It's A Wonderful Life: A Set of Tags for Christmas

 

I’ve been participating in a tag swap; this month’s theme is Christmas/ Winter. Here’s part of what I came up with:

Here’s a link to the stunning tag I received from my “partner”: https://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/446217/view/6610575/-1/0/0.html

I mentioned “part of what I came up with” because I ended up with a large tag with pockets to hold a couple more designs.

I used pages from a Tim Holtz 8” x 8” Paper Stash, along with embellishments from various packages of Tim Holtz products from Stamper’s Anonymous for the most part, with a few odds and ends from my stash here and there.

I’ve mentioned these and other products in my descriptions. There is a more detailed list of my supplies at the end of my post.

 

I created the main tag by covering a Thickboard tag on both sides and creating pockets from the leftover scraps.  I covered the music design with a large die cut from the Layers and Baseboard Frames package; I kept it simple because I wanted the focus to be on the shaker on the front of the pocket.

To top the tag, I chose several strands from the Camelot Christmas bundle.

 

I selected a “postcard” die cut from the Ephemera pack for the base and glued on several layers of packaging just around the edges. The Paper Stash comes with two sheets of patterned cleat acetate; I cut a piece to fit and attached it to the frame. Before adhering the two pieces together, I added a few Prima sequins and a couple of small plastic snowflakes to create my shaker box.

I finished it off with a metal Work Adornment and a sweet little lady from my Paper Doll pack.

 

This tag is deliberately flat because it must fit into the front pocket. The Santa image is glued on with plenty of space in the center to allow for a semi-hidden tag with the name of my partner and me and the date handwritten on the back. It’s topped with a bow fashioned from colored twine and a couple of tiny bells.

Here's the back of the tag, fully loaded:

 

 

Again, very simple, with a pocket and a bit of decor created with a frame that I die cut from a scrap and “glistened” with Wink of Stella. I topped it with a bit of ephemera, a bow fashioned from twine and a flower that I also “glistened”.

The top of this pocket and the one in the front are embellished with braid trim from my stash.

 

My final tag has another large die cut in the background and features this lovely family all set for a Winter stroll through their neighborhood. Perhaps they’ll take a few pictures along the way…

 

I was determined to use a few of these frames in my project somehow and came up with this simple idea. I chose three images from one of the Paper Stash sheets and cut them out. Next, I cut another piece of the acetate to measure just a little smaller than three lined up frames and glued them together. The images were added underneath, and I adhered the finished “film strip” down the side.

 

I completed my tag by tying a few lengths from the Midnight Angel bundle and gluing another bit down the side of the “film strip”.

 

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*****Supplies*****

Stampers Anonymous – Etcetera – Tim Holtz – Thickboard – Mini Tag #THETC004

Advantus – Idea-ology – Tim Holtz – Christmas – 8 x 8 Paper Stash #TH93739

Advantus – Idea-ology – Tim Holtz – Christmas – Layers and Baseboard Frames #TH94017

Advantus – Idea-ology – Tim Holtz – Christmas – Ephemera Pack #TH94086

Advantus – Idea-ology – Tim Holtz – Christmas – Paper Dolls #TH93756

Advantus – Idea-ology – Tim Holtz – Christmas – Adornments – Christmas Words #TH93756

Advantus – Idea-ology – Tim Holtz – Christmas – Tiny Bells #TH93756

Prima – A Victorian Christmas Collection – Flower Embellishments – Rudolph’s Nose #583446

Prima – A Victorian Christmas Collection – Sequins

Fish Bay Elements – Art Yarn Fiber Bundle – Camelot Christmas

Fish Bay Elements – Art Yarn Fiber Bundle – Midnight Angel

May Arts – Jute Burlap String Cord – 1 mm – Red #SM-14

The Paper Sandbox – Twine String – 1mm – Red

The Paper Sandbox – Twine String – 1 mm – Dark Olive

The Paper Sandbox – Twine String – 1 mm – Forest Green

Misc. Braided Trims – Red, Green

 

Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Ink Pad – Mini – Vintage Photo #TDP40262

Kuretake – ZIG – Memory System – Wink of Stella II – 3 Color Set – Christmas Sparkle #MS553V-CS

 

Darice – Embossing Essentials – Oblong Frames #2014-04

 

Art Institute – Art Glitter Glue – Designer Dries Clear Adhesive

Beacon – 3-in-1 – Advanced Craft Glue

 

 

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As always, I want to thank you for peeking into my blog; your visits mean a lot to me.

