Christmas Tags

One of the treats of the Christmas season each year is Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.  Beginning December 1, each night for 12 nights, he posts a new tag - created that day - and boy, are they ever fantastic!  He's done them for 5 years now, though this is only my 2nd year participating.  I never can keep up with doing them at the same time as him, but I try to do at least some of them before the month is over.  So far, I've got these three finished.

I love how Tim had us use the embossing pad on the embossing folder to get this cool double-embossed effect on this tag.  And the pine cone die - wow - it takes a bit of learning, but it is SO much fun once you figure it out, and it can also be used to make cute little dried roses as well.  (Check out my Sizzix embossing folders review over on Craft Test Dummies to see a cute card I made with a dried rose on it using this die!!)

Day 2's tag had us using the Picket Fence Distress Stain over some Christmas Kraft Resist paper...two of my new loves!  And I just love how when you apply some Distress Ink over the Picket Fence Distress Stain, it takes on sort of a chalky look - totally cool!  I've had that little bow from Jenni Bowlin in my stash for ages...just waiting for the perfect project...and this was definitely it!  That reindeer couldn't be cuter...the little greenery wreath and that ivory bow on his neck are just too cute!

I skipped ahead a few days to Day 6 for this one - and I swapped out techniques, too, for one he showed us a couple years ago.  While the metal tape, embossing, coloring and clear embossing powder on top are from this year, I decided to color the metal with alcohol inks instead of paint dabbers (though I did paint the wreath with paint dabbers).  I absolutely LOVE the look of the clear embossing powder over the embossed,  colored and sanded metal - my first time trying this - but definitely NOT my last!  Totally in love with this look!

And I especially love how you can add the Distress Ink over the alcohol ink, and because of the clear embossing powder, the Distress is sealed in and gives the tag a vintage feel.  

I'm still hoping to get a few more tags done before December is over.  I also have a couple handmade ornaments to show you in another post!

Reversible Decoupaged and Embossed Metal Monogrammed Necklace

Whew...that's quite a title, eh?  Maybe it should say...one ONE side, the pendant is decoupaged, and on the OTHER side, it's an embossed metal monogram!  At any rate, you should definitely run over to Crafts Unleashed today to check out my tutorial for how to create this super easy necklace!!

And what I did NOT show on Crafts Unleashed is that on the reverse side, you can add a piece of cardstock, cardboard, or grungeboard (which is what I happened to use here), and then dress it up to your heart's desire.  I used E-6000 to adhere a rectangle piece of grungeboard, then used a paint dabber to paint it white.  I went over it with a chalk queue to add just a bit of ink to it, and then added my girl-image with Mod Podge (the girl and the words are from Cosmo Cricket's Odds & Ends line - SOOOO cute!).  Then I cut out all the words and added them with Mod Podge as well, and added a couple top coats of Mod Podge over the entire piece.  Final result - LOVE!  And what makes this piece SO easy is that the actual necklace part comes prepared (ribbon, beads, clasp and all)...all you have to do is make the pendant, add a couple jump rings to attach it to the necklace, and you're done!

Enjoy!  This entire month is jewelry month over at Crafts Unleashed...so if jewelry is your thing, you might want to keep checking in over there for lots of inspiration and giveaways!!

The (Paper) Trailmakers Challenge Blog - Guest Design Team Project (and Tim tag #10!)

The second challenge for this month at The (Paper) Trailmaker Challenge blog was to somehow incorporate a tag, using the December Paper Trail kit.  Since I have been trying my best to work on Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas (I am soooo behind, not to mention doing them totally out of order!)...I decided to try using the Paper Trail kit to make one of the Tim Holtz tags, and this is what I came up with.  

I chose day 10 to work with the kit papers, because I thought the snowflake paper went perfectly with this tag - it is SUCH a cool technique!!  You can see Tim's original tag here.  I started out by tracing a standard size 8 manila tag onto the light blue snowflake paper and cutting it out. I glued the paper to the tag, and punched a hole at the top.  I used my  white Adirondack paint dabber along the edges.  Then I randomly dabbed some paint all over the paper, and quickly, before it dried, sprinkled some glass glitter over it - the paint acts as a glue for the glitter.  In the lower right corner, I also added some Glossy Accents, so I could add a LOT of the glitter, to make it appear as if there was a snowdrift.

Then, following Tim's instructions on his blog, I made my snowman out of grungepaper.  I cut the holly leaves for the snowman's hat out of the same paper - but showing the green "Merry Christmas" side, and used a hole punch to punch out berries from the red cardstock in the kit.  I used a cardstock sticker from the kit on the snowman's belly.  

