Christmas Love

The 25 Tags of Christmas Celebration includes a 26th bonus day, and what delights that post holds!  Susie's delicate white on pink tag is just so very pretty!  My white die cuts are from Birds of a Feather by My Favorite Things. After adding them to a Reverse Confetti tag, I brushed them with Wink of Stella and added a ribbon and a snowflake embellishment.

Thanks for taking a look,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas
Word Art Wednesday
SSS Wednesday Challenge

Peony Birthday

After the dishes were done, I watercolored this peony stamp from Reverse Confetti.  The image is heat  embossed on Bristol Smooth paper and watercolored with Arteza Real Brush Markers.  I have been following Kathy's posts for the 30-Day Coloring Challenge and have to agree with her that coloring is so relaxing!

Thanks for visiting,
Christine

Linking to:
30-Day Coloring Challenge
Word Art Wednesday
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Hippo Birdie to You

Lawn Fawn's Hippo Birdie set makes quick and adorable birthday cards. I think the recipient of this card will enjoy the pun as much as I enjoyed making it!

Thanks for visiting,
Christine


Linking to:
Tuesday Throwdown (Punny Sentiments)
Word Art Wednesday (a/g)
SSS Wednesday Challenge (a/g)

Tag #25---Elf

Leanne's Santa Tags are absolutely darling!  I'd made some Santas for an earlier post, so I decided to try my hand at an elf.  The tag base is from Reverse Confetti and his pointy ears are leaves from a floral set.

Thanks for taking a look,
Christine

Linking to
25 Tags of Christmas  (Day 25  Leanne)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)
Word Art Wednesday (a/g)
SSS Wednesday (a/g)

Three French Hens

It's hard to believe that November is nearly over, and along with it the 25 Tags of Christmas Challenge.  I have a friend who celebrates her "birthday month", and November is mine, so I decided to take time to do some things that I enjoy.  One was to participate in the 25 Tags celebration What fun it's been!

The Day 24 post features Heffy Doodle products.  I have one Heffy Doodle set, Eggcellent News.  It celebrates new babies and is full of "punny' sentiments and  adorable chicks, hens, and roosters.  When I thought of this set, The Twelve Days of Christmas came to mind.  I placed the "three French Hens" at the Eiffel Tower, creating a vertical scene similar to Cassie's adorable card showing Santa's Workshop.

Thanks for stopping by,
Christine

Linking to
25 Tags of Christmas  (Day 24 Cassie)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)
Word Art Wednesday (a/g)
SSS Wednesday (a/g)

Turning Christmas right side up

The 25 Tags of Christmas post has some sweet projects featuring Jillibean Soup stamps and dies.  I fell in love with Patty's tag and all its marvelous details.  I found some black and white paper in my stash and promptly die cut it with the text upside down!!!! Yes, really....so, I cut the hole off, turned it the right way, and hand-punched a hole in the top.  It's a bit shorter than intended, but I am sure that the person opening a gift won't look at it for long!!!

Thanks for visiting,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 23 Patty)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

CAS Floral Tag

Carol shared a stunning array of red, white, and green tags using Birch Press layering dies.  I echoed her idea by layering a Stitched Floral die from MFT.  There is something so appealing about this simple color scheme.  Thanks, Carol, for the inspiration from your gorgeous tags!

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 22 Carol)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Joyful Peony

Reverse Confetti's Peony stamp and die set is one of my most recent purchases, and I really love it!  So, it's no surprise that I found a way to work it into the 25 Tags of Christmas projects.  Mindy's Day 19 project really caught my eye with its stunning red poinsettia  which is colored so beautifully with Copics.   I used the concept of a red flower on kraft for my over-sized tag. I used PTI's Large Scallop Stackers die as the base, and the scale is perfect for the peony which I watercolored with Artezas.  I think the watercolor problem I am having is called "blooming" and it tends to happen with the most vibrant colors.  I am sure practice will bring improvement.

Thanks for visiting,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 18 Mindy)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)
30 Day Coloring Challenge

Let it Snow Tag

Still catching up on my goal of creating 25 tags, each inspired by a different post at the 25 Tags of Christmas.  My inspiration piece for Day 19 is Lindsey's cute winter scene featuring a snowy sky and two evergreens.  I  found a Sizzix Thinlit die with a tiny tree and added it to a small Reverse Confetti tag was inked in Peacock Feathers and splattered with white acrylic paint.  It's been such fun to be inspired by the posts on Tracy's blog.

