TAGS
Tags are one of those things you can use again & again and in so many different ways. You can make them from card of various thickness and size. Scrapbooking scraps are perfect and there’s fabric too. Your tags can be inked, stamped, embellished and there’s no real rules to making tags as with any creative process. Gel plates are also useful for colouring the tags.
They make great additions to Journals and are lovely to add to the front of a greetings card or pocket.
PICTURE TAGS
The tags were inspired simply by me looking through an encyclopaedia/dictionary and seeing the black & white illustrations. The pages are really white with black text.
Tags seemed at the time the obvious way to go. After making them I think straight tags or Journalling cards might have been the simplest. It was fun and everyday is a school day.
The first steps are obvious really, select the size of the tag or journalling card. I tried covering them after I’d cut them but its easier to do it the either way round.
Collect several images and allow space bigger than the card you’re covering when ripping it out of the Book.
FINISHING TOUCHES – Some of the tags were embellished with washi Tape. There are several ways to finish tags, tabs, eyelets and paper strengtheners. I used a variety.
The Octopus's Garden
It’s important to use your craft collection. A new set of stamps! You just have to play!
- Smoothing Technique on the base tag.
- Stamped and coloured a variety of stamps
- Used sticky tabs to create depth on the tag.
- Placed the seaweed and seahorse first
- Now the octopus placed higher
- Added the starfish
- The ‘sand’ is a dyed dishcloth to give great texture.
- Added a sentiment
- The finish touch is a tie on the tag.
The Travellers
More Tim Holtz stamps and inks. I Love the colour of the tags so wanted to contrast with the dark hats. There is additional work added to the stamps to finish them off and continue the theme. In short the whole project came together really quickly.
- Background Stencil & stamps with Chipped Sapphire & Black Soot ink
- Stamp the hats and stamp & cut with die the tickets
- Colour & Cut the hats
- Make the compass from craft paper & glass block.
- Construct the tags adding the final detail with a postage stamp.
- Finishing touch is the moustache from a stamp and the word FILED in Aged Mahogany Ink
Mr Tinham & Sons
Getting ready for Halloween I bought Mr Tinham & Sons is a set of Tim Holtz stamps and that is the title of the tags.His stamps have something special about them resulting in a different kind of crafting. The stamp set was very inspiring.
- The base tag was sprayed and stamped. A little splatter in white too.
- The skull, hats, collars and ties were printed on white card and then sprayed with ink and decorated.
- Once dry, the construction on this occasion as straight forward.
- The skull, raised by sticky tabs so that I could add the other bits to that.
- Collar and bow ties tucking them under the skull.
- Now the hats, stamped and coloured and fussy cut.
- At this point there was something missing. All of a sudden I realised it was hair!
- Due to the fact I didn’t have any mummy cloth I improvised and dyed a dish cloth in various coloured inks (Tim Holtz).
- By the time they had dried, they curled. In truth I really like the way they looked.
- Finishing touch on this occasion was some brown ribbon.
