February Tag - 12 Tags of 2015

I really couldn’t wait to see what inspiration Tim had for us with his tag this month…. I thought I was quick on the ball by checking his blog first thing on 1^st Feb. but then couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that three participants of the 12 Tags of 2015 had not only  made their tags but posted them too!  I've got to step up.......

BUT I then decided to wait until Valentine’s Day to make my tag, in the hope that the luuuuurrrve in the air would enhance my creative mojo!  Not really.  It was more about giving myself time to assess what stash I had. Sadly I didn’t have half the supplies Tim used on his tag this month. 

Being more of a shabby chic kind of girl I decided that my interpretation of Tim’s  tag would lean on the shabby chic side rather than on the grungy side. So here is my tag……. Sorry not the best ever photograph.

Using manila card-stock for my base I delved into my stash and raided some K&C Company (12x12 designer paper - "Wedding")  and Paper Cellar Ltd (6x6 designer paper -  "Victorian Classics") papers for my paper patchwork.  

I glued these in place with Matt Medium and added another coat on top to act as a sealant.   When dry, I trimmed off the excess.

After sanding the edge of the tag and the paper joints with my trusty emery board, I applied Picket Fence Distress Paint randomly over the tag, the edge and the joints working with my finger rather than a brush or the dauber on the bottle…. It really helped to blend the patchwork of papers and unify the look of the tag.

Another coat of Matt Medium over the tag provided the base to add some shadowing which I did with a light grey marker and my finger.… the Black Soot marker that Tim used on his tag would have been too dark for the lighter look I was trying to achieve.

I machine stitched round the edge of the tag and again around the word “adore” to make it stand out. I also added a couple of strips of lace from my stash.

Using Picket Fence Distress Paint I lightened the metal frame that I wanted to use for my main heart embellishment, a number brad and the casing for my little heart.  The little heart I attached to the brad with a couple of jump-rings. 

The splashes of bright red Tim has on his tag looks sooooo vibrant and very Valentines -ish but I decided to go with pale pink for my heart; to tie it in with the pink striped K&C paper used on the tag. 

 I had a heart left over from the wedding tag I made recently (white card embossed with tiny silver wedding ceremony text – gorgeous) after trimming it down a little, I covered the heart with white Mulberry paper  and then swiped it very gingerly through Spun Sugar Distress Ink spritzed with water and dried it off with a heat gun. 

A happy accident was the soft pastel blue smudge that appeared on the heart......I popped the heart onto some printed text that was lying on my craft desk whilst I dug out my heat tool and the damp Mulberry Paper soaked up some of the colour...... far from cursing I liked it.... could this be me actually embracing imperfection at long last!

To soften the look I teased out the Mulberry Paper at the edges and then layered a few white feathers behind...... it looks as if it's seen a fright, doesn't it?  I have to own up that I did give it a wee haircut.

The heart is secured under the bottom edge of the metal frame with a little Glossy Accents. A couple of dimensionals under the top of the heart added the little lift I was looking for. I also added a couple of white pearl stamens to the top of the heart, also tucking these under the bottom edge of the metal frame.

Although I had flowers on the paper patchwork at the bottom LH corner of my tag I wasn’t happy with the look and decided that a couple of silk/organza ones would be a better finishing touch…. Hope you agree. 

I used some gorgeous white seam binding for the top and backed the tag with pale cream pearlescent card, adding a picture of Tim’s inspirational tag to the back and a little charm made from the 12 Tags of 2105 logo (thanks to Helen Allen for that idea: http://acraftproject.blogspot.co.uk ) A Number Brad gives a clue to the date as too does the tiny Ranger heart embellishment I used.

Thanks as ever to Tim for the inspiration….. Soooo much fun playing along.

Happy crafting.

Carol. xx