Twelve Tags of 2013 March.

I can hardly believe that we are at the end of March already, with only a day left, I'm posting my March tag for Tim's Twelve Tags of 2013 Challenge. It's been an exciting and busy  month for me, so I'm looking forward to a gentler pace for April, beginning with two glorious weeks of a 'stay at home holiday'. I hope that means time to see friends and family as well as crafty time in the attic. I've made my March tag in a similar way to Tim's with some variations. I couldn't resist buying the little bunny die when there was just one left at The Artist Trading Post Stand at the NEC Hobby Crafts Show last week. It was possibly the only one in the whole of the show as I had a good rummage on pretty much all of the stands! I loved the little brooch Tim posted on his blog last year,which you can see here, so I might have a go at that this Easter weekend. Substitutions used in the making of this tag include metal foil tape for the leaves and flowers, hand cut grass, an alterations house die, some button paper from one of the older paper stacks of Tim's and a bit of skinny tinsel from last Christmas. As usual a fun tag to make especially when you have to get your thinking cap on! x

eclectic Paperie eTeam Picks March Challenge.

Here's a tag I've made for the eclectic Paperie eTeam Picks Challenge. The very talented Bonnie Irvine has set the challenge for this month which is to add 'something corrugated'.You can check out her amazing three dimensional  project and see what the other design team members have come up with here. If you fancy getting involved, make any project you like and  include something corrugated, this could be new card, recycled packaging or card you've corrugated yourself. There is a fabulous prize of $15 to spend on goods from the eclectic Paperie shop for one lucky entry. For my DT submission, I've use re-cycled cardboard which I've stripped the top layer off and lightly painted with Paper Artsy Fresco Paint in Concrete. The edges have been distressed with Black Soot Distress ink. I attached this to a large tag which I'd first covered with tim Holtz tissue paper. After giving this a coat of picket fence distress stain, I added a few rows of machine stitching. The butterflies have been stamped onto water colour paper which I first swooshed through some of the new Distress Paints.Once dry I added a bit more colour with Distress Markers I used these on the bee and the ladybird as well. I then mounted them onto the corrugated card with dimensional sticky pads and did the same for the computer generated phrase. I hope this might inspire you to get creatively corrugated!x                                                                          

 

Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain

 

Distress Ink Pad - Black Soot

 

Distress Stain - Picket Fence

 

Tim Holtz Distress Paints -

                                     
                                                                            

WOYWW #198

Good morning WOYWW'ers. Grey and miserable again, but what better to brighten your day than a snoop around your fellow crafters/artist's work spaces. Julia is hosting this worldwide party, over on her Stamping Ground blog, hop over there, snoop around and get involved. I've been pretty busy of late and can't wait till the Easter holidays for a bit of  r'n'r. My work space is pretty messy (as usual). I managed to grab a couple of hours yesterday, to work on my flowers for the Tattered Florals Challenge, scroll down for pics of completed project if you've got time. Speaking of which I better get ready for work! Have an excellent day everybody. x

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Challenge

Look what I found in my garden ! well of course I'm only kidding it's pretty cold and still quite wintery here in the UK. Some time ago, I did a step by step tutorial on how to make flowers using the smaller tattered florals die. I'd always intended to try the same technique with the larger flower and after Tim Holtz launched the Tattered Florals Challenge It seemed like an ideal time to have a go so here are the results. I think they look pretty realistic considering they're made with manila card coloured with Distress Inks. I absolutely love making these flowers and and I'm getting quite fast at it. If you fancy having a go you can find my tutorial by clicking on the link here. I decided to photograph the flowers outside in their 'natural' habitat. Here's a close up of some of the individual flowers. I used Distress Ink pads in Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Scattered Straw and Victorian Velvet to colour these.

 It's a pity they're not waterproof as I would have left them out, they added a momentary dash of colour to my rather drab winter garden. The challenge is open until March 22nd and there are several fantastic prizes of $175 worth of Tim goodies!!!! If you get your skates on you may just have enough time to enter.x

First Design Team Project for 'eclectic Paperie'

Thought It was about time I shared the first design team project I made for the eclectic Paperie    'eTeam'. I've been so busy in my 'other' life lately, I've had very little time to up date my blog.    Kim from eclectic Paperie very kindly sent me the fabulous Tim Holtz Industrial Blue Print stamps to have a play with and this is what I came up with.

 It started life as a size 8 tag and gradually grew into a card ! How did that happen? Let me explain.. the first step was to colour the tag with a generous coating of Picket Fence Distress Stain. Once this was dry I stamped over the surface with the gears stamp in Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I also added the light rays using an old favourite stamp from the Tim Holtz Bitty Grunge set.

 I then stamped the light bulb twice, on a sheet of acetate with black Staz On. I gave the stamped image a little colour with Butterscotch Alcohol Ink. If you have a go at this, be sure to apply the ink on the opposite side to the stamping otherwise your image will disappear before your very eyes, just as my first attempt did when I wasn't concentrating !

