Stephanie Siatta Designs: Double Duty Holiday Blocks

Happy Eve of Christmas Eve!

I love this time of year. I know it can get crazy busy, but there is just something magical in the air, IMHO.

I wanted to make one more handmade gift over the last week or so. So, I decided on an ATB (Artist Trading Block) project.

This is a great double duty gift. By that I mean it can be displayed with all of your Christmas decor and continued to be loved until VALENTINE'S DAY! Yes, just rotate the blocks for a whole new look. This is an all skill level project as well - bonus!

With Altered Pages carrying everything you need from kits to embellishments, this is easily completed in a few hours (including drying time).

In the above picture you can see that my blocks have been painted black using craft paint - you can use whatever color, sheen or finish you desire.
Choose your background paper. With your block as a template, cut paper to size. I inked the paper a bit with a black ink pad. Don't worry about being precious with this...go ahead get inky. I think it adds a lot of charm.

Give each block a bit of a sand or a lot of a sanding if you want more distress. Then add a coat of Tacky Glue or matte medium to the front of your block to decoupage and add your paper.

Seriously, already come the final touches...letters, embellishments, etc. and you are almost done. Altered Pages has so many papers and images to choose from. Choose the digital collage option and you can easily resize to fit your needs. Here is one...

The JOY letters that I used were from a rich red paper that was run through my Silhouette. I then added a few fussy cut holly berries, red, green and white twine and a few other details.
Now, flip those blocks around and....
My LUV letters were printed on vintage text page run through my printer. They were then glued to my base paper. I used an embossed Kaiser Craft 6x6 paperpack. Can you see those sweet little hummingbirds?

With letters or images adhered to blocks with charms, crowns and wooden treats for extra sweetness you have a sweet homemade gift that can enjoy the spotlight for more than just one holiday.