A Reason to Smile!

We don't always have enough room on layouts for lots of journalling or sometimes we just want to keep it private, so here is a "pretty" journalling pocket for your layouts, 

or perhaps even for a card when giving money. 

Take one Inkessentials Manilla Tag #8 and cover with Mustard Seed Distress Stain then scrunch up  while wet, then let dry or cheat by using a heat gun.  

Lay flat and wipe lightly with Old Paper Distress Ink using the ink pad directly onto the tag, so it only picks up the raised scrunch up parts.  Ink edges also with Old Paper

Now fold tag as photo shows

Open tag back up, and cut and tape as the photo shows.  Remove tape and seal sides

Wipe some Buttercream Baker's Twine with Old Paper Distress Ink.  

Now at this point I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the twine, it just seemed like a good idea to use some and blend ink on it to tone down the white in the twine.  LOL

So after inking it I moved it to the side

and what do you know .... I liked the look of how it lay - so a new idea came to my head

(thank goodness because really at this point I had no idea what I was doing, firstly I started off making a tag, next minute it's a journaling pocket, hence why the first photo shows the whole tag being inked!)

 

So after a lightbulb moment ...

I got myself a Twiddleybitz Vintage Inscribed Chipboard key (they come in a pack of 4, and you may remember I used one my gold and black clipboard photo frame, blogged a few days ago)

and covered the key with Mustard Seed Distress Stain, 

when dry wipe with Old Paper Distress Ink, then using my finger wiped over Inka Gold in random areas 

 

then pop the twine onto the key that lay on my mat!

ta da 

LOVE IT!!

oh and added a yellow 1cm rose, with an antique bronze heart locket charm that I lightly wiped with Inka Gold

 

Now I was stuck again, (I swear I started this tag 2 weeks ago!)

I found a yellow glitter brad but didn't want to make a big deal of "sealing" the pocket 

heck after coming up with my pretty bit of twine I wasn't taking anything away from it!

So I pierced a hole below the flap for my brad and added an Antique Bronze Arrow.  

So you slide it down when opening your pocket.

lastly, a Tim Holtz Idea-ology Reinforcer over the tag "hole"

and a quick touch all over "lightly" with Inka Gold

You can do this part before sealing the sides, as previous step, but remembering I didn't know what I was actually making during this whole process (this is usually how I scrap!)

Now I am one happy scrapper with one pretty little pocket!

okay so I was on a roll and nothing was stopping me,
 so while I had the Inkssentials Manialla Tag #8 out, I made this:

I applied in a row Salty Ocean Distress Stain, Weathered Wood then Mustard Seed Distress Paint and spritz it with water to my tag

(love spritzing the distress range with water, gives it such a different finish)

When it was dry I ran it through my cuttlebug using the Rays Embossing Folder (damm SO sorry, if anyone wants one let me know and I will order more in)

Then with my ink blending tool, I blended Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges

Next I got some white ric rac and coloured it with Salty Ocean Distress Stain, or you could use Salty Ocean Distress Ink or Distress Paint.  Either way you will get a cool result to match your project!

See the photo, the left hand side is spritz with water and dabbed with a tissue and the right is left untouched.  See the difference?

I discreetly, stapled the yellow ric rac and the blue ric rac to the end of the tag and added one of the Limited Edition Yellow Charming Floral, with Blue Lillies and adhered with Dimensional Magic.

The title "smile" letters are Jewelry Box Chipboard Metallic Gold that has had a random wipe with Inka Gold Cobalt Blue.  Our Made with a Smile sun charm has been painted with Mustard Seed Distress Paint.

Added some Tim Holtz Chitchat stickers to finish it off (like Jen used yesterday on her Imagine Card)

Sometimes I like to send a Birthday Tag, instead of a card, but this tag could be used for most occasions or a "just because" I wanted to send you a tag!