Buy One...Get One in My Etsy Boutique

I am very overstocked on these sweet filigree metal snowflakes so now until they are sold out, it's buy one, get one in my Etsy boutique.  Order them here.  

Through the Looking Glass - Projects With Depth

Hello and happy Monday!  Thanks so much for stopping back by today.  I know everyone is rushing around at this time of year so I am really thrilled that you took the time to stop by to see what I have to share for our Monday Simon Says Stamp and Show project.  This week our theme is Through the Looking Glass and we want to see your projects with depth and dimension. 

I was probably one of the few crafters left on the planet who hadn't yet done a Tim Holtz configuration box so I thought it was time to get with the program.  With a bit of trepidation, I selected the smallest set of configuration boxes and didn't have a clue how I was going to decorate and embellish it.  And I've been watching and drooling this past week as the rest of the design team turned in photos of their projects.  But I still didn't have a concrete idea of what to do with mine.  I searched my closets, shopped at the craft stores, even hit Walgreens and Big Lots looking for tiny figurines.  I actually did find quite a few, but nothing that excited me.  So I came home and started making my own.  

I found a wonderful video tutorial on the web to make a Christmas tree with a flower punch, taking inspiration from Tracy MacDonald, a recent winner over at Our Creative Corner.  I used the holly leaves from the new Tim Holtz Festive Greenery die to cut the tree branches and covered tiny wooden blocks with vintage style paper to create the gifts under the tree and used a small spool as a tree stand.  

I had some tiny toy blocks that were primary colors.  I painted them with white gesso and when dry, inked the edges with Vintage Photo ID.  The flower was cut with the Tattered Florals die and run through the Textile Cuttlebug embossing folder, then coated with UTEE.  I rolled up a paper cone and added a few tiny Prima paper roses and a bit of eyelash yarn.  

I made a little picture frame with Spellbinders dies and added a charming image of a little girl.  I wanted it to look like enamel so I ran it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder and double heat embossed it with UTEE. I coated the bronze key with white embossing powder and heated it, then rubbed it off on the wear areas.   The bottom compartment has a white pinecone made with the Tattered Pinecone die and I added a bit of sparkly gold embossing.  

Each cube was lined inside with vintage style paper gold embossed with different Christmas icons.  The outside of each cube was lined with paper stamped with a Tim Holtz music sheet stamp.  All that "paperwork" took forever!  The main back panel is vanilla cardstock embossed with the Tim Holtz Snow Flurries embossing folder and gold embossed with a sparkly gold EP.  

This was a fun project, although a bit labor intensive.  And I learned that you don't have to buy a lot of stuff.  Just make a little collection of bits and pieces from around your home.  I hope you will join in this week with some sort of dimensional project.  It's a perfect time to create a little home decoration for the holidays.  And of course, there is always that $50 shopping spree in the offing.  If you play, you might just be the lucky winner of the random drawing!

Be sure to stop by the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge blog to see what my amazingly talented design team members have to share.  

Links/pics of the products used are shown below.  The sweet little wooden angel was a RAK from my friend Crafty Chris who sent me a lovely package of crafty goodies for no reason at all except that she is a sweetie!  Thanks Chris - the angel worked PERFECTLY here!

InLinkz.com

Tim's Tag 8 Meets Our Creative Corner

Good morning and welcome to my Saturday post for Our Creative Corner.  Our hostess this week is Anne Marie Hile and she has challenged us to make something with Ruffles.  Don't you love it when challenges line up?  I was so excited when I realized that I could combine Tim's Steampunk tag with the Ruffles challenge for this week's Our Creative Corner.  And here you have it - a sweet little ruffled dress form complete with steampunk style wings with ruffles made from my favorite vintage-style crepe paper!  I had SO much fun with this one.  Really, I was grinning the whole time because I just loved working with all this girly vintagy stuff.  And I finally took the plunge and made some of Shelly Hickcox's faux crazed porcelain.  (I am a huge Shelly Hickcox fan and if you haven't visited her blog, you MUST.  She has incredible art and techniques - always a delightful inspiration).

