Another 12 Tags of 2014 - August

So, I usually do two postcards for the 12 Tags of 2014 and this month I only did one. I decided that I wasn't satisfied with one so I made another one. LOL...

I always like to have one for a friend and one for me, so I just had to make another. I didn't want to two to be the same so I made a different one this time.

Like the last postcard, I started by using Tim's tissue paper

I also used Tim's Tissue Tape, stamps and various stencils

I also used my gelli roll pen to write over the metal in my word band, I wasn't sure if it was going to work at all but it worked pretty good

If you want to see how to make this entire postcard, make sure to head over to Tim's Blog and check out the full tutorial

Here is my finished postcard

I used Tim's Word Band, ideology trinkets, stencils, remnant rubs, stamps, distress inks and much more on this postcard, how fun to put so many wonderful products together in a mixed media piece!!!

I think I'm in love with this one, I just love the way the color came out.

Hope you have enjoyed my postcard today, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!

Altered Playing Card Challenge

Hello all, I am so excited to announce that I will be doing a 26 week altered Playing card project. 

I just love altered playing cards and I have always wanted to do a deck for myself but it always seemed like a huge undertaking to make 52 cards. Well I have decided to do a set here on my blog and spread it out through 26 weeks. This means I will be doing two altered cards a week and I'm hoping that you will follow along with me and maybe do your own set

All the tutorials will be FREE to you and since it will only be two cards a week it will be so easy for you to follow along and make your own set, this project will take a little over 6 months or so to complete but by the end you will have a wonderful set of 52 altered playing cards

For those of you who follow along there is an added bonus... I am giving away prizes along our journey. The prizes will be random to those who comment.  It may be a small prize, it may be a big prize but if your commenting then you might win a prize here and there. It won't be every week, the drawings will be random
 I also encourage you to share about this project with your crafty buddies on your blog or groups so that we get as many people as possible to participate, those of you who share about the project I will do a BIG prize at the end of the project, and for those who have shared you will get two entries into the finale drawing at the end (which will be big).. I have made it easy for you to share by creating the blog button, --->>>
Grab the button and add it to your blog or you can simply post about it on the various social medias and send a link to my website.
If you need help adding a button to your blog, there is a tutorial on my blogpost 
HERE

PLEASE let me know if you have shared about this challenge and provide a link so I can see it and I will add your name twice to the BIG FINALE PRIZE
(in order to be eligible for the finale prize, you must follow along and comment at least twice a month)

These are just a few of the the prizes I will be giving away. 

The entire project will begin on Monday September 1st 2014  - so make sure to check back

I will also be pinning these each week on my Pinterest here:

PINTEREST CHALLENGE BOARD
Make sure to follow the board and do some pinning of your own if you want

The first week will be a "prep" week. We will prep all 52 cards so they can dry nicely prior to painting or spraying, this way they will all be ready to go each week.

Thanks for coming by and I hope you will follow along on this fun journey!!

CHEERS!!

Under The Sea - Stampotique SDC162 Challenge

Hello everyone and thanks again for stopping by the blog. This weeks Challenge over at the Stampotique Designer's Challenge Blog is "Under The Sea" chosen by our wonderful Arwen McCullen

For my project today I chose to use a background that I had previously made in one of my art journals. I was actually experimenting to see if this mesh type material would stay if I adhered it with gel medium, it ended up staying pretty well and I thought it kind of looked like fish netting.

 I also had previously used a stencil to add some lettering along the bottom. 

I decided for this under the sea page, I wanted to use Stampotique Stamps - 

Something Fishy - By Amy Wilson-Wellenstein

Smushallaum - By Daniel Torrente

Smushasha - By Daniel Torrente

Seaweed - By Jo Capper-Sandon

Breakfast - By Daniel Torrente

Here is my finished page

The page turned out just how I imaged, it looks like the mermaids have caught the creature in the netting, I also cut the hand so that it was reaching through the netting, as if he was trying to escape.

I hope you have enjoyed my creation today, make sure to try out a "under the sea" creation of your own and link up to 

Stampotique Designer's Challenge  in order to be eligible to win.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - August

For the new Tim Holtz Tag for August Tim wanted us to explore our "muse" and create this month's tag using our own creative style and "muse". 

I love this and I really love the idea of just creating using our own unique creative styles. 

Of course if your following along with my blog, you know that I have decided to make postcards instead of tags this year. I really like the idea of the postcards because my 7Gypsies craft tray is looking so full and I just love it AND I send one every month to a crafty friend of mine, what better way to get some "happy mail" than to receive a postcard

For starters I gathered some of my favorite Tim Holtz products to use

Next, using multi matte medium I adhered my tissue paper and tape onto my background

I also used Tim's stamps and archival ink to stamp my images 

I created the rest of my background using Tim's tutorial HERE

Make sure to check it out

For my finished postcard, I used Tim's Idea-ology trinkets, tissue tape, tissue paper, dies, grungeboard, embossing distress powder, stamps and so much more.

This was such a fun postcard to create, with all the wonderful layers and depth, what a thrill!! I hope you will try your hands at making the 12 Tags of 2014 for August because it's a blast!!

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope to see you soon

CHEERS!

Compendium Of Curiosities #9 - CC3C

Hello there and welcome back to the blog. Today I have a postcard for you that I created with the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge in mind. This is challenge 9 over at Linda Ledbetter's blog Studio L3

These challenges come directly from Tim's Book Compendium of Curiosities Volume 3 and this time we are working from page  63, Stamps and Framelits. I am using Tim's Acorn framelit set today.

Linda never disappoints and has a few fantastic prizes. One lucky person will get a wonderful prize pack directly from Tim and Mario themselves, the CC3C crew picks their favorite project for this prize.

