Layering collage pieces...

Hey friends, I'm back today with a fun post. Yesterday the family went to town for Jordan's guitar lesson and they come home with groceries and a Sonic Diet Coke for me and an afternoon movie. My back had been killing me from laying down so much so I sat in my Artsy Studio chair and crafted while we watched the movie. I strategically positioned my table so that I can see right into the big screen tv.

I receive oodles of comments from readers saying, "Mish, you make it look so easy....like everything on your projects just fall into place." Well, I am blessed with a crafty knack but there is a method to the madness too. I think you'll love today's post because I broke a project down into photographed steps as to how I created some adorable collage gift tags.

The delightfully talented Tara Anderson is the queen of putting together collaged tags. I get a ton of inspiration from her. Check out this post where Tara put together some gift bags filled with candles. Tara has a type of cancer (or pre-cancer) and will be having a hysterectomy soon. She's being super prepared and is making gift bags for friends and family who bring over meals, etc. What a great idea and super thoughtful. I think we could all live by that example to do more to show our appreciation for others.

So taking Tara's lead, I created some little gift bags with tags to have on hand. I have a wire basket that I keep my little sacks like this and a few gifts like card sets, notebooks, candles, jars of jellies, etc. It makes it so easy to give someone a last minute gift. A set of sacks and tags like this would also make great gifts. Just type up a little note so that the recipient will know the intention of the gift bags and tags.

So on to my tags. I created four tags that instantly look Halloween-y, but could be used for Fall in general because I didn't actually use Halloween themed accents....just the color suggestions.The tags clip onto small paper sacks with some Wrinkle Ribbon and a tiny clothespin.
Always so fun to see the goodies spread out in a creative mess, don't you think?
Here's my process that I used for my collage tags. It's easier than you think....but remember that you need to have a stash of goodies on hand at all times. Pre-made embellishments along with your own hand crafted goodies are a good thing. I started out by collecting some of my Orange Parcel Tags and Orange Soda Carnival Tickets. These are staples in my stash that I reach for all the time.
Next, I chose some polka dot paper from Papertrey, some scraps of orange floral paper from October Afternoon and some paper doilies from the Martha Stewart line at Michael's. The fun colors give a hint of Halloween but don't have to be for Halloween at all.
Next up I gathered up some orange and white baker's twine, some orange Japanese masking tape (found online) and some Peach Cobbler Wrinkle Ribbon that can be found in this pastel bundle. Again, it's all about having a stash of goodies on hand when you need them...not when you want to create something and have nuthin' good on hand. I'm totally giving you permission to shop....you can thank me later. ;)
Then I picked out some embellishments that will finish off my tags. Like icing on the cake. And notice how the goodies get smaller as I went down the list. The tiniest of items are the finishing touch most of the time. Here, I used some lacey ribbon accents that I picked up at Michael's (from Jolee's line I believe), some Vintage Buttons from Papertrey in black and white, and some punched frond leaves from some scraps of the Smokey Shadow PTI paper. Remember that punches are making a come back. Sometimes just the simplest little leaf punch can add that perfecto finishing touch to a project.
Now it's time to assemble all the goodies, my favorite part. Starting with the orange tags as the base I just started layering on patterned paper....notice how I added more scalloped punches to the bottom of the tags....gives the tags a whole new look. Then I added a half a doily, and a carnival ticket. Stitching on the tags in my back and forth messy stitch style adds a lot of interest and texture. To my surprise, Jordan had switched my white thread to black...perfect for my tags. I then added a torn snippet of the Japanese masking tape.

When layering papers and flat items, it's all about what looks pleasing to the eye. Not too little, not too much.
Then, just fill in the spots with your 3-D embellishments. I tied my buttons with the orange and white baker's twine and added the punched frond leaf behind. The pretty little bow accents are stuck on last. I tied on the Wrinkle Ribbon last.
Oh, these are so cute! I store the tags with the sacks flat, using the miniature clothespins to keep them all together.
So easy to make but what pretty tags and sacks I'll have when I need a last minute gift. Inside, I can put candles, a few baked treats, some stamped cards with coordinating envelopes, some crafty goodness for a stamping friends, gift cards, candies, etc.
I hope I leave you feeling inspired and with an "I can do it" attitude. Off to read for a little while and rest. Chef Woody's pancakes have given me a full belly!