Tags: Dad the Best

Roughly a month after Mother's Day, of course, comes Father's Day.  I had to make projects for a couple of swaps that I joined for this particular occasion.  I made my set of tags for TeaTime and Craft's tag swap really early so that I can send them along with my Mother's Day tags (and get to save on shipping). 

It's a really simple tag with sentiments and a quote that goes, "To her, the name of father was another name for love," (Fanny Fern, Fresh Leaves).  I wasn't sure how masculine I wanted this tag to look like, but it turned out more with a nostalgic/vintage feel, which I'm quite happy with.

Materials: Cardstock, patterned paper (DCWV Heirloom Stack), paint (Reeves), gem stickers (All About Scrapbooking), ink (Ranger distress ink), others - eyelets, charms, jump rings, cord; tools: stamps (Making Memories & Nikki Sivils), die cutting machine (Making Memories Slice, using Vintage design card), hole punch (Crop-a-dile Big Bite), border punch (Carla Craft).

Mother's Day Card: MOM

 

Still working on backlog, as you can see.  This past summer has been quite busy, with back-to-back deadlines for projects.  And here is the last of the Mother's Day projects, a card for Memory Lane Store's Mother's Day card challenge. We were given this sketch by Kathleen Llanura (of KATSpaperfinds)  as inspiration for our cards, and I thought the sample card is just adorable.

So this time, I was leaning towards a shabby chic-style card.  I must confess, I am still trying to find my personal style (though I think I'm more of the clean and simple type), and it's so much fun trying a lot of different things out.  My card actually didn't take too long to make since I already had a design and color scheme in mind.  So after I set aside the flowers, lace, and ribbon that I wanted to use, I cut out all the shapes (bird, frame, leaves, and flourishes) with my Slice and then sprayed them with glimmer mist.  But before I glued all the elements down, I dry embossed the cream colored cardstock that went on top of the card base.  The finishing touches were the letter stickers that spelled out "MOM" (I love this vintage-type font) and a little bit of bling on the oval frame.

I'm actually very happy with the finished product given the amount of time I had to make it.  But I was sure that I wasn't going to win this challenge given the caliber and experience of the other ladies who joined (click here to see all the entries).  And on top of that, aside from a winner that is decided on by a panel of judges (Top Choice), a second winner (People's Choice) is determined as the entry that had the most number of likes, which I'm not so excited about.  I'm just not the kind of person who solicits for likes... any kind of challenge on Facebook that involves likes, I'm very weary of.  But I just joined this one for the sheer joy of creating something.  And for that, I got a bunch of freebies from Memory Lane Store. I was so happy when the package came in the mail. :)

Materials: Cardstock, glimmer mist (Tattered Angels), ribbon & lace (Carolina's), gem stickers, letter stickers, fabric flowers (All About Scrapbooking), mini paper roses (Kraft Yard); tools: Sizzix Texture Boutique (with Textile Texture embossing folder by Cuttlebug), and Making Memories Slice die cutting machine (with Vintage design card).

Mom, love you so. XOXO.

And so after coloring using watercolor pencils in my last project (Mother's Day ATCs) I wanted to get in touch with my inner child again by coloring some more in these tags I made for a Mother's Day tag swap organized by Ms. Sasa at TeaTime and Craft (formerly Graceful Crafting).  This time I colored in digital stamps that I purchased from The Greeting Farm.  I used these two in particular: the Cupcake Anya digi and the Valentine Anya digi.  Aren't they super cute?

So here I was, trying out different coloring materials - markers (Stabilo, Staedtler, Sharpie) and colored pencils (Prang and Staedtler).  I didn't dare try the watercolor pencils, because I knew they would run. And for this particular project, I wanted the lines crisp and really distinct because the stamps have a cartoon-ish quality that I really love.

And so with all the experimentation that I did, I ended up using different combinations of colors and some are more vibrant than others.  The ones with the subtler colors were done in pencil, and the brighter ones, of course, were colored with markers.  I've found that it takes much more effort to use the pencils than the markers (even if they pencils are better for detailed work), which why there are only three of them out of the twelve.  Markers or pencils, this is indeed painstaking work - coloring with highlights and shading in the hair, skin, and clothes.  But it did help that I was able to draw inspiration from Kristina Werner's coloring her stamped images, especially in this one card, from Day 25 of her 2012 Holiday Card Series.  Isn't she gorgeous?

