On the 12th Day...

On the 12th Day of Christmas SEI gave to you 12 scrapbook layouts & calendar pages. Don't forget to take lot's of pictures this Christmas and throughout the year! If you are like me, it is hard to keep up on your scrapbooking. So, just take it one page at a time.

To encourage you, we would like to challenge you to scrapbook 1 page each month in 2010. To help you accomplish this, each month (on or before the 12th) we will post a FREE monthly calendar download and a single-page scrapbook layout. Simply create the layout, print off the calendar page & slip them into a sheet protector. Then you will have a calendar to display with your own photos. Plus, next December you will have twelve great layouts completed to represent the year!





To make it even easier for you, we will have all the items you need to create the layout listed with a link to the items on our website. Now that you have a plan to stay caught-up, all you need to do is check the blog each month & take lot's of pictures!

January 2010:
WinterSong assortment pack
WinterSong ribbons
WinterSong chiplets

We hope you had as much fun with the 12 Days of Christmas as we had creating the projects. Don't worry, the fun doesn't end now. Check back tomorrow to see who is this month's guest blogger. Next week will be another special week for the blog!

Good Things Utah

Did anyone see us on Good Things Utah today? Well, if you missed it, they featured club SEI kits and some easy gift ideas. To see the segment, follow this link to abc4 news website and click on the video in the top right corner. While you're there, check out the amazing Good Things Utah Special we are offering for one week only. If you have been wanting to try out club SEI, you won't want to miss it!

On the 11th Day...

On the 11th day of Christmas SEI gave to you 11 gift tags. Now that you have 10 great Christmas ideas & all of your gifts purchased (he, he, he) you are ready to wrap them up, right? Don't forget the tag!





We layered Christmas Mint papers, ribbons & embellishments to create 11 unique gift tags. Creating your own gift tags is a quick & easy way to make a gift more personal.

On the 10th day...

On the 10th Day of Christmas SEI gave to you 10 ways to decorate a glass ornament! There are hundreds of beautiful ways to make these and we hope these ideas inspire you to come up with even more! Tie one to the top of a big gift or leave a few sweet notes in them and hide it on the tree.

Snow Flurries and Snow Storms

1. Using a hole punch, punch about a hundred of Crystal Arabesque out. Add some of the tiniest die-cuts from Wintersong. Funnel in some snow and go frolic.

2. Simply funnel in tons of snow! Add a tiny reindeer die-cut for some winter hide and seek.

All Wrapped Up

3. Using some skinny white ribbon, wrap around four times, tightly. Use a decorative felt to adhere ribbon to ball. Instant Class.

4. Tinsel or tinsel ribbon makes a shining statement in clear glass. Fill as full as you can go. Adhere some rhinestones to the ribbon before putting in for extra bling!

Reindeers and Flowers

5. Small brown pom poms, green glitter and tiny jingle bells remind us of Rudolph. Add a single red pom pom in there for even more fun!

6. Find a flower pick and pull off the heads. (The smaller, the better) I like that these had glitter, too. Tuck as many heads as will fit inside and carefully use tweezers to arrange them to face out.

Silent Night

7. Cut super skinny strips of Crystal Arabesque or My Wooly Scarf and roll them into oblong shapes. poke in and arrange with tweezers.

8. Using white acrylic paint, coat the inside of your ornament. Patiently and carefully rub on "let it snow" to one side. Hang a few in your window!

Covered and Cozy

9. Take Matt's leafy template and reduce to 25%. Cut the leaves out of wintermint cardstock, and start from the bottom. Start with about fourty leaves and cut more as you go; it's easier. Adhere with a double sided adhesive. Use mocamint as a variation and make pine cones!

10. Grab three tubes of Chick-a-Doo buttons and sort out all those greens. (Then get red buttons and do another version!) Mini glue dots adhere them to the glass perfectly. Don't worry too much about arrangement-have fun! Give to your favorite crafter with a sewing book.

Have a ball! :)
Mandi

On the 9th Day...

On the 9th Day of Christmas SEI gave to you 9 paper stockings. Michelle created these pretty little stockings using the Christmas Mint paper collection. First she cut her paper using this stocking template & folded on the lines:





After cutting & folding the template, Michelle sewed around the edges. Then she added a pretty Christmas Mint ribbon, die-cut accent, and designer brad. Last, she stuffed them full of goodies!





These stockings are a great way to package a gift for friends, neighbors or teachers. You can also do what we did and hang them on a Christmas tree for a decoration.

On the 8th Day...

On the 8th Day of Christmas SEI gave to you 8 place-settings (only four pictured). Matt made these festive place-mats using Christmas Mint papers. First he made this template and cut sixteen leaves for each place setting. Then he folded them in half and strung them together using Kitty's Place Brads. Here is the leaf template he made for you:

You could even use this to compliment your centerpiece or make a layered one for your door. What plans and ideas do you have for your holiday centerpieces?

On the 7th Day...

On the 7th Day of Christmas SEI gave to you 7 hanging decoration ideas! Here is how I got my inspiration:

photo 1: a modern event, photo 2: Martha Stewart, photo 3: rivers are damp, photo 4: Design Sponge

I am so lucky to work with such creative people with great inspiration. I was having a hard time choosing what project idea to give to you on the 7th Day. So, Mandi suggested I research my English heritage. According to this website, England was the first country to use mistletoe during the Christmas season. Mistletoe reminds me of kissing balls so I created this kissing ball by hot-gluing flower-shaped WinterSong papers onto a styrofoam ball and adding a Park Buddies button onto each flower center. I made my flowers by cutting the paper into 2" squares then folding them and cutting as shown in this diagram:





Then, Pia suggested I check out this Martha Stewart idea. Martha has several ideas on how to make hanging decorations out of ribbon. I used Christmas Mint & WinterSong ribbons to make and hang our decorations. I also used some WinterSong designer brads for the center.





As I was searching for more inspiration I found these neat paper ornaments on Design Sponge. Instead of stapling them I used WinterSong designer brads to hold each paper strip in place.



Last, but not least I realized that some of our embellishments can stand alone at decorations. So, the two fastest hanging decorations I made by putting two embellishments back to back. I used WinterSong elements & chiplets.

-Maria

On the 6th Day...

On the sixth day of Christmas SEI gave to you six heart baskets. Many of us have Scandinavian heritage so we thought it would be fun to show you some holiday traditions from other countries. Pia was born & raised in Sweden so she took on the challenge. She told us that in Sweden hearts are a typical Christmas decoration. She and Mandi made six heart baskets out of paper from our WinterSong collection. Heart baskets are fairly easy and inexpensive to make. They can be used to hold goodies for friends & neighbors or hang on a Christmas tree.

There are several websites that show how to create these baskets. Some of them have variations with more weaves or heart shapes in the weaves... So choose which one is easiest for you to understand.
Amazing Moms
Creative Kids at Home
Family Fun
Top Party Ideas

On the 5th Day...

On the 5th day of Christmas SEI gave to you 5 pretty snowflakes. Placing lit candles in paper bags is a fun holiday tradition. For a unique variation with a neat texture, try Matt's luminary idea.

First he cut a snowflakes out of heavy paper (just like when you were a kid). Next he placed each snowflake on a paper lunch bag. Be sure to cover the area under and around the bags to protect from overspray (Matt used a garbage bag). Finally, he sprayed tumble dye on the bags. You can also use the snowflakes you made for stencils to decorate by hanging them on ribbon from your ceiling or tree.





The process was quite simple but here are some tips. Check which side of the bag has the seam. If you spray on the side without the seam, you won't have a line down the middle, like we do. Also, be patient because the dye will take a while to soak into your bag and completely dry. Perhaps the most important tip is use battery operated candles because paper is flammable.

These look so festive down a walkway. What a great way to greet your holiday guests!

On the 4th Day...

On the fourth day of Christmas SEI gave to you four recipes + a cute little apron to hold them in! This apron is perfect for holding cooking supplies, tools, or crafting supplies. It could also make a great personalized gift.





Michelle made this project using paper for the recipes, an apron, buttons, ribbon, and iron-on sheets. These sheets come in different colors. To use them, cut a shape out of the sheet and iron it onto your project following the instructions on the package. Michelle chose to cut circles to look like ornaments.



Here are Michelle's Recipes.

On the 3rd day...

SEI gave to you a three piece neighbor gift! These cookie jars are super fast and handy to have around. Plus, it's (almost) all stuff you already have.

Supply list:
Large Mason Jar
Wooden Spoon
funnel
Christmas Mint Ribbon
Christmas Mint die-cut accents
Raspberry Truffle Paper
Recipe card
Dry ingredients, listed below

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
baking chips (optional)
Walnuts (optional)

Take your mason jar and start layering in your ingredients. Using a wide funnel is going to be the best way to put them in. I did the first four on the list, then brown sugar (be sure to pack this down!) then sugar, chips, and cocoa powder. In retrospect I might have done cocoa then chips since they're so green and pretty! They got covered. Put lid on and set aside. Remember, you can do whatever recipe you want, just place the dry ingredients in and create a supplemental recipe to go alongside.


Wrap wooden spoon in Christmas Mint Ribbon. Start at the bottom with a large and thin glue dot (or whatever adhesive you want) and wrap up diagonally. Finish at top with more adhesive. Take leftover ribbon (or another) and wrap jar. Tuck a present die-cut behind the ribbon. Cut a 2 1/2" circle out of the raspberry truffle paper to put on the lid.


Print out our 4"x 6" recipe card or write down the recipe from it. Use a 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" piece of raspberry truffle paper and use as a mat for the recipe card. And voila! You've got yourself a great and handmade gift that anyone will appreciate.

Love,
Mandi

On the 2nd Day...

On the 2nd day of Christmas SEI gave to you 2 cozy pair of gloves. These gloves make a quick and pretty gift for friends or neighbors. Simply buy an inexpensive pair of gloves, a packet of hot cocoa & a candy cane. Tie it all together with some pretty ribbon. We used the striped Christmas Mint ribbon & some red organza. For a more personalized gift, iron a pretty edge onto a felt cuff and sew it on your gloves.

Recap + Twilight Tidbit

Here are the highlights from November:


• Michelle created a lovely Thanksgiving place-setting including a simple centerpiece & napkin wraps that double as headdresses.
• Our talented guest blogger, Melissa Phillips, taught us how to translate everyday inspiration into beautiful creations including paper cones, gift packages, cards, wall hangings & more cards!

• We featured several creations by our readers including Laurie Cinotto's Family Tree, Monika Wright's Autumn & Christmas projects, & Jenny Chesnick's wreaths.
• And so much more - a bread gift box, lovely layout & start of our 12 Days of Christmas!


Any Twilight fans out there? Well, if you are planning to see the New Moon movie watch for our papers. No kidding! Toward the beginning of the movie when Bella is in her room, if you watch closely you will see our papers hanging on her wall. I guess Bella likes Mimosa's sangria, chartreuse, and mimosa papers. Just a random Twilight tidbit we thought you might appreciate. Be sure to check the blog later today for the 2nd Day of Christmas!

On the 1st Day...

On the first day of Christmas SEI gave to you one amazing wreath idea! Pia made this beautiful holiday wreath using WinterSong's starlight paper. First she cut 12" x 3" strips of paper. Then she folded them accordion style (like a paper fan). Last, she overlapped them a little, pinned them onto a styrofoam wreath, and voila!

Time to Decorate

It is crazy to think that Christmas is less than a month away. For many people the day after Thanksgiving means it's time to decorate for the holidays. If you are Jenny Chesnick it means you have been preparing for a while. Jenny sent us images of these wreaths she made using our WinterSong and Christmas Mint collections back in October. Way to be on the ball! To see more of Jenny's creations, check out her blog (we especially like her house using WinterSong). Thanks, Jenny. Keep submitting your projects to us at seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com. We love it!

For those of you who are not quite as ready for Christmas as Jenny, be sure to check back next week for our annual 12 Days of Christmas. We will have a different wreath idea and so much more. Don't miss it!

Thankful for You

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you will have a wonderful day full of family & food. What are you thankful for? We are thankful for you. The blog wouldn't be the same without you. We appreciate all of your encouraging comments and e-mails.





Today we are featuring a few of Monika Wright's projects. Monika is a busy mom of three. She graciously thanked us for the products she won from one of our giveaways and even sent us images of what she created and here they are! Above is an album she made using the oasis collection. Below is a 2009 December Daily album and Santa's list envelope embellished with our Christmas Mint collection. Thank you, Monika!





We love to see your creations. Just send them to our e-mail at seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com. We will feature some more reader's projects soon!

Fall Family Tree

Although the first official day of winter is not until December 21, in my mind fall is over after Thanksgiving or the end of November. So, I thought we should show you some of the beautiful autumn creations that have been submitted to us by our readers before it is too late. This one would be a lovely Thanksgiving decoration. It was submitted by Laurie Cinotto, a crafter and craft writer. She created this project, using the Moravia paper collection, for the wedding blog, The Bride's Cafe. For complete instructions follow this link or the link on her blog. Thanks for sharing, Laurie!



We love to see your creations. Just send them to our e-mail at seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com. We will feature some more reader's projects soon!

3rd Thursday - Christmas Mint

Club SEI's December kit will feature Christmas Mint. This collection has a charming combination of traditional holiday colors and sweet candy colors. The papers are treated with elegant pearl, mint foil, and varnish accents. Click here to see what club members can make with this kit. Every month Club SEI does something new and this time it is this gingerbread house designed especially for club members! If you aren't a club member, you can still sign-up and receive this kit.

This bread gift box was made using the December kit leftovers. We got our instructions here. Happy 3rd Thursday!

Think Outside the Box

This is such a lovely simple layout that we hope will inspire you to think outside the box. Here are two things that this layout inspired me to think about. First, don't be fooled by the name of a line. WinterSong's crystal arabesque paper is perfect for a wedding or try the back of flurry kisses or starlight for a summer picnic! Who would have thought? The second thing that I noticed is this layout design could be perfect for any season. In the summer, use bright papers and replace the snowflakes with flowers. In the fall use rich fall colors and replace the snowflakes with leaves. How does this layout inspire you to think outside the box?

Maria

Giveaway Winner + Blog Schedule

Thank you for all your comments on Melissa's blog posts last week. It was neat to see where she gets her inspiration from! The giveaway winner as selected by random.org is:



Congratulations Ahuerta! Now all you need to do is send your mailing address to us at seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com before November 23rd.



If you remember, for the last giveaway we had we asked for your input on the blog. Since then we have done a lot of planning and decided to make a blog schedule for you. This new schedule includes some exciting new opportunities for you to be involved in the blog including challenges and features! To be eligible for the features please continue to e-mail us images of your projects at seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com. We are still researching and idea making for a way to display your projects, but for now this is our venue. More information on the challenges and features will be given as they come up.

Another thing to look forward to is our annual 12 Days of Christmas. Click here to see last year's wonderful Holiday ideas and get excited for this year! We'll start November 30 and as a result, next month's schedule will be a little different (but still great!).


Thanks for all of your support and love, and thanks again to Melissa Phillips; we loved having her talent here!