Merry Christmas

We here at The Crafting Journals would like to wish you all a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS...

Quick & Easy Christmas Gift #2

 Hey Friends,  

Anna here again to share with you another Quick & Easy Christmas Gift.  

This is a 8 oz jar that I filled with Reindeer Chow and decorated the lid.  (recipe at the bottom of this post)

I used some holiday paper from my stash that I punched out 2 1/2 inch circle to go under the rim of the lid.  Then I used some hot glue to attatch some lace & jute twine around the lid.  Finished off with a bow made out of silver pipe cleaner that was hot glued onto the lid.  And I attached a bell with hot glue to the center of the bow.  

Now to package it up for that Sweet Friend.

The bag came with the mitten attached.  So I used some tags from the 6 x  paper pad and glued it onto the mitten. I punched out a small Christmas Tree and glued it onto the tag.  Then hot glued a silver pipe cleaner bow with bell onto the tag.  

Reindeer Chow

24 oz White Chocolate

1 Cup Pretzel Sticks

3 Cups Rice Chex

3 Cups Wheat Chex

3 Cups Cherrios

2 Cups Holiday M & M's

&

Wax Paper

Mix all the dry items in a large bowl.

On table spread out wax paper.

Melt Chocolate then pour over the dry items and mix well.  Then pour onto wax paper and spread out until the chocolate has hardened.  Break apart and place into jars or bags for individual gifts.  Or you can place into a large bowl for a party snack. 

Happy Hannukah

From all of us here at The Crafting Journals we would like to wish you all a Happy Hanukkah!  

Quick & Easy Holiday Gift & a Video

Hey There Friends,

Anna here to share with you a quick & easy Holiday Gift.  This is something that I threw together in a matter of minutes.

This is a cute little milk jar that I picked up at Michaels a few months ago.  I just knew I would use it for something.

I picked up some Hershey Candy Cane kisses a few weeks ago and just filled the jar with them.

I tied some red jute twine around the neck of the jar and then tied on the "Merry" ornament (from an old pack of Little Yellow Bicycle Christmas Tags) and finished off with a bow made out of silver pipe cleaners & a bell.  I used Hot glue to add the bell & pipe cleaner bow.

In the video I am sharing how I am Curating for Christmas.  It is a Video Response to Jill  Norwood Curating for Christmas.  At the end of the video I share how I do the pipe cleaner bow.  Sort of...  It was difficult to do one-handedly. {SMILE}

Thank you so much for Stopping by today!

Artist Spotlight: Catherine Scanlon

Hello Everyone! Anna here and it's that time again!

It's Artist Spotlight Time!

If you are interested in being featured as one of our future Artist Spotlights please send an email here:  thecraftingjournals@gmail.com

This month I have the pleasure of introducing you to our December Artist Spotlight. She is a sweet friend of mine and she is so creative!  Her name is Catherine Scanlon. Catherine has her own line of stamp designs that are just beautiful!  Be sure to check out her links below.  You will not be disappointed!

Thank you Catherine for being our December Artist Spotlight!

Name: Catherine Scanlon

City & State: Topsham, Maine

Your Craft:  Illustrator + Mixed Media Artist

Social Media Info 

*Blog: http://www.cmscanlon.blogspot.com

*Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatherineScanlonDesigns

*Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CatherineScanlon

*Twitter: https://twitter.com/cm_scanlon

Instagram: http://instagram.com/cm_scanlon

Download my FREE magazines on ISSUU: http://issuu.com/catherinescanlon

Questions:

1.  How long have you been crafting? 

I have been crafting and making art all my life. I started my crafting career after I became a designer for EK Success Brands, before that I was an addicted scrapbooker and watercolorist. 

2.  What got you started in Crafting? 

As EK Success changed and started to ask for more than 12 x 12 scrapbook pages I started to really love crafting. 

3.  What is your most favorite item that you have made? 

hmmmm. tough question. I think a beaded wrap bracelet with a faux tin type.

4.  What is the number 1 thing you can't live with out when you are crafting? 

It's a tie between my Tombow Dual Tip Brush Markers, Strathmore Visual Journal and Faber-Castell Pitt Pens. 

