Tim Holtz Pen Nib Picket Fence Tag

Spring has Sprung

   When I started to get out the bits and pieces to create this tag, I was hunting to see if I had a suitable bird stamp. I did not! For someone who loves stamping as much as I do, I am woefully lacking in the stamp department, however... I have ingenuity by the bucketfull!
   Instead I cut out 2 images from a scrapbook pad (they were a plain royal blue and black) and Glossy Accented them. Part way through the drying process, I scored the wings with a needle to create a textured surface. Once everything was dry, I coloured with Promarker's.

   During my hunt,  I decided that my Tim Holtz Pen Nib stamps reminded me  a little of a fence and this igave me an idea for my tag.
   I knew I wanted to add lots of Spring things... I ended up with flowers, birds, butterflies and some cheeky little Indigoblu bunnies  (again, a freebie from Craft Stamper magazine) that snuck in there at the end.
    I also used lots of different stamping techniques which I really enjoyed - it is lovely to be able to create my own backing papers... most of this, I have learnt from blogging - thank you all!
   After lightly rubbing a plain tag with Vintage Photo and Broken China Distress ink, I used my favourite background stamp, the Almanac from Rogue Redhead Designs and Versamagic Sugarcane Ink to create a text background. I couldn't decide which embossing inks to use from the selection I had chosen, so I used all of them in different parts of the tag (Holographic, Clear, Dark Brown and a Faded Jeans Distress ink) I water splattered the tag and rubbed Frayed Burlap Distress Ink around the edges to close the tag.

I stamped a large Basic Grey floral stamp with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and embossed with holographic powder

Bird Detail showing 'scored' Glossy Accents 

My pen nib fence

Trying to show the glimmer! As ever, I had such fun making this!

Ihis to be my entry for Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2012 April Tag: 12-tags-of-2012-april.html
and Lisa Somerville's Blogger Challenge here: For the Birds and the Spring Challenge at: Fashionable Stamping Challenges and the 'free' theme at: Crazy Amigo's and the Spring Challenge at: Creavil Challenges
I'm not used to adding blog hop links - my comments space has moved half a mile down this page! sorry xx

Springtime Tag

It is very lovely weather down in Southern England... so here is a Springtime Tag... I think it has a slightly surreal vintage feel to it. I chose to use lots of coppery, gingery colours and to try things in different ways, especially my cotton reel flowers. The tag is made from the back of my Graphic 45 pad (Olde Curiosity Shoppe Collection) The Green paper is also Graphic 45. The other backing paper I made by spritzing Distress Reinker and Perfect Pearls in a Mini Mister and stamping and embossing my gorgeous Rogue Redhead Design Script Stamp in copper

I stamped and embossed a large Basic Grey clump of flowers and added some trimmed down  stamped and embossed Tim Holtz cotton reels to create my big flowers . The butterflies were cut from a Graphic 45 pad. I added a little Spiced Marmalade Distress Stickles. The Tim Holtz dress form was stamped and embossed in copper. 

And now my little bits of good news, I was so proud to be selected as the winner of the Bingo Challenge at Our Creative Corner - this has given me a much needed boost after battling this awful bout of bronchitis for so long and I am delighted to have proudly added my blinkie to my side bar.

Also, I was featured on the lovely Rogue Redhead Designs blog on March 14th  - in their Rogues on the Run design feature. Alas, I am tardy in saying Thank You so much to Sharon - Thank you. With a little help from my friends (you know who you are) I have also managed to put that blinkie proudly on my side bar too. So, in my head (my ribs still ache) I am most certainly doing the Happy Dance, even if I am not yet able to Futterwacken with the best of them! The Mad Hatters dance from Alice in Wonderland in case you are wondering LOL

I am entering this in the Copper, Ginger or Rust Challenge @ GingersnapCreations and would really like to wish them luck in their new  ventures

I am also entering this into Simon Says Stamp and Show a Tag

This week also heralds the start of a new challenge blog and I would like to wish Frilly and Funkie the very best of luck. the DT projects are glorious and I am looking forward to joining in regularly, I think I lean towards being a 'funkie' but hope to get my frills out too!!Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog - favourite vintage style

Lastly, I am entering this into the Spring Challenge at: Fashionable Stamping Challenges A site I love to visit and with an extremely inspiring selection of DT projects

A Holtz!an ATC! - Grungy Monday

This ATC cut from thick packaging  is made using my most fave coloured Distress inks (for a long time I only had 2: Vintage Photo and Broken China and they are still the ones I love the best!).

 The little ticket is another all time favourite, free some years ago in my beloved Craft Stamper magazine... It's a ticket  to Fairyland - I love a touch of whimsy!

The flowers are from Basic Grey, I can't remember which set (owls and tree branches) I stamped and embossed lots of extra's and cut them and fastened them on with brads out to add dimension.

This was embossed several times with a sprinkling of Glamour dust sprinkled lightly over it to add fairy sparkle.

 I am entering this into the fantastic Grungy Monday Challenge, Holtzian ATC's