Christmas Decor Tags and Cards

I love when there is time during the Christmas season to create with a Christmas theme.  I managed a couple of decor tags to add to my collection to hang around the house.

Front and back

      

Both tags began on craft paper embossed with an embossing folder that I inked with red inks before running it through the embossing machine.  Then embellished with die cuts and stamping.

Front and back
    

Following are Christmas cards I managed to get made this year.

    

    


    

I wish a very merry little Christmas to one and all!

Be safe and be happy.

May the world have the happiest New Year ever!

Number Tags

The tag challenge blog up and ended before the numbers were complete.  I went ahead and completed the number series on my own.

First up is #6.  Just a chosen date that reflected the beginning of school and picture day. Vintage style with coffee stain and all.

The back of #6

And the final number, #7.  Our house number in Wisconsin.

The back of #7

Looking back I notice #0 never made it's way into the series.  Oh well.  It will NOT bother me.  At least not enough to go back to this number series...at the moment.

I gathered all the tags together.  While I wasn't happen with some of them, I was very happy with others.  It makes no never mind.  The playing is what's important.

Count your blessings.

xxx

Annie

Take Flight Tags

There's a new challenge in town!  Hooray!...I say.  And it's the best one of all.  Why?  Because an artist does not need to use a specific brand or company's own products.  I can use MY collection of supplies... no matter who or where they came from.  There's more.  No specific type of item either.  I can make a tag, a postcard, a greeting card, a canvas, something sewn, something inked, stamped, quilted, painted, 3-D, ... gloriously, it can be whatever I want it to be!  AND, I have all month to play with the current idea/theme.  Here is the link and it's called A Monthly Challenge.

My tag challenge blog has quit.  But we were only half way through the challenge numbers.  So I'm using the new Monthly Challenge to complete a couple more of the numbers.  This month's theme at A Monthly Challenge is "Take Flight".  

I'm using my winged friends for tag #1 and tag #8.

  

If you love a challenge and one that is open to all medias with freedom and time to create, A Monthly Challenge is perfect.

                             Have a wonderful flight!

                                           xxx

                                         Annie

Just a little Annie rant here:  I think finding a new blogging host is in order.  Blogger is not pulling its weight nowadays.  There, now don't I feel better.

Butterfly Art Tag

I don't know what's happened to the Dragons Dream Tag Challenge blog.  But I do hope everyone behind the scenes is fine and just too busy to be challenging right now.  So, having tag art withdrawals, I've created a tag from an unofficial personal challenge.

This tag is another one sent to me by Donna.  She created the tag background with the textured Queen Ann's Lace.  I took over from there with the butterfly embossed with gold and watercolored with NeoColor II.  I gold embossed the alphabet stamp, added the letters for "ART", added the black background writing and added a faux postage stamp sticker that I distressed.  No easy task, this challenge, but I'm happy with the results.

And on the back is...

The tag back had no start.  I think I'm one of few people who design the back of tags along with the front.  Thanks Donna for the great tag start!  The last two tags have me completely baffled, so you may not see them for a very long time.  LoL

Even though it's only Fall at the moment, the butterfly makes me want to skip Winter and move right on to Spring.

xxx

Annie

#4 Challenge Tag

The new tag challenge at Dragons Dream Tag It On is for the number 4.

I found four of Tim Holt's friends to add to this tag.

And three more of his friends to add to the back.

Hello to "my" friends.  You're welcome .... that I didn't put your faces in the negative slots.  LoL

And now I have a ...

Sometimes websites don't work quite how they are suppose to, so I have purchased two of these alphabet dies.  It is not worth my time to return them, so I will gladly send a set to one of my followers who uses a die cutting machine.

Each letter, when cut out, measures a nice 5/8" high.  I cut out "giveaway" with them to show how they look.  Let me know if you would be interested in finding this alphabet die in your mail.

xxx

Annie

#3 Tag Challenge

This time around at the DragonsDream Tag It On challenge we are to create a tag about the number 3.  Here is my take on the challenge for the number 3.

When I look at this tag, I always think ... "Every day at 3 o'clock..." and I'm so curious about where he goes and what he does every day at 3 o'clock.

And on the back is...

Happy playtime!

xxx

Annie

#2 Tag Challenge

This time it's all about the number 2 for the DragonsDream Tag It On challenge.

I set myself the challenge to actually use these large number foam stamps for this series of number challenges.  No easy task for me, that's for sure.

Nothing special for the back, just some scrapbook paper and the moth stamp again.

xxx

Annie

#5 Tag Challenge

It seems the DragonsDream Tag It On is challenging us through the single digit numbers.  I jumped in on #5.

I had that cup and saucer stamp on my table, so take a 5 minute break was what came to mind.  Plus the use of new papers, new stencils, "new again" stamps and a new die cutting machine.  Any excuse to play is a good one....correct?!

The back has spilt coffee is all.

