Dear 2021.... buh-bye!

 

Hello Happy New Years Eve,   

            Are you all ready for a New Year ? I know I certainly am, wow these past two years have been challenging to say the least, but like with anything else, we find a way to push through to brighter days :) "Whatever happened over this past year. Be thankful for where it brought you. Where you are is where you're meant to be. " 

    I wanted to Send you all Happy 2022 Wishes! I hope this New Year finds you Healthy, Grateful, and full of abundance of all that is to come in the year ahead.Remember the special ones that have been lost, and feel fourtunate that you had them in your life, because you can't trade those moments for anything.   Lets spin 2022 into a great year together, Do you set resolutions or pick a word of the year ? Please comment and share yours :) 

    I have always had good intentions of picking a word, gave up on resolutions years ago. LOL But this year I have picked out a couple words " Self-Care & Purpose" The reasoning behind them for me is that Self - Care doesn't take priority for me, I work my two out of the home jobs about 18 hours a day.Then I come home to take care of all of the other duties, so "me time" takes a back burner most of the time.   ( As I'm sure some of you can relate) Although this morning I spent a good amount of time giving myself a pedicure, facial and just some time to breathe. Which I feel for New Years Eve ... im off to a good start :) Without my own self care I will not be able to have "Purpose" in showing up in my other side businesses to serve you, my fellow readers, watchers, and friends with purposeful crafting Lives, tutorials and sharing of all things i love with you. So lets hold eachother accountable , lets make 2022 one for the books! 

        So you ask, when will i resume all the crafty fun? Have no fear my Friends  Bailey's & Tea - Create a Card With Me Facebook morning show will return January 8th and with our New January - June Catalouge going LIVE on January 4th I will have so much goodness to share with you! I am starting off with a fun Desk Calandar Project to get the New Year started off right, I hope you enjoy and create on of your own, cause how can this not get you inpired everyday :) 

New Year Desk Calendar   

 

 

Supply List:

·        Scalloped Contours Dies & Tailored Tag Dies.

·        Stamp Sets: Days to Remember & Create with Friends.  

·        Ink: Memento Black, Bermuda Bay, Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Misty  Moonlight, Mango Melody, Magenta Madness.

·        Flirty Flamingo Metallic Ribbon.

·        Tear ‘n’ Tape, Glue Dots, & Stampin’ Seal.

·        Retired Cleaver Clasp – or substitute a Square Brad ( just something to hold calendar months, with the Brad you will also have to make a hole at the top of your calendar months to hang.)

·        SAB Sunshine & Rainbows 6x6 DSP.

·        Mini Post It Stack.   

Dimensions:

·        Flirty Flamingo Card Stock Base Layer  4 ¼’ x 11’ , score at 2 ¾’ & 5 ½’.

·        Basic White Card Stock  Layer 4¼ “ x 5 ½’ ”.

·        Basic White Card Stock 1 full sheet & 1/2 sheet for die cuts with Scalloped Contours Dies. (calendar bases)

·        Basic White Card Stock 4’ x 3’ for Stamping & Die Cut with Tailored Tags.

·        2 Sheets of DSP that coordinate, Cut to  4’ x 5 ¼’. 

·        Cut & Emboss Machine with cutting plates.

 

Instructions:

·        Take your Basic White Card Stock sheets cut down to ½ sheets and sandwich in plates with the Scalloped Contours Die ( one with the scallop outside and stitched inside edge), turn through the Cut & Emboss Machine. You will need to cut 12 of these for your calendar months.

·        Then Layer your Largest Tailored Tags Die on your 4’x 3’ piece of Basic White Card Stock, sandwich in the plate layers and run that through the Cut & Emboss Machine.

·        Using the Days to Remember Stamp Set, stamp in Black Memento Ink all of your calendar months, and using the other Ink colors stamp out the months names in different colors.

·        With the Create with Friends Stamp Set and Flirty Flamingo Ink stamp “create” on your Tailored Tag Diecut. And the words “you’re” & “best” in Granny Apple Green & Bermuda Bay ink on the leftovers of your 4’x 3’ Basic Whites Card Stock piece.  Fussy cut out your stamped “you’re’ & “best”.

·        Out of the Sunshine & Rainbows DSP fussy cut out a rainbow.

·        On your Flirty Flamingo Base attach with Stampin’ Seal  the DSP you chose as the bottom layer, and on the Basic White Card Stock 4 ¼’ x 5 ½’  Piece attach with Stampin’ Seal the other DSP you chose.

·        Attach with Tear ‘n’ Tape to the easel front, your Basic White 4 ¼’ x 5 ½’ DSP layered piece. This is going to be the front of the stand. I used my calendar cut outs as a marker for where I wanted to attach down my post its, by placing them in the back pocket created by the easel front. I used the width to know where to stick down my mini post it stack with Tear ‘n’ Tape, they now act as a stopper for your easel front. And all your calendar months are tucked away safely in the back for storage & ease of changing out monthly. 😊

·        Next Determine where your tag will sit at the front and make sure you have enough room for your monthly calendar. Attach the tag down with Stampin’ Seal.

·        With dimensionals on the back of your Rainbow cut out apply that to the front where you like it, also attach with dimensionals your fussy cut words.

·        Tie a bow with the Flirty Flamingo Metallic Ribbon, with a glue dot attach over the hole of the tag die cut.

·        Lastly, with a glue dot attach your Cleaver Clasp or make a hole for your Brad to hang your calendar months off.   

Your extra months can tuck in behind, ready to change out month after month :) 

        Again HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! I will see you all soon. 

Cheers & Paper Hugs,

Shanna 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hello, 

        I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was pretty low key with just the In Laws and our next door Neighbours. We are so thankful that we were able to get together, it was a night of laughs and great food had by all. I am feeling a little bit like the frog above LOL.  Today is the aftermath of cleaning up the food left overs and sitting around in our christmas cozies. I got a new flavor of Bailey's in my stocking ( hummm santa knows me well ) Vanilla Cinnamon, so I am sipping that while I do my tidy up and New Catalouge Products switch out for those that will be leaving us :( 

        I hope you were able to enjoy my month of Bobby the Elf  & his side kick Penelope, Shananagins on my Facebook page, LOL boy did they have fun, if you haven't checked it out hop over to the page and see what they were up to, they headed back to the North Pole out the dog door christmas morning, but Im sure they will be back next year to entertain. There will be an album of what they did. 

        I just wanted to pop in to say Thank you all for your continued support of my little buisness, I look forward to new goodies coming and classes to share with you all. Bailey's & Tea will resume next week at 10:30 am MT, and I am still a busy little elf creating to share how to's with you :) Take Care of yourselves my friends and we will chat and catch up very soon ! 

Paper Hugs, 

Shanna  
 

Week 1 Christmas Countdown & Retro Christmas Series

Hello, 

        Welcome back to week 1, yes we are in the final stretch it is ONE WEEK til Santa arrives!!!!!!!!!

         I don't know about you but I've been a busy little elf getting all the last minute things ready for Christmas, and our new catalouge that releases January 4th. 2022. Can you believe what we have endured again this year? I see 2022 looking way better than the last two years, and we are going to start living our best new normal lives to the fullest :) 

        I wanted to doccument this with Scrapbook pages this week, I have done two different ones to focus on this years christmas tree and all the new & old ornaments I have added to my collection, yes I have a hoard of different theamed decorations too, I mean come on , are you the least bit surprized ? Have you seen my craft room LOL.  And the other page is to ring in 2022, with a bang! I had so much fun going into my stash of  DSP papers, embellishment and stamp sets to bring together the look I wanted. Now these will have photos added in later, once I get my phone and photo printer to communicate with eachother, oh you gotta love technology when you have deadlines to meet. But I know you will enjoy them anyways, and I hope you are inspired to doccument some of your holiday traditions & celebrations in Scrapbook Pages. 

    The Beauty of the Earth DSP sheet of paper just spoke wintery to me and that is why I choose it to be my backdrop, I trimmed of an inch around and attached it to a Crumb Cake 12x12 DSP, which I stamped in Crumb Cake ink with the pine bough from the Merriest Moments Stamp Set. I had to Be Dazzel it up with the shimmer and shine of the Retired Be Dazzling DSP  die cut with the Christmas Pinecone Dies. I just Love the Bling it gives tucked in behind my mat for my Christmas tree picture ( to be added later).

    You see here an up close of some vellum circles I die cut with the cirles dies and then embossed with the snowflake Wintery 3D Embossing Folder, my plan is to layer over a few of these some of my Favorite ornamanets, again die cut with the circle dies. But I love the effect it created in dimention of a snowy effect layered over the Background DSP. I cut tree diecuts with the Christmas Tree Dies, Snowy White Velvet Sheets and 2021-2022 In Color Shimmer Vellum in Soft Succulent. 

