Bone Daddy tag - Day 5

First of all... let me thank each and every one of you who has stopped by the blog the last four days.. and more importantly thank you for the sweet votes of confidence on yesterday's project! I really really wasn't feeling it but after spending time reading each of your comments... that projects has really grown on me <3 <3

I can't believe we're already on to day 5 of the 31 days of Halloween stamping by Smeared and Smudged!... surely I thought I would have missed something by now, haha. Today I have something sans ephemera but deliciously grungy. I call him my Bone Daddy and I've put him on a tag!

The base of the tag is my Lost and Found collection for 7 Dots Studio cut with a Sizzix / Tim Holtz #8 tag die. the very first thing I did after having the tag was stamp the Skeleton Diagram from Viva Las VegaStamps! in Archival black by Ranger Ink. I don't /usually/ do my stamping first thing but I was ready to get some ink down! It also helped me move in a certain direction instead of fiddling around with an empty tag for a while.

Then I covered my tag in clear gesso. It added some tooth (or grit) to the tag and sealed my stamp below the grunginess that was about to happen on top. The ink I used IS archival... so it most likely wouldn't have gone anywhere, but I was going more for the texture of the gesso. And it never hurts to be extra careful, either :) 

Then I used some modeling paste and the Handwriting stencil from UmWowStudio to add some dimension to the tag. 

I. Love. Dimension. 

Modeling paste and stencils is a great way to achieve some depth. After I swiped the modeling paste through the stencil I had quite a bit of left over paste and I try not to add back to the original jar. It avoids contamination. So I swiped what was left over the corners and along parts of the edge of the tag. No waste AND more texture. YES PLEASE.

Then I used Liquitex glazing medium and Golden Fluid Acrylic in Burnt Umber to glaze and distress the tag. I covered the whole thing and then wiped it away with a baby wipe until I was satisfied with the results. The glazing stuck in all the little nooks and crannies as well as some of the texture from the previously applied clear gesso. Win! I added one more layer of grunginess with my homemade Instant Coffee Stain.

 

All my tag needed now was a tie for the hole. Insert Burlap twine by May Arts and we're almost finished! Just a quick border drawn between textures with a Faber Castell pen to frame the tag and bring it all together. I did go back and forth with a sentiment.. and thought a little bit about wings for the Bone Daddy, but ultimately decided against both. He looks great in his grungy home :) 

and don't please forget about the other participants on this journey. Hop around, leave comments, and be entered to win:

Terra Black Dragon Alison Julia Lyneen Kelli Maureen Sue DominoART Lost Coast Portal To Creativity

Susan Sarah Keren Lisa F Teresa Fiona Lisa H Stampendous Stamps Shell Sarah S

Airless Chambers Susan R Dream In Darkness De Stempelwinkel Leslie Rahye Kat Rebecca Lee Suzi Sara DeeDee