Tin Can Insect Tag

Hello everyone!  So glad you dropped in today, as it's the start of a brand new challenge over at eclectic Paperie.  It's hosted by Donna-Marie, and her challenge to us all is to use Folded Paper of some sort in a project.  In her words: this can be paper folded into a pocket, origami shape, pleated flowers, crumpled on a canvas, etc... so the sky's the limit!  There's a prize sponsored by the lovely Kim of eclectic Paperie - a voucher to spend at the great eP store (lots of new goodies available) - so why not get folding and join in?!

So here's my starter for ten - my Tin Can Insect Tag (I really enjoy how the tongue has to dance to say that!).

And for those who've wondered recently when I find the time to sleep... well, this one was a midnight - 2.30 a.m. number.  I had the idea (at midnight, sadly), and I had to pursue it!  I do have the huge advantage of not having to run around looking after a husband and children, so when I'm between freelance jobs, my time really is my own!

I went for crumply rather than foldy...  I started out by pleating some Tim Holtz Melange tissue wrap very neatly onto a tag, but it really didn't feel like me, so I got a bit messier about the whole thing.












Once I had it in place, all nice and wrinkly, I set about it with various Distress Stains, Distress Inks and sprays, including some Dylusions ones, used very sparingly, as I'm still a little wary of their vividness!










I also added some Perfect Pearls Mists in Pearl and in Turquoise, so that there's a real shimmer to the waves of paper.  I had to be extra vigilant to catch a moment's sunshine to show off the lustre!

I'm constantly astonished at how much the colours shift just according to whether the picture is taken in sunlight or in cloud.









I used the Inkssentials white gel pen to add some wavy doodles and framing lines to the tag.  And if you look closely, you'll also see the shimmer of some white Enamel Accents which I added as a border around the edges.

It was originally a very neat white line, but again it didn't really feel like me, so I roughed it up, spreading it into the wrinkles of the paper, and I really like the final effect.

Then it was time to put into practice the idea I'd had...  It span out of the embossed metal panel and flowers I made out of a Diet Coke tin for my Imagine hanging, and out of the completely jaw-dropping tag the amazing Anna-Karin shared over at the Simon Says Stamp and Show Metal-ology challenge.


As soon as I saw her metallic wings, I thought... here we go with another tin can!

So I (carefully) cut apart another empty Diet Coke can (there are always plenty of those on hand), and got out some alcohol inks to play with.  Not entirely sure any longer, but I think Stream, Bottle, Cloudy Blue, Meadow and Denim were involved, along with some blending solution applied with the blending tool and felt pad.

Look, here are the backs of the wings poking out round the edge of the tag to prove it!













Once I had a mottled look which pleased me, I used the Layered Wings die in conjunction with the co-ordinating Texture Fade embossing folder - made to fit - to cut and emboss my metal.







The BigShot seems perfectly happy to cut the thin aluminium of the cans, and so far they haven't caused any damage to my embossing folders either - but I should probably issue a "WITH CARE" warning to be on the safe side.

I was delighted that one of the Donna Downey Empowered Words sentiments is laid out vertically, making it the perfect choice for a butterfly's body.  I stamped it in Versamark clear ink and used the Ranger SuperFine clear powder to emboss it.  Then I used Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn and Chipped Sapphire to gently ink the paper around it so that the white words would spring forth.

I handcut around the quote in what I hoped was an insectoid shape, and layered it up with the three sets of wings.  The great thing about the tin is that it not only takes the embossing really well, with sharp detailing, but it is also mouldable; so I was able to shape the wings to give the whole creature some more dimensionality.  If you get him at the right angle, he looks ready to fly right off the tag.

The antennae are very thin strips of paper, curled around some dowelling, and glued behind the butterfly's head.  I put a tiny dot of the white Enamel Accents at the base of each antenna and - since it was now 2.45 a.m. - I left it to dry and went to bed.

Should've stayed on guard, I now see, as some little bubbles have risen to the surface.  For insect antennae, that's fine, but if it had been something where the smoothness mattered...  Ah, well, it was probably good to get some sleep!

I used some paper string at the top of the tag, again curling it around the dowelling to match the antennae.

So there's my folded paper inspiration, even if it ended up as the background to a more metallic piece... I hope you'll have time to stop by at eclectic Paperie and see Donna-Marie's fantastic project, as well as the ones the rest of the DT will be adding to the Linky for your delectation.

And of course we'd love to have you play along, and see how you interpret the Folded Paper Challenge.  For now, I'd like to thank you all for spending some of your precious time here at Words and Pictures, and to wish you happy crafting, or whatever else it is you're getting up to!

Wrinkles are engraved smiles.
Jules Renard

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.
Mark Twain

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.
William Shakespeare

I'd like to enter this in the Metal-ology challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show
And at Allsorts they're looking for Things With Wings and I'm just in time!

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