Sweet Little Summer Tag

One of the things that has sustained me in this crazy time we are living in is my garden. No matter how nuts and turned upside down things are in the world, things are as they should be when I am working in my garden.

This little tag is a small token that reminds me of what a special place a garden is and what peace and solace we can derive from them.

Perhaps you have a garden of some kind that has helped you as well. Make a little tag like this and stick it in your book or in your car our hang it near your desk to remind you that the garden will always be waiting for you.

In this piece I used four elements from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts:

Stagger Tags Small

Arched Window Set

Wrought Iron Set

Tiny Bird House

Here is where I began...

I glued the Tiny Bird House together and gave it a coat of white primer.

Using the smallest tag from the Stagger Tags set as a template, I cut the paper for the front and back and glued them on. I sanded the edges and inked them up with a little gold ink and a little Ranger Vintage Photo ink to give the piece a little bit of age.

I cut out the elements that I wanted to use in the collage composition.

Often these bits and pieces change as I go along, but this time they stayed pretty consistent.

I glued the portion of the Wrought Iron Set I wanted to use to the tag. (see above photo)

I then aligned the center of the window with the larger bit of the center of the scroll, which is to the right of the tag and glued it down. The flowers I butted directly against the window and glued them down.

I decided to paint the birdhouse green and after giving it about thirty seconds to dry (I hate waiting) I glued that at the bottom center of the window.

After the main elements were in, it was a matter of adding extras like the blue floral banner (which I glued on next) and the tiny paper flower buds.

I added little details to the bird house and dots of white acrylic paint.

I do love dots.

I also added micro beads by using white glue and a needle to guide the glue where I wanted it to go and then gently shaking the beads on the piece, thus allowing them to stick only where the glue was placed.

A pretty white paper flower and a bright green ribbon are the final touches to this cheerful little thing!

Hope you enjoy making your own!

Thank you for stopping by!

Additional Supplies:

Bits of scrap from Stamperia's Glory of the Garden

Grass Green Mocro Beads

White Acrylic paint Pen (I used a Sharpie Poster Paint Pen)

Paper Flowers

Ribbon

Thanksgiving Stagger Tags

Hello all! Lora here with some fun Thanksgiving tags from the fabulous Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts folks. I love fall colors and that's what inspired these cute tags. They are called Stagger Tags (small) and the set is three cute tags ranging from 2.5 x 4.5 (largest) to 2.5x3.5 (smallest). Great tags to put on a package, tie to a napkin ring or even use as a place tag on the table or attached to the back of a chair.

The fall-colored napkins are so pretty this year, I decided to use them instead of cardstock for the background of my tags.

 The first thing I did was give the tags a rough coat of white gesso. (you can use white paint as well) Since you are going to peel the napkins apart and they are transparent, it's good to have a white background as the colors will really pop.

After the gesso dried, I peeled the napkin apart, making sure that I got all three ply separated. Nearly all napkins are 3-ply. Make sure you have got the backing (the two separate ply of white layers) away from the 'picture' part of the napkin. If you leave a ply underneath the printed picture, the picture will not adhere properly and will eventually peel off.
And that would be sad.
After I separated all three ply (I always save the plain white to use for clean and etc...) I put of coat of matte medium on the tag (I used Liquitex Matte Medium) and gently laid the napkin over the tag, making sure there were no air bubbles. Folds are okay, but air bubbles will tear and you don't want that!

After placing the picture, I gave the piece a top coat of matte medium, making sure the whole surface is covered then set it aside to dry and worked on the other two. Do not try to tear the edges off at this point...let it all dry or you can tear the napkin right off of the tag.
Also sad.
Because here is what you do and it is so much easier and looks so much better!

After the tag has dried completely, use a fine grit sanding block or an emery board and sand off the extra bits of napkin. It looks so much tidier than tearing and you then have a nice edge to ink on. Easy, fast and purdy.
And now you have a beautiful surface to embellish that was simple and fun. I like the idea of having other options to use as a background surface and some of the designs on napkins these days are so nice.
One note: Make sure you get a quality product. I test all my napkins beforehand by applying a little matte medium to the surface to make sure they don't bleed or run. It does sometimes happen. I usually always buy the napkins on sale but have learned that some manufacturers do not use a stable dye. I can imagine what would happen if you wiped something really wet off of your face.....what a mess.
My favorite companies are Michel Design Works and Caspari, but there are others that are equally good.

