Friday, December 20, 2013

The Snow is Flying-Tag Number 11

Hello, everyone!  I'm so pleased to have you join me as we get ever closer to Christmas Day.  I can't believe we're five days away.  But, I wanted to share my tag number 11 in the  12 Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie Style. The challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique. I've managed to get all 12 tags finished before the original deadline!  Linda has extended the challenge and we will have two more of her beautiful tags to be inspired by.  That's the idea behind the challenge, to be inspired by Linda's tags and take that inspiration and create something of your own.  Here is Linda's tag.  It's a beautiful tag and what really inspired me was the colors she used and that fabulous glittered snowflake border.  So, this is what I came up with.


 
 
I started with the colors.  Distress Paint in Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, and Crushed Olive is what I used to do the background.  I did the wrinkle-free technique with the paints and then dried them.  The tag was covered with Rock Candy Crackle Paint and I sprinkled Rock Candy Distress Glitter on the tag.  I used a new stamp from Crafty Individuals.  I've never used their stamps before but Barbara at Joggles got them in and I just fell in love with all their designs.  They are really beautiful.  I thought this one with the deer in the snowy woods was so appropriate for the idea I had for this tag, snow flying, which is where the name of the post comes from.  I stamped it on watercolor paper with Chipped Sapphire DI. I embossed it with Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder.   After cutting it out I attached it to the tag. 
 
The snowflake border was cut with the Snowflurries on the edge die.  I used white glitter card stock.  I decided to attach it under the edge of the tag and have it extending out from the tag.  I did that once before with an on the edge die and really like that effect.  I cut some other snowflakes with the same paper and attached them.  Some clear rhinestones and a border of rhinestones finishes the tag.
 
Here are some details.
 
 
 
 
 
 
I really like this tag.  The background color is one of my favorites and a little variation on the seasonal colors. 
 
Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you are enjoying the season and have all your preparations under control.  I'll be back in a day or two with tag number 12, which just happens to be one of my very favorite of the tags I've made this year!  Have a great day!
 



Wednesday, December 18, 2013

And, now for # 10!

Is everyone still breathing?  Can you believe that next week at this time it will be Christmas Day!!!  The season has gone by so quickly.  But, it's so nice of you to stop by here to check out my latest tag in the 12 Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie style.  Welcome to all of you!

Well, I have to say that I loved Linda's tag # 10!  You can see it here.  She used the holly embossing folder for the background and also Tim's new holly stencil.  Holly is one of my favorite holiday symbols and I use it a lot.  I took my inspiration from the holly motif that she used and also the frame featuring the greeting.  I did change it up a bit though.  Here is what my tag looks like.


 
 
I started out with a number 10 tag and used the sized circles die to cut a circular hole in the center. 
Since I didn't have the same embossing folder that Linda used I used an all over holly design folder.  I randomly stenciled some holly on the tag then ran it through the embossing folder.   Using my finger to apply it, I lightly rubbed gold Gilder's Paste over the raised areas.  A spritz of gold Perfect Pearls spray finished the background.  
 
For the wreath I used Tim's holly wreath die.  I have been wanting to find a project to use it on and this seemed perfect since I was featuring holly.  Once it was cut using a dark green kraft core paper, it was run through the coordinating embossing folder.  The bow was cut with red flocked paper that was in my stash.  The wreath was glued down to the cut out circle and I put some stick on red stones around the wreath and a sparkle dot in the center of the bow. 
 
 
The message at the top of the tag is a greeting stamp that I stamped with clear EP on gold CS and then used Stampendous Vintage Ivory embossing powder to emboss it.   I cut two holly leaves with an old Sizzix die and attached them at the bottom with some stick on red stones.  That finished my tag.  Here are some details.
 
 
 
 
 
There you have it.  This challenge is great fun and Linda has extended it by adding two more tags with a deadline extension to January 8th.  The randomly selected prizes are gift certificates to The Funkie Junkie Boutique, which is the sponsor of the challenge. 
 
 
Thank you for visiting me today!  I'm so pleased that you've taken time from your busy day to spend some of it with me.  Have a wonderful day!
 



Monday, December 16, 2013

Candy Land

Hi, everyone!  I'm so glad you were able to take a few minutes out of your Christmas preparations to visit here.  Welcome!  This is going to be a quick post to share a small wall hanging I made for my kitchen.  I love using a gingerbread and candy cane theme in the kitchen and I wanted something to hang on a narrow wall.  Here is what I came up with.

