"Fly Free Filly!" - My April 2013 tag based on Tim Holtz tags of 2013

I've been learning how to use the new Tim Holtz distress paint. This is my "Fly Free" tag based on the Tim Holtz tags of 2013. I followed the tutorial and it took some time to get the paint to not become muddy. I "painted" 3 or 4 tags to practice and the backgrounds all turned out different.

It all started out with a horse stamp. The horse ended up looking very "stiff" on my tag. I wanted to give the horse wings, but I didn't have any modeling plastic so I faked it with some regular plastic which didn't work too well. The horse still looked very "stiff", like it didn't want to be on my tag. I decided, "heck with you stiff horse...if you don't even want to be on my tag", so I made another horse, so my original horse could escape my tag. I liked a cardboard horse by Ann Wood, so I used her horse pattern, but made it smaller. You can download the Ann Wood horse pattern here, but look at her display of horses as they are awesome!

So then I decided my "stiff horse" is symbolic of our professional selves when we have to be dignified but we really don't want to be there. Also it looks a little like a "trojan horse" which was just a facade of a horse. Our real self just wants to "fly free" and get out of there. So "fly free filly" is a tribute to that part of us that wants to "fly free" with the wind in our "manes", free to do whatever we want without the limits of gravity even. Filly doesn't even have to be on my tag, and can leave any time. I used re-positionable glue =)

Last month I tried out the tutorial from Linda Ledbetter L3 Studio during the Tim Holtz tattered flower challenge, and I used some leftover pieces for the filly wings. I also used some leftover tattered flower pieces for the filly mane.

This was also my first time trying out the crinkle ribbon. It was easy to use when I followed the Tim Holtz tutorial. I also was playing with the distress powder on the gears stamp, and on the star.

So go ahead and "Fly Free Filly!!!" It's spring!!! Summer is ahead and the grass will be bright green again soon!!! "Fly Free Filly", the tax return is mailed, the Winter Semester is almost finished, let the summer begin!