Hello friends! Ericka from Strangely Creative here, and today I'm sharing two mixed media tags that came together completely by accident.
Some of my favorite projects don't begin with a plan. They begin with leftover paint, scraps on my desk, and a little curiosity about what might happen if I simply started layering.
These tags are the perfect reminder that creativity doesn't always start with brand-new supplies. Sometimes it starts with the pieces we almost throw away.
🎨 Saving Every Drop of Color
The inspiration for these tags actually started while I was playing with my Lindy's Gang Victorian Garden Sprays on watercolor paper. As I was spraying my background, I realized I had applied a little more color than I needed. Instead of letting those beautiful pigments go to waste, I grabbed a couple of blank tags and used them to soak up the extra ink.
It's one of my favorite stash-saving tricks. Not only do you avoid wasting product, but you also end up with beautifully unique backgrounds ready for another project.
Once the tags dried, I loved the soft blends and organic movement of the colors so much that I decided they deserved to become finished pieces.
📖 Adding Layers of Story
Next, I reached into my stash for some old book pages that I had previously painted with watercolor and sealed with melted wax. The wax gives the paper a wonderfully soft, semi-translucent look that adds incredible depth when layered.
Rather than cutting the pages neatly, I tore them into random pieces and adhered them to the tags. Torn edges always feel a little more organic and help the layers blend naturally into one another.
✨ Creating Texture with Simple Supplies
One of the things I love most about mixed media is that almost anything can become a mark-making tool. For these tags, I grabbed bottles of black and gold acrylic paint fitted with precision tips and simply started drawing loose, playful squiggles across the surface.
There was no pattern to follow and no right or wrong way to do it. Those imperfect lines became another layer of texture that helped tie the collage together while adding movement across the tags. Sometimes the simplest marks are the ones that make a project feel finished.
🌸 Finishing Touches
To complete the tags, I added the beautiful AALL & Create Anemone Whispers florals along with sentiments from the AALL & Create Motivation Station collection.
Those final elements brought everything together while still allowing all of the layered textures to shine.
Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope this inspires you to embrace the unexpected, save those colorful leftovers, and spend a little time simply playing in your craft room this weekend.
Happy creating! 💛🎨
Topflight Stamp Supplies
AALL & Create - 92 - Anemone Whispers
Shop at:
TP |
AALL & Create - Motivation Station
Shop at:
TP |
Lindy's Gang - Victorian Bouquet Shimmer
Shop at:
Lindys | TP |
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