Craft-Room Challenge presents Vintage Christmas

The inspiration for this card was the new challenge at Craft-Room Challenges.  The theme was chosen by Zoe and for challenge #88, its Vintage Christmas.  I love old ornaments and such but I couldn’t think of anything to suit vintage Christmas – until I saw the beautiful paper I used on the card.  As I have said before, my craft room is typically messy – and especially around this time of year when I am creating like a crazy woman.  I had piles of papers here and there and happened to turn over this piece and I knew I had found the perfect paper to use on my card!  I think this card captures the spirit of a Vintage Christmas.

The picture doesn't do it justice

What I Used to Make My Card:

Kraft cardstock base

KaiserCraft “Art of Life” Collection, P1401, Every Day

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Die-Delights, Petite Labels One, S3-205

Scrap of Cream (Vanilla) Cardstock

Tree Cutfile

Silhouette Cameo

Tim Holtz Seasonal Chit Chat

Distress Ink in Pumice Stone

I don’t have a long tutorial for you because it is a really simple card.  I had already had one of the trees cut from an earlier project, so I just sized the two remaining trees to complement that one and cut them using the Silhouette.

See the sparkle?

I made sure the words I chose from the Chit Chat fit inside the die I wanted to use for the label,  then I die cut the label out of the cream cardstock, adhered the stickers and edged the label with Pumice Stone Distress Ink (I just used the pad).  I arranged the trees and the sentiment, glued everything down and there you have it! I really enjoy the simplicity of the card and I think the middle tree (the extra one I had) being cut from glitter cardstock adds the perfect bit of glitz.  I hope you agree and enjoyed this mini-tutorial.  As always, thank you for stopping by, your visits and comments mean the world to me!  Now, get your holiday spirit on and make a vintage project to share at the Craft-Room Challenge!

PS: It looks like I added something to the Kraft card I used for a base - I didn't use anything on it, the photo just made it look sorta grainy.

And another look at the final card.  Love that sparkly tree!

I would like to enter my card in the following challenges:
Completely Christmas - #35, Anything Goes, Twist: Use a Setiment
Allsorts Challenge - #282, Christmas 
ABC Christmas Challenge - U is for Uncolored (I didn't color anything)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Get Crafty & Use Kraft (my card base)

Spooky Skull Wall Hanging

I recently bought the Tim Holtz Alterations Skull Blueprint which, in case you don't know, gives you the dies to cut out certain stamped pieces of course this isn't the only one I bought; but those will be introduced on another day.  I am Halloween crazy, and skulls and skeletons are my one of my favorite Halloween embellishments.  In fact, throughout my home, you’ll spot skulls tucked in various places because they aren’t just for Halloween in my world!  A while back I commandeered some scrap wood and had my resident handyman cut it into panels I could use for my art.  This project is born from my love of all things Halloween, Tim Holtz and one of those panels.

What I Used to make My Project:

Wood panel (approx. 7” x 7”)

Gesso

Golden Acrylic Paint in Micaceous Iron Oxide & Carbon Black

Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Paper Stash in Laboratorie

Tim Holtz Alterations, Skull Blueprint, #659375

Grey Paper

Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black

Paper Frame cut with Silhouette Cameo

Black Paper for frame cut out

Thin Pop-Dots

Dresden scrap

4 Silver Skull Charms

First thing I did was gesso the wood panel.  Since wood soaks up paint like crazy, the gesso adds a barrier between the wood and the paint.  After the gesso was dry, I followed up with one coat of Carbon Black paint so I wouldn’t have to use too much of the Micaceous Iron Oxide paint (it is my favorite color and it has such a cool sparkle to it when it dries) and waited for that to dry.  Once I painted a coat of the Micaceous Iron Oxide I moved on to making the skull while I waited for the last coat of paint to dry.

I stamped the skull with Jet Black ink on the grey paper, and then lined up the dies with the stamped image.  My dies have a tendency to move when I am

3D - and no special glasses required!

rolling them through the machine (I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I need to use all my strength half of the time) , so I used a bit of removable tape to hold everything in place.  I cut the entire skull, then just the head part and finally the jaw.  I pop dotted them together for a bit of 3D action.

I had already cut the frame for another project so I had it lying around with the Dresden scrap.  This time of year I have lots of things lying about as I am usually creating like crazy and being neat is not an issue for me in my room – thank goodness!  I picked the paper out of the Laboratorie Paper Stash and cut it out.  It is from a

sheet that had four squares on it, each square was a different pattern, so I didn’t need to crop it or anything. 

I laid everything out, tweaked this and that, and finally glued everything to the paper before I glued the paper to the wooden panel.  Once I glued the paper, I finished up with the little silver skull charms (with the holes cut off) and put one in each corner.  I literally built the piece around the skull because I think it is so awesome!  

I hope you enjoyed your visit here & I'd love to go to your blog and see your Halloween creations, so please be sure to leave me your blog address in the comments box.  Happy Halloween! ~ Christi

I am entering my Spooky Skull in the following challenges:
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - #19, H is for Hopeful Halloween 
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Anything Goes
Craft Hoarders Anonymous - #18, Layer it (use at least 3 layers)
Haunted Design House - Week 1 of Hellacious Halloween
A Vintage Journey - #17, A Halloween to Die For