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...

Friday 2 April 2021

Springing back into action

Hello all, and a very happy spring and a happy Easter and whatever else you celebrate at this time of year!  I can only apologise for my long absence.  It's been difficult to find the time to create blogposts alongside everything else that has been going on.

There have been turbulent waters along the way, but my floors are finally down, so any day now the unpacking can begin, so it's not going to be any less busy.  But I have found time for a bit of creative play along the way and I wanted to share these spring tags with you.


Spring arrives late in the Czech Republic - in fact, it's still likely we'll get flurries of snow and possible frosts well into April, but we also get lovely sunny days in between, and it's been quite warm sometimes too.  I expect you can guess which kind of weather it was when I made these a few days ago!

In essence, they're very simple, but I really enjoy looking at them - I see different details and different colour blends each time I gaze.

The backgrounds are done with Distress Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays - mainly Bundled Sage and Speckled Egg, with some other springtime blues and greens thrown in there.

It's the Tim Holtz Mosaic stencil (though I have to say I've always thought of it as cobble stones - that's the dollshouse bit of my brain talking!) - and after spritzing through it, I turned it over and printed onto the other tags.

Where I wanted some more patterning, I then did small areas of spritzing and turning and printing again.

The daisies are from the newest Wildflower Stems Thinlits set (number 3) which I couldn't resist.  And it nudged me into digging out the BigShot from the packing boxes.

(None of the other dies are unpacked yet, though, so you'll be seeing a lot of this and one other die and one embossing folder which I also ordered.)

I dipped the stems in Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint on the craft mat, and then used Picket Fence Distress Paint, a couple of Distress Crayons (Speckled Egg, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey), and a PITT pen to colour the flower heads and add dimension and shading.

I'm really pleased with the effect.  I put the paint on in quite thick strokes (not easy with fluid Distress Paint) and it's given the petals a lovely sense of texture and movement I think.

I'm also pleased with the dotted PITT pen markings just adding a bit of depth and dimension to the centre of the flowers.

And I love the little leaves growing over the edge of the lace trim.


The three quotes are all from my PaperArtsy EAB06 Spring Edition - and I'm embracing the imperfections of the embossing!

It's Vanilla White Wow powder, and I'm usually much better at getting a really crisp imprint.  But clearly I'm out of practice - and had to re-stamp with a couple of them, trying to get the words in the right place to fill up gaps left from the first time!!

So in case you can't make out every single letter, they're all down at the bottom of the post in full as today's quotes.

I hope you like them.  After a pretty rough couple of weeks, they give me a sense of lightness and hope which is something of a relief.  And although spring comes slowly here in the Czech Republic, there are finally signs that life is stirring.

I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying some light, some warmth and the return of hope.  Stay safe, stay well, and I'll see you again soon.

Spring has returned.  The earth is like a child that knows poems.
Rainer Maria Rilke

In spring, everything is full of promise.
Charles Lanman

The sun has come out and the air is vivid with spring light.
Byron Caldwell Smith

I'd like to share these at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme this week is Spring/Easter

At Try It On Tuesday they are saying Hello Spring! - spring is all about the spring flowers for me, so this fits right in

I don't know whether I'll get away with joining in at Tag Tuesday where they are looking for Mostly Monochrome - my blue/turquoise/greens are very crowded together in one part of the spectrum, so hopefully it will work.  Having been away for so long, I'd love to play!



36 comments:

Heartsease79742451.wordpress.com said...

Love these x

Valerie-Jael said...

Hi Alison, good to see you around again! The tags are gorgeous, love the delicate colours. They are perfect for Michele's challenge at Tag Tuesday, thanks for linking! Happy Easter, hugs, Valerie

Helen said...

It's great to see you and your post - love the tags, they look chilly, but at least the colours are springlike! I see your Mum has posted too, so double treat!!

My name is Erika. said...

I'm glad your back, even for just this post Alison. These tags are wonderful, especially that tile looking background. They feel like nice summer weather. Our spring is only starting to arrive in my area too; we had snow flurries last night and it was cold today. Thanks for sharing these with us at Try It on Tuesday and also for adding a little sunshine with these. Happy Easter. Hugs-Erika

Christine Alexander said...

I was so happy to see some of your wonderful tags pop up on my screen, love your mosaic background as a backdrop for your flowers ♥

Christine said...

Stunning work! Love those daisies, so fragile.

craftytrog said...

Beautiful Spring tags Alison!
Wishing you a very happy Easter xx

Nancy Wethington said...

What a beautiful set of tags. Your backgrounds are as gorgeous as ever!

Cestina said...

I love the feeling of the dawning of Spring....

Mosaic is a definite misnomer, obviously those are beautiful cobblestones and will look amazing in front of one of the Tudor inns....

Good to see you back xx

Fonda said...

Gorgeous spring tags! I love them!

Cocofolies said...

I adore this set of new tags Alison, simply delightful the way you have painted and colored the daisy... This is the perfect way I think.
Great post, great to read you and get some news in another way than IG :)
Have a lovely Easter,
hugs and love xx
Corinne

Baroque duJour said...

Welcome back. Gorgeous tags, and yay for Spring. Happy Easter to All.x

Lys said...

