the CLASSroom

Embossed Metal Christmas Wishes by Julia Stainton

 Just a few more days left until Christmas and time for me to squeeze in another holiday card design. I thought I'd use it to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year as this is my last CLASSroom post for 2012. It was a year of lots of changes, both good and bad, and I'm hoping that 2013 brings many blessings to your home as well as my own.

 This holiday card design was also a great time to get back into my craft room and try out a new product, the Tsukineko Sheet Metal Pieces. When I first saw it in the Ellen Hutson shop it immediately sparked my interest and I had to try it out.

The package said this product could be embossed and die cut so I decided to put it to the test. Well, actually, I haven't die cut it yet. That will have to wait for test project #2. But I did emboss it. I wasn't sure how well it would emboss...metal in a plastic folder you know and all that. Using a Tim Holtz holiday embossing folder, the metal ATC is sandwiched in the middle and then run through a Sizzie Big Shot machine. One pass was all it took to get a beautiful embossed metal surface. Nice!

The metal was lovely and shiney and could have been left at the embossed step but I like to step things up a bit now and then. So out came the Gesso. Gesso is a primer that prepares surfaces for accepting paint. It sticks to almost anything including metal. If you simply painted the metal surface with white acrylic paint, you would end up with the problem of flaking paint.

Simply brush the gesso over the metal and allow it to try. I used a heat gun on mine and that sped up the process. I don't like watching paint dry! Grin.

When the gesso is 99% dry, buff off the excess from the raised embossed surfaces. You can also sand it off or lightly scratch it off depending on the look you are going for. It's pretty quick and easy and I love how it looks like an old sign or a pressed tin ceiling.

On to the main base of the card, I picked out three sweet prints from the Aspen 6x6 paper pad by Basic Grey. Soooooo pretty.

Now here's a fun fabric tape ribbon idea. I ADORE the new Maya Road fabric tapes. They can be used just like washi tape, to make a fun border, to make a background among other fun ideas. You can also make the fabric tape into ribbon by peeling off the backing, folding it over onto itself. It then can be tied into a very pretty bow...

A little tinsel, a pin and a star trinket pin finish off the design.

 Thanks for joining me in the CLASSroom today! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a year of blessing to come!

Supplies:

 

InLinkz.com

Copic Colored Glass by Sharon Harnist

As it's getting closer to the holidays, you might find yourself in need of some quick gifts or gift packaging, so I thought I would share this idea with you. It's good for those recycled glass jars and bottles that you just can't seem to throw out (not speaking from experience or anything!).

(In hindsight, I wish I had made either the tag base or jar a different color, as the reds all kind of blend in together, but you get the idea!). Click on any photo for a larger view.

Let's start with the pretty tag -- Die-namics from My Favorite Things make this a super quick and easy tag project for any of your holiday gifts!  

  

I die cut two of Winter Wreath from Memory Box Dill cardstock and adhered them to the largest Decorative Circle Tag Stax, die cut from Memory Box Holly Berry cardstock. The bow was cut from MB Cantaloupe cardstock. I cut and layered two bows together with the smaller 1/4" Copic Foam Tape. Hero Arts Holiday Sayings sentiment was stamped in the center of the wreath with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

To give the wreath foliage a little holiday sparkle, I used Zig 2-Way Glue Pen randomly on some of the branches, then sprinkled on some Ranger Star Dust Stickles Dry Fine Glitter. The tag and bow were both sponged with a little Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Now, on to the colored glass!  I started with a little 3.25" tall recycled glass jar. I think it was originally an instant coffee jar, but this project would also be great with baby food jars, inexpensive clear glass votive cups, or any glass item you'd like to be a new/different color!

Working on a coated paper plate, I just squirted some R29 Copic Various Ink Refill into the jar and rolled the ink all around inside the jar, to coat it evenly. Darker, bolder colors work a little bit better for this technique.

To get the neck of the jar colored (or any small spots inside the jar), I used a cotton swab. Then I turned the jar upside down on the paper plate to let any excess ink drain off.  Then turn the jar right side up to let it finish air drying -- it doesn't take long for the alcohol base to evaporate:

These colored glass jars would make nice, unique packaging for some wrapped candies, etc. I would place any kind of loose food item inside a protective zip bag or plastic wrap, though -- say, some favorite spiced tea mix, along with the recipe for a teacher?  :)  You can also jazz up the lid (if you choose to use it) and paint it with some acrylic paint!

Or they make a great votive/tea light cup. Here's a photo where you can see how nicely the Various Ink colors the glass, and the dimensional bow on the wreath:

And here's photo of the tea light candle next to our Advent Calendar:

A nice, pretty holiday glow, don't you think?  Happy Holidays!  

~ Sharon

{Colored Glass & Tag Supplies}

My Favorite Things Die-namics, Decorative Circle Tag STAX	My Favorite Things Die-namics, Winter Wreath	Memory Box Cardstock, Dill	B8 Cardstock, Holly Berry
Memory Box Cardstock, Cantaloupe	Hero Arts ClearDesign, Holiday Sayings	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"
Zig 2 Way Glue Pen, Squeeze & Roll	Ranger Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Star Dust	Ink Blending Tool	Distress Ink Pad, Vintage Photo
Copic Various Ink Refill, R29

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Clean and Simple Classic Christmas by Amber Kemp-Gerstel

It was with much excitement that we added the WPlus9 stamps and dies to our store recently. With the addition of this line we wanted to showcase it's simple elegance and who better to do that than Amber Kemp-Gerstel. Please join us in welcoming Amber today as she shares this fabulous modern design. The technique that she shares in this post can be used with any of the bold solid stamp designs we carry!

You can find more of Amber's beautiful work on her blog Damask Love. I would appreciate if you would head over to Amber's blog now and help us thank her for sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today. Please leave your comment on her post about being a guest here. As our way of thanking you for taking the time to do so you will have a chance to win some of the fabulous products she used in this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following picture.

Thank you Amber for sharing this beautiful project with us here in the CLASSroom! -Ellen

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When you like to make clean & simple cards, like I do, it’s nice to come up with techniques that add interest without adding bulk. The same idea applies when you are creating cards that need to mailed without adding extra postage!  Today’s card does both.

I love the look of gradient colors and I’m excited to share a really simple technique for creating color gradients without using a special inkpad.

I paired pink and lavender ink on this card to create a sparkly row of dangling ornaments. The technique for creating the color gradient on each image is simple:

Use a light tapping motion to add color to the top and bottom of your stamp. Solid stamps work best for this since there is more surface area to apply ink. Apply the lighter color to the bottom half of the image and apply the second , darker color to the top. By working from light to dark,  you won’t sully your lighter inkpad with the darker ink color.

Apply a small amount of the darker ink onto a sponge and use this to softly tap the point where the two colors meet. This will create a better blend from one color to the next.

Stamp your images as shown. They may not be exactly the same, but that’s the beauty of it!

To finish off this design, I added a bit of purple Ice Stickles to the top of each ornament.  Glitter makes everything better right?!

I’m so happy to have shared this project with you! Now, I’m off to make more holiday cards…nothing like some last minute crafting! -Amber

Ink: Purple, Light Pink and Dark Grey Pigment Ink

WPlus9 Design Studio Clear Stamp Set, Classic Christmas	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Mixed, Blush	Emboss It Ink Pad, Tinted
Ranger - Super Fine 1oz. Embossing Powder, Silver	Ice Stickles, Grape	Heat It Craft Tool

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12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 12 by Ellen Hutson

Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for the creativity that Sharon, Claudine, Julie, Jennifer, Kittie, Teri, Julia, Kelly, Paula, Maile, and Carolyn bestowed upon us during this years 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist! A HUGE THANKS to each of you for sharing your beautiful work with us here in the CLASSroom!!

Thank you to all those who have shared your tags on our challenge post - you still have time to join in the fun by continuing to add your projects until Sunday, December 16th! It has been a true inspiration to see how you have taken ideas shared here and come up with fabulous little treats that utilize layouts or techniques and then created sweet tags or cards that are truly unique to you! As well, I would like to thank each of you for joining us for the past 12 days and sharing your thoughts and appreciation with this talented group of ladies! It most certainly would not be the same without the enthusiasm and joy you have shared with each of us!

So now it is my turn to share a feminine tag with you. I decided to step outside my "elegant" box as I thought about what direction to take. One of the goals I worked towards this year was to try and share a fabulous mix of styles with you so that we could try and have something for everyone. With this in mind I decided to share a saucy little tag with you that is bold and cheerful - one that will hopefully bring a silly grin to your face and perhaps a little laugh as you realize that this is my Grinch inspired creation. Dr. Seuss I think these trees would look delightful in one of your books - LOL!

Can you just see little Cindy Lou Who peeking around the corner of one of these trees?

Brayer three different ink colors on three separate pieces of Craft-a-board. Die cut the largest size tree from these pieces. This will become the base for each of the tissue covered trees.

Cut seven strips of white tissue paper 4"x12".

For the green trees use a mix of three different inks. The first two tissue paper pieces were created by brayering one with Green Hills and the next with Grass ink.

For the third and darkest piece of green tissue combine Meadow and Grass inks. To avoid muddying your ink pad swipe the color on to the non-stick craft sheet and run your brayer back and forth through the two colors. This will combine the colors to create a custom color that will be the correct tone.

Fold the tissue paper so that you have three layers. Die cut the two largest tree sections from the darkest tissue, the next two smaller sections from the medium green tissue and the smallest or top tree section from the lightest color of tissue paper.

Each section of tree should have three pieces of tissue paper when cutting is complete. As you can see from the photo in the top left corner I had multiples of several sections as I was uncertain what type of color scheme I wanted to create when I first started this project. Separate the tissue paper before proceeding as it is easier to do this without gluey fingers (guess how I know that little tidbit - LOL!) 

Squeeze a small amount of Matte Multi-medium on to the top portion of the tree.

Use a studio brush to spread the medium over the top portion only and attach a piece of tissue paper. Make certain that no adhesive is applied to the bottom portion of each tissue piece as you want it to be free and have a ruffled appearance upon completion. Repeat for each piece of tissue paper.

Continue to layer all pieces of tissue paper until you have only one top piece left. Allow your tree to completely dry and then use Be Creative tape to apply this last piece. Wet adhesive leaves a dark appearance on the tissue paper, whereas using a sticky adhesive such as Be Creative tape creates a uniform look.

Fringe cut the bottom edge of each segment of the green tree using fine-tipped titanium scissors being careful not to snip off any edge pieces as you do so. You want to create a fringe effect but keep all tissue paper intact. This tree will become the focal point of your project.

Brayer Soft Yellow ink to one strip of tissue paper, Sunshine Yellow to a second and a combination of Soft Yellow and Sunshine Yellow to a third. Stack all three tissue papers and cut out all die shapes. You want to end up with one of each color in every size.

Layer each of the tree sections starting with the darkest yellow layer first, then the medium color layer and top it with the lightest yellow color. Continue adding all levels of the tree in this manner. As the edges of the tissue paper tree layers curl back you will see the varigated colors emerge.

Brayer Soft Pink ink to another strip of tissue paper and Bubble Gum on the last strip of tissue paper. Die cut the bottom, middle and top layer of the tree from the darker pink tissue paper and the two remaining pieces from the lighter pink color. Attach the tissue paper as shown in the picture above. Once again you want to make certain you have three pieces of tissue for every layer of the tree.

Chalkboard effects have become all the rage. When creating this project an old technique that has been buried in the recesses of my mind begged to be experimented with.

Squirt a small amount of Blank Canvas Studio paint on a non-stick craft sheet and brayer the paint into a very thin layer. This will become your "ink-pad". It is essential that you have this palette ready to work as speed is of the essence with this technique.

As you can see I worked on a non-stick craft sheet. If you work quickly AND more importantly clean up quickly you can do this. If you use your non-stick craft sheet I found that Cleans It really helped with the clean-up process. 

BUT if you like to take your time then I would recommend pulling out some freezer paper to work this technique on as you can simply throw it away when it is time to clean up.

Begin by tapping your ink pad on the work surface covering an area about 8" x 10" with dye ink. Squirt liquid applique on the wet ink as shown.

Brayer the liquid applique into the ink combining the two media.

Brayer this mix on a die cut manila tag. It is best to work on a tag that does not have a reinforcer in place as it is easier to work on a smooth surface. 

Ink the Dylusions Starry Night stamp on the Blank Canvas paint and stamp into the wet surface. Repeat until you have the entire background covered. The beauty of working from your paint "ink pad" is that you do not need to clean your stamp between impressions. It really doesn't matter if the white ink gets green in it :-D BUT once again be certain to clean your painty stamp immediately to avoid having to go to great extremes later to clean it!

Heat set the tag with your embossing tool and watch the magic happen. As you heat the surface the color and texture magically change - it is really cool to watch and has a funky feel to it that is totally fun! I can hardly wait to experiment with more traditional chalkboard colors such as black and a darker green.

This technique also creates the best animal textures for elephants, giraffes and the like! I can hardly wait to see what you all come up with because I know that the Liquid Applique has been flying out our doors since Kittie has been using it on her beautiful scenes and I thought it would be fun for you to be able to use it in yet another way as well.

Once dry cut a 3/8" strip from the bottom end of your tag to be used on the back side below.

Using the fabulous trick Kittie shared on her tag I rolled glue dots to add dimension to this sweet little Savvy banner without that dimension being visible - definitely a very cool tip!!

Another tool that is a must-have for creating beautiful chalkboard effects is the Pitt White Brush Pen. Hand draw a border around the edge of the tag.

Custom color white twine with a coodinating Copic marker. Tie the twine in place and snip to the correct length. Remove to add the tassels.

Die cut two tissue paper fringe borders and cut down to 4 3/4" in length. The shorter length will create a smaller tassel more suitable to this project than the full die cut fringe.

Add a 3mm strip of Be Creative tape to the edge. Adhere the end of the twine and roll the tassel closed. Attach a second tassel to the opposite end.

What better surprise then to find a gift card tucked into the back of your tag? Cut a second tag from striped paper and adhere to the back side of your tag.

Cut a 3 1/8"w x 4 3/8"l piece of polka dot paper and score 1 1/2" from the end. Adhere the 1 1/2" piece to the front side of the tag  and add adhesive down the sides only adhering it on the back side and creating a pocket. Add the chalkboard strip along the top edge of the polka dot paper to create a finished look.

To add interest to the top of the tag cut a second piece of polka dot designer paper 1 5/8"w x 2"l. Score at 1" and angle notch corners using an angle chomper tool. Adhere and punch hole.

Cut two pink reinforcements from the pink colored Craft-a-board and adhere to tag.

Attach the trees using 3D-Dots and adhere the banner across the top end. Tie on the tissue tassels and your Grinch inspired tag will hopefully bring a great big smile to your face!

Now it is your turn - create a colorful Dr. Seuss inspired tag or go vintage. I can easily see these trees cut from off-white tissue stamped with collage music or text and edged with Antique Linen distress ink! Add a little sparkle and create a soft vintage feel using the same process I have shared today. I can hardly wait to see the magic you work with this idea!

Once again thank you so much for joining us for the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist again this year!!!

