Holiday Memories

The new Mistletoe papers are a perfect match for the 7 Gypsies brown printer's tray.  Add your favorite new stamp images from What's In The Box, and you have a treasured holiday keepsake or unique gift.  There are 20 spaces to fill in this tray. That may seem like a lot, but once you get started, it's hard to stop. Honestly, the papers are so beautiful on their own, you hardly need to add anything else. But, who could resist these wonderful stamps! 

First, I looked over all the new papers to map out what sections I wanted to use in which spaces. As I said, the papers are so beautiful on their own they work perfectly in the tray, particularly when you capture certain phrases or graphics. You can use 12 x 12 or the 6x6 paper pack. I used some of each. 

Next, I chose which stamps I would use. Most of the images are colored with Prisma pencils, a few have Glossy Accents added for dimension. The Polar Bear (C1409) was stamped on suede paper, cut out and layered over a glitter covered Snowglobe (D1407). The Swirly Tree Border (D1381) was stamped on two different pattern papers so the trees could be cut and popped up. Lightbulb Reindeer(C1397) has a jingle bell tied around his neck with waxed linen. Stick Tree (C1412) was enhanced with a variety of jewels, and select pieces of First Snowfall paper have clear jewels and white pearls added to the snowflakes. I stamped the Birch Trees (F1413) over a piece of Bundled Birds for two of the spaces. Three other spaces are filled with presents - pretty papers with ribbons neatly tied. My favorite embellishment on the tray is a tiny cork topped bottle filled with faux snow from Flower Soft. For the outer corners of the tray I used Opal shimmer paper which I ran through the Cuttlebug for texture and then made corner pieces with an EK Paper Shaper punch.  The photo doesn't show it, but I used single and double layers of foam tape in many of the spaces to give more dimension and interest to the final project.

Optional - I made the paper in the middle (Holiday Memories) removable so you can personalize the tray with a family photo, and it can change from year to year.

These are just a few ideas I used. If you decide to make your own tray - I think you'll see the possibilities are endless.  Have fun with it!

I'll be teaching this tray at Ink About It on Wed, Sept 1st, and again at a later date this fall. If you are in our area, I hope you can make it.

Comments

[Sandra]

WOW! this is wonderful! Love the colors!
Sandra