A Vintage Journey - Secret Santa Reveal

The Creative Guides of A Vintage Journey decided to do a "Secret Santa" this year.  We were each sent a name to be kept secret until our creation arrived when it would be revealed as the receiver opened their package!  How fun!!

Well today is our big reveal - we've all sent and received our surprise creations - you will find a post of all the creations over at A Vintage Journey.  Brenda is having Christmas Giveaway and to be eligible for the draw - readers have to leave a comment on all of our blogs and link to the post over at AVJ 
See all the details at the bottom of my post.

I was Secret Santa to the awesomely talented Astrid who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland - a place I visited about 20 years ago and loved (seeing the Military Tattoo in the Edinburgh Castle being one of the highlights!) so I can envision her surroundings a bit.   I decided to decorate a small muslin bag and slip a tag/card inside it.    

So - here's how I stamped, stenciled and decorated one side.

and here's how I stamped, stenciled and decorated the other side.

Here's how the little 3"x5" bag started out.  I inserted a piece of card stock inside the bag so if any of the ink soaked through it wouldn't bleed onto the other side!

First I stenciled both sides using Wendy Vecchi's Check Mate stencil with Archival Cornflower Blue Ink

On one side I then stenciled trees with Wendy Vecchi'sHappy Holidays stencil with Archival Leaf Green ink.

I inked two Idea-ology Mirrored Stars with Archival Dandelion ink and adhered them to the top of the trees and stamped a sentiment from For the Arts by Wendy Vecchi with Archival Jet Black ink..

To finish off this side -  I used a Trinket Pin to secure a Heart Charm in the top corner and slipped a piece of Tinsel Twine through the loop.

On the other side I inked part of Tim's Festive stencil using Archival Leaf Green, Red Geranium and Potting Soil

I added enamel dots for the holly berries, adhering them with Glue N Seal.

I pinned a Snowflake Adornment that I inked with Archival Cornflower Blue Ink, slipping a little piece of Tinsel Twine through the loop for a touch of glitter!

I stamped a sentiment from Tim's Mini Holiday 5 set with Archival Jet Black in the bottom corner.

To make the little tag/card -  I die cut a piece of Rustic White cardstock using the Alterations Artful Dwelling die.  First I sprayed the tag with water using my Mini Mister.  Then I sprayed the tag with both Tea Dye and Iced Spruce Distress Spray Stains and dried the tag with my heat tool.  I stamped the caroler and sentiment from Tim's Mini Holidays 5 set with Archival Jet Black Ink.

And finally -  I sprayed the tag with Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain - doesn't it look like a snowy sky?!

I had the perfect stamps for the back of my Secret Santa tag -  they are from Waltzingmouse - Santa was Here set and Compliments of the Season.  I knotted a piece of black Jute String and Tinsel Twine through the hole in the tag.

And here is the lovely creation I received from MY Secret Santa Alison!  I hope you don't mind but I have to show you all of these photos of her gift so you can appreciate how beautiful the tag/card Alison made is -with all the texture, the die cuts, the embossing, pastes and inks. 

Here's the front

The inside

The backs of the tags

the beautiful misty forest you see when the tags are removed.

and the back!

I am thrilled and honored to be the recipient of this wonderful creation Alison - thank you SO much!

This was such a wonderful event for us - the Creative Guides - making a secret surprise to send and receiving a secret surprise in the mail - thanks so much Brenda for organizing this for us!

 A Vintage Journey wants to thank all those who travel on their creative journey with us, with a chance to win your own present! -  here are all the details from Brenda.

We would like to give each and every one of you who enter our challenges and who read our blog posts a Christmas gift and the nearest we could think of doing this is to offer our Christmas Give-Away.

This is a lovely present to one lucky person.
Now just to be friendly we would like you to -
1. Visit all the blogs of the Creative Guides and leave them a comment.
2. Come back the the AVJ blog and leave a link-up on the Linky to a post on your blog where you have mentioned our Give-Away and linked it back at AVJ - this might be a new post just with the Give-Away info in it or you could include it in a post you are writing for something else - just like you would if you were entering a challenge.
If we have more than 30 links there will be a second Give-away added and if we get more than 50 links there will be a third..
Make sure you have linked by 23:55 on Sunday the 21st of December which is when the Linky closes. The winner will be chosen by Random Org and announced on our following challenge post which will be on the 26th December.

Good luck everyone, enjoy the hop and thank you in advance for taking part.
You will find the list of all the Creative Guides as well as the link over at A Vintage Journey

Muslin Bag
Stamps:  For the Arts - Wendy Vecchi/Stampers Anonymous, Mini Holidays 5 - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous
Ink:  Archival Jet Black, Wendy Vecchi Archival Leaf Green, Cornflower Blue, Fern Green, Potting Soil, Dandelion, Forget Me Not
Accessories:  Stencils - Wendy Vecchi Check Mate, Happy Holidays; Festive - Tim Holtz; jump ring, Glue N Seal, Idea-ology - Mirrored Stars, Heart Charms, Adornments - Snow flake, Trinket Pins; home made enamel dots from Perler Beads, 3" x 5" Muslin/cotton bag - Pouchmart.com

Tag:  
Stamps:  Mini Holidays 5 - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous, Santa Was Here and Compliments of the Season - Waltzingmouse
Paper:  Rustic White, Smokey Shadow - PTI
Ink:  Archival Jet Black
Accessories:  Distress Spray Stains- Tea Dye, Iced Spruce, Brushed Pewter, Idea-ology - Jute String, Tinsel Twine, Mini Mister - Ranger, Artful Dwellings Die - Alterations/Tim Holtz