Glittery Gingerbread Ornament Teacher Gifts

I always love to make something special for all my kids teachers especially for Christmas.  This year it was more about the outside of the gift than the inside, but the inside had some really yummy homemade peanut butter chocolate crunch bars.  We ended up giving these glittery gifts to more than just the kids teachers, we also gave some to the principals at my eldest school.

I used the wonderful 6 piece set of Gingerbread Ornaments from Unique Laser Designs as the base for the for these gifts.  Each ornament comes with its own string to hang up on the tree, they are all unique, really perfect just on their own, but I decided to glitter them up.  Below is a tutorial on how to glitter these fun little ornaments with this amazing Sparkle Medium.

  Techniques for Glittering Intricate Chipboard or Wood

1) Start with the chipboard or wood of your choice (these are wood).  I used these cute little Gingerbread ornaments, but as you can see there are lots of cutouts in the men, and that is what gives them their charm, but hard to glitter without getting in all the crevasses.  Below are some tips.

2) If you just do a light coat with the glitter (like below), it looks great, but for these gifts I wanted a complete coverage so I needed to apply a thick coat of Sparkle Medium to the entire surface.

3) Once you apply the thick coat of sparkle medium with a foam brush it covers up most of the details of the ornament, but that is an easy fix!!  Hint- only do one side of the ornament at a time so it has time to dry and not smudge.

4) Using needle, thumb tack, paper piercer, or other long thin object (I used my paper piercer and cleaned it up really well after) poke the tip into the holes of your object to scrape out the extra glitter inside.  You may have to do this a few times in the front and back of each hole, wiping away the extra that builds up with the foam brush.  This step takes some time, but really worth it in the end.

5) It takes about 2-3 hours to dry due to the thick layer or glitter medium applied, but they look amazing when they are done.  They are now super sparkly and perfect for these gift bags.

6) I used plain lunch bags as the base for the gifts.  I filled the bags with the yummy homemade treats, folded over the top a couple of times (squeezing out the air) and stapled it at the top.  I then took a hole punch and punched 2 holes at the top and used green satin ribbon and laced it through the holes tying a simple bow lacing the ornament string in as I tied the bow and let it hang down the bag.

These gifts are filled with homemade goodies, topped with a homemade glittery ornament, and place in a homemade gift bag.  It is a simple gift, but it is one from the heart to show my kid's teachers just how much I appreciate them.  When I taught the best presents given to me were the ones that were made not just a simple gift card, it meant so much more that the parent or student took the time to create something for me - straight from the heart, and years later those are the presents I remember and still have!!

Supplies Used

Wood - ULD

Glitter- Imagination Crafts

Ribbon - May Arts

Foam Brush - Plaid

Paper Bag

Hole Punch

Staples

Paper Piercer

Enjoy!!

Mixed Media Gift Wrap Tutorial Using Unique Laser Design's Swirly Christmas Tree Embellishment!

Why buy holiday gift wrap when you can create your own? ;D

Today, I have a super cool, step-by-step tutorial on how I created this holiday gift wrap using Unique Laser Design's swirly Christmas tree wood embellishment.

Mixed Media Gift Wrap Using
Unique Laser Design's Swirly Christmas Tree
Wood Embellishment

Okay, here we go:

Started with a piece a kraft paper
that was large enough to wrap
around my gift box.
Grocery bags are also GREAT!
Used washi tape to adhere
the kraft paper to my work surface.

Used black archival ink
to add this Stampabilities 'Faith'
stamp as a background layer.

Selected three shades of turquoise/teal
& pearl acrylic paint
for my Christmas tree color.
Placed a generous amount of
each color on my Gelli Plate.
Marbled gently with a paint brush.

