DCC Blog Hop: Colorique and U-Paint Metal Crafts

Today, I am blog hopping with the Designer Crafts Connection, ColorBox Colorique by Lisa Marie Jimenez, and U-Paint Metal Crafts!

U-Paint Metal Crafts are the perfect addition to any of your holiday decor projects. I took this plain wire basket from drab to fab with the Holiday Horn metal piece and ColoriQue ink. ColoriQue is amazing -- it's so easy to create a verdigris patina effect in just a couple of steps!

I started by washing the metal piece with soap and water. This removes any grease or metal dust that may be on the piece from the manufacturing process. After drying, I painted the piece with a light coat of white acrylic paint to serve as a primer as well as a base color for my patina effect.

Once the primer coat was dry, I then applied Clearsnap ColorBox ColoriQue by Lisa Marie Jimenez in Verdigris using a foam sponge paint brush. I applied it lightly using a tapping technique so that some of the white paint can still be seen.

Lastly, I applied Clearsnap ColorBox ColoriQue by Lisa Marie Jimenez in Black Diamond using the same sponging technique. This really helped to give the piece an antiqued look!

I finished the piece by sealing the color with a heat tool. Just make sure to protect your fingers -- this piece is metal so it will be hot! I then took a wire basket that I picked up at my local big box store and attached a velvet Christmas bow. Using hot glue, I attached the Holiday Horn to the bow.

Imagine how pretty this would be in your bathroom holding hand towels for guests or as a beautiful gift basket filled with kitchen items!

Now go check out all of the other beautiful holiday pieces from U-Paint Metal Crafts and ColoriQue over at the Designer Crafts Connection blog -- you are sure to find something that will inspire you to make something beautiful!

Hopping with Buttons Galore and Poppystamps -- Holiday Card

Are you hopping with us today?  If you are you should have reached me from Jeanne Jachna's blog.  If you’d like to start at the beginning and get all the details, you can find them at the Buttons Galore and More blog!

My project is a holiday card using an awesome die from Poppystamps and buttons and sequins from Buttons Galore and More!

Materials used:

• "Open Hillside" die from Poppystamps
• 28 Lilac Lane "Winter Whites" Sequin and Bead Mix from Buttons Galore and More
• 28 Lilac Lane "Festival of Lights" Premium Sequin Tin from Buttons Galore and More
• "I Love Snow" buttons from Buttons Galore and More
• light blue card base
• white cardstock
• ThermoWeb 1/4" Super Tape
• ThermoWeb Memory Tape Runner
• letter stickers from NRN Designs
• Sizzix Big Shot
• button shank remover

Instructions:

1. Using a Sizzix Big Shot machine and the Poppystamps "Open Hillside" die, die cut one card front from white cardstock. Ink edges of die cut if desired. Attach the die cut to the blue card using a tape runner.
2. Remove shanks from backs of snowflake buttons. Attach buttons to card using small pieces of Supertape.
3. Using tape runner, attach stars from "Festival of Lights" sequin mix to card front (interspersed among snowflakes).
4. Line all 4 edges of the white die cut with Supertape. Sprinkle with "Winter White" sequin mix.
5. Place letter stickers at top of die cut directly under the sequins. 

This card is easy to make, but looks like you spent tons of time!

Ready to see more designs made with products from both Poppystamps and Buttons Galore and More? The next stop on this shop is Marybeth Lopez. 

But before you go, please leave me a comment!  There’s some blog candy up for grabs and you have to comment to win!   Winners will be selected randomly from comments on blogs on this hop. You have until 11:00 PM (US EST) on October 1 to leave a comment to enter to win.  Winners will be announced on October 2.

Here’s a complete hop list for your convenience:

Buttons Galore and More Blog http://buttonsgaloreandmore.net/

Michele K. Henderson  https://crimsonowlcreations.wordpress.com/category/poppystamps/

May Flaum:  http://mayflaum.com/

Jeanne Jachna  http://akeptlife.blogspot.com/search/label/Poppystamps

Lorrie McCullers: http://lorriemccullers.blogspot.com/

Marybeth Lopez  http://marybethstimeforpaper.blogspot.com/search/label/Poppystamps

Anaya Whye: http://yanadesigns.com/blog/

Nancy Penir  http://artful-notions.blogspot.com/search/label/Poppystamps/

Connie Mercer: http://www.craftygoodies.com/

Jennifer Svare  http://www.jenscraftroom.com/home?category=Poppystamps

Kelli Stradling: http://www.craftshackchronicles.com/

Robin Tharaldson  https://www.stamptress.com/

Rebecca Keppel  http://www.myclutteredcorner.com/search/label/Poppystamps

Poppystamps Blog   http://poppystamps.typepad.com/

"Cookies for Santa" DIY recipe frame and signs

We all know the importance of leaving cookies and milk for Santa. After all, he has to get hungry while traveling all around the world, right?

