Starshine Salon

Christmas Tags

Sin City Stamps has a great set of background texture stamps called Knock on Wood.  One of the images is a woodgrain texture, and it is perfect for making tags for my new Christmas tree decorations.

This is an easy way to make special tags for Christmas gifts or for embellishing decorations.

Here’s what you need:

Sin City Stamps Knock on Wood

#5 manila tag

Distress Inks in Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain

Embossing Ink (I used a VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad)

Embossing Powder (I used Comotion Red)

Ribbon or twine (I used hand dyed seam binding)

This could not be easier.  I coated the tag with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by rubbing the pad on the tag.  Then I stamped the woodgrain image on top of that with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. 

When that was dry, I stamped my phrase with a VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad and poured embossing powder over that.  I shook off the excess embossing powder, heated the stamped image with a heat gun, and that was it!  I added a piece of hand dyed seam binding that coordinated with the trees I wanted to embellish.

Here is the tag with one of my waterless snowglobes:

And here it is with a miniature feather tree in a vintage wooden thread spool on top of a vintage tin:

The back of this tag is blank, and is the perfect place to write a note or a “to/from” label.

There are dozens of uses for the textures in this set!  Check it out here.  And you can get 30% off your purchase at Sin City Stamps through November 24th bu entering the code nov30!

Starshine Wishes,

Karen

Holiday Garden Market

I will be at the Holiday Garden Market at C&J's Antiques and Garden in Gilbert on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m.  There will be lights and treats and lots of marvelous shopping.  I'll have handcrafted Christmas decorations and mannequins.  I'll be on the front porch --  40 N. Gilbert Rd.

Starshine Wishes,

Karen

Stamped Mini Christmas Stockings

I used the lace image from Sin City Stamps' SinCity Wings rubber stamp set to embellish a plain muslin mini Christmas stocking.  Sin City Stamps has so many beautiful pattern stamps that you can adapt to multiple projects!

You can use these little stockings as decorations, in table settings or on packages.  They are also the perfect size for gift cards!

Supplies:  All you need is some plain, closely woven fabric (I used tea dyed muslin); ink (I used ColorBox Chalk Ink in Lipstick Red); thread to match your fabric; and something for the hanging loop (I used tea dyed rayon seam binding).

Draw a pattern on cardstock or cardboard and cut it out.  I like to use cereal boxes.  Each stocking is made from two pieces sewn together, so you need to trace the pattern piece twice for each stocking you want to make.  If your fabric has a right side and wrong side, be sure to reverse your pattern piece for the back.  My muslin didn’t really have a wrong side, so I just traced my pattern piece eight times to make four stockings.

I stamped the image on the front section of each stocking.  You can stamp the back, too, but you will want to measure precisely to match the image on the front with the image on the back.  I measured space for the hem and added a quarter inch, then made a little mark on either side of the front stocking shape to indicate where I should stamp.  I heat set the images with a hot iron.  For tips on stamping on fabric, go here.

Cut out each piece and pin each front section to a back section with right sides together.  Stitch the
pieces together (I used a quarter-inch seam).  Clip the curves, trim the seam allowance, and press under a hem at the top.  I made a doubled half-inch hem. 

Stitch the hem.  I stitched the hems by hand.  Turn and press each stocking.  Sew in a loop for hanging.  You are done!

Here’s one of the mini stockings used in a place setting.

Starshine Wishes,

Karen

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