Advent Calendar Extravaganza – Day 24!

By Taheerah | 24th December 2015 | 200 Comments

Hello everybody! And welcome to Day 24 of Advent Calendar Extravaganza!!

If you missed Day 23, click here!
If you missed Day 22, click here!
If you missed Day 21, click here!
If you missed Day 20, click here!
If you missed Day 19, click here!
If you missed Day 18, click here!
If you missed Day 17, click here!
If you missed Day 16, click here!
If you missed Day 15, click here!
If you missed Day 14, click here!
If you missed Day 13, click here!
If you missed Day 12, click here!
If you missed Day 11, click here!
If you missed Day 10, click here!
If you missed Day 9, click here!
If you missed Day 8, click here!
If you missed Day 7, click here!
If you missed Day 6, click here!
If you missed Day 5, click here!
IMPORTANT: Day 4 had an extra secret destination added part way through the day. If you want an extra chance to win, click here and open the door again to get your final link!
If you missed Day 3, click here!
If you missed Day 2, click here!
If you missed Day 1, click here!

I’ve always loved the concept of Advent Calendars. There’s something special and magical about those little treats hidden behind those little doors – and the idea of a secret little something to be unwrapped every day really is a wonderful way to build the excitement towards Christmas, not to mention a fun tradition as well!

As the years roll by some of these types of tradition can be lost when we grow up, and it seems a real shame to lose some of that magic and wonder. And really there’s no reason at all why something such as an Advent Calendar can’t be revamped and repackaged for grown-ups, crafty grown-ups… grown-ups like you and me!

So one day in November I dreamed up a fun idea for a event. I didn’t know if it would work, or if anyone would be interested. I approached some crafty friends, and others recruited themselves – everyone loved the idea! Behind the scenes I worked hard to put together something rather different and very special. So a month later, after much organising, coordinating and planning, I’m really thrilled to finally bring to you a very special, very fun, very festive series!

 

Advent Calendar Extravaganza is -the- festive event of the season! This ‘hop with a twist’ was dreamed up by Taheerah Atchia and features surprise destinations each day! Joining in the fun with Taheerah are over 60 special guests – each serving up some fantastic Christmas inspiration! Just like an Advent Calendar, you’ll never know where you’re going to be visiting next until you ‘open the door’!

And that’s not all! With 25 *amazing* sponsors taking part as well, your crafty wish list is bound to get a boost with a chance to win a prize EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

Join in the fun every day at taheerah-atchia.com to see what special surprises wait behind the door!

Eek! How fun does that sound?! 25 full days of surprises, inspiration and prizes!!

In case you’re wondering just how it’s going to work, I’ve put together this little video for you:

I’m so excited to be bringing you this event! I really hope you’re going to enjoy it as much as I am!!

Let’s get on with Day 24, shall we?!

I’ve got some really awesome guests and surprises for you today! Just click on the door to reveal today’s surprise destinations and prize! Tip: click at the side of the door, not in the middle! And also, open on the blog directly, not in a feed reader!

Exciting right?! Isn’t it fun to not know what’s in store at the other end of those links?! Make sure you click each one to reveal the surprise and leave comments at the destinations to win!

And speaking of winning…

Today’s sponsor is Waltzingmouse Stamps! Another one of my favourite stamp companies, when I think of Waltzingmouse I think of them as the go-to place for interesting, detailed and high quality designs! If you want vintage-inspired illustrations but still with versatility and variety, this is the company to turn to! And they don’t just do vintage designs either – there are plenty of modern, cutesy and other styles of stamps too! Headed up by my friend Claire, I have been a long-term fan of her amazing design skills, clever products and amazing work ethic and customer service. Truly one of the great companies out there – and one of the few British companies whose designs I actually buy!
 

Waltzingmouse Stamps are giving two amazing prizes! Because Claire is awesome I’d discussed an idea in advance with her and we managed to secure the very last copy of one of her retired Christmas stamp sets, which, once you know what it is, will make perfect sense to you for a Christmas Eve giveaway! *wink* It’s a stamp set called ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – and this is your absolute last chance to get a hold of this set as it’s the only one left!! Thank you to Claire who scoured her warehouse to find it for me, lol! So one lucky winner will win that set, and the other will win a £25 gift certificate (approx. $37.50) to the WMS store!

Now that you know what you can win, I’m sure you’re eager to head off to all those secret destinations to check them out! But before you go, some inspiration from me: 

 

Once I laid eyes on the Rustic Christmas set I just knew I had to have it and use it! I paired it up with the Woodgrain set for a masculine card that really doesn’t need anything else! 

 

I’ve still got techniques in this design for you though! I inked up the background with a variety of Distress Inks, misted the stamp and stamped a few times, in slightly different places. I then blended some ink into the panel and at the edges too. Next I re-inked the background sporadically with Versamark ink and stamped it, and coated lightly with embossing powder. This gives it a wonderful ‘frosted’ wood appearance!!

UPDATE: a couple of people asked for a video tutorial for how I did the background, so I’ll be looking to put together a video for you soon! 🙂 

The stage was then set for my stag head – I really seem to have had a thing for stags and reindeer this year! But can you blame me with this one? He’s fabulous!!

 

It’s not a party without a prize – and with prizes every day there are several chances to win! Today’s prize is generously supplied by Waltzingmouse Stamps so you’ll definitely want to get your hands on it! Simply leave a comment on this post to enter! Don’t forget to grab the other surprise destinations from behind the door, and head over to them to leave comments there as well to improve your odds even more! You have until 7am EST on Thursday 31st December to leave all your comments! 
 
Don’t forget the Advent Calendar Extravaganza runs from 1st-25th December inclusive so make sure you visit taheerah-atchia.com every day for fabulous inspiration and amazing prizes every single time! Merry Christmas!

I hope you love this event just as much as I do! I would love to know what you think of Advent Calendar Extravaganza! Do you love the format? The secret destinations? The endless inspiration? I bet you certainly love the chance to win prizes! Please make sure you leave a comment below! Thanks so much for stopping by – I’ll see you back here tomorrow!

 

Supplies

200 thoughts on “Advent Calendar Extravaganza – Day 24!”

  1. Oh my, can't even tell you which one I like more. If I had to chose then it would be the snowman because I have a soft spot for them. Even though I live in Texas and right now it is NOT cold. Haha!! Merry Christmas!!

    Reply

  10. Firstly, thanks for a great masculine card idea. I struggle with those soooo much and I always appreciate seeing a really well done one like this. Secondly, thanks for the tip about using the embossing powder to get that frosted effect, I had never seen that done or thought to do it, so another great tip from you to me! And of course, thank you again for this fabulous hop. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed it each and every day. I think the idea was genius, and it has brought so many great and talented crafters and companies to my radar that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. May you be blessed for all you have done for all of us.

    Reply

  22. Your treatment of the background stamp is totally awesome; I love the frosted look you got by using Versamark ink with the embossing powder. A very cool card, indeed. Merry Christmas Eve!

    Reply

  49. Wow, this is an awesome masculine card! Love it! Can't believe the Advent event is almost over. It has been so much fun and there has been so much amazing inspiration. Thank you so much for putting this all together!

    Reply

  50. Great card! Love the textured look and effect with the woodgrain background and the embossing powder! Waltzingmouse Stamps is fabulous with their awesome designs and dies! A favorite!

    Reply

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