Layers of ink: Snowman Mixed Media Tag

Hi friends! The snow came and went again and the past days have been grey and rainy. But when we did have snow last weekend, my youngest built a very cute snowman, which inspired this tag.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Layers of ink - Snowmen Mixed Media Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

The snowman that he built wore one of my old hats, which gave me the idea to create our little family as a snowman family. I had such fun making this tag, with its many details. I used Tim Holtz Twig & Stump die set together with Chilly & Freeze set, which was a DieCember exclusive at Simon Says Stamp. If you don't have it, you can just die cut a third snowman with Twig & Stump.

The tag was coated with gesso and when dry Texture Paste was applied with a palette knife through Tim's Focus stencil.

Layers of ink - Snowmen Mixed Media Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Paint with Distress Paint.

When dry, it was painted with Distress Paint and misted with water.

When the paint was dry, I placed the stencil back on the design and applied Snowfall Grit-Paste with a palette knife. This gives dimension and a great texture to the background.

To increase the feeling of snow, I dry brushed a little white paint on the tag once the grit-paste was dry.

Layers of ink - Snowmen Mixed Media Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Coat the text paper with gesso.

I glued a piece of old dictionary paper to cardstock and applied gesso on top. Let some of the text show through.

Layers of ink - Snowmen Mixed Media Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Die cut Tim Holtz Twig and Stump.

When the paper is dry, die cut three snowmen from it.

Ink the edges slightly.

Layers of ink - Snowmen Mixed Media Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Assemble the snowmen.

I die cut the back pieces from black cardstock and off-set them slightly to create a shadow. Die cut the hats, scarfs and carrots from scraps of inky or watercolor papers, Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Velvet cardstock, Simon Says Stamp cardstock and Tim Holtz Winter Deco Sheets. I picked colors for the hats inspired by actual hats that we wear.

The smallest snowman and the ticket was adhered with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Foam tape. I glued the twig arms on last, letting them hold the sentiment and the red velvet heart, as well as each other.

Layers of ink - Snowmen Mixed Media Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stamp with Simon Says Stamp Mixed Labels.

I found a little ball chain on my desk and used it to hold an idea-ology Thought Token and Snowflake adornment. The ticket was stamped with Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Saturated Melon ink and Simon Says Stamp Mixed Labels. It was die cut with the coordinating die. The sentiment comes from Simon Says Stamp Snow Love and was stamped with Pawsitively Saturated Spring ink.

I due cut the snowflakes from the same inky paper that was used for the hat for the middle snowman and from Tim Holtz Winter Deco Sheets. Adhere the deco sheets to cardstock before die cutting.

The heart was die cut from Simon Says Stamp Velvet paper. Here you can also see the background texture better.

I added Glossy Accents to the eyes and buttons.

The gessoed text paper adds interest and texture to the snowmen without being overwhelming. It is a great option if you want to die cut something that is mainly white or beige, but not completely.