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
This card is AMAZING! Thanks for sharing how you did every single part!! Wow!!!
Beautiful Card!
I’m blown away by that wood grain floor background. It’s the most realistic I’ve ever seen! Would love to see a video of it! I can’t believe you fussy cut out the mistletoe. I could not ever have even considered that! They look great. I rewlly like that iridium embossing powder. Might have to get some!
What an amazing card! I love the background and that mistletoe!
I love your awesome wood grain background, and the sweet mistletoe and stamping accents. Another wonderful and inspirational card. I really appreciate all your hard work to make this event SO very special.
Blessings to you,
Karen Letchworth
Love the white mistletoe on the rustic background!
SQUEAL!! Just BEAUTIFUL!! THANKS SO MUCH for sharing and INSPIRING!! Have a FABULOUS New Year!! =)
Another stunning card – I love the background.
The background is absolutely amazing! I am in complete awe of your creativity. Love the sprig of mistletoe and also the lovely sentiment.
Awesome rustic card, love it! great HOP!
All I can say is WOW! This is a gorgeous card and love how you created the background. You can definitely tell you spent a lot of time on creating the rustic woodgrain floor which turned out perfect. Thanks for sharing your techniques!
very different christmas card, really like it
Very cuter card!!
Very rustic design, color combination, contrast used to create tyour interesting, unique creative work of art. Nice!
The wood grain card is beautiful!
Wow. Such an elegant design.
Love the look of paneled wood siding!! I didn’t think I needed a white distress crayon, but now I do. : )
Lovely card. Your designs are always so unique.
What an amazing card! How you made the floorboards (almost as much work as a carpenter would have to put in!) is fabulous!
Oh my goodness…this card is So Striking! That woodgrain background is amazing! The berry sprigs are just perfect. I’m going to look into that Pinflair glue. Thanks for sharing your talent.
Pretty card.
This is gorgeous, Taheerah. You have inspired me 🙂
This is stunning!!! Definitely a fave of mine!!!
I noticed the background first then the mistletoe goodness then the greeting. WOW — what a true labor of love. I think I have to agree with you – – by far, a masterpiece.
Love the rustic look of your card! Merry Christmas!
To think that you started with white card stock! It’s gorgeous, love the wood grain look,
That woodgrain background is stunning! Gorgeous card.
This card is a beautiful labor of love. WOW! It is a special card for a special person or group of blog followers. Thanks for taking time in this busy Christmas season to create this beauty!
Yes! I love this event! You were a genius to think of it!
Your card that “might be” your favorite is deserving! I have never tried Penflair glue, but ut looks like something I should try! Thank thou for sharing your talent again!
Hi Taheerah,
Wow another fabulous Christmas card design. I love the wood background. The mistletoe is absolutely covered in glitter and glam. I suppose a Christmas card is not a Christmas card without any glitz. Fantastic Taheerah – love it.
:O)
The attention to detail is fantastic. Any of the steps for the woodgrain background would have looked fine on its own, but combing all the steps, makes for a fantastically realistic wood floor pattern. Simply magnificent.
Drop dead gorgeous!!1 I just love everything about this. Just an FYI..your link for the stamp in from ellen hutson but not sure if that was used on the card. Avery Elle states the prize is $20 and you listed @30. Not sure which is correct and thought you might like to know. I really have enjoyed the advent calendar extravaganza. All of your work has been much appreciated.
Beautiful card. Love the wood background. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my goodness. FABULOUS wood slats!!! WOOHOO GORGEOUS card
Ooooh! I love this card… the wood panel behind the mistletoe is perfect!
Beautiful wood background. I like the rustic look of this card.
Love it! It reminds me of a barn door
Wow! I love the background on your card! It is so rustic looking! I also like the border you created. Very cool!
Beautiful! I love the wood grain background and the white mistletoe. So sweet!
Stunning card!!! The wood background is just amazing!!!
Super stylish … as always Taheera.
You had me at woodgrain!! And what a fabulous card of gorgeous details!!! All those layers of distressing and then to cut it apart it looks so real and amazing!! Wow! Am in awe! Thank you for this inspiration and all month long’s! Love Avery Elle and would love to win some of these amazing products and really have to get some of the Pinflair Gel glue
Oh I wish you’d done a video of this card!
Awesome card, love the wood grain background and mistletoe.
Love the mistletoe and the woodgrain background!
Love this..I need that embossing background folder. …love it..tfs
This is a labor of love! When I saw the wood background I thought I’d like to try making one. Then I read what you did to create it….so I think I’ll just keep admiring yous instead.
Lovely card!
Will have to check out that glue gel… thanks for the inspiration!
Wow, LOVE your beautiful card, that background and the embossing colors are awesome!
I can’t believe you cut that whole thing out! Well worth the effort, tho’. Lovely!