Thanks Well Written On A Tag

Isn’t it funny how you can get really excited about a set of dies but then don’t make the most of them. This has happened many times and I’m determined to revisit each and every set. Yesterday while I was making a batch of gift tags I was trying to make each one different. Different images, different colours, different techniques and different sentiments. So when I came to this one I decided my sentiment really needed to stand out, and for that I reached for the Well Written Dies.

Poppy gift tag created using "thanks" from the Well Written Dies and True Love paper from Stampin' Up! #papercraftwithme

FIRST THINGS FIRST

This gift tag actually started with the pretty poppy image. That’s part of a black and white sheet from the True Love 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack. I cut roughly around the flower and leaf and then used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to fix it onto a piece of Basic Black Card. Why Basic Black and not Whisper White? Well this way the card will blend in with the edge of the image once I’ve cut it out.

Before getting to that stage though, I needed to colour it in. I began by colouring all the petals with a dark Petal Pink Stampin’ Blends alcohol marker. Then I added some dark Cherry Cobbler at the base of the petals. This was followed by light Cherry Cobbler over the all of each petal to blend the colours.

For the leaves I started with dark Shaded Spruce near the base and along the veins. Then I finished off with light Shaded Spruce over the whole leaf.

Finally I used dark Mango Melody to brighten the centre of the flower, before cutting the whole thing out with my Paper Snips.

CUSTOM BACKGROUND

For the tag base I used my Paper Trimmer to cut a 3″ x 6″ piece of Gray Granite Card. To add interest to the plain card I decided to create a little abstract background using Gray Granite ink. For this I took some Saran Wrap (cling film) and scrunched it into a loose wad in my hand. Next I lightly tapped it onto the Gray Granite ink pad before tapping it several times over the card. I reinked the Saran Wrap and continued this process until I’d added ink over the whole surface.

Then I went back to my Paper Trimmer and with the long side at the top, scored the card at 3″. With that done I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

To turn the folded card into a tag I needed the oval hole option on the Detailed Trio Punch. I inserted the card into the punch and punched the hole to the left of the scored line. Then I took some Whisper White baker’s twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack. After threading the twine through the hole I simply tied it in a basic knot.

Next came the cut and coloured poppy. Using liquid glue I fixed it across the centre of the tag. The Basic Back Card glued to the back gave it a subtle raised look too which I really liked. That just left the sentiment to deal with.

WELL WRITTEN

I considered stamping “thanks” onto a strip of card and attaching that to the tag, but I’ve done that so many times. But then I remembered the Well Written Dies, there’s a “thanks sentiment in there. So I used the die and my Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine to cut it from Basic Black Card.

Unfortunately I decided that I didn’t like the black “thanks”. It just didn’t have the impact I was looking for. Not to worry I’ll keep that one in the case with the dies and use it on another project.

It wasn’t a total waste though because it reminded me to add Adhesive Sheet to the back of the Thick Whisper White Card I chose next. I still wanted the “thanks” sentiment from the Well Written Dies, and in white it was much better. So I cut a second one. At last I was ready to finish the tag.

I peeled the backing off the Adhesive Sheet on one of the words and then stacked it onto the other white “thanks”. After pressing down firmly I peeled the backing off the bottom word and fixed it over the poppy on my tag. With that my project was finally complete.

There’s so much I love about this gift tag. The custom background effect that covers the back and front of the tag. The large bright poppy across the centre. But most of all I love how the stacked “thanks” sentiment from the Well Written Dies literally stands out. I must try this technique more often.

For more projects featuring the Well Written Dies see these earlier blog posts: