12 Tags of 2012 - April

Some of you might have noticed that I was conspicuously absent from all the chatter and sharing that surrounded the awesome Creative Chemistry class from Tim Holtz. It doesn't mean I was slacking! Far from it; I was busy creating cards for the Technique Gallery! Let me tell you, I was studying like a crazy woman - nothing like having to give a big report at the end of class. ;-) I had a blast and I know a lot of you did too. I ended up learning a ton and am now pretty well addicted to Spritz and Flick and a lot of the other techniques. My creative mojo has finally had time to recharge and today I went to work on this month's 12 Tags challenge from Tim.

I decided to turn mine into a card - you will see why below! Since I don't have the new bird die yet, I substituted the bird from the Sizzix Caged Bird die. He's sitting on a flourish that was cut from Grungeboard with the Large Flourish die. See all those water spots on the background? Spritz and Flick! - I can't stop! I used the script stamp from the Reflections set along with the Frames Texture Fade. Reflections stamping is one of my faves from the class! The bottom of my card is held together with an Idea-ology Binder Clip that was embellished with a Swivel Clasp that holds Baubles and a Philosophy Tag. It had to be clipped because of its bulkiness from.....

Ta da! Recently, the Sizzix Design Team each received a Karen Burniston Scallop Card pop-up die to play with. I couldn't wait to get mine out of the package and make something with it! I think Karen is one of the most talented artists ever and she takes pop-up cards to a level that is unbelievable. This is the first time I've made one and I love how it turned out. I decided to cut my pop-up out of acetate so that my elements would 'float' inside the card. I added embossed Core'dinations Kraft Core to ground the mechanism and create a nice background for the stamped image. I created a trim piece by adhering a length of Idea-ology Tissue Tape to a scrap of cardstock and then cut it using Sizzix' Tattered Lace die.

I just got my Distress markers and have been having so much fun with them! I have never been a marker person, but these are so different - I absolutely love the colors. One thing that is great about markers is using them on a detailed stamp like the one above from Artistic Outpost's Whimsical Melange collection. It looks great stamped with one color, but it really comes alive when you can custom color it. The sentiment, from AO's Typography set, was also colored with a Distress marker and then stamped. Oh! And the whole thing is stamped on the new Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper. Love that stuff.

I ran through a bunch of different ideas for things to put on the front tab and finally decided on using the flourish again, this time with the little bird from Sizzix' Mini Bird and Cage set. I love the added dimension it gives the piece. I so wish you could see it in person - this is one of those cards that is so hard to capture in a photograph.

Did you know that Artistic Outpost has a monthly referral program? Submit a card and you could win an Artistic Outpost prize package! This month's theme is 'For the Birds, so my card fits the theme perfectly.

If you'd like any of the supplies I used in my card, most can be found at Inspiration Emporium, via the links below. You can find the Karen Burniston die through Sizzix, and the rubber stamps at Artistic Outpost. If you're shopping at Inspiration Emporium, don't forget to use my coupon code -stamptramp - to save 10% off your order!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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