Witch Magic Hang Tag

I like creating Hang Tags, whether they are 'real' or digital. I created this one for this week's Fall Colors challenge at the Inspiration Avenue blog.

I love the colors of Fall, don't you?! :)

Getting Witchy Altered Art Hang Tag

It's been awhile since I've done some Altered Art, so I decided to create something in my studio over the weekend to add to my collection of Hang Tags. It's this Getting Witchy Altered Art Hang Tag.

I used a brown paper Kraft tag, then stamped on a wood-look background. I used Distress Ink along all the edges to give the tag and aged look. Then I used black ink to stamp on some spider webs, and I put some Kraft paper flowers on after that. Next I added the witch, the stamped paper spider, and a couple of black ribbons for some embellishment. 

And now this little paper witch is all set for Halloween.

Be Glad of Life Hang Tag

This is my first attempt at being creative since my mom's passing last month. My heart still isn't fully in it, but she wouldn't want me to wallow in sadness, so I'm trying to move forward...one step at a time. The Gingersnap Creations blog has a Two-Color Challenge right now, so I thought I'd try that one. The result is my my Be Glad of Life Hang Tag.

I've used shades of brown and white here. It's a combination of a paper grungy hang tag and embellishments, along with digital touches added in. I still love creating Altered Art...it's my go-to form of creativity when I'm not feeling inspired by anything else. I love the sentiment too. Be glad of life...

I'm trying, Mom. I'm really trying.

Creation of Beauty Hang Tag

I've created this Creation of Beauty Hang Tag for the Words of Wisdom challenge over at the Gingersnap Creations blog. The challenge is to utilize some favorite words of wisdom (profound, funny, or otherwise) in a creation.

For this Hang Tag I've once again utilized a combination of both paper goods, ephemera, and digital touches to create this Altered Art piece. I love the vintage photo of the girl...she's so lovely. And she is perfect for the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson too, don't you think?

Peace Angel Hangtag

My Peace Angel Hangtag was inspired by the Starry Night Challenge at the Gingersnap Creations blog. This time of year, Angels are a perfect subject matter so that was my starting point as I brainstormed for this hangtag.

I combined a vintage photo of an angel with some moon and sky images, along with some digital paper, to create a digital collage for this hangtag. Then I added that digital collage to a plain white paper hangtag, along with some embellishments, to complete the altered hang tag. I love the angel imagery so much, I may just use it for some Christmas cards this year! I really love how it turned out.

Witchie Hangtag

I have never done more Halloween-themed art projects as I have done in this past month or two. Very strange for me. LOL But I've been enjoying it! I have carried through with that same theme for the new Ravens challenge at the Gingersnap Creations blog. I've used it to create this Altered Hangtag I'm calling Witchie.

The vintage photo is my witchie inspiration, along with the 3 stamped ravens, of course. All of my ephemera and embellishments have been added to a hangtag, which I've grungy'd up to look aged. Seemed only appropriate when I'm doing something with a Halloween theme to make it have an aged look too. Seems like I should make a gift just to go with this hangtag and give it to someone for Halloween!

Pretty in Pink Hangtag

I am in altered art hangtags mode for some reason. :) I love creating them though because I often need a little hangtag to add to a gift for some occasion or another. So for me, I can never have too many of them lying around. This one is called Pretty in Pink.

These hangtags are made with cardstock scrapbook paper with a really pretty pink and white pattern on it. I cut them out with a scalloped-edge cutter. Then I added white paper flowers to the bottom half of them, attaching them with brass brads. All I did to finish them off was add some pink satin ribbon, along with site whit organdy ribbon. So pretty and so simple and easy to make!

Imagine Face Hangtag

This is a new altered art hangtag I've created that I'm calling Imagine Face Hangtag.

These are tags I created on two-sided scrapbook cardstock paper, which I cut out using a tag-shaped cutter. I stamped on the image of a vintage face using black ink first. Then I created the torn edge and distressed strip for the upper part of the tag, which I stamped on with the word, Imagine in black ink. After I added that I just added a butterfly sticker and then finished it with a brown satin ribbon.

