Christmas Crafts Snowman and Chunky Mini Album

Hi friends!

I am sooo excited to share some of my most recent projects. This one was my favorite of 2019, but it is just now that I am placing this little gem into the pages of my blog.

To begin, this was made to share in a collaboration with some amazing crafters in a youtube hop celebrating all things Christmas. (Details in video)

I was smitten with this little snowman when I first saw him on Silhouette Studio, so I gave it a go, and was so very pleased with the results. If you watch the video, you will see he has a little surprise to share!

To match, I made a super sweet mini album, as well as a card, which I share in the video as well.

Just look at that face!!
He is so sweet, and I took advantage of every but of space on his Top Hat to decorate with all the little bits and baubles that would make him look festive. Did I mention all of the flowers are HAND MADE? Yes, they are!!

  I added hand-colored poinsettias, which I made with dies from John Next Door, and Dress My Craft, as using delicate foamiran and paper, and decorated the top hat with glitter, gems, and even a little Tim Holtz Raindeer.

I also altered some Beautiful Board piecesfrom ReneaBouquets using paint and glitter ( of course!),  added vintage seam binding that I colored in the lightest pink and even tied a little bell that I painted to go with the color scheme. 

 Every little detail was hand-painted by yours truly...and now for the MINI ALBUM!!

This little beauty was made with lots of love using a tiny stamp from Stamping Bella, Lazer cut board from LaseroweLove and ReneaBouquets, Spellbinders and Tonic Studios Dies, and papers from Mintay. Can we say YUM??

To make the cover extra shabby and beautiful, I matched the coloring of the stamped image with the papers used in the background using Nuvo pens and Promarkers. I also added Nuvo drops for shine, and fussy cut images from the Sweet Christmas Mintay papers to top off the handmade Poinsettias. The snowflake centers are from ReneaBouquets and the swirls are all made with Spellbinders dies, and I layered everything with tulle, lace, and even a pompom trim on the edge.

 Layers!!! From the very first page, you get layers in this book, starting with an adorable pocket, trimmed with an embossed edge and pompom trim, and a beautiful bouquet topped off with a little Christmas tree decorated with pearls and sequins. The sprigs are also topped with Nuvo Drops.

 I made  this expanding tag page using Mythical Glade dies from Tonic Studios, and the golden tab allows the user to open this interactive element. Small lace flowers top this tag page, and little pink sequins add sparkle to the page.

 
This page contains a top folding element tied closed with mint twine, and backed up with lacy borders. The Snowflake is accompanied by little Gingerbread Babies I made using my Cameo, and all is topped off with shiny gems. There is also pompom trim and and a pink ribbon in the center of the page for additional texture.

The matching page has a shaker containing shiny bits, and tiny gingerbread cookies to match, as well as a handmade Jam Jar made with pink glimmery jam and a handmade felt flower. This page is also interactive, and the small heart-shaped tab allows you to open the flap and add a hidden picture.

For this page I made a spread where you can add a picture on the oval frame, and still enjoy a warm cup of tea! all items were fussy cut, layered, glimmered, embossed, colored with matching inks, and made to sparkle with Nuvo drops and gems.

 Here is another adorable page that opens to reveal a surprise. To see what it is, watch the video!
It is topped by a glittery pink snowflake, and sweet candy canes I cut using Spellbinders dies. To finish the page, I added  Beautiful Board snowflakes and a snowman, all from ReneaBouquets.

 This is yet another interactive page, with additional candy canes topped with mint candies fussy cut from the collection. The little window is topped with more fussy cut images, and a handmade bouquet. I colored different elements using Ranger Oxide ink, and topped the snowflakes with more fussy cut mints. Can you spot the washi tape? It's what I used to top the candy canes!

Here I made a pocket using a border die backed with acetate for support, and topped with different colored Nuvo drops. To this I added some festive trims, and I heat embossed some beautiful board snowflakes. They shine and add texture to the page, where three large tags can be used for journaling.

 My project wouldn't be complete without acknowledging the true reason for celebrating Christmas, so on this page, the little angel helps to announce: "Christ Is Born!"
This is my reason to celebrate Christmas, and my inspiration behind everything I make. The lettering is my own, and the board is from Laserowe LOVE. I also added a circular photo mat backed with swirls, and finished the page with more handmade poinsettias and greenery.

The matching page has yet another peek-a-boo window that doubles as a picture mat, and is decorated with a Christmas tree from the paper collection, and a gingerbread baby from ReneaBouquets. The cooke tray is a die cut piece I made using a Spellbinders die, and the flowers are made of pretty lace topped with pink pearls.

In case you were missing some RED...here I made matching pages using tonic dies that have interactive opening panels, and are topped with more beautiful board pieces that I heat embossed using glittery embossing powders and ink. The poinsettias are also handmade, using Oxide inks, and....paper towels!!! WHAAAT??? 

 Here is the opposing page, full of texture with the addition of more hand-placed bits of glitter throughout the page.

This is the last layout in this mini album, and here I made a pocket stuffed with little envelopes, and small ephemera from the Mintay Paper collection. To finish this page, I used more snowflakes from RenesBouquets, topped with small gems to match the envelopes.

The final page is one of my favorites. with a side pocket topped with an incredible bouquet of handmade poinsettias and gingerbread babies. This book has sooo much of what I enjoy inside of it, and I hope it is a source of inspiration for you!

 For the Spine, I used yummy beads and ribbons that emulated candy canes and sugar candies. The white pom-pom trim reminded me of falling snow. 

Please enjoy the video for more details on this awesome Christmas Project, and feel free to leave me a hello in the comments! 

As always, I hope that you can 

Be inspired, Be Blessed!!

****Thank you for reading****

Raquel

True Friendship Card with Tonic and Tim Holtz Dies

Hi friends, 

So you know how I love to make all those detailed little embellishments? Well this is why!

I also adore making cards for people I love, whether they be family, friends, or "new friends",lol!

This is when the embellishments come in handy, as I can incorporate them to my cards and make them look unique and different!

Here I made a card for a new friend, and I used some of my favorite products!

Above, you can see that I added the small camera from Tim Holtz for Sizzix, and a Tonic Studios stamp in the center that reads: True Friendship Lasts Forever

I also completed the embellishment with a raffia rosette, and scattered pearls and sequins for a sparkly effect.

The small stamped image is from Santoro London Gorguss Girls, and I cannot express how much I love using these little girls every chance I get! I colored her using Nuvo Markers and Gelly Roll pen for additional shine. 

Layering the die cut papers allowed me to frame the image without taking away from the coloring, and I also framed it with handmade flowers that matched my card perfectly!

The gorgeous card base is made with Tonic's Memory Book Collection dies, and it lends a book-style front to this large card that makes a big impact even though the colors and textures throughout are all soft.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post today, and if you like to take a peek at more detail, watch me make this card here!

Be inspired, Be blessed!~Raquel

Memories Album Using Tonic Memory Book Dies

Hi and welcome!

This special book took many days to make, and it was made in memory of a very special young lady I was blessed to know. 

The book was made using my Cricut Explore Air 2 for the Memories sentiment. I layered papers on the cover to add dimension, and fussy cut the butterflies which I glittered to add shine and dimension.

The cover also has lace to lend softness behind the title. 

Here is a top-view of the album, made with sturdy chip-board and a strong base. 

The spine is covered in embossed paper, for which I used my Spellbinders machine and embossing folder. I also topped it with mod-podge and glitter, then added the lace, tulle, bow, gem, and handmade bead embellishment with the lovely little giraffe. 

The inside cover has a flying clock with wings, and a butterfly center. I omitted the hands of time, to signify eternal life outside of time. It was important to me to add this embellishment as an emblem of her faith. That is something we both shared. 

On another page I included a large butterfly, also fussy cut, and glossied. This time layered with a beautiful lace trim, and a sticker from the collection.

This sentiment reads "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine"

The giraffe was her personal favorite animal. She often dressed up as one!

I repeated the Giraffe motif throughout this book, and some other sentiments and embellishments that evoked memories of what she was like.

The papers and the embellishments were not the focus of this book, but I tried to include what I thought she would pick out in a store, as she was very skilled with fashion and was a very colorful girl!

This view allows you to see the tabbed inserts I made for all 6 pages. This will allow her family to add more pictures and personal journaling that will remain private in the book.

The last page has an added tag and sentiment. If you would like to see more, I have made a video with a personal message and it also contains all pictures. 

Made with love for Natalie, the prettiest Wildflower 

-Raquel 

Gorguss Girl Challenge Embellishments

Hi and thank you for stopping by!

I am sharing some goodies made for a challenge on YouTube. 

The challenge was Gorguss Girl themed, and I could not resist participating, as I love all-things Gorguss Girl related.

All packaging was handmade by yours truly.

We were asked to submit embellishments in sets of 4 as an option to enter. They were to be 2 inches in size, or approximate.

 I chose to keep it simple and here are my results: 

Love Squared Dies from Bo Bunny

My first little batch were these adorable Scalloped square embellishments made with a Hipster Giraffe (Cricut Design Space) all glimmered and glossed, and a layered flower die from my stash. To make them stand out a bit, I used Ranger Oxide inks to give them a soft hint of color, and then added the Love sentiment, as well as the pearls.

GOR503011 Dies and Stamps, CBD004 Perfectly Layered Dotted Daisies

My second set was a small whimsical banner, made with four layered Dotted Daisies. The centers are all Gorguss Girl related, and glossy. The flowers lay atop a banner made with Detailed mint-colored lace and turquoise ribbon, and topped off with small pearls. All of the petals were also distressed with Ranger Oxide Inks. The toppers of all bags were made with matching papers and flowers.

Butterflies and flowers and shiny little things!

Pictured above are the remaining embellishment sets. For one, I made scalloped flowers topped with pretty pearls, with beautiful broad silver leaves and a blue doily to match the color palette.

 For the fourth set, I made square shaped embellishments full of shine. I began by embossing some stamped images, the smaller one reads: Inspire, Enjoy Life (Inkadinkado Stamps), and they also have matching gems and beautiful little silver butterflies.

I made a double-sided pocket envelope using Tonic Dies to house all of the little gifts. The backgrounds to house the items were all made with the Gorguss Girls Postcard Die Set. This way they may be reused to send a little message to a friend! 

To embellish the front, I used a Gorguss Girl Stamp from the Frames Collection. Then I added more flowers in layered pinks, and an antique wedding lace to finish this Gorguss Project!

This is how the package was sent to Jeannie, from Happily Ella After. I truly had fun making these, and hope that you can 

Be inspired, Be blessed!

Raquel

Here is a Video of how I made them: