Hopping Llamas are at it again….this time…It’s the Holiday Hop…join us!

 

It’s time for……

(note: the hop starts at 11:00 am (Eastern) Saturday and runs through Sunday though some links may be up earlier than that)

The Llamas are hopping again!  My llama sisters and I  have been itching to share our holiday ideas.  We’ve even scheduled a swap among ourselves for November.  So October just seemed like the right time to get the holidays started and release that holiday inspired creativity.  

This time we are featuring a variety of holidays…some standard and some not so much (at least at planning time there were hints there might be Chinese New Years, Solstice or other possibilities so keep your eyes open…one never knows just where a llama starts and where they’ll end up).

If  you are following the hop in order you’ve  arrived here at my stop on the hop from Jackies very creative addition to the Llama Holiday Blog Hop (we call her Jackers but that’s a story for another day as are the many discussions about Otters that always seem to follow her!).  Trust Jackie to add  dazzling sparkle to the holiday.  Love those doily snowflakes Miss Jackers!

I’m starting off with a little known holiday…It’s the Great Pumpkin Day!  You know…the one where the Great Pumpkin rises out of the most sincere pumpkin patch?  

What…you mean Linus and Charlie Brown made it up?  Drats!    

Okay…seriously…these little darlings are perfect for any fall celebration whether its Harvest Festival Day, Halloween or as table decor for Thanksgiving.   No carving necessary…just a bit of punching and sponging (a little glue goes a long way too!).   A perfect project for slightly older kids or youngers with a little direction and help.  Gather the family and make your very own sincere pumpkin patch.   Up to you if you skip the candy grab and wait up instead for the Great Pumpkin!

Boy do I wish my camera would show a bit more detail.  These little darlings are stamped and embossed and sponged within an inch of their life.   The ingredients are pretty basic. 

 Paper: I used First Edition DSP and Pumpkin Pie cardstock (of course anything you have in your cupboard will work too…even newspaper!).   A punch that’s symetrical and somewhat round:  I used the  Round Tab Punch.   Then I added some glue and a bit of ribbon for the stem (hard to see since I used Crumb cake) then add a bit of curled shreds of Crumb Cake to add a little interest and dimension.  Oh…and I stamped a little tiny image from Circle Circus…a favorite set that luckily survived the catalog changeover.  For the stepped up version – after stamping run it through the Big Shot with your favorite embossing folder.   Come back next week and I’ll show you the layout and outline the details a bit more.   In the mean time….as a It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown treat….Here’s a fun video for you to play while building your own pumpkins!

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In keeping with the Fall theme I have going,  the next project is one from a recent stamp camp.  My friend and upline Cheryl (without whom I’d never be a llama or an SU Demo) with a little help from Frenchie Martin’s very helpful tutorial found here designed this wonderful Joseph’s Coat technique card using Autumn Splendor & the new Occasions Alphabet.  

I love the text she chose since Thanksgiving is, for me, about togetherness and celebrating our blessings for another year.  Truly love is the greatest blessing!    Photographing this project reminded me once again how tricky Glossy paper is to get just right.   But keeping the glare shot allowed me to  show the hidden acorn layer.   When I first saw this design it brought back childhood memories of creeks with floating leaves and acorns and rocks and other bits  from the creek bed reflected and magnified by the running, swirling water.    Makes the glare seem almost necessary now doesn’t it…a sunspot reflection in the water.

Stamp Sets – Autumn Splendor, Occasions Alphabet, A Word for You, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Card Stock – Cajun Craze 8 ½”x 5 ½” and scrap, Old Olive 5 ¼”x 4” and scrap, Glossy 5”x 3 ¾”

Ink – Versa Mark, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, More Mustard, Early Espresso Classic Ink pads

Punches – Large Oval, Scallop Oval, 3/16” Corner

Accessories – Clear Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

Cool Tools – Sponges, Heat Gun, Paper Piercer & mat

Thanks Cheryl for guesting on our hop!

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My last project is a combo.  Perfect for Christmas and with these Baja Breeze colors and a change of sentiment it works for Hanukkah as well.   Wouldn’t you love to find something small and sparkly in this little treat box?   

And the best thing about these projects…they are so very simple.  The basic card and the die cut tag (and the base for the box) are from the Simply Sent kit Everyday Elegance.   With the addition of a snowflake (from the Northern Frost die) and a bit of ribbon and the use of the Merry Christmas from Four the Holidays an everyday card becomes an elegant holiday greeting.    Change it to the Happy Hanukkah from one of our other stamp sets and you are also good to go for yet another holiday.   That splash of red is our new quilted ribbon from the holiday mini.  I considered adding a Cherry Cobbler snowflake for my Twilight obsessed readers but decided to keep it a tad more traditional – besides the idea of blood coloring the flake was just a little icky for this reader.    And yes…the little box is made from the same card base as the card.    And that reflecting jewel is a very affordable little Simply Adorned Bauble (who says only diamonds are a girls best friend?) threaded through the Whisper White Tafetta Ribbon.  I’ll be back next week to share the details and a fabulous PDF from a fellow demo so you can make a mini box of your own.  

Oh…and one last special note about this project….the Simply Sent kits are featured in a current October only Stampin’ Up Promotion!  Make just a few of these little darlings and you could earn yourself some free stamps!

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Time now to move along to Kathe’s stop on the hop.  Click the button below or this link.  Of course if you get lost anywhere along the line or you just want to see the list of hoppers you can always return to the blog hop home page by clicking on the appropriate button or this link.  The home page will also give you future access to this hop as well as our first time hop links.  Enjoy!

Hugs and Blessings – Jean