Mixed Media Christmas Cards - Challenge Post

Hello.  I hope all of you had a fantastic Christmas yesterday.  This year's Christmas with my family was the craziest holiday celebration ever... and not in a good way. In all honesty, I am sick of seeing ambulances and EMT's on Christmas.  This is the second year in a row that a family member had to be rushed to the hospital on Christmas.  Hoping next year our family can have a normal holiday celebration.  For now, I am glad that Christmas is over.... I love the holidays, but not the drama or medical problems that pop up during the festivities.

Today I thought I would share a couple last minute Christmas cards I made on Christmas Eve.  These cards were relatively simple and cheap to make. I used a lot of materials already on hand including scrapbook paper and lace.  I did purchase some felt reindeer and paper poinsettia flowers to embellish the cards. All other stickers and embellishments were from my crafting stash.

The materials I used:
Various glitter scrapbook papers
 Kraft paper
Tombow glue
Pop dots (foam adhesive squares)
Alphabet stickers
"Warm Wishes" holiday stamp
Black ink pad
Glitter glue
Lace
Felt reindeer
Paper flowers
Velum

The first card I made has a simple red mat and glitter paper background for added sparkle. I wrapped a 1" thick strip of velum around the background paper before gluing it to the mat paper.  I was originally going to only add one flower and a ribbon bow, but loved these paper poinsettias so much that I added three.  All of the flowers were adhered to the card with pop dots. I used a stamped sentiment for the greeting on the card.  I used pop dots to adhere the matted sentiment to the card.  I love the dimension that pop dots can add to the card. The final step in making this card was gluing the entire matted card front to the kraft paper card.  I discovered Tombow glue on a youtube tutorial a few months ago and am hooked.  It is the only glue I use for cardmaking.  I highly recommend it.

The second card is similar in layout to the first card.  I used beautiful glitter papers for the mat and background.  Instead of velum, I wrapped lace around the background paper.  I added a cute lace bow to add interest and dimension.  I wanted to make this card masculine for my brother, so I did not add paper flowers or snowflakes.  Instead I added an adorable felt reindeer diecut.  I purchased a package of six holiday felt reindeer at Hobby Lobby for $1.24. I adhered the reindeer to the card using pop dots. Instead of adding a stamped sentiment to the card, I used light blue glitter alphabet stickers to add the word NOEL.  When I was satisfied with the placement of everything, I glued the card front to the kraft paper card.

These cards turned out super cute and took no time at all to put together.  I am entering one or both of these cards in the following blog challenges:
That Craft Place Challenge - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Winter Wonderland
Anything But Cute - You've Got Happy Mail
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make It Sparkle

I hope these simple cards inspire you to make your own greeting cards.  Thank you for visiting my blog, sharing my posts on social media, and subscribing to the Copper Blossom Blog.  Have a great day!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #10 - Digital Word Art

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas. I can't believe that Christmas day is already here. I have been busier than a hive of bees the last two days, but am now able to relax and post to the blog.  I hope all of you are enjoying your Christmas with family and friends.  I just wanted to post another Christmas freebie to the blog before the festivities at my mom's house begins.

The Christmas freebie today is a set of holiday word art that can be used for card making, art journaling, or digital scrapbooking.  These word art images are in .png format and can be used with any digital scrapbook software including My Memories Suite.  To download, simply left click on each image to view in a new window, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the image to your computer to use whenever you like. These word art images are for personal use only.

  I hope all of you have enjoy your Christmas celebrations today.  Please follow the blog and share this post via social media or google+ if you enjoy my posts and freebies.  I greatly appreciate all of the comments, follows, and shares!  Take care everyone and Merry Christmas!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #9 - Digital Cluster Frame

Hello!  I cannot believe that Christmas is only 3 days away.... where did the time go?  I am so not ready for Christmas.  I need to spend the day running last minute Christmas errands, so I decided to post this freebie before I leave the house.  I wasn't planning on doing any shopping today, but I was shipped the wrong gift item from Sears, so I gotta go to the mall and exchange it.  Since I am traveling out of town to go to the mall, I might as well make a day of it and enjoy myself.  I am supposed to get three more packages shipped from Sears tomorrow.... I am really hoping all of those orders are right.... I will be going to my brother's house tomorrow night and will not be able to fix any more shipping mistakes.

Today's freebie is a Christmas cluster frame that I created using the Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kit. This image is in .png format ready to add to any digital scrapbook layout, greeting card, or journal page. This digital cluster frame can also be printed out and used in any Christmas craft project. To download, simply left click on the image to view in a new window, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the image to your computer to use whenever you like. This cluster frame is for personal use only.

All of  the Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kits are available in my Etsy store HERE.  My paper packs are $1.75 and scrapbook kits are $3.00.  All kits that are purchased from my Etsy store can be used in commercially sold crafts. I am always working on creating new kits so be sure to check the blog and Etsy store often to see what new kits are available. I am currently working on a New Years kit that I hope to release in a few days.  Here are the Vintage Christmas kits you will find in my shop.

