Saturday, November 22, 2014

COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III ~ A LAYERED STENCIL EMBOSSING CHRISTMAS TAG/ORNAMENT

Welcome back for another technique challenge over at Linda Ledbetter's Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge.  It's already challenge number SIXTEEN!  Can you believe that?!  As that famous Christmas carol, "Deck The Halls" says, "fast away the old year passes" and boy, does it ever!

I hope that you have been playing along on these challenges with us.  It's a great way to familiarize yourself with Tim Holtz' fabulous products and and learn new techniques for your creative endeavors. All of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities books are wonderful reference tools to either teach or refresh your memory on SO MANY ways to use all sorts of products.
Your entries are amazing and the Creative Crew continues to drool and delight in ALL of the beautiful art we see each challenge.  We are also humbled by all of your lovely comments. Keep 'em coming!  Those as well as your art inspire us and encourage us every day!
Turn to page 50 in your Compendium of Curiosities III books and check out the Layering Stencil: Embossing technique. 
Here is my finished piece.  It is a large Ranger Manila tag that can be used as either a gift tag or how I am going to use it, as a vintage ornament for my Christmas tree.
I began with a Large #10 Manila Tag that measures 4 1/8" x 8 1/2". I cannot tell you HOW I did the layering stencil:embossing technique but I can say that I used Embossing Ink and Clear Embossing Powder, Tim's Gothic Stencil and Shabby Shutters and Pine Needles Distress Inks to create my background. 
Not long ago, I shared with everyone on my blog my vintage/retro-ish vision for Tim Holtz' St. Nick die cut.  You can see that post HERE for the step by step on how I created my little Santa Head pictured above.  It is so cute and so easy to make and he's just been sitting on my work space, waiting for me to do something with him.  That time has come!
Santa needed a body so I used Tim Holtz' Sized Ovals to create a body for Santa.  First I covered a piece of chipboard with one of the 6" x 6" paper images from Tim's Merriment Paper Stash. I used the large oval for the body.  I then die cut one "JOY" from Tim's Movers & Shapers onto plain chipboard and cut close around the oval encapsulating "JOY". I painted it silver with a Silver Paint Dabber and added Silver Stickles to the letters.  Then I die cut another "JOY" as low as I could onto the lower half of Santa's lower body. (The silver "JOY" would later be glued on top of the "JOY" die cut into the body.)  I fashioned a black belt out of black cardstock, highlighted the edges with the Silver Paint Dabber and glued it in place on Santa's tummy.  Actually, I highlighted all of the edges of Santa's body with the Silver Paint Dabber.
I also created patterns out of scrap manila cardstock to create boots, arms and gloved hands for Santa.  All of those pieces were cut out of various Tim Merriment papers that were glued onto chipboard (for more stability). 
I added 1/8" Scor Tape around the outside edge of the silver "JOY" oval.  To that, I added Tim's Silver Tinsel Twine and glued it in place on top of the "JOY" that was die cut into Santa's body.


Next I used one of Tim's smaller cream colored Woodland Trees from his Mini Tree Lot set. I sprayed it with Shabby Shutters Distress Stain followed by light touches of Peeled Paint Distress Stain.
I wrapped the tree with Tim's Silver Tinsel Twine and secured both ends with Glossy Accents.  Later I would add little red bows.  For now, I set the tree to the side and went back to assembling my Santa.


I added little "fur" tops to the boots, cut the boot tops to fit how I wanted them to fit onto the body and then I added a piece of 1/4" Scor Tape to the top of each boot.  That adhesive cover was then removed and the boots were glued in place at the bottom of the body.


I then added 1/4" Scor Tape to the back side of the arms and gloves to put them in place on the body.  To do this, I laid the head at the top of his body and played around with the placement of the arms until I liked them.  
 
Then I glued them in place, curving the gloves to hold my little Christmas tree.  Next I glued the head in place at the top of the body.


I wanted to add some shiny "berries" to Santa's holly on his hat and also onto my tree, so I colored some little clear rhinestones using Red Pepper Alcohol Ink, a felt strip and my Ink Blending tool.  Alcohol Ink is a great way to quickly colorize anything that is a non porous surface.  It usually dries in about 10 seconds.



And here is my Santa all assembled (minus the little red bows and red "bling" that would alter be added).  Now, Santa is ready to be added to my Layered Stencil:Embossed background but I needed to finish it first!


