I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Sunday 1 February 2015

Love is in the air (again!)

Hello all!  It's midnight and a new month, and the start of a very busy 1st February - this is the first of three posts today (yup, three... count'em - but not yet!).

First of all, it's time for a new challenge to start over at The Artistic Stamper, and you'll be glad to hear that this February Love is in the air.  You may remember singing along to the post title Love is in the Air very recently.  Yes, the Vintage Journey theme is helpfully very close to this new Artistic Stamper one  (From Russia With Love, my offering for that should have been called), and that has until Friday to run so, if you're clever about it, you could do the double.

Still need more inspiration to get crafting?  Well, here you go...


I'm a bit of a curmudgeon about Valentine's Day generally.  (Last year I gave you some very melancholy journalling pages to celebrate the festivities!)  So this year I decided to dive in at the deep end - so you've got the whole hearts and flowers shebang, plus some lace into the bargain!




It's even got some red (red? yes, red) in the mix, though a very vintage shade...

The tags have all been soaked in my usual tea/coffee mixture, but there's added Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs blended around the edges to draw the eye inward.










And if you're talking about flowers at The Artistic Stamper then, as far as I'm concerned,  you're talking about Katy Leitch.  (There are lots of other florals of course, including some newish ones, but I haven't got around to those yet.)











The two small tags are each partial stampings from the same large flower stamp from the Botanical 2 set.












I'm still working my through the book pages carved out of my Lynne Perrella candle-book-luminary - a simple layer behind the tags...












... as well as mounted on card for the die-cut Tim Holtz hearts.













There's some of my much loved Calligraphy Mat 19 on show in the background.












And then, yes, some lace, red gingham ribbon and buttons from my stash - gentle, rustic embellishing.












The ChitChat stickers finish off the tags with some positive word associations about love... 











So it may not be pink and fluffy, but at least it's not going to plunge anyone into despondency like last year's offering!  We'd love you to come and play along with our Love challenge at The Artistic Stamper.

As I mentioned, this is the first of a trio of posts today.  As usual, I'll be back in the morning with the new Country View Challenges theme (now published), and then just wait til you see what's going on over at PaperArtsy this evening!!

Happy Sunday everyone!





Love has no desire but to fulfil itself.  To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.  To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
Kahlil Gibran

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.
Peter Ustinov

Forget love - I'd rather fall in chocolate.
Sandra J. Dykes

23 comments:

Amanda said...

Beautiful pair of tags Alison, lots of scrummy details as usual
Love
Amanda x

Astrid Maclean said...

Another pair of wonderful tags Alison, love the bits of lace and ribbon to add that little subtle pop of colour!

chrissie said...

Delightful tags Alison and nice to see the lace and a bit of red. Love the three quotes showing that love is different things to different people.

Have fun with your busy day

Love Chrissie x

Helen said...

These tags are gorgeous! I'm also very curmudgeonly about Valentines too!! You'd never know you were though from these lovely pieces.

Deborah said...

Wonderful rustic Valentines, Alison. To me, you're choice of chit chat words says they're for a couple who have been married for decades.

Claire said...

A fab pair of tags, loving the little splash of *rustic* red and the lace too.

Unknown said...

I love the vintage feel of these and those little book text hearts. These are a perfect pair for Valentines xx

Meggymay said...

Beautiful vintage style tags, love how they compliment each other, especially the word tabs.
Yvonne xx

www.deeadamsart.blogspot.co.uk said...

Very vintage the words as always complimentary to the art. Dee x

Pamellia said...

Gorgeous Alison! You are always using products that end up on my wish lists! You're killing me here!! HAHA, just kidding! Love those florals and that bit of plaid ribbon is fabulous! Hugs :)

Terry said...

Oh I love these "Love Is In The Air" tags! The neutral colors and pops of red plaid ribbon are so lovely for Valentine's Day! Great vintage feeling, Alison! Hugs!

Hettie said...

Very pretty and vintagey and not too slushy for Valentine's Day.
Hugs
xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

What a gorgeous pair! I love them both but I must admit to having a bit of a 'thing' about gingham (and polka dots too for that matter!!) Chrisx

Shilpa Nagaonkar said...

Gorgeous tags, Alison, love the vintage feel and everything else on them....heart, flowers, lace.

massofhair said...

Enjoyed the melancholy of last year now we have gingham, polka dots and vintage, two stunning Tags Alison, love them :-) xxx

Julie Lee said...

Well, Alison, I know just what you mean about being a curmudgeon as far as Valentine's Day goes! I've never found creating Valentine projects straightforward. I like the way you take an unconventional slant on the day! I love these tags with their beautiful Shabby Chic look! The red works beautifully with the muted tones and the wonderful textures. I suppose the trouble with Valentine's Day is that it has become rather commercial, but a 'make' like these tags really presents it in a fresh light and - I love them! xx

Jenny Marples said...

A beautiful country look to these. Jenny x

Nan G said...

I 'loved' last year's journal pages but these are pretty cool too. A nice rustic take on 'that' theme. I love the shape of a heart not necessarily the day associated with it. So you are not alone in your curmudgeon-ness. :)) Hugs

Ruth said...

Beautiful, vintage tags and love the addition of the gingham for that splash of red. Wonderful Ruth x

Klara said...

Love your vintage tags. :)

Carol said...

lovely vintage tags love all the embellishments you have added Have a lovely weeken

Kezzy said...

Wow super gorgeous vintage tags, the are so beautiful, the neutral colours with the pop of red, amazing. Happy Art :-) Kezzy xxx

Mary Elizabeth said...

More red!! Seriously ... such marvelous vintage valentines! I love the ribbon, lace and a button too. Oh my goodness. I'm pinning these!! -- ME