On the SIXTH Day of Christmas...

a Butterfly flew in and landed on a Tag Ornament!

First, the Butterfly.


To make this you will need a large skeleton leave and two smaller leaves.... any color! You will also need Judikins Glass Micro Beads, an oval Tim Holtz fragment, some tiny dewdrops or bling, Glossy Accents or similar, and a Xyron sticker maker or some sort of adhesive to attach the micro beads.


I cut my larger leaf to make the two upper wings as I show you here in the diagram. Trim them to the same size/shape if you need to. Remember, nature is not perfectly symetrical!


When you are happy with your wings, Run them through the Xyron machine or apply adhesive.


Remove backing and dip you wings in the micro beads. Brush off excess.


Glue the wings to the TH fragment with Glossy Accents.


Add tiny dew drops or bling for the body

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Outline and accent wings with stickles in the color(s) of your choice. Add ribbon or cording for antenae.


While the butterfly dries you can work on the tag ornament....

Score three tags, 1/4" from each long edge.


Color, distress, emboss, and/or embellish your tags.


Attach tags together at 1/4" wide flange to form a triadic shape.


Add flowers, butterfly and accessories till you are happy with your ornament.





Hang it on your tree and ENJOY!

ENJOY the Holiday Season!!

Laura

On the FIFTH Day of Christmas....

....I made a Flip Book for my desk!


Make a quick and easy flip mini photo album or calender for a favorite someone's desk! This mini uses a CD case and two Tim Holtz Swivel Clasps for the Basic frame. Add 5" x 5" pages, embellish and you're done!

Take the disk insert out of the case.



Carefully take the two covers of the case apart. punch holes in the top of the "back" of the case with a Big Bite or drill, centered about 3" apart. The front is open so no need for holes. Put the two covers back together.



Attach TH Swivel Clasp to existing holes in the case as shown.





Cover front and back of case with patterned paper.




Add five to six 5" x 5" chip board or card stock pages (punch holes to match holes in CD case). Add split rings to attach pages to case.



Embellish pages as you would a mini album or create a calender.



This would make a great gift for a grandparent, co-worker or HEY! maybe yourself!!

Enjoy and stay warm! We just broke out 3 rd straight record low... the old records were from 1919!

Laura

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

...I made a MATCHBOOK MINI ALBUM!



This a a super easy, super quick little mini uses cello bags for the inside pockets. It would make a great last minute gift! I made two in just a couple of hours.

Here's what you need:

-6 cello bags (9 3/4" x 4") You will need to adjust the measurements if your bags are bigger or smaller

-For card stock cover, cut one 4 1/2" x 10 1/4" piece (score at 1" and 1 3/4" from one end and 1 1/2" from other end) and one 4 1/2" x 7 3/4" piece (score 1 1/2" from one end). From scraps cut a half of a 2" circle.

-For cello binders, cut six 3" x 4" rectangles. Score in half lengthwise.

-From assorted patterned paper, cut four 4 1/4" x 6" rectangles for inside and outside cover, two 1 1/4" x 4 1/4 for inside and outside spine, and one 4 1/4" x 2 3/4" rectangle for bound end, score 1" from each side.

-From assorted double-sided patterned card stock, cut twelve 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" rectangles for inside tags.

To make inside pockets, trim sealed end off bag so that bag measures 9" long. Fold 3" x 4" rectangles in half at score line. Cut a decorative edge if you want one.



Attach binder to cello bag at fold. Punch holes as shown. Make 6.



Fold cover card stock at score lines. Overlap 1 1/2" sections and attach with your favorite adhesive with front cover over back cover. Attach half circle to inside of front cover.



Fold 2 3/4" x 4 1/4" rectangle at score lines. attach over folded binding end of cover. Punch holes to align with holes in cello binders.



Attach patterned papers to outside and inside covers and spine.




Slip stack of cello bags into folded "u" of binding. Align holes. Thread ribbon down one hole through cover and cello binders and then up the other hole. Tie.



Add tabs to inside tags and embellish if you wish! To close, slip half circle tab under binding edge.




Enjoy making your MINI!!

Happy Holidays!

Laura

On the THIRD day of Christmas....

...I want to take a moment to make a rememberence. Yesterday was a very sad day here in Seattle. The entire Puget Sound region is in mourning. A little over a week ago, 4 (yes, FOUR) police officers were shot and killed by a lone gunman as they began their shift at a coffee house in a city just south of Seattle. Yesterday the region said good bye to these officers in a processional and service that ended up lasting most of the day. Over 5000 vehicles and 20,000 fellow officers from around the country participated. This is the second shooting of this kind here is Seattle area since Halloween night. I ask that we all take a moment and give a thought to not only these officers and their families (9 children lost a parent!) but to all of the officers, firefighters and military who put their lives on the line for us every day. I personally say Thank You and God Bless!

The project I have for you today was going to be later in the week but I moved it to today. It seemed appropriate. Angels and Christmas have always gone together. Enjoy these special angels!



I have been making these angels for years as necklaces and earrings. Lately, I have added them to a couple of my mini's as a charm on a charm dangle. Here I have added to a Holiday tag. They are simple to make and appropriate for any time of year but especially at Christmas time.



To make a charm you need a head pin and the beads shown. String beads on the head pin and make a simple or wrapped loop and voila'!

On the SECOND Day of Christmas....

...I made some Paper Roses!



To make these roses you will need punched or die-cut flowers in graduated sizes (different sizes but don't have to be the same). You can even cut out your own.



You will also need a container of water, some foil and spray starch. Soak your punches/die-cuts in the water for about 15 to 30 minutes.



The optional largest petal should have long, narrow petals. Cut petals longer if necessary. Roll long petals around your awl or a bamboo skewer. Roll on the diagonal to form a twist. Dry with an embossing tool or hair dryer. (Or air dry!)



Cut petals to be about 3/4" long on the next larger petal, if necessary.



Pinch petals in half. Scrunch flower as shown. Make a ball out of foil drape and shape the flower around the foil form. Dry with your embossing tool.



Roll end of of petals around your awl or bamboo skewers using the other larger flower. Drape over foil form and dry with your embossing tool.





Repeat the last step for the medium size flower.



Pinch the two smallest flower around your awl or bamboo skewer and dry with your embossing tool.




Layer all the dried petals in descending order. glue together with glue dots or your favorite adhesive. Mist with Glimmer Mist if you want a sparkle!



Have fun making an entire garden!

ENJOY!!

Laura