NEW YEARS EVE CRAFT ALONG...ITS HERE! ITS HERE!

Greetings dear readers! CRAFT ALONG ITINERARY...

6:00 CHAT OPEN!

8:00 CRAFT ALONG BEGINS!

8:30 COWBOY IMAGES FOR YOUR TAGS

9:00 COWBOY TAGS: TUTORIAL AND CRAFT ALONG

9:30 GATHER MATERIALS FOR GNOME TAG & SHADOW BOX

10:00 SHARE GNOME PATTERN FOR TAG & SHADOW BOX
           TUTORIAL AND CRAFT ALONG

11:00 CHAT DISCUSSION: NEW TOOLS, GADGETS AND "MUST HAVES"

11:30  SHOW AND TELL (POST PICS OF WHAT YOU'VE MADE SO FAR!)

12:00 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

12:01 VINTAGE CAMPER TAG TUTORIAL & CRAFT ALONG

2:00 VINTAGE CAMPER PICS AND CHATTER

2:30 THE ROAMING GNOME...WHERE HAS HE BEEN? WHERE WILL HE GO NEXT?

3:00 PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS QUESTION & ANSWER

4:00 DIGITAL ARTIST TRADING CARD: HERE'S HOW! CHAT TUTORIAL

5:00 COMMENT COUNT FOR DRAWING...LAST CHANCE!

6:00 DRAWING FOR GNOME BOOK, GNOME TOME, AND SUKI IRON ON BOOK

NAPTIME!

CAN'T WAIT TO PARTAY WITH YOU GIRLS!

The fun begins at 6 pm Central Standard time...that's when I will be on my blog chatting and preparing the goodies for our all night crafting event!

DO pop in to say hello and chat a while! All you need is an email address and the ability to type! I'll be posting an itinerary to let you know when we'll be doing what...so stay tuned!

Be sure to have your Coca Cola and chocolate "at the ready" for we will be needing it about 3 a.m.! Invite your friends!

And for those of you who don't know yet: here are a few of the projects I'm planning to work on:

I will share with you my process for creating a Happy Camper Vintage Camper tag! This tag swap was WILDLY popular, and now YOU can make one for yourself! 

SUPPLY LIST FOR VINTAGE CAMPER TAG:
chipboard
cardstock
scrapbook paper
glue stick
pop dots
embellishment for wheels (flowers, buttons, sequins...anything!)

Another of my popular swaps was the Wild West Tag Swap...so we will be making a Cowboy Tag! (I will be having a cowboy tag swap in January, so here's your chance to sign up early and get started on your tag!) I will be sharing several ADORABLE vintage cowboy images that YOU can use on your tag!

SUPPLY LIST FOR COWBOY/COWGIRL TAG:
chipboard
cardstock
scrapbook paper
glue stick ribbon
stamps, stickers or printed words: COWBOY, COWGIRL

Another swap that acquired more comments than anything else I've ever written or done on my blog: GNOMES! We will be making this adorable gnome (I will share the pattern with you...it is a compilation of SEVERAL die cut cartridges)

Or you can simply print this little guy on cardstock and cut him out. (But wouldn't it be more fun to have your own original pattern?)

SUPPLY LIST FOR GNOME:
cardstock and/or scrapbook paper
glue stick
gnome pattern

I will also do a tutorial on how to make your very own kitschy gnome shadow box for Valentines Day!

You can either try to find some of these little plastic gnome creatures on Etsy or Ebay, or you can "craft along" with me and make paper gnomes that will be equally adorable! 

 

SUPPLY LIST FOR GNOME SHADOW BOX:

small cardboard box 
cardstock
adorable valentines day scrapbook paper
embellishments: small flowers, buttons, stickers, acetate words
glue stick
glue dots

pop dots
gnomage

AND THEN (for those who will still be with me at 3 or 4 a.m. New Year's Day) I will be having a giveaway! 

Behold the fabulous:

 

A tiny gnome and a tiny gnome book!

A classic Gnome Tome!

A new book of Sukie Iron Ons...SO adorable!

(Only comments left during the hours of 12 Midnight and 6 a.m. will be entered into the drawing...so you will exponentially increase your chances of winning if you stay with us!)

Let me know you plan to attend! I'll add your name to a New Year's Eve Craft Along Party Roster and post it on my sidebar! WOOHOO! An all nighter! It's gonna be a BLAST!

More soon!
Paula Clare

GNOME TAG PATTERN & SHADOW BOX

As promised, here is the compilation of cricut cartridge pieces used to create this darling little gnome tag:

This is the basic body for the gnome...it was made with the paper doll dress up cartridge. (Click on the image, then right click to save)

The beard definitely gave us fits...after perusing HUNDREDS of images, we found a little apron with a scalloped edge...a bit of a trim after cutting, and voila! A beard! 

 The hat was equally difficult...it had to have the right "whimsy" as well as the classic gnome hat shape. We found a sorcerers hat on the Mickey Mouse cartridge (the sorcerers apprentice)

And then the tunic...couldn't look like a dress...nor did we want it to look like an oversized t-shirt...so the biblical tunic on the "nativity/bible characters" cartridge did the trick!

The last thing is to assemble and make a simply face using two dots and a slightly curved dash for the mischievous exression of a wise old gnome! 

A great way to add dimension either to the tag or shadow box is to trace around the gnome with a charcoal pencil...smudge and then use pop dots to raise the image off the "shadow". You can either color in the entire shadow image, or just leave it as an outline. Either way, it gives the little guy depth and dimension! Try it, you'll like it! 

The finishing touch is to add whimsical papers, ribbons and embellies.

Be sure to check out Elizabeth's blog and Nan's Retired in Alaska to see their take on the little shadowbox! ADORABLE! More coming right up!

COWBOY TAG IMAGES, TUTORIAL AND CRAFT ALONG...YEEHAW!

Greetings, ya'll! So glad you're here!

Here are a heap o' cowboy/cowgirl images for you to print and use on your cowboy tag. Some are repeats, some are new-to-you! Hope you enjoy...oh, for personal use only...or gift giving!

If anyone has anymore to share, please send them to me via email! Here are the ones I made for E a year or so ago:

 Using the "sandwich method" (paper, chipboard, paper) I cute out these sweet images and then pop Dotted them to the most adorable paper I could find! I added real jute rope and stickers spelling cowgirl and cowboy...(sometimes stickers are easier than stamps..) and then I inked the edges with my ever ready "Mocha Mama" ink pad. I just LOVE how they turned out...and so did E!

 
Have a rootin' tootin' time, cowgirls! My cowboy tag swap will be a one for one swap, so get crackin! Be back with more fun soon!