Masking tape or blue painter's tape
White primer
Paint color of your choice (we chose Benjamin Moore ruby red #2000-10)
Thin ribbon
Hot glue gun and glue
Waxed twine

Tape off the top and bottom of the paint can (this is the area you do not want to be painted.) Paint with primer
and let dry. Brush on colored paint and let dry… repeat several times.

Let dry. Attach ribbon to top and bottom of the can using hot glue. Fill with soft goods like socks and scarves or tasty treats like cookies and chocolate covered nuts.

With a cool stamp and a colorful inkpad you can stamp out hundreds of fun gift tags.

Stamp (we used a great rendition of William Shakespeare)
Stamp pad in brown
Brown craft paper
Waxed twine
Sprig of evergreen
Scissors
Hole punch 1/8"

Place stamp on inkpad and stamp on paper. Repeat several times to make many tags. Cut out,
Punch hole and thread with twine. Add the evergreen by tucking into twine and attaching in place with hot glue.

A stamp, some ink, and colored paper is all you need to create your own holiday cards.

Paper in red and beige
Reindeer stamp
White stamp pad
Scissors
Double-sided tape

Imprint stamp onto red paper. Using similar size squares layer your stamp onto a card. Hold layers in place with double-sided tape. For an extra flourish
hole punch two holes on the bottom of the card and
tie some twine into a bow.

FAVOR SUPRISE
Walnuts
Nutcracker
Nut pick
Red twine
Miniature chocolates

Use a nutcracker to gently crack the seam of the shell.. Clean the nutmeat out with a pick or wooden skewer and place miniature chocolate inside. Place the two halves back together and wrap with red twine.

An intricate stamp paired with cut paper and pop-up glue dots make charming country ornaments to trim trees, mantles, and windowpanes.

These ornaments are made using one stamp printed several times. You need to choose a stamp that has a concentric layered circle design. We chose one by Outlines Rubber Stamp Co., Inc. 860-228-3686.

First, choose how many layers of the stamp you will
be working with. Next, stamp out onto two different colors of paper. Using an exacto knife or small scissors cut out layers. Your first layer will be the entire stamp.

The second layer will be the entire stamp minus the very outer layer(s).

The third layer will be the whole stamp minus the outer two, three, or four layers. And so on.

Take the largest layer and stamp the back side. Doing this gives a finished look to the back of your ornament.

Using three dimensional scrap booking pop-Up glue
dots by Glue Dots Adhesive Products, layer your
cutouts creating a three dimensional ornament.
Punch hole and thread with twine to hang.

Colorful berries and fragrant evergreen are a decorative tradition not to be overlooked during the holiday season.

Evergreen wreath
Cranberries, pepper berries, winter berries
Dried hydrangeas
Fresh red roses in mini water picks
Hot glue

Place evergreen wreath on a flat work surface. Choose the top of the wreath and tie a ribbon around wreath frame (this will provide a way to hang the wreath and a point of reference for the wreath design). Hot glue berries, hydrangea, and mix of fresh evergreen sprigs into the wreath. Hang wreath and tuck in roses fitted with water picks.

Add water to rose picks daily.

We used three different stamps for three very different effects in this season,s crafts projects. Stamps are versatile, decorative, and take on different looks depending on the paper and ink that you use. Look on-line at: www.newstampontheblock.com for stamps you can order through the mail or check stores such as: Michael's, A.C. Moore, or Hobby Lobby for stamps to decorate everything from wrapping paper, to letters, to interior walls.