As soon as I saw the Eileen Hull Faux Postage die, I knew I wanted to create my own set of watercolor "stamps." But this girlie is more of a tag and mini album girl so I wanted to highlight them in a little mini album of small tags. 

I was recently inspired by another Sizzix Creative Design Team member, Tehri Koskinen who made a rainbow layout with some wax seals she had created. And I thought how perfect would that be with these Faux Postage dies! And of course her stacks of monochromatic embellishments spoke to my monochromatic loving heart. It really is a stunning scrapbook layout, so make sure you go follow her and give her some love on that post if you haven't already!

I chose 6 cardstock colors from the classic Assorted Surfacez cardstock pack and for each one, I created a little tag using my Scoring Board and Trimmer tool. 

Then I set to work die cutting. There was a lot for this project! I die cut flowers from each the 6 colors of the tags, plus the greenery from one of the minty greens from that same cardstock pack. I also die cut a banner from the Vintage Tags and Banners die for each tag. 

And of course I die cut the Faux Postage die from some Smooth White Cardstock. I used my large Tim Holtz shears to cut them apart. 

Then I set about inking my dies and assembling them. I chose a coordinating Distress Oxide for each color of cardstock used. I inked some of the layers of the dies up using these colors over the coordinating cardstock. (Pro Tip: Use a low-tack craft mat to hold your little dies in place while inking them up.) I then used Express Glue to glue all of the layers together and also inked the edges of all the banners. 

Next I stamped up my Faux Postage dies. I used my Stencil and Stamp tool, Distress Archival Ink and a bunch of Tim Holtz stamps to decorate these dies. 

I wanted a little sentiment for each so I also stamped some of the Good Vibes #3 stamps using the same coordinating Distress Oxide Inks on the Smooth White Cardstock. Then I cut these out with my scissors. 

To add color to the stamped images on the Faux Postage dies, I used coordinating Distress Inks. I smooshed a little ink onto my craft mat, then used water and a watercolor brush to add a bit of color to each image. 

Finally, I created the wax seals. I used several different stamps, including a flat blank that I used to press foil flakes into. For the stamps with text or images, I used some metallic markers to highlight them. 

All that was left was to assemble all of my dies and embellishments. I used a ton (and I mean a ton) of foam adhesive. I really wanted there to be a lot of dimension on these tags!

I wanted to add a little splatter effect, so I pulled out my Multimedia Mat and mixed some of the Creamy White Paint with some water. I loaded up a brush and tapped it over each card after covering the little sentiment up with a strip of paper to shield it. 

If you've been following me for a while, you know that for me, no project is complete without a bit of bling. So I added some color coordinating gems to each tag. 

Once the tags were on a binder ring, I felt something was missing. So I added some purple ribbon. But that still wasn't enough. I decided I needed some charms. I added a tassel and some globe charms and a beaded charm. But I thought it would be nice to have a charm that was similar to the color of each tag. 

I pulled out my clear shrink plastic and die cut some shapes from it. I colored the teacup blue, the flower purple, the tag yellow and the butterfly coral using Copic markers. I spritzed the butterfly with a little alcohol so that it would create a spotted effect.

Then I used my Shrink Plastic Tools and Heat Tool to shrink the dies down. I added jump rings and added them to the cluster of charms. 

I hope that you loved this project and that it inspires you to create something pretty with the Faux Postage die designed by Eileen Hull for Sizzix! Until next time, happy crafting!

Adrienne

Shop the Supplies:

Scrapbook.com, Sizzix & Spellbinders

I am an affiliate with Scrapbook.com, Sizzix and Spellbinders. When you shop the links below, I receive a small commission from the affiliate, at no additional cost to you. This helps me balance the costs of the time and love I put into my projects and blog so I can continue to share my ideas with you for FREE. If you shop the links, thank you! I greatly appreciate it.

Below are the main products that I used for this project. For a more extensive supply list, visit my Scrapbook.com Gallery.