Hello again!  Last week I challenged you all to create gifts for the holidays, and you certainly rose to the occasion.  The quality of the entries was outstanding.  (You can view all of the entries together HERE.)  Thanks to everyone who participated throughout the week. The judges and I had such a hard time picking our favorites, but we finally narrowed it down to the following winners…

First Place ($50 Hero Arts shopping spree + 2008 catalog) goes to luvreadnbooks for these adorable penguin holiday pins.  They are laminated and have a pin back attached to the underside.  What a clever idea!

Second Place ($25 Hero Arts shopping spree + 2008 catalog) goes to far north1 for her beautiful tea box.  The metallic shimmer really makes this container special.

Finally, Third Place ($10 Hero Arts shopping spree + 2008 catalog) goes to StarLitStudio.  She created a gorgeous collage and then elegantly framed it.  Take a look at this work of art…

Congratulations, winners! Please send us an email with “Gifts First”, “Gifts Second” or “Gifts Third” in the subject line so we can get your mailing addresses and send your prizes right out to you.

And because there were so many great creations this week, I’d like to point out a few Honorable Mentions.

Here’s a cute and cheerful wine bottle tag from scrapmavin that would make a perfect hostess gift any time of year…

Next check out this lovely boxed stationery set from aheuring. It comes complete with stationery, cards, envelopes, and even a tin full of envelope seals — such a thoughtful gift.

And finally, what paper crafter wouldn’t love to receive this jar of sequin snowflake embellishments and matching box?  Great idea, doris86pl!

Honorable Mentions, please email the address in the sidebar — we have some goodies to send you as well!

Once again, thanks to everyone for entering the holiday gift challenge. Don’t forget, you still have plenty of time to enter Lisa’s Deck the Halls challenge this week.  Click here for all the details.

Until next time,

It’s time to find out who won the Headline Letters & Numbers stamp sets from Friday’s post.

I used random. org to choose three winners and they are:

• #87 Cheryl who commented @9:48 am, “I love to use alphabet stamps for titles on my scrap pages. The id charms are a great idea!”
• #111 Karen B. who commented @ 11:35am, “I use my alphabet stamps for titles on my scrapbook pages. I’ve only got a few and they’re small, so I’d like to add some larger ones to my collection!”
• #201 Denise Bryant who commented @ 5:20am,  “I don’t always have the saying I want to go on a card, so alpha set stamps are perfect to write your own…”

Congratulations winners!  We will email you for your mailing addresses and get your stamps right out to you.

Thanks to everyone for sharing so many great ideas for using alphabet stamps.  There are lots of different styles available for purchase right HERE in the Hero Arts Online store.

 [Edit: We are sold out of this set!  So, sorry if you wanted to order one, but there are lots more to chose from in the store.]

Have a great day,

Thanks for joining me for holiday gift week! I hope you’ve been inspired to use your stamping supplies to create some one-of-a-kind holiday gifts.  Friends, family, neighbors, teachers, coaches, bus drivers, mail carriers — everyone appreciates a gift that comes from the heart.  Here’s a sampling of the holiday projects I shared here this week…

Monday: Framed Gifts

Tuesday: Gift Boxes

Wednesday: Gift Tags

Friday: Water Bottle Charms

I have many more ideas — and thankfully a few months left to carry out my plans.  Planning is key. Why not get a jump on the holidays and start this weekend?  Create a gift for the holidays and submit it to the Hero Arts Flickr Group by tomorrow (Sunday, September 28th) at 11:59 PM PST.  Be sure to use at least one Hero Arts stamp and tag your project with “holidaygifts”.  Have fun!

We have several other contests open as well:

• I’m giving away three Headline Letters and Numbers stamp sets.  Just comment on yesterday’s post, telling me your favorite use for alphabet stamps.  I will announce the randomly selected winners on Monday.
• Jennifer’s Cards for Heroes card drive is going strong, and there’s still time left to send your cards to her for this worthwhile cause.  HERE are the details.
• And…the Holiday “Win a Day” on the Hero Blog Contest is open until the end of November. Full details can be found HERE.

Enjoy the weekend and be sure to stop back on Monday for even more holiday inspiration!

Until next time,

I have grabbed the wrong water bottle for the last time! A few months ago I discovered a great way to be sure you never drink from the wrong water bottle again. After trying this out on my granddaughter’s soccer team I realized how well this would work for adults too (and if you are a team mom or coach it makes the perfect  holiday gift.)

Because the charms are on elastic thread they can be switched from an empty water bottle to a new full one. Each person can create her own or you can make them ahead and give as a gift. The paper circle tag is covered with a circle cut from clear shelf paper to keep the ink from running. I used two rows of beads twisted together to add more color and interest.

My gift to all the Hero artists, so at the next trade show we won’t be asking “Is this your water?”

Supplies Used:

• Sparkle Clear Little Letter A
• Sparkle Clear Little Letter L
• Sparkle Clear Little Letter C
• Fancy Scrolls
• Floral Accent
• Variety of your favorite gemstones
• Other: colored pens and ink pads, small circle tags, clear adhesive back shelf paper, assorted beads, clear, stretchy jewelry cord

After decorating the circle tags with your favorite designs, cut a circle the same size as the inside of the circle tag with the clear shelf paper.  Adhere clear paper over your design and add the desired gemstones.  String beads on the stretchy jewelry cord, bringing the ends together through the hole in the circle tag and ending with a knot under the circle tag. TIP: Make a hole in the clear shelf paper after attaching over the hole in the tag.

Personalize your own water or juice bottle with beads and baubles in your favorite colors.

