Have YOU started making Christmas Cards yet?

Hello friends!
We had a wonderfully chilly week last week here in the mid-west USA which got me thinking about Christmas Cards!  Above is a card Kary made a little while back that I just love so much I wanted to share it with you!  She used David's Shepherd and Matthew 1:23 and did such a fabulous job coloring him!!

Leave us a comment and let us know if YOU plan to make Christmas cards in October this year!  We'd love to hear the types of cards you love to make too...interactive? cute and simple? Scripture?

We'll be back Tuesday with more Design Team creations!
Have a beautiful start to your week!
Blessings,
Antoinette  
Most orders from the Inspired Stamps online store  are going out SAME DAY as they are placed:

www.inspiredstamps.com

Week #2 12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorials:Notebook Tutorial with Anita

 

 Good Morning friends!

Today is our 2nd week of Christmas tutorials and Anita has a NOTEBOOK TUTORIAL to share with you:

This week I am sharing a tutorial on altering a notebook. I choose one that is a mini composition notebook that is 3" x 4 1/2".

Here you can see the finished journal.                       This is a close up of Luke 2:14 from Inspired Stamps.

Here is note book before I started. I took a piece of DSP and cut it to size. I then colored it with Distress Inks. The paper already had the embossed snowflakes. The DSP is glued to the notebook using Decoupage glue. I find this helps hold it best. I used a bit of the decoupage on the large snowflakes too.

 One of the amazing things about Inspired Stamps is that they come with this piece of foam. It helps to make a good crisp image. I stamped my image than embossed it. I choose to keep it simple and not color the image.

 

Here is another notebook using Tags.   I did the same thing as the red one. These would be great gifts for friends and family

Have a blessed week and THANK YOU again for all your support of Inspired Stamps!
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Christmas Stamps used in DT Thursday

GORGEOUS Christmas creations today on DT THURSDAY!!  Above is DeNetra's beautiful creation and here are the rest of the group's inspiring artwork:
Kary:

Chere:

Fabi:

Jamie:
What beautiful work ladies...I am inspired too!!
Be sure to check out the LAST blog post here which was a TUTORIAL and FRIDAY we will have ANOTHER tutorial, Week 2 or our 12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorials!!
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Gift Card w/Ornaments TUTORIAL

Hello Friends!
Today I have a tutorial at the request of our winning commenter, Anne-Marie, to create Gift Card holders that could then be used as ornaments on the tree (love this idea!!). 

So let's get started!

First I cut the 'ornament' shapes using my Cricut machine and WINTER FROLIC cartridge at 5".  You can easily use a circle or any shape you like for these, just make sure your gift card fits the base shape:

 I grabbed a couple of 'gift card' size cards I had to use for this sample plus some Kraft Cardstock for the base, Kaiser Craft paper (DECEMBER 25th) and American Craft glitter tape (love this stuff!).  Of course there are 2 INSPIRED STAMPS used further down:

 Trace the ornament on the back of the patterned paper and cut out.  Adhere like this:

 Next I put on the cards to make sure I like how they fit ( just laid on, not adhered).  I added blue and green glitter tape to the top to match the cards:

 Then stamped and matted the verses I wanted to use:  Luke: 2:14 and Matthew 1:23 from the INSPIRED STAMPS STORE:  $3.99 Single Scripture Stamps section:

 The next part I had to figure out was how to adhere the gift cards to these ornaments without hurting the verses:  I used a clear bag with the adhesive bottom and cut out pieces to place over the part I wanted protected:

 I tried adding the year with the sharpie marker...not sure I like it, but it's on there now :o)  You could also sign your name or just leave it blank.  You could adhere acetate sheets or a transparency sheet over it if you prefer.

 You can see them above and below:

 I adhered the cards using REPOSITIONAL GLUE DOTS to the back of the gift cards so they can be taken off easily when you remove the card:

 Here's the finished ornaments with the gift card (above) and without (below):

 The 2nd one I made with gift card (above) and without it (below)L

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and make some of your own this year!  Gift cards are such popular gifts, this is like getting 2 in one!!

Tomorrow is DT THURSDAY so be sure to pop back over to see all the creations!
Blessings,
Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

Christmas Card Ideas: Design Team Tuesday!

