Let's Make Gift Tags!

Happy Mixed Media Monday, this week the Topflight Stamps Team is all about gifts! Gift tags, card holders, packaging, decor. So many choices! Still working in my December Daily, so I want to make something that will double up. I am also going to share a decor item made for Eileen Hull using her truck die. The items can be bought at Topflight Stamps. Check below to see an easy way to create gift tags as well.*Affiliate- some of these companies have given me product to use, play & experiment with. The ideas are my own but I tend to work with companies whose products I like so enjoy the inspiration.  **some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This helps me deliver free content!

Here is the gift tag I made. I had lots of ideas & did a lot of playing around, so making some more will be easy. 

 

!Also Topflight Stamps is having a sale!! This is the perfect time to pick up your wish list! Back to the technique... Do you ever have an idea & then just have to admit it is a craft fail? It is harder embossing in the winter when the air is dry. the products used to adhere the powder tend to dry very quickly which adds some challenges. Especially when it comes to a chunky emboss which I love to use.

This play started out with trying different ways to emboss using chunky embossing powder (White Wonder), then spray Glimmer Mist on top. Chunky emboss & a detailed stamp, doesn't work very well was the result. The emboss creates this great snow like finish however as it is chunky, there wasn't a great way to have the emboss adhere to the image. I tried an embossing pad, embossing ink, gesso, even decoupage glue.

This was my idea. Cover the tag with White Wonder emboss then spritz with Glimmer Mist. I also added some Blue Moon embossing powder. This try was using gesso to adhere the embossing powder. It was spread in a nice layer so I was hoping the slower dry time would allow the emboss to stick. The cool thing is where there was no emboss I still got the snow flake image. You can see it in the lower left corner. See how detailed it is? The gesso acts as a resist however it still didn't create a crisp embossed image. I had to do the math. The chunky parts of the emboss are too thick for the skinny snowflake details. This would be better used as Santa's hat or on a snowman stamp. Good to know!

This tag was made using gesso & Blue Moon emboss. I love how it turned out. The embossing didn't stick everywhere but you still see the white of the snowflake. The embossed portions are sparkly & ice like. Kinda fun! The contrast with the black tag is awesome. 

I did still want to use the Glimmer Mist so Apple Green was spritzed on a piece of card stock & once dry my sentiment was stamped on. Cut it to make this cute banner & a sparkle gold star was added. 

Next a focal image was chosen. I just received this set House of Butterflies & love the house image. Simply stamp your image on card stock, fussy cut & add on. The beauty of this, the image can suit the receiver. Lastly add some ribbon & thread, you could also add a charm if you want. 

Here is the idea for a quick way to make gift tags. Simply cut out the cards from the Stamperia paper pad, Winter Tales. There is a great image on one side & a space to write on the other. Add a ribbon on top and bam, done.

 

While we are at it with the Stamperia Bundle here is a wonderful decor item made using items from Stamperia Winter Tales Bundle. To see how this was made you can go here. That is it for today. I hope you get the chance to create some gift tags of your own. Have a great week. You can check out my blog post over at Topflight Stamps that has photos & links of all their products used. One stop shopping yay!

Supplies:

• Darkroom Door Stamps - Snow Flake, Merry Mail
  
• Tracy Evans for AALL & Create- House of Butterflies
• Embossing Powder- White Wonder, Blue Moon
  
• Glimmer Mist 
• Gesso 
• Stamperia Winter Tales Bundle 
  

Mixed Media Art Tag with AALL & Create.

Hello Inky Adventurers! Today for Topflight Stamps I am making a mixed media tag. If you follow me on Instagram (link on the right hand side of  my blog), I recently posted a group of background tags. Thought this would be the perfect opportunity to pull them out & finish one. *Affiliate- some of these companies have given me product to use, play & experiment with. The ideas are my own but I tend to work with companies whose products I like so enjoy the inspiration.  **some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This helps me deliver free content!

There are a number of mixed media techniques going on here but it was fairly easy to put this together as the background was already finished! 

