His and Hers Gift Tags

I'm following Kathy by Design's blog HERE and she posted the most beautiful project yesterday for 613 Avenue Create.  So I was inspired to join in the challenge.

I needed to make two tags to place on the Christmas presents for my daughter and her husband. They are similar gifts for their home so I decided to distinguish the identical gift boxes with His and Hers tags.  I thought of my carolers die which I had yet to break out the the packaging.

Entering These Challenges:

A Song in Your He(ART) #21 Have  Your Self A Merry Little Christmas,  my inspiration was the song lyric:  Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. (due Dec 9) x

Eclectic Ellapu: Vintage (due Feb 1)

Order of the Opus Gluei Challenge 197:  Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (dec 13) x

The Cheerful Stamp Pad:  Challenge 101:  Signs of Christmas (Dec 22) x

Pile It On:  Anything Goes Christmas (Jan 3) x

613 Avenue Create Challenge 101:  Anything Goes with a Twist:  Create Your Own Challenge
one item from each column (due Dec 13) x


Column #1: patterned paper:  Prima ready made tags
Column #2: die cut:  Sizzix Victorian Carolers (Tim Holtz)
Column #3: solid color paper Coredinations black
Column #4: buttons
Column #5: ribbon

Linking up the Unruly Paper Arts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party:  Day 7  8.

I procratinated and didn't get my post done on Saturday so I missed my goal of posting every day. I'm somewhat under the weather with some throat/cough thing that crept up on me.  Then I was determined to find black letters for my tags.  I had moved my craft room to another floor and threw all the bins into a closet.  The bin with the letters was in the back of the closet.  Need I say more? Then I had to sort the letters.  You know, do I really have two "s", one for each tag?  You get the picture.  Then I sanded the coredinations paper and didn't like it so I had to die cut the carolers again. Finally, I had to come up with 6 buttons that were the same size.  Somehow the notion of sorting through buttons isn't so exciting or theraputic at midnight!

Candy Jar Card

My second card for the challenges I told you about in yesterday's post.

Materials:
precolored digi images from Imagine That!:  Jars of Cheer and Sweet Tooth Papers
Stampin' Up gumball green cardstock and ink
white card stock run through Cuttlebug with a snowflake embossing folder
Sweet On You rubber stamp sentiment from Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC
baker's twine
Marvy pine green glitter pen
Ranger Xmas Red Stickles 

I layered the jar image on top of the digital paper and added shadowing for dimension prior to printing.  I cropped and printed part of the bow and fussy cut it to layer on top of the image with dimensional foam.  Tucked inbetween the two layers is my stamped tag/twine.  I used a  glitter pen to highlight the green candy and used Stickles on the berries.

Challenges I'm Entering:

Imagine That! digis by Kristi: challenge  Use Any IT! digi (due end of December) (2nd entry)

The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up--December at Lisa's blog  (Decosse's Dynamite Doodles) before the new site starts up in January (due end of December) (2nd entry--qualify for free digi paper)

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge #206: Bright Colors

And I'm linking up to the Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up party--6 days in a row for me--half way there!

Christmas Mouse Card

It's a busy time of year!  So here's a CAS card.

Pardon the pun, since I made a mouse card, but this all came about because if you give a mouse a cookie..... (a story about how one thing leads to another)

I've come across a new blog challenge site, The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up, that will officially start in January.  Lisa had been doing this as part of her blog but decided to start a separate blog just for the challenges.  Goal is to make a minimum of two Christmas cards a month.  This is a Christmas card only challenge.  Optional each month will be a theme with a sponsor prize. If you link up 2 cards during the month, you get a free digital paper as a thank you gift.  The paper doesn't have to be used in future link ups.  The link to the new site is HERE 

BLOG CANDY ENABLER:
In the meantime, Monica and Lisa are offering blog candy which I've posted in my candy jar on the sidebar and a free digital paper for following their easy 4 steps to acquire it.

And then I found one of their sponsors, Imagine That, who offers free images each month.  Kristi also has two challenges each month, one with the required Imagine That digital stamp of the month, and one with any of her images.  I quickly bought 3 items in the store because I fell in love with them which allows me to enter her second challenge.

