This week’s tag features a dreamy watercolor background and layered details for added depth.
This week’s tag features a fun stenciling technique using watercolor paints that gently lifts the pattern from the surface rather than layering color on top. The result is a beautifully soft, almost dreamy background that has a look all its own. Unlike traditional stenciling methods that add bold texture or color, this technique creates subtle movement and visual interest while still keeping the design light and airy. It’s a wonderful way to add depth without overpowering your project, making it perfect for tags, cards, and mixed-media creations.
Video Tutorial:
Here is the finished tag with the ephemera pieces layered over the watercolor background. The watercolor technique creates a visually active base that beautifully echoes the imagery in the sentiment panel. The white border around the sentiment helps ground the design and gives the focal point a clean, finished look while allowing the background to remain soft and expressive.
Colorful circles and Sharpie paint marker layers give this week’s tag a millefiori glass–inspired look.
This week’s tag features playful, colorful circles and layered decorations drawn with Sharpie paint markers. The finished design has a look reminiscent of millefiori glass. I added bakers twine from the Dollar Tree to the top of the tag.
While metallic details can be difficult to capture in photos; they do show better in the video below, this close-up shows some of the hand-drawn details.
Video Tutorial:
There’s something calming about this drawing technique—simply sitting down and creating shapes without a plan or expectation can be wonderfully therapeutic.
Suggested Materials:
Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
See how expanding mousse adds texture and color to your papercrafts.
For this week’s Tag it Tuesday tutorial, I experimented with expanding mousse — applying it through a stencil to create textured dimension. When heat is applied, the mousse puffs up beautifully, adding an instant 3D effect to the tag!
I started creating a background with ink smooshing and then applying the expanding mousse.
After I had the background i needed to find additional materials that worked with the color and texture. I chose string, a brad, and an embossed sentiment.
Video Tutorial:
Suggested Materials:
Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
Get ready for Thanksgiving crafting with this free printable Thanksgiving clip art set.
Get ready for Thanksgiving crafting with this free printable clip art set—perfect for cards, tags, banners, scrapbooking, and journal pages. Just download, print, and cut to add cozy fall vibes to all your holiday projects.
My go-to printer brand for years has been HP. I also use their ink supply service where I pay a monthly fee and they send me ink cartridges as needed. It comes out to be a lot less money this way and I don’t have to keep track because they do all the tracking for me. The HP Envy Inspire is a great-priced machine that will produce beautiful prints.
If you are looking for a great crafting-weight paper for printables, I have been using HP Project Paper. It is heavier than copier paper but not quite as heavy as cardstock. It is a great medium weight for layering, folding, and more!
Create with clearance American Craft finds from Ollie’s. You don’t need a lot of time or expensive materials to make something special!
Today I’m sharing how to make a quick and easy birthday tag using some fun clearance finds from American Craftsthat I recently picked up at Ollie’s. The unique edge detail on the cardstock paper immediately caught my eye — and it became the inspiration for both the color palette and design elements in this cheerful tag project.
Most of the items I used for this tag came from my recent Ollie’s haul, and the pink sequins were a fun find from a Spellbinders advent calendar. With just a few extra tools — like tweezers, scissors, and glue — this project came together in no time! It’s the perfect example of how you can mix clearance finds and leftover embellishments to create something bright, festive, and totally unique.
Video Tutorial:
Suggested Materials:
Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
In the close-up image, you can really see the beautiful effect of the foil stamping on the cardstock. The subtle aging around the edges adds a soft, vintage touch, while the sequins perfectly match the paper’s color tones, tying the whole design together with just the right amount of shimmer.
This quick and easy birthday tag came together beautifully — proof that you don’t need a lot of time or expensive supplies to make something special. By mixing clearance finds, repurposed embellishments, and a little creative inspiration, you can craft unique designs that feel both personal and polished. Don’t be afraid to experiment with color, texture, and small details — sometimes it’s those finishing touches that make your project shine.
How to get a smooth ink application on an embossed image.
This week’s tag shares a quick tutorial on how to achieve a smooth, even ink application over your embossed images. Learn tips for avoiding unwanted smears to get a polished, professional finish every time. Perfect for card making, journaling, and mixed-media projects!
A collection of materials I used to create this week’s tag.
After using a heat tool to dry the ink, I noticed the white ink took on a soft pink tint. This subtle color shift can happen when residual pigment from previous layers or the cardstock tone interacts with the heat. In this case, it added a warm, unexpected hue that gave the embossed area a beautiful, blended effect.
Video Tutorial:
Suggested Materials:
Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
Going for a sky-inspired look, I blended Gelatos to create a soft, dreamy background. To add depth, I layered on some dimensional cloud shapes that really make the scene pop. I finished the tag with a touch of coordinating ribbon, pulling everything together beautifully. The result is a tag that truly captures the feeling of a dream floating across the sky.
The image above show some of the materials I used. I was inspired by the visible image stamp.
Here you can see the detail of the clouds, their texture and drawn elements along with the gelatos blending.
Video Tutorial:
Suggested Materials:
Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
Try this stunning watercolor resist technique! Heat emboss your design, add watercolors, and watch the magic happen. Perfect for tags, cards, and more!
This week’s tag features a resist technique created with Tambi Gansi watercolors and a heat-embossed stamped image. The vibrant colors flow beautifully around the embossed design, creating striking contrast. While I used Tambi Gansi paints, this technique works well with any watercolor paints—making it versatile and easy to adapt to what you already have in your craft stash.
After I was satisfied with the resist effect, I added a touch of spray splatters in metallic silver and purple. The shimmer from the metallic colors catches the light beautifully, adding both texture and dimension to the tag. These splatters not only enhance the watercolor background but also bring in a festive, eye-catching sparkle that ties the whole design together.
To finish the tag, I added a sheer purple ribbon through the top, which complements the metallic splatters and watercolor tones. For balance, I also included a design element at the bottom of the tag to help ground the overall composition, giving it a more polished and complete look.
The close-up image above highlights how the watercolor naturally settled into the textured spaces of the heat-embossed image. This creates depth and dimension, making the resist design stand out beautifully against the colorful background.
Video Tutorial:
Suggested Materials:
Links are Affiliates AZ – Amazon, SSS – Simon Says Stamps, SB – Scrapbook, O – Other
Papercraft with this free set of blue parts to print and cut.
Enjoy this lovely collection of blue items for your paper crafting projects. Download the free PDF, print it, and trim the pieces to add to your creations.
My go-to printer brand for years has been HP. I also use their ink supply service where I pay a monthly fee and they send me ink cartridges as needed. It comes out to be a lot less money this way and I don’t have to keep track because they do all the tracking for me. The HP Envy Inspire is a great-priced machine that will produce beautiful prints.
If you are looking for a great crafting-weight paper for printables, I have been using HP Project Paper. It is heavier than copier paper but not quite as heavy as cardstock. It is a great medium weight for layering, folding, and more!
