Aged Autumn Alphatag AGAIN!

My apologies to those of you who have already seen this & commented on it - I accidentally deleted my A Alphatag post whilst uploading B.

My aim with registering to participate in the Baroque Guild Alphatag Swap during this year is to consolidate the various stamping & colouring techniques that I have learnt & to use my large collection of Chocolate Baroque (formerly Elusive Images) stamps. The idea is to produce 2 or 3 tags each month progressing so that we have completed the alphabet by the end of the year. The one stipulation for each tag, apart from basing a theme of our choice on the specified letter of the alphabet, is mostly to use items produced by or available from Chocolate Baroque.

Often learning by trial & error I can take several days to finish a project - several weeks when I then delete my blog post! I had all but completed this tag when I burnt it trying to heat emboss the tag edges to fix my skeleton leaves in place. Using Glossy Accents was visible to the eye but smearing Stickles Glitter Glue over the leaves solved that & I trimmed the edges of the leaves to the edge of the tag using non-stick sharp scissors.

I often associate 'autumn of life' with ageing & so 'Aged Autumn' seemed to me a fitting title for my project as well as using the two aptly named Antique Linen & Vintage Photo Distress Inks.

front of tag 

close-up showing stamped & inked edges plus
punched leaf embellishment

angled view to show sparkle of glittered
leaves plus dimensional texture of
 heat embossed tree 

close-up showing detail of skeleton leaves &
pile of 'fallen' leaves at trunk's base 

back of tag

close-up showing tone on tone stamping & paper
pierced scallops of theme panel

Recipe

Stamps Chocolate Baroque UA5SP0252 Tall Trees & UDLSP0305 Nature's Peace.

Inks VersaMark watermark stamp pad with Stampendous Penny Copper Embossing Powder; Antique Linen, Vintage Photo & Wild Honey Distress Inks; Staedtler Triplus Fineliner.

Colouring Cinnamon Stickles Glitter Glue.

Cardstock An assortment of white & browns from stash.

Die Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Tag & Bookplates.

Punches Woodware (scalloped squares & small leaves).

The skeleton leaves, gems & ribbon are from stash.

In my deleted post I'd mentioned that I am staying with Google's Blogger for my blogging platform as it proved the most versatile of those I tried. Also, the results of my Blog Following Preferences Poll (3 opting for Google Friend Connect, 13 Blogger's Follow Button & no one for Twitter, email or RSS) confirms my choice.

Blushing Bloom Alphatag

I often use dark colours such as black or brown & consider a white gel pen essential equipment espcially as I have a tendency to also use dark colours for my personal message panels. A pet hate of mine is "blobby" writing or unpredictable flow & I find the Inkssentials White Opaque Pen has too broad a point for my writing. I thought I had found the perfect pen with the Pergamano brand but find it is too translucent for use on cardstock. Since I came across Kathy Racoosin & her technique of white accenting using a White Uni-ball Signo Gel Pen I have looked out for that, but it is not readily available in the UK. Finally, only last week, I found a White Pentel K118 Hybrid Gel Grip Pen at my local Craft Shop & it suits me perfectly.

Another "essential" item I recently found is the Memento Black Dual Marker (available here) which is ideal for filling in any imperfectly stamped line & can be used when colouring with either alcohol markers or a water based medium (it is reliably waterfast when heat set).

That was somewhat of a long-winded introduction to my absolute delight at being able to use both the black & white pens to accentuate the stamped grid pattern in the centre of my flower on the second of my Baroque Guild Alphatags. In addition I found that with some judicious positioning part of the large heat embossed swirl appeared as if it were the flowerhead's stem & leaves.

front of tag

close-up showing flowerhead's
stem & leaves plus small
black flower sequins 

close-up to show grid pattern, shine of heat
embossed flourish & sparkle of black
Moondust cardstock used for tag base 

back of tag

close-up showing tone on tone stamping &
paper piercing of theme panel

Recipe
Stamps Chocolate Baroque UA5SP0297 Fresh Blooms & UA4SP0358 Nature Swirls.
Inks Memento Tuxedo Black (flowerhead), Emboss Tinted Embossing Stamp Pad with Stampendous Detail Black Embossing Powder (heat embossed swirls), Black Soot (tone on tone swirls & inking some black cardstock edges) & Spun Sugar (inking pink cardstock edges) Distress Inks.
Colouring Copic Ciao & Sketch Markers, Copic Multi Liner, Staedtler Triplus Fineliner, Memento Tuxedo Black Dual Marker, White Pentel K118 Hybrid Gel Grip Pen.
Cardstock An assortment of white, pink & blacks in various finishes from stash.
Die Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Tag & Bookplates.

Punch Woodware (scalloped squares).
The ribbon & flower sequins are from stash.

Challenge Entered
Simon Says Stamp & Show Anything But a Card!