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.