My Cards and Tags: Wild Bird Tag using AALL & Create's Quirky Birds Stamp Set

We're all about "wild things" this week at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.  I adore this Quirky Birds stamp set by AALL & Create and used it as my wild creature in this tag.

I have no process pictures with this one because it morphed so far from where I started that only a true nut would've followed my path from Point A to Point B!  It got so crazy in the craft room that I almost chucked this thing about ten times along the way, but that's how the crafting mojo flows (or doesn't) some days: you have no clue what you're doing and just hope it turns out okay in the end. Sometimes I feel like I'm experiencing the Midas Touch in reverse where everything I touch turns to ashes instead of gold.  But we got through it!

I used some Tim Holtz Destinations paper in the background then glued on an Altenew Tree Ring die-shape I'd cut out of collaged paper I made.  Then I hit the whole thing with Gesso spread through a Darkroom Door Mesh stencil (large size).  I added paint and patterned paper and doodled/outlined a bit with a black Sharpie.  I typed the "wild" sentiment out on my We R Memory Keepers typewriter.  When the tag was finished, I'd put the poor paper through so much that I had to glue the whole thing to Strathmore Mixed Media paper to give it some stability (there were about 17 more steps involving ink sprays, water, baby wipes and curse words that I won't elaborate on). 

Here are the supplies I used, which you can find at Simon Say Stamp:

AALL and Create Quirky Birds stamp set	Darkroom Door Large Mesh Stencil	Altenew Tree Ring die set	Tim Holtz Sizzix Tag Collection	Tim Holtz Destinations 12 x 12 Paper
Tim Holtz 12 x 12 Correspondence Paper Pack	Crate Paper Cool Kid Paper 6x6	Prima White Heavy Gesso	Dina Wakley Palette Knife	Dina Wakley TURQUOISE Heavy Body Acrylic Paints
Dina Wakley Lime Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley LEMON Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley Olive Acrylic paint	Dylusions Paint Cherry Pie	Strathmore Mixed Media Paper
Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet	Black Permanent Sharpie Marker	Sizzix Big Shot	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	We R Memory Keepers Mint Typewriter

I can't wait to see how you go wild this week!  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp.

Simon Says Stamp Christmas In July Blog Hop: Tim Holtz - Scrap Tag Notebooks

Hello and welcome to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog Christmas in July BLOG HOP featuring Tim Holtz products!

Did you know that there are only 21 weeks left to Christmas! It's time to make a start on your preparations!
We are showcasing the fabulous Tim Holtz Products this week! You don't have to use them to join in, but I think most, if not all, of us have at least one of his products in your supplies so please use them!

The lovely folks over at Simon Says Stamp have been busily packing 4 surprise Christmas gift boxes for 4 lucky entrants! 

All you have to do is hop around all the blogs and find where the hidden gifts are, leaving comments along the way AND you must enter the challenge to be eligible to win.

 All winners will be chosen randomly from the comments on the blogs with the hidden gifts.

Good Luck to everyone! We are looking forward to seeing your Christmas makes and will pop around to visit you ASAP!

You should have arrived here from the amazing Karolina's blog, but if not then you may need to start at the beginning on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog 

And now on to more crafty goodness!  For my project, I made a trio of scrap tag notebooks:

I started with Strathmore Mixed Media paper, which I cut into tag shapes using the Tim Holtz Tag die collection.  I folded the tags in half to help me know where the cover of the notebook would end up being, then I added various strips of Tim Holtz Washi tape.

I added some Gesso over some sections of the tape to tone it down.  Then I stenciled white paint through Tim Holtz's Bubble stencil and Simon Says Stamp's Falling Snow stencil.

Bring on the COLOR!  I used Distress Stain (the spray kind and also the dauber-bottle kind) and colored the backgrounds.  I would spray or daub on the Distress Stain, then hit it with some quick water spritzes using the Distress Sprayer bottle.  

When my tags were dry, I stamped on some circles from Tim Holtz's Halftone and Rings stamp set using Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink.  For some visual variety, I colored inside some of the circles with white paint.

When that layer dried, I went back in with bright shades of other acrylic paint and added different colors to each tag.  I also cut rings from some collage paper I had and glued the rings onto the tags.

Using my Sizzix Big Shot and the Scribble and Splat die, I cut some white swirl shapes out of white paper, cut them down to smaller sizes and glued them onto my tags.  Then I cut and colored some triangles to make trees.  I stamped some Christmas sentiments from Tim Holtz's Great Outdoors stamp set, which I cut out and outlined with a black Sharpie.

After I glued everything together, I cut some scrap paper for the inside, then sewed up the spine of the tag notebook with my sewing machine.  I could then fold my "books" in half and used trusty paperclips to keep them closed. 

And look!  You stuck with me long enough to find one of our hidden present boxes!  Yay!!

In closing, I thought these scrap tag notebooks would be great to use for recording a few favorite Christmas memories in or even a Christmas shopping list!

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

Strathmore Mixed Media Paper	Tim Holtz Sizzix Framelits Tag Collection dies	Tim Holtz Sizzix Scribbles and Splat dies	Sizzix BIG SHOT EXPRESS Gray and White	Tim Holtz Idea-ology TISSUE TAPE SYMPHONY Music Self Adhesive Vintage Paper
Tim Holtz Idea-ology JOURNEY Design Tape	COLLECTOR Design Tape	Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2017 GREAT OUTDOORS CMS321	Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2016 HALFTONE AND RINGS CMS260	Tim Holtz Layering Stencil BUBBLE
Simon Says Stamp Falling Snow Stencil	Prima White Heavy Gesso	Dina Wakley Ranger PALETTE KNIFE Media	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet
Ranger HEAT IT CRAFT TOOL	Distress Spray Stain PEACOCK FEATHERS	Salty Ocean Distress Stain	Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain PICKED RASPBERRY Ranger	Shaded Lilac Distress Stain
Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain MUSTARD SEED	Tim Holtz Distress Twisted Citron Ink Pad	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad LUCKY CLOVER Ranger	Dylusions Paint - London Blue	Ranger Dylusions Paint LEMON ZEST
Dylusions Paint Cherry Pie	Ranger Dylusions acrylic paint Squeezed Orange	Ranger Dylusions Paint - Calypso Teal	Prima Impasto paint, Pumpkin	Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE Media Heavy Body Acrylic Paints
Dina Wakley Lime Acrylic Paint	Black Permanent Sharpie Marker

Thanks for taking the time to swing past my blog and happy hopping!  From here you need to go to the fabulous Anna-Karin's blog for more Christmas inspiration!