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

Witchery Tag - Day 3

Whoop! Day 3 is under the hat.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Conveniently forgot? I'm participating in the Smeared and Smudged's 31 days of Halloween blog hop. there are PRIZES to be found, prizes to be WON, and tons of Halloweeny goodness abound.

Today I am sharing with you a fun, slightly whimsical, incredibly magical Witchery Tag.

The tag base comes from my Lost and Found line with 7 Dots Studio. It's a sheet of 12x12 diecut with Sizzix/Tim Holtz's #8 Tag Die. I can get four tags out of a single 12x12 sheet, so generally cut them down when I want one and then hang onto the extras for later purposes.. like this! I recently submitted a tag to RSM where I used the same Whimsical Tree Lady Nude from Viva Las VegaStamps!. After looking over my submission I thought she'd make a great witch!

She's been stamped in Archival black ink by Ranger and embossed in ultra shiny clear powder. It creates a great resist and raised surface to color against. I applied the purple color with Faber Castell's Aquarelle watercolor pencils. I colored around her in a gradient and then applied water with a water brush. 

Delish!!!! 

Because the paper got warped after my waterbrushing, I sewed it to a nice heavy piece of Canson watercolor paper using my machine and white thread. Fixed the paper right up AND gave me a much sturdier base to work on.

That gorgeous white fleck of pattern in the background is a thick layer of gesso through an UmWowStudio stencil titled Flurries. The stencil starts condensed at the top and disperses to just a splattering of shapes the further down it gets. Perfect for falling snow or star shine! I also wanted to create a moon effect without taking anything away from the tag... so I grabbed a bit of cheesecloth and gave it a quick soak in my homemade Instant coffee stain. I bunched it up and glued it down with Gel Medium. It felt like moon shine :) To finish off my moon that's not a moon, I hand trimmed a circle from some vintage book text. 

Last but certainly not least is the sentiment. WITCHERY comes from Tim Holtz's label alphas.. perfect to spell whatever I wanted and looks great in the stark black against the rest of the tag. I'm a fan!!! Are you?? If you read through the description maybe you can answer a question for me... which of the three projects so far are you most fond of? Thanks! :) 

and don't forget about the other participants on this journey:

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

'Tis Near Halloween - Postcard Day 2

welp! I am officially 2/2 and feeling pretty strongly that I can finish these 31 days.. lol.

It is day 2 of Smeared and Smudged's 31 days of Halloween!

Thanks so much for stopping by again! I know I'm the last gal on the list but I can assure you that I appreciate every comment and showing of love! <3 <3 Plus.. you have to comment here for prizes, too ;) ;) Today I bring you another postcard! I promise the whole month won't be postcards, but I am enjoying the layout. It's great for building a little scene or having a bit more space than an ATC to work on. Plus the orientation is different than that of a tag (which you'll definitely be seeing, too!) Anyways.. Onto the project shall we?? 

I've always really loved the saying "When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, tis near Halloween." And nothing speaks to me more as a cheeky little moon that this Happy Moon stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps!. He's so quirky and fun. I stamped in Archival ink by ranger on white card. The base for the postcard is Canson watercolor paper treated with Liquitex Basic gesso. I ripped a piece of muslin to be approximately 1/2 inch bigger on all sides and sewed the two together. 

I first did a straight stitch all the way around and quickly followed it with a zigzag stitch. The brown speckles are a homemade Instant Coffee Stain that I am particularly fond of! I use it all the time in my art journaling classes and other mixed media adventures. The color is so rich and the aroma of the room after using it doesn't hurt, either. I printed the saying on my toner printer and adhered it with Golden's Fluid Matte Medium. Be warned... coffee is not permanent so you have to be delicate working on top of it if you haven't sealed it.

The wings are brand new from UmWowStudio's Halloween release, Tattered Wings. The wings have been stamped (Very carefully I might add... lol) with the Dictionary Page from Viva Las VegaStamps!. When I'm stamping chipboard I tend to ink up the stamp and then lay it on the table... I sort of drop the chipboard straight down and then press every so gently on the back to make sure all of the surface is touching. On paper I just stamp and go.. but I always get leery of how the image will turn out on the chip. So weird.

Some wet glue and dimensional foam adhesive put my winged moon in place. I love adding a bit of dimension to my pieces, and chipboard really help with that! Let me know what you think of today's card. can't wait to hop!

And in case you've come to my blog first here are the rest of the participants:

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

Paint the sky {Tag}

I was on the 7 Dots Studio blog last week with this little baby:

7 Dots Studio Thoughts Keeper
Viva Las VegaStamps Lady Painting At Easel and Miracle Tape, UmWowStudio Chipboard Butterfly
May Arts Ribbon, Ranger Archival Ink in Black, Prima flower
Watercolor paper, cheesecloth, adhesive, eyelets, gel medium, coffee