Sunday, December 4, 2011

Christmas Emporium Book


We're Home!



We had a great time on our Smoky Mountain trip! It was full of great food, fun, shopping and tours.

That having been said....there's no place like home!

So I decided to work (finally) on putting together the book that goes into the Graphic 45-5x5 Kraftboard Altered Art Box with Album.

This is just one of the BACK pages. We'll prep all the pages here with Distress Stain to start.
Come back tomorrow for this front section!

This page is a bit bowed in the picture because of the "stuff" on the other side...Greetings really is straight, I promise!



If you have the wonderful box, you know it comes with an insert book. It folds out into 4 accordion pages.

I took one of my favorite Distress Stain - Fired Brick and outlined all the sections to begin with.

Then I added just a touch of Aged Mahogany and Vintage Photo. I used 2 layers of the Fired Brick to get a rich, deep color on the Kraft Paper.

Almost all the papers are the 8x8 paper pad from the Christmas Emporium collection again.

Since you've cut all the pieces out of one sheet for the box, all you have to do is decide where to put theses gorgeous papers!!! Right???

This is basically just a section of the Happy Holidays paper. (This is the 12x12 sheet here.)

I cut out the one section, then Distress Inked with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo and the Blending Tool.

Glue to to 3rd page from the left on the back.



The Snowflakes are from Maya Road, and the Glitter is Martha Stewart.

Add Glossy Accents and pile on the glitter. I use a piece of chipboard or plastic packaging to GENTLY press the glitter on top to flatten. Then move out of the pile to dry.

Thanks to Lisa M. Pace for teaching me to do glitter. She is the Glitter Queen!

(Check out her new book Delight in the Seasons and her new stamps by Pink Persimmon.)

When they're dry, spray with Blue Smoke Perfect Pearl Mist to add a more vintage look.

You can see the difference in the before and after in the picture above.



The Best Christmas Wishes and Greetings pieces are added to black chipboard.

Punch a hole in the tag, add an eyelet, and tie a piece of gold ribbon.

The Snowflakes needed a "little somethin' more" so I added a Rhinestone.

These were clear, so I added a bit of Denim Alcohol Ink to them for color and contrast.

A Green Metallic Gelly Roll pen makes a few marks around the border, and Coffee Archival Ink added a few more swirls on the tags.

I found the tiny wreath somewhere in my travels, and it was exactly the same size as the one in the picture!

The Star is from Mark Richards.

So I'll be working to put the other pages up as the month goes on.

But my suggestion for gluing is start on the back with the flat pieces, and move to the front.


Live and Learn!

Don't forget that Inspiration Emporium has $5 shipping in the US, and they carry all the things you need for Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas. So check them out!

Linda

Friday, December 2, 2011

Traveling Day - Henry Clay Estate


It was another beautiful day in the South. The sky was blue and the birds were singing.


     We took off early to go to the Tennessee Artisan Center. What a fabulous place.

   Hundreds of items of original art, pottery, jewelry and textile pieces to admire and buy.

       I did my part to help the economy!!!




Ashland Henry Clay Estate

Then we traveled to Lexington, KY to tour the Henry Clay Estate. The surrounding homes were absolutely stunning. And the estate was a real treat to visit.

Our guide was brilliant. The stories and pieces of history that he shared created a wonderful learning experience for all of us.

 I truly enjoyed it.




Roy graciously took our picture in front of one of the beautifully decorated window balconies.

We walked the grounds and enjoyed to  carriage house and other restored buildings on the estate.

The sun was near to setting, so we took off for dinner.

Home tomorrow...............YES!!!

LOVE to go, and LOVE to come home!

Be Well.

Linda and Bill

Thursday, December 1, 2011

What a Difference a Day Makes......

......that and a few thousand feet.



We took off after breakfast to enjoy the sunshine and the sites. 

This is a Mill that has been made into a restaurant along the river.

The water is crystal clear coming down from the mountains after the snowfall.



The Christmas Village Shops were amazing. I've never seen SO many decorations in one store!

You seriously could NOT find the way out....Bill did no go IN!!!




The park along the river was gorgeous.

And the Smoky Mountains are in the distance.

The day was just perfect. 




So I'll leave you with a parting shot of me in the Gazebo.

We leave for home tomorrow.

Stopping in Kentucky to see the Henry Clay Estate. It's been a great trip.

Bill and Linda