Captured!

Hi everyone! A while ago, I picked up these cute little mason jar tags on clearance at Michaels. I had no idea what I would do with them but the price was right and I always enjoy the challenge. They are  approximately 2 x 3 inches big which turns out to be the perfect size for the tiniest TH Paperdoll figures.

I first inked the outside edges with Coffee Archival and then used Inktense pencil and water to shade under the rim and between the white lines on the jar rings. White coloured pencil was used to highlight. The backgrounds were stamped and stencilled with Coffee Archival Ink or Gesso. To ground the people and give a little interest behind them, tiny collages were made with the smallest of scraps of vintage papers and washi tape, all of which were edged with Coffee Archival ink.

The people and the outside edges of the jars were edged with black Big Brush pen to help them stand out against the kraft background. To finish the tags, TH Remnant rub words were added as well as a number stamped die cut tag attached with glue and baker's twine. I think they turned out so cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Pretty Little Tags

Hi everyone! I've had these pretty translucent stickers from Paper Game Co. in my stash for a while and decided it was high time I made something with them. They are fairly small under 1.75 inches at their longest points so I thought that smaller scale tags would suit them well. I have an old Marvy Uchida punch with a nicely shaped top that cuts tags 1.75 x 2.25 inches so I used that on some tan coloured textured cardstock.

I started by stamping the punched tags with a text stamp using coffee Archival Ink and not much pressure to get a lighter effect. The edges of the tag were darkened with the same ink to create an aged look.

Scraps of vintage book paper were then torn to fit on each tag. The edges of these scraps were also darkened with Coffee Archival ink which helps this layer contrast with the background.

One of the translucent stickers was then placed over the book text. I love that you can see the text through the flowers. A hole was punched at the top of each tag and string was feed through to finish them off.

When I am playing and experimenting, I sometimes find it hard to stop. There's often that little nagging "what would happen if..." and that's how the last tag came to be. It's a 2.25 x 4.75 manila tag stamped with the same script stamp and ink. A layer of cheesecloth was adhered before the book text was layered on top. White gesso was used over the text to push it into the background before the sticker, this time with a bird as well as flowers, was layered on top. Because I had extra real estate, I added a Tracie Fox number label, a strip of music paper, and a Chit Chat sticker. I can see that a number of other tags in the same style might be calling my name :) After all, you can't just have one...LOL

Thanks for stopping by.

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

Junk Journal Collage Tags

Hi everyone! I found a bunch of kraft cardstock tags when I was sorting through a bin and decided they would be great for collage style tags. It's always good to try to use up those scraps of papers and other bits and bobs before they take over the room :) Besides, this is one of my favourite ways to play.

I also had some translucent stickers I had purchased some time ago from Papergame and, although I had used some, I still had many that are too beautiful to hide away in a bin. I thought they would make awesome focals on these collaged tags...and I was right.

I also found an American Crafts Knockout punch which I haven't used in years. It punches 5 tiny stars in a row so I used it on the tops and sides of vintage book paper. Then I backed the star area with a scrap of black and inked the front edges. I think it might be my new favourite embellie. While I was punching, I used it on another scrap of black and adhered the punched out stars to the heart and two corners of the one tag. The stars are 3/8 inch at the widest...so cute.

Some of the tags have fussy cut butterflies. I have a little bin of these already pre-cut so all I do is ink the edges with black Big Brush pen. I inked many of the collage paper edges as well as the outside edges of the tag with Coffee Archival Ink.

I finished each with a faux stitched border and outlining of the individual papers because I like that look. It highlights all of the different papers and layers. A little string topper for each and I called them done. I will likely add a word to a few like the one above when I decide where they are going and can choose a word that fits.

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate that kindness. I'll be back in a few days with another set of smaller tags. I think I could make tags all day every day...LOL. Somebody stop me..ha!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Make a Wish Tag ~ Inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! For my second Vera Lane Studio project today, I decided to make a tag featuring one of the sweet Wish Fairy images. I love the serene expression on her face, her beautiful wings, and wonderful hat. She makes me smile!

I coloured Wish Fairy with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils. Her wings were done with the same colours of pencils as in the rest of her but I added white over the top to blend the colours into each other for a bit of a magical effect.

The background began with a textured and mottled blue paper from which I cut a #8 size tag. Vintage music paper edged with Coffee Archival Ink was layered vertically over the blue and a piece of white doily was adhered overlapping that. To give Wish Fairy a place to stand and tie in the blues from her hat and dress, a piece of marbled printed paper was torn and adhered horizontally toward the bottom of the page. The Idea-ology Small Talk sticker was layered over the blue strip.

To finish the tag, black pen was used to outline the layers and doodle a border around the outside. The edges were inked with Coffee Archival and edged with black Big Brush Pen. Green and blue twine were combined to make the topper, again pulling the colours from the image to unify the tag.

Thanks for joining Wish Fairy and me today. That was kind of you! When you get a chance, be sure to pop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop as well as the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group, both great places to hang out and be inspired.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Well-loved ~ inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! I love the new Rag Dolls images released yesterday by Vera Lane Studio. They make me think of the Velveteen Rabbit when the Skin Horse is explaining what it means to be real. I was inspired to create a tag with one of the three rag dolls. I love the saying that comes with the set but I had another one in mind when I was creating.

I coloured Ragdoll 2 with Prsmacolor and Polychromos pencils, adding a little extra detail with a black Pitt Pen. She was then fussy cut leaving a white border, matted with black, and fussy cut again leaving a black border. Foam tape was used to pop her up when she was adhered to the background.

The tag shape was cut from a piece of cardstock from my stash which had been used to catch the over-spray from Distress Oxide sprays while creating another project. I love the randomness and the hard edges this creates within the pattern. The tag is a standard #8 size. An Ellen Hutson Bokeh Circles stamp was added in three places with Coffee Archival Ink and a piece of drywall mesh was layered where Ragdoll's torso would land. A stamped, folded, and stitched strip of plain vintage book paper was matted with brown cardstock and adhered along the bottom edge and this was topped with washi tape to give RD a place to stand.

The sentiment was printed onto white cardstock, matted with black, and popped up on foam tape. A simple border was doodled with brown Sharpie and Walnut Brown Big Brush Pen was added to the edges along with a brown reinforcement for the hole. The topper is a piece of the selvage edge from  woven fabric. I wanted it to be slightly worn looking as well.

Thanks for stopping by today to visit with Ragdoll and me. We are delighted that you did. When you get a chance, pop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop to check out Ragdoll's sisters and all her other friends available to star in your creations. Check out the inspiration supplied by our DT members as well as our talented members in the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group. It's a lovely place to hang out and we would be delighted to have you visit.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Ugly Sweater Tags ~ inspired by Vera Lane Studio images

Hi everyone! I wanted to create some cute little gift tags to attach to presents and, more importantly, I wanted to colour 4 of Lulu's Ugly Christmas Sweaters by Vera Lane Studio because each one makes me smile. The tags are about 2.5 x 3.75 inches and are a great way to use up scraps of patterned paper. The girls were coloured with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cut leaving a white border and again leaving a black border. They were popped up on foam tape to add dimension.

The backgrounds were cut into a tag shape, matted with black cardstock, and faux stitched around the edges. Black reinforcements were punched and adhered to the holes in the tags. Lengths of washi tape or a strip of patterned paper were adhered across the bottom of the tags to ground the images. Gold circle embellies were adhered to both ends of the contrasting strips. To finish these super simple tags, white satin ribbon was added as a topper to each one. The to/from will be added to the back with white pen.

Thanks for joining the Sweater Girls and me today. We're so glad you did. Be sure to pop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop and the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group when you get a chance. Both are great places to hang out and are chalk full of inspiration!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Scrappy Kraft tags

Hi everyone! I raided my scrap box again to decorate some tags die cut from kraft cardstock. I love collaging with scraps, although I'm building up enough of a stash that I think I'm going to have to send out some happy mail so I can create more. My joy comes more from the process of creating them than from actually using them :)

The two larger tags were die cut using a 3 x 4.5 die from Poppy Stamps with pinpoint detail around the edges. The other 4 were cut with a Paper Smooches die which is about 2x3 inches in size. All 6 tags were inked around the outside edges with Coffee Archival Ink. The four smaller tags were faux stitched around the outside edges to create a border.

Scraps of various sizes and shapes were layered onto each tag after they were edged with Coffee Archival Ink to help the layers stand out. Threaded buttons were added as well as punched reinforcements for the front and back. Fine cord was used as toppers for each of the tags.

Thanks for popping by today. That was awesome of you. I have several more tags and embellies to share with you later in the week so stay tuned...LOL

Life is good; so is art.

Bonnie

Altered tags

Hi everyone! I had this tag pad from K&Company kicking around for ages. I had already used all the ones I really liked and was left with a bunch that were OK but not really my style. They sat neglected for so long that finally I decided to alter them, keeping the parts I liked about each but changing the parts I was less fond of. Now, I love them and can see myself or someone else using them.

First I added scraps of patterned paper to cover the sections or details I didn't care for or to create a different colour story.

Then I added details such as die cuts, clear stickers, lace, buttons, brads, or tags to make them more interesting. Coffee dyed paper was adhered to the back of each to add strength and texture to the plain white backs.

