Fall into Fall

Hello all... Fall into Fall is the new challenge set by Frilly and Funkie.  I'm falling all over myself at the moment trying to fit crafting into a crazy busy 10 days; for instance, I know for sure that I can't do any for four days next week as I'm working away from home.  


I've just had two days where I barely made it to my craft desk and ended up sooo bad tempered - going to have to find a way to deal with withdrawal or I'll be good for nothing!


Anyhow, that's all by way of introduction to the piece that I really shouldn't have made - and shouldn't be blogging - past my bedtime and an early start and a long day tomorrow, but I feel sooo much better for having done it!!  


It's a tag for Fall into Fall (as though you couldn't work that out)... and I'd also like to share it over at Tando Creative Challenges where they are looking for Leaves and/or Trees just now.














The leaves, acorns and twigs are cut using the Tim Holtz Decorative Strip Die called Autumn Gatherings.  I cut them in Kraft cardstock and then had a lovely inky, messy time blending different DIs onto them.  









There's Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Aged Mahogany, Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Scattered Straw, and probably a few more thrown into the mix!







I decided to make my background from a sheet of music, inspired by the fact that when you're learning to play the piano (as I did way back in days of "yore"), every second piece you are given to learn seems to be called "Autumn Leaves" - so it's an immediate connection for me to this very day.  



 
I used a couple of my die cut leaves as masks when I was inking the edges, so as to get the leaf shape into the background to.  



The edges are distressed with the paper distresser, and I've used Vintage Photo, Wild Honey, some Gold Alcohol Ink and Vintage Photo embossing powder round the border of the tag to provide some framing texture.

I'm afraid I can't remember where I first saw the idea of cutting a tag and tying/hinging/hanging it back together.  I thought I'd seen it at the wonderful Redanne's blog, but scrolling back I can't pin it down... I know I saw it recently over at Ink on my Fingers as done by the fabulous Hels Sheridan. 

Anyway, somewhere on my crafty travels I picked it up as an idea, and put it into action here.  Rather than cutting my tag, I added a bit onto the bottom - delicious corrugated cardboard from the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  It's tied on with natural twine.  

The cardboard is inked and painted, and the sentiment is stamped onto a tag I'd painted with leftover gold acrylic rather than throw it away.

I also used the acrylic-painted tag to provide an echo of the golden sheen of the sentiment at the other end of this tag.  I cut it with the same Autumn Gatherings die to add some really shiny golden leaves.  

With some lovely hessian ribbon (again from the Funkie Junkie Boutique), frayed a little for added texture, they provide the decorative adornments for the top of the tag.





Though I'm always reluctant to let summer go, I've discovered I love working with the autumnal colours when crafting... so now there's something to soften the blow of the shorter days - if I can only find time to fit it in!!

Thank you so much for stopping by... and I really hope you find the time to indulge in your sanity-saving activities at some point today or over the weekend.  See you again soon!

I'm entering this in Frilly and Funkie's challenge Fall Into Fall
Still at Frilly and Funkie, I'd like to offer it up for the Sunday Share
The Papertake Weekly challenge this week is A Hazy Shade of Autumn
Tando Creative Challenges are looking for projects with Leaves and or Trees as the main focus

A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.
Hal Borland