A bag for all your essentials

One day I was perusing the clearance at Hobby Lobby and found this gem of an item.  A cardboard purse.  It was in HORRIBLE shape.  It would have been very nice before it was scratched, torn, and bubbled....it was $1.40.  For a bargain like that I had to snatch it.  I took it home and pondered on it for a few weeks.  Today, I pulled it out of the cabinet and noticed the inside was actually in good condition. I could save it.  The inside was black with a black and white striped paper.  Pink was the obvious choice, but I had no chic pink patterned paper.  I saw these two sheets of Curtain Call paper by Graphic 45.  To say I LOVE this paper would be a vast understatement. I have all ready used one entire pad of it and I am pretty sure I have bought enough single sheets to equal a second pad.  The two sheets from today feature old movie posters.  The first one to catch my eye was the Clara Bow movie. I adore her!  Her role in Wings is one of my all time favorites (I think it was made in 1927). It's a silent film well worth your time.  The restoration they have done is extraordinary and the music is pretty grand as well.  Anyhoo, this was my theme. I decided I would go with a paper red Bazzil for the pop of color.

The scrabble letters are from John's boyhood game, the 20's is made with Tim Holtz grunge board (I love the smell of that stuff), all inks are Tim Holtz Distress Ink, glues are Aleene's Tacky and Mod Podge, ribbon is from a CKC booth, gears are 7 gypsies, car is from John's old Monopoly game, tulle from a wedding I attended, black and white polka dotted paper was given to me.

This keepsake is for sale for $20.  Thanks for viewing my stuff. 

Tags of 2013 with Tim Holtz: January

Here we go embarking on the journey with Tim making 12 tags for 2013.  I did not keep up well last year, but this year I intend on doing every month, every time.

This month's tag featured some cool elements, but I did not have the same things Tim had so of course I had to improvise.

Tag #1 Journey to the Soul

I used as a focal point, a stamped frame that I die cut and inside the frame is a lovely lady. I used Purple Stazon for the frame and Sephia archival ink for the lady. I put a layer of glossy accents over the inside of the frame to mimic glass.  These are Sizzix products.

Tim Holtz provided the quote in one of his stamp sets, it is stamped in Black Stazon.

The flowers are prima, with Ranger ink enamel centers.

The large houndstooth embossing is by Stampin up! And all the inks on top are Tim Holtz Distress inks.  There is a small flower cut out that was made by K&Co.


Tag #2 Good Times

The embossing on the background is a Alterations embossing folder by Tim Holtz. The film strip is a Tim Holtz stamp that was stamped with Black Stazon onto the clear film that covers cricut pads.  The gears are die cuts from Sizzix and I used grungeboard.  The good times is from a kit, and the oval used is from a Christmas present.  The finger is from 7 Gypsies.  All other inks are Tim Holtz Distress inks.


Tag #3 The leftovers
This is a tag made from leftovers from the other two tags.  The polka dotted background is by the paper company.

Thanks Tim for the first tag, looking forward to 11 more! 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Today I read Tim Holtz's new blog post...he had posted this months tag.  Tim used a silhouette of a Victorianish age lady...I thought, "wow that would look good with a little steampunk".  Inspired I was....here is what I made...

I started with a cardboard base.

 I don't have a book plate embossing folder so I made a template from cardstock so that I could have a void in the middle of the embossing folder and therefore leaving the middle blank.  My cardstock template was 4 sheets thick and I used tab 2 on my multipurpose platform.

Then I took the embossed cardboard and painted it with Distress paint dabber in Picket Fence (Distress inks will resist this and it will help in the color process later).

Tim used a pretty frame stamp, but again I did not have this stamp (or anything like it) so I used a tab stamp.  I inked part of it with embossing ink, stamped onto the paper...poured on Midnight Black powder by Stampdenous...then reinked half the stamp and repeated the process.  The next step was to heat all the powder with the heat gun. 

I then found a clip art of Mary Poppins on the internet.  I glued to the center of my frame. 

The next step was to use Seedless Preserves and Evergreen Bough Distress ink and ink the tag all over.  I let that sit for a minute or so then I wet a paper towel. I took this and dabbed at portions of the tag where the paint was.  Then I took Misting Spray in Sterling Silver (by Michelles Musings) and sprayed the whole tag.  Tim's next embellishment was roses made from his tattered pinecone die.  I do not have this either so I drew my own.  I drew the design onto a piece of white paper. 

I used this for a pattern to cut two spirals from cardstock.  I inked the cardstock with the Seedless Preserves and the Evergreen Bough. I then wet the paper with a misting bottle. I got it pretty wet.  I took a toothpick and put some Alene's quick dry glue onto one end.  The next step was to wind the flower onto the toothpick starting with the wide end first.  I really tried to get the center nice and tight.  It was difficult with wet gluey paper. I set the flowers aside to dry.

While the flowers were drying I took a sheet of green scrappaper and hand cut a leaf.  After that I inked the entire thing with Evergreen Bough.  I wadded it up like it was trash, opened it and then used Vintage Photo Distress Stain. 

