/* */ Beulah Bee: December 2015

December 29, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - December

As the year comes to a close, I'm posting a final tag for 2015 which will link to Tim's monthly tag along with Simon's Monday blog challenge.

I used Tim's four smallish Christmas Collage stamps for the background by stamping on Distress-tinted tissue paper, cutting out various parts and pasting to the tag in a new arrangement.

An oval was cut from the middle, a photo from Tim's Merriment paper stash pasted behind it then tiny paper-punched oak leaves were tinted, glittered and pasted on.

Perfect Pearls and Stickles were used to embellish the borders along with a tiny bow and some Remant Rubs.

I expect the reason we love vintage (and Christmas) so much is because it takes us back to happier times.

The children here certainly had a different experience from kids growing up today.

And if there was a soundtrack running as you view this tag, it would be John Lennon's song which I believe is more poignant now than when it was written given the turbulent events of this past year:

So this is Christmas, and what have you done
Another year over and a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young

A very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year
(let's hope it's a good one, without any fear)

If you'd like to see all of the Christmas tags
I made based on Tim's 12 from 2015, click here.

December 22, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - November

Unless I get busy, there will only be 11 Tags for Christmas this year because I haven't made one for December yet. This one was inspired by Tim's November tag and his idea of embossing an image stamped on watercolor paper using a stylus.
 
 
The background was made using his emboss-resist technique (one of my favorites) along with some Tissue Tape and Remnant Rubs.

The top-left corner looked a little sparse so I added a bit of diamond bling which I also used in the flower's center.

I used black paint (and a tiny paintbrush) to emphasize the lettering from the background stamp (Christmas Collage by Tim).

If you've missed one through 12 of my Christmas versions of Tim's tags this year, there's a link on the sidebar.

As this will be my last post before December 25, I'm wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.

December 18, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - October


Who could forget Tim's tag for October which featured a die-cut Frankenstein face? It was so much fun to see all the variations everyone came up with!

So naturally, my Christmas version of this tag includes a cut-out and assembled Santa along with Tim's Merriment paper and text cut from his Christmas Words stamp.

Click to Enlarge
I used a vintage pattern found on the net which I've included here in case you'd like to make one. Perhaps a fun project for the kids?

It's a small file so you'll need to resize it in a photo editor if you want to make a larger version.





Santa's big day is only one week away and just two weeks until the new year. My Christmas wish for this year? That time wouldn't pass by so quickly and I'd have more moments to fully savor the delights of the season. It is, afterall, the most wonderful time of the year!

December 15, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - September


Perhaps one of the most challenging Tim Holtz tags this year was the one for September mainly because it featured an embossed transparency and I don't own the necessary equipment. While that fact is still true, my Christmas spin does feature a transparency that was laid (bowed) over the top of a paper background embellished with texture paste using the Idea-ology Scribbles stencil.

Click to Enlarge
I attached a stamped image that was cut from vellum to the back of the transparency along with some metallic star confetti then stitched around the edges to secure it to the tag. It looks pretty cool in person (though hard to photograph) and gives the appearance that the angel is hovering over clouds.

A Christmas Remant Rub was attached to the front of the transparency and a bit of Broken China Distress was used to tint the edges of the paste.

December 09, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - August


Tim's August tag this year featured a die-cut text background and a Found Relative collage. My Christmas version features a background that was stamped with text and I used an image from his Merriment paper stash.

I was happy to use some vintage postage, Correspondence remnant rubs and Chit-Chat stickers for embellishment. It's hard to believe that five cents was all it took to mail a Christmas card from 1963-1968.


Since the paper tones were rather muted I used a little Fired Brick Distress Ink to emphasize the costumes.

For me, this tag's best features are the soft matte paper textures and the way the photo was cropped to fit the tag.

I'm linking to Simon's Monday blog challenge where this week's theme is (no surprise) Holly Jolly Stamping.

December 06, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - July


I can't pick a favorite from my 12 Tags for Christmas series (inspired by Tim's monthly tags for 2015) since I haven't made a December version yet but this tag, for the month of July, is a top contender.

Why? I would never in a million years have combined Santa images from three of his Christmas collage stamps in this way but did so to mimic the theme from July which featured three watercolored blueprint stamps. And I think the result is pretty awesome (if I do say so myself ☺).

Using a page from his Merriment paper for a background, the stamped images were embossed and tinted. The number 25 is a cut-out from that same paper line and the cents symbol was covered up with an Ideaology star tinted with alcohol ink (click to see a close-up). 
When it comes to creating flesh tones, I find that a combination of red, yellow and violet works pretty well. And since my watercolor paper is a bit on the heavy side, stitching the images to the tag is a good way to secure them and adds another level of interest.

I can't wait to attach it to a package for my great-nephew who happens to be the biggest Santa fan in the family this year.

December 03, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - June

Remember that iced coffee to-go cup on a plaid background that Tim made for the June tag this year? It was really fun, complete with a domed lid, straw and a place to put a gift card. What an imagination!


My Christmas version of that tag features another attempt at plaid but the color was off so I ran it under water (thank goodness tags are tough) and the plaid striping is now perhaps too subtle.

My ornament is just paper pasted on a scrap of 300 lb. watercolor paper (think thick) and the branch pattern was also cut from store-bought printed paper that I covered with Glossy Accents.

I used a strip of burlap ribbon to stamp my sentiment (Tim's Christmas Words) and I added bling with stars, Stickles, and a thin silver ribbon.

If you'd like to see the detail just click on this photo to enlarge it for a close-up view.

December 02, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - May


Adding texture with burlap and paste, learning how to tint photos with ink, then telling a story with ephemera and text--that's what Tim's tag for May was all about and it was one of my favorites this year.

My holiday version features a Found Relative photo (Occassions), Remnant Rub text, the Schoolhouse stencil and some Idea-ology vellum ephemera. The holly was stamped, cut-out and glitter-fied and I'll tell you about the happy-accident that became the frame.

The photo was thick as it had previously been mounted on heavy cardstock (an abandoned idea) and I didn't like how high it sat on the burlap. To fill in the gap, I applied a black line of 3-D Scribbles around the edge then used a toothpick to poke bumps in it (a lesser-known Distress technique ☺).

After it dried, I dotted red glitter glue over the top leaving spaces for the black to show through. (To see the detail, click the photo to enlarge it.)

I'm linking this tag to Simon's Monday blog challenge where this week's theme is Gentlemen. I can't think of a more "gentle man" than Santa!

December 01, 2015

12 Tags for Christmas - April


The emphasis for Tim's April tag this year was on using a watercolor technique along with a clever way to assemble a word band insert using kraft paper.

My holiday version features a poinsettia stamp by Penny Black and I didn't use a die-cut for the text-- it was stamped and embossed instead (Tim's Christmas Words).

And it just wouldn't be as Christmas-y without some bling so I applied gold Stickles on the border and used black 3-D Scribbles for accent.

I really like this one--it's easy to see why using watercolor with stamps has become so popular and starting with a spritzed background really elevates the technique.

In case you don't know about my 12 Tags for Christmas series, this post will fill you in on the why and what for's.