Asian Inspired Tag for ic530

Yesterday I went to a Stamp A Stack event hosted by a local Stampin' Up demonstrator. We received a packet of cut and prepared materials for 5 card designs, 3 of each. I made one of each and prepped even further the remaining materials. So when I got home I fully intended to get to work on adding my own personalization to those projects, but then I read the Friday Inspiration challenge at Split Coast Stampers and off on a tangent I went. Per the challenge rules, the source of inspiration needed to be from here: The China Online Museum. Surfing through the site made me think of the very small selection of asian papers and dies I have. I then thought of the Japanese Kimono die set I got as part of a bulk lot and I've never used it. I know it is not Chinese, but I got the itch to make something with my paper and that die...so, I did. 

Below, I've added links to the Chinese works that inspired my project, I even cut out a snippet of a large painting showing one lady that I was drawn to and posted an angled pic of my project prior to the final embellishments for comparison. I went with a tag because I don't have any asian type sentiments. The tag is cut using Holtz largest tag, Size 6 I believe. I distressed the edges, sponged with Aged Mahogany Distress ink, then daubed over that with Tarnished Brass Distress Metallic Paint dauber. I colored some matte medium with the metallic paint, textured with both the aged mahogany and the colored medium with a variety of stencils. I then added some stamping of very small print in a dark grey. It is a distressed dictionary page with journey, memories, travel, time etc definitions. It is a holtz stamp. I topped it off with some coordinating metallic ribbon. The kimono is matte metallic bronze DCWV cardstock and Recollections dark burgandy cardstock that I ran through my larger Xyron machine. After applying the detailed top layer, I popped the kimono up with dimensionals.It still needed more so I looked through my metal embellishments. Then I remembered all of my silk tassles that I saved from my gemstone buying days. I also colored some coordinating pearls with a Copic Marker and then I was satisfied.

It felt great to make something totally knew and unplanned, I think that is why I love to participate in challenges! Now its back to work on my regularly scheduled project.

Here are the two pages I was most inspired to make this tag: 

http://www.comuseum.com/painting/figure-painting/

http://www.comuseum.com/painting/masters/tang-yin/court-ladies-in-the-shu-palace/