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Friday, 29 March 2019

Good things are beginning

Hello all!  It's been a little quiet round here, I know (only on the blog - real life is anything but quiet!), but I couldn't miss a Tag Friday at A Vintage Journey.  It's that extra Friday in the month where the Creative Guides get to play just for fun... as long as it's on a tag (or two).


I'll be packing and flying (Friday and overnight), and then hopefully unpacking (Saturday) by the time many of you read this, and once I'm home I hope to get back in the swing of things again here at Words and Pictures, at least for a while.  For now though, I'll quickly share some details of this pair of tags and then get back to the packing.






I don't really remember very much about what went on in the backgrounds.  I know there's some Distress Ink-ing and some inky stencilling with a brick pattern by the look of things.















The leafy stems are embossed in (probably) Wow Vanilla White.
















And I've used one of my quote stamps to create some text detail hovering in the distance.













The Paper Dolls are always a delight to play with - they tell me stories as I go.  I love the contrasting attitudes of these two...














The boy is all open smiles, ready for anything that life wants to throw at him.













The girl knows that, as a female, she may have to fight that little bit harder to get her share of the good things - but just look at that determined expression.














I layered up gessoed book page scraps, messy cotton thread, and some Idea-ology ephemera behind them...















... this large label being cut in two so that each child could have half of it.  Fair's fair...














Some dark washi tape provides firm ground for them to stand on.













And you'll see that eventually I layered the tags onto some white card to give them a contrasting frame.














The stitched borders are stamped rather than real - still waiting for space/time to work with the tiny sewing machine I have stashed away - but I think they look pretty cool.














The Idea-ology word stickers seemed appropriate when I was just at the start of this latest production process here in New York... all about things beginning and adventures in store.












Now that I'm about to get on a plane home, they can refer instead to the upcoming set of adventures of shifting that home across a continent!













The ribbons at the top were cut out of the neckline of a cardigan - who hangs cardigans on a hanger anyway?  Waste not, want not... here they are topping off the tags.

These tags look a little un-me to me... it's all that black, not a colour I work with much, preferring my vintage browns.  But maybe the slightly grungier look is fun for a change.








Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you'll hop over to A Vintage Journey and see the fun and games my fellow Creative Guides have been having for Tag Friday, and you're very welcome to share any tags you've been making this month in our Linky collection.  See you there!

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
Helen Keller

34 comments:

  1. Beautiful green/tan backgrounds on your sweet his and her tags Alison! love the texture added with your embossed stems, looped thread and papers! xx

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  2. Safe travel's Alison but as you say you may have already landed by the time you see this.. Love how you've used those paper dolls upon your beautiful layered tags they really are a facial contrast and i'm thinking maybe the girl really wishes she could be the one to play that bugle hee hee!! Fabulous Tags.
    Happy Friday Hugs Tracey x

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  3. Hope you are home now (all that dreaded unpacking!) I love how you use the art dolls, I really must play with them more... your tags are fabulous.

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  4. Wonderful tags, hope you are now safely home by now. Hugs, Valerie

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  5. Such delightful tags with gorgeous details Alison I love the stitching around them, I thought it was real and wondered how you had managed that in New York!! But everything fits together perfectly as always and yes fair’s fair with the sharing.
    Hope you’re safely back and not too jet lagged. Have a great weekend back in your own home xxx

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  6. These tags are wonderful and I like the colours very much. New colours and the way you use the paperdolls always gives me a lot of inspiration! Thank you! I wish you a very good weekend in your own home. Lenie x

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  7. You always create the most interesting backgrounds and these are certainly interesting. Love the colours you have chosen and all the elements that you used to make up such a stunning pair of tags. It is all the little extras that you do that makes your work stand out against the crowd. Things like the text that you have hovering in the distance, the stitching, the loose cotton threads - all of those little elements that surprise the viewer and make for a very interesting and pleasing piece of artwork.
    Thanks Alison.
    Hugs, Neet xx
    stay safe in your travels

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  8. Nice Alison. These are really pretty tags! Your TH found relatives looks like they are made of newsprint and part of that paper scrap background. It looks great. Happy weekend and happy spring. Hugs-Erika

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  9. I love these two paper dolls pared together, carefree and serious.
    Great backgrounds which are still very 'you' even though you've used black.
    Hope you're home safe and can have a relaxing weekend.
    Avril xx

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  10. Bravo to you for continuing to play even while away from all your larger stash. These are adorable and artsy. I wish you safe travels and hope all went well in NYC.

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  11. Love both of your tags. Great gentle colors and the texture is perfect. Safe travels. Hugs, S@ndy.

