The Last 2 Tags of 2012

And She's Back… I did indeed spend some quality time in my studio and I was able to create in a way that makes me very, very, SUPER, DUPER happy.  

I digress….on with the blogging.

Tim Holtz posted his last tag for 12 Tags of 2012.  Ah, but instead of 1 tag (December), he posted 2 tags.  Why 2 tags?  Well, it was just last February when Tim shocked the world… stampers everywhere …his large fandom when he announced the end of his BELOVED 12 Tags of Christmas.  While the tags were a very fun and treasured holiday tradition, who in their right mind needs ANOTHER activity in December?  Or more precisely 12 more activities?  I suspect Tim was as overloaded as we were.  So, last February, after he announced the retirement of 12 tags of Christmas, he quickly announced the beginning of 12 Tags of 2012.  Yay, and the fandom jumped and danced for joy and a good time was had by all.  Not only did it free up December, but it gave the Holtz-ified 30 days to complete each tag rather than all 12.  I mean the news just kept getting better, right?  But there is more….Tim jumped on the Linky Party Bus Train Limo, giving us- the fandom- the chance to post our tags to his blog (ok, so really it's a little tiny thumbnail of our tags but it is on his blog).  This Linky Party gives us-his minions- the opportunity to see what his other minions are making.***  Finally, Mr. Holtz announced that each month he would be awarding winners.  Yeah, baby… I won in October and I so did an extra special happy dance and I got a District Market Tote.  

***In all honestly some of it is AMAZING and some is down right scary but it is fun to see what is being made.  I also gotta say it is hilarious how many of his minions come from Communist Bloc Countries. 

 I digressed again..like BIG time.  Back to the 2 tags….Since Tim started the 12 Tags of 2012 in February, he didn't have a January Tag and has long promised to make-up the missing tag.  So we get 2  tags and  game on!  I'm going be straight with you…this is a Photo.Intensive.Post and apparently as I edit and re-edit a Word.VOMIT.Post as well.  You can always scroll down to the photos and don't forget I have a Tumblr that just has photos of the projects with a link to the specific post.  

First let me show you Tim's Tags.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 December and January 2012 Source: Tim Holtz's Blog

My TAGS

Card #1

My version of the snowman card started with this.  

I don't LOVE it.  I'm not fond of the way this particular stamped image (it's from Tim's Christmas Time) turned out using with the  techniques Tim used.  I hate fussy cutting…like I really, really hate fussy cutting and I don't like the way the Distress Marker colors look over the black stamp ink. I will say in person the image looks better than the photograph because the beard and fur on the coat and hat are smothered in Rock Candy Distress Stickles making them pretty and sparkly.  

Whatever the reason, something is off, so I decided to play around with 2 of my favorite stamp images; a pretty wedding/party dress (source unknown) and the dragonfly from Tim's recent Stamper's Anonymous release Classics 1.

The dress is whimsical and pretty enough I wanted it to be a wedding card.  It is perfect for coloring with Distress Markers AND it is simple enough for me to fussy cut without a lot of stress and it would still look good.

It just needed a quick change in color scheme, a different word to die cut from the Mirror plastic (I used the Sizzix Alterations Word Play die.  Using scissors, I cut the Idea-ology Mirrored plastic to cover the individual letters I needed, laid them on the individual letters face down and ran it through the Vagabond.  I added an Idea-ology Word Key rather than the snowflake and now I have a terrific wedding or engagement card. 

Keeping the same design but switching up the colors and the metal embellishment led to this…

Imagine how easy it would be to make this wedding card into a birthday card.  Simply restyle the wedding dress into a party dress (wild colors, add trim or rhinestones), substitute the word along the bottom to something like You Old or Party or Fun or Celebrate.  Finally, switch out the metal embellishment to something more FUN less ROMANCE and you have a very special birthday card.

My final version of Tim's snowman card involves a dragonfly.  This dragonfly stamp is one of the first stamps I every bought…in other words I've had it forever.  Apparently Tim also has owned it forever and has loved its as much as I have because he just re-released it in Classics 1 collection with Stamper's Anonymous. 

I went with a more vibrant color scheme. 

I sprayed the cut dragonfly with Heidi Swapp's Gold Color Shine spray which sadly doesn't photograph well because it really adds a lot of beautiful shimmer. 

Card #2

On to design No. 2 AKA the Christmas Tag.  I actually had all the parts and pieces to make this tag exactly as Tim did.  Since I had not yet used the Alterations Poinsettia or Stacked Word Christmas dies and because no matter how hard I have tried, I have never been able to figure out what to do with a flourish from the Elegant Flourishes, I decided to go ahead and make the same tag. 

Final Thought

Last week, I posted 2 ideas for using the pile of tags one ends up with when one becomes Holtz-ified, which you can read here.  It is ironic then that since that post, two of my favorite bloggers have posted their own ideas for using tags. 

My Tag Card

Let's review what I did: First, I made my tag into a card.  I cut a piece of cardstock to 6 1/4 X 6 1/4, scored it down the center at 3 1/8, folded it in half, attached the tag to the front and punched a hole through the FRONT of the cardstock card to match the hold in the tag.  I tied a pretty ribbon bow through the holes, closed the card and snipped off the top edges (front and back of card) to match the tag.

Inside of my Tag Card

My second idea was to display the tags using the Alterations Small Easel.

Now on to Tim, Paula, and Deb's ideas.  

You may have noticed that Tim made his tags into rectangle cards.  He cut a base from cardstock measuring 7 1/2 x 7 and scored and folded it at 3 3/4 (on long end).  Simply attach the tag to the front of the card, centering it carefully and you have a pretty card measuring 3 3/4 x 7 inches.  

My friends Paula at Deb at 2 Gypsy Girls made their tags into cute Gift Card holders that I am head-over-heels in love with. 

Gift Card Holders by 2 Gypsy Girls.  Source: One Lucky Day 

I will definitely be making 1 or two of these darling tags…and oh what I wouldn't do to get some of that green and deep red seam binding.  It is gorgeous.  For directions to make these sweet gift card holders check out their blog.   

Laters Baby….