Tim's Tag, Day 5 - Never Give Up!

I have never had great success with Adirondack alcohol inks. For some reason, I could just never get the same results as others got. When I saw Tim's tag for today, I almost opted to do the second one, just so I wouldn't have to deal with failure again. But, I figured, what does it hurt to try? This might be my breakthrough moment. I'm so glad I did!! Since the only Reflections stamps I have are the original set, I tried to come up with something that would work with them.

My friend Cyndi did a really great tag on Day 1, using Tim's Gadget Gears die. I had remarked to her that it would be fun to do the whole series in a Steampunk theme (she thinks Dieselpunk is the next big thing - Cyndi is very ahead of her time). When I first read Tim's post, I thought he said something about turning any kind of die into a wreath (I actually thought he made his leaves out of reindeer ears - I'm a bit wonky today)! So, I thought, why not a gear wreath? Why not a whole Steampunk Christmas tag?

I cut my tag from clear packaging using Tim's Tag die. The back was inked with Bottle and Espresso inks. I wanted a more rustic look, so I inked my Reflections number stamp with Archival Sepia ink, instead of black. I really love how it came out! To keep it feeling grungy, I mounted my tag on kraft paper instead of white cardstock. My 'wreath' was cut from Grungeboard using the Gadget Gears die. I did Tim's Faux Rust technique (from his book, Compendium of Curiosities) on both the gear and the snowflake. For my bow, I dyed seam binding with Forest Moss and Faded Jeans Distress Stains.

I loved the simplicity of today's tag, but felt like mine looked a little plain, so I added a strip of Idea-ology Tissue Tape to the bottom. On top of that, I adhered letters that I cut from light chipboard using the Sizzix Chip Block die. They were also given the rust treatment. Everything started blending in a little too much, so I covered them with Glossy Accents to help them stand out a little more.

Everything I used is listed below and can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Don't forget to use my coupon code - stamptramp - to score 10% off your order! You also need to check out the Inspiration Journal blog; we are having a 12 Tags challenge and you could win a gift certificate!

Supplies used:

Sizzix Gadget Gears Die
Sizzix Tag and Bookplates Die
Sizzix Chip Block Die
Stampers Anonymous Reflections Rubber Stamps
Idea-ology Tissue Tape, Charm Clips, Sprocket Gears, Mini Fastener, Light Bulb, Grungeboard
Ranger Distress Stain - Faded Jeans, Forest Moss
Ranger Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain
Ranger Glossy Accents
Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Bottle, Espresso
Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch