Saturday, November 29, 2014

Quick & Easy Washi Tape Christmas Tree Cards

Hello everyone! This is Courtney from Court's Crafts

These washi tape trees came together SO quickly. From concept to completion I did all three in 40 minutes! If you just execute it should take you far far far less. 

Everyone has *too* much washi tape in their stash.. If you don't, you should. LOL. I often find that I just want to USE mine. So here it is. No die cutting, no machines, just scissors and a paper trimmer. 

If you wanted to cut the edges of the washi tape at an angle it would look even more tree-like. :) 

Okay, ready? Go!

I built the whole tree around this super cute choo choo train washi tape. Love it. 

I used the white doily washi tape for a sweet effect that is very elegant in person. 

Shh... I grabbed this star from the 4th of July line.. 

If you wanted to make these cards super easy to mail without extra postage just forgo the enamel dots and put a sticker star at the top instead. They look just as cute!

Sometimes the pictures make it hard to see the color differences. I just wanted to show you: 



I grabbed some of the chevron washi to give the eyes a "direction" to follow. 



I hope this inspires you to grab your washi tape stash and go to work on some easy to make Christmas cards!! 

doodle bugs used:
santa express: baby deer (4342)
lily white card stock
washi tape:
santa express: sweethearts (4414)
santa express: santa express (4413)
santa express: north pole stripe (4411)
santa express: frosty frill (4412)
candy stripes assortment (4235)
chevron assortment (4234)
sprinkles: Christmas (4399)
star jewels: red, white & blue (3671)

Friday, November 28, 2014

Super Quick Grid Christmas Cards

I don't know about you, but my Christmas card factory is in full swing.  I love making handmade Christmas cards for my friends and family, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming.  One way to lighten the load is to create similar Christmas cards in bulk.


With only a single sheet of paper, some cardstock, and some stickers, you can create several grid Christmas cards in a snap.

Part of the fun of making grid card is choosing squares to create a theme for each card.  These little gingerbread men make the sweetest little card.  I trimmed another square for the sentiment.  Keeping cards free of embellishments makes them super quick to put together.

I started with a single piece of 12"x12" paper and cut the squares apart.  Each square measures 2"x2" making it easy to fit four squares on a single A2 card.

After I cut the individual squares apart, I had fun grouping them with other squares.  I stayed with a red and green color scheme for this card and chose images that fit well with cute Santa.  I wrapped the card with a piece of twine, but kept other embellishments at a minimum so it would still be mailable.

I love the addition of swimming pool in this Christmas collection.  This card is full of bright and fun holiday images.  I added a border and sentiment while still keeping the card flat and mailable.

With many more squares left, you can have fun mixing and matching all sorts of images and colors to create many cute Christmas cards in a jiffy.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Amanda

Supplies: 
Santa Express Collection
Doodlebug cardstock
Doodletwine

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Hand Sanitizer Gift Boxes


Hi Doodlebug friends! Are you all ready for Christmas yet? I sure am!! I got a jump on making some little hand sanitizer gift boxes for my sweet girl to give to a couple of her friends. I found this hand sanitizer flip box cut file on Silhouette Studio but used all of my wonderful Santa Express papers and embellishments to dress them up. 


This first one is more girly and it's my fav! May have to keep this one for myself! 


Here's a peek inside when it is opened up. The cut file opening is too big for Bath and Body Works' hand sanitizer bottles but a regular bottle from Target or Walmart is a perfect size.




Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to pick up Santa Express and get to creating those special gifts......they are sure to be a hit with friends and family!


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Easy to Duplicate Christmas Doily Cards

Hi Everyone, it's Kathy today with some Christmas Cards to share with you!  Every year I make my own Christmas cards...it's gotten a bit out of control, and I'm now making about 100 each year.  I need a design that is fun, but can be easily replicated.  Here's an idea I came up with this year!
These were really pretty quick to put together.  I started out with some basic supplies:  Some Doodlebug Textured Cardstock, a few patterned papers from Santa's Express, some Doodlebug Doilies & Sequins, some Merry Christmas Doodle Stickers and some Doodlebug Woodsy Washi Tape.

The cards are standard A2 size.  I cut the card bases from the Doodlebug Textured Cardstock to be 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" (finished card size 4 1/4" x 5 1/2").  For each card, I then cut a piece of coordinating paper from the Santa Express Collection (3 3/4" x 5 ") .  I topped it with another piece of Textured cardstock measuring 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".  I layered these all together, and I added some stitching to the top layer.


The trees were easy to make.  I started by cutting the Doodlebug Doily in quarters.  For the bottom of the tree I used the whole quarter.  For the next two layers, I cut each slightly smaller.  I then layered them on my card using a piece of the Woodsy Washi for my tree trunk.  You can decorate them in a number of ways.  I chose to add some more stitching and some sequins.  I topped them off with some stars from the Stars & Stripes Star Jewels.  To finish the card, I put a Merry Christmas Doodle sticker inside.

The end result is that each card is similar, but unique!  They really went together quickly!  Now I only have to make 97 more!!!  I hope that this inspires you to make some quick cards for your family & friends!  Make sure to check the Doodlebug Blog each day for more inspiration from the Design Team!  Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Holiday Guests Treat Baskets

Hi everyone!  Shellye here today with a quick and easy idea for those guests who drop by during the holidays!

I have filled a small box made from Santa Express paper with four treat baskets, but you 
can make a few extra for refilling.  

