Well today is definitely going to be ‘one of those days’. It started out fine, I had an idea for a project and it came together pretty easily. Then I took the photos for my blog and sat down to edit them. And it was here that things started to go awry. My photo editing programme simply wouldn’t load and it took several reboots of the computer to get it going again. It’s a good job the Awesome Otters Stamp Set is a cute one. Maybe I should just relax like that otter and just go with the flow today.

AWESOME OTTERS

My project began with the Awesome Otters Stamp Set (available for free during Sale-A-Bration). There are three cute otters in the set and I had my eye on the one relaxing with the fish. The full image has a couple of ripples either side and that’s what gave me the idea to add movement to the tag.

To do this I began by using Soft Suede ink to stamp him twice onto Sahara Sand Card. Then I cut out both images using Paper Snips (but leaving off the ripples).

Although the otters were already a light brown I decided to add more colour using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. So on one I coloured the fish using dark and light Bermuda Bay. Then I went around the outside of the otter with the dark Crumb Cake. Turning to the second otter I flipped him over so I was looking at his ‘back’ and coloured the whole thing with dark Crumb Cake.

Finally I cut a 3″ piece of white twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack and placed it on some scrap paper. Then using the light Bermuda Bay Stampin’ Blends I added a little colour to areas of the twine leaving some parts white.

With that done it was time to prepare an unusual tag base.

LAYERING DIORAMA DIES

Instead of creating a tag with regular sides I opted to create one using the Layering Diorama Dies. This set of 7 dies has some lovely organic shapes that would be perfect for the ‘water’. Counting from the smallest up I chose #3 and #4.

First I used my Cut & Emboss Machine to cut some Thick Basic White Card using the larger of my two chosen dies. This would be the main part of the tag. Then I chose a blue sheet from another free Sale-A-Bration product, the Simply Marbleous 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. I opted for the marble side (rather than the satin design on the reverse) and cut that using the smaller of my two dies.

Before layering the die cut pieces I needed to add a mechanism so my otter could ‘swim’. So I placed the DSP onto a Stampin’ Pierce Mat and poked a hole through it using the Take Your Pick tool. Now I could thread one end of my twine through the hole and secure it on the back of the DSP with a little Tear & Tape Adhesive. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I mounted the DSP onto the Basic White layer.

Next, to turn the assembled layers into a tag I punched an oval hole at the top using the Detailed Trio Punch. Then I threaded some more white twine through the hole and tied it in a simple knot.

BIRTHDAY OTTERS

I was almost done and it was now time to put my otters together. First I placed the otter with the coloured back onto the DSP and put a little Tear & Tape Adhesive on his belly. Then I fixed the loose end of the twine on top of the adhesive.

Next I put liquid glue around the edges of the otter and placed the second one on top. Now I had the twine sandwiched between the two and the assembled otter was able to swing freely.

It was only at this point that I remembered to add a sentiment. I chose “It’s birthday time!” from the Awesome Otters Stamp Set. Using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped the sentiment on the bottom right of the DSP and my tag was finally complete.

Oh my goodness, this is so cute! I’d love to know what you think, please leave a comment below.

PRODUCT LIST

FREE PRODUCTS – The Awesome Otters Stamp Set and Simply Marbleous DSP are both only available during the Sale-A Bration promotion. They’re not available to buy but each one can be yours simply by placing an order for $60 CAD before shipping and taxes. So if you want both, place two orders, or one order for $120, and select them as your free items. Sale-A-Bration ends on February 28th and items are only available while stocks last.