Tim's 12 Tags of 2015 - January Tag

I have decided I am going to participate in the Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2015 and make a tag every month for this year. I will be doing a fair amount of substituting, mostly due to the fact while I have a lot of Tim Holtz products, I am far from having everything, and frankly, I can't keep up!  CHA just ended and I already have a wish list a mile long - he is just so darn creative and I want everything! Anyway, here is my January 2015 tag:

This is What I Used on my Tag:
8" x 4" Manila Tag 
Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black
Gold Tissue Paper
Ticket Alphabet by MaVinci's Reliquary numbers 1-8 (the shop is closed, but you can still get awesome alphabet sets from MaVinci on her eBay page - and ask her if she has any of this set left if you want it!)
Stamps from the following Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous sets: (stamped on the gold tissue - I don't have any of Tim's Tissue Paper)
Train Ticket & Clock Face from The Journey, Paris Postale from French Market, Type Block from Lost & Found, Ticket Strip from Life's Possibilities
Distress Paint in Chipped Sapphire, Broken China & Stormy Sky
Chipboard #5 from 7 Gypsies "Gypsy Mart" 
Gold Glitter from the Art Institute
Tim Holtz Alpha Parts/Numeric
Adirondack Dauber Paint in Metallic Gold
Distress Marker in Soot
Dylusions Ink Spray in White Linen
Various Stashed Trinkets
Krylon Leafing Pen in Silver
Ranger Glue 'n Seal
Gold Sheer Ribbon 

Stamping on the tissue

 You can go to Tim's blog and read about how he made his tag and what products he used - just click HERE.  The very first thing I did was get out the gold tissue and chose the stamps that I felt matched the tissue on the tag.  I stamped my heart out and it was SO much fun - back to the basics; stamps, ink and paper.  While the stamping dried I moved on to figure out the 5 (ok, I had the Alpha Parts/Numeric on order but I didn't w- it's a fairly focal part of the tag so I found a large chipboard 5 in my stash and covered it with gold glitter from my stash.  Some of you recall that me and glitter don't really get along, but this time things went fine.  So the glittered five went to dry - out of reach of the cats.  I adhered the stamped gold tissue on the tag and set that aside to dry also, overnight and under a book because my tag was curling. 

Wet Paint

Dry Paint

Then it was time to play with 
the Distress Paints. I pounced my paints on the craft sheet, spritzed them with water and dragged my tag through the paint.  I dabbed some areas with my finger so I could get the look I wanted.  Then I used my heat gun to dry and set the paint.

Once the painting was done I cut out my twenty and one from the Alpha Parts/Numeric and since I don't have the Distress gold paint, I used the Adirondack Gold paint - it wasn't as easy to paint the twenty and the one as it looked on Tim's blog, but I did the best I could with what I had. I daubed the paint on and wiped some of it offand then heat what was left with my heat gun (I have a Weller Heat Gun which is sold to be used in industrial situations, so I had to be EXTRA careful that the plastic didn't melt).  

Chit Chat Time!

Then I placed my focal pieces on the tag to get the idea where my Chit Chat stickers should go - I used both the regular stickers and the Holiday version, mostly so I didn't use up all my precious Chit Chat stickers.   Here is where I got a tad carried away and forgot to take pictures of the process.  Honestly, I did just what Tim did, put all my stickers in place, coated the tag with Glue 'n Seal, waited for it to dry (it dries fast since you only need a thin coat) and then outlined all my stickers with the Distress Marker in Soot.  I smudged away (have the black fingers to prove it) and messed around a bit to get the proper amount of smudge and non-smudge. Then, since I didn't have the splatter brush, I used Dylusions Spray Ink in White Linen and gave the tag a few light spritzes.  I began looking for embellishments to use on the tag and I was really wanting toput an arrow on the tag like Tim, but I had no arrow.  But I did have an old game spinner and a Krylon Silver leaf pen, so I inked the spinner up and cut the back piece off (yes, I saved it) and viola! I now had an arrow!

Not bad if I do say so myself.  Then I pulled a few other trinkets I had in my stash that I felt would at least try to get the look of the original tag. I glued everything down onto the tag and let it sit overnight again (mostly because the metal star I used is open on the other side and I wanted to give the glue enough time to drip down from the star to the tag).  I skipped splattering the tag with the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen because I can't find my brand new Distress Spritzer - I am thinking someone borrowed it to use on a model they are building, but I'm not naming names.  I cut a legnth of gold sheer ribbon that I have had since my demonstrator days and tied it onto the hole of the tag.  My ribbon refused to hang as nicely as Tim's so I fixed it by tying it into a bow.  There you have it - my first tag of 2015! 

Another look at the finished tag

I truly enjoyed myself (and I will probably say that each month) and I urge you to break out those tags and play along with Tim!

I am entering my January Tag into the following challenges:
Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015 - January Tag Challenge
Papertake Weekly - It's All New (some of the embellishments are new) 
Fashionable Stamping Challenges -#89, Something New (some of the embellishments are new)
Order of the Opus Gleui - #200, Anything But a Card