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.