My 12 Tags of 2013 February Tag

Thrilled to be able to get this one finished in time to add my picture to Tim Holtz's blog.  I used the same design and colors and from his example, but made it using an Uptown Rubber Stamps David Walker "Love Cats on Fence" stamp, as well as the "You're Purr-fect" saying from a Studio G acrylic set stamped onto the Idea-ology Vial Label.  I used two different embossing folders, a border from Cricut combined with the Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Texture Fade Swirl design on Core'dinations Core Color paper using a tan/kraft sheet.  The tag was done with Barn Door Ranger Distress Stain rather than the colors used in the example, edged with Black Soot Ranger Distress Ink.  The "ribbon" is the Idea-ology Hobgoblin Tissue Tape and the heart charm from Idea-ology Adornments set.  The stamp was done on watercolor paper with Ranger Archival Ink and then colored with the terrific Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Markers.

In using the Core'dinations paper to emboss and sand to reveal the design, I discovered that you actually can get a couple different looks using the same paper and embossing folder.  The first look would be if you just emboss and sand to hit the high-points of the embossed design. 

With the second look, I actually debossed (put the paper in the reverse of the normal way).  That means I put the paper in with the black front facing the side of the embossing folder with the design that feels raised.  I then sanded the paper as usual.  At this point, I reinserted the paper into the embossing folder with the black front now facing the normal side of embossing folder and embossed.  This then raised the design as it normally does when you emboss.  Sorry if I am not explaining it well.  Please note that this only works with symmetrical designs, otherwise, when you flip the paper over, it won't line up with the designs of the embossing folder.  Clear as mud?

Love it when you can get different looks out of the same products!  Examples above are done with three Cricut embossing borders.  Sorry picture is a little blurry - will have to retake and update post soon.

Birthday Club Card 2

Another card I did for the ATT 2013 Birthday Club.  The background is done taking 3 strips of different coordinating scrapbook papers. I cut them to size, positioned them on removable adhesive paper, did my inking and stamping, and when I was ready to place them on the card, removed them from the adhesive paper to adhere in place.  The sentiment is from a chipboard set.  I covered it with Ranger Glossy Accents to give it dimension and used Distress Stickles (Vintage Photo) around the edges.  The lovely flourish is also dimensional and from Tim Holtz Idea-ology Harlequin Grunge Board pack and painted with Jacquard Lumiere paints.

12 Tags of 2013 January Tag

I am working on 12 Tags of 2013 as started by Tim Holtz on his blog.  I don't have all the same products, so will be doing my own interpretation of his gorgeous tags.  My January tag is below.  Since it is already February, I am playing catch up on this one.

I especially liked how he showed that the Idea-ology Trimmings ribbon can be not only dyed with ink, but also stamped.  That makes it so easy to coordinate it with any project.

A Few of My Favorite Things

This is another project I had done for my stamping club.  I saw the template and directions for this shadow box in probably a 2006 issue of Somerset Studio http://www.somersetstudio.com/.  All the measurements and a how-to were included in that magazine.  The box is made of chipboard and covered with a preprinted paper that I inked and sanded.  I included buttons, beads, clock parts, charms, postage stamps, a stamped mini domino, and even a tag from Tazo tea and a diamond shape punched out of chocolate candy wrappers. 

All the items included represent things I like that have a personal meaning to me.  Some of the charms and beads I used I had been hanging onto for quite a while waiting for the perfect time to use them (like the Egyptian cat bead upper left and cat mask lower right).  The inside background of the box is lined with a plain white paper that I stamped a script text stamp on just to give more interest to the background.  The actual size of the box is only 6 1/4  x 5 1/4 inches.

Something very similar could be done easily with premade boxes like the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Configurations sets http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/servlet/the-28901/Tim-holtz-idea-dsh-ology-ideaology/Detail or even the 7 Gypsies Letterblock Printer Trays http://www.sevengypsies.com/.

ATC Storage, Re-Covered Recipe Card Box

Just thought I'd post a quick picture of something I made several years ago.  This is a recipe box I found in the $1 aisle of the craft store.  It was an avocado green color (not my favorite), but I knew I could re-cover it and use it for storing ATCs I have made for swapping.

I bought a bunch of these and used this as a make-and-take project for a round-robin crafting event with my local club.  Each person had to bring all the makings for something easy to assemble with instructions.  Everyone would sit around the table and each be working on a quick and easy project until they were done and then switch out for another one when someone else finished as well. 

I prepared all the boxes ahead of time with the edges painted with gesso and precut all the strips of papers (of various styles and colors) to size.  It was a little more complicated for everyone to do quickly than I had anticipated.  Everyone in the club did attempt to finish and if they did not, they finished at home and brought it to the next meeting for show-and-tell!  No two boxes turned out the same and each one reflected the taste of the person who made it as I had provided variety of preprinted papers and coordinating alphabets.

