Twelve Days of Christmas Cards with Graphic 45

These cards were made by fussy cutting the images from the Graphic 45 Twelve Days of Christmas paper line.  I layered other papers, including Basic Grey and BoBunny, to create a more eclectic look.

The poinsettia dies are Tattered Poinsettias by Tim Holtz.  I love their rugged shape.

The challenge with this paper is letting it shine.  There is so much detail.

I love this French hen one!  Love the rustic feel of it.

I used number stickers from my stash that I've had for years.

I use a gold paint pen to edge my layers on cards often.

Cutting simple shapes from some of the images and layering them provides a great breakup of the graphics.

I cannot believe I cut out that pear!

I hope you're inspired to play if you have these papers.

This final card started it all, and was made by my dear friend Barbara.  So pretty!  Thanks Barbara, I adore your cards and miss you!

I'm adding my collection to Winter Wonderland for their Anything Goes HERE, to SSS for their Throwback challenge, Christmas/Holiday HERE, and to SSS for their Anything Goes challenge HERE.  Happy cardmaking!

Join me tomorrow for my GD project for Penny Black Stamps & More and every day this week for my Penny Black Christmas projects.  :)

12 Tags of Christmas Snowy Night Altered Tag

 My week 4 tag for Linda's twelve tags of Christmas, inspired by her stamping the black trees on an Evergreen Bough Distress ink background.  The tree is by Paperbag Studios and has a frame around it, but I carefully inked each tree only and stamped repeatedly.  My mom has the best tree stamp for this, but I couldn't get over to borrow it.  :(  Anyway, this worked well.  I went back and added puff paint to each branch.  It is supposed to air dry, but yeah right!  Three hours later... NO!  I heat set it and it did alter the texture, but I still liked it for this application.

 The text is a Hero Arts stamp.  The music is Penny Black and stamped in Frayed Burlap.  At the bottom I tore a strip and used it as a mask to sponge rolling hills.  I ended up not wanting to throw away the mask with all the pretty ink on it, so I used it to emboss the sentiment over.  :)  Too bad I ended up covering the sponged rolling hills!

 To recreate the metallic elements from Linda's tag, I tore glittered sticker ribbon.  Then I drew stars on the backside of the scrap and cut them out free hand and adhered them randomly along the top of my tag.

 I love how Linda ties a bow and adds a charm - cute!  The Funkie Junkie Boutique has the perfect tree stamps and charms.  <3

To see all of my tags in this series click HERE.  I'm adding my tag to the 12 Tags of Christmas at The Funkie Junkie Blog HERE and to SSS for their Anything Goes challenge HERE.

Lastly, I made this card for the Verve VLV October Week 4 sketch challenge and am linking it up HERE, and to Winter Wonderland for their Anything Goes challenge HERE..  I had such a hard time with all these circles!  I almost didn't share it, but have challenged myself to enter a card for each VLV sketch.  Oye!  You guys, I am already listening to Christmas music!  Crazy, huh!  I'm usually a humbug!  Ha!

Christmas Plaid and Vintage Santa Tag

I just had to circle back to this Christmas plaid background and do another tag.  I found a striped stencil in my stash from forever ago, that was for marking lines in a journal.  I decided to play around with it and see if I could recreate Linda's gorgeous Distress ink background.

I so wished I could think of a thin line to use in between the bold ones, but it didn't work out that way.  After I sponged the inks (Adirondack Meadow and Cranberry) my stencil stripes were too perfect so I dipped the whole tag into a puddle of Vintage Photo DI.  The smearing of the ink worked for me and I was super happy with the end result.

 The santa image is by Character Constructions, a long time favorite stamp company!  I contemplated coloring it, but didn't want to distract from the gorgeous background.  To see all of my posts in this series, click HERE.