Another fun thing I did paint the Miniature Book Plates Shape Set pieces I used on the tags to look a little like wood.

I just painted the bookplates with a mixture of orange and red, let them dry and then dry-brushed some sap green lightly across the top. The red underneath makes the sap green appear brown and simulate (loosely) wood grain.
Add ribbons, metal findings and erudite (not really) sayings and there you have it.  Thanksgiving tags.
Now go make fun stuff!

Thank you for stopping by!

SUPPLIES
Stagger Tags (small)
Miniature Book Plates Shape Set


Additional supplies
Napkins
Matte Medium
Ribbon
Beads
Metal findings
Stickles Glitter Glue

Bewitching Halloween Card by Sandy Trefger

Hello everyone! Sandy here today with my latest project. It will soon be Halloween and it's time to create some cards for the holiday if you haven't already.  Granted not everyone celebrates Halloween but for those of you who do, you might want to create a fun 6x6 Center Step Card and decorate it with some Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Halloween chippies.

I will be giving you some quick instructions on how to make the center step card but if if seems confusing you can google or search YouTube for some great how-to videos. That's what I did and adjusted the measurements  to the size I wanted.

Let's get started...

Cut black cardstock to one piece 6" x 12".

Place the cardstock piece into your trimmer and line up the 6" side at the 1" mark.  Put the blade at 1" and cut from 1" to the 7" mark.  Flip the piece over and repeat the same for the other side.  You will have a "slit" on both sides of the cardstock with a 1" space on both sides.

Use your scoreboard to create the folds for the card.  Place the 1" section to the left side of your scoreboard and score at 1" to the cut line, at 2" to the cut line and at 7" to the cut line.Your cut lines should run horizontal on the scoreboard as shown below.

Fold up to create the center step card as shown.  Note: you do not score a line for the top fold but let the card fold naturally at the top and then crease and burnish with your bone folder.

Measure and cut patterned paper to cover the different sections of your card.  You will also want to pattern the back side of the card as well as on the inside.

To create a pocket on the front of your card, cut and mat a paper element and attach it to the card with glue along the bottom edge and the sides.  Leave the top open for a tag.

Add patterned paper to the tag and tie on various colors and designs of ribbon.  Insert the tag into the pocket of your card.

Finish your card by decorating with Halloween chippies from the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts store (see supply list and instructions below on how I finished mine for this card.) Below are the chippies after I punched them out and have them ready to be finished.

To finish your chipboard elements, ink one side with Black Soot Distress ink using a foam applicator.

Use an embossing dabber to add embossing ink to the entire inked surface of each chipboard piece.  Sprinkle on Glitter Embossing Powder.  I use black for my pieces.  Emboss each piece with a heat gun.  Use tweezers to help you hold the small pieces while embossing as it gets really hot!

Glue the elements to the front of your card as desired and also add one to the inside where you have added a mat for your message.  Add a sentiment by either stamping or cut from your papers.

Supply List:

• Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Stagger Tags, Small (Use 1 from the set)  D301
• Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Branch D12R
• Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Creepy Corners (Cut off owl) D30A 
• Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Trick or Treaters Border (Cut apart to fit the card) D30L - Contact Store
• Black Cardstock, 12 x12, 1 sheet
• Glue
• Assorted Ribbons
• Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink & Foam Applicator
• Emboss It Dabber
• Wow! Black Glint Embossing Glitter
• Plastic Spider
• Microfine Glitter in Spring Peridot Green Color to match ribbon

Step cards are so much fun to make and look fabulous when you add chippy embellishments.  This card can also be used as a decoration on the mantel or table.

I hope I've inspired you to create a step card using Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Chipboard elements. I'll be back here on the blog on November 15th for my next project.  Please check out my blog/website for more of my crafty creations at:  www.sandytrefger.blogspot.com

Happy Crafting!

Sandy