Joyeux Noel

Hello all!  A quickish post today, just to share another of my Funkie Junkie-inspired Christmas tags.  

Have to be quick as I'm taking my nephew up to London as a birthday treat. His birthday was in April - so it's not just Craftyblogland where I'm catching up all the time!!

If you don't know about it yet (where have you been?!), the wonderful Linda Coughlin provides us all with inspiration in the form of 12 Tags of Christmas (and now two bonus tags after Christmas too, with an extended deadline).  

We create projects inspired by each of her tags, and link them all up over at The Funkie Junkie, and if you get them all done by the deadline, you'll be entered in the prize draw sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  All the details are here, with the update about the bonus tags and new deadline here.











This is my version of her Number 10 - you can see the fabulous original here.  If you check it out, you'll see I've cased the composition pretty closely, and I was also inspired by the holly stencil background, the sparkly frame and that lovely bow with its holly leaf extras.

I did my background slightly differently, using the Tim Holtz stencil with texture paste rather than as an embossing folder.  










In fact, it was a piece of card left over from previous experimentation - bright blue and in need of several coats of paint before I was happy.

I added music stamping, rather than script, but from the same set as Linda used, Artistic Outpost's Ephemera Backgrounds.










And I kept to a neutral colour palette - seems to be my favoured mode of Christmas crafting - so there's Stone Fresco paint, Coffee Archival ink and Gathered Twigs and Vintage Photo Distress Inks involved.












I used another Artistic Outpost image, from their Snowy Woods plate, to go inside my frame, stamped on a gesso'd book page.  And the little Joyeux Noel greeting is from the same set.












Not having any coloured Distress Glitter, I used Rock Candy over a piece of Tim Holtz paper cut with the Ornate Frame die.  Can't remember what glue I used for this stage, but it wasn't very effective (or I didn't apply it very well), so it's a very subtle sparkle on that frame!!















My bow is silk ribbon, and my holly leaves are cut from some more book pages, edged with Gathered Twigs.  













I added some actual twigs to the mix too.















I liked the book page holly leaves so much that I added some to the top of the frame too.












The topping follows a similar pattern, with a little pine cone added, and tied with my much loved rustic twine.  

The sparkly holly berries are from Live and Love Crafts.










I said this'd be short, so I'll just mention the Shabby White Frantage...










... and the fact that the whole thing looked unfinished, so I added a matted frame of corrugated card which got a coat of French Roast Fresco paint and then a generous sprinkling of Rock Candy Dry Glitter (to make up for the lack of it on the frame by this time).

Okay, done!  I'll be back tomorrow with my DT contribution to this month's Our Creative Corner challenge, A Very Vintage Christmas, where we're looking for Christmas projects done entirely in a neutral colour palette... I reckon I should manage that okay, don't you?!  Hope to see you then and, in the meantime, have a lovely weekend.

I'd like to enter this as my Tag 10 in the Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Sing hey!  Sing hey!
For Christmas Day;
Twine mistletoe and holly.
For a friendship glows
In winter snows,
And so let's all be jolly!
Anonymous

Nothing to see here...

Well, of course, that's not quite true... there's always something to see here.  But if you're after something fresh, you will have to "move along, please", as there are only sneak peeks here at Words and Pictures today.




I've a brand new project over at The Artistic Stamper Creative Team Blog today, ideal for those who need a little break from all things Christmassy.  

I'd love it if you have time to hop over and take a look.








If, on the other hand, you can't get enough of Christmas crafting, there's a chance to catch up with one of my Christmassy tags over at Artistic Outpost later today, just in case you missed it.

So, I hope that will keep everyone happy in one way or another.  After a full-on weekend looking after my adored but exhausting niece and nephew, aged 10 and 5, I'm looking forward to doing some catching up this week on what you've all been up to - that will make me happy.  See you soon!

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
The Dalai Lama

A Joyful Christmas Tag

Hello everyone and welcome, with an especially big welcome to the newest followers - lovely to have you on board.

Hope you've had a lovely week, and are looking forward to a great weekend doing whatever makes you happy...

I'm back with another Funkie Junkie inspired tag.

Yes, slowly but surely I'm making my way through Linda Coughlin's fabulous 12 Tags of Christmas... just not in the right order.

For my fourth contribution, I've leapt forward to Linda's number 9 which you can see here.













If I manage to get all 12 done by the 22nd December, I'll qualify for the prize draw sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  You can find all the details and rules here.

And this one was a sheer joy to make from beginning to end.  Again, I haven't travelled far from Linda's original, but there are some variations to keep you posted on.











I loved Linda's background so stuck to that pretty closely, using an Artistic Outpost snowflake from the Snowy Woods set for my silver embossing.










Something was going on with the sizes of the tag, the baroque plaque and the sentiment stamp.  I seem to have either smaller or larger versions of each, so it all meant the overall look of the tag has altered somewhat.











I cut the music from a card of Bach's manuscript so it has a slightly shiny finish which was slightly reluctant to take the ink I edged it with until I added some gesso on too.

I notice from these close-ups that I seem to have stuck it on upside down.  Imperfection, I embrace thee!









I didn't have any kind of large snowflake to hand, but I did have a small wooden dove, part of a set of decorations from the Czech Republic.

I painted him, added a silver snowflake and then, since I don't have any Distress Glitter in any other colours, I got out the Rock Candy Dry Glitter to zhuzh him up.

My sentiment was embossed onto another plaque, but it was way too large and my lovely background was fast disappearing.

I trimmed it down by hand at either side, and gave it a good inking with lots of the dark brown Distress inks.













I found myself wanting some more music around, so I added a bit more to the background using a Tim Holtz stamp (where the music is actually backwards - but we're embracing imperfection, eh?).



















Another major departure from the inspiration tag was to change the fir branches for flourishes.

























And I decided I didn't want to make them all glittery like Linda's branches.  I like them too much in their natural wood state, so all they've had is a little touch of gesso.

















And a happy side effect of that decision is that this tag will fit nicely into Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge this week, With A Flourish.











The paper roses have also been gesso'd, and then I used Treasure Gold in Pewter to give the very edges a bit of silvery shine.














The tiny pine cone needed a smattering of gesso/snow too, and I wound a little piece of fine twine around and about for extra interest.












My heart started out as another of the Czech wooden ornaments (like the golden tree on the last tag).  I gave it a coat or two of paint, then added some silver snowflakes to replace the ones I'd painted over.














I added Rock Candy Dry Glitter again to give it a touch of sparkle.

What's great about the Distress Glitters is that you can ink over the top of them, so I was able to add a touch of Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain around the edges for definition.










And another tiny touch of music too... Christmas should be filled with music.















The topping is some paper ribbon, splayed and frayed, and another of the little pine cones, all bound together with some more fine twine.

Really, really happy with this one (hence all the photos) - and it gave me such pleasure to create it - so thank you yet again, Linda, for a wonderful piece of inspiration.  

I'm starting to think I might stick with this blue and brown colour theme for the rest of my tags... what, blue and brown?  Me?  Surely not?!

I'd like to enter this in the following:
As my Tag 9 in Linda Coughlin's 12 Tags of Christmas sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique
At the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge the theme this week is With a Flourish
At The Ribbon Girl they are having a Ho Ho Ho Christmas Challenge
And there's also an Anything Goes month at the Stampotique Designers Challenge


Your destiny is to fulfil those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.
Ralph Marston

Snowy, Starry Night

Hello all!  Thank you for your fabulous feedback for my final PaperArtsy makes... and if you missed all the fun, I'd love it if you had a moment to catch up.  You'll find all the links you need here.

I'm here with another creation inspired by the 12 Tags of Christmas created by the wonderful Linda Coughlin, the Funkie Junkie herself.  The challenge has been going for weeks, but I'm only just now getting a chance to play.

10 of the 12 tags are up and ready for us to play with, there are two more to come, and we have until 22nd December to get them all done.  This is my third creation, so it'll be full Funkie steam ahead here at Words and Pictures over the next couple of weeks.

You'll find all the details here, along with Tag 1 (though you can create any kind of project, as long as it's inspired by Linda's tags), and the prize is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique, so it's well worth getting your act in gear!!











This is my version of Tag 2 (yeah, I'm leaping around a bit in terms of what order I do them in).  You can check out Linda's beautiful original here.  I've not wandered far from the path... though my background has more Pumice Stone than Frayed Burlap (a colour I've never got on with very well).















I absolutely love the cabin in the snowy woods, from the Artistic Outpost Midwinter plate.  And since I'm on the AO team (alongside Linda!), I thought I'd go for making this tag an AO affair. So my additional stamping is all Artistic Outpost too...









The words from my all-time favourite Christmas Carol - In the Bleak Midwinter (but it must be this version by Darke, not the Holst) - are from the Midwinter plate too (obviously, now I think about it).  I suppose it's no accident that in my favourite carol, the words are by a poet I love, Christina Rossetti.

Lots of Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls seems to have got itself into the mix just here!








The pine cones and smaller snowflakes are from the same set...













... while the larger snowflakes and the little "joyeux noel" greeting are from Snowy Woods (probably my desert island Christmas stamp set).














I loved the stamped triple embossing Linda used on her little deer, but (not having the deer) I used a little wooden tree ornament from Kik (Czech cheapy shop that I've mentioned before - a bit like Poundstretcher or Woolworths).












In the absence of the large stars, I decided to use some more of my little wooden Studio Calico ones. You saw them in their naked state here, but this time I've added Rock Candy Dry Glitter (following Linda's lead) over a coat of white chalk ink.










They're a bit small for stamping on though!













Absolutely loved dyeing the cheesecloth, so much so that I used it in two places on the tag.















I added some Frantage Aged Gold embossing powder around the top, to echo the tree below.  Love how it's caught in the fraying fabric.











I also love that you can see the mesh behind the tree, through the little laser cut decoration.












And the linen ribbon is just lovely stuff.

Thank you, Linda, for another gorgeous piece of inspiration... I had so much fun playing with this one.  

Three down, nine to go...






I'd like to enter this as my Tag 2 in The Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

And with that shimmering shower of stars, I'd like to pop it in over at Live and Love Crafts, where the December challenge is Stardust.

She would sit by herself in the middle of the old stone amphitheatre, with the sky's starry vault overhead, and simply listen to the great silence around her.
From Momo, by Michael Ende

Hallelujah!

Hello all - it's time for the final PaperArtsy sneak peek.  We made it!  And with this one I've given in to Christmas.

I've had the most amazing semester - four months of steep learning curves and wonderful fun, with some struggles and many delights.

This last project certainly qualifies for the "struggles" label - it was quite a process! - but I really hope you'll like the end result.

If you missed the other projects for this month, you'll find the first one here and the second one here.  And if you're up to speed and ready for the finale, just hop straight over to PaperArtsy now.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to Leandra and to Gillian who've both been brilliant, and thank you to all of you for your continued company on this crafty journey.

Curtain! Fast music! Light! Ready for the last finale! Great! The show looks good, the show looks good!
Florenz Ziegfeld





Oh, and if that's not enough for you for one day, you can catch up with this entirely non-Christmas make over at Artistic Outpost today, in case you missed it the first time around!

The Joy of Music

Hello everyone!  

Thank you so much for your comments on yesterday's PaperArtsy project - I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

I'm here with the second of my three offerings, another almost-Christmas affair, certainly when you see it under the special lighting effects at the end of the post!

If that and/or this sneak peek tempts you, then all you need do is hop over to PaperArtsy to check out the whole creation.  Hope to see you there.

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.
Plato

Christmas-ish

Hello all... I'm back with the first of my final trio of projects for PaperArtsy.  So, it's sneak peek time here again at Words and Pictures.  There'll be one tonight, one tomorrow and one on Tuesday, and then it's all over... apart from seeing what you're inspired to make as a result, of course!

I can't believe how fast the time has flown - four months gone in a flash.  And I'm deeply sensible of your fabulous support in leaving comments either here or over at PaperArtsy itself - and in many cases both! - during that time.  Thank you so much.


So, here's the first of three Christmasish projects.  At least, the final one on Tuesday is a full-on Christmas number, but the first couple are certainly heading that way.




If you've time to hop over and check out this trio (yes, the first project is a trio in itself), that would be lovely, and I hope to see you again pretty much this time tomorrow!

Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.
Anne Frank