Advent Tag Calendar

Tags are in my heart right now.
I have always loved tags.
If you have ever received a gift from me, there is probably some type of tag attached to it.
They are simple canvases awaiting the pleasure of paper, trim and embellishment to make them into works of art.

So I blame Trish, that's right, Trish for this most recent obsession I find myself entangled with.
For she was the one who revealed the beauty of Two Gypsy Girls and their Advent Tag calendar of a few years back. They actually call theirs a Junk Drawer Advent Calendar. And that is just fine by me. For what I have to show you sort of came about from junk. My junk.

For you see I became so obsessed with making these tags, that I ended up buying the Gypsy Girls digital download of instructions.  Then the fun really began. But not because of what you think. Not because I had gorgeous detail photos of all 24 days of tags. Not because I had step by step instructions on how to replicate each tag. Not because I now had new techniques to explore and create with. Nope. It was because I practically had NONE of the supplies they used. Well...I had tags! but the fun for me really became reality when I used what I had. I did not go out to buy a single thing for the tags that I made. The challenge to my creative resources was peeked and I went after the task with great love and joy for this creative process.

Let me share a little here::

 They all start with a few basics. (I am not going to reveal what the 2Gypsies shared with me, but I can share a few little things). They all start with a tag. Save for the bingo card (do you recognize the bingo card from the WIP December kit?) Also basic to each tag is inking of the edges. After that they are all their own unique pieces of sweetness.

I forgot one other common theme:: glitter. My Christmas colors this year are silver, burlap, and champagne. The glitter just fits perfectly with that scheme. As do all these tags.

Let me share a few of my favorite...oh...so hard to choose...but I will try.

Remember, I did not have hardly any of the suggested supplies that the 2Gypsies wished I had. So based on the photo and instruction, I went my own way. My version of this tag was to make a frame from wood grain pattern paper, and die cut with a label shape. The 'bling' piece is actually a button from...are you ready for this? Walmart! yep folks, there are treasures to be had at Walmart. I actually picked up the bejeweled piece to make a ring. That did not work. But it sure did work to run some hand dyed seam binding through to top the frame. This is one of the more simple tags, but it is one of my favorites.

 The center tag, the one with the flocked brocade, is my all time favorite. I really wish you all could see it in real life...it is actually stunning if I do say so myself. The pattern piece started off with a white background. Too stark for the look I was going for. So, I misted the brocade with a bit of water. Then I used a bit of color mist, pooled a little on my work surface, and 'painted' it onto the white portions of the brocade piece. It worked perfect. The heart chipboard piece I made by die cutting a piece of chipboard to a heart shape. Then I covered the heart with a bit of cheese cloth...yes...lots of cheese cloth on these here tags, who knew? I trimmed along the edges leaving some frayed pieces loose. Another piece of dyed seam binding was tied in a bow and attached, with pearls hot glued onto the seam binding. I randomly picked up those pearls in Ohio last month! I now believe one needs always have pearls of various sizes in one's stash.

The last tag I shall share with you is this one. So much I had to make work on this one. First, the vintage alphabet piece...I found it on GraphicsFairy. And I was so excited to have made it's acquaintance. Then, the glittered fleur de lis...I did not have any of those on hand. But I did have a stamp. So I stamped a piece of thin chipboard. Then trimmed around the stamp impression. Next, Modge Podge was used to cover the piece, and then it was glittered...again another item I purchased in Ohio! (I love that place!). The next thing I did not have were pearl dangles. So I looked up how to make those on YouTube, and actually got pretty good at it by the end of these tag creations.

The need to be resourceful in my creativity really added to the value of this Advent Calendar. It deepened my ability to make something out of, well, practically nothing. Our creative studios are beautiful places to hoard stuff, or make stuff. Pull out those precious hoarded items and make something beautiful today.