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die, Tag & Bookplates	Dee's Distinctively Dies, Christmas Stacker Tree	Savvy Stamps Dies, Happy Holidays	Memory Box Dies, Fringe Border
Dylusions, Christmas Backgrounds	Echo Park 6x6 Pad, Hello Summer	Inkssentials Surfaces, 12x12 Manila	Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board 6x12, 12pk
Tissuestock 12x12 White, 20 Sheets	Shadow Ink: Mid-Tone, Green Hills	Chalk Ink, Grass	Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Meadow
Shadow Ink, Soft Pink	Shadow Ink: Mid-Tone, Bubble Gum	Shadow Ink, Soft Yellow	Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Sunshine Yellow
Hero Hues Dye Ink: Ocean	Doodle Twine Assortment, Sweet Cakes Valentines Collection	Pitt Stamper's Big White Pen	COPIC Sketch Marker Y11, Pale Yellow
Liquid Applique, White	Studio Acrylic Paint Mini, Blank Canvas	Inky Roller Brayer, Small, 2 1/4"	Inky Roller Brayer, Medium, 3 5/16"
Be Creative (Sookwang) Tape, 3mm (1/8")	Studio Multi-Medium, Matte Mini	Scissors, 5" Titanium Blade	Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool, Angle & Photo Corner
CleansIt All Purpose Cleaner, 2oz. Dabber	Non-Stick Craft Sheet

InLinkz.com

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We hope that you have enjoyed this year's 12 tags and that it has brought moments of joy to your days! This is your last opportunity to win a chance at a gift certificate to our store. Please leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.)

Remember to leave comments on all 12 tags for an opportunity at each day's blog candy! I know that your words of support are much appreciated!

Wishing you all many joyful moments this holiday season!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 11 by Carolyn Peeler

One of my goals with this series was to try and share a wide variety of beautiful styles with you, so I was absolutely thrilled when Carolyn Peeler accepted my invitation to share her shabby elegant tag with all of us! Her travels abroad to teach and learn are evident in the work that she creates. The soft color palette and little details add warmth and character to each of her projects!

You can find more of her beautiful vintage inspired work on her blog Cut N' Paste. You will discover all sorts of inspiration ranging from beautiful jewelry pieces to vintage goodies she has found in her travels. If an art camp is on your to do list you must check out the one offered by Terri Brush on the Oregon Coast - Carolyn will be sharing some fabulous scrapbooking tricks with the lucky women who attend this event!

Thank you Carolyn for once again sharing your talents with us here in the CLASSroom and even more importantly for being a caring friend! -Ellen

1. Gather two sheets of the Madonna collage paper from the Attic Treasures Vol. 2 6x6 paper pad. I used 2 sheets because one was too short to cover the entire tag. Plus, I did not want to use the portion of the paper with the lamb on it as it did not scream “Christmas” to me ☺

2. Before gluing the papers onto the tag, peel off the dark brown reinforcement that is around the hole at the top of the tag and hang onto it to use later in the project. Glue the papers onto your tag, aligning them however you would like. Trim the excess paper using a craft knife. Using a hole punch, punch the upper hole back onto the tag. Then, glue the dark brown hole reinforcement back onto the tag.

3. Stamp the Angelic Tidings stamp onto your white cardstock. Color using the Copic colors listed. One of the really nice things about this image is that you can color it with just a few colors and still have it look fabulous. Hitting the image with the markers in just a few places and using the white of the cardstock as a part of the ‘colors’ in the finished image can take major time off the coloring procedure.

4. Using scissors, trim the colored image from the cardstock. Also, cut a scrap of fabric (I used osanburg because it was what I had on hand. Muslin, burlap or canvas would also look lovely) a little bigger than your cut out image.

5. Using your sewing machine, sew the fabric to the upper center of the tag as pictured.
6. Using ¼” wide double sided tape, go around the edges of your tag.
7. Sprinkle the Tarnished Silver Glass glitter onto your double sided tape. Tap off the excess and pour it back into your container.

8. Tie a double bow with cream seam binding, then sew one of the Melissa Frances reproduction Glass buttons onto the center of it. Using a glue dot, stick the bow over the hole on the top of the tag.

9. Using pop dots, or other dimensional adhesive, attach the stamped image to the fabric, centering her.
10. Take the long aqua rectangle chipboard piece from the top left of the 5th Avenue Melissa Frances Chipboard accent package and cut a banner shape from it. Distress the edges of the tag with Tea Dye Distress ink. Glue it under the fabric, centering it in the remaining empty space at the bottom of the tag.

11. Using your computer, print “merry Christmas” onto cream cardstock using the Embossed Germanica font. Cut the sentiment from the cardstock and distress its edges with the Tea Dye Distress Ink. Glue the sentiment onto the center of the chipboard from step #10. To finish, place a small rhinestone on either side of the ‘merry christmas’ greeting.

Inkssentials Surfaces, Kraft Tag #8	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack	Pearl Cling Stamps, Angelic Tidings	Attic Treasures 6x6 Paper Pad
Chipboard Accents, 5th Avenue	Melissa Frances Glass Glitter, Tarnished Silver	Buttons, Reproduction Glass Assortment, 6pk	Tim Holtz, Crinkle Ribbon
Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	Distress Ink Pad, Tea Dye	Ink Blending Tool	COPIC Sketch Marker E000, Pale Fruit Pink
COPIC Sketch Marker E00, Skin White	COPIC Sketch Marker E35, Chamois	COPIC Sketch Marker E42, Sand White	COPIC Sketch Marker Y23, Yellowish Beige
COPIC Sketch Marker R30, Pale Yellowish Pink	COPIC Sketch Marker, 0 Colorless Blender	Glue Dots, 3/8"	Glue Dots, Pop Up
High Tack Double-Sided Tissue Tape, 1/4"	Non-stick Micro Serrated Scissors	Craft Knife, Fingertip

InLinkz.com

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Thank you Carolyn for sharing this beauty with us! Please leave your comment for Carolyn below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) I can't believe that tomorrow we wrap up this years' series of feminine tags - we hope you will come back and join us!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 10 by Maile Belles

One of the many things that I have thoroughy enjoyed in this year's tag celebration is the fabulous array of styles these talented women have shared with us throughout. Today we take a turn back to the refreshingly clean and simple style of Maile Belles.

Maile is so very talented at making the simple look stunning and modern! Once again I would like to share Maile's blog with you - at Simply Stamped you will find beautiful examples of the fresh look that can be created with stamps, ink, paper and a few subtle embellishments.

Thank you Maile for once again inspiring us with your soft, feminine and clean style! -Ellen

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I'm so excited to be joining you and I couldn't be more honored to be a part of this festive 12 Tags of Christmas event! I am ever so grateful to the lovely Ellen Hutson for this chance to be with you today. This year’s theme, of incorporating a feminine touch to our tags, has been an inspiring one and I couldn't help but take it in a fresh and modern direction by creating a tag featuring an unexpected feminine twist. The card, for the most part, would be suitable for either male or female; but it's the added touch of the unexpected tree color that makes this tag perfect for any of the women in your life. I just can't get over how cute those pink trees are! They give this tag such a nice pop of color against the dominating neutral color theme.

Here's how to create one of your own...

1. Stamp the tag base with the speech bubbles in white ink.

2. Once the ink is dry, attach washi tape across the front of the tag.

3. Wrap the washi tape back around to the back of the tag and carefully aligning both ends together.

4. Trim off a nice edge using scissors. Doing it this way allows for a nice edge, free of washi tape adhesive.

5. Stamp the trees and sentiment onto cardstock. Attach the stamped panel to the tag with dimensional adhesive and embellish with a rhinestone star.

6. To complete, top the tag with extra wide silk ribbon and tie ends together with a thin silk ribbon bow. This adds another a nice feminine touch.

So glad you stuck with me for this one! I hope you've enjoyed. Now have a splendid day my friends!

Maile

Studio Calico ClearDesign, Spread Joy from Hero Arts	Hero Arts Memories Pigment Ink Pad, Unicorn White	Hero Hues Dye Ink: Green	Archival Ink Pad, Rose Madder
Jenni Bowlin Dye Ink Pad, Fountain Pen	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	Inkssentials Surfaces, Kraft Tag #8	October Afternoon, Witch Hazel Washi Tape, Mesh
Self-Adhesive Rhinestone Stars, Black	Silk Ribbon, White 1 1/4" wide by the Yard	Silk Ribbon, White 1/4" by the Yard

InLinkz.com

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Please join us in thanking Maile for once again sharing her clean, simply style with us! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Tomorrow brings one last guest artist - Carolyn Peeler's beautiful classic style is certain to bring a smile to your day!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 9 by Paula Cheney

As I began to think about whether or not to proceed with the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist this year when Tim moved to showcasing a tag and techniques each month I didn't quite know what to do or how to pay homage to what was the beginning of this series here in the CLASSroom. Each year it would get a tad manic as I would try to pull off creating a tag inspired by Tim's tags, but I wanted something special for all those of you who have been such loyal customers and supporters over the years. It has been a welcome change to not have the level of insanity that has ensued over the last few years and more importantly these lovely ladies have taken my breath away with their stunning tags! To have Paula here representing Tim and his product line is something I appreciate more than she can know.

Paula Cheney inspires me! The precision and care she takes when she creates her projects simply blows me away! You must visit the blog she shares with fellow crafter and friend Debbie. Visit One Lucky Day to see one of the most beautiful handcrafted Artful Christmas Villages I have laid eyes on this season. Elegant, exquisite, extraordinary - those are just a few of the words I can come up with that will hopefully make you click that link! I don't know anyone who can showcase the Tim Holtz products better than Paula and Debbie.

Thank you so much for sharing your friendship with me Paula and also for the inspired tag you created for us here in the CLASSroom! -Ellen

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Apply Frayed Burlap and Spun Sugar Distress Stains next to each other on Non-stick Craft Sheet by pressing down on craft sheet and apply pressure to the sides of the bottle.

Mist with water from a Mini Mister. 

Lay a #8 manilla tag in the Distress Stain to pick up stain.  Dry with Heat Tool then repeat steps until satisfied with the look of the tag.

Emboss tag with Sizzix Alterations texture fade - Textured Poinsettia.  To cover the entire #8 tag with texture you must imprint 1/2 of the tag at a time.   Place tag into the texture fade and run through Vagabond machine.

Turn tag around and run the other half through the machine.  Hard to tell where the line is, right?

Use a small paint brush to mix a bit of water and Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold on a non stick craft sheet until you have a smooth liquid.  If paint is too thin just add a bit more of the Perfect Pearls Powder.

Use a small brush to paint a few of the poinsettias.  Note: the center of the tag will be covered so concentrate on the top and bottom areas. 

Set aside tag to work on center wreath.

Cut a piece of Grungepaper 6 x 6”.  Use a collage glue stick to adhere a piece of book paper to the Grungepaper.

Use Holiday Wreath die to cut wreath shape from grungepaper.

Use an ink blending tool and vintage photo distress ink to age the edges of the wreath and well as the small leaves that pop up.  set aside.

Cut two pieces of manilla cardstock 2 1/2 x 12”. 
Use one to cut the Festive Greenery decorative strip. 
From the Festive Greenery die cuts, you will need 4 leaves and a pine branch (save other strip and pieces for later).  Use Distress Stain- Tarnished Brass to paint all 5 pieces (shake before use).
Note: there is one large leaf that points left...do not flip over to match the others.

Once all pieces are painted, use Emboss-it pad to coat the entire surface of branch.

Place on a sheet of paper.  Pour Sticky Embossing Powder over branch.

Gently tap off excess powder, place branch on non-stick craft mat.  Slide leftover power back into jar. 

Melt powder using your Heat Tool...as you can see the embossing powder turns clear and sticky.  So much easier to see the reaction when the manila paper is painted gold. 

Immediately cover melted powder with Stickles Dry Fine Glitter - platinum. 

When it is cooled, gently tap off excess glitter.  I like to go over with the Heat Tool again for about 30 seconds.  I find that it seems to cement the glitter into the sticky surface. 
Repeat steps with all 4 leaves.
NOTE: I love this method of adding glitter to a tiny surface area.  I have found that as long as you have good coverage from the embossing pad to begin with, the glitter will adhere easily the sticky surface.  I also know the Sticky Embossing Powder holds the glitter better than plain white glue with a lot less mess.

Add glittered leaves to wreath with a bit of Glossy Accents. 
NOTE: there are no glittered leaves under the top right and bottom right wreath leaves.  The top with be covered with a ribbon and the bottom is not necessary.

Assembling the tag:

Cut a piece of Mirrored (2 x 2”).  Peel off backing to adhere to tag.  Peel off protective top coating to reveal the mirrored surface.  I purposely took this shot with the camera showing so you can see that it is really like a mirror (you can also die cut this stuff!).

Adhere 3-d Pop-it shapes under wreath.  Add wreath to tag over Mirrored surface.

Clip the glittered pine branch in half and ink two other elements from the Festive Greenery decorative strip.

Layer the elements above and below the wreath with a bit of Glossy Accents.

Create a bow using Crinkle Ribbon and Distress stains Spun Sugar and a hint of Frayed Burlap. 
Begin by spritzing Crinkle Ribbon with a Mini Mister to keep in place on the non-stick craft sheet.  Pounce Spun Sugar onto ribbon (keep turning ribbon over to get all sides).  Using the same method, add Frayed Burlap (just a bit) to give the ribbon an aged appearance.  Spritz with water again, then dry with a Heat Tool.  Once dry, create bow (the tails are folded back and glued underneath).

Add bow to wreath a little to the right of center.

Hold on...just a few more steps!

Cut the last 2 1/2” x 12 manilla paper in half (or rip it...it doesn’t matter).  Use your Vagabond machine to cut out two “joy to the world” sayings from the stacked words: christmas decorative strip.

You need two because you are going to cut the words apart.  The bottom of the ‘y’ and the top of the ‘e’ are connected so from one you will cut the word “Joy” and from the other you will cut, “to the world”.  Discard leftover pieces.

Be sure to add the dot at the top of the J with a piece of 1/8” Wonder Tape.

Lightly ink the edges of the words with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  Add Crackle Accents to the word Joy and set aside to dry.  Once dry, rub with Distress Ink to bring out crackle finish.

Cut very small pieces of Pop-it Shapes and add to the back of the word Joy.  Add to the center of wreath.

Add “to the world” to the bottom right corner.

And it just wouldn’t be me without a bit of vintage...I added a few pearls I cut from an vintage necklace

And a bit of hand dyed cheese cloth.
Paper String tied at the top completes the tag.

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Bigz Die, Holiday Wreath	Sizzix, Tim Holtz Texture Fades Embossing Folders, Textured Poinsettia Pattern	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die, Festive Greenery	Tim Holtz, Grungepaper, 6"x12"
Tim Holtz Mirrored	Tim Holtz, Crinkle Ribbon	Tim Holtz, Paper String, Solids	Inkssentials Surfaces, Manila Tag #8
Inkssentials Surfaces, 12x12 Manila	Distress Stain, Spun Sugar	Distress Stain, Frayed Burlap	Metallic Distress Stain, Tarnished Brass
Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Platinum	Sticky Embossing Powder, 1 oz.	Perfect Pearls, Heirloom Gold	Accents, Crackle
Wonder Tape, 1/8"	Emboss It Ink Pad, Clear	Distress Ink Pad, Vintage Photo	Ink Blending Tool
Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Collage Glue Stick	Mini Mister, Individual	Heat It Craft Tool

InLinkz.com

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Please join us in thanking Paula for this exquisite beauty! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store
www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Thank you for joining us here again today and don't forget to share the tags you create after being inspired by our 12 Tags series and link them in the post above!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 8 by Kelly Alvarez

When I first met Kelly Marie at CHA last winter her smile just warmed my heart! Kindness and warmth exude from within her. It has been such a pleasure to bring her stamps in to our store as you can see her character in the sweet images presented in the Lawn Fawn line of stamps and papers! We look forwards to the arrival of the new Valentine sets any day now so be certain to watch the new stamp section in the store.

It is no small wonder that Zooey Deschanel selected Lawn Fawn Critters Ever After stamps as one of her favorite gifts! Congratulations Kelly Marie and Mike on creating such a wonderful line of stamps!

