12 Tags of 2014: July

Hello again!

I'm headed out of town for a few days in the morning, but first I wanted to share my July tag with you! :-)

Here it is:

Materials/tools used:
 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tags
 - Ranger Distress Ink: Evergreen Bough, Gathered Twigs, Salty Ocean
 - Ranger Distress Stain: Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood
 - Ranger Distress Paint: Antique Linen, Broken, China, Peeled Paint, Salty Ocean, Weathered Wood, Wild Honey
 - Ranger Distress Crackle Paint: Clear Rock Candy
 - Ranger Distress Markers: Brushed Corduroy, Pumice Stone
 - Ranger Distress Embossing Powder: Antique Linen, Black Soot
 - Ranger Distress Glitter: Antique Linen
 - Ranger UTEE: Clear
 - Ranger Glossy Accents
 - Ranger Distress Marker Spritzer
 - Ranger Heat Tool
 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool
 - Ranger Inkssentials Mister
 - Core'dinations Tim Holtz Kraft Core: #2, #9, #11
 - idea-ology: Grungeboard, Jute String, Linen Ribbon, Sanding Grip, Tiny Attacher, Word Bands
 - Sizzix Big Shot
 - Sizzix Bigz die: Sand & Sea
 - Sizzix Decorative Strip die: Spring Greenery
 - Sizzix Movers & Shapers dies: Mini Sand & Sea
 - Quickutz Circles A2 embossing folder
 - Tonic Craft Scissors
 - Plastic palette knife
 - Single whole punch
 - Clear plastic (I reused the package from a Sizzix Bigz die)

As with each of the 12 Tags, techniques can be found on Tim's blog.  :-)

Notes:
 - The tag is pretty close to Tim's example.  I switched up a couple of colours here and there, and used a different embossing folder for the plastic, but the effect of the bubbles is pretty much the same.
 - I still don't own the #8 tag die (someday!), so I just cut my embossed plastic using a blank tag as a guide.  The plastic slipped a bit, so it's not perfect, but it's pretty close.  :-)  Then used my single hole punch to punch the hole at the top.
 - Couldn't lay my hands on my paper distresser (which I'm sure will jump out at me, now that I'm finished with the tag), but in a pinch, you can use one of the craft scissor blades to get the same effect.
 - I really enjoyed making the "sand", but I probably should have used a little bit more Glossy Accents in my mix.  Not sure how well it's going to stay, or if I'm going to wind up replacing it in a few days.  :-/

More views:

Well, that's it for now.  I'm HOPING to get one more project done on Thursday of this week, so hopefully I'll talk to you then!

BAC

A Bit About Blitsy!

This post brought to you by Blitsy. The content and opinions expressed below are that of BAC's Creative Adventures.

Hello all,

I'll be back to posting projects a little later this week, but in the meantime, I wanted to talk a bit about Blitsy.com's online craft store again.  (You might remember I gave a little info about this awesome site last fall during their Holiday Card Challenge.)

Basically, Blitsy is a private sale site, just for crafting supplies!  :-)  You have to be a member (though membership is free), and then you get emails that tell you what's currently on sale.  New sales start 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11 am CST).  Sales last 7 days, or until everything is Blitsed (sold out).  (If there's something you really want, I recommend logging in quickly, since some items sell out pretty quick!)  Members can also refer their friends and receive shopping credits!

The type of craft supplies they sell run the gamut from paper-crafting, to jewelry-making, needle crafts, fine arts, stuff for kids, and more.  I pretty much stick with just the paper-crafting stuff, and I'l gotten some great deals.  If you're a Tim Holtz fan, they usually have his products on sale a couple of times a month.  I've seen Sizzix products, Fiskars, Colorbox, Ranger, and so many more great brands, and the prices are discounted up to 70%.  And they carry a nice mix of newer and older products, as well.  When Ranger recently changed their embossing powder line-up, it got harder to find the discontinued powders, but I was able to grab a nice little stash of several colours from Blitsy.  At the same time, I've also seen some of Tim Holtz's latest blueprint stamps for sale on Blitsy.

In addition to great sales, Blitsy has a lot to offer by way of crafty inspiration.  They have a whole section set aside where members can share their projects with others (which is a great way to build a following for your work!), and their blog also has great craft tips and inspiration from their staff (usually 1-2 posts per day).

So if you haven't given Blitsy a try yet, what are you waiting for???