 
 
 
I started with a piece of candy striped 6x6" paper which I mounted on chip board.  I gave it a dry brushing with gesso and then used a stencil to create some texture.  That's where I goofed!  I thought the stencil resembled the icing on gingerbread and I should have used white heavy body gesso but instead I uses heavy body gel medium!  Hmmm! It dries clear!!!  Oh, well, I didn't have another sheet of this paper and I didn't have time to redo it anyway, so I went with it.  I sprinkled it with clear rock candy distress glitter and told myself it was okay!!!  Lesson learned.  The Tim Holtz gingerbread house blueprint stamp was stamped on a piece of watercolor paper and I used DI to watercolor it.  Having learned my lesson from the above mentioned mistake, I used heavy body gesso on the icing and some more rock candy glitter.  Once everything was dry I used foam tape to attach the house to the background.  I gathered some fun candies and those fantastic vintage candy canes from my stash.  A few goodies that Linda Coughlin put in an order from The Funkie Junkie Boutique made it into the mix, too.  For some sparkle I added some tiny gold Christmas trees and small tree ornaments along with some sparkle dots and a couple of appropriate Authentique stickers.  A TH Holiday token finished off the assemblage.
 
I'm just going to have some details speak for themselves.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Well, that's it for today.  Thank you so much for joining me here and I hope you have a wonderful day and find some time to enjoy the season!  See you back here soon to continue with my Tags!
 




Friday, December 13, 2013

Catching Up

Hi everyone!  Thank you for stopping by today.  Its so good to have you.  I hope everyone is still breathing and on track for Christmas!  It's coming up so quickly. 

Well, it's another tag post today.  I'm trying to catch up with Linda's 12 Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie Style.  I have the tags made but I've been slow to post them.  But, here is tag number 9!  You can see Linda's here.  What I loved about Linda's was the glittered foliage.  I also liked the embossed snowflakes in the background.  So, here is my inspired version.

 
 
 
I used a size 10 tag and Iced Spruce and Pumice Stone Distress Stain to lightly coat the background.  I left it streaky deliberately.  I couldn't get a good picture of the color here but it's a greenish gray, very silvery looking. For the background I used clear embossing ink to stamp an elaborate Inkadinkadoo snowflake stamp.  I used silver embossing powder to emboss them.  Then I ran Pewter DS along the edges of the tag.  I used the Baroque TH die to cut a piece of snowflake patterned cardstock and glued it down to the tag.  Using manila cardstock I cut foliage from the TH Festive Foliage die, lightly coated it with glossy accents and sprinkled it with Pumice Stone DG. Silver cardstock became pine cones using the pinecone die.  I had never made these little pine cones, but my daughter had and they are just so cute!  So, I decided to use them on this tag.  I touched some of the edges with some rock candy glitter.  A length of seam binding colored with Iced Spruce and Pumice Stone DS is tied around the middle of the tag.  I made a cluster of loops out of silver tinsel and the foliage and pinecones.  Using the silver cardstock I stamped the "Winter Wonderland" in white and embossed it with iridescent embossing powder.  The snowflake at the top was a TH Ideology piece that I dabbed with Picket Fence and sprinkled it with rock candy glitter.  Here are some details.

 



          
 
 
 
 
So, that's it for today. Be sure to stop by Linda's shop which is the sponsor for the challenge. I have been so busy with holiday preparations that a lot of the things I wanted to make for Christmas may not get made.  But, these tags are so much fun to make that I'm finding time to work on them!! 

I'm really happy that you joined me today.  Thank you.  I hope you are enjoying this busy time of year.  I'll be back soon!


Monday, December 9, 2013

The 12 Tags: Number 8

Hello everyone!  I'm so happy you're here today.  It's nice to have you visit.  I'm back with the next in my 12 Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie style.  I'm up to number 8 and I have to say that it's one of my favorites!  There were a couple of things that really inspired me from Linda's tag.  The background technique was the first one and the greeting tied around the tag.  You can go here to see her tag.  This is my version.

 
 
I really love the background technique that Linda used.  It's a process that Tammy Tutterow featured on her blog recently.  I covered the tag with Victorian Velvet Distress Stain and then embossed it with clear embossing powder using a holly stamp from one of the TH sets.  Then I took Picket Fence DS and gave it three coats.  Once the stain was wiped off this is the soft background that remains.  I sponged the edges with Aged Mahogany.  The card comes from the Graphic45 Twelve Days of Christmas pad.  On a piece of gold card stock I stamped a holly stamp image using coffee archival ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  After punching holes on each side of the tag, it's attached with seam binding dyed with Victorian Velvet DS and stamped with a holly border stamp from Dyan Reavley.    I glued a filigree piece to the bottom and put a burgundy pearl in the middle. 
 
Here are a few details.
 
 
 
 
So, there you have it.  Tag number 8!  I'm having a great time with this challenge and I'll be sorry to see it end.  As you may know, the challenge is sponsored by Linda's online store, The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  Be sure to check it out for some great products.
 
I hope your Christmas preparations are coming along well.  We are having terrible weather where I am, so I'm taking advantage of the time home to finish decorating and wrapping gifts and making cards!  I really appreciate you taking the time to visit with me.  For all my friends on the East Coast, stay safe.  
 




Saturday, December 7, 2013

Victorian Christmas Banner

Hi everyone!  I'm so happy to have you visiting today!  It's a busy time around here with the elves working overtime getting ready for Christmas!  I love decorating the house for all holidays, but Christmas especially!  So, I've been busy with greens and ornaments and all kinds of things that say Christmas!  I've also been trying to continue adding to the many decorations with my own projects.   So, when Patti, my friend who owns The Queen's Ink, decided to have a banner challenge I had to join in.  You may remember that back in October she had a pumpkin decorating challenge.  You can see my entry here.  Well, here is my banner.



The rules were only that it could be no larger then 8 1/2 x 11 inches.  I decided to make mine small and went with 6x6 inches.  I cut a piece of chip board and covered it with a piece of musical background paper which I stenciled with TH new Harlequin stencil using gold ink. I edged the entire square with Antique Linen Distress Glitter.  I then cut a piece of burgundy background paper with a Spellbinders die and edged it with  Antique Linen glitter.  Can you tell that  I love that color glitter and that I just I love all the Distress glitter.  I keep using it more and more.  I then cut an image from a sheet of Kaiser Craft Christmas images and edged it with Fire Brick glitter.  I glued it down to the burgundy label and applied the whole thing to the background with foam adhesive so it was more dimensional. 

Along the bottom I created a garland full of holiday goodness.  I wanted it to look like the Victorian garlands you see in vintage images, full and dripping with all the symbols of the season.  I started with some wired winter berries that have been in the stash for a while and wove in some light green tinsel.  That formed the base and I added a miniature gold Christmas ornament to the middle so it would hang free below the banner.  From there I raided my stash and glued in gold stars, some of those wonderful vintage candy canes, some die cut holly leaves, a few small jingle bells, some dimensional sparkle dots and even a little fabric reindeer from a trim I have.  Here are some details.


 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
So, that's my banner.  Patti's plan is to link the banners together and decorate the shop with them.  I can't wait to see what everyone created.  I know my daughter made a gorgeous banner in her favorite medieval style. 
 
 
Thank you all for taking the time to visit with me today.  I know what a busy season it is and I appreciate your visit and all your lovely comments.  I hope you are enjoying your preparations for this wonderful time of year.  


Monday, December 2, 2013

Tag Number 7

Hi everyone! Just a quick post today but I'm happy to have you join me for the unveiling of another tag in Linda's 12 Tags of Christmas Funkie Junkie style.  This is tag number 7.  Linda's tag, which you can see here, was really lovely.  The one thing that jumped out at me when I first saw it was the 3 small tags attached to it.  I love attaching small tags to larger tags.  So, that's the main inspiration for mine. I also loved her embossed background.  This is what I did.

 
 
 
 
I started with a size 8 tag and embossed it with a Spellbinders embossing folder.  I then used some Vintage Photo DI over the tag to darken the raised areas.  I went over it lightly with clear embossing ink and some iridescent embossing powder.   The small tags were cut with an old Sizzix die out of a dark blue green card stock and then I  attached some wired ribbon to the top.  I used the TH stars, colored with alcohol ink, and glued them to the tags.  I cut some foliage out of the same paper as the tags and attached a Prima flower to the middle. Some sheer ribbon though the top and it was finished.  Here are some close ups.
 
 
 
 
So, there you have it.  I'm having so much fun with these tags.  It's great to see what Linda comes up with each week.  The challenge is sponsored by her shop, The Funkie Junkie Boutique.
 
I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope that everyone is getting ready for Christmas which will be here before we know it!  Have a great week and thank you so much for joining me today!