Up, Up and Away

Happy Friday, my crafty friends!  Today I have a tag project to share with you showcasing both Altered Pages and Leaky Shed items.  The two companies are partnering in July to bring you some fun and exciting projects.  My project uses two Altered Pages collage sheets, ephemera and art supplies and this wonderful Leaky Shed chipboard balloon.

Begin by finding a piece of mica large enough to fit inside the balloon shape.  Place the balloon face down on the sheet of mica and trace around the outside edge of the balloon with your craft knife. 

You can decide later if you want to separate the sheets of rock or leave it whole.  Separating them will make for a lighter color rock and is a good idea if you really want the background to show through.  Set the mica aside.

Apply the ink to the balloon directly from the pad.  If you are using pigment ink, you may want to either heat set or heat emboss.  I used a different color for the basket part of the balloon before embossing.  I really wanted a shine on it so I sprayed an even coating of clear texture spray over the entire piece and let it dry.  After that, I adhered the mica to the backside and used a gold paint marker to add some detail to the basket of the balloon.

To create the tag itself, I used the middle image on the Fly With Steam collage sheet.  I didn’t want to have the balloon in the image get lost behind the chipboard so I cut the collage piece in three sections and pieced the words together for the background.  I fussy cut the balloon and glued it to the bottom corner.

Ink was sponged around the outside of the tag and around the balloon.  Strips of German scrap border were attached on three sides.  I used a ticket stamp from my stash for another collage element.   Once those pieces were together I sprayed the tag with bronze colored texture spray.  I also sprayed a flower I found in my ribbon drawer. 

The word “BALLOONS” is from the Steampunked Machines collage sheet and has a touch of the same ink on it as the tag.  The blue ink from the balloon was added to the torn edges.  A few Dew Drops and some fibers from my embellishment collection finishes it off.  And as the Fifth Dimension sings, “Up, up and away in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!

See you next time!!  If you're looking for more fun and inspiration, be sure to check out both the Altered Pages and Leaky Shed Studio blogs.  And while you're at it, check out Robin's Birdhouse, too!!