12 tags of 2013 – march…

2013march

wow is it march already?!  this year is quickly moving along, but i’ll be honest i’m really looking forward to spring.  more sunshine, more blue skies, more flowers, and easter (which also means my favorite candy holiday).  so no doubt this month’s tag was inspired by all things spring!!!  i really enjoy sharing these monthly tag tutorials since i see that more and more of you are taking the time to create and share your projects inspired by the tag each month too.  spring has such a great color palette and it’s fun to mix pastels with a hint of grungy brown – ahh perfect in my world.  today’s tag has many steps to it, but don’t let that intimidate you – it’s all about the details on this one, so let’s “hop” to it… (pun intended)

supplies: sizzix movers & shapers syled labels die, mini mover’s & shapers bunny die, tapered fringe die, tattered banners die, die pick, vagabond, seasonal paper stash, tinsel twine, foliage, memo pins, crinkle ribbon, sanding grip, kraft core, distress paint, distress stain, distress ink, ink blending tool, craft sheet, heat tool, glossy accents, wonder tape, collage glue stick, alcohol ink, cut n’ dry foam, archival ink, cms#155, grid-blocks, scissors, hot glue

step 1: place mini bunny die into movers & shapers styled labels die.

step 2: place a piece of white kraft core face down over die and die cut it.

step 3: remove the mini bunny die but inserting your die pick into the foam and gently lift the magnetic die.

step 4: this is what you should have (2 bunnies) we are only going to use the negative space for this tag so save the other for something else.

step 5: sand over the kraft core using a sanding grip to reveal some of the kraft around the edges.

step 6: ink the edges with distress ink using an ink blending tool (the sanding first makes a big difference as to the amount of ink the paper will take).

step 7: measure the space around the bunny to layer a background.

step 8: cut a piece of cardstock and wonder tape to that measurement.

step 9: apply the wonder tape to the cardstock and remove the top red layer exposing the adhesive.

step 10: begin covering the tape with strips of tinsel twine adhering them in rows.

step 11: apply adirondack alcohol ink to a piece of foam and tap the ink over the tinsel to colorize (i used aqua and mushroom – great color combo).

step 12: because i want to give this a vintage tinsel look, heat the tinsel to slightly melt and curl the ends of the tinsel twine.

*check this out – just like vintage tinsel!

step 13: place the tinsel background behind the bunny opening and adhere with any kind of tape (you won’t see this side).

step 14: colorize a strip of crinkle ribbon using distress stains (i used a mix of spun sugar and tattered rose).

step 15: crinkle into a ball and dry with a heat tool.

step 16: swipe over the dry ribbon with your dirty ink blending tool to get some of the brown distress ink to highlight the crinkles.

step 17: tie the ribbon around the assembled piece and tie a bow.  trim ends of ribbon.

step 18: select your background paper to cover your tag.  what i like about the idea-ology paper stashes is the fact that you can choose between 12×12 or 6×6 of the same design depending on your project.  i went with the 6×6 version of the easter paper from the seasonal stash which has paper for all seasons throughout the year in one pad (my goto paper every holiday).

step 19: apply collage glue stick to a #8 manila tag and press down on the the back of the paper.

step 20: cut the paper to fit the tag and punch a hole through the top. note: the bottom edge of the tag is exposed since the #8 tag is 6 1/4″ tall, but not to worry.

step 21: sand the edges using a sanding grip to reveal the white core and give it a nice shabby look.

step 22: tear a strip of kraft core (i love this strip pad especially for die cutting).

step 23: sand the paper first to reveal the kraft core in areas.  i usually sand first if i’m going to be cutting detailed things.

step 24: cut the strip using the new tapered fringe die (really a fun die).

step 25: you actually get 2 usable strips from one die cut – nice.

step 26: ink the edges of the paper with distress ink using an ink blending tool.

step 27: cut 2 pieces of the tapered fringe to the width of the tag.

step 28: apply glossy accents to the bottom edge of one of the pieces.

step 29: adhere this piece to the bottom edge of the background paper still leaving the tag edge exposed…trust me on this.

step 30: apply glossy accents to the back of the second piece and adhere this to the bottom edge of the tag making sure to off-set the fringe slightly to the right or left.

step 31: using your fingers, crumple the fringe to create a cool and funky grass edge.  i love the alternated levels to give this a realistic look and of course having the brown kraft background makes for great contrast.

step 32: colorize another piece of crinkle ribbon using distress stain (i used tumbled glass for this one).

step 33: die cut the tattered banner die from a light colored cardstock.

step 34: ink the edge with distress ink and stamp on to one of the banners with archival ink.

*this is the stamp set i used “simple sayings” one of my new all-time faves!

step 35: fold each end of the banner in a “Z” to create a dimensional banner – perfect.

step 36: adhere the bunny background and banner to the tag using glossy accents.  tie ribbon on to top of the tag.

(we’re almost done – hang in there)…

step 37: gather up some foliage and a couple of memo pins, and a couple of long fasteners.

step 38: paint the metal piece using distress paint.  since i wanted a mix of pastel with a little brighter color, i applied both tones (bundled sage/peeled paint) to my craft sheet and painted the leaves and memo pins with my finger.

step 39: do the same thing with yellows (mustard seed/antique linen).

step 40: paint another flower pink (spun sugar) and the other blue (broken china).

step 41: dry all of the metals with a heat tool or set them aside to dry.

step 42: allow all of the pieces to cool before touching!  distress paint is so dang cool on metal – it looks just like vintage enamel.

step 43: to assemble the flowers insert the long fastener into the smaller flower first (yes i painted the tips of those too).

step 44: continue with the larger flower and a leaf and place the end of the fastener through the hole in the memo pin.

step 45: open the ends of the long fastener and wrap around the ring of the memo pin – neat huh?

step 46: since i didn’t want my flowers and leaves to keep spinning i applied a dab of hot glue into the back as shown.  let this cool.

*this is what we’ve created…floral stick pins!

step 47: slide the memo pins behind the fringe grass to create your flower garden…we’re done! (note: if you want to adhere the flower pins to the tag, just apply a dab of hot glue or glossy accents to the end of the pin before inserting it behind the grass).

the details: i love the look of this fringe grass and flowers…totally spring.

the details: the simple sayings stamps all fit the tattered banners so you can create banners for any occasion, or just fold one end of the banner around a wood skewer or toothpick to create a flag.

the details: nothing says vintage holiday to me like antiqued tinsel, and using the silver tinsel twine with alcohol inks, i can create any color i want.

so there we are bloggers, i guess it’s officially spring (at least here on my blog).  i hope you have found a few ideas in this month’s tag to try out for yourself.  like i said at the beginning of the post,  the details matter right?  i have a few more easter ideas to share throughout the month, but this one should definitely get you going.  don’t forget to participate in the “12 tags of 2013″challenge and upload your tag to the blog, you could win a prize every month!  of course there is also the “tattered floral challenge” going on too so lots of creativity to share and inspire and lots of great prizes to win.  happy springtime everyone…t!m

*be sure to check your local stores for these supplies or you can
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(SSS=simon says stamp / IE=inspiration emporium)

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Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101