ESAD 2015 Holiday Catalogue Blog Hop


Welcome to another ESAD blog hop. Whether you are starting with me or have just been looking at all of the great creations from Jessica Williams - it's great to have you stop by.

Well....it's that time again. Stampin' Up! has released their 2015 Holidays Catalogue. Part of me always loves this time - who doesn't love looking at new products and dreaming up all of the great things that you could create? The other part of me goes into a mild panic thinking about all of the things I need to do before Christmas!

With that in mind, the theme of my projects for this blog hop is "Doing Double Duty". I wanted to make 2 projects in 2 ways (one Christmassy and one non Christmassy) using the same products. I always love to think that products that I have bought are not just limited to one time of year.
 
My first project is a gift bag.

 
The second is a card with an acetate aperture.


For the gift bag I have used the Winter Wonderland Designer Series Paper (DSP) and vellum stack. I cut one piece in half so that I had 2 pieces each measuring 12" x 6". I simply used one side of the paper for this Christmas version........


......... and used the other side for this version that could be used for any occasion.


Gold foil sheets punched out with the Festive Flower Builder Punch make a great embellishment to attach to a clothespin to secure the bag. A dab of Dazzling Details finishes off the centres.


I used the Gift Bag Punch Board to make each bag using the ‘large’ mark. Assembly is as per the instructions on the board. The tags were made with different widths of whisper white and black cardstock and vellum from the Winter Wonderland vellum stack and punched with the Banner Triple punch. For the sentiment, I used a black marker to pick out the part of the stamp that I needed. This sentiment is from the Embellished Ornaments stamp set. "With loving wishes" is perfect for any occasion.
 
For the flower I used the Festive Flower Builder Punch and a 7 x 30.5 cm piece gold foil sheet cut and punched as below. I found that if you follow the diagram below you have very little wastage.
 
 
Making the flowers is easy. Score each petal with a stylus and ruler and gently crease on the tip. This gives a much better look than just folding.


To assemble the flower place glue on one circle and place 4 of the large petals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. Add more glue in the centre and place the remaining 4 large petals in between each of the bottom petals. Place glue on the other circle and adhere the 4 medium petals in the same way as the large petals, adding the joined petals on top, filling in the spaces. Add the 2 crosses in the middle. Allow each section to dry, then adhere the smaller section on top of the larger section. You can use glue or foam dots depending on the height you want. Leaves can be added by punching out 3 large petals and adhering to the back of the base. Once your glue is totally dry you can pinch your leaves a little more if you want more dimension. You can also bend each petal up a little.


Try to look at your dies in a different light. As soon as I saw the small round bauble in the Delicate Ornaments thinlits set I thought that it looked like an upside down balloon. Because the markings on the bauble are not actually Christmas motifs it can easily be used for birthdays or other occasions as well.
 
I also think it works well as a acetate aperture card.
 

And in the theme of "Doing Double Duty", turn the bauble upside down and make it into a balloon.


The DSP is actually the other side of the bauble strips that I used to decorate the bauble card. I used the balloon basket from the Celebrate Today set to add detail. You could alternately add a bow and string and make it into a party balloon.

 
To make the card cut a panel for the front and adhere it with 2 small dots of repositionable tape in the position where it will be. Open up your card and position the die in place and die cut through the 2 layers. I found that the outside shape was cut but the under bauble needed to be run through by itself to get all of the fine detail cut out. These die cuts can be used for another project. Cut another bauble from a contrasting or metallic cardstock to use on this card.
 

Separate the 2 layers. Stamp and emboss at this stage if desired. To the back of the top layer adhere a piece of acetate. Trim off any overhang. Apply Crystal Effects to the back of the die cut and place on top of the acetate. It should fit neatly into the space. Weigh down with a stamping block until it is dry. Add strips of DSP on each side of the aperture on the card base then mount the top layer onto the card front, lining up the cut out shape outlines.

 
Now I'm thinking about how I can use all of my other Christmas themed stamp sets and dies for other occasions. I'll also have to look closer at my dies to see what else I can use for acetate aperture cards. So many ideas ... so little time!
 