  I hope all of you have a great day and wonderful Christmas.  Please follow the blog and share this post via social media if you enjoy my posts and freebies.  Also be sure to check out the Copper Blossom Pinterest board and facebook page. You will find the links to all of my pages to the right of this blog post.  Take care everyone and enjoy the rest of your holiday week.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

A Few Handmade Mixed Media Christmas Cards - Challenge Post

Good evening everyone.  I just want to share a few Christmas cards that I made over the past week for friends and family.  These cards were relatively simple and cheap to make.  I ended up using scrapbook paper and ribbon I already had.  I did purchase some diecut snowflakes, and paper poinsettia flowers to embellish the cards. All other gems, stickers, and embellishments were from my crafting stash.

The materials I used:
Various foil and glitter scrapbook papers
 Kraft paper
Tombow glue
Pop dots (foam adhesive squares)
Ribbon
Winter and alphabet stickers
"Warm Wishes" holiday stamps
Black and brown ink pads
Glitter glue
Sakura star dust gel pen
Sakura Gelli Roll white gel pen
Double sided tape
Lace
Alcohol markers
Paper flowers
Diecut snowflakes
Pearl and gemstone stickers

 The first card features the layout I used the most this season when creating Christmas cards.  The main focus of this card is a tree image that I cut out from old scrapbook paper. This card layout also has a vintage key ribbon and bow embellishment. I used a brown ink pad to distress the edges of the tree image.  All of my cards this year have different mats and backgrounds.  I tried to use metallic and glitter papers as much as possible. This card has a stamped sentiment (that was used in most of the cards I made) and pearl accents. This layout is extremely simple... I had no problems manufacturing a bunch of similar cards quickly.  You could use a family photo or old Christmas card image instead of the tree image I chose to use.

This card has a similar layout to the card above, except the sentiment replaces the image.  This greeting card features a diecut snowflake and paper poinsettia flower.  The stamped sentiment is the same as the cards above. This card was embellished with clear gemstone stickers and a burgundy ribbon.  Just like the card above, I was able to quickly create a bunch of cards using this layout.

The layout for this card is the same as the first two cards, except their is no ribbon detail.  Instead, I used white lace behind the winter tree chipboard sticker.  Both the sentiment sticker and chipboard tree image used to create this card came from a winter scrapbooking kit.  I added pearls to this card to add a little extra bling.  I decided to make several winter cards this year as apposed to only Christmas cards.  I usually only make cards for close friends and family, but this year I wanted to give cards out to my doctors, mail man, city bus drivers, and co-workers. There were a lot of people who helped me this year both before and after surgery, so I wanted to give them all cards as a way of saying thanks.

 Here are a couple more winter cards with a horizontal layout.  The top card features snowflake diecuts, wreath ribbon, and a sentiment from a winter scrapbook kit. The bottom card features purple ribbon, a stamped sentiment, diecut snowflakes, and gemstone accents.  Almost all of the horizontal Christmas cards I made this year feature this layout, or a slight variance to this layout.  Just like the vertical cards, all of the horizontal cards have different mats and background papers. 

One or more of these cards are entered into the following Blog Challenges:

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge
 
Emerald Creek Dares
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge
Deep Ocean Challenge
The Mixed Media Card Challenge


I do have a few other handmade cards to share with all of you, but will be posting them in a couple days.  Those cards will also be entered into various contests and challenges. I hope these simple cards inspire you to make your own greeting cards.  Thank you for visiting my blog, sharing my posts on social media, and subscribing to the Copper Blossom Blog.  Have a great night!  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies Of Christmas - #8 - Printable Christmas Card

Hello again blog world.  Thanks for stopping by on this cold, rainy night. The weather here in Wisconsin has been unusual for this time of year.  Instead of snow and ice we have had thunderstorms and flooding. I love a good rain storm, so I can't complain about the weather too much. In all honesty, it feels more like spring time than Christmas. Besides the crazy weather, I am finally able to relax a bit and enjoy my two weeks of paid vacation.  I really haven't worked on a whole lot of art over the month of December due to work and holiday tasks, but I do look forward to creating some last minute cards and gifts.  I will also be catching up on blog posts that I was unable to post over the last couple of weeks.

The 8th freebie of Christmas I want to share with you today is a free printable greeting card. This digital Christmas card was made using papers and embellishments from the Vintage Christmas scrapbook kits sold in my Etsy Shop. The Vintage Christmas digital paper pack is $1.75 and the Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kit is $3.00.  Both downloadable kits are available for purchase in my Etsy store HERE.  I absolutely love how this card turned out and hope all of you do as well. This image can be printed out and adhered to a blank card or printed directly onto cardstock. The card image should be formatted to roughly 4"x6". This image can also be used as a pocket card for Project Life layouts or as a scrapbook embellishment. To download, simply left click on the image to view in a new window, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the image to your computer to use whenever you like. This card design is for personal use only.

