Color Throwdown...but not Christmas-y

I've been turning every challenge into a Christmas card, but I've jumped off that wagon for Color Throwdown 472.  This is one of my favorite color combinations, and I know it would work for the holidays, but I felt the need to do something else for a change.  I've been gone for almost a week, so haven't done any challenges during that time.  For this card, I chose a piece of Ellen Hutson's newest designer paper and a sentiment-image combination stamp from Tim Holtz.  The image is popped up a bit on foam dots and accented with some black jewels. 

A Vehicle in One Layer

The dreaded one-layer card is back for this week's Less is More.  However, it also includes a vehicle, which I just happened to have--two old pickups from Tim Holtz designs for Stampers Anonymous. The sentiment is also from SA.  I chose Kraft cardstock and just had to add some texture with an embossing folder.  I think this card would be perfect for a masculine retirement or moving card. 

Mojo Monday in Pink

I dug out a 12x12 paper pad from Tim Holtz for this Mojo Monday card.  Pink seemed like a good choice to go against the winter that surrounds me.  The "smile" die is the prettiest one I have. It's labeled "intricutz dies" by Couture Creations.  

Less is More - Adding Dimension

It seems like forever since I've made a card or even visited my crafting blog.  Now I have at least four challenges to meet, and I'll start with Less is More.  The challenge is to add some dimension to a card.  I've used a frame die for a white-on-white card front with an image from Tim Holtz's "Runway" collection for Stampers Anonymous.  The "hello" die cut is also dimensional.

Less is More with Splatters

"Splatters" -- the theme for Less is More inspired me to take out the alcohol inks again.  This time, I also used canned air.  The image is from the Tim Holtz collection of Stampers Anonymous.

(EDIT:   This was supposed to be a one-layer card!  I failed to read that bit of direction, obviously.  The interesting thing is that the glossy paper was cut from a card...so this could have been one layer if I had followed directions.  So....I made a second one, but the splatters didn't work as well!) 

Freshly Made "Enjoy the Journey" in a Vintage Auto

I was tempted to go all wintry and use a snowflake for this Freshly Made sketch, but I know it's important to make myself think a bit out of the box.  So I went to one of Tim Holtz's old cars and his theme,  "enjoy the journey."  The polka-dotted papers are from Canvas Corp's Black and Ivory cardstock pad.  I covered the popped-up car in Glossy Accents for a shiny embellishment.  

I am also linking with the Paper Players "vintage or antique" theme. 

Freshly Made with Poinsettias

A Christmas card....giving in to the inevitable.  The Tim Holtz stamp and  Sizzix die serve well for this week's sketch on Freshly Made Sketches. 

The image and the sentiment were colored with markers and spritzed with water before being stamped on watercolor paper.  The poinsettias were die cut twice and popped on foam squares to provide substance to the image.

Freshly Made JOY

Freshly Made Sketches #116 is a great sketch this week.  I used one of my favorite pieces of designer paper ...Tim Coffey's "Blossomwood" by K&Company.  "JOY" is from Tim Holtz and Sizzix's Alterations/Framelits "Holiday Joy," accented with SU's Dazzling Details in Cherry Cobbler. The base layer is PTI's kraft.

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 5

Made all three tags tonight!  I'm not sure about the third technique...my tag doesn't look "marbled" to me!  I did it twice, too.   More on Monday!

Stained Kraft Resist   (kraft)              Stamping with Stains  (manila)          Marbled Stains (manila)

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 4

Again, only two of the three tags.  I don't have any Cut 'n' Dry Felt to make a custom stamp pad.  I must admit that the results Tim achieves are amazing.

Watercoloring with Re-Inkers               Layered Misting (Dreamweaver stencil)

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 3

I completed only two of the three tags for this lesson.  My elderly mother is staying with me, and my craft room is next to her bedroom. Although I work in the kitchen, I still have to go back and forth for supplies.  Too noisy. Besides, I would have to dig for a Texture Fade used for the third tag.  I'll do it later.

I learned some new things in this lesson:  why Tim's stamps are always "dirty," and that I have some archival inks that aren't the standard archival dyes, so Brilliance inks can be substituted for what I don't have.  

