Christmas Crackers, Bird on Branch, Female

I don't know about you, but sometimes I know exactly what it is I want to make.  

Other times, it's a design or a picture/colour palette that inspires me...  

...  and then there are those times when it's the blog challenge itself that 'sparks' my creativity.

  This was one of those times.  

You'll notice that I've made two of these.  

Both exactly the same, except that...

 ...  the acetate one is purely decorative.

 (A Christmas decoration or cutlery/napkin holder to 'dress' the table on Christmas day)...

...  whereas the silver one could actually be used as a fully functioning Christmas cracker or as packaging for a small Christmas gift. 

Dies used:

Tonic Studios 'Christmas Cracker and Sentiment' 

Memory Box 'Twigs and Berries'

Memory Box 'Holly Vine'

Memory Box 'Woodland Branch'

Memory Box/Open Studio 'Finnegan Fronds'

Other:

Sheena Douglas/Festive 'Snowfall'

Gesso (White)

Black Jewel Embellishments

These Christmas crackers were specifically made to join in with the latest Memory Box challenge...

Other challenges I'm entering...

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Both crackers are made entirely from my snippets stash)

Simon Says/Wednesday Challenge

That's Crafty Challenge Blog

As You Like It

(Favourite Traditional Christmas Colours and Why)

I adore the harmony of putting red, green, white and dark brown together.

Bunny Zoe's Crafts

(Sparkle)

Sparkles Christmas Challenges

(Challenge #59 'Die Cuts for Christmas')

Many thanks to those of you who have been kind enough to 'follow' me or who regularly stop by to read my blog and leave a comment.  It's been lovely getting to know you all over this past 10 months or so.

I apologise for not being quite so active lately.  

I've been recently diagnosed with something called Histamine Intolerance and it's been making me miserable.  I spend most of my time feeling 'rough' with the various side effects of trying new foods only to realise my body simply can't tolerate them and I lost quite a lot of weight in the 'clean' diet phase...  but hopefully things will improve.

Happy Christmas. 

Donna... 

Acetate Tag, Flower on Branch, Female

Hi... 

Not long to go now until Christmas.  

I wonder how you are doing with it all...  the preparations, the gift buying, the card writing, etc...  Do you enjoy it all?  I know that there are those of you who plan ahead, those who endure but enjoy and those of you who would just rather not...   

Whichever category you best fit into, I hope it goes ok :)

Anyhow...  It's my turn to share my DT tag with you all today for the latest challenge at 

Tag You're It. 

I chose something with maximum impact but minimal effort - or at least that was my intention!

No inks, no embossing.  Just some simple die cuts (I layered up the branch 3 or 4 times for added durability and used a molding tool for the flower), embellishments (Dew Drops), ribbon and paper string...  all arranged on an acetate tag.

Yes, I know...  more acetate!  I do love working with this stuff, but it's such a beast to cut!

In my defence...  this was actually the first acetate tag I ever made. 

That was way back in early July of this year...  but I wasn't scheduled to post it until today 

so I opted for a 'non festive' design, knowing full well that by this stage Christmas tags would be in abundance and you may just possibly be planning ahead to a birthday or even a wedding for early next year. 

It does have an early Spring 'feel' to it, don't you think?

Dies used...

Memory Box 'Woodland Branch'

Memory Box 'Fabulous Phlox'

Impression Obsession 'Cattails and Dragonflies'

Spellbinders 'Deckled Rectangles'

In a future post I'll show you the other design ideas I had in mind and how I 'tweaked' them into very different looking tags...  despite using the same dies and layout.  

I don't think I'll ever get tired of how such small, simple changes can make such a huge difference to a design.

Challenges I'm entering...

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Other than the ribbon, string and Dew Drops it's all made from my snippets stash)

Simon Says/Wednesday Challenge

That's Crafty

Others on the Tag You're It Design Team have created their own versions of this tag.

Please visit their blogs and see for yourself...  and then if you can, come and play!

I know that we are all busy right now...

so my heartfelt thanks goes out to anyone who can make or find the time to play along with this challenge.   

I love seeing the 'regular' faces who play along each time (Thank You)...  but I would also love to meet anyone new out there who wants to join in with us.  

After all, there would be no Tag You're It challenge if it wasn't for people like you :)

Wherever you are at this week, I wish you a peaceful time.

Take care...

Donna.

Double Acetate Christmas Tag , Pink Flowers on Tree, Female

Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event is still running right now, and I have to confess...  I have been having so much fun playing along! 

I remember gift tags were always something I loved as a child.  They're the real focal point of a gift when you can't (or aren't allowed) to open it up there and then.   

I used to keep hold of the tags I really loved, and although I honestly don't know what happened to them after a few days...  (I suspect my mother threw them away)...  it's a memory that has always stayed with me.

Maybe that's why I'm so fond of making them?

Anyhow...

The tag I've made to show you all today ties in to Day 8 of the event.  

It's a real 'girly, girly' tag, isn't it?  Probably best suited to a young girl...  or a young girl at heart :) 

Punches used:

EK Success 'Christmas Tree'

Carl/CarlaCraft 'Flower Pot'

Dies:

Memory Box 'Cosmic Star Set'

Embossing Folder:

Sheena Douglas / Festive 'Snowfall'

Other:

DoCrafts 'Mini Daisy Shaped Buttons' (Parkstone Pink)

Gesso (White)

Tim Holtz Distress Ink 'Walnut Stain'

Twine

Raffia

Embroidery Thread

Mini Wooden Peg 

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the smaller stars were attached to the embossed under layer of this double tag.  It just adds to the dimension a little and breaks up the focus so it's not so 'crowded'...   

And as for this embossing folder...  I just adore it.  It's been specifically made for use with acetate and gesso.

Just before you take a peek at the tag I used for inspiration this time around, I will state as I did for my last acetate tag (just in case you haven't read that post) that I have punched out an additional tree shape and glued it behind so that you have somewhere to write on.

Here's a picture of the tag I used for inspiration...

It has a lovely 'homespun' feeling to it, don't you think?

Challenges I'm entering...

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(As the Acetate and Green, Kraft and Silver Card are all from snippets)

Happy Little Stampers

Craft Rocket Challenge

Simon Says/Work It Wednesday

Simon Says/Wednesday Challenge

Unicorn Challenge

25 Days of Christmas Tags

There are a few days left if you are hoping to play along...

'Bye for now...

Donna

Acetate Tag, Christmas 'Drop' Ornament, Female

It's time for another challenge at Tag You're It, and this time it's Tracey's turn to inspire us all...

But before you read on and see her tag for this challenge, I have something I'm going to tell you.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE red, green and white/near white colour combinations (throw in brown as well and I'm in colour heaven), so it would have been so easy for me to just go with those colours and have a lovely time...  but every once in a while a girl needs to 'dip her toe' in other directions. 

So I've come up with a design that's very...   'rustic' looking, shall we say?

I would say 'not my usual style', but as pretty much everything I make is still an experiment of some kind I'm not really sure I have a style as yet!!!

Anyhow...  Here's my tag...

Before you say anything, I am aware that the stamping on the word 'Blessings' is not even throughout...  the 'E' is a little bit squiffy at the bottom and the 'GS' has obviously had more pressure applied to it than the rest...  

Normally I would have discarded this straight away, stamping and restamping if needs be...  

But do you know what?  

I decided that it didn't matter as it was all still perfectly readable and somehow suited the 'feel' of this tag.  Do you think I'm crazy?     

Now, just take a look at Tracey's design (below).  

Those beautiful, vibrant colours, the classic ornament shape with the word 'joy', the holly, bells tied on with thread... 

My tag looks nothing like that, I know...   

But it should be obvious (I hope) which parts I chose to keep true to Tracey's design...  and if it isn't I shall go find a quiet corner to sit in and have a good cry!

Dies used:

Memory Box 'Drop Ornament'

Papertrey Ink 'Wet Paint Holiday Die'

Impression Obsession 'Twig Wreath Die Set'

Lifestyle Crafts 'Basket'  (cut down portion of the handle has the word 'Blessings' stamped onto it)

Other:

Stampin' Up 'Ornament' Punch

Papertrey Ink 'Wet Paint Holiday Stamp Set'

Corrugated Card (Recycled Packaging)

Texture Paste

Twine

Bell

For those of you wondering where you are supposed to write anything on this tag, I have punched out a second 'ornament' shape from Kraft card and stuck it on the back...  although truth be told I'm not sure as yet if I'm going to use this as a tag or put it to one side and use it as the main focus on a Christmas card.

You may be aware that Tracey has been running her 

25 Days of Christmas Tags event...  

This tag was also made to tie into that challenge (Day 19 of the event)...

... and as I've used snippets of green, black and silver...  and corrugated Kraft and acetate offcuts... I'm also linking this to my friends over at 

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge...

...  Loll's 12 Tags of Christmas ...

(remaining open until 22/11/2015)

As ink has only been used for stamping I'm not sure this one counts as Mixed Media?

...  Happy Little Stampers ...

...  Happy Little Stampers ...

...  Allsorts Challenge ...

...  Craft Rocket Challenge ...

...  Anything But Cute ...

If you can, come and join us...

...  we would love to see you stop by :)  

Donna

Large Christmas Tag, Pine Branch, Male/Female

I hope you've had a chance to play along with Tracey's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event...  but if you haven't as yet the good news is there is still time to join in.  If you want to, of course :)

My entry for today ties in with a tag that featured on Day 5 of the event.  I took one look at that tag and I knew exactly what I wanted to do...  I just didn't know how huge it would end up being!!!

Here's my tag...

It didn't have the bird on it initially...  or the paint splatters.  They were the parts of the design that I had to think on once my initial idea was mapped out.

Oh yes...  and one quick note to my readers.  This is NOT a green Robin!!!

My husband had mean things to say about this bird that I shall not repeat.  All I will say is that there are plenty of other birds who struggle through Winter...    not just pretty Robins.  Enough said!!!

This tag (below) is the one that inspired me to play along...

Other than the pine cones hanging off the branch (I echoed the dimension using Collall 3D Glue Gel), the only other details I've mirrored are the splatter background and the three Christmas embellishments in place of the three jewel embellishments.

(PS...  I purposefully invested in the Tim Holtz 'Splatter Brush' for the splatter effect and was not disappointed). 

Dies used:

Memory Box/Open Studio 'Finnegan Fronds'

Memory Box 'Distressed Tag'

Papertrey Ink 'Library Card Tag'

Stamp:

Penny Black 'Nature's Gift'

Other:

Tim Holtz Distress Ink 'Walnut Stain'

Tim Hoktz Distress Ink 'Peeled Paint'

Tim Holtz Distress Paint 'Picket Fence'

Metal Embellishments and Elasticated Cord from stash

Black Jewel embellishment

I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but I've also used a sheet of Tim Holtz 'Kraft Core' from his 'Shattered' collection for my largest tag die cut.  It just adds a little 'extra' something visually that doesn't involve any work on my part.

Ssshhh....  Don't tell!!!

Other challenges I'm entering...

Loll's 12 Tags of Christmas 

Happy Little Stampers

Happy Little Stampers

Pixies Crafty Snippets Challenge

(Bird and White Tag cut from snippets)

That's Crafty Challenge Blog

As You Like It

(Favourite Hobby and Why)...

Mine's making tags, or cards...  or gift bags or boxes.

Why?

It keeps my mind occupied and is helping me to 'mend'.  

Long story, but if you want to know more read my 'About Me' tab section on my blog.  

Cute Card Thursday

(Challenge #388 'Birds/Animals'

Allsorts Challenge

Week #337 'Anything But A Card'

The Friday Mashup

(FM 234 'Baby It's Cold Outside'/Winter Theme)

Penny Black And More Challenge

(November Challenge 'Anything Christmas'

Stamping Sensations

CAS-ual Chic

(CCC 05 'Precious Metals')

Craft Rocket Challenges

(Anything Goes)

I hope you have a good week...

AND

Thanks for stopping by...  I really do appreciate it.

Donna...