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?

A Pretty Paper Valentine

The final two pieces of my Valentine Centerpieces were a sweet Paper Valentine and a lantern.

I am so in love with these.  I cut the heart using a Sizzix heart box that is 1. No longer available and 2. Sucks to put together. I tried everything I could think of, Googled tutorials, and still couldn't make the box look right. But the top made a beautiful base for a Valentine and because it is a steel ruled die I could cut it from a medium weight cardboard.  I covered the hearts with patterned paper, glued a pink doily to the back, added a fun rosette topped with a wooden heart.   The "love" and tiny heart are cut from  Minc Foiled copy paper.  The "love" is actually Heidi Swapp's "lovely" thin die that I just cut off the "LY".  The gold splatters are Heidi Swapp Color Shine in gold. That stuff is my new obsession.

The final piece is a lantern made using another Tim Holtz Luminary 3-D die.  I added the final flower from the Jumbo Tattered Floral die flowers and a leaf from Garden Greens die.  I used vellum in the windows and pearls on the top.  A battery-operated tea light finished of this project and add a fun element to the centerpiece.  I hear the girls used the tea lights as "lighters" during the musical portion of the dinner which cracked me up.  

That is it...now I need to make Valentine's for my son's class.....

Paper Flower Vase

The second part of my centerpiece for the Valentine's Day party was a vase of paper flowers.  I made the flowers using my favorite flower dies- the Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers dies. I used the Jumbo die for all 3 of the flowers I used in this vase and the small one I added to the paper lanterns.

I cut flowers from plain tissue papers, patterned papers, metallic tissue, oiled tissue papers, and old book pages.  It is easy to simply layer them up and thread them onto some sort of stem. Here I simply used wire that was curled on one end to keep the petals from falling off. I add 4 or so petals and add a drop of hot glue to the back and smash it all up without burning my fingers, then I add more petals. I end with a thick patterned paper petal.  I used the wire to add whisky by bending it forward.  The M&M's keep the stems in place but look fun and playful.  I hear the girls ate the M&M's and I have to admit I never imagined they would eat them.... I may have dropped one or two and pick them back up and tossed them in a vase.

Each Vase also had a sweet heart cut from gorgeous wool felt that I got from Felt on the Fly.  Felt on the Fly carries gorgeous 100% wool felt. I have been looking for beautiful felt for a few years and am thrilled I finally find someone who carries every color imaginable and is great to work wit

BTS: Ryann helped me by holding up the white board.