AVJ Tag Friday

Whenever there is a 5th Friday in a month it's Tag Friday over at A Vintage Journey.  

(of course, it's still Thursday night posting here from the USA -  but it's 7 am Friday across the pond!) 

As one of the AVJ Creative Guides -  I signed up to contribute this month - and since we are in the throws of a hot summer here in Massachusetts - I was inspired to use a seaside theme!

Here are a few photos of how I put my tag together.  First I brushed over a #8 manila tag with Picket Fence Distress Paint and dried it with my heat tool.

Then I brushed over the white paint very unevenly with Weathered Wood Distress Paint and dried this layer with my heat tool.

I randomly stamped over the tag using stamps from this stamp set Beside the Seaside from Crafty Individuals.   I used WV Potting Soil Archival ink.

I sprayed some Salty Ocean Distress Spray Stain on my craft mat and then sprayed water over the stain.

I dragged my tag through the mix and let it drip down the tag - then dried it with my heat tool, mopping up any dark pools of stain.

I mopped up what was left on the craft mat with two tags - that I will use another day!

I stamped the bathing beauty from the stamp set with Potting Soil ink on Vintage Cream card stock, cut her out, sponged the edges with Tea Dye Distress Inks and layered her over the tag with foam dots.

I colored her cheeks with my Spun Sugar Distress Marker.  I cut an Idea-ology Small Talk Occasions sticker in half, sponged the edges with Tea Dye Ink and adhered it to the tag.

I stamped another one of the sentiments from the stamp set onto a piece of Vintage Cream cardstock and cut it with a Stitched Mat Rectangle die from Lil' Inker Designs. I sponged the edges with Tea Dye Ink.  I added two small shells I picked up off the beach on Sanibel Island, FL when Kent and I were on vacation there several years ago. (I knew I'd want them someday!)  I also added some 'sand' that I made using Tim's recipe for this card.  I looped a piece ofLinen Ribbon through the hole in the tag - I love the look you get when you pull the ends of this ribbon open - it looks almost like fish nets!

This tag makes me want to go to the beach this weekend!  We are so lucky to live on the North East Coast of the US - we have many beaches near us although they can get very crowded and you have to go early to get a parking spot!

So if you have a few minutes and would like some AWESOME tag inspiration -  please check out all the beautiful designs and techniques the Creative Guides have used this month on their tags!

And you have until Thursday 4th August 2016 to make a project for our July Monochromatic Challenge - Our challenge is a monthly one and a randomly chosen winner will receive a $25 gift voucher from our generous sponsor, The Funkie Junkie Boutique. We also award our Pinworthy badges to the Top 3, chosen by the Creative Guides who are subsequently invited to join us on the blog as a guest designer.

 You can find all the Creative Guide projects, guest designers, pinworthies and winners on our Pinterest boards.

I'm also linking my creation to:
Anything But Cute Challenge - Summertime Fun

Frilly and Funkie - By the Sea Challenge

I'm on vacation for a week starting tonight after work!  We have a trip to Vermont planned to visit Kent's brother and sister-in-law, a trip to Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire to visit friends and a stop in Eaton Center, NH to visit some family!  I'll need a vacation after my vacation to rest up! 

Stamps:  Crafty Individual

Paper:  #8 Manila Tag - Ranger, Vintage Cream and Dark Chocolate cardstock - PTI.

Ink:  Wendy Vecchi Archival Potting Soil, Ranger Distress Tea Dye.

Accessories:  Stitched Mat Rectangle Die - Lil'Inker Designs, Idea-ology Small Talk/Occasions Stickers, Linen Ribbon, Ranger Distress Spray Stain Salty Ocean, Ranger Distress Paint Picket Fence and Weathered Wood, water Mister - Ranger, foam dots, shells from beach, sand using Tim Holtz recipe

Lest You Forget How Much You Love the Beach

I'm excited to share my little ocean view Vignette Box today. 

Here are a few photos of how I put this together.  I had a 7" diameter circle of cardboard from the bottom of a small pizza.  I cut out a 3 1/2" x 5 1/8" rectangle to line the box.  I tore off some of the paper covering it and brushed over it with a wash of Ranger Distress Picket Fence Paint and water and dried it with my heat tool.  Then I sprayed some Salty Ocean Distress Spray Stain onto my craft mat, spritzed over the stain with water and dragged the painted cardboard panel through it letting it drip down.  I dried that layer with my heat tool and then stamped over the panel with Cover a Card Bubbles Stamp from Impression Obsession using Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink.

