Happy Mother's Day

This is the card I made for my Mom this year. I am so grateful to have her still (she's a nonagenarian) and these days, our roles are reversed somewhat but more than a mom, she's my truest friend.

That's washi tape around the outside (pink polka dots), the scalloped border was hand-drawn and embellished with white paint and glitter glue.

The stamped pieces (Simon's Delicate Flower set) were cut from transparent paper that I tinted with inks and pasted onto book paper along with some more washi.

I used white and black gel pens to make lines in the background, on the borders and to further emphasize the line quality on the flowers.

I'm linking to the Monday challenge at Simon, the theme is "Add Something Metallic" and I think my glitter glue may qualify.

If you are a Mom, I hope your day is as special as you are!

12 Tags for Christmas 2018 - Tag No. 12

Good people all, this Christmas time,

Consider well and bear in mind

What our good God for us has done

In sending his beloved son

With Mary holy we should pray,

To God with love this Christmas Day

In Bethlehem upon that morn,

There was a blessed Messiah born.

(The Wexford Carol)

May the spirit of the season bring you peace and joy.

Thank you for being a part of my artful journey this year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

12 Tags for Christmas 2018 - No. 10 & 11

I'm still looking back to Christmas tags from the past and I've saved some of my very favorite tags for when we get closer to Christmas. This is one of them.

The background is made from mulberry papers and the tree was hand-cut out of kraft paper that had been randomly stamped and embossed to create texture. I added the tinsel using glitter glue and a white gel pen.

The text was cut from a recycled store-bought Christmas card and illustrates just how far I will go when it comes to fussy-cutting. Crazy I know but I loved the style of the lettering and I was several years away from owning a die-cut machine.  Since the text was wider than the tag, I just let it bow out when I attached it to the bottom of the tag.

This one's a favorite because of the Thomas Nast Santa (an image transfer). It's an early example of learning how to blend Distress inks, how to emboss (the white scrolls) and how to use masks when stamping.

If you don't recognize the kind of stamps I used at the bottom of the tag they are called Christmas Seals. I inherited a small collection from my Great Aunt Esther, they're a terrific embellishment--I must remember to use them more often!

12 Tags for Christmas 2018 - No. 3

I've used another Penny Black stamp called Tree of Holly for this tag and I'm linking to their Creative Christmas Challenge and also to Simon's Monday Challenge for the "Let It Snow" theme.

I used embossing ink and silver powder for stamping then filled in the tree with the juiciest, most powerful purple in my arsenal of crafting supplies--Seedless Preserves Distress Stain.

I filled in the holly and berries with paint and glitter, added more bling to the border and placed a Christmas Remnant Rub from a few years back along the bottom.

The snow was made with texture paste and a stencil by Simon Says Stamp called Falling Snow.

To see more of my Christmas tags you can click on the label at the bottom of this post or use the link I've placed in the sidebar.

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Shiny-Brite

I used two large pieces of Tim Holtz Christmas Ephemera for the background of this final tag of the series--number 12 of 12.

I altered the edges of the top part to create an arch with paint mixed to match the bottom section. The silver glitter glue (Stickles) was applied thickly and the dryed result reminds me of tinsel garland.

I used more glitter around the edge of the tree and on top of some ornaments along with some clear sequins here and there.

The presents were made with Idea-ology Fragments and paper bits from the Tidings stash and I dusted around the edges with a little silver paint.

The sentiment was stamp embossed and I used a wash of thin, off-white paint behind the letters to make them stand out more.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing the tags I've made for Christmas this year and maybe found some inspiration for your own holiday crafting.

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Time of Wonder

Back in the day, Christmas postage stamps were printed using an elaborate process without benefit of the digital equipment we take for granted today.

And, sadly, a beautiful series of stamps commemorating great religious works of art is not something I'd expect the post office to take on in this day and age.

