December ATC Swap

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend! My clan had a wonderful time with family. It is always a special time of year for us...everyone really seems to shine. But, it ended, and alas, the mail came today after its little hiatus, and a small package came for me. My "All White ATC's" from the All Things Tim Yahoo Group monthly swap had arrived. I tore into them as fast as I could, this my last Christmas present. I love them all! I was especially excited to see one that is similar to my own...great minds!

This cutey is from Susan Salyer...who ironically lives pretty close to me, and we've never met...small world! Love this happy Santee!!! Fabulous pattern that sparkles too...beautiful!

This pure white beauty is from Jocelyn Cazier. These sparkly white gears really had me turning! Have you ever noticed that pearls add instant old school class? I'm in love!

And...here is  Donna Jean Eno's beautiful winter white scene! Isn't it funny that we used the same dies, and had polka dot backgrounds? I love it! Her deer is really raised up from the card which really makes it pop. It is so striking!

And...here is mine again.

Thanks again to all the participants and especially to Sandy who does all the work! I look forward to next months theme. If you have not joined in on the fun and you are in the group, why not give it a try? It will be a new year, a new beginning, and a time to try new things! I hope you get your hands creatively dirty soon!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Twas The Night Before A Crafter's Christmas!!!

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wonderin' what Santa, brought just for me;

Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
or a cricut? I said with a smile on my face!

and that's when I heard him...''HI SANTA,'' I said.
''you know good little girls should be in their beds''.

I know I should Santa, and now I've been caught!
but I was excited, to see what you brought.

well, lets take a look in this room where you work.
he shook his head quickly and left with a jerk!

I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear...
you've got enough stuff, I'll see you next year!

(Borrowed this poem from my friend Jody Myslinski. Thanks girl!!!) 

I am so grateful to all of you who have supported this blog and me!  I wish each and every one of you the most beautiful and joy filled Christmas, Hanukkah, holiday, and/or weekend! Hugs to all, Anita

3 Challenges Christmas Tag

Hello again today!!! I wanted to quickly do one more project before Christmas, and then take a little break for a couple of days. Hels Sheridan, from the Sunday Stamper, has a challenge this week to show a Santa Claus. Simon Says Stamp and Show has a challenge to make a Tim inspired tag. Our Creative Corner has a color challenge to make something using pink, blue, red, and white. I really didn't know if I could handle this. Pink, Santa, and Tim inspired??? I gave it my best shot. It is not so grungy, but somewhat vintage. I really wanted to make one of Tim's trees that he blogged about this week. I loved that project! I tweaked it some to make a taller tree, and one that lays on a tag...not even possible without a glue gun, because I had to cut each rosette in half.  Kudos to the inventor of that!!!

I die cut 3 rosettes from the TH Alterations dies Paper Rosette and Mini Paper Rosette, using white cardstock. Only half way closed, I set each one in a glob of glue on my craft mat until hardened. I cut each one in half, making 6 now. Then I stacked them up biggest to smallest and glued them together.

cut a piece of Imaginisce Snowy Jo paper 1/4 inch smaller on all four sides than my jumbo sized manilla tag (4 1/4 in. x 8 1/2 in) in. The tag was coated in TH Distress Stain in Spun Sugar, and left to dry. I stamped the Christmas Carol music stamp from TH for Stamper's Anonymous Holiday Wishes Collection, using Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink. Then I stamped the Hero Arts College Music Background stamp all around the sides of my jumbo tag using TH Distress Ink in Worn Lipstick. I adhered the snowflake paper to my tag, and then ink around it with Worn Lipstick. I added a TH Idea-ology Reinforcer and inked it with Tumbled Glass. Then, I used a Uniball Signo pigment ink pen in White (my fav) and traced over the green snowflakes on the paper. I cannot have any green on this tag. Since my paper had glitter snowflakes in pink and blue, I added a little more sparkle with TH Distress  Stickles in Worn Lipstick and Clear Rock Candy.

I tied pink tulle, white webbed ribbon, and Tumbled Glass stained ribbon around the tag, and affixed a sanded rose gold Muse Token from TH Idea-ology. The sanding gave it a shiny quality that I liked. The transparency sentiment is from K&Company's Brenda Walton Evergreen Die Cut Collection. I adhered it with 3 glittered brads placed strategically on each dotted letter i.

 

Make Mine Vanilla!