 Since my stencil wasn't long enough, I decided to use the bottom portion for text.  I masked off the center and stamped a Penny Black script stamp in Cranberry to give some extra dimension.  The word is from mini alphas.  I scored a bag full of vintage trim on our mountain trip last weekend, so I used some of the green lace and added a twine bow and a charm, just like Linda does.  She has the charms she uses in her awesome shop, The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  She's also running a Tim Holtz sale through 10/31.  Go now!

I'm adding my tag to the Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas challenge HERE, to SSS for their Throwback challenge from last year Christmas/Holiday HERE, to SSS for their Anything Goes challenge HERE,

Nordic Christmas Sweater & Sleigh Silhouette Altered Tag

  I had such a great time making with my first nordic background tag HERE.  Linda's Christmas knit was such an inspiration to me.  I came across this awesome stamp on clearance for $4 and just had to get it!  Later that week I saw this lady in a grey and cream sweater and I just knew I had to recreate it into a tag!  I decided this adorable sleigh silhouette would be the perfect focal point.

 I used Weathered Wood, Frayed Burlap, and Pumice Stone Distress inks to create my background.  The focal image and text was stamped with Vivid Cobblestone.  I layered an industrious sticker over the bottom seam and tore the top.

 I stamped this JOY sentiment by Paperbag Studios and embossed it twice with grey UTEE.  I sponged a bit of black around the edges to make it look like metal.

 For the topper, I layered with some Tim Holtz Sizzix greenery, some charcoal twine, and a jingle bell.  I was inspired by THIS pin.

 I used some mini alphas to stamp the text onto a scrap.  I added some pom pom fringe and then stitched around the edges.  I'd have to say this is my favorite tag so far, even though it is not bright or traditional.  I just love the wintry feel of it!  Linda has such an amazing selection of Christmas items and is running a flash sale on Tim Holtz products at her shop, The Funkie Junkie Boutique, now through the 10/31!  To see all the posts in this series, click HERE.

I'm linking my tag to The Funkie Junkie 12 Days of Christmas tag challenge HERE, to Fashionable Stamping for their Changing Seasons challenge HERE, to Craft Stamper for their 'Take A Technique' Ink Stitch Paint Collage Print Paper challenge HERE, to WOW! Embossing Powder for their October embossing challenge HERE, and to Winter Wonderland for their Jingle Bells challenge HERE.

Vintage Tim Holtz Reindeer Christmas Wall Hanging Tutorial

I thought it would be a lot of fun to show you a quick idea for making handmade Christmas gifts on the cheap using stamps.  With one BoBunny chipboard book, I was able to create 6 of these project kits.  I chose a traditional vintage Christmas color combo for these reindeer wall hangings, perfect for any decor.

Each page had a different border cut along one edge and the pages were staggered.  I cut them all down to the same size so it would be easier to create several kits.  Tip: I use my old paper cutting blade and standard paper cutter to do this.  Cut on one side, then flip over and cut on the other side - easy.  Next I stamped dots in Adirondack cranberry along the edges to give it some dimension.  I sponged the raw edges with this color too.  Then I selected my papers and cut them to size.  The poinsettia, music, and chevron papers were all Heidi Swap.  The plaid is Authentique and the wood grain for the stamping the deer and wreath onto are Basic Grey.

For my base layers of poinsettia and plaid papers, I cut a piece of cardboard as a backer to lift the paper and so I wouldn't have to use a ton of mounting tape and it would lay nice and flat.  I barely used any and it is so sturdy.  I distressed the edges and sponged Lettuce and Meadow Adirondack inks along the edges.  Next I stamped the wreath in Lettuce and Oregano and cut it out, then distressed and sponged the edges.  I painted the berries with acrylic paint.  I layered this over a sponged kraft doily.  I stamped the deer in Vintage Photo and quickly clear embossed it.  Distress inks can be used for embossing, but you have to heat within seconds of stamping.

I mounted all the layers with multiple layers of mounting tape and finished with some fabric stickers by Little Yellow Bicycle, which I sponged with Vintage Photo.  The Season's Greetings sticker is by Cosmo Cricket. The poinsettia is from the Christmas Shop at HL.