So back to my CAS card.  I kept it clean and simple by using Kristi's already colored image from her Mouse Skate digital set.  I paired it with the sentiment before printing it out.  I used two coordinating colors of Stampin' Up paper and a matching ribbon ( Gumball Green and Cherry Cobbler).  Then I added 3 red gem stickers and embellished the fur on the image with my Gelly Roll clear star pen. Easy peasy.

Challenges I'm Entering:

Imagine That! digis by Kristi: challenge  Use Any IT! digi (due end of December)

The 12 Months of Christmas Link Up--December at Lisa's blog  (Decosse's Dynamite Doodles) before the new site starts up in January (due end of December)

And I'm linking up to the Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up party--Day 5 for me!

Gecko Galz December

December happenings at Gecko Galz:

There is a cyber Monday sale going on all month long at Gecko Galz etsy shop HERE.

We are also doing our 24 tags of Christmas.  My tag will be up December 9.

Each day we will feature a new tag, starting on the 2nd of December , with amazing techniques on the Gecko Galz Blog site. And each day we will give away a FREE digital stamp just for visiting and following our design team member who is featured that day....but wait there is one more little fun twist to this each week we will do a random drawing for everyone who took part that week i.e. followed the blog and requested a stamp and that lucky person will win a fabulous prize of the week as part of our Christmas spectacular!

This is my design team inspiration for the Gecko Galz December cross promotion with Robyn Gough Designs.  

Materials:

Merry Wishes digital paper pack from Robyn Gough Designs

Gecko Galz image from Angel Darlings collage sheet used in recent blog hop

Gecko Galz tag from Christmas Tags collage sheet

Instructions:

This is a totally digital composition.  

Select paper and icons from Merry Wishes digital pack

Crop Gecko Galz images.

Layer all products.

Add shading for dimension.

I'm entering this in:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #100 Digital background and Digital Image
Digitally Sweet Challenges #116 Anything Goes  two entries as this is totally digital

I'm also linking up HERE--Day 4 for me:

Tag Tuesday: Let's Dance

I haven't had time to play at Tag Tuesday, but I took this week's theme Let's Dance and made it into a holiday tag so that I could post it at Unruly PaperArts 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

See all the Tag Tuesday players' takes on this week's theme HERE.

Be inspired and join in at the UPA Link Up Party HERE.

Materials:

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas paper collection

The Paper Studio Cmas Music Collage green paper

Ranger Distress Inks:  Dusty Concord and Tumbled Glass for music; distress markers to edge images and tag

Misc ribbons in stash

Glitter pens: Gelly Roll clear star and atyou Spica green and gold

Process:

I fussy cut the dancer and roses to layer them, adding glitter with pens.  I curled the roses up.  I used foam tape to adhere dancer.

I wet distressed the music strip.

I'm Entering these challenges:
Crafting By Designs:  Anything Goes with a Twist--All Things Christmas until December 25
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Extra Challenge-December
Eclectic Ellapu: Vintage Christmas until February 1

Snowmen and Trees Side Step Card

It's time for My Artistic Adventures Challenge #14.   Since it's a busy time of year, there is only one challenge this month.  You can enter HERE

I love Heather's Victorian Vintage Snowman collage sheets.



I paired them with Heather's Non Traditional Christmas Tree Tags collage sheets


And I printed the candy canes from Heather's Vintage Mitten Candy Cane collage sheets.



ALL OF HEATHER'S COLLAGE SHEETS CAN BE FOUND AT HER My Artistic Adventures Etsy Shop HERE

I made a side step card using a tutorial that can be found on the internet.  I reversed it so that the largest block was in front for the sentiment and so that, when I stair stepped the trees, the smallest were furthest away.

Put them all together, and this is what I came up with:

I always edge my images in ink.  Some of the images are on foam for a 3-D effect.  I used a gold glitter pen on the trees the snowmen are holding.

