November Butterflies

I made a birthday card! After a month of what feels like making Christmas tags non-stop, putting together yesterday's steampunk card and now today's birthday card felt almost foreign. 😂 But Seize the Birthday has their last challenge of the year on right now, and since I was invited to guest with them this summer (thank you, Nancy!), I wanted to play along.  It may have helped that there are a couple of November birthdays I need to observe. 

The current challenge/topping is "Monochromatic". Purple seemed a fine choice. 

This is about as far from Christmas as you can get, I think. But November birthday girls should get butterflies sometimes, too, not just spring and summer celebrants! The background is sponged with four different shades of purple, and the butterflies and sentiment are embossed in silver. I used a silver Sharpie to edge the panel. Silver and mauve sequins add a little bling to the design. Silver counts as a neutral, right?  

P.S. My 26th 25 Days of Christmas Tags post can be found right here. 

Supplies: white & Hero Arts iris layering cardstock, Unity Bevy of Butterflies, Simon Says Stamp Happy & The Angel Company Life is Tweet stamps, Versamark, milled lavender, shaded lilac, wilted violet & crushed concord distress inks, silver embossing powder, Darice silver & Little Things from Lucy's Cards heather sequins, silver Sharpie

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 26

Wow, this is really it! The BONUS DAY, Day 26, of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. I have been honoured to be part of Tracey's talented design team this year. 

Every day, Tracey has found a fabulous guest, who sponsors a prize that anyone who comments or creates tags is eligible to win. 

This annual event has become so popular that it no longer fits into the original 25 days! So today, BONUS DAY, we have High Hopes Rubber Stamps as our guest. 

For this final day, I thought it would be fun to be inspired by one of the High Hopes' designers. I also decided to pick a tag that is a departure from my go-to style, which as you may have noticed, leans to bright colours and a clean design. This beautiful inspiration by Natalie Murdock seemed just the ticket, er, tag: 

Hard to imagine, but a cat did not end up making it onto my tag. Here's my version: 

I love the look of the embossed and lightly coloured tag base, but know from experience I'm rarely successful at getting the sponged colour quite where I want it. So for mine, I broke out my new shimmer Versamark ink and tapped it onto a holly embossing folder before embossing my tag base. It adds a lovely colour variation and a subtle shimmer! (In the end, I did throw caution to the wind and add a little white ink to the holly as I was sponging around the sentiment strip and tag edges.) It was at about this point I realized I have no evergreen dies. So since my background was holly, I added some more watercoloured holly. I made my own version of Natalie's bow, and a vintage-style sentiment. 
Fear not if you've fallen behind in your commenting or tag-making... Tracey is keeping her event open for another few days, so you still have time to comment and/or create for a chance to win one of the sponsors' prizes! 

Supplies: Neenah desert storm cardstock, Canson watercolour paper, Winnie & Walter In Bloom: Elsa's Flora & Cavallini Vintage Christmas stamps, Versamark dazzle champagne, Versafine onyx black, Colorbox frost white & evergreen inks, Ranger clear embossing powder, Zig markers, Sizzix holly embossing folder, My Mind's Eye All is Bright flair, Michaels ribbon, Hemptique cord, foam tape

The Sisters Go Industrial

It is that time again, time for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers annual challenge... 

I is for Industrial! Or in other words, our annual STEAMPUNK challenge. Some of us find it more challenging than others, but it is fun to come up with something a little different each year. Here's mine: 

Isn't this bunny awesome? A little bit Alice in Wonderland, a little bit steampunk. I also like this gears die cut... except for all the little tiny pieces that stay behind in the die and have to be poked out with a pin. Oh, and trying to glue it without any excess adhesive mess. :D I had first used some copper metallic cardstock for the gears, but decided I liked this green patterned paper version better. The sentiment is computer-generated. 
There is a great lineup of steampunk treats over on the Snarky Stampers blog, including one by our latest Queen of Snark and guest designer, Corrie! Steampunk style can be a challenge, but can be fun too, so come and play along! 

P.S. This is my second post for the day — click HERE for Day 25 of the 25 Days of Christmas Tags! 

Supplies: white, black & Hero Arts latte layering cardstock, DCWV Typogaraphy patterned paper, Viva Las VegaStamps Rabbit on Old Bicycle stamp, Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Sizzix/Tim Holtz Gear Head die, black Sharpie pen

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 25

It's Day 25 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event! 

