CC2C Grande Finale!

Happy New Year!  Over at Studio L3, Linda is hosting the finale for the Compendium of Curiosities Vol II Challenges and what a finale it is!  We all get the opportunity to wish Happy Birthday to Tim Holtz whose birthday is January 7th.  The challenge is to create a birthday wish for Tim using any technique from Volume I or Volume II of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities books.

I made a pop-up birthday card using the Sizzix Pop 'N Cuts system created by  Karen Burniston.  The techniques included are basic Distress Ink blending, Distress Markers on page 50 of Volume II and Perfect Pearls Mist on page 54 of Volume II.

I want to wish Tim a birthday full of memories that include family, friends, love and laughter--all things that everyone should enjoy on their special day!

For the base card, I used Karen's Sizzix Bigz XL Pop 'N Cuts Horizontal A2 w/Circle Label die.  Other dies used were Karen's Sizzix Sizzlits Love die set, Flagpole w/ Lantern & Sign Decorative Strip, and her Sizzlits Celebrate die set.  The paper is taken from Tim's Lost and Found paper stash.  The stamp sets used were Tim's Good Thoughts, Words for Thought and Winged Things II.  Also used was Ranger black archival ink, Tim's distress markers, distress inks in Aged Mahogany and Brushed Corduroy, Perfect Pearls Mist in Sunflower Sparkle, Idea-ology Chit Chat stickers and a journal ticket.  The birthday hat is from Artchix Studio.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by my blog!  I appreciate it.  Have a great day!

Christmas Reflections

Hi Everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  It's difficult to not get caught up in the holiday rush, isn't it?  I should be focusing on holiday shopping, and decorating, but instead I decided to work on my weekly compendium challenge entry!  Much more fun I think!

 

The technique chosen this week by Linda at Studio L3 is Reflective Imagery.  The instructions for the technique can be found on page 55 of Tim Holtz's book A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  If you don't already have the book you can buy a copy, autographed by Tim, right here.  I 've been patiently waiting for this technique to come around!  I saw it in the book and thought it looked so cool but decided to wait until the challenge to give it a try.

 

I always like to have a little handmade gift to give to friends and family.  So I decided to make ornaments from my pieces.  Can you see the shimmery background the technique adds to the images?  I just love how they turned out!

 

 

 

 

The images are from Artchix Studios. I attached the TH Idea-ology Fragments to Swivel Clasp chains and then added beads, bells and mini-ornaments from Michael's! Easy peasy! I plan to make a bunch more of these between now and Christmas!  That is, after I make my Christmas cards!

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Now go make something!

Ornamental

Hi Everyone!  I hope your having a splendid week.  Today I have my entry for the weekly Compendium of Curiosities 2 challenge over at Studio L3.   The challenge this week is Alcohol Ink Palette and it can be found on page 52 of the fabulous book by Tim Holtz titled A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2.  Of course, I can't explain the details of the technique.  For that you need to get your hands on a copy of the book which you can do here.

I followed the steps for the technique, as outlined in the book, and created my ink palette.  Using the ink palette I decorated two plastic ornaments that I purchased at Michael's.

 

In the center of the round ornament is the larger snowflake from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Mini Snowflake Rosettes Decorative Strip die.  The snowflake was inked with Distress Ink in Salty Ocean and the embellished with Ranger Stickles in Stardust.  I tinted the rhinestones to match using my alcohol ink palette.  The Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon was dyed with Distress Stains in Faded Jeans and Broken China.

The square ornament was designed to look like a present and is decorated with pearls and rhinestones in varying colors.  The Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon was dyed with Distress Stain in Fired Brick and Worn Lipstick.

I love that I was able to create pearls and rhinestones in such a variety of different colors using only plain clear rhinestones and plain white pearls!  It certainly would have been more costly to purchase all of the different colors individually.  I'll definitely be looking for other ways to use this ink palette!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Now go make something!

