North Pole Express Train set

I mentioned in the post before this that I had made two train sets as Christmas decorations this year and I only posted photos of the first set I made in the previous post. I am so happy with the way this set turned out that I had to do a post on its own just to show you this set.

I used the Vintage Christmas paper set from Couture Creations and I loved making this project. Not only is it a train set that will look beautiful on the mantel piece but it is gifts boxes as well. This project could be used as a  gift box or a  table centrepiece but I am going to put it on my mantel piece and have bought electronic tea light candles to place in the inside so that it glows.

 This is the completed set with Engine, box cart and caboose.

 A closer look at the front Engine, decorated with red and bronze rhines, gold brads and gold line stickers and a few Christmas buttons. The red part of the train in the box lid which comes off and you can use as a gift box or place the tea candles.

 The middle box cart, also decorated with red and bronze rhinestones and gold line stickers and a decorative 25 for Christmas day. The boxes inside the cart is also part of the SVG set from SVG Cuts and it is nestled in red tissue paper.

 The caboose is also a box, the red roof is removable. The windows are vellum so it will give a really nice glow once the tea candles are flickering inside. The windows are decorated with gold line stickers and some Christmas brads.

 Front few of the train set, showing off the vintage button placed in front for the headlight

A closer look at the headlight. This has turned out to be my favourite Christmas decoration this year and  I will be storing this away very carefully to use in years to come!

Thank you for stopping by and do pop back around soon!!

Valerie

Christmas decorations

For Christmas this year I decided to make some Home decorations and I found two patterns for Train sets. The one is from SVG Cuts called "North Pole Express" and the other is from My Scrap Chick and its called "Polar Express Train 3D paper train". I could not wait to make these train sets and this is what the sets turned out like:

First, I will show you the Polar Express Train set, I used the My minds eye paper set. The first few photos where taken just after I finished putting it together.

 A close up of the Engine - I love this set of papers from My Minds Eye - so colourful and fun.

 A close up of the middle box cart

 And a close up of the caboose.

This is a photo of the completed project. I added two more box carts and used silver line stickers and red rhinestones to bling the train set and make it sparkle. The Santa claus in the middle box is a snow globe that lights up and changes colour. The bags are filled with red and green round chocolates. 

Should you like what you see, go over to My Scrap Chick website and purchase the SVG file. I hope I have inspired somebody to try and make their own train set.

Thank you

Valerie

Sweet treat dispensers

I found a pattern in one of the Docrafts Creativity magazines for a Sweet treat dispenser and straight away I said that it would make the nicest Christmas gifts for the smaller children in the family and friend group.

Here are a few photos of the three that I have made so far:

 This is one of the box's made for a friends daughter Chloe, you lift the lid to load in the sweets and the sweets will be held in the top half of the box. There is a shelf in the top half that you twist on a kebab stick which will let the sweets then drop through a whole in the shelf to the bottom half of the box. The front part of the box where the name is is then pulled open and the sweets can be removed from the box. The christmas tree is 7 trees folded and glued together to make up the 3D tree and I glued lots of multi coloured rhinestones on and the star is glue onto the lid of the box. The Santa claus is from My Scrap Chick svg cuts. The paper range is the same as the Christmas cards and its from My minds eye.

The wreaths on the top of the box is to hide the kebab stick, and it is made from the seal on the milk bottle containers. Using pipe cleaners and a bell to complete the look of a wreath.

Thank you

Valerie

Christmas cards 2013

I have finally finished my Christmas cards for 2013 and need to get them in the post especially those that need to be posted to South Africa. My inspiration came off a card that I saw on Pinterest but cannot remember where or who it was from but I have changed it up and come up with an idea of my own. The pictures are of some of the cards that I have finished but I could not finished them complete due to me waiting for an order of rhinestones that I have purchased off ebay. I have a few of these rhinestones to finish off the ones going to South  Africa but not for all of the cards. Unfortunately the photos
are of the ones without the rhinestones.

The rhinestones are round clear frosted rhinestones for the center of the snowflake and then smaller red ones to make a circle around the frosted rhinestone. The Christmas tree is stamped onto heat proof acetate and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder with glitter mixed into it. There is a sheet of patterned paper behind the acetate and then layers of cardstock and patterned paper to make up the top and bottom design. The paper set is from My minds eye collection.

Thank you

Valerie

Christmas Ornaments

A dear friend of mine, Dad passed away a few months ago from Cancer and she has taken his death very hard. This will be the first Christmas without her Dad and if you have lost anybody close to you, you will know that its always the Birthdays, Holidays and Anniversaries that is the hardest.

I want to try and make this Christmas a little bit easier on the family and after watching a video from Catherine Pooler, where she was making her own Christmas ornaments, I decided to make my friend a Christmas ornament and put a photograph of her father on the front of them. I ended up making three, one for my friend, her mother and her brother.

 The blue one I made with her brother in mind and I made two of the red and green ones below for my friend and her mother.

 I also decided to make matching box's for them to store the decoration during the year!!

The ornaments are made using Christmas ornaments stamp set and stamping the image 4 items per ornament making a total of 20 red and 20 green. This will make only one of the ornaments. To see the original video by Catherine Pooler go to Youtube and search "Stampin up Holiday Mini Catalog Ornament".

thank you

Valerie

Weekend away

My husband and I where treated to a all expenses paid weekend away a few weeks ago and we stayed in this really awesome hotel in Tauranga with THE most comfortable spa bath and trimmings!! We also had an awesome meal at Somerset Cottage. Well I wanted to say thank you to the friends that treated us and I wanted it to be a handmade item so I decided to try and make one of the latest Splitcoast stampers Inklings. Its a "Tea bag dispenser" and I hope that they will enjoy the dispenser as well as the tea bags inside:

 The paper used is from the Rosies brand called My favourite recipes bought here in New Zealand at The Warehouse. The stamp in the front is also Rosies brand also from the Warehouse.

 The crocheted top is one that my Mother did while she was here on holiday. She did try and teach me but I have tried but accepted that crocheting will never be one of my things to do. I am all thumbs!! Then topped it will a paper rosette from the same paper range and a beautiful clear button. The chain in hot glued inbetween the two layers to ensure that it does not come off.

The chain I bought at one of the $2 stores here for the beads and charms on the chain but kept it in my collection of beads and things and I added some bigger beads to complete it.  The tea is a South African tea called Rooibos or "Red Bush". It is caffeine free and very healthy when drunk with no milk or sugar but very tasty.

If you would like to make one of these go to Splitcoaststampers website and you will find the
Tea Bag dispenser tutorial there,

Thank you for looking and come back soon

Valerie

Explosion box's

Greetings all, I have recently posted two new Baby albums that I have made for the two ladies at the hairdressers that are pregnant at the same time. So I decided to make Explosion box's which will give them more opportunity to place keepsakes for the new babies!!

 I am not sure if you can see the embossed effect on the outside of the box. Its feet and hands which I thought was perfect for this project.

And now for the blue one:

So these are the two Explosion box's and all the layers that make up the box. I really enjoyed making these and was able to use up some scrap patterned paper as well.

Hope you like what you see

Do pop by again soon

Valerie

Baby Boy album

Here is the photos of the baby boy album: The design is the same as the Girl baby album but of course done for a baby boy. Both paper rangers for the boy and girl albums are the Rosies paper ranges bought here in New Zealand from The Warehouse and I really like the paper for the designs and colours but also because of the thickness of the paper. Really nice thick paper!!

I hope that you have liked what you have seen, this one and the Baby girl one and that I have inspired somebody else to make one of these albums.

Thank you for looking and please stop by again for the next post which will be Explosion box's that match these two baby albums. See ya

Valerie