I love that Paula Deen!!! My daughter is addicted to the Food Network, and I love it too. Ms. Paula made homemade vanilla extract once, and I thought that would be the perfect Christmas gift for family, friends, co-workers, teachers, and neighbors...24 to be exact. After all, I don't know anyone who doesn't use or like vanilla. I was shocked to learn that the pure stuff is 100% alcohol. I didn't even realize that it is made with alcohol. When I looked at the grocery store the best I could find was 60% alcohol. No wonder people always bring vanilla home from Mexico...they make the good and pure stuff!

I ordered Madagascar vanilla beans and bottles from Amazon for a very good price. After sterilizing the bottles I split 5 beans in half length wise, removed the tips and bottoms, and place them in the bottle. Then vodka (you can use rum too) was added to completely fill the bottle. You give it a good shake everyday and in about 4 to 6 weeks (6 to be safe) you have vanilla extract. You can fill the bottle with more vodka when it is about half full and keep making more a couple of times as well. When you have finished the vanilla up, you can remove the beans, dry them off, and place them into your sugar jar where they continue to give off their lovely flavor. It really is the gift that keeps on giving...for a while at least.

All White ATC

Hello All and Happy Holidays! Before I begin my post subject, I would just like to tell you that last night I was scrolling through the Simon Says Stamp and Show's blog, and caught my name. I read through and realized that 13 days ago I won one of the top three blinkies for my Diva Christmas Tree! I was in shock, this being my first to win a challenge, especially when there are sooooo many other projects that are far superior to my piddly tree. I have my blinkie proudly displayed though. Wow! Thank you to all the SSSandS team. I really am deeply honored!

This month at the All Things Tim Yahoo Group, the theme for the Monthly ATC Swap was an All White ATC Christmas style. I was concerned. I have never done anything all one color...you know me! I had to email Sandy, the coordinator, and ask if a touch of silver was okay to accent with. She said yes...phew! I decided to make it into an ornament after I found some paper mache rectangle ornaments just a little bigger than an atc, for only $.50...what a bargain!

I die cut white cardstock and dotted ribbon with TH ATC die.

I attached the ribbon to the ATC with Glossy Accents.

I die cut mini reindeer from white cardstock and painted them with TH White Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint. When dried, I heat embossed them with UTEE, and added wire ribbon around their necks.

I die cut mini trees using white glitter paper and painted them with TH Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.

I painted the paper mache ornaments with TH White Picket Fence Distress Stain. Then I attached snowflake Tissue Tape to the sides and repainted with the stain.

I painted TH Christmas Sentiment Muse Tokens with Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabber in Snow Cap, then heat embossed them with UTEE. I also painted TH Memo Pins with the paint.

I slipped embossed paper with "North Pole" and an arrow into the memo pin, attached a star above the tree, added German foil lace, and a beaded snowflake to the ATC. I attached the ATC to the ornament, added a bow and token, and used Stickles to trim it out.

Supplies:
Vagabond Material Used- TH Alterations ATC & Corners and Snowflakes Texture Fade, Movers & Shapers Mini Pine Tree & Holly Set, and Mini Reindeer & 25 Set
Paper Used- Paper Mache Ornament; white cardstock from my stash; The Paper Studio Glittered Christmas Cardstock Pack; Celebrate It Wide Ribbon (white tulle with dots); 32 Degrees North Dresden Foil Lace in white; TH Tissue Tape in Tidings (snowflakes)
Coloration Used- TH Distress Stain in White Picket Fence; TH Distress Crackle Paint in White Picket Fence and Rock Candy; Ranger Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Snow Cap; TH Distress Stickles in Clear Rock Candy; Ranger Stickles in Silver
Embellishments Used- TH Idea-ology Muse Tokens Christmas and Memo Pins; Mark Richards Metals Silver Star; beaded snowflake (can't find packaging); white wire ribbon from my stash

From My Door To Yours...Merry Christmas!!!

Now that 12 Tags is over I am frantically trying to finish up making gifts, and preparing our home for guests. I also have not even attempted Christmas cards yet. It has been five years since I have sent out cards to everyone on our list, which is quite large. I have only sent a few to family. However, I had an idea for a Christmas card tag, so I have also been working on that the last few days when I can spare a much needed moment to create. I'll only make a few and send them out to family, because it is so time consuming. I envy and respect all of you who make every single one of your Christmas cards to send out. That is a real WOW!!! One year, I will try to do that, but I'm sure I'll have to start in April.

For this tag, I tried to replicate my front door, but in mini form. I used a jumbo manilla tag and die cut a frame into it to create the hole for the glass...or in this case, the plastic. I embossed a piece of plastic that was cut from a package, in a pattern to mimic the large version. I added 2 pieces of embossed and colored paper for the door panels. Hardware was added for the knob and key hole. The knob is actually made from a solid brass charm base with a hitch fastener glued to that. For the wreath I die cut two rosettes, colored them, and decorated. 

