Old and New (Week 2)

It's week two of our "Something Old... Something New" prompt at Jingle Belles and we hope you're enjoying it as much as we are. Just a reminder that we'd like to see holiday cards on which you combine an item or two that you've had in your craft stash for a bit; with something new that you received for the holidays... or shopped for yourself!

I've had this adorable Simon Says Stamp Gnome Die for a couple of years, and I cannot imagine how I've never used it before?! In a way, it's both old and new, but I'm counting it as my NEW this week; whereas everything else --papers, ribbon, label tab sticker, etc-- are not only OLD but were in my stash as either scraps or things that I had pre-cut (snowflakes) or pre-made (lattice tag) so this 5.5" square card came together very quickly!

JB2602: Something Old... Something New runs until the evening of Wednesday, January 28th. Hop over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's beautiful card and start planning what you'll link up with us this time!

Holiday Jumpstart: Very Very MERRY

CLICK HERE to visit the “Very Very MERRY” page in the Paper Anthology Etsy Shop!

Holiday Jumpstart: Very Very MERRY is Paper Anthology's newest holiday card kit, which features a retro-inspired greeting in traditional colors, plus lots of sweet floral touches.

Paper Anthology’s Holiday Jumpstart Card Kit is a pre-packaged kit that includes everything you need (except adhesive) to complete FIVE copies of this new original holiday card design. This edition is called “Very Very MERRY” because of the oversized sentiment.

We all love the IDEA of making holiday cards throughout the year, instead being overloaded in November and December; but sometimes it’s hard to be inspired during the “off-season”. That issue is solved by this pre-packaged kit, which features everything you need (except adhesive) to complete five copies of this original design. Also included are complete written instructions (not pictured, but included!) and a nice big photo for reference.

This kit contains everything you see here PLUS complete written instructions. Visit the “Very Very MERRY” page in the Paper Anthology Etsy Shop.

Hip Hip(po) Hooray!

Nothing puts more HAPPY into "Happy Valentine's Day" than a bunch of Eyelet Outlet Hippo Brads dancing joyously across a card! Some pink Heart Brads and a mat of Pink Dot Washi Tape add a touch of seasonal color to the design.

Happy Hippo Shopping List:

Hippo Brads

Heart Brads

Pink Dot Washi Tape

The Eyelet Outlet Store has all the brads and embellishments you need for Valentine's Day... and the rest of the year, as well!

Rainbow Mandala

It's a Many Splendored Mandala Monday, featuring lots of my favorite Tombow Dual Brush Pens, splashed (and sometimes gently brushed or blended) with my favorite chunky waterbrush for a fun watercolor effect! Because you can never have too many bright colors, imo... especially in JANUARY!!!

JB2602: Something Old... Something New

You've probably guessed from the title, "Something Old... Something New" that this fortnight at Jingle Belles we'd like to see holiday cards on which you combine an item or two that you've had in your craft stash for a bit; with something new that you received for the holidays... or shopped for yourself!

My NEW things consist of: lots of stickers from the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Christmas Sticker Book I treated myself to; a brand new pack of EO Angel Brads that I got last summer, promptly lost and just now found again (yay!); and snowflakes diecut from very cool sticky-back felt that a friend gifted me. The OLD stuff is... everything else, lol; including: papers from Prima's Pretty Pale collection; doily scraps; gold glitter cardstock; and chipboard letter diecuts made from well-patina-ed vintage sheet music. The only downside to this card is that both my mom and my auntie have seen it and if I don't make second before December, there could be some trouble! ;)

JB2602: Something Old... Something New runs until the evening of Wednesday, January 28th. Hop over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's beautiful card and start planning what you'll link up with us this time!

Valentine ATCs

Eyelet Outlet Bacon, Egg and Toast Brads aren't just for breakfast anymore! Combine them with cute stamps and diabolical puns to make adorable Valentine themed Artist Trading Cards. Heart Washi and Tiny Heart Tape form the perfect seasonal background; Egg Brads, Bright Fresh Flowers and the Waffle from our Chicken and Waffles Set (the last three are on sale!) set the scene.

Handy Shopping List:

Bacon, Egg and Toast Brads

Egg Brads

Chicken and Waffles Brads

Bright Fresh Flower Brads

Heart Washi Tape 
Tiny Heart Washi Tape 

Check out all of the fabulous brads, tapes, bling, sequins and embellishments in the Eyelet Outlet Store!

SOS565: Out with the Old and in with the New

This might be one of the longest-ever titles for a challenge at Shopping Our Stash, but all we really want is for you to take some lovely OLD stash and pair it with something NEW you got over the holidays... or even something that you've had for a while but haven't used yet. Sound good? Here's what I made:

Stephanie, who knows how much I LOVE narwhals, gave me this super-duper-cuuuute Whimsy Stamps' Be Unique Stamp Set which has not one, not two, but three adorable narwhals; plus a tail and a bunch of great sentiments... which I didn't use this time, lol. I colored them with my Tombows and paired them with faux polaroids, alphabet stickers and cardstock buttons from Echo Park's Sweet Day collection, circa ten-or-so years ago? (Not sure exactly how old it is but it's OLD!) I added a plaid background from Photoplay and some yellow cardstock accents and called it good. 

