Introducing Our Guest Creators & Kicking Off Christmas In July!

Hello, everyone, and welcome! It's Christmas In July and we're celebrating! We have so many fun things to share with you over the next few days and we couldn't be more excited! As always, I will be going live on Instagram tonight at 8pm to answer any questions you have about today's introductions. Today we're introducing our Guest Creators, two new Color Stories, and a pair of dies that have us dreaming of a white Christmas. Let's get started!

Audrey Tokach is not only an inspiring creator, she is a darned good human. She is so kind and supportive of other crafters while thrilling the craft world with her own creativity. She has a special way of looking at a die and thinking of all of the alternative ways it can be used that I find so, so cool. If you haven't seen her Turkey Trot Peacock, I encourage you to take a peek. You're in for a treat, folks!

I have had the great pleasure of getting to know Emily Midgett over the past several years. In person, she is as lovely as she seems online. Her illustration and painting skills are totally awe inspiring and this week she is lending that incredible talent to our new release! We are so excited!

I really do my best to look at all of the beautiful projects that people share on social media. Without fail, Renee Lynch's have quickly become some that I genuinely look forward to seeing pop up in my feed. She is so clever and she thinks of elevated ways to use our dies for decor. You are going to absolutely love what she has to share this week!

These lovely ladies have some truly incredible inspiration to share with you this week. Make sure to check in with these creative women to soak up every bit of their talent!

Let's kick things off with a look at two of the new Color Stories we're releasing on Saturday! First up is the Northbound Color Story. This palette retails for $55.

The Northbound Color Story draws inspiration from magical polar adventures. These rich, wintry tones would perfectly complement Santa’s wardrobe and look right at home woven into cozy arctic woolens. Included in this palette you will find Lagoon, Pistachio, Red Currant, Conifer, and Overcast felt.

You may have noticed that there's a new color in Northbound. In my opinion, Conifer is the perfect Christmas green. Not too blue, not too yellow, and just the right depth of color. It's absolutely beautiful and it has become a favorite almost immediately. I will show a comparison photo in just a moment.

Our second new Color Story is called Sweet Dreams. It also retails for $55.

The Sweet Dreams Color Story embraces a softer, youthful yuletide palette. The colors in this arrangement combine to create a fanciful mood fit for a candy-coated holiday dreamland. This Color Story includes Deep Teal, Petal, Ripe Raspberry, Chantilly, and Vintage Glass felt.

Sweet Dreams also includes a new color! Deep Teal is a rich, luscious blue-green. It is in the same color family as Cascade and Vintage Glass, but it is a much deeper tone. I truly love it and I think you will too. Both Deep Teal and Conifer will be available individually for $7.25 per roll as well.

Here you can see a comparison of these two new colors with some of our existing colors. From Left: Cascade, Deep Teal, Pine Forest, Conifer, Arugula.

We will also have coordinating thread for both colors available for $1.15 per skein.

I like DMC #986 for Conifer.

And DMC #991 for Deep Teal.

We're also sharing a pair of dies today. The first one is the Santa's Sleigh Die (retails for $38).

Santa’s preferred mode of transportation might not be for everyone, but you have to admit…he has style! This Santa’s Sleigh Die is generously sized and ready to decorate a tree, hold a gift card, or embellish a wreath. Why should Santa have all the fun?

The second die we're introducing today is the Pretty Package Die (retails for $28).

Some people’s favorite part of gift giving is the wrapping - and this die is for you! Create adorable, colorful gift boxes, bedecked with tiny bows. These charming little presents are fabulous gift card packaging, home decor, and more!

Now that I've made all of the introductions, let's see what the ladies have to share with you today!

Audrey has such a wonderful way of adding unexpected details to all of her projects. The decorated packages in her sleigh are so charming! Make sure to visit her Instagram for all the details about her projects!

 

I love this decor piece that Emily created with the Santa's Sleigh Die. The embroidery she added to the sleigh is stunning. Check out her blog for all of the details!

 

Renee created this amazing table runner by pairing the new Pretty Package Die with the Petite Gift Bow Die. It's so sweet and incredibly festive! Make sure to see more of her project on her Instagram!

These ladies are amazing! I've been having a lot of fun playing with these new dies too, so let's jump in to some projects!

First up, I have a pair of projects made with the Santa's Sleigh Die. Both are ornaments, but one is open at the center to be able to hold a gift card.

This first ornament uses the Northbound Color Story.

I cut the body of the sleigh from Red Currant and the rails from Overcast. The base for the rails and the sleigh trim were cut from Tundra. The packages are cut from Lagoon, Pistachio, and Conifer. I cut double of everything so my ornament could be double-sided. I decorated the packages a bit using a mix of straight stitches, lazy daisy stitches (to create the bow), and Snow Flurry sequins.

I also decorated the sleigh with the included snowflake embroidery die. I used two strands of white cotton thread and one strand of metallic thread to give the embroidery a hint of sparkle.

On this gift card holder ornament, I paired Conifer with Cardinal for a classic Christmas vibe. I also used metallic silver cardstock to create the rails as opposed to using felt. I embellished with a greeting from the Pocket Tag II Die and more of the Snow Flurries sequins.

Instead of stitching all around the entire perimeter, I sewed the top edge of the front and back panels of the sleigh before sewing through all of the layers for the other two-thirds of the sleigh. That creates a pocket that is perfect for a gift card. Isn't it cute?!

Next up, I have a pair of Pretty Package projects. Once again, I made them both ornaments, but one of them can accommodate a gift card. Yay!

This first one is the gift card holder. I used the Sweet Dreams Color Story for both of these ornaments. 

I decorated both sides of this ornament in the same way, so I cut two of each piece. Does that mean that this ornament is, like, a million layers thick? Yes. Yes, it does. But it's so cute that it's worth it. I cut the outer box layers from Ripe Raspberry. The bow is cut from Petal and Chantilly. I also cut inner layers from Deep Teal. It's not a necessary step, but I like that it creates a clean pocket for the gift card. I sewed on all of the embellishments (like the bow and the holly from All Aglow) first.

Again, to create a pocket, you sew the top edge of each side (in this case, the top of the box and top of the bow). Then, you sew the other three edges through all of the layers. Then the top is open and the gift card tucks right in. This would also be great for birthdays, not just holidays.

The second ornament is cut from Deep Teal with a Ripe Raspberry and Petal bow. I used a handful of Snow Flurry sequins to dress things up a bit and add some sparkle. I used quilt batting to stuff this little gift box without adding too much bulk. 

I hope you've enjoyed today's introductions! I will be live on Instagram at 8pm today to answer any questions you might have about today's introductions. But we will have so much more to share tomorrow, so I hope you stop by to take a peek.

In the meantime, it wouldn't be a grand debut without a giveaway! Leave a comment on this post letting us know:

Do you like creating keepsakes to package gift cards? Or do you lean in to the convenience and pop those bad boys in an envelope?

before 7am EDT on Saturday (7/5) and I will randomly select one winner to receive a $50 credit to our store! The winner will be announced on Saturday (7/5) morning's post at 9am. The winner has 30 days to contact Customer Service (customerservice@poshtadesign.com) and claim their prize. Good luck and we'll see you tomorrow for more inspiration!