Scrappy Spring Tags and a Giveaway

Who else is excited that it's almost Spring? Not that it's been a particularly bad Winter (OK wettest February on record in the PNW)  but there's something about Spring...the sense of freshness and renewal (probably associated with longer brighter days and things sprouting from the ground) that's invigorating. 

One of my 2017 challenges to myself was to work outside my usual color palette. Another was to use up things I have in my stash, especially when it comes to my paper collection and paper scraps. Those came together this weekend when I worked on some tags just because that was what I was in the mood to do. No rhyme. No reason. 

Aren't they Spring-y? 

I went through my paper scraps and pulled out a bunch of coordinating Spring-y scraps to play with. 

Got out my favorite tool for small projects, the Xyron 2.5 sticker maker, and cut out some tags on my Silhouette. 

I think the reason I love making tags so much I there's no plan. I just like tearing papers, seeing what goes together, embellishing them w/ bits and pieces. 

I used some paper flowers, punched some more from glitter paper scraps, added bits of washi tape ( glittery and otherwise) and some adhesive pearls. I think I'm happiest when I'm making for the sake of making. Ya know? These put me in a really good mood. And what's the best thing to do when you're in a good mood? SHARE! 

So I'm giving them away. Two sets of eight. With Spring holidays like Easter and Mother's Day approaching, or Spring birthdays, showers etc. who can't use a tag to dress up a gift? 

Here's how to enter. The giveaway will run through Friday 3/17! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hanukkah Card and Tags

Ack. I've been without a computer for almost a week which is a lifetime in blogging years. Backup your stuff people because we always think it can't happen to us and then boom, new hard drive. 

In the meantime, made Hanukkah cards and tags for a couple of friends. I'm tickled that the tags I started making a few years ago for one friend get asked about by her relatives "Is she making any this year". 

I've always loved shiny and glittery things so I had a lot of fun working with gold foiled and glitter papers found at Michaels. The foiled papers are a combination of Recollections, Craft Smith, and DCWV stacks. Add to that my weakness when Michaels has their specialty papers 10 for $10 and I'm in paper hoarder heaven. 

For the card, I cut a menorah on my Cameo ( image found in the Silhouette Online Store) and then just hand cut the candles and flames freehand. I double cut the menorah and gave it depth using foam dots by layering one piece atop another. Blue and gold glitter papers were layered on top of a foiled piece. Simple but I am really happy with the outcome. 

For the tags, I just like to play around with bits and pieces with no particular plan. I just want the colors to work with each other so when I package them, they look like a set. 

My signature paper style is tearing things. I just can't not have some ragged edges! 

With freaking out over my computer crash, would  you believe I forgot to take pics of this year's Christmas cards? I did manage to take pics of a set of Christmas tags I made as a gift! Whew. 

Papers used here are from the Traditional Christmas paper pack from Oriental Trading Company along with some of my glitter and foil stash. 

Stay Away Hoarders People. Wherein I Use My Paper Scraps.

I wonder if the Hoarders producers have ever thought of doing a crafter’s edition? Specifically paper crafters. I always have scraps left over from making cards and there’s no way I’m just going to throw them away. Not after I fell in love with all of that paper in the first place. But I confess, the scraps add up. Tags are the perfect way to use them.

I cut tags out using my Cricut Expression ( Plantin Schoolbook cart) and gathered up some scraps from my Christmas cards to cover the tags with and punched shapes from other scraps to use. I usually have a stash of tags from the office supply store but I actually ran out and had to remember which cartridge had a tag shape!

Trimmed my scraps and laid out two pieces for each tag.

I tore some of the pieces and left the others as they were cut because I was also going to use up some scrapbook borders I used in my cards.

Then I just played with different combinations and added some of my punched shapes, glitter glue, self adhesive rhinestones etc.

The one on the right actually used a scrap of glittered ribbon that was left over.

This is also a great way to use up those onesie twosie embellishments.

Sharing At:

Creativity Tags

I posted last week about the opportunity I had to get some free craft supplies through Wholeport’s Creativity Expo promotion. I selected a paper sampler. It arrived quickly and I couldn’t wait to play.

I got some additional supplies out from my stash:

I’d decided to make some tags so I ran blank tags through my 2.5” Xyron

to apply adhesive. I’m not naturally drawn to pinks but there was something about the pink papers in the pack that made me want to play with them.

Used different things from my stash…buttons, KandCo self adhesive scrapbook borders, round and shaped self adhesive rhinestones, ribbon, paper flowers to embellish my tags. I incorporated some other paper scraps from my stash as well.