I also anticipated that I had to do some fussy cutting here, and I practiced first.  Even though I've always loved paper crafting, I must say, I'm a little bit lacking when it comes to cutting with scissors.  I even have a hard time cutting a straight line with them, that I'd rather use a box cutter than scissors.  But the trick here is to try to cut as close to the outline as possible, but not to worry if you go beyond it.  You can always use a black marker to fix the booboos. :-)  In facts, I ran the black marker all around (along the edges) the fussy cut image to give it a more finished look.
 

 

All I had to do now was to assemble the tags.  I used assorted polka dot patterned papers for the background, which included assorted scraps from previous projects and newly purchased paper from Kraft Yard.  Stamped the sentiments, then added fabric and paper flowers, some ribbon, eyelets, twine and plastic charms and here they are the finished tags!  Whew.

My Mother ATC

This post is long overdue.  Back in April, I posted that I joined a tag swap and was so excited that I included lots of pictures (sort of a step by step) of the tag-making process.  Well, soon after that project, I joined another swap - with ATCs (artist trading cards) this time.  It took me quite some time (again) to figure out what to do, but in the end I was captivated by an image that I downloaded a long time ago from The Graphics Fairy. This image of a mother holding her sleeping child is just so sweet that it gives my heart a little tug every time I look at it.  The daughter is even holding a doll - how adorable!

I used watercolor pencils to color the image, as I wanted the bright colors to make it cheerful, but I also wanted it to have a softer look.  I also included a snippet from the poem "My Mother" by Ann Taylor, which is just as sweet.  And then added just a few small embellishments (gold ribbon, lace, and mulberry flowers with pearl bling for the centers) to finish it off.

I must admit though, that this project wasn't as easy and straightforward as it's described here.  It took me a while to figure out what paper to use - it's heavyweight paper that's more like watercolor paper than cardstock.  And what to use for coloring - I tried different kids of markers, colored pencils, and ended up with the watercolor pencils because they gave me the best results.  Although it took so much time (even to just finish five of these) because I had to wait for the paint to dry.  I guess it was a good thing on hindsight that this summer was super hot, so that it didn't take as long for the paint to dry.  But all in all, the effort was well worth it, as it is a very special ATC for a very special woman in our lives - our moms!

Special thanks to Ms. Kathleen B. Hernandez for hosting this Mother's Day ATC swap at the Filipino Scrapbookers Club.

Page Remake: Road Trip!

I really should include the before picture, but suffice it to say that the page I made was totally bare.  I relied on the placement of the pictures and that was about it.  And in pencil I wrote "Crazy in Alabama" which I thought was a plausible title, and the title of a movie that was shown not long before (1999) I made the page (2000).

It's a little more than twelve years ago, but the memories of that very first road trip I took when I was in the US are still very vivid in my mind.  My friend, Rod, was going to attend a wedding in Birmingham, AL.  I, on the other hand, just finished my thesis proposal defense and was badly in need of a break.  So we drove down to Alabama, and spent one long day getting there.  The trip was great though, we stayed at Mario and CK's apartment for a few days.  When we drove back, we left after lunch and got back in the wee hours of the morning.  It was exhausting, but definitely worth the long drive.

This is also my entry to Challenge #20 at the Filipino Scrapbookers Challenge Blog.  I've been a little busy with other projects (tags and ATCs) for swaps that I joined over the summer break (which I have yet to post), that I haven't done any layouts of late.  I think I might've gotten a bit rusty, but I still have many pictures from this trip that I plan to make several pages out of them.

Materials:  Patterned paper (K & Company), chipboard die cuts and alphabet stickers (All About Scrapbooking), pen (Stabilo), others - vellum, metallic paper, recycled paper bag.

Chubby Cheeks

I haven't done any layouts in a while and I wanted to make one using the sketch for challenge #18 at the Filipino Scrapbook Challenge Blog.  The last entry I made for the challenges was about a month and a half ago.  And now that I'm currently working on moving to and organizing a new craft area, I'm looking forward to getting more craft stuff done.  For starters, it was a lot easier putting this layout together because I already have most of my tools and supplies sorted out (they just need to be put away).

