section below and I will respond to you via email.

The shadow box opening is 8” by 10” and is 4” deep; perfect to capture the essence of the focal wall in the dining hall. It can hang on a wall or rest on a table or shelf and is made of very nice wood.  We are between 1/2″ and 1″ scale but close to 1″ scale with some slight modifications to fit that perfect shadow b0x.

Like the actual wall, this project will be a bit austere.  Our project will illustrate the tapered center wall with the covered fireplace and the wonderful painting of William Porcher DuBose, the first chaplain of the college that was housed in the original buildings on the grounds.  You will adorn the wall as you see fit; much like our kitchen ladies have always done to add a little sparkle and pizzazz to our mealtimes. Since actual decor pieces can range in size from small to large to oversized, either 1/2″ or 1″ scale will be appropriate.

The adornments you see in my model are some of the gifted items I collected over many years at this fun event.  You will provide whatever holiday decorations you might like to add, if any, to the basic project and can work on it at the event or later at home.  The back is easy to remove and replace for that purpose.

There is space enough between the back edges of the box and the backing piece to insert any lighting you may wish to add.  (Lighting is not provided.) I lighted the ceiling of my shadow box with a coin battery set of lights attached to the inside top, running the wires through the back and attaching the battery pack to the outside of the box for easy access.

Let me hear from you if you have questions. Otherwise, I look forward to having you revisit my site to check out any additions regarding this project.(I plan to add a few photos of the wall with different decorations.)  See you in Tennessee..!

Two versions…

These were two cards I designed for our class to create during our November session.  I had seen the style on the right where the images seem to fade away with the second and third generation stamping and later found the idea of putting decoupage medium on dryer sheets and sprinkling it with glitter before attaching it to the same fade-away style image.

My Spellbinders Heirloom Oval Die created the white frame, an Inkadinkadoo stamp set called Trees provided the forest and the deer.  Heaven only knows about that stamp set; it was given to me by a friend of a friend and may have been discontinued long ago.  Besides the silver craft paper, I use white and several shades of blue.  The same is true of the inks and embossing powders I used.

The flowy, soft, smooth bow can only be done with real silk ribbon (Really Reasonable Ribbon).  Nothing else has the drape of real silk.  Rayon seam binding comes close but has a rougher texture that sometimes doesn’t seem appropriate for the card being made. This was 1/4 inch white silk ribbon twined on a Becca Feeken Bow Maker and teased down to one side.

Please be sure to comment below…  it makes my day!  Blessings & Hugs, y’all..!!

Winter is definitely the time for hugs and snuggles.  There are birthdays & anniversaries to celebrate, achievements to recognize, sniffles to sympathize about… a card makes everyone feel heartwarmingly special.  That’s what we aim to do with our creations.

My crafty friends will see that most of this card came from bits and pieces of kits from the craft store.  All I needed to add was a 5″ x 6 1/2″ white card base, a layer of 4 1/2″x 6″ pale pink cardstock and some dimensional foam pieces behind the front layer of houses.  The card was embellished with a pink ribbon around the grey card layer and the word “hugs” settled in below the ribbon.  

I am really having fun with my after-Christmas finds from Michael’s.  I found no such delights at Joann’s or Hobby Lobby…  believe me, I tried..!  Tomorrow I will see how my Paper Dolls (the name we have chosen for our class members) will use these materials.

Sometimes, they surprise me …

This is the beginning of our New Year… 2017.  I see this as my chance to catch up with posting the cards I’ve made in the past several months… and I decided to start fresh with my entry for the New Year 2017 and then work my way back into 2016.  Hang in there with me!

For the ladies in my class, we will be starting off at the Senior Center on January 5, 2017 (usual time and place).  I am looking forward to seeing you all again.  It has been a busy holiday time for everyone, I’m sure.  Time to relax with your friends and get creative!

This card was inspired by my little penguin friend here. While going through the Christmas sale items at Michaels, I found a box full of Christmas tags at a 70% reduction. Little Mr.Penguin was featured on one set in the box.  Actually, there were two penguins facing each other and carrying a pile of gift boxes.  I separated the bits on the small tags and used all the penguins for my large New Year’s tags.  The little pile of glittery gift boxes will come in handy for cards at the end of this year.  And, there are still 7 more tag sets in the box to be dissected and used!

My “Cheers” stamp and my “Fireworks” stamp were both from the sale bin at Michael’s. The background stamp “Scattered Dots” is from Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps. I used gold and a glittery white embossing powder on the black background paper; then, silver on the white paper which was torn to create a deckle edge and the impression of a snowy bank where Mr. Penguin stands.  Black sparkly embossing powder was used on the “Cheers” section and it was edged with a black Sharpie pen and raised up with dimensional foam bits. The ribbon is one of those pieces I couldn’t part with but don’t remember where it came from.  My best guess is Hobby Lobby for the ribbon since it is the place I always find the best selection and price on ribbon.  I hit their shelves when ribbon is 50% off and stock up…

I loved this whimsical little guy the minute I saw him and hope you enjoy him as much as I did.  Blessings & Hugs, y’all…