They also are sponsored by Inspiration Emporium and one randomly selected winner will receive a 50.00 shopping spree directly from IE, how cool is that??!!

For my project I started with my background and used various colors of Tim's distress paints and then layered those with distress inks. I then used Tim's Burlap stencil and distress inks to add a bit of interest into my background

I created my acorns that I added near my ribbon with real acorn tops and a few pearls

For the words, I used my framelit set "be thankful" and from Tim's Hashtag word set I used the word #blessed

Here is a photo of the dimension I created with the die/stamp

I also added some little doodads that I got from the craft store, they were the perfect color for this project.  Here is my finished postcard

I hope you have enjoyed my postcard and make sure to come by Linda's Blog and check out the wonderful project that the Curiosity Crew put together. 

Have a wonderful day!!

Hip To Be Square - Artist Trading Block

Hello all and welcome back to the blog. Today I want to share with you an ATB I created for the challenge over at

Frilly and Funkie - Their challenge is "Hip To Be Square" so they are asking us to create a 3D block type project and what better way than to use Eillen Hull's  Artist Trading Block die

For my Artist Trading Block I decided to do the background with Wendy Vecchi Crackle Texture Paste, this stuff is pure awesomeness! 

I simply smeared it on here and there like butter on bread

After the paste had completely dried, I used Wendy's Archival Ink pads to color each block of the ATB, you can really see that amazing cracking once that color goes on, it's beautiful

I used a new stamp set by Mr Tim Holtz called 
Mini Blueprints 7

I used the pine branch and Wendy's Archival ink to stamp here and there onto my background

For all of my butterflies I used distress paint to color them with a paintbrush

I used Tim Holtz Honeycomb Framework Die to create my honeycombs around each side of my block, I also used various dies and stamps to create Bees and flowers etc...

Here is a look at my finished Artist Trading Block

I just love how the crackle texture paste comes through in that background.
Thanks for coming by today, make sure to check out the challenge over at 
Frilly and Funkie there are sure to be loads of inspiration and fun!! A lucky winner will win a 25.00 shopping spree and possibly a guest designer spot. 
Have a wonderful day!!

Flowers Bookmark - Stampotique Challenge

Happy Wednesday to ya, thanks again for coming by the blog. 

I hope your having a great week.. Today marks another new challenge over at Stampotique Designers Challenge Blog and this week our wonderful hostess is Kristin and she has chosen the challenge "Flowers" 

Even though it's the end of August we still have a few flowers here in Colorado. It's sad though because soon it will become colder and our flowers will go dormant for another winter.

I decided to make a bookmark for this project and I wanted it to have the flower by artist 

Janet Klein called - Sunflower Left

I had originally created something else for this project and didn't like it so I cut this flower out of my original project so I could still use it. No waste! haha!

I also used one of my favorite stamps by artist Linda Peterson called Hazel Jester

All of the Hazel stamps are so cute but this one is my favorite.

I created an "arm" and "hand" for my Hazel so it would look like she was standing there holding this flower, although I'm not so great at drawing I though it turned out ok. LOL

I think this will make a fun bookmark for myself or my daughter for those summer reads.

Thanks for coming by and have a great day.

Altered Playing Cards

Good day everyone, here's hoping your having a wonderful sunny day wherever you are. 

I have been training for a half marathon and it sure was hot, hot, hot today. I ran 6 miles but the heat makes it seem like 12. 

Anyway, I have been working on altered playing cards lately. I have to say that these are so fun to make. I've just been working on them here and there while I craft, it's simple and there is no pressure.

I may do another set after this set is done. I might even do a weekly or bi-weekly blog post and post a "how to" each time, maybe you can follow along? What do you think?

For starters I made my background and prepped all 52 cards

Then I just sit them on my work desk and make them here and there. I think I started these in April so its slow going but I love it

Here are a few of the cards I've finished so far

I will post more as I finish them but so far this is all I have done. I'm hoping to get this first set done soon and then start the tutorials here on the blog.

Have a great day!!

Music As Inspiration - Postcard

Welcome back to another Wednesday with me. If you follow my blog you know that Wednesday's always mark another fun challenge at Stampotique's Designer's Challenge Blog.

This week Kathi is our wonderful hostess and she has chosen "Music As Inspiration" as her theme. I love listening to music while I create and so this is a great challenge

I chose the song "Hey Jude" by the Beetles (one of my favorite bands ever) It's one of my favorite Beetle's songs.

For this project I used Stampotique Stamps - 

Phillip - By Artist Magda Polokow

Girl With Heart Purse - By Artists Jill Penney and Daniel Torrente

Here is my finished postcard -

Hope you like my project for today and we hope you will come by and join in on the challenges at the Challenge Blog 

Have a great week

Vintage Kitchen - New Sizzix Line by Eileen Hull

Hello all and thanks for coming by the blog today. I have some exciting news from Eileen Hull  and Sizzix. Eileen has designed a new line of dies called "Vintage Kitchen" and these are Fabulous! They will be available in December of this year.

The entire Artist Trading Block Design team got the opportunity to play with these dies.  I was so thrilled

I decided to play with this cookie box die. There is also a way you can double stack this one to make it bigger too, the cookie box opens up to reveal cookies or treats or a small gift inside. So cute!! 

Here are some photos

Make sure to visit this page HERE to see the entire line of Vintage Kitchen Dies.

Also, Eileen's "Art With Heart" challenge is "Anything Goes" make sure to partake in this challenge and link up there, the winner gets to choose a die from this new collection!!! How fun!!

Thanks for coming by and have a great day!