12 tags of christmas - day 2...

"say 2" -tim holtz(c) 2008
supplies: craft sheet, adirondack alcohol inks/denim, stream, stonewash, slate, eggplant, adirondack metallic mixatives/silver, adirondack blending solution, archival ink/jet black, distress embossing ink, embossing powder/black, distress inks/weathered wood, frayed burlap, faded jeans, ink blending tool, heat tool, glossy cardstock (ranger); grungeboard/elements swirls, long fasteners, washers (tim holtz idea-ology); rub-ons (hambly); ghost snowflakes (heidi swapp); stamps/skinny tree P3-1373, snow flurries K3-1372 (stampers anonymous); stamp/holiday text (hero arts); craft pick (tonic); dot n go craft (glue dots); bird charm, ribbon, tag, black cardstock, speckling brush

step 1: shake metallic mixative and apply a squiggle of ink to center of non-stick craft sheet. (*when working with alcohol inks it is IMPORTANT to work on a protective surface that the inks will not permeate and the craft sheet is teflon fused in glass - my favorite working surface.)

step 2: apply various drips, drops, and squiggles or several colors of alcohol inks over the mixative - it's okay that the inks blend. (*alcohol inks are designed for non-porous surfaces like glossy cardstock, glass, metal, plastic, etc.)

step 3: shake on blending solution over ink mixture. (*the more blending solution you add the lighter your background will be.)

step 4: place glossy cardstock face down and twist paper into ink. (*glossy cardstock is not the same as glossy photo paper.  glossy cardstock is clay coated and designed to absorb inks. photo paper is emulsion based and will cause a chemical reaction and get very sticky)

step 5: slide paper up off of craft sheet.

step 6: place background back into same ink and twist again for a second layer.

step 7: slide paper up off craft sheet to reveal background. (*i usually only do 2 layers - anymore than that sometimes get a bit muddy.)

step 8: *this is an optional step if you have ink left over from your first background.  add more blending solution and repeat above steps using another piece of glossy cardstock.

step 9: here are the other backgrounds i created simply by adding more and more blending solution to my ink mixture until i was out of ink.

step 10: stamp tree stamp with distress embossing ink on to background. (*make sure alcohol ink is completely dry before this step. - i prefer distress embossing ink when stamping on glossy cardstock since it is a bit lighter ink and the stamp won't slide on the slick surface as much.)

step 11: pour black embossing powder over stamped image working over a piece of scrap paper.

step 12: remove excess powder and put back into the jar and heat emboss using a heat tool until powder melts and becomes shiny.

step 13: ink snow flurries stamp with archival ink by rubbing vs. tapping the ink pad on the stamp.  this will provide a lighter application of ink and give the image a more subtle look. let dry.

step 14: shake metallic mixative again and apply a puddle of ink to craft sheet.

step 15: press speckling brush into ink. (*if you don't have a speckling brush you can use a toothbrush.)

step 16: slide needle into brush and turn the brush to speckle the ink.

step 17: create tiny speckles of silver ink on your background to create a snow flurry effect.  let dry. (*i use mixatives for this step since they are alcohol based and dry very quickly.)

step 18: cut out rub-ons and apply over background (*i like to use white rub-ons to create contrast.)

step 19: remove bookplate from grungeboard elements swirl pack.

step 20: ink grungeboard with distress ink using ink blending tool. (*the embossed swirls really stand out when inked.)

step 21: ink text stamp with archival ink and stamp on to grungeboard.

step 22: place grungeboard on to background and pierce holes with craft pick.

step 23: insert a long fastener through slot in washer. (*washers are designed to work with long fasteners to create the look of a rivet and also to secure things with larger holes than the head of your brad - cool effect!)

step 24: insert fastener through background to secure grungeboard.

step 25: ink tag with distress ink using ink blending tool around edges.

step 26: apply slate alcohol ink directly to silver charm by dripping it on. (*i use slate alcohol ink to create an antiqued tarnished look to shiny charms.)

step 27: adhere background to tag with glue dots using dot n go. (*i matted my background with a little black cardstock to frame it.)

*in the details: attach ghost snowflake to top of tag with long fastener and adhere bird charm to tag also using glue dots. (*remember, glue dots can attach dimensional objects with no problem, and the adhesive stays flexible - love them!)

Comments

[Liz Walters]

holy moly...I love this one. I'm going to try it now. Lets get the comments over 3000 this time. Of course you're not doing all this for nothing Tim!! You have so many who are grateful..me included.
Love. Liz
Liz Walters

[johanna]

you are amazing!!! this is great.
and give me greate inspiration.
thank you.
johanna

[jennifer evans]

Ok... can I just say "Thank you" for the details?! You are a great teacher and you really make it easy to follow along! I know exactly how to make the tag with out any second guesses. Thank you again for this special gift to us all!

[Kate]

Wow I can't believe I am the first to read Tag #2 and comment. I can't believe that you are being so good to us to do another round of tags this year. Love seeing your art!
Kate

[Gail]

WOW!
What a beautiful tag.I Love it. It looks so "FROSTY". Thanks a bunch.
Gail

[Linda Standart]

Gorgeous! And using some of my favorite things, too. The alcohol inks are so versatile and this technique always gives such fascinating results. Thanks for showing all the added touches. They are just fantastic
Linda in SC

[Sharon Lingo]

what a wonderful tag. I just love the blue and silver. This is one that I really will have to try. So want that stamp set. Will hope Santa is nice and brings it for my stocking.

[Marisa]

Tim you are one very talented person, looking at you create these amazing tags has inspired me again as I had lost my creativity after being away on a month long holiday, so thank you so much for giving me back my mojo to create. Oh off to make some tags now!

[Anita Van Hal]

Wowza! This tag is just amazing! I'm so thankful you're featuring your new stamps cause I just got them! Thank you so much for doing these! You're literally making 1000s of us sooooo happy!

[Jeri]

Love the "Northern Lights" look with the metallic background added into the mix. Beautiful tag and great step-by-step instructions. Thanks for taking this on again this holiday season.

Jeri