Hello,

Since my last post I’ve been busy making curtains, a throw and cushions for my bed, more cushions for the lounge and one more for one of my guest rooms, tiling a floor (my knees will never be the same) and generally de-cluttering and spring cleaning the garage (well, it has to be done sometime!)........Not to mention working on a craft project or two: I’ve finished an art journal page and I’m happily working on another (more on those another time), been practising my lettering (treated myself to a new square-lined Moleskin book which certainly helps) and finished a tag.

I’ll show and tell on the lettering and art journal pages another time but meanwhile I’d like to share the tag I made with you and give due homage to iGirlZoe. If you’ve not see iGirlZoe’s blog then you’re in for a treat. 

As you know, I’m having a ball taking part in Tim’s 2015 tag challenge and there are some utterly amazing interpretations out there.  I fell in love with iGirlZoe’s April tag interpretation (please take a look as it’s wonderful) and just wanted to have a try…. here are my efforts……

For my background I blended Wild Honey, Ripe Persimmon Distress inks and edged with a blend of Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain. I spritzed over the top with one of my own made-up sprays with a hint of glimmer. The foliage stamp I used was SU "Just Believe" which I seconded stamped in Potting Soil Archival Ink. Phil Martin's Grungy honeycomb stamp was stamped with Butterscotch Adirondack Ink (I absolutely adore this stamp.... and it seems anything honeycomb!)

I fell in love with Tim's thinnest edge dies (660220 Sizzix) when I saw the honeycomb die in the pack and I've just been waiting for the right project to come along to play with it.  I have a pack of Kraft cards in my stash so I used one of those for my honeycomb edging and again as my backing for my tag (I like backing my tags as it leaves the reverse side of the tag looking nice and neat plus makes the tag a little sturdier). I distressed the edges of my backing tag with Tim's edge distressing tool and a mix of Brushed Corduroy and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

 I used Crafters Workshop 6 x 6 mini chicken wire reverse stencil to add a little more detail to the background. I mixed SU More Mustard re-inker with PaperArtsy grunge paste to get the right colour. When dry I brushed over the top with Treasure Gold to add a little shimmer..... which I loved so I did the same to my honeycomb edging......  then later on my bees.... and then the tag edge and the wee bottle/vial!  It just gives such a lovely 'pop' to everything!

I've been wracking my brain trying to think where my bee stamp came from... it's fabulous... but sorry, I can't remember.  I stamped two images of the bee firstly onto some leftover background card and then two more on some clear acetate from my stash. I fussy cut the card bees and moulded the bodies and heads with a ball-ended tool. 

With the acetate images, I cut away the bodies, leaving just the wings which I attached to the card bodies using Glossy Accents, holding the wings raised with a couple of BBQ skewers.  Once dry I went all over the bodies with more Glossy Accents. 

Finally I used SU dimensional to attach my bees to the tag. A little twine was wrapped around the lower part of the card, under one of the bees before being tied off in a small bow.  A few Idea-ology Remnant Rub-ons were dotted about for a little more interest/detail too. 

I am as chuffed as little mint balls at how my bees turned out... isn't it fantastic when things go as you want!

Finally the tiny vial.... This is the detail/technique that absolutely sold this tag to me. I sooooo wanted to try it (Thanks you iGirlZoe for sharing).

Using an Idea-ology ring fastener and chain tassel I added a few beads from my stash and a small tag (just popping out from behind the tassel in the picture above) to which I added a Fig.5 Remnant Rub-on, edged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and added an eyelet. The tag itself was created using a SU tiny tag punch but it would be just as easy to cut one free-hand.

The tiny vial (Tim Holtz Idea-ology tiny vials) was coloured using Studio Multi Matt Medium, Distress Crackle paint and Pumpkin Colour Solution Alcohol Ink. I also used the same colour alcohol ink to colour my chain tassel and the glass beads (these were originally purple but mixed with the pumpkin colour they came out a really beautiful coppery colour.... couldn't have been more perfect for the colours I was trying to achieve on my tag... YEA!). The vial was fixed to the chain tassel with the inner brad from another Idea-ology ring fastener and secured for good measure with Glossy Accents. Another Remnant Rub-on was used on the vial itself. 

Finally I coloured white seam binding with the Wild Honey & Walnut Stain Distress Stain with touches of the pumpkin alcohol ink and More Mustard SU re-inker...et Voila!

Thanks you again to iGirlZoe for her lovely tag and for sharing techniques... I hope you agree that imitation is a sincere form of compliment.

Right I'm off now to work on my interpretation of Tim's May tag......Bye.

Happy crafting,

Carol. x