TAG ALONG BLOG CHALLENGE #78: FASHION

I am delighted that Mandy Chilvers invited me to host the Tag Along Blog Challenge this week. I have chosen "fashion" as the theme, and I invite you to come play along with us!

For my project, I chose a Ranger "giant" tag in order to accommodate the image (8-1/2") I wanted to use from my Graphic45 A Ladies' Diary collection. In fact, all the papers I used are from that same collection.  But, let me show you my tag, then I'll share my list of supplies.

Supplies used:

• Graphic45's A Ladies' Diary Collection
• Fiskars' border punch
• Stampotique Originals' "Vintage Script" for second-generation background stamping
• Ranger Distress Ink in Broken China
• Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
• Melissa Frances' "Trinkets & Baubles" for the pearls
• Computer/Printer for generating sentiment
• Tim Holtz' idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon
• Ranger Distress Ink in Antique Linen to colorize ribbon
• Tombo Mono Permanent Adhesive runner

So, grab some time this week to get your fashion on--on a tag, that is!  You can link up here.

FEELING SKETCHY CHALLENGE #115

When one creates as much as I do, there is usually a time (or two) when my mojo escapes the studio and this artist is left simply without direction.  It's on these occasions that I seek out sketch challenges to help rein in my mojo.  Today, I would like to introduce you to a sketch website that I found recently called, "Feeling Sketchy Challenge Blog."  But, let's step back a moment.

Jessica Sporn of Jessica Sporn Designs is, among a myriad of other things, a stamp designer.  She has recently created a series of new stamps being showcased and sold through RubberMoon Stamps.  Jessica asked several artists to "test drive" her new stamps, and I am thrilled to have been one of those artists.  My goal in the studio today was to create something artful with Jessica's stamp called "Hamsa Blessing."  Not being familiar with this "blessing," I had to do a bit of research before beginning.  Here's what I found:

The hamsa has been variously interpreted by scholars as a Jewish, Christian, or Islamic amulet, and as a pagan fertility symbol. Yet even as the magical form remains shrouded in mystery and scholars debate nearly every aspect of its emergence, it is recognized today as a kabbalistic amulet and as an important symbol in Jewish art.  (taken from My Jewish Learning)

Armed with this knowledge, I was ready to begin...but, begin what?  This is where the Feeling Sketchy website came into play.  The sketches provided by this site are primarily used by visitors to create cards, but any artistic endeavor is welcomed.  Here's the sketch for this week:

Feeling somewhat in a beige-y mood today (it's Monday, after all), I sat in front of my towers of 12" x 12" scrapbooking papers and just started pulling out papers that caught my eye.  Here are the supplies I used for my card:

• Graphic45's A Ladies' Diary Collection (Moment in Time)
• The Paper Company's Buckskin Brown (feels like suede!)
• Prima's 12" x 12" Burlap
• Turquoise and beige card stock from my stash
• RubberMoon stamp called "Hamsa Blessing"
• Recollections foam adhesive mini circles
• Ranger "Coffee" Archival Ink
• Petaloo's burlap flower

Here's my card, along with some detail photos.

I loved learning something new today.  I would like to thank Jessica Sporn for allowing me the privilege of playing with her "Hamsa Blessing" stamp, and I hope you will visit RubberMoon Stamps to check out Jessica's other stamps.  You will find them here.

Lastly, when you're feeling like you need a bit of inspiration, take a moment to check out "Feeling Sketchy."  You will find them here.

TAG ALONG BLOG CHALLENGE #77: TRAVEL

The Tag Along Blog Challenge was posted yesterday, but I am a little slow out of the barn this week as I have several projects going at the same time!  Our hostess this week is Sabine, and I invite you to visit her blog.

Although I used the "A Car Full" stamp from Stampotique Originals recently, it seems it is the only "travel" stamp I have (Note to self:  buy more stamps!).  This time, however, I stamped it onto a textured card stock so that the image would appear more "mottled" and even more aged.  The second stamp I have used today is called "Tree of Life," one of the new releases at RubberMoon Stamps.  It is by stamp designer Jessica Sporn of Jessica Sporn Designs.  You can see all her stamps here.  