Blueprints for a Merry Christmas

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much to my new followers!  I was completely blown-away to find my name on Tim Holtz's blog.  There's no way for me to express how much that meant to me.  I'm still shaking my head over being included in that list of crafters/bloggers, many that I have long admired and whose level of talent I aspire to.  I love that I am able share in this wonderful obsession we all have and I thank you for all that I've learned from each of you as I visit your blogs.

I've been working on some tags/cards as a Whimsodoodle design team assignment.  I'm using one of the new Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous sets, Christmas Blueprints.  I decided to incorporate this week's Compendium of Curiousities 2 challenge technique into the tags.  The challenge is sponsored by Linda at Studio L3.  The technique for this week is Ink Palette: Perfect Pearls and it can be found on page 53 of Tim's book titled A Compendium of Curiousities, Volume 2.  If you'd like to see how the technique is done you'll need to buy the book as I won't be divulging it here.  But you really should buy the book anyway! It chock-full of great techniques and inspiration.  If you buy it here, you'll receive a copy autographed by Tim Holtz!  What are you waiting for?!

This week's challenge is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.  A lucky entrant will be randomly chosen to receive a $25 gift certificate to their online store.  And they have an AWESOME store!  Thank you Simon Says Stamp!!

I chose two images from the TH Christmas Blueprints stamp set and embossed them using Distress Embossing Ink and Ranger Black EP.  I applied the Ink Palette: Perfect Pearls technique to both images.  I stamped the same images again on white paper, cut them out and used that as a mask to protect the images when I distressed the rest of the tag.  I really like the halo effect that I ended up with as I tried to not get distress ink on the already-colored images.  Very cool!

The Snowman tag was colored with Distress Ink in Iced Spruce, Faded Jeans, and Salty Ocean.  I added Distress Ink in Walnut Stain to the edges of the tag.  I then randomly stamped TH Grunge Flakes using Distress Ink in Faded Jeans.  After it dried I spritzed it with Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist in Turquoise while keeping the mask in place over the main image.

The Toy Soldier tag was colored with Distress Ink in Wild Honey, Scattered Straw and Brushed Corduroy.  I added Distress Ink in Walnut Stain to the edges of the tag.  I then stamped the holly branch from the TH Holiday Wishes stamp set using Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy. After it dried I spritzed it with Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist in Sunflower Sparkle while keeping the mask in place over the main image.  This is my absolute favorite shade of Perfect Pearls mist!  I think you could use it on anything!!  That being said I'm also entering this at Simon Says Stamp and Show where the theme is Your Favorite.

I dyed the Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon using the Distress Stains in the same colors that I used on each tag.  I added an Idea-ology Christmas Muse Token and Ideaology Seasonal ChitChat Stickers to each tag.  I plan to make pockets for each of the tags to be inserted in.  I'll include those in a later post along with the other cards that I made using the same stamp set.

Here's a side view of each tag that hopefully shows all of the gorgeous shimmer!  Love that Perfect Pearls!!  I think I've decided what I'm going to make for Christmas cards this year.  If you're a member of my family don't look too closely.  You'll be seeing one of these in your mailbox in a couple of months!!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Now go make something!

Halloween Flight



Today I have my entry for the Compendium of Curiosities 2 weekly challenge hosted by Linda on the Studio L3 blog.  I can't believe that this is week 24!  The technique chosen for this week is Alcohol Ink Resist and it can be found on page 59 of Tim Holtz's book titled A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2. If you buy it through the link you can get it autographed by Tim!  You need this book! Trust me.

 

I had to try multiple stamps before I found ones that didn't have too much negative space.  My first attempt was barely visible!  But once I got the first stamp to work I was hooked!  Originally I thought I'd use just one or two images with the technique and then add the rest of my embellishing to the front but this technique is so cool I just kept adding images to see how it looked!  I'll definitely be trying this again!

 

 

 

The images used are from the Tim Holtz SA cling sets: Mini Halloween 3, Trick or Treat, Halloween Silhouettes and Halloween Cutouts.  The moon is from Rubber Stamps of America.  There wasn't much room for embellishing, since I added so many images, so I stamped the sentiment using an Adirondack Paint Dabber in Silver.  I cut "31" from Grungeboard using the new Alterations Movers and Shapers mini 31 die and painted that silver.  I added ribbon and an Idealogy Halloween Muse Token that I colored with Adirondack Sunset Orange alcohol ink.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Now go make something!

Bad Hair Day

Today I have my entry for the Compendium of Curiosities 2 weekly challenge hosted by Linda on the Studio L3 blog.  The technique chosen for this week is Distress Markers and it can be found on page 50 of Tim Holtz's book titled A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  If you buy it through the link you can get it autographed by Tim!  One lucky participant in this week's challenge will receive something from Mario's prize box!

I was out of town over the weekend and didn't have time to get anything started.  So I pulled out a few things, and my Distress Markers of course, and this is the result!  I don't have time to provide many details since I'm posting this close to the deadline.  I'll come back and add those later.

Thanks for stopping by!

Life-Admit One

Happy Thursday!  Today I have my entry for the Compendium of Curiosities 2 weekly challenge hosted by Linda on the Studio L3 blog.  The technique chosen for this week is Riveted Patchwork and it can be found on page 57 of Tim Holtz's book titled A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  If you buy it through the link above you can get it autographed by Tim!  Our sponsor this week is Linda at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!  Linda has generously offered a $25 gift certificate to one lucky participant.

I really love this technique but I made the tag and then stared at it...having no idea where I wanted to take it.  So I pulled out my Dylusions stamps that I haven't had a chance to use.  BTW, Dyan Reaveley is coming to my local scrapbook store, Whim So Doodle, in a few weeks and I'm lucky enough to be able to take a couple of her classes. I'm really looking forward to meeting her!

I started working with the doll parts from the Curious Corrin and Doolally Dorris sets.  I stamped them with Ranger Black Archival Ink, colored them with Distress Markers and cut them out.  The heart was cut from Idea-ology Grungeboard using one of the TH Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Mini Gadget Hearts.  I glittered it up with Ranger Stickles in Xmas Red and added the Idea-ology Chit Chat sticker.  The sticker is coated with Ranger Glossy Accents to give it a little shine.  The sentiment is a TH Stampers Anonymous stamp that I've always loved and wanted to use.

As I put the pieces together it still needed something.  In my head I kept picturing the riveted background with brick so I embossed a piece of cardstock with the TH Sizzix Alterations Brick Texture Fade and distressed it with Distress Ink in Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick and Walnut Stain.  Then I tore it and glued it to the tag with Ranger Glue N Seal.  I added the graffiti with the Dylusions Letter Jumble and Number Jumble stencils and a Ranger Adirondack Snow Cap paint dabber.  Perfect!

As I dug through my embellishments looking for a metal charm to use I came across the ticket.  It was left over from the classes that I took last year when Tim came to teach classes at Whim So Doodle.  I remembered the Idea-ology Word Stick that said "Life" and it came together!

As this technique is the same one that Tim used on his September tag, in his 12 Tags of 2012 series, I'll be entering it there.  I'll also be entering it at Simon Says Stamp and Show-For the Love of Sparkle and at the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog where the theme is Anything Goes.

Thanks for stopping by!  Now go make something!

Happy Fall Y'all

This coming Saturday will mark the first day of Autumn for 2012.  Here in Florida that doesn't mean much since we really don't have a fall season.  It gets slightly cooler and drier...and we'll take that.  But most of us long to see some fall colors!!  So I created my own fall colors on this tag which pays homage to my favorite time of the year!

I'm entering this tag in the weekly Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2 challenge over at Linda's Studio L3.  This week's technique is Blended Stains and can be found on page 45 of Tim Holtz's A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  You should check it out as it's a technique filled book to be rivaled by none other!!  The Studio L3 challenge is generously sponsored this week by Simon Says Stamp.

