TBT – It’s Begun!

HELLO HELLO HELLO!!  It’s time for Throwback Thursday at the Scrap’N Stamp  today, we’re jumping into the holiday season with this Christmastime creation from November 20, 2014–WOW!! Almost two years ago now…

Yes!!  I have done it!!  I’ve finally got myself crafting for Christmas-early (for me)!!  THANK YOU to all of my bloggy friends who have been inspiring me with their own Christmas creations and tales of not being ready to be in the holiday spirit, either!!😉

I usually hold out until December 1st to start any kind of Christmas anything, but there are several challenges out there that expire on November 30th-if not sooner! and one of those challenges is holiday related.  That helps get the old motivation kick-started, too!!

This, my first of the season Christmas card, is headed into 3 challenges!  HO HO HO-Let’s Go!!

I’ve got the Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge #15-Cabinet Card…check!  I’ve got the Artistic Outpost-Show us your AO art….check!  And over at Inspiration Journal it’s Happy Holidays…check!  There is the chance to win some fabulous goodies and gift certificates at each challenge, so get your holiday crafting mojo in gear (if I can do it, you can do it) and join me!! 🙂

I started with a TH/Idea-ology Cabinet Card that I covered with a layer of gesso on the front…..

….and on the back.  I don’t mind that the pre-printed graphics can be seen through the gesso.  It’s a great first layer that I hope will show through here and there when I’m finished altering this card.

(Excuse the mottled sunlight–I’m still trying to use as much natural light as I can for my picture taking and the sun doesn’t crest the tree line that borders our property to the south.  This is the sunlight I get when the sun is at its highest point in the day, filtered through a greenbelt of evergreens.  It’s pretty, but not the best for picture taking, so I’ll be working on my whole lighting thing as the days grow shorter.)

I used Jet Black Archival ink and randomly stamped images from my AO Ephemera Background set on the front of the cab card….

…and on the back.  I know that the postal mark in the image isn’t Christmas time related, but it’s the thought that counts!!

I’m going to finger paint Barn Door & Mowed Lawn DPs over the front and back of the cab card.  Before I began, I slipped a piece of wax paper into the middle of the cab card so that the pocket did not get painted shut.

I went heavier with red on the front, with a smudge of green here and there….

…and I used the rest of the paint and smudged it all over the backside with my fingers.

I sanded the front and back surfaces with my sanding block, then I applied Vintage Photo DI with my ink blending tool over the front & back surfaces and I finished with inking the edges with Walnut Stain DI.  I constructed the rest of this cabinet card at night and the lighting was horrible, so I only have pictures of the completed card, that I snapped in the daylight.

Here is the finished back–I used my TH Harlequin & Christmastime stencils with WV Silver Embossing Paste and randomly laid down some texture on the back and front sides.

You can see the stenciling peeking through some of the layers of embellies that I laid down–There’s some TH/Idea-ology Tissue Tape, Alpha Tiles that spell out St. Nick, OH–I used a piece of Industrious Border sticker, that I painted with Picket Fence & Mowed Lawn DPs, to frame the image of old St. Nick.

This nice image of St. Nick is from the AO Snowy Woods set and I stamped him onto glossy stock with StazOn ink in Jet Black.  I colored him with Tea Dye, Barn Door & Broken China DI’s and my mini ink blending tool.  He was attached to a couple of pieces of Seasonal Paper Stash and slipped into the pocket of the Cabinet Card.

I stamped the pine cones from the AO Midwinter set onto manila stock and colored with Vintage Photo DI.  I fussy cut them out and applied Clear Rock Candy DG to the edges with sticky embossing powder.  The pine boughs are from the TH/Sizzix Tattered Pinecone die, treated with a layer of Shabby Shutters DG.

Here’s the tag I made to insert inside the pocket.  It’s a #8 manila tag that I soaked with a Walnut Stain re-inker spray that I made (Thanks for the idea, Lynne!)   I used the Christmastime stencil with Evergreen Bough DI and my ink blending tool.  That little trio of pine cones is from the Midwinter plate and they have a nice little sparkle of Clear Rock Candy DG, too.

I attached the Merry Christmas label, from the TH/SA Simple Sayings set, to a piece of black stock and wrapped around the cab card with jute twine.  I have to say it feels good to have this first card made for Christmas.  It should just get easier from here on out, Right?! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by today!!  I’m so glad that you did and until next time–Stay Artsy Fartsy!!

SUPPLIES I USED:

• Surfaces: Cabinet Card Frame (Tim Holtz/Idea-ology); Glossy, Manila & Black Card Stock; Seasonal Paper Stash (Tim Holtz/Idea-ology); #8 Manila Tag (Inkssentials/Ranger)
• Stamps: Snowy Woods, Midwinter, Ephemera Backgrounds (Artistic Outpost); Simple Sayings (Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous)
• Distress Inks & Paints (Tim Holtz/Ranger); Archival Ink (Ranger); StazOn Ink (Tsukineko); Gesso (Claudine Hellmuth/Ranger); Sticky Embossing Powder (Ranger); Distress Glitter (Tim Holtz/Ranger)
• Alpha Tiles, Tissue Tape, Mirror Stars, Christmastime Remnant Rubs (Tim Holtz/Idea-ology); Jute Twine
• Big Shot Machine (Sizzix); Tattered Pinecone Bigz Die (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
• Matte Gel (Liquitex); Foam Squares; Double-Back Tape (3M); Embossing Heat Gun; Heat Tool; Ink Blending Tool; Mini Ink Blending Tool; Detail Scissors (Fiskars); Craft Sheet (Ranger)