MERRY CHRISTMAS POCKET PAGES FOR COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III CHALLENGE

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Santa Claus will be making his rounds in just FIVE nights!  I am so excited for his yearly visit and I know four little ones, namely my grandchildren, who are about to POP with the anticipation of Santa and his reindeer!

We are officially halfway through the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenges!  Can you believe that?  I hope that you've been playing along with us and have learned some new techniques or things about Tim Holtz products that you may not have already known. The entries have been so above and beyond amazing!  
Keep 'em coming!! 

Challenge 18 is not a technique challenge.  It is a product challenge so I will be able to share some techniques and ideas with you in creating Christmas tags and fold outs you can use with your POCKET PAGES.  Turn to page 36 in your Compendium of Curiosities III books and let's get started ...

I created these special vintage Christmas tags to celebrate my grand daugher's visits with Santa since her birth in 2011. I think that Tim's Christmas Wishes Worn Cover book and his Pocket Pages are the absolute perfect choice for creating and storing these little keepsakes for her. 

The pocket pages are so versatile.  You can use them as individual pocket pages or you can combine them together to create fold outs. You can also create tabbed tags or paper flaps that really create lots of extra interest as you thumb through the pages.  For this project, I combined two pocket pages where you see Tim's Merriment Tissue Tape.  But there is more to combining pages than just that...so be sure to check out Tim's Compendium of Curiosities III book for more details! I also made a flip up that you can see here.  I will explain more about that later.

I used #8 manila tags as my pattern to cut tags out of Tim's Merriment Christmas Paper Stash. They are vintage double sided papers primarily in reds and white and I love them! I also used several of Tim's die cuts with plain grungeboard to create "frames" for my pictures. Glitters, Stickles, Tissue Tape, Tinsel Twine, Gesso and Glossy Accents provide that extra festive glitz and dimension that takes your tags from flat to WOW ... yet they can still easily fit inside the pockets.

My first tag is Katie's first Christmas.  The basic tag is Tim's vintage red bells on white paper from his Merriment Paper Stash.  I added Pine Needles Distress Ink to give more of that traditional holiday green and red look.  I accented the edges with a Gold Paint Dabber and set it to the side while I created my photo and frame piece. 

I glued Tim's red and white polka dot paper to a piece of plain grungeboard using Matte Medium.  Then I die cut the Mini Cabinet Card and distressed the cut edges using of the grungeboard and also the paper edges with Wendy Vecchi's Vermillion Archival Ink.

Next I sized my photograph to fit on the Cabinet Card and backed it with a slightly larger piece of kraft paper.  I added the lacy metallic photo corners to the picture and then added Platinum Stickles on top of the kraft paper border.  I added pop dots to the underside so that when I attached the photo to the Cabinet Card, it would have just a little more dimension.  I later punched a hole in the center top and added a piece of left over Tinsel Twine to add some more vintage sparkle to the top of this tag.

I added bits of Tim's Holiday Greens cut out of various green cardstock underneath where the photograph would go.  Then I popped the photograph in place. I die cut "Merry Christmas" (from Tim's Holiday Words Script) out of red cardstock and dabbed over it with my Gold Paint Dabber.  I ended up not using "Merry" because I didn't have enough room for it. "Christmas" got a little lost in the patterned background of the paper so I decided to add a strip of torn dictionary paper slightly distressed with Picket Fence (to soften the text) then Scattered Straw to age the paper and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks at the torn edges.  

 I glued it into place and using Glossy Accents, I glued "Christmas" on top of the paper. The dictionary paper provides a nice contrast and helps "Christmas" pop.  I also added a Mirrored Star to dot the "i".  I added Tim's Alpha Parts "2011" numbers at the bottom using Glossy Accents.  They are dabbed on the top with a Gold Paint Dabber and then given a light coat of Glossy Accents to add even more dimension. 

And here is the finished 2011 tag.  As you can see in this picture, Katie wasn't sure what to think of that bearded man in the red suit. 

The next year is 2012.  Katie absolutely wanted no part of Santa Claus this year as you will see on the finished tag picture. I found the beautiful Victorian "Santa Claus" text on one of Tim's Merriment papers and decided that would be the perfect background for this tag.  Again I distressed the tag with Scattered Straw and Pine Needles Distress Ink and edged the tag using a Gold Paint Dabber.  I later added Platinum Stickles to some of the art work at the top of the tag to add more sparkle (as you will see in the final pictures).

The frame for this tag is cut from Tim's Mini Baroque die cut and embossed with his Demask embossing folder.  I then painted the plain grungeboard with Red Pepper Adirondak Paint and when dry, I lightly touched over the frame with gold paint on my finger.

I used more of the die cut Holiday Greens behind the frame only this time, I also added white Gesso and a tiny bit of Stickles Fine Diamond Glitter and glued them in place onto the tag background. Then I glued the picture and frame in place. 

