Hi crafty people! Welcome to my little mini-series of Create Your Christmas 2013. Every year I do a series for Christmas. I usually start this series in November or late October, but it didn't work out that way this year, so I'm focusing on the OMG last minute gifts and some fun, like today's project. I also have a challenge for you at the bottom of this post for you to link your project too. If at least 25 people play along, I have a $150 prize for you! You definitely want to be sure to tell your friends. Below is a blog badge that you can put on your blog, which will get you 2 entries into the contest. You can use either badge and be sure to link the badge to: https://www.cindybdesigns.com/?cat=1491
For our first project, I have a knock out of the park very cool and fun tags for you to do with your kids. We are going to make Christmas tags that they can color and make for you or their grandparents or for somebody special in their life. These are so very cool. The kids are going to be so proud of their accomplishments and you will too! Some of the older kids will even be able to do it on their own.
My tags are just a starting point for you so let your own creativity take over and the kids' too! Especially the kids as they have a way of just making everything so special and pretty.
I still have every single little present my kids made for me while they were in school, all 4 of them, down to the pretty homemade tags they made. Those are the gifts that I hold closest to my heart. I have them all safely tucked away physically but more importantly, in my heart. Nothing is more precious than those little things from your kids, nothing. I'm up at my dad's house right now and I've been here often sometimes staying 2+ weeks in a row. Lately I've been noticing the little things of what was precious to him. Daddy kept everything I ever made him when I was a child and everything that my kids made him. They were all tucked away safely in his safe and others in a filing drawer that he kept locked for the larger items so that they would not get wrinkled. There is even a picture here of what my daughter painted for daddy and he put it up in a very strategic place. If you were to sit in his favorite chair, the picture is right in front of him across the room. I asked him one day why he hung that picture there and he said "because Mackenzie took the time and effort to paint me such a gift that I will cherish forever. It's beautiful and I'm so happy she thought of me while painting this."
We should have hung up more Mackenzie pictures. She painted a lot of them before we moved to California and I had every intention of framing them but they would need custom framing and that's when I was at the height of the back issue going undiagnosed at that time and so much slipped through the cracks and I regret that was one of them. I hope that they are framed and proudly displayed at her house. She has an amazing gift. I would always get her art supplies for Christmas and as she got older, I would buy her artist grade items. You should have seen the look on her face when I first showed her Copic markers!
When daddy went to be with the Lord on July 29, 2013, I already had keys to everything, but not to his locked file cabinet and other small items like that. I went to where daddy kept all of his keys and that made me cry. One of my kids in first grade, I don't know which one since my 3 youngest all had the same wonderful teacher, had made daddy a keychain holder. It was very primitive with hooks on it for keys. One of the kids painted it for him, told him how much they loved him and wrote scripture on it. Daddy lovingly hung it up in his pantry and that this is never coming down as he screwed it in. I also found my high school keychain that I used for years, hanging up inside too. It was a tarnished Snoopy holding a tennis racket. I have no clue where he found that and never got the chance to ask him where he found it. The point is that he kept everything that the kids made for him and these tags will be a keeper too. In the video, I explain two ways how to use them. What will be really fun about these tags is if one is given every year, you can date it and see how their coloring skills and creativity have developed over the years. It is the small things that matter the most.
When I was a little girl, I always wanted the big package of Life Savers that you can open up like a book but never got one. I told my husband about that and every single year since I told him, he's always wrapped up my Life Savers book. I loved it every single year. I won't get one this year for obvious reasons as we are getting a divorce after 25 years of marriage. But honestly, that's going to hurt and break my heart that I won't have my Life Savers book to open. Wow. I couldn't even write that without the tearing flowing and this is supposed to be a happy post. Just appreciate the little things, like these tags will be to whomever they are given to because whoever colors one of these tags for you put their heart into it. Whatever present it's attached to won't compare and if you decide to hang it up on a tree, write the date on the back.
I made a video for you to help you out getting started. It's 35 minutes long but well worth it. This is an idea you can use again and again and even make it a family tradition to make Christmas tags together. I think you're going to love it! I had a lot of fun making them. My kids are all grown up now but I know there's a box where they keep every card I've ever made them. I hope they go through them one day and remember how much I love them and still do.
The Stampin' Up! products I used in this video, that you can purchase at my online store 24/7 by clicking on the links below are:
Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2 x 11 Card Stock
Whisper White 8-1/2 x 11 Card Stock
Cherry Cobbler 3/4" Chevron Ribbon
Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Color Me Christmas Wood-Mount Stamp Set
Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (with Multipurpose Platform)
Big Shot Standard Cutting Pads
Wow. Linking is a pain! I think I'm going to start using that linking thingy to where it shows the pictures, you click on the picture, and it will take you to my store to the product.
Some of theses products will no longer be available after January 2, 2014, as they are in the Holiday Catalog. Be sure to pick yours up now before they retire!
So, here is the video and under the video, I have a challenge for you with a wonderful prize that you can use all year long.
Make your own set of Christmas tags that kids can color. It's okay if you CASE me and break out your Stampi' Up! toys!
The deadline is Christmas Day and I want to see 25 people playing along in order to give out the prize because it's a very sa-weet prize with a $150 price tag on it, so tell your friends and the badges that you can put on your blog are above to spread the word! Use the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post to directly link your project.
Are you ready for this awesome prize?! Just look below! You could win the Stampin' Write Many Marvelous Markers!
In the video, I think I mentioned a different prize but I changed my mind to something much better 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by today to visit me and God bless you!
Hugs!