I hope all of you have a fantastic night.  Please follow the blog and share this post via social media if you enjoy my posts and freebies.  Also be sure to check out the Copper Blossom Pinterest board and facebook page. You will find the links to all of my pages to the right of this blog post.  Take care everyone and have a great week.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #7 - Digital Scrapbook Quick Page

Hello and thank you for visiting my blog.  I have been extremely busy with Christmas shopping and planning family gatherings.  I also worked all week, but now get to enjoy a much needed two week vacation.  I am trying to get caught up on the blog posts ... especially my 12 Freebies of Christmas posts.  I do apologize for the large influx of new blog posts that you will see this week, but I hope you enjoy all the Christmas cards and digital freebies I have to share. 

The freebie I have for you today is a 12"x12" digital scrapbook page to frame any holiday or Christmas memory.  I absolutely love Christmas and have fallen in love with the Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kits I now have available for purchase in my Etsy shop.  You can find the Vintage Christmas digital paper pack for $1.75 and the Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kit for $3.00 in my Etsy store HERE.  The background paper and embellishments on this quick page are from the Vintage Christmas kits.

This .png scrapbook page only needs a photo to complete.  To download the digital scrapbook quick page, simply left click on the image to view in a new window, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the image to your computer to use whenever you like. This free digital scrapbook page is for personal use only and cannot be used in commercially sold crafts.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog tonight!  I am working on many handmade Christmas  cards, and cannot wait to post them to the Copper Blossom blog!  I also have many contests to enter over the next week and cannot wait to share those projects with you as well.  Thanks again to everyone who reads, shares, or follows my blog.  I appreciate all of the kind words you have shared with me over the last several months.  Your support has truly impacted my life in so many positive ways.  Have a great week everyone.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #6 - Vintage Christmas Mini Paper Pack 2

Good evening everyone.  I do apologize for not posting to the blog in a while.  I have been spreading myself rather thin lately with the holidays approaching. I have been working like a mad woman to get cards made, presents wrapped, and gifts ordered. I am also working at my regular job and doing most of the work around the house since my boyfriend is ill. I am very exhausted!  I do have several handmade cards to share with all of you, but I will be sharing those in my next blog post. Tonight I wanted to share another downloadable Christmas freebie.

The freebie I have for you today is a second mini Vintage Christmas paper pack. The digital papers in this kit are inspired by vintage wrapping paper. The papers consist of retro designs, traditional red and green hues, and holiday patterns. These digital papers are great for Project Life layouts, scrapbook pages, journaling, and card making. There are 6 - 12"x12" digital scrapbook papers in this downloadable zip file.  All of the papers in this kit were created by me and are intended for personal use only.

Click HERE to download this free mini Vintage Christmas paper pack.

If you like the digital scrapbook papers in this Christmas inspired freebie, please check out the Vintage Christmas Digital Scrapbook Paper Pack available for purchase on my Etsy shop HERE. The full Vintage Christmas Paper Pack includes 18 12"x12" digital scrapbook papers and costs only $1.75!  All of my digital scrapbook kits and paper packs sold on Etsy can be used commercially!

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today.  Please feel free to comment below or share this post on social media if you enjoyed the freebie.  There are six more freebies to go, so keep your eyes peeled for the next ones.  I start my holiday vacation this weekend, so there will be plenty of reading material posted to the Copper Blossom blog.  I have so many Christmas cards and crafts to share with all of you! Until next time, take care everyone.    ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Star Christmas Ornament Tutorial

Hello blog!  So glad that it is finally Friday.  This has been a super hectic week, but I can finally take a load off and relax. I had finished all of my handmade ornaments last week, but wanted to share a second ornament tutorials with you. Today I am sharing the tutorial for a painted star ornament with a snowflake design. This ornament is extremely inexpensive to make but is a little more time consuming than the clear glass ornament I posted last week.

The materials you will need to make this ornament include:
Foam star ornaments (I purchased mine from Wal-Mart for $0.48 each)
Metallic gold, silver, or bronze paint (I used distress paint and pigment ink)
Ribbon
Straight Pins
Seed beads

You could also add Christmas charms, a dated tag, stickers, glitter glue, rub on sentiments, pine stems, sequins, or buttons to the ornament.  I kept these ornaments rather simple to keep their cost to a minimum.  As always, I encourage you to create these ornaments with materials you already have at home. I have a ton of seed beads so decided to use them along with the pins to add the snowflake detail.

Before painting the plain foam star ornaments, I inspected the ornaments for any significant gauges or breaks. I made sure to fill in any major cracks with modeling paste.  This wasn't a necessary step, but I wanted to make sure that each ornament was relatively smooth before painting them.  I let the ornaments dry overnight before painting them.

I used antique bronze Distress paint to paint all of the ornaments.  I applied two coats of paint to each ornament to ensure complete coverage.  Painting the Styrofoam was a bit tricky because the surface is soft and uneven.  If you are using distress paint, I do not recommend painting with the dauber.  Using a paint brush ensures even paint coverage and a smoother application.  