I'm also entering this at the Simon Says Stamp Emboss It challenge.  And also over at Frilly and Funkie where the challenge this fortnight is Fall into Fall.

This is a large size #10 tag.  I cut a piece of manila cardstock to the same size of the tag and created the background using the Blended Stains technique found in Tim's book.  The TH Ranger Distress Stains used were Tea Dye, Spiced Marmalade, Fired Brick and Scattered Straw.  I then cut the cardstock so that I could emboss the top half and the bottom half using the large embossing folder from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Thankful Backgrounds & Borders Texture Fades.  Then the two pieces were glued to another #10 tag so that it appears the entire tag fit in the embossing folder!

The tag was inked with TH Ranger Distress Ink in Gathered Twigs using the Ink Blender Tool to highlight the embossed images.  The tree was cut from TH Distress Core'dinations paper using the TH Sizzix Branch Tree die.  The fence is the TH Sizzix On the Fence die.  The leaves were cut from TH Distress Core'dinations paper using the Sizzix Eclips and the Seasonal cartridge.  The pumpkins and vines were also cut using the Eclips and Core'dinations paper and the Halloween & Scaredy Cat Alphabet cartridge. All pieces were also distressed with Gathered Twigs distress ink.  The pumpkins and vines were accented with TH Distress Markers in Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and Peeled Paint.

The sentiment is from Verses Rubber Stamps.  I also added a TH Idea-ology Trinket Pin that says "Secrets" and an Idea-ology Philosophy Token that says "Listen".  I like to think that those trees are laying all of their secrets bare when they drop those beautiful leaves!

Thanks for stopping by! Now go make something!

CC2C - Week 20

Happy Wednesday!  Below is my submission for this week's CC2C challenge, hosted by Linda at Studio L3.  The technique for week 20 of the challenge is Enameled Stamping.  The details for the technique can be found on page 44 of Tim Holtz's awesome book A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2.  If you don't already have the book, please get it. You'll be glad you did!  I'm also submitting this to the Simon Says Stamp weekly challenge We're So Trendy for including neon color.

The base is a Ranger Inkssentials #10 manila tag.  The Halloween stamps are from TH Stampers Anonymous Trick-or-Treat and Mini Halloween 2 cling sets.  The chandelier stamp is from Stampendous.  I used Ranger Distress Ink in Black Soot, Picked Raspberry and Walnut Stain.  The trim on the bottom is from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Vintage Lace strip die.  The quote is from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Thanks for visiting!

When Life Has Other Plans

I've been absent from the weekly CC2C challenges for the past few weeks.  I hadn't missed a week since the challenge began but something came up and I couldn't find the inspiration.  After various doctor appointments and procedures, for something I thought would be relatively benign, I found out that I had endometrial cancer.  The doctor said that it was detected very early but when you hear the word "cancer" you kind of don't hear anything else after that.  A week later I was sitting in an oncologist's office hearing the words "aggressive" and "lymph nodes" which, when combined with "cancer", form a pretty scary picture.  Another two weeks later brings us to last Tuesday when I was wheeled into an operating room for a full hysterectomy and lymphectomy.  I haven't yet received the surgeon's final report but, post-surgery, he told my family that everything looked really good and he would be shocked if any of the pathology indicated that the cancer had spread anywhere else. So I'm going with that for now!

The piece below came out of that wholly unexpected experience.  I'm submitting it to this week's CC2C challenge, hosted by Linda at Studio L3, which is Kraft Resist.  The details can be found on page 41 of Tim Holtz  A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2.  If you don't already have the book, please get it. You'll be glad you did!  I'm also submitting it to Frilly and Funkie where the fortnightly challenge is How Can You Resist?  And to Simon Says Stamp and Show-Inspired by Summer Distress.

The TH Sizzix In The Bag die was cut from TH Idea-ology Kraft Resist paper.  The Distress Inks used are Seedless Preserves, Victorian Velvet, Picked Raspberry, Broken China, Peeled Paint and Mustard Seed.  The opening was cut using the TH Sizzix Movers and Shapers Mini Tickets die. The flowers and scrolls are from the TH Sizzix Tattered Flower Garland and Festive Greenery Strip dies and the TH Sizzix Bigz Tattered Pinecone die.  The small label is from the TH Stamper's Anonymous Apothecary stamp set with the TH Idea-ology ChitChat stickers. 

On the tag I used Ranger TH Distress Stains in Picket Fence, Victorian Velvet and Pumice Stone.  This has become a favorite combination!  The stamps are from TH Stamper's Anonymous Artful Flight, Fairytale Frenzy, and Stuff to Say.  I used a piece of plastic packaging with the butterfly stamp in Ranger Archival Ink and then colored it with Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink.  I attached it to the tag with the TH Idea-ology Tiny Attacher.  For the finishing touch I added the piece of stained trimmings that was included with my order from The Funkie Junkie's Boutique and a TH Idea-ology Muse Token!

I hope you like it!  If you're still reading at this point I have some good news!  My local scrapbook store, Whim So Doodle, recently had a call for designers for their very first design team.  I hesitated to throw my name in the hat since I wasn't sure what would happen with the surgery and afterward. I waited until the last day and decided to go for it.  I'm so glad I did because I made the team!  It is my first time participating on a design team and I'm very excited!!  Wish me luck!

CC2C - Week 14

Hello Everyone!  For this week's challenge the technique chosen from the Tim Holtz book, A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2, is Gilded Kraft Glassine on page 39.  It wouldn't be right to show you the details of the technique so if you want to see them you need to buy the book here!

The challenge is hosted by the Linda on her Studio L3 blog.  Our sponsor for this week, with a $25 gift certificate, is Linda at the Funkie Junkie's Boutique!  Thanks to both of you ladies!  I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.

I've had the TH hot air balloon stamp for quite some time and wanted to use it for this challenge.  This is what I did...

I started out with a 5"x8" piece of manila cardstock and applied Ranger Distress Inks in various colors. It would probably be easier for me to tell you which inks I didn't use as I just kept adding and blending until I liked the colors!  Then I used the TH SA Mixed Media cling rubber stamps and added the honeycomb and dot textures. The other images are the TH SA balloon, of course, as well as TH SA Fairytale Frenzy (words), Visual Artistry City Central (cityscape) and Lost & Found (birds).

For the balloon I created the gilded Ideaology Kraft Glassine and then stamped the balloon five times. The pieces were mounted on cardstock, cut out, folded in half and glued together to give the three-dimensional look. I realized that smoothing out the glassine to glue it to the cardstock did take away from the technique and I almost gave up on the design and started over.  But I was really feeling good about the way this would turn out so I stuck with it!  The saying was stamped on manila cardstock and then cut out and distressed with Ranger Walnut Distress Ink.

The cardstock is mounted on a 5"x8" papier mache' plaque that I had in my stash.  I marked off the sides and painted them with black and white acrylic paint before mounting the manila cardstock piece to it.





I had to cut a small hole in the back in order to put the Ideaology clock key on the top. I added the Ideaology box corners and sprocket gears with Ranger Glossy Accents. The Ideaology "Dreams" word key is hanging from a garment pin attached with small brad and glossy accents.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping to take a look!



CC2C - Week 13

Wow!  I can't believe we've been doing this for 13 weeks already!  It's just proof that time flies when you're having fun...and I'm having a blast and learning a lot!

The technique for this challenge, hosted by Linda over at Studio L3, is Spritz and Flick Distress.  The deets can be found on page 42 of A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2 by Tim Holtz.  This week's challenge is generously sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.  There is a $25 gift certificate up for grabs and SSS has everything TH!!!  I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp & Show "No Rules" challenge for a chance to win a $50 gift voucher!!  Maybe there will be a shopping spree in my future!!!