Now for a giveaway!  We will be giving away my favorite alphabet: Headline Letters and Numbers (LL930).  Not only are the letters so much fun, but numbers are also included! It’s just the perfect size…one inch tall! And…it is available for purchase in the Hero Arts Online Store right HERE.

Watch for the three random winners on Monday. Simply post a comment telling me your favorite use for alphabet stamps, then check back on Monday to see who the random winner is.

I do love those beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree at Christmas. However; this year I vowed not to be up all night wrapping gifts. Last year I remember how everybody loved the little personal messages I wrote on each card, they quietly tucked them in the gift and saved them.  With that in mind, this year I decided to spend more time on tags than  gift wrap. But how to put it all together ahead of time?

I purchased Avery labels #8163 (I used the size that allowed me to cut a folded note card in fourths and add the label) , stamped “To:” and “From:” on all of them leaving different spacing on each sheet of labels.

Tip: To really save time you can download a template from the Avery label site and use the computer to add the “To:” and “From:”.

Now that you have all these great labels, what about wrapping paper? I am going to use solid color paper; brown kraft, white, blue and green, that way the tags will match any gift I wrap. Adding little accessories like gemstones and circles to the packages will be fun and I don’t have to worry about matching tags to paper.

Supplies Used:

•  Icicle Snowflakes
•  Clear Design Jolly Christmas
•  Clear Design Far Out Holiday (for the candy cane)
•  Sparkle Clear Cute Letters
•  Clear Design Fancy Scrolls
•  Clear Design Designer Alphabet (for the dots)
•  Pocketful o’ Holiday Trees Small
•  Clear Design Hand Drawn Christmas (for the holly)
•  Felt Poinsettia and Leaves
• Variety of ink and Gemstones
• Other: Avery Labels (#8163)

Now for our chat.   I will be online from 9-11 a.m. PST today, and happy to answer any questions you have about a project or stamping in general. Just post a question in the comments section  and I will reply. It is fun for all of us to get to know each other.  Ask away!

I decided to try something a bit different this week. Tomorrow,  September 24th, I will be online from 9-11 a.m. PST, and happy to answer any questions you have. Just post a question in the comments section  and I will reply. It is fun for all of us to get to know each other.

For today, “Take Two Tuesday”,  I wanted to show you how to make a plain box into something special, personalized for a friend’s holiday gift. If you belong to a group, or club (quilting group, book club, stamping or scrap booking friends) this project can be personalized to reflect each persons individual style.

Cream Wooden Box

Cut a piece of the cream paper to fit the top of the box, Stamp the images and name in black  StazOn ink and color as desired with your favorite medium. Add decorative touches, flowers, gemstones or buttons.

Tip:  I stamped on  paper rather than the box lid so if I made a mistake I could just start again.  Decorative items can be placed around the bottom of the box if desired. Don’t forget to sign the box, I write a special little note and place in the bottom of the box. Writing on the box is hard depending how deep the box is.

Black Photo Box

Stamp the solid flower image on a piece of gold metallic paper  and allow the ink to completely dry. Trim the image to fit under the glass of the box top and attach with glue. (I like to trim after stamping then I don’t have to worry about stamping straight.)

Supplies for both boxes:

• Happy Wishes Kit
• Flourish Flower Border
• Cream Notecards
• Art Flowers Neutral
• Variety of Hero Arts Gemstones
• Alphabet sets
• Black StazOn Ink
• Other:  Gold metallic paper, watercolor Pencils or waterbased pens, glue dots, small boxes marketed for photos.  These are available everywhere, and like the frames from yesterday make perfect gifts to personalize.

Can’t wait for our chat tomorrow!

It’s coming……..are you ready? Yes, the holiday season is right around the corner and with Hero Arts’ wide range of styles you can make gifts for each person on your list (that don’t look home made). This week I am going to show you some  unique ways to create and decorate gifts using items that are easily found everywhere.

Using Hero Arts’ collage stamps  you can create a framed work of art for those special people in your life that matches their decor.   Pop in an inexpensive frame and your gift is ready. FYI this week I am showing you the perfect projects to work on during the football season being together and crafting….what a great way to spend the week-ends and Monday night!

Instructions:

Using Hero’s watercolor paper, stamp the collage image in black StazOn ink. Adding parts of additional images around the sides will allow you to make the image larger, but it’s not necessary. Color can be added using several different methods –  I use watercolor pencils and water. I like blending the colors with water and then adding the complementary color after the water has dried.

Add as many layers of color as you like, using several layers  makes a rich blend of color and gives depth to the artwork. Don’t forget to sign the piece before you frame it.

Buy a layered mat and frame.  Add the colored image under the mat.  If the paper will not lie flat add several heavy books before framing.

Do you have to donate to a local holiday bazaar?  Try this.

Supplies:

• Collage Thinking of You
• Collage Friend
• Collage Gratitude
• Watercolor Card Stock
• Black StazOn
• Other: picture frames, watercolor pencils, water

Tip: Look for collage stamps HERE in the Hero Arts Online Store or at your favorite local retailer. To find a retailer near you, simply type in your zip code in the Store Locator in the blog sidebar at right.

For this week’s challenge, the theme is holiday gifts.  Using at least one Hero Arts stamp, create a gift for the holidays and submit it to the Hero Arts Flickr Group Photo Pool by Sunday, September 28th at 11:59 PM PST.  Tag it with the code word “holidaygifts” — that’s “holiday” plus “gifts” — all  together with no spaces.

Here are the prizes:

• 1st place: $50 of new Hero Arts stamps + a 2008 catalog
• 2nd place: $25 of new Hero Arts stamps + a 2008 catalog
• 3rd place: $10 of new Hero Arts stamps + a 2008 catalog

I can’t wait to see all of your creative holiday gift ideas.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more gift ideas to share,