To my background, I randomly added some of Tim's "Bubbles" (stencil) using White Embossing Paste and then I lightly sprinkled glitter to give a bit of that freshly fallen snow look.


Next I colorized some white Embossing Paste with Red Geranium Archival Ink.  I taped Tim's Christmas Stencil in place to stencil "Christmas" in place.  Once that was dry, I added "Merry" and let it dry.  Be sure to clean your stencils immediately after using Embossing Paste on them!


Here is the finished background complete with layering and Vermillion Archival Ink around the edges of the tag.


I added a 1/8" piece of Scor Tape all around the edge of the tag and added a piece of thin Silver Tinsel Garland around the edge of the tag for a more vintage look.


I colored a piece of white seam tape with Fired Brick Distress Stain and just a touch of Sunflower Sparkle to add to the top of my tag.


Here is my finished Layered Stencil:Embossed tag background.  I love how vintage it looks and it's all ready for Santa to take his proper place.


And here is my Santa, complete with little red bows on the tree ... these little bows are made from remnants of the ribbon I colored to create a bow at the top of the tag.  I cut the ribbon in half and made tiny bows to glue onto the tree.  To the center of each bow, I added a little red rhinestone.  I glued Santa in place on the tag.  Finally, I added a "Merry & Bright" Tidings Token to dangle from the bow using a Jump Ring. 


 


 As you can see, this is a very dimensional piece.  The size of the tag and the fleece used on Santa's beard, fur bands on his hat, sleeves and boots, the little Christmas tree that Santa is holding, the shabby bow and silver tinsel garland and the texture used to create the background really make this a showy tag that will delight all who see it.

Now it's YOUR turn to do some layering and stenciling or stamping and join our challenge. You could be one of two lucky winners chosen to receive some fabulous prizes.  

http://www.thefunkiejunkie.com/


Our wonderful sponsor for this challenge is The Funkie Junkie Boutique!  Linda Coughlin is giving away a $25 gift certificate to shop in her fabulous online store.

Our other prize is a huge and wonderful assortment of "goodies" graciously donated by Tim and Mario to be given to one lucky entry each challenge. So, you have TWO chances of winning fabulous prizes while you are also creating wonderful art and sharing with a community of talented people who love to share their art and their ideas!  It's a WIN-WIN all the way around!  

Have fun with this challenge and good luck!




68 comments:

  1. Ms. Candy this is so you!!! I love your background! Beautiful but I have to say, Saint Nick is very cute! And brilliant is your idea for his body!! Terrific all the way around...I love Santa,
    yes indeed I do!

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  2. Fabulous, love the 3D effect, really a lovely Santa to kiss and so many great details!! Thanks so much for your tutorial. Warm greetings, Kerstin x

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  3. GASP...I'm on the floor!!! Deck the halls and call me a paramedic....this tag made my heart race. Absolutely oozing with eye goodies and just seeing the depth of color and textures you collected on your hands made me smile from ear to ear. Just loved seeing how you really get into your work. I LOVE that your little Santa head has been united with a body and a tree and a simply gorgeous tag!
    Standing ovation from me,
    hugs,
    Lisa x

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  4. Gorgeous Candy!! As is your red hand! teeheehee ")

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  5. Love your tag turned Christmas ornament, Candy. Santa is AMAZING!

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  6. What a lovely tag! I love the way you've given Santa his body.

    greetings Silvia

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  7. FANTABULOUS!!! Okay that santa needs to come off that tag and you need to turn him into an ornament! WOW!

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  8. Now you've built St. Nick a body!!!! Good thing I got this die. I love your tag and Santa is genius. LOVE!!!!!

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  9. Everything you do has amazing details down to the nth degree! Your Santa is fantastic. You are so incredibly creative! I love how you always tell us exactly how you did everything...and I loved seeing your red hands too - LOL!! What a wonderful retro tree ornament you have created.

    Hugs,
    Linda

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  10. Candy.....WOW! The creativity and detail of your art has stirred the holiday spirit within me! BEAUTIFUL! Absolutely love this. Happy Holidays to you!

