Christmas Craft Challenge 10 of ?

Here are the tags I included in Tai's Secret Santa Mini album... but first I wanted to show you the relative sizes of the tags.

The largest tags are just slightly smaller than the size of the album. The smallest tags are the standard size 8 tag. Here are all the tags included in Tai's mini album.
LARGEST TAGS:

 MEDIUM TAGS:

 SMALLEST TAGS:

Manila tag (home made). Tissue paper misted with Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Fabio "Danny Zuko's Denim" mist, dried, then adhered onto tag. Edges of tissue torn. Tag edge colour with Faber Castell Gelatos blended with finger tip. Lindy's Stamp Gang Mist and liquid acrylic ink dripped down front of tag.

Manila tag (home made). Tissue paper misted with Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst "Freaky Franken Lime" mist, dried, then adhered onto tag. Edges of tissue torn. Tag edge colour with Faber Castell Gelatos blended with finger tip. Lindy's Stamp Gang Mist and liquid acrylic ink  in white and chartreuse dripped down front of tag.

Coloured using Inktense Blocks by Derwent then blended with water before heat setting.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, dripped Liquid Acrylic Inks, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, dripped Liquid Acrylic Inks, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Faber Castell Gelatos blended with a finger tip, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, dripped Liquid Acrylic Inks, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, dripped Liquid Acrylic Inks, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Faber Castell Gelatos blended with a finger tip, liquid acrylic inks dripped from top of tag.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, Archival Ink to stamp image.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, dripped Liquid Acrylic Inks, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour tag, dripped Indian Ink, Archival Ink to stamp sentiment.

Faber Castell Gelatos blended with a finger tip, Lindy's Stamp Gang Moon Shadow Mist "Golden Doubloons" splattered over tag.

Christmas Craft Challenge 9 of ? (Nearly there)

I had Tai as my secret swap partner on Artistic Creationz. Along with some scrappy goodies I made her an altered box and coordinating paper bag mini album filled to the brim with tags of all sizes.

The box started out as a shoe box that I cut down in height by about half. I loved the finished height though I also would have liked it to be just a little bit taller as the mini album only just fitted inside it... so no room for anything else. 

The patterned paper used for both the box and the mini album was a Rosie's Studio set "My Favourite Recipe" from The Warehouse. I used coordinated dimensional stickers from the same set in the mini album as well. 

Does that just look so sweet... quite retro 50's style. And just a simple layered flower embellishment on top. 

 The little paper bag mini album that really isn't all that little... it's about 2 1/2" thick. The covers were recycled cardboard which were covered with patterned paper to coordinate with the altered box. With leftover scraps from the album pages I made some coordinated rosettes using my Sizzix Tim Holtz Rosette and Mini Rosette Dies. I also die cut some doileys using a Couture Die from some photocopy paper that I had distressed with tea and coffee. I then misted the die cut doily with Lindy's Stamp Gang "Don't Eat the Golden Snow" Mist.

I covered the spine of the album with masking tape... kind of retro looking. I coated it with Distress Inks which I heat set then covered all of the spine and onto the covers with Golden Matte Medium to stop the masking tape from lifting over time. 

 The album includes five pages with pockets and flaps on each page.

 Above and below you can see one of the full size flaps on each page. Not counting the front and back inside covers or tags... there are four pages for photos or journaling for each of the five paper bag pages... so a lot of retail space is built into the album.

You can also see the pockets on the pages here. To the left is the back of the page where I have tucked in the largest of the three sizes of tags. To the right is the front of a page which has pockets both on the binding side and along the bottom running the length of the paper bag.

Inside each paper bag there are also full size decorated cardstock tags... more space!! 

Above are all five pages with the pocket tags all partially pulled out.

The smaller tags and descriptions of the techniques used to decorate the tags can be found in the next blog post. 

Christmas Craft Challenge 8 of ?

For December we had a Secret Santa swap on the Artistic Creationz Website. Our partners were chosen at random and the receiver didn't know who the sender was... though most of us worked it out one way or another lol. My adorable swap partner sent me this awesome altered box with lots of goodies inside.
I love the way she has altered this box. I've always had trouble covering metal boxes, so tend to avoid them (put them in the too hard box) but my SS did an awesome job with altering this tin.

I love the colour combination. I'm definitely a warm Autumn colours girl. Love reds and oranges of every shade. But having said that I also love apple green and lime green, so my SS couldn't have picked a more perfect colour scheme if I had told her exactly what I liked.. and I didn't.

Inside were some amazing goodies. The most magical and heart warming was a little present of goodies for my granddaughter.

The box was was full to the brim with lots of goodies including these really cute handmade washi tapes.

Stickers... chipboard die cuts and and awesome mini album closure.

Beautiful flowers and some decorative wood embellishments from Prima.

A note book, address book and coordinated pencils...always useful!

 And a book for me to alter... probably after I have read it first.

Awesome Christmas goodies... thank you so much to my Secret Santa from the Artistic Creationz Group.

Christmas Craft Challenge 7 of ?

I know this wasn't intended as a Christmas gift but it was a little late arriving, so thank you to my lovely and talented friend Lainie... and I'm counting this as a Christmas Craft cos it's just so darned cute!!

This was for the Candy Station Swap we had on Artistic Creationz a wee while ago. Lainie was so determined to get this right that she made not one, not two but three versions to get the look she really wanted... been there, done that and will no doubt do it again!
There were some chocolates with this... they were very scrummy... but alas they didn't make it to the photo shoot... oh dear, how sad, never mind.

 Stunning decorated candy station box that is a mini set of three drawers... and a bag of goodies that wouldn't fit inside... more on that later.

All three drawers open independently. 

 The top is just so adorable.

 I love the way Lainie made these handles. They are cotton thread through a bead and mini metal plate or bead cap. So simple, but so effective!

WOW - all these glorious metal charms and goodies were inside the top drawer tucked inside some stamped tissue paper. 

 Double WOW - all these goodies were in the second drawer. Huge and varied goodies that are perfect for mixed media projects. And some stamped tissue.

Triple WOW - awesome feathers and shells. Some really delicate, really finely shredded patterned paper - brilliant idea... and the most amazing paper feather. And some more stamped tissue.

Inside the bag of goodies (that didn't fit inside the drawers) were some wind works and some cotton reels... "real" (get it) vintage. I remember these from my mum's sewing kit from way back when I was knee high to a grasshopper.

Christmas Craft Challenge 5 of ?

Calendar 2014 - July to December

November and December were my months.