Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all the best!

Cathy  ;D

Christmas Countdown - Cheesy Christmas Tree Bread

Ok, to be honest I hadn't planned to do food again so soon . . . but I ran across this while I was searching online for some January card class inspiration.  My mouth started watering as soon as I saw this photo, so I just had to share!

Click on photo for closer look.
Warning, if you're not drooling now,
you will be when you see the closeup view!

This beautiful and tasty Christmas Tree starts with refrigerated pizza dough from your grocery store!  It's easy-peasy and a wonderful addition to your holiday table!  Serve with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Visit Cheesy Christmas Tree Bread from pizza dough - A Gouda Life for the recipe and all the details.

This is definitely on my list for Christmastime football viewing!  But now I need to go find something to eat!

Cathy  ;D

Christmas Countdown - Candy Cane Caprese Board

OOOOOHHHHH . . . doesn't this look yummy?!  And so festive!  A great addition to your Christmas spread.

Click on image for closer look.

Many thanks to Lori Lange for posting this yummy idea!  Visit Candy Cane Caprese Board - Recipe Girl® for all the details and a video showing ingredients and how-tos.

Cathy  ;D

Christmas Countdown - Peaceful Cabin Card

This is such a beautiful, peaceful scene!  This card has been made in several of my classes over the last month-ish, using stamp sets and dies from the July-December 2021 Mini Catalog. **

Click on photo for closer look.

Thanks to my friend Kathy Howes for sharing this card.  You can view Kathy's video tutorial at Peaceful Cabin bundle swap card - YouTube.  While you're there, check out Kathy's other video tutorials -- she's got a TON of them at be creative with kathy - YouTube.   All are educational and fun!

There are only a couple of differences between Kathy's card and mine, and those are the sentiments on the front and the inside.

Front sentiment:  Whimsical Trees stamp set

Inside sentiment:  Heartfelt Wishes

Inside

Cathy  ;D

** NOTE:  Unfortunately, the Peaceful Cabin stamp set used for the fence and fox on this card and the Peaceful Place Designer Series Paper were unavailable as of the date of this post (December 12).

Christmas Countdown - Simply Elegant Seasonal Card

Often, when I hit a brick wall, I visit Becky Stoddart's blog, Scrappin' and Stampin' in GJ (scrappinandstampiningj.blogspot.com), for inspiration.  Becky sometimes posts more complicated or detailed cards, but most of her designs (she admits many of them are CASEd) are simple and elegant like this one.

Click on image for closer look.

Becky lives on the Western Slope of Colorado and may or may not be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator -- if she is, she doesn't advertise it on her blog, but she does use a LOT of Stampin' Up! products to create her cards.

To make this card, Becky used Night of Navy and White card stock, VersaMark ink and white embossing powder for the snowflakes, Night of Navy ink for the sentiment and the sponging, the Christmas Trees (156330) and Stitched So Sweetly (151690) die sets, and a bit of white ribbon.  This picture was posted on her blog December 10, 2021, along with a brief description of how it was made.

Although I have seen many cards using the Stitched So Sweetly dies, this is the first one I've seen that actually has me teetering on the edge of buying the set.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Cathy  ;D

Christmas Countdown - Snowman Reverse Easel Card

Seems like I'm forever catching up . . . this time it's because I was under the weather Friday p.m. and Saturday a.m.  So today I'm bringing you several cards that I found online, beginning with this super cute snowman easel card.

Click on image for closer look.

This design is from Vickie Littlewood, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in the UK.  Visit Vickie Lou Designs: Snowman Season Merry Christmas Reverse Easel Greeting Card. Stamp n Hop December 2021 Blog hop for all the details!

Hope you enjoy this card . . . I think I'll try it myself when I'm back to creating in my craft room tomorrow!

Cathy  ;D
 

Christmas Countdown - Turmeric Chai Latte

 Tonight I'm chillin' -- watching football and enjoying my Turmeric Chai Latte!