 The tag started with Distress Oxide sprays in Broken China & Fired Brick as well as some Fossilized Amber. The tag was spritzed with water 1st & then spray was added. 

 Love me some washi tape!! Such a simple way to add dynamic images. Just put a few strips down. These are all by AALL & Create and there are a bunch more in the store.

Next up was of course some embossing powder. The side piece was done with Crystal Glaze a fun mix of blue greens & some specks of black & gold, so pretty. 

On a piece of parchment some of the background images were stamped in French Navy & Thundercloud Prism Ink. The gal focal image was stamped, then re-drawn with a heavier pen to help the image pop.  

She kind of reminds me of the main character from the TV show Blindspot who was tattooed all over. 

Added some background stamping with Cinnamon Swirl with the circle techno kinda piece. More embossing- the  arrow type piece in Crusty Copper. Then a piece of a shower pouf was cut out. I liked the idea of her being in a net of some kind. No idea why, just where my brain went, LOL. 

I also liked the idea of her wings being made from vellum. Copied the same technique as a few weeks ago, which you can see here. They were embossed using Dragon's Egg powder which is a pretty iridescent purple. 

All that was left was assembly. The pieces were layered wings 1st, then netting, then her body. I used Cosmic Shimmer glue which did the trick nicely. A few tiny staples were added with the tiny attatcher & some sari ribbon to finish it off. Thanks so much for joining me today. To see photos of the product you can go to my blog post on Topflight Stamps. There are also links for all the products below. Have a great day!

Supplies: 

• AALL & Create- #367 by Olga Heldwein
• Washi Tape
• Andy Skinner Crystal Glaze embossing
•  "       " Cosmic Shimmer Glue
• Prism Inks 
• Dragon Egg Embossing Powder by Rita Barakat
  
• Seth Apter Crusty Copper
• WOW embossing ink 
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Sprays
• Tags
• Sari Ribbon
  

New Year's Page for December Daily

Is it too early to be prepping for New Year's in a December Daily context? I don't think so, the more my book is prepped the better chance I have of finishing it! Happy Mixed Media Monday at Topflight Stamps, this week it is all about New Year's.*Affiliate- some of these companies have given me product to use, play & experiment with. The ideas are my own but I tend to work with companies whose products I like so enjoy the inspiration.  **some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This helps me deliver free content!

I had a lot of fun making this non traditional, very art journal, grungy New Year's eve page. You too can get the same result without having to break out a tube of paint! 

 Do you like a sale? Yay Topflight Stamps is having a Black Friday sale & it starts now!!!

The key to this background is collage paper by Art By Marlene. This light weight, super colorful & messy art journal background paper is perfect. Best thing is all you need to do is cut & paste! Simply cut card stock the size of your album. Add a strip of paper for the pocket. Cut & adhere the collage paper to fit! Hot Tip: use scrapbook paper that is patterned on the backside so your next page is already started.

Next step is to add some interest to the background. One of the things we love to do as a family on New Year's Eve is play board games. We have a few nummy beverages, snacky finger foods & play Yahtzee, Trivia Pursuit, Settlers of Catan... we are a board game family for sure. This stamp "Edison Game" by AALL & Create was perfect to add some imagery in the background. 

While I had the stamp & ink out, some imagery was also added to my writing journal. I like prepping these pages ahead of time mainly because it is fun & saves time. 

 

I wanted some of the images to pop, so these were stamped on card stock & cut out. Just adds so much interest to the page. 

While trying to figure out what color to stamp my title in, distraction may have been the order of the day. Making swatch pages helps such decisions & also can be fun. Seth Apter's Baked Velvet Embossing Powders are translucent. They have a tint of color, that when layered with ink, changes the color of the ink. This swatch was done using Aegean Sea. The embossed image was created & the same ink stamped below it, with the name of the color written below that. The tab shows what Aegean Sea looks like with just clear emboss ink. 

I chose one of my favorite Prism Ink colors- Ocean Spray for the title. It pulled out that line of teal that was on the back ground paper. Tracy Even's has a fabulous new alphabet set out that is perfect for this type of page. Hot Tip: when laying the letters on the stamp block, turn the stamp set backwards so you can see the proper placement & don't stamp a letter backward....

The letters were stamped directly on the background- risky yes but as the stamps are clear mistakes are easy to fix by re-stamping. I messed up the E in "year's" but just lined the letter E up and re-stamped it. The letters were also lined in a fine pen to help them pop. I did realize after the fact that according to dictionary.com an apostrophe was needed to the word "Year's", so that was added in before the $shot.

 A bit of washi tape was added & now my page is ready to go for the big day. I have a pocket that can hold photos, ephemera and more.

I know many of us won't be with friends & family over the insane 2020 holidays. Try and find the joy of the season & embrace the simple things. Take time to breathe & get inky. Cheers!

Supplies: 

• AALL & Create Stamps- Edison Game #142
• "                      "          Grungy Alphabet #397 
• "                       "         Chess Art #115
  
• Art By Marlene- Collage Paper 
• Seth Apter Emboss Aegean Sea 
• Prism Ink in Ocean Spray, Smoked Paprika & Roasted Coffee, plus swatch colors. 
  

Junk Journal Card for Topflight Stamps

Hello Topflight Stamp Fans, Happy Mix Media Monday!! This week we are playing with Dots to Diamonds. Watch on to see how you can make a fairly fast, yet very inky project in just a few steps. 

I have been doing a lot of Junk Journal lately. This piece would be great as a flip or pocket page. You could turn this into a card really easily too. '

This card started with a Dots To Diamonds paper from their paper pad#1. The card is heavy, but smooth card stock, that takes wet media well. The pad comes with 48 sheets, 3 of each design. Simply add your media and the bling. Makes for easy card making etc. 

Let's Go!

As I would be adding a messy background the image needed to be protected first. Using a fine paint brush and 2 coats of Super Matt Varnish will seal the image. Dry thoroughly.

Next up was color. Using Infusions by PaperArtsy creates a 1 step inked background that looks like it took many layers to achieve. Simply shake out the powder randomly on the paper.

Then add spritzes of water. The more water you add the more the walnut crystals activate so if you like a brighter color use less water. I also moved some of the color with a paint brush to get full coverage.

The color is so vibrant! Dab excess color or muddy water with a paper towel.Here is a super quick video to show the impact of water!

Make sure to wipe off the image area with a damp towel. Time to dazzle! Adding the Diamond Sparkles is easy just follow the pattern. 

If you want less gems simply cover some of the dots with a white paint pen. You won't notice this when the card is finished. Using a journal pen doodles can be added to make the piece look more finished. 

Finally it is time to add some cool imagery. All of this was done with 1 stamp set! The AALL & Create set #159 called Mail Art. 

This was stamped on a parchment paper & fussy cut out to fit where I wanted. Some of the images were stamped directly on the paper like the ink bottle & post cancellation. Love how this page turned out! 

Thanks for joining me & remember to check out the Topflight Stamps blog to see what my team mates will create with this the rest of the week! 

Supplies:

Dots To Diamond Paper Pad 1
Diamond Sparkles-Brilliant Blues, Classic Pearls
PaperArtsy Infusions in Lemoncello, A Bit of Jade
AALL & Create Mail Art Stamp #159  
Super Matt Varnish

Passport Journal Mini Art Page #the100dayproject

Hello Stamp fans, let's make a passport size, mini art journal page today for #the100dayproject! First I want to say I hope you & your family are safe in this super crazy COVID world. Please stay home if you can & let's kick this virus back to zero. Many thanks to the 1st Responders, the medical community & essential workers who are out there everyday helping to keep us all safe. You are the front line heroes in all of this. 

*Affiliate- some of these companies have given me product to use, play & experiment with. The ideas are my own but I tend to work with companies whose products I like so enjoy the inspiration.
**some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This helps me deliver free content!

