With Spring officially just around the corner, it's that time of year for a little Spring Cleaning. With that in mind, we've recently discovered that there have been a few posts that didn't make their way to the public. So, without further ado, and with our apologies to the artists, this is the first in a series of what we'd like to call
"The Forgotten Posts" . . .
We're all familiar with manila tags . . . whether plain, decorated, or otherwise . . . when it comes to creating many of our art or craft projects. They can easily be inserted and pulled from pockets in albums or books, added to layout pages as additional interest, or even hinged together to create small books on their own, just to name a few ideas. They can even be used as "practice" for learning new techniques. But when given a blank tag and told "be creative", what comes to your mind? Where would you start? What would you create? That was the Challenge we were given as our
"ATC Workshop & Swap Challenge" item for October! If you take a minute and "think outside the box", they're actually just mini-sized blank pages begging for all sorts of artistic touches. Take a look at the amazing and creative results from our extremely talented group of artists . . .
This month's Challenger, Charmaine Conway, couldn't stop with just one ~ tag that is! The first was created using copper embossed with one of her favorite embossing folders. Metal embellishments were added as a touch of "feminine Steampunk-ism", as well as bits of bling here & there. The second has background & numbers stamped using Frayed Burlap Distress Ink, then trims & embellishments added with a Paris patch cut from burlap for a bit of vintage French flair.
Charlotte Fern also created two tags. Using some of her favorite stamps as the main focal points, she's given each a "creepy" Halloween feel with each image colored with coordinating inks & pencils. Stencils, inks & sprays were used on each background for added interest & depth. Skulls, black cats & bats embellishments were added to go with the Halloween theme. Trims & a metal "Spooky" Tim Holtz token were added as finishing touches.
Deb Schinzel shared her love of stencils & inks when creating her tag. Her choice of cool greens & blues provides the perfect background for highlighting her vintage image. The feminine shape of her punch also compliments both the image & theme of the tag. Delicate trims & strings of pearls were added at the top & bottom of her image as embellishments, along with ribbons & lace strung through the hole for additional flair.
Lylia Hagerty also couldn't stop at creating just one tag. Her first is an exciting "book" of techniques ~ image transfers, paint applications, & stamping into handmade papers. Each "page" was embellished on both sides, with a book ring inserted at the top for easy viewing. Her second was designed to hold all types of surprises! With papers from her stash on the outside, and paints & stamps inside, she's created the perfect package for those small items that might need wrapping. The perfect size to hold gift cards, tickets, or other items, you'll want to make several for yourself! Each is held closed with a small magnet to keep everything safe & secure.
Nicole Durst was also in a Halloween frame of mind when creating her tag. Using one of her favorite stamps, she's decorated in colors of orange, green & purple. Sequins, paper roses, & spooky blood shot "eyes" were added to the bottom edge as embellishments, truly playing with her theme. The addition of a plastic frog adds perfectly to her "Eye of newt and toe of frog" sign in the background. A crackle paint technique was used in the background in coordinating colors of green & black, with trims in purple added at the edge of her "good witch" skirt & through the top of the tag as finishing touches.
Continuing with the Halloween theme, Terri Durst answered the Challenge with her tag created in traditional colors of orange & black. The background, colored with orange inks & stamped in black with "Treat or Treat", perfectly compliments the overall feel. She's added interest with the addition of her stamped image, fussy cut & colored with markers, then adhered it to one side to give the appearance of looking back. The stamped metal embellishment & pumpkin charm leaves no doubt to the idea of this tag! As finishing touches, laces & trims were added to the top & bottom, with a small paper rosette of orange & black polka dots in the upper corner.
Jean Hamrick was another artist who pulled from her stash of goodies for this Challenge. Beginning with a vintage image, Jean has combined flower embellishments, paper cut outs, stickers & hand coloring. Some of her cut outs are even from magazine pages!
Shiela Rose went wild with color as she created her tag! First stamping with some favorite stamps & black ink, she added bursts of color with a variety of Dylusions sprays. For finishing touches, Shiela added all sorts of goodies from her stash . . . metal & inked flowers, metal clips, a Tin Holtz numbered brad, a metal token & even an "X" to mark the spot! The end result brings to life a beautiful & colorful mini rainbow on a tag!
Vesna Miller must have been in the mood for "Love" when creating her tag! With Cupid stamped on fabric with permanent inks, Vesna has added both hand stitching & machine stitching to compliment her cute winged character. With a bright fabric scrap as background, she then continued with machine stitching around both fabric pieces and through the tag. To finish off, she stamped "love" to fly above Cupid, and embellished with trim tied through the center hole of a "L" bead.
Any member of the group can "Challenge" the others with creating something special and unique. T
he only "rule" is that anyone who participates creates one Challenge Item for "Show & Tell"
using everyday mixed media materials . . . embellishments, paints, papers, stencils . . . whatever strikes their fancy! Without any themes or other guidelines, the ultimate goal is to showcase each artist's personality through the type(s) of embellishments, decorations, or techniques used.
Please join us in congratulating and thanking all of these great artists for a job well done! We'd love to hear what you think, so please leave us a comment . . . or two! . . . and share your thoughts. And if you'd like to take part in our monthly "ATC Workshop & Swap" or Challenges, join us the second Thursday evening of each month from 6:00pm-8:00pm and you too can begin to think big in a small way! No membership required and it's FREE! Hope to see you there!
Watch for our next Challenge Results ~ Altered Books ~
coming soon!
CraftFusion
2986 No. Alma School Rd. #4 ~ Chandler, AZ 85224
s/w corner of Alma School & Elliot Roads in the former Mervyn's Plaza
(located between Zoe's Quilts & Catherine's)
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm ~ Closed Sunday & Monday
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