Thanks for taking a peek,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 19 Lindsey)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Merry Mistletoe

Day 20 of the 25 Tags of Christmas event included some fabulous projects.  I really liked Ardyth's variegated sprigs of mistletoe and am happy to share that I created this tag from my scrap bin.  The sprigs were cut from the edges of a watercolor panel that was just about completely die cut, the stitched rectangle was an "extra", and I couldn't resist adding some hot pink from a tiny piece of card stock.  Thank you, Ardyth, for the inspiration!!

So glad you stopped by,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 20 - Ardyth)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

"Ginger-Bird" House

I was enchanted by Marine's adorable gingerbread houses that were shared for the Day 21 post at the 25 Tags of Christmas.  I saw a way to use my cute, cute Lawn Cut Christmas wreath by adding it to a birdhouse die in my stash.  I trimmed down a scalloped square die to add a little sweetness to the faux "gingerbird" house and like the look of the finished product!

Thanks for visiting,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 21 - Marine)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Tattered Poinsettia

 
Last Sunday I made several tags to "get caught up" with the 25 Tags of Christmas celebration, and I am back at it!  This tag was inspired by Dana's Day 17 project.  Her pink poinsettias were just gorgeous, and I decided to imitate them using the Tim Holtz Tatteered floral dies and some water colored panels.  Thanks, Dana, for the inspiration!

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 17--Dana)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Santa Tag

Waffle Flower is providing the inspiration for today's 25 Tags of Christmas post, and there are some wonderful projects!  I love Mindy's Santa tag and the clever dies she used to create it.  I decided to go through my die cuts to see what kind of Santa I could come up with.  I used a Reverse Confetti tag die and layered two RC toppers to create Santa's hat.  Basic circles create his face and nose, and his 'stash is a couple of flower petals.  It was fun to start with Mindy's idea and to make my supplies work!

Thanks for looking,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 16 Mindy)
The Cat's Pajamas ( Holiday)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I "re-found" a crafting find. I discovered a fabulous card stock stack at Tuesday Morning a while back and tucked it into a bin in my craft closet.  While working on the 25 Tags of Christmas, I "re-found" it.  The papers are beautiful icy blues with silver accents.  Additionally, there are a few navy and gray prints that are just so elegant.  Thumbing through the stack, I decided to strategically trim the sentiment featured in a decorative border and to accent this piece with gray.  There were some scraps from the blue panel and some stripes on the reverse side of the gray.   I couldn't resist adding a little more to the left side of the card.

I decided that I would try to play along with each Mojo sketch for 2019, and this completes my crafty resolution.  It's been a fun one!



Hope everyone is enjoying holiday crafting and other celebratory preparations,
Christine

Linking to:
Mojo Monday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

The Stockings were Hung by the Chimney with Care

It's day 15 of the 25 Tags of Christmas, and creativity abounds in today's post.  I was smitten with Kim's interactive tag.  Really, if you didn't open the link, do it now!  Her card has a secret message in the stocking, and it's just the cutest!  I made my tag somewhat interactive by mounting the stocking on a tiny folded card.  The sentiment "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care" fits perfectly inside. 

I imitated Kim's tag using a Reverse Confetti tag base and topper.  The stocking and sentiment are part of my Verve stash.

Thanks so much for visiting,
Christine

Linking to:
The 25 Tags of Christmas (Day 15 Kim)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Christmas Joy

Woo Hoo!  It's Day 14 of the 25 Tags of Christmas, and I have caught up:  one tag inspired by each post.  The 25 Tags celebration is sponsored by Paper Sweeties, and I chose Karen's tag for my inspiration piece.  I love the holly die cuts, the rows of scallops, and the soft background.  Instead of using patterned paper for the background, I stenciled some hearts in Worn Lipstick using my brand new Hearts All Over stencil from Stamplorations, adding Wink of Stella for a little sparkle.

Thanks, Karen, for the inspiration and for your many words of encouragement at Word Art Wednesday.

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 14 Karen)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)
Stamplorations Stencil Challenge 

Tickled Pink it's Christmas

I got busy last week and couldn't keep up with the 25 Tags of Christmas celebration.  This is my last catch-up tag before doing today's.  I loved Dana Joy's Day 9 tag!  Her beautifully colored flamingo was bedecked in a holiday wreath and mounted on such a cheerful plaid.  I found a happy plaid in a Doodle Bug stack and used MFT dies for the flamingo.  I had to cut up a couple of sentiments to make sure there was a pink/Christmas connection going on.  I had SO much fun being inspired by Dana Joy!

Hope something tickles you pink today!
Christine

Linking to
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 9 Dana Joy)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Christmas Love

Still trying to catch up on the 25 Tags of Christmas.  I am usually the first awake, and I put this tag together while the rest of the family was getting ready for church.  Day 10 of the 25 Tags of Christmas Celebration is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, and Lin's tag caught my eye.  I often find Lin's work to be very attractive and inspiring, so it was no surprise that I loved her gorgeous wreath.  I went a slightly simpler route, using a Reverse Confetti wreath die over my favorite RC tag die.  Lin's tag included the word joy, but love was the best fit from my stash......so, I used little hearts for the berries. Thanks, Lin, for the inspiration!

