Tag Tuesday Surprise Me

Louise has another captivating challenge for us over at Kard Krazy - this week's Tag Tuesday Challenge is "Surprise Me."  So what's the surprise in my unassuming little butterfly tag? .....

A Blooming Contessa hiding amongst the blossoms!  The butterfly is attached only by a brad at the tip of her wing.  Ms Contessa is from Stampington, colored with Copics and Distress Inks.  The flower trim at the bottom is very vintage, and started out creamy vintage white.  I dabbled some coordinating Copics over the lace, and voila - custom vintage trim.

There are some amazing and beautiful tags over at Kard Krazy already (Louise's just keeps getting more surprising with every view!), so lots of inspiration to be had.  Come play?   

Tag Tuesday - Postcards

This week's challenge at Tag Tuesday is Postcards - use a postcard, have the word postcard on your tag, etc.  It's a 2-week challenge this time, so there is plenty of time to play along.  I have desperately needed some challenges to try to summon my still-missing mojo!  I sit down to create something, and it's like it's advanced calculus or Greek or something - what a struggle!

Anyway, the deets: the beautiful image is from Paper Whimsy.  I covered a manila tag with Tim's tissue tape as a base.  Swiped some red ink across the bottom and added the lace trims.  The "postcard" stamp is from Stampin' Up!, and the butterflies are from Red Lead (colored them with Copics and popped them up a bit).  Also added a little red postage stamp and some flowers.  Things were looking kinda "blah", so I framed the image of the girl in script patterned paper, then went to work with some colored pencils to sorta define certain areas.  Finally had to just say "done."  After walking away from it for awhile, it's growing on me.  I might add some Rock Candy Stickles to the butterflies.  Or not.  Hmmmmm......

Hope your week is going well - stay warm, snow-free, artsy and crafty. ;) 

Tag Tuesday Double Tagged

Sheesh! It's been forever.... first I was busy, then I was sick (just a nasty cold, but it lingered and made me extremely fatigued), and by then my mojo was gone.  I still haven't found it, not even a hint of it.  But I had to do *something*, so I inked up some new stamps - Artistic Outpost's Think and Wonder plate - and entered Louise's Tag Tuesday Challenge, which is to put a tag (or tags) on our tag.  Very fun!

This did not turn out at all as I'd planned (and saying that I even had a plan is very generous!).  The background is paint on vintage text, distressed and stamped with a Stampington swirl.  The image and words are from the AO plate.  I colored the girl with pencils and Copics.  The rest is ribbon, rub-ons, pearls.  Not happy with it, but I've got to try to get back in the game somehow!  You can check out some truly gorgeous artwork over at Kard Krazy. :)

Tag Tuesday Front and Back

I'm finally back after a technology black-out.... I now have a "new" (hubby's hand-me-down) computer, new paintshop software, email access.... aaah, life is good. :)  Today I'm participating in a *totally fun* challenge over at Kard Krazy.  This week's Tag Tuesday Challenge is to include something on the front of your tag that runs over to the back of it.  Louise has a stunning example - she actually created a scene using two different stamps, both of which are half on the front and half on the back of her tag.  You've really got to see it and read about it to fully appreciate what I'm talkin' 'bout.  I wanted to try the stamp thing, too, and this cute little snowball fight image from Cornish Heritage Farms came to mind right away.  (Keepin' these rascally children apart, LOL!)  So here's the back:

The image is stamped in Adirondack ink, the snowflakes were clear embossed, and then lots of distress inks were applied for the snowy background.  I also split the sentiment, and put "To" and "From" on the front/back. Yes, this is an actual gift tag. :)

Head on over to Kard Krazy and check out all the linkies.... I can see this technique becoming quite addicting!

Tag Tuesday Orange + Black

The Tag Tuesday challenge at Kard Krazy for the next *two* weeks (Louise is apparently going to be partying so hard she will not have time for tags next week, LOL!) is Orange and Black.  So fun, cuz you can go Halloween, or *not* Halloween, as Louise did with her gorgeous birdie tag.  I of course chose to go the former route, since I still have a bazillion Halloween 6x6's to make for my swap, and I thought a tag on a page would be nice.

This tag uses a Red Lead stamp of a classic vintage Halloween postcard, which I colored with Copics and shabbied up with Distress Inks.  A chipboard button, some ribbon, some vintage text (my fave things), and a glittery swirl in place of a string - all fun, all done.  (P.S.... I just went to the Red Lead store and can't find this stamp at the moment.... it may be out of stock. Send them an email if you "need" this stamp - ya never know...)

Hope you are enjoying the fall weather wherever you are. :)

P.P.S.  If you haven't already, you can comment for a chance at my blog candy by clicking HERE!

Tag Tuesday Moon Dreams

The latest Tag Tuesday challenge over at Louise's Kard Krazy blog is to use a Moon on our tags.  Since I had lots of Halloween stuff on my desk already, I immediately thought of this sweet little image, which definitely does *not* have to be a Halloween image, even though it is part of a set called Trick or Treat by Oxford Impressions. (Actually, there are a few more very versatile stamps in that set, but I digress....).  I called my tag "Moon Dreams" as a play on moonbeams, because this particular moon looks so delighted to have this wee one for company.

For the tag, I spritzed the background with Glimmer Mists, delightfully named "Moonlight," "Blue Skies," and "Dragonfly."  I did some masking, too, but that got completely covered up, LOL!  Next came some stars heat embossed in silver. I tore some strips of vintage sheet music, applied some blue and silver metallic rub-on, and layered them with some puffy "clouds" that I made from the baby wipes I used to dab the Glimmers.  I stamped the little girl with her happy moon, colored them with Copics, and popped them up on top. The little border is from Pink Paislee's Parisian Anthology, and the letters are Cosmo Cricket.

Check out Louise's beautiful creation, as well as all the fab tags filling up Mr. Linky over at Kard Krazy.  This is a fun challenge, that can be taken in the Halloween direction or not, depending on your preferences.  Hope you'll have time to play. :)

Tomorrow I am going to post my very first ever, and long overdue, BLOG CANDY!!! Stay tuned..... :)

Pumpkins at Tag Tuesday

Thought I'd be a bit different today and start with the close-up, LOL! Louise's new challenge over at Kard Krazy is tags with Pumpkins, so I thought I'd start with the star of the show.  And here is the whole tag....

Fall is my favorite time of the year, so I already had a bunch of fall-themed, orange-y goodness sitting around on my work table. My pumpkin is cut freehand from grungeboard, painted orange, then glittered with Martha Stewart's glitter.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Friendship Jar Fall Fillers. The frame around the dancing couple is from 7Gypsies, and the polka dot background is from Glitz.  The rest of the tag uses stamps from Crafty Secrets' new Halloween set, Costume Cuties.  I colored the couple with Copics and the moon was stamped on a piece of scrap that I had already colored with distress inks.  The dotty background is stamped on a page from a vintage German reader.  The bat is one of those double-sided stickers from Martha, with some black glitter on top.  Lastly, the seam binding is from Zipperstop.  Whew, sounds way more complicated than it actually was, LOL!

There are some great tags in the Linky over at Kard Krazy.... if you need some fall inspiration, check out Louise's tag and all the others, and maybe have a go! :)

A Tag Tuesday Template

This week at Kard Krazy's Tag Tuesday challenge, we are treated to a tempting template by guest hostess, Sarah, from Vintage Figments.  A lovely little dressmaker's mannequin template, along with some gorgeous samples, and there was no way I could resist playing along!

For this little blue tag, I simply used a bunch of bits and pieces - nothing difficult or fancy, just pulled out a bunch of my favorite blue stamps, blue inks (Distress Ink in Chipped Sapphire - love it!) and blue-ish embellies from here, there, and everywhere, LOL!  If you have a specific question about anything you see, please email me and I will try to track down a source.  Hope you have time to play!

