Contest Tuesday and Holiday Craft Ideas By Jane Tragenza

Hello Crafters!

We hope you are all settling back into your daily routines after a great Thanksgiving. We are excited about the terrific holiday craft ideas that have been rolling in recently. We're thrilled to have such a talented design team as well as all of you out there who continue to share your spirited ideas with us. I'm very excited to begin one of my holiday projects of making a handmade ornament for my friends and family. As I was decorating my Christmas tree this week I realized that none of my ornaments had been purchased after 1989.  So, I thought it might be time to get some new decorations in the mix. Which brings us to the topic of this week's contest. Tell us one of your favorite holiday rituals, whether its trimming the tree, lighting the candles, shopping for gifts, planning a scrumptious holiday meal, spending time with loved ones, or anything else that brings you glad tidings. Tell us what makes you most happy during the holidays. A random winner will be chosen and announced on Friday. This week's prize consists of one 12x12 and 8x8 Graphic 45 Paper Pad, some gorgeous Graphic 45 embellishments, and a Fiskars large lever punch (a $50 prize value). Share some holiday cheer and enter for your chance to win!

Speaking of holiday cheer, today we're featuring a beautiful Christmas layout by Jane Tragenza. Here is what Jane had to say about this exquisette LO. "I wanted to do something to reminded me what  Christmas is really about, rather than  the commercialisation  of Christmas. I decided to do a layout to hang in the home with a Christmas prayer on it. Hopefully this will touch you as it did me, to reminded us what is really important at this time of the year." Her layout features a "A Christmas Prayer" by Robert Lois Stevenson. 

"I cut the Holiday Spirit paper following the border printed on it (I did cut around the bells and ribbons!). I reinforced the frame with cardboard and put foam tape on the back and attached it to my base. The second frame I made using the back of Victorian Greetings and put it on top on the other frame with foam tape between them.  I used one of the Christmas Past frames to mat my prayer. From the left over bits of the Holiday Spirit I cut the Lady out, which I used in the top right hand corner. I cut the two girls out of Ode to joy and remove their wings (not a big fan of angles with wings-sorry!). The tree was quite easy to make and I will put instructions on my blog for anybody wanting to make it. Add a vine and some glitter and tuck everything in and your finished." -Jane Tragenza

 

Supplies List:

Graphic 45 Deluxe Edition Christmas Past:
Glad Tidings for the base of my wall hanging.
Holiday spirit for the 1^st frame
Victorian greetings for 2^nd frame
Jolly old St for stamps
Holiday spirit for the image of the lady
The Holly and the Ivy for my tree
Deck the Halls for my pot
Ode to joy for my two girls with banner
The holly and the ivy for flowers
Deck the Halls for flowers
Christmas Past Frames
Black corners from Imaginarium Designs
Vine from Prima Holiday celebration joy

Many thanks to Jane for her gorgeous work! Be sure to check out Jane's blog for more terrific holiday craft ideas too. We look forward to hearing from all of you about your source of holiday cheer for this week's contest.

Happy Crafting!

Team Graphic 45

Comments

[Flirtini83]

Wow, another giveaway. love to see your featured designers. each so amazing and unique. I haven't been able to cut my Graphic 45 yet, I still like to just look at it. the Wonderland collection is so visually exciting. thanks so much.

[Denise Coulter]

What an incredible layout! My favorite things to do during the holidays are the things we do with our kids. Decorating the tree, making ornaments, driving around looking at Christmas lights, and spending 3 days making homemade cookies. It just so much fun watching them having so much fun and getting excited for Christmas.

[Larissa Heskett]

AWESOME!! Thanks for the chance to win!! =) My favorite thing is celebrating my dads birthday on the 24th of December!! We have always had a big meal, opened our family presents and then we go to grandma and grandpas house and the WHOLE family eats supper, opens presents plays games and then we all go to midnight mass!! I sing in the choir and now my husband joins me!! No one misses x-mas eve so being all together is just the best!! =)

[Gloria L]

Your products are absolutely beautiful! I've just discovered your line watching a ustream video.
My favorite holiday tradition is to bake and make all kinds of goodies in a weekend for our neighbor gifts. It's a family project with my daughter and dh pitching in. What makes me most happy is to watch the enjoyment on the faces of my family and to take photos to add to your beautiful papers. Thanks for the opportunity to enter your giveaway!

[Elaine Allen]

OMG! Jane's layout is just so gorgeous! I don't know what to look at first! I love it! What a beautiful heirloom piece.
One of my favorite things to do is design and make my own Christmas Cards. I complain about all the work every year, and yet I still continue to do it. It just makes the holidays a little bit more special to me because I feel as if I'm sending a piece of myself out to family and friends. I also love to give homemade gifts and goodies. Although sometimes I have a hard time with the goodies - I have to hide the candies and cookies from my husband and son - LOL! I think my very favorite thing is after the tree is decorated, on the first evening we all sit together, turn out the lights, put on Christmas music and just relax.