Here you can see the pattern in the plastic a little better.

I died the plaque with alcohol ink and added Crackle Accents, then embossed with UTEE.

 

Supplies:
Vagabond Materials Used-  TH Alterations Texture Fade in Wood Pattern; Sizzix Texture Fade in Damask Pattern; TH Alterations Die in Styled Labels, Mini Paper Rosette, Paper Rosette
Coloration Used- TH Distress Ink in Black Soot, Peeled Paint, Festive Berries; Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist in Forever Green; Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Black Magic; Ranger Stickles in Christmas Red, Golden Rod
Embellishments Used- Ganz 3D Stickers; Artchix Studio charms (key hole, charm base); TH Idea-ology Plaquettes, Hitch Fasteners; Ranger Inkssentials Memory Foil Tape in Brass

The Finale: Day 12 Of 12 Tags

A bittersweet day since this is the last tag of  Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas series for this year. And, what a tag it is! Here is my comment to Tim that I posted this morning on his blog. 

From the deepest depths of my heart, I thank you and Mario for giving all of us crafty people pure joy from the dedication, techniques, inspiration, and gorgeousness your 12 Tags of Christmas, have brought us this year and past! You have blessed us all as well as brought us together by the uploading of tags (thank you Inlinkz) so that we may catch a glimpse of those we would otherwise never have had the chance to. It brings to mind a song I have sang in my head this whole 12 day period...We Are The World, We Are The People. And you, Tim and Mario, are the ones who have made this a brighter day!!! Merry Christmas and happiest of New Year's to you and yours!

I loved Tim's tag today. It was fabulous, but instead of replicating it completely, I wanted to finish off by making a tag that pays tribute to the real reason why we even celebrate Christmas in the first place. Jesus was born to the world so that He could teach, model, instruct, and ultimately save it! So many get caught up in the decorating, cooking, baking, buying, and receiving, that they lose all clarity in the true meaning of this whole celebration in the first place. It is a very easy trap to fall into, especially once you walk into a store.  I have had to remind my "gotta have it all" children of this several times in the past, and it seems to be sticking...well most days anyway! Enough of my soap box, but I give you warning now...this post is lengthy and you might not like some of the things you are about to see. 

My finale, tag 12, "A Savior Is Born".

I stamped my tag with every Christmas related sentiment I had and 1 Merry Christmas stamp that I really liked.

I wrote in all of Matthew 1: 18-25...The Christmas Story. This is the first time I have ever used my own handwriting for a background like this, but I could not find the stamp that Tim used today. I love how it looks though, and it's personal.

I used the plastic from a package of embossing folders to create a shelf that I could adhere to my tag.

I doubled it up to really keep it sturdy. I also doubled my tag up to strengthen it as well.

This is the finished background and I covered the shelf in tissue tape to blend in with the tag.

I was married right before Christmas and my mother gave us our first nativity set. I have treasured it all these years and put it out each Christmas. I have never liked the bright colors though, so I had a thought.

Here's the part you might not like...I coated it in White Picket Fence Distress Paint and then sealed it with Plastercraft Acrylic Gloss Spray Finish by Deco Art. I love the new look, and all the colors are toned down. It has a great crackled finish that I wish you could see better. You will probably not like this either...and I did call my mother for permission. I used a hack saw and cut off the tail end of the base of both Joseph and Mary, so that they could fit a little better on the shelf of the tag. It worked great, as the pieces are resin. There was no crumbling, just dust. I know,  I know, I'm crazy...right? When I have an idea, I commit...and besides...my mother trusted me completely!

I love how this turned out. It is the very best tag I have ever made, and what a great keepsake. I also love how the star charm turned out. I die cut the star with the plastic and stained in with White Picket Fence Distress Stain, then affixed it with the snowflake brad. Add blingy baubles made the tail of star shine. You might not see it, but there is a baby Jesus hanging on it too. How cool was it that Tim used stickles to create the dotted border? Love that accent!

The shelf worked perfectly after the bases were trimmed. Love the flower made from tissue wrap. What an awesome technique and so easy to do.

View from the top.

View from below.

This tag looks gorgeous on the tree! Thank you Tim for the inspiration!!! I am also submitting this tag to the Sunday Stamper Challenge...theme is Christmas, and to Simon Says Stamp and Show's projects with depth.