Hello everybody! And welcome to Day 23 of Advent Calendar Extravaganza!!
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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 a couple of years ago 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. After much organising, coordinating and planning, I’m really thrilled to finally bring to you a very special, very fun, very festive series! It was *hugely* popular, and so, by popular demand, I just had to bring it back again this year!
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, here’s a quick video that explains how to find those special links!
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 23, shall we?!
I’ve got some of my very favourite designers lined up today to continue the fun! Just click on the door to reveal today’s surprise destinations and prize! Tip: you will need to do this from the blog itself, not from a feed reader or e-mail!
The door is a bit different this year (curse of moving over to WordPress!). So, now you’ve opened it, please use the image below to find your secret links! As you see, there aren’t any text links, but tap or click on all the decorations/presents in the image below and you will find your secret destinations! *wink*
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 Avery Elle! Another of my favourites, Avery Elle have a great mix of cute and trendy stamps and dies – often with clever touches thrown in too! They are headed up by my awesome friend Jamie, who is a great designer and cultivator of talent alike! I’m so thrilled to have them sponsor the event again this year!
Avery Elle are generously sponsoring a $30 gift certificate to their store! With an amazing array of products you’re really going to be spoilt for choice spending it!
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:
You know, I try *really* hard not to pick favourites when it comes to my cards, but this one just might be my favourite from this entire event! I mean, just look at that labour of love!!
There’s so many techniques and details on this baby that I don’t really know where to start! How about with that background though, which looks just like my Sitting Room floor! I used some white woodgrain paper and watercoloured it with a mixture of Distress Inks, water, and Glimmer Mist, then spritzed it all over with Distress Mica Spray to ‘cool’ down the colours. I then sliced it up into boards, inked the edges, then adhered them in a random order to create a truly authentic looking floorboard background! I splattered on some white mist and drew a border with a white pen and with a Distress Crayon, then dabbed on some white ink in places too! Then I stamped some bokeh dots to complete the background! And that’s just the background!!
I used the limited edition Merry Mistletoe stamp set (an Avery Elle/Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember exclusive set) to stamp my mistletoe, then heat embossed it with Iridium embossing powder from WOW. It’s sort of like a sparkly rose gold, but a little more grungy!
I waterecoloured my mistletoe with Distress Inks and Glimmer Mist, then fussy cut it out. I added some Wink of Stella to the bow and berries, then added Nuvo Crystal Drops to the berries, along with a sprinkling of clear glitter!
The sentiment was heat embossed using an off-white embossing powder. I then watercoloured around it with a number of Distress Inks, building the intensity on the edges. I used a Copic Marker to edge the embossing ever so slightly, to give it an aged/illuminated look! I fussy cut that too and adhered to my card panel with Pinflair Glue Gel for some dimension.
You can see the awesomeness of the Pinflair Glue Gel in this close-up too – variable dimension for the various leaves/berries, clear setting, and strong too! I added some ribbon to my image, and a few cardstock layers (with various ink edging on the Kraft layer to add some variation to the colour) between my floorboards and card base, and finally I was done! Phew!
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 Avery Elle 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 Sunday 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
Fabulous card!
Love the mistletoe
OMG! that background is amazing!!!!
You aren’t kidding around with this card! How amazing. I love that background; truly awesome.. Such a great technique. The whole card is gorgeous!
Wonderful look – rustic and sweet. Love that wood board look background!
Love your card!
Amazing work on today’s
card! Love the boards.
Merry Christmas.
Carla from Utah
Absolutely stunning background. I thought it was a stamp at first. I couldn’t believe it when I read how you created it. Wow! I will try it out during the holidays, just for fun. Love the mistletoe stamp. Pity it’s no longer available.
GASP! You ‘made’ the woodgrain background? I’m speechless with awe! So fabulous…and perfect for the mistletoe and sentiment! Yes, another ‘in love with ‘ card (I’m so fickle, as I love alllllllllllllllllllllll your cards *grin*)
Hugs~c
This is one of my favorites.
