Hi there!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  My weekend was busy, but a fun busy because I was designing projects for the SASS Stamp Club meeting and then meeting with the SASS Stamp Club members.  We were a smaller group than normal, but we had fun stamping and enjoying each other's company.

Today's post is the third installment of the how-to's for the projects featured during the Royal Blog Tour.  All of the projects were made using the Christmas Collage stamp and showcased how a Christmas card front can be recycled to make tags and boxes the following year.  In the last post I stated that I could find five tags in the card front shown in this post and showed you two of them; today we'll look at the remaining three tags.

(click on tags to see larger image)

As a reminder, here is how the card front was made (just the stamping and inking of the glossy white cardstock):

1.  Lay the stamp on its wooden "back" and tap the Basic Black ink pad to the rubber to completely ink the image

2.  Place glossy white cardstock face-down on top of the inked image and roll a hard rubber brayer over the cardstock to ensure that the ink is completely transferred to the cardstock

3.  Add color to selected images with a blender pen and classic inks (using the "squish the ink pad lid to the felt" method and picking up the ink left on the lid with the blender pen).  Here are the colors I used for today's featured tags:  A Merry Christmas:  Old Olive for the pine bough base with Always Artichoke in the centers to create depth; Real Red for the poinsettias; More Mustard for the poinsettia centers

Tag #3

Tag Front:  This tag uses a part of the card front that was covered up by a rectangle of Brushed Gold cardstock and a greeting from the Sincere Salutations stamp set.  So if you are making this from the already assembled card front, you would carefully remove those pieces and cut out the rectangular box from the glossy white cardstock.  To remove any residual adhesive, use a dry adhesive remover (i.e., Adhesive Remover, page 197 of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog).  Using Always Artichoke ink, stamp the holly branch (Bells & Boughs) across the glossy white cardstock rectangle.  Using Cherry Cobbler ink, stamp A Merry Christmas (Bells & Boughs) centered within the glossy white cardstock rectangle.  Place three Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the glossy white cardstock rectangle.  Using Basic Black ink, ink the rectangle box and surrounding flourishes on the Christmas Collage stamp as directed in Step 1 above.  Press a 3" x 3" piece of Brushed Gold cardstock over the inked area and roll a hard rubber brayer over the back of the cardstock to ensure that the inked image is transferred to the Brushed Gold cardstock.  Using Paper Snips, trim closely around the rectangular box and surrounding flourishes.  Place a line of SNAIL lengthwise across the middle of the Brushed Gold rectangular box.  Fold a 7" piece of Old Olive 5/8" Satin ribbon over the Brushed Gold cardstock so that the ribbon covers the rectangular box, the fold is on the left and the ends of the ribbon extend beyond the right side of the cardstock.  Use a 4" piece of Linen Thread to tie the ribbon next to the right end of the rectangular box.  Use Paper Snips to trim the ends of the Linen Thread.  Remove the adhesive covers from the Stampin' Dimensionals and place the glossy white cardstock rectangle over the Old Olive satin ribbon and Brushed Gold rectangle.  Use a Crop-A-Dile to punch a 1/8" hole at the top of the Brushed Gold cardstock.  Fold a 10" piece of Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta ribbon in half and knot at the end.  Slip the fold through the punched hole about 1" and then slide the knotted end through the 1" loop and pull the loop snug around the punched hole.

(click on tags to see larger images)

Tag Back:  Using Basic Black ink, ink the rectangular box on the Christmas Collage stamp as directed in Step 1 above.  Press a 1 1/2" x 3" piece of Whisper White cardstock over the inked area and roll a hard rubber brayer over the back of the cardstock to ensure that the inked image is transferred to teh Whisper White cardstock.  Using Cherry Cobbler ink, stamp To/From (Peaceful Season) inside the rectangular box on the left side.  Using Paper Snips, trim closely around the rectangular box.  Place three Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of the rectangle and place over the Old Olive satin ribbon on the uninked side of the Brushed Gold cardstock.

Tag #4

Tag Front:  Cut a 1 3/4" x 4" rectangle around the poinsettias and A Merry Christmas at the bottom right corner of the card front.  Use 3/16" corner rounder to round all corners.  Use a sponge and Always Artichoke ink to sponge the edges of the cardstock.  Wrap a 13" piece of Old Olive 3/8" Taffeta ribbon around the top of the cardstock, approximately 1/4" below the top edge, and knot on front just above Merry.  Use Paper Snips to trim the ends of the ribbon.  Apply SNAIL to the back of the cardstock and place, centered, on a 2" x 4 1/4" piece of Always Artichoke cardstock (the edges sponged with Always Artichoke ink).

