Inspired by {Callister's Christmas}

 This week Amy is sharing the Callister's Christmas site for the Inspiration challenge at SCS. They have Pinterest boards found here as well. I started looking at the Pinterest board and loved this pin with the snowy forest. As I was looking at that I knew I could you know duplicate that fairly easily and I probably have printed paper that looks just like that. But, at the time when I found that pin I was also still in play with all the postage rubber stamps mode so, Out came this old one from Hero Arts called Celebrate the Season #E2323 It's part of the boxed set from them from 2001 called Holiday Post De Luxe #LL712 if you are hunting old stamps. I stamped this twice on some Strathmore Mixed Media paper and twice on some Neenah Environmental cover sheet. 

I have some process shots of this but, they also show what is coming for the December Dirty Dozen prompt for Dec. 1st and I decided to just show these tags. they are pretty straight forward. I did add some Daniel Smith watercolor paints to the trees along with some Windsor & Newton white gouache to the snow areas. I cut these all out with scissors and I was not that careful about it, I just wiggled my hand as I was running the paper through the scissors. I did ink all those edges of cardstock with DOX inks. Found some green and kraft tags and 3X3 card bases in the (already to go be finished container) and added some sentiments, ribbons, charms, You know the usual suspects and got these into the Happy Gift wrapping season packages going out at Thanksgiving. That's about if from me, If you'd like to play along with us you can find this challenge here at SCS. Thanks for stopping by. 
 

Christmas Tags Continued

 It's that time of the year... Gift Wrapping Season right? :) I actually enjoy making tags and do them off and on all year so, that particular idea of a season for wrapping just makes me smile. Stamping Up has it as a stamp in the set called North Pole Mischief. 

 On this top box, its stamped and then diecut with a rectangle die and is on a Tag cut from the Ellen Hutson Modern Tags set of dies. 

 I wanted to find pretty paper covered boxes to contain them as Thanksgiving weekend gifts but, I used to find those boxes at Joann's Fabrics and when I went to Micheal's I did not see anything like that would work for me. ( they are still putting Christmas on the shelf at our local store so) I did find these plastic containers in the organize your stuff isle and thought OK this will work. 

I am debating if this one can work for a guy gift or not, I am thinking Maybe... The boot and sentiment "Life is short, buy the boots" is from Taylored Expressions Cute to Boot set. ( the dies came with the stamps) they had a sale last week and this was one of the things that came in the mail yesterday. The other boot really looks like Sunflowers to me and I think I will do it more girly. but, I did do this on one some Kraft cardstock and then used the kraft/red distressed color for the background thinking not only guy but, Christmas. There is some Daniel Smith watercolor paints on it and Stickles glitter glues. The edges of everything were inked with DOX Scorched Timber ink.

4 more mostly reds Tags The Gifts on this are printed paper as is that Santa. the little one in the lower right corner is a folding 3X3 gift card/tag. 

I might have flashed these while they were on the table under consideration. I did them close to the same time as the "guy tags". That Joy diecut has Stickles glitter glue on it and so do the stamped packages on the big tag. 

 Each of these the main Snowman here is from Inky Antics. 

 I had stamped off and started watercoloring a bunch of random Snowmen a while back and finally finished some of them into gift tags. This view shows off the Stickles glitter glue on these guys.

 This view may show the colors a little better, All of these snowmen are from Whipper Snapper Designs. 
I  have piles under construction but, some of the finished things will go live next week and the weeks after for challenge Samples and these are just some bonus things that I did for fun for me. and I have to tell you I enjoyed that. doing what I wanted. That's a hard thing to do some day's when you check a calendar for the next thing and so on as far as samples go. I try really hard to only make things that I like and or that interest me anymore but, some days that is the challenge part of being a maker I think. when the challenge is do you see something you can tweak into something you can use. I have also been cutting up some printed papers and putting those things in piles of things to work into tag ideas as well. I get so caught up in the whole you can make just about any theme that interests you anymore with the tools you have that I don't hardly touch the papers of the sitckers or anything that could make it easier as a process and I think. I need to make a dent in using up some of those things. And I tell my self its OK to do things in a time saving Easier way. that's why you have these things right? At any rate, I am getting ready to start wrapping and usually Do end up making more tags at the last minute to suit the gift or the person and I will probably have more to share soon. Thanks for stopping by. 

 

 

Watercoloring Abstract Branches

 This week Brenda is sharing these abstract style Branches with berries seen here on YouTube by Wendy Powell-Jones called Watercolour Christmas Card Ideas festive berries tutorial step by step. I did use some Arches cold press and sketched on some random berries onto a scrap and In my head I was thinking Tag when I started this. 

 I used Windsor & Newton masking fluid to cover my berries and skipped the do some additional Swipes for white space step.

 First layers of paint and splatters.

 When that was dried I did remove the masking fluid from the berries.

 Added paint to the berries and some branches along with some more darker greens in a few spots near the bottoms of the berries. and through the really undefined needle spaces in the background.

 While that was drying I did think I may as well start another one going and put the berries in nearly the same pattern as the first branch. 

 I was messing around with this Time For Tea A6 frame die and it nearly fit the painted panel with a sliver of the watercolor paper being too short for it to fit, and I also have some "wrapped up" type Christmas sentiments on the table at the moment and I did work this in and out of the frame on an angle and thought this will work for some interest. That is all up on foam pop dots over the Recollections printed peeling wood grain printed paper. That green frame and the base are some SU river rock cardstock and the sentiment is on Soft seafoam and cut with an Tim Holtz stitched die. The sentiment is from an old retired set from Waltzing Mouse called Season of Love tags set. This is A7 in real life.

