Merry Christmas Tray

Hello friends,

I'm here with the second project made for the idea-ology Christmas LIVE. This tray was purposefully created with a subtle colors. I wanted to show that Christmas doesn't always have to be red and green. I wish the photo did the project justice because it is beautiful in person. Just a calm winter scene.

As always, we start by adding paper to the Vignette Tray. I LOVE this paper we created from a small cigar box that Tim purchased. I am sad that much of it got covered up by the windows, but still glad I used it.  I cut thin strips of paper for the lip edge of the tray. You need to cut the paper 3/16th, which sounds hard but it wasn't...(it's just the mark between 1/8 and 1/4"). I used a rotary cutter and ruler, but I'm sure you can use a paper trimmer. I'm just not that skilled with a paper trimmer, lol.

I cut my paper about 8" long - mostly because this part will not show behind the Vignette Box...but also to preserve what left of the paper for something else (I told you I really liked it).

I covered the outside with more paper from the Backdrops paper pack. I didn't take a photo of the back but it is just a patchwork of papers.

Now the Vignette box. I liked this paper from the pack that has a winter scene and wanted to see if I could make it work to my advantage. Anyway, I followed the same process of adding the paper with Collage Medium, waiting for it to dry a bit, and then adding another layer over the top to seal. 

Once I had the box covered, I added it to the Tray with Collage Medium and set it aside to dry.

So lets start on the pieces that will fill the tray. One large Salvaged Snowman.

Then a barrel. I had the idea to chop the bottom half off but I didn't have a Dremel Tool handy so I thought I'd just give it a go using a awl and hammer. I did this on a self healing mat NOT on my glass Studio mat. Anyway, I just poked the awl into the barrel and hit it with the hammer. The side cracked and fell off and that was that. The tip of the awl was right where the sharp turn in the cut-out is.

I glued a very small piece of cotton batting to the top Barrel. Then I glued the ice skates to the top. Once they were secure, I added Glossy Accents and a Rock Candy mix to make it fit in with the scene.

I glued the Snowman and the broken Barrel to the Tray, then started on the sign and tree, This small sign is in the new Baseboards pack and it is just charming. I used hot glue to adhere the sign post to a small piece of chipboard so it would stand on it own. The base was then covered with more cotton batting as is the tree base.

Both pieces were added to the scene.

More cotton batting was added as a base for a snowy look.

Then colored baubles were added to fill the Barrel.

On the right, I fluffed up the cotton batting and added dabs of Collage Medium. 

The Rock Candy mix was sprinkled on top to add to the sparkly snow. You don't have to add as much batting as I did. I was going for a little snowy mound!

There are metallic or foiled pages inside the new Sticker Books. This book is called Traditional and the last two pages are silver and gold. I cut out part of the silver stars so I could use Mushroom Alcohol Ink over the silver to age them. It is very subtle but I still think it's worth the trouble.

I added the stars to the background between the trees. 

I also added another tiny tree in an empty spot between the Snowman and the Barrel.

Top Compartment

I added a transparency to the back of the large window. The transparencies are part of the Baseboard pack and come shaped like the window which is very convenient.

You could leave the window as is and you would be able to see into the background, however I decided to cut Mirrored the same shape as the windows. I thought the Mirrored would add additional light reflection. You could also use the mirrored as is, but I decided to take it a step further and add Mushroom Alcohol Ink with added Alloy in Gilded to break up the Mushroom. You will need to also add Blending Solution to the mix to make the Alloy stable. This is one of those techniques that is challenging because you can never replicate it exactly. But don't let at stop you! It is fun to mix everything and see what happens!

I wanted the Mirrored to sit away from the window transparency so I added 3D Foam Squares between the transparency and the Mirrored. I love that it looks like old mercury glass.

I added the windows to the tray with Collage Medium. There were so many angles that would work so it really depends on what you are putting in front of them.

I also added the bold, Merry Christmas banner at the top. It just fit perfectly in the tray! I painted small blocks in black to raise up the banner so it sits quite forward from the back of the tray.

I'm not sure if you can see it, but I used Glossy Accents over the letters of the banner and sprinkled it with Rock Candy.

Next up are the trees. I had previously sprayed the trees wit Spun Sugar and Speckled Egg Distress Spray Stain. Once dry, I added the Liquid Tinsel. I topped it off with a new Star Pin. I wanted these Star Pins for so long (like 10 years) and we finally were able to make them! I'm so happy!

