Compendium of Curiosities 21 - Rock Candy Distress Glitter

Hey Gang, I know it's been a while. My apologies! Seems as though I'm still playing catch-up since CHA. And I've got two big classes this weekend in Jacksonville, so it's been weeks of prep for those. Meanwhile, sweet Emma Williams and Candy Colwell have both nominated me for the #ArtChain on Facebook and I AM going to participate as soon as I can get to it. Thank you both again, I am honored!

It's Saturday and that means another fun technique to try in the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge hosted by our lovely hostess Linda Ledbetter on her blog. Each challenge comes from the wonderful book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III" featuring amazing products and techniques by non-other than Tim Holtz.

Join us with your creation based on the featured technique and your project could win you an awesome prize pack from Tim and Mario and you also have a chance to win the random draw from our generous sponsor this time: Inspiration Emporium. That's a whopping $50 gift certificate! All the details, rules and links are at the end of my post so be sure to keep reading all the way through.


Okay, on to my creation...

Kids, let me tell you that it took two attempts that ended up in the trash before my mojo kicked in on this tag. It happens. What can ya do?

The funny part was, after working over a couple ideas and tossing them, I spotted this already colorized tag sitting on the shelf straight in front of me. One of those "don't wanna waste the ink on the craft sheet" things. So I grabbed it....

...did the Rock Candy Distress Glitter technique...

...and then the rest started to flow. 

The more I use those Industrial stickers, the more I love them! They provide such easy and impressive embellishment with just a touch of alcohol inks. And my butterfly took alcohol ink well too. I finished her off with a few highlights of Glossy Accents and popped her up with double foam tape. Whew! I almost threw in the towel, but am glad I didn't in the end. 

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Do you have the fabulous Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III book by Tim Holtz? (the master of all things vintage and distressed.) If not, you can find one at your local craft store, scrapbook store, or you can get a signed copy by Tim himself by going here. 

You can find all the CC3 Challenge details and FAQs here.  The lovely Linda Ledbetter is our hostess of this fun series of challenges, and all you have to do to participate is create your project, and upload to her site. Be sure, though, to read through all the FAQs so you're eligible to win...

We're working our way through this fantastic book of techniques and tips, and challenging you to join in the fun. This round's challenge is sponsored by the great folks at Inspiration Emporium who have a fabulous gift voucher to give away to one lucky random winner. Also, the Curiosity Crew's Choice scores a giant prize pack of goodies straight from Tim and Mario!

And don't forget, you can find these great products I've used today at Inspiration Emporium's online store. 

Precious Memories Baby Card

Now that CHA is over and things are settling back into a routine, it's time to share designs from the Graphic 45 booth during the show. Today I'm featured alongside fellow design team member Ginny Nemchak with my 6" x 6" baby's easel card made with the new Precious Memories collection. And Ginny is sharing her altered mixed media box using Home Sweet Home. You don't want to miss it!

Here's a peek at my card, but make sure you hop over to the Graphic 45 blog to see more photos and close-ups. Thanks in advance for stopping in!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 20 - Watercoloring 2

Hello and happy Saturday, all! It's another fun technique to try in the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge hosted by our lovely hostess Linda Ledbetter on her blog. Each challenge comes from the wonderful book "A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III" featuring amazing products and techniques by non-other than Tim Holtz.

Join us with your creation based on the featured technique and your project could win you an awesome prize pack from Tim & Mario and you also have a chance to win the random draw from our generous sponsor this time: The Funkie Junkie Boutique. All the details, rules and links are at the end of my post so be sure to keep reading all the way through.

The current challenge can be found on page 40 and is called "Distress Watercoloring Part 2." You may remember Part 1 back in June. I created this card. When reading through the current challenge, I discovered that I had done both part 1 and part 2 back then. Oops! Guess it pays to pay attention, eh?

I decided on a non-traditional Valentine-themed project this time with these fun little gift bags, which can be filled with something sweet, a small gift, or love coupons... if you are so inclined.

As the technique describes, I started with a sheet of Ranger Distress Watercolor Cardstock. I knew I was going to make a few of these Valentine bags, so I tried to be economical with my cardstock and cut it like so.

Then stamped my images like this.

Then I had some fun with the watercoloring technique. As you can see, lots of bright, non-traditional colors for Valentines Day, but since these will be for my teenage daughter and her friends I went off the beaten path.