Have a fabulous Sunday,
Christine

Linking to: 
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 10 Lin)
Word Art Wednesday
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Blue and Silver Christmas Tag

I am playing along with the 25 Tags of Christmas and loved the crisp, cool feel of Isha's Day 11 tag.  My tag worked up nicely---much better than the late-night photo shows.  I loved using some blue prints laced with silver and added some silver and white holly leaves and a big silver heart in place of the berries.

Thanks for taking a look,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 11 Isha)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)

Let it Snow

It is so much fun to see the amazing designs submitted for the 25 Tags of Christmas celebration.  I love to choose an inspiration piece and to feel like I've created something pretty using that idea and some items from my own stash.  On Day 13, I was smitten by Lisa's gorgeous Let it Snow tag and decided to see what I could do with the supplies I had on hand....such fun!

Both my tag dies are from Reverse Confetti, the snowflake die is a SSS product, and the sentiment and tiny embossed snowflakes are from Verve's Jolly Jingles.

Thanks for taking a look,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 13 Lisa)
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)
Word Art Wednesday

Nativity Tag

After a few busy evenings, I am trying to catch up on the 25 tags of Christmas.  So happy to have received this sweet Christmas die from Stamplorations, the sponsor of Day 12.  I chose to join Maria in using the nativity die for my tag.  I love her beautifully inked starry sky behind the silhouette, but wondered how it would look if the image was cut from watercolor paper and softly inked.  I did this mounting it over a fancy square die from PTI.  My husband says it needs more tars in the sky, and he's probably right!

So happy to see my collection of Christmas tags growing.  Thanks for taking a look,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 12  Maria)
Word Art Wednesday 
The Cat's Pajamas (Holiday)
Stamplorations Never Ending Anything Goes Challenge

I Have Found the One My Soul Loves

And the bridal shower is tomorrow.... so thankful for pretty papers, stamps, and dies in my stash that helped bring this card together quickly.  I love this scripture and know it fits the couple!

Thanks for taking a look,
Christine

Linking to:
PIP Challenge
Word Art Wednesday

Joyful Wreath

Post 7 for the 25 Tags of Christmas crafting celebration includes some darling scalloped tags by Sunny Studios.  Scalloped dies are another crafting favorite of mine, as are wreaths, so it was no surprise I was attracted to this gorgeous tag by Juliana.

I decided to cut this beautiful TCP wreath die from watercolor paper and to tint it with my brand new Tuesday Morning Spectrum Aqua pencils.  Such fun!  I gave the wreath a brushing of Wink of Stella going over one shade at a time to prevent color transfer.  It's so sparkly and festive.  So grateful for Juliana's inspiration!

Thanks for visiting,
Christine

Linking to:
The 25 Tags of Christmas (Day 7 Inspired by Juliana)
TCP November Challenge (Holiday)
PIP Challenge

Just Add Plaid

I am playing along inspiration from Day 8 of the 25 Tags of Christmas.  Carol's plaid tag caught my eye.  Not only did I love the pretty winter plaid, but I thought it was so cute that the snowman had something in his hand.

My stash included a cream and green plaid paper, and I found a candy cane in one of my Lawn Fawn sets that was just about the perfect size for Mr. Snowman to hold.  It's always so much fun to see new products and projects, but this hop has really driven home the fact that I have lots of awesome goodies in my stash, and there are always different ways to combine the elements for something novel.  Thanks so much for the inspiration!

Glad you stopped by,
Christine

Linking to:
The 25 Tags of Christmas (Day 8 Inspired by Carol)
Word Art Wednesday
TCP November Challenge (Holiday)
PIP Challenge

Let's Stamp a Snowman!

Oh, there are so many cute Avery Elle Christmas tags on the 25 Tags of Christmas post today!  I was inspired by Katie's softly inked circular tag featuring a darling little snowman!  My version uses a die that cuts a scalloped window.  I paired it with a stitched circle to create the tag base and used a snowman from my Verve stash.

Thanks for visiting,
Christine

Linking to
25 Tags of Christmas (This one inspired by Katie on Day )
Word Art Wednesday

Joy!

Not only did I find inspiration when visiting the 25 Tags of Christmas post, I found a stack of Christmas card stock that I purchased "off season" and hadn't opened!  My tag was inspired by Jen's Day 5 project which features a wonderful Reverse Confetti tag and some adorable  triangular trees. These cute trees are part of my Verve stash and are fun to stamp over prints!  I am so enjoying the 25 Tags projects and playing along each day.

Glad you stopped by,
Christine

Linking to
25 Tags of Christmas (This one inspired by Jen on Day 5)
Word Art Wednesday

Let it Snow!

I am completely enjoying all the festivities surround the 25 Tags of Christmas link-up!  There are wonderful videos to see and lots of fabulous inspiration.  This tag was inspired by Tracey's Day Four Tag.  Her tag included a gorgeous ink-blended background,  snowflakes stenciled in glitter paste, and a beautiful snowflake die.  I used card stock with a soft sweater print, stamped snowflakes in pink for a watermark look, and used a MFT mandala die as big snowflake.  The tag and banner dies are from Reverse Confetti, and the stamps are part of my Verve stash.

Lots of lesson planning to do, but I am grateful for a little paper and ink time as well as for the inspiration!
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 4 Tracey)
Word Art Wednesday

Christmas with Newton

It was so much fun to visit the 25 Tags of Christmas blog post today.  It's being sponsored by Newton's Nook, and a darling tag by Lindsey (Day 3)  caught my eye.  She used a cluster of Christmas kitties, and my mind went straight to Newton's BirthdayTrio in hopes that I could adapt it for Christmas.  I stamped the image, colored the gift in Christmas hues, and cut out the single kitty.  Birthday stamp transformed to Christmas...and I know just the cat lover who will have this tag hanging on her gift bag!

Thanks for stopping by,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Lindsey Day 3)
Word Art Wednesday

Pretty Poinsettias

The Day One  post for this year's 25 Tags of Christmas blog hop featured lots of pretty poinsettias!  So many were done in gold, but the one that really inspired me was Lindsey's  poinsettia embossed on vellum.

My thought process went like this:  Wish I had a poinsettia that would work for that technique......wait, I have a poinsettia that is part of a collage stamp.  I've never been too good at embossing on vellum, and I will have to cut away the background.....

Anyway, I gave it a try.  The vellum didn't warp, cutting it was super easy, and center of the design had a solid area large enough to hide some foam tape.  I can see the flaws in this project, but I am SO glad I gave it a try.  New tag and new techniques to work on!  Win!

Thanks for visiting
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas (Day 1- Lindsey)
Simon Says Stamp

O, Christmas Tree

O, Christmas Tree, why are you sitting amidst the pumpkins?  I had some paper therapy time after a tough day and played along at the 25 Tags of Christmas.  I hope to play along each day and to have a set of tags to add to stash of wrapping supplies.  There is certainly lots of inspiration to be had!  I really loved Michele Ferguson's Day 2 tag with its sweet double scalloped edge and fun plaid print.  I searched my stash for those elements, and the tree seemed to be just the right  focal point. The tree die is from Lil Inker Designs and the tag base is a Reverse Confetti die that I love.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting,
Christine

Linking to:
25 Tags of Christmas  (Michele Day 2)
Simon Says Stamp

Love You a Latte

It's been fun to add a little coffee to the tags I've been making as Christmas gifts.  These tags include PTI's Made With Love dies, Punny Love stamps by Sweet and Sassy, and a sentiment from my beloved Verve Stash.  Punny Love is such a great set.  I ordered it to make welcome-back-to-school cards for my new students and have plans to make lots of Valentines with it, too.

I am also going to link to the 30-Day Coloring Challenge for the first time ever. So glad I read the fine print...it's lots of fun and doesn't require participation every day.

Thanks for stopping by,

Christine

Linking to:
Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Word Art Wednesday
SSS Wednesday Challenge

First Coffee.....Then Presents

I've been working on sets of tags to give as Christmas gifts since mid-July.  It's exciting to come up with an attractive design, and there is something relaxing about the process of mass-producing it several times.  It's been such a busy school year that some of my crafting sessions have been spent just assembling pieces that have been made and set aside. That makes me feel like crafting continues even during the crazy times.  This tag base was cut from a Reverse Confetti die, and the sentiment is a digital stamp from Verve.

Thanks for stopping by,

Christine

Linking to:
Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Word Art Wednesday
SSS Wednesday Challenge

There was only decaf!

I downsized the Mojo Monday sketch and used it as a tag layout simply by layering dies on my craft mat until the sizes worked well together. The sentiment is from a Verve digital set, and this one makes an appearance every Christmas, never failing to bring a chuckle.  I am adding these tags to the assortments I am putting together for co-workers' gifts.  It's been such fun making Christmas tags to share!

Wishing lots of coffee and crafting time,
Christine

Linking to:
Mojo Monday
Coffee Lovers Blog Hop
Word Art Wednesday
SSS Wednesday Challenge