hey bloggers! hope you had a great weekend…i sure did, great to be home i tell you! i'll admit there's still lots of stuff to catch up on around here, but we're making progress and that's a good thing. another good thing is the chance to share these tags i made for cha using my new stamps from stampers anonymous. i know many of you are excited to be getting your hands on these new images so i thought i'd give you some ideas of how i created these. what i like most about this particular stamp release is the individuality and random themes of each set. hopefully you'll find some ideas, inspiration, and more importantly some time to be creative a try a few out for yourself…t!m
haberdashery/reflections: i love the nostalgic feel these images inspire by capturing the memories of grandmother's sewing box. i started out simply swiping my frayed burlap distress ink across the tag direct to paper. then i stamped several images from the set using different colors of distress ink. for the main dress form image, i inked the stamp with espresso adirondack pigment ink. then stamped the un-inked definition stamp from the reflections set on to the inked stamp to create the resist look (check out the video here). i tattered the edges of the tag with a paper distresser, inked with distress ink using the blending tool, and attached a piece of ruler ribbon. simply sew around the tag with a sewing machine and embellish with a trinket pin, philosophy tag, and a couple new hanger clips. "sew" perfect…
adverts/curiosities: there is something really iconic about these vintage adverts from an old 1800's directory. their type style and imagery are so eclectic it's easy to create a background simply by layering. for this one i stained 2 tags using antique linen distress stain (of course you could still just ink up 2 tags with distress ink). then i began stamping the advert images with archival ink on one tag creating a mosaic design trying to interlock the images. for the ones i wanted to dimensionalize, i stamped those on the second inked tag and cut them out. i distressed all the edges with a paper distresser and inked with distress ink using an ink blending tool. i layered the cut images with foam tape, simple as that. now for those cool vintage vials, i used my new corked vials from idea-ology and for the labels, i stamped the mini labels from the new curiosities stamp set. there are 3 of these little labels sized to fit these vials. all i did was stamp these on to a white address label distress ink (you know the kind you print on). this way i just had to cut them out and then stick them right on the vials – no glue needed. i filled the vials with tic-tacs, mini altoids, and some water and re-inker for the finishing touch to place in front of the tag. it's all in the details…
papillon: no doubt this has been the favorite for this release. the vintage butterfly images combined with that ultimate scripty-text background…heaven! the photo of this tag definitely doesn't do it justice since you can't see the pearlescent shimmer it has, but it's there. i started by inking a tag with various colors of distress ink using the ink blending tool. shades of barn door, wild honey, and vintage photo with a touch of dusty concord gave me the background colors i was wanting. i then dried the tag with a heat tool before stamping the script background with vintage photo distress ink. while the ink was wet, i dusted it with bronze perfect pearls which adhered to the stamped design and created a vintage gilded look. next i stamped the large butterflies and paris sign with archival ink directly on the tag. i stamped the butterflies again on to a piece of transparency (or packaging) with archival ink, dried it with a heat tool, and cut them out. i attached the clear butterflies directly over the ones on the tag with a tiny attacher and bent the wings to create a bit of dimension. to embellish i added a fleur di lis adornment and new pen nib both from my idea-ology line. the finishing touch was a couple of mists of heirloom gold perfect pearl mists over the entire tag. i'm telling you, this one is a beauty…
steampunk: what can i say about this steampunk set? for me the gears, blueprint drawings, top hat guys, and that pointy finger makes for the ultimate collection of artful elements. i began cutting a tag and ticket from grungeboard using my alterations dies. the grunge tag was inked with cloudy blue paint dabber, sanded around the edges, and inked with walnut stain distress ink using an ink blending tool to give it that weathered look. the grunge ticket (my new mini mover ticket die) was painted with silver metallic paint dabber and sanded and inked the same way. i stamped the tag and ticket with various images from the set using jet black archival ink. the top hat guys were stamped and embossed with black embossing powder on a plain piece of grungeboard. then i cut them out to layer on the tag with foam tape over a piece of subway paper from my lost & found paper stash. i added loads of idea-ology embellishments to this tag including sprocket gears, game spinners, timepieces, a word key (hanging from a hitch fastener), and a tiny type charm i created with a 1/2" paper punch and the mini clock snippet from my lost & found paper. i told you, the ultimate steampunk right?…
wild west: saddle up your horses and ride off into the sunset with this throw back to the good ol' days. the sketchbook styling of these images make it easy to simply stamp and layer them. i stamped the cowboy with archival ink on the tag and created a mask of that image. i then stamped the saloon, paisley, and "west" over the cowboy with various distress ink colors and removed the mask. i inked the tag with distress inks using an ink blending tool and stamped the circle-star border along the bottom of the tag with snow cap paint dabber. finally i embellished this tag with a few long fasteners along the edge (dented with the texture hammer of course), a star adornment charm, and muse token hanging from a piece of twine. giddy'up!…
air travel: for someone who seems to spend more time in the air than on land, i was very inspired for this stamp set. the assortment of travel images, vintage airline ticket, and a cool map background makes it a very versatile collection. this tag was so simple to make too – i inked the background of the tag using the wrinkle-free technique with weathered wood, peeled paint, and walnut stain distress stains. i also inked another tag using the same technique using just walnut stain for the ticket. i stamped the images on the tag and ticket image using archival ink. i cut the ticket out and distressed the edges with a paper distress and inked them with walnut stain distress ink. i stamped the airplane on to plain grungeboard with archival ink and cut out to layer on the tag. i attached a piece of film strip ribbon to the tag using a tiny attacher and for an added effect, i also stapled the top of the stamped ticket. i adhere the ticket and the airplane to the tag with foam tape and embellished with a philosophy tag and charm clip. i finished it off with a game spinner added to the stamped compass to direct the creative journey ahead…
travel labels: there's just something about the look of vintage travel labels that inspire my imagination to drift to far off places. this tag uses these images in their simplest form yet it definitely makes me want to escape it all. i inked the tag with various colors of distress ink using an ink blending tool. i then misted the tag with water to blend the colors and then stamped a variety of travel labels all over with archival ink. i created a fun shaker element using a memory capsule and memory frame from ranger and added some small glass beads, a starfish, and tiny shells. i embellished the tag with a piece of fish net, a couple of idea-ology metal corners, and secured the frame to the tag with a hinge clip. paradise is found…