25. 25. You know what that means, right? One more month. ONE MONTH. 

Anyway. Today Tracey welcomes Pink & Main as her guest! 

I have two tags today.

I made each tag a different way, but in the end, they look quite similar. My reindeer tag first:

I wanted to see if I could successfully watercolour this as a one-layer tag. First step was to stencil some snowflakes before colouring the sky with Twinkling H2Os. The snow also got some shimmer, as well. Once that was dry, I coloured Rudolph with Zig markers. Once everything was dry, I added some Nuvo drops to his cuffs and hatband. 

Next up, a penguin! 

For this tag, I was happy to use a die cut over the tag base. I lightly sponged some distress ink for the sky, before popping my coloured penguin on top. I decided he needed snow just like Rudolph, but this time used some Nuvo drops. I thought the tassel and braided twine went well with his hat. 

I had a supervisor while I was photographing my tags... 

😂

You might think Day 25 would be the final Day of the 25 Days of Christmas Tags, but no! We have a bonus day tomorrow! Hope to see you again then.

Supplies: (reindeer) Strathmore watercolour paper, Pink & Main Oh Deer stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, twinkling H2Os, Zig markers, Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow stencil, Dreamweavers glossy white embossing paste, MFT pierced tag die, Nuvo pure white crystal drops, Hemptique cord, white raffia; (penguin) Strathmore watercolour paper, Pink & Main Oh Deer stamps & die, Versafine onyx black & tumbled glass distress inks, Zig markers, Nuvo white blizzard glitter drops, Hemptique silver & red baker's twine, foam tape

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 24

Can you believe it? Day 24 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event! Today Right at Home joins Tracey on her blog as guest and sponsor. 

Again, nothing festive in my collection. This one took some ingenuity! 😉

Two stamps from Abstract Florals turned into a whimsical Christmas tree. To me, it didn't suit a lot of bling, so the ornaments are Liquid Pearls, rather than something glittery. Pro tip: last time I'd tried to make ornaments, my pearls burped right near the end and ruined everything, so this time I used a stencil. Worked like a charm. I even found a woodgrain star sequin for the top of the tree. 

Beautiful inspiration as always on Tracey's blog today, so be sure to visit! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Right at Home Abstract Florals & Simple Sentiments stamps, Altenew olive, espresso & ruby red inks, MFT tall tags duo die, Simon Says Stamp falling snow stencil, ruby red Liquid Pearls, Studio Calico woodgrain star sequin, May Arts ribbon & jute twine 

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25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 23

We are into the last few days of the 25 Days of Christmas Tags event hosted by Tracey McNeely — today we are showcasing Pretty Pink Posh. 

No themed PPP stamps here, so a little improvisation was in order. 

So yes, it's very simple, but I quite like it! I think it's because I rarely remember how good white space can be when colouring, and I'm so happy with how the leaves look with the simple blending and some white. I traced the sentiment with a glitter marker, and finished with a few PPP sequins. 

The 25 Days of Christmas Tags event is concluding in a few days, but you can play along until the end of November! You are eligible to win one of the terrific sponsor prizes by commenting on designers' blogs and/or by being inspired to make tags of your own! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Pretty Pink Posh Bold Blossoms & Everyday Greetings stamps, Memento tuxedo black ink, Copic markers, Avery Elle Circle Tag die, Pretty Pink Posh sparkling clear sequins, Offray ribbon

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 22

It's Day 22 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags — have you been keeping up? 😉 Today's sponsor and guest is STAMPlorations. 

When I was deciding what to make for today, I realized I hadn't been using up any bits of patterned paper with my tags lately! So I pulled out a die and got to work. 

Other than a bit fiddly when inlaying the die cuts, these were reasonably quick and easy to make. Of course I couldn't let the offcuts go to waste, so now I have a set of four. I wasn't able to keep track of all the teeny bits of patterned paper, so I used some green cardstock to back the sentiment on the plaid tag, and red for the tiny spots on the polka dot tag. (I at least found the oval for the centre of the 'o'.)

Did I stop there? Of course not. 

My original idea using this die was to make a white on white scene, as I've seen a number of designers do with great success during Tracey's tagstravaganza. Oops. 😂 Turned into a night scene with a black silhouette. Strange how these things happen. Another time.