 

 This was the second piece or Arches and I did the branches in about the same/similar way so, this one I diecut with an Impression Obsession tag die. The reinforcer part was cut from a scrap from a 49&Market printed paper. The stitched ribbon, I don't have any clue anymore who makes it but, it is soft not stiff. The green burlap string is from May Arts & I did that sentiment sometime last weekend but, I have forgotten its details. There is a bit of DOX Iced Spruce on the edges of all those papers.  That's about it from me, I hope you're doing well. Thanks for stopping by. If you'd care to play along you can find the challenge details here. 

A couple of guy tags

 Yesterday Angie tossed out an "make it for the boys" challenge and I want to make more tags, so that was not a hard thing in my head. I already had this Tim Holtz Stamptember set ( from 2023 ) on the table and I had stamped a few of the images on some Neenah Environmental cover sheet to color. 

 This first one, I stamped those words and images on a piece I had used the stamptember ( or July) I forget tag dies that came with one of the classes. ( I think it was this year's stamptember) and I used some of the watercolor pencils ( TH ) on the mittens, used a damp brush to drag the color around a bit more and then used some stickles glitter glue over the paint when it dried. The snowflakes are really bulky and I am finding I have a huge stash of bulky things I like and want to play with but, they are not finding there way onto cards much anymore because, paying package freight for a card is not fun. And I figure tags are OK because, you are either hand delivering the gift or the gift is going in a box to mail. So I have noticed mine (Tags) are getting lumpier and Lumpier. This was an angled shot on the table. The way the tag with the snowflake button dangles is something I have seen Anna Wight & Jill Norwood do and it catches my eye but, I usually tie things closer to the hole so this was a lets see if I like it experiment. It's not too bad. I may do some more like this. 

 The Sweater tag is not really that green in real life but, it is pretty bright-ish. I shot these before the sun came up under the studio lights. The sweater I cut out by hand and put it on some foam pop dots. That sweater sentiment is from the Colorado Craft Co. Sweater weather set and it has a matching die. The edges of everything on that tag were inked with some DOX scorched timber. The tiny little hex tag sentiments are from lili of the Valley. It's my understanding that they no longer do actual stamps but, do have these as digital print them your self items in their etsy shop. 

 A few more that have not gotten photographed yet and how the mess kind of looks on the table at the moment. I have been you know cutting up scraps all year long so those little envelopes in the big container across the table are holding tag die cuts ( paper ones are backed with cardstock) stamped images or sentiments or what not. Most of its within reach and ha, the remains of the July & Stamptember 3-D project pieces are still in a container waiting for me to get around to them as well. I am hoping to get a lot more tags finished this weekend. I hope you're doing well too. Thanks for stopping by. 

Inspired by {Ruby Lane}

 This week Kia is sharing the Ruby Lane site & Pinterest boards for Inspiration at Splitcoaststampers. And I came across these sweet reindeer  and I knew that I had seen similar kinds of sweet deer on Printed papers in my stash and I thought, you can do those as Tags... win win. 

 So I did. The small oval tag on the left here is an Impression Obsession die, the deer print on it is from some loose papers that came in a monthly kit and when I look at the Paper I think its from the Prima 25& Peppermint pad. I have that pad and it looks nearly the same to me. The square tag laying down in the front is from the Sunny Studios die and the what looks like an Deer slide paper is from the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Believe Bits & Pieces Ephemera package. The Skinny kraft tag in the center is from the Simon Says Stamp Luggage Tag dies set and the black background printed deer is from a piece of paper from the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Holly Jolly paper pad, it was just cut out with scissors. and the Largest deer on the left is from the Simple Stories Simple Vintage pad. The sentiments on the tag on the right with that largest deer are from Tim Holtz. I did ink most of the edges that you see with some Distress Oxide Scorched timber ink and All the hemp string is Lawn Fawn ones. I am pretty tickled with how quickly these went together. ( I had all the tag bases cut and sitting here ready to be decorated in this bin of bits and pieces I had previously die cut) and I think that was really encouraging to me and I am thinking I am going to do a few more maybe Santa's or some other theme but, more quick little tags. That's about it from me, if you'd like to play along with us you can find this challenge here at SCS. Thanks for stopping by. 

 

Red Cup Day

 I had an email yesterday from Starbucks that proclaimed today would be "Red Cup Day" And I mentally debated about going by there today to get one, but I think you have to buy a "Christmas" flavored coffee to buy it? I'm not that sure, I go to Starbucks maybe once a month and I tend to get half sweet Hazelnut Latte's. So, that being said I knew there was a coffee lovers blog hop going on and I have been making Christmas tags the last little while and I have a bunch of Tim Holtz stamp sets on the table at the moment. I have been coloring little things on Neenah Environmental colored cardstock with his Watercolor pencils. And just cutting them out with scissors. I seen this cat from the Stamptember 2020 set and I had already stamped this sentiment from the Stamptember 2023 set on the little Lawn Fawn Hearts & Stars Skinny tag set that came in the mail recently so, I decided that cup should be Red. I don't really need any coffee themed cards at the moment and I tend to end up buying all the things I see when I play in this blog hop so, I have been not peeking.

 I did cut the cat out with scissors and he is up on foam tape to be popped up a little. I tied the lawn fawn hemp string through the tag hole and the background print was cut from a scrap with an Impression Obsession Crazy stitched set a while back so the edges of both of those panels were inked with some Scorched Timber Distress Oxide Ink. This red cardbase came to me in one of those monthly kits. ( I suspect it is School House red from SSS but, I'm not 100% on that) and This is A2 in real life. That's about it from me, I hope your doing well & your coffee is Hot! Thanks for stopping by.