Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Santa's Elf Tag using Tim Holtz's Toil and Trouble Die

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is to include a Santa and we're also highlighting products from Tim Holtz.  Can you spot the sneaky Santa in my tag?

I started by cutting a tag out of Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  I stenciled white paint onto it using Tim's Halftone stencil, then did the old school technique of stamping Distress Ink onto a craft mat, spritzing it with water, then dragging and smooshing the tag through the inky water splats.  I used Distress Ink in Peacock Feathers and Twisted Citron.

While that dried, I got to work on my elf.  I love the witch silhouettes in Tim's Toil and Trouble die set, so why not have a witch serve double-duty as an elf?  I cut her out and colored her with alcohol markers (Tombow Portrait markers for her face and arms) and added some scraps of washi tape.  I thought about trimming down the wide brim of the hat and adding a band of white fluff to it to make it look more Santa-ish, but I liked the whimsical shape of the hat and decided to leave it as-is.

Next I went to work on the pile of presents my elf would be standing on.  I stamped these presents using Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink and Tim's Seasonal Scribbles stamp set.  I painted in the presents with acrylic paint.

Back to my elf!  I cut out a white puff ball for the end of her hat and cut out a star from Tim's Retro Oven die set and painted it yellow.  I also added a little more color to her apron and I outlined all of the pieces with a black Sharpie to help them stand out.  I also stamped the "Love + Peace + Joy" sentiment onto the tag.

All that was left was to assemble and paint the edges of the tag.  I also added a few flicks of Dina Wakley Media Gloss Spray and this little elf was ready to deliver some holiday cheer!

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

Tim-Holtz-Sizzix-TOIL-AND-TROUBLE-Thinlits-Dies-665561	Tim Holtz Seasonal Scribbles Stamp Set	Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits Tag Collection dies	Tim Holtz Sizzix Retro Oven Thinlits Dies	Tim-Holtz-Layering-Stencil-HALFTONE-THS144	Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers Distress Ink	tim holtz distress mini twisted citron ink pad
Tombow Portrait Dual Brush Pens	Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE acrylic paint	Dina Wakley LEMON Media Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Lime paint	Dina Wakley Carnation Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley Ranger LAPIS 1 oz Media Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley Umber acrylic paint
Dylusions Blue Hawaiian Paint	Dylusions Tropical Sangria	Dylusions Lemon Drop paint	ranger archival jet black ink pad	Black Permanent Sharpie Marker	Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick CRAFT SHEET Reusable 15 X 18 Stamp Paint Ink	Dina Wakley Olive Gloss Spray
Dina Wakley Sky Gloss Spray	Dina Wakley Carnation Gloss Spray

How will you pay homage to Santa this week?  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.