Take a break and enjoy!

xxx

Annie

Quoth the Raven Tag

Still playing with my new Raven rubber stamp.  A tag to share this time.  I'm having such fun with this stamp and this background technique.

And on the back.

What I've done is scribble with a Tombow marker on a large candle mirror.  Sprintzed it with water.  Then placed the tag (or envelope) onto the ink, then immediately blotted it to a newsprint paper pad to take up the excess water.  Where it needed more, I repeated the process in that area.  I did one color at a time.

I've found a new tag challenge blog here:  Tag Along Challenge Tag Along is celebrating its 100th challenge and the theme to celebrate is Anything Goes.

Fall is coming, but I hope not too awfully soon,  I'm still loving Summer.

xxx

Annie

Classy...but

The tag challenge this time is 

GREEN and a QUOTE.

Yes, it's true.

It's not a famous quote.  I saw it on a T-Shirt.  And I figured I'm "quoting" what someone else said.  That makes it a quote.  Right?  

I had to laugh at myself as I painted her dress the "dreaded purple".  (Quoting myself)  I didn't want to make it red or orange, so dreaded purple it must be.  

I haven't decided what to add to the back, so it might be finished or might only temporarily be finished.  It could take me months to decide.

You can check out the tag challenge at DragonsDream Tag It On

Go forth and be classy.

xxx

Annie

The Dreaded Purple

Purple!  It's my least favorite color.  And it's the challenge color this time at the DragonsDream Tag It On along with circles.  I do have a few purple supplies though.  So here is my purple and circles collage tag.

I usually have a name for my tags, but not this one.  Maybe I would call it thoughtful.  I think she looks thoughtful.  Wait, maybe she looks annoyed.  I guess this is why no tag name.  I had no idea for the back, so I just used the scrapbook paper background and stamped a circles stamp.

Hugs,

Annie

Rapid Transit Tag

This fortnight tag challenge from DragonsDream Tag It On is to have TEXTURE and use the color YELLOW and as always, to use one rubber stamp.

I don't use texture paste, so I had to figure out another way to add texture.  The bee is embossed with black and I added stitches all around.  I hope those count for texture.

The background on the front and back is scrapbook paper.

I was really stumped for an idea for this challenge. 

Here's what I have done with my tags.

Do you see that old skate key hanging there too?  Yes, from my actual steel wheel skates from my youth.  For the youngens, you needed that key to tighten the skate clamps to your shoe soles.  We didn't realise it at the time, but skating was a lot work.  Those wheels weren't made for coasting very far.  

It hasn't taken long to fill that dowel.  So I went looking for more display places.

I love these two old suitcases and the new Hobby Lobby trunks where I keep my precious received mail art.

Have a happy day.

Hugs,

Annie

Sisters By Choice

I feel we're more like sisters than friends.

This fortnights tag challenge is to use the color black and stencils.  And of course, one real stamp.

Donna of Inky & Quirky sent me a few tags on which she created some background starts on one side of the tags.  This is one of those tags.  She painted the glistening green and stenciled black squares.  I first adhered her tag to mat board.  I then stenciled some darker black squares over the originals and I stenciled the while letters and numbers.  I added washi tape, stamped the girls on separate cardstock, cut them out and adhered them to the tag with pop dots.  

The back is inked, stamped and washi taped.

Thanks Donna for the great tag start!  

DragonsDream Tag It On hosts this tag challenge every two weeks.

xxx

Annie

House #6

The Tag It On challenge theme this time is 

A Rainbow of Colours

at the DragonsDream blog

Hooray, another using of my Neocolors II.  (for coloring the house)

I hate when supplies are expensive then they just sit there staring at me, daring me to try and figure out how to use them.  

The number and words are stamped with Ranger Distress Inks.

And the back...

I'll bet you thought some sweet little old lady lived there.  :-)

Happy Tagging,

Annie

I'm Late!

My favorite tag challenge blog,

Dragons Dream - Tag It On

has a new fortnight challenge. 

---------------------------

White and a Number

Since he's already holding a pocket watch, I went with the expected "I'm Late" theme. 

On the back. 

It seemed like a good place to include some of my extra punched letters.  No meaning to them, just random letters I picked up. 

To all my sewing/quilting buddies, I'm working on a new quilt. Really I am. 

Don't be late!

xxx

Annie

I'll Give You My Heart

This is a 4X6 piece cut from my handy test paper pad.  I liked what I accidentally created on my test pad with this image.  I have been staring at it for months.  What to do with it.

I finally decided to recreate the work on an ATC sized tag.  I was working on her when the DragonsDream Tag It On challenge was announced...Pink and Hearts.  Well, I had the pale pink background.  But I didn't see a way to add a heart.  UNTIL I started cleaning off my desk top.  There it was, a leftover tiny fabric stamped heart from the Valentines.  The perfect final detail for her.  It was just what she needed.

On the back.

xoxo

Annie