SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY.

As I was a lucky girl to get to buy the lovely Artistic Outpost stamp sheet "Old Grist Mill" second hand from Rosie AND they already arrived today, I had to use them immediately for a tag.

I also was inspired by Fashionable Stamping Challenges' "Something New/New Style", The Artistic Stamper's - "Makes For Men" and SSSaS's "Kraft" challenges, which I enter this tag into. I also enter the Artistic Outpost's June Referral Program with it.

Something New - yes, to ME my new stamping sheet is as good as new (and Rosie really took great care of it, so it arrived merely as good as new) AND I guess I also did a new style - working with Perfect Pearls for my very first time, creating the background for this tag.

The grungy look and the muted colours work perfectly for makes for men I'd say and Kraft is the material of the tag - a piece of packaging material I kept, as I love the natural Kraft look.

The "create" stamp is one of my self made ones from funky foam (for the how to click here). I heat embossed this image using Ranger embossing powder "walnut stain".

I rusted the bottle cap myself (which was actually a lot of work - I left them in a plastic container with some vinegar and salt on my balcony for some weeks ;).

Then I filled it with some "treasures" and UTEE and heated it from below, holding the bottle cap with a pair of tongs.

It was glued to the tag together with the piece of burlap.





I used a piece from the tag's ribbon (which I won alongside with a lovely assortment of various ribbons as a winner of  Zeus and Zoe's last challenge :) to "frame" my chit chat sticker, and fixed it to the tag with some Chronology brads.


The tag's background was made with the Tim Holtz "Wrinkle Free Distress Technique", using Perfect Pearls alongside some Distress inks.

When the tag was totally soaked, I crumpled it to a ball and rolled it between my palms. Then I unfolded my ball carefully and started to dry the tag. That way I created a kinda "faux leather" effect, which I definitely LOVE! ;)

I highlighted some of the raised areas, blending them with DI "vintage photo", which I also used for blending the tag's edges. Done!

I hope you like it!
Also a big thank you so far to those who have already been celebrating my blog anniversary with me! (See sticky post). I wished you could all be winners ;)

Hugs,
Claudia - die amelie x