Well I did it

I completed 3 tags in a night, as I'm trying to follow along with Tim. They aren't fabulous, but for me it was about trying out the techniques and playing with my stuff!  Will likely used these on Christmas cards or on gifts I give away....we'll see - has to be someone who would appreciate it.

Day 3 - loved making my own custom stamp pad

Day 4 - loved playing with stains on this tag and then crackle paint. Some of my favourite mediums!

Day 5 - love the technique for the background, but can never seem to get it "right". Might need to try a stamp that covers more surface. Made "ribbon" out of cheesecloth and coloured it with Distress Ink.

Day 2 tag - boy am I behind!

So I've been trying to do Tim Holtz's 12 tags of Christmas, but typical in my life, I didn't even have my weekend to do much creating!  I got #2 done and have 3 and 4 as works in progress on my table. Hoping to get them done tonight.

Here is my version where I used the regular Kraft resist paper and his scallop edge die. Using his techniques for the background and the sticky back canvas on the wreath.

Day 1 of 12 Tags

As most of my crafty friends know, I simply can not get enough of this man. That's right, Tim Holtz is doing his 12 tags of Christmas again on his blog and I've decided to play along too.

Believe it or not, I don't own many of Tims dies or embossing folders, so I improvised. I took the Sizzix snowflake embossing folder and did my version of Tim's double embossing, using glitter embossing powder. For the "Joy", I used my Slice FaLaLaLa card and DCWV glittter paper. Since I own the magnetic cutting pad, I put my Slice in position and cut without moving 4 times - 5 might have worked better, since I still had to use the scissors.  I used Tim's new Limited Edition distress inks to colour this in added the glitter tape and pearls to the top to finish it up.

 And speaking of another man I can get enough of - here's my munchkin man sporting his Movember 'stash.

Some other creative things to share.

I can not believe it is December already! In the creative front I will be trying to do December Daily and Tims 12 tags again this year. We'll see how it goes!

I'm very excited to share that the online bead magazine Beading Times  posted my watch that I had Etsy, as an example of good watch design (thank you so very much - blush!)

Now, waaaaay back in October, Pointer Scrapbooking hosted a day for the Creative Chicks to come and do demos. Below are the make and takes we shared that day and I thought I would post them for inspiration. If Heidi hosts another one of these days, you should definitely come out and play.

Nadya's 6x6 layout

My tag using a "bleaching" technique and Ranger Stains

Jennifer's fussy cutting embellishment

Florence's watercolour technique

Nicky's card using Ranger Stains

Also in October ,at Scrapfest Oshawa I did a couple of Make N' Takes with some of the vendors. So worth the price of admission. Here are a few that I did at those booths.

Cute little notebook holder at Got Scrap booth

Mixed Media card at The Art House booth

Here is something I made for my son's teacher who left, because she was only covering a maternity leave of his actual teacher. A cute box made using Little Yellow Bicycle's paper, I used instructions I found on You Tube, which I filled with card making supplies (I'm such an enabler).

Now going even more way back in the summer,  I took Christy Tomlinson's She Art class.  I've done others that I posted but here the final one from her class of the She-Art canvas' I finally finished. I think the next mixed media canvas I do will be Christmas themed or something like one I saw done by Maya Road. Stay tuned!

New stamps

I have been lucky to get my hands on some new stamps that are exclusive to Pointer Scrapbooking. Usually I don't work with stamps like this but I think these are pretty darn cute. Disclaimer here - I am not a very good colourer, so please don't be too critical!  I used 2 kinds of pencil crayons and mineral spirits to blend on regular white cardstock.

 Both of these brands gave me a creamy colour on the paper and blended effortlessly with the mineral spirits.

Here's using the  Box Train Express stamp. It reminds me of my son playing with his friend Sarah. I just put it on a backing because I plan on using it on a layout in the near future. Stay tuned!

I'm happier with the colouring on this card using Scooter Fun. I used the Bo Bunny 6x6 Blast Off collection for this card, kraft cardstock and brads. Easy peasy!