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  11. Hello Miss Candy wow this is spectacularly gorgeous, looooooove the tutorial, your Santa is fabulous, you are a such creative Genius, love to visit and see anything you create, thanks for sharing hope you have a wonderful weekend, ((( BIG HUGS )))

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  12. You are the Queen of Christmas! I love all of your magical creations and this Santa is just the cutest ever!!!!!! Your embossed background is absolutely stunning Candy. I hope you have a wonderful and very Happy Thanksgiving!

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  13. A total stunner Candy! LOVE Santa's body...might lift your idea! So many gorgeous details to delight in for sure! You are amazing!!!

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  14. What a delightful tag! Love the background and that Santa is just too, too cute!

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  15. I love the sparkle and how you created an ornament from a tag.

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  16. WOWWW this is awesome Candy, so much detail fantastic project.
    hugs
    lorraine x

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  17. What a wonderful fuzzy glittery tag Candy!! I WANT that adorable Santa you created!!

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  18. How delightful is he! You took the word 'Joy' and made a joy of a Father Christmas - so very clever and fun. Your background tag is gorgeous too. I just love everything about it right down to the little gems for berries on the holly. Love the red hand too, mine is green from colouring trees..... Anne xx

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  19. Oh, how I love this! Your tag is just amazing. I have to have a Santa like yours. I am so in awe of your talent, Candy. Everything you create is so wonderful. I love how you share how you've created your projects, too. Love those hands!

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  20. MY GOODNESS ... AWESOME SANTA !!! Santa came alive, love the layering, the textures, his clothing, the mittens ... fabulous details. Love, love, love the background stencil work... so fun !

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  21. This is the most beautiful Christmas tag I have seen this year. Awesome Candy! I love every detail.

    Hugs,
    Gaby

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  22. oh wow! this is super creative and inspiring!! thank you for sharing Candy. the Santa is rocking cool ^.^ every time I stop by your blog I found tons of inspiration ^.^ thank you for that

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  23. Just love this Candy, such a fabulous piece of art xxx

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  24. SO GENIUS, Candy! How clever you are to have given your Santa a body! I love all the classy sparkle you added and how he still has a rustic vibe. The perfect mix of elegance and grunginess! I also feel so inspired by seeing the many techniques that go into your projects, so thank you once again for another banner piece!

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  25. This is the jolliest Santa ever! I love all the glitter and tinsel..and that you even decorated the tree! The background on the tag is gorgeous, too! This one made me grin from ear to ear!

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  26. Your little Santa is so jolly he made me laugh. The background technique really shows him off x

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  27. Wow! That is incredible, Candy. What an awesome, vintage tag. Thanks for the link to the Santa. That was great to see how he came together. I would LOVE to see this one in person. I'm sure your tree is going to be amazing with this and the other fabulous creations you've been making.

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  28. Oh my gosh Candy, this is so awesome!!! What a brilliant way to make Santa's body!!!!

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  29. Candy, this is the most snuggly Santa (tag) ever!! I just want to pick this up and hold him and squeeze him and I'll call him George!! LOL!! :) Fantastic Christmas tag, Candy! I just love this!! It's that Santa--he's just sooo darn cute!! Fabulous CC3 #16 tag, Candy!! I'm laughing all the way...to my worktable today :) LOL!! XOXO-Shari T.

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  30. I adore that santa! I'm definitely going to give this a try!

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  31. Your Santa is adorable! Loved the "head" when you did that but to put it with this body... That's one happy Ho Ho HO!

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  32. Oh Wowzer!! this is SO beautiful Cheryl… gosh I Love the sparkle and the wonderful vintage santa… so many lovely little details… the little tinselled tree is exquisite!! this will look stunning on your tree! :-))
    Hugs Sue B xxx

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  33. Hi Candy, thank you for your lovely comment... it's always lovely to be praised on my colouring as I've only recently got back into it again. Also wanted to apologise for getting your name wrong... I get a comment from a Cheryl and for some reason it links back to your blog... so that is reason that I get your name wrong! SO sorry... but I'm kinda glad that the link comes back to your lovely blog as you make such beautiful creations!! :-)
    Take care
    Hugs Sue B xx

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  34. Girrrrrrrllllllllll! This is so darn stinking cool. I love how you made his cloak with the red texty paper, and fitting the JOY in there is fantastic. The fluff on the boots = genius! So many great details... I love it!

