WWC74-Marsha's Tag Theme Challenge

Another Wednesday means another challenge. This week Marsha has given us the theme of Tags. Tags are something we maybe don't think about making - until Christmas time - but there are many other occasions throughout the year when we can use a tag.

As I'm still working with limited supplies, I thought long and hard about what to do - and it took me until 10 p.m. the night before our samples were due to be struck by inspiration. And when you see how simple my design was, you will wonder why it took me so long!

This is it:

 The image is the olive branch from the Tuscan Vineyard stamp set. I used Always Artichoke and Old Olive - what else?! - markers to colour the stamp, then stamped it onto one of the designs from the awesome Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack. The photo-quality images in this collection are to die for and will add a really extra special touch to your projects.

Now, I was tempted to stamp more olive branches on this piece, but I restrained myself. It was hard to stop at one!

My Scallop Tag Punch is still packed away in a box in a pile of boxes, and at 10 at night I was not about to start digging for it. However, I did happen to have in my reach my brand new, newly arrived Lots of Labels Framelits Dies. Don't you just love that itty bitty tag? There are so many sizes in this set I can see it being used a lot.

It would have been fitting if I had used Old Olive cardstock for the base layer. But - you guessed it! - it, too, is still in a box somewhere. For some reason, I had unpacked a box with various odds and ends in it, including some of the retired Mossy Meadow cardstock. It's my opinion this colour should never have been retired - it is my all time fave green. Please bring it back Stampin' Up!

To finish my tag off, a bit of Linen Thread ties it to a piece of the new, 5/8" burlap ribbon, wrapped around the neck of the bottle.

I just have to tell you a bit about the bottle I used - and why I used it. In the town of Gibsons where I live on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada, there is an olive oil store. Really - a store that sells primarily olive oil - different oils from all over the world! Oh, and they also sell Balsamic Vinegars - so many flavours. The store is called, fittingly, the Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Company.

It is so much fun to visit. The oils are kept in big drums and there are bottles of each oil in front of the drums and little plastic cups so you can taste the oil before you buy it. They do the same thing with the vinegars. The staff is very knowledgeable about all the oils and vinegars and there are printed pamphlets with suggested pairings of oil and vinegar for dipping bread into. Yummy stuff! This particular bottle I used here contained a Greek olive oil called Koroneiki. This oil has a nice peppery after taste, which I think makes it great for both cooking and dipping bread into.

So,  here is a view of the whole bottle - I know you want to see it in all it's glory!

And there you have it - a simple tag for a tasty treat that makes a great gift.

Want to play along? It's easy - just visit the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge blog to check out all the other fun tags created by the Watercooler Artists. Make up a tag and link it up on the blog. We love to see the creative interpretations you all come up with.

WWC73 - Gail's Clean & Simple Challenge

Welcome to Watercooler Wednesday and my summer-themed Clean & Simple (CAS) Challenge!
It's almost a month since I moved. No - I'm not anywhere near to being unpacked. No - I don't have my craft room set up. But - I was able to dig out enough supplies to do my card for this Challenge. Good thing it's CAS!

One of the new stamp sets in the brand new 2016 - 2017 catalogue that caught my eye right away was the Sitting Here set. Who could resist the cute cat and that curled up napping dog? Not me! So, when we were able to place our pre-orders, I was happy to see this was one of the choices.

For my summer-themed CAS, I used the pot of flowers and the cat. Using the masking technique, I stamped the cat first onto Thick Whisper White cardstock, using Archival Basic Black ink. Also stamped the cat onto a piece of scrap paper and fussy cut her out. Next, I placed the cut out kitty on top of the kitty stamped onto the WW cardstock, inked up the flower pot and flowers stamp with Archival Basic Black and stamped it so it looks like Miss Kitty is relaxing in front of it.

Using colours from the new 2016 - 2018 InColor collection - Peekaboo Peach, Emerald Elegance and Flirty Flamingo - I coloured in the flowers and leaves using an Aqua Painter. Peekaboo Peach is a great colour for Miss Kitty, as well!

To finish off, a light colour wash of Soft Sky behind the flowers and a bit of Crumb Cake shadow by Miss Kitty complete my little summer scene. Then, because I struggle with CAS, and it seemed unfinished to me, I added some splatter from the Gold Wink of Stella pen to give it a bit of sunshine sparkle. The image panel is popped up on Dimensionals on a Peekaboo Peach card base.

 We'd love to see your interpretation of Clean & Simple Summer. Just visit the Watercooler Wednesday blog to see what the other Watercooler Artists have done, then link up your card.