I thought that the color was a little flat, so I decided to use a gold pigment ink to highlight the star's edges.  I applied the pigment ink to the outer edges and crevasses using a q-tip. You could also dry brush the ornaments with a gold metallic paint to achieve the same effect. I really like how the gold ink made the ornaments look tarnished and worn.

After the ink was dry, I used seed beads and straight pins to make a snowflake on each ornament. I started in the center of the ornament and worked my way outward. The snowflake pattern I designed for this ornament has two colors and requires 87 seed beads to create. Each bead is pinned to the star ornament. You could use sequins instead of seed beads. I always recommend using whatever materials you already have.

I ended up using a couple different bead and color combinations when making the snowflakes.  Not all of the ornaments you make as gifts have to be identical. It is always a good idea to experiment! 

The last step was to add a bow to each ornament.  I simply tied a ribbon bow around the ornament cap. I used a slim wired ribbon, but any ribbon or string will work.

These ornaments turned out better than I expected them too.  I may end up adding a holiday charm or 2015 tag to each ornament, but for now I think they are done.  Each finished ornament only cost me approximately $0.60 to make.  These homemade ornaments make great gifts for co-workers, friends, and family members.

I hope you enjoyed this ornament tutorial.  I apologize for not posting this tutorial sooner, but I have been extremely busy making Christmas cards and preparing for Christmas. This time of year is always hectic, and it has been difficult for me to find time in my schedule to post to the blog. I am hoping that things return to normal after Christmas. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.  I appreciate all of the shares on social media and google+.  Have a great night everyone. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #5 - Printable Project Life Pocket Cards

Hello everyone!  I hope all of you had a great day! I had a very busy day getting an eye exam and picking out new glasses. Since my insurance had been reinstated, I figured I should use it as much as possible before the end of the year.  The optical store was full of people, and I was there for almost 3 hours today.  My new frames are a sassy pink and raspberry red.  I cannot wait to pick up my new glasses next week! I also found out that by some miracle my eyesight is better than it was two years ago at my last eye exam. I can actually see better with a weaker lens prescription.  How cool is that?!

 Besides the eye exam, I have been working a lot lately as the fall semester on campus comes to a close.  I am trying to get all of my ducks in a row before I am laid off in two weeks.  It seems as though I am never able to finish everything on my list.  As soon as I get my vacation time straight, I discover an issue with my check.  The issue with my check gets fixed, and now unemployment sends me a letter stating I am not employed and am required to look for work.  Seriously.... I cannot believe that I am still dealing with these work issues.  What the hell does our HR and payroll department do all day?  This is so frustrating.  Perhaps the work search thing is a God send because I do feel that I need to move on to a better job.  I truly dislike my employer and feel completely used and beaten by them.  I always feel like I am a good little soldier for marching to work everyday and doing my job... despite all of the obstacles and hardships I have faced.  I am rather sick of being a good soldier and would rather march to the beat of my own drum.  Perhaps one day.

I have had little time to work on handmade Christmas cards and digital scrapbooking elements. I originally planned to finish the printable gift tags tonight, but have had no time to even start them.  Since Christmas is approaching quickly, I want to put my effort into finishing my handmade Christmas cards and digital freebies.  I will also be working on my New Years Collection which I hope to release soon.  For now, I am simply happy to have some time tonight to post another Christmas freebie to the blog. 

The Christmas freebie I have for you tonight is a set of 3 printable Project Life pocket cards. These cards can be printed out and used for scrapbook layouts, cards, journaling, or decoupage projects.  You can also keep these journaling cards in digital format and use them in your digital projects. To download, simply left click on each image to view in a larger screen, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the images to your computer to use whenever you like.  I do want to mention that these design are for personal use only and cannot be sold for profit outside of Copper Blossom Paperie without my consent.

If you love to download my freebies, please follow or subscribe via the links to the right of this post.  Also feel free to comment below or share this blog post on social media and google +. As always, thank you so much for stopping by and have a great night.   ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤ 

Vintage Christmas Digital Scrapbook Kit Release

Hello everyone!  I hope all of you had a fantastic weekend.  Its hard to believe that Christmas is only 19 days away.  I was starting to feel guilty for not releasing my digital Christmas scrapbook kit, so I ended up spending the majority of the weekend finishing it up. Tonight I just wanted to share the release of my new Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kit.  This kit contains 18 12"x12" digital papers and 52 .png embellishments inspired by vintage Christmas cards and decorations.  I love this kit and cannot wait to share the freebies I create featuring these papers and embellishments.  These papers and embellishments are great for scrapbook pages, journaling, seasonal crafts, and card making.  This digital scrapbook kit is $3.00 and is available for purchase and download at my Etsy shop HERE.  All digital kits purchased from my Etsy store have unlimited commercial use. All kits are in zip file format and will be sent to your e-mail directly from Etsy when your payment clears.  If you have any problems downloading any of the digital files, please contact me at copperblossompapergallery@gmail.com and I will help you with whatever issue you may have.  