Turmeric purportedly is great for whole body health support.  Turmeric, and more specifically curcumin, which is found in turmeric, is said to boost the immune system, help reduce joint pain by reducing inflammation, and support brain and cardiovascular health!  Is this true?  Well, I'm no expert, but I can tell you that my Turmeric Chai Latte is quite tasty, so if all those things are true, they're like frosting on the cake!

What's in the mug?

3/4 cup Oat Milk 3/4 cup Chai Spice Black Tea    Concentrate 3/4 tsp. ground turmeric 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon pinch of ground cloves pinch of ground cardamom 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup

Mix first two ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in spices and bring the mixture to a simmer, but do not boil. Allow to simmer 5-10 minutes, whisking occasionally, until smooth and hot. Remove from heat; stir in coconut oil and maple syrup. If desired, froth latte with electric frother. Enjoy!

Time-saving tip:  Instead of measuring out all of the ingredients each time you make this, pre-make several packets of the dry ingredients to have on hand whenever you're ready for a cuppa!

Cathy ;D

Christmas Countdown - A Trio of Gift Tags

 This trio of sweet tags will brighten any holiday package!

Click on image for closer look.

These tags were quick and easy to make using some Stampin' Up! punches and a bit of card stock and patterned paper!

Materials

For all tags

* Crumb Cake card stock: 4-1/4" x 2" for tag base

* Delightful Tag Topper Punch

* White card stock: 3-1/4" x 1-1/2" for sentiments and "To/From" pieces on back **

* Kraft twine from my stash: about 12" for hanging string

Additional materials for Snowman tag

* Snowman Builder Punch

* Scraps for punch:

   * Shimmery White card stock (snowman)

   * Black card stock (hat)

   * Pumpkin Pie card stock (nose)

   * Soft Suede card stock (arms)

* Starform Black Glitter Stickers from my stash (eyes and buttons)

* Iridescent Starform Glitter Stickers from my stash

Additional materials for Candy Cane tag

* Candy Cane Builder Punch (retired)

* Red and White Striped patterned paper from my stash (candy cane)

* Real Red card stock (bow)

* Wink of Stella Glitter Brush (bow)

* Red Starform Glitter Stickers from my stash

Additional materials for Tree tag

* Pine Tree Punch

* Green and White patterned paper from my stash (tree)

* Iridescent Starform Glitter Stickers from my stash

* Clear Star Rhinestone from my stash

The back piece is the same for all tag designs.

Oh, what fun!

Cathy  ;D

Additional note:  

** All sentiments for these tags were created with Word and printed on 8-1/2" x 11" white card stock, and then trimmed to 3-1/4" x 1-1/2".  The corners were then trimmed with a fun little corner punch from my stash.

Christmas Countdown - Super Cute Reindeer Card

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer . . . 

This was the most fun card to make!  Thanks to Roslyn Archer for sharing this idea.  To view Roslyn's original card, visit her Facebook page at Stampin with Ros | Facebook.

Click on image for closer look.

Materials

* Christmas to Remember stamp set ***

* Black ink

* Clear Embossing Powder

* Basic Black card stock (8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4" to create card base; about 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" for scalloped circle; scraps for antlers)

* Real Red card stock (5-1/4" x 4")

* Peaceful Prints Designer Series Paper (5" x 3-3/4" reindeer background paper on front; 5-1/4" x 4" buffalo check design for mat on inside; scrap of buffalo check design for reindeer punch) **

* Be Dazzling 6" x 6" Specialty Paper (2" x 3-3/4") **

* White card stock (about 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" for circle; 5" x 3-3/4" for inside)

* Deer Builder Punch ***

* Layering Circles Dies (retired)

* Winter Snow Embossing Folder (retired) ****

* Tiny Red Starform Glitter Sticker for nose

Inside

I hope you enjoy this bright and cheery design!

Cathy  ;D

Additional notes:

** Designer Papers were free items in the August-September 2021 Sale-a-Bration brochure.

*** Stamp set and punch are featured in July-December 2021 Mini Catalog; both are being carried over and will be available thru June 2022.

