"Collect" -- A Mixed Media Tag

 

Hello friends and visitors! I haven't had much time to play with my crafty goodies for quite some time, but I saw the challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog was 'Sunday in the Park' this time around, and last night an idea popped into my head. So I spent a little bit of time in the Closet after work today and put those ideas into my over sized tag. Please enjoy lots of closeups with a few captions. At the end of my post I've provided a few step out photos of my process in creating the background for my favorite pair of Tim Holtz' Paper Dolls Portraits. You can click on any photo to enlarge.

First let me explain the connection to Sunday in the Park. When my kiddos were little we would take a patchwork quilt my Mom made for me when I was a teenager to the park or sometimes just out in the back or front yard and have a picnic. I still have the quilt, and it is made of scraps from all different clothes I had growing up. I would point to each patch and tell a story about it to my children.  These two remind me of my own children, yet they are a little too well dressed for a picnic in the backyard, don't you think?

I tried to make my background look like a patchwork quilt and used ephemera from several Tim Holtz packs including Field Notes. So fitting, because while we were picnic-ing, we would search for wildflowers, bugs and anything else we could find. The all time highlight of our adventures was watching a butterfly emerge from it's cocoon.

I have a couple repeat photos, because some are taken in my Closet, while others are in the natural light of my dining room. I prefer the natural light; how about you? Check out the Abandoned Paper Stash scraps that offer some contrast.

 

It was not an accident that the fly ephemera's words lined up with the Collect ticket. We should always strive to collect knowledge in general. 

I love the crazing on this!  Simon Says Stamps says to add texture, and so chose to add crazing--tiny cracks. 

(This bug ephemera reminds me of a school project when my kids had to find 100 different insects and display them on a board with their real name and any interesting facts. We had to collect 200 bugs since both of my kids were in the same class. Our freezer was filled with them until it was time to mount them on the board. I still remember Diptera and Neuroptera.)

 

If you look over the boys left shoulder you will see tags poking out from a hidden pocket.

When the tags are removed, you get a glimpse of trail diagrams. When I think of parks, I think of large state parks with hiking trails, because hiking is our family's favorite collective pastime. One of our favorite local state parks has a great wooded trail that runs along the intracoastal waterway. At the end is a huge sand dune perfect for some summer skiing and the best live oaks for climbing.

These little tags are a great way to use up smaller scraps.

We can't leave the back unattended. I found the perfect scrap to use on the back, and along with a short one, was able to create another pocket.

The graph paper scraps are great for drawing diagrams of nature's treasures found in the field. The butterfly was on a gift tag in my stash, and I fussy cut him and wrapped him around the tag. I forgot to take photos of the reverse sides of my tags, but they, too are decorated.

This was one of those ideas that popped in my head when I read TFJB challenge prompt. The park in the middle of the city on Tim Holtz old paper stash. I was surprised I found it so quickly...I guess I'm more organized than I thought I was.

So if you're interested in learning how the background came together, here's the lowdown...

Stamp Tim Holtz newsprint stamp in Archival ink using the stamp platform. I knew I would have some bare areas behind my patchwork ephemera/scraps.

I stamped an old (real) library card pocket with green archival and another TH background stamp.

I adhered my ephemera, scraps and library pocket with Distress collage medium matte. When dry, I smeared Crazing on with my fingers, emphasizing areas I knew would show on the completed tag. When that was completely dry, I smudged with Walnut Stain crayon. I scribbled with the crayon and smeared with a damp finger.

Before adhering the ephemera, I removed the hole reinforcer and replaced it when the altering was complete.

In the photo above you see where the pocket is. And below, a final look at the completed tag. That is another Sunday in the Park or rather a Tuesday afternoon in the Closet.

I would like to share this with the following challenges:

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog Challenge Sunday In The Park

Simon Says Stamp Monday Add Texture

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Not A Card