I love experimenting with colour. I often get inspiration from things I see around me, especially clothing and furnishings. Sometimes I’ll be out shopping and suddenly something catches my eye. If you’re close you’ll be able to see me grab my notebook and write down the ‘Stampin’ Up! colours’ I see. I might even take a photo as a back-up. Other times I’ve no idea where my colour choices originate. Take today for instance, when I decided to use just Basic Gray and Gray Granite on this poppy gift tag.

GRAY POPPIES

The tag all started with a simple piece of Thick Basic White Card and the Painted Poppies Stamp Set. From the various poppy images I chose the twin flower and bud image and stamped it over to the left.

Next, for a simple background I took the splatter image from the set. After tapping it onto the ink pad I ‘stamped-off’ onto some scrap paper to remove a little of the ink. Then I stamped the splatter just above the top of the flower. I re-inked the stamp and stamped-off again before stamping towards the bottom of the stems.

Colouring the image was quick and easy using just the light and dark Gray Granite Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers.

The Painted Poppies Stamp Set only has images so for my sentiment I reached for the Celebrating You Stamp Set. I chose “Just for you” and using Basic Gray ink stamped it onto a scrap strip of Thick Basic White Card. Now I was ready for a little die-cutting.

SEASONAL LABELS FOR TAGS

My first thought was to reach for the Tailor Made Tags Dies but then on the shelf I noticed the Seasonal Labels Dies. So from this set I selected the middle-sized die with the scalloped ends. I also picked out one of the tiny ribbon slot dies (this one is a sort of triangle shape).

To make my life easier I placed both dies on the table (cutting side down) with the tiny die inside the larger one. When it was in exactly the right position I put a little tape onto the back of the two dies to hold them together. Then I placed the dies onto my stamped and coloured piece and ran it through the Mini Cut & Emboss Machine.

Next I went back to the Seasonal Labels Dies for the smallest of the label dies in the set. This was the perfect size to cut out the sentiment. With that done I added it to the poppy tag using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Keeping with the gray and white colour scheme I cut 6″ of white twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack. Then I threaded it through the ribbon slot and tied the ends together with a simple knot.

While I was pleased with the tag so far, I couldn’t help but think it needed a little something extra. I considered pearls and rhinestones but in the end decided to tie a small bow using Gray Granite 1/4″ Shimmer Ribbon. Then I fixed it below the sentiment with a Mini Glue Dot and finally my tag was complete.

Despite the different stages of construction I love the simplicity that the simple colour scheme gives to this tag. I’m not sure if it’s because of the neutral gray colour, or whether it would work with a brighter colour too. There’s only one way to find out…

PRODUCT LISTS

COORDINATING PRODUCTS – Although they’re no longer available in a discounted bundle, two of the items used today have coordinating products. If you’re not a fan of fussy-cutting you can still by the Painted Labels Dies to cut out many of the images in the Painted Poppies Stamp Set. In the Seasonal Labels Dies you’ll notice some ‘non-label’ shapes, and these are designed to coordinate with some of the images in the Christmas Season Stamp Set.