Mixed Media Tag Art Journal

I'm excited to share with you the most wonderful Mixed Media Tag Art Journal I made at Wendy Vecchi's Workshop at Ecclectic Paperie on Saturday!  As most of you know - my regular 'mode of operendi' for my cards is Clean and Simple - but I guess there is a piece of me that loves this mixed media style as well since I LOVE MY TAG JOURNAL!!!  I have lots of photos to share and I'll write a little bit above each one to try and explain what technique we used on that tag.

First is the front of our journal - where we stamped on the Art Parts Tag using Archival Inks and sponged the edges with Ranger Distress Inks.  We inked the Art Parts Flowers and then stamped on them.  The checkerboard, the wreath, the sentiment and the + inside the wreath are all stencils.  We stamped the Arts Parts woman and then colored her with Ranger Distress Markers

  For the inside front and back covers - we stamped backgrounds and sentiments and sponged the edges with Ranger Distress Inks.  All of the stamps are Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490.  The inside cover is stamped holding the tag upside down so you can read it when you flip open the Journal.

 For the first tag on the left below, we were stenciling with Archival Inks.  The flowers are stenciled on Clearly for Art Modeling Film that Wendy had adhered a page of text to.  The Modeling Film will curl when you heat it with a heat gun so the petals stick out and won't press down unless you heat it again.  The top and bottom is a honey comb stencil inked in black. We sprayed water on our craft mat, pressed a background stamp into the water and then stamped it on the tag - the water will take away the Distress Ink bur not the Archival ink.  You can just see the watermark honeycomb design on the blue ink.

For the tag on the right we were doing selective embossing - we used an embossing pen to emboss just the center of the flower.  I also embossed one little leaf (not obvious in my photo!)  The star is from Blossom Bucket.

 

 For the tag on the left below we stenciled the Layered Tree  with Archival inks.  Then we stamped a background ( I used Vintage Mesh) and sponged the tag with Ranger Distress Inks.   I used a  Stabilo pencil for the lines under the stenciled top and bottom - rubbing it with my finger to blur it a little.

For the tag on the right below we inked the stencil flower using Archival ink and then stenciled it again on a piece of  Clearly for Art Modeling Film that had a text sheet adhered to it (like the flower above).  We cut out just the center of the flower and layered it to the inked flower to give a little dimension.  We stamped background stamps along the top and bottom.  I used a plaid background.  Then we sponged the background and flicked it with water.  I doodled the faux stitched edge with a fine black marker.

 

 For the tag on the left below we stamped the geranium on a tag cut from distress watercolor paper with Watering Can Archival Ink - (the BEST gray ink ever!)  Then we colored the blossom and leaves with Ranger Distress Markers and went over it with a water brush.  I used my favorite of Wendy's background stamps (Ornate Dots) along the top and bottom of the tag.  We brushed some Distress marker on our craft mats, added some water from our water brush, and then flicked the color onto the tag using the waterbrush.

For the tag on the right we first stenciled the  Horizontal line stencil on the tag using Translucent Embossing paste. (this is SO cool!) After it dried we inked it with Distress Paint that we placed on our craft mat then used our finger to ink over the stenciling..  We also used our finger to add Distress Paint to  the Arts Parts Wings and then stamped the wings with a text stamp using Archival ink.  We colored the yellow Blossom from Blossom Bucket with a a little blue Distress Paint using our finger.  The crow is die cut from Clearly For Art Blackout Modeling Film.

 For the tag on the left below - we used Distress Paints to color our background - putting two colors of Distress Paints onto our craft mats, spritzing with water and swiping our tag through it.  We heat gun dryed it and stamped a background stamp over the tag and another one on the ends. Then stenciled our blossom and leaf on the tag.  After everything was stamped and dry - we replaced the stencil over the blossom and spread Translucent Embossing Paste over the flower so it's really shiny and has a raised texture.

For the tag on the left we used the reverse stencil technique - inking the stencil with Distress Inks, spritzing the stencil with water then pressing it on the tag.  You can see a few little + on my tag  background from the stencil.

For the tag on the left below we created a beautiful background using Archival Reinkers, rubbing Alcohol, and a tag cut from Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper. (which is kind of shiny and smooth to the touch) Isn't that the coolest background?  We put a puddle of rubbing alcohol onto our craft mat and put 1 small drop of Archival Re-Inker in one color and one small drop of another color (I used Fern Green and Corn Flower).  We swirled it to mix with a palette knife then dragged the tag through it.  You let the ink drip across the tag - and start drying it with a heat tool - dropping on more alcohol, tipping and heating until you like the way it looks - then dry it completely.  Then you can stamp on it. I used a Stencil/Stamp set Darling Daisys(so cool - you stamp it, lay the stencil over the stamping and sponge on the color!  Easy Peasy!!)

 For the tag on the right below we used a stamp in a different way - stamping the geranium blossom twice (from the watercolor tag above) coloring them with Distress Markers and a water brush.  We cut them out and layered them over each other so it looks totally different than the geranium plant.  We stamped backgrounds and a sentiment and stenciled leaves - adding a ruler from Blossom Bucket at the bottom.

 

 I'm almost done - just two more tags and the back cover to show you!   

For the tag on the left below we used a flower stencil on Clearly for Art Blackout  Modeling film spreading Metalic Gold Embossing Paste over the stencil. While it was drying (it takes a while) we inked the tag by putting some Metallic Distress Stain and 2 colors of Distress Stain on our craft mat, spritzing with water and dragging the tag through it. Then we stenciled a background and the leaves, adding a Blossum Bucket Crow and flower.

For this final tag below right - we used the Faux Metal Technique created by rubbing a small amount of both Metalic Gold and Metalic Silver Embossing Paste over the tag - leaving some places clear for sponging.  After drying the tag with a heat gun - we sponged the edges with Distress Inks -  I used Rusty Hinge and Walnut Stain.  The stripes are a stencil and the flower is from Blossom Bucket - we colored the blossoms with Distress Markers.

  And here is the back of the tag - where we used the Faux Metal technique (from above tag) on the Art Parts flowers.  We did some stampings and stenciling with Archival Inks and sponged the tag all over with some Ranger Distress Inks. 

 If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me! I know there's probably more here than you wanted to know?!!  And thanks for taking the time to look at my Tag Art Journal!

Here I am with Wendy - from the workshop on Friday -  you'll find pictures of what we did at that workshop below this one!