MAY TAG; The 12 Tags of 2015...

          The end of May is already here, and so is the HOT weather...YA-HOOooo!! I've had my May Tag done since the 2nd week of the month, but just gotten behind on blogposts. In fact, I've gotten tons more crafts done in the past month while running in and out of the house (opening the pool, resume mowing, trimming, planting flowers, helping get the boat ready for re-launch *mostly by my nagging about it as the fish jumping in the lake are truly bothering me*,  hunting for and finding the yearly shrooms, and even a camping trip done last weekend), but neglected to sit down and type it all out. The photos are all done and ready, and that's about as far as ye ole body wanted to go. Seems I've aquired yet another URI that's on Round #2 of antibiotics, and has yet to leave me alone. So while I've kept up in the physical part; once I'm in chair or bed....I'm REALLY down for the time. BudderCup has taken over my desktop chair and is totally in love with the firemen covering the seat. That blonde girl doesn't take well to sharing.

           So, here we go... This one was made just for myself. I actually couldn't think of anyone else at the moment that I haven't already made one for lately. The event I'd gotten my idea from was already over, so this one became one of those "just The Chief-n-me" tags. I actually did a couple of tags somewhat like this before, and even took a couple of separate item ideas from those. (The cards came from my 12 Tags of 2013, FEBRUARY Tag winner; and the actual 'games' idea came from The 12 Tags of 2014, JUNE Tag...both can be found on previous posts within my blog under those Labels.) So while this was a mix, the photo set from the event is actually just taken 2 weekends ago at one of the ChickSista's oldest son's wedding. The couple hired a "Props & Fun Photo Booth" like our own Ygr Purdue couple hired for their own wedding in 2013. The difference was this "Booth" was more like the old-timey Woolworth's Five&Dime booth where we'd mash as many friends as we could into the booth, act silly and feed quarters into it for a set of 3 printed photos. (Our Ygr Purdue couple's company took the photos and put them onto a site which you downloaded and did whatever you wanted, but you didn't get a printout; whereas this one gave as many printouts as needed for each person in the photo to have a set. But- you had to scan it yourself to get it onto your printer....or do a photo of the photo. Bad drawback on both but BOTH were TONS of FUN either way!! And, I wish we'd done this kind of thing at our own wedding, but back then....during covered wagon days.... *hut-hum!* Whatever.

          

        The first set was actually taken 2nd. And the one with myself as a Little Devil was the first set. It was during that first set with the Mom of the Groom (and her Best Friend between us) where I first saw the King's Crown hat and the Jester.... I took off after the ChickSistas all together to grab the ChiefHubby...and well,... there ya go. Everyone copied with their Hubbys, too. Only, lol, their Hubbys all seemed to look to me as if they were doing the King in that "Margarine or Butter" commercial of the '70s. David picked his own card out and so did I- without looking at each other's! That's how it came out just PERFECTLY US!! 

  Tim used only part of his tag with the medium, while I kept on going for whatever reason. I was just sort of practicing and finding that it was MUCH easier to do than I had previously done, and started having fun with the look I was getting. Since I'd already chosen to make our photos black/white, I figured on leaving the numbers as plain white. I really LOVE that background of burlap!!! Then it got me thinking about 'color' because Tim had colorized his photo and I didn't want to do that with the booth set I had of us. So my choice was go the opposite way; make the games into the color. That set me thinking of what the backside would look like, and I chose to keep the 'fun' theme and use the color on the backside as well. You can see from the above right- I was finally going with a celebration folder instead of the planned BINGO emboss. 



This is what - or WHO- finally ended up on the backside; The ULTIMATE PAR-TAY ANIMAL; Mickey Mouse, himself !! I simply embossed, then used my Distress Inks and their coordinating Blending Tools to blend color over it, embossed another area, and added another color, and kept repeating it over the entire backside. Since MM was last in his par-tay mode totally; he was easiest to do.




Here, you get a view of the rick-rack-tied saying "2 MUCH FUN TOGETHER" which is usually the story when The ChiefHubby and I are together. We DO have our moments now and then when we engage in what I call "Marriage Assessments" where we have to restrain each other from throttling the other's throat occassionally. Thankfully, we also know how to "kiss and make up" with alooooooootta emphasis on the 'kiss' part. ;)   A tiny stamp of the game wheel -which I colored with Distress Markers- and added with a long fasterner to an IdeaOlogy Spinner points to my card saying "I Like This!"




Here, you can see the Scrabble game pieces (yes- out of our REALLY OLD real game set!)... an old BINGO card and the IdeaOlogy number 2 GamePiece with it, a white heart charm with a small bit of hemp twine tied around it... the checkers I punched with a heart-shaped puncher and p[ut onto a printed out checkerboard that I put toghether by 'copy&paste'ing several of one photo to get what I wanted, and a set of King and Queen chess pieces. (I may be The Chief's Queen, but I mostly love being a JESTER...lol!) ... Then I also added a King's crown charm along with a fleur-di-lies to even it out... one copy of the tickets I made for the wedding couple that say "ADMIT ONE HAPPY COUPLE" but changed it a bit to match us....and the King of Hearts and Queen of Diamonds cards with us as the players; The cards are the same set that I used on my winning entry from FEBRUARY 2013 TAG; just miniturized. My brother is a professional artist and he drew them for our wedding gift and stuck them into a frame. I got them out about 10 yrs ago and scanned them and have been enjoying them in so many more ways than just on our wall!!! Thank You, bigbro Gordy, and we LOVE YOU!!!



           

 

           So, yeah, mine kinda went way outta the box here. But, I think Tim's all for it! I actually LOVE the way his tastes run into the way OLD STUFF!! I'll take it over 'new' and esp what they call 'contemporary' (and I tend to think of as 'contempted') ...yeeelch!! While other people call it 'junk' but we think of it as "VERY cool stuff" indeed!! The only thing that keeps me from adding to more in my own home is this one single-minded thought; "Do I really wanna have to DUST that, too??" and I can generally put it back down. But, let's just admit that if you drop me off at a flea market, antique shop, or festival of craft booths....it's pretty much the same thing as handing me The Chief's wallet and dropping me off at Hobby Lobby (my family calls that "Mother's Black Hole in space") where I can happily disappear for DAYS on end. I've even got one of those carts on wheels for such adventures. I'll occassionally come up for air...and maybe coffee or food. MAYBE.

I hope you've enjoyed this little Adventure as much as I did, while I am sorry it is always seeming to be late these days. Oh well. The only thing I can tell ya is; GET. USED. 2. IT.   ;)

          THANKS for stopping in, and THANKS SO MUCH for any comments- I really get to know my fellow Crafters when they comment on what they liked or didn't like, and what they would use for an idea or change if it were theirs. It's really COOL to make such WONDERFUL and TALENTED friends who happen to love the very same things!

Be safe, GOD Bless, and HAPPY BLOGGING! 

Compendium Of Curiosities Challenge #28....For the Older Son...

  Time to submit another CCC3 Challenge, when I missed just posting the last one (and still have yet to make the post so you can see not only the entry I'd made, but the event that brought it about). When this new Challenge #28 came up, I already knew it would be about our Older Son, Brian. I'd done a Tag for each of the kids' birthdays this year, and while they're not all that 'hot' on Mom's craft junk....I just wanted them to know that while they are moved away now, they are all still very much on Mom's mind and close by in her heart!! Since Brian is the "Big Teddy Bear", and was even called that by one of his Elementary Teachers, it wasn't hard to figure out what to do for this tag. Brian had gotten a motorcycle a couple years back, and he and I both have been watching "Sons of Anarchy" through the last season- Brian catching up on Netflix while I was catching the last season on TV casts and going back on Netflix.



    Now, right away, I've probably lost a few readers- who are thinking "*gasp!* She's CHRISTIAN and she's watching that filthy show!!!" But, let me just say that while I don't condone TONS of 'crap' that comes out of that TV (and ours is almost always set on MeTV for all oldies- esp "EMERGENCY!" for that very reason)...we CHRISTians live in this world and have to pick and choose what we see, hear, and say. So when I am watching& reading (Closed Caption), I am doing the very same thing- fastforwarding, eliminating, or ignoring. But, the STORYLINE not only is GENIUS WRITING, but it also happens to be TRUE. The story itself is of a true "motorcycle club" where events written in really DID take place. So while I am not going to defend any of it....You are free to choose not to finish this post. 

    The fact is: the character of "Jax Teller" reminds me very much of our older Son, Brian. Not just because he has a motorcycle...that's really beside the point. :) And his Dad (ChiefHubby) and I used to have one also. We actually sold ours after we found out Brian was on the way; can't fit a car seat on a 2-wheeled ride. So when Brian got his, we crept over to his house and stole it for a day of riding out in the next county around the lake where we spent our dating years. lol! Anyway....

Brian does have the same inner softness and outer harshness of SOA character Jax. And they DO look alike, too. (Cute! If I may say so as a Mom...hehe!) And Brian also is a very smart kid, having graduated with Honors from HS and gone through most of a Fire Science Degree from Ivy Tech. He's had alot of bumps along the way, but he's bounded back pretty darned well. He works in the same place (Subaru of Indiana Automotive) as his Dad for a year now, after putting in 5 years as a cook at Bob Evan's Restaurant. He moved out on his own in March just before he turned 19 in 2008. So he's not had all the same kind of support that he would have had if he'd lived on a college campus. And, we've always tried to 'brainwash' (as the kids all call it, until they have their own kids when they will finally agree it's really called 'GUIDANCE') both our kids to help them find their way easier than we did. Brian put in 7 yrs on Georgetown Vol Fire Dept where he was serving as Captain upon his moving out of the district and having to turn back in his gear. Whether he goes on to serve more as a FF or not, we are still VERY proud of him!! And if either of our boys chose to be 'nothing' as far as having some kind of "professional carreer" goes....as long as they are healthy, happy, and working hard at being good providers, loving husbands, and great fathers to their own children (WHEN they are all ready to GIVE US SOME GRANDS...hut-hum!)...I don't think there is anything better we could ask for in this earthly life. As for Spiritual- that's up to THEM. Each of them will make their own choice the same way WE did. (But, this Mom keeps the prayer line open ALL the time to The LORD for them all, just the same!)

      So here is my entry for Challenge #28....one for our Older Son, Brian, and a more feminine-touch for myself. I think the kids will be kind of shocked that Mom went out of her box a little on this one entirely- I really DON'T like leather (except boots, riding chaps, or anything to do with riding and horses, etc. ) and much less black leather. And the rose tatoo is waaaaay out for me. But Katey Sagal has one, soooo..... :)





The 'leather' is really grungepaper, paited and then coated. But it sure FELT like REAL LEATHER!!!



I chose to emboss all the techniqued items. And made some tire tracks that look like skids on the road!





Closeup from topside.





Here, you can see how the layers really add dimension!









Brian and his beautiful & talented Navy Gurl...Ashley !!







 

    Don't forget that there are prizes involved here....aside from already having the FUN of making these for others!! Prizes are sponsored by: The Funkie Junkie Boutique (of the very talented Linda Ledbetter),

The Inspiration Emporium , and the wonderfully steampunkily-talented Tim Holtz (with the help of BTS helper & all-around-great guy, Mario Rossi) !!

                  Thanks for checking in once again, and for the SWEET comments !!!
                     Have a safe and Happy MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!!
                                                       And Happy Blogging!