I die cut a Tattered Curvy Banner out of cardstock and distressed is using Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and black just at the cut edges.  I stamped "2012" using Wendy Vecchi's Potting Soil Archival Ink and gave the banner a 3D effect by bending up the edges and gluing them together. 

Next I die cut a small reindeer and painted the plain grungeboard with Espresso Adirondak Paint. I scuffed up the surface using sand paper and distressed him with Gathered Twigs. I added a tiny little wreath using 2" of Tim's Tinsel Twine that was glued together and to the back of his neck using Glossy Accents. Next I added "snow" using a tooth brush and white Gesso on the reindeer and the wreath and then I added a tiny bit of the Diamond Glitter while the Gesso was still wet.  

And here is Katie's tag for 2012.  See what I mean about wanting no part of Santa?  On to 2013's tag ...

I created a fold up with this tag by adding more length to the tag when cutting it out.  That way, I could create a tab at the top that can fold under and be glued in place. The tag background is the story of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas in red and white.  

The beautiful Victorian looking frame is Tim's Ornate Frame die cut on plain grungeboard.  It is painted with Antique Linen Distress Paint.

 When dry, I covered the frame with Matte Medium and then sprinkled Stickles Diamond Fine Glitter over the entire frame.  If there is any Matte Medium that clogs a little in the intricate die cut, you can simply pick it out using Tim's Craft Knife.  It comes right off.

After removing the excess glitter, I gently heat set the glitter and the Matte Medium and then I lightly sprayed over the frame with Workable Fixative (as a sealer) so that the glitter won't continue to drop off.  It works really well and can be found at most craft stores and also at Walmart in their craft section.    

Then I glued the photograph in place under the frame and added some Silver Tinsel Twine that was lightly sprayed with Scattered Straw Distress Spray to take some of the sparkle off of the silver and add a goldish tint to the Tinsel Twine. 

Next I die cut "believe" from Tim's Holiday Words Script in red and also in an off white cardstock.  Then I added Platinum Stickles to the off white cardstock and let it dry.  Once dry, I used Glossy Accents to combine the red and stickled "believe" together.  I used two die cut stars; one painted in Red Pepper Paint, the other covered in Platinum Stickles and glued it in place to dot the "i" in "believe". I added "2013" from Tim's Alpha Parts and dabbed the tops with a Gold Paint Dabber across the top of the tag. 

Across the bottom, I added a piece of Tim's Silver Industrial border that I altered by using gold paint and my finger.  I wanted an antiqued gold look on that edging and the gold paint worked perfectly.  Across the top, where I scored the tag to create a tab, I added a piece of Christmas Tissue Tape.

And here is the finished 2013 tag.  As you can see in this picture, Katie, while still a bit guarded, managed to give Santa a hug when he came to our house to visit and read the Christmas Story to the grandchildren last Christmas Eve.

Here is the beginnings of the backside of the 2013 tag which is also my fold up. (This backside was actually completed before I created the other more dimensional side of this tag). I added several layers of Picket Fence Distress Paint to soften the images of the paper.  Then I used Scattered Straw to age the tag and added Gathered Twigs around the edges.

I created my own background using Tim's Festive Stencil and a combination of Pine Needles, Festive Berries and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks to create the leaves, berries and pine cone design.  I think it looks like vintage Christmas wrapping paper!  I love it!  I also added Glossy Accents to the berries and pine cones to add a little shiny dimension and I used a dark brown permanent marker to add the "stems" of the berries.

I also added more vintage looking Christmas Tissue Tape and painted the backsides of the ornate frame and metallic border with the Gold Paint Dabber. The Tissue Tape that I've added on both sides of this flip up tag at the score line helps provide stability to that score line as the flap will be opened and closed.

It IS the most wonderful time of the year and a combination of Tim's Framed Alpha Parts (wonderful) and a label maker spells that out on this tag. I love the simplicity of this tag and yet how vintage it looks.

Once the back side of the fold up was complete, I simply added Scor Tape to the back side of my 2012 tag and attached them together. 

Here's a better look ...

And here is a look at the flip up in the down position.  You can also see Tim's Tissue Tape where I have joined the two pocket pages together.  The pocket pages can fold over to fit nicely into the Worn Covers Book yet be very interactive when you open the book.  

The Lovely Linda Coughlin of The Funkie Junkie Boutique is hosting this challenge. 

Be sure to click on the link or her logo to visit her store! She is generously donating a $25.00 gift certificate to the winner of this challenge.  THANK YOU LINDA!  

And as always, Tim and Mario have so graciously donated lots and lots of Tim Holtz products that are given away in generous prize packages each challenge.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog! 

My Christmas wish for you is that you take time from all of the hustle and bustle to give thanks for all of your Christmases, past, present and future.  It is truly a gift to be surrounded by those you love.  Seek joy in the smallest of things and create beautiful and lasting memories!

Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!!