March tag swap

I've finally gotten around to sorting out pics of my offerings for the March tag swap on UKScrappers - better late than never I guess. I rashly decided to do two groups as the theme this month was travel, and I knew I had a lot of travel-themed stamps that I wanted to use, but I think I'll revert back to just the one set from April onwards, especially as I'll be busy with my first Circle Journal (more about that another time)

Anyways, March's birthstone is aquamarine, and this is what our hostess wrote for us to follow:

"On 2nd March 1969 Concorde made its maiden flight to Paris.

So for March what better theme than "TRAVEL" - using any TRAVEL themed stash you have create six tags - it doesn't have to be necessarily Paris themed any travel/country you wish. It could incorporate your favourite city or a mode of transport. The majority of the background of your tag should be aquamarine coloured - pale blues/pale wishy-washy turquoises. The twist this month is somewhere on your tags your must include some kind of postage stamp, postmark or the word POSTCARD."

Shame my tags have turned out a little dark - they started off as a pale blue but I distressed them with I think Faded Jeans and then crumpled the tags up and swiped over the top with Dusty Concord, then spritzed with water so that the inks bled together. Stamped images are all in Archival Black, except for the month which is embossed in white.

The ticket is cut using Tim's ticket die and stamped with one of his sayings from his Odds and Ends set, the other stamps are from various cheap (and not so cheap!) sets which unfortunately I didn't keep the manufacturers name on... but I love the size of the Eiffel Tower stamp - fits onto a 6 x 3.5 tag perfectly!

The second tag is inked and distressed in the same way, only this time I stamped all the images before adding the Dusty Concord over the top of the crumpled tag. Has still turned out a little darker than I would have liked, but hopefully I can get away with it.

This time the month is stamped/embossed with a blue embossing powder I found knocking around, which for some reason adhered itself to the 'enjoy the journey' stamp - but not all over it, just in selected places. When heat set it actually looks quite interesting - shame 'cos I hadn't planned it at all!

New Year, new set of projects...

Amongst other things craftwise, I'm joining in with a Tag Swap online, making sets of tags which have to abide by certain rules. Colourwise they are following each months birthstones, but our hostess puts a twist to each month with other things to be included.

January's tag was Garnet, so nice deep reds were to be used on each tag. Along with the Garnet we had to use a Black and White colour theme - the twist being somewhere on each tag we had to use a snowflake or two as well.



Here's my tag for January, black base cardstock, deep mottled red patterned paper for the rosette (diecut with Tim Holtz' rosette die) and his large flourish stamp embossed in white underneath. Two snowflake brads, one at the top for the ribbons to go thru and one at the bottom, and the month also stamped/embossed in white.

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The birthstone for February is AMETHYST so nice shades of mauves and purples were to be used on each tag. Along with the Amethyst - we had to use a lacey effect somewhere on the tags whether this was real lace, paper punches, stamped lace effect etc - the twist being somewhere on each tag we should include a LOVE quote as well.

 Here's Februarys tag - and I realised after I'd sent them off that I'd totally forgotten to put the lace on - had a lovely strip pulled out of my ribbon box all ready and waiting to be stuck along the join between the music paper and the tag - and somehow I totally forgot to do it!! Dozy mare or what...

Anyways, base cardstock is pale purple, the Cupid from Tim Holtz' Seasonal Masks set applied to the upper centre and Dusty Concord Distress Ink applied around it. A torn strip of music paper stuck to the bottom couple of inches, and another TH rosette made from some pearlescent lilac paper stuck on top. The ticket is die-cut using Tim Holtz' ticket die and stamped with the Valentines Day stamp from his Odds and Ends stamp set, which were all designed to fit the ticket die. Gotta love that man, designing everything to fit with everything else - very canny! The ticket was threaded onto some thin purple ribbon and tied around the rosette. Lastly, I applied Dusty Concord Distress Stickles over the top of the Cupid and stamped/embossed the month in white along the side of the tag. Shame about the lace - but it was very pretty... :-)

March's tags (I got greedy and put my name down for two sets) went in the post today so I'll sort pics out later. But they're nice - well, at least I think so...