We are absolutely thrilled that Kelly has joined us for our tag series this year! You can find more of her work on her Lawn Fawn blog and you can find the entire selection of Lawn Fawn stamps and papers here in our store.

Thank you so very much for joining in the fun this year Kelly Marie - every detail of your tag speaks sweet femininity!!

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I stamped Lawn Fawn's Sweet Christmas on Ellen's awesome watercolor paper in Versamark and heat embossed in white to make water coloring easy!
 

I scribbled Distress Markers on an acrylic block and used a brush dipped in water to color in my heat embossed gingerbread house.
 

To get a brighter red for the candy canes I tapped the barn door Distress Ink pad on the acrylic block and used that to water color, also! This is such a fun way to get a really feminine look.
 

I decided to use a white gel pen to make the whites of the candy canes even whiter. It really makes them pop! I love doing this with the white areas of a stamped image.
 

I repeated the process with the gum drops from Sweet Christmas and snowflakes from Frosties.
 

I covered a tag with some Fa-La-La papers and punched a hole in the center.
 

I heat embossed the sentiment from Let it Snow and covered the whole strip in that same water color method to coordinate with the rest of the tag. I then flagged the ends to add a little interest.

I punched a hole in my snowflake to create a cute cover for my hole. I then layered some white card stock that I cut curvy lines in to get that snow bank feel. Adding some foam adhesive to the layers really gives dimension, too!
 

After I adhered all of my pieces together I rounded the corners of the bottom part of the tag to go along with the soft feel of the tag. I added star dust Stickles to the snow banks, rock candy Stickles to the gum drops and Glossy Accents to the heart. I used a paint brush for the last two since the areas are so small.
 

I then threaded some peppermint Lawn Trimmings through the hole, and it was done! I had such a blast with Ellen's feminine twist on tags! Thank you so much for having me, Ellen! -Kelly

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sweet Christmas	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Let it Snow	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Frosties	Inkssentials Surfaces, Kraft Tag #8
Lawn Fawn Petite Paper Pack, Fa-La-La	Essentials by Ellen, Jennifer's Watercolor Paper, 10pc-6x9	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	VersaMark Inkpad
Distress Ink Pad, Barn Door	Distress Marker, Broken China	Distress Marker, Mustard Seed	Distress Marker, Tumbled Glass
Distress Marker, Worn Lipstick	White Embossing Powder	Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Single Spool Peppermint	Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool
Stickles, Star Dust	Distressed Stickles, Rock Candy	Accents, Glossy	Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White
Studio Artist Brushes

InLinkz.com

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Please help us say thank you to Kelly for joining us and sharing how to create this very sweet and feminine tag! Simply leave your comment below and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return again tomorrow for Day 9 of our feminine tags as Paula Cheney joins us again to share yet another stunning and beautifully detailed tag! 

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 7 by Julia Stainton

Welcome back to the CLASSroom and another tag from our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist series. Today we're more than halfway through the series and I'm excited to be sharing a tag creation with you.

 

My Peace Snowflake tag features lots of holiday sparkle and some very easy techniques. Let's get started!

For my tag base, I've created a textural and shimmery embossed tag. I love how the color changes as it turns in the light.

1. Emboss the manila tag using a snowflake embossing folder and a Big Shot machine.

2. Color the tag by swiping it with a Distress Stain Dabber. I just drag the sponge end across the tag allowing the color to hit the higher embossed areas. Dry with a heat gun to speed up the process.

3. Rub a Versamark Inkpad across the surface of the tag. Sprinkle with Holographic Embossing Powder. Apply heat with heat gun until the embossing powder is melted.

Next steps are to create a pretty embellishment using a die.

4. Die cut the Snowflake Rosette Strip die from a sheet of patterned paper.

5. Pleat the snowflake in an accordian fold. Adhere ends together with dry adhesive.

6. Flatten snowflake out and adhere to scrap paper.

7. Adhere snowflake applique. Insert trinket pins.

8. Apply stickles along pleats to add glitter.

9. Adhere loops of tinsel trim behind embellishment.

10. Adhere to tag.

11.Dab Distress Stain onto Peace chipboard sentiment. Dry with heat gun.

12. Coat chipboard with Versamark ink and sprinkle with Holographic Embossing Powder.

13. Heat embossing powder to finish the shimmery surface.

14. Adhere to bottom of tag.

15. Adhere lace to bottom of tag.

16. Loop twine through top of tag.

It's done! Sparkly and pretty without being too over the top.

Hope you're enjoying each day of the 12 Tags of Christmas! Happy holidays and happy creating! 

InLinkz.com

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We are so fortunate to have Julia here in the CLASSroom sharing her inspired ideas with us on a constant basis - thank you for sharing your creativity with us! Please help us thank Julia for this stunning, sparkly goodness by leaving your appreciation below in the comment section. Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to "fawn" over the oh, so cute tag a special lady has prepared for you!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 6 by Teri Anderson

We are thrilled to welcome Teri Anderson back to the CLASSroom! Her joyful crafting style can be seen in the new line of stamps she has created for Technique Tuesday - I absolutely love the bold, clean and simple lines of her designs! As well you will continue to find her madly (now I saw madly, because I would quite frankly be losing my mind trying to keep up with this pace - LOL!) creating 25 cards in 25 days on her blog a bit of this. a bit of that. You must head over to be inspired! Now how she does this all, simulatenous with being a PaperCrafts Go-to-Gal, and doing design work for Lawn Fawn, Paper Smooches and Technique Tuesday I'm not quite certain, BUT she has also shared her creative genius with us here today!!!

Thank you Teri for sharing another clever creation with us here today - I absolutely LOVE your twine wrapped trees!!!

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Hi everybody! So happy to be back in the CLASSroom today with a tag for the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist!

I have to admit that one of my favorite activities during the holidays is to hit the holiday craft fairs. I just love seeing what other crafters dream up. Something that caught my eye at recent craft fair was a set of homemade Christmas trees. These clever, fun and funky trees were wrapped with yarn and fabric. It was just so fun.  I loved the look so I decided to show you how to make your own fun and funky trees with Baker’s Twine for today’s tag.

So let’s get started.

Start by using a pen and ruler to draw a triangle on a piece of chipboard. (The chipboard I am using is just from the back of a 6x6 pad of patterned paper.) 

Cut the triangle out with your scissors. Place a mini Glue Dot on the bottom of it and start wrapping green twine from Doodlebug’s Baby Girl Twine Assortment around it.

Keep going (and going) until your tree is completely covered with twine. Place another Glue Dot on the back of your tree and place the end of your twine piece in it.

Repeat these steps. This time, make a second triangle a little bigger. And then wrap the second tree in pink twine.


When you are finished, you’ll have something like these two trees.


Set the trees aside and cut two squares from white cardstock. They should be large enough to fit across a #8 sized tag. 


Cut a curved line through each square.
 

Arrange the cardstock pieces to fit on your tag so it looks like there are hills of snow.

Use Crystal Stickles glitter glue to add a line of glitter along top of each curvy hill of snow.

Place the trees on the snowy hills.


Repeatedly stamp one of the snowflakes from the Magic of Christmas by Ali Edwards 
with Spun Sugar Distress Ink onto a manila tag. When you stamp, be sure not to rock the stamp so you get nice, clean impressions.

Stamp Joy from the December Daily 2012 stamp set on white cardstock with Onyx Black ink.

Fussy cut the word out and adhere it to your tag. Stamp “celebrating” over the adhered word with Onyx Black ink.

Tie twine through some green buttons and adhere them to your tree with Glue Dots.


Give your trees one more funky touch: Randomly adhere some Diamond gems on top of them.

Add some accent pearls randomly the top of the tag near the snowflakes.


Finish your tag off by tying a little twine through the top of it. And ta-da! Thanks for joining me today and letting me be part of your day!

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamp Set, December Daily 2012 by Ali Edwards (Limited Edition!)	Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Magic of Christmas by Ali Edwards	Glue Dots, Mini (3/16")	Doodle Twine Assortment, Baby Girl
Accent Pearls, Small	Diamond Gems, 5mm	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	VersaFine, Onyx Black
Distress Ink Pad, Spun Sugar	Stickles, Crystal

InLinkz.com

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We would very much appreciate you sharing your appreciation with Teri for her oh so clever and fabulous feminine tag in the comments section below! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Can you believe we are already half-way through our series?!? Be certain to return tomorrow for yet another beauty!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 5 by Kittie Caracciolo

Who better to share a fabulous scene tag than Kittie Caracciolo :-D The magic she works with diecuts is unmatched and if you have not yet found her blog from previous projects she has shared here in the CLASSroom you must run right over to her blog Kittie Krafts and see more of the beautiful scenes she shares on an almost daily basis!

Welcome Kittie! Once again a huge thanks to you for sharing how to create one of your magical scenes with our readers - this beautiful tag is a gift in and of itself!

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Hello and welcome to the 5th day of 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist. I am so happy and honored to have been invited back as a guest to take part in this fun event.

 
I love making scenes with dies and especially for Christmas projects. I chose to create something soft, feminine and sparkly using the Deer Trio and Tree die. The white images against the soft blue background are so perfectly serene.

I think a picture speaks a thousand words so most of my photos will tell the story without me rambling with lots of details.
 

Cover the tag with designer paper and trim the top corners.
 

Cut the snow layers and crimp to add texture. I like adding at least three layers.  

Apply adhesive to the bottom of each snow layer and attach to the base. The top portion of the layers need to be left free to tuck the images in behind.
 

Apply adhesive to the bottom tree trunk and a few rolled glue dots to the top trunk so it can be held in place but look free from the background. 

Hint….I like using tiny rolled up Glue Dots instead of mounting tape to secure delicate pieces like branches and foliage. I keep the 1/8”, 3/16” and 3/8” on hand all the time.  I pick the dot up off the roll using the pointed tip of my paper piercer and gently roll the ball. I don’t handle it too much as the oil from my fingers can ruin the stickiness. If I need adhesive to pop up a really thin piece like the tips of the branches I roll the dot into a thin line of adhesive. This method works great even with the tiny 1/8” dot.

 

Cut the deer apart, apply adhesive and tuck in behind the snow layers. I rolled a few glue dots and attached to the back of the larger deer to secure them to the snow layer but still let them stand free.

Apply glossy accents to the bottom stem of the pine pieces and tuck them behind the snow layers and around the deer to soften the scene. I use my paper piercer to scoot the pine down into place.

Before moving on let me say that a smart person would have applied all the glitter before building the scene. Duh!! That sheds a little light on me. LOL!
 

Lightly apply glossy accents to the image. Do small areas at a time as the glue dries fairly quickly. 

Slather it around with your finger. Hint…. keep baby wipes close by.
 

Lightly sprinkle glitter over the glued area, turn the tag over and shake off excess. Repeat until you are happy. I love lots of glitter and get into the “I can’t stop” mode every time I play with it.
 

I hope my sparkly and nature inspired snowy scene tag has inspired you to get out your dies, a tag and some glitter and give this a try.

InLinkz.com

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Please help us thank Kittie for her sparkly, yet serene, beautiful winer scene, as well as for the many tutorials she has shared on her blog! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Thank you for joining us here again today and don't forget to share the tags you create after being inspired by our 12 Tags series and link them in the post above!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 4 by Jennifer McGuire

Are you enjoying this series as much as I am? I cannot begin to express my thanks to the wonderful women who are participating in this year's series of tags. Today's guest designer, Jennifer McGuire, needs very little as way of introduction as I know you all know and love her as much as I do. Not only is this lovely lady clever, but she is kind and generous. It is with much affection that today I share with you the amazing talents of my friend Jennifer McGuire. If perchance you haven't already marked her blog you can find it at Jennifer McGuire Ink AND if you have not yet had a chance to take one of the classes she co-teaches with Kristina Werner on their site Online Card Classes you are missing out on some very well-done education!

When Jennifer offered to create a video showcasing today's technique I was over the moon excited to share it with you! Today she uses her magical touch on Tim Holtz Mirrored product - I already have envisioned a bobble-glass ornament wreath using this technique after watching this video!

Thank you Jennifer for your constant support, friendship and the absolutely stunning tag and technique you shared with us today!

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The dimension in this glorious tag was created by stamping with white Staz-On on clear plastic and then mounting with foam dimensionals to create depth. The Mirrored die cuts were colored with Copic markers to add texture and color. Be certain to watch the video that Jennifer has created especially for us!

 

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die, Tag & Bookplates	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Bigz Die, Caged Bird	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die, Mini Snowflakes Set	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die, Ornamental
Tim Holtz Mirrored	Cleardesign: Bring on the Merry	Stampers Anonymous Classics, Classics 9	StazOn Opaque Ink, Cotton White Set
NEW Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black	Distress Ink Pad, Evergreen Bough	COPIC Sketch Marker BG49, Duck Blue	COPIC Sketch Marker T3, Toner Gray #3
COPIC Sketch Marker T5, Toner Gray #5	COPIC Sketch Marker T7, Toner Gray No.7	COPIC Sketch Marker E79, Cashew	COPIC Sketch Marker YG09, Lettuce Green
COPIC Sketch Marker RV17, Deep Magenta	Tim Holtz Tinsel Twine, Silver	Gemstones, Smooth Clear Round	Gemstones, Black Pearl Crystals
High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/4"	Ink Blending Tool	Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Non-stick Micro Serrated Scissors
Fiskars Compact Stamp Press	Retractable Craft Knife	Vagabond Cutting Machine by Tim Holtz

InLinkz.com

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Please help us say thank you to Jennifer for joining us and sharing this fabulous video as she teaches us an over-the-top way to enhance the Mirrored product! Simply leave
your comment below and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25
gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment
before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) We look forward to "sceneing" you tomorrow ;-D

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 3 by Julie Ebersole

I finished my tag, and then hesitated... it's not necessarily "feminine". But, it's not necessarily "masculine" either! *chuckle*

I may not know which way to classify it, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out and it's totally ME!!! Hah!

My tag features a "shaker" glassine envelope and some whimsical stamps by Savvy!



After stamping the greeting on a piece of Solar White that was cut to fit inside the envelope, I die cut some snowflakes from Natural White card stock and set them aside--initially, I was planning to put them inside, but they were a tad too large and obliterated the greeting too much, so I reserved them and moved on.

Confetti has been popular in the paper crafts world lately, and I'm rather keen on it myself, so I punched a bunch of small circles (mostly 1/8" and 1/4" size) from some Natural white, aqua and red card stocks to slip into the envelope--they made perfect filler and were small enough to allow the words to be seen easily.


Made my own custom striped paper by cutting some aqua colored card stock into 1" strips the same width as my base tag, which is made from Natural White and glued them into place.

After angle-punching the corners, I also made a "reinforcer" from red card stock for some contrast and glued that into place on the tag.

The Sweater Mittens by Savvy are so cute--white embossed those on red card stock very quickly and cut them out and 3D mounted them onto the tag

Added one of those snowflake die cuts and some velvet ribbon--I love how MOD it turned out!

So fun and festive! Love this color combo for the Holidays, too!