SOS565: Out with the Old and in with the New runs until Monday evening, January 26th. Hop over to Shopping Our Stash and join the fun!

The Highlight(ers) of Mandala Monday

It's a soft and dreamy Mandala Monday thanks to these really fun double-sided pastel highlighters my mom found at the big box store. Gotta love it when an inexpensive art supply turns out to be fairly awesome, right?! 

Songbirds

It's my first art journal page of 2026, featuring my friend Gina's unique and colorful illustrations, fussycut from the fabulous Gina Is Arty Clipart Book, which she released this past Fall. There's a flip-through pinned to the top of her @ginaisarty profile if you'd like to see ALL the pages.

The sweet birds, the colorful tags and the gorgeously grungy heart are all from Gina's book. The Ledger Journal and the Typed Ledger quote are from Dina Wakley MEdia and are available on the @ranger_ink website. The rest of the items are from my embarrassingly large stash of collage goodies, including sheet music, an old Chinese astrology calendar, some washi tape, and gorgeous Big Dollar Trading Stamps that Stephanie found and gifted to me.

Here's a photo of the book, available on Amazon!

I hope you'll find some time this weekend to make something just for yourself! ♥

Wrap Artists

It's the second week of our "No Time Like the Presents" prompt at Jingle Belles, so Stephanie and I are still making cards using bits of leftover holiday wrapping paper and tags. You could make one, too, link up with us, and have a chance at a sweet little prize!

Here's my card:

I've got TWO styles of carefully-saved giftwrap here (the pink snowflake paper and the white snowflake paper in the background); plus the white tag with the pink tree was on one of my presents. (Pink Christmas runs in my family, lol!!!) I added some (ancient) KI Memories lasercut snowflake paper, and lots more tags and stickers to make a little collage on my 5.5" square card.

Hop over to Jingle Belles to link your giftwrap-inclusive cards and check out the inspiring Readers' Gallery. JB2601: No Time Like the Presents runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, January 14th.

Forever in Your Heart

The loss of a beloved family pet truly is like no other; our four-legged friends leave their paw prints on our hearts. Here is a pet sympathy card featuring Eyelet Outlet Kennel Mix and Heart Brads, as well as Paw Print Brads and Washi Tape.

Shopping List:

Kennel Mix Brads

Heart Brads

Paw Print Brads

Paw Print Washi Tape

Visit the Eyelet Outlet Store to see our full selection of brads, tape, bling, enamels, sequins and more!

Perfect Pearls Winter Cheer Card

Ranger's Perfect Pearls add magical shimmer and shine to any project, whether used wet or dry. Hop over to the Ranger Tutorials Page and follow along as I mix them with water to create pearlescent watercolor effects on this sweet and snowy winter cheer card.

First Mandala Monday of 2026

I'm making a POINT(settia) this Mandala Monday, with an extra-vivid, poinsettia mandala in my sketchbook. Made with Tombow Dualbrush pens and Letter It Fineliners. I hope your first full week of 2026 is off to a good start!

Let's TACO 'bout Ornaments

The last few years I've made some sort of holiday ornament for my nieces and nephew; usually crocheted... often an amigurumi food. In a good year, I make a bunch and other folks get them too; but this year was a bit of a limited edition:

This "Happy Lil Taco" pattern came from The Knotty Boss, but it's an older pattern and I can not seem to find a link to it. 

Here are some happy Taco Lovers (& their Abuela; aka my mom) showing off their Happy Lil Tacos.

I used Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice yarn in Mustard and Chocolate (a combination that works beautifully as colors but probably NOT as foods, lol) with several different shades of red and green for the lettuce and tomatoes, because I had leftover balls of yarn to use up.

Just in case you're thinking that Taco Ornaments are utterly bizarre and unprecedented, here's proof from my last trip to Wegman's that they are, in fact, perfectly on trend! :) :) :)

What I Did with the Perfect Pearls Trees

Before Christmas I made a bunch of TREE-mendous colorful diecuts, inspired by THIS POST on my favorite watercolor guru, Andrea Nelson's, Instagram.* Instead of using regular watercolors, I decided to get out my Ranger Perfect Pearls, figuring that the only thing better than watercolor trees would be SHIMMERY watercolor trees. I didn't show my finished items at that point, because they were intended as surprises for Christmas. But now, they've all been bestowed, so I can show them!

Project 1: Fancy Gift Bags

It's no secret that I love giftwrapping and I like to be extra fancy at Christmas. Sometimes folks say, "The wrapping is a gift in itself!" which is quite handy because, I'm not great at choosing actual presents; so 99% of the gifts I give contain some combination of:

1. Money or a giftcard

2. Something that I knitted or crocheted (often amigurumi food, lol!)

3. A silly novelty gift from Five Below or the Target Dollar Spot

4. A book I loved, with a bookmark I made

(Ta-daaaa!)

I used to feel a bit guilty about this, but I've stopped. I'm not good at everything, so I play to my strengths. It's efficient.

♥♥♥

Project 2: Framed Holiday Decor

These are inexpensive balsa wood frames from the big box craft store, painted white, adorned with diecut and blingy snowflakes, topped with the aforesaid trees. Not to brag, but I love how these turned out and if I ever do any kind of craft fair or holiday market, this will be one of the ideas I use.

♥♥♥

*If you like to watercolor at all... or even if you've previously been frustrated by watercolor and would like some easy/inspiring beginner project ideas, Andrea Nelson's Instagram is a fun, funny, fabulous destination, imo; my whole family loves her videos!  

Five Faves: Very Vecchi Edition

Wendy Vecchi's newest collection for Spellbinders came out this October and not only is it brilliant on its own, it mixes beautifully with literally every previous thing she's designed! I had a lot of fun and made quiiiiite a few samples, so it was a challenge just to choose five, but here they are in no particular order. Click the linked text under each photo to go to the original blog or Instagram post for more info and direct links to all the products.

New Wendy Vecchi? (Yes, Please!)

I think I used every piece from the Everyday Add-Ons set along with the Tabbed In and Out Sentiment Stamps and Dies; as well as the original Essential Envelopes pocket, of course. 

So! Much! Texture!

I used the embossing folder from the Thank You Bouquet Bundle on my pumpkin layers (it's just five ovals of exactly the same size!) and the blooms are from there as well. I cut the background into squares which I embossed with the Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder.

More Pink

I did some light stenciling with Thank You Bouquet Bundle before using the  Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder on the background. The blooms are from the Thank You Bouquet set too, and I've added just a little bit of ink to emphasize their fabulous texture.

Freestyle Stencil Thank You

Apparently I only posted this on social and there wasn't a blog post? But the essential facts are: I tried Wendy's brilliant Tip Tuesday idea of using her Perfect Stamp Positioner and STAY-tion with the layered stencils from the Thank You Bouquet Bundle, which meant I could easily reposition the orientation of the blooms to make a fun all-over pattern. I did the stenciling on sticky-back canvas paper with Wendy's Archival Inks; the canvas makes the design a little less crisp, but has a fun vintage fabric flare to it!

Merci Bouquet

Features the Essential Envelopes pocket doing double duty as a vase; and the pocket cover adorned with the Build a Plaid Layered Stencils. Blossoms from the Everyday Add-Ons set and the Polka Dot and Posy Duo Embossing Folder singin' backup in two shades of purple.

(Note to self: the radiating pieces of cardstock are pretty cool as staging!)

For more inspo check out Wendy's Instagram @wendyvecchi (Tip Tuesdays are my fave!); the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi FB Group (everyone's welcome!); or click THIS LINK to see all my previous Wendycentric projects.

No Time Like the Presents

Woohoo... the Jingle Belles (Stephanie and myself) are back for our sixteenth (16th!) year of holiday mayhem, and we'd be absolutely thrilled if you were along for the ride. We love that we get to use our large selection of holiday papercrafting products all year long.

Here's how it works: every other Friday at 12am EST (except for today, since we always love starting on January 1st) we'll post a new prompt to inspire your next holiday card; you can join us for one OR you can join us for all. Then the following Friday, we'll post a second card inspired by the same prompt, in case you need a little more inspiration. 

And VOILA! At the end of November, we'll each have 48 holiday cards ready to give to our friends, family and co-workers.

The first prompt of the year is "No Time Like the Presents" so before you put away your gift wrapping supplies, pull out some of your favorites (or that paper from a gift you unwrapped that was just too pretty to recycle) and make a card featuring wrapping paper or holiday gift tags.

Here's what I made this week:

My friend Gina wrapped her gifts in paper with these adorable holiday character mugs all over it, so OF COURSE I had to unwrap verrrrrrrrrry carefully to save as many as possible. I like to back giftwrap and other thin materials with cardstock, which is what I did here, and then I could fussycut and pop them on foam tape for a little dimension. The sentiment came from a page of Lawn Fawn gift tags; I had intended to use the whole thing, but it was just too big; thus I trimmed it to fit on my 5.5" square card.

Hop over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's beautiful giftwrap-centric card and check out the fun little prize that one lucky (random) cardmaker will score; then start planning what you'll link up with us this fortnight. JB2601: No Time Like the Presents will run until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, January14th.