 Next stop was to cut a few gears. I used the Spellbinders Sprightly Sprockets set, and cut them from manila card, which I coloured with Brushed Pewter Distress Stain. I also coloured a few Alterations gears with Snow Cap white Paint Dabber and added a little Faded Jeans Distress Ink once they were dry.

 I wrote the words on a separate piece of card, in a kind of Tim Holtz Blueprint style, using a Faded Jeans Distress Marker. I then cut them out and mounted them on some dimensional pads. Once all the elements were prepared, I started to assemble the tag. I attached the first light bulb with transparent double sided tape and then added the second bulb on top bending it slightly to add a more 3 dimensional look.There's just a little tape at the top and bottom leaving the middle free. Here's a side view.

Once the tag was finished I pondered for a while and had my own 'light bulb moment'  ahaa! this tag wants to be a card. I thought this would be a good one for the man in my life who's birthday's in May, he also works in industry so it's a perfect subject.  After looking through my stash for some suitable card, I found my Tim Holtz Kraft Resist Paper. I selected a piece which had some technical drawings on, which I goes well with the industrial theme. I coloured it with Picket Fence Distress Stain, and edged it with a little Faded Jeans Distress Ink. Finally I mounted this onto a piece of blue card which I stamped with the gears stamp around the edges,using Picket Fence Distress Paint. I had a slight camera malfunction as the battery expired before I was able to take some pics of the background. Note to self: charge battery before starting a project !! I hope you are inspired to have a go with a bit of Blue Print Stamping. As well as stocking the products I used featured below, Kim  has just taken delivery of a whole heap of the latest arrivals from Stamper's Anonymous. I'm heading over to the eclectic Paperie shop now to start compiling my wish list!x

Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Picket Fence	Tim Holtz (Stampers Anonymous) - Industrial Blueprint	Tim Holtz� Distress� Markers - Faded Jeans	Tim Holtz Distress Paint In Picket Fence	12x12 Manila Cardstock
Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Snow Cap	Distress Ink Pad - Mustard Seed	Distress Ink Pad - Faded Jeans	Distress Stain - Metallic Stain Bundle	Inkssentials Surfaces #8 Manila Tags

Fabric Tag

It's the first Thursday in the month and that means it's time for another Get Altered  with eclectic Paperie challenge. Micki has set the theme and is challenging us to use some 'Fabric'. You can see her fabulous padded heart over on the eclectic Paperie blog. If you fancy putting some of that fabric stash you've been hoarding to good use, hop over to the eP blog where you'll find plenty of inspiration to get you started. You could even win a fab $15 to spend at the eclectic Paperie  online shop. I've had a great afternoon working on my eTeam piece. I decided to go the whole hog and make a fabric tag. I started with a piece of white cotton which I sprayed with Crushed Grape, Bubblegum Pink and London Blue Dylusions inks. Once dry, I layered on some of the lovely new Distress Paints in Pickled Raspberry and Mustard Seed through Claudine Hellmuth's  'Wall Flower' Studio Stencil. Here are the three stages.

 I stitched  the finished fabric onto a size 8 tag, and trimmed it to size. The flowers were cut from left over fabric using the Tim Holtz tattered Florals die. I stitched together a couple of layers for each flower scrunching them slightly. The flower embellishment is one of the Wild Flower Art Parts by Wendy Vecchi, painted with Snow Cap White Paint Dabber. The sentiment is from a set of stamps I've had for a while by Lindsay Mason. I stamped this onto a piece of sticky backed canvas in black Staz On Ink and edged it with a little Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink. Well that was my fun afternoon, so how about you have a go and Get Altered with some fabric.x

Is it Art or is it Craft ? You Decide

Before I begin this post may I just say a big  thank you to all my followers old and new. Your inspiring comments have kept me creating and blogging, happily for the last year. I'm now starting another exciting chapter by joining the 'eclectic Paperie' design team !! It's the first time I've been on a design team and I'm absolutely delighted to have been asked to join such a talented group of people. This little project is my first contribution as an 'eTeam' member. There is still plenty of time, to join in the current 'e Team Picks' challenge and you could win a fabulous prize of $15 to spend in the eclectic Paperie online store. The challenge is to create a piece of art that includes some folding. I couldn't resist making another accordion folded book as I had so much fun with the last one. The design on the cover was made by masking and stamping, using Dyan Reavleys 'Basic Background' set of stamps as well as her Dylusions Sprays in Pure Sunshine and Squeezed Orange. Sound delicious don't they? the stamping has been done in Versa Mark and Black Soot Distress Ink, before being embossed with clear embossing powder.
The seam binding ribbon has also been coloured with the same Dylusions sprays. A piece was attached to each of the front and back covers, extending far enough out at each side so that it can be tied in a bow, enabling the book to be opened on one side or the other. 

 Here is the book with one of the ribbons untied.

Here it is with both of the ribbon 'hinges' untied. The pages have been stamped with Antique Linen Distress Ink and the harlequin patterned stamp from the Basic Background set.
Now here's the thing with these little accordion fold books..... take a look at the back cover...

So will it be Art or will it be Craft?

Maybe it's both ! x