A Challenge and the Green Tag Swap!

THREE GREEN TAGS

The challenge on the Tennessee Stampers' Yahoo Group was to jump start our muse by getting into the studio and creating something this weekend.  A card, an ATC, a tag, or anything that shows we are making art will do.  Knowing a green tag swap is soon due, I had a double goal this weekend.  The RangerInkLink Yahoo group is having a Green Tag Swap.  The theme for this swap is green, and we are to make three tags, using green Ranger products and recycle/reuse items.

I chose to use a sewing theme.  With Tim's applicator tool I began sponging some lighter green Distress inks, Shabby Shutters and a little Bundled Sage, to a #8 manilla tag, giving the tag some background color.  Next the lace from one of Tim's mask sets was aligned with the left side of the tag, and a darker green  from the Distress palette (Peeled Paint) was sponged over the mask and around the edges of the tag.  The mask was removed and a small amount of Pine Needles Distress ink darkened and enriched the color on the edges of the tag.  Next, Tim Holtz's dress pattern stamp by Stampers Anonymous was stamped over the entire tag in black.  

Tag Details

For several years now, I have saved interesting shopping tags, ribbons, and little envelopes that contained extra buttons from purchased garments.  I chose a piece of ribbon from my stash, attached it to the bottom area of the tag, and picked out a little button envelope for each tag, satisfying the recycle/reuse requirement for the project.  A little Distress inks in colors used on the tag were sponged onto the envelope, helped to unify it with the tag.  The butchers' twine attaching the envelope to the tag was stained with Distress stain to match, as was the satin ribbon adorning the reinforcement hole of the tag.

The piece of dress form attached on the right side of the tag was made by tinting Ranger's Sticky Back Canvas with Shabby Shutters Distress Stain.  To give it more depth, Pine Needles Distress Stain was dabbed from the applicator onto a non-stick craft sheet, picked up with the the Shabby Shutters Stain dabber and applied randomly over the canvas.  Next it was sprayed with Sour Apple Perfect Pearls Mist, and while it was still damp, Perfect Pearls Green Patina was brushed on with a soft fat brush, giving the canvas some spots of green shimmer.  After it was dried with a heat tool, the backing was removed from the adhesive side and applied to Tim Holtz's Grungepaper, burnishing it well with a bone folder.  The canvas-covered grungepaper was then die cut using the dress form area from Tim Holtz Alterations Sewing Room die, with the canvas side towards the cutting surface of the die.   The dress form was then adhered to the side of the tag, and the excess was trimmed along the tag's edge.

Pale green buttons were tinted using alcohol inks to match the tag and were attached to the tag with glue dots.  The larger button was tied with a piece of black hemp twine.  To finish the tag, the little button envelope was affixed to the left edge of the tag with glue dots, and two small green buttons inside the envelope finished the project.  

And this weekend, I met the Tennessee Stampers' Yahoo group challenge and finished a swap on the RangerInkLink yahoo group at the same time!  I rather like the green tag--it gets me in the mood for St. Patrick's Day, shopping for a new outfit (in green, perhaps?), and SPRING!