Silver Glimmer, Part 2 ... and Some Creating Tips

Put you sunglasses back on today for more silver glimmer trees.  These were also made with strips of our silver glimmer paper.  I started with 2 styrofoam cones that were about 12" tall.  To create them, I cut my silver glimmer strips (lots!!!) and then gave them a little curl, using my bone folder.  Each strip is 1" wide.
Tips:
-Start at the base of the tree, having pre-cut a lot of strips.
-It takes about 7-10 strips for each row, tapering down to about 5-7 by the top row.
-Place hot glue just on the top edge of a strip.
-Attach it to the 'tree' with a slight overlapping of each strip.
-Stagger strips above previous row, for more interest and fullness.
-Add a little circle at the top of the cone to cover the top of the cone.
-Attach a beautiful bow with long, flowing sreamers.
-Curl the streamers a little, for a beautiful look.

I made some decorative gift boxes with our beautiful silver glimmer paper and red ribbons.  I just love some bling and sparkle for the holidays.

After seeing a lot of my projects from this year, here's how it all came together.  Sorry I had to get back so far to fit it all into the photo.  I think you get the idea.

In my next post, I'll share more of my decorating projects from this past Christmas and that should wrap up my Christmas projects for a while.  In keeping with my New Year's Resolution to make a little Christmas all year, I will continue to make Christmas projects throughout the year and I will share more as I have them.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for some stamping fun!  
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Silver Glimmer, Part 1

Grab your sunglasses and check out my latest tree creations, made with silver glimmer paper strips.  I found some old, wooden candlestick holders on one of our antiquing outings last summer and spray painted them an off-white.  I love how the little trees look attached to them.  I had actually bought them with a totally different project in mind, but love this marriage of the little trees and the candlestick holders a lot.  I guess I'll have to look for more candlestick holders if I ever decide to make my other project idea.

Notice the box in the background?  If you've been following my blog for a while, you know how I love old wooden boxes.  I decorated a couple for Christmas this year --- one tied up with our holiday red ribbon and one tied up with burlap ribbon.  Love them!  The decorations are actually just odds and ends of sprigs of holiday decorations.

Here's a close-up... and, below... the burlap ribbon box with another glimmer tree.

What have you been making lately?  While I'm catching up on showing you the rest of my Christmas projects (got behind with my knee surgery), I'm actually spending my days making up banners, layouts and cards using new kits and products from our Occasions Catalog.  I'll be sharing those soon, so be sure to come back often, so you don't miss a thing.

I'm still having quite a lot of trouble with my knee -- both knees, actually, so I can only spend a little while at a time stamping.  It is saving my sanity from TV.  I can only take so many police dramas and home decorating shows.  I'm about ready to take a sledge hammer to a wall from seeing them do it on so many shows.  We've caught up on all the old Downton Abbey episodes and are now watching all the Big Bang Theory episodes.  Thank God for Netflix.  I'd ready more, but it's difficult to juggle a book and ice packs at the same time.

Up next, some taller silver glimmer trees.  Wear your sunglasses for my next post, too.  Ok, you can take them off now.  I don't recommend stamping while wearing them:)  Have a great day!

Click to see my upcoming classes and events.

Burlap Bonanza, Part 3

For the last of my burlap trees, I'll share a trio of really tall trees.  When I saw these cones in the store, I just knew I had to make them up with more burlap ribbon strips.  These were my favorite of all my burlap trees.  The cones are 15, 18 and 24" tall!  They look great as a trio.

Thanks for stopping by.  Did you join me in a New Year's Resolution to make a little Christmas each month of the year?  I think we'll be so glad we did when December, 2014 rolls around:)  In my next posts, I'll be sharing some of my silver glimmer trees.  Grab your sunglasses and come back soon to see them.

Click here for info on upcoming classes.

Burlap Bonanza, Part 2

Today's post continues my Burlap Bonanza mini series with more burlap trees.  These trees were made with strips of our burlap ribbon, rather than loops as in my previous post.  It's nearly impossible to show it in the photo, but they are covered with a shimmer mist to give them a subtle sparkle.

I started with 12" styrofoam cones as a base (The looped burlap trees in my previous post were 10" tall.) and then I topped off the trees with our beautiful white organza ribbon.  I coiled up the ribbon streamers and clipped them with tiny clothespins for several hours to get the pretty curl to them.  The outdoor photos were taken after Christmas and the ribbons have lost a lot of their curl.  I will curl them again when I decorate next year and perhaps try heat setting them a little.  Everything is held in place with glue from a hot glue gun.  These were some of my favorite projects I made this year.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out my upcoming class schedules.  

2014 schedules for February - June

Burlap Bonanza, Part 1

Before Christmas, I made a lot of projects using burlap --- mostly our burlap ribbon.  It is the most wonderful ribbon and it's super easy to work with it.  I'll start this little mini series with the smallest of my burlap trees.  These were made with loops of burlap ribbon.

I started at the bottom of a styrofoam cone (10" tall) and worked my way up to the top.  The ribbon at the top is our natural ribbon.  I think it adds a nice, finishing touch to the little tree.  Everything is attached using a hot glue gun.

As you can see, these trees coordinate very nicely with my burlap-wrapped snowflakes and stars wreath.  Burlap is a very popular item right now.

Don't forget my upcoming schedule of classes and events.  (Click here to see.)
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.