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  35. Wow Candy! Your tag is stunning! I love all the shimmery detail! Your santa is darling! I love the retro vibe you captured! Off to check out your first tutorial. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

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  36. Candy, your creativity blows me away! What a fantastic Santa you created with that clever body! I love all the amazing details and the layering stencil is perfect! The fact that you added the bubbles with paste was so clever too! Love it! Have a great Thanksgiving!

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  37. Amazing, Candy, as always. Brilliant to create the Santa body with Sized Ovals. I love all the details and your layered embossing is just perfect! I'm going to go back and review the link for your tutorial, thanks for including that. Awesome tag, Merry Christmas!!

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  38. Candy, I feel like a little kid at Christmas looking at your festive tag! All the details you add to every project is totally a treat! I love this tag and all the Christmas delights you have added along the way! And that Santa is proof of your incredible creative genius! Love this and hope you have a most wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  39. absolutely fabulous tag Candy...lots of amazing details as always. Love it!!!!

    Happy Thanksgiving
    HUgs Annie x

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  40. Girl...you always blow the Christmas creations out of the water! Fabulous...oh I could just stare and stare. Love it...it reminds me of Christmas when I was a kid...the tinsel is an added bonus! Love it...Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your family. hugs.

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  41. This is a fantastic tag Candy !!! There are so many unique, creative ideas. Candy you have the great skill of really being able to 'think outside the box' with your craft stash! A great fun piece. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, love Toni xx

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  42. OMGoodness this is truly amazing. I love all the detail you have added.

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  43. Oh my gosh Candy, this might be the most beautiful tag that I have ever seen! Your Santa is spectacular with his crystal beard and shimmery boots! Love the die cut JOY! So much attention to detail, wow! Great use of the stencils and I love that you die your own ribbon!

    Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog while I was on holiday! I had a great time with my Mom, although the week flew by too quickly! Hope you had a wonderful week as well! hugs :)

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  44. Love this Santa, he is just a rotund and smilie as he should be (I don't like these modern Santas, they look as if they need a good meal!) Great ornament for your festive tree.

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  45. Love all the fur and glitter and tinsel!

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  46. What I love about your work is you continually surprise me! No two things ever the same. Wonderful as always Candy and amazing details once again. Nikki xx

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  47. Oh Candy, such a sweet Santa, I was falling in love with him :))

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  48. So festive Candy, and I like all the colors on your hands at the end of the turorial, nice to see i'm not alone ;)

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  49. wow this one special Santa - so much texture and layers going on - just fantastic x

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  50. So festive and fun and sparkly!!! Thank you for the step-by-step on your very clever project!

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  51. So many great layers! I love the idea of using your tag as an ornament - I can imagine you'll have a beautiful tree!

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  52. your santa is awesome Candy - I love him - such a great amount of sparkle and texture! Fabulous! Hugs Rachel x

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  53. Oh Candy, just love your wonderful jolly Santa, he looks amazing and all your techniques, like always are just brilliant!

    Hope you are keeping well!
    xxx

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  54. Oh my.......Candy you make me want this Santa die. I love everything about him. Beautifully done! Karen.x

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  55. Oh, MY WORRRD!!!! Candy, you have outdone yourself on this beautiful, fun, vintage-y, sparkly, lovely...ornament tag! I think this is my favorite thing you or anyone else has ever done! Absolutely sweet and nostalgic! I love coming to your blog for the most incredible inspiration! Wish I had come here before playing with my project!

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  56. A beautiful creation Candy, so many wonderful details!

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  57. I love your tag, it will look so lovely on your tree. I need me on of your Santa s only 6" thanks for sharing all you tips and ideas, am off to look at how to make that awesome Santa's head :)

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  58. I love the Santa!!! totally awesome!

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  59. that santa is adorable!! beautiful tag!! =)

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  60. You used one of my favorite stencils from the last release, and I love all the tinsel and sparkle you fit in on one tag.

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  61. Huge apologies for the lack of visits Candy. Life has been on fast forward lately. I love this beautiful tag and am amazed by the way you've got such glitter and shine onto Santa. Brilliant. Jenny x

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  62. Such a cheeky sparkly santa! Clever use of dies to create that body for him. This is sure to bring a smile to anyone who would receive it.

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  63. Candy, Your Santa is soooo cute! I love how you used the technique on your tag background. Thanks for sharing so many neat ideas.

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  64. Candy, I LOVE your Santa tag! You inspire me every time I visit! :)

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  65. Wow, what a beautiful Santa tag. You are very talented.








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