Elaine Allen

[Susan Edwards]

Wow. Thank you for sharing Jane's lovely and inspiring project. Love the close up photos.

My favorite holiday ritual is the evening that my family spends decorating cut out Christmas cookies. A few years ago my mother and I were decorating the cookies and my older son, who was a freshman in college at the time, joined in the fun. Aaron made some of the funniest cookies - his trees looked scary (I thought of the Wizard of Oz), his snowmen had facial hair and represented Wyatt Erp, Spiderman, etc. He had such a good time that his two younger siblings joined the fun and my mom and I got into the crazy cookies spirit. We had plaid snowmen, polka dot trees, etc. It was so much fun that it has become an annual event - with a bit of an underlying contest as to who can make the funniest cookie.

[tara]

gorgeous projects!!! my fave part of the holidays is just being around our families. we dont get to see some of our families all the time due to locations so its nice when everyone is home and just hanging out and catching up :)

[syd egan]

I have 2 sons, when they were small, we would of course get all the decorations out and deck the house. I collect Nativity Sets, and have many of them. We had one (cheaper) set that we always put under the tree and I would hide the baby Jesus in our house and on Christmas Eve we would read the Bible Christmas story from Luke and then the boys would search for Jesus, like the Wise Men, whoever would find it would get to put him in the manager and get to lead the "Happy Birthday to Jesus" song and prayer before going to bed. It has wonderful memories and a great way to get the "REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS" for our boys. Helps remember that he isn't born until December 25 and it is his Birthday.

[ava]

Christmas Eve with my family is a special time. A great traditional meal, the kids all talking at the same time, teasing going on and presents. \mom would say it takes a long time to prepare for a few minutes of wrapping paper flurry. The best is putting coal in the kids stocking one year....lolololo

[Jenna]

I think my favorite ritual will be taking place tonight- decorating the tree! We get out all the old ornaments, my husband hangs the lights, and we watch A Christmas Story. Top it off with some cocoa before bed- I can't wait!

[Denise]

Wow what a gorgeous card! This may sound silly to some, but my favorite holiday ritual is getting my Grandma's pin out of the jewelry box and wearing it all season long. It truly reminds me of what a wonderful person and role model she was to me.

[kwittlock]

Beautiful Project, my favorite is going thru all the ornaments and remembering where we were when we bought them, we have moved many times in our 32 years together, our kids are grown and now we buy for our grandkids so they will have a collection of thier own.

[Myra]

My favorite tradition is secret santa with my family. It has taken so much pressure off of holiday shopping. We only only need to get one gift and can spend more time focusing on enjoying each other instead of stressing about what to get everyone!

[paula]

Thanks for the chance to win! My favorite part of Christmas is spending time with my family - just hanging out and being together

[Wanda Contreras]

Thanks for the giveaway!!! This year is very special because I'll be 50 and I think that is a special milestone!!! I love how happy my kids get during the holiday!!!
best regards,
Wanda
wanda.contreras@yahoo.com

[Noreen]

I like doing our Advent Calendars. I made one and the other two were made by family members. So each day when we hang an ornament or move a bead or bell, I think of them... and other family members.

[yvonne h.]

secret santa. me and my family do this every year and a craft project. One year we made gingerbread people of each other.

[Olivia L.]

I love watching Christmas cartoons (Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty, etc.) while roasting marshmallows over the fire. And sometimes we throw orange peels and cinnamon sticks in to infuse the house :)

[Natalie Torres]

I love to bake up a storm and invite all my friend over for listening to christmas music and just talk and enjoy all the goodies I have made.

[Veronica]

My favourite time during the christmas season is when the kids put all the decoration around the house. My girl is 3yrs old and she's starting to enjoy hanging things around and embellish the christmas tree. It's so nice watching them to enjoy this time! Vron

[Carol]

Thank you sharing Jane creations! they are beautiful. My favorite thing about the Christmas holiday is watching my 8 year old and 5 year old clean out their toy box to give to our church so 'other children can have a Christmas" as my son would say.

[Rhonda V.]

What an amazing creation Jane!!! I see something new each time I look back again!

My favorite time during the holidays is trimming the tree and reminiscing about each ornament as they go up on the tree.