Unique Laser Design's MDF Wood
Christmas tree embellishment

Gently placed the ULD wood
embellishment in the acrylic paint

Used the paint covered 
ULD wood embellishment 
to create several stamped images 
on my background

Splattered Heidi Swapp gold Color Shine
on the background 

Used Tim Holtz's 'Picket Fence' 
Distress Paint to create white circles 
on the background

Doodled around all of the stamped marks
with a black Uni-ball Signo (broad) pen.
Added sparkle & dimension to the 
white circles with 'Star Dust' Stickles

Added Prima Marketing "Say it in Crystals"
bling embellies as Christmas tree toppers

Doodled around the bling embellies
with a black Uni-ball Signo pen

Added messy ink marks inside the
white circles with a
neon green Painters pen

The completed mixed media gift wrap background

Added acrylic paint to the other side of
the wood embellishment

Added 'Star Dust' Stickles to the
wood embellishment

Distressed the embellie with Tim Holtz's
'Weathered Wood' Distress Ink

Wrapped my gift with the mixed media 
gift wrap, added a ribbon & my 
painted ULD wood embellishment
as a final touch.
Tied decorative cord at the top of the 
embellishment so it can be used 
as a Christmas tree ornament!

Close-up of Unique Laser Design's
Christmas Tree Embellishment

I pray you find this tutorial helpful. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of you!

Much love,

Shelley 

Christmas Greetings to Ring In The Holidays

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!  Renee Robbins from Scrap Owl back with you today to share some warm Christmas greetings.  It's exciting to be back here with you and finally reveal the second creation I made using the Unique Laser Designs Snow Globe - Bell die cut.

As you may remember, I shared my snow globe shaker card last month. I started out with a chipboard version of the Unique Laser Designs Snow Globe - Bell.  I cut out the bell and ribbon from the interior of the snow globe in order to use it as the foundation of the shaker.  However, with a design this beautiful, there is no way I was going to let the bell and ribbon go to waste!

I know what you're thinking.  "How could she cut it apart?!?"  Yes, I know.  This piece is beautiful as one complete image, but sometimes you need to think outside the box - or in this case, snow globe.  There are so many different ways to use these incredible designs and I love being able to come up with something new.

So, here's what I did with the ribbon and bell.  Does it measure up to your expectations?  Have I earned back your trust after cutting the design apart?  I sure hope so!! This clean and elegant Christmas card will be going to my Grandmother who I know will love it.

I used Ranger Gold Alcohol Ink to color the bell.  Those alcohol inks just add the perfect amount of shine to the Unique Laser Designs chipboard.  I then used my Imagine Crafts Lady Bug Memento Marker to shade in the ribbon.  I layered the ink from the marker until I got just the look I was searching for, and then applied a sprinkling of sparkle embossing powder.

Let me know what you think of the card and my choice to cut the bell and ribbon out from the snow globe.  Do you think that the two cards justify the alteration?  Either way, my hope is that these cards get you thinking about how you could use these amazing designs on your next project!

Stay Scrappy My Friends!

Gingerbread good enough to eat (almost)

At our house, the day after Thanksgiving is reserved for decorating the house for Christmas.  This year, I created something new for the kitchen, and it LOOKS good enough to eat...

but DON'T (unless you want splinters in your teeth)!

Using these adorable gingerbread ornaments from Unique Laser Designs, I made a simple garland with just some ribbon, wooden beads, and twine.

First, I covered the gingerbread men with clear VersaMark ink and then bathed them in embossing powder (Espresso from Adirondack).  When I heated them up with the heat gun, I was mesmerized as they developed this great texture that even turned a little white around the edges.  Once cooled, I added just a bit of Stickles (rock candy) on the edges to give them just a little sparkle.

I strung some painted wooden beads on some twine and then hot glued the gingerbread men on, separating them with some gingham ribbon scraps.

These guys are ready for hanging in the kitchen.  One decoration down, about 512 more to go!

My term on the Unique Laser Design Team is coming to a close, and this is my last post that I get to share with you.  I have truly LOVED these wood shapes and will keep coming back to get more with each new reveal.   The new Design Team has some real treats coming up in these weeks before Christmas...keep watching the blog.  You can still visit me at my blog too...www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com

And, just for you shoppers, here is a DEAL!  35% of the whole ULD store through Monday (enter the code THANKS35 at checkout).  Stuff your stockings!

Wishing you and your family

 a very merry Christmas season!

All is Calm Canvas

Hello again! It's Lee and I'm bringing you your Black Friday Unique Laser Design post. Thanksgiving is over,  Christmas shopping has officially commenced and I believe that it is a good day to share my project, "All is Calm."

I love the snow.  I really love being in a quiet snowy place and I cannot think of a more peaceful setting.  This was the feeling that I was thinking of when I put this canvas together.

The Swirly Christmas Tree was lightly brushed with gesso, leaving some of the wood bare.  I wanted to make the tree look like it was snow covered.  After the tree was dry I gave it some green ink. 

The reindeer was given two separate coats of embossing powder.  The body, head, and ears were covered in a translucent powder and the antlers were covered in gold glitter embossing powder.  The reindeer is shiny and sparkly, but you're going to have to take my word for it.

If you're going to be brave and go shopping today, take a deep breath and remember "All is Calm."  May it bring you a moment of peace.  Good luck out there!

Christmas in the City

Merry Christmas Philadelphia! Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, and friends of the city know the iconic Philadelphia landmark created by Robert Indiana. Today, the larger than life landmark unites people from all over the world in Love Park, right in the center of the city. Wherever you call home, big city or small town, may it be filled with love and joy this holiday season!

This card is all about the layering - -lots and lots of layering! But first, we begin with the beautiful wooden embellishment from Unique Laser Designs! 

I painted the Love in the original Indiana sculpture colors, vivid red on the front, bright sky blue on the inside. Give it a couple of coats for a bright, smooth finish.

To make the card, cut a white card stock base 5.75 by 5.75 square. I love square cards, and usually have them open on the bottom. Then cut a layer of patterned paper 5.5 by 5.5 square. Then cut your "snow" layer, which must be 5.5 inches wide, and about 2 inches tall, out of shiny Bazzill Bling Diamond. You can freehand a rolling hill, or use a die cut machine. I used my favorite winter die cut landscape, Modern Landscape from Memory Box. Line up your snow base with your patterned paper, then adhere with a thin line of glue, but only on the bottom to secure it in place.  Use a guillotine to trim your layer to a 5.5 by 5.5 inch square.

Now, remember when I said this card was all about the layering? Every layer must go behind the previous layer, so you can't glue anything in place until all of your pieces are cut and assembled. 

Next come the city buildings! Cut one Cityscape Nightline out of Bazzill Bling String of Pearls card stock. Cut a second Cityscape Nightline out of shiny Bazzill Bling Sparkle (light blue).  Then cut two  Cityscape Silhouettes out of Bazill Bling Infatuation (light purple).

Next we add the holiday lights in all the windows! Let your imagination run wild! I use little scraps left over from my glitter paper stock, with yellow glitter paper for most of the windows, with a few red, green, blue and purple pieces to look like a city waiting for Santa! You could make all the windows red or green, or mix them all up in a rainbow of colors. To add the windows, use a pair of craft tweezers to add tiny, tiny squares to the back of your cut Cityscape Nightline. When all of the windows are finished in both skylines, adhere your light purple Cityscape Silhouette slightly to the left behind the skyline, so it looks like a "shadow."

Layer order: white cardstock base, patterned paper, snow layer, String of Pearls buildings, glitter windows, light purple shadow, Sparkle buildings, glitter windows, light purple shadows. Did I say layers?

Once all those layers are glued into place, then it's time to decorate the city! I used Diamond white clouds, a few Bazzill Bling Bank Roll Evergreen Trees, by Poppystamps, and artsy snowflakes cut with a tiny hole punch.

And, now, finally, add the lovely jewel in the crown, your painted LOVE wooden show stopper from ULD! I love how it fits center stage!

Despite the time-consuming layering and tedious glitter paper placement and gluing, this card is easier to make than you might imagine. A little practice makes perfect too! Here's what you'll need to send your city a little love!
Supplies:
ULD LOVE wooden laser cut
White card stock base
Bazzill Bling card stock: Diamond, String of Pearls, Sparkle, Infatuation,  & Bank Roll
Memory Box dies: Modern Landscape, Cityscape Nightline, Cityscape Silhouette, & Puffy Clouds
Poppystamps die: Evergreen Trees
Assorted glitter paper scraps
Acrylic paints: crimson & cerulean blue

Thanks for dropping by today!

Live your life in color!