Lens

12 Tags of 2016: June

I never got around to May's tag, so wanted to jump back in for June. Check out Tim's dapper tag here. I like how the material he used, the colors, the background stamping, the die, all tied together for one cohesive design.

Mine isn't really that way, but I like it fine. I already had some images stamped onto tissue paper from months ago and had never done anything with them. Today was the day. I not only made this tag, but adhered tissue paper to a couple of others to use another time, as well as using some to make a card. I usually end up making more than just the tag each month because I get playing. It's one of the reasons I find the challenge rewarding.

 

12 Tags of 2016: April | And Thanks to Tim, Mario, & Simon Says Stamp!

Here is my April tag, inspired by Tim's (see it here.) I used a woodgrain embossing folder with Hickory Smoke distress paint and distress ink of the same color. To mimic the idea of the paper mosaic, I covered a cardboard flower with embossing paste and pressed the pieces of cut up paper onto the paste to stick them down. Once the paste dried, I added Glossy Accents over the pieces of paper to make them shiny. I painted the flower with pale pink matte craft paint. I wanted to go with a bright color palette, as it will be used for a birthday tag; I chose colors that would complement the ones in the tiny pieces of paper. 

I also wanted to say a giant thank you to Tim & Mario, and Simon Says Stamp for the generous gift certificate -- I was lucky enough to be one of the winners from March on Tim's blog. I, of course, immediately "invested" in more Ranger goodies -- a bottle of distress paint, a four pack of mini distress inks, an embossing folder, and a package of the round distress foam sponges. 

12 Tags of 2016: March, take two

I decided to make a another run at Tim Holtz's March tag and here is the result:

I had made some additional top layers when I made the first tag. This one, with the butterfly motif, is closer to Tim's tag. My top layer is again Core'dinations cardstock instead of corrugated cardboard (since I was using punches instead of dies) and this time I sanded the embossed design and then inked over it. The bottom layer is texture paste heat embossed with pink embossing powder and I added Distress paint. The metal flowers were painted with Distress paint and topped with Distress Stickles. 

 

WOYWW 354: If it's messy, you know fun was had

Happy WOYWW to all who are visiting virtually today! Visit Julia's blog for more on this lovely Wednesday party.

Here is my table as it stands at bedtime Tuesday night. I took a wide shot and you can see all my mess. Could you avert your eyes from the messiest bits and look just at the nicer parts? Thanks! :-)

I bought one of the Tim Holtz mixed media die sets and am playing around with them. I plan to use these pieces on a layout soon.



Here's a bird's eye view of the table:

My previous blog post shows my first March tag based on TH's inspiration, following his example more closely. But I made some extra tag toppers in the process, including the butterfly version (the closest I could match with punches instead of the Bigz die) and figured I'd go ahead and make another tag. 

12 Tags of 2016: March

Tim Holtz is continuing the "remix" theme by combining techniques from two prior tags to inspire a new one. While I never have all of the products used in any given month, this time around I treated myself to the mixed media dies and Distress crayons used on the March tag. 

I don't have the butterfly die, so used floral dies in its stead to make the cutouts. Thinlet dies don't cut through thick material like corrugated cardboard, so I used woodgrain embossed Core'dinations cardstock instead. I used the back side of the cardstock so I'd have a solid color. I used a TH stencil to make the speckles with distress ink and added some Tarnished Brass distress spray stain. 

I'm pleased with how it came out. :)

12 Tags of 2016: February

This is what I was inspired to make, based on Tim Holtz's inspiration. This year he is revisiting techniques from prior years and combining them. One technique was inking up a stencil with distress ink, misting with water, and then using the stencil to create a "print" on a tag. I used a stencil with squares and lines, which shows up best on the middle of the tag. The other technique was using molding paste (a/k/a texture paste) through a stencil, adding embossing powder atop the paste, and using the heat tool to melt the embossing powder once the paste is dry. Tim mentioned that if you heat it too soon, the paste will bubble. You can tell that I was too impatient -- my paste did, indeed, bubble. I added my tag to the front of a card and will use it as a birthday card for a friend. 

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016: January | Simon Says Stamp: Love is in the Air

Our creative muse Tim Holtz is putting a spin on his 12 Tags inspiration project this year -- he's mixing techniques from the past. This month he used the chalkboard technique and the industrious metal technique.

I have to say that I almost didn't participate, not because I don't enjoy Tim's techniques, but because just coming off all the color of Christmas, I couldn't handle all the black! So, I decided that if there can be green chalkboards, maybe there can also be red ones and went with an entirely different color for my monochromatic tag below.

I substituted red alcohol ink for the distress paint Tim used in his metal technique -- I only have three colors of distress paint at the moment and red isn't one of them. I did have the foil tape and used a heart embossing folder. I only have the mini blueprint stamps, so chose the globe. I used regular white embossing powder (don't have the frosted kind) and used a piece of chalk and my fingers to add a bit of chalky background. 

To join in or check out all the creations, just click the image at the top of this post!

Additionally, the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge this week is "Love is in the Air," and we are asked to include the color red. So, I'm submitting this tag for that challenge!

Thanks for visiting.

~ Laura 

WOYWW 341: A week before Christmas and all through the house . . .

Here is a picture of my table taken this morning before I left for work. I'm making some cards and have painted some inexpensive wooden ornaments from the craft store that I'm going to add to a few packages. I ordered photo cards for the majority of our list, but always end up making ten or so. This way I can have the fun of making some without the grind of making them all. Next year I should be super organized and make four dozen cards in the summer or something -- I'm sure there are people who do -- and then have them all ready when the holidays roll around. 

Here is a large close-up of the vintage sheet music I've stamped & embossed in gold. This Tim Holtz set is perfect for music teacher Christmas cards! 

And here is a cute little elf tag. He is so adorable that I think he needs to go on a package for my Mom. 

Happy WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday) to all, and to all a good night! 

~ Laura 

October Tag, plus another made just from random stuff on my table

I'm playing along with Tim Holtz's monthly tag challenge and above is a glimpse of his tag. 

I don't have any of the new dimensional Halloween dies . . . indeed, I don't really have any dies that are large enough to be the focal point of a tag (must remedy this), so I improvised. I did have a TH holiday paper stack, one of his splatter stencils (similar to the one he used, but not the same one), and used one of his clear Halloween stamps for my jaunty skeleton. I heat embossed with white, added blue gems for eyes, and stamped & cut out a top hat from another TH stamp to dress him up a bit. The ribbon is Target Dollar spot (I think), the bats are Crate Paper After Dark confetti, and the Wicked sticker is from My Mind's Eye. 

I was in a decluttering mood and while I was sorting through a bunch of random stuff in my die cut bowl, I decided to make a tag. The background is from some Maggie Holmes packaging; I covered it with clear gesso so I could add mist to it . . . not completely in love with the result, but it's ok. 

 

WOYWW 330

Hello, everyone! I'm participating in my favorite weekly blog hop called "What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday," so click on over if you want to find out how to join the party. 

Here's my table at gloomy o'clock this morning -- when will I remember to turn on more lights? (Rhetorical question) On the upper left is my bin of letter stickers, with a sheet of Halloween paper propped up inside it. On the near left corner is a pile of Halloween stamps. 

This is a close-up of the middle to right side of the table. Simon Says Stamp (online store) has weekly challenges; the Monday blog challenge this week is to use ombre on a crafting project. So I pulled out my Distress inks and went to town. I'm thinking I'll make a couple of tags and a card -- we'll see!

And finally, a layout made over the weekend:

Thanks for visiting! If you leave a comment I will happily return your visit. :-) 

~ Laura