The front and back edges were darkened with Coffee Archival Ink and faux stitching was added with brown Sharpie pen. Reinforcement circles were punched from kraft or coordinating cardstock and edged with Coffee Archival Ink before being glued on to the front and back.

To finish them off, words from TH ChitChat Stickers were inked around with Walnut Big Brush Pen and adhered to the tag fronts. The good news is that I went from 10 tags I would never use to 10 tags I love. The bonus is that I used up more scraps and bits from my stash. And...I had great fun collaging them.

Thanks for joining me today. I appreciate that. Do you have anything kicking around your stash that you can alter to make something you like? Have a play! It'll be worth it :)

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Christmas Tags using Vera Lane Studio Holiday Collage Sheet

Hi everyone! My second DT project today is a set of 6 Christmas tags created with the Vera Lane Studio Holiday Collage Sheet images. These are such quick tags to create because the images are pre-coloured and need only to be fussy cut and details added if desired.The tags were cut from mop-up or gel printed paper scraps using a Paper Smooches tag die.

Stamping was added to each background to add more texture and interest. All of the tags had washi tape added to the bottom of the tags to ground the images. A simple doodled border was added to the outside edges of the tag and the washi was outlined as well.

The images were fussy cut leaving a white border and matted with black cardstock. Detail was added  using Stickles, black pen, and paint pen dots as well as a tiny embroidery floss bow, and punched hearts for the cups. To finish the tags, they were each matted with black cardstock and a thin satin ribbon was added to the tops.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope this has given you some quick and easy ideas for your own gift tags. I'd love to see what you create! Be sure to show them on the Vera Lane Facebook group so we can all be inspired.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

You Can't Make me! - inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! Did you see the amazing digi set released by Vera Lane Studio yesterday? It's called What the Fluff? She comes with two different hats, and the sentiment and I love her edgy style. I decided to create a tag cut from a gel print where she could express herself.

I coloured the image and the fedora hat with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils using a simple palette of colours for her clothing and hair. She was fussy cut leaving a narrow white border and the hat was fussy cut the same way except that I cut it tight to the black line along the bottom edge. I didn't merge the images because I wasn't sure what angle I wanted to place the hat until I was finished colouring and cutting. The hat was glued at a rakish tilt with the brim ends tucked under her hair. Then she (with hat in place) was glued to a black piece of cardstock, and fussy cut a second time leaving a narrow black border. Foam tape was attached to the back to pop her up.

I cut the tag shape from white cardstock, making it a little longer than a standard #8 tag. The gel print was adhered to the white tag base with the center of the circle as centered behind her as I could get it. I like the way it radiates out from her. A few Bokeh Circle stamps were added with Jet Black Archival Ink.

To ground her, a layered piece consisting of orange and red packaging, text printed paper, washi tape, and a Snarky Small Talk sticker was placed at the bottom of the tag, backed by a piece of black cardstock to set it off. A simple border was doodled around the tag and the edges were darkened with Black Big Brush Pen. Three black enamel dots were placed in the upper right corner and black ribbon with white stitching was added as the topper.

Thanks for joining us today. Be sure to pop by the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group to see more projects featuring this fabulous image set. Also pop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop to see the other amazing digi sets available. There's a little something (OK...a lot) for everyone!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Come and Join me ~ a tag inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! For my second DT project for Vera Lane Studio, I created a Halloween tag featuring one of my favourite witches. Her name is Stella Luna and she was created by Vera Lane Studio. I think she is adorable...definitely a good witch :)

I coloured her with a mix of Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cut her leaving a narrow white border, and matted her with black. She was popped up on foam tape to create dimension and natural shadow.

The background was one I had started ages ago and just recently found in my stash. I believe it was coloured with Distress Inks but I would be guessing at the colours. It was done with the wrinkle free technique where the ink is smushed on the craft sheet and spritzed with water. The colour is then adde to the tag by dipping it into the puddles of ink. The bottom of the tag was layered with a bit of left over gel print and a strip of patterned paper both matted with black cardstock to help the layers stand out. A spiral stamp was added in a few places using Rusty Hinge Distress Ink. Tiny Xs were added with black pen through a stencil.

A die cut black spiky circle was added to the top of the tag before a string topper was added to the hole. The wording was printed onto white cardstock, matted with black, and popped up on foam tape. White punched circles were added to the background and were outlined with black pen. The outside edges of the tag were inked with Black Big Brush Pen to frame and finish the tag.