 

Dreamer of Dreams

 

Très Jolie’s Mixed Media kit for October contained an assortment of Dina Wakley acrylics, a bottle of Sparkle Spray from Nuvo and – best of all – a wooden dreamcatcher kit from Kaisercraft’s Lucky Dip collection. Here’s what I came up with:

I didn’t receive the string that came with the kit, so I went into my stash and pulled out several spools of jute twine, one an all-purpose packaging item that I’ve had forever and another “craftier” spool from May Arts. While deciding which one to use to dangle the “feathers”, I had an “aha” moment and began to envision a rustic look.

I began by painting the dreamcatcher itself, starting with Tangerine in the center, then Lemon, then Peacock and ending with Eggplant at the edges, allowing each color to dry before going on to the next. I used light strokes and a minimum of paint, so this process went very quickly.

I wanted my “feathers” to look like feathers, so I applied thick layers of each color, using a texture tool to spread the paint diagonally from the center to the edge. This process took a few days because these layers took a long time to air dry.

Meanwhile, I began to wind the thicker all-purpose twine around the edge of the circle, using glue dots ever inch or so to make sure that it would stay put.

I applied the mica-rich Sparkle Spray on all the surfaces, then rubbed most of it off with a paper towel to allow the colors to show through while toning down the very bright hues.

 I especially love the results that I got with the feathers; the mica settled in the grooves and bought out the textured look that I was going for.

I used more of the twine to attach my feathers and to create a hanging loop at the top. I couldn’t make up my mind as to whether to treat these lengths to match the wrapped edge; at the end, I decided to let them be.

I used several blooms from Prima to create my embellishment in the center and surrounded them with a few bark flowers given to me by my good friend, Heather Thompson. The title is a Tim Holtz Quote Chip, covered with Sparkle Spray and rubbed with a paper towel.

The best part of this cluster must be the feather bunch. It’s one of two that I’ve been hoarding for a long, long time; I do wish I could remember where it came from… It’s all of one piece; I simply added a few twists of the May Arts jute to the bottom before tucking it under and gluing it down.

Here are a few more closeups:

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 *****Supplies*****

***Très Jolie Mixed Media Kit***

Kaisercraft – Lucky Dip – Decor Flourish – Dreamcatcher – Large #LDB1092

Nuvo – Sparkle Spray – Cocoa Powder #1665N

Ranger Ink – Dina Wakley Media – Heavy Body Acrylic Paint – Lemon #MDQ54023

Ranger Ink – Dina Wakley Media – Heavy Body Acrylic Paint – Tangerine #MDQ54092

Ranger Ink – Dina Wakley Media – Heavy Body Acrylic Paint – Eggplant #MDQ59813

Ranger Ink – Dina Wakley Media – Heavy Body Acrylic Paint – Peacock #MDQ59851

 ***Other***

Prima – Amber Moon Collection – Flower Embellishments – Pumpkin #596989

Prima – Autumn Sunset – Flower Embellishments – Gourds and Pumpkins #642815

Bark Flowers

T W Evans Cordage Co – Jute Twine – 2-Ply – Brown #13-205

May Arts – Jute Burlap String – 1mm – Natural #SM-10

Advantus – Tim Holtz – Idea-Ology Collection – Quote Chips #TH93563

Feather Bunch

***Tools***

Ranger – Texture Tools Pack 1 #INK44567

Glue Dots – Mini Dots – 3/16 Inch

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As always, I want to thank you for peeking into my blog; your visits mean a lot to me.