Thanks for joining me today--I hope you are getting in some crafty time this Holiday season!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Savvy Stamps, Sweater Mittens	Savvy Stamps, Warm Holiday Wishes	NEW Archival Ink Pad, Vermillion	Paper Accents Glassine Envelopes, 1.75 x 2.75
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, Ream
Core'dinations Cardstock, Adirondack Collection	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58'	Glue Glider Pro
EK Success Paper Shapers 1/2-inch Circle Punch	Velvet Ribbon, Red	My Favorite Things Die-namics, Let It Snowflake	Sew Easy Baker's Twine, Red
Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool, Angle & Photo Corner	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Crop-A-Dile Eyelet & Snap Punch	Tweezers, Stainless

InLinkz.com

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Please help us thank Julie today for everything she has shared with us over this past year and for once again bringing a gigantic smile to our day with this oh, so sweet feminine tag! And yes, Jules - it is feminine in an a fabulous crisp way - it speaks of a glorious Ann Taylor style in a wonderful way!! :-D Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Tomorrow we have a gigantic surprise as the absolutely lovely lady who created a stunning tag also included a video :-D

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 1 by Sharon Harnist

Hello and welcome to Day 1 of Ellen's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist -- I'm thrilled to be starting off this 12-day celebration today!  Tags are one of my very favorite papercrafted items to create and combining them with a fun technique makes them even more special!  The technique I'm using today is: "Snow" heat embossing on dry embossed snowflake background.

(Click on any photo for a larger view)

Here's how to create my tag:

1. Cut #8 tag shape out of aqua/light teal Core'dinations Kraft Core Collection Cardstock by Tim Holtz-4x6 Assorted 72-pack.  This cardstock is the star of the show today -- it has a fabulous linen-like texture and kraft core that you can expose by sanding it! You can either trace around a #8 Manila Tag and cut to create your tag, or do what I did and just cover the #8 tag with Kraft-Core cardstock. Note: the length of this colored cardstock is 5.50", so your cardstock will be a little shorter than the #8 tag. You can either just trim off the tag or do what I did and just adhere another piece of teal cardstock to the bottom of the tag -- the poinsettia will cover the seam later.

2. Rub Embossing Ink Pad over on the front inside of the Snow Flurries & Snowman folder (where the snowflakes are recessed):

3. Insert cardstock tag in embossing folder and dry emboss the tag with your die cut machine.

4. Take tag out of embossing folder and immediately cover with White Embossing Powder.  Shake off excess powder and/or lightly rub away any stray embossing powder from raised snowflake impressions and around the edges/bottom of tag. You want it to look snow scattered, not completely covered (in retrospect, I wish I had brushed off a little more of my embossing powder!).

5. Heat emboss the white powder using Heat It Craft Tool.

6. After embossing powder cools, lightly sand the tag with Tim Holtz Sanding Block to reveal the kraft core around the raised snowflakes:

7. Distress edges of the tag with Paper Distresser -- this will reveal more of the kraft core of the cardstock.

8. Create reinforced hole for top of tag, using reverse side of a scrap piece of Kraft-Core cardstock (kraft side): Punch a handheld 1-/4-inch hole in cardstock first, then use a 1/2-inch hole punch to punch around the hole. Adhere to top of tag and punch out center of hole reinforcement with handheld 1/4-inch punch; set tag aside.

9. Stamp Pearl Cling stamp onto Neenah Natural White cardstock with Memento Rich Cocoa ink; lightly/quickly color with Copic Sketch markers E00 & E11 (skin), R20 & R83 (lips, flowers & gift bow), E21 & E23 (hair & shoes), BG70 & BG72 (dress & hair bow). Cut out image and set aside:

(For a more in-depth tutorial on how to color people with Copic markers, please visit THIS CLASSroom blog post I prepared with this same Pearl stamp).

10. Using Heart Wings die, die cut wings and crown from Natural White cardstock; run through Xyron sticker maker.

11. Cover sticky side of wings with Melissa Frances Pure Silver Vintage Glass Glitter. Use Teflon Bone Folder to press glitter into adhesive -- glass glitter shards are very sharp and can easily cut your fingers! Shake off excess glass glitter. Sprinkle Glitter Ritz Silver Microfine Glitter over wings -- this will fill in any gaps that the chunky glass glitter did not cover and make them super sparkly! Shake off excess glitter.

12. Attach wings and crown to Pearl with foam tape; set aside.

13. Die cut Sizzix Tattered Poinsettia out of burgundy and rose Kraft-Core cardstock pad; sand the edges of the flowers. (It appears this particular poinsettia die I used is temporarily out of stock. You could also use this beautiful My Favorite Things Poinsettia die, or this Poppystamps Blooming Poinsettia die.)

Tip: Leave die cuts still attached to larger piece of cardstock after die cutting, lying flat on your work surface when sanding. Amazingly, the edges of your die cut will even get sanded and you'll have less of a chance of tearing the flower petals:

Ink edges of poinsettia with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

14. Cover poinsettia center with silver glass and microfine glitters, same as wings above. Layer poinsettia pieces together with foam tape and attach to lower right corner of tag.

15. Stamp Hero Arts Holiday Sayings sentiment with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink onto Neenah Natural White cardstock; cut into banner shape. Sponge edges of banner with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink; adhere banner over Pearl's hands with foam tape.

16. Attach Pearl to tag, behind poinsettia, with foam tape.

17. Cut a 12" length of Ivory May Arts 1-1/4" Wide Silk ribbon and ink both sides of the ribbon directly with the Victorian Velvet Distress Ink pad:

18. Spritz ribbon with water and scrunch it up; blot excess water with a paper towel. Let ribbon dry naturally or quickly heat it from a distance with heat tool (heating silk ribbon too long or too closely will burn it). If ribbon needs more color, lightly tap it with the ink pad again:

19. Thread ribbon through tag hole and then tie ribbon together above tag with Silver Tinsel Twine and a jingle bell.

All done!

Thanks for joining me today -- I hope you'll have fun with this technique and enjoy the next 11 days of tags!  ~ Sharon

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{Supplies} 

 

Core'dinations Cardstock, Tim Holtz Kraft Core	Inkssentials Surfaces, Manila Tag #8	Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fade Embossing Folder, Snow Flurries & Snowman	Ranger Distress Embossing Pad
White Embossing Powder	Heat It Craft Tool	Tim Holtz Sanding Block	Tonic Tim Holtz Paper Distresser
EK Success Paper Shapers 1/2-inch Circle Punch	Melissa Frances Pearl Cling Stamps, Just A Little Something	Memento Ink Pad, Rich Cocoa	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack
Copic Sketch Markers	Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die, Heart Wings	Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker Machine	Melissa Frances Glass Glitter, Pure Silver
Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitter, Silver	Teflon Bone Folder	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"	Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die, Tattered Poinsettia
Distress Ink Pad, Brushed Corduroy	Ink Blending Tool	Distress Ink Pad, Victorian Velvet	Hero Arts ClearDesign, Holiday Sayings
May Arts Silk Ribbon, Ivory 1-1/4" Wide	Mini Mister, Individual	Tim Holtz Tinsel Twine, Silver	1/2" Silver Jingle Bells

InLinkz.com

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We would like to thank you for joining us and leaving a comment for each of the designers who participates in this very special event. Simply leave your appreciation for Sharon's beautiful tag here today and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to see what our special guest Claudine Hellmuth has created!

Merry & BRIGHT by Julia Stainton

Christmas is coming! It's Black Friday and the official day to kick off some major Christmas shopping. I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

I'm not one to venture out too far in the crush of shoppers so I'm spending today tucked in my craft room making lots of fun projects. Of course, I may succumb to temptation and do a little online shopping too! We'll just have to see!

I thought I'd create a card with a little color pop for you today...just to get you out of that post-Thanksgiving sugar haze. It's a technique I've seen done a few times and I'm not sure what it's called so we'll just keep it simple and call it Copic Colored Embossing.

It's super easy so it's a great technique to try and I love how vibrant the embossing turns out to be.

First of all, stamp your image onto black or dark cardstock and heat emboss with white embossing powder. It will look something like this.I like to use Versamark ink when embossing but you can also use an embossing ink pad. Doesn't that white pop over the black?

Next the fun part...adding in the color. Simply take your Copic Markers and color the embossed areas. This is a great technique for this background stamp as it makes all the different text stand out. It would also work well for most line images.

You may notice a little white residue on the tip of your Copic marker. You can see it in the above photo. Just color the embossing lightly and quickly to prevent much transfer. When done coloring, I like to brush it off onto a piece of scrap paper. Just color with the marker until it's gone to preserve the longevity of your nib.

Look at the color pop! It gives a fun bright look and reminds me of colored Christmas lights decorating the night.

When choosing colors for this technique, make sure you choose bold colors. I found that if the tint was very light it wouldn't show up well on the embossing. The last digit in a Copic marker is the saturation or how strong it is. Markers ending in a digit with a 5 or higher work the best. I've chosen BG45 Nile Blue, BG49 Duck Blue, R29 Lipstick Red, RV14 Begonia Pink and New Leaf YG23 Copic Markers to use on this project.

The background on this card is so pretty, I didn't want to cover much of it up. A simple silk ribbon bow highlights the fresh and pretty green in the color scheme. The gorgeous snowflake applique is a nice neutral accent and is large enough to balance the bold colors of the design.

 Enjoy trying out this technique and getting started on the Christmas season. Don't forget that Ellen is having a Black Friday to Cyber Monday sale with a really great discount. It's the perfect time for a little creative prezzie for yourself!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 11.19.2012

(click on the pic to en-biggan)

I love a lot of different things, so whenever I'm asked what "my style" is, I struggle sometimes with defining it.

This design is an example of wanting to create a "vintage-looking" embellishment or focal point, but executing the overall design with the clean and simple style I'm so fond of.

The Savvy Stamps 3D Star Die was my starting point--I wanted to recreate the effect of a beautiful vintage ornament so I die cut the shape from a pretty collaged sheet from Basic Grey's Aspen Frost collection. It has score lines built into the design--you could use the stars flat, but I thought the dimensional look was a nice effect and gave this card a lot of visual "pop"!  I actually cut a bunch of stars all at once so I could use them later on different projects--I think they'd be darling to dangle on gift packages or to make a garland.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this Silver Stickles Dry Glitter--it's the same they use in their Stickles and it is INCREDIBLY sparkly, hence the sentiment from the Be Jolly set by Technique Tuesday... *wink*

I did reach a point where I debated on whether or not to add "one more thing", cuz y'all know how going down that path can subsequently lead to the circular file, but in this case, one of my favorite stand-by tricks polished the card off perfectly. 

Enjoy the video here or in HD over on YouTube!

Thanks for joining me this Monday! Have a gooder!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Be Jolly	Savvy Stamps Dies, Folded Star Die	VersaMark Inkpad	Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Silver
A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack	Basic Grey Aspen Frost, 6x6 Paper Pad	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
Ranger - Super Fine 1oz. Embossing Powder, Silver	Mixed Accent, Neutrals	2 Way Glue, Chisel Tip	3D-Dots, 1/8" Thick
3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Soft Grip Embossing and Stylus Set	Crop-A-Dile Power Punch, 1/16"	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink
Tweezer Bee	Tweezers, Stainless	Craft Knife, Fingertip	Heat It Craft Tool

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 11.12.2012

Sweet, right?! Years ago, I had seen some darling, pre-made tri-folding window cards that made me swoon and when I saw these nested Pinking Square Dies by WPlus9, I knew they'd work for making my own!

I brought together a lot of favorites for this design, including kraft paper, white embossing and the Sweet Christmas set by Lawn Fawn... Just couldn't resist the Gingerbread... It just isn't Christmas without Gingerbread... ! *grin*

Measurements:

• Cut card stock to 5 1/2 x 10 3/4"
• Parallel to short side, score at 3 5/8" and 7 1/4"

Enjoy the video here or in HD on YouTube!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sweet Christmas	Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Nesting Squares	WPlus9 Design Studio Dies, Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares	Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Hazelnut
VersaMark Inkpad	Waterbrush, Small	Memento Marker, Lady Bug	Memento Marker, Bamboo Leaves
Memento Marker, Desert Sand	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, Ream	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	Stampendous Embossing Powder, .92 oz Detail White
Heat It Craft Tool	Stickles, Christmas Red	Gemstones, Red Crystals	Martha Stewart Scoring Board
Doodle Twine Spool, Ladybu	Honey Bee Non Stick Scissors	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, .88 oz
Craft Knife, Fingertip	Teflon Bone Folder	Tweezers, Stainless	Tweezer Bee

InLinkz.com

Spread Joy by Cristina Kowalczyk

We are so very thrilled to be welcoming the oh, so talented, clean and simple designer Cristina Kowalczyk to the CLASSroom today! Being the busy mom of two (one being a new-born) I don't know how she manages it all, but she does so beautifully. She has guest designed for us in Julie Ebersole's online class - Fold It, Pop It, Flip It, Zip It and a number of Online Card Classes including the upcoming Holiday Card Workshop. Currently Cristina does design work for Wplus9 Design Studio, Papertrey Ink, Embellish Magazine AND Runway Inspired.

To see more of her beautiful creations visit Cristina's blog, My Paper Secret! I would appreciate if you would head over to Cristina's blog now and help us thank her for sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today. Please leave your comment on her post about being a guest here. As our way of thanking you for taking the time to do so you will have a chance to win some of the fabulous products she used in this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following picture.

Thank you Cristina for sharing your beautiful project with us here in the CLASSroom today! -Ellen

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Once upon a time, when I was first starting out in cards, I swore that I would never get a die cut machine. I thought it was just one more supply that I didn’t really need. Ha! It didn’t take long before I surrendered and bought a Cuttlebug, and that one little purchase completely changed my approach to cardmaking.
 
These days dies are more popular than ever, and I have a collection that I can barely contain. I’m always looking for new ways to use them, and today I made a card using one of my favorite techniques – insetting.

Insetting your die cuts is a great option for when you want to keep your cards flat for mailing without losing the detail of the die.

You can see what I mean in this card, which features wonderfully intricate snowflakes dies from Impression Obsession.

If I had done a negative die cut, I would have sacrificed all that detail, and if I had simply adhered the positive die cut over the base, it would have added an extra layer.

Instead, I started by cutting the negative spaces out of a layer of cardstock (because of my design, that piece in the corner separated from the rest, but don’t worry, I’ll just tape it down like everything else).

Then I cut the snowflakes again, this time out of colored cardstock.

All that’s left to do now is place the colored snowflakes in the negative openings.

And voila! Everything’s flat and flush, which especially important for mass mailing holiday cards, but still colorful and detailed. I stamped a trendy banner sentiment from Hero Arts/Studio Calico’s Spread Joy set and used a glue pen to add a bit of microfine glitter (‘tis the season for glitter and if you’re in the market for some, seriously, you can’t do much better than this stuff from Glitter Ritz), and that’s it!

Thanks so much for joining me in the CLASSroom today, and a gigantic thanks to Ellen for having me! - Cristina

Studio Calico ClearDesign, Spread Joy from Hero Arts	Impression Obsession Dies, Snowflakes	Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Grenadine	Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Punch
Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Carnation	Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Snow	Memento Ink Pad, Lady Bug	Glitter Ritz Transparent Microfine, Warm Highlights

InLinkz.com

WCMD 2012 Challenge 1: Holiday Greetings with Julie Ebersole

(click on the pic to en-biggan)

Yay for World Card Making Day!

My challenge for you today is to create a Holiday Greeting!

The instant I saw it, I fell madly in love with this awesome set by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday, called "Jingle All The Way"!  My inspiration design here may seem complex, given the stamp set I used, but it's actually a lot easier than you think. *wink*

I mounted all the sentiments I wanted to use onto one single acrylic block--this initially took a little time, to make sure they were all straight; an acrylic block with grid lines really helps! This way, I could ink and stamp all at once, making mass production of this design a breeze!

It was then very easy to "fill the gaps" with the darling accent images in the set like the bell, holly and stars, in different colors.

A little bit of twine and some Rock Candy Stickles was all that was needed to finish it off!