It was now time to put it all together!!!I used a metal tag saying "altered" and painted it with the Distress Picket Fence paint.  While that was drying I wired a silver shoe (from an old necklace), two kinds of purple ribbon (scrap) and a #17 for the street where the Banks family lived (#17 Cherry Tree Lane).  I stamped gears onto 3 different spots on the tag using Archival Black ink by Ranger.  I added a camera by K&Co, rhinestones by Recolletions and a butterfly stamp.  The butterfly stamp and the gears are by Hampton Arts.  

This was fun Tim, thanks.

My first Big Kick projects are spring cards

I got a Big Kick for my birthday and the first day I got it I just HAD to try it out.  I pulled a random piece of cardstock from my paper rack and it was carnation pink.  I cut and embossed using every folder that I had...this entire 12x12 sheet of paper.

Today I sat down to do my weekly Mojo Monday challenge and I wanted to use those nice embossed things that I had made.  I will start with this weeks sketch then my creation.

The first two cards feature a Tim Holtz embossing folder and of course Tim Holtz Distress Ink.  The frame is a Sizzix die (another new one) and the You are my Sunshine is by Fancy Pants.   Everything else is from my scrapbin.

The bottom two cards....the pinked edge background is a cuttlebug.  The music note stamp and the script stamp are by Close to My Heart (my birthday stamp set).  All other papers are from my scrapbin.  The love was purchased at JoAnn's.  The "you are the music in me" font is Amienne.

The Yellow Tag

By Nature I am NOT a fan of the color yellow.  Today I was trying to think outside the box.  Outside the box means DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR YELLOW PRODUCTS!.  I made four tags from white cardstock that I had lying around the house (scrap pieces).  I then took Crushed Olive, Mustard Seed and Wild Honey inks and dabbled them a bit onto the tags.  After that dried I took my Michelle's Musings Caribbean Sunshine Yellow and Pumpkin Soup Orange spray inks and sprayed onto the tags.  After that dried I began to layer stamps.  Layers upon layers of stamps.  The makers include:

7 gypsies

Hampton Arts

Hero Arts

Tim Holtz

Technique Tuesday

Hot off the Press

Close to My Heart

Fiskars

I also used many different types of inks these include:

Black stazon

Red Stazon

Yellow Stazon

Distress embossing ink

Distress ink Vintage Photo

Fired Brick

Iced Spruce

Black Soot

Worn Lipstick

Evergreen Bough

I also used white distress powder from JoAnn's

When the inks were dry I decided to mist the tags with Michelle's Musings Sterling Silver shimmer spray and once again let it dry.

I mounted 2 of them in my art journal and 2 I have saved for cards.

I have to admit, I did not create this idea.  I scraplifted it.  The idea was on a new site that I discovered from one of my fave sites (Gingersnap Creations)  This one is full of ideas and tips.  Check it out.
www.http://unrulypaperarts.blogspot.com/

A lady in a rainbow of color

I wanted to play with some glossy cardstock that I picked up at Archiver's (for .79 per sheet).  I got out one of my new stamps (that I purchased for $1.00 at the Trace Creek Crop yard sale) by inkadinkadoo and stamped it in Ranger Archival black ink.  I allowed some time for that to dry then I got out my ink pads.  I used Tim Holtz Distress inks in Chipped Sapphire, Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Broken China, Dusty Concord, Festive Berries, Peeled Paint, Seedless Preserves, Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, Worn Lipstick, Iced Spruce, Evergreen Boughs and Spun Sugar.  

I gave the inks a few seconds  to dry then I sprayed water into my hands and dropped onto the image.  This give it the water look.  While some of the drops where wet I lifted the image up and shook it.  This made the water run down the tag creating that neat faded colors line down the front of the image.  I love the water spots!  Especially the ones on her face. 

The card itself was inked with Peeled Paint.  That is one of my favorite Distress ink colors an so versatile.  This was a surprise part. I was not sure if this would work or not, so I just had to give it a try.  I took a Tim Holtz fragment and inked it with cranberry alcohol ink.  When that dried I took a small Stampin UP!  flower stamp and stamped (using Ranger Archival black ink) onto of the alcohol ink.  I love the way it turned out.  It was a perfect little addition to the corner.  

All stamps featured on this card are from Stampin UP!

Buttons are from Making Memories (with exception of the pink one that is from a shirt that I had purchased)

The pearls are from a kids craft kit

The thread is DMC in 315 gray and 666 red

This card's sentiments state how I feel:  BLESSED!!!

The 12 tags of 2012: updated 2.19.12

 

It is no secret that Tim Holtz is like some kind of stamping hero of mine.  I adore just about everything he creates.  I aspire to be as creative and most of all, I desire to sell my work as he sells his.  Every year he does the 12 tags of Christmas.  This is where he makes a speical tag every day for 12 days leading up to Christmas (duh).  It just about broke my heart yesterday when he announced that he was retiring the 12 tags of Christmas.  The heartbreak was short lived as he announced seconds later that he would be doing one tag a month for the rest of the year.  WHAT??? I get to make tags with Tim every month?  Oh how exciting!!!!!!!!!!!

