Dove of Hope Ornament & Gift Box

Hello Stamping Friends and Followers,

Remember to click on the header if you are reading this is in your mobile device so you access the full blog where the videos work.

December hostess code is:  F3ZE2UD2

Yesterday was a delightful time with virtual stamping and a virtual party!!  I host a Christmas party each year for my club members to thank them for their faithful support.  I opted for a Zoom party this year and it was fun!  The theme was Snowmen and I was able to find snowmen gift bags and snowmen boxes and a snowman mug, and snowmen plates and napkins and kitchen towels and a snowman buddy to keep them company.  So if anyone is looking for a way to connect this Christmas season, read on for a few ideas and CASE (copy and share everything)  what you can.  Leave me a comment if this helped and add your ideas for others to read.

Christmas Party Bag:

• Snowman Bag
• Snowman Buddy to sit beside you
• Dryer Sheets (just because everyone needs these for cutting out the intricate dies and cleaning up glitter)
• Snowman round box filled with cotton balls for the game
• Sleep Mask and plastic spoon on top to blindfold yourself for the cotton ball game
• Hot Chocolate holder with a candy cane and snowman Ghirdellis (tradition)
• Microwave popcorn holder
• Snowman mug, plates, napkin, and cleanup towel
• Chex Mix and Honey Roasted Nuts
• Christmas Feud Game Cards packaged with two plain white face masks to stamp
• Christmas Song Bingo Card with packet of buttons for bingo markers, and craft supplies-red and green sparkly pipe cleaners, bells and ribbon to make a pipe cleaner ornament.  I saw this on Pinterest.

I purchased and downloaded the Christmas song Bingo cards on Etsy and used Spotify on my phone to create a playlist for the songs that were on the Bingo cards.

I purchased the Christmas Feud cards from Etsy.

The plain white face masks were at the Dollar Store as were many of the other items.  It was amazing to see what these creative crafters did to decorate their face masks.  Give a creative person a blank canvas and just watch them go to work!

Masks were scored on basis of :  Participation, something with the snowman theme, image was recognizable, someone said oohhh or ahhhh, it made us laugh.

The round boxes were filled with cotton balls and the party goers were instructed to use the sleep mask (Walmart) to blindfold themselves, place the top of the plastic spoon in their mouth and see how many cotton balls they could dish out of the round box and place in the lid in two minutes.  Points were given for each cotton ball that made it to the lid.

Three rounds of Bingo were played with scores of 3 points for the first bingo, 2 points for the second bingo(s), 1 point(s) for the third bingo(s).

Family Feud was scored as per the game cards.

I kept a running list of scores and then the person with the lowest score got to choose from the first white elephant gift, then up the line to the top score with each person able to keep or steal.

Here are some close ups just for fun:

Recipe for a hot chocolate holder:

• Pacific Point,  8 1/2 X 5 1/2  Scored lightly at 4 1/4 and then diagonally from 1 3/4 at top to 2 1/2 at side.  The front is stamped randomly with the tiny snowflake stamp from the Snowflake Wishes stamp set in Whisper White.  Use tear and tape to glue the diagonal to the inside and to glue the bottom and side of the holder.
• Bottom Strip:  Snowflake Splendor Designer Series Paper, 1 1/2 X 4 1/4.
• Whisper White:  5 1/2 X 4 1/4, die cut three snowflakes from So Many Snowflakes Dies. Stamp in Pacific Point ink the outer ring of the greeting with the Warm Hugs stamp set as well as the greeting from the Warm Hugs set.  They are both die cut with the Warm Wraps Dies and glued together.  The coffee mug can be stamped right through the circle, stamped again to color the mug and then the steam is stamped in smoky slate.
• Small Rhinestones were added to the center of the snowflakes and two on the greeting.
• Insert bow wrapped candy cane and hot chocolate.  The ribbon I used is retired.

My darling Paul made all of the hot chocolate holders after I gave him a prototype so I could make snowmen popcorn holders.  Thank you, my love.

Look at the different plaids on these snowmen!

I loved choosing scarf and hat band colors from the exceptional, gorgeous, amazing Plaid Tidings 6 X 6 paper.  The paper will be retiring on January 4.  It is in the mini on page 57 and is $11.50 for 48 sheets.  Item #153527.

Recipe:

• Base: Whisper White, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2, scored at 2 1/8 and 6 1/4.  Check your popcorn before scoring!
• Nose: Pumpkin Pie, one petal of the Large Daisy Punch
• Eyes: Stamp directly on base with the largest of the Sweetest Time holly berries.  Use a sticky note and punch two circles and you can have perfect alignment each time and no masking:

It looks like you were trying to make an eyebrow and not doing too well. 

