Found Objects

I have just returned this evening from some quality time with my family.  I have, for the most part, managed to stay away from lovely crafty blogland.  I did manage to post one my tags using my Blogger phone app.  I must say, that was quite a feat ... one that I do not wish to replicate any time soon.

I have about an hour before the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge:  Make the Cut deadline, so this blog entry will be relatively short.  My tag is a reflection on my time of rest with my family.  I managed to collect some "found objects" during this time ... shells, some coins, a key, some shark teeth fossils, and my most-prized find -- hope.  I have a great deal of hope that I can face the upcoming challenges at work, with my health, with my family and ones I don't even know about yet. 

I began my tag by stamping a "swirly" floral stamp in Moonlight archival ink randomly around the tag.  After that dried, I used an ink blending tool to ink the tag with Scattered Straw and Antique Linen Distress Ink.  I added some shadows to the stamped images with an Old Paper Distress Marker and blending the shadows with a tiny brush dipped lightly in some water.  I distressed the edges of the tag with sand paper and then grunged it a little with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

Recently, I bought a Mason jar stamp and I've been dying to use it.  I have been wanting to try this idea of stamping the image with black archival ink onto shrink plastic film and then cutting it out to make the image actually look like a glass Mason jar.  I then wanted to "fill" the jar by adding some three-dimensional objects underneath the shrink plastic jar overlay.  This challenge gave me a perfect opportunity to use the "jar" to contain my found objects.  It took me forever to configure the objects on the tag and then glue them down with Glossy Accents. 

Before I put the jar on the tag, I  used a craft knife to cut a small slit in the "mouth" of the jar and inserted a branch that I cut out of corrugated cardboard (with a Tim Holtz die).  The leaves were painted with Peeled Paint Distress Paint and the branch was inked with Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I used Tim's Tattered Flower Garland Decorative Strip die to create the flowers.  The flowers were put together with a vintage copper brad.  The branch and flower were glued to the tag with Glossy Accents.  I glued the "jar" onto a few of the found objects with Glossy Accents.  I wish I could have been a little cleaner (and in less of a hurry) with my gluing!  (I'm still waiting for it to dry as I type this.)

I made a label for my tag with a Tim Holtz grungeboard die cut.  It was painted with Broken China Distress Paint.  I then sanded the label added some Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I distressed some letter stickers that spelled out "found objects" and added the letters to the label. 

Well, it's back to work for me tomorrow.  I hope to catch up with everyone's blogs over the next few days.   Have a wonderful (and creative) week!!  -- Mary Elizabeth