Sneak Peek 2: Christmas Blessings and Winter Foliage

The new Gina K "Free with Three" set "Winter Foliage" is another lovely nature one this month (only a couple days left to get "Autumn Leaves" for FREE when you buy three, it will be available for purchase after our release on Thursday!) Men are going to really like this new set, the outdoorsy images make the most elegant, masculine cards! This little pine cone is my favorite. I love that shape and thought it would be fun to decorate it with some adhesive rhinestones to make a tiny tree!
It is mounted on classic and scalloped Nestabilitie cut mats, and SU! ticket punch for notching out the corners. The base is Kraft with white craft ink swiped on the edges, Threading water punch along the bottom. Another new ribbon from the new Gina K Pure Luxury assortment, (available tomorrow night!) I chose a dotted ribbon to go with my holes in the punch and all my little dots of bling on the focal point. I love how the polka dots are on one side and the other is solid for a little "reveal" when tied! FYI, the Pure Luxury ribbon colors in this assortment are a terrific match for SU! Real Red and Handsome Hunter in case you were wondering (and that's what I used on my card)

For me, Asela's new set "Christmas Blessings" evokes a lot of memories of going to the Christmas tree farm we love each year and browsing beautiful and rustic handmade ornaments. The tiny twig deer (colored with Copics here and an adhesive rhinestone for the nose) are a lovely reminder to me of creating Christmas crafts with family and how special a homemade gift is to give and to get during the holiday season.

It also makes me think of one of the simplest of gifts that really touched me to receive, which came a few years ago from a neighbor several doors down we hardly knew. She walked down a few days before Christmas with oatmeal and glitter in a Ziploc baggy with a note attached. "This is for your children," she said, it's "reindeer food" for them to sprinkle around your porch on Christmas Eve". Well, bless her heart, I just thought that was the sweetest thing ever! She wasn't a crafty person and made no attempt at making it look pretty, but I'll always remember how she introduced this fun tradition to our family (they are delighted to find the food gone* the next morning!) and went out of her way to do something special for my kids :) So here's my kicked up version of it for your inspiration! I inserted the poem on a scalloped circle inside the tin and tied more of that new luscious ribbon around it, and that's it! (You could also put a pic of your family on the back of the poem and attach a loop of ribbon to make a simple keepsake ornament...) There are several "recipes" online for the reindeer food, but since people aren't going to be eating it, have fun making your own festive-looking combinations! ;) You can include these simple instructions: "On Christmas Eve, sprinkle this wonderful Reindeer Food on your lawn. The shiny glitter will sparkle in the moonlight and the smell of oats will guide Rudolph to your home," OR a poem to go with (or "Winter Rabbit" following for a family that doesn't celebrate Christmas/Santa)

Reindeer Poem :
"Sprinkle on the lawn at night

The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa's reindeer fly and roam

This will guide them to your home."

Winter Rabbit Poem (substitute this for last two lines of poem above):
"Winter Rabbits hop and roam,

This will guide them to your home."

Have fun presenting these in packages as big or small as you want, from a tiny bag to a large tin. A decorated tin can be repurposed after the "food" is gone, and one can never have enough cute little boxes and tins sitting around over the holidays to hold candies or for an impromptu gift!

What is one of the best homemade simple gift you've ever received? I'd love to hear! (Now if you'll excuse me, I must go sort through the pile of projects I've created to decide which ONE (two?) I will share here tomorrow (release day!!) to preview my new stamps!! I just can't pick, what do you think?(Sorry, I know that's a really difficult question to answer) Just promise you'll come back every day so you can see them all over time, okay? And please come join us at 7PM CST for our party and I promise I'll share a few more then...

More sneak peeks from Asela, Cathy Tidwell (In the Spotlight!), Gina K, Joanne, Jessica, Emily, Kurtis, Carolyn and Lee!

* hope I'm not spoiling the surprise for you, but...the birds eat it ;)