Christmas Tags

Thank goodness for leap year - I'm just getting my February  "12 Months of Christmas" project done.  The suggested color theme for this month is pink, but I  couldn't think of a Christmas-y pink item, so took to heart the instructions that indicate the colors are just suggestions!

What I really need for Christmas is tags.  I love Tim Holtz's wonderfully complicated Christmas tags and have made many of them, but  I need tags I can actually use on gifts.  You know, the kind that allows the  person who THROWS THEM AWAY to live another day !! 

The first tags (actually kind-of pinkish) were sprayed with red Glimmer Mist, then stamped with a music background stamp.  I added some vintage cut-outs edged with glitter Stickles.

For the  background on this one I stamped the stars with acrylic paint (it resists the ink that comes after) and then rubbed on three shades of Distress Ink - Broken China, Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans.  A quick wipe over the top removes any ink that might stick to the stamping.   I dug out this old angel stamp as she seemed a perfect fit for the celestial background.  She is embossed with extra fine silver embossing powder so none of the details are lost.  I tried to place her so her face was not over one of the stars to make sure it stamped and embossed well.

These are my go-to tags; I think I've made dozens of these.  I start by brushing glaze over text - dictionary, old books or sheet music.  I like the look of random glazing, so it's just a quick swipe and done.  Then the fun begins - these have stamped/embossed trees and a dressed up reindeer.

I'm thrilled with my stash of forty-five new tags and for the incentive to get these done!