Tuesday, March 25, 2014

12 Tags of 2014 - March + Easter Card

Hello Crafters and Happy Spring!!! I sure hope you are getting some warmer weather where you live. I know it was one heck of a winter for a lot of you! To celebrate the new beautiful season, I've completed my March tag for Tim's 12 Tags of 2014.  It was great to learn and do a new technique with Tim's Smudge Stamping, which is also in his new book Compendium of Curiosities III. And, I thought I'd show you some Easter cards I've made as well using Ranger's Melt Pot to make the eggs you also see on the March tag.
I love the new Tim Holtz Sizzix Garden Greens Bigz Die with the Bird Branch Die....they are perfect together!
 

 

For the cards, I've used the same Tim Holtz  stamp sets, Stamper's Anonymous Nature Walk, Bird Feather, and Classic #17.  To make the eggs and nest seen here and on the tags, I've gotten the old Melt Pot out.
 
I stamped the small eggs on Shrink Plastic and cut them out.
I warmed up the Melt Pot with Clear UTEE, and put real grass into the pot to coat the blades. Then I added a few drops of Heat It Ink in Sapphire. I added the Shrink Plastic eggs and watched them shrivel down and turn blue.
Clean up is a breeze, and I'll save the hardened blue UTEE for another project. I just love using the Melt Pot!
I die cut the Sizzix  Bird Branch and Garden Greens with Tim's Distress Cardstock from Core-dinations. I didn't use the birds, so I'll save them for later. I sanded and inked all the pieces.
I stamped the birds and nest, cut them out and colored them with Distress Markers, and used Enamel Accents for the eyes.
I used a #12 Manila Giant Tag as a base for the card, stamped on it with Archival Inks, then inked it with Distress Ink, and gave it a few drops of water for a molted look. Finally, I layered all the pieces on and adhered them, and followed up with a Denim Blue spray from the new Distress Marker Spritzer.

Supplies:





I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!


33 comments:

  1. You are something else! These are just gorgeous. You know I love those behind the scenes sneak peeks at how you make stuff and those little eggs and nests are FANTASTIC!! Love the Field Notes title and the emphasis on the word Nature.
    You've honestly captured the essence of the season here Anita :) Beautifully crafted.
    hugs,
    Lisa x

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  2. Amazing tag! I love it :) Beautiful colors and all elements are fantastic.The background and all tag is really stunning. I love your birds. They are gorgerous. Wonderful tag on Easter!
    Greetings Asia :)

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  3. Those look great Anita, love the use of the UTEE!

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  4. Lovely spring pieces of art Anita , very uplifting. I love the backgrounds and those eggs and birds are gorgeous. Lovely. Tracy x

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  5. Beautiful Tags! I love them. Makes me think the snow will stop falling!

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  6. I totally adore your tag and cards Anita x fab take on Tim's tag. The nest and eggs are absolutely divine....very inspirational

    Huge hugs Annie x

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  7. the eggs are like sapphires Anita, so beautiful and love the great projects as well. Annette x

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  8. Stunning tags and cards Anita - made all the more so because of your terrific nest and eggs. How cleverly you made those eggs - they look fabulous! Absolutely brilliant artwork. Nicola x

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  9. I love your eggs!!!!! It's a wonderful and original piece!!!!! STunning! Barbarayaya

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  10. Gorgeous! Love the eggs. So many great techniques shared. Thanks.

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  11. I absolutely love your take on Tim's tag, the bird is beautiful and I love the little eggs in the nest, clever idea to use the melt pot. The cards are beautiful, love your splatting! Anne xx

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  12. Beautiful cards and tags, Anita. Love all of the colors and the melt art eggs. Such a clever idea. <3 Candy

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  13. Gorgeous pieces all of them Anita and such a wonderful take on Tim's original! Love your little eggs and the way you have coloured the birds is stunning!!

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  14. You clever girl! I first did the using Tim's Nature Walk stamps as well and then the AO lovelies and now I am thinking of adding some grassy UTEE effects or maybe just make another tag and add UTEE shrink eggs as well! And all of this because I just love your March take on Tim's tag!

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  15. Fabulous as always Ms Houston. Love love love this tag especially those little eggs. They are adorable

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  16. Anita - you are just brilliant. Love your backgrounds the nest & eggs are amazing. thank you!

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  17. Hello Miss Anita, these are FREAKING FANTASTIC, those eggs are fabulous, oh my the nest are the BOMB, love how you created them, I hope Mister Tim sees these, your gonna blow him away, thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day, ((( BIG HUGS )))...

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  18. Beautiful! I love your color choice. And, it is still winter here :( spring can't come soon enough.

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  19. Love it girl and the melting pot sure does the trick doesn't it? The shrinking eggs, what a cute idea. Thanks for sharing with us. xo

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  20. Love your tag and Easter card design, beautiful images and elements. Spring is just arriving here, we just need it a bit warmer and some more consistent sunshine xx

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  21. Absotively stupendous! Over the top beautimous!

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  22. Those speckled backgrounds make me think of beautiful little eggs....so delicate and precious! Love them. The layers and images are evocative of spring, and I love the colors you chose to work with. I just purchased this stamp set and can't wait to use it. You should like this up to the Craft Hoarders Anonymous challenge...the shiny eggs are perfect for the theme this time around! Hugs!

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  23. Анита, очень позитивные работы! Весеннее настроение и семейное настроение :-) Вдохновляют на создания мира в своём доме :-)

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  24. Love your springtime tags, Anita. The next and eggs are so cool - really made me smile!

    Hugs,
    Linda

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  25. Fantastic..I loved the tags n card ..those eggs are superb !!

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  26. Love your tags and your card, so amazing! Thanks for taking us through your steps. Nicely done!!

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  27. Love your take on Tim's tag Anita, the shrink eggs are fab!
    Alison x

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  28. wow - your cars and tags so fantastic! I love them all!!!! Hugs Dagmar

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  29. I must say your creations are fantastic, love all the wonderful details.

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  30. Beautifully done! I adore the branch extending out. The textures are gorgeous!

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  31. Loving those enamelled eggs and the coloured birds. Such clever versions here Anita. Jenny x

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  32. Oh, you must've had fun with this! Love the detailed birds and those eggs..... eggstraordinary!

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  33. Beautiful tag & card Anita! Love the little eggs made in your Melt Pot. Sue C x

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