Saturday, December 13, 2014

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

40 comments:

Deepti said...

The bags are so pretty. I will have to give it a try :) fab tags,

Anonymous said...

Lovely muslin bag Julia! I love the tags and stamp sets you used. Beautifully done. What a lovely gift you recieved from Alison, just gorgroues! Karen.x

Rita said...

What a lovely idea of the Muslin bag Julia. Love the stencilling and the beautiful holly. A very clever idea for a gift. Your gift from Alison is so beautiful. I'm sure you'll treasure it for ever too. Hugs Rita xxx

Jenny Marples said...

What a special and thoughtful gift bag Julia. I love the stencilling on this and feel sure it will be treasured. Jenny x

Brenda Brown said...

Love this gorgeous little gift Julia, such a delightful bag, beautifully decorated and a wow surprise for Astrid. Love it xxx

Rupa Swaminathan said...

Such a lovely thought to make a bag for a tag! I loved the pleasing colors on the bag.It looks really cool. Merry Christmas to you, Hugs, Rupa.

Words and Pictures said...

The decorative bag is absolutely charming, Julia - I love the delicate stencilling and how gorgeous the holly bough looks with its glossy berries. And the tag is fabulous - love the snowy look, and I definitely "need" that striding man!

So glad you love the card wallet - and that it arrived in time!!
Alison xx

~amy~ said...

um WOW. You're amazing Julia!

Pamellia said...

What an amazing idea, to decorate a bag and the tag is gorgeous too! Such a wonderful gift to send someone and how lucky are you to receive such a beautiful gift as well! WOW to both!! holiday hugs :)

Vicki Dutcher said...

FABULOUS! I love that you stamped the backs on everything -- the sentiments on the tags are perfect! Another [very] successful ABC project!

Redanne said...

I do so love the idea of stamping and stenciling onto muslin, it looks so beautiful with the Christmas theme Julia and the tag is just stunning - it does indeed look like it is snowing - and the Secret Santa stamp is fabulous!

I adore Alison's gift too. Hugs, Anne xx

crafty creations said...

Such a beautiful gift - the stamping on the muslin is perfect

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Healthy 2015

Terry said...

Your gift bag is delightful and so lovely for Christmas, Julia! Love the stenciling and embellishments. Wonderful Secret Santa gift from Alison! Happy Sunday!

Astrid Maclean said...

Oh Julia, well I hope you know just how much I loved the little bag you made me!!!!! Now it's great to see exactly how you went about making it, so thanks for that too.

The gift you received from Alison is stunning too!!

This has been so much fun!
A Very merry Christmas to you!!!

Nikki said...

The bag is so pretty on both sides very inspiring Hugs Nikki

Jools Robertson said...

Fantastic gift bag, love the decoration
Lovely tag card and such a nice idea to send the die cuts

Such a beautiful gift from Alison

Jools x

Nikki Acton said...

What a special gift this is Julia! I must get some muslin - this looks stunning xx

Deb said...

Your muslin bag is so beautiful Julia, love the details and your tag is so lovely! The tag holder card you received from Alison is stunning, thank you for sharing them with us and wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Jane said...

Your muslin bag is so pretty, I love the stenciling. The secret santa you received is also super. Lovely work x

Monica taylor said...

Beautiful project!
♥ Monica

jasann said...

What a beautiful gift, Thanks for showing us all the steps and hope you have a lovely Christmas!!

sarascloset said...

What a beautiful bag and tag you have created! Love that falling snow! And what a gorgeous gift you have received from Alison! I am so enjoying getting to see all the wonderful things you have made for one another!

Gerrina said...

Beautiful bag! Love that you stamped on something else than normaly is done! The result is so beautiful! The tag you made is a great one! Inky greetings, Gerrina

Loll said...

Such a fun event Julia! LOVE your muslin bag and tag card. Love the layers of stenciling, stamping and embellishments to create this fabulous gift!

And the card you received is gorgeous. So many beautiful elements. Loll xx

Unknown said...

Julia, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the darling muslin bag and the wonderful tag tucked inside for Astrid! What fun! :)
OMG--Alison's gift to you is spectacular! The two beautiful tags inside are sooo Alison :) Just lovely :) Thank you for sharing all of this creative & festive fun with us!! XOXO-Shari

Pawsitively Creative said...

Awwww what? Awesomesauce is what I want to say! This is just amazing! Hugs! ~Niki

Jerrie said...

I love your idea! What a fantastic gift. Love the charm on the bag and the tags inside. The one with the deer is so beautiful!

Scrapintheattic.com said...

Just beautiful, I love the stamping on fabric x

Juliz Design Post said...

Hi Julia, your muslin bag you made Astrid is adorable, love your hanging snowflake and touch of Tinsel and your tag has the most perfect snowstorm background on it.
What a keepsake present you have received from Alison. Hasn't this been so much fun having Secret Santa.
Merry Christmas, Julie x

Maarit at Violets Corner said...

Super project, I'm joining your give away too :)

Love
Maarit

Unknown said...

What a fine bag, loved all your stencilling and stamping and your tag is also beautiful!

pearshapedcrafting said...

I just love your little bag - such a clever idea! Love your gift from Alison too! Chrisx

S@ndy Diller said...

Your gift is truly a work of art. I know it will be something Astrid will treasure for many years. Happy Holidays -

S@ndy xx

Specs N Scissors said...

This is so pretty.Such a beautiful way to convert a simple looking muslin bag into such gorgeousness. Wonderful!
Cheers :)

Kathy/NorthCarolina said...

That little muslin bag is a treasure all on its own! I love the soft vintage inks you used here. The tag is fabby...why didn't I think to use that die for tags before now? I found you via Sara Emily's blog (saras closet) and I'm so glad I did! I'm adding you to my reader! Merry Christmas!!!

Paper Profusion said...

Love your little gift bag Julia - it is so beautifully decorated and will be used for sure again and again. LOVE Alison's creation - lucky you! Nicola x

Jaya Raghuvanshi said...

What a fabulous gift this would make. Love the stamping on the bag. Merry Christmas :)

Evelyn Walter said...

Your gift bag is so pretty, Astrid will love it.A timeless gift for many years.

Ellie Knol said...

Gorgeous makes from both of you, Julia and Alison!!

Kim said...

Julia, I love what you did with the stencil and stamps on the muslin bag and the tag is lovely. Such a thoughtful gift. I have enjoyed seeing everyone's gifts...what creativity!