Vintage Christmas Card and Tags

Hello! It's Gloria Stengel back again with another project. I made a card and two tags for you this week. (If you missed my Christmas composition box from last week, click HERE to see it.)

My favorite type of Christmas decor is vintage with traditional colors and a bit of rust and whitewash tossed in for good measure! I like to use chipboard elements on cards and tags because it adds a lot of detail and interest without a lot of bulk or weight.

The card is 6" x 5" and made with dark brown cardstock. I used just a bit of designer paper because I wanted the chipboard elements and the sentiment to be the stars of the show. {Stars...get it?!} I covered the oval element from the Stars and Flourishes Borders and Corners Set with gold pigment ink and then embossed with Aged Bronze Embossing Enamel. I made sure to allow the enamel to look pitted and aged, with a few bits of the original chipboard showing through. 

I decorated the star oval with snowflakes from the Winter Shape Set and the  Snowflake Shape Set. I sprayed the snowflakes with white shimmer mist, and then embossed them with sparkly white embossing powder. The buttons are tied with kraft twine and then glued to each snowflake.

I covered one of the keyholes from the Keys and Plates Shape Set with gold pigment ink. I added tiny gold brads to the keyhole. Each flower was dipped in gold ink before I glued them to the card.

I decorated the inside of the card with some leftover bits of paper and a stamped greeting.

I always need extra tags around the holidays, so I made two tags to match the card. 

I added a bit of paper to the front of the tag before adding the chipboard elements. I sprayed the star flourishes from the Stars and Flourishes Borders and Corners Set with white mist and then dabbed them with watermark ink. I then embossed the flourishes with embossing enamel. I mixed white embossing enamel with gold embossing powder to make a custom enamel! I love how "clumpy" and thick the enamel is, but the areas with the gold embossing powder are thinner, sort of like rust. It makes the chipboard look amazingly vintage!

I sprayed the word from the Words and Phrases 1 set with Fire Baseboard Mistable Paint and Pearl Glimmer Mist. I added some "gilded" flowers and some bits of paper the I curled around a stylus. I also tucked a few faux postage stamps into the flowers.

I decorated the small tag with one corner from the Art Deco Corners Set, which I sponged with gold pigment ink. I sponged the miniature bookplate from the Miniature Bookplates Shape set with silver pigment ink. I added tiny silver brads to the bookplate. I used a Shabby Blue Embossing Enamel for the stars.

I hope you use up some of your paper scraps and bits of chipboard to make a few cards and tags this holiday season! Come back next week to see more...fun with chipboard!

~ Gloria Stengel: Scraps of Life 

Supplies:

Gina's Designs Laser Cut Chipboard:

Stars and Flourishes Borders and Corners Set 

Snowflake Shape Set

Winter Shape Set

Keys and Plates Shape Set

Words and Phrases I Set 

Art Deco Corners Set

Miniature Bookplates Shape Set

Other Products:

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa and Rhubarb Stalk dye ink, Delicata Silvery Shimmer and Golden Glitz pigment ink, Top Boss Watermark ink 

Mist: Tattered Angels Fire Blackboard Mistable Paint and Pearl Glimmer Mist, Deco Art White Shimmer Mister

Embossing powder and enamel: Stampendous Shabby Blue and Aged Bronze EE, Hampton Art glitter white EP, custom mix white and gold EE

Paper: Graphic 45 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Paper Studio Old World Winter

Cardstock: WorldWin Papers Cocoa and Natural

Stamps: Verve Stamps Holiday Treats, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Christmas Innies

Tags: Graphic 45

Ribbon and twine: Really Reasonable Ribbon Light Silver and Old Gold Diagonal Stripe Satin ribbon, Iridescent White Metallic String

Flowers: Wild Orchid Crafts

Brads: Creative Impressions

Buttons: craft supply

Tools: corner rounder, Spellbinders Framed Tags One die

Adhesive: Ranger Glossy Accents, Scotch 3M ATG tape, hot glue

Christmas Composition Box by Gloria

Good morning! It's Gloria with you today! I am sharing my FIRST EVER configuration/composition box! I have created trays and shadow boxes before, but this is my first compo box!

I used the Composition Box - 25, which is 9 1/4" x 6 3/4". The kit comes with three smaller boxes which fit inside the main box, plus a key and the number "25." I created a Christmas scene with lots of bits and bobs from my stash!

As you can see, the box pieces are all notched for easy assembly! I started out by wiping each piece with a baby wipe to remove any dust. I then painted the edges with white acrylic paint.

I painted the "25" and the key with Ranger Gold ink to give the pieces an aged appearance. I painted the metal feet with white paint and then dabbed them with the gold ink. (Please forgive my messy craft mat! I was in a hurry and forgot to use a white background!)

I labeled each box piece with the size of paper I needed, just to save time with measuring. I sponged all the paper edges with Frayed Burlap Distress  Ink.

All the paper is attached to the box with a multi medium. I simply "painted" the paper with the medium and attached it to the box pieces BEFORE assembly. 

I used Ranger Glossy Accents to assemble the boxes, and to attach the small boxes, the metal feet, and the tree to the large box. The boxes are very sturdy and fit together beautifully. Those of you who know me, understand that I do not care for 3-D projects because they are often a pain to put together. I am here to tell you, that THIS project went together so quickly and easily! I was stunned! 

I made sure to cover the back of the box as well. I had thought to use washi tape to cover the edges, but decided I liked the white box showing through, almost as if it was an old crate! 

I covered the sides of the box with contrasting paper. Each small box is covered with coordinating paper as well. 

Once I had the boxes assembled, it was time to decorate! I used some snowflakes from the Snowflake Shape Set to add accents to the top corners of the large box. I sprayed the large snowflakes with gold mist and the smaller snowflakes with silver. I added a gem for extra sparkle!

I went through my holiday hoard, looking for fun embellishments to use for my project. This was a great way to use leftover bits of this and that! Each item is glued to the box with either Glossy Accents or hot glue. I filled some glass bottles with glitter and tiny bells to give some Christmas glitz to the box!

I sprayed the tree with mist and then added some splatters of white paint prior to adding the gems. I sprayed "Joy" from the Words and Phrases I Set with mist and glued it to the tree. 

 I created lots of little vignettes to give the boxes interest and texture. I tried to make everything gold, silver, or white, along with the traditional Christmas colors of red and green.

I hope that you enjoyed my project today! I cannot wait to display this on a table in my living room! 

~ Gloria Stengel: Scraps of Life

Gina's Designs Laser Cut Chipboard:

Composition Box - 25

Snowflake Shape Set

Words and Phrases I Set 

Other Products:

Paint:Plaid Folk Art Wicker White, Ranger Adirondack Mixatives Gold 

Ink: Ranger Distress Frayed Burlap

Multi medium: Liquitex

Glimmer mist: Tattered Angels Gold, Tattered Angels Chalkboard Chalk, Deco Art Shimmer White, Lindy's Stamp Gang Cape Cod Coral, Twinkling Tinsel, Frozen Jack Frost

Paper: Graphic 45 A Christmas Carol, Twelve Days of Christmas, Nutcracker Sweet, Christmas Past

Metal feet, charm, star, large tree, glass bottles, flash card: Tim Holtz

Small tree: hobby shop

Metal hook, mini clothes pin: Canvas Corp

Floral: Petaloo, Wild Orchid Crafts, misc. floral sprays

Gems, bells, ornaments, clips, dove: stash

Glitter: German Glass Glitter

Adhesive: Ranger Glossy Accents, hot glue

Kissing Reindeer Standing Dome by Betsy Skagen

Despite one politician's recent coffee cup hullabaloo, I am over-the-moon delighted that the season has arrived to greet each other with holiday greetings--whether it be Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas or Happy Kwanzaa. 

As crafters, many of us have been making holiday items for months, so if you are anything like me, Betsy Skagen of Paper Calliope, you are more than ready to share some holly jolly spirit.

 

Tutorial How to Make the Kissing Reindeer Standing Dome

As Gina's November 2015 Guest Designer, I chose this project because the shape of Gina's Standing Dome Frame Oval reminded me of a piece of furniture that used to stand in my grandmother's front hall. That, however, is where the similarities end. A relatively stern woman, my grandmother would never have had something so sparkly and frivolous in her possession.

Step 1: Paint fence, backdrop and base of Standing Dome Frame Oval and the Moon String Along  with gesso. Let dry. Do NOT paint the Flourished Deer with gesso as the layers get too thick for the intricate cuts. Trust me on this, I know. If you don't trust me, trust Gina because she had to drop everything and send me another pair of reindeer when I messed up the first pair. Good thing she is so efficient that she puts Santa's workshop to shame.

 

Step 2: Paint both sides of Flourished Deer, back drop and base with a rich brown matte acrylic paint. Let dry.

Step 3: Paint both sides of moon with a matte yellow acrylic paint. Let dry.

Step 4: Paint both sides of fence with a gloss red acrylic paint. Let dry.

 

Step 5: Lightly coat one side of moon with Mod Podge and cover with extra fine glitter. Let dry. Repeat on other side of moon.

 

Step 6: Adhere blue glitter foam sheet to front of backdrop. Flip over and use a utility blade to carve out the oval.

Step 7: Using a strong adhesive, assemble the Standing Dome Frame Oval (the backdrop, fence and base).

Step 8: I found it tricky to get the deer to adhere the deer in a way that they stayed perfectly upright. I tried a few different solutions and this was what worked best for me.

First, determine the placement of your deer and lightly mark the location of their front and back hooves on the base with a pencil. Use masking tape to temporarily adhere the deer in place.

 

Then find four long nails with large flat heads. Temporarily place one nail upright against the back of a front deer leg and determine where to pierce the base so that the nail best supports the deer leg. Mark this spot on the base. Repeat this for a front and rear leg of each deer.

Remove the deer from the base. Use a hammer and pierce the base where you marked with each nail. Flip the base over and insert the nails so that the flat head is snug against the bottom of the base.

 

Return the base to its upright position and adhere the deer hooves to the base with strong adhesive and adhere the deer legs to the nails with narrow strips of brown or white duct tape.

Step 9: Determine the best height to hang the moon and cut off the unneeded stem of chipboard. Adhere the stem to the back of the backdrop.

 

Step 10: Add faux snow to the fence, base and reindeer legs. Make snowdrifts to hide the nails. Let dry.

I hope you found inspiration in this tutorial. Don't forget that in just a few days Gina's Lasercuts will become Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts. Happy Holidays! -Betsy

 Gina's Designs

    Standing Dome Frame Oval

    Flourished Deer

    Moon String Along

Great stuff you will need

    Foam blue glitter sheet

    Gesso

    Matte acrylic paint in brown and yellow

    Red glass acrylic paint

    Four 3" nails with flat heads

    Mod Podge

    Aleene's True Snow

    Extra fine glitter

    Beacon Fabri-Tac Adhesive

Gift Tag Ornaments by Barb

First of all, can I just say how much I love the Winter Shape Set? I've been having so much fun with this set and I have so many ideas that I should probably order three more sets! This week I was thinking about holiday baking, which I love to do. Filling the house with all that glorious sugary, buttery scent and then handing someone a fresh tray of tasty treats? To me, that's what makes the holidays.

As I was contemplating my vast array of cookie cutters, I realized that I had a lot of the same shapes in Gina's Winter Shape Set. Ding, ding, ding! Idea time! Why not make a little gift tag ornaments to adorn my baskets, boxes and plates of goodies? So, that's exactly what I did.

I took this project as an opportunity to play with all kinds of paint, ink and glitter mediums and combinations.

If some of the pieces felt a little plain after I inked or painted them, I added a little freehand design to them to give them a little more depth.

I used the snowman from this set in my Winter Gazebo piece last week (here), but I didn't use all the pieces intended for the snowman. So, I gave the hat, scarf and gloves to the penguin to wear.

The sled brought back fond memories of playing in the Michigan snow of my childhood, as did the ice skate.

These will make such fun additions to little holiday packages, and if people want to, they're sturdy enough to hang on a Christmas tree.

Gina's Designs Product Used:

Winter Shape Set

Other Products Used:

Acrylic Paint

Craft Ink

Sharpies

Imagine Crafts irRESISTibles

StazOn Studio Glaze

Stickles

Liquid Pearls

Winter Lantern with Guest Designer Betsy Skagen

For those of you who don't know me, I live up north. Waaaaaay up North. I live in Minnesota where the winters get bitter cold and dark winter nights come early. 

I'm Betsy Skagen of Paper Calliope and while my fingers may be cold, my heart is warm from the opportunity to be Gina's Designs' November 2015 Guest Designer. I created this week's project to light up some of those approaching long winter nights. 

Tutorial--How to Make the Rustic Winter Tealight Lantern

Step 1: Assemble the bottom and sides of Gina's Dimensional Diorama. Leave out the interior sections and the metal revolving piece as you will not be needing them. Adhere with a strong glue, such as Beacon Fabri-Tac.

Step 2: Using the Christmas Shape Set, Snowflake Shape Set and Winter Shape Set, pre-determine the scenes you want to create for each side panel. Make sure to design one of the scenes so that you will be able to push open the vellum panel to slide in a tealight. In the picture below, I left the vellum slightly bent so you could see how I access my tealight. Notice that the sled is actually attached to the vellum and not the lantern. This enables me to open the panel to operate the tealight. 

Step 3: Paint both sides of the chipboard pieces you selected with two coats of Tuscan Red acrylic (gloss) paint, letting dry between coats. 

Step 4: Paint the interior and exterior of the Diorama, the remaining lid piece and the Let it Snow Chipboard element, with two coats of gloss red paint, letting dry between coats. 

Step 5: Remove the handle from an old pail and paint the wooden part with two coats of gloss red paint, letting dry between coats. 

Step 6: Adhere the chipboard scenes to the exterior edges of the diorama's open panels. Adhere the Let it Snow element to the lantern lid.

Step 7: Use stiff dry brushes to stipple burnt umber, cocoa bean and Tuscan red paints in random places along the edges and corners of the lantern, chipboard elements and handle. Repeat this process numerous times to build up a texture that mimics corrosion and rust. 

Step 8: Cut the vellum to fit the panels. For three of the panels, place a strong adhesive on the interior edges of the diorama's panels and adhere the vellum. For the fourth panel, only attach the upper half of the vellum so you can access your tealight.

Step 9: If you wish, you may punch a hole in the top sides of your lantern to insert the pail handle. I chose to keep mine merely decorative and did not actually attach the handle. 

Step 10: Install and glue in the lid to the lantern. 

Step 11: Repeat Step 7 of creating rust along where the lid meets the rest of the lantern. 

Once it is dry, your lantern is complete. It would look great on a mantle or make a festive centerpiece for a holiday meal. I would love to see the lanterns you make--please email me pictures of how you use them to light up your holidays! 

In the meantime, don't forget that Gina's Designs is soon changing their name to Gypsy Laser Soul Cuts!

Until next time, Betsy

  

Great stuff you will need

• Dimensional Diorama
• Christmas Shape Set
• Snowflake Shape Set
• Winter Shape Set
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint, 2-Ounce, Tuscan Red 
• Americana Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint 2oz-Cocoa Bean
• Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylic Paint, 1-Ounce, Burnt Umber
• Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive, 4-Ounce
• Instapark® LCL Series Battery-powered Flameless LED Tealight Candles (2-Dozen Pack)
• Silhouette Vellum Paper for Scrapbooking