Thursday, June 16, 2011

Tag Display

I have been making and swapping tags for years.  Some find their way into journals, some on scrapbook layouts, some are pinned to my inspiration boards, and some are currently dangling from the ceiling of my studio.  And yet, with all that, I still literally have hundreds that I have yet to save and display effectively.

Then a very talented ATT member posted a tag tree that she'd constructed and all sorts of lightbulbs went off.  Click HERE to be taken to France's blog to see her beauty.  And to have any clue as to what I'm talking about below, LOL.

Now, France used a piece of wood and I'm an apartment dweller without access to a wood pile.  I'm also impatient and of the "use-what-you-have" school of thought.  Also, attaching the tags to the binder rings on their vertical side means the additional step of putting some plastic material on the backs of the tags.  Remember, I said my tags number in the HUNDREDS.  I wanted a way to display them using the one hole on the top without having to do anything else to them.  And I LOVE France's idea of using Tim's 2-ring binder.   I looked around, and here are the basic supplies I pulled out to use:


I have an 8x8 piece of sturdy chipboard, one of the large 2-ring binders (they attach with two brads), and one of those little wooden display easels.  I'm skipping over the step where I covered the chipboard with decorative paper.  (I used Tim's and covered both sides.  Honestly, I could have left it plain as the tags pretty much cover the chip, but I wanted it to look finished.)  Then I simply poked holes on the top and attached the binder with the brads it comes with.  The binder rings are spaced perfectly apart to hold two stacks of tags.



And here are some (too dark....sorry!) pictures of the completed project, with the chipboard on the easel:



See how easily the tags flip over so you can view them one by one:




This is kind of a prototype.  I'm only sorry the rings on Tim's binder aren't larger, so I could fit even more tags on the display.  I am now thinking of taking one of my old school looseleafs apart and making a really big display that just might hold ALL of my wonderful tags.  I also haven't glued the chipboard onto the easel, and I think I should so it's more stable.  But right now I have it on a table and it doesn't take up much space and shows off my tags just wonderfully.  For those without table space, I think it could also be hung from a wall (minus the easel, of course) and taken down for better viewing.


Many thanks to France for inspiring me.  My tag solution doesn't resemble hers at all, but I wouldn't have come up with mine without first seeing what she did.  Right here, this is one of the main reasons I love to blog and to visit blogs.....the sharing of ideas.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh my Eileen this is fabulous.. .I love it.

Dorothy said...

Awesome Eileen!!!

Helen said...

Well, if France's was fab (and it certainly was) - your is as fab! I have had an idea - must try and remember by the time I get home from work.... watch this space as they say!)

Anonymous said...

OMG What a CLEVER CLEVER idea!!! I LOVE this!!!!

Tammy D said...

What a very useful and clever idea. What to go!

Dawn said...

Now to scrounge in my craft room and design something similar. Thanks for the idea Eileen

Nancy said...

Eileen, this is wonderful! Very clever - and I like how you can flip the tags over to see those beneath. Now, if I wanted to make one to hang ... hmm ... need to think of the next step & how you could move/flip the tags. Ok, that's for another day ... TFS!

Valerie Brincheck said...

OMG .... how totally brilliant of you!! The tag tree is cool but as you said having to add all those plastic pieces to the back is just too much work. (I just wish I had a bunch of tags that I needed to display.)

Mary-Beth said...

Fabulous idea Eileen!

teri said...

A rolodex for tags. This is very clever!!

Lori said...

GREAT idea, no, brilliant, really. I'm totally casing this....lol

Deborah Mahnken said...

Love it! Right now I've got my tags in tins, but this is a much better solution.

Shelly Hickox said...

Really great idea!!

Nancy Lynn said...

What a brilliant idea Eileen. Love how it came out. Not surprised though.

Elena said...

What a great idea Eileen!!! I have soooooo much room in my living rooms that I could put those on the various coffee tables!! Thanks for the this great idea!

Debby said...

That is a great idea!

Vic said...

Clever!!

LaStamper said...

Wow Eileen - that is really taking an idea and making it not only your own, but using on hand supplies. I think I shall also case this! TFS

Katknit said...

What a clever idea, thanks for sharing.
Charlene

Karen said...

That is brilliant Eileen! It's a much more workable solution for me too: We know Tim is a genius but it's brilliant that the binder rings are the right size!
I've got to make some sort of display for myself, and keep the backs of my tags looking better from now on too!

maggidg@yahoo.com said...

Wonderful idea - I can see this used for tags and ATC'S! Thanks for posting - Maggi from WI

patzee2000 said...

How very clever!! Thank you for this great project for all these tags. Looks like a perfect home for these beauties!

craftyM said...

Brilliant! Now I just need to make one and swipe all your cool tags! :-)
Marita

Anonymous said...

How clever and creative is this!! Love it! Diann

Marjie Kemper said...

Incredible! Such a wonderful spin with your own imagination to come up with this fabulous holder. I'm liking the looseleaf binder idea too to hold more. Thanks for sharing!

france papillon said...

wow, Eileen, i'm a red tomato here in front of my computer. such nice words on my work, i feel humbled! thank you! and i love the twist you gave the tagtree to make it work for you, very inventive! do you mind if i copy? ;)

Marilyn Harris Mills aka Maer said...

how utterly brilliant! Now this is so very do-able. How easy this project is with your explanation Eileen. A piece of art showcasing mini art...love it!