When Tim published his Tag #8, my heart sank.  While I enjoy looking at steampunk style, it is not a style that I have mastered.  But then I realized I didn't have to do the more masculine style of steampunk, I could make a Christmas angel style steampunk piece and whoa, I could even give the dress form ruffles and nail my OCC challenge at the same time.  And in these fleeting days before Christmas, who doesn't want to combine anything and everything and save time!  A double bang for my time.  With Tim's tag for inspiration, I created this piece, but I did not use acrylic paint to stamp.  I have tried that resist technique over and over and over again.  It never works for me and now I won't even bother to try.  I can't get enough of the white acrylic paint to stick when I stamp it and then there is nothing there to "resist".  So I just white embossed for my resist technique.  I used stamps from Tim Holtz Mini Classics and Curiosities for my resist stamping and then overstamped everything with the background stamp from Papillion in Frayed Burlap to give it a little pattern.  Then I sponged the entire tag with Antique Linen DI.  The dress form is from the Haberdashery set and the wings are grungeboard from the Grungeboard Elements set, painted with Picket Fence Crackle Paint, then sponged with Antique Linen DI and finally coated with Ranger UTEE.  

The bow is made from sparkly snowflake tulle that I bought at Jo-Ann's last week when I needed a festive fix.  Ditto the green pipe cleaners and I made the ornament with my jewelry supplies.  I think that about covers all the deets and I am listing my supplies/tools with the handy dandy In-Links Link Manager that I just signed up for (LOVE IT).  Let me know if you have any questions.  I hope to see you over at Our Creative Corner with your ruffles this week, or at least stop by to see what the rest of the DT has to get your creative mojo poppin'.  

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all the wonderful comments - I do so appreciate them!

Linked up to:  Inspiration Emporium/Inspiration Journal - 12 Tags, Tag #8
Products Used:

Vintage Style Crepe Paper	Alterations Tag and Bookplates Die	Tim Holtz Haberdashery	Tim Holtz Papillon	Tim Holtz Mini Classics
Tim Holtz Curiosities	Tim Holtz Mini Holidays 3 Stamp Set	Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint	(UTEE) Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel	Frayed Burlap Distress Ink
Antique Linen Distress Ink

InLinkz.com

Tattered Tree - Tim's Tag #7

While I wasn't crazy over Tag #6, I love the earth colors of Tim's Tag #7.  I followed his process and techniques pretty closely.  I love kraft glassine, but have never used alcohol inks on it.  I know you can't stamp on it with regular stamping ink but I never thought about colorizing it with alcohol inks.  I followed his directions and it worked wonderfully.    I loved what he did with the holly leaves but I wanted to change up a bit so I broke out the new pine tree die I just bought.  The "Winter Fun" and subtle snowflakes are Stampin' Up rub ons that have been in my stash for the past two years.  Nothing is much of a mystery here.  I did put  a little gold mesh under the burlap. It twinkles pretty nicely IRL.  Let me know if you have any questions.









Linked up to: Inspiration Emporium/Inspiration Journal 12 Tags - Tag 7

Products Used:

InLinkz.com

Tinsel Tag - Tim's #2

Eeeuuuwww, I thought this one would be so easy.  I loved the background and colors of Tim's tag and I am partial to using textiles.  So I thought #2 would be a walk in the park but it didn't play out that way.  I waited to do this tag because (here's my dirty little secret - on the first day of Tim's tags, I jumped off the cliff and ordered 5 of his BIGZ dies) this ornament die was on order and I thought it would work great for embossing the canvas.  And it did. I don't have the sticky back canvas, so I just glued canvas to chipboard and when completely dry, die cut it.  Then I embossed it with the Snow Flurries embossing folder and sponged it with Broken Twigs DI.  I don't have any of the seasonal kraft resist paper so I made my own - no problem there - stamped Tim's music stamp on a kraft tag and clear embossed a couple of images - it came out fine.  I swiped it with Picket Fence distress stain according to the Master's instructions - that worked out pretty okay too.  The Perfect Pearls mist didn't create droplets like Tim's did - maybe I had the wrong shade - I used Biscotti - but it did make a nice shine.  

Then what to do??  I had a great lump of blaaaaah. So I snazzed it up a bit with gold tinsel pipe cleaners I found at Jo-Ann's and then plopped one of my shabby crinoline poinsettias (handmade from crinoline and the Tattered Florals die) on it, which really ratcheted up the zing factor.  And there you have it.  I'm interested to know if you like it.  I do like it, but not sure if everyone will.  It has a bit of the retro garishness about it, sort of like Tim's #6 metal piece; not something everyone will appreciate.  Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your lovely comments!  You really make my day.  

Linked to:  Inspiration Emporium/Inspiration Journal 12 Tags, Tag 2

Products Used on This Project:

Picket Fence Distress Stain	Tim Holtz Sheet Music Stamp	Tim Holtz Fabulous Flourishes	Tim Holtz Mini Holidays Stamp Set	Alterations Carved Ornaments Die
Tim Holtz Snow Flurries Texture Fade	Alterations Tattered Florals Die	Ranger Clear Embossing Powder

InLinkz.com