I used the red organdy ribbon from the kit for the snowman's scarf.  I tied it in a knot, but was having a hard time getting it to stay down, so used my Tiny Attacher to put a little staple in it when I adhered the snowman to the tag.  I used my heat gun on the tails of the "scarf," which melted it a little and gave it a sort of wrinkly, more scarf-looking appearance.  I thought it was pretty cool!!

Then, following Tim's instructions, I cut a piece of clear packaging material (yes, PACKAGING!!) I had saved from one of his products, to the size of the tag, and embossed it with my snowflake embossing folder.  I punched a whole in the top, and then used my Cropadile to punch holes in all four corners to use copper brads to adhere the embossed tag over the snowman tag.  I attached the gorgeous shimmery white ribbon from the kit through the top of the tag.  Finally, I took three of the little cardstock banner stickers, edged them with distress ink, wrote "Fa la la" on them, and adhered them to the embossed tag.  

I hope you've enjoyed this tag as much as I enjoyed making it!  And you should definitely check out Tim's other 11 tags for more awesome inspiration!!  And if you've been inspired to make some tags, or to add a tag or two to a project of your own, be sure to link up to the challenge post here.

I want to take a minute to thank Karen and the entire design team at The Paper Trail team for letting me play along with them this month - it's been a true pleasure working with them!!  Even after all of these projects I've made this month, I still have TONS of product left from this awesome December kit - so if you still haven't ordered your December Paper Trail kit, you really should do so ASAP!!  You'll be wanting it to scrap all of your Christmas photos after the holidays, for sure!!  

Art-Full Horizons Jolly Jumpstart Blog Hop - Day 3 (and CCC #20)

Welcome to the Art-Full Horizons 
Jolly Jumpstart Blog Hop!

Check out all of the fabulous holiday-themed projects, gift ideas, and more from our wonderful Blog Hop Contributors from around the world!!

1. Art-Full Horizons http://art-fullhorizons.blogspot.com
2. Tammy Inman http://tammyi.com
3. Nan Paturzo http://scrappynan.blogspot.com
4. Robyn Weatherspoon http://herebygrace.typepad.com/
5. Mykle Parker http://scrapbohemia.blogspot.com
6. Sherry Mendoza http://sherryscreations.typepad.com/
7. Robin Redd http://robinredd.typepad.com/west_coast_scrapper/
8. April Meeker www.suaviloquy.blogspot.com
9. Erin Bassett www.erinbassett.com
10. Jennifer Clark http://jenspartyof5.blogspot.com
11. Jennifer Edwardson http://frommypapercraftstudio.blogspot.com/

Here's how it works:

1. Hop through each of the blogs listed above to get fabulous holiday inspiration. If you are starting at a blog in the middle of the Hop, please start back at the Art-Full Horizons blog.  You should be arriving here from Erin's blog.
2. Leave a comment on each blog hop post in the list above between now and November 7, 2010.
3. Enter to win our giveaway by doing any of the following. For each thing you do, you will be entered into the drawing one more time:

• Leave a comment on the Art-Full Horizons blog hop post between now and November 7, 2010.
• Join the Art-full Horizons email list (fill out the form in the left hand column on the A-H blog).
• Become a follower of the Art-full Horizons blog! Just click the "Follow" button in the lower right column on the A-H blog.
• "Like" the Art-Full Horizons Facebook Page.
• Join the Art-Full Horizons Facebook Group.
• Share about this Blog Hop on your own blog, posting a link to the Art-full Horizons blog.
• Share about this Blog Hop on Facebook, posting a link to the Art-full Horizons blog.
• Share about this Blog Hop on a message board or forum, posting a link to the Art-full Horizons blog.
• U.S. entries only please

To let us know you've done these things, please return to the first Art-full Horizons Jolly Jumpstart Blog Hop post and leave a comment for each thing you did, i.e. one comment for posting on each blog, another comment for posting on facebook, and another comment for joining our email newsletter. Please note: if you post it all in one comment, it will only count as one entry, so be sure to post EACH ENTRY as a separate comment.

On November 8, 2010 we'll choose the winners using the Random Integer Generator from random.org. U.S. entries only please.

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Today, here on Party of Five (and if you stay tuned...we may need to change the name of this blog soon...just sayin'...), I am sharing with you a holiday wall hanging made from a simple, ONE DOLLAR wooden picture frame from Michael's craft store.  

Seeing as I finished it VERY late tonight, I didn't get a chance to actually HANG it for you...so sorry for the pics of it just laying down with the ribbon on the table!!  But trust me, the ribbon is staple-gunned to the back, and it will hang nicely!!

