Tag me in

Sometimes I spot something that I have to use. I had my car serviced last week, and they always tie a little tag onto my keycard with my registration number to identify it. I love tags like this, something to reuse!

Whilst I was on my stencil and doodle blow out I made this little doozy. (See my last few posts for details).

Looks nice mounted onto black card. This might end up as a bookmark, or maybe on a layout, we'll see!

Thanks for looking!

Tags- Fly and be free and Hello

Remember the tags I posted about a couple of days ago? Well I thought I'd show you the other two today.

Here's all 3 together. I'd used a white tag, patterned paper and paint scraped over and though a stencil, toned down with some white gesso.

This one ended up with a butterfly theme, so Fly and be free seemed to be appropriate. I added sequins and some old stickers and the dew drops I found in a drawer last week!

As always I outlined lots in black ink.

My angry owl has been hanging around on my desk for months, and he seemed to be saying hello. 

After I'd outlined in black ink, he needed a bit more so some dots and squiggles round the letters and the owl happened. I'm really pleased with these, so next to work out how to use them!

Tags- Hello lovely.

I made tags! Just for the hell of it. I started off with no idea what I was going to use them for, but as I went along some themes emerged! I really enjoyed making them, just because.

The base are white tags, with scraps of patterned paper stuck on. Then I went over the top with scrapes of pink and yellow paint. It was a little bright, so I tones it down with white gesso.

I use an old credit card to scrape the paint on, and a brush to paint through a hexagonal stencil.

The diecuts came from various sets, I just went for colour matches. Plus sequins, some words, and dew drops.

I went for a cake theme with this one. I thought it might work on a layout for an afternoon tea I recently went to. I added number and other odd stickers from an old set, again, just looking for colours.

I finished off with doodles in black ink to edge and finish off these 2 tags. 

Hip hip hooray- card

The final post for the tag trio today. I chose the toucan Yay! tag to make a birthday card.

Again, I used the same paint technique on the card, you can see how else I used it on the couple of posts preceding this one on the blog.

This time I went for three cheers stamped onto white card and roughly cut out. I added a black edge so they stood out.

The final card. Messy but fun!

Thanks for looking.

Thanks so much- card

You may have read yesterday's post where I showed the three tags I'd made. I chose the doggy one to make a thank you card.

I repeated the paint in blue and white over papers from Lollipop Box Club, and this time I added some yellow daubed through sequin waste. 

The seagulls on the paper are fabulous, all in a row.

I used a set of foam backed stamps for the wording, I do like a typewriter font. Outlines in black as per usual...

Thanks for looking!

Sunshiney day tags

Well now, I've had a busy couple of weeks. I've finished at the job I've been in for over 20 years, and I have a week or so before I start my new job, so I'm hoping to get crafting....

In the meantime, I have a couple of things to show you, my desk hasn't been totally neglected.

I made a set of tags, using a Lollipop Box Club kit I'd squirreled away from last summer I think! It was all sunshiney and summery, so I went with it wholesale! I had a couple of projects I wanted make, so the tags were made with an end destination in mind.

I use white tag bases, then added layers of blue, white and yellow acrylic paints, using the LBC sunburst stencil on each of them. I also used papers from the box with little yachts on.

I'd cut out all the elements from the cut out sheet in the kit and used lots on each tag. This one has the Relax arrow and the sunshine.  

The Yay! is from the kit too, and the baker's twine. I went round edges with black pen, and added various matching bits and pieces.

For the next tag I'd moved the sun stencil a bit to the top of the tag.

The arrow and feather and twine are from the kit, the die cut pieces on this tag and the previous one are from Shimelle's Box of Crayons range.

I had a recipient in mind for this one who loves dogs, so the doggie made an appearance!

And for the last one I went full on seaside.

The little envelope from the LBC kit is so cute, and the arrow, Time to chill banner, twine, Sunshiney day, and starfish are all from the kit too. 

I stapled the twine and ribbon to the top of each one. They had dark circles round the punched hole that I wanted to cover up.

Making things in batches makes life very easy. I dug out matching buttons, ribbon, gems, paperclips and used very similar things on each one. It also makes sense when you're getting paints or inks out to make several of things- maximise the drying time!

There you have it, three tags! I'll show you how I use them in the next few posts. I'm inspired to do this again, so expect more tags...

