Postcard Project

I have decided that I want to start making more postcards instead of so many tags. I want a good way to store my projects that I don't plan on giving away or using in some other way. I have this 7 Gypsies recipe card tray that I'm using to hold all my 4x6 cards. I put feet on it too, using Tim Holtz Idea-ology foundations feet. I've decorated all the tabs and have added a few Journal prompts from a swap I was in on my AllThingsTim yahoo group. That front card was made with some awesome Graphic 45 paper.

For this project I had to join a few challenges (of course) here is a list of the challenges I'm joining with this one...

Hobby Cutz - This week they are challenging us to add some flowers and or roses to our projects.

Octopode Factory - Their challenge this week is "Lovely Ladies", I really like this theme. 

613 Avenue Create - This week is Anything Goes! Woot!

This is going to be a bit of a rushed post, so here we go....

To start I used Coordination's Craft Core dark brown paper and ran it through the Big Shot inside a Tim Holtz gear embossing folder, then used my handy dandy sander and sanded it up.

I then used Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and went over the raised parts in order to highlight them more

I then did something I haven't done in awhile and got out my perfect pearls, I dusted the background with Heirloom Gold and spritzed and heated to set

Tore printed paper, edged with gathered twigs

Cut flowers with tattered flowers strip die, went around edges with marker and then stamped with Archival and Wendy Vecchi numbers. Made more and layered them.

(got this technique from Clare Lloyd over at Unruly PaperArts)

Ran ribbon through antiqued bronze distress paint, dried to set

made a bow

Colored my Octopode Factory Audrey Gal with a combo of distress markers, gel pen, colored pencils and copic markers

Here is alink to Lilly's shop if you want to check out her digi stamps 

Lilly Chivers

Added some Tim Holtz Film strip with the mini stapler

Put everything together and here is how it turned out....

These flowers are so cool, I added buttons to the center

I also edged the entire card with my metallic marker

I also added some of Tim's Metal ide-ology gears

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope you are a designer of your own dream!! 

Happy Day to you!!!

Dare To Dream Pocket Watch

For my project today I am going to be using the Tim Holtz Pocket Watch Die. I got this the other day from The Funky Junkie Botique and I was just itching to use it. I could not wait!!
I am going to enter this project into the Sunday Share over at Filly and Funkie. 

Also: Over at Hels Sheridan's Blog she is challenging us this week to do something Shiny and use a stamp and I have done both here so I might just link this up for her to see.

I will also be adding this one to Inspiration Journal - their challenge is to add a little POP to your creation. This is a new challenge blog for me (a suggestion from a follower) they give a random winner a 50.00 voucher YAY!

I wanted to make something that would go on top of my daughter's Bday card and also be something she could display in her room. Alot of times I start with an idea and it becomes something totally different as I go through the process. I started off by cutting about 4 of the pocket watches out of card stock. The last one that I cut I left the circle inside, this will be my base piece.
I used this really cool thick metallic embossing powder (almost like UTEE) to cover the base.

I then took a couple of stamps from Tim's stamp sets Mini Blueprints 3 and the clock from a Visual Artistry set I bought at Michael's and heated up the embossing powder and stamped these into the base. I LOVE how the background came out using these two stamps.

I also heat embossed the "top" portion of my pocket watch and the insert piece.

I took distress inks in Walnut Stain and Black Soot and went over all three pieces of my watch to give it a more aged look and dull it down a bit.

After that was done I created a butterfly out of one of Tim's movers and shapers and some grunge board. I used two different embossing powder colors and another one of Tim's stamp sets called Warehouse District. I again stamped the stamp into the embossing powder while it was heated in order to make an impression.

Love the way the butterfly looks industrial here. 

I took the "Dare To Dream" stamp from the Simple Sayings set and used it to stamp onto this piece of paper I had laying around. I also used Ranger's black fine embossing powder.

I layed everything out onto my craft sheet and figured out exactly how I wanted it to look before adhering it all with my heat gun. I used some idea-ology gears and I had this really cool piece of watch insides that I used as well. 

Once everything was in place I used Glossy accents to glue the other layers on top of each other. I took about 4 inner layers to cover the entire butterfly.

I also used glossy accents to glue a piece of packaging plastic to the top piece of the watch so it looked like a real watch and you can see through it. 

(sorry the pic was dark)

Once that was all done I used the same embossing powders and Tim's Tattered Flower Garland Die Strip to create these flowers for the outside of my watch. I also created a pin with some beads that matched the piece.

Lastly I painted the entire outside with Claudine Hellmuth's black gesso.

It's a lot of steps but it really comes together quickly and is so fun to do. I think I'm going to keep this one for myself and make a thinner one for my daughter's card. 

Happy Palm Sunday everyone, I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial.

Think Spring Card With Distress Paints

For my project today I have decided to make a greeting card and when I think of Spring Or Easter, I think warm weather, flowers, green grass and Eggs!!!

I am really loving the Tim Holtz distress paints and have recently been able to buy some more of those yummy colors. I just love the brights so I decided to whip out my distress paints and play with those. I grabbed a piece of blue craft core paper and embossed it with an embossing folder for the base of my card.

I used Tim Holtz blueprint Easter egg stamp, I colored it with distress paint and a paintbrush and cut it out so that it would look like eggs sitting in the grass. I also cut the top off of one egg. I used Tim's metal foliage for the flowers and also painted those with the distress paints. I went over them twice so that they would be a bit brighter.

For the next photo I used Tim's alpha parts to spell the words "Think Spring" and I painted those blue with distress paint. I used the Tim Holtz picture wheel die (love, love this die) along with distress paint. For the water-ish effect of the paint I put some paint on my craft sheet and spritzed it with a little water, I then ran the picture wheel through the paint and the outcome is this beautiful watercolor effect. The paint runs together beautifully. Again, I added some more of the metal foliage and a metal game spinner and painted those.  

I cut my own grass by staining a white strip of paper with green distress stain and then just cut it up and curled it a bit.

Here is my final project, it's so bright and cheery, I love it!

I am entering this card into two challenges today. 

Simon Says Challenge Blog - Their challenge this week is Spring/Easter and I think this card fits in rather nicely with the theme. They are giving away a 50.00 Voucher to one lucky winner, YAY!
Hobby Cutz Challenge - Their challenge is Easter. They have two sponsors this week, themselves (giving away a 5.00 voucher to thier store) and also Fairy Dust Crafts who are giving 5 Digi stamps to one lucky winner. Double YAY!

Thanks for stopping by!! Have a Springy Day!!