Introducing Tag Sale #8 and the Loop De Loop II Die

Good morning, Friends! Welcome to the first day of the October Papertrey Ink Countdown (new products available on October 15th). I don't have any stamps to share with you this month, but I am very excited to be able to share two new dies that I've been hiding up my sleeve. Over the next several days, I'll be sharing projects featuring the new Tag Sale #8 die and the Loop De Loop II die! Fun, right? Let's get to it (fair warning, this post is a little photo heavy - especially for me)!

The Tag Sale #8 die includes two parts - the main tag and an additional piece that you can use for layering, embossing, cutting a negative, or using all by itself. The two part design really gives you incredible versatility!

My first project using this die today is a Christmas ornament. My fella and I recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary (10 years! Boy! Time flies.) and I was looking through some of our wedding photos the other day. I thought about how nice it would be to have an ornament for our tree using one of those photos, so I set about to create just that.

I started by die cutting the main tag shape twice from thin wood veneer (this worked best when I used my metal shim, but all machines are different so please be careful if you choose to try this for yourself). I needed to trim with scissors in a couple of places, but it really worked rather well. I also made sure to sand all of the edges to smooth everything out well. Next, I used the secondary die to make one of the wood pieces into a frame. Then, I stamped both pieces with the background from Snowfall using Versamark and heat embossed with clear powder.

Next, I put pooled several drops of Pure Poppy reinker onto a scrap of acetate and used a sponge to stain the wood veneer with the reinker. Once I had my color saturated to my satisfaction (don't forget your edges) I used a slightly damp baby wipe to remove the excess reinker from the face of the snowflake pattern. I let the wood air dry for a bit (maybe 20 minutes) before making a Lizzie & Sean photo sandwich. I used a super-thin bead of E6000 to adhere the wooden parts together and pressed the whole thing under a stack of heavy books for about four hours.

After I removed it from beneath the books I chose two New Leaf buttons to use as embellishments. I threaded Rustic Button Twine through two of the holes on the front button and 1/4" Silk Ribbon through the other two holes. The silk was tied in a bow and the button twine passed through the hole in the tag shape to the button on the back. There it was secured with a knot and the ends were tied together to form the hanging loop. Now we have a keepsake for our tree. Yay!

The next project I'm going to share is a little series I'm going to keep up through the whole countdown. I love making pretty tags, but I don't do it nearly enough. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to create a mini set of tags each day using the same color scheme and sometimes even the same theme. Today's color scheme is Classic Kraft, Rustic White, Pinefeather, Ocean Tides, and Spring Moss. And they're all a little "cozy winter" theme-wise.

My first tag in the series shows how you can use the secondary die to add a flat layer (and notice that you can change the orientation of the secondary die for different looks). I stamped the main tag with the cable knit pattern from Knit Bits and layered on the secondary shape cut from a piece of Rustic White. The "To:" and "From:" were stamped in Pinefeather while the "Warmest Wishes" was stamped in Ocean Tides. Then, I added a Spring Moss and Ocean Tides sock (also from Knit Bits) with foam adhesive.

Next, I have a tag that uses the secondary die to cut a frame into the main tag shape. I started by die cutting my main tag from Rustic White and Classic Kraft stocks. The Rustic White was then stamped using Background Basics: Striped Sweater in Ocean Tides, Pinefeather, and Spring Moss inks. I used the secondary die to cut the negative shape into my knit patterned tag and then adhered the resulting frame to my Kraft tag. I finished it off by stamping the "To:" and "From:" in Pinefeather ink.

The third and final tag uses just the main tag shape by itself. I started by die cutting my tag shape from Classic Kraft stock and stamped it with Background Basics Woodgrain. Next, I used a stamp kissing technique to transfer the knit pattern from the scarf image in Knit Bits to the mittens in Snowfall (I used Pinefeather ink for this step). Then, I went back and over-stamped my mittens using Ocean Tides ink. That really helped to fill in the holes and make the mittens feel more cohesive. I also stamped the cuffs in Spring Moss ink and adhered them over top of the Ocean Tides cuffs. I hand trimmed the mittens and connected them with a length of crochet thread. I figured out my layout and then stamped my "To:" and "From:" before adding my mittens to the tag with foam adhesive.

Are you still with me? I feel like I'm writing the crafty equivalent of War & Peace over here. One more project!

My final project is a card featuring the new Loop De Loop II die.

I started by texturing a Kraft card base with the Linen & Canvas Impression Plate. Next, I ran a piece of Pure Poppy cardstock through my Xyron and die cut two loopy shapes from the resulting sticky stock. I adhered those loopy images to the card base and embellished the space between them with a bit of cream jute.

Then, I die cut the secondary shape from Tag Sale #8 from Rustic White cardstock and stamped it with a sentiment from Gingerbread Lane and the grounding oval from Warm Happiness. Next, I die cut a gingerbread man and candy cane and stamped them with their coordinating shapes from Gingerbread Lane. I mounted my gingerbread man to the tag shape with foam adhesive and situated the candy cane so that he was holding it.

I finished off the card by glittering the candy cane and embellishing his buttons with dimensional glaze (in that order). It's a simple card, but at the holidays I am more than happy to keep things simple!

Thank you for checking in with me today (and sticking in there until the end)! I'll be back with more loopy, tag-filled fun tomorrow. In the meantime, make sure to check in with
Nichole, Betsy, Dawn, Erin, Heather, and Melissa for even more inspiration. See you tomorrow!

Recipes:
Photo Ornament
Stamps: Snowfall - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Tag Sale #8 Die (available October 15th), 1/4" Silk Ribbon, Rustic Jute Button Twine, New Leaf Buttons - Papertrey Ink; Thin Wood Veneer; Photo; E6000; Clear Embossing Powder - Filigree

Knit Tags
Stamps: Knit Bits, Background Basics: Striped Sweater, Snowfall, To You From Me, Background Basics: Woodgrain, Holiday Treats - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pinefeather, Rustic White, Classic Kraft - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pinefeather, Ocean Tides, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Tag Sale #8 Die (available October 15th) - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch
The Double Bow Die and the Front & Center #2 Die played a supporting role as well.

Sweet Greetings Card
Stamps: Gingerbread Lane, Warm Happiness - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Pure Poppy, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, Classic Kraft - Papertrey Ink
Other: Tag Sale #8 Die, Loop De Loop II Border Die, Gingerbread Lane Die Collection, Linen & Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Cream Jute - American Crafts; Sticker Machine - Xyron; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Fine Crystal Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch