A Holly Jolly project

Hi there, stampers!
Happy Monday!
Did you enjoy the "fall back" time change?  I know I did... it is great to gain an hour!  I wish we could gain one more often, as most of the time there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I'd like to check off my list.  Now that we are into November, it is time to give serious thought to Christmas preparations.  We really cannot put it off much longer, because ready or not, Christmas will be here sooner than we think.  Is this the year for you to simplify your holiday chores?  Maybe scale back on decorating the house just a bit?  Perhaps scale back a tad on the outdoor lights?  It really isn't necessary to outdo yourself every year.  Maybe reading a good book by the fireplace would be more satisfying than engaging in a frenzy of decorating, baking, and shopping.  Don't get me wrong... I love decorating, baking, and shopping but I just plan to do a little less of it, in hopes I'll have a few quiet moments to contemplate the meaning of Christmas.

One great way of simplifying Christmas is giving the ever-popular gift card. You can pick them up at the grocery store, so there's no running around town.  Just about everyone (except tiny children) loves getting a gift card.  It is a gift of possibility and half the fun of getting one is daydreaming about the things you might purchase with that magical card.  If giving a gift card seems a little cold to you, here's a way to warm it up.  Give it in a hand-stamped, hand-crafted gift card holder, like this....

I just love how easy these are to make.  You can crank out a lot of these in very little time, using Stampin'Up!'s Envelope Liner Framelits ( page 37 of the holiday catalog).  This cute holder is made using the middle-sized envelope liner.  Simple cut two liners from Double Sided Designer Paper (I used Season of Style, page 23 of the holiday catalog).  Score one of the liners and fold down the flap.  I used some Crumb Cake Seam Binding to stretch around the folded-down liner and sealed the ends inside.  Then I just tied on a  separate piece of seam binding for the knot.   I used the Tags 4 You stamp set (page 37 of the holiday catalog) for the sentiment, stamping it in Cherry Cobbler and cutting it out with the Label Bracket Punch, also on page 37. I popped the cute label up on some dimensionals.  Because DSP is lighter in weight that regular card stock, you can easily cut two of these at a time.  Just make sure to choose patterns that go well together.  By the way, I first saw these on Patty Bennett's blog, so I want to give her credit.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope your week is off to a good start!  Please come back on Wednesday, when I'll have another classic card for your stamping inspiration!
Hugs,
Susan