12 Tags for Christmas - September

Paint patina and an alcohol ink resist technique was the recipe for Tim's September tag. My intentions were honorable for attempting a Christmas version but when I tried the ink resist technique using glossy paper instead of Yupo it just didn't work.

So my background of various alcohol ink drippings was stenciled over with white paint then a stamped image (Deep Red, December Tree) was pasted in the center and tinted with ink.

I cut numbers from Tim's Christmas Words stamp, outlined them in black and applied tint and glitter. A remnant rub (Christmastime) was used to balance the top along with a Mirrored Star (tinted with alcohol ink).  More bling came from dots of purple Stickles around the borders.

The multicolored background reminds me of those big old-fashioned Christmas light bulbs and how any and all colors can work for this holiday!

12 Tags for Christmas - August

Gosh, I'm having a hard time sticking to Tim's monthly techniques--it seems unfair to even call this one "August." You may recall that I'm making Christmas versions of his monthly tags and I'm resolved to the fact that I just don't have the stash to pull it off.

Still, it's the inspiration that gets me started and narrows down my choice of materials and I'm always happy for the nudge in a direction I might not have considered before.

This one started with a brayered stain background that didn't work with the stamps I wanted to use so I turned it solid using Seedless Preserves (such a strong color--it will cover up almost anything).

The stamping (Inkadinkado Evergreen Holiday) was done on watercolor paper using Sepia archival ink then tinted with watercolors and Gelly Roll pens.

I cut out the negative spaces so the background would show through then embellished with machine and hand stitching, some Liquid Pearls, Rock Candy Stickles and Lace Trimmings. I felt the lettering needed more contrast so I outlined them with a fine-line marker.

12 Tags for Christmas - July

Last year, I was able to stick with the same techniques Tim used for my Christmas versions of his monthly tags. This year, not so much. For many of them, he favored using word die-cuts quite a bit and it's difficult to find an appropriate substitute.

So here's what I did instead for this year's July tag (a remix of watercolor resist and layered words).

A book page, Tissue Tape and an oval cut from tissue paper (which was sealed with acrylic medium) were pasted on a tag. The edges were brushed with white paint then I stained the surface with Distress inks and the previous elements resisted the tint.

My angel is a stamp from Inkadinkado (Christmas Silhouettes) which I cut out and embellished with a white Gelly Roll pen, Liquid Pearls and Stickles. A Christmastime Remnant Rub provided the sentiment.

My little angel still seemed a bit plain (especially for Christmas) so I covered her with lots of Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles. You just can't beat this old favorite for adding the perfect amount of vintage sparkle!