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Monday 29 July 2013

christmas in july, a trio of tags

There's something enchanting about designing and creating winter holiday tags while sipping iced tea in the sun on the porch as Alex runs around in his shark bathing suit blowing bubbles.

I'm celebrating CHRISTMAS in July for Anything But a Card's Challenge #24.  I have to admit there was some brain resist to crafting winter anything in the middle of July but once I dug out the holiday stamps and embellishments the struggle gave in to delight.  Out of all of the stamps that I own, Alex selected these three (stocking, magen david and door stamp).  I, in fact, just landed the door and wreath stamp from a friend and was very happy to use it in this project.


Tag one: stocking and chimney tag.  All of the over-sized tags are from the Prima collection.  This one was distressed with Tim Holtz's distress inks (black soot, fire brick red) and layered with some bits and pieces I had lying around to give it some oomph.  



The bricks were textured on with a mini brick stencil and some modelling paste to which I added a mixture of red and brown acrylic paint.  I've started making my own modelling paste. If you don't mind the making-it-yourself part and the cleaning-all-the-materials afterward bit I recommend it.  The bricks were then highlighted in metallic paint and viva decor pearl pen.  The stocking is from the Stampin' Up collection.  I love the stretched out image.  Something very fun about a very long stocking.  Perhaps I can imagine all the gifts that are hiding inside.  Although a stocking with that shape would mean that the gifts would have to be really long and thin like golf clubs (don't need them) or an umbrella (don't want one) or a hockey stick (not my thing).  It wouldn't fit a Cricut.  So as cute as it is I'm hoping this year my stocking comes in a regular shape the size of a Cricut box.  And so you've also noticed that I'm not much of a hint-er (yes, mr. everythingshetouches reads my blog).  All you romantics can stop rolling your eyes. 

My aunt Anna, who is a seamstress by hobby and a teacher by trade, had given me a bag of sequins to use in my projects and it seemed fitting for the trio of winter tags.

I added the cotton from a cotton swab at the top of the chimney and filled in the cracks between the bricks with black soot used as a watercolour.


I love this ribbon which looks like Santa's belt buckle and the red and white washi tape.




mr. everythingshetouches recommended that I turn the strip of washi at the bottom of the tag into a gift.  He's filled with great design ideas!  I had already taken the photos of the tags without the washi tape-turned-gift and so you might notice the gift missing from the first two photos.  We could have played a short game of can you find the error in these photos!


My family is a blend of folks from around the world and so we celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas every year.  Alex had made some beautiful ornaments at school last year and informed me that we now needed to purchase a Christmas tree to display his art.  We didn't buy a tree but we did create something special in the sun room and in the hallway where we could exhibit all of our crafts, ornaments and cards.  I'll try to remember to take photos this year to post.

Tag two: Magen David Chanukah.


The tag was distressed with Tim Holtz distress ink (broken china) and decorated with viva decor pearl pen pearls.


The Stampin' up Magen David was a gift from a friend.  The Magen Davids were stamped onto 90lbs watercolour paper (love love love this paper) and I coloured each one in with a marker.  The paper was distressed with black soot and a few of the stars were highlighted with liquid glass.  I splattered on some broken china to add dimension.


Tag three: Coming home.  The tag was distressed with Tim Holtz's distress inks (painted door, tea dye).  I am really thrilled with the way the distressing turned out on this tag.  I love using distress inks as a background and this session really turned out spectacular.  It is so fun laying your medium (in this case watercolour paper) down on the inks and pulling it up to see what beautiful creation awaits.  And it changes each time to you lay it down.  No two pieces are alike.


The door was painted with markers and distress inks used as watercolours.  I added sequins and viva decor pearl pen pearls as highlights and a bit of jute for some whimsy.


My dear friend who gave me the door and wreath stamp also turned me onto Memory Box die cuts found at Urban Scrapbook I used the Tall Birch and Forget-Me-Not branches for this project. I'm hooked on die cuts now.  It's my newest muse.



Before distressing the tag I embossed branches across the bottom.  The effect is subtle but really very nice especially with the distress inks following the embossed lines.


I had so much fun designing and creating these tags and I wish all of you loads of warm winter wishes in July.

ETA:  I am adding my holiday tag trio to the Moxie Fab World Holiday Gift Tag Challenge to be eligible to participate in the challenge.


6 comments:

  1. Very pretty tags. Welcome to die cuts.

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    1. Thanks. As if I needed a new obsession. I'm hopeless.

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  2. These tags are beautiful! Awesome job! (and I have a Cricut - ask mr. everythingshetouches for a Silhouette machine instead - trust me!!) LOL

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  3. Thanks, Christi! You're the second person in two days to recommend the Silhouette. It just went into the running.

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  4. Your tags are beautiful and I'm so glad you had fun playing with your holiday supplies! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Anything But a Card!

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  5. Hey Pam! Thanks for linking this up to the Holiday Gift Tag Challenge in the Moxie Fab World! I'm so glad you joined in on all the fun! :)

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