12 Tags for Christmas - November

Click for Larger View

Tim's November tag was a lesson in using Remnant Rubs as a resist and dimensional coloring. As with my original tag and again for this one, my rubs didn't resist in the same way Tim's did. I'm not sure why but think it may have something to do with how absorbent the background paper is.

My background is a little out-of-the-box in that I used a piece of delaminated cardboard (made by soaking it with water then peeling apart the layers). I like how it took the various stains I applied and puddled around the cardboard lines.

I used the white version of Tim's Christmastime Remnant Rubs, filled-in the background with random dots made with a Gelly Roll pen and added some vintage lace and a few seed pearls. The tag borders were hand-stitched with thick white thread after punching the holes on my machine.

I stamped my poinsettia (Penny Black, Christmas Star) on watercolor paper using red archival ink then tinted it and filled in the lines with some glitter paint. To make the flower coordinate more with the rubs I outlined the petal edges in white. The center is a Gumdrop tinted with Butterscotch and Wild Plum alcohol inks.

I have one more tag to go but don't expect to complete it before Christmas Day so with this post, I'm sending you my very best wishes for a safe and peaceful holiday that's full of good cheer!

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 - June

Here's my Christmas version of Tim's June tag which, technique-wise was a total miss. I should have read the directions more carefully, ha!

He featured a tissue wrap collage and making a plaid pattern with a stencil. I just copied the overall appearance by simulating a die-cut over a contrasting background.

The pine tree was hand-cut and tinted with Distress stains, I used Simon's Falling Snow stencil with paste medium and there's a bit of glitter glue, stitching and paper-cut text from Kaisercraft (Frosted). The background paper is a dark maroon miniature damask.

If you are wondering about my Distress stain colors, I used a very dilute version of Concord Grape and my Peeled Paint, which has gone-off somehow, has a queer smell and has turned a very bright, almost fluorescent green. I toned down the brightness behind the tree with a wash of Faded Jeans. Frayed Burlap was used around the edges.

I'm linking this one to the Monday Challenge Blog at Simon Says Stamp because this week's theme is O' Christmas Tree.

Toxique

Everything about this creation is unconventional and you may not care for it. However, my experimentation here illustrates some unusual techniques that may be of interest so I've decided to share it.

I began by using watercolor on watercolor paper. I stamped on some Plain Tissue Wrap (the hand and face with circle/lines). I cut out some gear images from some Tissue Tape. I used a home-made circle stamp and filled one of them in with some dot-stamped tissue wrap.

I wondered what it would look like to draw white lines with a Gelly Roll pen throughout the background. Then I sharpened the circle edges and added some dots with my black and white pens.

But it wasn't big enough to be a tag so I mounted it on some grey cardstock with stitching.

Now what to do with the empty space on top? I stamped and then embossed some black dots and added the white ones with a gelly roll.

I brought out the whites of the lady's eyes with a Picket Fence Distress Marker.

I think it's interesting that you can't really tell what's tissue wrap or tape when you compare the look with the stamped circles (where the watercolor paper is completely exposed).

For collage work, the tissue wrap is really useful and I have a tip: There is a subtle difference between the front and back surfaces--one side is slightly smoother and stamping on that side seems to give me the best results.

I really don't know what to make of my subject matter except to say that maybe it reminds me to wash my hands to avoid germs? I think I'll link it to Simon's Monday challenge blog (this week's theme is embossing "powder power") just to remind them too :)

Encore

You'd think that I've been blogging long enough to know this--wait awhile before you make something final, don't be in such a hurry to share, make sure it's right first.

Earlier this week, I posted Natasha Returns but she should have stayed put and so I revisited her, made some modifications and brought her back for an encore.

I've recently started using die-cuts and thought I'd try an image transfer over the top but this just didn't look right so I modified this tag by pasting the image over the original transfer and now I am satisfied. Why didn't I do this in the first place?!

Natasha Returns

Meet Natasha. She has returned for another appearance on my blog (see previous post here). She's an image transfer laid on top of a background made from the bricks Mixed Media Thinlit by Tim Holtz.

There's also a scrap of his Tissue Wrap and the butterflies are a stamp from Prima. A bit of embossed polka dots (Tim's Dots & Florals stamp) and a stitched border that was painted and embellished with black Gelly Roll lines complete the look.

I've recently entered the world of die-cutting and I'm learning as I go. As if I didn't collect enough collage "scraps" already, I've got a feeling this new technique will add to my collection exponentially!

Here's what I know now: Tissue paper over die-cuts can work and look OK but I don't care for the appearance of the image transfer over them and won't do this again in the future.

Receipt No. 25

I really like the look of sewing on paper. One artist whose work I greatly admire, Viv (aka Hens Teeth) in Staffordshire, embroiders on vintage envelopes and they are just divine. You can see them here. Her studio is pretty fantastic, too.

Tim Holtz also seems drawn to the look of stitching as several of his monthly tags have featured this technique so it's no surprise that my August tag for the 12 Tags of 2016 has some too.