Tag Tuesday Challenge #59 - Hearts

The challenge this past week at Tag Tuesday was to make a tag with hearts.  Aaaahh, a heart challenge, turns one's thoughts to love, romance, passion, beheading, Hallowe'en.... No?  Then you haven't gotten your hands on the Graphic 45 Hallowe'en in Wonderland papers, LOL!  I've been sooo itching to use these, and I've done it just by chance.  You see, I had every intention of joining in on Linda's Compendium of Curiosities challenge last week, which was to use distress embossing powders, but it went horribly wrong.  You can see a bit of it in the form of the scrolls around the outside of this tag, but the dirty secret lies beneath the images.... scary, I tell ya.  So instead, I decided to salvage what I could of my Compendium of Curiosities disaster and go the Curiouser and Curiouser route instead! (......oh, shhh, I can hear you groaning from here!!! ROFL! Yes, somewhat bonkers today ;))  Thus a heart-filled Alice Hallowe'en tag with a little distress emboss stamping, a coupla bats, some distressing, some inking... you get the picture.  This will go on some treats for the kids come October if I don't lose it before then.

Will try to stop neglecting the blog so badly!!  My daughter is now required to be at school at 7:20, my son at 9:15, then I get in line to pick up my daughter at 2:00, my son at 3:30 - back and forth, and it's making me totally zonk out by 10:00 pm, which is when I used to start crafting.  Gotta get a new rhythm going ;).  Plus I've been neglecting all of your beautiful blogs - I'm determined to visit soon.  Hope your Monday has been sweet - back again tomorrow hopefully.

Gingersnap and Tag Tuesday All In One

Well, I'm doing it again.... always feel a little guilty, but I've combined two challenges today.  The first is at Gingersnap Creations, where the color challenge is Shades of Blue, and the second is the Tag Tuesday challenge at Kard Krazy, where Louise has challenged us to use Postage on our tags.  Luckily I had blue postage, LOL!!

This card uses lots of little bits that I had in my image stash - the hydrangea is stamped on blue mulberry paper, the butterfly is embossed on vellum and colored with Copics on the reverse, and the music is spritzed with blue Glimmer Mists.  That's some old postage I've used - 37 cents! - that I've been hoarding 'cuz I liked the flower images.  There's some old K and Company paper ribbon across the top.

Hope you can join in these two fun challenges!  And don't forget about the blog hops... Cornish Heritage Farms' Summer Fling and Gingersnap Creations Mad Hatter Day - click on the images in my sidebar on the right for more info.  There's still time to win fabulous candy! 

52 Weeks of Tag Tuesday!

Congratulations are in order, and I'm squeaking them in just under the wire!!  Louise at Kard Krazy has been inspiring everyone with weekly Tag Tuesday challenges for an entire year.... 52 weeks of dedication and wonderful inspiration.  So fittingly, the challenge this week is to use the Number 52 in our tags.  This was a fun one... I used my brand new Glitz Vintage Love Calendar stamp, along with a bluebird image that I scanned from one of my Bluebird button cards.  A bit of lace, a cupcake foil, and the definition of "inspire" from a Stampin' Up set jazz it up a bit.  I've circled the Tuesdays in the calendar (US calendar, that is... I know the European calendar orders the weekend differently) and added a memo to remember Tag Tuesday.  Congratulations and Happy Tag Tuesday Birthday to you, Louise!  Thanks for the inspiration! 

Be sure to check out all of the other wonderful tags HERE.... good stuff, that!

Tag Tuesday - A Perfect Excuse

...to use a stamp I have never inked up before!  The challenge this week at Tag Tuesday is to use a piece from your home as your inspiration.  I bought this stamp some time ago, intending to use it in a scrapbook of one of our vacations to Greece.  Hmmmm... do you know how much scrapbooking I've been doing lately?  Nada, zip, zilch, and nuthin'.  Pitiful.  But, I decided to use a painting we got on one of our trips to Santorini as my inspiration piece.  There is absolutely nothing fancy about this tag..... I inked up the stamp (by Auntie Amy's), colored the image with Copics, distress inked a little, punched a Greek key border, and added some Greek key paper clips (from Stampin' Up!).  That's it.  But at least I had an excuse to get out this lovely stamp and dream of returning to the land of the sapphire blue Aegean.  Aaaah.... someday. :)

Hope you're having a great Saturday!

Tag Tuesday Glitter Challenge

Finally got a teeny amount of time to play.... these past, oh what is it now.... 3 weeks?... have been crazy with kid activities.  Overlapping sporting events, middle school open houses, concerts, recitals, and now two Saturdays of snow make-up classes.  Sheesh.  Okay, I'm done... on to the tag.  :)

Louise's challenge over at Kard Krazy this week is to use GLITTER on our tags for Tag Tuesday #49.  Hooooo what fun!  Of course, I can never really get glitter photographed properly, so you'll have to take my word for it when I say it's on the ruffles of her dress, her bracelet, her earring, and her hair comb.  The background is shimmery glitter mists... it sorta looks like twilight IRL.  The lovely lady is from the Queen of Tarts No. 7 set by Character Constructions, which is available at Stampington.  The background gate is also from Stampington (unmounted).  The teensy bluebird is from the Fairy Sweets set at Oxford Impressions.

Okay, I'm off to grocery shop and get ready for our dueling intensive volleyball clinic (5:30 to 8:45) and baseball game (8:10 to 9:30).  I'm not seein' any crafting time in my evening... hope you all have a good one!

Tag Tuesday's Inspire Me

My blogging friend Shar refers to this as a Queen of the Last Minute type of creation, LOL!!  Yes, once again it's Tag Tuesday on Monday.  The challenge this week (until tomorrow) is Inspire Me! - to use a quote or word that we find inspiring.  I loved this Thoreau quote from Serendipity Stamps the moment I saw it (and I've just noticed, it's on sale, 20% off, through today!).  A sort of "Carpe Diem" type of sentiment I suppose, but it reminds me not to "wish my life away" looking forward in time, but rather to enjoy what the moment has to offer.  The tag is misted with a couple of Glimmer Mists, stamped with some seasonal images, and dressed up with some Hero Arts flowers and some leaf diecuts.  And tied off with crinkly seam binding from Bluebird Lane Etsy shop, of course.  Be sure to check out the other artwork done for this challenge on Kard Krazy - it is very truly inspiring, in more ways than one! And while you're there, congratulate Louise on all of her stunning work that has gone to publication at Stampington! :) Hope your Monday is a happy one!

Tag Tuesday Sketch

The Tag Tuesday challenge this week at Kard Krazy is to use a Sketch, a fun one that Louise provided.  I haven't gotten a chance to craft in several days, and it was so much fun to jump back into it with this challenge.  I used my brand new Ferris wheel stamp from Paper Artsy, along with a bunch of stamps from Artistic Outpost's Paris Exposition plate.  The little balloon is underneath a Fragment from Tim Holtz' Idea-ology line.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and Easter holiday (if that's what you observe, of course :)).  I'm hoping to get crafty lots more this week... there are some wonderful challenges going on at Gingersnap Creations, The Play Date Cafe, and The Shabby Tea Room that I'm just itchin' to try, and of course, I'll be working with some fun new Cornish Heritage Farms releases.  Thanks for stopping by!

Tag Tuesday - It's Spring!

The challenge this week over at Kard Krazy's Tag Tuesday is Spring.  A welcome subject for most of us, I'm sure. :)  It's sunny and in the 70s here this weekend - perfectly spring!  For my tag I used a bird image from Crafty Secrets Bird Notes, colored with Copics.  The background music image is CHF's Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock.  I used a paperclip from Melody Ross's Homespun Chic collection, some more of that gorgeous Prima petal trim, a little label from 7 Gypsies, and some flowers I pulled off of a big box floral stem.  You'll want to check out all the other creations (Louise did a house-shaped tag!) - so inspiring, so much springy goodness! :)  Have a great Saturday!

Lucky Shamrock for Tag Tuesday

 

This week's Tag Tuesday challenge at Kard Krazy is to use Shamrocks on our tags.  I used some Dover Design clip art, some stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms (Crossword Scrapblock) and Studio G, and a few goodies I had in my stash.  Couldn't resist adding a little lucky horseshoe charm, too! 