No, Sal, that is just the other two berries on the holly berry stamp.  I chose that stamp because it has the little white semicircle to add twinkle to the eye.  I usually use my white marker but this looked better and saved an extra step.  I found that if I started with the eyes I could line the sticky note up exactly where I wanted the hat brim which helped me glue the brim on straight.  The top of the hat then lined up perfectly at the back on the white base so I could glue it on quickly.  Back to the recipe:

• Mouth, Black Marker and a 2 1/2 inch circle template to draw around.  Be careful and replace it once in a while or the black ink will build up and get ink on your snowman.  Yep- found that out the hard way!
• Hat Brim:  Basic Black, 4 1/2 X 1 1/2
• Hat Top:  Basic Black, 2 3/4 X 3, this gives you 7/8 inch on each side of brim
• Hat Band:   Plaid Tidings Designer Series Paper (DSP), 1/2 X 2 3/4
• Scarf:  Matching Plaid Tidings DSP,  5/8 X 5 1/2 (X2), make little cuts at the ends for fringe
• Back: Matching Plaid Tidings DSP,  1 X 5 1/2,  Note- put adhesive on the white base on the right hand fold, attach the strip, place adhesive on the left hand side of whisper white base and then place popcorn in the holder and fold the right over the left.  I found the popcorn bags weren’t all consistently filled so I had to flatten them as best I could before putting them in their holder.    This one got an extra little strip because my glue went outside the band.  I also had to glue a matching strip over the back of the scarf since I ran my glue clear to the end of the scarf.

If you just add a couple glue dots to hold the popcorn bag, the recipient shouldn’t have to ruin the holder and it can be regifted.

but I like it with extra matching DSP on the back of the scarf.  

It does match nicely and if you have the time it is great!  If you are scrambling three days before a party-maybe not an option, but definitely better than trying to get the glue off the back of the scarf!  Where’s your snowman, Sal?

Better?

Yes, but I will have to get you one of the face masks the ladies made!

Dove Ornament and Gift Box

My goal is to be consistent with ‘Take A Break Tuesday’ facebook live at 9:30 on the second Tuesday of each month. Check it out-

Mini Paper Pumpkin Gift Box:

Recipe:

• Mini Paper Pumpkin Box from Annual Catalog page 152,  #153069, $7.50 for 10
• Mats (border) for box:  Copper Foil Sheet,  Top= 3 5/8 X 5 3/8, Short Side= 7/8 X 3 5/8 (X2), Long Side=7/8 X 5 5/8 (X2)
• Designer Series Paper:  Brightly Gleaming, Top=3 1/2 X 5 1/4, Short Side= 3/4 X 3 1/2 (X2), Long Side=3/4 X 5 1/2 (X2)
• Greeting on Box Top:  Whisper White, 4 3/4 X 3 1/2, Die cut with Celebration Labels Dies, third largest
• Inside Heart:  Whisper White, 3 X 3, punched with heart punch or die
• Memento Black Ink, Old Olive Ink and a sponge dauber

I cut out the copper layer for the inside of the box from the copper rectangle mat we used on the top and die cut it with the third largest Celebration die.   I also cut out the Designer Series Paper for the inside using the 4th largest Celebration die and the rectangle I cut for the top of the box.  No need to waste that beautiful paper that will be hidden by the Whisper White top layer!

If you still have some of the retired copper embossing powder from the previous catalog you could emboss the “peace, love, joy”  and the inside greeting in copper for a nice touch!

Dove Ornament

I found this ornament on Pinterest made by Andrea Sargent of Valley Inspiration with Andrea. Thank you, Andrea!

Recipe:

• Dove:  Whisper White, 3 3/4 X 5 1/2, die cut two detailed wings and one body
• Dove:  Vellum, 3 3/4 X 5 1/2, die cut two plain wings, one body and one of the small plain tail pieces
• Olive Branch:  Old Olive, 1 1/2 X 1 1/2, die cut with small olive branch die
• Gold Hoop:  Page 156 of Annual Catalog
• Gold Cording:  11″, page 31 of the Mini Catalog
• Glue dots, Tombow liquid glue and mini dimensionals.   The vellum is glued to the whisper white with liquid glue in just the areas that are solid,  the peace branch is glued to the beak with liquid glue, the wings are then mounted with mini dimensionals to the body and the dove is then attached to the hoop with glue dots at the tail, the branch and the front wing only,  making sure the glue dots are stretched and rolled to not have any excess between the dove and the hoop.
• Fold the gold cording in half and loop it over the hoop and then tie it in a knot at the top, cutting off the excess.

And with Christmas only 16 days away, do you think anyone will make any of these? 

Sal, these would all be perfect for Christmas craft fairs next year and those projects must be started months ahead of time.  Consider me ahead of things instead of a procrastinator!

 Choke……

I know.

Have a wonderful day ladies and click on over to the online store where you can see what products from the mini are on sale and which are discounted – some 50%!

The Clearance Rack has also been refreshed with new products so check those out.  They go quickly!

December hostess code is:  F3ZE2UD2

SAL,  Sing A Lot of Christmas carols

Karen