Gift Card Envelopes

This time of year, I seem to need oodles and oodles of gift card envelopes.  Sure, I could just used the ones they come in, but what would be the fun in that?  Here's a few I came up with this weekend using the We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board.

I used a smattering of different papers and embellishments (scroll to the bottom for the list), but kept the design pretty simple.
The smaller envelopes are the right size to hold a gift card with a backing (I have target gift cards in some of them, and I left them on the little card that they come on so I could write on there how much is on the gift card). 

The larger envelopes are big enough to slip an embellished tag (and attached gift card) in. For the envelope below, I cut off the top flap and opted for an open pocket instead.

Or, large enough to put an i-tunes gift card into. 

 For this holder, instead of adding glue to hold the top flap down, I made a little envelope wrap to tuck the flap under.

 Just a simple way to add a little extra fun to gift card giving!

Supplies:
American Crafts Peppermint Express
Imaginisce Colors of Christmas
Simple Stories December Documented
We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board

 Thanks for stopping by!

Snowflake Card

Tis the season for getting waaaaay behind on my blog! Sorry I've neglected you here a bit, but if you're looking for some amazing holiday projects and great deals, check out A Walk Down Memory Lane's 12 Days of Christmas.  Each day from the 1st - 12th there's a new amazing deal and a fantastic Christmas project (and the deals accumulate, so the deal that was good on the 1st is still good on the 12th!).  I do have a quick Snowflake Card today, too.

I loved this snowflake from Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous Christmas Blueprint stamp set. Gold is showing up everywhere these days. It's super trendy in fashion, decor, and paper crafting, so I thought it would be fun to stamp this card in gold ink.  I cut the entire snowflake out, and then layered it on top of the same image stamped in black ink. 

When I was all done, I decided it needed a little something extra, so I added a fun little sequin!

Thanks for stopping by. 

December Card Class In a Box

December's Card Class in a Box is just about ready to go out  and I thought I share a look at the cards.
These are all the cards in the class:

Here's a close up of the cards I created for the class.

If you're interested in purchasing a subscription to the Card Class In a Box or want to learn more about what it is (they make an awesome Christmas present!), you can find all of the information by clicking here or by calling A Walk Down Memory Lane at (712)476-3443. 

Scrapping School Photos Part 2

Today I have another school photo using Simple Stories Smarty Pants.

 For this layout, I mixed and matched a lot of different patterned papers, so I decided to keep the embellishments fairly simple.  However, I couldn't resist popping that pushpin sticker up with some foam adhesive to make it look like it was pinning the "school rocks" banner to the layout.

 Have a fantastic weekend!

Scrapping School Photos

About a month ago I got my kids' school photos. I never expect great grand wonderful things out of a school photo, but it doesn't mean I won't scrap those school photos anyways!

My big kid finally lost his first tooth (layout about that to come soon!) 3 days before school pictures.  I'm pretty sure he was way more concerned about showing off the new empty space in his mouth than smiling! 

I used Simple Stories Smarty Pants paper and stickers to capture his first grade school photo. I love how easily Simple Stories stickers layer up!   

I little more layering of stickers for the title, and this one is going in the scrap book! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

I love you so

I don't know about you, but it always seems there are 3 times as many crafts to make as Christmas approaches.  It was fun to step back holiday paper crafting and do a little "free" scrapping this weekend.  Here's a layout from some photos I took this summer.

The shades of gray and rich blues in Pebbles Front Porch were perfect for scrapping these photos. The photo frames make easy work of making interesting photo mats.

Pebbles makes such lovely chipboard embellishments, and I try to use them any chance I get.  

I used a little bit of Tim Holtz Chipped Sapphire ink to turn the alphabet stickers from gray to blue.  I also couldn't help but find a reason to use one of those adorable clothespins!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Little Lotion Bars in Pretty Tins

Are you thinking about gifts for the holidays? Today I have homemade little lotions bars  in pretty tins that are perfect for slipping in your purse. Dressing up the packaging with some washi tape and patterned paper makes these especially wonderful. 

Including packaging, these run about $1 - $2 per packaged lotion bar, super affordable. To keep cost down, I ordered most of products online through Amazon. 

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat melt:
3/4 cup Beeswax
3/4 cup Shea Butter ($3.50) - you can substitute cocoa butter for an amazing natural chocolate scent or vegetable shortening as a cost cutter as well.
3/4 cup coconut oil ($2.00) - I like coconut oil for it's many wonderful qualities, but olive oil, almond oil, or a mix of these liquid oils can be substituted.

It will take about 10 minutes for the ingredients to go from solid to liquid. 

*Optional step: You can add essential oils (for scented lotion bars) and or vitamin E oil (for preservation).

 You can pour the lotion bars into any mold you'd like, but for these, I just poured the lotion bars directly into the tins I will be using for gifting.  I was able to find my tins for $5 per 10 pack. While my lotions bars were cooling (which happened very quickly since the tins are small), I decorated the lids (which took about 5 - 10 minutes).

 I printed small labels on patterned paper from Pebbles Inc. Front Porch collection.  I used my Silhouette digital die cutting machine to cut those labels into small circles (if you don't have a Silhouette, you could use circle punches, dies, or even just a scissors). I cut a second larger circle from Front Porch paper as well. I sized this circle to be slightly smaller than the lid of the tin.  Use Permanent Glue Dots® to attach the smaller paper circle to the larger one and to attach the large circle to the lid of the container. 

You can also add little strips of paper or washi tape to the edge of your tin. 

...and there you have it easy little gifts in about 20 minutes!