Alcohol Ink Agates Technique     and     Archival Resist Technique

Creative Chemistry 101 Days 1 and 2

I'm not sure that I'll keep up with each assignment in Tim's two-week class, but I'll do what I can.  Fortunately, the first three Distress Ink techniques are ones I've done many times.

From left: Blended Distress/Spritz&Flick; Brushless Watercolor, Wrinkle-Free Distress

Pink Plaid for Grungy Monday

Seems like forever since I've posted on Grungy Monday.....and now it's time for Tim's Creative Chemistry on-line class.   I have a feeling that my photography, which takes most of my time and energy, is going to be moved to the back burner for a couple of weeks.   This cool plaid technique first appeared on Tim's blog during his 2009 12 Tags of Christmas.  I did the tags that year, and I was pleased with my plaid tags.  Today, I thought I'd NEVER get a plaid that I was happy with!  Finally....    (Image is from Paula Best)

Playing with bleach some more

It's the Play Date Cafe' Challenge, and the colors are charcoal, ash, and butter.   Perfect for my forays into stamping and bleaching.  Tim Holtz's mini-jalopy was stamped and heat-embossed on the charcoal cardstock; I bleached the open areas with a water brush dipped in Clorox.    Designer papers are from Authentique's "Blissful" and Teresa Collins's "Carolina Breeze."

Still in the rosette mood

Since Sir Tim posted his tutorial for a rosette tree, I've been playing with those dies.  Never mind that it's after Christmas!   Before I put my Christmas stamps and papers away, I have three more examples of rosettes---this time as tree ornaments.   Or they could be decorations for packages, too.    As with the silver tree in the previous post, I applied the silver flashing tape to cardstock before die cutting the rosettes.  (The rosette in the center is simply a 3-layer one of Christmas paper.)

Another Tim-Technique Tag

For Grungy Monday, we're using one of Tim's Christmas tag techniques.  I managed to make it difficult.   ;-)  When I finished, I realized that my focal image isn't very visible among all the extras.    However, I did use two of the new limited edition Distress Ink colors:  Festive Berries and Evergreen Bough.   

I managed to make it difficult

Grungy Monday is featuring Tim's "Perfect Distress" technique, and I've done it several times. (Video here) However, I decided I wanted to use autumn leaves (Tim's Falling Leaves set), and I wanted to make a card instead of a tag, but things just wouldn't work.  That was yesterday---and this is now.   Inks for the leaves: Barn Door, Rusty Hinge, Seedless Preserves, Crushed Olive.  I added Mustard Seed to the background after using Vintage Gold Perfect Pearls.

10-minute Grungy Monday

It's been awhile since I've "grunged" anything for Linda's Grungy Monday challenge.  This week it's "Tim in 10"...a creation using Tim Holtz products and completed in 10 minutes.   I was inspired to use gold snowflakes and silver trees because of a tag of Suzanne Czosek's in the current Stampers' Sampler.   (She did a much better job of cutting out the trees than I did; they're the most time-consuming element of my tag.)
(Tim's "Reindeer  Flight" stamp set, gold and silver EP, Tumbled Glass, Wild Honey, Bundled Sage, and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.)


Only after I posted this tag did I realize it should have been a card.    

Back among the crafters of the world....

I don't think I've ever created a single piece that works for two challenges before, but I did that today.  Linda of Grungy Monday is featuring Distress Stickles this week, and Rebecca of Tag Tuesday wants tags with a vintage photo as the feature.

The Bo Bunny 'et cetera' collection just arrived in my mailbox and that's what I chose for this dual-purpose #8 tag: patterned paper, ribbon, chipboard embellishments, and brad.   Old Paper and Tea Dye are the Distress Stickles of choice.  (The creative mind behind most of these Ranger products, of course, is Tim Holtz.) At the center of it all is a beautiful vintage photo  from Dezinaworld.    (Click each photo for a closer look.)

Rockin' Grungy Monday #17

Rock Candy is the star of this week's Grungy Monday, and I've used both Rock Candy crackle paint and the Rock Candy Stickles on the cover of my paper bag book. (See Tim's video HERE.)  The two torso shapes were cut from Grungepaper and painted with Distress Stains in Fired Brick, Wild Honey, Faded Jeans, and Peeled Paint, with Walnut Stain to edge the shapes before they were painted with the crackle paint.  The Prima flowers were glossed with Stickles.