Hello friends, and welcome! It's the best time of the year....time to introduce the newest collection from The Greetery: Christmas Market and it is everything you can possibly imagine! I feel so honored to be able to share my projects with you using this beautiful new collection! Don't forget to visit The Greetery Blog for the official "meet and greet" AND don't forget to leave a comment here and on each of the designers' blogs for a chance to win one of two $50 gift cards to the shop!
My first project for today features the adorable new Market Place suite of products! These fabulous store-fronts work perfectly with the previously released Arch Box Large Die which I absolutely LOVE! I cut mine from Ocean Tides cardstock for both the box and the store-front using the Market Place No 1 Die; there are two other options that fit the box and then there is a set of smaller buildings included in the Market Place Mini Die. You can see I made a tag with one of the minis on the side of this photo. I actually made a set of three, but I will be sharing the details for those later on.
There is also a coordinating stamp set called market Place Holiday Stamp Set and it allows you to add the cute names of the stores. I've been on a gingerbread kick, which you will see more of on a different project I'm sharing today, so I used the "Gingerbread Spice Market" sentiment which is heat embossed in white onto Scarlet Jewel cardstock.
This box also features the new Market Place Holiday Festoons Die to add all of the fun decorations! These would be so fun with a tea light candle inside to allow it to glow!
Here is the set of tags I was mentioning earlier; I used the three different buildings included in the Market Place Mini Die. Also, if you use any one of the main Market Place options, one of these mini buildings will fit perfectly next to it on an A2 card.
I chose to create a set of tags and then the third building is attached to a plastic tube of hot chocolate for a fun treat to give to friends or family at Christmastime!
I bought these tubes a few years ago and have had fun using them on different crafty projects ever since. I simply used a funnel to add the hot chocolate mix to the tube and then added the building using foam squares. You could also add a ribbon at the top; I find it incredibly difficult to photograph bows and ribbon so I usually omit it if I can.
The cute sentiments are from the new Simple Holiday Mini Sentiments and I will be showcasing them more on another project I'm sharing today!
I die cut the main building twice for each one; one from the color cardstock and another time from white so I could add the glow to the windows.
I punched holes at the top of the two that aren't on the cocoa tube and then threaded metallic DMC floss through the holes to create the tags.
You can see that hot cocoa tube again here, but this time it's bare and I simply used it as a photo prop, but this gives you an idea of the size. This card is an A2 size and features the ADORABLE new Cocoa Cozy Stamp and Die, the Cocoa Cozy Embossing Folder, AND the new Winter Mitts Stencil.
I took a break from traditional holiday colors and went for something icy and wintery looking! To begin, I used the Winter Mitts Stencil on an A2 panel of Colorplan Grayscale cardstock from Cardstock Warehouse. I used Hickory Smoke, Weathered Wood, Speckled Egg and Brushed Corduroy distress oxide ink.
Once all of the stenciling was done, I used the Get a Grip Die to cut the slits in the mittens so you can slip the mug in between. I also used the Cocoa Cozy Embossing Folder to give it the beautiful texture. There are a few different options with this suite of products; there are mittens included in the stamp and die set so you can use them individually or aligned differently if you'd like. I'm sure you'll see some different options on each of the designers' blogs for variety.
I used the Cocoa Cozy Stamp and Die for the cocoa mug, sentiment, and additional snowflakes.
I can't wait to use the new Cocoa Cozy Cider Additions Stamp/Die set as well! This is one of those sets that you can use all season long and keep hearts and spirits warm as the long months of winter can seem bleak to some!
There are quite a few different sentiment options but since I'm steadily building my Chrismtas card stash, this one got a fitting sentiment!
I added some extra details to the snowflakes with Crystal Sequin Mix, gems and Crystal Stickles.
My final project for today features the new Shortbread Shapes suite of products! I decided to go with a gingerbread theme since I made ginger cookies every year for Christmas! Christmas came early this year and I whipped up a batch to add in the photos for this project! Yum!
This project features the new Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Die, Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Holiday embossing folder, Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Labels, Simply Holiday Sentiments and the Simple Holiday Mini Sentiments.
I pulled in some older favorites to accent the tags and the card! I always enjoy using previously released products when they fit with the project. I had a sweet blog reader ask how I remember to use older products AND she wanted to know how I store my stamps and dies from The Greetery. A few years ago, I used to organize them by categories, exactly like the categories in The Greetery shop. This worked well for a time, but I have now switched to organizing them by release and I have found I can locate particular products MUCH easier because I remember which release they are part of!
For the card, I used the outer die included in the Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Die and cut it using Ocean Tides cardstock. I then used the Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Holiday Embossing Folder to give it the beautiful detail. I brushed a white pigment inkpad over the top to really bring out the detail.
There is a die included in the Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Die that will cut out all of the individual "cookies"; it will keep them mostly intact and then you just need to snip the connection points with a fine-tip pair of scissors. I cut some from Honey Nut cardstock to look like gingerbread and a few from Colorplan China White cardstock from Cardstock Warehouse. I used a blender brush and ink to give them the color. The lighter one looks washed out, but that's what happened when I was editing. It looks much better in real life...I added antique linen ink over the top.
I'm absolutely smitten with these sentiments; Betsy always speaks to my soul with her font choices and always picks the ones I've been pining for. I love all of the sweet sentiments included in the Simple Holiday Sentiments Stamp Set...so many are perfect for a handmade holiday! Looks like I better get sewing, crafting, and baking so I can use them all {wink}!
And now for the tags.... I had so many shorbread/gingerbread pieces left over and I'm smitten with the sentiments in the Simple Holiday Mini Sentiments that I just couldn't stop!
These tags features the previously released Capsule Borders 1 Hot Foil and the Capsule Basics Die. I used these as an additional point of detail and to create larger tags. The portion with the sentiment is cut using the Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Labels (please note: there will be an adjustment making this piece slightly larger to allow some breathing room for the sentiments) I stamped the sentiments in Fresh Snow ink or black, depending on the color of cardstock I used for this piece.
If a sentiment says "home" I have a hard time resisting adding a little home to my projects. I cut a few using the Countryside Die and then added them to the tags instead of a gingerbread/shortbread shape. This tag also got a swag of greenery that was created using the Ornamental Tag Die.
I used the same die for the bows on the other tags.
I used a hole punch for the top and then threaded red/white baker's twine through the holes.
I always keep bakery boxes on hand to deliver homemade treats; I added the ginger cookies, tied a bow and added the tag. Funny story: I was taking dinner to a friend in the neighborhood the same day I baked the cookies and she almost got this exact presentation! ha ha! I decided to just leave the cookies in the box and omit the ribbon and tag, BUT this is something that would definitely be delivered to neighbors at Christmastime!
This finishes today's post, but please join me again tomorrow for day 2 of full reveals! I have some fun projects to share with you! Don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each of the designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to the shop! Thanks for fluttering by!
Kelly Lunceford {you are here}