I used the We R Memory Keepers Gift Bag Punch Board to make a large bag from a 6" x 12" piece  of red Kraft Core. Then I cut a piece of corrugated cardstock 3" x 4 1/4" and nipped away the bottom to create a banner piece.

Next I assembled the gift bag and sand-distressed it. I brushed a light coat of Distress Paint over the raised corrugated, then inked the outer edges with Black Soot. Each gift bag has a different color paint.

Then I assembled the embellishments onto the bags. I created a simple handle and added a black vintage lace cardstock border around the bottom. This red gift bag has a seam binding ribbon colored with Evergreen Bough Distress Stain. 

This ribbon was colored with Victorian Velvet Distress Stain.

And this ribbon was colored with Festive Berries Distress Stain.

Did you happen to notice the different arrows for my heart charms? I had only two of the shorter arrows, so I subbed a clock spinner for this one. Worked great!

The more I do this technique, the more I love it! Coloring has always made me a happy girl.

So, will you join us in this fun challenge? I hope so! Let's see what you've got.

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Do you have the fabulous Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III book by Tim Holtz? (the master of all things vintage and distressed.) If not, you can find one at your local craft store, scrapbook store, or you can get a signed copy by Tim himself by going here. 

You can find all the CC3 Challenge details and FAQs here.  The lovely Linda Ledbetter is our hostess of this fun series of challenges, and all you have to do to participate is create your project, and upload to her site. Be sure, though, to read through all the FAQs so you're eligible to win...

We're working our way through this fantastic book of techniques and tips, and challenging you to join in the fun. This round's challenge is sponsored by the great folks at The Funkie Junkie Boutique who have a fabulous gift voucher to give away to one lucky random winner. Also, the Curiosity Crew's Choice scores a giant prize pack of goodies straight from Tim and Mario!

And don't forget, you can find many of these great products I've used today at The Funkie Junkie online store. 

Valentine-themed Technique Tags

I'm back from CHA as of last night. Had a fabulous time, and promise to share more photos in addition to the ones I've posted on Instagram and Facebook all weekend. Seeing the new products is great, of course, but it really is all about connecting with people that I enjoy the most. But more on that in the next day or so.

Today it's all about laundry, grocery, and getting settled back in.

I realized that although I had promised to post my Valentine-themed tags on my blog, I ran out of time before I left for CHA so I'll share those with you today. My Friday Follies group will be making these technique-filled tags this month. I'll share the basics here and save all the details for my class members.

We'll be using Ranger's #8 size tags and lots of techniques from both Tim Holtz's Creative Chemistry online courses and Ranger University, which I attended back in 2012.

Tag #1's focus is "Distress Ink - Perfect Distress" and features the Festive Gent which I've altered a bit for my Valentine's theme...

Since I never got to use him during the holidays, I simply altered him so I can use him anytime of the year.

The base is layered with shades of pinks and reds (Worn Lipstick, Victorian Velvet, and Festive Berries Distress Ink), stencils and stamps and Perfect Pearls.

Now he carries a heart box of candies for his true love.

Tag #2's focus is "Distress Stain Brayering."

The stains are mostly Victorian Velvet, then Festive Berries and a bit of Antique Bronze.

The images are stamped with Archival black onto Ranger's manila cardstock, then cut out closely and inked around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

After more stamping on the tag, I began layering the stamped images.

Even though the stamps come from different sets, they work together perfectly. 

Tag #3's focus is "Texture Paste Resist" (which I sort of made up) loosely based on some of Tim's resist techniques.

Here's a look at the base as I applied the texture paste through the stencil.

Die cuts with stamping, embossing (the bee) and spritzing (the leaves). 

Layering tissue wrap and the leaf die plus coloring with Distress Inks starts to make things look more interesting.

Popping up the bee with foam tape gives great dimension. Some final touches and this one is done.

Tag #4's focus is "Faded Layers" which is one of my favorite techniques. It's subtle here. Can you tell where it is?

First, the base is simply cut from a sheet of Seasonal Kraft Core, then sanded and inked with Black Soot.

And here's the technique mentioned above. I like how this turned out so much, I now use this image as my iPhone's background screen.

After stamping the clock, I used my Movers and Shapers circle die to cut it out.

A grunge paper pocket watch embossed with gold and adorned with remnant rubs, added spinners and other embellishments. Done.

The rest of the details are left for my class. I hope this has left you with a bit of inspiration. My tags will be fun to use on Valentine gifts, on card bases, or I might just make a seasonal banner with them. Who knows?

