Thursday, October 12, 2006

Technique Tag Books

My friend Jane and I made a "naughty" run up to a stamp store about 25 miles from home this week. While there oohing and ahhing over some Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous stamps we wree treated to some demos of new techniques. The store owner had each of her techniques illustrated on tags and they were held together with a round binder clip....so two days later we decided to make our technique tag books!!! Above is my first page. The technique this illustrates is just a picture adhereed to the tag and a sentiment stamped on it. However, the part that is tagworthy is that the whole tag was brushed over with Golden's Clear Tar Gel. It gives the tag (or ATC) a finished and really cool look. We first saw this done on some ATCs when we were at Valley Ridge and they were awesome!

Above is the technique we learned at the stamp store this week. I call it the Plaid Technique. It is done with Ranger's Alcohol Inks....apply three different colors to your felt applicator. Then drag the applicator over glossy paper horizontally. Re-ink, and then drag applicator vertically. Voila...you have a plaid background. This is so addictive!!! You will want to check out tons of color combos!
I wondered what would happen if I used the same technique but on a matte coated paper. The look is great! More subtle and more vintage looking than on gloss. I used Matte coated paper from the Paper Cut for the sample above. The numbers were stamped with Versifine. They smeared a little, so I think drying overnight before doing anything would be a good idea.

Finally, see below. We went ooh and ahh over the new product by Ranger. Acrylic paints in a super convienent dauber packaging. They are called Dabbers....the paint is in a plastic bottle with a cap and applicator all in one. Very easy to use and not very messy at all! The colors are super wonderful. The tag below was first painted in .5 seconds with a pink, foam flower stamped with a darker shade of pink, and tag edged with a light blue dabber. Quick, easy, and fun!!!

It was really nice to play with techniques and to make this little tag book. I plan on adding to it over the next months and tying some ribbons around the metal ring binder.

It is great when you get so excited about the little things in life!!!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

love it!! very good..i need some of the golden tar gel...bravo, to you two "naughty" gals..
~xox~k

beth said...

too cute and fun.....One of these weekends I'm just gonna pack my bags and show up on your door step so I can play too !!!!

createacraft said...

they look great and cheerful
enjoy your weekend

One Crabapple said...

OH WHERE TO START ! Where to start ?

these would be so great on bags for gifts !

I love this plaid technique and it was even better on the matte surface you experimented with.

I had not heard of this Golden's Tar Gel and am greatly intrigued !

YOur little Tag Technique books are genius ! I think you might want to market these ! No kidding.

Why hasn't that stamp shop set you girl's up with your own workshop yet ?

Thanks for sharing all of this wonderful product and technique. When you told me about TAg Tech books I thought you meant you had bought one ! I was thrilled to find this instead.

But ! you should be thinking...Why not do your own book ???

And ! for the secret BINGO soul...dabbers with shapes !!!

I called my boyfriend the second I saw this and he was so happy for me that now I can Bingo with flowers !

oh I can see where they will be good for ART too....whooops.

One Crabapple said...

that is weird....my post came out all backwards and mixed up from how I typed it...sentences that were in the middle at the end...etc.

hmm. Did you switch to Beta ? I did not...Ah the Mysteries of Blogger...

Anonymous said...

I would like to place an order for the gift fairy. My birthday is in November and I would really groove on some Golden Tar Gel if I don't locate it pronto. What fun!

Denise said...

Playing with tar gel must be in the air! I've had a jar for months now and just this past week decided to start experimenting with it! There's an example on my blog! BTW, Laura, I was at the Joann Superstore in Naperville on Rt 59 today. Wow! what a great store!

Anonymous said...

Very cool! I love that plaid technique - so impressive!