Oh goodness! Talk about wonderful technique city! Love your card. It’s movement in itself!
Great card and that wood looking background is awesome! Love Avery Elle and off to hop…
Your cards is stunning.
What a wonderful card and design!! I love the wood grain background against that gorgeous mistletoe!
I love the ruggedness and the beauty of this card!
Gorgeous! Yes, you’ve outdone yourself again! Beautiful card.
Love the woodsy background and the mistletoe hanging. Would be a great guy card. tfs
Taheerah I have to agree with you. This card is my favorite so far as well. I always love all your cards !
All of the work you put into your background is just amazing and so is the look you ended up with after all of your work. It’s a beautiful card with such detail. Thank you so much for sharing!
Nice card!
Beautiful combination…rustic, Woodstock, nature, and a little bit of sparkle with the tinsel.
Love the wood grain background! Looks fabulous!
this is so very nice card!
Merry Christmas!??⛄
hugs , Fiki
There’s so much to love in this sweet creation!
This card did have great details. I really liked the wooden boards and the bokeh lights. Then the sentiment is set off so nice with it’s ombre colors. Beautiful.
Wow Taheerah, what a gorgeous card.LOVE!!!
Your woodgrain background is the same colour as the floorboards in my lounge too minus the white dots, do like the look of the mistletoe against the wood texture, & the pop of red on the sentiment, missed this stamp set when it came out x
Wow! This really was a labor of love. I don’t know that I would have thought to cut the woodgrain into strips, but the look is definitely worth it. Love the white frame, too. And of course the dimension (still thanking you for all the help about the Pinflair glue last year!!!). But I still can’t quite figure out why glitter/sparkle looks so good with rustic wood grain–but it does! I just did a similar thing with a gift I wrapped a few minutes ago! It makes me smile, even if the 13 year old boy won’t notice that detail. Thanks so much for this wonderful event. I can’t believe we are actually this close now. If I forget tomorrow, Merry Christmas and thank you again!
Wow! This is so unique and so gorgeous! I love country deco n this is right up my alley! Great job!
I really like the rustic look.
You are right this card is like WOWZA, It ROCKS Girl!!! I am totally in love with the background, it looks just like a floorboard, I have to get that! I also love WoW’s embossing I think I have every color they make. AMAZING card. I can’t believe we only have a couple more days, it went way too fast but it was so much fun, I had a BLAST !!!
What an amazing card! Such detail in every thing you did to make it. That background is just fabulous.
Wow the Woodgrain is lovely, all that fussy cutting is a labor of love! Wonderful effect, brava!
That is such a warm and cozy card!
Stunning card!! Love the white mistletoe with the little bit of red!!
Gorgeous card Taheerah!
Oooh your background was definitely worth the effort, it’s fabulous!!
WOW! That is stunning. I love the handmade floor look, all the techniques on the floor. And the mistletoe is amazing. I love all the details, inking, and sparkle. I can see why it might be your favorite. It truly is a labor of love. Just lovely. Happy Holidays!
Fabulous card! I love the background!
Pretty card. Love the double red bows!
So pretty. Love The wood grain. So pretty and rustic.
Great looking rustic card, a great card for a guy.
Terrific card. Woodgrain background is wonderful. Cheers.
stunning card – love the woodgrain rustic look – perfect background:)
Ooooo, that woodgrain background is fantastic!
I love the combo of the woodgrain and mistletoe on your absolutely gorgeous card!! No wonder you love this card so much. It’s beautiful.
Wow, this one is stunning! I am so loving the rustic look and feel! Oh and thank you for this awesome advent calendar!
Sammibug aka Samantha Houp aka Sammi
You did an absolutely awesome job on this card!! I couldn’t believe what you went through to create the background!! It looks like real wood flooring!! Just amazing!! The iridium embossing powder is fantastic! I wish I had gotten the Merry Mistletoe stamp. It looks so cute!! I definitely have to get that red glittery cord!! Thanks for sharing!! Merry Christmas!!
Yes – a complete labour of love! But worth every moment! Gorgeous work.
So beautiful and festive! Love it!