**** This photo doesn't show it, but on the final version of this card the white circle on card front was embossed with snowflakes.  The photo shown here is my prototype, and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), all of my cards were used in classes or sold before I could take another photo.

Christmas Countdown - Snow Place Double-Z Side Pull Card

Wow, stampers!  I can't believe I haven't shared this card design with you yet!  This card was made earlier this year in both my July 2021 Zoom class and my September class at The Craft Box.  Guess I was saving it for my Christmas Countdown.

Click on photo for closer look.

This is the coolest thing ever -- a double-z fold card made from one piece of card stock!  Thanks to Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Angie Leach for the idea.  View Angie's original design at Too Cool Stamping: December 2015 (you'll need to scroll down a bit to find it) along with complete instructions and cutting layout.

The original card was made using the Snow Place stamp set.  My card was made with the Snow Wonder stamp set.  The materials list for my version appears below.

Stampin' Up! Products

Snow Wonder stamp set and Snow Time Dies (snowman and trees)**

Sentiment stamp from my stash***

Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad (tree images)

Black Ink (snowman image and sentiment)

Paper:

* Night of Navy card stock (5-1/2" x 4-1/4" for card base; 2-7/8" x 2-3/4" and 5" x 3/4" to mat Designer Series Paper)

* Misty Moonlight card stock (9-3/4" x 4")

* White card stock (4-1/4" x 2-7/8" for inside; scraps for trees)

* Feels Like Frost 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper (retired) (2-3/4" x 2-5/8" and 4-7/8" x 5/8" for card front)

I hope you follow the link above to get instructions and try this card design.****  Once you get the cutting layout down, this will be the only Z-fold card you will ever want to make again!

Cathy  ;D

Additional notes:

** Snow Wonder stamp set and Snow Time Dies are currently on the Last Chance List and will retire January 3, 2022, or when supplies are depleted.  (When I checked this morning -- 12/6/2021 -- both items were still available, and the dies were marked 20% off the catalog price.)

*** Sentiment is from Chilled Out stamp set by C.C. Designs.

**** Contact me if you have problems finding the online instructions.

Christmas Countdown - Advice from a Snowman

 

Sharing my December computer background this morning.  Will have a new holiday project for you this afternoon.

Cathy ;D

Countdown to Christmas 2021 . . . beginning a little late . . . .

Hey, folks!  Here it is December 5, 2021, and I am just now finding the time to begin my Countdown to Christmas!  So for the first few posts, I'm cheating a little and finding online ideas to get this show on the road . . . .

Click on image for closer look. 

Let's start with this beautiful and very easy Z-fold card by Amy Koenders.  Amy started out with Evening Evergreen card stock (11" x 4-1/4", scored at 2-3/4" and 5-1/2") to create the card base.  She then added pieces of Painted Christmas Designer Series paper matted with Cherry Cobbler card stock.  Finally, Amy stamped sentiments from the Holly Jolly Christmas stamp set and leaf and berry images from the Christmas Season stamp set onto white card stock and also matted those pieces with Cherry Cobbler card stock.  For the finishing touch, she attached three Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels around the sentiment on the card front.  The end result is this stunning card.

To see Amy's complete directions, including a link to her YouTube video, visit her site at Stampin’ Up! Christmas Season With Holly Jolly Wishes Z-Fold Christmas Card – Stamp With Amy K.

I hope you enjoy this festive holiday card!

Cathy  ;D

 

Last Chance Sale!!! Now through January 3, 2022.

 

Visit my Stampin' Up! website at Cathy Hansen, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator (stampinup.net) to check out the Last Chance products, some at discounts as high as 50%!  This year-end clearance consists of retiring items from the 2021 July-December Mini Catalog.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  These items will be available through January 3, 2022, OR WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!  

You also can view the complete list of retiring items at Cathy's Craft Room: Stampin' Up! Current Promotions (cathyscraftroom.blogspot.com).

If you're ordering online and your total is less than $150, please apply the current host code (VKPK2AUW).  If your order is $150 or more, DO NOT apply the host code and be sure to claim your own host rewards!

Cathy  ;D