One Sweet Challenge – December 2013 – A Gift in Itself

It is start of another month and therefore time for another challenge over at One Sweet Challenge.  This month the topic is "A Gift in Itself" ie maybe a card like a present or a gift card or an actual gift item you can give to someone.

  

Here is the gift item I have made - a gift for a friend to put on their Christmas tree:

 I decided to make a decorated bauble for the tree.  I have used the Ching-Chou Kuik image called "Holly Fairy".   It is available as a digital stamp, single rubber stamp and as part of a multi-image plate (Sheet 21, Plate 60 - Holly Fairy comes on the multi-image plate with Poinsettia Fairy, Holly Night and Cherish Christmas).  The image has been coloured in with my Graph'it pens and I have inked around the edge with Tim Holtz's Peeled Paint distress ink.

For the chipboard bauble I first added gesso.  I then tore up some gold/cream Christmas tissue paper a crafty friend gave me last year into pieces and used watered down PVA to stick the tissue paper onto the bauble.  Once dry I used a texture stamp by Sheena Douglass around the edge and all over the back of the bauble - well you can't leave the back messy in case the bauble swings around on the Christmas tree!!

Here is a close-up of the image by Ching-Chou Kuik.  Isn't she stunning?

I have finished the bauble off with some hanging thread, wooden bow which I have coloured with my red Graph'it pens, cheesecloth, die-cut holly and some gems as the berries.

I am entering this bauble into the following challenges:

The Crafter's Cafe - Anything goes
Crafting by Designs - Christmas/winter
Simon Says - Anything goes
Stamp-n-doodle - Use some chipboard (I have used a chipboard bauble)
Inky Impressions - Presents and gifts
Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Christmas
Crafty Girls Challenge - Anything goes
Delightful Sketches - Favourite things (colouring, gems, using die-cuts)
Crafty Ribbons - Anything goes with ribbon
Moving Along with the Times - Girly but no pink!
Crimbo Crackers - Anything but a card
Crafty Little Fairies - Classic Christmas
QKR Stampede - It's starting to look a lot like Christmas
Totally Papercrafts - Ho, ho holidays
Suzy Bee's Blooming Challenge - Anything goes
2 Sisters Challenge - Anything goes
Stamping Sensations - Free and easy
613 Avenue Create - Anything goes or twist of gift packaging
The Ribbon Girl - Ho, ho, ho Christmas challenge
Dream Valley - Anything but a card
Little Claire's Challenge - Christmas