Thanks for stopping by. Make sure you complete the hop by continuing on to see each person. Next you can pop on over to see the lovely creations made by Barbara Williams.
 
https://stampingbarb.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/2015-holiday-catalogue-blog-hop/
 
BLOG HOP PARTICIPANTS:
15. Bernie Collins
21. Lou Kitzelman - You are here!
24.  Jenny Hayward

 

Comments

  1. Beautiful projects, Lou - you've been busy! I absolutely LOVE that you used an upside-down ornament as a hot air balloon; so creative.

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    1. Thank you Christine. I really appreciate you taking the time to look at my blog.

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  2. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!! I hadnt 'needed' the gold paper before now, but I reckon I do now!! Just stunning!!

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    1. Thanks Jo. That's the problem with blog hops - they make you 'must buy' list grow and grow and grow!

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  3. Wow, gorgeous Lou just gorgeous. thank you so much for the details on how to cut the festive flower. ,

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    1. Thanks Barbara. I really love this festive flower builder punch and the versatility of it.

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  4. Gorgeous projects Lou. Thanks for the instructions for the flower. Amazing work. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I love your projects Lou. Especially your bags. They are just stunning. Clever idea for the card too. Thanks for sharing them.

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  6. Amazing projects Lou. My favourite is the baubles card - just love that paper. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to look at my post.

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  7. Love your "Double Duty" theory Lou! I'm not usually a floral fan, but those gold flowers are AMAZING!!!!

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    1. Hi Liv, I must admit I'm not really a floral person either. I like this no fuss flower.

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  8. So, so, so clever Lou! I love your creations and the inspiration you've shared. Can't wait to see how you adapt your other Christmas sets to other occasions. Kelly x

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    1. Thanks Kelly. My weird crafting brain seems to see things in a different light just like yours does. Makes me wonder how these ideas pop into it!

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  9. Aren't you the clever one? Great projects and thanks so much for the great tips using these wonderful products. Thanks so much for being part of the ESAD Holiday Catalogue Blog Hop.

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  10. Aren't you the clever one? Great projects and thanks so much for the great tips using these wonderful products. Thanks so much for being part of the ESAD Holiday Catalogue Blog Hop.

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    1. Thanks Libby, I'm glad you liked the tips.

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  11. Awesome projects ..each so much wow! Love the Balloon too..you clever thing you!

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    1. Thank Delys. Not sure how my weird brain thinks up these things!

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  12. Thanks so much Lou for stepping us through how you made your projects. Much appreciated. Loving the balloon idea and your thoughts on Double Duty.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Keryn. I really enjoyed creating these projects.

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  13. Just beautiful projects Lou! My favourite though has to be the hot air balloon. So very clever and cute too. Thanks for the hints and tips. They are good to know. Emma xo

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  14. Beautiful projects - love the alternative use of the Ornament. Thanks for the tutorial as well :)

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    1. Thanks Paula. I enjoyed making these projects.

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  15. Fantastic projects Lou! I love your use of the ornament die, how you cut it to be see through in the card. So very clever to use it as a balloon too! Thanks for sharing! Rochelle xo

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    1. Thanks Rochelle. What a great blog hop to be part off.

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  16. I love your projects Lou, especially the bauble cards! Such a clever use of the die to create a balloon - awesome!!

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  17. I cannot agree more! Lovely! And I appreciate your tutorial, haven't quite figured out how to make the card yet, but I will keep trying. Thank you so much for sharing. I also love the double duty idea. Hope to see more from your website.

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    1. Thanks Linda. Let me know if I can clarify anything. Think of the acetate being sandwiched between the navy and white pieces in my photos.

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  18. Ditto to all of the above - especially the hot air balloon idea - very creative :)

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  19. Lou I love your projects, the flowers look stunning in gold

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  20. Clever use of the ornament Framelit as a balloon - very clever indeed :)

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  21. Fabulous projects, great instructions too.

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