(click on tags to see larger images)

Tag Back:  Cut a 1 3/4" x 4" rectangle of Whisper White cardstock.  Using Always Artichoke ink, stamp the poinsettia bough (Bells & Boughs) on a scrap piece of paper and then across the Whisper White cardstock (stamping off method).  Using Cherry Cobbler ink, stamp To/From (Peaceful Season) near the left side of the cardstock.  Use the 3/16" corner rounder to round all corners.  Use a sponge and Always Artichoke ink to sponge the edges of the cardstock.  Apply SNAIL to the back of the Whisper White cardstock and place, centered, on Always Artichoke cardstock ensuring that the top of the image is consistent with the top of the image on the front of the tag.  Use the Crop-A-Dile to punch a 1/8" hole in the upper right corner of the tag, ensuring that the hole is above the top edge of the Old Olive 3/8" Taffeta ribbon on the front of the tag.  Fold a 10" piece of Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta ribbon in half and knot at the end.  Slip fold through the punched hole about 1" and then slide the knotted end through the 1" loop and pull snug around the punched hole.

Tag #5

Tag Front:  Use 1 3/4" circle punch to punch out 25 from the card front.  Place circle face down on tabletop.  Place pieces of Sticky Strip to create a continuous band of Sticky Strip around the edges of the circle.  Place 1/4" of one edge of Real Red 3/8" Taffeta ribbon to the Sticky Strip so that approximately 1/4" of the ribbon extends beyond the edge of the cardstock circle and press in place with fingertip.  Fold approximately 1/8" of the ribbon above the Sticky Strip and then press 1/4" of ribbon into the Sticky Strip.  Repeat this process around the circle.  Cut the ribbon from the ribbon roll so that approximately 1/2" of ribbon extends beyond the end of the ribbon pressed into the circle.  Place a sliver of Sticky Strip over the end of the ribbon at the beginning of the ribbon circle and press the ribbon end in place.  Place four Stampin' Dimensionals around the inside area of the cardstock circle.  Using Basic Black ink, ink the circle containing 25 and surrounding flourishes on the Christmas Collage stamp as directed in Step 1 above.  Press a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of Brushed Gold cardstock over the inked area and roll a hard rubber brayer over the back of the cardstock to ensure that the inked image is transferred to the Brushed Gold cardstock.  Using Paper Snips, trim closely around the flourishes.  Remove Stampin' Dimensional adhesive covers and press 25 over the circle containing 25 on the Brushed Gold cardstock.

(click on tags to see larger images)

Tag Back:  Use the 2 1/2" circle punch to punch a circle from Whisper White cardstock.  Using Always Artichoke ink, stamp the holly branch (Bells & Boughs) across the top half of the circle.  Add color to the holly branch with a blender pen and classic inks (using the "squish the ink pad lid to the felt" method and picking up the ink left on the lid with the blender pen).  Here are the colors I used:  Old Olive for the holly branch base with Always Artichoke in the centers to create depth and Cherry Cobbler for the berries.  Using Real Red ink, stamp To/From (Peaceful Season) below the holly branch near the left center of the circle.  Sponge the edges of the circle with Real Red ink.  Apply SNAIL to the back of the circle and place, centered, on the back of the Brushed Gold cardstock ensuring that the top of the image is consistent with the top of the image on the front of the tag.  Use the Crop-A-Dile to punch a 1/8" hole in the upper center of the tag.  Fold a 10" piece of Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta ribbon in half and knot at the end.  Slip the fold through the punched hole about 1" and then slide the knotted end through the 1" loop and pull snug around the punched hole.

Thanks for stopping by to visit.  In the next post, and final installment of how-to's for the projects featured during the Royal Blog Tour, we'll look at making some gift boxes using the Christmas Collage stamp and the Bitty Box and Envelope Bigz XL die.

Stamps:  Bells & Boughs, Christmas Collage, Peaceful Season; Inks:  Always Artichoke, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard, Old Olive, Real Red; Cardstock:  Always Artichoke, Glossy White, Brushed Gold, Whisper White; Embellishments:  Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Old Olive 5/8" Satin ribbon, Real Red 3/8" Taffeta ribbon, Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Linen Thread; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Bone Folder, Paper Snips, Blender Pen, Sponge, Crop-A-Dile (1/8" hole punch), 3/16" corner rounder, 1 3/4" circle punch, 2 1/2" circle punch