Here's what I came up with...

The Distress Inks used were Broken China, Faded Jeans, Spiced Marmalade, Peacock Feathers, Seedless Preserves and Vintage Photo.  The stamps are from Tim's Visual Artistry Life's Possibilities, SA Good Thoughts, Kaisercraft and Treasure Cay.  I added the Adirondack Paint Dabber in Snow Cap with the Crafter's Workshop 6x6 Mini Harlequin stencil.  Then I added the Imagine charm from the Ideaology Philosophy Tags.  The decorative corners are from Michael's.

Overall I'm happy with the result.  I was nervous about adding the paint with the stencil.  I worry about overdoing things and then I look at everyone else's work and realize that I stopped too soon!!  So each week I'm trying to take it one step further than I think I should and see what happens.  I'm learning though and that's what this is all about, right??!!  Oh, and having fun too!!!

A Compendium of Curiosities-Configurations Crypt!

Whew~say that three times fast!!

The CC2C weekly challenge over at Studio L3 is Configurations Part 1 & 2 on pages 33 and 34 of that wonderful book A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2 from the masterful Tim Holtz.  If you don't already have a copy of this book, get one!  Then you can play along with the rest of us!

There is a FAB-U-LOUS (do your best Jo Anne Worley impersonation while saying that!) prize package of Tim Holtz goodness, provided by Mario, up for grabs.  I think I just dated myself by mentioning Jo Anne Worley but whenever I hear the word "Fabulous" I hear her singing it out in my head!  Must be all of those TV game shows I watched in the 70's!

I knew I wanted to do something with a Halloween theme.  So I put the small configurations box on my craft counter along with some assorted Halloween themed things that I picked up at Michael's last year and just let it sit there.  After looking at it a few times it hit me...the configurations box was going to become a crypt!  So here it is...

 

For the box I used Tim's Seasonal paper stash: Distress Inks in Dusty Concord, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, and Walnut ink; Distress Embossing powder in Peeled Paint and Ideaology Hobgoblin tissue tape.  The creepy contents are from Lemax and Michael's Celebrate It line.  I added a couple of glass vials, colored with Adirondack alcohol ink, with 7 Gypsies apothecary labels.  The "31" plaquette and "Haunted" muse token are Ideaology.  And, of course, no crypt would be complete without spider webs and some spiders (from Jolee's Boutique)!

That's one big bottle of arsenic our friend is guardiing!  Anyone care to join them??!!  There's always room for more! Bwahahahaha!

CC2C - Week 10

Hello Everyone!   Well, I came home from work on Thursday and rushed through this technique to make the deadline.  Then I snapped some pictures and logged on to my computer to prepare my blog post and saw Linda's message extending the deadline another week!  So while I have the opportunity to tweak this tag I'm not going to.  It was a good exercise for me to make something so quickly...I usually work slow...hem and haw over this and that...and still end up with something that I think could be better.   I had to make quick decisions on this one and overall I'm pleased with the result.

The technique chosen for this week's Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2 challenge, hosted by the lovely (and a little tired) Linda on the Studio L3 blog, is Tissue Wrap Flowers on page 37.  The sponsor for this week, with a $25 gift certificate, is the other lovely Linda at the Funkie Junkie's Boutique!

I started off with a tag that was left over from the Creative Chemistry 101 marble stains technique.  I used the Texture Fades Fancy and Floral Frames folder to create a frame on the tag and then distressed the tag with Seedless Preserves Seasonal Distress Ink.  My tissue wrap flowers were constructed from Idealogy Terminology Tissue Wrap are colored with Dylusions Crushed Grape, Pure Sunshine and Lemon Zest.  The flower colored with Lemon Zest was also sprayed with Perfect Pearls Mist in Sunflower Sparkle.  I used antique buttons in the center of the flowers.  The leaves were cut from Core'dinations paper with the Alterations Mini Branch and Leaf Movers and Shapers die set.  The vines were cut with the Sizzix Sizzlits Flourish with Heart #2 and #3.  The words are from the Dylusions stamp set titled The Right Words.  I added the white accents with a Sharpie extra fine point pen.

The tissue wrap flowers were a bit challenging.  It seemed like the more I messed with them the more rumpled they became.  I think the secret is to separate, fluff and then STOP!

This is the first time I've used the Dylusions sprays. Wow, are they ever intense!  Just a few quick sprays and the purple flower was almost black!  It was so dark you couldn't see the text on the tissue wrap.  So I spritzed it with water to dilute the color.  It worked but I ended up with VERY purple fingers.  Ranger Craft Scrubbie to the rescue!  I still have a purple fingernail on my thumb!  But I did end up with a lovely tag to save for later...one that I used to mop up the excess ink/water on my craft mat!

I hope you have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

CC2C Challenge - Week 9

The technique chosen for this week’s CC2C Challenge on the Studio L3 blog is the Pocket Watch.  The instructions for the technique can be found on page 35 of Tim Holtz’s book A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  If you don’t already have the book you can buy a copy, autographed by Tim, right here. This week’s challenge is generously sponsored by Simon Says Stamp and that means one lucky participant will win a $25 gift certificate!

One of my previous hobbies was beading.  Unfortunately working on a computer and 10-key calculator all day has taken a toll on my hands and I had to give it up.  I have a lot of different charms left over from that so I decided to use some of my favorite ones in my Pocket Watch.  I stayed with the Paris theme that I used in last week’s challenge.  Do you see a trend??!!   I dream of going to Paris someday!

Here’s my Pocket Watch:

The background paper is from Tim's Vintage Shabby paper stash.  Then I added my different charms.  I couldn’t fit them all inside so I used Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents to place the shoe charm on the pocket watch glass.  I wasn’t sure that it would work but it holds really well!!

I added Tim's Idea-ology Swivel Clasp and put some additional charms on that along with some beads and pearls.  The pocket watch is super easy to put together and the possibilities are endless which you can see by all of the wonderful things the other participants did with their pocket watches!

CC2C Challenge - Week 8

Happy Monday everyone!  The technique chosen for this week’s CC2C Challenge on the Studio L3 blog is Repurposed Packaging.  The instructions for the technique can be found on page 62 of Tim Holtz’s book A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  If you don’t already have the book you can buy a copy, autographed by Tim, right here.

I’ve seen Tim use this technique many times on his blog but I’ve only tried it once when I made one of the 12 Tags of Christmas in 2010.   I loved how that turned out!  I’ve been hoarding packaging ever since including the backer cards for Tim’s products.

So here’s what I started out with.  For my tag I used the backer card from an Idea-ology package and I also used some sheets of plastic packaging.

And here’s what I ended up with!

I really wanted to use the new LaLaLand Eiffel Tower die that I just got so I went with a Parisian themed tag.  The background paper is from the Crowded Attic paper stash with Distress Ink Walnut Stain applied to the edges.  The Eiffel Tower was cut from a piece of laserjet copy paper covered with foil tape.  (This is a thin die so it only cuts basic paper, nothing too thick.)  I colored it with Adirondack alcohol ink in ginger and glued it to the tag with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium.  The stamps are from Stampers Anonymous and Stampa Rosa.  The charm is an Idea-ology Fragment charm.

The flowers are Tim’s Alterations Tattered Flowers movers and shapers set and the Sizzix Daisy mover and shaper die.  The leaf is from the Alterations Leaf and Branch movers and shapers set.  I used Adirondack alcohol inks in wild plum, purple twilight, watermelon, salmon, and sunset orange, lettuce, citrus and meadow.  The flowers are secured to the tag with a gemstone brad.  The leaves were attached with Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents.