For the detail on the top, I used precut and preprinted alphabets from a scrapbooking stack.  I coated them with ultra-thick embossing powder and while still hot used a scrollwork stamp to press a design into them, leaving the stamp in place until everything cooled.  I only use actual rubber stamps for that kind of technique (not vinyl as I am not sure it can take the heat without melting the stamp itself).  Once cool, you can easily pull the letter off.  I used some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to make the embossed design show up a little more.  The embossing powder will resist the ink which will only be taken up on the bare areas of paper exposed by the scrollwork design.  Decorations are brads and paper flowers.  Letters are mounted on pop dots on another piece of preprinted paper rectangle trimmed at each corner with a punch over an ivory textured paper.

It has held up quite well over the years.  The gesso at the edges has chipped slightly here and there, but I feel that gives the whole thing a well-loved look that adds character.

Birthday Club

I am also participating in a year-long swap in which each person makes a birthday card for every other member.  Some months have more birthdays than others, so how many I have to make in a month will vary.  I thought this was a good way to get back in the habit of doing greeting cards and may actually even send out some to family members for a change!  It brings me back to the "brilliant" reason I started stamping...I would save sooooo much money on greeting cards.....who has been there, thought that?

My first effort was very simply done as I had not been doing cards in a while.  Fortunately, I started getting a grip on organizing my stuff at the end of 2012 and into this month, so most of my supplies were readily handy.  Going through things also gave me a chance to see all the things I bought because I loved the colors or thought they were cool and I would use them on some project some day. My goal for this year is to only use things I already own in making all these birthday cards.

This first one was done based around the color of the circular sticker I used (and inspired by the colors and shapes in the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Retro Grunge paper stash).

I used a piece of waxed-paper resist embossing I had already made a while back (see my other blog post about that), some coordinating ribbons, paper punch, pop-dots, and some cute charms I had of an old-fashioned rubber stamp with an ink pad.  I heat embossed a birthday saying on the inside of the card as well, just a simple "Best Wishes for a Wonderful Birthday" a PSX stamp.

I don't mind using stickers in my creations, especially when they are the more intricate ones that are now made for scrapbooking and not just the neon color cutesy ones for kids to collect.

This color combination (yellow, red, and orange with a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink) was definitely one I would not normally pick, but I liked the saying on the sticker - "Another year older, another year better" - so tried to coordinate my papers and ribbon to all work together.

Whew...two blog posts in one day.  Now onto working on more birthday cards.  Check back if you like my creations as I will be posting more often as I get each card made and mailed off to its recipient.

ATT Christmas Ornament Exchange

I participated during the 2012 holiday season in a Christmas Ornament exchange.  I used a lightweight small wooden birdhouse from the craft store (from the $1 bin) and decided to cover it with papers.  This was for the All Things Tim Yahoo Group, so use of Tim Holtz products, techniques, and/or stamps was encouraged.  Here is a picture of what I made...

I used ArtQuest Perfect Paper Adhesive to attach a preprinted tissue to the house.  The roof panels are the technique I will describe below. 

1. Take a strip of metallic tape (hardware store purchase) and attach to a lightweight cardstock (either a tag or piece of  manila folder).

2.  Using Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks and a felt applicator tool, apply three colors of alcohol inks in layers to each tag.

 The uncut and unembossed sheets looked like this...

3. Using Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tiny Tabs and Tags die cut, cut tag shape. Cut enough tags so that they slightly overlap around the circumference of the roof. 

4.  Using Sizzix Texture Fades Riveted Metal embossing folder, send each tag through your embossing machine (two at a time can fit in the folder).

5  I drew a straight line about 1/4 inch from the bottom of tag to use as a guideline for decorative scissors.  This gave it a nice edge, and trimmed up the length of the tag as it was hanging a little too much over the edge of the roof.  I used the leftover edge pieces to glue around bottom ledge of birdhouse.

This is what the tags looked like before I glued them on...

5.  To apply tags around the roof of house, use ArtQuest Perfect Paper Adhesive.  I applied one tag at a time, keeping pressure on the tag by hand until the glue set (very fast, maybe 1 minute), and waited about 5 to 10 minutes before gluing down another.  This allowed me to be sure each tag had conformed to the shape of the roof and had no loose ends.

For finishing touches that I did not get a picture of (unfortunately), I bought a piece of fake floral pine, berries, and tiny real pinecones and I force the stems of that into the hole at the top of birdhouse where the rope for hanging is coming out.  I also used Ranger Stickles (Stardust) in a light coat over the preprinted tissue to add some sparkle.  I was very happy at how it turned out and my swap partner told me she really liked it.