Can't wait to see what Holiday Greetings you create and thanks for joining me in this challenge for World Card Making Day!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Jingle All the Way by Ali Edwards	Shadow Ink, Soft Granite	Memento Ink Pad, Love Letter
Memento Ink Pad, Dandelion	Memento Ink Pad, Pear Tart	Shadow Ink, Soft Pool
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	H4 Cardstock, Dove Gray
Doodle Twine Spool, Gray	Distressed Stickles, Rock Candy	Clear Acrylic Block 3" x 4" Rectangular with Grid
3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick

InLinkz.com

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HOLIDAY CARD CHALLENGE

We hope that this challenge helps give you a jump start on your holiday cards! Create a card to use this upcoming holiday season! Once you have completed this challenge please be certain to link directly to that specific project in our WCMD Challenge Blog Candy post!

BLOG CANDY

What is your favorite time of year to pull out your card making supplies and create?

Be certain to leave your answer in the comment section on this post to be entered in a random drawing for the following goodies. All comments must be made by 11:59pm Pacific Time on October 7th to be eligible.

Feminine Twist Tag Bloopers

On the way to fun creations there are always a few bloopers (or maybe more than a few ;-D) that occur. Many items hit that circular file, otherwise known as the garbage, and others end up being quite spectacular. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the "experiments" that occured along the way to the final 12 Tags of Christmas series.

Colored Pencil and Picket Fence Distress Stain

You know you have a fun idea, you can hardly wait to share it... oops you stamped it all too low on the tag to make the balance work. So you start all over - hmm... what to do with the old tag? Well, I like to experiment because I'm simply curious. What would the colored image look like with Picket Fence Distress Stain over top as well as underneath? The answer is - quite soft and beautiful!

Lesson relearned from tag #2 - position your key elements before beginning. Yes, I already knew this lesson, but in my excitement... oh well - we now get to see what colored pencil looks like stained with Picket Fence ;-D

Testing 101

Use those little tidbits that are left over after diecutting to test with! When trying something new and different, rather than using the key elements, I like to use the tidbits to test my ideas.

When I know what is going to work the best, THEN I'm ready to roll on my key elements :-D What an amazing time saver AND good use of these tidbits!

Remember how Tim suggested a nice thick layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint. Well... sitting in my studio all alone on a Sunday, waiting and waiting for it to dry... finally giving up and taking my Heat It tool and ever so gently trying to coax it along... What could have been a beautiful piece... not so much! ha, ha! Lesson learned - leave it alone - do NOT heat Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint!

Thank goodness for innovation. Yes, on Tag 4 I waited for a very long time before realizing I might be at the studio all night, and all the next day, waiting for my project to dry. So I started all over with a nice thinned out layer which ended up being spectacular!

Cracked Glass Technique

In the mean time I had PLENTY of time to experiment and started trying to think of other ways I could achieve a similar look. So I decided to try an old standby I learned years ago - Cracked Glass. Inking my ornament with Distress Embossing Ink and applying a layer of UTEE. Heat, reink and apply a second layer...

and finally a third layer. As you heat the last layer you can alter the texture of the finished project. As you can see at the bottom of this ornament the texture is glossy and smooth - this is the UTEE completely melted. Up in the right hand corner you can see the bumpy texture - if you start melting the UTEE and then move on to a new section you can achieve a completely different look. The choice is yours!

As you can see I went with the completely smooth look.

Allow the UTEE to cool completely and then gently bend your project, cracking the UTEE. You can apply another layer of ink over the surface. It will seep into the cracks and create an even more dramatic look. So many choices, so little time :-D

Colorizing Metal Foil

As you can tell I had a LOT of time on my hands, so I decided to experiment a little further with a look that I then altered for my Mexican Tin Ornament on Day 6. Using Snow Cap Alcohol Ink Mixative I covered the surface of my foiled and embossed ornament. (See Tag 4 to learn how to create this ornament)

Apply a layer of alcohol ink using an alcohol ink applicator. Allow to dry for a few seconds and then use a sanding tool to brush away the top surface of alcohol ink products, exposing the now brushed foil beneath.

Such a striking look and SO very easy to do!

More UTEE Shrink Plastic Embellishments

Shrink plastic also comes in white. Create your embellishment as shared in our Tag 11 post.

Pigment ink also works beautifully as a release when stamping into hot UTEE or hot glue. I inked my stamp using the gorgeous Delicata gold ink.

Remove embellishment from the melting pot and drag across your non-stick craft sheet, immediately stamping as shown above. Allow stamp to sit until UTEE cools slightly, about 3-5 seconds, and remove.

Once again use the hot edge of the melting pot to refine your embellishment.

If you ended up trying this technique and created some pieces that didn't quite cut the mustard, you can still salvage them with this technique.

Clean up the edges of your embellishment by cutting away or melting away the excess UTEE. Place into a clean melting pot project pan, or something similar.

Heat with your Heat It tool, softening the surface, and sprinkle on glass glitter. Allow to cool and then pick up and release excess glitter.

You will end up with a gorgeous, embellishment with glass glitter embedded into the UTEE.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my experiments and "recovery tactics" from this last set of tags. Yes, when trying new things there are going to be quite a few that are questionable :-D Wishing you a stress-free, productive and creative week ahead!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 12 by Ellen

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house...

This is the theme of my last tag of the year. Day 12, Tag 12 - the end of our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist for the year 2011. We hope you enjoyed the twists that we shared here in the CLASSroom this year. Yes, it is a labor of love that pushes us through each year. It is a "mission" each day just to get these completed in a manner that we hope inspires you.

Today it is my desire to share several more ways for you to use tissue paper in your projects, as well as share one more resist technique with you!

Don't you find these contemporary, yet rustic little dwellings, sitting in a snowbank with Santa flying overhead simply cute!

Adhering tissue paper to a surface can be done in ways atypical to the usual glues and adhesives. If you would like to add color to your project Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Line is the PERFECT way to add your tissue paper! First cut the dwellings from Craft-a-Board. Apply a layer of Studio Paint.

For variation and interest I added a second color in a streaky manner. You could stamp patterns or use stencils to add variation as well. I was trying to keep today's projects simple and colorful.

Immediately, while the paint is still wet, attach your tissue paper to your project by placing it on the painted surface and applying pressure evenly over the entire surface. Magically the color appears through the tissue paper in a wonderful muted way.

Aren't these just the sweetest mix of colors - right now I am picturing myself in a tranquil setting on the Italian coastline where their homes are so magically colored. How divine!

To add snow to the rooftops follow the same technique I showed a few days ago. Using Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint apply along the roofline and drag a piercing tool through the paint for a random appearance. Sprinkle silver and clear glass glitter (Twinklets Diamond Dust) into the wet paint. Allow to dry.

Streak Picket Fence Distress Stain randomly over a manila tag.

Add "icicles" to the manila tag surface by randomly streaking Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint on the surface. Apply enough so that you get random cracking. The more you apply, the larger the cracks, with thinner layers providing smaller cracks. Allow to dry.

This surface is absolutely fabulous and very "icy" looking, but I had more to show you ;-D

Using an ink blending tool, in a circular motion, add both Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky distress ink at random to your surface.

Stamp snowflakes in both Stormy Sky and Tumbled Glass.

Make a corner of a soft towel or paper towel damp and wipe the excess ink from the surface where the Rock Candy Crackle paint is applied. Your snowflakes will start disappearing into the night sky.

To create your snowbank use a piece of tissue that has the tiny pinked edge formed by the cutting blade on the packaging on one side and a haphazardly torn edge on the other side. Crumple your tissue paper and then straighten back out. Apply Tumbled Glass distress stain in a random way and dry with a heat tool.

Cut a piece of manila cardstock to fit the width of the tag from the edges of the houses. Tear a random pattern in the top of this snowbank.

On the side opposite of the Distress Stained tissue paper, apply a layer of Gloss Multi-Medium.

Pleat, crumple, and mash the tissue paper to fit and adhere to the manila cardstock snowbank you created above.

Apply another layer of Gloss Multi-Medium to the surface by pouncing with a paintbrush. Sprinkle with both silver and clear glass glitter. Allow to dry.

I love having both 1/16" and 1/8" dimensional squares for adding depth to projects. When you need to layer items one on top of another you can achieve a "flat" look by combining the adhesive squares dependent upon where it is being attached to your project.

As you can see, one of the edges of my blue house is mounted on the tag and the other is mounted on top of the other dwelling. By placing the thicker dimensional on the side that is mounted directly to the tag it keeps my house level. Yes, the perfectionist in my is always coming out and I thought I would share this little trick with you in hopes that it will help other perfectionists out here in cyberville - LOL!

Tip: Create a more unifed balance by spacing these dwellings of different sizes and shapes in an assymetrical way. In other words, don't center the red house or it will not look right. It's all about breaking up your space into thirds and fifths - the Roman mean. Yep, that puts me right back in Italy and I'm going back to the Cinque Terre - ha, ha!

I needed to use my second set of hands, my self-closing tweezers, to knot my baker's twine and add the little jingle bell.

Since it is Christmas Eve I decided to add one simple "window" to my dwelling, but needed to alter the color ever so slightly to coordinate with the house on the left and Santa's face - Delicata Gold ink to the rescue!

One last parting shot of our last tag of the season. We hope that you have enjoyed your time here with us and with that we would like to close with... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

stamps: Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook 

ink: Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky, Distress Stain - Picket Fence and Tumbled Glass

paper: Manila Cardstock, Craft-a-board, Terminology Tissue Wrap

accessories: Studio Line - Dab of Yellow, Yellow Pastel, Modern Red, Dash of Red, Sky Blue, Landscape Green, Glossy Multi-Medium; Off White Twill, Silver Tinsel, Santa Christmas Ornament (these are absolutely darling and the size is perfect for crafting!), Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint, Silver Glitter Glass, Twinklets Diamond Dust, Bakers Twine, Jingle Bell, Game Pieces

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It's our last day of blog candy, but the party is far from over! Be certain to join us again tomorrow as we get our Hero Arts preview party started. Due to the "inconveniences" of today (yes, my studio is in complete disarray as the neighbors flooded toilet made an amazing mess in our office and warehouse - who would have thought a toilet contains that much water!) I am not certain when we will be able to get our first post up, but it is on to Plan B for the short term as I try to wade through this - ha, ha! Gotta laugh about it or I just might be sitting in a puddle crying - double ha, ha!

To be eligible for the random drawing of the goodies shown above please leave a comment here on this post by noon Pacific Time, Wednesday, December 14th. 

One last reminder that the goodies in the 12 Days Tag Time will be on sale until tomorrow morning at 9:00am, so if you have been inspired to try something new and different please head over to take advantage of the savings.

Thank you all once again for joining us here in the CLASSroom. We sincerely hope that we have brought a bright spot to your holiday season, that you have been inspired, and hopefully, have picked up a couple of new ideas to use in your creating!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 11 by Ellen

It was 10 years ago, when I attended my first rubberstamp convention here in Puyallup, WA, that Suze Weinberg was showing Melt Art. I dabbled with my Melting Pot since that time having loads of fun when I pull it out. It was so fun to see Tim playing with it today, showing how to create Shrink Art embellishments. We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new rebranded product - I am hoping that Tim posting means that they will soon be on their way! 

I thought I would share a twist on the technique Tim shared with you today; one that brings in some of the other products you may have in your stash.

These irridescent beauties sing in real life - LOL! OK, so that's stretching it just a touch, but they certainly are stunning. I think they might make the cutest earrings, as well as tag embellishments.

For this particular project I used Black Shrink Plastic. You can find it in this Sample Pack. I hope in the days ahead to share several of the other techniques that I played with today while I had my Melting Pot ready for action. There are SO many possibilities!

I put about 2 oz of UTEE into my Melting Pot turning the heat to the UTEE setting. Put the lid on and leave it untouched until the UTEE is completely melted.

Do not be alarmed by the twisting and turning motion of the shrink plastic as you place it in the hot UTEE and it begins to melt.

Remember UTEE is HOT!!! So always be cautious while working. I always have my Kooltoolz handy along with my self-closing Teflon tweezers. The spoon shown above works great for flattening your shrink plastic into the UTEE and you do not need to worry about damaging it with the hot pot and UTEE.

Once my piece is flattened I like to move it towards the front end of the pot into a more shallow area of the liquid and then grab the end with my non-stick tweezers. The UTEE will build up on the non-stick tweezers, but it is easily removed!

Before removing the shrink plastic ornament from the UTEE ink your stamp with Perfect Medium. This will aid in easy release of the stamp from the UTEE and provide the perfect medium for adding Perfect Pearls.

I followed Tim's recommendation to pull the embellishment along my non-stick craft sheet before continuing. It worked like a charm (ha, ha - get it, "charm.") Immediately impress your stamp into the warm UTEE. Allow the stamp to sit for a couple of seconds and then remove. Magical texture!

Perfect Pearls over black is STUNNING! Use a soft brush to apply the powder and to remove the excess.

I wanted to test a clear stamp to see if it would work, because I wasn't certain how it would hold up. Once again I inked the stamp with Perfect Medium.

It was wonderful being able to see through the stamp to precisely place my image on the ornament.

Perfection! As you can see the detail in this stamp is super fine, whereas the red rubber stamp I selected had a bolder image. Exciting to know that both types of stamps work for this technique!

Once again you will see the pattern and texture emerge as you brush on the powder. Place the excess powder back into the container when you are finished.

As you can see I had little "nubbins" on the edges of my ornaments. Once the UTEE has cooled you need to be careful about removing the excess, so as to not crack your project.

I like to use the edge of my Melting Pot to finesse my UTEE pieces. Be super careful so that you don't put your fingers on the hot surface. I find it quite simple to hold the piece and use the heat to soften and melt those weird little pieces that jutt from the edges. It also helps to soften the UTEE slightly so that cutting with scissors and or just scraping with your fingernail works easily.

To create my tag background I use a very old resist technique. This is one of the very first techniques I learned as a stamper and I love it to this day. Glossy cardstock lends a contemporary feel to a project and I wanted that feel with these ornamental beauties.

Ink your background stamp with a watermark resist ink and stamp on white glossy cardstock. I like to place my tag atop the stamp as shown above and then use a piece of scratch paper over the top and apply pressure evenly over the surface. Glossy cardstock is slippery and this helps me keep from smudging it with excessive movement.

Lightly heat the surface of the tag and set the ink. Then apply dye ink to your brayer and roll it over the tag. It is like watching a ghost appear :-D So cool!

Add a second color for interest. In this case I elected to use two green dye inks that are fairly monochromatic.

After brayering on the second color use a soft paper towel or cloth to remove the excess ink.

I don't know how many of you like to work with wire, but it was so fun to use it on this project. I like using a heavier gauge wire, shaping as needed. THEN to add interest hammer the wire, flattening it. You will not be able to change the shape once you flatten the wire so be certain you have the desired shape before hammering. Hammered wire is so cool looking!

I hope you enjoy the contemporary twist that I took with today's tag - bold, yet simple and elegant at the same time.

stamps: Hero Arts Cling Dot Flower Pattern, Antique Sweet Threads Cling Stamp,

ink: Perfect Medium, Inkssentials Watermark Resist Pad, Adirondack Juniper Dye Ink Pad, Iced Spruce Distress Ink Pad

paper: Glossy Cardstock

accessories: Tim Holtz Ornaments 2, Vintage Lace and Tags & Bookplates Die, Assorted Polyshrink Sampler, Perfect Pearls Brush, Perfect Pearls - Sour Apple, Grape Fizz, Pink Gumball, 20-gauge wire, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Brayer, Clear UTEE, Melting Pot, Kooltoolz, Tweezer Bee, White Silk Ribbon

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Day 11 - it's hard to believe how quickly time passes! I have very much enjoyed reading your comments! Christmas Eve is typically spent together with my husband's family. I think it is their Welsh background that brings the tradition of making homemade beef and noodles each year. The noodles have to be hand-rolled and laid out on the counters to dry. It is quite the spectacle and oh, so delicious! I would love to hear what one of your favorite Christmas Eve traditions is. By leaving a comment (one comment per person please) below you will be eligible for the random drawing for the Mini Reindeer & 25 Die set and Shabby Accoutrements shown above. Please do so by noon on Tuesday, December 13.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 10 by Ellen

Tim's technique of the day today is ubber fun to play with!

Yes, it truly does look like Vintage Mercury Glass when you add the Inkssentials Foil behind the transfer!!!

I began by applying packing tape to a beautiful Melissa Frances image. Be certain to burnish the tape to the image making certain there are no air bubbles. Then place the tape in bowl of warm water. To remove the paper gently rub between your fingers. I find that if I finish the image as I run water over it under the tape I am able to remove the final bits of paper easily. Work gently so that you do not scratch your image.

Partly remove the backing from a piece of Inkssentials Foil and carefully adhere your packing tape transfer. Make certain that the adhesive side of your packing tape is attached to the sticky side of the foil.

I would like to try this on a larger sized image and try diecutting a foil backed tranfer. It looks so cool just as it is!

To make a statement piece I used a Facet and yes, I applied WAY too much glossy accents - LOL! I have created these embellishments before where I did not apply enough glossy accents and ended up ruining the piece, so I have always been a little too generous with my glossy accents since that time. You will notice that I have also used Icicle Stickles around the rim. By adding the Stickles to the edges you get a little bit of glitter just around the edges of your image.

Place the fragment down on to the foil backed transfer and squeeze out any excess adhesive. Very careful wipe it away as you do so to avoid getting it on the face of your facet. Allow to dry and cut out around edge.

Diecut six wings from Craft-a-Board. Use the base of one wing and trace the edge to alter the length of a second set of wings. In hindsight I wished that I had run these through a textured embossing folder at this point. Perhaps tomorrow I will find the time to try this because when looking at the final photos it just isn't as pretty in the photo as in real life because I couldn't capture the variance in the sheen.

Spray with Biscotti Perfect Pearl mist.

Spray with Calico White mist and then spray with a little more Biscotti Perfect Pearl mist in some spots.

Use the gold paint dabber to "tip" the wings.

Apply some Ultimate Glue randomly to the edges of the wings and add glass glitter. Attach the wings by applying dimensional adhesive dots between layers.

This is one of my favorite "shabby" background techniques. Use a Snow Cap dabber to apply paint to a background stamp.

Allow to dry before proceeding.

Use an ink blending tool and in a swirling motion apply ink starting on non-stick craft sheet and swirling onto the tag. This is what really makes the white pop and colors it ever so slightly at the same time.

Add some tulle and pleated satin trim to the base of the tag.

Lightly sand the Antique Brass reinforcer before applying.

What says Christmas more than Baby Jesus in the Manger surrounded by angels? So soft, pretty and angelic.

stamps: Hero Arts Cling Classic Fabric Design

ink: Distress Ink - Bundled Sage and Iced Spruce

paper: Manila Cardstock, Melissa Frances Deck the Halls, Craft-a-Board

accessories: Angel Wings Die, Tim Holtz Tags & Bookplates Die, Facet, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Packing Tape, Glossy Accents, Icicle Stickles, Snow Cap and Gold Paint Dabber, Melissa Frances Gold Glass Glitter, Maya Road Tulle and Pleated Satin Trim, White Studio Calico Spray, Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist, 7 Gyspies Reinforcer, Silk Ribbon

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I loved hearing what your favorite holiday movies are so much that I decided this time round I'd like to hear what your favorite holiday treat is? It can be food related or simply something you do for yourself during the holiday season that makes it special. Leave your comment on this post and it will automatically enter you in the random drawing for the Distressed Doily die and Calico Shine spray shown above. Do so before noon on Monday to be eligible. Wishing you a lovely before holiday weekend and hoping that you are able to check off items on your to do list :-D

12 Tags of Christmas With a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 9 by Becky Olsen

Hi CLASSroom visitors!! So fun to be back sharing a post as a guest with all of you, many thanks to Ellen for graciously sharing this opportunity with me! I loved creating the tags in years past and can't wait to share my twist on the tag today!

It is frothy, sweet and makes me giddy to look at! I am hoping you are as excited as I am as I share the steps on how to create your own version :o)

Okay so the first disclaimer is that I don't own any of the fun goodies that Tim played with, so in the spirit of making do with what you have, we are going to start by making our own stamp!

Use the Movers and Shapers small snowflakes and die cut them out of foam that already has adhesive on n the back. Apply to Crystal Clear Plastic and you have made your own stamp.

Use Spun Sugar Distress Ink and stamp one of the snowflakes randomly on a #8 Manila tag. (The tags I used are American Tag white, they are no longer being carried by Ellen, but the manila will be beautiful as well.) 

To my clear embossing powder I sprinkled in a little Holographic embossing powder to kick the up the girly factor another notch.

Apply this fun concoction over the snowflakes and gently tap to remove excess and then melt with a Heat-It tool.

Next stamp the other snowflake with clear embossing ink and then sprinkle and melt embossing powder.

Apply Shabby Shutters Distress ink with the foam applicator, lightly in some places and a little more in others. Sprinkle with the embossing mixture and melt.

After you have done that, apply a layer of Tea Dye Distress ink to age it and give it a warm glow.

Now that we have the base of the tag done, let's make the icing for this cake!

Die cut a deer from Craft-a-Board and spritz with Cappuccino Perfect Pearl Mist.

When it is done drying (or you have rushed the process a little with the Heat-It tool), apply Frayed Burlap Distress ink over the whole deer and then if you want, spritz again. (It didn't need it, but I did and it gave it just a little extra glimmer)

Now we can set that aside to dry while we do a little die cutting and sanding, and when I say a little, I actually mean a lot :o)

Start by cutting 2" strips from Core'dinations Adirondack stack in varying shades of green. I didn't end up using the red so you could skip it if you wish. I also die cut tags using the banner die cut strip and lacy edge die cut strip. 

Stamp the banner using Graphic 45's 'Tis the Season sentiment in Black Soot Distress ink.

Spinkle with embossing concoction and melt with Heat-It.

Apply Old Paper and Tea Dye Distess ink to the banner piece and then curl and bend to get dimension. Set aside until we are ready to add during final assebly.

Apply Spun Sugar Distress ink to the more pointed edge, sprinkle with embossing powder mix and melt.

Apply clear Distress Embossing ink to the more rounded edge, sprinkle with embossing powder mix and melt.

Set both of those aside and then start sanding that card stock. I didn't want to ruin my non stick mat so I used an old school folder that can take the punishment alot better than the desk top or piece of regular paper can.

When you have sanded the paper, take it out of the strip and start assembling the wreath for the deer's neck. Layer a few of the greens together and then adhere to the deer. (worst pic of the day sorry!)

After you have that done, start assembling the greenery/wreath at the top of the tag. Adhere pieces and colors in layers to really accentuate the beautiful shapes.

I then adhered the rows of lace edging to the bottom with double sided tape, colored a pearl bauble with my Copic RV23 and tied it with a piece of May Arts 1/4" silk ribbon in white. Adhered the bow and bauble to the center of the greenery on the deer and then adhered the deer to the tag.

Finish by adhering the banner over the greenery and of course it must be tied up with a big bow from May Arts pink silk ribbon.

This is where it is time to stand back and admire your handiwork, or go to the dentist to check for cavities because it is so sweet!!

Thanks so much for sharing some time with me in the CLASSroom, and I hope you have found some inspiration!

Merry Christmas Friends!!

B-

Supplies Used:

Inkssentials Manila Tag #8, Crystal Clear Plastic, Movers and Shapers Tray, Movers and Shapers Mini Snowflakes, Reindeer Flight Bigz Die, Festive Greenery Sizzlets Decorative Die Strip, Tattered Banner Sizzlets Decorative Die Strip, Vintage Lace Sizzlets Decorative Die Strip, Distress Embossing Ink, Frayed Burlap Distress Ink,  Old Paper Distress Ink, Black Soot Distress Ink, Shabby Shutters Distress Ink, Spun Sugar Distress Ink, Tea Dye Distress Ink, Superfine Clear Embossing Powder, Holographic Embossing Powder, Perfect Pearls Mists Cappuccino, Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Cling Stamp 3, Craft-a-Board, 1 1/4" Pink Silk ribbon, 1/4" White Silk ribbon, 1/8" Double Sided Adhesive Tape, Baubles, Copic RV23, Core'dinations Adirondack Collection.

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We are SO thrilled to have Becky joining us again this holiday season to share her feminine twisted tag. She has absolutely rocked these tags the past two years! To have her back is such a privilege - please share in our excitement by leaving her a comment on this post!!! Your comment will automatically enter you in our random drawing for the goodies shown above! You have until noon on Sunday to share your thoughts with Becky!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 8 by Ellen

Steampunk - oh dear, not something I'm particularly good at - LOL! A couple of things popped into my mind this morning when I first saw Tim's tag and I ended up going with the first idea because, well... it's just simply ca-ute! Having just seen the fabulous street scene in the October Afternoon Holiday Style collection the idea of using a gear as a wreath on a lamp post was the first idea.

OK, so it's not very Steampunk, but - it's cute! AND I used a couple of awesome techniques to get to my finished project that I'm going to share with you today, so... here goes.

How to achieve the look of a street post? I began by cutting a strip of Manila cardstock wide enough to cut out the Holiday Lamp Post. Using the direct-to-paper technique, apply the Iced Spruce directly to the surface of the manila cardstock.

Cover the tag with clear embossing powder and remove the excess. Now typically you do not want to flick your paper after applying the embossing powder, BUT today I want you to try holding it over a garbage can and using your fingernail to give the back side a VERY firm "flick" or two. This will remove some of the embossing powder.

When heated it will give you this fabulous "orange peel" like texture. Be certain to double click on the pictures to enlarge them so you can really see the details.

Run this through your diecut machine leaving the pieces intact as Tim showed in an earlier tag post and as shown above. Use Black Soot Distress ink and your ink blending tool to age the lamp post.

Wipe the excess ink off the surface with a paper towel. The resulting finish really reminds me of the finish on an old lamp post!

Remember how on my day one post I wanted to try "colorizing" my lightbulbs. Well, today was the day. I wrapped tissue tape around the base to help avoid getting alcohol ink on the silver base and simpy added a drop or two of alcohol ink directly from my Various Ink refill to the bulb surface. If you get alcohol ink on the silver base simply use a small corner of a paper towel with a little blending solution on it to remove the excess.

Insert a piece of wire and curl it. Now don't you think these would make THE cutest holiday earrings or necklace?!?

The foil is an extra from my project on day one as well. It was cut using the Vintage Lace die and Metal Foil attached to Solar White cardstock. By attaching the foil to the cardstock it made it a lot more durable. It was still too bright a silver color even after a light sanding and so I used W4 Various Ink Refill to "dirty" it slightly to blend better with the Gear Wreath.

When turned upside down this trim felt like little snow drifts and so I went with that idea and added a little Picket Fence Distress Crackle paint to the top edge. While still wet sprinkle Twinklets Diamond Dust, a fabulous glass glitter, on to the wet paint. It will stay embedded after the paint dries and cracks. It really looks SO cool! 

A little "snow" was added to the other embellishments as well. Allow the pieces to dry and then proceed.

A little red velvet ribbon, silver tinsel, a couple of holly berries on your wreath (Berry Pearls) and some glass (Fantasy Film) in your lamp post and your sweet scene is complete.

So, there you have Ellen's version of Steampunk - pretty lame, I'll admit it - LOL!

But hey - it was a really cool technique I happened upon for the lamp post and you just have to love the snow ;-D Julia E. here at work said, "If you entertain yourself, you're half way there on entertaining everyone else!" We're quite the bunch aren't we?!?

ink: Distress Ink Pads - Iced Spruce (Winter Limited Edition Color) and Black Soot; Copic Various Ink Refill - R59, W4

paper: Neenah Natural White, October Afternoon Holiday Style 8x8 Pad, Hero Arts Pine Layering Paper

accessories: Tim Holtz Vintage Lace, Holiday Lamppost and Tag & Bookplates Dies, Sprocket Gears, Light Bulbs, Metal Foil, Clear Embossing Powder, Berry Pearls, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint, 20-Gauge Wire, Dandelion Fantasy Film, Red Velvet Ribbon, Silver Tinsel

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The other idea was by far more hysterical and definitely way more Steampunk, but I just couldn't get the cute factor of the new Holiday Style collection from October Afternoon out of my mind. I have to share the idea for all those of you who are truly diehard Steampunk fans because I think you will get a kick out of it.

I LOVE The Christmas Story movie --- one just cannot forget the Leg Lamp! In the Steampunk Debutante collection there is the image shown to the left. Wouldn't this just make THE most hysterical Christmas tag ever if you turned it into a Leg Lamp?!!

Someone just has to do it and when you do we would LOVE to see it, so be certain to let us know! 

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Do you have a favorite holiday movie? If so, what is it and does it inspire your creativity? By leaving a comment below you will be eligible for today's random drawing for the fabulous Vintage Lace die, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and Light Bulbs shown above. You have until noon Saturday, December 10th to share your thoughts about my tag or movie below (one comment per person please.) We hope to have brought a smile to your face today - thank you for once again stopping in here in the CLASSroom!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 7 by Julia Stainton

I've always believed the saying that inspiration breeds more inspiration. I love being inspired by other crafters and for today's tag, number 7 in our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist, is definitely inspired by Tim's tag. I hope you enjoy this version that takes some of the techniques and elements and makes them work for my style and what I have on hand.

 

The other night I was watching a Christmas special and the set was beautiful white, silver and a hint of blue. I decided I just had to create a project using that color scheme so that is what I went with today. Here's what I did...

First of all I was inspired to use Kraft Glassine but I didn't have any on hand. What I did have though was a Kraft Glassine Envelope and as it is fairly close to a tag in size and shape, decided to make it into my tag base for my project. I started off by crumpling it up for some texture.

I don't have any alcohol inks on hand so I decided to play around with my kraft glassine envelope and see how it would take white paints and inks. I love how this really lightened the glassine kraft color.

To get my finished look I first rubbed in Picket Fence Distress Stain onto the envelope/tag and then heat set it. I wanted a snowy look so I then misted it with Calico White mist and then heat set again. Lastly I stamped the tag with snowflakes in white pigment ink and then heat set it.

Next I moved onto my snowflake accent. I die cut it with my Big Shot from Craft-a-Board and then painted it with Brushed Pewter Distress Crackle Paint. This step takes the longest to dry. I admit I was a bit impatient and this photo is before it was totally dry and cracked.

Altering embellishments with Alcohol Inks was an idea that intrigued me but again, I didn't have any. Copic Ink Refills to the rescue! You can use them the same way. I squirted some into a bag and then colored the pearl tips of my trinket pins. For all of you who support Ellen's Store, you'll know that she ships many of her liquid products in small plastic zip bags. Save them as they are perfect for this purpose!

My little tag was created by pressing some Distress Stain onto my Craft Mat and then swiping the paper across it.

It may be difficult to see in the picture but the flower is accented with dabs of Diamond Stickles for an icy look.

Finally here's a top view of how it all goes together.

I hope this tag inspires you and gets you into a frosty holiday mood

Supplies: Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine Envelope, Snowcap White Pigment Ink by Ranger, Mr. Huey's Calico White Color Mist by Studio Calico, Picket Fence Distress Stain and Tumbled Glass Distress Stain by Ranger, Tim Holtz Grunge Flakes stamp set and Tim Holtz Odds and Ends stamp set by Stampers Anonymous, heat gun, Snowflake Die by Sizzix, Wedding Shoes Flower by Prima Marketing, Diamond Stickles by Ranger, Tinsel Trim by Webster's Pages, Brushed Pewter Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger, Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road, twine, Hinge Clip by Advantus, Small Doilies by Essentials by Ellen, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, B00 Frost Blue Copic Refill

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Oh how I love a pretty tag - and Julia S never fails to create beautiful projects with loads of depth. I love how she was able to alter the Kraft Glassine using a completely different method! Please she your love with her this holiday season - by leaving a comment on this post you will be eligible for the random drawing of the stamp set, Kraft Glassine envelopes and Calico White spray above! Please leave your message no later than noon on Friday, December 9th to be included in our random drawing.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 6 by Ellen

Inspiration comes in interesting ways! It always amazes me how memories in the recesses of one's mind come to the forefront when creating. When I first peeked at Tim's tag this morning I paused - I knew that it reminded me of something, but I could not put my finger on it. Christopher Radko makes some of the most beautiful glass ornaments and the bright colors just struck a cord in my mind, but that wasn't it. It was when one of our sweet customers stopped in, exclaiming that it looked like a Mexican ornament, that it truly dawned on me what memory was trying to find its way to the surface.

(remember to double click on the photos if you want to see them in more detail)

It was a trip to Old Town San Diego when my girls were little! We purchased two very sweet little Mexican Tin Ornaments for our Christmas tree. I always like to purchase a Christmas ornament when we take a trip, so that when we decorate our tree each year it brings back fond memories of time spent with my family. Well guess what... we haven't had the time to decorate our tree yet this year and my mind was blanking... and yet the idea was still there!

Are you tired of me using the Inkssentials Metal Foil yet? LOL! When Tim used it today I knew that I wanted to try another idea I had discovered and will be sharing that "blooper" discovery with you after the tags are completed. Today's creation pushes that blooper a step further!

Adhere a piece of Metal Foil to the Craft-a-board (picture showing this is on Day 4 Tag.)

Place in embossing folder making certain that the debossed area is pushing down into the metal foil.

This particular embossing folder is exquisite! I love the textural difference of the metal foil where it is untouched vs. embossed!

Now being the complete tease that I am, I wanted to post the picture above and say - here is the completed Day 6 tag. I LOVE how simple and beautiful it is!!! You could crank out a TON of these!! But, I had an idea and I carried on :-D

Apply Snow Cap Alcohol Ink Mixative to the felt applicator and dab the entire tag with it.

Then, one drop at a time, use Various Refills (which are alcohol inks) to color in the debossed areas. I used a fine tipped old paintbrush to paint in the color. It is not critical that you stay within the lines, but working in a "neat" manner will make it easier in the long run.

As you can see the color flows fairly well within those debossed areas.

Apply all colors before moving on. I like working on my non-stick craft sheet. Cleanup is super easy - to clean your paintbrush put a small amount of alcohol ink blending solution or rubbing alcohol into a tiny container and swish the brush clean between colors. Then use the solution to clean up any mess on your non-stick craft sheet when your project is complete.

Alcohol ink dries quickly! It still may feel a little tacky, but you can proceed. Put your project on a piece of scrap paper (don't sand directly on your non-stick craft sheet or you may destroy it) and sand the top surface of the tag. Using a corner of the small Lucky Squirrel sander you can also rough up the painted interior of the flowers if desired. It is so fun to see the satiny foil appear through the white mixative!

Use a soft cloth to remove dust from sanding.

I love that the Webster's Pages trims are mounted on a clear backing. This allows you to easily see what your project will look like if you apply these fun jewels. Add additional bling to the flower centers.

I hope you like today's interpretation of Tim's tag and for those of you who love simplicity and are way behind, just stop at step 1! So simple and gorgeous, or detailed and colorful - you pick!

ink: Snow Cap Alcohol Ink Mixative, Various Ink Refills - R29, YG67, Y17, V17, Colorless Blender Solution

paper: Craft-a-Board

accessories: Tim Holtz Tags & Bookplates Die, Sizzix Basic Grey Winter Botanicals Embossing Folder, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Sanding Block - Tim's and Lucky Squirrel, Alcohol Ink Applicator, Webster's Pages Botanical Christmas Dazzle Me strip, Yellow Gemstones Large and Small, Violet Silk Ribbon, Red Tassle

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What is the favorite new tool/product that you have tried recently? By sharing your comment below you will automatically be entered in our random drawing for the goodies shown above. Be certain to leave your comment before noon on Thursday, December 8th to be included. Thank you for once again joining us as we celebrate creativity at this festive time of year!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 4 by Ellen

Welcome to Day 4! The inspiration I took from Tim's tag today was the beautiful cracked detail! The first thing that popped into my mind was the beautiful old glass vintage ornaments that I have seen in photos and so I decided I would try and play with that idea.

I am going to apologize right now for the quality of my photos and promise I will try to take some better pictures during the daylight hours tomorrow. I'm not certain what I did, but the white balance on my camera was definitely not accurate and combine that with the sparkle and sheen... well the quality of my photos tonight is definitely off. I considered going back down to work to reshoot them, but admitedly I'm just too tired - so I decided to share them as is and try to get better photos tomorrow.

OK - so this is a new day and a new photo. The color is much more accurate in this photo, but now you can't see the pretty sparkle - LOL! Oh well, it's all good because I know that you all have wonderful imaginations :-D

To begin adhere the Inkssentials Metal Foil to Craft-a-Board. Craft-a-Board is a product that works BEAUTIFULLY with embossing folders and diecuts. It adds stability to your projects and yet allows all the detail to show.

Use Carved Ornaments #2 to cut out the ornament shapes.

The detail of this embossing folder also reminds me of the patterning I have seen on vintage ornaments. Align the ornament within the folder using a small piece of tissue tape to hold it in position. Run it through your diecut and embossing machine.

Use the alcohol ink applicator and YG63 Various Ink refill to colorize the metal foil. Drip several drops of Various Ink onto the felt pad and dab on the ornament surface.

Lightly sand the raised surface of the ornament. It is incredible how gorgeous the detail looks when the burnished satiny silver appears above the light green.

Apply a light layer of Rock Candy Crackle paint to the surface. Using the Ranger scraper remove the excess Rock Candy by dragging the scraper across the surface. You could also use an old credit card or Starbucks card to achieve the same result.

By removing the excess Rock Candy it exposes the satiny silver finish better and the thinner layer of Rock Candy will crack into the most beautiful fine scale which works perfectly with this embossed pattern. It truly does look like an old vintage ornament.

Add a little extra Rock Candy Crackle paint to the top edge of the ornament and the very bottom. Sprinkle Vintage Glitter Glass on these areas. Allow to dry. Rock Candy Crackle paint takes a LONG time to dry - LOL! This is experiment #4 I believe - when we have completed the 12 days series I hope to do a "bloopers" post. I think you will be highly amused and begin to understand why these posts go up so late each night ;-D

I tried so hard to get a picture that captures the gorgeous cracked detail, but argh - my pictures just are not good today - hopefully you can envision the absolute beauty in this little decoration.

Using the technique that Tim shared today I swiped Picket Fence and Bundled Sage Distress stains on my non-stick craft sheet. Spritz your tag with water and then pull it through the inks on the craft sheet.

When creating my tag base I decided to experiment with the combination of Picket Fence and Bundled Sage. I was curious if there would be a difference between the tags if I added Picket Fence or left it out. I was quite surprised that there was a subtle difference between the two tags. Can you guess which one has the Picket Fence stain added?

It's the tag on the left - the Picket Fence seemed to give a more subtle, "grainy" appearance. It is so fun to compare! I'm certain if you were using a darker stain color that it would be even more defined.

Ink the snowflake stamps with Bundled Sage Distress Stain and randomly stamp the tag background. The difference when stamping using an image inked with Distress Stain vs. an ink pad is quite noticable. Distress Stain will give you a looser, more watercolor like look (shown on the left), whereas your stamp pad will define the image clearly (shown on the right).

Cut the evergreen foliage using the Tattered Pine Cones die from excess plastic packaging. It is fun to know that there is a recyclable use for the packaging from the dies. If you do not have any Clearly for Art works in a very similar manner.

Use Snow Cap and Silver Metallic dabbers to ink the foliage. Then lightly heat the plastic and shape. You need to work quickly as the plastic cools it hardens into whatever form you have created. Good news is that you can always reheat and reshape.

One last parting shot that also has really bad coloring - LOL! Be certain to double click on the photo and it will pop bigger so that you can see the cracked detail. Please use your imagination to input the color above to coordinate perfectly with Bundled Sage, then add an incredible sparkle and a silvery satin quality and you've got it :-D Sorry for the bad photos but I do hope that this inspires you to try playing with these fun techniques!

stamps: Winter Sketchbook

ink: YG63 Various Ink Refill, Picket Fence and Bundled Sage Distress Stain

paper: Neenah Solar White, Craft-a-Board

accessories: Tim Holtz Tags & Bookplates, Carved Ornaments #2 and Tattered Pine Cones Dies, Lifestyle Crafts Whimsy Embossing Folder, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Alcohol Ink Applicator, Melissa Frances Pale Green Glass Glitter, Rock Candy Crackle Paint, Webster's Pages Vintage Netting, Vintage Satin and Lace, Lavish Trimmings, Snow Cap and Silver Metallic Dabbers, Sanding Block, Baubles

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I love dies - there are SO many to pick from! Tell me which dies you currently use frequently - by doing so you will automatically be entered in our random drawing for the Carved Ornaments #2 Dies shown above. You have until Tuesday, December 6th noon Pacific Time (one comment per person please) to share your comment.  We look forward to hearing from you!    

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 3 by Sharon Harnist

Hello, it's Sharon here today -- I'm thrilled to participate in Ellen's 12 Tags of Christmas with a feminine twist!  (With just a *tiny bit* of panic, not knowing what Tim would create today and worried if I would have suitable products on hand, LOL!)

For his tag technique today, Tim used Cut-N-Dry Stamp Pad Felt and Distress Dye Reinkers to create a custom multi-colored stamp pad. A pretty cool and a great time-saver if you plan on doing a lot of projects with that stamp and want a multi-colored image with just one stamping -- great for big projects like holiday cards or tags.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any of the stamp pad felt on hand to try this out, so I improvised!

I decided to use Memento dye-based markers to ink up my beautiful Tim Holtz Santa's Wish stamp: 

(Note: My stamp is several years old and was wood mounted then. But the Santa image is exactly the same in this pretty updated cling-mounted set.)

After coloring the rubber stamp with the markers, lightly mist it with water -- this will reactivate the marker ink that may have already dried on the stamp; then stamp onto a #8 Manila Tag. You don't want too much water or the marker ink will run together, but not enough water might leave some areas that won't stamp out nicely . . . it's a fine line and might take a little practice!

I filled in the top of the tag with this pretty swirl Lockhart Millinery Vine Embellishment, stamped in Antique Linen Distress Ink. Next, I distressed the edges of my tag with Tim's Paper Distresser and then inked the edges and top of the tag with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

I don't have the gorgeous Festive Greenery die that Tim used on his tag today (and Ellen is giving it away to a lucky winner on this blog post!), so my feminine twist to this tag was to use what I did have on hand -- Tim's Tattered Florals and Tattered Leaves dies:

When die cut out of the right colors (Memory Box Cranberry & Dill cardstock) and stacked together, one of the flowers looks like a poinsettia! To add some texture to the leaf die cut, I folded the leaf and sanded the crease, then inked the crease with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

To finish my tag, I used a combination of Antique Linen Distress Reinker mixed with Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls and a little bit of water in a Mini Mister. This really gives everything on the tag a lovely golden holiday glow and a little bit of a tea stained look! (Hopefully you can see the lovely sparkle better by clicking on the photo above for a larger view). Alternately, Ellen carries Ranger's Perfect Pearls Mists (where the pearls are already mixed up for you in a spray bottle) and Heirloom Gold would be a close alternative.

A jingle bell, tied with pretty gold cord, adorns the center of the poinsettia and red crystal gemstones accent the holly in Santa's hat:

Pretty green Prima lace is held onto the bottom of the tag with Tim's Tiny Attacher, for more of a feminine twist!  I hope you enjoyed today's tag -- I certainly had fun creating it!  ~ Sharon

Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz Santa's Wish; Lockhart Millinery Vine Embellishment; 
Paper: Ranger Inkssentials #8 Manila Tag; Memory Box Cardstock-Cranberry & Dill;
Ink: Memento Markers-Rich Cocoa, Bamboo Leaves, Rhubarb Stalk; Antique Linen & Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks; Distress Ink Reinker-Antique Linen;
Dies: Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Dies-Tattered Florals & Tattered Leaves;
Accessories: Ranger Perfect Pearls-Perfect Gold, Mini Mister Set, Ink Blending Tool; 1/2" Silver Jingle Bells, Advantus Tim Holtz Sanding Block & Tiny Attacher; Tonic Tim Holtz Paper Distresser; green Prima Lace-Donegal; Hero Arts Red Crystal Gemstones;

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A huge THANK YOU Sharon - thank you for sharing your tag with us today! Please be certain to leave Sharon your love in the comments section below - and guess what, by doing so you are automatically entered in our random drawing for the goodies shown above. This Festive Greenery is gorgeous and the Cut N' Dry felt is definitely a tool that should be in everyone's craft stash :-D You have until Monday, December 5th noon Pacific Time (one comment per person please) to share your love with Sharon.

We once again thank you for joining us here in the CLASSroom for our 12 Tags series!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 1 by Ellen

Welcome to Day 1 of our 12 Tags journey! I have to admit I almost felt panic in my stomach this morning - LOL! What if I couldn't create something worthy to share with all of you - it has been far too long since I have allowed myself the gift of creating and I'm feeling RUSTY! Life has been SO busy - moving my MIL, helping my daughters with all their school projects, trying to keep things running smoothly here at work, starting new adventures and trying to wrap up the old - I just haven't found the time to allow myself this luxury. Yes, today was a gift - once I started to create the ideas just began to flow and I am so thrilled with the final tag - I hope you like it. Be certain to read the end of this post, because we have a special surprise for you!

(you can double click on all the photos to make them bigger)

When I saw Tim's tag this morning my mind reverted to a page I had seen in the Crate and Barrel holiday catalog. There was a wreath - it was all white and it had white painted pine cones in it. There were also pages showing a combination of white, silver and either gold or cream --- and the thoughts started to flow as I worked.

I did exactly what Tim suggested. Neenah cardstock is quite stiff, so before diecutting I broke down the fibers by rubbing it back and forth on both sides, and in different directions, over the edge of my work table. Next I cut out the tattered pine cone and folded over the edges and creased each scale with my fingernail.

Using hot glue attach the first scale to the end of a toothpick.

Begin to roll the toothpick, wrapping the scales around the toothpick as shown. Now this isn't quite as easy as I am making it sound. I will be completely honest with you and tell you that I believe that Tim has had a little more practice than I have - he may just be the master tattered pinecone maker ;-D

I did cheat and once I had it wrapped around and fitted I unwrapped it and put a couple little spots of glue on the toothpick along the way. My dexterity is lacking in comparison I guess - LOL!

I didn't worry about the excess hot glue on the toothpick stem because I knew I was going to be clipping it off at the base and wanted to be certain it was secure. Hopefully this sideview will help you see the spacing as you work.

When working with white on white it is extremely important to provide a lot of texture. Using the Distress Embossing Ink Pad I brushed the tips of the scales, then dipped the pine cone in white embossing powder and melted it with my heat tool.

Use a pair of self-locking tweezers to hold it while you work so you don't burn your fingertips!

Clip the toothpick to make it easy to affix the finished pinecone to your project.

As I created the pinecones I thought about how I could create a wreath. Maya Road creates the loveliest trims! I have been so looking forward to playing with it and this tulle screamed wreath.

Using about an 8" piece of 20-gauge stainless wire I began "sewing" with the wire along the natural seam in the trim.

Work the tip of the wire in and out of the tulle, just like you are using a needle.

Approximately every 1 1/2" of gathered tulle I would add a lightbulb. Lightbulbs are SO Christmas and it was after I was almost finished with the tulle that the "lightbulb" went off and I pulled all the tulle off to add these cute little embellishments. I can totally see using alcohol ink to color them and create a more modern, contemporary wreath! Someone please try it for me :-D

As I stated earlier when working with white on white texture is critical. I love the fact that Tim has a couple of stamps that coordinate with the embossing folders. I wasn't certain if this was going to work, but figured nothing like a good experiment.

Stamp and emboss the image with white embossing powder.

I needed to be in good light to be able to align the text with the message in the folder and then used a piece of tissue tape to attach my tag to the folder interior so that it wouldn't move.

Run it through your machine and magic happens. Beautiful texture on texture, beautfiul white on white!

To create balance with the silver in the light bulbs I adhered some metal foil to Neenah cardstock and then sanded it with the sanding tool. As you can see in the photo above the variation in the texture is stunning - it has a much more satin-like appearance after you sand it, allowing it to coordinate beautifully with the satiny finish on the lightbulb bases.

Using more burnished foil attached to cardstock I cut out the foliage for the pinecones.

Now not only do you have a beautiful tag, BUT you have created the sweetest ornament for your tree. Gift it to someone on a package - that someone will feel special as they hang their tag on the tree!

stamps: Seasons Silhouettes

ink: Distress Embossing Ink Pad

paper: Neenah Solar White Cardstock

accessories: Sizzix Dies - Tag & Bookplates, Vintage Lace and Tattered Pine Cone, Christmas Background Texture Fades Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz Light Bulbs, Lavish Trimmings, Sanding Block, Metal Foil Tape Sheet, Maya Road Ribbon Tulle Pleat Trim, White Opaque Embossing Powder, 20-Gauge Silver Beading Wire, 7 Gyspies Antique Silver Reinforcer, Hot Glue Gun

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Join in the fun and leave us a comment telling us where you find inspiration for creating your holiday cards? Your comment will automatically enter you in a random drawing for the Tattered Pine Cones die - you have until Saturday noon Pacific Time (one comment only per person please.)

Thank you for joining in the festivities here in the CLASSroom!

Anniversary Celebration: Color Swatch Challenge by Julie Ebersole

Are you enjoying the festivities so far?!  Well, let's just add to that fun!

I'm here today with a Color Swatch Challenge and a fun card sample!

Brace yer-selves . . . I used this combo to make a HOLIDAY card!  Now yours doesn't have to be holiday themed--you just need to focus on the colors used. I just decided I wanted some sugar-plum colored snowflakes on mine! *wink*

Some of the snowflakes were stamped 2nd generation onto a scrap of white card stock, then punched out with various circle punches. Next they were coated over the top with Xyron Adhesive, and then covered in Cool Highlights micro-fine glitter for ultra shimmer!

Can't wait to see what ya'all do with these yummy colors! And, thanks for playing my challenge!

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Supplies & Materials:

Hero Arts Cleardesign Snowflakes Set
"Seasons Greetings" from Hero Arts Cleardesign Merry Christmas Trees Set
Versamark Ink
White Embossing Powder
Adirondack Inks in Stream, Willow, Cranberry, Shell Pink
Neenah Solar White Card Stock
Core-dinations Adirondack Card Stock
Xyron
Glitter Ritz Cool Highlights Transparent Glitter

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Oh what a fun color scheme! We invite you to join in the fun by using the color combo Julie has provided above. Once you have completed your project please be certain to link directly to your project using the InLinkz tool provided at the end of this post. You have until 11:59pm Pacific Time Wednesday, November 30th to complete your project. All entries for this challenge will be included in a random drawing for the special prize package shown above. Have fun!

Anniversary Celebration: Sketch Challenge by Julia Stainton

Welcome to another challenge at the CLASSroom Anniversary Celebration! I am so thankful to be part of this fabulous place of inspiration, learning and an incredible team. Congratulations Ellen on five wonderful years!

Today I have a fun sketch challenge to get you creating this holiday weekend. I think you'll enjoy it! Feel free to flip or turn the sketch and let your creativity run wild! I've designed it to be a 4.25"x5.5" card size but you can also make it taller or alter it to be a square card design. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Here's my take on the sketch....

As you can see, I stayed pretty true to the sketch and had fun getting into the holiday mood. Christmas is coming soon, don't you know?!

The circular element on this sketch is a great place to stamp or, as I've done, turn it into an embellishment. I like to cut the side pieces in random sizes and it is a great place to use up scraps. Make sure you keep the edges in nice clean and square cuts so that you can butt each layer up to the next for a really smooth seamless look.

To create my sentiment, I've used some Tim Holtz Kraft Resist letters. I love how vintage they look and they are fabulous for inking any color you want. I've sponged Barn Door Distress Ink on them to make them coordinate my project.

The Baker's Twine is tied around my card and a gorgeous Maya Road Antique Button Trinket makes the card extra special.

Enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend and happy creating!

Julia

 

Supplies:

Solar White cardstock by Neenah, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Barn Door Distress Ink by Ranger, Deck the Halls 6x6 paper pack by Melissa Frances, Snowflake Transparency by Maya Road, Tertiary Sew Easy Baker's Twine by We R Memory Keepers, Kraft Resist Chipboard letters by Tim Holtz, Antique Button Jewels Vintage Trinkets by Maya Road 

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Come join in the fun and create a card using the fun sketch Julia provided above! Once you have completed your project please be certain to link directly to that project using the InLinkz tool provided at the end of this post. You have until 11:59pm Pacific Time Wednesday, November 30th to complete your project. All entries for this challenge will be included in a random drawing for the special prize package shown above.

Anniversary Celebration: Back In Time Challenge by Sharon Harnist

For this challenge, we would like for you to go "Back in Time" through the blog posts on any one of our blogs and choose a project that you can use to inspire a new version of that project.

Ever since Ellen introduced us to the Burnished Velvet (glitter) technique, I've loved doing it . . . what's not to love about glitter?!!  In this CLASSroom blog post last September, Ellen shared a fabulous Halloween/Fall card with the technique. In that blog post, you'll find links to a few other projects with the Burnished Velvet technique and complete instructions for the Burnished Velvet technique in THIS InTouch post.  

Here's my updated version for a sweet polar bear Christmas card:

(Click on any photo for a larger view and to see the sparkles!)

The quick and easy steps:

1. Stamp Memory Box's sweet Fredward Bear with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah Solar White cardstock; color the bear's scarf with Copic R81 and R85 Sketch markers.

2. Die cut bear with Memory Box Fredward Bear die.

3. Die cut a piece of Be Creative sheet adhesive with bear die. Peel off protective film from bottom side of tape and adhere to colored image.

4. Peel protective film from front side of tape and cover with Glitter Ritz's Transparent Micro Fine Warm Highlights glitter; burnish glitter into tape with finger. 

5. Alternately, while protective film is still on front of colored image, carefully use a craft knife to cut around bear's scarf and remove protective film. Cover exposed area of tape/scarf with your choice of colored Gitter Ritz glitter; burnish with finger. Remove rest of protective film from bear and cover with White Opaque glitter; burnish with finger.

6. Stamp Karen Lockhart's Season's Greetings stamp with Adirondack Watermelon dye ink onto Neenah Solar White cardstock and trim into a banner shape.

7. Paint Maya Road Mini Chipboard Snowflake with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic Paint-Blank Canvas and sprinkle with Flora Craft Twinklets Diamond Dust. Allow to dry.

8. Cut two pieces of Memory Box Yuletide 6x6 patterned cardstock and adhere to a Memory Box Cherry Blossom Notecard. Assemble card.

We can't wait to see your "Back In Time" projects!  ~ Sharon

Stamps: Memory Box Fredward Bear, Lockhart Stamp Co-Seasons Greetings, 
Dies: Memory Box Die Fredward Bear, 
Paper: Neenah Solar White cardstock; Memory Box Yuletide 6x6 patterned cardstock, Cherry Blossom Notecard,
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Adirondack Watermelon dye ink; 
Copic Sketch Markers: R81 & R85,
Accessories: Sookwang Be Creative Tape, Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitter-Transparent Warm Highlights; Maya Road Mini Chipboard Sets: Snowflakes; Flora Craft Twinklets Diamond Dust; Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic Paint-Blank Canvas; 

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Find a project here on the CLASSroom that inspires you and create your card or project based on that post! Once you have completed your project please be certain to link it using InLinkz below. You have until 11:59pm Pacific Time Wednesday, November 30th to complete your project. All entries will be included in a random drawing for the special prize package shown above.

Framed Snowglobe Shaker Decor by Sharon Harnist

             (Click on any photo for a larger view)

Hello and welcome to the CLASSroom!  Today I have this framed snowglobe shaker home decor piece to share with you.  This 4" x 6" framed artwork was easy to create and I love that it's interactive . . . people will walk by this piece on my foyer table and shake it all season long!  Here's how to make it:

1. Stamp this year's Lockhart Stamp Company-2011 Limited Edition Nicholas Sings Carols image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card and color with these Copic Sketch Markers:

2. Stamp the image again, positioned on a 4" x 6" piece of Authentique 6x6-Wonder patterned paper where you want the shaker to be. Using a craft knife, cut out only the globe, leaving the base of the globe on the patterned paper. Color the base with Copic T4 and T6:

3. Cut a 4" x 6" piece of Ellen's Crystal Clear Medium Weight Plastic and adhere it to the back side of the patterned paper you cut the snowglobe out of, using Copic's High Tack Double-Sided Tissue Tape. The plastic helps give the patterned paper extra stiffness so it will sit up over the stamped image well:

4. Next, using 3D Foam Squares, build a barrier around the hole you cut in the patterned paper.  Stay away from the edge of the circle, so the foam tape won't show from the front.  Be sure all the edges of the foam tape are touching, so your "snow" won't escape from the shaker! This will also make the patterned paper/plastic piece sit up over the stamped image and hold your shaker material (snow) in place.  Here, I'm using chunky Twinklets Diamond Dust.  It only takes a very small amount of the Diamond Dust -- a lot less than you might think:

5. To create the banner across the top of the frame, I covered three of Maya Road's Mixed Scalloped Triangle Banner pieces with more Wonder paper.  Those little scallops can be tricky to cover, but Basic Grey's Precision File Set makes it easy.  I've had this file set for almost 5 years -- it was one of the very first things I bought from Ellen's store when it first opened!

6. Next, I colored Maya Road's Noah Alphabet chipboard letters with Ranger's Adirondack Cranberry and Snowcap Pigment Inks and clear heat embossed them:

7. The banner was attached to the top of the frame with Doodlebug Assorted (Red) Twine and Craft Glue Dots:

The final embellishment is a Maya Road Mini Chipboard Snowflake, colored with Versamark Frost Dazzle ink and clear embossed.

You can find previous years of these darling Lockhart Limited Edition Christmas globe stamps Ellen still has in stock here:

2010-Auntsy Nancy Reads to Nicholas,
2009-Nicholas & Kitty,
2008-Nicholas First Train,
2007-Grandpa & Grandma Flurry with Nicholas,

Each deeply-etched red rubber wood-mounted stamp is hand colored, signed, numbered and dated!  How cute an entire set of these framed snowglobe shakers would look on your holiday mantle!

Happy crafting!  ~ Sharon

Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company-2011 Limited Edition Nicholas Sings Carols,
Paper: Copic X-Press It Blending Card, Authentique 6x6-Wonder, 
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark Frost Dazzle; Ranger Adirondack Pigment Inks-Cranberry & Snowcap,
Copic Sketch Markers: B0000, C1, R20, R22, R24, R29, T4, T6, YG61, YG63, YG93, YG95, YR12, Y23, Y26
Accessories:  Essentials by Ellen-Crystal Clear Plastic Medium Weight; Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares Mixed; Flora Craft Twinklets Diamond Dust; Doodlebug Assorted Twine; Maya Road Mini Chipboard Sets: Snowflakes, Mixed Scalloped Triangle Banner, Noah Alphabet; Basic Grey Precision File Set; Ranger Clear Embossing Powder & Heat It Craft Tool; Copic High Tack Double-Sided Tissue Tape; Craft Glue Dots;
Other: 4" x 6" dollar store photo frame 

Kraft Bag Advent Calendar by Julie Ebersole

*click on the pics to en-biggan*

My house isn't decorated for Christmas just yet, so you'll hafta pardon the wrinkly tablecloth back-drop. *wink*

Every year, I think I'm going to create an Advent Calendar and every year I don't. There are so many absolutely darling ideas out there, but usually, the ones I fall in love with would take more than I have time for as a busy, working mama. I need something I can do in about an hour or two max. If you're anything like me, then this is the advent project for you!

*see supplies & materials list below*

Before I get started, I would like to mention that I don't currently have any number stamps or stickers, BUT I just happened to have a numbers die that worked, so I used what I had.  But, it did take a bit of time to glue each of the numbers all down.  This project actually would have gone faster, if I'd had stamps or stickers. A set that would work well for this project is the Hero Arts Garamond Numbers.

The first thing you want to do is stamp your little ATC Kraft bags--they are so stinkin' cute--one package will provide 25 bags, but you might as well pick up an extra package while you're at it, because after you're finished making the advent calendar, there are all kinds of other projects these babies are fun to use in. Trust me.

TIP: Whenever I'm stamping something like a bag that will have some uneven areas due to the bottom flap being folded up on the back side, I like to insert a piece of card stock into the bag to help create a nice flat surface under that front side. This helps me get the nicest, most even impressions.

When the bags are all stamped, just set them aside to dry while you work on the next part of the project.

Punch out 24 1-inch circles from some pretty patterned paper--I love this red ledger style patterned paper from the Wonder 6x6" Paper Pad by Authentique, and I was able to punch 24 circles from just one sheet.

Apply your numbers (or stamp them with black ink).

Now mount the number discs to the bags, atop the stamped snowflakes.  I wanted a little dimension, so I popped them up with foam mounting squares.

Figure out what you want to tuck inside--little trinkets are cute, and candies are fun, as well--just consider whether or not it will hang above a blazing fireplace because you wouldn't want any CHOCOLATES inside to melt.  Ask me how I know. 

String up your festive twine (twine ended up being 7' long, to leave enough length for tying, etc.) where desired, fold the tops of the bags down and clip them to the twine--I hung mine by the corners and let them overlap as you can see.

OK, seriously, aren't these teeny clothespins just the cutest things ever?! Eep! Um, yeah, I always get 2 packages because, just like the little bags, they are gobs of fun to use on other projects.  Just sayin' . . .

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Supplies & Materials:

Hero Arts Clear Design Snowflake Stamp Set
3D Foam Squares, Mixed
Adirondack Pigment Ink Pad, Snow Cap
Authentique 6x6 Paper Pad Wonder
ATC Mini Bags, Kraft 25 pk
Little Clothespins, 25 ct
Doodlebug Twine, Primary Assortment
EK Success 1" Circle Punch

Other:  Numbers die cut from black card stock