Happy Holidays!

I created this page to wish all my friends here in blog-land Happy Holidays and, if you celebrate, a very Merry Christmas too!

I started by using some relief sticker surrounds to add detail to the page. Firstly using them as a stencil by sticking them down and applying Festive Berries and Peeled Paint Distress Inks with a blending tool.  I also used the blending tool to add a circular pattern with the Peeled Paint ink.  I then wiped the ink from the relief stickers with a piece of kitchen towel, removed them and reapplied them to different areas of the page to add more depth and interest. I love the white against this red and green colour combination. As the Distress Ink reactivates when wet I added some water droplets with a paintbrush and used kitchen roll to dry them which removed some of the ink. Next I added the snowflakes which are glittery Wall Stickers and the “Happy Holidays” writing and baubles, which are rub-on transfers from Royal & Langnickel. The little reindeer are Christmas decorations which I spotted whilst out shopping which I couldn’t resist buying them as they looked so cute (grin!). I stuck them to the page using a UHU glue pen and also a gold Brad; I did this by punching a hole through the page and wrapping ribbon around the brad before fastening it. I also covered the back of the brad with a piece of masking tape to protect my next journal page. I added red Stickles on one of the reindeer noses and Dovecraft 3D Black Pearl Effects on the other reindeer’s nose and also their eyes. A stitched ribbon tag which says “Merry Christmas” that I stuck down using double-sided foam tape finishes the page.

Every year I make a Christmas cake, I love baking and always make my own almond paste (marzipan) and fondant icing as well. My cake decoration changes each year and this year it is decorated with white stars and poinsettias (grin!).

I always make a light fruit cake rather than the traditional rich fruit cake. My recipe is a take on a Dundee Fruit Cake and contains no citrus/mixed peel and has dried sultanas, currants, pineapple, dates, apricots and cherries in it which are soaked in brandy for a week before I make it so they are nice and plump – yum!

We always cut our cake the week before Christmas and it’s lovely with a cuppa for elevensies! So I’m pleased to join the T Gang over at T Stands for Tuesday – Happy T Day! Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas! Jo x

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Sheila from Orange Esmeralda who is hosting the “Let’s Celebrate” challenge over at Art Journal Journey – Merry Christmas!

I’m joining the “Twinkle, Twinkle” fun over at Try it on Tuesday as my glittery snowflakes twinkle on the page – Merry Christmas!

As I created this page to celebrate and wish you a Merry Christmas, I’m also joining the “Christmas” Challenge over at Moo Mania & More.

The challenge over at Country View Challenges is “Christmas with optional Reds, Greens and Rust” so my page matches this theme perfectly – Merry Christmas!

Over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge the theme is “Stitch It” so I’m pleased to join them with my stitched Merry Christmas embellishment – Happy Holidays!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Festive Berries, Peeled Paint)
• Crelando Relief Sticker Set (Christmas 12 Sheets IAN289011)
• Home Bargains (Wall Stickers 16221)
• Royal & Langnickel Rub-on Transfers (Retro Christmas Trees #ROY1666)
• Melinera (Christmas Decorations IAN288732)
• Docrafts Create Christmas (Stitched Ribbon Tags PMA157921)
• Craft Sensations (Brads CR0550/A)
• Ranger Stickles (Christmas Red)
• Dovecraft 3D Pearl Effects (Brights – Black)
• Ranger Glossy Accents
• UHU Glue Pen
• The Range double-sided foam tape