Sweet Poppy Stencils "Deck the Halls" Holly Gift Tag

I've been making Christmas gift tags today - it's been raining and I was cold, so I was kind of in the mood!

I started by cutting a white tag, then stamped the Sweet Poppy Stencils new Christmas Botanicals "Holly Floourish" and "Holly Sprigs" stamps in Versafine Clair "Shady Lane" green ink.

I then coloured the background using a paint brush and "Antique Linen" Distress Oxide Ink.  I then added more mottled/aged detail by using "Tea Dye" Distress Oxide Ink in the same way.  

Next, I coloured the holly using a paint brush again with two shades of green Distress Oxide Ink:  "Mowed Lawn" first, then "Rustic Wilderness".

I then turned my attention to the berries, again using two shades of Distress Oxide inks:  "Barn Door" and "Lumberjack Plaid".  

I used Versafine Clair "Chianti" to stamp the Sweet Poppy sentiment, which is part of their "Festive Phrases" stamp set.  I used the same ink to edge the tag using a finger dabber. 

I popped an off-cut of paper over the sentiment and using a fan shaped paint brush and slightly diluted Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof white paint, splattering across the holly area to give the impression of light snow fall.

Once dry, I mounted the tag on a piece of co-ordinating card and added touches of metallic gold gel pen and white gel pen to areas of the holly.