One of the best things to come out of this horrible situation is all the inspiration that is happening. So many artists are giving back by hosting free videos, live tutorials on FB & Instagram. I am trying to support as many as I can by sharing their links on social media. As a working artist most of our incomes have just stopped. Please support these artists if you can by purchasing their products. This page was started while watching and arting along with Tracy Evans from AAll & Create. I will link to her video below.

It is Mixed Media Monday on Topflight Stamps so off we go!!!! I won't go into too much detail as you can see what was done in the video step by step. Tracy did much more to her tags & I love all the detail. I plan on following all the steps at some point to see what I would end up with but for now...

Let's Get Started!

I decided to use my new & older Dyan Reaveley paints for this page. I love them!! The pink is Tropical Sangria, quite different from her other paints the neon cocktail paints are translucent. The green is new- Island Parrot & the old stand by & one of my favs is Vibrant Turquoise. 

Love These Stamps!!

I used AALL & Create Tracy Evans stamp on this one... #267 Nature Elements. These stamps are huge! They each measure 5 1/2" ish x 7 1/4" & there are 2 of them. So many fun details which are great for adding subtle stamping for backgrounds. You will want a large acrylic block if you want use the whole image.

Time For Some Texture.

I used the chain link fence image portion of the stamp to add some subtle texture with Lemon Zest. You do have to look closely to see it. I am tempted to add more on top so it shows up better.

Next the mushroom portion of the stamp was stamped on my background using VersaFine Clair in Nocturne. This ink works great on these stamps especially if you are inking the whole stamp. They are nice & juicy & stay wet long enough to get the image. I just love how it stamps on top of acrylic paint too. 

The mushroom images were stamped on white card stock with Archival Ink & cut out. Once dry, the paint was watered down & used like watercolor to get some blending in.

After that the mushroom were adhered over the corresponding image & the edges were trimmed off.

The final touch was to add some words & bling. 

I made my page much more simply then Tracy's sample- but it shows that you can play along with these videos even if your project ends up being quite different or only some of the techniques are followed like in my sample. Even if you were to only get a back ground done in these trying times it is progress!

Here is a screen shot from Tracy's video which is linked above, she did this cool tag accordion. Love all the little details she put into it.  If you want to join in with Tracy when she does her Facebook live you can join in here. 

That is it for today, stay safe, stay home if possible & take this time to do some art therapy! It really does help the anxiety & worry. Now go get inky! 

Supplies:

Tracy Evans stamps by AALL & Create- #267 Nature Elements & #46 Hearts

Diamond Green Sparkles 

Dylusions Paints 

Archival Ink 

VersaFine Clair by Tsukineko in Nocturne

Topflight Stamps Inky Fun

Hello Blogland, here today with my Topflight Stamps project that is super quick and simple. Finding time to Craft during the holidays can be hard but getting that few minutes of stress free fun is critical. Here is a simple way to steal 15 - 30 min of time for yourself to help keep your merry intact! 

Here is my 1st page. I decided to just stamp on card stock to make it easier, but then I will fussy cut or tear my design & put it in this Jane Davenport journal. This way I can build my coloring book as I go but can also add in art journal pages if I have more time. 

The stamp I used fits this journal perfectly. It is also chock full of fun! I thought it would make for an awesome coloring page design. It was stamped in black archival ink so if I wanted to use a wet media on top I could. I did use the Stamp Press for this to get a good image. 

Then it was a matter of pulling out some color pencils & just having a few minutes of old time coloring fun. I could literally feel my shoulders relaxing as I did this. Hot Tip: Spend a few extra minutes stamping these out ahead of time so you can just grab your image & color pencils & have an art relax.I also added in just a bit of watercolor paint in the more open areas. Thanks for joining me for my last 2019 Topflight Post! Remember code KARENBEARSE KARENBEARSE gets you a discount. I hope you have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, a Happy New Year and you get to spend precious time with family & friends.

AALL & Create Stamp- Bloom & Grow
Jane Davenport Mixed Media Journal  
Washi Tape


**some of these links are affiliate, I receive a small percentage from the company at no cost to you. This may help me continue to bring you techniques & more inspiration.