[nbruno]

I love this vintage creation by you Jane! I dont think its possible for any project to look less than amazing using g45, you cant go wrong with this paper!! My favorite Holiday Tradition is one that I just started last year with my infant son, while prepping to put up holiday decorations, I let him go wild with the previous years garland and we decorate each otherwith it hang candy canes from it and everything. And once we're all engulfed in it I take 100's of pictures to fill my christmas minis, and cards with. We have a blast.I cant wait to do it again this year now that hes a toddler and able to do more. I hope to continue this tradition for as long as possible! Or as long as he will let me,lol!

[Marja/Miss Deerest]

beautiful work! I put a secret gift under my kids (well, they are almost 25 now...) pillow so they wake up to a surprice. Love the holidays when everybody´s toghether:)

[Cynthia]

My favourite holiday tradition? Hmmmm... Jammies to open on Christmas Eve... hot chocolate and Christmas Carols while we decorate the tree...

[Sandy Davis]

Beautiful layout Jane! My favorite time of the holiday is the gift opening and seeing all the excitement on everyones faces!

[Debbie Nelson]

My son who turned 29 this year still wants to make a Gingerbreadhouse. We have been making a Gingerbreadhouse every Christmas since he was 2.

[Tonya Gibbs]

My favorite holiday tradtion is attending the Christmas service with my family at my church. It reminds us all what the season is really about.

[Lindy]

Absolutely beautiful project. My favorite family tradition is spending time with family and planning the big family meal.

[Tracy Sarra]

My favorite holiday tradition is making Christmas Cookies with my mother. Growing up my sister and I helped with them, and now my children have continued the tradition of baking with their Grandmother. :)

[Jan G]

That layout is breathtaking! I love how Graphic 45 leand itself to such a true vintage look! My favorite holiday tradition is lighting the fireplace (well, the gas fireplace) and curling up with my grandson to read his favorite book of the time. (Not always Christmas) and drinking hot cocoa. We have always fallen asleep and this will be year 5! It's our "snuggle" time.

[cindy barriga]

I love so many activities during December that I could not pick just one. Here goes I love our loud off tune holiday singing, wrapping tons of gifts, watching 25 days of christmas, baking cookies, decorating, driving after dark to find christmas lights around our neighborhood and most importantly lots of family time. :D

[Kelly Woessner]

Even though I can't technically enter the contest (since I work for G45), I still wanted to share one of my favorite holiday memories. As a kid, we only had a fire in the fireplace on Christmas eve. We'd sit in the den, drink hot chocolate, and enjoy the beautiful fire. We got to open one gift on Christmas eve too. That was always SO exciting as a kid. To this day, I can't enjoy a fireplace without thinking of my childhood at Christmas. It's lovely.

[Flirtini83]

My favoriate Christmas ritual is when we drive around town to look at all the wonderful holiday lights on houses. the paper lists the best in town and we try to drive by as many as we can. Some houses let you walk around on their property. it's a great family experience.

[ceci]

i love spending the holidays with family and friends. we make homemade chocolates every year to give as gifts. i also love making ornaments and mini albums for friends. beautiful project thanks for sharing.

[Terri]

Not Just Christmas!!
The Joy of Christmas is giving. Jesus gave his life to forsake all others. We celebrate his birthday every Christmas in our family the traditions are giving is better than recieving we taught our children that. We cook Thanksgiving dinner enough for an army. We take left overs to single friends and elderly we have even given to the poor. On a couple of occasions we have seen men sitting on the side of the road during the year hitching rides from truckers and holding signs (will work for food)while we are on are way to Walmart. We will fix a couple of plates and drive along to Walmart on the short highway. If we see someone we will give them a plate of thanks. As for the Christmas holidays are the same homemade baked cookies and candy given to the Elderly and the homeless. We wrap Dollar Tree gifts the kids bought with there own savings and give to the Brotherhood Tree for kids as well as adults. We have fell in hard times and you know what it is like to feel that way. A gift from the heart is what will make there day. They will remember your smiling face and even more may it change there ways. Do not judge a book by its cover. Just add some words of hope Blessings Terri Love your paper line

[PumpkinSpice]

Absolutely Beautiful Layout! Wow!!!

What makes me most happy during the holidays... spending time with family whether it be shopping, laughing over the dinner table, getting the dishes done, playing games, its just the togetherness of the entire season. We make a point to leave the STRESS out, its all about having a memorable time. I brings a smile to my face thinking of Holidays past.

[Gloria Stengel]

Jane, I always love all of your layering! This is stunning!

[Beth W]

This is truly stunning. This is the only time of the year I have all 4 of my sons and grandsons together. That's all the Christmas I need.

[Nina]

Wow, what a great piece of art. My favorite part about Christmas is the reminder of God's gifts. And of course, I love the break, too! I love it when my girls are home with me all day. We craft, bake, watch movies together, esp when it's snowing outside.