I love the combination of the brown ribbon with the turquoise pattern on the paper. It's just a simple, elegant tag (I think). Perfect to add to a little gift. :)

Go Fish Altered Hangtag

Not sure really what inspired this Go Fish altered hangtag, but I had fun making it.

I started out with a large, plain white hangtag, which I stamped with a text design using black ink. Then I used some scrap wallpaper to add the wave element on the left side (top) of the tag. Next I drew a simple fish shape onto some textured blue scrapbook paper; into that, I drew the letters that spell out the word FISH, leaving a little space in between each letter so that I could cut them out. Then I cut out the letters and glued them onto the hangtag, spelling out the word FISH and also creating the shape of a fish. I added some smaller paper fish shapes that I drew and cut out, and also some punched paper holes. And I finished it off with a brad for the fish's eye, and just a bit of blue ink on the edges for a distressed look.

Altered Mona Hangtag

Last year I created a Mona Lisa hangtag...I love using famous artworks in my own projects! So when I saw the recent 3 Muses Challenge, Altered Mona, I thought I'd have fun and actually digitally alter my existing What Mona Wants Altered Hangtag to turn it into new artwork for this challenge. And this is my result...

This was really fun! Since I can't get into my studio right now, altering some existing altered art in a digital way was the perfect solution. And it still let me be creative, which is so important to me, even when I'm crunched for time! Hope you like it too. :)

Harmony Hangtag

This is my second creation as a visiting artist for the month of April at the Gingersnaps Creations Blog. The theme is the Far East and this is a technique challenge that required the use of Mists.

This began as a plain white hangtag. The first thing I did was to create a mountain-shaped stencil out of torn cardstock. I used a foam dauber and some blue ink to stencil on the mountain in the background. Then I used some Tattered Rose Glimmer Mist to create a shimmery rose-colored sky. Next I took the blue ink and distressed the tag edges a bit, and I also used a corner punch to create a decorative corner on each side of the bottom of the tag. Then I took some black ink and stamped on some Asian writing symbols over the blue mountains.

Then it was time to start creating some details. I tore some red paper and put that near the bottom of the tag, and then stamped some letters on some inked paper to create the word harmony; I cut those letters out and glued them to the red paper. Then I added some hand drawn symbols to the middle bottom of the tag. And then it was time to create my Geisha. I drew her by hand on some cardstock, colored her with some art markers, and then cut her out. I used some 3-D O's to make her appear in relief on the tag. I also drew and colored her folded up parasol.  Then I finished it off with just a a pink paper flower and a little dragonfly.

The Promise Altered Hangtag

It's time for another entry at the 3 Muses Challenge Blog, and this time the theme is Keys. I'm calling this The Promise.

I started with a large decorative hangtag that already had the black design motif on the bottom right corner, which I loved. Then I stamped on an image of a very Leonardo-esque woman on the upper left in black ink. I added an aged copper-look key, which I decided to turn into a butterfly of sorts by adding some decorative 3-D felt hearts I got on clearance recently. The hearts serve as the wings. Then I added a couple of red plastic heart embellishments to help carry that red color around the design. And I finished it with a red word sticker that reads, promise.

I was thinking of the Luther Vandross song, Promise Me, with lyrics that go...

Promise that you'll leave me never,

that we'll be in love forever...

I love how it turned out. I think I might save it for a future gift!

Vintage Queen Hangtag

Crowns are the thing right now at Gingersnap Creations, so I've created a hangtag to enter their Crowns Challenge.  I'm calling it my Vintage Queen Hangtag. It's also going into the Tag Tuesday Postcard Challenge.

I started with a plain white hangtag, which I then used a decorative corner punch on to give it some added detail. Then I used brown ink and a text rubber stamp to create the background, and I distressed the edges with the same brown ink.

I found a vintage photo of a young girl, which I then Mod Podged in place on the tag. Then I added a transparent paper image over the top of the girl photo. This image has the little bird on it and reads Carte Postale at the bottom, which means "postcard" in French. I love the way the photo of the girl looks through this transparent (vellum-type) paper.

For embellishments, I added a crown using a 3D-O to make it appear in relief (raised up from the background) and I added rhinestone gems to the crown. I also added a rhinestone gem above the bird. I added alpha stickers to spell out q-u-e-e-n.  And then I added a pretty flower at the bottom of the tag. I finished it off with some coordinating satin ribbon.

I think the tag itself has a very vintage feel, and a very shabby chic feel as well.

Tea Time Hangtag

This altered hangtag was inspired by the Gingersnaps Creations Hot Beverages Challenge.  I thought a good, old-fashioned tea party would be perfect for my theme.

I started with a plain white hangtag, which I distressed on the edges with red ink, and then I stamped on a doily texture to the lower left bottom edge.

Then I chose a transparency image of a vintage photo of two adorable little girls, who are clearly having a tea party. Gosh, remember those?! I added a bright red rose sticker, along with some red rhinestone gems here and there. And I also added the Tea Time alpha stickers. I finished it off with some simple black ribbon.

Tea, anyone?

Butterfly Stitches Hang Tag

This is an altered hangtag I created for the Gingersnap Creations Stitches Challenge. The "stitches" could be real or faux, so we could sew...or not sew for the challenge, as long as some sort of stitches are part of the project. I'm also using it for the Fussy and Fancy Friday Anything But a Card Challenge.

I started by making the hangtag itself out of some cardstock scrapbook paper that I had a scrap of. It has some great browns, tans, turquoises and white colors, and (lucky me) it also includes faux stitching. So I knew it would be perfect for the challenge.

Next I found a 3-D sticker of a rose that I liked, along with a butterfly die-cut shape I wanted to use. So I stuck the rose to the tag, and then I used a 3-D-O  (which is basically a piece of foam that has sticky on both sides) to stick the butterfly cutout to the tag and have it stick up in relief like the rose.

Then I added some lace trim to the bottom of the tag, to give it a bit more of a feminine touch. And I also added some button brads here and there to add some variety and embellishment to the tag. And I finished it off with a coordinating light turquoise satin ribbon. It almost looks a bit shabby chic to me too, don't you think? I love how it turned out.

Let It Snow Hang Tag

Well, considering we got our first real snow of the season over the weekend, the timing of this altered hangtag project couldn't have been more appropriate! This is my Let It Snow Hangtag, which I'm entering into the City Crafter Challenge Blog Let It Snow Challenge.

I started with a simple, plain white hangtag. I took a red rubber stamp ink pad and used it to color the edges of the tag all the way around, which also gives it a sort of distressed look.

The next step was to create the snowman. For that, I used two chipboard buttons in varying sizes, which also have a text/paper finish on them. I created a scarf out of some paper and glued it to the snowman body. Then I found four black button brads and used two for the eyes, and two for buttons on the snowman's body. I also created a hat and a nose out of paper and glued them on, and then I used hot glue to assemble the snowman--and used the bottom brads to affix the snowman to the tag.

With the snowman in place I added the alpha stickers to spell out Let It Snow. And to embellish the tag a bit I added rhinestone gems, and circles I punched out of scrapbook paper. I also used the same paper to attach a decorative edge to the bottom of the tag. The finishing touches were a rubber stamped  black border near the bottom of the tag, and a coordinating black ribbon.

He's quite the happy little snowman and clearly ready for the long, cold winter to come. Can't say I am, but hey, I'll just stay inside where it's warm and be crafty!

Sweet Face of Time Hang Tag

Here's another altered hangtag creation I've made using a less-is-more approach. Sometimes I get a bit carried away with embellishments and details and I forget that it's OK to just do something simple. Yet when I give myself permission to do something simple, I usually love how it turns out.

I started with a plain manila hangtag that I used my secret grungy sauce mix on to get it good and grungy and give it that aged look. Then I took a fabulous Paper Artsy rubber stamp and stamped on the design, which features a cute child's face, and clock, and some design motifs. To that stamped image I added a black button brad to the center of the clock image. I also added a black leaf sticker, and finished it off with a black ribbon at the top of the tag.

I love how this turned out. Hope you do too. I will always enjoy doing my busier more detailed projects, but it's a nice change of pace to do something a little bit different once in awhile.  I'm also using this for the City Crafter Challenge Blog's Little Children Challenge.