Also available on my Etsy shop is Vintage Christmas paper pack which was release a couple weeks ago.  The paper pack is $1.75 and contains 18 - 12"x12" digital papers.

During my last Etsy shop release, I had announced that I was making a second digital Christmas collection titled Merry & Bright.  With my life being so busy and not feeling satisfied with the papers I created for that collection, I decided to scrap the second digital Christmas kit.  I am however working on creating Vintage Christmas printable gift tags instead of a pocket card kit.  I will be releasing that kit to my Etsy shop by Wednesday.  I have also started creating a very sparkly New Years paper pack and cannot wait to reveal that kit to you all. 

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the new Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kit!  I am so glad you came to visit my blog this evening! Please click the follow button if you love to read my blog, and feel free to share this post on social media.  Blessings to all of you. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Handmade Christmas Ornament Tutorial

Hello blog!  So glad that it is finally Friday.  This has been a super long and busy week, but I can finally take a load off and relax. I have finally finished all of the ornaments I intend to give as gifts this year, and cannot wait to share the tutorials with you. Today I am sharing the tutorial for a clear glass ornament that is filled with fake snow, berries, and pine cones.  This is a super fast and easy ornament that is inexpensive to make.  Each ornament cost me roughly $1.55 to make. 

To make this ornament, you will need:
Glass (or plastic) clear ornaments
Fake snow
Berry stems
Glitter spray
Fake miniature pine cones
Wired ribbon
Twine or hemp string

 You could also add Christmas charms, a dated tag, stickers, glitter glue, rub on sentiments, pine stems, sequins, or buttons to the ornament.  I kept these ornaments rather simple to keep their cost to a minimum.  As always, I encourage you to create these ornaments with materials you already have at home.  The hemp twine and glitter spray were already in my crafting arsenal, so I used them.  I was originally planning on adding a pine stem (from last years broken Christmas tree), but decided against it.  I did not want the filling of the ornament to be too busy.

Before filling my ornaments, I washed them off with Windex.  I had purchased these clear ornaments at Wal-Mart and had noticed a few of them were a bit dirty.  The clear ornaments at Wal-Mart are plastic which makes them easier to handle and a lot less fragile.  I personally love glass ornaments, but since many of these ornaments are gifts for friends and family with small children, I opted to go with plastic.

After washing and drying off the ornaments, I added a bit of fake snow to each ornament.  I purchased a 1 pound bag of fake snow from Hobby Lobby for $1.00 while it was 50% off last week.  The fake snow I used looks more like mini snow balls.  Wal-Mart also sells fake snow that is iridescent and fluffy for a couple bucks.  White fiber fill, pom poms, cotton balls, or down feathers would also work for this part.

 After adding the snow, I added the berry vines and mini pine cones to the ornament.  The berry vines were bent into a circular shape before I placed them into the ornaments so that they would wrap around the interior.  The pine cones and stems were all sprayed with glitter spray paint prior to being placed in the ornament.  I did not glue any of the berries or pine cones inside of the ornament, but you could if you want them to stay put. 

The contents of the ornament are completely up to you.  You could add glitter stems, pine stems, poinsettia flowers, paper flowers, fake holly, or even mistletoe to the ornament.  For added sparkle, be sure to add glitter glue, glimmer mist, or glitter spray paint to the floral stems. 

When I was satisfied with the ornament's interior, I placed the metal top back on each ornament.  I tightened the cap around the ornament opening so that the top would not come lose.  You could also glue the metal cap to the ornament to be sure that the contents of the ornament cannot escape.  (This is definitely an important step if you are gifting these ornaments to families with children or small pets).

After the cap was secured, I added a hemp twine loop to the top of the ornament.   If you do not have hemp or twine, you could use a thin ribbon, baker's twine, embroidery floss, or yarn to hang the ornament.  I have a ton of hemp twine around the house (that I use to craft hemp necklaces from), so that is what I used.

The last step was to add a bow to each ornament. The ribbon I used was a wired burlap ribbon, but any ribbon or string will work.  The ribbon I chose was too thick to wrap around the ornament cap or tie into a bow.  I ended up using my hemp twine to help create each bow and to affix the bow to the ornament.  The hemp twine matched the burlap ribbon perfectly, so the bows turned out beautifully. 

These ornaments turned out better than I expected them too.  I may end up adding a holiday charm or 2015 tag to each ornament, but for now I think they are done.  At this point, you could embellish the exterior of the ornament with a rub on sentiment, stickers, or glitter glue.  If you have any leftover berry twigs or pine cones, you could glue them to the center of the bow.  The way you personalize your ornaments is totally up to you.
 
I hope you enjoyed this ornament tutorial.  I will be sharing another handmade ornament tutorial with you next week sometime (if I'm not too busy).  This time of year is always hectic, and it has been difficult for me to find time in my schedule to post to the blog.  I also will finally be releasing my Vintage Christmas scrapbook kit in the next couple days.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog.  I appreciate all of the shares on social media and google+.  Have a great night everyone. ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Technique Tuesday - Quick And Beautiful Christmas Card Video

Hello everyone.  I hope all of you had a fabulous day today.  I had the day off and spent the majority of the day online.  I found a couple deals online, and before I knew it, the day was nearly gone.  I am glad that I was finally able to start my Christmas shopping.... better late than never.  Tonight I was going to share a handmade ornament tutorial, but I spent way too much time shopping online today.  I was planning on having all of the ornaments done today, but will have to finish making them tomorrow after work.  These handmade ornaments are gifts for all of my friends and family members.  I will still share the ornament tutorial on my blog in the next couple days, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that post!

Since I was not able to post the ornament tutorial tonight, I thought I would share a card making video I found on Youtube last week.  I will be making all of my Christmas cards this year, and felt really inspired by this video. The card in the video is really easy to make, but looks extravagant and expensive.  This video makes me want to dig right into card making.... well... after I finish my ornaments of course.

I hope this video inspires you to create some handmade Christmas cards or gifts this year.  Please be sure to comment below if you have any inspiring holiday craft ideas!  I am always looking for new cards and crafts to create. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog tonight.  Please feel free to follow my blog and share this post on social media or google+.   Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #4 - 3 Printable Holiday Tags

Hello everyone!  I hope all of you had a great weekend! I had a very busy weekend shopping and working, but finally have some time tonight to post another Christmas freebie to the blog.  I hope all of you were able to take advantage of black Friday and cyber Monday.  I am still working on getting my finances back in order, so I was not able to shop for Christmas gifts.  I did however purchase a new cookware set for myself .... I was not planning on making any substantial purchases, but the price was unbelievable!

The Christmas freebie I have for you tonight is a set of 3 printable tags. These tags can be printed out and used for scrapbook layouts, cards, or decoupage projects.  You can also keep these tags in digital format and use them in your digital art.  All 3 tags are in .png format and should be identical in size. 
To download, simply left click on each image to view in a larger screen, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the images to your computer to use whenever you like.  I do want to mention that these design are for personal use only and cannot be sold for profit outside of Copper Blossom Paperie without my consent.

I hope everyone has a great week!   If you love my blog, please follow or subscribe via the links to the right of this post.  Also feel free to comment below or share this blog post on social media and google +. As always, thank you so much for stopping by.   ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤ 

12 Freebies of Christmas - #3 - Vintage Christmas Mini Paper Pack

Good afternoon everyone and happy belated Thanksgiving!  I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday. I was not able to post to the blog over the last few days due to the holiday, but I am back home in time for freebie Friday! As you know, my brother and I had a lasagna cook-off yesterday instead of a traditional turkey dinner.  My lasagna was victorious, but my brother did make a pretty good lasagna too.  Most of the family did not want to partake in judging the competition (including my mom) so in the end we decided that both lasagnas were equally good. This Thanksgiving would have been absolutely perfect if the Green Bay Packer's would have beat the Chicago Bears... I am still dumbfounded by the football game yesterday.  Other than the disappointing Packer game, I had a great Thanksgiving with my family.

The freebie I have for you today is a mini Vintage Christmas paper pack.  It took me a while to figure out how to post a downloadable zip file to the blog, but I think I got it. The digital papers in this kit are inspired by vintage wrapping paper. The papers consist of retro designs, traditional red and green hues, and sweater patterns. These digital papers are great for Project Life layouts, scrapbook pages, journaling, and card making. There are 6 - 12"x12" digital scrapbook papers in this downloadable zip file.  All of the papers in this kit were created by me and are intended for personal use only. 

Click HERE to download this free Vintage Christmas paper pack. 

If you like the digital scrapbook papers in this Christmas inspired freebie, please check out the Vintage Christmas Digital Scrapbook Paper Pack available for purchase on my Etsy shop HERE. The full Vintage Christmas Paper Pack includes 18 12"x12" digital scrapbook papers and costs only $1.75!  All of my digital scrapbook kits and paper packs sold on Etsy can be used commercially!

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today.  Please feel free to comment below or share this post on social media if you enjoyed the freebie.  If you are Black Friday shopping today, good luck on your venture and be careful... the traffic can be hazardous. Until next time, take care everyone.    ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Video Tutorial - Glass Photo Keepsake Ornament

Good evening everyone. I hope all of you had a great day today.  I had a long day at work followed by an exhausting trip to the food pantry and grocery store, but I am finally home and able to relax.  While I was out and about, I picked up the rest of the ingredients for my Thanksgiving lasagna along with a few items for the house. I am thrilled that I do not have to return to work until Sunday afternoon, and cannot wait to start creating Christmas crafts this week.  I will be decorating the apartment and putting up the Christmas tree tomorrow.  I also plan on making all of my Christmas cards sometime this week. I have 50 blank kraft cards and envelopes just waiting to be embellished with holiday sentiments and graphics.

Since I am on holiday for the rest of the week, I thought I would start looking for cute holiday gift ideas.  After searching online, I came across a video about glass photo keepsake ornaments. These ornaments are works of art from the heart! They are super easy and cheap to make, but look so expensive. You could use family photos, pet photos, or even scrapbook papers to embellish the backside of the ornaments. The glass ornaments can also be filled or embellished with ribbon, sand, glitter, flowers, buttons, charms, beads, stickers, or sea shells.  The possibilities are endless. The materials you will need for this project include: flat glass ornaments, Grafix Rub-Onz, clear acrylic sealer, photos, ribbon, and whatever materials you choose to place inside of the ornaments.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog tonight.  Please feel free to follow my blog and share this post on social media or google+.   Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies Of Christmas - #2 - Digital Scrapbook Quick Page

I hope all of you had a great weekend.  It has been super cold here in Wisconsin over the past few days, and much of the state has seen well over a foot of snow already.  Here in Oshkosh, we have not had any snow.  Every storm that passes through Wisconsin seems to just miss us.  I can honestly say that I am not ready for snow or icy sidewalks, so I am grateful for the odd weather.

Before I share this beautiful Christmas freebie, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has shown me support during this rough time in my life.  Things are starting to improve and my luck is beginning to change for the better. I was able to straighten out the paycheck problem at work last week Friday.  Even though I was an emotional wreck going into the meeting, I was able to stay calm the entire time.  The managers did not bring up the job coding error, or the issues with unemployment fraud.  Instead, they brought up the fact that I was paid short-term disability over the summer and that somehow I should have no problems with my finances (despite not seeing any pay since September).  Really?!  I had to travel 1200 miles round trip via bus, train, and relatives 6 times to get to my Mayo Clinic appointments this summer. Many times I had to stay in hotels and pay for meals. There were a couple times I had no money to go to my appointments and my family paid the bill. I had to pay a $120 copay for my knee scooter and $240 upfront for physical therapy that was not covered by my insurance.  I had to pay for medications that came from out of network pharmacies after surgery because I had no way of picking them up while I was immobile.  I had bills and rent to pay the entire 22 weeks I was off work. Most of my surgery was not covered by my insurance because it was "uncustomary" and did not meet the parameters of what the insurance company pre-approved prior to surgery. My current Mayo Clinic bill is over $32,000.00 after insurance covered everything that they could. Despite this, my manager told me "we all have problems".  I felt frustrated and a bit misunderstood at my work meeting, but in the end I did receive an apology and was glad that I kept a level head.

The entire paycheck debacle did get fixed.  I will not be getting back all of the money that was deducted from my paychecks in error, but I will be getting back all money mistakenly taken for insurance starting November 1st (which amounts to $148.06). The money I do not get back went to reinstating all of my insurance benefits (which are paid up through the end of the year).  I am so glad that this issue is resolved and that I will start receiving normal paychecks again. Although I was not anticipating having insurance for the rest of the year, I am glad to have it. I plan on utilizing it as much as possible in the coming weeks, especially since I have another Mayo Clinic appointment before the end of the year.

The freebie I have for you today is a 12"x12" digital scrapbook page for the upcoming holidays.  I absolutely love Christmas and have fallen in love with the Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kits I am working on.  You can find the Vintage Christmas digital paper pack for $1.75 in my Etsy store HERE. I will be releasing the Vintage Christmas scrapbook kit soon, so you will want to keep your eyes peeled for that.  I do want to mention that my Etsy shop is open again now that my life is returning to normal and my finances are slowly improving.

This .png scrapbook page only needs a photo to complete.  To download the digital scrapbook quick page, simply left click on the image to view in a new window, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the image to your computer to use whenever you like. This free digital scrapbook page is for personal use only and cannot be used in commercially sold crafts.

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog tonight!  I am working on many handmade Christmas gifts and cards, and cannot wait to post them to the Copper Blossom blog!  I also have many contests to enter over the next five weeks and cannot wait to share those projects with you as well.  Thank you again to everyone who reads, shares, or follows my blog.  I appreciate all of the kind words you have shared with me over the last couple weeks.  Your support has truly impacted my life in so many positive ways.  Have a great week everyone.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

12 Freebies of Christmas - #1 - Free Printable Christmas Card

Hello again blog world.  Thanks for stopping by on this cold, rainy night.  I really haven't worked on a whole lot of art over the last week due to crazy life circumstances, but I did want to post a quick little freebie for all of you since I missed freebie Friday last week.  I thought I would start a holiday blog tradition - 12 Freebies of Christmas.  Today's freebie will be a printable Christmas card.

This digital Christmas card was made using papers from the Vintage Christmas paper pack sold in my Etsy Shop. (I do apologize, my Etsy shop is temporarily closed due to life circumstances. I will be getting my shop back up and running in the next couple weeks.) If you are interested in purchasing this paper pack while my Etsy shop is down, please contact me by leaving a comment below or email me at copperblossompapergallery@gmail.com - I can link you my paypal address and send the kit to your email directly.  This kit is $2.00 and includes 18 12"x12" digital papers. This printable card also features a "believe" sentiment by Summer Driggs.  I absolutely love this card and hope all of you do as well. This image can be printed out and adhered to a blank card or printed directly onto cardstock. The card image should be formatted to roughly 4"x6". This image can also be used as a pocket card for Project Life layouts or as a scrapbook embellishment. To download, simply left click on the image to view in a new window, then right click on the design and select save image as.  You will be able to save the image to your computer to use whenever you like. This card design is for personal use only.

I hope all of you have a fantastic night.  Please follow the blog and share this post via social media if you enjoy my posts and freebies.  Also be sure to check out the Copper Blossom Pinterest board and facebook page. You will find the links to all of my pages to the right of this blog post.  Take care everyone and have a great week.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Handmade Acorn Ornament Video!

Hello everyone.  Happy Veterans Day!  It has been miserable and rainy here in Wisconsin today.  It is even lightening out as I type this.  I myself had quite a miserable day today due to more issues arising at work.  The bills are piling up and I still have not gotten a penny from work.... not even after working for 5 weeks. Due to having 3 nervous breakdowns over the last couple days, I decided that I needed to take a break from work and use a couple sick days. If the stress and nervous breakdowns aren't enough, I am also fighting a cold.  There was a bit of good news today however.  I was called for an interview... not just any interview, but for a general manager job that could lead to a corporate career.  I wasn't planning on a job change at the moment, but it may be what I need after dealing with the shit my current employer has put me through. I have dealt with more backlash and harassment after my return from medical leave than anyone should have to endure. I hope the interview goes well... I will be sure to keep my blog fans informed if I do happen to get a new job.  Its not an artsy career like I have been wishing for, but it is a HUGE improvement and would change my life.

The possibility of a new job does bring hope to my life, but unfortunately this will still be a hard Christmas to get through. I will have no money to buy anything for anyone this year, so I am trying to be creative and resourceful when it comes to gifts.  I wouldn't even have a Christmas tree this year if it weren't for my brother and sister-in-law giving me their old fake tree. I usually give handmade ornaments to my friends and family every year for Christmas and was excited to discover this video on youtube. These handmade acorn ornaments made from plastic Easter eggs, paint, ribbon, and glue are absolutely adorable!  I can't wait to make these and give them as gifts.  The best part..... you can hide a little gift inside the ornament.  How cute is that?

I hope this video inspires you as much as it inspired me. This will definitely be the ornament I make for 2015!  I will continue to look for crafty ornaments and Christmas gifts to make, and will post all of those ideas and tutorials to the blog.  This will be the craftiest Christmas of all time!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog on this crummy Wednesday.  Please follow my blog and share this post on social media or google+.  I appreciate all comments, follows, and shares that I receive. I cannot say thank you enough!  Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.  ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤

Vintage Christmas Digital Scrapbook Paper Pack Release

Good evening everyone.  I hope all of you had a fabulous Monday.  Yesterday and today were odd days for me.  As you know, I recently returned to work.  I have been working through the ankle pain (related to the triple ankle fusion surgery I had several months ago) trying to return to my normal life.  Yesterday my ankle pain went through the roof, but I managed. Today the pain was even worse.  I worked five days in a row, and couldn't wait to come home and take my shoes off.  When I got home tonight and finally was able to take my shoes off and relax, I found that my sock and shoe was covered in blood.  Apparently my foot became so swollen today that one of my toenails popped off and the skin on some areas of my foot ripped open.  I did not feel any of this because my ankle pain was so excruciating. My foot looked so bad that I broke down and started to cry.  I am still in shock that this happened to me.

My return to work this week has been a struggle and the pain has been preventing me from working on any art.  Even now I am struggling to write this blog. My concentration and focus have been thrown out the window in exchange for fatigue and chronic pain. I look forward to the pain lessening and life returning to normal as time passes. For now, I will try to post to the blog and work on art when I can.

Tonight I just wanted to share the release of my new Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook paper pack.  This kit contains 18 12"x12" digital papers inspired by vintage Christmas cards and decorations.  I love this kit and cannot wait to post projects featuring these papers.  These papers are great for scrapbook pages, journaling, seasonal crafts, and card making.  This kit is $1.75 and is available for purchase HERE.  All digital files purchased will be sent to your e-mail directly from Etsy when your payment clears.  If you have any problems downloading any of the digital files, please contact me at copperblossompapergallery@gmail.com and I will help you with the zip files or even send the files to you directly.  

I will be releasing the full Vintage Christmas digital scrapbook kit and set of pockets cards in the next couple weeks as well as a printable greeting card set and gift tags! I also started working on a second Christmas collection titled Merry & Bright.  I will be announcing all upcoming digital scrapbook releases on this blog so be sure to follow and subscribe!

As always, I hope all of you have a fantastic week!  If you enjoy reading this blog, be sure to share this post on google+ and social media.  You can also like our facebook page and follow my pinterest board.  Until next time, stay classy blog world!   ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