March 12 tags of 2012

Squeezing in my tag on the last day of the month for Tim Holtz's 12 tags of 2012 http://www.timholtz.typepad.com/
March's tag included a pretty cool mosaic technique. I didn't have the exact supplies Tim used, so I just used what I did have to get the same kind of feel. The background was stamped with stamps by Dyan Reaveley , Ranger's newest signature designer http://www.dyan-reaveley.blogspot.com/, and my latest obsession. The mosaic pieces were sprayed with Dylusions spray inks http://rangerink.com/, glued down and remaining area embossed.
This was just a first attempt, so I think once I can play with the technique, I'll be happier with the results.

recipe: Adirondack ink pad, clover, archival ink jet black, Dylusions stamps, Tim Holtz sentiment stamp, Tim Holtz flower die, distress marker black soot around flower edge,sakura clear star pen

Happy birthday to me.....

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! After a year of wanting, wishing and drooling, look what I received for my birthday this year. Da da da.... Tim Holtz's dream machine, the Vagabond. I fell in love with this cute suitcase, all ready for travel and ready to fulfill all my cutting and embossing needs. Let me tell you this baby is a powerhouse. I have cut out grungeboard and soda cans like running a knife through room temperature butter . Embossing with Tim's texture fades gives a gorgeous, deep, beautiful embossed image. I am in love with this machine! I am working on a special birthday card with the birdcage die, will post that when it is finished.

And, of course, because all occasions call for cake, here is a photo of my birthday cupcakes complete with butterfly rings as decorations.

Coffee and cream

Here is my submission for this week's challenge over at SimonSaysStamp.com. The challenge was to use the colors of coffee and cream.... and it dawned on me that maybe the reason I crave coffee so much is that it really is the color of CHOCOLATE ! What could be better than that?

Ingredients: DCWV paper from the At Home collection,Technique Tuesday paisley stamp and life sentiment,Celebrate stamp by Autumn Leaves, dragonfly by Inkadinkado, all inks by Color Box, glossy accents on dragonfly, Tim Holtz flowers, assorted gems

Tim inspired project

Anyone who knows me or ever glances at this blog, knows one thing about me.... I cannot...and I say this with utmost sincerity...I cannot make anything without my Tim Holtz Distress inks.... I am such a Tim Holtz website stalker....er...  fan.... I have to know....what did Tim invent today? How did he know what I needed before even the tiniest seed of an idea could form in my creative brain....what new technique  will make me want to smack my head because of it's simplicity but UTTER GENIUS ? I have learned so much from his products, videos and step by step instructions. He constantly inspires me to create... and to enjoy the journey....
Having recently returned from a 2 day trip to Creating Keepsakes Convention, I had a few mementos and photos that I wanted to put into a mini album.... I wish I had more photos, but my smaller and more portable digital camera, ran out of memory stick room....yes, I know, I should check these things before leaving home....but I didn't....
The idea for the book started with Tim Holtz's Alteration line- On the Edge dies. I used kraft card stock cut to approximately 5 1/2 x 12 inches and ran each short edge through  the die creating the cool design on the edge. I did this 2 more times, cutting each subsequent sheet about a half inch to an inch shorter to stagger the edges to have different length. Next, I cut lengths of Tim Holtz idea-ology paper stack- RETRO GRUNGE to fit the right side of each page and ran those through the die as well. I embossed each of those cuts with Tim's Sizzix embossing folders: Notebook, Rays, Collage, Retro Circles or Cuttlebug embossing folder Seeing Spots, Divine Swirl and Spots and Dots.
I distressed each embossed sheet with either antique linen, crushed olives, tea dye, vintage photo and corduroy inks or combo of a few of those.
All stamps by ....yeah....you already know.... Tim Holtz Visual Artistry line.... French Market, Regal Flourish, Life's Possibilities, Urban Grunge, and The Journey collections.
Fun bits were added: Tim Holtz game spinners, metal flowers and words and one tiny prima flower distressed and layered in a metal flower.
The inner page flower die cut with the Tim Holtz tattered florals Alteration die and layered with more metal accessories.
Little pockets were created for tickets and tags and a few more photos and memorabilia.
Originally, I was going to just staple the book together but it became a little too bulky for that, so i just wound lots of twine around the spine to hold it together.
This tiny little book makes me happy, and reminds me of a really fun memory. That is the whole point isn't it?

Hope you enjoy it too!

Thank you, Jennifer McGuire

I know....I know.... I have said it before, but, I LOVE Jennifer McGuire http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/ . I follow her blog daily ( but I am not obsessed or anything ... not even remotely like a....stalker....( insert nervous laughter here) ) and recently, just for leaving a little ole comment, she sent me one of Tim Holtz's new Sizzix dies. OMG ! Now these are my two favorite people in the scrapbook industry and I resent your thinking that I am a Tim Holtz stalker...( insert really nervous laughter here...and ...here...just for good measure ). I sent her my address and the beautiful crest showed up in my mailbox. It is regal and fabulous, so I set about making a few thank you tags. All Tim Holtz http://www.timholtz.com distress inks and stamps. The Sizzix dies even cut material that is not paper, so I cut up the plastic packaging that the die came in and sent it through the machine- it cut it like a knife through warm butter.... those plastic cuts I inked with Tim's alcohol inks and a little glitz was added with the Stardust jelly roll pen.

Thank you, Jennifer McGuire and thanks to Tim Holtz for your continous inspiration and fabulous products!

Another MPS NSD Challenge #11

I had a little time to work on another of My Pink Stamper's challenges. This time the challenge was to use the colors of the rainbow- red, orange, yellow, green and blue. I had thoughts of rainbows and light and fluffy things when it hit me- go the other way. Grunge and some black changed my whole plan. I love doing tags ( thank you Tim Holtz ) so I cut out a cardboard tag, the word "Time" from the Graphically Speaking Cricut cartridge ( 4 times and glued them together to give it more weight). I then covered the whole tag with memory foil and applied alcohol inks to give the rainbow colors. I stamped the clock and Enjoy the Journey from Tim Holtz's Stamper's Anonymus collections. Black raffia finished up the tag.

No April Fool's joke....another post....

Here are a couple cards I made for this busy birthday season I am in. Only slight variations between the two cards. I can't seem to make a card without using Tim Holtz distress inks . Here I used broken china, scattered straw, mustard seed and peeled paint. Background stamped with tea dye distress ink . Heart winged butterfly from Hero Arts , stamped in vintage photo distress ink then colored with Rangers perfect pearls. I also made a watered down version of the perfect pearls and splattered here and there. All other stamps by Tim Holtz except larger corner flourish stamp by Fancy Pants. Martha Stewart Happy Birthday ribbon.