Wonderful trio, Alison, an always delicate and elegant style. I love the idea of the mosaïc, very antique I feel. Have a fine unpacking and a happy Easter!

Sandy said...

Happy Easter Alison! Beautiful tags - you sure do have tons of style and know how to put that style on paper.
Sandy xx

Sue said...

I did come across an hour ago Alison to take a look, but then I had to go and track down this fabulous stencil (now winging it's way to me lol). Your tags are beautiful, such a wonderful colour palette. I hope your unpacking goes well and you have some play time. Take care and have a very happy Easter, Sue xx

Sylvia/LittleTreasures said...

I was excited to see a post from you. Time seems to fly by and every minute full of oddities. Remodeling a bath here and I'm glad for the Easter weekend.
Your tags are a wonderful sign of spring. Always unique designs. May you and yours enjoy a wonderful EASTER and have time to enjoy some great outdoors too.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Even though I'm late visiting, I was delighted to see you had posted. Such good new3s about the floors. I'm sure you are ready to unpack.

Your spring influenced tags are beautiful. I like that you don't let ink go to waste, by using the back of the stencils to remove the excess. I agree the Pitt pen adds to the dimension of the center of the flowers. It really brings out the 3-D effect. These are simply stunning, Alison. Happy Easter to you and your mother, too.

Chelsea said...

Absolutely gorgeous!! I always look forward to your posts. Everything you create is beautiful.

Marci said...

Your tags are lovely, you really made such pretty flowers. I am sure you are happy to have your floors down.

Mac Mable said...

Good to see you blogging Alison and what fabulous tags you've made....Spring is on the way x. Hope life settles down for you and hope the unpacking goes well?....Happy Easter x.

Sandra Wright. said...

Your trio of Tags are stunning..X

Fliss said...

Such beautiful Spring tags Alison and really love the background for the pretty daisies.
I'm so sorry not to hve visited in so long which is because blogging has had to take a back seat with all the family and work stuff that's been going on here which has been very hard to deal with.
Hoping to get back to a sort of normal soon.
Fliss xx

pinky said...

Oh wow Alison your tags are super gorgeous. I love the delicate shades you have used, the beautiful lace and gorgeous metal numbers. A real delight to see. So glad you shared with us at Tag Tuesday xx

sally said...

Absolutely beautiful! I saw them on Instagram but never got round to comment so it’s nice to have the story too. Snow here today after a glorious Saturday & the next fortnight looks grim :-(

Sally xx

Let's Art Journal said...

Beautiful spring tags! I love how you used the TH mosaic stencil for the background and the soft colours and flowers remind me of spring 😁. The lace finishes them beautifully too! Glad that your floors are down and you can start to unpack. Happy Easter and April! Hugs, Jo x

Craftyfield said...

Delightful tags! Sometimes it's better to have limited supplies, too much choice leads to dithering and no crafting...
Happy Easter! x

Mia said...

A stunning collection of tags, Alison! They are really beautiful!
Thank you so much for entering our challenge at Try it on Tuesday. Looking forward to see you again next challenge.
Regards,
Mia
Designer for Try it on Tuesday
craftartista.blogspot.com {My Blog}

Diana Taylor said...

These are absolutely delightful Alison, and once again I marvel at how you so often put together the same stash that I have in such an amazing, beautiful and unusual way - the flowers look so utterly perfect against that stencil.
So glad you are getting organised and have found time for some creativity too.
Diana xx

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Nice to see you back as I am sure you are so busy. Exciting about new things like the floors and new digs to live among...happy for you. These are gorgeous, I don't know how you found the time to create.

pearshapedcrafting said...

These tags really are truly beautiful - fabulous delicate colours. Thank you for so much joining us at Try It On Tuesday. I'm sure you are looking forward to unpacking those boxes! Hugs, Chrisx

Mrs.B said...

Hi Alison, Oh I'm way behind on everything these days, but it's lovely to see you posting and by now you're probably all unpacked and life less hectic.
This is a beautiful trio of tags, loving the soft shades of the background, just perfect for those spring daisies.
Thanks for sharing with us at Try it on Tuesday.
Avril xx

Neet said...

Well worth the wait Alison. What a beautiful trio of tags on a cobblestone background. Yes, I would have called it that but can see it could be mosaic so either name will do I guess.
Gorgeous colours and the daisies, well I am sure I have said before how much I like daisies. I like the way you added lace too - it sets them off perfectly.
Hope that things slow down a little for you and I really do hope that you are surrounded by happiness in your new home. A big brave move to another country but for good reasons.
Take care, stay safe and well and don't be a stranger to us. We miss your artwork.
Hugs, Neet xx

R's Rue said...

Beautiful
www.rsrue.blogspot.com

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Alison, I so love these and the backgrounds are perfect against those gorgeous daisies. The lace makes the perfect finish too. Have a lovely creative week, Angela xXx

Etsuko said...

What a lovely flower tags, the stone pavement in the background creates an atmosphere. xx

SewPaperPaint said...

Alison, I absolutely ADORE how you watercolored these die cut blossoms and could eat that background it's so yummy! Ha! I wish I had it as a backsplash tile in my kitchen!!! Always inspiring! xx, Autumn