A Vintage Journey ~ Tag Friday ~ Holiday Memories.

Hi everybody! This is the fifth Friday in August and, of course, this means that it's a 'Tag Friday' over at the A Vintage Journey blog. Ever since being introduced to the joys of tag art, through Tim Holtz's Twelve Tags challenges, I jump at the chance to create one, as it is always so much fun! I've chosen a sea theme for this tag, so that I can capture a memory of my holiday in beautiful  Northumberland. This is how I did it.......

I began by stenciling the surface with white gesso. Once dry, I sprayed the surface with Distress Inks in shades of blue and green. The gesso acts as a resist to the ink and leaves a very clear image. I dried the surface with a heat gun. I then tried out a 'new to me' product called Xpandaprint, available from Art Van Go. I applied a layer of the paste around the edges of the tag, using a palette knife and gently tapping it on the surface. I then used my heat gun to activate the paste.....

On the left side, the Xpandaprint has bubbled up after being heated. On the right side, you can see the paste as I applied it. Once all of the paste had been activated, I sprayed the areas with more Distress Inks. After drying the ink, I did a little dry brushing with white acrylic paint

I love the texture the Xpandaprint creates, it's also very lightweight. Once my background was finished I set to work on the different elements. I already had the casts of the shells and seahorse, so I only had to apply a little paint and dry brushing to them. I also had a piece of  distressed scrim lying around which I sprayed with the same blue Distress Ink. In addition to these elements, I die cut and heat embossed a few leaf stems from one of Tim's Wildflower Stems. I then started to try out a few arrangements leaving a space in the middle for my photograph of the sea at Budle Bay.....

Once I was satisfied with the arrangement, I secured the elements with glue and dimensional pads. I mounted the photo in a die cut frame.This is also a Tim Holtz die called, Pocket Frame....

I added a few glass bubbles and my tag was finished. I'm hoping the memory of the glorious Budle Bay with its miles of white sandy beaches, will keep me going through the winter ! If you'd like to see a fabulous collection of tags, please hop over to the A Vintage Journey blog and feast your eyes upon the tags the Creative Guides have put together. Until next time,'happy creating!' x