Happy H(OWL)idays all!

By Suz Mannecke, Guest Designer

I was beyond excited when Kim, Creative Director for October Afternoon, contacted me and asked if I'd like to guest design for the month of December.

Would I? Umm..yes please!!!!  I l-o-v-e crafting for the holidays! Pair that with all of October Afternoon's scrapbooking goodness and you have the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit!

If you are at all like me, you have been anticipating the arrival of the holiday season and have been bustling around shopping for gifts, trimming the tree, sipping some cocoa ... and hopefully, setting aside some time for holiday merry “crafting!"

In the past month, I have been busy channeling my inner holiday s{ELF} in my scrap studio.  The bad news?  My studio has officially been categorized as being in a disastrous state of creative chaos; Category 5.  (My family will whole-heartedly concur with this categorization). The good news is, I will spare you the frightening photos of said space (eep!) and instead, show you the photos of the result of the perfectly imperfect creative storm. J

To start things off, I created this home decor mixed media owl canvas. I have an affinity for owls, so it only seemed logical that I would craft up an owl for the h{owl}idays. (*Now the blog post title makes a bit more sense, yes?)

This little fella was created with lots of Make It Merry and a bit of Holiday Style. I used a few Silhouette die cut designs to create him. I began with hand cutting a basic owl form from my favorite wood grain card stock and some pretty patterned paper for his beak, face, and wing.  Then I cut two leaf Silhouette dies, and trimmed off the stems for his "eyebrows."  For his eyes, I used the adorable rub-on OA red snowflakes to mimic pupils and irises.  I layered a die cut snowflake with a doily, patterned paper and that adorable holly Tin Pin.  A bit of machine and hand stitching was added for dimension. And for his tail feathers, I created a chevron pattern with my Silhouette Cameo, duplicated it three times, and then grouped them together and cut.  And here he sits, at his perch, on the wall of my scrap studio.

Moving on to a traditional layout.  First, I spray misted the background cardstock with a few whites to mimic snow falling. Then, I opened up my Silhouette library and found this design of nested circles.  Little bits from the Very Merry December Mini Book Kit were added into the circles. Silver Zing embossing powder was applied to the chipboard bell and number. And a touch of Stickles (glitter glue) was added to the snowflakes and gift in Santa's bag.  Love adding little extra touches like that. And lastly, a little hand embroidery in metallic silver thread finishes off this layout about my boys and their contagious holiday spirit!

Next up? Several gift wrap items. Many of which took only a few extra minutes to make but added a nice little handmade touch.

When I saw this little metal woodgrain gift box on Amazon, I knew I wanted to alter it. Here is what it looked like before alteration and most of the supplies/tools I used:
I simply cut a small piece of patterned paper to cover up the Amazon logo,(because I want it to be a bit of a surprise where the gift is from) adhered it to the gift box, and embellished. Quick, easy, and oh so merry!

I recycled and altered this fun wood grain gift bag as well. (Evidently, not only do I have an affinity for owls, but wood grain items too!)

Below is a fun and functional gift. A festive holiday-patterned chevron beverage container, chock full of some Dove Peppermint Bark Promises. Included in this design from the Make It Merry line is the flag, candy cane die cut, bow sticker, green ribbon and "Make It Figgy Pudding" patterned paper from the 8x8 paper pack.  I definitely will be making a few more of these!

Entering upon the aforementioned Category 5 Creative Chaos, my dear hubby asked if I would create some cards/envelopes for his reps/colleagues gifts. I got straight to work (as all good lil’ elves do) and opened up my Silhouette library to a gift card die, customized it with the "joy" text, grouped the design together, and cut.

I stamped the "Seasons Greetings" sentiment and adorably cute Santa (from the exclusive stamp set in the Very Merry December Mini-Book Kit) on some Project Life grid cards, and added Make It Merry washi tape to the bottoms of each card as well as to the back of each envelope.

Since my youngest son is completely engrossed with origami, my brain has been positively saturated with inspiration to draw from! This ornament was a result of that inspiration. I watched a You Tube Video of how this star pattern is created and set to work.  Then I added a doily, baker's twine, and Tin Pin from the mini-book kit, a bit of Stickles/glitter glue to some of the snowflakes and called it done! I’m definitely planning on making more of these and getting my boys involved! These would also make for a lovely bow atop a gift.

Next up? A quick card that was made using the Make It Merry banners to form the mosaic star. A bit whimsical, yes?

And lastly, a mini album of December Instagrams that I will be completing throughout the holiday season.  At the heart of this mini is the sheet of the "Make a Countdown" patterned paper cut into squares and backed with machine-stitched paper squares for added support. The cover of this mini is made from wood veneer shapes I spray misted and added a red book ring to. Each day I am adding one Instagram pic to the mini. I plan to have family members take a few pics to get them involved too.  Such a simple, totally doable, efficient way to document December (daily)in a "very mini" way!

So, that's it for today! I will be back next week with a post on the other mini album I am working on; the Very Merry December Mini-Book, as well as several cards, layouts and other home decor items.

(If you simply can't wait until then to see more October Afternoon scrappy goodness, follow  me on Twitter and Instagram (user ID "SuzMannecke -no spaces) for extra sneaks.

Happy holiday merry "crafting" to you all! See you next week!

- Suz

Comments

[Diane Payne]

Wow! These are all amazing!

[S. Molinari]

Love the pinwheel star! Could you please link the youtube tutorial!

[Pam]

Suz, your ideas are wonderful! So excited to see the rest of your work. I will certainly follow all your work. You gave me a lot of ideas to get my head working. Can't wait to see your work again.

[Nichole M.]

These designs are GORGEOUS. I'm so impressed! I love it all, Suz! Definitely can't wait to keep seeing more from you!

[Shelby]

THIS IS AMAZING! Your crafting is amazing. Thank you for sharing; such creativity!

[Janice Keil]

Congratulations Suz, It's a wonderful collection of ideas. There has to be many things for any scrapbooker.

[Shay]

Suz, you are just AMAZING. I love seeing everything you create, and could not be more excited to see you as the OA guest this week! Especially loving on your oragami inspired projects, totally unique, LOVE it!

[Laura and Michele]

I love...love your artwork! Where do you get the cute Santa Claus images?

[Keri]

My favorite is the cool circle layout, Suz, love how you used that background to highlight so many OA papers & accents...especially love the tin pins and the record use here!

[Kellie]

OH WOW, these are all absolutely amazing, such an inspiration!

[rhonda nickol]

These are amazing Suz!

[Jessica Toulmin]

What fantastic work. You are very talented. I love it all, but love the owl most of all :-)

[Patricia Roebuck]

Um, Suz, I don't think you created enough?!! AMAZING!!! My CAT 5 can join your CAT 5 mess!

Gorgeous...every one of these projects!

[SarahBeth Carter]

I adore October Afternoon. I love Christmas. (And I'm pretty openly obsessed with Instagram). So I'm on definitely on board with this array of projects! I'm also glad to see someone else has a child obsessed with origami creations. I've decided it's a great obsession to have! :D Great job, Suz! Love it.

[Lisa C.]

Wow - your projects are gorgeous! I LOVE the cute owl!! So creative.

[Dawn F.]

THese are beautiful! Thanks for sharing.