Wedding Plans and More Pretty Tags

These are the last two tags that I made using the Tim Holtz rub on technique for the May 12 TAgs of 2013. You can find my other tags here and here or check out Tim's step out tutorial here.

I adore this version but it looks more like a Halloween version.  I strayed from Tim's directions by adding Silver Metallic Distress Stain and because it landed in the middle of the tag.   When I stamped the image of the man it gave him an ethereal ghost-like effect. Looks cool but doesn't photograph well and is a frankly out of season. 

I have been working on lots of projects for my friend's wedding and I cannot wait to show them to you.  I completed an awesome wall piece made from Rosettes.  It will grace the barn door on the outside to welcome guests and set the mood for the reception.  It is unlike anything you have seen before and I'm so pleased at the outcome.  I will show you all of  the projects after the wedding which is mid June.   I also completed two wreaths and some rosettes that will be placed randomly around the space.  I designed several components of the centerpiece but am still working on the completed look.  I also have the escort cards and some sewing projects which includes a sash for the bride to complete.  So much to do but I am finally seeing things completed and that is a great feeling.

Be Fearless Tag: Idea-ology Rub Ons.

I made a total of 5 tags using the rub on technique Tim Holtz used on his May 12 Tags of 2013.  As I mentioned before, Tim's rub ons are awesome.  I'm a rub on junkie and I know that it stems from the fact that I can't draw.  Not being able to draw led me to rubber stamping and while I love rubber stamps, I also love the look of a rub on.  Rub ons give me detailed images with crisp lines that just can't be acheived in a rubber stamp.  Mixed media is all about the texture and using rub ons along with rubber stamp images give my work the depth that is lacking from simply sticking to one medium.

While it is true that I've never met a rub on I didn't like, it is also true that all rub ons are not created equal and I love some more than others.  Some rub ons are flimsy and some rub ons are strong and thick...and some are just right (I just gave myself a Goldilocks and the 3 Bears feel there).  Flimsy rub ons are difficult to remove form the backing paper without ripping them to shreds and while sometimes I intend to only put down a partial design, flimsy rub ons make it hard to control how much or what part of the design ends up on the tag.  I also find that sometimes flimsy rub ons end up coming off-or partially coming off- on the silicon release paper.  This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

Tim's new rub ons are high-quality, have some stickiness to them which makes it easy to rub them exactly where I want them, and are easy to remove from the backing paper.  In fact they are so well-made and thick that I found it hard to put down a partial design.  I found if I cut the design apart first I had better results.  I also found it impossible to rub on the desired design directly from the entire sheet (as Tim shows himself doing in his step-out tutorial) because the other rub ons on the sheet would end up sticking to my work.  This is a downfall of sticky, thick images.  I finally ended up cutting out each design before I began to rub it on.  My favorite brands of rub ons: Basic Grey, Idea-ology, Hambly, and Kaisercraft.

Toss a Handful of Glitter in the Air. 

12 Tags of 2013: May Edition

It's May and time to play along with Tim Holtz and his 12 Tags of 2013.  Tim's AWESOME rub ons are the featured technique in this month's tag and the entire thing is paper crafting perfection. 

As always I like to start with showing Tim's tag.

Tim Holtz's tag Source: Tim Holtz

I love Tim's tag so much; the colors themselves as well as the saturation of color are eye catching;  the rub ons; the awesome Idea-ology trinkets; and the stamping all add to the dimension and texture of this tag.  For more information about the specifics of how to make this look, check out Tim's post.

My tag:

The Idea-ology Enameled Tags are amazing by themselves but add a rub on or two and it easily becomes one of my favorite embellishments.  It is easy to age or change the color of the tags using alcohol inks as I did on this tag.  On the rainbow tag-below- I didn't color the Enameled Tag; they look great either way. 

For months I have envied the gorgeous ribbons that Paula Cheney makes using Distress Stains.  My ribbons always looked washed out compared to hers and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong...until last week.  It all boiled down to the fact that I was being cheap.  I was spraying the tag with water to saturate it and then I wasn't using enough stain.  This time I misted the ribbon with only a little water- just to help the stain spread easily.  I LOVE the way these look.  Especially the rainbow ribbon below.

The first tag I made I did pretty close to the way Tim did. While I love the colors I do think the pink/green tag is more interesting.  My central stamp just isn't that interesting on top off all that color.

But oh, that ribbon.....

I do have two more to share so be sure to come back tomorrow.

Toss some glitter in the air.

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