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December 2008

A Memorable Holiday

Volume #13

 

A Memorable Holiday

What a joyous time of year! It's especially joyous in my household, as we once again celebrate the birth of our Lord. Many of you celebrate other holidays this time of year, such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. No matter your celebration, I hope your family feels the joy in this season like mine does!

There is something so wonderful about being at home for the holidays. One of the joys I treasure most of all is spending time with my family and friends, making memories together! We always enjoy exchanging small token gifts. Mine usually consist of some sort of crafting project. I imagine many of yours do, too!

As we come into the last week of getting ready for the holidays, there is nothing more enjoyable for me than including other members of the house in the preparations! My kids love not only helping with the decorations, but the pre-Christmas baking, the gift wrapping, and even the making of small craft projects for their Grandmas and Grandpas. Each year, we try to think of something new that we can do together.

This year that something new is framing special holiday die cuts! The die cuts can be simple silhouettes or more complex paper piecings. It's so exciting for each child to not only make the project, but to also see their loved one open that gift and break out in a huge smile!

So take the time out to enjoy whatever pre-Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa activities you can with your family. Make it another memorable holiday for years to come!

Happy Holidays,

Michelle Hessler
Owner
www.paperthreads.com

Forum Member of the Month

by Jen Adkins, Jen Adkins Designs

It's my turn to pick the forum member of the month! It is so hard to narrow it down to only one person, because I think that everybody on the forum is great! You all are so helpful and fun. I finally made a decision, and picked mpluess (you may know her as Michelle - from Outside Chicago)!

Michelle is a Silhouette owner and has been with us on the forum since April. She is always quick to welcome new members and trouble shoot files.

The picture above is a great layout Michelle made about her son and shared with us in the gallery. You can catch up with all her work in her album in the Paperthreads Gallery!

So, thanks for everything you do around the forum, Michelle! For being the Forum Member of the Month for December, mpluess will receive the "i believe (in Santa) Title" from Jen Adkins Designs. Congratulations, Michelle!

Remember, if you believe in Santa, he might just bring you what you really want!

Holiday Gift Giving for Teachers, Neighbors and more!

by Jan Bryson, Sam & Hailey Designs

We're always on the lookout for something fun and creative to give to our neighbors, our children's teachers, even the postman! I've tried to compile some of the best ideas I've seen and combine them with files from the Paperthreads Store to make creative tags and containers. I've even included links to some great recipes, like "Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies" (pictured at left). From cookies, to muffins, to apples and hugs, there's sure to be something to strike your creative fancy!

CLICK HERE to see the whole list!

Using Digital Cutter Files in Photoshop

by Shelly Sweigart, Shelly's Art

Have you ever wanted to use your digital cutter files in your digital scrapbooking projects? Now you can!  Shelly's tutorial will show you how to bring a cutting file from KNK Studio into Photoshop where you can put your Photoshop skills to work!

To download the full text of this tutorial CLICK HERE.

Don't forget to check the Freebies section to download Shelly's Christmas freebie used in this tutorial, which includes 2008 and 2009 titles!

 

Add Some Texture to Your Projects

by Shirley Clark, Shirley Clark Designs

Sometimes paper crafting projects can look boring unless you add a little texture.  For instance, when you make a Santa paper piecing, the white beard can fade into Santa's white fur lining on his hat.  Edging with chalk or ink can give your project more depth, but sometimes you just need some texture to make your projects POP out in a lively fun way!  I’d like to share a technique I came up with a few years ago.

CLICK HERE to download my tutorial for adding texture to your next project!

Don't forget to check the Freebies section to download my Santa Sack Puppet file!

 

 

 
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