Holiday Papercrafting Merriness, All Year Long

Praying Snowman watercolor print as greeting card (c)Sandi Holland Mixed Media

There's always some holiday, celebration or event for which to create.  Holidays On The Net offers extensive resources for many holidays.  This celebration site is chock full of crafts, history, recipes and more.  At this fun place, you can find a reason to do holiday papercrafting merriness every month of the year.

Papercrafted Christmas trees wall art, turquoise and red-orange color scheme.  I used a base of cardboard triangles that I cut out.

 

Another way to do more papercrafting is to join in the celebrations of other countries and cultures.  One of my favorites is Los Dias De Los Muertos, a Mexican celebration.

I first covered each cardboard triangle with decorative paper to make my hanging, papercrafted Christmas trees.  I used a cream, gold and silver color scheme for these two.

 

Investigate the monthly events of neighboring states, for opportunities to create papercrafting merriness at other times of the year.  Mardi Gras is a fun Louisiana celebration for which to create colorful, lively papercrafts.

I embellished each papercrafted tree with all sorts of stuff, sequins, glitter, ribbons, dimensional paint, beads, clipart, flat jewels, and any other bits and pieces that I found in my stock.  I designed these using a purple and green complimentary color scheme.

Celebrate the 4 seasons with a papercraft project designed to welcome each quarterly change.

How about red and black for a bold holiday statement.  These two papercraft designs feature a coarse, black, plastic glitter that sparkles like a midnight sky full of stars.  I cut out a cardstock star for each tree, and embellished them with coordinating, superfine art glitter.

Just as my praying snowman shows, there are many ways to enjoy holiday papercrafting merriness.

This is one of my old designs made with a torn piece of printed paper, a hand-carved stamp and a silver paint pen.

Easy handmade card made with brown craft paper triangles, decorative paper cut into squares and rectangles, cardstock and gold paint pen.  I really like this design.  Sometimes the simplest things can be dearest to your heart.

I can't make this, but I wish I could.  I sure miss snow, living here in North Florida.  I look forward to being able to vacation in snow-filled areas.  Not blizzards where I'm snowed in for three months.  Just a dusting of the pretty, white stuff.  I envy you who live in snow, but I'm happy for you as well.

 ...and Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad and Joyful Kwanzaa.  If you don't celebrate any of these, I just wish you joy and peace.  And most of all...

Happy New Year!

Giving With Love

Valentine's Ornament: Collage, Wire, Beads, Ribbons

I want to do more giving this year.   I actually started in December when I gave this heart ornament to a customer.  I had not responded to an order within the time frame which I had allotted myself, so I apologized and promised to send him a free gift.

For artists and crafters the best free gifts are the ones we'd rather keep, or sell, or reserve for special people.  True love involves sacrifice, and while I can't say that I loved my customer from California, I can say that my giving spirit was based in love.  I do appreciate my customers and want them to always feel that I care enough to provide them with the very best service.



Valentine's Ornament -back-: Rubberstamping, Hand-lettering



I really liked this ornament, especially since I had salvaged it from a group of three wooden hearts.  They were rustically strung together with twine, and made to encircle large candle jars.  Years ago I had ordered it from a coworker who shared a catalog from her child's school.  I had never used it before I decided to clip, snip and create!

You know that I enjoy working in small spaces so much, which is why my palm-sized ornament is so elaborate and exquisite.  It was a labor or LOVE, but isn't just about everything for us creative types?  When I stamped this cherub on the back, it didn't transfer perfectly.  I had to lovingly fill it in with a metallic pen.

I released it with joy, knowing that it was flying away on the wings of a good cause.  I keep a box of items that I prefer to give as incentive gifts, and I add to it from various sources.  This thank you gift was not from that box, but that is okay.  In a way it was sold too, just as any other item ordered from me.  

Indian Summer

Indian Summer, Pumpkins Galore, Chilly Nights Are At The Door.

This is my verse for Halloween/Autumn. Also Festive, Fabulous, Fantastic Fall! Please don't use them without permission. Thank you.

Here are my Halloween offerings, 1 card and 1 wall art piece. I try to stay away from witches, black cats, ghosts and other gruesome images.
For me Halloween is also a celebration of Autumn, which I love. So I Iike jolly jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows and leaves.

The card is decorative and salvaged paper, computer font text panels, my pumpkin drawings, a tag, pastel, ink, grosgrain ribbon and gold metallic paint pen. I do plan to reproduce it.

The wall piece is mounted on foamcore with decorative and salvaged paper, beads, glitter, raffia, paper leaves, sequins, brads and tissue paper. The aluminum panel is a salvaged soda can onto which I embossed my pumpkin trio image.

The hanger is orange salvaged cord. It is 4"x10 1/2".