Hallowe'en Tag Swap

 Good evening.

I am currently working on some "C" word stuff - presents for my family so most of my crafting time has been taken up by these but I did take time out to join in a swap. A Hallowe'en Tag Swap organised by "Artful Days" DT member, Jane Austin over in Facebook group.

My swap partner has now received her tag from me so I fell I can share on my blog now.

Starting with a plain grey board tag, I glued on some of the purple tissue paper that some of my Artful Days goodies arrived in. Never throw much away here lol

Dry brushed with acrylic paint when dry in shades of turquoise, titan buff and orange.

One of Andy Skinner's transfers from the "Curiosities" set applied (Creative Expressions). These are great when there is too much texture to stamp onto.

The MDF film strips and circle were given a touch of gilding flakes for added interest and colour.

The little coffin was handmade from greyboard waste from the back of a paper stack. Several layers cut to shape and glued together. Then painted with black and raw umber was wiped back before completely dry. The gold decoration is just a marker pen. 

Thanks for looking

Little Things

Morning all
I hope the weather where you are is better than here, cold and damp is an understatement. Middle of April and anyone would think that spring is still ages away.

More pain management therapy here in the way of crafting. It does help me and I know it helps others.  I made a tag. A mini canvas in a way that is bigger than an ATC so more can be thrown at it.

The tag is from Tando Creative. Their greyboard is second to none, so many mediums can me thrown at it and it always stands up to them. Decoart mediums and paints for me - never disappointed with the quality.

For this one I started out by attaching some corrugated card torn from a packing box. Some grey board strips - had to soak the greyboard with water to get this to tear - with the first layer of modeling paste. Next I mixed up a bit of the modelling paste with some texture paste for the next layer through a France Papillon stencil (Rusted Rivets) then some crackle paste. I had in mind some old tree bark and the mixture of textures that you get on some old trees subjected to years of whatever mother nature hurls at them with a touch of man-made pollution thrown in.

Next - loads of different paint layers - both in the form of neat paint and washes until I had the effect I was happy with. Sealed with three layers of matt varnish

A France Papillon moth stamp from the Chocolate Baroque Illusionary artists range Creepers and Crawlers coloured with water colours.

The words from the same range but the Perfect Words plate. The words were stamped onto cream velum and torn out before attaching.

A faux leather cord and done

Thanks for looking

I'd like to enter my tag into the challenge at

Make My Monday #68 - Things with wings
A Inky Mess - Anything Mixed Media Goes

Ho Ho Poe

On a recent visit to see my dear friend and "sister from another mother", Blackdragon,  I was asked to do a few guest spots for the blog "Quoth the Raven"
The first of my projects is an acrylic multi-layered tag. We had great fun on one of the days using up some of Blackdragon's ancient stash and a "couple of bits" came to Scotland with me. It seemed fitting therefore to use this in my first project.

Decoart media paint with paint stamped snowflakes

Poe from De Stempelwinkel writers plate #20

The poem was printed onto acetate 

The bells are a royalty-free image

These four layers, all came together, with the added tinsely ribbon from stash ..........so.............

I hope you think my tag is found worthy of a place on the QTR wall.

I feel some more of these multi-layered tags will feature in the future.

Thank you BlackDragon and Ike for inviting me to GDT for QTR.

Progressive Challenge December with RSD

Good morning,
A bit late and I apologise, but only just been able to sign into blogger again.
Rick's Sparkle & Glitter blog is holding yet another progressive challenge and this is part two. The part when a project using the image supplied has to be used. This moth it's a little animated prezzie who really can't make up his mind whether it's Christmas yet or if he's still to be in Hallowe'en mode. His name is Take Yer Pick and, if you didn't get him free by entering the first part, he can be purchased from the Zibbet store.

I decided to put him on a tag

Some torn Christmas papers top and bottom and hallowe'en paper sandwiched in the middle.
The sentiment stamps are from a variety of companies. "Happy Halloween" is from Artistic Outpost "Haunted Halloween and the "Merry Christmas" and "Seasons Greetings" were freebies in a couple of mags. Some of the trees were glittered up. The black/silver twigs are a die cut. Edged with green ink and added ribbon from stash. 

Second Catchup with Delicious Doodles

This is only a day late - so I'm that far behind now **grin**

The challenge started yesterday over a Delicious Doodles Challenges -

Tag It.

To create either a tag or a project with a tag

I went for just the tag - I love making tags for some unknown reason.

Using the cardboard back of a paper stack - almost chipboard weight. Well it was too good to waste. I needed something substantial so the it wouldn't be warped with the gesso I intended to use.

So.......... a light coating of gesso on both sides. Followed by the stencilling with more gesso of a snowflake background I have. Plenty of warm soapy water needed to clean it - gosh that stuff sticks like sh...........
When dry, some black stars sparkle medium was scraped on and off. More drying time.
My image is the Holly Sugar Skull. Printed onto card twice then reversed and printed onto cheap printer paper. Needed this for the image transfer. No way I could fussy cut all those swirls and berries.

 So some layering of the larger items after colouring with distress inks and coloured the image transfer with gel pen and metallic marker.
Some die-cuts of a poinsettia and a little sentiment (Las Vegas Stamps) a bit of ribbon to tie. Job done.

I'd like to enter this tag into the challenge at
A Step in the Dark - Anything Goes

Anything Goes at Smudgy Antics

I don't know about you but when the theme of any challenge is an "Anything Goes" my mind goes blank. So many things I could make. What do I want to make? What do I need to make? So many questions swimming around in this empty  noddle of a head. That very theme is the new challenge over at Smudgy Antics for the next two weeks. So, what am I to make? I ended up making a simple tag. One for the different and like-minded friends I love.
I used the Gothic Christmas rubber set from Smeared Ink.

I cut a simple tag from rich red card stock and heat embossed the tree on it with black powder. The bat and wreath was stamped into clear hot glue. When cool, this was dusted with a mixture of perfect pearls and pan pastels.

A few flat flowers added at the hole and secured with an eyelet. Some ribbon and fibres to finish. Simple, as I said.
So, what are you waiting for? Get those projects linked up to the Smudgy Antics challenge so we can all enjoy your eye candy.

I'd like to enter this tag into the challenge at

Craft-Dee BowZ November challenge - Anything with a hand made bow

Anything Gothic with Delicious Doodles

It's Friday therefore another challenge starts over at Delicious Doodles Challenges. This week it's all about going Gothic. Interpret as you will. The other girls in Team A have produced some stunning pieces of art and I hope you go and admire them all.
My contribution to the line up is a tag using the "Shot Through The Heart" image from, of course, Delicious Doodles.

The image was first printed out four times then coloured with a mixture of promarkers, spectrum noirs, red glitter stickles and silver and black gel pens. The heart itself was coated with crackle accents. For some unknown reason the red spectrum noir colouring has turned orange - bright florescent orange at that. This is something that never happened to me with promarkers. So I guess I won't be using this combo again - unless I need a fluorescent orange in the future

The layering can be seen a bit better here. Some black feathers added for good measure.. 

The base of the tag was coloured by dipping in watered down distress inks - four different colours, fired brick, weathered wood, festive berries and black soot. When happy with that effect I heat embossed a crackle stamp in clear powder on black soot ink. The barbed wire from Visible Image was stamped on using acrylic paint. Then layered two different laces and a black satin ribbon down the side. The tie has a metal cross bow charm attached with one of the three ribbons there.

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Heavy Metal
Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes

Just a Tag

I wanted to make a tag to go with a little gift for a friend. This friend is a right girly, loves her sparkle and shine.
Out came my sprays and the tag was liberally coated with lime green, peach and pink pearlised inks.

Then pink and a touch of old paper DI applied. When dry the swirly/steam punk pattern (Aly's Inky Fingers) on the bottom was stamped with embossing ink, some sticky glue powder then gilding flakes.

The sentiment (Paper Artsy) stamped using stazon then masked before the shoe (Aly's Inky Fingers)
A little humming bird charm and some metal roses to signify "Stop and smell the roses"

The dress form is from Crafty Embellies. this was given a ribbon embellishment with a single pearl.
Two lengths of ribbon finish the tag.
Just need to finish the gift now. Lol.

I'd like to enter this tag into the challenge at
Dragons Dream, Tag It On - Three criteria - dress form, bling and enbossed impression

Tag for a boy

I have been a busy girl - a couple of days off work - hols this time not sick leave - and I'm nearly caught up before going away for a few days. This one is for the Tag It On challenge for Dragon's Dream of a tag using a die cut this week. Well this one is based on a die cut jigsaw pieces with a cute little die cut duckling. The rubber stamp used is the little baby block in 2 corners. The writing - I have used peel offs for a change.