Hello!

I'm getting ready for a show this weekend at the local Moose Lodge.  It's called a Ladies' Day Out and features a number of crafters and direct sales folks sharing their amazing talents.  I have two years of Christmas cards that were never sent out due to family crises and lots of left over project packs from workshops and clubs that were waiting to be assembled.  So that's what I've been doing for the last month. 

As I was packaging all the product for sale and gathering my display items, I realized that I didn't have any gift card holders.  I give a boat load of gift cards every year to nieces and nephews and like to make a fun package for the card that makes receiving the gift card just a little more fun.  When you need to make a stack of gift cards (or any card for that matter) you want to incorporate design elements that make the process less tedious.  Naturally, I turned to my Big Shot and the Holiday Stocking Bigz L die (available in the Holiday Mini Catalog).  Oh, and did you know that you can still get a Big Shot for FREE when you sign up to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator?  This great promotion has been extended through Friday, November 11.  For more information, be sure to contact me right away.

 
(click on stocking to see larger image)

Isn't that cute!  The Riding Hood Red striped stocking base uses one of the beautiful papers from the Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper.  The backing of the stocking uses a piece of Riding Hood Red Textured cardstock.  The heel and toe pieces of the stocking use Very Vanilla cardstock embossed with the Snow Burst Textured Impressions embossing folder (available in the Holiday Mini Catalog) and then die cut with the Holiday Stocking die. The cuff uses a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock cut to 4 1/4" square and embossed with the Snow Burst Textured Impressions embossing folder, scored at 2 1/8" using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool on the raised embossed side of the cardstock, then folded at the score line.  The fold was placed just below the top edge of the cuff on the die cut and then run through the Big Shot.

The back of the stocking was placed on the tabletop and a thin line of Tombow Multi Adhesive was placed along the edge of the stocking (but NOT across the top of the stocking).  Then the front of the stocking was placed on top of the back.  The toe and heel pieces were adhered with Tombow Multi Adhesive, too.

The stocking was flipped over with the front of the stocking face down on the tabletop.  A line of Sticky Strip was adhered along the top edge of the stocking.  A piece of Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon was placed at the corner.  A small piece of Sticky Stip was placed over the end of the ribbon and the opposite end folded over and pressed into the Sticky Strip to create a loop.  Open the cuff and place the back of the cuff along the Sticky Strip and press in place.

Holly leaves and a holly berry were die cut using Garden Green cardstock and Riding Hood Red Textured cardstock and the Stocking Accents Bigz die (available in the Holiday Mini Catalog).  The "veins" on the holly leaves were created by using the Spider Web Textured Impressions embossing folder and placing the leaves along a "major" line of the web.  The leaves and berry were adhered to the front of the cuff using Tombow Multi Adhesive.

The front of the cuff is held in place by using a piece of Scotch Reusable Tabs.  These are clear pieces that are designed to put posters and other lightweight objects on the wall.  The cuff can be opened and closed multiple times without damaging the embossed paper.  However, the tabs can become gummed up over time with dust and fingerprints, so use the closing mechanism sparingly.  I like this closure better than a Velcro tab because it's less bulky and not as tough to manipulate (reducing the likelihood that the cuff will tear).  You can see the closure in the closeup below.

(click on stocking to see larger image)

An important thing to remember is that anything you want to be face up on your finished product should be placed face down on your die.  This is because the pressure of the rollers in the Big Shot over the die create a definite impression around the edges of the die.  Also, if there are score marks or other impressions, you'll find that they are much more attractive on the side that was facing down on the die cut.

Here are a couple more stockings.

(click on stockings to see larger images)

These stockings use papers from the Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Designer Series Paper.  The stocking on the left uses the polka dot glitter paper with Very Vanilla cuff, heel and toe.  The stocking on the right uses an all over print with Wild Wasabi cuff, heel and toe.  Both stockings have a Real Red back and Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon hanging loops.

All of these stockings are too large to fit into the Medium (standard card size) envelope or the Medium Square envelopes.  However, if you fit the fold of the cuff to the top edge of the stocking, then you can use the Medium Square envelope.  Unfortunately, the Medium Square envelope will require extra postage. 

Now it's back to getting ready for Sunday's event.  If you're in the East Central Florida area, be sure to stop by the Merritt Island Moose Lodge (just North of the Barge Canal on SR3) between 11 am and 3 pm.  There's a $3 donation to enter that benefits charities supported by the Moose (Mooseheart and Moosehaven; you can get more information about these projects at www.moose2073.org).  Also, bring a non-perishable food item for a free dessert (the food is donated to the Sharing Center).  Lunch is also available for a nominal charge.  There will be door prizes and a great opportunity to make a significant dent in your holiday shopping.  I hope you'll be able to come!

Cardstock:  Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla; Designer Series Paper:  Letters to Santa, Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty; Embellishments:  Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon; Adhesives:  Tombow Multi Adhesive, Sticky Strip; Tools:  Paper Cutter, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Spider Web Textured Impressions embossing folder, Snow Burst Textured Impresssions embossing folder, Holiday Stocking Bigz L die, Stocking Accents Bigz die; Non-Stampin' Up!:  Scotch Reusable Tabs