There is so much inspiration from the STAMPlorations designers today! Be sure to check out Tracey's page, leave some comments, and maybe even grab a few ideas for tags of your own! 

Supplies: (be jolly) Neenah linen cardstock, Echo Park Holly Jolly Holidays patterned paper, CUTplorations Be Jolly phrase & Manila Tags nesting dies, Stampin' Up whisper white & scrap ribbon, red crochet cotton; (merry little Christmas) white & black cardstock, yellow vellum, STAMPlorations Christmas Reindeer stamps, Versamark, milled lavender, blueprint sketch & chipped sapphire inks, Hero Arts white embossing powder, CUTplorations Stitched Winter Landscape & ATC Tag Builder dies, Wink of Stella clear glitter marker, Stampin' Up very vanilla & Offray blue ribbon 

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 21

Welcome to Day 21 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags Event, where today Uniko is in the spotlight. 

I went blue and elegant today: 

A bunch of randomly stamped snowflakes and a pretty sentiment, all embossed in white on watercolour paper. Then I used four different distress inks to sponge a night sky. I thought it deserved a *statement* ribbon, and found this sheer blue one in my (um, large) stash of ribbon bits. 

Remember to comment on tag makers' posts for a chance to win one of the amazing prizes offered by our sponsors for this fun event! And why not make a few tags, too?

Supplies: Ranger watercolour cardstock, Uniko Stunning Snowflakes & Rustic Christmas stamps, Versamark & shaded lilac, wilted violet, blueprint sketch & chipped sapphire distress inks, Hero Arts white embossing powder, WPlus9 Christmas tag die, scrap ribbon

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 20

Day 20! Yep, it's Day 20 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. Today Waffle Flower is our guest and sponsor. 

Although I've already done one stocking tag, I decided to make another, but made sure I did it differently... 

This stocking is fun, as the stripes are a separate stamp, so you can make the outline and the stripes different colours. It also has the separate fluffy cuff — and although I know better, I didn't stamp it in waterproof ink, but managed to keep the bleeding to a minimum when I added Stickles. Sigh. On the tag base, I used some watercolour powder... notice in this case, I was wise enough to keep the water above the sentiment. 
There is fine inspiration over on Tracey's blog today, so be sure to check it out. You can be in the running to win a prize for commenting and/or making tags, so why not join us? 

Supplies: Strathmore watercolour paper, Waffleflower Stocking stamps & dies, Altenew ruby & evergreen inks, Magenta Nuance grass green watercolour powder, MFT pierced tag die, frosted lace Stickles, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Offray ribbon, Hemptique cord, small hole punch, foam tape

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 19

It's Day 19 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event... we're into the home stretch now! Today's special guest is Technique Tuesday. 

I started with an easy tag using an older, versatile sentiment set:

I use this set all the time for inside sentiments on Christmas cards, but it was nice to give it a chance in the spotlight. The little holly leaves are also in the set, and I coloured three small pearls to go with the sentiment. If you have a good imagination and squint, you'll notice the sentiment is (ever so slightly) stamped in an ombré ink.

Next, I grabbed my newest Technique Tuesday set!

I am always looking for *perfect* Santa stamps, and this face is pretty darn good. See the tag he's on? I won it from Technique Tuesday the first year I played in Tracey's challenge! I cut a second one and repeatedly stamped the Ho Ho Ho sentiment. 

If you know this stamp set at all, and if you know me at all, you know I had to make another tag...

Same tag die, this time on red cardstock. Quick and easy to make. This may end up on a card, as if you put it on a gift, obviously there's no need of negotiation, is there? 😉
I should remind you of all the great sponsors Tracey has lined up for her tag extravaganza... commenting on designers' blogs, as well as being inspired to make tags of your own, puts you in the running to win a great prize! 

Supplies: (merry little Christmas) white cardstock, Technique Tuesday Jingle All the Way stamps, Hero Arts light to royal red ombré & Brilliance pearlescent thyme inks, CUTplorations manila tag die, red Copic marker, Recollections half pearls, Offray ribbon; (Santa) white & Neenah desert storm cardstock, Technique Tuesday Dear Santa stamps, Versafine onyx black & Stampin' Up real red inks, Ranger clear embossing powder, Copc markers, watercolour pencils, Technique Tuesday This Is die, Hemptique cord, silver elastic cord, $ store jingle bells, foam tape; (Dear Santa) red cardstock, Technique Tuesday Dear Santa stamps, Versamark & Versafine onyx black inks, Hero Arts white & sparkle embossing powders, Technique Tuesday This Is tag die, white sequins, Nuvo gloss simply white crystal drops, Hemptique baker's twine

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 18

It's Day 18 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags! Today's sponsor is Avery Elle. 