5.  How often do you or are you able to spend crafting in a weeks time?  or a Months time?   How many hours? 

I refuse to answer that question on the grounds I may incriminate myself as addicted to art. 

Catherine has generously gave us a quick & easy Tutorial.

Easy Peasy Wood Block Ornaments: 

1. Gather your supplies: wood block, scrap paper, vintage book paper, 1" Silver Bell, tiny frozen charlotte, die-cut numbers, gesso, bead chain, glue stick and screw eyes. 

2. Paint the sides of the wood block, mine is shaped like a house. 

3. Use the glue stick to adhere the papers to the front and back sides of the house. Let dry and send the edges smooth. 

4. Add a screw eye to the top and bottom of the block and attach the numbers. Attach the bell to the bottom of the block and a hanger to the top. 

5. Attach the frozen charlotte on the opposite side with hot glue or wire.  Keys, mini bottle brushes cut in half and snowflakes also look lovely on the opposite side. 

Hang & enjoy!

And the Stockings Were Hung ...

Happy Holidays Everyone! Elizabeth here with a fun yuletide sewing project: a White Shirt & Tie Christmas Stocking.  As of last week, I have made seven of these and thankfully with each one, the learning curve has gotten easier.  Whew!  And so in the spirit of giving this season, I thought I’d share with you just how I made them.

I’m sure you are wondering why I would be making this very specific type of stocking.  My son is currently serving a two-year church mission overseas and pretty much wears a white shirt and tie 16 hours a day (great training for later in life, right?).  So to help him add a bit of holiday cheer to his bland apartment surroundings ... and ...  let’s be totally honest... to give me something to do other than cry in my closet from missing him so much ... I worked to transform a child’s dress shirt and some suiting fabric into this adorable stocking.

Supply List:

• White dress shirt & clip-on tie: boys size 4-5
• Suiting fabric: ¼ yard
• Black backing fabric: ½ yard (I used duck cloth for the stiffness)
• White backing fabric: ¼ yard (again, use something with a bit of stiffness)
• Belt webbing in black: 1/3 yard
• Black & white thread
• Sewing machine & iron
• Pinking shears, scissors and pins
• Ruler
• Stocking template: I just traced a stocking I had onto butcher paper and added ½ inch on all sides for seam allowances ... the finished project measured approximately    13.5 x 21 inches.

Step 1: Cut stocking back from black fabric.

Step 2: Fold over top raw edge ½ inch and press. Fold again ¾ inch and press. Top stitch to hold in place.

Step 3: Cut toe from suiting fabric.

Step 4: Cut toe from white backing fabric.

Step 5: Remove tags from shirt yoke and press.

Step 6: Cut shirt into top shape of stocking, making sure to adjust for pocket.

Step 7: Cut hanging tab from the bottom section of the button-hole placket. Piece should measure approximately 3x’s the width of the placket by 8 inches in length. Clear as mud?  (If this explanation is too complicated, just make a hanging tab from whatever leftover part of the shirt you want.)

Step 8: Fold tab piece so there are no raw edges and sew lengthwise to secure.

Step 9: Sew tab to shirt top, placing stitches about 1/8 inch from top edge ... actually ... just go ahead and stitch along the ENTIRE top edge ... from just under the collar to the raw edge.

Step 10: Sew the top edge on the other side of the shirt.

Step 11: Sew again under top edge stitching on both sides, making sure to capture the bottom edge of the tab on that side. You can follow the yoke stitching if you’d like to hide it.

Step 12: Sew up shirt front through both layers at one side of the button placket ... this will keep the shirt layers from shifting.

Step 13: Sew shirt to toe pieces.

Step 14: Press seam open and zig-zag stitch over seam to hold raw edges in place.

Step 15: Baste stitch around outer edges of stocking to hold layers in place.

 

Step 17: Top stitch belt webbing to stocking front over shirt/toe seam.

Step 18: Sew front of stocking to back of stocking. Clip corners as needed.

Step 19: Turn stocking to right sides and press ... esp. the seams.