Thanks for stopping in today. Would love to hear what you think.

I'll Be Crafting At The Nest, Will You?

Happy hump-day all! I hope you're having a great day. I am excited to share that I'll be teaching two classes in the Jacksonville, Florida area coming Saturday, January 31 at The Nest. The Nest is not a store, but simply a large crafting space where artists and crafters gather for a variety of classes. Cindy Bosnyak heads up the crafting classes there every weekend, and invited me to come and teach.

So, what will we be making?

10:00 a.m. class

Sewing-Themed Shadowbox Display

$35

This one might look familiar. (see my previous post) We'll be using lots of great techniques to create this lovely 8 x 8 shadowbox display with a sewing theme. Prepare to get inky, painty, and gluey!

2:00 p.m. class

Couture Matchbox Vanity Display

$35

We'll use Sizzix's matchbox die to create real working drawers to hold trinkets, jewelry, or other little treasures in this pretty little display piece. It stands 7 1/4" tall and the mirror is really a working mirror, thanks to Tim Holtz's mirror sheets. Enjoy the lovely Couture line of papers, flowers and antique metal brads from Graphic 45 as you assemble this keepsake. We will be adding black wooden feet to this box too!

If you wish to take both classes, Cindy is offering a generous discount at $60 for both. 

Materials to create the projects will be provided. Guests will need to bring their own adhesives, inks and tools.

All details will soon be posted on the Facebook page: "Crafting At The Nest" so be sure to "LIKE" the page first, then check the Events section. 

I hope you can join us if you're in the north Florida area. Please RSVP on the Crafting At The Nest Facebook page, not here. But certainly let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

Thanks, and have a great day!

Compendium of Curiosities #19: Frayed Fabric

Welcome once again to another fabulous Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge. We're already on the 19th challenge in the series, and it's called "Frayed Fabric." It can be found on page 66 in the Compendium of Curiosities III book by non-other than Tim Holtz.

You can find the current challenge on our lovely host, Linda Ledbetter's, blog and join in the fun. There are prizes to be won and inspiration to be had. You can read all the details at the end of my post today.

Okay, let's get started. Usually I post a full tutorial on every project I submit in these challenges, however since I'll be teaching this one as a class I must refrain. It's a pretty straightforward deal though, as you'll see. My project is an 8" x 8" display frame with a sewing theme. Lots of Tim goodies on this one, plus some nice finds from my local craft store too.

Here's a close-up look at the featured technique before I adhered it into my frame. I used the Eclectic Elements fabric by Tim Holtz called French Script. I followed Tim's technique and then inked the frayed edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

I added another frayed fabric element with this heart. The cute brass hanger is from Joann's. 

Baubles, a hanger, heart charm, and a clear fragment serve as nice embellishments with my sewing theme. 

The brass spools I found at Michael's. I mixed together some of Tim's buttons with some random vintage-style ones in my stash. I recently purchased the Sewing Edge die while Sizzix had a holiday clearance. I've always wanted it, and took advantage of the sale. 

Ruler ribbon works perfectly with the theme, don't you think? The bingo piece has been colored with a black Sharpie marker. 

This photo makes the dress form appear slightly purple, but I assure you it's not. I did Tim's Shabby Chic technique from his Creative Chemistry 102 online course. It's more of an off-white and black combination. (Must be my lighting making it look purplish.) I used the Distressed Doily die behind the dress form with ink-distressed edges.

Here's another look at my finished project. It was so much fun to make, and I might even add some flowers to the frame. It's hard to stop. 

I can't wait to see what YOU create with this challenge!

*   *   *   *   *

Do you have the fabulous Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III book by Tim Holtz? (the master of all things vintage and distressed.) If not, you can find one at your local craft store, scrapbook store, or you can get a signed copy by Tim himself by going here. 

You can find all the CC3 Challenge details and FAQs here.  The lovely Linda Ledbetter is our hostess of this fun series of challenges, and all you have to do to participate is create your project, and upload to her site. Be sure, though, to read through all the FAQs so you're eligible to win...

We're working our way through this fantastic book of techniques and tips, and challenging you to join in the fun. This round's challenge is sponsored by the great folks at Inspiration Emporium who have a fabulous gift voucher to give away to one lucky random winner. Also, the Curiosity Crew's Choice scores a giant prize pack of goodies straight from Tim and Mario!

And don't forget, you can find these great products I've used today at Inspiration Emporium's online store.