UKS Monthly Tag Swap - March

I've certainly been doing some crafting recently, here is March's "Spring" tag for the UKScrappers tag swap.

Being the hostess I get to choose the theme, I chose "Spring" because despite its best efforts, the weather is definitely turning springlike. Today has been a beautiful sunny day in Southend, clear blue sky, warm sun - I even had my windows open...

Until neighbours 4 doors down lit their bar-b-que... sigh...

So... background is Dylusions spray inks in greens and blues and zapped with water to blend them together. The boxing hares stamp was a freebie with 'Craft Stamper' magazine a while back, the other two are from a set by Pink Paislee.

The green leaves are die-cut from a Sizzix die I borrowed at my Benfleet Crop some time ago, and cut to fit.

The rosette is one of Tim Holtz's strip dies, cut out of gold embossed music paper, with 3 paper flowers growing out from behind it.

Now all I have to do is come up with a theme for April - and I'm already a day late... ahh... now that has given me two ideas straight away!

Tags ahoy...

No point in having a lovely re-organised scrapping area (pics to come later) if I'm not going to do anything with it eh... so I've joined in again with the UKScrappers monthly tag swaps. Due to the host being super-busy I volunteered to take over hosting on the basis that it gives me even more incentive to get my tags made - altho it does give me a couple of days extra to finish them as I don't have to post them!

With the deadline for receipt being tomorrow (24th Feb) thought I'd better post pics of mine to show I've actually gotten off my derriere and done them - they have basically been finished for a few days but just hadn't got around to photographing them until this morning!

January's one is "Winter" - evergreen bough and weathered wood distress inks on the background, a PSX fir cone stamp coloured with Marvy brushmarkers in pine green and brown and then "huffed" on to moisten the ink, then the words stamped in Archival Coffee ink. A little fir tree brad to finish and a twist of white ribbon thru the hole and we're done.

I did discover to my horror tho that the Marvy brushmarkers, which granted I have had for years, had all-but dried out, so getting them to colour consistently onto the stamp 4 times was a bit of a mare... I've thrown them all away now as they are no use to man nor beast. But, as I said, I've had them for years!

February's tag is "Love" and is very simple... a background of tattered rose distress ink, then barn door applied thru a Dylusions leaf stencil, which in my mind look like hearts... I outlined each leaf/heart with a thin journaling pen and added a touch of white as a highlight. The stamped sentiment comes on one of the "Get Stamping" magazine stamp sheets (this months I think!) and I've also stamped bits of the Kaisercraft crackle background in tattered rose too. A heart-shaped brad to finish and a partial border of black/white checkers - I love this on a tag but didn't want to totally over-power the design.

I've received 2 sets of tags and waiting on the final set now, then I can swap them around and send them home. Just 4 of us playing for the first 2 months, a good introduction to running a proper UKS swap and I hope not my last!

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...