Friday, June 14, 2013

12 TAGS OF 2013 – June Edition

TH0621023 main image Wow, it took me just about forever to decide on what I was going to do for this month’s Tim Holtz 12 Tags challenge.  The odd thing is that this time around I really had everything that was needed for the tag which quite wonderfully consisted of Distress Markers, Tag stock and little Stampology.  I think that this might have been the problem for me.  You see I rarely have all the supplies on hand and I usually have to find some creative solution to compensate for the lack thereof.  This time I had EVERYTHING which may have translated into mega-epic-proportion stamper block! 
Eventually though, fate cut me a break. Scrapworx in Richards Bay got a horde of cool new dies, and I bought the mini filmstrip and ticket die.  I was really keen on trying that out. I cut the tickets out and loved them, I mean – who doesn’t right?  Well now that I have them blank tickets – what should I do with them….hmmmm they look about the same size as the mini-tickets from the stampology Visual artistry sets.  Well what do you know – they are!  I played around with that for a while meaning that I stamped the ticket stamp in every Archival colour that I own, and then I got bored.  So then I thought – let me stamp some images on them and see how that works out.  I liked it but it was too 1820’s schoolbook looking, so I decided to liven up the monochrome with Distress Markers.  TIGERBLOOD WIN!!!!  I had so much fun, I distress markered like Charlie Sheen’s sobriety depended on it.
In the middle of that particular brand of mayhem I had a moment of epiphanic genius.  All the June Challenge calls for is distress markering a stamped image and then layering that on a distress painted tag. TIGERBLOOD WIN #2 – I could totally stick all my coloured tickets on a tag – and solve the stamper’s block dilemma!  And that folks, is the way the cookie crumbled.
Now, if you are familiar with my style at all, you know that I cant handle non-texture. I didn’t love just the pasted tickets even though they were pretty cool to do and they had a little something-something going on texture wise. 
But it really wasn’t hitting the spot for me so then I wrapped hessian/burlap string all around the tag.
TH0621023 041 
I still thought that it needed something else.  I used some Barn door and Wild honey distress paint and added a few here-and-there swipes of rusty hinge ink with and an over-wash of the coppery distress stain to a bunch of tickets.  Then I dipped my brush in some Perfect Pearls to nail that rusty look down.
TH0621023 063 
Oh yeah – I also painted on some Fired Earth Rust Medium for the gritty rust- but apart from providing the grit – it didn't really work out so well.  So my recommendation is to forego the Fried Earth brand of Rust agent if you are hoping that it will give you a rust effect.  You could just as easily buy sand and add it to paint and get the same effect.  I am nursing serious buyers remorse abut that (particularly since it was about R200-00 ($20).I stuck on a word band on that and threaded some hessian string through that.  Still not feeling the love though.
The other day I salvaged a bunch of bottle caps that would’ve ended up as garbageTH0621023 006 otherwise. TH0621023 001
The rescued the bottle caps got flattened with my pliers.  I stamped one of the ADMIT ONE ticket stamps as the focal image and glossy accented over it. 
TH0621023 059This seemed to pull the things together a little more.
(EEKS about the reflection of the lamp there)
At this point, I was almost happy and Charlie Sheen was a few steps away from being okay.
Next I stamped on the wrong side of Calico Fabric that I pre-starched – LOOOOVVVVVVEDD how this turned out and I think I am going to love the Eclectic Elements Fabric when it arrives in South Africa.  I also stamped the teeny collection of mini- tickets from one of the acrylic clear Visual Artistry Stamp sets. TH0621023 070 I distress markered those as well and glossy accented (as if you didn’t know that I was going to that).  I cut that in half abouts – and alternated the fabric tags with the paper ones and stuck them on a popsicle stick painted with Brushed pewter Distress Paint.
I am now happy with what I am going to enter – and Charlie is on his way to being relatively sober!!!

 


21 comments:

  1. Totally inspired - what an amazing tag... those DM'd tickets look just fantastic! Big WOW from me!!
    Alison x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alison - I love gettig feedback from you, mainly because you're always so nice!

      Delete
  2. Wow, your tag is outstanding!!!
    I love all the texture and the layering, so cool.
    I still haven't thought about my tag for this month :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tracy, hope you're feeling better - cant wait to see what you come up with for this month. Colouring is your forte so I bet you are going to do something amazing!

      Delete
  3. Wow! There is certainly a lot going on there, I do recognise some of the stamps or should that be bits of stamp? I rarely have all the ingredients & am well used to having to improvise too.

    Sally

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sally, Lol about the bits of stamps - I'm busted!!! Most of my TH stamps are the big clunky Rubber ones, and the only little ones I have are the clear ones from the Visual Artistry series. I had to do some serious masking and stamp-wiping to get the TH brand of images to fit on the mini-ticket. I have to admit that I am glad for the need to improvise because I think it forces me to be more creative and in the process I inadvertently come up with new ideas - how about you? Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  4. How cool is this :D I especially love that one tag with the metal brads (? can't by the life of me think of what these are called), where the twine goes through!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi - if it's the one with the map stamp and the overstamp of the pen nibs, the little things that the twine goes through are called eyelets. Thanks for stopping by the Tincan deli today. It was great for two reasons - firstly because I love it when anyone stops by and secondly because it prompted me to go to your blog and check out your new mixed media canvas piece which is just super awesome!

      Delete
  5. Uhh-mazing take on Tim's tag. I really couldn't stop looking at all the beautiful details. The Distress marker coloring is out of this world inspiring! So glad you stopped by to visit me or I may have missed this creative treasure :). The stars have aligned!

    Amy*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed they have! I am reading through all your older posts right now and am addicted already! Thanks for the kind comments. I am going to have to ask your permission though to use your cute little phrase that you left in the reply on your blog's comment feed where you said - "You made me smile big smiles" - I love that - I am so going to start aying that from now on!

      Delete
  6. You crack me up - I love the way you write about what you've done. And the tag is very you, right down to the "it needs texture" additions :-) Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cath, it was wonderful to wake up to your lovely comment. Texture is is the new black right?

      Delete
  7. Really enjoyed reading your post! And absolutely LOVE what you've done with your tag. I'm a big fan of stamping on fabric - I love the textured look it creates, so your calico tickets are right up my street. Glad to be of help with the DI and water brush fix. Thanks for your visit and your kind comments. Have a great day. MMx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Maisie - thanks for stopping by my blog. I really feel the need to mess around with paint today but I have a pile of grading to do for my day-job so my plan is to try and finish that up real quick so that I have the whole evening to pay around. Stamping on Fabric is totally addictive and the other day I saw that you buy stamping ink specifically designed for stamping on fabric - how cools is that?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey there! I just wanted to take a sec to thank you so much for stopping by my blog and leaving such a sweet comment this morning. That is such a nice way to start my day! :) <3 Candy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And thank you for coming by to say so - that made my day!

      Delete
  10. Wow what an amazing piece, the colours and images are wonderful. I love what you have done and how you went about it. Very inspirational.
    hugs {brenda} x0x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brenda I love it when you comment - it gives me a nice buzzy happy feeling. I just added my link to your new challenge blog - it really seems like it is going to be heaps and heaps of fun. I cant wait to start working on a concept already! I also added the link to the challenge to Facebook for more airtime for you guys. So excited!

      Delete
  11. Thank you for taking me on your crazy journey! Great post. Love that your tag is totally you. Fabulous texture and interesting elements.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your tag totally Wow-ed me :) Love the way you layered all those tickets and a cool way to wrap the burlap string around too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shirl - I tried to go to your blog to leave a comment but I couldnt so I hope that you see this here. Thanks for your lovely comment on the tag - it was really fun to do! Hope to see you again somewhere around the blogosphere soon!

      Delete

It makes me happy when you stop by the Tincan deli - I love interacting with other bloggers, crafters and anyone else who is up for a chat. If you leave a comment I am going to come over to your blog and visit there for a while!!!>