For each of the treat baskets I started with a 6" circle.  
Score each circle at the 2" and 4" mark; turn and repeat, making sure to keep the lines even.

Cut along the four vertical score lines just up to the intersecting line.  Fold flaps and glue in place.  These can also be cut from a square piece of 6X6 paper, but I really liked the curved edge created by using the circle shape.


For the handles I've used tinsel garland.  Punch two holes in the sides and string through.  You can also try pipe cleaners, ribbon or wire.  Tie on a whimsical bow, add a tag from the Christmas Tags Craft Kit and finish off with a hand-tied button.

I made a simple box by cutting a 8.5" X 8.5" swatch of paper and then scoring at 2" and 6.5" twice by turning the paper.  Fold in on the score lines, cut a flap at each corner and glue in place.  


Embellish the front of the box with any of the cute stickers from Santa's Express and don't forget to add some of the sparkly Sprinkles.  
Sit the goody filled treat baskets out so that visiting guests can grab one before they head home.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Shellye

Monday, November 24, 2014

Handmade Cards Are The Best!

Hello there!  It's starting to feel like Christmas around here which means it's a great time to get caught up on creating all your Christmas cards!
Up first I have a card using the darling gingerbread image from the collection.  I cut my sentiment from the "very merry" paper.  This sheet has so many darling images and sentiments that are perfect for cards!  For my snow I cut a strip of lily white dot sugar coated cardstock and then punch one edge with a scalloped border punch. To finish it off, no project ever feels quite complete without a little bling so  I embellished the stickers with pearls and jewels.  
My next card would be perfect for mass producing.  It was quick and easy to make and best of all it's a great design for using up little bits of leftover paper.  I think you could easily create multiples by just substituting the gingerbread with other darling characters from the collection (like Mr. & Mrs. Claus, Snowmen, reindeer, etc.).
My train card is also great at utilizing leftover paper scraps. I think this design would go especially quick with the use of a small square punch (which is now on my wish list). 
My last card uses the Christmas tree gift tag as a focal point.  I punched my sentiment from that same "very merry" paper and then embellished my tree with various sprinkles.  I adore the Christmas Tags Craft Kit in this collection--They really have some many fun uses!
I hope I've inspired you to pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa, put on the Christmas music and gather up Doodlebug's new Santa Express collection to enjoy some of your own card-making fun!
Supplies:

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Thankful: Using Up Your Bits & Pieces

Hello and happy Friday... it's Melinda with you today and I'm continuing with the 'thankful' theme by not only sharing my layout but also adding a few ideas to help you get the most from your product.

Firstly, let me introduce you to my Mum and my littlest man Teddy. I'm incredibly grateful they share such a loving bond because Teddy only has his Nanna (on my side) and sadly never met his Poppy.


DESIGN | Now, let's work on making the most of every inch of product! Design plays an important role because the right design will enable you to use left over pieces of paper no matter what the size or what collection. By adding punched shapes or strips of patterned papers you are able to use up even the smallest of left overs as long as you keep the colours complimentary.


ODDS & ENDS | I mounted my photo onto several pieces of plain card stock as I had a few odds and ends of stickers that I wanted to slip behind each layer and then add a mini paper clip to tie it all together.


ALPHAS | I don't know how many times I've thought of a wonderful title for my page and then realised I didn't have enough alphas to create the words which is extremely disappointing. Your title doesn't always have to be the largest font on the page so drag out those rub-ons or smaller stickers and come up with a subtle title for your page. Whatever works for you!


CLUSTERS | Adding clusters of embellishments to your work is another way you can make good use of your supplies and helps to add dimension and interest to the page. I layered the leaves using foam pop dots which was an ideal way to hide the fact that two of the underlying leaves had been cut in half to use on another project.


Sometimes its good to sit down and go through your supplies and look at what you actually have hiding away in those drawers and cupboards and hopefully I've given you a couple of ideas to get you started.

SUPPLIES |
Happy Camper Collection
Friendly Forest Collection
Rub-on Sentiments & alphas
Mini Paperclips
Sprinkles


Winter Wonderland Wreath

When I received my box of new goodies from the sweet people at Doodlebug I fell in LOVE with the Mix & Match Snowmen from the Frosty Friends Collection. These are just too cute and fun - I had to make something that everyone could look at all the time. 

I started off with a foam circle wreath (from Michaels) and wrapped it with white yarn (also from Michaels). I secured the ends of the yarn using a touch of glue with a hot glue gun. It probably took me about 15 - 20 minutes to completely wrap the wreath. 


Next I picked out a patterned paper for the background in my wreath and cut a circle using my Cameo. Before I glued the paper to the back of my wreath (using a hot glue gun again) I added some snow along the bottom of the circle cut from white cardstock. I choose a few prints from the coordinating 6x6 paper pad to cut out some fun trees and added some sparkle with pretty chunky Doodlebug glitter. 


Once I had my background complete, I added my awesome little snowmen onto the front of the wreath. When I put these guys together I layered them using foam stickers to give them really fun dimension. I love that you are able to mix and match all their accessories! 


I used the super fun new Mini Clothespins to hold my banner. I love to use them to hold my twine! 


My kids were super excited about this project and we are going to love having it on display in our living room!! 


I hope you were inspired to create today!! Thanks for checking out my project using the super fun Frosty Friends Collection
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