PCG Day One

I was sooooo tempted to leave Day One until tomorrow, just to be funny. Get it? But then I knew how disappointed you might be that I procrastinated the kickoff of my new Christmas blog series. I just couldn't be that mean! So here we go--fourteen days of quick holiday projects that will make your friends call you Martha, specifically designed for those of us who put off the hubbub of Christmas prep until Dec first--or later!--and using mostly things you probably already have around the house.

I'm prepping for my first party of the season, and once I finally had a minute to go shopping for the paper goods, I couldn't find anything to suit my chosen theme. If that's often the case for you, or if you don't even have time to go look for party goods, maybe this tip is for you! Did you know you can emboss on paper goods? You sure can! And you'll love the feedback from your guests. Everyone is always delighted at the "extra mile" you went to make the event special (shhhh, don't tell them it was super easy and fast!)

Look for paper party supplies with a low plastic content (hint: matte, not shiny). Grab some Christmas stamps and ink them with Versamark embossing ink. Sprinkle with your chosen embossing powder (I used Wild Wasabi here, which actually melts to be Certainly Celery); shake off excess, and heat set.

If you have our fabulously redesigned version of the Heat Tool, you can even emboss on more plastic-y items if you are careful, using the lower heat setting. Just keep the tool a-movin' rather than holding it too long in one spot. And just in case you accidentally melt a couple, make sure you have more paper plates or whatever on hand than you actually need.

Note: Anything you stamp on plates or that might touch people's mouths or hands needs to be water-proof. Ask me how I know. So either use Staz-on permanent ink, or heat emboss it. And as tempting as it might be to spritz some Shimmer Spray on those napkins--avoid that urge! Or your guests will be all sparkly, and they might not all be as excited about that as we crafters are.

Ok! See you tomorrow for the Procrastinating Crafter's Guide to a three-minute Christmas card. It's definitely not too late to make your own!

Comments

[Nicole Steele]

I never knew you could do this! My oldest daughter's birthday is this Tuesday and I have a stack of pink napkins that would be fun to try this on. Thanks for the great idea!

[Liz Kuhns]

Very cute, Lyssa. Like the idea!

[Cristy Butzen]

lol! I totally would have understood waiting until tomorrow... :)
I love this tip, especially the part about Staz-on or emboss (though I would still be tempted to shimmer)! TFS