This post will be leading into my first tag, which I will make this weekend.  Here is a link to Tim's post.

 http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/02/12-tags-of-2012-a-new-direction.html


I am hoping that maybe you too will want to embark upon this journey with me.  If you do, remember that this tag is YOUR work of art.  You don't have a supply?  substitute.  You don't like something?  Change it. 

If you have never experience Tim or his line of exciting products, what a great time to get involved.  If you are making your first purchase I recommend the distress inks.  They perform like no other ink pad.  My crafting has changed since I began to use them.  Experiment with them, you will be amazed.

You have those?  Then I say grab some of the embellishments.  They are unique, just like YOU!!!

This is the tag Tim made, how lovely.  I can't wait to craft along with Tim (and I have to get some of that honeycomb paper)!!!!!


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This weekend I finally had a chance to make MY version of Tim's first tag of 2012.  I liked the techniques Tim's used this month. I however have never seen honeycomb paper for sale and so I had to make my own.  It is not nearly as perfect as store bought, but I like the way it adds a homemade feel to my tag.  
I also did not have the heart or cupid, so I had to draw my own. I did draw them on grunge board and used the same techniques Tim did to color them.  The tissue paper is what I used for the tissue tape. I took a large piece of regular tissue and stamped words onto it.  Then I cut the tissue into strips. I applied glue to my heart and scrunched the tissue up onto the heart.  The ruffle is left over from another project, the wire is stuff I have lying around, the pearl is from my great grandmother's dress. The misting sprays are my own Michelle's Musings misting sprays. The letters, the picket fence paint dabber and heart charm are Tim's.

The stamped background is a bunch of stamps placed on an acrylic block.  This includes stamps from Inkadinkadoo, Stampin UP!, Hampton Arts, and stampology.


I am going to give the tag to my mom!  I love my mommy! 

Tags of Christmas tag #7 and #11

Yes, I realize I have forgotten some of the tags, it's just that I loved these 2 so much that I had to make them RIGHT NOW!!!!

#7  was a vision of lovely from the get go.  And of course Michelle Champion had to improvise on the materials.  Our Hobby Lobby and Michaels stores have the worst sections for Tim Holtz products.  You either have to order them online or create your own.  I tend to follow with the later.  You will see that this tag is NO exception.

First of all, Tim called for glassine paper.  Yeah, well I don't have that but did have some envelopes.  I had to take apart  the envelopes in order to create the holly leaves from the bottom of the tag.  I think they worked out just fine.  Tim wanted me to color the pearls red, but I only had terra cotta alcohol inks so that is the route I had to take.  "A Joyful Christmas" is a stamp he has created and I adore it, but have never seen it in a store. I just had to make my own.  I think it turned out nicely.  Not as good as his, but a good second.  He requested you use his sizzix dies for the trees and leaves, but those had to be copied by me because I have no sizzix.   I added wires of beads to add a little flair.  Thanks Tim I enjoyed making this one.

The last one is not my style but thought I should make it because it might expand my interests.  This one is used on glossy paper, yeah I didn't have that so I used poster board.  He also used shrink plastic, but all I had was a #5 cup from Huck's ("HUCKS" said in a low Brick type voice).  I also did not have his Santa stamp  (found clip art online and embossed the ink while it was wet) and the Merry Christmas I had to create as well.  I did have ALL of the right colors of inks.  I generally don't like the glossy cardstock, but this wasn't bad.  Of all the tags I have made with Tim this year, this one was the easiest.

Thanks again Tim for some fantastic inspiration. 

The tags of Christmas

One of my favorite times of the year are when Tim Holtz introduces his 12 tags of Christmas.  This year was "doubly" fun because he is allowing us to show off our versions of the tags.  I have put the first 3 in a blog, why?  Because I can that's why.  I even got inspired to do one of my own.

I have done them all but tag 3.  I could not do that because I loaned out all of my Christmas stamps. So that was impossible.  I had to change a few elements on each tag because I did not have what I needed.  The largest difference was anything Tim used with his Sizzix dies (pinecones, reindeer, snowman, leaves, Noel, 25) I had to create myself.  So I had to make a pattern and then go from there.  It took more time, but everything is 100% made by me, no computer, no cricut...just Tim's wonderful designs.

These were loads of fun, and I look forward to the next 8!!

My letter to Tim Holtz

Dear Tim,
I must tell you that I am in love with you. I have never in my life seen someone so creative or inventive. You inspire me to be more instinctive in my work and create what I feel...NOT what other people think I should create. You can take the "strangest" of household items and turn them into beautiful works of art.

I have yet to see any of your products that does not make me stop and think. The usage of keys, door knobs, and inks to create things that look old but have a new flair to them. I have been following your blog for a while too and I was sooooo inspired by the Twelve Tags of Christmas. My Christmas cards had a new flair thanks to one Tim Holtz.

I have learned how to be a better stamper, an embosser, a distresser, and I think a better scrapbooker. One day, I hope to meet you or even take one of your classes.

thank you, Tim, for all you do and all that you create.