Hello everybody! And welcome to Day 23 of Advent Calendar Extravaganza!!
In case you missed Day 22, click here!
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In case 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 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
I love the combination of the woodgrain and mistletoe on your absolutely beautiful card!!
Nicely done….I love the woodgrain background and the red tinsel bow. Happy holidays!
STUNNING!!!! That background is incredible.. you could have just added a sentiment to it and it would be just as striking. Love this!
Wonderful card! Thank You for the inspiration.
Gorgeous!!!! That FLOOR. Looks so real!!!!
Fantastic card, great background.
You’re absolutely right; this card is a beauty ! Great combination of colours, stamps, materials, … I love the natural look; the berries look so real. You keep spoiling us with inspiration. Happy Almost-Christmas !
Your floor is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Really beautiful. The card is one of the few top cards of this calendar. I will have to try to duplicate the awesome wood floor.
great background for this mistletoe!
Wowza, I think this is my favorite as well that you have done for this event!
That background came out perfect!! Absolutely stunning!!
Wow! So many steps to this beautiful card. You are so creative. I hope to learn to be able to create cards like this as I continue to learn
yes! this is the best card for this advent blog hop – you background is amazing – love all the sparkle and shine with the rustic look!
Yes, I totally agree that this is one of my absolute favorite cards throughout this awesome event!
Thanks to you I now have a solution to a problem that I have been trying to solve for a while! A smaller scale off your background will be making an appearance in my 1:12 scale dollhouse!
Back to your rustic and breathtaking card, this is the perfect ending to a wonderful day of hopping! It has been another inspirational day and I look forward to tomorrow’s leg of this journey! See you then!
So dimensional.This is just fabulous girl.
LOVE this mistletoe!! So festive!!!
You should be happy with this card–it’s absolutely scrumptious! I loved that stamp set when it was released, but unfortunately didn’t get it. Merry Christmas!
Another one of your fabulous cards that I wish I could see in person!
The wood grain background is amazing. Love the way you created it. The card is awesome and beautiful!
Wow, another amazing card, I really love the elegant look of this one! So gorgeous, I keep scrolling up to see it again!
I agree – this is a fantastic card.
I love to use wood grains as a background for
my greeting cards. Your “flooring” is
wonderful. I’d vote to “best card of
hop”.
thanks for sharing.
I thought the woodgrain was patterned paper until I read your instructions. Love the detail and layers of this card. And love Avery Elle, too.
Amazing card. I love it.
What an adorable card idea. Love it!
FABULOUS!! The mistletoe is gorgeous against that background. Thanks for another beautiful sample.
Gorgeous card! I think this is one of my favorites! Awesome with the woodgrain background and the beautiful mistletoe! Lovely creation!
Wow, I can see why this might be your favorite card of the event. AMAZING! Fabulous combination of rustic and elegant. Inspired technique on the woodgrain!
Now that’s a lot of mistletoe! Beautiful card!
Love your card and how you made your wood background.
Wow, what a perfect background and finishing touches for the fun mistletoe!
The background is stunning, at first I thought it was a background stamp until I read how you did each strip of wood grain separately WOW!
Love the look of the mistletoe against the woodgrain. And that red tinsel is the perfect touch of sparkle!
It is truly a work of art! The background is just gorgeous — can’t wait to try the technique!
So cute!
I can’t believe all the detail and techniques you packed into this gorgeous card. What a stunning piece of art!
What a great background. This card was labor intensive, but results are wonderful.
Taheera- two of your links aren’t working today – maybe they have posted yet? I’ll try to remember to try them later!
Gorgeous card and truly a labor of love!
That background! Wow!
Wow!!! Awesome woodgrain background! Love it!!! Beautiful card!!!
I LOVE this card!!!
This is an awesome card! The rustic wood with the sparkle is so unique – thanks!!
So much creativity!! I originally thought that the background was patterned paper and not your creation, amazing!!
Such a lovely card!
Love your card! Sweet mistletoe stamp!
GORGEOUS. This is stunning.
I am in total awe of that wood background! I love, love, love the rustic and authentic look of this design. It is hard to pick a fave among all the amazing cards you have shared, but this is definitely top 3!
Love the rustic loos with all of the sparkle.
That is supposed to be rustic look!
Amazing! Love the woodgrain background! WOW!
This is just awesome! I love woodgrain backgrounds:-)
Yes! This creation is absolutely treated for the eyes with the mixing of so many fab techniques, I can spy! Love, love, love every inch of it, so inspiring!