Graphic 45 Children’s Hour: Sea Dreams Tag with Pocket

Hello G45’er!  I’m up on the G45 blog today with this super cute, quick and easy  Sea Dreams Tag.

I have to say, I love this Sea Dreams tag for the memories it brings to mind.  That little girl holding the sea shell to her ear makes me think of our oldest daughter when she was a girl.  We have spent many a happy hour combing the beach together, finding treasures along the way.  Now I get to have the same kind of fun by the sea with our three granddaughters.  What joy!

This Sea Dreams tag started with a Graphic 45 Staples Regular Ivory tag.  I traced around the tag onto the 8×8 July montage paper.  Then I punched a 1/2″ hole for the grommet and glued it down.  The edges were inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Paint.   Lots of inky spattering and sponging ensued!  Then I added some crisp white detail with a laser cut doily from Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

The post card from the 12×12 collective page was trimmed out, inked and spritzed.  Then I fussy cut the little girl image from an ephemera card and secured her to the tag with foam spacers.  I fussy cut flowers from the 12×12 montage and clustered them around her and added a button and some custom dyed seam binding ribbon.

I backed the postcard with some waste corrugate, then used foam dimensionals around the edges so that I could slip a little tag behind.  Why?  I don’t know…because it is fun, and I love hidden pockets and interactive elements on a project, I guess!  You can just see the shaped edge of the tag peeking out from behind the post card tag.

It’s All About the Details!

Here’s another look at the fun details.  All these shells were found on our beautiful North Carolina coast. To give my tag a real beachy feel, I sprinkled real beach sand on top of Art Institute Dries Clear Adhesive, then tapped off the excess.  I also tapped my metal fish charm with both Picket Fence and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Paint.  It’s all about the details!

Fussy Cutting Tip

And here’s a handy tip for all you fussy cutters out there.  Tiny images like the little girl and the flowers can be very hard to ink.  But I hate raw edges, so ink I must!  My secret is to flip the image upside down on my craft mat, and then very gently, while it is laying flat, I sponge all around the perimeter.  Because I hold both the image and my sponge flat, the raw edges get covered up, but the image is not spoiled.  Try it next time you need to ink up something tiny.

Here’s a look at the tag behind the scenes of this Sea Dreams tag.  You could easily mount a small photo, or write a note on the back.  I have this tag on my desk right now, and it makes me smile every time I look at it!

I hope I shared some ideas here that you’ll be able to incorporate in your own crafting adventures.  A simple tag like this beauty is a great way to capture a memory, isn’t it?

Thanks for stopping by.  Now, go get your craft on!

Cheerio,

kathy

Products Used:

(Note:  With the exception of the Laser Cut doily, I purchased most of  these supplies from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.)