12 Tags of 2016: Remix February Edition

The February tag from Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2016: Remix is very pretty. I started out making a bunch of backgrounds but ended up only finishing two tags because I wanted to save the fun backgrounds for other tags.

First....Tim's Masterpiece

From TimHoltz.com

You can read more-or to play along- you can see Tim's instructions here.  This tag was all about mixing his Stencil Monoprint technique with Embossed Paste.

My first tag-as you can see-is very similar to Tim's. I like to make one tag that is pretty similar and then play around with other options. This gives me the technique skills and then lets me play. 

I don't always post my exact copies but this one is so pretty I couldn't help myself....and it isn't an exact copy as I didn't have the same stencil, arrows, and flowers Tim used. I also used Wendy Vecchi's Embossing Paste rather than Texture Paste because it is open and I didn't want to open another product.  I think the Embossing Paste may have puffed a little when heated to melt the embossing powder....I couldn't quite decide. 

I really love the shiny look of the gold embossing paste over the embossing/texture paste.  Not that I ever met gold anything that I didn't love but you get my point.  

The shiny gold hearts (on the larger chipboard and patterned paper covered heart) were punched from copy paper run though a laser jet and printed as a pure sheet of toner and then foiled using my Heidi Swapp Minc and Gold Foil. The punch is a Martha Stewart. 

Tim used a spray of tiny vintage flowers on his tag and though I have a ton of vintage flowers, the only ones I had that small are metallic silver and I didn't like the way they looked.  I added a Idea-ology Heirloom Rose and a small bow make with 1/4-in seam binding dyed with Candied Red Distress Spray. 

The Typed Token is attached to the key with metallic red embroidery floss from DMC. The camera isn't picking up how gorgeous these threads are. 

My favorite tag is this pink and gold version. 

Here I used a combination of Victorian Velvet and Tattered Rose Distress Inks and Sprays.  

For the flowers cluster I die cut the flowers from white coffee filter using the Tattered Flower Garland Sizzlet which I  just got...not sure how I lived without it so long because this die makes the tiniest flowers.  I used the three smallest petals for the flowers.  The sprayed the cut petals with Tattered Rose Distress Spray, scrunched them up and used the heat gun to dry them.   Because they are so small, I think if you want to really get them wet with inks, a coffee filter or one of Tim's Tissue Wraps are the best thing to cut them from....tissue paper would have quickly ripped. Using tiny stamens, I cut each in half and used 3 little stamens in the larger flower and 1 in the two smaller flowers.  Simply thread on as many as you like- I used 4 or 5 for each flower- and finish off by adding a tiny drop of hot glue to the back of the final petal right at the hole to hold the stamen in place.  I colored more of the 1/4-in seam binding this time using a combination of Victorian Velvet and Tattered Rose Distress Sprays. I scrunched up the ribbon and used a heat gun to dry it faster (though you can let it air dry). Once dry I made a tiny bow.  I glued the bow to the flowers, cut off the stems and hot glued the entire thing to the tag. 

Again,  the Typed Token is attached with metallic DMC thread, this time in a mauvey- pink. 

For the monoprint, I used the Scribbles Layering Stencil; for the Embossed Paste I used Argyle and Typo was used to add the inked accents (where Tim used the Hearts). All my stencils are the full-sized layering stencils.  

That's if for this month's tag. Now to go and use the 10 other tags I started...what shall I made?