Christmas Already?!?!

So, my blog has been suffering from the usual fall neglect that comes with 4 kids starting school and playing soccer.  We live on the soccer field this time of year and I have not mastered the art of blogging while coaching a game.  I'll have to work on that. 

Anyhow, when not on the soccer field, I've been working on some Christmas projects in my spare time. And my latest fun Christmas tool is the Holiday Stocking and Stocking Accents dies for the Big Shot. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM! Did I mention that I love them! My mom is known for making felt stockings for everyone and growing up, I used to watch her make them for family and friends. She made normal size ones for hanging from the mantle but also smaller decorative ones. These took her weeks to finish. She cut all the felt by hand using paper patterns she printed from books on a copy machine. When I saw the new dies in the Holiday Mini, I was so excited to see that I could at least make small decorative stockings. In the last week, I made 10! TEN in a week! And they look just as great as mom's did. I added some Mini Jingle Bells, Winter Wishes Stitched Felt and designer buttons to embellish a few along with regular sequins and seed beads.

I designed these so that you could hang them on a tree, add to a package, use as a package for candy, or even given a nice piece of jewelry.   I sold them at a craft show last weekend, but you could be making your own if you have a Big Shot and the Dies. 

Host a show or contact me to join a class to make some stockings! 

God Bless and Happy Stampin'!
Charity

Craft Show - November 5, 2011

Join me on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at the Crystal Springs Elementary School First Annual Mistletoe Market.  I'll have a Stampin' Up! Booth and will be joined by lots of other great crafters selling their wares. 

You'll be able to place orders, purchase cards and pre-made gifts, get a catalog, book a show and join my team!  There will be lots of great things!

See you between 9 AM and 4 PM at Crystal Springs Elementary, 21615 9th Ave. SE, Bothell, WA. 

Angry Birds and Stampin' Up!: A Match Mad in Heaven

What's a girl to do when her children request Angry Bird costumes for Halloween but the idea of spending $40-65 on a Halloween costume sounds absurd?  Grab the Big Shot and get creative!

Both Liam and Isabel wanted Angry Bird costumes- Liam wanted to be one of the black birds and Isabel wanted to be a pig.  I personally found the pig choice to be brave because with a 5 year old brother dressed as a bird who's mission is to be flung into pigs with the purpose of knocking them down, she was bound to take a few hits throughout the evening.  But I digress...

I needed something fast and easy because we've had about 5 free minutes in the last few months.  I decided to adapt t-shirts and using the same techniques you would use for paper piecing and punch art, I set to work on the faces.  The Circles Die and Big Shot came in handy for eyes and all things round.  And if you look closely, the center of the eyeball is a black glimmer brad (didn't want to try to cut a circle that small).  Everything else was free hand and then sewn to the shirts.  Isabel didn't want to be puffy (what 12 year old girl does?) but Liam wanted to be nice and round.  So, I sewed a smaller T-shirt inside a larger one, stuffed it with one large bag of fiber fill sewed the bottom shut and viola, he was an Angry Bird.

While we were at the harvest carnival on Halloween, Liam managed to sprain his foot (taking out those pigs is risky business) and spent the next day home resting his foot.  He wanted to wear his costume because it kept him warm and he fell asleep.  He became his own pillow pet!

So, this project used Glimmer Brads in a very unexpected way and the Big Shot in a way we've seen before.  How do you use Stampin' Up! products for things other than papercrafts?

And, Stampin' Up! has extended the Big Shot Recruiting Promotion!  Join my Stampin' Up! team between now and November 11 and you can have a free Big Shot or other merchandise totally the same amount.

God Bless and Happy Stampin!
Charity