Thanks for joining Stella and me today. We are so glad you did. Have you seen the new stamps Janet Klein created in the Vera Lane Studio style for AALL & Create? They are fabulous and I can't wait until mine arrive. People have been sharing their makes with them on the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group...such awesome images and creations. So now you have a choice of rubber or digi. My rubber ones were ordered from Topflight Stamps and,of course, the digis are available in the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Joggles Art Journal Adventure Week 41 ~ Tag(s)

Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! I hope you are having an awesome weekend. Today marks Week 41 of the Joggles Art Journal Adventure and the prompt this week is to include a tag (or more than one) to your project. The other day. I was sorting through my big stack of gel prints and other backgrounds and discovered a small stack of tags which had backgrounds started. I found two which had colour palettes which would work together and also were two different sizes. That inspired today's art journal page.

I knew that the larger tag was used to mop up Lindy's Starburst sprays and that the other one was colourized with either Distress Inks or Distress Oxides, although I suspect the former. I flipped through my Distress Oxide Swatches and matched the colours, then used those same colours to ink the 6x8 inch mixed media paper background which would be my substrate. Just for fun, I flicked the page with water and patted with a dry paper towel to create splotches. The edges of the background and the two tags were inked with Coffee Archival Ink.

Then I started layering and auditioning to come up with a layout which made me happy. I knew that I wanted a die cut silhouette of a flower (TH Sizzix) cut from black cardstock to be the focal on the smaller tag which was going to be staggered over the larger tag. To join the two tags, a scrap of old book paper stamped with script, and over that I layered a coffee dyed tag decorated with rub-on letters. Three different washi tapes were used to decorate the lower part of the flower stem and add a little more black to the page.

A scrap of  sheet music, and some vintage book paper were tucked behind the tags but they needed more. Torn black cardstock was layered under the music paper and next to the larger tag and a strip of yellow dotty paper was layered under that, after being inked with Coffee Archival. The other little piece of washi which I had torn to decorate the stem was adhered in such a way that it united the large tag, the black, and the dotty layers. I find this is a great way to add unity to the piece and to push the layers into the background.

To continue the layering and add more texture to the background, a clear sticker  with script was added to the bottom right corner, tucking it behind the other papers.

Rub-ons were added to the top right and bottom left corners and a simple border was doodled coming from those sketchy dots. Number rub-ons were also added to the larger tag to repeat the pattern on the tiny tag. An extra scrap of the dotty paper and the black was tucked into the space next to where the two tags meet to bring over the pattern from the other side of the tags. Another rub-on was used to fill in the top right corner as well as linking to the silhouette which could be a figure from a botanical book :)

The wording is an Idea-ology Small Talk sticker. The final addition before inking the edge with black Big Brush Pen was to add the other part of that book text scrap with the red border to the bottom right corner, again to unite the two corners and help the eye move across the page. The page was adhered to the black background common to all of the pages in this journal.

Thanks for popping by to check out my response to the Tag prompt. To see what the other fabulous participants in the Joggles Art Journal Adventure Facebook group create with this prompt, be sure to pop by the group from time to time this week. It'll be worth the click!

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie

Two Tag Tuesday ~ Inspired by Vera Lane Studio images

Hi everyone! Did you like that tongue twisting title? Am I stuck on the letter T today? I have no idea why alliteration strikes me as funny but it does. It might be because it's fun to say. I don't know but I accepted that fact long ago and I just roll with it:) Last Week, and this week, Vera Lane Studio released another two sets of awesome images calling out to be coloured. I created a tag for each: Catgirl and Skulldoos. I love them both so much!

I coloured the images with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils, fussy cut them leaving a narrow white border, and matted them leaving a narrow black border. All three were popped up on foam tape to add dimension and natural shadow.

The background for CatGirl (why do I keep hearing the Batman theme??) was a Joggles watercolour tag which I sprized with Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide Spray and then added colour to with Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide ink. The cat paws were added with a Kaisercraft stencil and Jet Black Archival and the text and grid stamps with Library Green Archival. Washi Tape over white cardstock created a ground line and pink puffy hearts picked up her hair colour. The tag was lined with black pen, edged with black Big Brush pen, and double matted with pink and black cardstock.

The background for Skulldoos and her chihuahua was a piece of text printed patterned paper cut into a tag shape and edged with Coffee Archival Ink and black Big Brush Pen. Across the bottom, purple designer paper matted with black was layered under orange dp, also matted with black. Across the top, a curvy border was adhered to keep the eyes on the tag instead of drifting off to who knows where. A simple border was doodled around the outside edges.

The text on CatGirl comes with the image set and the text on the Skulldoos tag was computer generated. Both were matted with black cardstock and popped up on foam tape. Simple ribbons coordinating with the tag colours became the toppers to finish them off.

Thanks for joining us today. We certainly do appreciate that! When you get a chance, stop by the Vera Lane Studio Etsy shop to check out these and all the other wonderful images. Pop by the Vera Lane Studio Facebook group as well to find inspiration galore. You're welcome...LOL

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie