CC3C - Woodlands and Tinsel Twine

Christmastime is coming, Christmastime is coming!!! Yikes! I hope I haven't stressed anybody out!!! It's also time for another challenge in the new Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge!!! And guess what?!! It's the 17th challenge, which means we are half way through the book! I can't believe it! Seventeen more challenges to go.  Kudos to all the entrants and for all the comments!  Those of you that play along every time deserve a big round of applause, AND those of you who are new to the challenges deserve the biggest kudos! We welcome everyone, and look forward to seeing all the entries.   The Curiosity Crew and I always have our socks knocked off by all the wonderful work and we are so inspired as well!
This new challenge, number seventeen is Woodlands and Tinsel Twine. These goodies are so versatile to use in your Christmas crafting and throughout the year. I am so looking forward to all the entries. Please play along so you can win some fabulous prizes donated by the ever generous Tim and Mario, and this challenge's sponsor, Inspiration Emporium!!! You will have two weeks to complete this challenge and link it up to the CC3Challenge site, and you can read all the rules here. Please take the time to visit every member of the Curiosity Crew (See below.) for not only some gorgeous foliage and glitz, but for a chance to win some extra goodies!

Linda Ledbetter

Annette Green

Candy Colwell

Cheryl Grigsby

Hels Sheridan

Susan Mostek

Yvonne Blair

Forget a Christmas tree in every room this year. I've put a Christmas tree in every Configurations Box! Oh my creative word...this project just kept multiplying and multiplying and I kept adding and adding. Even the family asked me to walk away from the project! No joke! I worked on this a solid week, even in the car while hubby was driving to our family's house for Thanksgiving. I just went crazy adding, and believe it or not, I think it still needs a little more. BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! The kids are enjoying it though, and love adding a new Countdown Coin everyday getting ever closer to Christmas!

Seriously, this started with only 7 of the Configurations boxes, but then I decided to make it 25 to make an advent type, countdown to Christmas Day calendar! I had to use the floor to make this, as the table was not big enough to house it. It is 36 inches long and 19 inches wide. My back was not happy with me either. I'm too old to sit on the floor for the amount of time I did to make this!

Once all the boxes where adhered together in the shape of the tree, I spray painted it black, and then backed each box with Tim's Merriment Paper Stash.

I sealed all the edges with my favorite, no longer available, Tissue Tape with the Snowflakes.

I wanted to hang the Count Down Coins on something, so I used hooks colored with Poppyfield Alcohol Ink.

I screwed the hooks into pieces of cork (Gotta drink wine to get corks, and gotta use corks for something...right?!!), and pieces of balsa wood, and bingo number pieces. I wanted a mish mash of stuff on this. Notice the Woodlands Trees in the background. I only had 19 of Tim's trees in my stash. I ran to my two craft stores, but neither had any Woodland Trees in stock and I didn't have time to order any, so I did use 6 other trees that are not Tim's. They were green, but I bleached them to get the ecru color. Saved!

After I used Tim's techniques to gussy up my Woodlands, I needed something that would house the Countdown Coins that would be hung day by day on this tree. I decided to used the Tim's Matchbox Die from Sizzix to make two boxes that would go at the base of my tree. These made for a great 'foot' look as well.

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I found a wooden star in one of my boxes of Christmas decorations, and decided to use it to top the tree. More paper went into it as well as Tinsel Twine. I die cut the Merry Christmas from the Stacked Words Sizzlet Die three times, adhered them together to make it more sturdy, and then covered it with Black Soot Distress Glitter! Mirrored Stars finished the star off, and I used more cork to prop it up flush onto the tree.

I die cut lots of presents in brown paper packages (Singing!), and glittered the strings and ribbons. I added wooden cubes to the backs to hold them in place sturdily on the tree.

I painted all the Countdown Coins with Distress Paint, as well as Letterpress Pieces. I also colored the metal reindeer with Distress Markers before hanging that. THEN I threw all of this in the Configuration Boxes of the tree! PHEW!!! I planned on adding a hanger to the back, but because of the Matchboxes it stands perfectly on it's own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope I've inspired you with this massive project, and that you'll join in with the challenge!  Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Supplies:

Idea-ology Configurations Box 5.5x5.5	Idea-ology Configurations Box 5.75x10.75	Ranger Glossy Accents	Idea-ology Paper Stash In Merriment	Idea-ology Woodlands
Idea-ology Woodlands Mini Tree Lot	Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain in Black Soot	Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain in Brushed Pewter	Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain in Picket Fence	Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain in Barn Door
Tim Holtz Distress Glitter in Clear Rock Candy	Idea-ology Tinsel Twine in Winter	Idea-ology Tinsel Twine in Silver	Idea-ology Tinsel Twine in Black	Ranger Multi Medium Matte 4 oz.
Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Festive Berries	Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Black Soot	Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Picket Fence	Tim Holtz Brushed Pewter Distress Paint	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Poppyfield
Idea-ology Countdown Coins	Idea-ology Game Pieces	Maya Road WOOD BINGO CALENDAR NUMBERS BLACK	Idea-ology Mirrored Stars	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Black Soot
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink	Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool	Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die in Matchbox	Ranger Inkssentials Kraft Cardstock 8.5x11"	Idea-ology Hitch Fasteners
Tim Holtz Sizzix Sizzlets Stacked Words Christmas	Tim Holtz Sizzix Movers	Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die in Packages and Bows	Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz Die in Retro Packages	Tim Holtz Distress Glitter Festive Berries
Idea-ology Jump Rings	Idea-ology Screw Eyes	Lace Chain	Idea-ology Adornments in Christmas	Distress Markers Set
Idea-ology Adornments in Snowflakes	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Corked Vials	Idea-ology Vial Labels	Label Letters	Idea-ology Letterpress

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!