Believe Tag With Tim Holtz

     I am so excited how this tag came out! This was tag #10 in Tim Holtz 12 Tags Of Christmas. The main technique for this one centered around making a transparency with packing tape! I'll explain more about this later. First I'll begin with the basics for this tag.
     I made my own tag using the  Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.The tag was cut @ 6.25" but, where did that beautiful sheet music come from you ask. Well the Imagine More cart and my Imagine. I have big plans for this machine in the new year. There is a beautiful gold sheen on this tag which the picture does not do it justice. This is accomplished with a mist of Tattered Angels Heirloom Gold. The corners also have a heat embossed filigree design using distressed ink in peeled paint and a gold embossing powder. To complete the tag I used Tim's paper distresser and then inked the sides with Antique Linen distress ink by Ranger.
     I am fortunate enough to have the Expression 2 by Provo Craft but must admit with the holidays I haven't had much of a chance to use it, that is, until now. The machine comes preloaded with the Cricut Alphabet so I decided this font was perfect for the letters in "Believe". I used a scrap piece of paper from DCWV because the colors were just perfect. I ran the letters through my Xyron "X" which made it so easy to attach the letters.

     Here is the best part of this tag, the acrylic charms! I used the seasonal stack from Tim Holtz for the images. This is by far the easiest transfer I have ever made. First, you cut out the image you are going to use and then place a piece of clear packing tape over the image.Next place the image in a bowl of luke warm water for about 30 sec or until the paper begins to separate from the back.You want to gently rub the back to remove the paper leaving the image affixed to the tape. Once it is dry you want to lay it down on the sticky side of a piece of foil tape. Just a word about this.I used foil tape I had on hand from Home Depot. This is not a good choice. The reason is that by removing the paper from the image, it should allow the metal to show thru for a wonderful vintage look. Be sure you purchase one that when you  remove the paper on the foil   it has a metal colored backing. The foil tape I have was white on the back once the paper was removed. This still looks good but would have been great had I used the right foil. Since I made this tag I have noticed the type Tim used where the Tim Holtz line is located in my Michaels. I think it is by Essentials.
     To adhere the image to the front of the charm you will need to apply a small amount of glossy accents to the charm and then burnish the image to the charm. After this dries you just trim it with either scissors or an Exacto knife. I finished the edges off with a gold foil pen.

     As you can see I attached these to the tag with small brads and some twine. In order to complete the look I used some small gold bells that I attached with some raffia. However it some how did not look complete. I rummaged through my supplies and found this twig of red berries and they just seemed to go perfect. Guess I will be doing a lot more transparencies this year, lol. You should really give this a try.

Not So Shabby Heart Book

     Wow I am on a roll lately! I thought I'd share this wonderful little project with you today but first I have to welcome some new followers, yeah! I hope I can inspire you a bit with my creative adventures!

     I have had this album on my craft table for months now and finally said enough, finish it! This will be picture heavy but thought you might enjoy seeing the finished product. I started with the chipboard heart albums they sell for $1 in the clearance aisle @ Michaels. Next I grabbed a Scrap Pad by K & Company called K-ology Peabody Scrap Pad. This is one of the yummiest pads I own. Isn't the paper just fabulous?
     I just added ran it through my Xyron 900 and rolled it down with my brayer. When it was done I used an xacto knife to trim around the edge and then lightly sanded it smooth. I then used a paint marker to go around the edges for a nice finished edge. All the inner pages were done the same way.

     For the cover I stamped a flourish with Inkadinkado stamps and then added some bling with my Imaginisce tool. I LOVE how this came out! The center tag was from the scrap pad but I decided to emboss a heart with some silver Zing powder. I also pulled out my stash of buttons and added them for some dimension before I used pop dots on the center image.

     This gives you a different view as to how I closed the album. I just used rivets by Zutter to secure the ribbon. Now for the inside view!

     The inside cover and first page have a pocket with tag for journal ling and the 1st page leaves room for a photo. The pink rhinestone flower is a creative charm. ( Love these things).

       The next page also has a tag with a very romantic feel to it whereas the next page is more shabby chic!

     Another tag from the pad only this time I added a little dimension to the "forever" wording by adding Diamond Glaze. This is a new product I tried and OMG I will have to do a review on this. It is amazing!

     I made a pocket for the left hand page out of scrap paper that was just screaming to be used. So I added 2 tags. These could fit some wallet sized pics. The patterned heart is the inside back cover that also would support a photo.
     That's its for now. I must try Audrey's tri easel card if I can find my craft table. Ughhh!