A Mixed Media Thinlit die-cut, Wallflower paper stash cut-outs (including vellum), some Small Talk stickers and Remnant Rubs were used to complete it.

I wish I'd splattered some flecks of paint here and there as I think it would have been a nice addition. I just didn't have the guts and so I need to work on that.

Enigma

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enigma
noun  [enig·ma \i-ˈnig-mə, e-\]
: someone or something that is difficult to understand or explain

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Decidedly more funky than frilly, here's my tag for this month's Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016. I used his Sideshow stamp set. While the technique remix features stamping on fabric, die-cuts and tissue paper, only the later was used for this project.

You'll find the tissue in the lower and upper right-hand corners--it's stamped with text. I didn't wrinkle it like Tim did so you can't really tell where it is but that's why it's useful in collage pieces (because it blends in so well).

May Remix

Let me introduce a tag made with all "Tim" products as inspired by this month's 12 Tags of 2016 (minus the tattered florals) where his remix features a Tissue Tape resist technique.

In the end, mine is more about enhancing the flower blossoms that are so much fun to paint. To quote Tim, "...stay true to your style throughout the creative process."  So I did and the sentiment was chosen to reinforce his statement.

The stamp is from the Flower Garden set, the bee is from Tiny Things. The Bubble stencil, Lace Trimmings (sewn on with gold metallic ribbon) and Small Talk stickers helped to embellish and I used the same tissue tape as Tim which is called Symphony.

And I used watercolor paper cut into the shape of a tag instead of one made with traditional manila cardstock.

Tim's tape is, without a doubt, my favorite kind because it's translucent, tough, and stays stuck! Just a little piece of it here and there in a composition can add just the right effect.

This month's tag made me appreciate it that much more.

Travel Time

Gambel's Quail are everywhere in my neighborhood and in great numbers, too. They travel in groups, chatter a lot, and almost never fly preferring instead, to scurry along the ground very quickly.

That was my bird of choice for Tim's 12 Tags - April and my mosaic technique was to paste paper bits from the Destinations Paper Stash on a bird illustration/drawing cut from an old book. I filled-in the cracks with white paint and covered the pieces with Glossy Accents.

If you live in metro Phoenix, you might recognize the Express Bus Pass which depicts another unique feature of our landscape, the Saguaro Cactus. The background paper (purple photo of mud cracks) was a yard sale find.

I used some Remnant Rubs, Postale Tissue Wrap and black Scribbles as embellishments along with machine stitching around the edges.

I always have so darn much fun working on Tim's monthly tags--his technique driven prompts have me trying new things that I wouldn't normally think of. This month's tag really emphasizes that point.

No. 526713

I'm a Guest Designer for April at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and if this is your first visit here--hello and welcome!

This week's challenge is to use a Butterfly and my idea for this tag started with one I found in my Wallflower Vellum paper stash.

I cut it out and cropped it to fit inside an Idea-ology Journaling Ticket stamped with some background text (Ledger Script) using archival ink (Ranger Potting Soil).

I built a box for it by scoring 1/4" from the edges of a rectangular piece of heavyweight cardstock then folding up the sides and securing the corners.

The box was lined with a vintage dictionary page and I attached the ticket using my sewing machine. A Small Talk sticker was tinted with Antique Linen Distress ink and placed on top. 

The stitching made me think of using a textile background so, after tinting the tag edges with Walnut Stain Distress ink, I cut a piece of fabric (Eclectic Elements) and stitched it to my tag.

In case you're wondering, sometimes I peel off the reinforcement paper around the tag's hole punch before adding background papers, etc., then reapply it (which is what I've done here).

After a few practice runs on some scrap fabric, I stamped the tiny butterflies on a string (Prima Noble Darling) using, of all things, ink from a Fude Ball pen. I needed a real juicy application to get a good image on the fabric and this pigment ink pen did the trick.

To create more visual interest, I intentionally offset the placement of my tag elements including the Lace Trimmings along the bottom edge of the box.

I stitched on a button (that matched the coloring of the vellum butterfly) as well as some string tinted with Black Soot Distress Ink to help draw the viewer's eye up and over the box and match the playfulness of the tiny butterflies.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do hope you'll join us for this week's challenge--

what kind of butterflies inspire you?

And don't forget when you upload your creation to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog you'll have a chance to win a $50 voucher at the Simon Says Stamp store!

Here's a list of the products I used for this challenge which can be ordered from Simon:

Tim Holtz Fabric Eclectic Elements 16763 FABRIC CRAFTING PACK 6X6 8PC	Prima Flowers NOBLE DARLING Royal Menagerie Cling Stamp Set	Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps Ledger Script CMS241	Tim Holtz Idea-ology 12 x 12 Paper Stash WALLFLOWER VELLUM	Tim Holtz Idea-ology LACE Trimmings TH93216	Black Soot - Distress Ink
Antique Linen - Distress Ink	Walnut Stain - Distress Ink	Tim Holtz Small Talk Stickers	Idea-ology JOURNALING TICKETS	Ranger Archival Potting Soil Ink Pad	Ranger Fude Ball 1.5 Pen In Black

12 Tags for Christmas - September

Perhaps one of the most challenging Tim Holtz tags this year was the one for September mainly because it featured an embossed transparency and I don't own the necessary equipment. While that fact is still true, my Christmas spin does feature a transparency that was laid (bowed) over the top of a paper background embellished with texture paste using the Idea-ology Scribbles stencil.