Step 20: Add tie and admire the cuteness!

So if you have anyone in your family that sports a dress shirt and tie often, this thematic stocking may just be an appropriate addition to your mantle décor.  Or get creative with other themes ... I wonder what an “inconsolable-mother-of-a-missionary” stocking looks like ... I’m sure it incorporates boxes of Kleenex somehow. LOL!

 Happy Christmas and Merry 2015 dear readers!

Santa's Workshop

Hi everyone! Darlene here…

Just thought I would do a quick blog post of this adorable card I made using Raisin Boat Stamps. It is a stamp rental company with several packages to choose from including the option to purchase the stamps you have rented. If you haven't been over there be sure to check them out. You can find some very unique stamps. I was also impressed with the amount of masculine stamps they offer.   

This particular card was made using 2 of the Raisin Boat Stamp sets.

1. North Pole Toymakers

2. Elves are Watching

I cut the window with my Cricut Cameo and added some texture snow to the corner of the windows.  I thought the Christmas lights by Jolee's were the perfect touch! Images were colored using Copic markers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We here at The Crafting Journals would like to wish 

You & Your Family

A 

Wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 5: Fall, Thanksgiving and Gratitude Hooplah

Hello Friends,

Here we are at the end of our week long "Fall, Thanksgiving & Gratitude Hooplah".  We hope you enjoyed the things we have shared and we are truly Grateful to you for stopping by for a visit.  

For today's post I am going to share with you a pumpkin I altered with scrap paper and mod podge.  

I am also going to share with you some cards I made:

Thanks for visiting us here on the blog.

Day 4: Fall, Thanksgiving and Gratitude Hooplah

Hi, it's Carla with some fall-ish cards for our Thanksgiving week of fun and craftiness!

I like to customize the cards I make according to the occasion and the recipient. It's definitely not the most efficient way to make cards, though. I end up designing a new card each time because I don't want to mass-produce the same card -- and designing a new card each time is pretty time-consuming. 

Lately I've been playing with a solution to this dilemma. I call it modular card-making. The idea is to create my own card components so I can put together a custom card quickly. My main components are card bases, stamped sentiments, patterned paper, and embellishments. I find that with those things, plus a punch or two, I can assemble a pretty good little modular card kit. Then, whenever I need a specific kind of card, I have all the pieces ready, and I can put together a custom card in just a few minutes.

Here are three simple cards I made using this idea.  I dug into my extensive stash of leftover paper scraps and pulled out colors that would work for my fall card-sending. I made three card bases, all different sizes, according to the sizes of scraps I had. Then I added a bit of patterned paper. I found three stamps in my stash with sentiments that would fit in my circle punch. I punched and layered circles and scalloped circles, punched some fall leaves in different colors, and then I was ready to mix and match! 

For this Hello card, I added a few punched leaves and a couple of tiny flower embellishments.

To the Thinking of You card, I added a couple of leaf punches and a bit of ribbon.

For my Thank You card, you guessed it -- more leaf punches, plus my Martha Stewart Crafts Punch Around the Page maple leaf set.

And here's the whole little family of fall-colored cards.

You can see that any of these sentiments and embellishments could have gone on any of the cards. Even the patterned paper could be mixed and matched. I'm looking forward to putting together some more modular kits like this!

Have you done something similar? Tell us about it!

Day 3: Fall, Thanksgiving and Gratitude Hooplah

Hello everyone….Darlene here!

I decided to make some place cards for Thanksgiving this year using the most adorable digital stamp from Sassy Cheryl Stamps called, "What's Up Turkey?" I like to use my Copics as a base color  on my images and then I work with a combination of Prismacolor and Faber Castell pencils to color my image. Sometimes for blending my colors I will use some odorless mineral spirits but only in moderation. Once I was done coloring, I cut my image out and matted onto several pieces of cardstock in coordinating colors. The base of the place card measures 5 1/2" x 4 1/2 ".  I printed out my guest's names onto white cardstock, trimmed and matted it. With the use of glue dots I adhered the guest name to his hands while popping the name up (see photo #3) as this helped add some dimension to the place card. Isn't he adorable?