Sunday 13 December 2015

A Vintage Journey - Secret Santa

Welcome, so glad you could pop by. Today myself and the team from A Vintage Journey are sharing with you the Secret Santa handmade gifts we gave and received.

Let me start by showing you the gift I received from the lovely Astrid.
I was so thrilled to receive a piece of Astrid's handmade artwork, it is gorgeous and so tactile and I have it on display as I type. Pop by Astrid's blog for all the wonderful detail, this really is a treasure. A huge thank you Astrid.

Now to the gift I created which was sent to the lovely Brenda Brown.
I wanted to create something that Brenda could bring out each year to display with her cards, something that was vintage and dimensional. My fellow team member from another Design Team Lisa inspired me to create this piece.
The arch shadow box is created using Tim Holtz Arch Frame die combined with Eileen Hull's 3D die, which enables you to make any die cut shape 3D. I then used the Sized Arches to create the front panel. I covered the die cut pieces with Tim Holtz Merriment and Yuletide Paper Stash. Once I had all my pieces stuck together I then added Texture Paste around the edges to give the appearance of snow and added Distress Stickles Dry Glitter Clear Rock Candy over the wet Texture Paste to give some shimmer. To add further to the festive feel I added some foliage around the outside edges using Tim Holtz Boxwood Twine.
I die cut the Mini Reindeer from white card, die cutting five layers and adhering them together to give me a dimensional Reindeer that would stand. I then painted the die cut piece with Vintage Photo Distress Paint, adding touches of Ground Espresso Distress Ink around the edges for shading. I added natural twine and a rusty bell to the reindeer for added interest.
I added a Mini Wreath and a Token embellishment to the centre, adding Dry Glitter to the Wreath for added sparkle.
I added some twigs from my garden to add a natural element to the design along with some mini Christmas lights.
Natural mini pinecones, faux ivy and berries have also been included.
To complete I added some Holiday Letterpress which I coloured with Wendy Vecchi  Red Geranium Embossing Powder.
Pop by A Vintage Journey Blog to see all the wonderful handmade gifts we shared.

Tracy x x


16 comments:

Redanne said...

Tracy, your gift from Astrid is so striking and beautiful that I went over to see how she made it! It truly is a beautiful gift and to have some of Astrid's own design papers in the tag is wonderful.

I love the gift you made for Brenda, it is beautifully constructed and the little string of lights is just adorable. It really has been a wonderful swap at AVJ. Hugs, Anne xx

Astrid Maclean said...

Oh Tracy I totally adore the gift you made for Brenda, such a great dimensional piece and so beautifully put together. Love the addition of the real leaves and pine cones and the little Christmas lights are just the perfect finishing touch!! I bet Brenda is going to love and treasure it. I'm also glad you liked my gift to you, this whole thing has been such a wonderful experience! Have the most wonderful Christmas and I really hope that in 2016 we will have the chance to meet irl!

Candy C said...

Tracy, your Christmas shrine for Brenda is exquisite. I am amazed at all of the lovely vintage details you packed into this gorgeous piece! Your gift from Astrid is beautiful. The second I saw it, I knew it was from Astrid.,she has such a lovely vintage style. Merry Christmas, my friend.

Terry said...

Tracy, I so love the Secret Santa gift you made for Brenda. What a lovely and festive decoration. The stringing of lights is fabulous! The gift collection from Astrid is so lovely! Merry Christmas!

Jenny Marples said...

Tracy, this is beautiful! I love all the little elements you've added to this to make it so special, the twigs, the lights, the tree and wreath pieces and that delightful festive bouquet at the bottom. I'm sure it will be treasured. Jenny x

Jennie Atkinson said...

Tracey this is just such a beautiful gift which will be used for many years I am sure. I love the addition of the real fir cones and the little string of lights is just adorable. A truly amazing Christmas project x

Words and Pictures said...

What a wonderful festive ornament! I love the coloured fairy lights - so retro! winding their way around, and the little brown paper deer all tied up with string. So lovely to use the arches to create a 3D shadow-box - I love it, and I bet Brenda does too.
Alison xx

Julia Aston said...

What a beautiful arch design with the little garden box in front Tracy! I love how you incorporated real nature in the twigs and pine cones into your lovely decoration! Julia xx

Anonymous said...

This is definitely an heirloom piece, to be taken out of storage year after year. The attention to detail is exquisite, especially the mini Christmas lights. I can just imagine this arch illuminating Brenda's display of cards.
Astrid's gifts created for you are so beautiful and so very Astrid with the colours, texture and vintage images.
Wishes
Lynne

Pamellia said...

Wow Tracy, Brenda is one lucky lady to receive such a work of art! A truly stunning decor piece, made with so much TLC! The big MERRY across the bottom is a wonderful way to create a base for your little scene and the scene itself tells a beautiful story!! Beautiful gorgeous...love it! hugs :)

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

How FUN!!!! LOVE what you created for Brenda! The whole scene is precious, and LOVE what Astrid gave you! GLORIOUS!!!

Scrapintheattic.com said...

Love the layers, happy Christmas x

A Pink said...

Such a lovely Christmas project ! Tracy . I love the combination of the natural elements ( the fir cones , the twigs from your garden ) with your wonderful hand crafted elements and Tims ideology . I'm sure Brenda will love it x

Nikki Acton said...

Oh wow Tracy - just love this and I am sure Brenda does too! A fabulous scene, full of wonderful details and love the use natural items. Genius! Nikki xx

Suzanne C said...

Just fabulous! I pulled out my holiday decorations and there was your beautiful art and it is sitting out on my bakers rack! Beautiful art for your teamie!

Barbara said...

Tracy your gift for Brenda is amazing! rich of details, full of great ideas! Wonderful piece of art! barbarayaya