Enter mixed media heaven with this Valentine

Valentine’s Day is exactly one month away. So today I bring you the second tag in this series. I should mention that all of them use a basic alteration of a technique I learned from Tim Holtz’s 12 tags of Christmas sometimes around 2007 or 2008.

Begin this project by removing the string from the shipping tag and painting the tag with dark pink acrylic paint. After the paint dries, use embossing ink to stamp multiple hearts on the tag and sprinkle clear embossing powder over them. Emboss tag with heat gun. You will see from my supply list that I used Melt Art Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel. I was a concerned that this would be too thick of embossing powder, but it was the only clear embossing powder left in my stash and I was not likely to find any art stores open at 2 in the morning. I certainly was not patient enough to wait until the stores opened. Thankfully, it turned out just fine and added a nice dimension to the tag.

After the tag cools, paint a layer of red acrylic paint over the top. Wait until the tag has dried to a tacky state and use a damp paper towel to rub the red away from the areas that were embossed. Just like yesterday’s tag, this takes attention and patience. If, like me, you are making several tag bases at once, you may find that suddenly more tags have reached that crucial tacky stage than you can possibly handle. If you have someone with hands living in your home (paws and fins just are not helpful here) you might have to enlist their help. My husband, who has no interest in creating art, was surprisingly good at this.

Let the tag completely dry. Meanwhile, cover the angel picture with diamond glaze, being careful not to create bubbles. Center the frame over the part of the picture you want to show. Let dry.

Once the tag and angel are dry, place adhesive on the back of a small portion of the paper doily. Be careful because glue runners can easily rip the doily. Yes, I’m speaking from experience—no need to act all superior about it. Using a scissors, trim the doily to the edge of the tag and trim the angel picture to the frame.

Select two coordinating ribbons. Personally, I like using a sheer ribbon for the frame because of the contrast it brings to the tag. Thread one ribbon through the top of the frame and one through the top of the tag. Adhere the frame to the doily. Place a gem on the white flower and glue the flower over the ribbon at the top of the tag. Congratulations! You have now completed the angel tag.

Like I noted yesterday, if you are as messy of crafter as I am, you will find that the back of your tag has blobs of paint, hot-glued dog fur and a thumbprint that happened while eating a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. You can remedy this by adhering a piece of coordinating paper to the back of the tag.  Sorry, I can’t help you with the part of the Reese’s that went straight to your waistline. I have enough Reese’s rolling around my own waistline to deal with.

Supplies:

Avery Shipping Tag, dark pink and red acrylic paint,  Dream Impressions Spencerian Collage stamp, Stampin Up hearts stamp, Big and Bossy Giant Pre-Inked Embossing Pad, Melt Art Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel, angel sticker by Dover Publications, WT Collage Accent Kit frame,  Darice self stick gems*, ribbons, doily and foam flower from unknown sources, assorted adhesives.

*Epic Cheapskate Win: In scrapbooking stores, adorable self stick gems are rather costly. I found a 25 piece set in Target’s dollar spot for—you guessed it—one dollar. If I didn’t buy the company out, you might want to grab some.