Shabby Chic Christmas Altered File Folders ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi there Crafty Friends! Today I'm sharing a Shabby Chic Christmas project with you - using gorgeous chipboard elements from Creative Embellishments! Like all of you, I'm sure, I've started getting ready for Christmas - and decided to create these Altered File Folders as packaging for Christmas Gifts! I coffee-dyed a standard letter-size file folder and then cut it in half - sewing the sides of each half closed to create a pocket. I layered vintage music paper, vintage dictionary paper, some coffee-dyed paper doily, and some pages from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on the folders and then added some vintage pink velvet ribbon and some vintage pink & white floral lace. I printed the angel images (a free printable I found on Pinterest), distressed them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and stitched them to some coffee-dyed paper and white cheesecloth. I added three buttons, stitched with silver thread, to each printed image. I added a CE chipboard Pine Tree to each folder - I embossed the trees with Stampendous Embossing Powder in Winter Wonderland. I also added a CE chipboard Bow to each folder - I embossed the Bows with Distress Embossing Powder in Worn Lipstick, but didn't like the colour tone on this project, so I painted over it with some Prima Art Alchemy Metallique Paint in Vintage Rose and added some highlights with Smooch Pearl Accents. Finally, I embossed words from the CE Chipboard Christmas Sentiments with Martha Stewart Embossing Powder in Sterling - I used silver to pick up on the silver flecks on the trees and the silver thread in the buttons.

I've left the back of the folders fairly plain (for now!) - simply adding a small collage of vintage music paper, book page and lace at the top and randomly stamping the folders with my favourite CE Stamp - Distressed Script.

Writing Boards for Vintage/Junk Journals ~ Creative Embellishments

Hi There Crafty Friends! Today I'm sharing a fun and functional projectwith you! I've been creating Vintage Style Junk Journals lately and wanted to include a writing board in them -- a hard surface for those who like to journal on the go -- and the Creative Embellishments Large Tags are the perfect size to tuck into a journal for this purpose! For the "writing surface" side, I wanted to make sure that it remained flat, without any bumps or embellishments that would interfere with writing, so I started off by brushing a rough coat of white gesso on one side of the tag - leaving some places where the kraft colour of the tag base could peek through. Next, I stamped the tag with the Creative Embellishments Distressed Script Stamp and some black Archival Ink. I then decoupaged torn sections from a Paris-themed Napkin onto the tag. Finally, on the writing side, I heavily inked the edges of the tag with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.

For the reverse side of the tags, I created some "Franken-Paper" using bits of paper left over from creating the journals these tags were created for (check out Nik the Booksmith's YouTube for the inspiration for the Franken-Paper technique). I collaged the papers together and then cut the tag shapes from the collaged paper. Next, I stitched around the outside of each tag shape and along each seam of the papers; then, I added some lace that coordinates with some used in the journals. Before gluing the sewn/collaged papers to the Large Tags, I added a Pen Loop to each of the tags using wide black elastic. Finally, I glued the collaged papers to the back of each tag and inked the edges with Distress Ink. I finished off the tags with some lace, sari silk and eyelash trim and an antique-style pocket watch charm.