I've added this new couple from the pack of Paper Dolls. I picked them so I could use the new tiny holly pieces from the Layers Botanical pack. I've added the holly to her hat and his coat. Again, something I have wanted for so long and we were able to add them to the pack. So, if you see these tiny little holly pieces, don't throw them away!!

I added more cotton batting and snow under foot so it mixes with the trees on the left.

I kept the details simple and just added some small baubles under the tree.

Now carry on,

paula

Christmas Curio Box 2026

Hello Friends,

I'm here today sharing one of the Vignettes I created for the idea-ology Christmas Live. To be honest, this time last year I had no idea we would be designing more Christmas idea-ology product, so the thought of creating again for a Christmas LIVE was not even on my mind. Fast forward a few months and I flew to Tim's to spend a few days developing the ideas that became the Christmas release. Tim is always inspiring and his house at Christmas is a wonderland. He was kind enough to leave Christmas up till after we had our days together just to be inspired! How lucky is that?

Well enough about the design part, this post is really about the new products and how to use them so lets get started!

First, I should say that developing a new Vignette Box was a dream. We got to pick the size, the depth, to get just what we wanted for future projects. The new Curio measures 5 1/2 × 9 × 1 3/4 inches and features two removable inserts, allowing you to customize the compartments to suit your scene. As you can see, I removed both inserts to create todays project.

I covered the Vignette Curio with papers from the new Christmas Backdrops and added trim tape to the lip edge.

Window boxes are just another of Tim's great ideas. These are such a bargain too - there are 16 Window Boxes in four sizes, in the pack for $9.99! Crazy right? They come flat packed and you just bend the crease marks and it becomes a box. 

I added Backdrop paper to the back wall of each box I will use in this project. Sometimes you can see it and sometimes not, so i'll call this an insurance policy just in case it shows.

Add Cello Sticker Tape to the ends so the box flaps come together - the box will become stronger once you add the tape.

Now add whatever you want! In the largest box I added a small tree and a small painted Salvaged Snowman. The calendar in the background is from the ephemera pack. I added two Mini Fasteners at the top and foam squares on the back to push it out from the back of the box. To fill the empty space, I painted a load of Holiday bells in Candied Apple and loaded them in. I love the big pile of red bells!

On the second box, I just made it really simple by adding ephemera. The poinsettias have a couple small wood blocks on the back to push them forward in the box like they are floating. For the book piece, I covered it with Collage Medium on both sides and then just moulded it with my fingers till the pages were curved. I set it aside to dry while I worked on other things.

Once dry, I used hot glue to add a wood block to the inside of the box so I would have something for the book to rest on. Hot glue was added to the top of the block, then I just rested the book on top of it and held it in place till it cooled.

Now the third box! This one was easy because I already had the Baubles colored and in my stash. I added them to the small box with hot glue and a bit of Glossy Accents. Once they were dry, I added the small banner that is in the new Ephemera pack (we added lots of swags and banners). It fit perfectly on the front of the small box!

Now before we put everything together, we need a couple more additions. 

Wreath: I used one idea-ology Garland to make the wreath. It has been sprayed with Bundled Sage Distress Spray Stain. More Baubles from my stash were added to the wreath with hot glue. The tiny bow is from Hobby Lobby.

I painted the incredible new Lamp Post with Rustic Wilderness Distress Paint, then sanded it a bit with steel wool to age it just a bit. The wreath was added with hot glue. I will add a balloon light to the top so it will light up when the tab is pulled. 

And the trees.

Easy peasy. Two trees from the Woodland Tree Lot pack. Sprayed with Bundled Sage and dried. Bases painted with Candied Apple Distress Paint. Liquid Tinsel Tarnished added to the trees - this stuff is just magical! Instant vintage!

Assembly:

Starting from the bottom, use Collage Medium to add your boxes to the Curio. I practiced where the boxes would go before I even started so this part is easy. You might notice that I used a nail to add a piece of ephemera to the background. I knew where it should be, so I nailed this in place before I started adding the boxes.

Next is the small box and tree at the top.

And then the Lamp Post.

The last little detail is the handle that I painted black. The tiny tag comes from the Ephemera Pack (I need like 10 of these per pack). The added Pine Stem is so delicate that all I needed was a bit of the Liquid Tinsel on it's branches.

Here are a few close-up shots.

See you back here tomorrow with my second Christmas make!

Now carry on,

paula