Vintage Enamel Tile Tag

Hello Everyone...

Today kicks off an exciting week of Designer Techniques on the Penny Black Blog.  Each day a different designer will have a stepped-out technique project to share with you.  I have had a sneak peek at the projects that are planned and you will not want to miss a day!

To start out the week, I am sharing this vintage enamel tile tag using Penny Black’s Christmas Text and Pine Avenue.  These new mixed media stamps are gorgeous.       

I went a little crazy and used a little bit of everything:  Tim Holtz’s Distress Inks, Metallic Gold StazOn, Dazzle Frost VersaMark Watermark Ink, Gold Leafing Pen, Metallic Rub-Ons, Glitter and UTEE (Ultra-Thick Embossing Enamel).

It was a little hard to capture the effect of the UTTE in the picture.  This is one of those projects I wish I could share with you in person.  You can see all the stepped-out instructions on the Penny Black Blog, but I wanted to share a few extra little tidbits about the project with you here.

To create a tag that could be used on a gift, but also be sturdy and durable enough to be a piece of displayable art for a Christmas tree or keepsake, I used 6 x 4 card guides purchased from an office supply store.  They are nice and thick and you can work a great amount of ink and paint onto the surface without the paper pilling and warping.  They are the same type of material used to make manila file folders, but a tad thicker.  They are great to create books with too!  Those little tabs make instant book sections. 

To get a fancier “tag top” I cut a rectangle from the card guide and placed it on Tim Holtz’s Styled Label Die.  To hold the paper in place I used a couple pieces of Eclipse Tape by Judi Kins.  I use this so often (tape, masks, etc.) that I bought a whole roll. 

I put a little flower on the end that will become the top of the tag.

I ran it through my Cuttlebug (Plate B, Tim’s die, Plate B) just until I saw the top portion go through the pressured rollers and then reversed it back out.

Here is the cut tag.  You can see I went a wee bit too far when cranking (a little indent on the right side), but that is ok because this is going to be the base of my tag and I am using metallic rub-ons to cover the surface.  To apply the metallic rub-ons I just used my fingers – just be careful not to rub your face before you wash your hands and not check a mirror before leaving the house!

I also used these card guides to back the embossed enamel art.  I found that dimensional foam was too thick and popped it up from the tag higher than I wanted and did not provide an evenly distributed backing.  This piece has two layers of the manila folder material added for backing before it was attached to the tag. 

I find many great items that I incorporate into my crafting at the office supply store.  I would love to hear what some of your favorite places are that you find “crafty” things.

Thank you for sharing a part of your day with me.

Elizabeth