A Friend Indeed

Hi all and welcome to my new followers. I feel honoured that you have chosen to keep up to date with my crafting addiction. I also feel blessed to have some very special existing followers, including my crafting BFF Anne who's box of goodies transformed this project (see last post HERE).

Now, a few challenges have come along at once, namely;

Frilly and Funkie - A Different Kind of Tag (Plus A Theme) - sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Rustification  - sponsored by Simon Says Stamp

Crafty-emblies - The Dressmaker - sponsored by Crafty-emblies
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Shades of Autumn - sponsored by Cottage Crafts

I also saw the wonderful DT creation by the uber-talented Sue C HERE.

Thoughts of these themes sent me on a journey in my head (I know, it's a worry) to stories of a former seamstress in the autumn of her years reminiscing about her life and looking at her rusting scissors...

OK, so the ladies at F&F are thinking "where's the tag then"? Ah ha!

Take six small tags.

Die cut the flat ends.

(apologies that this is a tad blurry) so, colour with inks/mica, emboss - my new Impressabilities stencil was essential here as I needed a delicate pattern and something that wouldn't push through the tags. Inked raised areas clear embossed, and hey presto, you have the start of a flower!

Just add guilded kraft glassine (courtesy of Compendium of Curiosities 2 and my friend Anne!) a died piece of netting and an inked brad.

As well as kraft leaves and stash buttons I added a wooden button and scissors courtesy of Crafty-emblies (links above) and two grungepaper buttons. These got a rusty makeover (ink and roughed-up embossing powder a la Tim Holtz (videos on his website). The seam binding (Anne again!) was inked too.

To round up the rest, the tape measure border was inked and covered in Cosmic Shimmer Dark Bronze mica powder, the tissue pattern was stamped in Ranger Coffee Archival Ink, and the other images were stamped onto cardstock that was smooched in an inky/mica puddle on my craft mat - very Anita Houston stylee! There's a fair amount of shine on this but that big orange ball in the sky has done a disappearing act:(

Hope you enjoyed my little lady's story, hugs Buttons x