For the hanger I used brown grosgrain ribbon tied in a knot at the holes on each side.  I layered a twine bow, then the red and green ribbon bow using hot glue.  Lastly I added some TH Holiday Greenery holly die cuts with mounting tape under the bows.

I created this project for the RRR design team call - but then chickened out!  Any who, I'm linking up to RRR for their Get a Head Start on Christmas challenge HERE and to SSS for their Throwback challenge, for which I chose the Christmas/Holiday challenge from last year, HERE.  Do tell me what Christmas gifts you'll be making this year.

12 Days of Christmas Tags Plaid and Poinsettia

 Today I'm sharing my plaid background tag, as inspired by Linda of The Funkie Junkie blog.  Linda created the most lovely background using the Tim Holtz stripe stencil found at her amazing shop, The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  It is really one amazing background, go check it out!  The TH plaid stamp set is definitely on my Christmas list!  I did not have this stencil, and was very tempted to make one, but when I remembered that I had this amazing Basic Grey plaid paper left over in my stash, I switched gears.  Basic Grey paper always draws me in!  <3

For my poinsettia, I was inspired by Karen, the designer of the Cardabilities sketches, and her amazing use of micro beads inside of her handmade flowers for Heartfelt Creations.  I used my super simple paper flower techniques found HERE.  For the holly I used Adirondack lettuce and meadow inks and then overstamped with a lacy Penny Black stamp in lettuce.

 I used some gorgeous natural fiber burlap and red twine with a button for the topper on this tag.  I layered some printed twill ribbon over the burlap to add a sentiment.

 She ended up being quite thick!  If you'd like to see my other tags in this series click HERE.

I'm linking up to week 4 of The Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas challenge HERE, to Really Reasonable Ribbon for their Get a Head Start on Christmas challenge HERE, and to Happy Little Stampers for their October Poinsettia challenge HERE.

Simple Snowflake Christmas Cards

 I'm back today with another fiber wrapped Christmas card, featuring this snowflake die from Sizzix.  I love this die!

 A bundle of shimmery fibers to coordinate wrapped around the inside of the card and tied in a knot at the top.

 The second card features a new stamp - love it!  And a 3-D sticker embellishment.  I'm making a few simple cards to replenish my stash.  TFL!

In other news, my mom and I are headed to Brevard, NC today for our annual mountain trip.  Brevard is home to the white squirrel and even has a gift shop named The White Squirrel.  Strangely enough, I saw this guy near my house!!!  I don't know how he made it so far!  I have never seen one locally before.  White squirrels are a breed, and not albino as you may think.  Just had to share!  ;0

I'm linking up to SSS for their Wrap it Up challenge HERE and to 'Tis the Season Skates and Snow challenge #53 HERE.

Embossed Wise Men Christmas Card

 One of my favorite ways to embellish Christmas cards is by looping fibers around the inside of the card and tying a knot at the top, a technique I learned from my dear friend Barbara.  This makes the card more dramatic, but also mailable.  The loose stands easily fit inside an envelope.  I embossed this gorgeous Hero Arts wise men stamp in gold for the focal point and layered my papers.

I'm adding my card to the Hero Arts Holiday Cardmaking Challenge HERE, to Merry Monday for their Frame It challenge HERE, and to SSS for their Wrap it Up challenge HERE.  What is your favorite Christmas card embellishment?

Lavender Stamped Floral Background

I'm back this week with another stamped background card using the Lean on Me set.  This one was made by embossing my image repeatedly and using Distress Ink puddles to color.  I added colored pencil to various petals to create more of a pattern and less of a flower.  This card is a lavender version of THIS one.  ;0  To see all of my posts on stamped backgrounds click HERE.

My inspiration was the Pinterest Inspired Challenge's image of the month linkup HERE.  I'm linking up to Simon Says Wednesday for their Wrap It Up challenge HERE and also the Unity Tuesday Night Hop HERE.