Distressed Tag Journal

Materials:

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Iinks
Ranger mini brayer
Ranger bone folder
Ranger nonstick craft sheet
American Tag manila tags
Clover craft iron
Flights of Fancy Boutique fibers
JudiKins color duster
glue stick
black and& white photoslab
photo corners
medium-grit sandpaper
spray bottle of water
iron pad
wood ruler (cut to size and drilled)
nuts and bolts
card stock
label maker
drill with 1/4" bit
saw

1. To distress tags: Crumple them up in your hand. Be sure to break the surface tension with your fingers first to avoid tearing the tags (figure A).

2. Slightly smooth out tags and rub Distress Inks directly on both sides of the tags (figure B). Spray HEAVILY with water. These inks are specially formulated to travel across the surface of the paper and hold their color value.

3. Place inked tags on nonstick craft sheet and iron both sides to dry ink (figure C). Note: You can also heat tags with a heat tool to dry.

4. To distress photos: Brayer lightest color of Distress Ink first on black and white photo (you can use inkjet, toner, regular or color copies of photos for this project). Add additional darker colors to edges and blend with color duster. These inks are formulated to blend on slick surfaces.

5. Lightly sand edges of photo with sandpaper (figure D).

6. To assemble the tag journal: Cut two pieces of a wood ruler to fit the width of the tags (figure E). Drill two 1/4-inch holes into the ruler (these will be to secure the nuts and bolts).

7. Distress ruler with the inks as well using a color duster.

8. Score all tags for the journal by lining up the ruler on the edge of the tag and score with a bone folder (figure F). This will allow your journal to open and close easier.

9. Mark drilled holes from ruler on each tag to punch, and punch holes in tags (figure G).

10. Begin assembling the journal by placing a bolt through both holes in one ruler (figure H).

11. Slide tags on bolts though punched holes (figure I). Repeat for all tags.

12. Place other ruler piece over top and screw nuts on bolts and tighten (figure J).

13. Add photos and embellishments to tag journal (figures K and L).

14. For journaling: Remove tape from manual label maker. Cut card stock to 3/8-inch strips and feed into label maker. Emboss card stock with each photo description using label maker.

15. Rub distress inks on embossed pieces with color duster to enhance words (figure M).

16. Tie fibers on to each end of the tags.