What To Do With All Those Tags? My First Two Ideas

Obviously, I like to make tags.  As in #8 Tags.  But what to do with them after they are posted for all of you to see….well that is proverbial question.  Recently I recede a comment that basically said "Great tag…but now what?"…ok so she worded it in a far less caustic way but the point is well taken and I didn't have a good answer.  Especially because my tags are always so bulky making it difficult to put them in an album.  I decided I needed to come up with an answer or two and guess what?  I thought of a few ideas! Yay.

The first two ideas are here because the other two ideas are a little more labor intensive to get started and I haven't had time- or motivation- to get it done.


Idea #1
Make a Card

I will admit that I have sent tags as holiday cards more than once- in fact I made these tags cards last year.  But with most of my cards there is the NEATNESS ISSUE… (Yes, this is a technical "artist" term) is all Tim Holtz's fault.  You see, Mr. Holtz taught a class called Creative Chemistry 101 or as I like to call it How-To-Get-Ink-Everywhere-Including-The-Front-Of-The-Tag 101.  It gets on my hands, my arms, my clothes, my anything-that-is-near.  However, while but most of the techniques are messy they are also super fabulous and I find that I cannot stop using them.  In all seriousness, I credit that class with changing my work significantly, bringing it up to a far more sophisticated level.  You might not, but I do.

In in past my tags were all pretty and clean and ready for delivery so I simply signed the message on the back like a postcard, threw it in an envelope…signed, sealed and delivered.  Now that my backgrounds are Holtz-ified I've found they are a mess.  Tim taught me to use stains and inks with abandon in order to create amazing backgrounds BUT while the front of the card is spectacular- the back looks like the bottom of the garbage pail after a broken bag is removed.  U.G.L.Y.

What to do…what to do?  I have to cover it if I actually want anyone to see it…ever.

 A #8 tag is 6 1/4 x 3 1/8 inches sooooo cut a piece of pretty-but fairly plain- cardstock to 6 1/4 x 6 1/4inches.  Score down the center- I used a Martha Stewart ScoreBoard- and use a bone folder to make thecrease crisp.  Hint: A Teflon bone folder doesn't leave a shiny shiny.  You can find one at Ellen Huston for $19.

Teflon Bone Folder.  Source: Ellen Huston LLC

Attach the card back using double-stick tape or glue.  Punch the hole through the top of the card only and string any ribbons through the holes of the tag and card back.  Finally, clip off the edges to match the top of the tag.  

Idea #2
Display them in holiday (or everyday) decor. 

Display them on your bookcase, mantle or table topWire Frogs:  Here I used wire frogs to hold my tags and paper pieces.

Another way to put a tag into a display is by attaching an easel to the back.

Sizzix Die: Small Easel 

This Easel was made using the Sizzix Small Easel available at Sizzix.com (or widely available at scrapbook stores) for $19.99.  I cut this one from GrungeBoard and attached it using redline tape.  

Now that I've put out there that I have more ideas hopefully it will spur me to get those projects done…in a timely manner…we can always hope right?  

What do you do with your tags? 

Shameless Plug: 

I have 4 projects that were chosen for publications by 4 different magazines within NorthRidge Publishing.  The first project- the blue cocktail ring- has been published in the Dec 2012 issue of Bead Trends.  I have a Christmas Card and Christmas wall decor that should be published in Dec as well and a Valentine project coming in February.

Laters Baby….
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