Notions Fabric Hang Tag

This altered hangtag is a bit different than what I usually make, since I usually make hangtags out of paper and blank tags. For this one, inspired by the Gingersnap Creations Sewing Notions Challenge, I created my fabric own hangtag from scratch using fabric!

I started with some lovely vintage-looking floral fabric that is tan in color and has some delicate burgundy-colored rosebuds on it. I cut it to the size I wanted (2-1/2" x 5"). Then I found some scrap muslin fabric that I had already made grungy using my secret grungy sauce and I tore the edges to distress it, and to make it fit on top of the other fabric.  I sewed the muslin to the floral fabric using black thread, to give it some good contrast to the fabrics I was using. I didn't want this to look all perfect and clean-edged; I wanted it to look aged and worn, and a bit rustic. After I sewed on the muslin, I then sewed the two pieces of floral fabric together as well.

Next I gathered my sewing notions and embellishments: a Tim Holz metal key, a copper brad, a brown button, a brown satin ribbon with a pearl bead accent, some tatted lace trim, and a rusty safety pin. I poked a hole in the fabrics to make it possible to attach the key to the tag, and used the brad to do just that. Then I sewed on the button, and then also sewed on the brown button. I finished the bottom edge with the tatted trim, and then used the rusty safety pin to attach the brown satin ribbon to the top of the tag.

I am finding that I really enjoy working with fabric. Sewing isn't one of my stronger skills, so I'll need to keep working at it. But in working on this tag, I was really getting some fun ideas for creative fabric projects I could try. I really had fun with it...except for all the times I needed to thread a needle, which is difficult to do without the bifocals I really need to get one of these days. Darn my aging eyes anyway! I also like the idea of doing a more tattered-style of sewn creations--much less worry about perfection gives me lots more creative freedom (and less stress). And as Martha would say, that's a good thing.

Here's to more fabric projects in the future! Have a great Wednesday.

Paris Arches Altered Hang Tag

This altered hangtag was inspired by the Gingersnap Creations Random Redhead Challenge for November, the theme of which is Arches. I'd never done anything with arches before this, so I wasn't exactly sure how I'd approach it. But I decided to use my love of all things Paris to help me find my way, and I'm very pleased with the result.

I started with a plain white hangtag that I then covered with some photographic scrapbook paper that I'd gotten as part of a travel kit at Hobby Lobby recently. I'd forgotten I even had it actually, but found it when I was skimming through my paper supply and knew it would be perfect for this challenge. It has a blue-gray tint to it, so I worked with that as the focal color for the hangtag.

Next I began to add the embellishments: an Eiffel Tower sticker,  a vintage style Paris postmark stamp, a dimensional butterfly sticker that I added some blue highlights to, some postage stamp stickers, and another dimensional sticker as well. I also added a sticker with the word Paris on it...I like having a text element in most of my pieces anyway. Then I finished the hangtag off with some blue rhinestone gems and a light blue organdy ribbon.

C'est magnifique, no? LOL :)

Fall Flowers Hang Tags

Since Autumn is one of my two favorite seasons of the year, the other being Spring, I always enjoy creating fall-themed art projects. And since I'm trying to create more and more sets when I create hangtags, I created this fall-themed hangtag set. I'm also entering this in the City Crafter Challenge Blog's Autumn Leaves Falling Challenge. This challenge required us to create any project using the colors of Autumn Leaves. I've definitely used some of my favorite fall colors!

This set of four tags all started out plain, and I used my usual grungy sauce mix to grungy them up. Then I used a doily-patterned rubber stamp to stamp on the doily texture using yellow-gold ink. Next I picked out fabric  sunflower-type flowers in 2 shades of orange and I attached one to each hangtag using a brown metal button fastener. Then I chose four dimensional stickers, each with its own word, and adhered one to the bottom of each hangtag. All that was left after that was to finish each of the hangtags off with a gold organdy ribbon.

I love the colors of Autumn, don't you?!

If you'd like to see more creative projects from other crafters and artists, be sure to take a peek at Today's Creative Blog. Lots of great stuff there!