Finally for this card I used the Friendship Building stamp. Again the Bo Bunny Blast Off collection and some bakers twine on dark brown cardstock.

I chose the boy images mostly because I have a boy but there are so many other great images. Go check it out!

And if you do end up using some of these stamps. Definitely go and post on Pointer Scrapbooking's  Facebook page.
.

Tote Bag

Last month at Pointer Scrapbooking's birthday crop, we were all given blank canvas bags to decorate. I actually had the heads up and took the bag home to do. My hope was to inspire others at the crop to create something beautiful with their bag too.  

Got lots of positive feedback from everyone at the crop.

Anyways, Heidi, the store owner, then asked me to create one similar for her. So I thought I would provide a step by step with photos, for my blog readers, of me creating that bag. I actually like this one better! Enjoy! Everything you need is available at Pointer, except for the paint (but I know that Claudine Hellmuth's stuff is available in the store now and would work too!)

I did a colour wash with 3 shades of turquoise acrylic paint. To make a wash, I just poured a dollop of paint into a tray and put some water into it to make a thin "water colour". I then used a flat brush and painted in a side to side fashion. After, I dried the bag with my heat gun.

I then set down a doillie on the left bottom area and spritz with Tattered Angels Dragonfly glimmer mists (this is one of my fav colours and it's a limited edition -sob!)  Again dry with your heat gun

Now time to embellish!  I used this fantastic ribbon from Maya Road and created this flower.

Heidi has these flowers in the store and I thought it would make a great centre for the ribbon flower.

These Petaloo Color me flowers, I inked with Broken China distress inks. I then used a wet paint brush to "blend" the colours.

For the smaller Petaloo flowers, I used Tattered Angels Cherry Blossum glimmer mists. This is a very faint pink but pretty!

For the leaves I used Studio Calico's clover to colour (this is unfortunately not available at the store).

I then used a technique that Virgina Nebel showed everyone at Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine using this tape and chipboard.  So much fun!

So here it is all put together.  I used a Prima vine and cut it up and added all the embellishments I had spritzed and coloured to the bag, using Helmar glue (love this stuff 'cause it's like a glue gun without burning myself!).  I then added glitter stickers and it was done!

A quick post

I've been coveting this stand from  Pottery Barn for awhile. Other scrappers have been using it for storage of their scrappy supplies, which I think is fantastic. However, the $90 price tag here in Canada is another story.

So over at Pinterest, some fellow scrappers have been posting some DIY's. I was inspired and headed over to my Dollarama and picked up 3x Flan pans, 2 candle stick holders and used a bottle of Gorilla glue from Home Depot. Total cost $12.00 my friends!  I'm quite happy with my paint/ink holder which seems to be holding up okay so far to my enormous stash of inky goodness (ignore the craziness in the background please!)

And finally I can post the costume my son wanted for Halloween. He's Fire Nation Aang from Nickelodeon's Avatar. It's simple but stressed me out because I waited last minute to make it. I'm hoping next years I will either get a head start or just buying his costume!!!

(graphic from Spider Cookee at Deviant Art)

That's all for now and I will post some more of my craftiness shortly I hope!

Oh my poor neglected blog......

I have had a very busy month and unfortunately many things have been neglected, including this blog.  I have been doing some creative things though this month and will share in the days to come.   Right now I am knee deep into the whole Halloween costume thing for my son. He wants to be Fire Nation Aang from Nickelodeon's Avatar.  I'll try and remember to post photos of my attempt in making said costume!

So in the meantime blog readers I'm going to give you some cool sites I love to visit.

A very cool tutorial over at this site.... Now to figure out where in the world I can put this in my room.


Another favourite place for me to visit is the Counterfeit Kit Challenge  is somewhere I like to visit to get inspired to use my stash up.

Washi tape is a big trend lately in scrapbooking and I'm a junkie for that stuff. There are a bunch of tutorials out there now for making your own. Who knew??? Here is one link to share for the fun Washi tape - so easy!