I had fun with this one and I hope you like it, too.  Thanks for looking!

CC2C Challenge - Week 7

Hello again!  I'm here with my tag for this week's CC2 technique challenge hosted by Linda on the Studio L3 blog .  The technique is Brushless Watercolor and it can be found on page 49 of Tim Holtz's book A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  If you don't already own a copy, you should!  Get an autographed one here!

This week's challenge is sponsored by eclectic Paperie.  They have generously provided a $25 gift certificate that will go to one lucky participant!  Sweet!

Here's my tag:

I started by stamping the background with a Hero Arts stamp Old French Script and black Ranger Archival Ink.  I used the Stampers Anonymous Carved Swirls stamp and the new Spring Seasonal Distress Inks for the technique.  The images are from Tim's Visual Artistry Lost & Found clear stamp set and Tim's Stampers Anonymous Urban Tapestry cling stamp set.  I distressed the edges of the tag and then applied Distress Ink in Brushed Corduroy to give it an aged look.  Then I spritzed the tag with Perfect Pearls Mist in Biscotti.  I coated the words with Ranger Ink Essentials Glossy Accents so they look like epoxy stickers.

It still needed something else so I added some Idea-ology Metal Foliage colored with Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabbers in Cool Peri, Pink Sherbet, Salmon and Willow.  I backed the foliage with tan tulle for added interest.  I hope you like it!

I really do love this technique and plan to experiment some more with it.  I put this tag together last night after spending most of my long weekend cleaning and organizing all of my stash!  Here's a picture of the six cube organizer that I picked up over the weekend.  Participating in this challenge made me realize that I need to have my stash close at hand and ready to use at a moment's notice!  And this gets the job done.  It hold all of my stains, paint dabbers, mists and sprays in plain view and ready to grab!

I also labeled and alphabetically organized all of my Distress Ink pads in the ink pad holder (an old cassette tape storage rack) that's mounted on the wall above my workspace.  Pretty handy!!  And I bought some plastic trading card storage sheets which I labeled and they hold all of my ink blending pads.  And they're closely guarded by Skelly!  I have a thing for skeletons.  I don't know where it comes from and it mystifies most people who know me well.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't include a picture of my two favorite stamping buddies...Willie and Maggie.  They kept me company while I worked and played all the while hoping I would stop and play with them!  Which of course I did from time to time!  Who could deny those faces?!

Have a great day!  Thanks for stopping by.

CC2C Challenge - Week 6

Good afternoon everyone!  I can't believe that we are already in week 6 of the Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2 challenge hosted by Linda on the StudioL3 blog.  It's been a lot of fun so I'm really looking forward to the challenges Linda chooses in the weeks ahead.  This week's challenge is generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie's Boutique.  A lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate!  Sweet!

This week's technique is Tissue Wrap Collage which can be found on page 38 of Tim Holtz's book A Compendium of Curiosities, Volume 2.  If you don't already have the book then you should!  Get an autographed copy here!

Here is my entry for this week:

I decided to try a canvas for this round.  This is a 5x5 gallery wrapped canvas.  I like to add elements to the sides of the canvas when it's deep enough.  I think it adds interest to the piece.  For the technique I used the Terminology Tissue Wrap and the Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Mini Flourish cut from Grungeboard.  The house was cut from Grungeboard using the Sizzix Alterations Artful Dwellings die and the Movers and Shapers mini openings die.  The bird is from the Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers mini bird and cage die.  I used Distress Ink in Faded Jeans, Shaded Lilac, Forest Moss, Broken China, Mustard Seed and Vintage Photo.  I used Adirondack Paint Dabbers in Aqua and Willow.  The paper used for the house and the stamped images is from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash.  The stamps are from Tim's Visual Artistry Regal Flourish, Impression Obsession, and Character Contructions-French Laundry and Theater of Dreams.

Thanks for stopping by!