Late one night before the craft show, I was looking for something to use the Christmas Countdown Decor Element on.  My frames I had around the house were too small, so I was getting frustrated.  I was in the furnace room where I store some extra craft supplies and I looked on the floor and there was a stack of extra floor tiles from our bathroom floor.  Jackpot!  The Christmas Countdown fit!  woo hoo!  So I quickly cleaned the floor tile, let it dry and adhered the Christmas Countdown.  [Please note:  IT'S STRAIGHT!!!!!]  Now I had all these numbers that I needed to somehow adhere to it.  I’m not panicking yet, but digging in my cupboards thinking..what can I use, I have to have something in these cupboards.   I found a stack of blank coasters.  Pull out my Sizzix Scallop Circle #2 die and put a coaster through the Big Shot.  I’m thinking..maybe, just maybe the numbers will fit.  Viola!  I’m doing the happy dance now because they fit! 

I took my Crop-a-dile and punched a hole in every other scallop.  Then I took a Real Red Marker and made a dot in every other scallop.  Dug into the cupboard because I swear I had some velcro strips somewhere.  There they were in the back on the top shelf!

Slapped one side of the velcro on the tile and the other on the back of the coaster.  I’m a happy gal now!  There was too much white space on the tile and I unfortunately didn’t have enough ribbon to put around the tile.  So I found some leftover dots from the Sticky Cuts Letters, put them on the tile and pressed Chunky Red Glitter on them.  The glitter dots aren’t my fav, but they are better than having blank tile space.  I will put the 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red/Very Vanilla Striped Grosgrain Ribbon on over the glitter dots when my next order comes in.

This project is proof that you can use whatever stuff you have laying around your house.  Another example of my Depression-era parents who taught me to "make use of what you have".

Tags: Big Shot, Decor Elements, Holidays

After making the Snowflake ornaments out of Fun Foam, I couldn’t throw away the ‘negative’ images.  The night before the Holiday Stamp-a-Stack, I wanted to decorate the bags for the attendees.  I looked around my messy stamp room and saw these unused Fun Foam Snowflakes and had an ‘aha’ moment.  I removed the adhesive backing and put a small piece of Baja Breeze cardstock behind the Snowflake.  There was about a 1/2" of the adhesive left all around the cardstock, which is what adhered it to the gift bag.  Added a bow made out of the 1" Double-Stitched Baja Breeze Grosgrain Ribbon.  Simply elegant!

Tags: Big Shot, Gift Item, Holidays

I have been busy making things for a craft show I was in last week.  This is probably the simpliest ornament I’ve ever made.  Buy the Fun Foam sheets that have adhesive on one side from your local craft store.  Using the Snowflake #2 Sizzix die, put the Fun Foam sheet with the adhesive side up through the Big Shot.  Now the fun part begins.  Remove the adhesive backing from the Fun Foam and press the snowflake in Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

Here is a close-up of how well the glitter sticks to the adhesive.  Add gold or silver cording at the top and your ornament is done.  If you didn’t want to hang this on the Christmas tree, these snowflakes would look great on a wreath or hanging from a mirror, window or doorframe.  Or how about as a decoration to a gift package?

Tags: Big Shot, Gift Item, Holidays