Altered binder for my Tim stamps

My work was finally clearing out the shelves and this was heading to the dumpster (is it dating myself when I can say "I remember using MS-dos!"?) The hoarder squirrel in me decided to save it.

I was thinking along the lines of 8x8 album, but this weekend inspiration hit and I thought "let's see if my Tim stamps fit" Happy dance, they fit perfectly!

 

So here is the altered binder for my stamps. I haven't decided how I'm going to close it yet, I'm thinking hair elastic or hairband but if there are better suggestions, I'll take them.  

I covered the outside with Claudine Helmuth's gesso first because I thought it would need some "tooth" for everything to stick. 

After that dried I used Claudine's multi-medium to attach Tim's Vintage Shabby Paper Stash. I attached the lace ribbon over the seams using the same.   I cut out the butterflies on the dot grungeboard using Tim's dies.  

I then painted the grungeboard with pearl paint, and then used Faded Jeans Distress Stain. The rose ribbon is actually from Maya Road, but I covered that with Distress Stain too.  I used the alphabet background stamp from Tim's Stampers Anoynomous Going Somewhere to stamp the paper behind the butterflies.  I then completed it with the letters and heart from the grungeboard Mixed Mini plain.

Some fun places on the web

So on top of all my other hobbies, I openly admit that I love surfing the web. Here is my round up for this week.

I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest . If you've never been on Pinterest, it is a social media site where you "pin" things you see on the web. You become the curator of your boards and others who find your pins, can re-pin your finds. Being a visual person, this is an awesome find for me. Right now they are only taking people through invites, so if you want to join, send me an email and I'll send you an invite. But be warned...one can spend many hours on there!

Here is something that gave me a good laugh.  Elizabeth Kartchner of Dear Lizzy posted this the other day and I laughed and laughed. Her husband is one good sport!

And here is something to make one day. I think her's is so pretty.

And just a reminder to those who live in the GTA - I'll be teaching a Misting Card Class at Pointer Scrapbooking this Friday. Come and join me for some messy fun!

Sharing some stuff I've been doing this summer....

All Day Play

Did a layout tag with the gals from Scrapbook Star. Here is my take on the one I got. I used BoBunny and Basic Grey PP, Autumn Leaves Stamps, Fancy Pants rubons, Technique Tuesday tile, EK Sucess punch, American Crafts CS, random star brads.

Also had a shower for my lil' sister this summer. I had to make 60 of these invites! So I cracked out my MM Slice for these. PP from Basic Grey, Hampton Arts card base.

Fun layout using Bo Bunny dots PP, DCWV PP kit, Fancy Pants ribbon, stamps from Tim Holtz and CTMH, journal tag from Teresa Collins, chipboard Maya Road, flower Prima, Liquid Pearls from Ranger, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists, Slice card, Making Memories letters and Heidi Swapp journaling tabs.

Basic Grey PP, Stars diecut, ribbon, Glimmer mists by Tattered Angels, letter stickers Doodle Bug.

Entire LO is part of Scenic Route kit, journal card from Jenni Bowlin

A layout I had done many years ago as a class. Added my own jazz to it by putting large flowers, journaling with a white gel pen

One of my recent favourite layouts. I used Prima PP, banners from Echo Park, Canvas from Canvas Corp, Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels, loops from Queen and Co., ribbon random, Maya Road chipboard, wood button from Studio Calico, Mister Huey Mists in white from Studio Calico, letters from Doodle Bug.

A layout I did in a Prima class with Cari Fennel.  I added my own jazz to it, using Prima packaging to the background. I used glitter letters from Making Memories and journaling block from Pink Paislee. I also "painted the centres for the white flowers with Tattered Angels Glimmer mists (thanks to Marion Smith for the inspiration)

And finally a card inspired from my friend Melissa. Had to try it out. So I coverd the entire card in TH distress inks, splat some water and then stamped with Tim Holtz stamps. Thanks Melissa! I think I will make a dozen of these cards!