Day 8 - Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Gift Tutorials

I am teaming up with the Graphic 45 Design Team for an amazing Twelve Days of Christmas event!

December 1st through December 12th, on the Graphic 45 Blog, you will see a card designed by me, plus a gift tutorial inspired by my card and created by one of the current G45 team! 

ETA: Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes on my "improvement." Alas, these cards were created back in the summer, for CHA, so I am not currently in the studio making anything. Sadly. I am resolved to give my physical therapy time and am only dabbling here and there with paper. I am determined to come out of the starting gate after the new year...wait and see...

On the Eighth Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me...

Eight Maids a-Milking

This card was probably the one in the series that took me the most time to envision. I had an idea in my mind's eye, but it took a while to "pound out." I started by creating a 5x5-inch, green card, lined with cream cardstock. I matted the background paper with darker green cardstock.

I fussy cut the milk maid from the Swans a-Swimming paper and attached her to the card with foam adhesive. I wanted to make sure to include her cow, and the best way to do that was to "grab" an image from the Pear Tree paper. I decorated a pre-made library pocket, to which I added a die cut banner.

I lined the pocket with the reverse print on the Swans a-Swimming paper. I love the green checks! The pocket holds some little tags that I cut from various paper; each tag contains a sentiment. I inked around the edges of the tags and then tied each with some cream twine. I also added a colored eyelet to each tag.

My milk maid needed a bit of sparkle, so I gave her a sparkly flower! I tied a bit of checked ribbon into a bow and then added the flower. I also added a pearl to the center of the flower. It may have had one originally, but this flower was in a bin of Christmas-y things...sans pearl. Lucky for me, I have a bin of self-adhesive pearls! {wink}

I decorated the inside of the card a sticker and a strip of paper. The sticker was not a postage image, so I trimmed around it with decorative scissors and then inked the edges. 

Now go over to the Graphic 45 Blog to see Karen's gift tutorial! I hope you go on to visit at Karen's Blog! She has a feminine style all her own. I especially love her work with flowers! Plus she is a lovely lady with an inner strength that is such an inspiration to me.

Remember, leave Graphic 45 a Blog or Facebook comment for a chance to win this amazing prize! A grand prize winner will be announced on the Graphic 45 blog at the end of this event, on Friday, December 13th. 

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas papers:

Joyeux Noel

Holly and Ivy

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Pear Tree

Swans a Swimming

Graphic 45 The Twelve Days of Christmas Cardstock Stickers

Cardstock: WorldWin Papers Original ColorMates Light Totally Tan, Smooth Medium Spring Green, Deep Spring Green

Twine, ribbon: May Arts

Flowers: Petaloo

Pearls: Couture Creations

Eyelets: We R Memory Keepers

Library card pocket: Simple Stories

Die cut templates: My Favorite Things Sentiment Strips

Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Chestnut Roan, Rose Coral, Dark Moss, Lime Pastel, Maroon

Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L 3D Foam Squares; Scotch 3M ATG tape runner; Beacon Fabri-trac; Aleene's Tacky Glue