Condo

I've had trouble creating lately. I've shown up for the work but the results just weren't satisfactory. Hopefully, I've learned from my mistakes and the worst is over. It really has thrown me for a loop and even the purchase of a few new supplies didn't help!

So a thank-you is due to Maura Hibbits, who developed a tic-tac-toe board for this week's Monday challenge blog at Simon Says Stamp. Her clever idea allowed me to finally complete something and I opted to go all-in, using every element.

My tag is a layer of washi tape, corrugated cardboard stenciled with paste, birds stamped on fabric, sprayed and stained with blue and green distress inks and a light wash of gesso, some sequins, gold threaded ribbon and gel pen doodled dots.

I imagine it looks like an abstract bird condominium, hence the title of my blog post.

Be Still

My cat knows how to be mindful. He can sit for hours, just being present, calmly watching the world go by (in between frequent naps, of course). The sentiment used on this tag is a tribute to his pensive mood.

I began by pasting paper scraps to the background, covered them with a light gesso wash, then applied tint with inks and stains. I laid down a layer of fine crackle medium and used more ink to emphasize the crackling.

The cat is a tiny image transfer, the leaves and birds are Botanical Remnant Rubs. My confidence in using the rubs has greatly improved since I discovered they always stick better when applied to an acrylic-coated surface.

Why?

Enigma

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

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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).

A Dream

I can't imagine anyone who doesn't know this sweet tune from the Disney movie, Cinderella. I used it for my sentiment since Tim's new stamp (Sideshow) is dream-like and I imagine the balloon to be a wish.

I stumbled with the stamping and had to start over a few times due to trouble masking out portions of it to accommodate the doorway. I ended up using clear, repositionable contact paper and included this photo so you could see what it looked like (with white lines added to show the cut-out).

Once that hurdle was over, the rest was pretty easy thanks to colored pencils (doorway) and Distress inks. I used a white Gelly Roll Souffle pen (which acts like a resist), brightened the tag border with Picket Fence Distress stain and made some of the blacks a bit darker with pencils and an ink pen.

I have to share the unique stamp set I used for my sentiment which was found a few years ago at a rummage sale. "Back in the day" (love this expression), phone company linemen used them to label trunks (phone lines) on terminals where the lines entered a building. The rubber is still good, I like the size of the letters, and the long, thin handles make them easy to space.

Poemata.

Poemata. That's Latin for poems. This word, along with a British Museum seal (in red), appears in their Flickr photostream where they have scanned and made available to the public over 1 million images. The small ornate frame with the word and number Tomo III also came from the stream.

I can't remember where the butterfly (actually a Luna moth) came from but it's an image transfer (along with the words) and appears brown because the particle board surface of my support is that color.

The wreath (Prima Noble Darling) was stamped onto old book paper and cut out, the lace was "borrowed" from a card a friend of mine gave me and the border was made with Liquid Pearls (Ranger).

The background text (Tim Holtz Ledger Script) was stamped with Ranger archival ink (Potting Soil) and the support is actually one of Tim's 4" x 6" burlap panels sans the burlap. There's also a tiny strip of white mulberry paper on the left-hand side.

I like working small so this was a good size for me and you can pull out more stops on wood than you can a manila tag. Maybe I've found a new calling? We'll see.

A Woman's Work is Never Done

Happy cook, housekeeper, nanny, teacher, organizer, accountant, shopper, nurturer, lover, empathizer, scheduler, chauffeur, disciplinarian, keeper of loose ends and tiny details, and very often child-bearing day. Also known as Mother's Day.

While I have never given birth, I have a couple of babies (I'm married to one, the other has fur and meows) and I care for my own Mother who is elderly, widowed and relies on me.

Today I addressed her plumbing and phone problems, donuts and a greeting card were delivered and, after our visit was over, I bought cat litter from the store and cleaned the box, carpets were vacuumed, the checkbook balanced and dinner preparation is complete. Yesterday, I spent the day installing cable boxes on our televisions (the provider is converting to an all digital format).

My weekend is almost over and, as usual, I had little time to indulge myself with my favorite pastime. Oh well, a woman's work is never done but, at least one day a year, we receive some recognition for all that we do.

Since a post without a photo seems strange, here's a peak at what I'd hoped to work on (stay tuned).

I'm sending a heartfelt Happy Mother's Day wish to each and everyone one of you and hope you take some time for yourself today because you've earned it!