Poppy Tag

Hello everyone! It's Bonnie Irvine here with a tag to share today. We have had such lovely warm weather that my plants are finally starting to do exciting things in the garden. The Bachelor's Buttons are budding and almost ready to pop and since I love their beautiful blue flowers that makes me very happy. One of my other favourite flowers, the poppies, are gaining in height but will keep me waiting a while longer for the stunning blooms. So...I decided to create my own :)

I started out with a #10 manila tag (4.5 x 8.5") and applied dictionary text paper from the Authentique Renew Collection to the tag. Another piece of dotted paper from the same paper pad was torn and adhered across the bottom after being inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink. Interest was added to these backgrounds by applying Peacock Feathers DI over Christy Tomlinson's Vintage Lace stencil and Black Soot over TCW's Min Chevron stencil. The edges of the text paper were inked with Peacock Feathers DI and Vintage Photo DI was scuffed here and there to grunge up the middle.

Donna Downey's Wild Poppy Silhouette stamp from Unity was stamped twice with Tuxedo Black Memento ink: once on the tag itself and once on another piece of the Renew paper focusing on the flower heads only. The second set of flowers was fussy cut and then sculpted with a large ball stylus to create dimension and shape. The bottom of each flower was glued directly to the stamped tag but the middle and ends of the petals were popped up on several layers of foam dots. White gesso was pounced through the TCW Mini Punchinella stencil with a scruffy brush over the background and onto the poppy silhouettes. White Gelato was used to highlight the tips of the petals.

Now this was one of those mixed media pieces that had to go through Seven Stages of Ugly before I started to like it...you know the ones where you keep eyeing the garbage can and nudging it a little closer with your foot after each step :) A Bo Bunny letter cancellation stamp was applied using Tuxedo Black ink. Blueberry, Cotton Candy, and Grape Gelatos were scuffed here and there and then spread with a wet finger or a wet brush. Black and Brown Big Brush pens were used to outline the edges of the tag and doodling was added with a black Micron pen. Brown shading was applied next to the flowers and stems with an Inktense pencil and then spread with a wet brush.

Not there yet! Hmmm, three short lengths of black and white dotty ribbon were stapled to the sides of the tag with a Tiny Attacher. Maya Road canvas butterflies were sprayed with fresh Lime and Vibrant Turquoise Dylusions inks, dotted with teal paint, and given key bodies. Glossy Accents was applied over each flower and allowed to dry. Getting closer... a black piece of cardstock was adhered to the back of the tag to frame it. A reinforcement was inked with Black Alcohol ink and applied around the hole. And finally, some wired turquoise ribbon was fed through the hole and tied with Idea-ology Tinsel Twine. Phew...I think I like it!

The final step was to add Idea-ology letters spelling out poppy. White paint pen dots were added to the letters both to continue the dot theme and to help them stand out. It also took away from the plain appearance. Cotton Candy Gelato was applied with a wet brush to the inside letter openings. This tag served as a good reminder to me to keep on going even when I wasn't thrilled with the results. Again, it's that ol' "Trust The Process" thing that often happens with mixed media.

Anyway, thanks for the company today. We love it when you visit!

Bonnie

To check out the products I used on this tag, click on the thumbnails below to arrive at the listing at the eclectic Paperie store.

Authentique - Renew Paper Pack	Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Distress Ink Pad - Black Soot	Distress Ink Pad - Peacock Feathers
Idea-ology Tiny Attacher	Pink Paislee - She Art (Christy Tomlinson) - Stencil - Vintage Lace	TCW 6x6 Template - Mini Chevron	Unity Stamp Company - Wild Poppy Silhouette (Donna Downey)
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso	Faber Castell - Gelatos - Blue Colors	Faber Castell - Gelatos - Black and White	Inkssesentials - Glossy Accents 2 oz.
Faber Castell - Big Brush Pens - Neutral	Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Tinsel Twine - Black	Idea-ology - Alpha Parts Signmaker