In a wild frenzy of die cutting, I managed to misalign the cutting pads (on more than one occasion) and Tim's Tattered Flower Garland die strip. Alas ... poor Jane Austin ended up with several of her lovely pages of Sense and Sensibility partially cut with flowers. As usual, I laid them off to the side and plunged on with my pursuit of perfect blossoms and leaves. And there they lay for days. And each day as I entered my craft room, these lovely scraps of words cried out, 'do something with me'! Perhaps, it was not the paper crying, but the voice of a quite peevish Jane. Regardless, this week ... I picked them up.
I grabbed a tag and began to push the strips around the borders of the tag. I liked what I saw. Now to create a background. On that day, this was the view outside of my window:
Spring is slow in coming to the mountains of NC and I long for the sunshine and clear blue skies! So I went to my Distress Paints and picked out Mowed Lawn, Broken China, and Salty Ocean. I dabbed each on my craft sheet, spritzed with water and dragged my tag (sans Jane's lovely words) through the watered-paint. I spritzed the tag with a little more water to let the colors mix and drip a little more. Then it was time for the heat tool! When the paint was dry, I went over the entire tag background with Peacock Feather Distress Ink. I flicked it with some water to add some distressed water spots to my bright and cheerful background.
I used some Matte Multi Medium to adhere my scraps of flowery words (or wordy flowers) to the borders of my tag and cut off the excess. I first used an Antique Linen Distress Marker a fine-tip water brush to go over the petals. Then I came back with Brushed Corduroy to add some shadowing. I distressed the edges of the tag with sandpaper and added some Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The right bottom corner, looked a little anemic, so I found this lovely sticker from K & Company to go on it. The entire tag was covered with a layer of Matte Multi Medium. It gave the paint and ink the look of a fresh spring rain shower (rather than the blustery snow storm that raged outside).
Now for a little movement! I stamped this wonderfully wordy butterfly from one of Tim's sets onto Specialty stamping paper. I colored it with some Ripe Persimmon, Antique Linen Distress and Vintage Photo Markers. I let it fly above the tag with some adhesive foam squares.
I topped it off the tag with some raffia, a couple of blossoms and yet another word mounted on a bit of Jane's manuscript ... Hope (which is what I still have for a spring here in NC). And thus bringing life out of these scraps of words, I am entering this tag into Alison's Say It With Words Challenge over at A Vintage Journey.
And that is how this lovely tag came to be. I bet you have some similar stories to tell. I look forward to reading about how your art speaks to you! -- Mary Elizabeth
11 comments:
I am so glad you persevered with your tag and die cutting because it is absolutely stunning! I love everything about it.
Thank you so much for your visit and your wonderful comment on my box, I truly appreciate it. Anne xx
LOVE your tag and those wordy flowers, Mary Elizabeth!
And that little bit of "Hope" (for spring to arrive soon) added to the top makes it sooo enchanting and thougthful!
Yes, I did some of these tags too..with stuff that had been lying on my desk, waiting for the right moment when I would listen to their call. They still are among my favourites and I assume so will your tag!
Have a lovely Sunday!
Hugs,
Claudia x
Gorgeous tag Mary Elizabeth. Karen.x
Love the effects Mary Elizabeth, at first I thought it was the coloured portion that were the left over scraps and had been adhered to the words. Amazing how our brain processes what we see. Either way the tag is gorgeous and I live the embellishing at the top xx
Well, you can probably guess I'm in love with that book text die-cutting - what a happy accident! - and how fabulous it looks against that vivid pool of turquoisey green in the centre. So glad you allowed this tag to come into the world - it's beautiful!
Alison xx
Dear friend this tag is gorgeous! It is an explosion of color and life. All your little details are amazing! I had already pinned before commenting! Hugs BArbarayaya
Wow, this is so striking Mary Elizabeth. Like Brenda above I thought the central portion was the left over - so glad that nothing has been left over! Beautiful hues on the central portion, as for Jane Austen - I hear she is most content with recent postings of her work! (She should be!) I do hope that snow clears soon - it surely looks bleak in your photo. Nicola x
Very remiss of me not to thank you for joining us on A Vintage Journey with this beauty - I do thank you!
Alison xx
This is another stunning tag, too! You are on fire with the muse! I really like the cut-out techniques you used and have never seen anything quite like this. I had to drool over each picture trying to take it all in and I really love how you incorporated text, too. Gorgeous and I adore the "hope" scrap at the top.
Lovely tag, I too thought the blue section was the top layer. It's very effective. That's our motto, never throw anything away.
Fabulous and what a happy accident! So glad those die cuts (or perhaps Jane) kept crying out at you, I really love how this worked out. The book text against that wonderful background is so striking and the butterflies just add that wonderful promise of Spring just round the corner. Wonderful tag and thanks so much for adding it to our challenge at A Vintage Journey!
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