Wholeport’s asked everyone who received sample packs from them to post what they’ve made on their Facebook page so I’m sharing there.

Linking Up At:

Winter Wonderland Tags ...

and playing with Picnik. I usually just upload my photos without doing much to them except maybe cropping them. But I was waiting for something and decided to play around on Picnik before posting one and it was so much fun. If you missed their Halloween themes and effects, they have some for Thanksgiving and I'm sure will have some for Christmas in addition to the standard holiday effects they have all the time.

I've been busy making colorful tags and cards for an upcoming show and must have been going through neutral withdrawal so decided to make some neutral tags. Just used scraps, a punch, and cut the tags on my Expression. Combine that with some gold rhinestones, copper eyelets, and Picnik and:

Natural Snowflake Tags

I played with the "snow" effect in Picnik and used the "museum matte" frame option. It's hard to tell from a picture, but I punched several snowflakes out and layered them (sometimes alternating colors, sometimes not) using small foam dots. It gives a nice dimension to the tags.

Poor plain old un-Picnik'd snowless tags.

Linking Up At:

 

There's A Tag For That

So my husband said to me one day that he didn't really get the whole tag thing. Then, we had a get together to go to the other night and decided to pick up a bottle of wine on the way and lookie here...tucked a tag I happened to have on hand into my bag to put on the bottle :) See sweetie...they come in handy. So I decided to make some more to have on hand because you never know when you'll be picking up a bottle of wine or something. Remember I went "funky junkin" ? I bought a bag of this stuff because it looked really cool and I knew I would use it for something:

It's almost like paper yarn. Hard to describe but it was one of those "you'll be sorry" if you walk away moments.

I ran out of my stash ( see I busted it) of manila office tags so I cut some (two sizes) with my Cricut. I know...welcome to planet obvious...me, not you. Sometimes I forget what that thing can do!

For the smaller ones here, I covered with torn paper and used copper Magenta Peel Offs  in these funky leaf shapes. Added a copper eyelet and my very ethereal papery yarn.

Did something similar with the larger ones but used K&CO scrapbook borders (Blossomwood collection) that have a lot of copper foiling. Again, finished with copper eyelets and my funky yarn.

I stamped on some of the tags before embellishing. See stamps? I haven't totally forgotten you!

 

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Tomorrow's World Card Making Day and Some Cards & Tags

Fun Facts ( courtesy of the World Cardmaking Day website...yes, there's a website for that)

• Today, card making is a worldwide hobby, especially popular in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• 1 in 6 U.S. households participates in making cards
• 86% of scrapbookers also create handmade cards
• 92% of paper crafters create cards more than any other type of project
• The top occasions/themes for making cards are
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Birthdays
  • winter holidays (Christmas, New Year’s, etc.)
  • thank you
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Mother’s Day
• Card makers prefer stamps and rub-ons for use on their holiday handmade cards
• 73% of card makers use their computer in part or all of their design

I've always done creative stuff but my first foray into the formal craft world was cards. It started when I went to a store with a friend who was trying to explain embossing powder to me. I later went back and proceeded to mistakenly buy glitter (powdery stuff in small bottles...who knew) and felt like a complete idiot when I went back again to complain it didn't work and the lovely woman who'd obviously experienced this before,politely explained my mistake. Nevermind.

Fast forward to today where I have a dresser drawer full of stamps, have migrated to buying clear cling stamps that go on acrylic blocks ( easier storage and some argue better for the environment), have expanded my crafts repertoire well beyond cards but use stamps in a lot of things, have a collection of paper that's probably a fire hazard, plus the increased array of scrapbooking embellishments and now a Cricut Expression well...you get the idea. But cards are still a true love and from October through December especially, I am in high card mode!

So if you've never made a card, World Card Making Day is a great time to start. Most likely your local stamp or scrapbooking store will have something going or look out for "Make and Takes" and Stampin Up demonstrators are always willing to teach you! Or you could look here: http://www.worldcardmakingday.com/celebrate/participating_retailers.html

Here are some cards and  tags I've made as part of the inventory for my first craft fair: (ironically, no stamps)

K&Co "Life's Journey" Collection

I can still bust some stash and found some tag shaped cards I'd picked up on clearance somewhere for $1 for a package of 2. I cut them at the fold to make two tags from one card, cut selected pieces from the above sheet of paper, got out my stash of self ahesive scrapbook borders (also K&Co) and my bin o scraps and went to town!

I had some chairs I'd cut out using my Cricut and a chair image from The Graphics Fairy  I printed out on a transparency , so I made these cards:

Go forth and make cards!

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