Click to Enlarge

I attached a stamped image that was cut from vellum to the back of the transparency along with some metallic star confetti then stitched around the edges to secure it to the tag. It looks pretty cool in person (though hard to photograph) and gives the appearance that the angel is hovering over clouds.

A Christmas Remant Rub was attached to the front of the transparency and a bit of Broken China Distress was used to tint the edges of the paste.

12 Tags for Christmas - July

I can't pick a favorite from my 12 Tags for Christmas series (inspired by Tim's monthly tags for 2015) since I haven't made a December version yet but this tag, for the month of July, is a top contender.

Why? I would never in a million years have combined Santa images from three of his Christmas collage stamps in this way but did so to mimic the theme from July which featured three watercolored blueprint stamps. And I think the result is pretty awesome (if I do say so myself ☺).

Using a page from his Merriment paper for a background, the stamped images were embossed and tinted. The number 25 is a cut-out from that same paper line and the cents symbol was covered up with an Ideaology star tinted with alcohol ink (click to see a close-up). 

When it comes to creating flesh tones, I find that a combination of red, yellow and violet works pretty well. And since my watercolor paper is a bit on the heavy side, stitching the images to the tag is a good way to secure them and adds another level of interest.

I can't wait to attach it to a package for my great-nephew who happens to be the biggest Santa fan in the family this year.

12 Tags for Christmas - April

The emphasis for Tim's April tag this year was on using a watercolor technique along with a clever way to assemble a word band insert using kraft paper.

My holiday version features a poinsettia stamp by Penny Black and I didn't use a die-cut for the text-- it was stamped and embossed instead (Tim's Christmas Words).

And it just wouldn't be as Christmas-y without some bling so I applied gold Stickles on the border and used black 3-D Scribbles for accent.

I really like this one--it's easy to see why using watercolor with stamps has become so popular and starting with a spritzed background really elevates the technique.

In case you don't know about my 12 Tags for Christmas series, this post will fill you in on the why and what for's.

12 Tags for Christmas - February

As promised in my last post, I'll be sharing holiday versions of Tim’s monthly tags for 2015 and today features the February tag which focused on creating a collage with ephemera.

I used Distress Stickles since they are less sparkly than regular Stickles and compliment the well-worn look of this collage technique. The star cut-outs are from his Correspondence paper.

Click to Enlarge

Look closely, and you see red paint (applied with a tiny paint brush) that highlight the bric-a-brac on the Industrious Sticker frame.

In closing, I must say I was surprised and pleased to receive comments on my first tag in this series, thank you--I appreciate your support!

Choose Joy

I made this card for a teacher who inspired me with a quote recently read in class (just the right words for the way I was feeling that day) and I'm linking it to Jennifer McGuire's Share Handmade Kindness challenge post.

Made with Wallflower vellum, stamped fabric using a hand-carved butterfly and a background stamp by Inkadinkado, it was embellished with machine stitching and Ranger's Liquid Pearls. The text is a Remnant Rub mounted onto a painted Grungeboard scrap.

On the inside, I typed the following quote:

"Choose joy. Then cherish and savor it.

Joy is not a fleeting emotion based on outward circumstances, a transitory feeling of the moment, a reaction to the scenery around you. It comes from within your heart like the waterfall that rushes out the side of a mountain. Joy is a runoff from the wellspring within you. And sometimes it is a delightful, surprising contrast to the scenery around you.

Embrace joy. Relish it. Even if those around you don't have it right now, you can feel your joy. You don't have to be disrespectful of their feelings, nor do you have to let their lack of joy diminish yours.

You have done your work. You have chosen to open your heart. Now you have your reward.

Cherish joy. It's your treasure. You've found it. You've earned it. It's yours."

-Melody Beattie

I'm also linking this to Simon's Monday blog challenge this week. The theme is Create Something Beginning with the Letter N (I used a needle) and it turns out that stitching is an excellent way to anchor vellum to cardstock. My thanks to the inspiration provided by Andrea Ockey Parr which gave me the idea to use fabric on my card.

Braves

Click to Enlarge

Even though it's made entirely of Tim Holtz products, my entry for this year's November tag departs a great deal from Tim's inspiration piece.

At least it has an Autumn/Thanksgiving-ish theme?

All I know is I wanted to use the photo from the Occasions Found Relatives of children dressed up as Indian braves.

You may recognize the feather from the Wallflower paper stash which I embossed with a stylus to bring out the individual feather strands.

The nest/eggs background piece is also from Wallflower which I delaminated a bit by sanding the back to get it as thin as possible.


The background is a textured page from the Destinations paper stash and I added a few more darks with Distress Ink (like the shadows at the boys' feet). I topped it off with some machine stitching and Remnant Rubs and called it complete.