Welcome Karen as Guest Creative Guide

We are starting 2015 with a fabulous Guest Creative Guide - Karen Garrard. Karen 'lives' at Winton Rose Paper Creations and is a lover of all things vintage and the Tim Holtz style. She creates some of the most amazing projects and her blog posts are so full of the details of her creations. If you haven't seen Karen's work I thoroughly recommend you pop over and take a look.

Hello every-one, Karen here. I am so pleased to be your Guest Creative Guide today. This challenge is hosted by the very talented Brenda ‘Ring out the old, ring in the new’. In the description it says to focus on the key words in the poem ..old, new, bells, snow, year etc. I have decided to create a Christmas card album from one of Tim’s worn covers. Each year another Christmas finishes and another new batch of cards is created. You will see I have focused on lots of snow and bells. This is my interpretation of out with the old in with the new.

My Tim influence was to use one of my favourite techniques of his being the Layering Stencil: Embossing which I have used on the inside cover and on my Christmas cards. I have also used another technique 'Altered Surfaces' on the numerals you can find the back cover. Of course any excuse for me to alter a piece to make it look really old, I am there, and as you know Tim is a master at this. You can find both of these techniques in Compendium of Curiosities 3. 

I live in Australia and have been paper crafting as long as I can remember. I do find myself sneaking of to my studio at least every second day, Yey! I really enjoy entering challenges as it encourages me to think outside the box and try new techniques like some of Tim’s that I now use over and over again. This year I purchased Tim’s Creative Chemistry 101 & 102 and I have to say they are so full of interesting information. Even though I am yet to complete 102 I can highly recommend it to anyone. I have also purchased all 3 of the Compendium of Curiosities too so I have a wealth of information at my fingertips. One would think with all the Tim items I have been purchasing I would be happy but no I’m just like most of you out there and I too have to have most his products. I am in a wonderful place right now in my studio with all the amazing tools available. I hope you enjoy my creation for today. For more photos you can visit me at wintonrosepapercreations.blogspot.com.

On my front cover I have used Tim’s Found Relative. I have heat embossed some gold embossing powder around the torn edges. I have added a metal clip which I have added alcohol ink and glitter snow. Behind the found relative I have added another piece of cardstock that has been stamped onto and had the edges torn and inked. Finally I have added a wide cream ribbon for my closure. 

I have used the back off some of the found relative images. I think they are way to pretty to hide, so I gently removed some to use on the inside of this piece. The remaining image will be quite thin of course so you may want to add some cardstock behind them for your next project. 

Here is the inside cover. I have used Tim’s Layering Stencil: Embossing technique with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Previous to this I have added some text rolling the stamp onto my piece. Then I have added some more stamping from various stamp sets. 

Now you can see I have added the back pieces from the found relatives. I have also added some more stamping of pen nibs with black archival ink.

Here I have added some heat embossing black and gold embossing powders. I have also added Aleene’s Glitter snow around the edges and black elastic to hold the cards.

Here I have added the last of my Christmas cards. There would have been heaps more but they had been posted out. 

Here on the spine I have used a metal button I found at a bead shop. To this I have added metal chain at different lengths with my charms. I have also used Alcohol inks to colour the charms, then added Aleene’s Glitter Snow. The metal button has been attached using pop up foam with E6000. 

The back of the folder. I have used stencils with texture paste. Again, Aleene’s Glitter Snow. The numerals have had Tim’s Altered Surface Technique applied to them. 

I would now like to thank Brenda for inviting me here today. I truly appreciate this opportunity. Thanks so much for all the hard work you and the Creative Guides put into this blog each and every month. You are all a true inspiration. Karen.x

Thank you Karen not only for your kind words but this wonderful altered worn cover, it's a fantastic example of the wonderful things you create and I'm so pleased you made it just for us at AVJ. I am sure gonna take note of that tip about removing the backs of the found relatives, I agree I think it's a shame to cover them up and stick them to the project so they can't be seen. Thanks again and I am looking forward to seeing what else you make as we start the new year.

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There are still a few more days to enter our challenge for the new year - don't forget 'Ring out the old, Ring in the new' - what have you made that has a Tim Holtz link and would fit in with the theme?

Have a wonderful week and see you Friday with another new challenge.

hugs Brenda and the Team xxx

Ring out the old - Ring in the new.

Welcome everyone, it's Brenda here wishing you and your families happy Boxing day. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day yesterday with family and friends and hopefully some lovely presents too.

I am hosting this last challenge of the year, and what an amazing year it has been since March when we started AVJ. We have the most amazing group of regular Creative Guides, some fantastic guests and pretty awesome readers and challenge entries.

So to complete the year and take us into 2015 we would like you to -

Ring out the old and Ring in the new.

I found this poem to help focus us -

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.” Alfred Tennyson

Think about the key words from the poem - old, new, bells, snow, year etc. and interpret one or more of them in anyway you like. So for instance use something old/new on a project; include bells or snow on a card; design a new year card/project/invitation etc. Be creative in your interpretation and just tell us what your links are to the theme and/or key words from the poem and what your Tim inspiration is on your project.

Let's have a look at how the Creative Guides have interpreted it and what Tim inspiration they have incorporated.

Brenda

Ok what has a telephone book got to do with the theme you might ask? But every new years day we ring family and friends to wish them a Happy New Year, we ring out the old and ring in the new. My telephone/address book is getting old but holds a wealth of information collected over the years. Being part of this wonderful group of talented crafters this year and running the Secret Santa, I realised I could do with a separate telephone/address book to keep their details in. This is just a kraft coloured book with pages made of what seems to be brown wrapping paper which I have made into an ideal place for all those useful numbers.

Terry

For my take on Brenda's fun challenge, I focused on old and new along with snow and bells and all while "ringing out" the craft year with Tim's 12th tag of 2014! For all the details, please click Here. Wishing you all the best of 2015!

S@ndy

My interpretation of Brenda's fun challenge was to upcycle one of my previous projects.  I used Tim's Assemblage Clock for a second time.  Please come on over to my blog here to see the details.

Wishing all of you a "safe" and  Happy New Year

Jennie

Here in Scotland the last day of the year, Hogmanay, is very important to the New Year celebrations and much used to be made of getting everything in order for the New Year on that last day. But for those few minutes before the ringing of the Midnight Bells it is the time to wish for health and happiness for the year to come. As soon as the bells have rung, the visiting and partying starts! 

I decided to interpret those few moments before midnight by making a New Years Card using one of my favourite Tim dies - the weathered clock. There are more details on my blog if you would like to know more.

Jools

My focus is the bells ringing in the New Year as the clock strikes midnight on my snowy wreath

Using Distress Inks, Sprays, die cutting and embossing 

Please click here for more details

Happy New Year, all the best for 2015!

Julia

For Brenda's challenge this fortnight - I highlighted the fresh beginning we all get with the ringing in of a new year.  My main focus is a portion of The Prayer of St. Francis that I photocopied out of a book.  I used several techniques from Tim's Dec 2014 tag on my project - using Distress Paint to color my grungeboard die cut figures, sprinkling Clear Rock Candy Glitter on the moon, covering the arch with Frosted Film, adhering some Industrious Stickers in various places and adding a little bell!

To see more details and close up photos of how I put this together - please visit my blog post here

Alison

My card has old rusty (but happy) bells ringing in the New Year across the spattered snow; my old Christmas neutrals bumping into the bold vivid blues and greens that I reach for in January; and lots of new Tim Holtz toys - the Festive Gent (all new and sparkly, and in a hurry to get to the party before midnight!), the Holly Bough embossing folder, the Holiday Greens and Distress Sprays.  Come and see more details as well as the decorative envelope for the card over at Words and Pictures.

Chris

As a lover of windchimes, I decided that I would create my own as my way of ringing out the old and ringing in the new.  My main inspiration for these, other than angels, is Tim's fabulous 'Riveted patchwork' technique which you can find in CCC VII, P57.  The products and steps are featured on my own blog here if you want to see them.  Chris xxx

As always the winner of the challenge, as chosen by the team, will receive a £10.00 gift token from our wonderful sponsor Country View Crafts. Do check them out as they carry a huge amount of Tim products as well as other amazing lines. We also choose three other people as a Top 3 who become out Pinworthy mentions and all winners are pinned to out Pinterest site.

My thanks to all of the amazing Creative Guides for their wealth of ideas, their inspiration and their eagerness and enthusiasm in making projects and sharing everything with us all. Don't forget to use our labels in the side bar if you ever want to find something 'old' on the blog and to become a Follower if you want to keep up with all the 'new' posts coming through.

Before we finish today we are announcing the winner of the Secret Santa Giveaway. Thank you to all 27 of you who took a jaunty trip around all the Creative Guides blogs and left such wonderful comments. we really appreciate you taking part and joining in the fun of the season. We didn't get to include the second and third prizes but stay with us on our regular trips out as I will include them in another Giveaway soon. Random Org has chosen the winner ...........

...... and she is -

SHARI from 'Ain't that Artsy Fartsy'

Congratulations Shari on your win, please email me with your address so I can get your prize in the post to you. My email address is brenda_brown25@hotmail.com

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(picture courtesy of the Graphics fairy)

So as we ring out the old and ring in the new we all wish each and every one of you 
HAPPY NEW YEAR
with peace, joy and good health in 2015.

huge hugs Brenda and the Creative Guides xxx

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