Bring on the Ugly Christmas Sweaters!

I knew when I ordered it, the Winter Sweater die (by Elizabeth Craft Designs) was going to inspire all kinds of fun ideas. And it didn't disappoint. This cute die by Elizabeth Craft Designs is... well...addictive, to be honest. Once you make one, another idea pops in your head and you make another, and another and another! Don't believe me? Well, just try to make only one. I challenge you!

The great thing is you can use stuff in your stash to adorn your sweaters. Grab those embossing folders, scraps of cardstock, felt, burlap, glitter, and go to town! And if you're making Ugly Christmas Sweaters, anything goes. The tackier the better.

I started with tacky. Bright, gaudy, and glittery. The trims on this one are from the Holiday Garlands 1 die set. I added glitter and some Glossy Accents to doll it up.

This one reminds me of something Beverly Goldberg would wear. An ivory felt sweater with glittery pink chains and snowflakes with pearl accents. These trims are from Holiday Garlands 2.

I remembered I had the Holiday Knit die set, so I created this ivory accent on a pink sweater trimmed with Metallic Trimmings.

Then I grabbed the Stitched Plaid texture fade and created this textured sweater by embossing ivory cardstock and blending two different reds over the surface. (Note: when creating an embossed texture to your sweater, die-cut the sweater first then run the sweater through the embossing folder). The neck, waist band, and sleeves are part of the Winter Sweater set, as is this very cute reindeer. I added a red gem for his nose.

As you can see, not all of my sweaters are "ugly" and actually look like a nice sweater you might find in a store. This one is a good example. I would wear this, wouldn't you? I made this one by die-cutting an ivory cardstock square using several of the Holiday Knit dies placed close together on the platform. (Make sure your square is large enough to fit the length of the dies, otherwise the pieces will fall apart.) Then adhere the ivory piece to a red cardstock square, and die-cut this unit with the Winter Sweater die with two passes in your die-cutting machine to make sure it cuts through all the layers. I added the neck, waist and sleeve bands last.

When you're playing around with different cardstock colors, keep the extra bits from the Holiday Knits die and use them as accents on another sweater. This one was first embossed with an old Stampin' Up embossing folder I had in my stash, then I added the trims, sleeves, waist and neck bands. Easy!

You can really get carried away with this sweater die! I was supposed to be making dinner by this time, but was having too much fun. Again, I layered two cardstock colors and used the Holiday Knits die.

So, now that you've created a bunch of sweaters, what will you do with them? I'll continue to play with mine and work them into designs and share them with you in the coming weeks. 

Today I thought I'd share a very simple and cute Christmas tree ornament I made with this last sweater (my personal favorite).

Die cut two chipboard ovals (4" tall) and two pattern paper ovals. I used the Tidings paper stash by Tim Holtz and black chipboard.

After adhering the pattern papers to each chipboard oval, add decorative ribbon in a loop between them, ink edges and glue the ovals together. You can clip clothespins around the edges for a strong hold while the glue dries.

Adhere rick-rack trim around the outside edge and a twine bow at the top. I like to use Beacon's Fabri-Tac for adhering ribbons. I set my ornament on a sanding block to dry completely. This way the rick-rack doesn't shift position.

Place plenty of foam tape on the back of your Christmas Sweater and adhere it to your ornament.

This would be a fun craft to do with the kids or grandkids. Just pre-cut all the pieces and let them mix and match to make their own fun sweater ornaments. This is a great way to use up random trims, buttons, glitter, sequins (whatever!) while having fun with the kiddos.

YOU can win a shopping spree at Elizabeth Craft Designs if you make a Winter Sweater creation and upload it to their Facebook Winter Sweater Contest going on now through December 16th. See all the details here.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I just thought of another sweater idea...