Change For No One – Card and Tag By Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink

When it comes to my favorite things, I have a very long attention span. I’m super loyal to tapioca with chocolate chips (and have been since childhood), you’ll never tear me away from my city’s football team (even when they’re losing), and just because I haven’t worn a pair of earrings or a jacket for a while, it doesn’t mean they’re on the way to Goodwill. (Take that, Marie Kondo! You’re not coming to my house any time soon…)

This loyalty extends to the studio. My favorite dies, stamps, and paints may not be in constant use, but once they’re in my collection they appear again and again in my projects.

My friend Toni introduced me to Tim Holtz’s Wildflowers dies back in August of 2016. Fortunately, Patti had them in stock and I was able to take home the set. I call it The Magnificent Seven!

I used the dies for some of my first posts at The Queen’s Inkling and here they are again. This time they’re starring on a card and tag.

I meant to use a soft palette with spring colors, but I just don’t roll that way…Instead, I scooped up more of the gesso-wiped, paint-altered scraps that had been on my work table (and that were featured on March 7, 2017, in the blog post called Lots of Journals), added black speckled cardstock, hot raspberry cardstock, and some pristine white. To tie it together: Tan twine.

I think the photos tell the whole story so there are no instructions this time, just a supply list.

DESIGN STRATEGIES

1. Switch to a different color palette.
2. Instead of torn paper for the background incorporate some beautiful scrapbook papers or something you’ve stenciled or stamped.
3. Keep in mind that bold colors offer the most contrast while a tone-on-tone combo is super elegant.
4. I like speckled black cardstock better than plain black. You can create the same effect with spattered paint.
5. To hold the fragile die-cut wildflowers in place, use tiny slivers of Tombow Power Adhesive Tabs, cut with non-stick scissors. The photo below shows how to place the slivers – here and there at intervals, only a few are needed because of the strong hold in the adhesive.

STAMP ON!

The stamped, fussy-cut words are Dylusions ‘Say What You Mean’ by Dyan Reaveley, a set that has been a favorite since I first got it! Switch to a different irreverent phrase if you prefer one of the others… And use snippets of foam tape to add dimension (or not, as you prefer).

SUPPLIES

• Wildflowers die set by Tim Holtz (Sizzix)
• Dylusions ‘Say What You Mean’ stamps (Ranger)
• Power Adhesive Tabs (Tombow)
• Nonstick scissors (to cut Power Tabs)
• Foam tape
• Glue stick
• Cardstock – Black speckled, white, raspberry
• Painted and torn collage paper scraps