        Here is the Mat layer for my Christmas tree picture cut with the Stitched Greenery Die on Night of Navy Card Stock. My Tree is a soft vintage look with brushed tin ornaments, silvers, whites, and burlap. so I think the colors are muted enough with this layout to really make a statement in my memory keeping scrapbook. 

        For my New Years page I went to my DSP Retired Stash and pulled out some fun patterns as I wanted it to reflect the "Party" of the New Year ringin. Although we will be home again this year, my In Laws will be spending it with us, so we have a little party planned to celebrate together with appies and champagene. I used a retired host Stamp Set called Seasons of Whimsy , the sparkler is what inspired me to bring this page to life. I have some Party decor that i have also picked up in the golds, whites and blacks. So everything will be matchy matchy :) Cause you know that is how our crafty brains work! 

        I have had so much fun doing this series for you, and a new one is in the works for the January - June Catalouge Release, I hope you will Subcribe to my Blog and tune in for the wonderful creations I come up with to share with you. As Always Comment & Share what you make with me, I love to see how I might have inspired you, just a little bit :) If you haven't been following my FaceBook Page, Carrot Top's Creative Co head over there, as my Elf on the Shelf has been up to some fun this month and you can join in on what he's up to next. 

Paper Hugs, 

Shanna 

 

 Hello, 

        Welcome to Week 3 of the Christmas Countdown & Retro Christmas Series, we are sooo close I can smell the pine trees LOL! I seem to be last minute planning everything these past few weeks, but my holiday decor is slowly pulling itself together, I'm planning a reveal :) How about this week we deck out the Table with Handmade things to make your guests & family smile. 

        I have always loved setting the table for special occasions ( I probably was a party planner in another life).I tend to collect ( or hored, but don't judge me :) servewears, all of it tiered trays, funky platters, glasses, plates and linens. I did own a Cafe for five years as well so I can blame a bit of my obsession from that, and well I like it !!! So There LOL. Doing it this weekend to shoot pictures to share with you all reminded me why..... its about the litlle things in life. Sitting around a beautiful table with beautiful people on a beautiful day ( well I hope, you never know with Edmonton weather). It all just makes me happy! 

        A great holiday table does not take much, just some extra planning! I hope to inspire you to dine in style this holiday season, and get just a bit more use out of those christmas stamp sets, DSP, and embellishments you purchased. 

        Here are a few set ups and coloring combinations I did to show you just how easy it can be :) Cheers! 

A Christmas Cracker made with a toilet paper roll Eden's Garden Cotton Paper, Dies, and Wonder & Whimsy DSP, Retired Silver Metallic Edged Ribbon and a New White Frayed Ribbon, Retired Be Dazzling DSP , all stuffed up with goodies and even has the popper pull too. 

Jam Jar Luminary has styrofoam snow in the bottom with a battery operated tealight. For embellishments I die cut out of vellum and shimmery white card stock with the So Many Snowflake Dies, applied a bit of tombow to the middles and stuck them to the jars sides. I wrapped the jar with the silver mesh ribbon, just to give some texture. On the lid I used the Shimmery white cardstock diecut one and a larger vellum snowflake to accent the lid with a circle die cut of In color shimmer vellum in Evening Evergreen, add a tag,bow and rhinestones , you get the perfect table lighting but also a great take home gift, could also be a placecard with your guests name.  

here's the top view. 

This is a closer view set up.

And here is the full view table decor. 

Our Simply Classic Treat Boxes inspired this Metallic Set up.The Tidings of Christmas DSP had the touches of blue that I accented it in my napkin. 

You will see the blue highlights better here, I got some copper napkin rings at the dollar store and die cut a Poinsettaout of the Snowy White Velvet DSP  Sheets, The middle is a Retired Beaded Pearls.

I really like how all the metals came together, Copper, Gold, Brass, Silver. For a natural look I added in the Burlap, Lamb's Ear Greenery, and Twinkle Lights. 

Candle Wraps With Foil and the Evergreen Forets Embossing Folder with a few accents from the Retired North Pole Wonder Dies and Gold Metallic Edged Ribbon & Braided Linen Thread. The smaller candles are wrapped in embossed Vellum with the Merry Melody Embossing Folder, accented with Retired Copper Trim, Burlap Ribbon & Basket Weave and Metallic ribbon combo pack.A strip of Gold Metallic DSP die cut with the Artistic Dies just finish it off perfectly 

This is a simple just favor addition of the Snowman poop we made in out Treat Week. The Felt trees and wood snowflakes I got at the dollar store and use to make a name place card. 

The whole table set up.

With the lights turned downfor the mood lighting :) 

And Last but not least ... The Kids Dessert Table.

We have Milk Bottles, Elf Treat Legs and a Candy Cane Name Holder.

Cookies, Chocolate, Rudolph Spares ( red tic tac gum) 

Jelly Beans, Mini Reese's Pieces, Mini Junior Mints.

Our Hot Chocolate Test Tubes with a Candy Cane Lindt Ball staged in a cutelittle kids size mug, Candy Apple Hand Sanitizer.... because , Well Tis the Season ... again! 

And our Adroable Reindeer Mug with our Test Tube Reindeer Noses and a Muslin bag stamped with the Retired Buffalo Check Stamp to hold out Lumps of Coal Chocolates.  

I don't know about you but I think this is the best table to sit at... Life is Short , Eat Dessert First :) 

I hope you have got some inspiration to gizzz up your tablescape this year, its not too late you still have time, to make things and hunt out a Dollar Store near you, I hope to see you back next week :) 

Paper Hugs, 

Shanna

 Hello, 

            Welcome to Week 4, by now you may have the twinkle lights hung,the reindeer have made their enterance, and you have jingled you halls, walls and family(for photos that is:). 'Tis the season now for making and sharing delicious treats! Christmas is a festive time of the year when we celebrate our family, friends, neighbours and pets. Since it is often a busy time of year, I have put together some ideas to package up your treats. What better way to celebrate than with a homemade gift crafted with love & care ?

        Have you taken a look at all our Fantastic Packaging Basics on page 137 of the Annual Catalouge? In my Sample ideas you will find a mix of old and new products. I incourage you to always have a look at these and check the clearance rack area in my store as you will find great things to use not only at christmas but all year round for your gift packaging needs, you just never know when you need to whip up a little last minute treat :) 

        Our Ombre Gift Bags are perfect to hold a Gift Card, Homemade Cards, a Popcorn or Chex Mix  Treat or even a Gift & Card combo. You get 20 bags in 4 of each of the new In Colors and these are Food Safe. Can't beat this great deal. 

        These Kraft Gift Boxes came out in the July- Dec 2021 Mini Catalouge, another great way to package some handmade cards, gingerbread cookies, a pair of gloves & hand cream for these cold wintery days. You get 10 boxes with the acetate window already there, so you just have to decide how to decorate, they are also Food Safe. 

        Now I am the Queen of little gag treats, and these Poop treats make a great stocking stuffer for the kids. The test tubes I picked up from a big box stores dollar bin goodies, so I just added my treats and made a cute tag to compliment. For the Snowman one I used a retired product Kraft Pillow Boxes and again just made a cute tag & emblishments. Would you eat Poop if it was this cute ? HAHAHAHAHA

        Our Clear Acetate Boxes come in two sizes, One fits 5cards and envelopes perfectly and the smaller one will hold tea packets or 5 3x3 cards and envelopes . You get 10 boxes per pack, and you just have to embellish for the perfect last minute gift, or package up a few to have on hand for anyone who stops by to visit, a teacher gift. These are great to have on hand year round for anything. 

         The Hot Chocolate and Bailey's gift pack is my Live Facebook Crafting on Dec.4.2021 tune in to see how I make it. The Cup Carriers are Retired, but the cups are current, you can make a great gift with a Timmies gift card and chocolate, dress up the front and you are good to go! TO GO that is !!!!LOL  You get 8 cups and lids in set and they are also food safe.These Copper Tins are very much Retired, but I may have stocked up on them :) these I have made into a Get Well Kit, they contain honey, advil, tea, Chckien noodle soup packet, hand sanitizer, halls and a 3x3 get well card. If someone is under the weather this is something easily you can drop off on their door step to get them back on the mend. 

        Hope you have LOVED the Ideas and your mind is turning with all that you can do with our packaging, take a look if you haven't already and keep an eye out for new stuff coming in the january mini catalouge. See you next week for Week 3 of the Series, and happy packaging.

Paper Hugs, 

Shanna