I used an Inkssentials #10 tag for my base, and covered it with patterned paper from my stash.  The "grounding" for my tree is Wendy Vecchi's metallic gold embossing paste.  And, of course, the quote is by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Ribbon from my stash and done!

I hope you will find time this week to participate in the travel fun at the Tag Along Blog Challenge.  Tell 'em Kay sent you!

TAG ALONG BLOG CHALLENGE #76: WARM COLORS

I hope you will join me this week to create a tag for the Tag Along Blog Challenge.  This week's host is Deborah of The Rusty Cage, and she wants to see warm colors.  

If you have been following the weather in the Northeastern part of the U.S., you know that Boston has had almost 90" of snow in the last three weeks.  There has been little time for much other than shoveling snow!  But, the idea of warm colors lured me in today.

I shortened a #10 manilla tag to accommodate the size of my focal image, as I did not want it to get lost.  I am going to fess up right now and tell you that I used paper from The Stampers' Sampler Take Ten magazine (not sure which issue). The paper is called "Heat Wave" and was designed by Kaitlin Mendoza (for Stampington & Co.) with artist elements inspired by my dear friend Corrie Herriman.  

With the background already done, I used Wendy Vecchi's "Orange Blossom" ink to add Spidergrass from Stampotique Originals over a piece of washi tape from my stash.  For my sentiment, I used Ranger's Jet Black Archival ink to add another of Stampotique Originals' stamps called Wildflower Verse.  A button and ribbon from my stash and done!

Come join us at The Tag Along Blog Challenge this week and every week!  The new challenges post on Thursdays.

TAG ALONG BLOG CHALLENGE #75: RETHINK GESSO

I am delighted to have been asked to host the Tag Along Blog Challenge this week.  This will be an interesting challenge for most, so take a moment to read this post and watch the video before beginning your tag for this challenge.  

Before joining the Stampotique Originals' Creative Team (2014), I was an avid follower of the Stampotique Designers' Challenge Blog.  I followed most of the Design Team Members' blogs, but one in particular that I never missed was that of Design Team Member Sarinda Jones.  One blog post of Sarinda's stands out in particular for me.  On November 5, 2013, Sarinda was the host of the Stampotique Designers' Challenge and asked us to "rethink" gesso.  We all know how to use gesso as a prep for our substrates, and how to use it to lighten up or even cover up, when necessary. But, few of us use gesso as a creative tool.  Before reading the rest of the blog, I would like to suggest that you take a moment to view a YouTube video created by Sarinda to show us new ways of using gesso. 

For my tag today, I have used Technique #3 from the video. Once dry, I used Dylusions spray inks to add citrus colors to the gesso, with sprays of water to blend my colors.  The detail on the bottom left was created by using the Tim Holtz "Honeycomb" die and orange card stock from my stash.  I placed the framework of the die cut against my tag to use as a template and adhered the small pieces from the die cut to my tag.  I had to move the template a couple of times to get the pattern that I wanted.  

Next, I adhered a piece of orange ribbon to a piece of green ribbon, then adhered both of them to the bottom of my tag to serve as a "ground" for my image.  "Portland" from Stampotique Originals was colored with LePlume II markers, then whitewashed with gesso deluted with water to tone down the colors a bit.  Once dry, Portland was adhered to my tag using pop dots, then I added a layer of Wink of Stella to give her some shimmer'n'shine against the mat background.  

My birthday sentiment was added using a Hero Arts stamp.  The ribbon at the top and the button were added from my stash.  

I am also entering this tag in the Stampotique Designers' Citrus Color Challenge #181.

I hope you will find time this week to use gesso in a new way on a tag for the Tag Along Blog challenge. I appreciate both your visit and your comment today.  If you have not already done so, I hope you will sign up as a follower of this blog. Additionally, if you would like to receive an e-mail when I update my blog, you can sign up to "follow by e-mail," as well.