Thanks for looking.

Dummy

Hello! I've been playing around with this tag for a couple of weeks now, and it's been sat on my desk waiting for inspiration to strike......... but I think I've finished it now!

It's Dum, from the Octopode Tweedledum and tweedledee stamp, but he looked a bit lost without his twin, so I gave him a little dummy.

The background is Distress inked with a fab Ditzzie Design stamp called Honeycomb wire, available from That Craft Place heat embossed in silver. 

I'm entering this into the Simon Says Wednesday challenge- anything goes,

and also into the A Sprinkle of Imagination challenge, which is also anything goes!

Shut up!

Now here's something I hadn't taken into account when taking photos of my creations. I quite often lie my makes down on some interesting paper as a nice background. Well, when I did it with my wise owl....... it didn't look quite right.

It fights with the background. Now compare it to this.....

Now I think that makes old owlie pop out a bit.

I'm thinking of blowing this up to A1 size and hanging it over my desk at work. Yes, it's been that sort of week. Already.

I'm entering this into the Stampotique Designer's challenge 137- Textured backgrounds. I made this using the Distress Ink, spritz and dunk technique, for lots of foliage type texture in the background. Plus some background stamping. I also like to stamp over a dark background with white ink for a spot more impact.

Anyway, better take my owl's advice, eh? Shut up Lisa!

Bird brain happiness.

I've shown you my little tag book before, right? It's not huge, about ATC sized, and I've actually got a couple of them, so I'musing them to make something for me for a change! I'm going to use my beloved Stampotique stamps and make myself some little quote books.

This time, I've used some more budgies (I know, I know, bordering on an obsession.....) and the gorgeous hunk.

The challenge on the Stampotique designers' challenge blog is to use something transparent- I've used some clear dome stickers to highlight Happiness. 

I've also gone for some 3D glaze on the eyes- Glossy accents.

Hunk and budgies, love it.

I'm also entering this into the Crafting Musketeers challenge- Use a stamped image

Goodbye Wonderland.

It's the last challenge regular at the Altered Alice- a challenge I've not entered as much as I'd have liked, but somewhere I always visited for inspiration. I'll miss it! I made this to enter in to the final blast.

I'm making this little tag book with lots of my favourite Stampotique images- and as I've discovered Washi tape I've coloured Tweedle dee and dum to match my spotty tapes.

The budgies.......part one.

So.... the budgies......

I adore my Stampotiques so very much I decided to make something with them to keep. This is a tag book- the outside cover is covered but not finished yet.

A bit closer.....

Awww, the budgies have fallen out of love..... I made this for the Stampotique designers' challenge- April showers.

The clouds are Unity stamps, the background is made with radiant rains and I've used liberal amounts of glossy accents- well, why not?

Stamp Man challenge- Tim's tags- DT project.

There's a doozy of a challenge over at The Stamp Man this fortnight. You know those goooorgeous Christmas tags that Tim Holtz makes each year? Well we want you to pick one and then use it as inspiration for a project of your own!

I must admit to using several tried and tested "Tim" techniques and ideas on my tag- I dipped the tag base in distress inks that had been spritzed with water, I sploshed more water on to create an aged effect, I used Perfect Pearls and lots and lots of stamping!

The green Perfect Pearls really catch the light. I've loved this project, cos this year I'm already feeling extra Christmassy. We've been watching Christmas films with the kids (we have so many we have to start early to fit them all in, well that's my excuse anyway!), my job is more secure this year, and I've already done the major part of the pressie shopping. The plan is to relax and really enjoy it all this year. I can't wait!!!!

Lots of fibres and charms, most of which are salvaged from last year's Christmas crackers and choccy reindeers.

Right, over to you, there are some fabulous projects on the Stamp Man challenge blog to inspire everyone, along with all the rules, so have a go!

I'm going to enter this into the following challenges:

Happy Daze- explosion of colour

Fussy and Fancy- gift or anything but a card

Artistic Stamper- backgrounds

Try it on Tuesday- Wish you were here (bit of a cheat this one, but I do really, really, really wish Christmas was here!!!! I'll understand if it's too far wide of the mark, lol!)

Crafty Cardmakers- recycle

Sunday Stampers- use pine colours (lots of pine green in the background!)