Here's the sketch by Kathleen B. Hernandez for this current challenge:

So my take on the sketch is fairly simple and straightforward, except that I used two photos instead of one in an 8.5"x11" format.  I've had these pictures of my niece for a while now (she's a little girl now).  The journaling goes:  "You're not used to having your picture taken yet, that's why you're not smiling.  But still, you're oh so cute!!!  CHUBBY CHEEKS Jasmine Dana / August 2008". 

Supplies:  Patterned paper (K&Co., DCWV, & Kraft Yard), brads (Jo-Ann Scrap Essentials, All About Scrapbooking, & Simple Joys), embroidery floss (DMC), flowers (All About Scrapbooking & Craft World), die cut leaves (Yellow Violet House).

Create Art

I just realized that I haven't posted anything in over a month.  I've been busy towards the end of March, with graduation and Holy Week.  But with the first few weeks of April, I guess I have just been enjoying my summer break. :-)  So when I joined Graceful Crafting's first tag swap, I had to start getting back to work (not that it feels like work when you're doing something you love).  But then I drew a blank, I had no idea what I was going to put on the tag.  To finally get going, I just decided on what papers to use, and then I cut the base of the tag.

The guidelines specify that it's supposed to be a 3" x 4" tag.  I used a smaller tag as a guide to cut the top corners to make it look more like a tag.  I then punched a hole at the top with my Crop-a-dile Big Bite (I know it's overkill, but for the life of me, I couldn't find my so-tiny-it-can-fit-in-my-small-hand hole punch).  It took a while, but after I had cut out all my tags, I already had a bit of an idea of what I was going to do.  Since this new Fancy Pants Designs clear stamp set (I think it's called Pollen Dust) that I bought online from Memory Lane Store came in the mail, I thought it would be perfect for this project.

One of the stamps was a row of diamond shapes with script on them.  I stamped three rows in Black Soot distress ink to create a harlequin pattern on the background.  Although the paper/cardstock (Sweet Nectar by K & Company) base did have a pattern on it, it was subtle enough to not clash with the stamped background.

I only stamped the upper half of the tag because I was going to cover the lower half with polka dot patterned paper (Laced with Grace by Glitz Designs), although I used the doily lace edge punch (Martha Stewart Crafts) on the bottom before I attached it to the base.

I also stamped the main sentiment on the tag which is "Create Art" from the same stamp set I used for the background.  I had to center it carefully on the artisan label type stamp from Making Memories Noel stamp set.  It actually had some holly that I had to cut out/cover up later, but I like this shape a lot.  This time, I stamped the sentiment and label with Versafine ink in Onyx because I wanted a nice crisp image.  I cut the label very close to the design, and by the way, the paper is from the same Glitz Design paper pack.  I also attached some gold/copper ribbon before I glued down the sentiment.

I then added a large-ish paper flower (Prima) to cover up whatever remnant of the holly is left on the sentiment.  I don't have many flowers of the same kind, so I just chose which ones would go well with the color scheme (aqua/copper/black).  And for those flowers that were a little lighter than I wanted them to be, I used a little DIY glimmer mist to adjust the color.  I added some bling, set the eyelets, and added the black ribbon to the tag.  Then I distressed the edges of the tag with distress ink.

I also wanted to include a quote that went well with the sentiment: "Let yourself be drawn by the pull of what you really love."  It's one of the lines from a poem by Rumi, and it rings true with me and crafting. :-)  I thought I would be done at this point, but somehow, it still didn't feel quite finished.  So the tags sat like that for several days, until I just added some punched out teeny tiny butterfly shapes (which I only glued along the center, so I can fold the wings up) and a little bling flourish to the flower.  So here they are, the tags I made for my first ever tag swap.  I didn't expect to take so long to make them, but the conceptualizing and waiting for inspiration to hit me took much longer...  I would say, more than half the time (or much more than that!) than the actual work.  Needless to say, this will not prevent me from joining more swaps.  I think I might have 2 or 3 lined up as I write this entry.