So long, farewell.....

This is a sad post for me this week.....this post marks my last project and blog post as a member of the Heart2Heart Challenges design team.  I have had such a great time the past six months, using the challenges to really stretch my creative borders.  The other design team members have been wonderful to work with, and they are truly amazing (and TALENTED!!) women.

So this will be the last challenge of this year.  The new design team will ring in the New Year in January, and let me tell you, I can't WAIT to see what they have in store for us!  This week our challenge is to create a Holiday Wish for you, our blog readers.  I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Merry Kwanza (I'm not sure what they say, so please forgive me!), and in general, a very HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  Thank you for being part of my life for the past 6 months, and please stop by often! 

Materials used: (all products are CTMH, unless noted otherwise):



-paper: Mistletoe Level 2 paper pack, Topiary cs, Sweet Leaf cs
-ink: Cranberry
-stamps:  Trinity alphabet stamp set
-embellishments: Color-Ready Alphabets Cork, Red Sparkles, Colonial White Waxy Flax, Art Philosphy Cricut Cartridge; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder/Cuttlebug machine

Photo inspiration week!

This week we have an inspiration challenge for you at H2H.  Here is the inspiration photo: 
                                                
One of the things that jumped out at me when I saw this photo was the glittery lime green ornament.  I love to make these myself, and they are soooo easy to create, so I thought I would show you how.

The picture just doesn't do the ornament's glittery goodness justice, but if you click on it, you can see the shimmer a bit better (and also my reflection in the glass! LOL).

There are a million and one tutorials all over the internet that show you how to make these, so I'm just going to show you the basic steps.  Here is what you will need:

-re-inker in whatever color you choose
-clear glass ornaments
-ultra fine glitter (I used CTMH's prisma glitter)
-disposable rubber gloves
-small Dixie cups

I usually use the clear glass ornaments you can purchase pretty cheaply at any big box craft store.  Remove the top, and set aside.  Pour 20-30 drops of re-inker into the ornaments, and gently swirl so that the ink covers the entire ornament. 

It's important to do this slowly and gently.  Shaking the ornament results in air bubbles and uneven coverage.

When you've covered the entire inside with re-inker, place the ornament upside down in a Dixie cup.  This allows the excess re-inker to drain out, so that it doesn't puddle up at the bottom of the ornament.  Let it dry for about 10 minutes.  Remove the ornament, and wipe off the mouth of the top...sometimes ink likes to puddle here.  If you're not happy with your ink coverage at this point, you can simply rinse the whole thing out with water, and start again!

Once you're satisfied with the ink coverage, and have cleaned up the mouth, pour several tablespoons of glitter into the ornament.  Put on your rubber gloves, place a finger over the opening of the ornament, and shake, shake, shake, until the glitter covers the entire inside.  It's OK to add more if you need to.  Pour out any excess....warning:  the glitter will be dyed whatever color your re-inker is, so don't pour the excess directly back in to your glitter jar!  :-)

Put the top back on, and there you have it.  Blinged out ornaments!  These are really pretty all on their own, or you can jazz them up by adding vinyl to the outside, or using Staz-On ink to stamp an image.  I decided to make mine a Christmas gift for my daughter's Sunday School teacher, so I made this awesome little basket for it to sit in.  You can see Liza Stenz's fabulous video tutorial here -----> awesome basket tutorial.

So what inpsires you about that gorgeous picture up top?  We'd love to know!  Be sure to link it up at H2H's blog, and earn a chance to win some blog candy.  Make it a great week, and Happy Crafting!!