Monday, December 6, 2010

St. Nicholas Day: December 6

Did you find sweet treats or coins in your shoes this morning?

This is a special project for the Design Team Gingers at Gingersnap Creations.  We were challenged to create something for St. Nicholas Day.  I hope you click on the link to visit the post where you can read more about St. Nicholas and view the other Gingers' art created for today.

Nikolaos of Myra was a saint and Greek Bishop who performed many miracles during his lifetime (270 A.D. - Dec. 6, 347 A.D.)  He was the role model for the modern day Santa Claus.  Many around the world leave their shoes outside their bedroom doors on the night of December 5, hoping to wake up on December 6th to shoes filled with treats.

He is the patron saint of many, including children and sailors.The Graphics Fairy had the perfect image for this. I incorporated this very old Woolson Spice Co. advertising card, showing Santa hanging stockings on the moon and looking at an ocean scene below. I found it here on a blog post from The Graphics Fairy .

Wikipedia provided some details to help with my art interpretation.

roses: it is said the relics of St. Nicholas exude manna (or myrrh) which smells like rose water believed by the faithful to contain the power of miracles

If in the recesses of your mind you're thinking there's something familiar about this tag----it's because it's Tim Holtz' Tag #4.  You have your Santa, pearls, and fragment.  However, if you also are a member of the Everything Wendy Vecchi group, then you see something else that's familiar.  Our EWV group has been challenged to make Tim's tags Wendy style.  I have a trifecta here:  GC design team project, Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas tag #4 design, and EWV Wendy-style tag.  

Wendy is all about flowers.  Most famous is her grungepaper rose.  This rose is a perfect symbol for St. Nicholas' rose scented myrrh.  So first on the agenda was a rose stamped and then distressed with Broken China ink.  The leaves are distressed with Shabby Shutters ink.  I inked the tag with Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo distress inks.  On the tag, I had to fill in above and below the GF image, so I used Wendy's Merry Christmas background stamp on top, stamped in Broken China distress ink, to match the color of the sky in the graphic.  On the bottom, I used Wendy's scallop stamp stamped in Faded Jeans distress ink to match the water (for a few extra waves).  I stamped that on a scrap of another tag, then cut it to fit perfectly across.  Wendy uses Stickles.  I used Frosted Lace on the icicles and Rock Candy on the white caps in the water.  I used one of Tim's fragment ornaments and a second printed image to capture the ship.  I read somewhere that St. Nicholas rescued sailors from a capsized boat.  So up they go to hang on the moon with the stockings.  (kinda like a ship in a bottle) I topped the ornament with a bit of foil scrap (my version of Wendy's use of metal embellishments).  I couldn't believe that I didn't have the believe stamp!.  But I found a couple of stickers in the new Websters Pages Holiday pack.  So there you have it..  A design team challenge, inspiration from Tim, and Wendy's stamps = one St. Nicholas tag.

And it can't get much better than this because I can also enter my tag in:
Tuesday Taggers challenge: Jolly Old St. Nick.  I was fortunate to recently have won their drawing and got some scrummy stamps from the Craft Barn as well as a spot on their blog as a guest designer.
And I'll post this in the Graphics Fairy Brag Monday blog since I couldn't have made this tag without her image.

23 comments:

Sandi McLean said...

Yeah, Helene! Wonderful story and what a score on the tag..:) I looked, then looked again - isn't that what art makes you do..

Anonymous said...

Well, you are just too clever for me! It is a Tim-inspired tag AND it is a Wendy-inspired tag! Does your head hurt from all the brilliant ideas residing inside? LOL!
Fantabulous art!
Eileen

The Nostalgic Scrapper said...

i love what you did...this looks so magical... plus christmasy without being to red or green...

SusanK said...

What a rocking tag!

Lori said...

This is really spectacular, Helene! Love the gp rose at the top. And the only thing I found in my shoes this morning was snow...lol..

Jingle said...

This is absolutely beautiful!!!

Maria Ontiveros said...

Love the colors you used. The yellow s very striking.
RindA

Terry said...

Great story over at GC. Your tag is adorable and so appropriate for St. Nick's Day! Love this. No treats or coins in my shoes today, maybe tomorrow?

PetraB said...

I love your tag especially the image you used. It is adorable and your tag just perfect for St Nikolaus.

Valerie-Jael said...

Lovely tag and thanks for not forgetting St Nick!

Shelly Schmidt said...

I love this- the story is appreciated and the flower is an awesome accent!

Lynn Stevens said...

What a wonderful and very creative tag Helene. I enjoyed reading about the customs and leaving your shoes out, its a good thing we don't do that here. Out cat likes to hunt mice and leave them as a gift in my hubby shoes! LOL

Linda M. Cain said...

Gorgeous work! Always love the music...inspirational to the soul!

Tammara said...

Love your tag!

Shelley said...

Wonderful info and the tag is amazingly beautiful!

Unknown said...

Beautiful! and love the story too!Thanks for joining us at TT this week Janet x

Becky T. said...

I love your tag! :-)

Anonymous said...

Stupendous tag! Perfect for a wonderful St. Nicholas Day!

VAWM said...

This is beautiful. Have a blessed St. Nicholas Day!

Unknown said...

Wonderful! I love the stories too about St Nick

Love Dawn xx

Netty said...

Fabulous tag, such great colours. Annette x

Karen The Graphics Fairy said...

Great job! Your tag is beautiful!!

Sandy Ang said...

That handmade flower looks wonderful on your tag.

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