Thankfully, we have postage stamp collectors (philatelists) who preserve this vintage art form like my Great Aunt Esther who saved the one I've used for the tag I share with you today.

It was mounted in a little box I made that was lined with old book paper and sits on top of Tim Holtz Ephemera and a page from his Tidings paper stash.

The holly, pine branches and calendar page were cut out of that same Ephemera collection. It's mounted on a red satin ribbon and embellished with Rock Candy Stickles and Glossy Accents.

I used Folk Art gold metallic paint (good stuff) to trim the tag, box and text edges. For the text, I originally chose a Clippings Sticker but botched it up so I made a new one using another relic from the past, a typewriter.

Well, as this is tag number eleven (and also my favorite), I've only got one more to go to complete the set. It will be an homage to Tim Holtz if there ever was one and I hope you'll tune in!

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Special Delivery

I have a Christmas-themed playing card stamp by Inkadinkado that is useful for creating frames, ovals, etc., and was used to embellish my tenth tag. The photo was cut from Tim Holtz Ephemera.

The florals were cut from Graphics 45 paper (Winter Wonderland). To adhere large, intricate cuts like this one, I use an aerosol adhesive that works well but you must go outdoors to spray it.

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Noel

I drifted away from the conventional with tag number nine and I kinda like where I ended up.

The ingredients are Tim Holtz Tidings paper stash, a Christmas Collage stamp (on tissue paper), Ephemera, Distress Inks, black Stickles and a white gel pen.

The tree was made from a stencil (Clear Scraps). I traced the outline onto paper and then cut it out by hand. Some might think that's a lot of work but for me, it's relaxing and therapeutic.

12 Tags for Christmas 2017- Most Wonderful Time

It's tag number eight and that rhymes with skate!

(Sorry...  if you've ever made 12 Christmas tags in a row, you start to get a little slap-happy.)

The assembly consists of an Occasions found relative (Tim Holtz) which was masked then stamped, a die-cut (Tim Holtz Gothic Gate) made from a magazine page, and pinecones cut from the Frosted paper pad (Kaisercraft). Some Stickles and Scribbles provided the bling and text was cut from the Tim Holtz Tidings paper stash (2016).

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Merry & Bright

I've reached the half-way mark, here's Tag 6 of 12 for Christmas 2017, and I am having a blast! This one was easy as pie using a Christmas Collage stamp tinted with Distress Ink and mounted on a page from the Tidings paper stash.

I machine-stitched around the edges with two colors of thread, went crazy with glitter glue (Stickles), added the holly and berries (hand-cut from some Tim Holtz Ephemera) and then a strip of Lace Trimmings.

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Wonderful Time

We had a toboggan when I was a kid. Not the safest kind of sled but ours could handle about six passengers at a time which made it easy to steer as long as everyone leaned the right way in unison.

This little miss was certainly safe when this vintage photo (Graphic 45 Frosted) was taken. It was nicely staged with a painted background and fashionable clothing (I wonder if it may have been done for an advertisement or greeting card).

She is the focal point for tag five of my 12 for Christmas and was placed on top of a background of embossed snowflakes tinted with Distress Oxide (Faded Jeans) and framed with tissue paper and a cut-out stamp border.

Embellishments include scraps from a Tim Holtz Mixed Media die and lots of Stickles. The ribbon is a scrap of Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fabric

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - Season's Greetings

Tag three of my 12 for this year's Christmas was an experiment using a hand-made stencil patterned after the original rubber stamp. I like to use Yupo for my stencil material because it is strong, waterproof and cuts like butter.

After pasting on a background of old book paper, I used thin white acrylic paint and the stencil to make a random pattern then stamped over the stenciled areas once the paint was dry.

I didn't worry too much about accuracy and you'll see places where the two (stencil and stamp) don't meet. But that's okay because the variations added interest in color and line.

My tints mainly came from Distress Oxides (lipstick and pistachio). I also used a light wash of white acrylic and a few watercolors, where needed, to adjust some values.

Platinum Stickles and Tim's Tissue Tape created a border that was darkened next to the inside edges with a bit of charcoal pencil.

Stamp credits: Penny Black Christmas Star, Echo Park Christmas Sentiments

12 Tags for Christmas 2017 - 'Tis the Season

A page from a Tim Holtz Kraft Resist paper stash was a key ingredient for this, my second tag for Christmas, 2017.

A light wash of white acrylic was used to bring out the resist design. It was embellished with stamped elements (the deer, pine bough, and cut-out holly leaves) along with some burlap ribbon and numbers from a vintage Tim Holtz grunge board collection.

And it wouldn't be a Christmas tag without adding lots of glitter (Gold, Rock Candy Stickles) and that is absolutely my favorite part about making these tags and I can really get carried away with it!

The text that wraps around the arch was made by cutting a strip from a pad of fairly thin paper. It was dampened lightly so I could round the shape before pasting. I used a slow-drying glue that allowed more time/wiggle-room and gently manipulated it to follow the curve.

Christmas Snow

I love this tag. And it was EASY to make. Perhaps this post will inspire you to give the technique a try?

Prompted by Simon's Monday Challenge Blog, where this week's theme is torn paper, I began to search for inspiration on the web and kept seeing cupcakes like this one by artist Nancy Standlee.

Her post made me realize that an easy way to start a torn collage is by using an underpainting as a pattern you can follow for matching shapes and colors.

So, using this image as my guide, I tinted several pieces of vintage book paper with red, dark blue-greens, and brownish grays and set out tearing and pasting my pieces down.

The paper on the snowman's face and body is untinted--it is the actual color of this really old paper and the darker areas are the page edges where most of the discoloration occurs.

His hat accoutrements were cut from Tim Holtz ephemera and of course there's lots of Stickles. I also covered the eyes, nose and buttons with Glossy Accents and I'm glad I did.

Making this tag put me in the spirit and now I'm now ready to tackle the job of setting up the Christmas tree!

12 Tags for Christmas - December

I didn't mean to wait so long to complete my final tag of this series and link it to Tim's December post but it's been a busy month.

Each day I would pass by the bulletin board in my bedroom/studio and see the blank spot meant for this month's tag. I considered skipping it but that just wouldn't sit right with me--my track record for completing the monthly tags will not be broken!

So on the last day of the month, last day of the year and at the very last minute, here's number 12.

Happy New Year!

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!

12 Tags for Christmas - April

This was inspired by Tim's April tag and his faux mosaic/paint resist technique but rather than follow along exactly, I went with my impressions instead.

The background is a page from the Dapper paper stash die cut with a Mixed Media thinlet to cover an entire tag. Purple cardstock was pasted behind it then crackle medium was spread over the cut-out areas and it was sanded and stained with Distress ink to give it an aged, old-world appearance.

The angel (Somerset Studio) and framed text (Kaisercraft's Frosted paper collection) serve as the centerpiece.

The tag border was embellished with Platinum Stickles (distressed with walnut ink) and tiny dots of Liquid Pearls.

12 Tags of Christmas - March

Here's tag number three of my Christmas versions of Tim's 12 for 2016. Each month he featured a technique remix and for March it was textures and dimensional die-cuts using cardboard.

I played around with my Mixed Media thinlet to see if I could cut a surface area larger than the original die to cover a section for the inside of a tree.

See the thicker line running up the left of center? That's my attempt to line up the die edge next to a previous cut. It was fun and challenging to use the die in this way and makes it more versatile.

The word bits are from this year's Idea-ology Christmas mini paper stash called Tidings and the packages were made from Christmastime ephemera.

Ranger's Stickles decorate the borders, Liquid Pearls created the texture you see along the cardboard ripples, I applied Glossy Accents to the package ribbons and a Mirrored Star tinted red with alcohol ink was the obvious choice for the tree top.