I started out by using gel medium to cover the front of the frame with some gorgeous Donna Salazar cardstock.  I sanded the edges, and then added some Tim Holtz Tidings tissue tape around the outside and inside edges, making sure to push it all down well.  I then used distress inks (Pine Needles, Peeled Paint, and Barn Red) to ink around the edges of the frame, and used my fingers to add a layer of gel medium over the tissue tape to be sure it stays in place well over time.  Next, I covered the two strips of what looked like lace, on the cardstock, with a thin layer of Rock Candy distress stickles.  You can see the shimmer over on the left side of the frame.  If you can only get ONE color of distress stickles, I guarantee you will never regret going with the Rock Candy!!!

Next, I took a holiday pick and cut a couple things off of it - a small piece of evergreen, and a leaf.  I covered the leaf with a copper Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber, and then I used hot glue to attach both pieces to the frame.  I cut a tree out of grungepaper, using my Winter Woodland Cricut cartridge.  I then ran it through my Sizzix, using my Tim Holtz sheet music embossing folder.  I inked it with distress inks, and then applied Peeled Paint distress stickles on it.  I attached it to the frame using foam squares.

Next, I made the snowflakes.  Because I am using this pieces for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge for this week (you should totally check that out!), I can't explain just how I made the snowflakes.  ;)  Just know that I used a technique explained by Tim Holtz in his awesome book, A Compendium of Curiosities.  I attached the snowflakes in layers, so that they would pop off the frame a little at a time, with the biggest one being popped out the most.

Finally, for the center...I started by simply using the cardboard filler that came in the frame as a foundation.  That way I would know for sure that my center would fit perfectly.  I covered the back with a scrap piece of coordinating green cardstock.  The front, I covered with a piece of vintage Christmas music from a songbook.  Then, using the same Cricut cartridge as above, I cut out the word "Joy" from another sheet of Donna Salazar's cardstock, and a shadow from a sheet of coordinating green cardstock.  I glued the two together, and glued them to the music, then replaced the center into the frame.  I used a staple gun to attach a length of dark red, 7/8" wide grosgrain ribbon to the frame so it can be hung, and I was finished!

I hope you've enjoyed today's holiday inspiration!  I know that I am going to pick up a few more of these dollar frames the next time I am at Michaels, because this was a fun project!!

Remember that you have through November 7 to complete the Jolly Jumpstart blog hop.

***Additionally...here at Party of Five, I will also be having a giveaway at the end of the week!!  I will be posting throughout the week, from now through November 7, various posts about holiday projects, recipes, traditions, and memories.  On November 8, I will choose TWO winners of surprise grab bags filled with goodies to get you in the holiday spirit.  How do you enter?  Several ways!  You will get one entry for each comment you leave (one per Jolly Jumpstart blog post).  You will get another entry by becoming a follower of my blog (if you are already following, just let me know) and leaving a comment letting me know you are following.  You can get another entry by posting about this project on YOUR blog, and leaving me a comment with a link to your blog.  Make sure you check back on November 8 to see if YOU are a winner!!***

Thank you for participating!!  Comments are now disabled, and winners will be announced soon!!

Beautiful Fail!!

So, yesterday, Tammy Tutterow did this INCREDIBLE tutorial on making pendants/jewelry using metal, Sizzix embossing folders, alcohol inks, solvent ink, Matte Accents (no longer in production), and Rock Candy crackle paint.  She did a second post, with updates and additional information today, which you can see here.  She did some REALLY cool Halloween pendants, along with some other cool non-holiday ones as well.  I had a whole list of things I needed to work on yesterday...but Tammy just kept posting pictures of her progress on Twitter, and I was SO intrigued that I had to play along!!  Truly, you will want to go read her tutorial - embossing metal is SO cool!

I started off with a soda can, cutting it apart so I could use the aluminum - since I have no craft metal.  I altered the overall process a bit on my pendant, because I was trying to do snowflakes - and using black ink just didn't seem like a good fit for snowflakes and Christmas pendants.  So I experimented a LOT, and actually thought I had come up with a good idea.  I covered my embossed pendant in white dabber paint, and let it dry.  I then burnished the raised parts (around the snowflake and the speckles inside it) with a white burnishing block, which removed the white paint from those parts....leaving it only inside the snowflake itself.  I applied the alcohol ink, and it had a very cool effect - being much darker over the paint, and much lighter on the raised, burnished parts - showing off the snowflake just like I was aiming for!  So I applied a thin layer of Glossy Accents (because I have no Matte Accents), and after it dried, when I went to bed last night...er, early this morning...my gorgeous pendant was covered in crackle paint, drying.

This morning, I was eager to get downstairs to take a peek at how my pendant turned out...

...and at first glance, it was VERY pretty.  I mean, seriously, the pictures just cannot do it justice!!  The colors are simply amazing, and the crackle on top is fantastic!  

