Sew easy...

Hello all, Alison here!  I'm so happy to be back with you to share another project, a jumbo shabby chic tag this time.  This is a great way to use up paper scraps, but also to use several of the papers in a collection.  If you're like me, then it's sometimes hard to crack in to a new pad, since they all look so beautiful in there together... this way you get to see them together but in use on a project!

I cut myself a large size tag (8.5 by 4.25 inches) and selected the papers I wanted to use from the Farmhouse Collection 6 x 6 pad, Fair Skies.  I had some pieces left over from a previous project, and I added a couple of new pages into the mix too.

First step was to cut them to size, varying heights but all the width of the tag, and then I spent some time shuffling them about until I was pleased with the arrangement before sticking them all down.

I did some fairly hefty sanding at this point... I love the worn look you can achieve with something as simple as some sandpaper.

Next was a light whitewash for a further shabby chic effect.  

I usually just dot some paint onto my craft mat and add a good spritz of water and apply the wash direct from there.

Then it was time to add some stamping texture... always a magical moment for me when the stamps come out.  This tag uses the gorgeous Wendy Vecchi set Art By Hand.  The sewing labels and advertisements make great background images, adding some extra interest.  They're stamped in Archival ink - in case I decide to do another coat of shabbiness!

I love altering the Tim Holtz AlphaParts.  These start out as black plastic, but you can paint, ink and alcohol ink them for various effects.  I usually paint mine on a spare bit of card, so that I can easily move them out of the way so that I can do something else while they dry.  Here they are with a coat of pale acrylic paint.

And if you do it on some card, you have the added bonus that you get a kind of stencil effect when you remove them - now I've got the quote in reverse should I happen to want it at some point!  Here they've also had Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink blended over the surface.

I stamped the scissors and thimble from the set on plain cardstock, "coloured" them with Pewter Distress Stain and then added a coat of clear embossing powder for added shine.  The little cotton reel is from my stash.  I wound some red thread around it, and gave that a quick wash of white paint too, to shabby it up (or down?!).

Thanks so much for stopping by today... it's great to have your company here at eclectic Paperie.  Do come back again soon; there's new inspiration every day from my fantastic fellow Design Teammates, so there's always something worth seeing.

Happy Crafting!

Alison xx