Hello friends!
Today is Design Team Tuesday!  And there are lots of Christmas Cards to inspire you!!We hope all our friends in Canada had a wonderful Thanksgiving on Monday!  Above, Gaby starts us off using theCHRISTMAS POINSETTIA stamp set:
Gaby:

Belinda:

 Leesa:

Patty:

Jenn:

Tomorrow we will have the photo tutorial for the GIFT CARD ORNAMENTS suggested to us by our winner, Anne-Marie Wiley!!  We had a blessed but unexpected visit from my inlaws this weekend that prevented us from getting it to you sooner, but we are so excited to share it with you tomorrow!

Until then,
Blessings and thanks to all of you for your continued support of Inspired Stamps!
~Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com

12 Weeks of Christmas Tutorials: Week 1 Fabi's Notebook n pen holder

Hello friends!

Today starts our 12 WEEKS OF CHRISTMAS TUTORIALS and for the next 12 Fridays you will find one tutorial to inspire you this season!  Today is FABI's Tutorial...Take it away Fabi!

 

To make this notepad holder you are going to need: Christmas papers, contrasting solid cardstock, contrasting/matching ribbon, jumbo brad, embellishments (for mine I'm using flowers and dewdrops), scissors or paper trimmer, glue. 

I have colored my image with Promarkers: Coral, sunkissed pink, blush and baby pink. Copics: E29,57,50. G05,14. YG 11. W1. This image can be found here. His little ones: Girl praying. And the sentiment is from the Perfect Christmas Sentiments. 

With the solid cardstock cut a piece measuring 4 5/8''x10 1/8''. Score @ 5'' and 5 1/4''. Fold on the lines.

You should have now a spine. 

Cut 3 pieces of decorative paper measuring: 1 @ 4 3/8''x 4 7/8''. Another piece from the solid cardstock @ 4 1/8''x 4 1/2''. And another from the decorative paper @ 4 3/8''x 3 7/8''. I have inked the edges with a contrasting ink, for mine I used my favorite distress ink Walnut Stain. 

Glue the papers to the front of the 4 3/8''x 11 3/8'' piece of solid cardstock.

If you have a decorative punch or maybe decorative scissors, go ahead an cut a piece of white cardstock or contrasting to your papers, and glue to the front. 

With a piece of matching/contrasting ribbon, cover the edge like I show you above. 

I then added a little piece of ribbon to add a pencil or small pen. Glue it down with hot glue =0).

Cut a piece of paper to cover the edge of the ribbon. 

Glue down (with hot glue) a jumbo brad, like so. 

Punch a hole on the paper you can to use, it would be so neat to use a Christmas decorated paper or something similar, I didn't have, so I used plain white paper. Open the feet of the brad to hold the paper. Then is time to add the image and embellishments. 

This is my finished product. I used a decorative corner punch for the image, and inked the edges with Walnut Stain, added some mulberry flowers, some dewdrops, and voila! 

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Wonderful Job, Fabi!!

Be sure to leave Fabi an encouraging comment below!  We appreciate her hard work!

Blessings,

Antoinette

More Tag Ideas: Design Team Thursday

Hello Friends,
Friday starts our 12 WEEKS OF CHRISTMAS TUTORIALS and Fabi will be sharing a tutorial on how to make a Notebook Holder that you will not want to miss!! 

Our winner of the HOW TO TUTORIAL SUGGESTION is...
Anne-Marie Wiley, who shared that she would like to see gift card holders that can be reused as ornaments and I LOVE THIS IDEA!!  We decided to make a few different styles of this and will be sharing Anne-Marie's tutorial NEXT WEDNESDAY, as we needed a little more time to get these completed and photographed!!  Congratulations, Anne-Marie!!  You will receive not only the project we make BUT ALSO the stamps we use for them!!

Are you ready for some GORGEOUS TAGS??  We started this post off with one of the Tags that DeNetra created and here are the rest of the DTs creations:
Kary:

Jamie:

Chere:

Fabi:

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!  We also want to give a special thank you to all of our International Shoppers!!  We have had orders from 3 new countries this week and are super excited that our stamps are heading to new countries!!

Have a blessed day and don't forget to come over on FRIDAY to see what Fabi has planned in her TUTORIAL!!
~Antoinette

www.inspiredstamps.com