And then I picked it up.  And the pieces of crackle started to fall off, taking some of the color with them.  

And after a bit more handling and playing around with it...this is what I ended up with.  An alcohol-ink colored, embossed metal square, and a pile of very cool-looking blue-green shards...shards which I, of course, put in a little baggie, because I am CERTAIN there is a project in my future that will need them!!!

So, after talking it over with Tammy (who is just as sweet as can be, by the way - and her art is FANTASTIC - you should totally go check out her blog!), we think mine failed probably because I did not put on a thick enough layer of the Glossy Accents, and/or I did not allow it to dry long enough before adding the crackle paint.

So, it's not what I was hoping for...and I don't have the time to try it again right now (remember all those OTHER projects I was supposed to be doing yesterday, before my crafting ADD kicked in?)...but it was a fun technique to try, and I will definitely come back to this and give it another go!!

Halloween Fright

I really haven't been much into Halloween in the past, but for some reason, this year I've had more fun playing with all the fun Halloween papers, accessories, tools, and color themes!!  And even though I don't typically like the whole "scary" aspect of the holiday, and for my kids, I definitely keep it more fun and lighthearted, for my projects, I have not been drawn to the more whimsical papers and colors...but the darker, spookier colors instead.  With that said, I present my Halloween Fright wall hanging.

I am linking this to the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #17 - Fragment Charms, as well as this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge, "Show Some Metal."  

This started with an 8x8 sheet of patterned paper from a Recollections Halloween pad from Michaels.  I ran the paper through my Zutter Distrezz-it-All just mildly, and inked the edges with Spiced Marmalade distress ink.  I took a sheet of white cardstock and embossed it using Tim Holtz's Halloween Fright texture fade.  I then used distress inks to add color, and covered portions of it in Rock Candy crackle paint.  I decided I wanted to place this piece behind the crow on the patterned paper, so I used a craft knife to carefully cut around the crow.  I then used an embossing pen to cover the crow, and heat embossed it with black embossing powder. I used Lettuce alcohol ink to color a pearl sticker accent for the crow's eye.

For the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge this week, I had to make a Fragment charm - which is the clock.  I can't share the details of how I made it, per the rules.  :)  I attached a couple jump rings, and then a swivel clasp - showing some metal - which was the challenge for Simon Says Stamp and Show.  I attached the swivel clasp to the header on the layout with a brad.  The brad was originally bright sparkly purple and silver - which would NOT have fit in - so I covered it with some Pitch Black acrylic dabber paint, and it had the perfect effect.

The title piece started as a blank white piece of watercolor paper.  I used a technique called "block inking."  I first applied Spiced Marmalade distress ink all over an acrylic stamping block, and then went around the edges with a darkish purple dye-based ink (I don't have a purple distress ink yet).  I then spritzed the block a few times with water, and then placed it down on the paper.  I pushed it down until the paper was completely saturated under the block, and then carefully lifted straight up.  I then used a cloth to blot the excess puddles of ink off the paper, and used my heat gun to dry the paper.  I then used my Distrezz-it-All to distress the edges of the paper, and used distress inks to add color to the edges all around, then glued the header to the background paper.  I stamped "Happy Halloween," using a dark purple dye-based ink - with a stamp I had cut on my Cricut.  

I took two small skulls from the minis set of grunge board, and wanted to paint them with metallic dabbers; however, neither the gold, silver, or copper seemed to fit with the bronze colored swivel clasp.  So I mixed some copper and black on my craft mat, and got almost a perfect match, then used my finger to apply the paint to the grunge pieces.  I attached both to their respective places with the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (seriously - BEST little stapler EVER!).

I added a piece of velvety bat trim (Recollections from Michaels), and made a rosette out of a piece of Donna Salazar's Crafty Chronicle using the Martha Stewart scoring board.  (If you've never seen Donna's Crafty Chronicle - you seriously NEED to!  It's like a newspaper, but not...it's all crafty articles and tutorials, on acid-free newsprint paper, intended to be read and then used for flowers and such!  She even has a new one out just for Christmas, called Musical Memories!  So fun!)   I spritzed the rosette with Tiger Lily Glimmer Mist and some homemade purple glimmer mist, then cut out a couple nesting circles of purple and orange cardstock for the center.  Finally, I stapled the second painted grunge board skull to the center, and used hot glue to attach the rosette to the entire piece.

To finish it off, I used the Tiny Attacher to add a few "stitches" along a couple sides.  I decided the piece should be a wall hanging, so I backed it with a pieces of cardboard, and added a piece of wire and tied a few pieces of coordinating tulle and ribbon and fibers around the wire.