And I'm linking up to Unruly PaperArts blogozine Twelve Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

I'm entering these challenges:
ABC Challenge:  Y is for Yuletide (due December 14)
Creative Corner Challenges:  Winter Wonderland (due December 6)
Digitally Sweet Challenges:  #116 Anything Goes (due December 25)
Festive Friday photo inspiration--final 2014 challenge (due December 3)
Get Creative Challenge #3 Christmas (due December 14)
My Sheri Crafts:  Challenge #147 Oh Christmas Tree--must have a tree in it (by December 12)
My Time to Craft:  Challenge 269 Snowmen (due December 5)

Winter Wonderland Card AND Lots of Challenges For You to Enter

GECKO GALZ DECEMBER CUSTOMER CHALLENGE

The December Gecko Galz products are available and the Customer Challenge is up and running at the Gecko Galz blog HERE.  This month's theme is WINTER WONDERLAND.

My interpretation of this theme is a view from inside a church of a family's trek through the snow to celebrate the wonder and joy of the birth of the Christ child.

I used the From Russia With Love collage sheet.  After cropping this particular image, I resized it slightly larger to fit my die (Grand Gothic Window from poppystamps, inc.)  I cut a second window from DCWV gold glitter paper. Then I used a Sizzix brick embossing folder on a piece of Websters Pages Waiting for Santa paper found in my stash.  I trimmed the window with Starform red glitter stickers and found some gold trim and ribbon in my stash.

An interesting thought:  in harsh winter climates, pussy willows are used instead of palm leaves as part of Palm Sunday, the week before Easter.  I noted pussy willow branches are being held by the women in this scene.  There is snow on the ground.  An early Easter?  I could find no documentation that pussy willow branches are used in a Christmas mass.  I was raised Orthodox Catholic here in America, but I have no memory of using pussy willows here.  However, I do remember my Polish mother (who was Roman Catholic) having a special fondness for pussy willows in the spring.

I hope you will enter this customer challenge.

The only rule is that you must use at least one Gecko Galz image--including the many that are freebies.  Winner gets a $25 Gecko Galz shopping spree to spend on Gecko Galz digital images.  This challenge is due December 30.

I'm entering my card in these challenges:

As You Like It Favorite Christmas Style and Why:  Traditional because I'm most comfortable creating vintage looking projects.

Country View Crafts:  December's Festive Challenge: Nostalgic Christmas (due end of December)

Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge for December

Digitally Sweet Challenges:  #116 Anything Goes (due December 25)

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #222:  Die Cuts (due Dec 2)  Gothic Window die

Luna Girl Moonbeams:  Holiday Children (due December 7)

Mema's Crafts:  Anything Goes for Celebrate the Holidays or Cold Winter Days

Simon Says Stamp.com Monday Challenge:  Holiday Cards (due December 7)

Shopping Our Stash:  Challenge #170 Free is Good (something we got free) (due December 11): the ribbon is from a gift box given to me (I think it was either a box of candy or cologne).  The DCWV glitter paper I received from my daughter who gave up scrapbooking as a hobby and gave me all her supplies.

Try It On Tuesdays:  Christmas is Coming (due December 8)


UNRULY PARTY ARTS LINK UP PARTY

I'm posting this card to the Unruly PaperArts Blogozine 12 Days of Christmas Link Up Party.

CHANCE TO WIN A PRIZE

I  hope you'll post the UPA Link Party badge

and link up something as well.  Not only will it be a great way to share your art and visit other blogs, but also--for your participation--you have a chance to win $25usa voucher to spend in Heather Hudson's My Artistic Adventures Etsy store.

DECEMBER ISSUE OF UNRULY PAPER ARTS

The schedule of contents for our December issue of Unruly PaperArts blogozine is posted HERE.

This month we're thinking outside the box.  My article will be posted mid-month but here's a sneak peak of my shadowbox with a hidden compartment.   Be sure to come back to see all the components of my box within a box.

FREE COLLAGE SHEET

In addition to the Gecko Galz Winter Wonderland customer challenge, Gecko Galz owner Leanne Seed has a challenge on her Fripperies and Butterflies blog.  Either of these challenge entries would work for the UPA Link Up Party.  If you do both, that gives you two chances to win Heather's digital collage sheets.

