The current Graphic 45 challenge on their blog is to create a holiday tag using their product and post it on their facebook wall labeled “Holiday Tag Challenge” before December 15, 2011.

My favorite type of tags to make utilize empty toilet paper rolls that have been flattened to create a sleeve and decorated, then a more simple tag (even a plain one) is inserted into the “pocket” to slide out with your to and from, sentiment or message. For my entry, this is the type I made.

I started by flattening an empty roll, and painting the edges roughly in slightly diluted white acrylic paint. I then cut a rectangle of G45 Christmas Past paper slightly smaller than the face of the sleeve I created, and inked the edges with Distress ink. I then took the image in the center of one of the diecut frames in the same collection and fussy cut the tree out of it. Distress inked the edges, then dabbed the candle flames with Distress Stickles in Rock Candy, traced the gold strands with Stickles, the red ornaments with Stickles and the pearls with Liquid Pearls and set aside to dry.

I then fussy cut the Santa image from the Victorian Greetings sheet and applied a very light coating of Liquid Pearls to the fur details on Santa’s hat, coat and boots. Using the tip of the bottle, I mottled the surface while wet to give it more texture and more realistic furry appearance. I dotted the red elements of the holly on Santa’s belt and the toys with Stickles and set aside to dry.

The sentiment which reads, “Compliments of the Season,” is a diecut tag from this collection, so all I did was punch it out of the page, ink the edges in Black Soot Distress Ink and apply a dot of red Stickles to the holly berries on each side of the sentiment.

I used Helmar Premium Craft Glue to adhere the gold rectangle of paper to the tp roll, and the tree to that base. I then attached the sentiment using Helmar’s Clear Zap Dots since it provides a touch of dimension, but not as much as the foam Zap Dots. Santa is propped up with a layer of foam Zap Dots. With the sleeve complete, I lightly distressed the inner tag with a touch of Distress ink and tied a red sheer ribbon on it that has just a touch of shimmer.

Here’s how it turned out:

TFL!