I die cut the Seahorse and Wild Flower stem out of a tan Paper Leather Sheet.  I used Eileen Hull's Honeycomb embossing folder to give texture to the seahorse, rubbed over the seahorse with Distress Ground Espresso Ink and added a Candy Dot eye.  I looped the tail around the stem, glued the stem flat onto the panel and used foam dots under the seahorse  I added some "sand" using Tim Holtz recipe.  I added a Small Talk sticker - which way to the beach? after cutting it in half and sponging the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. .

I used thick foam dots behind the panel to hold it up a bit inside the Vignette Box.

I had two half circle pieces of cardboard left over from the pizza cardboard and realized one would fit perfectly at the top of my Vignette Box!  I tore off some paper and painted it with the same Picket Fence paint and water wash.  I stamped this lovely quote stamp from Gift From the Sea set by Gina K Designs onto a piece of Kraft card due cut with a Stitched Mat Rectangle Die from Lil' Inker Designs.

I sponged the edges of both of them with Ranger Distress Vintage Photo Ink. I put a piece of Linen Ribbon behind the sentiment and added two real shells in the corners.

I adhered twine along the sides and bottom edge of the frame.  I added a Starfish die cut from Paper Leather and sponged with Ground Espresso with a green enamel dot in the center.  I added a little more sand to the bottom of the frame as well as another little  real shell.  

(you can still see some of the white glue I used as it was so humid when I was making this it took forever to dry! when it does dry it will be completely clear)

I added two wooden circles to the base of the box for feet.  I sponged the edges with Distress Ground Espresso ink.  The box is a little back heavy so I had to place them a little off center, closer to the back to balance it.

I love these Vignette Boxes - and I'm so happy with how my little ocean scene came out inside it!

I'm linking my project to the following challenges:

Anything But Cute - Summertime

 Stamps & Stencils - Tic Tac Toe  

I used Corrugated Cardboard, Circles (stamp) and String (twine)

Stamps:  Cover a Card Bubbles - Impression Obsession, Gifts from the Sea - Gina K Designs.
Paper:  corrugated cardboard, Paper Leather Sheets - Sizzix.
Ink:  Jet Black Archival Ink, Ranger Distress Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo, Mermaid Lagoon.
Accessories:  Picket Fence Distress Paint, Salty Ocean Distress Spray Stain, Neutrals Candy Dots - SU, Eileen Hull Honeycomb Embossing Folder - Sizzix, Stitched Mat Rectangle Die - Lil' Inker Designs, Wild Flowers Thinlets Die, Sand and Sea Die - Tim Holtz, thick foam dots, sea shells from stash, Idea-ology Linen Ribbon, Small Talk Occasion Stickers.

Get in Gear and Feel Better Soon

It's been a while since I last posted - I've had several family issues in the last several  months and it's just sapped the creativity out of me, but I'm finally feeling a little more settled and getting back into my craft room - thank goodness for crafting!

A friend is having surgery tomorrow so I wanted to send along this card from Kent and I to wish him a swift recovery.  He loves watching race car driving but I don't have any racing car stamps (what? none out of a million or so stamps???)  - so I used gears instead -  using tans and browns to keep it masculine.

I masked a rectangle on the kraft panel and inked over Tim's Gears Stencil with Ranger Distress Ground Espresso.  I stamped the sentiment from Healing Touch Sentiments by PTI onto a label cut with a Sentiment Strips die from MFT.  I layered it over the top of the stencil with foam dots and added Brown Candy Dots from SU.

I used this week's Cas(e) this sketch for my card design.

 I'll be back tomorrow with a really fun beach project!

Stamps:  Healing Touch Sentiments - PTI
Paper:  Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream - PTI
Ink:  Ranger Distress Ground Espresso, True Black - PTI
Accessories:  Sentiment Strips Dies - MFT, Gears Stencil - Tim Holtz, foam dots, Neutrals Candy Dots - SU, eclipse tape.

Summer Party Time with the Frogs!

For the month of July we,  Eileen Hull's, Inspiration Team, will be sharing our creative ideas for Party Decor using Sizzix Dies. You’ll find ideas for storage, centerpieces, favors and more that you can create with your favorite Sizzix dies for your next party, BBQ or bash. 

Having 4 young grandnephews and grandnieces - ages 2 through 6 - when I think 'Party' it's always KIDS Party!  So today I created a treat jar that I think kids will just love, especially since there are frogs in it!!!

