Dot & Whimsy

First, I would like to extend my thoughts and heartfelt prayers

to all of my friends on the East Coast...stay safe out there, y'all!

Okay, really.  

I don't know if this post was deleted from my blog or if I simply 

failed to post it in the first place...but I cannot believe that you all

have missed out (hehehe) on one of my 

Earth Friendly Friday Projects at Authentique Paper!

My husband gets tons of 'stuff' in the mail pertaining to his job: 

samples, displays, packaging, etc.

And because his 'office' is his vehicle, he doesn't have the room to haul around 

each and every thing that he's been sent.  

Take this acrylic display for example...it

was set to go in the trash and I quickly grabbed it up!

 I thought it would be a great  
Earth Friendly Friday project :)

Are you ready to
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS?
Gather up the papers & stickers from the
Festive Collection
and let's get started!

 You will also need an 8.5 X 11 acrylic frame and dry-erase marker
I also used: sewing machine, Rolled Daisy Die and
Dainty Doily Die by mftstamps.com, flat-backed adhesive
 pearls, Lollipop Font Die by Lifestyle Crafts, Cursif Font
 svg cut, buttons and hand-cut banner and holly leaves.

 

 I traced the banner from a negative space in a die-cut sheet.
Layer the round sticker onto your doily with foam dots.

 

 I love the look of the two different stitches on the papers.
 If you don't have a sewing machine handy, you could add a
pretty trim around the edges or hand-stitches.

 

 Ahhh, Authentique Papers were made for dies!
Not all paper cuts and rolls as beautifully.  These little blooms went together so quickly.  

I inserted a small foam dot into the center of each flower and then attached the pearl to it.
Although I hand-cut the holly leaves, you could use a punch, die-cut or leaf embellishments.

 

 And for the pièce de résistance:
use a dry-erase marker to creatively countdown each
day until Christmas day.  Have fun coming up with different
scripts and fonts...make each day's countdown unique :)
  
Authentique Paper Supplies:
Festive: Jolly, Merry and Believe Patterned papers; Details 12x12 Stickers

Greetings!

I'm pleased and excited to be sharing in this fabulous

Love Authentique Papers and Unity Stamps?

Then come on board as we hop and share projects

that combine both of these beautiful companies into one!

Do you remember a few years back when the altered lunch tins

were all the rage?  Well, I've had a couple in my keeps and ran across

them the other day.  I thought one dressed up in Authentique Paper would

be perfect for Christmas, so I chose the Festive Collection and coordinating

stamps from Unity, Naughty or Nice (which is now on SALE!)

 In times past I have covered the top of the tin (when I actually had a pattern), but I 

went with tons of colorful ribbons and stamped tags on the handle instead.
 After measuring the height of the body, I cut two strips of "Joyful" paper into 5x12".

Next, I cut two strips of "Glistening" paper into 2.5"x12", center and attached to the
"Joyful" paper.  Machine stitch and distress with ink if desired.  I used a quick dry tacky
glue in attaching my papers to the tins.  To hide the seams, I glued on some ric-rac.

Using my newly acquired mftstamps.com doily dies, I layered the two different
sizes onto each other and embellished the top with the sentiment stamped from
the "Naughty & Nice" set.  Now, this stamp is inset into a swirl of snowflakes, but
wanting the cute shape to really stand out, I decided to trim it from the background.

The tags were as easy as stamping and trimming out.  But I took them one step
further and dressed up the tips with the sweet holly tab stickers from the
 "Festive" Details Sticker Sheet.  I also distressed the edges just a bit with
a walnut ink.

Now, what to do with my FESTIVE tin?
Every Christmas it seems I'm in search of extra hooks for the ornaments
that the kids make at school, replacement bulbs for the tree, tape for that flap that's
loosened from a present or a quick name tag.  So, now I will have a handy little
keeper for all of these things and I'll sit it neatly under my tree :)
Let me know if you have any questions!

It's time now to head over to my fellow Authentique gal, Heather's Blog!
 Here's a complete list of today's hop if you're in need: 


Be sure to leave a comment as you hop...there are several prizes to be
given away during the course of this two-day blog hop...good luck!
Thanks so much for stopping in!

You know it!

You know that I LOVE Christmas and that I get 

started with all things Christmas in July.  Yep, they totally

stole the "Christmas in July" concept from ME!

hahahaha

As promised, here are the FESTIVE projects that I crafted

for the AUTHENTIQUE PAPER booth at CHA.

These were so super-simple to make...I whipped up five of these within a hour.

First, adhere the two 8" strips to the piece of cardstock...this is your center.

Begin adding your 9" strips, then the 10.5" strips, etc. around the center; stapling or gluing

so that the ends match up on top and bottom.

I added a bit of scrap paper to cover up where all of the ends met.

Hole punch; add desired string at the top for hanging.  

Embellish as desired!

 

Finally, I have a little 'rosette' tree centerpiece that I made by 

graduating the sizes of my rosettes. 

In connecting the 'branches' to form the tree, I took a toilet paper roll 

and cut to 1/2" widths and covered with FESTIVE paper.  Using a strong, quick

drying glue, I then attached the rosettes and allowed to dry overnight.  

I had the best time embellishing with holly leaves, red pom poms, punched 

snowflakes and cardstock stickers from FESTIVE!

Visit the AUTHENTIQUE PAPER Blog...it's Christmas in July all 

week long and the projects are simply amazing :)
www.authentiquepaper.com