Extreme Elements Gift Tag

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Some Days It Takes Awhile To Get Started

I'm writing this post at night after a day of spending time doing who knows what in the craft room!  It seemed that by noon I had written a few thank you notes, taken Buddy for a walk, and had breakfast.  Not what I would call a particularly productive morning.  I felt a bit like Michael's car - it's a diesel and you have to turn the key part way and wait for this little light to go off before turning the key fully.  You have to let something in the engine warm up before just starting the thing.  Well, I was that engine today - I just had a hard time getting started.  The afternoon went a bit better - I got down to the business of creating (and watching Law & Order in the background...not sure that this helps with my creative energy, but I sure do seem addicted to the old episodes!).  Once I started creating, time seemed to move differently and I felt like my time was being well-spent - like my engine was humming.  I guess it's just another reminder that some days it takes awhile to get started, but once you do, you'll be warmed up to head in the exact right direction for yourself :) 
Can you tell that I'm on a bit of a tag kick right now?! :)  I've really been enjoying a break from traditional cards and playing around with techniques and lots of ink on the tags!  This tag started out as a vintage vanilla tag.  It then got sprayed, stenciled, and sprayed some more with various colors of ink (Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, one of the brown colors - I can't remember which, and So Saffron).  Next I did a bit of stamping using the Extreme Elements stamp set.  First the small dots with Early Espresso ink and then the large "splat" with VersaMark and then gold embossing powder (heat embossed).  I then stenciled a few additional circles using champagne shimmer mist paint.  I die cut a piece of chipboard using the Top Note die (just a small piece of chipboard placed strategically on the die before running it through the Big Shot).  The chipboard was stamped with a greeting from Afterthoughts (retired) and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  I then stenciled with champagne shimmer mist paint and sponged the edges before gluing the chipboard to the tag.  I punched a piece of watercolor paper with the designer label punch and then cut it and sponged the edges.  I added a few eyelets with the crop-a-dile before adding the pieces to the tag with glue.  A few pieces of fiber were added to the tag for a bit more shimmer.  I hope you like it!!! :)