The Snowflakes Come Down

Hello all!

I hope all your Christmas preparations are going well.  I'm squeezing some Christmas shopping and decorating in between the main task of the moment, completing the Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas!

We're motoring on through, and we've made it as far as Tag 6 - halfway, yay!

There are some more tags done and dusted and awaiting blogging, so it's feeling good at the moment (Christmas shopping and decorating not quite so under control yet).

For this tag, I've taken just one main element of inspiration from Linda's elegant Tag 6 - the decorative pocket, perfect for a gift card or token.













Other than that, I've pretty much gone my own way... oh, with some snowflakes borrowed from Linda's version too, I guess, though mine sparkle in a different way.

I'm back on the patterned papers - this time one from my Jingle Christmas pad and one that I created myself.

I'm not usually much of a one for using design paper - don't get me wrong, I've got piles of the stuff, but it's mainly for stroking, it seems! - but when you're under time pressure it doesn't half help!











The soft green wood look paper has been cut with the On the Edge Tattered Doily to create my decorative edging - a lovely effect, I think.












And I altered it further with some more of the wonderful crackled stencilled stars used for Tag 2 - partly following Linda's method and partly following my fingers.













Again, I've used DecoArt Crackle Paint and, once it was dry, I laid the stencil down again and sponged on some PaperArtsy White Fire Fresco paint.













I used the same paint to stamp Tim's little starry snowflakes (I can never decide whether they are starry snowflakes or snowy stars) onto some plain white cardstock for my background layer.  I meant to take a photo before I covered it all up, but it didn't happen.













I did some very delicate inking with Bundled Sage DI, blended in from the edges, to help tie it in to the colour of the doily pocket.













I had this NOEL left over from an earlier tag when it went unused.  It's cut in the same soft green paper as the pocket, so I decided its turn had come.











My snowflakes are all just slightly inked around the edges with Walnut Stain, and then I brushed on some matte medium and dipped them into the fabulous Distress Dry Glitter.

I always forget how much I love the delicate shimmering crystals of Dry Glitter.  As far as I'm concerned, it really is a vast improvement on the traditional stuff we used to use as kids, both in appearance and in handling.










Some Christmas Clippings words, of course - where would Words and Pictures be without its words? - and that's really pretty much it...











... apart from some gentle Walnut Stain inking around all my edges, and the simple white twine to top it all off.

I think this would be such a lovely way to hand over a gift voucher or some money - making it that bit more special - a wonderful design, Linda, thank you.

Christmas; magnificent snowflakes snowing in your hope.
Kristian Goldmund Aumann

I'd like to share this as my Tag 6 for the Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas, sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique
I'd also like to play along at Stamps and Stencils where the theme is Festive Stamps AND Stencils - so for once you need to use both stamps and stencils - I've used a stencil for the crackled stars and the lovely starry snowflakes on my own decorative paper in the background