Leanne has posted one of her collage sheets which you can snag FREE and use in a creation for her December Christmas Challenge. You will email Leanne for the free collage sheet of Santa images. You will link up your entry to the Gecko Galz FaceBook page.  All the challenge details HERE. Winner of this challenge gets a lovely prize pack including a $25 shopping spree with Gecko Galz and a IRALAMIJA SHOP digital gift pack. 

GECKO GALZ 12 TAGS OF CHRISTMAS 

Starting tomorrow, design team Christmas tags will be featured on the Gecko Galz blog, along with an opportunity to collect daily digital stamps.  Our Christmas gift to our blog followers!  My tag will be posted on December 9.

SOMETHING USEFUL

What a time saver!  I've heard of using wax paper, but here's a video on how to use dryer sheets with those pesky dies.

Altered Playing Cards 19 and 20

Week 11 at Claudine's Craft Corner gives us snow for our altered playing cards.  I just happen to have the same products she sampled so I'm going to incorporate them.  You can see her post HERE.

CARD 19

I changed this one up a bit.  I did use the paper towel for the base, gluing it onto the playing card. Mine just happened to be saturated with Ranger Broken China, perfect for the sky.  But then I went off-message by coating it with USArtQuest Crystal Effectz.  (I have done this technique before, only with a used dyer sheet or paper napkin, rather than a thicker paper towel).

I tried the Marvy Snow Marker on a scrap of paper towel.  It soaked right in.  But the Marvy Liquid Applique stayed on the surface.  I went with that product since Claudine said the liquid enamel absorbed the color from the towel.  After letting it dry for a few hours, I heat set the snow.

Colored with Ranger Distress markers, a Prisma color, and Gelly roll pen.

Now for a couple of blatant promotional statements:

1) Since I'm on the Rogue Redhead Crew.  I used images from the Christmas Cheer (rubber) stamp plate which is on special this month.  Snow Hugs also is from RRD.

2) And I'm entering this card in the Pile It On challenge which Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC just happens to be sponsoring this week.  Vintage is the theme.

Yes, sometimes the stars align.

Entering Card 19 in these challenges:

Shopping Our Stash Challenge: 177:  Not Ready for Christmas (due Nov 17) --use a Christmas stamp set in a nontraditional way--We have snow on the ground here.  I'm sooo not ready for that.  So I placed these Christmas Cheer girls on an altered playing card--definitely not a holiday project--this is part of a deck of playing cards that we are altering. x

Get Creative Challenges:  #2 Anything Goes with optional twist-use glitter.  I just found this new site through Paper Playful.  x

Vintage Stamping Challenges:  Anything But a Card   Winner posted Dec 8

Pile It On:  #46 Vintage and enter other challenges  Winner posted Dec 3


CARD 20

I tried the technique of gluing down the paper towel and then removing it to leave behind the color from the paper towel.  I used USArtQuest PPA as my adhesive for both cards.  I also used a brayer to try to imbed the color onto the card.  I didn't feel this was extremely successful but I do like the subtle effect.  A few of the paper towel fibers were left behind on the card.  And I was not careful with the glitter from the first card so it ended up on the glue brush which transferred to this card.  Overall, an interesting background.  Once dry, I decided to dab on some Ranger Broken China stain, and then wipe it with a paper towel.

I used black Archival Jet Black ink on a background stamp called Winter Snow Background.

I get Craft Stamper magazine, so I have the stamp Claudine used which was a freebie from Raita Marie Sabina. It literally has been sitting on my desk begging to be inked up.
Versa Mark embossing ink
Tsukineko black embossing powder
Stampendous Red Tinsel embossing powder
Stampendous Pearlustre Emerald
fussy cutting at it's finest--so itty bitty
Stampin' Up snowflake stamp
Ranger Distress Ink:  Antique Linen, Tumbled Glass and Broken China
Gelly Roll red pen for berries
I added part of another freebie stamp from Craft Stamper for the stem.

Even though I shy away from liquid pearls, since I had the unopened package of Inkssentials white enamel accents, I gave it a try--just for Claudine.  Like Claudine, I accented some of the snowflakes with it.  I colored in the bigger snowflakes with Gelly Roll Clear Star pen.