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  12. Ooo Alison, love, love, love, this set of tags! So rich in layery details and texture. (thanks for the 'up close' photo's which tell us so much.)
    You are in some ways similar to an architect, or builder : ) adding
    and improving until it's just right~ Love the white contrast and how you ground them with the washi. Awesome! Hope you are home and settling in. Hugs, karen o

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  13. Wishing you a safe journey home Alison.

    You have created such a beautiful set of tags, the backgrounds are wonderful and the paper dolls are such perfect choices. I love the faux stitching too! Anne xx

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  14. I hope you had a safe journey Alison, and am happy home .
    I love your tags, with the white sprigs , on top the muted green and tan . so beautiful, a background for the two kids . I find it great with the black details , and the stitching - you could have fooled me :-)
    xoxo

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  15. Lovely tags. The green is very appropriate for Spring. I hope your flight went well and you are relaxing at home by now.

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  16. Despite the black details, your style is still recognisable! I love the delicate hues of the background as well as the scene set for the dolls to exist in. Great work as usual, Alison!

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  17. Two beautiful tags, super colours and sentiments for them both.
    hope you have a safe journey home.
    Yvonne xx

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  18. Hope you had a good flight home. A great couple of tags,fabulous backgrounds as always, she looks as though even though she might have to fight in life my money is on her to win!
    Love
    Ananda x

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  19. Wow - these tags are amazing! Just your unique and so beautiful style Alison! Hope you had a good flight and enjoy already being at at home again! Big hugs, Susi

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  20. Such a fabulous duo of tags! The backgrounds with the white embossing look magical, they showcase the paper dolls and words beautifully 😁. Wishing you a happy weekend! J 😊 x

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  21. As usual Alison, a fabulous duo of tags. The backgrounds are really stunning and I would never have know the stitching was a stamp ! They are just the perfect support for your lovely collages of the paper dolls and words. Fabulous !! Happy homecoming x

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  22. These are so beautiful Alison, I love the foliage in the background and the images are delightful. I thought the stitching was real - it's a fab stamp, so very realistic. Hope you had a good journey.
    Diana x

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  23. I hope you have made a safe travel and are happy to be back home Alison! You will certainly appreciate some more quiet time... :)
    Love how you've used those paper dolls upon your two gorgeous layered tags, there are so many lovely details as usual! And I love also the fake stiching, so realistic!
    Hugs, Coco xx

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  24. I suspect that I'm so late visiting, you are now home and more than likely unpacked. I was quite impressed with your tags. I like how you cut the circle you used in the background so it could be used on both tags. I was SO surprised that was faux sewing, too. It really impressed me. I actually like these green spring inspired colors and had to laugh at your recycling efforts with the cardigan ribbons. My feelings of not wasting anything, either.

    Welcome home. NYC will miss you, dear.

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  25. Stunning as always! Wonderful backdrop to your characters - and love how you have positioned them on book paper. Fabulous details with the embossing, stitched edges etc.... welcome home :) xxx

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  26. Hope you have arrived safe and sound by now....
    A wonderful pair to add to your collection, great use of those paper dolls, they sit in their wonderful surroundings just perfectly!

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  27. Another two lovely tags! Not so much black, just enough to enhance the details perfectly. Both of the children are a strong effect, beautiful!

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  28. Delightful tags, Alison, and the black looks great! I love your backgrounds; as always, there's so much depth and detail. This pair of kids reminds me of my twins when they were that age, my boy always happy, my daughter with that look of having to keep pace with her brother. Love the sharing of the ephemera; it would be what I would do as a Mom. Great news you are back home, at least for a while. I am hoping you are kicking back relaxing today recovered from any ill effects of the trip. Hugs!

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  29. Another couple of masterpieces. I just love your style. Your colour choices are so me. I have saved this page and plan on going back to it for inspiration to make my own. :) Thanks Alison.

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  30. I'm sure you are home safe and sound by now Alison and I hope the trip was uneventful. Two gorgeous tags you have created here. The backgrounds are, simply, awesome! Gorgeous colours and I love the embossed stems .. a wonderful contrast! Great mix of ephemera and the paper dolls are always a lovely addition. Truly beautiful makes! hugs xx

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  31. There's still enough of your favourite techniques to recognise this as yours Alison! I love the darker colours along with the greens! Hoping by now you're fully unpacked! Hugs,Chrisx

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  32. A wonderful pair of tags , Alison . Lovely colour tones, detail and balance.
    Sorry for the late commenting - life jst gets int he way sometimes .

    Hugs x

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Thank so much for taking the time to stop by. It's lovely to hear what you think - every comment is so much appreciated.