Lots of cute images to choose from (and they have great storage bags for stamp sets and dies!), but it seemed time for a skating moose:

What's not showing in the above shot is the blue and sparkly tag background: 

Okay, still not showing up that well. :P Looks great in real life, believe me. I mixed some distress ink with iridescent medium and a little water, then smooshed the tag into it. The moose himself is watercoloured with Zig markers, except for the skate blades, which have silver glitter marker. He and some white die cut cardstock (didn't want him sky-skating) are popped up on the base. I thought his sweater and toque made him rustic enough to use gingham ribbon and jute twine for the ties. 

Lots of sweet tags on Tracey's blog today! Be sure to check them out, and remember all the guests have sponsored great prizes to win for those who comment and/or make tags! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Strathmore watercolour cardstock, Avery Elle Snow Much Fun stamps and die, Versafine onyx black & tumbled glass distress inks, Zig watercolour markers, Paper Smooches gift tag 2, waves & stitched dies, Winsor & Newton iridescent medium, Spica silver glitter marker, Recollections gingham ribbon, May Arts jute twine, foam tape

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 17

It's Day 17 of Tracey McNeely's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event... but who's counting? ;) Today our guest is Jillibean Soup. 

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (okay, maybe Utah), Jillibean Soup used to collaborate with Unity Stamp Company. So of course I had to go back in the archives and use one of those sets! 

Penguins! I did a little masking to make a penguin family, and partially cut them out so I could have a sponged Antarctic sky showing on the base tag layer. It was one of those days where yes, I adhered them and then remembered I wanted a sentiment too, but managed to add and emboss it without disaster. Stickles add a little festive bling. 
The Jillibean Soup design team is sharing beautiful tag creations on Tracey's blog, so be sure to head over there and be inspired! 

Supplies: white cardstock, Unity/Jillibean Soup Christmas Eve Chowder stamps, Memento tuxedo black & Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Copic markers, CUTplorations manila tag die, frosted lace & icicle Stickles, scrap ribbon, foam tape 

25 Days of Christmas Tags: Day 16

Day 16 of Tracey McNeeley's 25 Days of Christmas Tags, and today our sponsor is Ellen Hutson! 

I may have gotten a little carried away. :) 

My first thought was to use something from Homespun Holiday for a tag: 

I stencilled a brick background as a fireplace for my stocking — green, since my brick would have clashed with a red one. I used a snow marker to make a puffy cuff and pompoms. 
I couldn't leave out my all time favourite Essentials by Ellen stamp!

I do love this Santa! I kept the tag simple, but did add some shine to Santa's hat and whiskers. 

Finally, I made a simple tag using a tiny Christmas tree from the new Bear Ware 2 and a watercolour powder background:

I thought this little Christmas tree would make a perfect focal point for a simple tag. I did consider putting it in the arms of the bear from All Inside, but it would have covered his face. :D 
Are you playing along? Even if you don't want to make tags, commenting on the designers' tags makes you eligible to win one of the amazing sponsor prizes! 

Supplies: (stocking) Canson water-colour paper, Essentials by Ellen Homespun Holiday stamps & dies, Versafine onyx black & Stampin' Up bravo burgundy inks, Hero Arts white satin pearl embossing powder, Zig watercolour markers, fired brick distress marker, Stamper's Anonymous/Tim Holtz bricked stencil, green raffia, Lawn Fawn Mistletoe lawn trimmings, foam tape; (Santa) white cardstock, Essentials by Ellen Tis the Season stamps, Versafine onyx black ink, Ranger clear embossing powder, Copic markers, Tsukineko frost white metallic ink, Winnie & Walter Katharine Cutaway die, May Arts ribbons; (tree) Ranger watercolour cardstock, Essentials by Ellen Bear Ware 2 stamp and die, Versafine onyx black ink, Hero Arts white satin pearl embossing powder, Zig markers, Ken Oliver cerulean colorburst powder, May Arts cord, scrap ribbon, foam tape