I finished with the good ole label maker for Snow Bird--words stategically placed around my new enamel pearls.

Entering Card 20 in These Challenges:

Imagination Crafts:  November Challenge Anything Goes--must use product sold in their store--I used Versa Mark and Archival Jet Black Ink   x

Creative Corner Challenge:  Let it Sparkle

Use Your Stuff Challenge --Stamps

Christmas Tag for My Granddaughter

Heather is back with another challenge at her My Artistic Adventures blog, using her amazing digital collage sheets.  Challenge 13 is Christmas/Winter/Thanksgiving.  That's a broad theme--a great chance to enter with one of your creations.  Details are HERE.

And here's something extra that Heather is doing right now.   How would you like a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to use at My Artistic Adventures Etsy shop?  How, you ask?  Just check out the details HERE.

Here is my design team make for Challenge 13:

I used Heather's new Pink Victorian Vintage Holly Girl which can be found in her Etsy shop HERE



Note:  if you use a front and back to make a tag, as I did, be sure to cut out the back going in the "opposite" direction, so that when you put the two pieces back to back, they fit together. I sponged the edges with Ranger antique linen ink.

My granddaughter loves pink so you can see I added pink ribbons and lots of glitter.  And I found two tiny pink buttons to put on her coat.

You'll note that the tag comes with a tab at the top and bottom.  I decided to set eyelets on the tabs to keep the cardstock from ripping when I threaded the ribbon.  I hadn't used eyelets in years, but being the craft hoarder that I am, I still had the eyelet setter and eyelets in the cabinet.  I think the eyelets will help keep my cardstock from ripping when I thread my ribbon, and then redo it, and then do it again until I get everything just right.

When tying the bottom ribbon, I added a pink safety pin with 3 charms dangling from it for added interest.

I can't wait to see what you make!

I'm entering the following challenges:

The ABC Challenge: (ends Nov 28)  X is for Xtra Special person or occasion 
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #285 (ends Nov 20) Christmas
Crafty Calender November Challenge (ends Dec 5) – It’s All About Christmas
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge Extra - (ends UK time Nov 30) November Anything Christmas
Crafty Ribbons    Challenge #106 (ends Nov 20) – Christmas Creation with Ribbon
Festive Friday Challenge # 44 (ends Nov 19) which is a photo inspiration--I liked the holly theme.
Mema's Crafts:  November Anything Goes  (ends Nov 30) up to 3 entries, this is #3
Really Reasonable Ribbon    Challenge #106 (ends Nov 18) – Winter Holiday and Ribbon Theme

Altered Playing Cards 17 and 18 Getting Quirky and Whimsical

For Week 10 at Claudine's Corner, we are to Think Outside the Box by getting quirky and whimsical. You can see Claudine's altered playing cards HERE.

I decided to go with a green food theme to add to my quirkiness.  I started with a green base of Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Juniper.   Coloring was done with various Ranger Distress Markers, including tumbled glass.  I had a bit of trouble blending the colors but it's time to move on.

Claudine used some Dyan Reaveley stamps.  I just happen to own a set which I never use, so this is a perfect prompt for me to get those stamps inked up.  I used two sets of eyes and one pair of legs along with the sentiment, Never be too proud to serve frozen peas.

I also like Wendy Vecchi's quirky sentiments so I pulled out a set of those stamps as well and inked up no greens for me, thanks... but I will have an olive in my martini.

The digital face and hair come from Gecko Galz Retro collage sheet.  The Xmas martini glass is a digital image from Wendymade.  I was going to use the entire glass but discovered the jawline of the Dylusions stamped face was a perfect shape to place on the stem.

What to do with the "white space"?  Afraid to doodle last go-round, Ithis time I doodled a border and flowers.  Needing to fill the space, the green pearls given to me by Unruly Paper Arts sponsor, Eyelet Outlet and Brads, fit perfectly inside my drywall mesh.  How wonderful they are green to go with my pea theme! But I'm getting perilously close to ignoring my edict of no 3-D embellies so that I can still shuffle the cards.


Card 17

Card 18

Two more (the sea theme) and I'm all caught up!