supplies: craft sheet, distress inks/antique linen/fired brick/aged mahogany/pine needles/vintage photo, distress embossing ink, distress embossing powder/antique linen, archival ink/jet black, mini mister, perfect pearls/heirloom gold, heat tool (ranger); metal corners, foliage, texture hammer, sanding grip (idea-ology); paper distresser, craft pick, tim holtz scissors (tonic); tattered elements, retro holiday, fabulous flourishes (stampers anonymous); #8 tag, ribbon, needlenose pliers
step 1: stamp the ornate frame with distress embossing ink on tag
step 2: shake antique linen distress embossing powder and pour over the image. remove the excess powder and replace in the jar.
step 3: heat emboss with a heat tool until powder lightens. distress powders are matte finish powders that won't become shiny so you need to watch for the color change to know when they are embossed.
step 4: LET THE POWDERS COOL! this is the most important thing to remember when using distress powders. they need to cool completely in order to stick to the surface. once cool, rub your entire hand across them to remove the "release crystals" in the powders. these crystals never melt which create a pitted effect whe
n parts of the image wear away.
step 5: begin inking the tag with antique linen distress ink using an ink blending tool. we will cover most of this color up eventually, but it gives us a great base to blend the other colors together. be sure to start the tool on the craft sheet and apply the ink in a circular motion.
step 6: ink various areas of the tag with fired brick and aged mahogany distress inks using an ink blending tool.
step 7: continue inking with pine needles distress ink using an ink blending tool filling in the un-inked areas.
step 8: continue inking with all three colors until you're happy with the color combination of your tag. notice i left the inside area of the frame a little lighter.
step 9: mist a paper towel with water from a mini mister.
step 10: wipe over the embossed image only to remove the excess ink and reveal the antique line color. the texture of these powders are incredible. the image is raised and feels like stucco.
step 11: stamp the season greetings with jet black archival ink in the center of the frame.
*did you know this ornate frame stamp was designed in one of my earliest collections and 90% of the verses i've designed (i couldn't show them ALL here) were made to fit inside the frame either horizontal or vertical? check it out.
step 12: stamp the fab.flourish with jet black archival ink as an accent. (did i mention i'll be using this stamp on every tag one way or another? i love this stamp)
step 13: apply a brush load of heirloom gold perfect pearls on to your craft sheet. this is from my favorite kit of perfect pearls "aged patina" it has the best colors!
step 14: mist the pearls with water from a mini mister.
step 15: mix the pearls with a paint brush to create a metallic paint. this should have the consistency of thick ink.
step 16: load the brush with this liquid goodness and tap it on your index finger to create rather large droplets of liquid gold pearl on your tag. a couple of things to mention: cover anything you don't want splatter with pearl (including yourself) and this is why we stamped out images in waterproof archival ink. let the droplet dry or dry them with a heat tool.
step 17: drag a paper distresser back and forth across the edge to create a tattered effect.
step 18: ink the tattered edges with vintage photo distress ink using an ink blending tool to give the look of burned paper.
step 19: hold a metal corner in one hand and a sanding grip in the other.
step 20: drag the sanding grip over the raised metal design on the corner to remove the antique finish and highlight the design – dramatic huh? repeat this of one more corner.
step 21: place the corner on the corner of your tag.
step 22: turn the tag over and fold the tabs in. repeat this for the other corner of the tag.
step 23: place your tag on a hammer mat and tap the back with the bump tip of the texture hammer. this will create create crisp folds in the metal and small dents in the metal and secure it to the tag without the need for any adhesive.
step 24: next we're going to create a metal rose from 2 large foliage flowers. begin with 2 large 5 petal foliage flowers.
step 25: using your tim holtz scissors, cut two petals out of one of the flowers only. yes these scissors will cut the metal without damaging them – i'm serious!
status: this is what you should have at this point - be sure to keep all 3 pieces.
step 26: using a pair of needlenose pliers, bend the petals of the full flower up to the center.
status: this is what you should have at this point.
step 27: using the pliers, grab the end of each petal and curl it under as shown.
status: this is what you should have at this point.
step 28: using your pliers, bend the 3 petal flower into a cone as shown.
step 29: using your pliers, grab the each petal and curl it under as shown.
step 30: for the final 2 petal flower, fold it in half and curl both petals under as shown.
step 31: place a long fastener on your hammer mat and flatten the top with the metal tip of your texture hammer. we need to use this fastener so don't pulverize it.
step 32: using your pliers, create a small fold in the head of the fastener as shown. we're ready to put this rose together.
step 33: slide the long fastener in between the 2 petal piece and pull the end of the fastener out of the bottom with your pliers.
step 34: nest that piece inside the 3 petal flower sliding the post of the fastener in the hole created by the cone shape.
step 35: nest that piece inside the 5 petal flower sliding the post of the fastener in the hole.
step 36: slide one of the foliage leaves over the fastener and open to secure everything together to create a foliage rose. you also want to gather 2 of the smallest foliage flowers and 2 more fasteners.
step 37: place the tag on to a piercing surface (i use a cork mat) and determine where you want the 3 flowers to go and pierce holes through the tag with a craft pick.
step 38: secure the flowers with the long fasteners. on the rose, simply open back up the fastener, insert it through the tag and open it again. accent your tag with ribbon and you're all finished!
in the details: i love the accent of the gold perfect pearl splatter against the bold colors of distress ink. the stucco finish of the distress powders on that ornate frame provide great texture and contrast, and let's not forget about that metal rose. pretty cool huh? i've been saving that little trick for a while now for the 12 Tags. i'm sure you'll be seeing more of these in other projects down the road…t!m