This year, I am keeping that tradition alive with this cookie display using Deflecto frames and sign holders. Both of these can be used over and over so that you can display them year after year.

"Santa Stop Here" sign

Want to make sure Santa pays you a visit? Then make a sign telling him! This quick and easy craft is fun for kids and adults alike.

Materials needed:

• blank wooden sign
• red acrylic paint
• foam paintbrush
• Design Master SnoBlast spray
• JOY embroidered stick-on letters

1. Paint sign with red acrylic paint using a foam brush. Allow paint to dry. I am super impatient, so I used a heat gun to speed up the process.  
2. Stick on the embroidered letters (I like to stagger my letters so that I don't have to worry about them being straight!)
3. Spray sign with SnoBlast spray. The amount of snow is all based on personal preference; I wanted my letters to really stand out so I just gave my sign a light dusting of "snow", but you can always add more! Also make sure you use this spray outside or you will end up with a covering of "snow" all over your house -- believe me!
4. Hang and enjoy!

There's no way that Santa will skip your house with this sign, even if you have been naughty!

Happy holidays and happy crafting!

Easy Christmas Card Holders

My project this month for the Deflecto design team is something that we can all use in the upcoming holiday season - quick and easy card holders!

I love to display the Christmas cards we get from family and friends, but I am always at a loss as to how to show them off. When I saw the VersaGrip magnetic sign holders and angled sign holders, I knew that I could turn them into a holiday-rific solution!

The first sign holder I altered was the angled sign holder. They start out looking like this:

Photo: Deflecto.com

With just a small plastic snowflake ornament from Michaels and a couple of glue dots, it turns into a simple but cute card holder!

The other Deflecto product that I used was the VersaGrip magnetic sign holders.

Photo: Deflecto.com

On this holder, I added some tinsel and a piece of a vintage plastic floral spray (I adore vintage Christmas stuff!).

For a finishing touch, I made a "Merry Christmas" sign using Deflecto's chalkboard-look sign tags! These tags are so cool -- they can be cut to size and you can clean off the ink from the included pen with water.

I decorated the other holder with mini ornaments I picked up at Michaels and some clear tinsel.

I hope that these have inspired you! You can use so many different bits and baubles to turn these sign holders into a cool part of your holiday decor!

Materials used:

sign holders and sign tags - Deflecto

mini ornaments - Michaels

adhesive - Thermoweb

tinsel and vintage spray from my stash!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.

Vintage Christmas

I am in love love love with Danielle Thompson's "55 Days of Vintage Christmas" over on her blog. She has such a great retro style!

The images of vintage Christmas ads, ornaments, Advent calendars, and more will get you in the mood for Christmas and they'll make you nostalgic for Christmases past. For example, this picture from her site is awesome because we had those plastic candles at our house when I was growing up!

Head on over to her blog and enjoy the retro goodness!

All I want for Christmas is a job.

Only 5 more days until Christmas! Why is it that Christmas comes on the same day each year, yet I am still never quite ready for it?

This year's Christmas is a little harder than Christmases past. You see, this year I am out of work like so many other people in this country.

I worked at my last job for five years and I enjoyed what I did. However, the longer I was there, the less valued I began to feel. I took on all sorts of new challenges willingly, but I rarely heard a "thank you" or a "we appreciate all you do". That's all I wanted. Not a raise (though a raise would have been nice since I had not had a raise in over 3 years), not a bonus, nothing but a kind word of thanks. I never got it. In fact, I often got "the shaft", such as having hours/students taken away from me and given to a new hire. The final straw came when I was replaced with no warning and no explanation as the teacher of the SAT prep class that I had taught for three years. I decided that it was time for me to move on so I gave my notice. Not once did my supervisor ask me why I was leaving, nor did she ask what she could do to make me stay. I had so many mixed emotions. I was happy to be moving on, scared that I was leaving my comfort zone, and sad that I didn't seem to be missed at a place I had called home for 5 years.

People told me that I was crazy to leave my job without another one lined up. I thought that they were crazy and I would have no problem finding a new job. Boy, was I wrong. I have sent in resumes and applications to so many places that I have lost count.

I will be the first to admit that we are not destitute without my job. My husband has a good job and we still have a roof over our heads and food on the table. That's more than a lot of people have right now. However, it's getting harder to get by. My credit card bills (which are huge since I racked up a huge amount of debt in my younger, stupider days) keep coming in, and my student loan payments keep coming due so it's becoming more difficult to keep up with those and still pay for everyday things too.

So we may not have as many gifts under the tree this year. That's OK. We may not have money to travel as much as we once did. That's OK too. What we do have are wonderfully supportive friends and family. I also have the chance to see this as an opportunity for growth. I am now free to persue other interests and bigger and better jobs that I couldn't before. I have time off for the holiday season so I can enjoy my friends and family without worrying about going to work.

I will say that a job opportunity has come about, but it is still in the early stages so I don't want to jinx it. But keep your fingers crossed for me!