TAG TIME

I do love to make tags but really don't know what to do with them after I've made them.  I couldn't possibly add them to a gift and give them away as I'm not sure the receiver would appreciate them and all that time I've spent creating.  What do you do with your tags?  

I was inspired to play along with the new challenge Tag-Along (and ATC's) and their theme is AG with the option of Garden. 

Tracy Evans Boutique Designs has just released a new set which is fast becoming my favourite called Dog Rose and Butterfly.  I love the extra ephemera stamps she has added for us and I just love the butterfly.

My piece started out as a play on the gel press - inspired by Alison Bomber to add real grasses to the paint and you can just see a faint imprint of the grasses I used. The paints used were Tim Holtz Walnut Stain and Cracked Pistachio.  I then stamped the butterfly collage stamp from Tracy's set in Versafine Shady Lane.  I restamped the butterfly in Versafine Portobello and cut it out and inked it with Distress Oxides in Cracked Pistachio and Unchartered Mariner.

I added some of the extra pieces of ephemera stamps and added some splatter.

I'm adding this into the following 

Tag Along - AG plus Garden 

Dream Valley - AG 

Stamping Sensations - flowers - AG 

NEW INK ON THE BLOCK!

If you are a lover of Tim Holtz you will know he has a new ink out. Mine arrived the day I was away for the weekend - but it was so nice to have something to look forward to come back to.  Crackling Campfire is its name.  Such a lovely colour for this time of year.

I started my tag with some Distress Collage Medium in Vintage and then covered it in some Botanical Collage paper.  My main focus is the flowers in the jug and the hummingbird from a favourite stamp set from Simon Says Stamp called Take Heart.  I cut out the image and coloured the flowers with Crackling Campfire.  What a fab colour - using an aqua painter allowed me to have a light colouring or an intense colouring.  I then used some of the new embossing glaze which made the lovely flowers shine but, in hindsight, took away the subtle colours I'd done with the ink.  They are just still there.  Can you spot my bird?  He is an elusive creature - here in the UK we don't have hummingbirds.  On a holiday to Colorado when we used to live in Texas we saw lots of these gorgeous little birds.  Definitely a memory to hold and, in true Idealogy form, I found just the right sentiments for my tags from the Clippings Sticker book.

I added some ephemera from TH - the little paper flowers were from my stash and I coloured them with the ink.  I added some leaves from TH Wildflower dies.  The top ribbon came from a recent clothes purchase - and I coloured the white part in the ink which has turned out really well.  

I'm adding this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge 

Crafty Cardmakers - things with wings

International Art and Soul - include an animal - I hope the bird fits the bill 

Chocolate Baroque - Wings

Creative Artist Mixed Media

Daring Cardmakers - Colour

Just Add Ink - Flowers in a vase