This was such a fun little project - I tend to overlook St. Patrick's Day somewhat, although I do wear green, and my mom cooks up some corned beef and cabbage.  But I don't tend to decorate (I swoop right in with Easter after Valentine's Day).  So this is a small nod to the holiday to land on a cupboard door for a few weeks.  You can head on over to Kard Krazy for some more Irish inspiration!

Tag Tuesday Goes "Cutesy" !

Louise's challenge to us for Tag Tuesday today was "Cutesy".  If you've never joined the challenge before, I can tell you that most of us gals seem to prefer "artistic" and/or "vintage"... so "cutesy" is a bit of a stretch, LOL!!  I hope this counts... I decided to get ready for my daughter's 11th birthday next month.  She is growing out of the "cute" stage, but "Tink" is forever cool, so she is the star of my tag.  The Tinkerbell stamp is from a set called Tink Clear Stamps from Image Tree/EK Success.  I'm not sure whether these stamps are retired or not, but I found them on overstock.com here (they were at a few other places on the web, but Overstock's shipping charges are the lowest I've found).  The "cute" flowers are from a Pink Persimmon stamp set called Flower Greetings that I got as blog candy a while back. (I cut the sentiment out of one of the flowers so that it would have a plain center).  I also used some silhouette stamps from a Close to My Heart set that was a stamp of the month a while back.  Some Webster's Pages trim (not hoardin' it, nope, not me!) and Martha Stewart glitter finish it off.  (I will have that glitter sparkling on my person for the next 4 days, I just know it!)

I also wanted to show you another card I made with Cornish Heritage Farm's Bicycle Life set from the ATC Line, available now at the shop.  This is a fun set that makes me think of summer. The center image panel is ATC-sized, with a border from the Haute Couture set.  You can see a bunch more samples HERE at the gallery.

If you haven't entered already, don't forget about Gingersnap Creations Valentine Giveaway... going on through February 20th.  Thanks for spinning by!

"B" Mine - for Tag Tuesday

 

Hello!  Finally checking in with my Tag Tuesday entry - this week, we are challenged to use a monogram on our tag.  My last name is Beck, so I decided to use a "B".... but not for my name!  This is a little "Bee Mine" Valentine tag, using the Sweet Bee stamp set from Cornish Heritage Farms.  I made the tag background using various shades of Distress Ink smooshed onto my mat pad.  I stamped the pussy willow and bee image in black, then colored it with Copics and a white gel pen to fill in the fluffy willows and bees' wings.  I stamped the "Queen B" image, cut it out, and colored it with a gold gel pen and some red Stickles for the jewels.  The little popped-up bee is cut from a border from K and Company - so cute!  You can stop on by Kard Krazy for some beautiful entries... so fun to blurf around and see everyone's creations.  AND... speaking of blurfing, be sure to join me and the entire Gingersnap Creations design team this Saturday, February 15th... we'll be having a Valentine blog hop, with a fabulous Valentine Giveaway Package for one lucky winner!  You won't want to miss it! ;)  (P.S..... There's a peek of the prize package on the GC blog right now.)

Tag Tuesday Tag Doll Challenge

Here's my entry for Kard Krazy's Tag Tuesday challenge, which for this week was to make a Tag Doll.  I don't have a lot of stamps that have large enough faces for a tag, so I decided to make a Botanical Contessa fantasy lady.  The base tag is a 7 Gypsies tag that I distressed with Ranger's Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint inks, and the head and arms are from Stampington's Blooming Contessa and Botanical Countess, respectively.  I added some flower die cuts from Anna Griffin that I have been hoarding since my daughter was born (she's 10!), some Prima flowers, some Webster's pages ribbon.  The leaf stamps are from Close to My Heart.  The whole thing is colored with Copics. This was so fun, I just couldn't stop.... laundry is piling up.  Gotta go!  Have fun looking at all of the inspiring tags linked up in THIS post.