 Because I filled the jar with gummy frogs - I wanted to a make a flower that would look like a lily pad - so I got out Eileen's Romance Flower die.  I wanted it a light and airy flower - so I used white and green tissue paper.  I took a sheet of each color - folded it up to fit the size of the die,  laid both pieces over the die  - and was able to cut multiples of each color (8 of each size) with one swipe!

I layered 3 pieces of each size in each color onto a green velvet brad.

 Then I spritzed water onto the bloom and folded up one layer at time.

I kept spritzing water as I folded up the layers - then I hit it with my heat tool just a bit to dry it so it wouldn't flatten out.

I glued my 'lily pad'  to the top of the jar and wound two pieces of twine between the two bottom layers and just let them hang over the edges to give a little visual texture and motion.

I stamped a die cut label, added a little frog charm, and tied them both to the jar.

I tied a multi loop bow out of wrinkled seam tape around the back jar hinge 

(just some more green 'stuff' growing in the frog pond!)

This jar is a small one cup/half pint size - you could make one for each child or just have a few on the table filled with various colorful candies!

So, I ran a field product test with almost 6 year old Landon, and almost 4 year old Mila.

They thought the jar was pretty cute, with the lily pad on top, the tag and the frog charm  -  

but really LOVED the gummy frogs.

Mila's final word on her review   -   "ribbit"

So please remember to check out Eileen Hull's blog for more creative party decor all this month!

I'm also linking to the following:

Seize the Birthday

Stamps:  Birthday Cheer - Papertrey Ink
Ink:  True Black - PTI
Paper:  Simply Chartreuse - PTI, green and white tissue paper from stash.
Accessories:  Romance Flower Die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix,  Label die from Perfect Patches Die Collection - PTI, wrinkled seam tape - Prairie Bird Boutique Etsy Shop, twine, frog charm - Michaels, green velvet brad - Making Memories, water spritzer - Ranger, heat tool,  half pint jar - Michaels.

Spritzed Marker Sympathy

I have seen this image, Hidden Lane by Penny Black, used on several blogs and fell in love with it  - so I found it on line and bought it! 

 Instead of just inking it today -  I colored the trees, fence and walkway on the stamp with several different colors of  Ranger Distress Markers, spritzed the stamp with water and stamped it onto Arches Watercolor paper. 

You get varying amounts of image clarity depending on how much water you spritz on the stamp and if you spritz the paper with water before stamping.  I used quite a bit of water on this stamping so the image is really blurry.  

I think it's a good look for a sympathy card.

This is already in the mail - on it's way to a friend at church who recently lost her father.

I'm linking my card to:

CAS Mix Up Card Challenge

I used stamps, markers and sequins

Stamps:  Hidden Lane - Penny Black,  Beyond Basic Borders - PTI.
Paper:  Arches Watercolor Paper, Rustic Cream and Simply Chartreuse - PTI
Ink:  Archival Jet Black.
Accessories:  Ranger Distress Markers -  Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Brushed Corduroy, Tea Dye, Walnut Stain,  Mini Mister - Ranger, Lucky Blend Sequins - Avery Elle.

Birds and Nature Birthday

Today I have another card requested by the same friend I made a card for on Wednesday - scroll down or see here.  This card is for her mother -  who loves birds and nature.  

(I made this bird/nature project for her mother last Valentine's Day.)

I knew I wanted to use a recently purchased stamp set -  Spring Woods by PTI because of the lovely multi-stamp bird images - and it also has a coordinating Spring Woods Die Set.   I white embossed the sentiment from the Keep It Simple: Birthday II set onto black cardstock.  The background panel is embossed with Eileen Hull's Basket Weave embossing folder from Sizzix.

I love stamping images on the inside of special cards  - this sentiment is from Tucked In Birthday from PTI.

I'm linking my card to:

Seize the Birthday - Birds, Bees or Butterflies

Cas(e) this Sketch

Stamps:  Spring Woods, Keep It Simple: Birthday II Stamp Set, Tucked In - Birthday Stamp Set - PTI
Paper:  white, True Black - PTI
Ink:  Bright Buttercup, Smokey Shadow, Classic Kraft, Simple Chartreuse, Hibiscus Burst - PTI, Versamark
Accessories:  White embossing powder, heat tool, rhinestones - Kaiser Craft, foam dots, Basket Weave Embossing Folder - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Dies - Spring Woods - PTI