Blooming Tree Birthday Tag

It's definitely feeling like Spring here in West Texas. The trees are blooming or already have leafed out, and most everybody is cleaning up their yards and planting flowers. Since I am feeling this contagious mood, I wanted to make a Spring tag that combines three challenge guidelines. Simon Says Stamp & Show's challenge is "handmade backgrounds", The Sunday Stamper's challenge is "paper flowers", and The Blogger's Challenge is "birthdays". I think I got it all covered, plus some Spring!

I used Tim's Wrinkle Free Distress technique to gain color on my tag. I dabbed on Distress Inks onto my craft mat and misted with water, then ran my tag over several times, drying between coats. I had a lot of ink on the mat and I didn't want to waste it, so I did several tags.

I stamped the music notes in Walnut Stain and the letter script in Peeled Paint Distress Inks.

I rubbed Snow Cap Acrylic paint around edges of tag and then used it to stamp the swirling pollen (that's what I think it is) image on. There you have it...my background.

I die cut the tree and inked it with Gathered Twigs appropriately, and then stamped the wood grain image on with Walnut Stain Ink.

I have had these mini paper flowers in my stash for probably 10 years...now they have a home, along with a Stickle center.

I stamped my sentiment with Embossing Distress Ink and Spiced Marmalade Distress Powder. I coated the whole thing with Crackle Accents.

I have quilt binding, which is not to be confused with seam binding...cause it ain't people, cause I tried. It didn't work like I wanted but it colored well and was pretty enough. I stamped the AO butterfly on cardstock with Sepia Archival and used Glazed Pens to give it color and shine.

 

 

Supplies:
From My Stash: mini paper flowers, quilt seam binding, white cardstock

#8 Manila Tag	Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink	Mustard Seed Distress Ink	Peeled Paint Distress Ink	Broken china - Distress ink
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink	Mini Mister	Letters To Santa Stamp Set	Festive Sounds Stamp Set	Clear Mini Nature′s Elements Stamp Set
Whimsical Melange Stamp Set	Snow Cap Acrylic Paint Dabber	Distress Embossing Ink	Spiced Marmalade Distress Emobossing Powder	Sepia Archival Ink
Fall 2011 Limited Edition Distress Ink Trio	Walnut Stain - Distress Ink	Yellow Glaze Pen	Black Glaze Pen	Alterations Branch Tree Bigz Die
Wallpaper and Wood Stamp Set	Glossy Accents	Crackle Accents	Spiced Marmalade Distress Stickles

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Lovely Day Blog Hop

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!! And...It's time for the Artistic Outpost Design Team Blog Hop!!! Our challenge was to use the Lovely Day Stamp Set. I decided to finally bust out the Distress Markers and see what these babies could really do, and I am so NOT DISAPPOINTED! They are worth the money crafters. I also decided to blow the dust off of the sewing machine. The poor thing probably needs oil too, as it's been so long. Here is my trio of Lovely Day ATC's for Easter.

I colored my image directly on the stamp with the markers, then gave it a good huff of breathe, and stamped the image on the ATC, several times in different positions. I filled in the rest of the flowers and leaves with a coordinating color in the same family.

This is the cool part...I used Tumbled Glass Distress Ink for the sky and IT DOES NOT blend in with the markers, it resists it! How cool is that??? I was amazed! Next, I heat embossed the sentiment using Tumbled Glass and clear powder. I distressed the edges and inked those as well.

I flicked water on the sky part for some bleached droplets, and then sprayed Perfect Pearls Mist. The mist gave the markers a watercolor look...love this!!!! I misted the coordinating cardstock as well and then stitched the ATC onto the cardstock. I inked the cardstock edges with Pumice Stone.

I used the egg images from the Birds Of A Feather plate, and inked them with the white Distress Marker. It slowly turns white and looks cool while you are watching it. I added polka dots with the same colors of markers from the flowers. I misted them with Perfect Pearls then applied a heavy coat of Glossy Accents. After they dried, I cut them out and adhered them the ATC's. I hand wrote the word Easter with an olive green Sharpie Marker.

 

Don't forget to visit all the other AO Design Team's Blogs...talk about talent...wow!!!

 Gerrie Johnnic 

Lisa Somerville

Suzanne Czosek

Linda Coughlin 

Tracy Evans 

Yvonne Garner

Supplies:
From My Stash: light pink, light yellow, and purple cardstock, olive green Sharpie Marker

Inkssentials Manila ATC	Lovely Day Stamp Set	Birds Of A Feather	Distress Markers Set	Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Pumice Stone Distress Ink	Perfect Pearls Mist	Mini Mister	Embossing Powder - Clear	Paper distresser
Glossy Accents

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!