Last Minute Wrapping Paper Tutorial

So you just realized tomorrow morning you are meeting a friend and don't have any wrapping paper for her Christmas gift. If you are me (one year ago when baby was still in the womb) you don't worry much because you can make your own.

Take one sheet of ordinary white wrapping paper. I keep a stash of such materials that are too good to go to waste.

Gather some art supplies that you have around the house. If I had nothing else but a set of acrylics and a paint brush, that would be enough.

Start covering your paper with paint. Here I have used a dark palette of browns and black. Try not to think to much while doing it. Just have fun and do not over do it so the individual colors can still show.

Once you are happy with the background, start decorating your paper.
I am using a wooden print block from India (thanks Laura), but you can use so many things (stamps, fruit-as-stamps, gel pens, inks). Your imagination is the limit.

You can stop here, or, if you are into details like I am, this will seem to easy and in need of some harder work :). Take a no. 2 brush and start adding details using gold acrylic paint.

Finish up the edges of the paper with more gold paint.

Let it dry for 5 minutes (that is all it takes, really), wrap your gift and go to bed because it's past midnight, you have a migraine and you need to breastfeed baby in a few hours :)

Snowflake Wreath (Clean and Simple)

I have received many e-mails asking if I was alright.
Yes, I feel great, just very busy doing some last things before the baby comes. That includes design, of course.

Today's post is about Laura's challenge over Scrapper in Romania: Clean and simple + winter colors. Great challenge since this morning has snowed and everything is covered in white with just a few brown-black spots than can be seen underneath.



In terms of home decor, I prefer simplicity. I don't like cluttered spaces that take forever to clean.
I had some twigs that I picked up last summer and thought to be perfect for this project. I tied them with copper wire, glued 2 paper snowflakes, hanged them from my easel, and that's that: quick and simple home decor.

Sclipici

I have been thinking how cute this word was ever since I saw the new challenge over Scrapper In Romania. It's the Romanian word for "glitter" and Laura's challenge theme is Winter Glitter.
How about some glittery snowflake ornaments with butterflies?

12 Days of Christmas (12 zile de Craciun)

If you don't hear from me, I am busy making things, which is the case right now.

Daca se intampla sa nu auziti vesti de la mine, e pentru ca sunt foarte ocupata, cum e cazul si acum.


However, since Cuttlebug Challenge Blog is having a 12 Days of Christmas event, I wanted to let you know about it and also try to show you some of the things I have been making. I will have to catch up a bit because the festivities started on December 12, but I had very slow internet connection so had to stay out.

Totusi, pentru ca la Cuttlebug Challenge Blog a inceput numaratoarea inversa pana la Craciun, intru si eu in joc.




On the first day of Christmas, June from Cuttlebug Challenge Blog made a coaster calendar and I made a masculine birthday card. Can you read what's on the patterned paper? I actually designed that myself and included notes from the recipients favorite band: Delirious. He is a musician himself which explains the guitar I added later upon his friend's request.

In prima zi de Craciun, June de la Cuttlebug Challenge Blog a facut un calendar din suporturi de pahare, iar eu am facut o felicitare masculina cu tema muzicala. Cel care a primit-o este muzician si fan al formatiei Delirious, motiv pentru care am creat acesta hartie speciala ce contine o bucata de partitura de-a lor. Chitara am adaugat-o ulterior la cererea prietenului lui care a comadat felicitarile.







On the second day of Christmas, Maggie from Cuttlebug Challenge Blog created a beautiful Christmas home decor plate and I created another music birthday card, more my style this time.

In a doua zi de Craciun, Maggie de la Cuttlebug Challenge Blog a creat o farfurie decorativa pentru Craciun, iar eu am mai facut o felicitare cu tema muzicala, de data acesta infuzand-o cu propria-mi personalitate.




I hope I can be back tomorrow with another project for the Christmas countdown.

Sper sa pot reveni maine cu un nou proiect pentru numaratoarea inversa.

Festival of Lights Blog Hop (Festivalul luminilor)

Welcome to the Festival of Lights by Cuttlebug Challenge Blog.

We are starting the celebrations with a blog hop.

You don't have to go in any particular order, just download your map,
so you can circle the places that you've been, and you have until Sunday night to get everywhere. In addition to the fabulous projects, we have decided to hide treasures along the hop! Download blog list here.



Two selected Designers will draw a random winner from the comments left on their blogs, and one winner will receive a $30 Gift Certificate to Peachy Keen Stamps and the other winner will receive a One Year Subscription to Technique Junkies.
The fun part is…
we’re not telling you who it is! So as you hop, make sure you leave comments on every post this weekend so you have a lot of chances to win!! Don't forget to add the Cuttlebug Challenge blinkie to your blog or to follow the blog, we are our Journey of 2000!




Now on to today's opening lights....

I have made a very quick vellum lantern.

Make one yourself in 5 minutes:

1. Cut a strip of vellum.
2. Run it through your Lacy Tree cuttlebug folder.
3. Use double sided tape to adhere ends to make a tube.
4. Embellish to your heart's desire.
Caution! You can only use battery operated candels.

I used a silver chipboard tree and pearl color beads to embellish my tree.

If you make one yourself please leave me a link so I can see it.

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edited later:
Your questiones answered:
I have been receiving some questions about my Christmas lantern so I will be posting all the answers here.

1. Paper size. I used a 4 1/2x 6 1/2 inch (11x16cm) strip of paper. It is not as high as my A2 embossing folder so I left out the lower part of the lace tree. The size actually doesn't matter. All you need to know is that you should use a long strip of paper. Try digging in your scrap stash for some of those. Idea: make a set of lanterns of different sizes for a beautiful centerpiece.

2. Embossing folders. I have used the *Lace tree* from cuttlebug, but you can use anything you have. You could emboss the whole strip or even leave it unembossed. Idea: try stamping on your vellum or try heat embossing. Punch holes for different effects.