A blog devoted to the cards I make in my tiny upstairs space. When my sister stays there, she calls it an "artist's garret". I'm not an artist, but am an enthusiastic cardmaker - hence the title "Cardmaker's Garret".
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Monday 5 November 2018

A Christmas Tag

My dear friend, Loll Thompson, is doing her fabulous Twelve Tags of Christmas with Loll and Friends again.  And I'm honoured to be her first Guest Designer.


When I made this tag, I seemed to be stuck in bird mode as at the time, I was hosting the CAS Christmas "Birds" challenge.  So ended up reaching for a bird for my tag!


I started by placing a snowflake mask over mixed media cs and then sprayed with a couple of different blue sprays (sorry, I didn't make a note of which ones).  One gave heavier coverage, the other a lighter more speckled spray.

I then trimmed it down into a tag shape.

I die cut the bird / branch die twice and glued them together, keeping the bits that come out of the bird in place on the back one.  I then painted it with various brown and red Distress inks.

I created a little scrap of smooshed cs in the same browns as I used on the branch and die cut the sentiment.

I glued both on the tag and added red Stickles to the berries.  It was a bit flimsy so I cut a piece of white cs, leaving it slightly wider on the two long sides, and taped the tag to it.

I pressed the same brown Distress inks on my mat, spritzed them, and dragged some TH Crinkle Ribbon through it to use on the top of the tag.

Here's a closer photo:


And here's a close-up of the sweet little bird:


You have until November 23rd to link up your tags - they must have a Christmas theme.  Each day there will be a tag by a different Guest Designer and on by Loll over at Stamping with Loll - so lots of inspiration!  And Loll says this is the final time she'll be running the Twelve Tags of Christmas event so it's now or never to enter!!!





Supplies:
Ink - various brown and red Distress inks
Paper - mixed media, white cs
Size - 3x6"
Accessories - Memory Box Delicate Snowflakes mask, various blue sprays, Penny Black Wonder and Joy (bird on branch) die, Tattered Lace sentiment die, TH crinkle ribbon



15 comments:

  1. This is a beautiful tag Susan. Great combination of colours as blue and brown look amazing together. I LOVE the background of the spray blue over the snowflake stencil. So soft and pretty. And your watercoloured bird is so sweet sitting on the berry-filled branch. Thanks so much, my dear friend, for being a Guest Designer again this year. You inspired me to start this fun event and I have had a great time! xx

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  2. Gorgeous blue snowy background for your beautiful die cut bird and branch, Susan. I love your blue and brown with touches of white color combo and festive feel of your wonderful tag. Congratulations on being the 1st Guest Designer too:-) Hugs and Happy Holidays, my friend

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  3. Your tag is beautiful Susan. Love the snowy background, and the little bird is so cute. I love the blue and brown colour combination too. Great start to this year's event xx

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  4. Such a sweet little bird and love the colours and the background is fabulous. I love the accent of the brown and how you did the ribbon. Stunning mixed media tag and so very beautiful X

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  5. What a wonderful job you did on your background and on that adorable little bird. Love the rich brown over your blue background. Your tag is fantastic, Susan! Aren't these fun?

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  6. Beautiful Susan, your snowflake background is gorgeous and amazing job colouring your die cut bird, great start to Loll's tag event :)

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  7. Congratulations on being Day 1 Guest Designer, Susan!
    Very pretty ink-sprayed background with the white snowflakes! Love the beautifully colored sweet little bird, the shiny berries, and the dyed ribbon!
    Hideko xx

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  8. FABULOUS tag Susan!! LOVE your snowflake background and that bird is just beautifully colored! Really like how he is nestled amongst those branches with the lovely berries too!! Beautiful, beautiful tag!! :0)

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  9. This is such a sweet bird and a lovely snowy background for him! Love all that attention to detail!

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  10. I really like the blue and brown combination!! And that little bird is so sweet!!

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  11. What a sweet little bird on the berry branch Susan! The colors look so pretty against the blue snowy sky! xx

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  12. If there is anything as serene and beautiful as a bird on a branch, it's your gorgeous tag, Susan! Your background and bird are stunning and I love the berry details on the branch!! ❤Hugs, Darnell

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  13. That background really is stunning especially with the sedimentation of those different blues. That birdie is so sweet, he is the perfect contrast for that blue. The branch and ribbon match keeps our focus on you little guy. Beautifully done dear Susan xx

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  14. Sweet tag. The colours are beautiful. Matting it with a white border finished it off perfectly. xx

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  15. I love the bright blue stencilled background which complements the beautiful bird and branch perfectly Susan, and a great idea to use a coloured to match sentiment and that pretty brown ribbon too. x

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