WOYWW #306 - Saying Good-bye To A Wonderful Store

Today is Wednesday, so I am sharing what is on my work desk with you!

I am sure you are all a bit like me.  You have a local hobby shop you love to visit.  Scrapper's Playground is a scrapbook shop that is nearby and always has just what I am looking for.  Unfortunately, I found out they are closing their doors.   I spent Saturday afternoon shopping there and picked up a lot of goodies.  While shopping, I felt just a sad feeling like I am saying good-bye to a good friend.  This store is where I met a lot of lovely people, and even got to attend a class taught by Tim Holtz.

You will notice that a lot of my goodies are by Stamper's Anonymous and Tim Holtz and Ranger.  It seemed fitting for me to purchase these items from the store since they made it possible for me to attend a class with Tim.

I am looking forward to many happy hours of stamping and creating and will remember Marie and the staff of Scrapper's Playground for all the good times!

Thank you to Julia for the desk-hopping fun!  I look forward to seeing what you are all working on!

Until next time!

#SimonSaysCreate (and I did!)

What a lucky lady I am!  I was able to attend the Simon Says Create event in Columbus, Ohio this weekend.  I thought I would share my thoughts and some of the photos I took and some of the "creating" I did.

I live in NYC, and always wanted to take classes with Tim Holtz and Jennifer McGuire, and haven't been able to take a class in my town.  When I saw they were teaching in Columbus, I knew I wanted to sign up.  I was so glad that I registered when it was announced as it sold out very, very quickly.  When I saw the rest of the teaching lineup, I knew I was in for a treat.  

Simon Says Stamp picked a great location and I stayed on premises and loved the ease of travel to and from as I traveled alone and didn't rent a car.  Lovely hotel room and amazing staff.

I have been asked how it was to attend a large event alone.  Crafters tend to be very kind and embracing to those alone.  Each meal someone included me with their group.  Very nice ladies.  When the hoopla got to be a bit much for me between classes, I just took a walk and got some tea and relaxed by the pool.  

Tim Holtz taught three classes. He was very kind, and his teaching style is very cool and he makes sure you understand and encourages people to ask questions if they are unsure.  He doesn't just plow along with some students sitting there lost. With such a large group (100 ladies), it amazed me how much information he was able to share and how many techniques he was able to cover! I am a card maker, so 3D items are not something I normally do, so these projects were out of my comfort zone at first, but boy, did I have fun and felt so free to try new things!

My folio underway!

Here is my Burlap Collage!  What fun and totally different than anything I normally do.  

My last piece from Tim's class is my Configurations box.  This was the longest class we took.  By working on the other two projects, we had the techniques already and were very familiar with a lot of the processes.  This was such a hoot, and I found out I am "wire" challenged, as for some reason I had problems following how it got used and Tim came to my assistance.  It holds the bottles and vials in the box.  You will notice my tags in the box are not done, but that is okay, as I plan to work on them now that I am home.  

You may notice there is an adorable lantern in the top left box.  It is fun, as it lights!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't art journal.  But I am happy to say that Shari Carroll taught an art journal course on the last evening and it was a lot of fun and very interesting to me.  We used Gelatos, Gesso, and Multi-Medium.    Here is the page I worked on.  For a first effort, I am rather pleased with it.

We made a lot of cards as well.  The instructors were amazing, and the Simon Says Stamp staff were incredibly helpful and they always had smiles on their faces.  Truly a great way to experience a weekend away!

Here are a few pictures of me with some very familiar faces!

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If you stayed with me this long, you are a trouper!  I sure hope Simon Says Stamp makes this a yearly event!  If they do, I highly recommend you join me there!

Until next time!

February 2014 Tim Holtz Tag - 12 Tags of 2014

I cannot believe how fast this month has flown by! I know February is a short month, but this one just got away from me early on!

Today I am sharing the tag I made for the monthly tag challenge - 12 Tags of 2014 by Tim Holtz.  This month he did stenciling with distress inks and a fun chalkboard technique.  I was fortunate that I have the stamp Tim used this month, as well as the stencil (this is not always the case). After that I was on my own to give it my own touches.  As many of you know, I have been participating in this challenge from the beginning and some months I get them done early, and other months I am scrambling to finish.  This was one of the latter.

I am looking forward to seeing what Tim creates for March!  I actually will be around that day, so maybe I can get a jump on it next time!   If you haven't tried a tag, I would suggest you pop over and see what all the talk is about.  You will learn fun techniques and how to use fun products and enjoy such a great community!  I love seeing what everyone creates and how unique everyone's work turns out to be.

Hashtag Love

Many of us have had days where you are feeling rather blue, or just plain blah.  Well, the other day I was having one of those days and it turned into a fun, happy day by a generous act.  Mario Rossi came up with a great idea for a stamp set for Stampers Anonymous called Hashtags! It was perfect for him as he is a great Twitter and Facebook user.  If you aren't following him, I highly recommend you do, as he is so much fun!  When I saw he was giving away some of these stamp sets on Facebook just by leaving a comment I did.  When I saw I was one of the winners I was so happy and excited!   After a long day of working and commuting in below zero weather on Friday, I came home to find it in the mail!

Last night I used the stamp set to decorate packaging and make a tag for my girlfriend Amy, who we are celebrating with this afternoon at a brunch.  The gift bag was a plain inexpensive bag, but by using my various Stampers Anonymous stamps to decorate it, it made it personalized to my friend (one of my Jane Austen group ladies).  The fun hashtags look great scattered throughout.

I am looking forward to making more fun things with this set.  Thank you to Mario Rossi and Tim Holtz for your generosity of spirit.

Just remember as you go through your day, a kind word or action can really mean a lot to those you encounter along the way.  No act is too small to make a BIG difference!

Father's Day

Hi, guys!  Hope all is well!  Yesterday was Father's Day and I hope you spent it with those you love. Yesterday my hubby and I had his father over for a barbecue.  It was a lot of fun and extremely tasty!

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak and plenty of sides

Hubby knows how important it is to express your love to your dad, so he made his own card for his dad!  I thought I would share it with you!  His dad loved it!

He used a woodgrain background stamp on kraft card stock, and lots of Tim Holtz hardware.

I will be visiting my dad sometime soon, but thought I would share the card I made for him.  I used the fun goodies from my June Simon Says Stamp Kit.  It was a hoot to use, and stretched my creativity, as it is not my normal style.  But it suits my dad well, as he likes funny cards and nothing too sappy.

I am very blessed to have such a great father! I was just remembering the other day about the time he took me to a Father/Daughter dance when I was a Girl Scout Leader.  I was in my 30s and he was such a good sport to accompany me.  It was a full square dance, and if you knew my dad, you would know it was funny as he is not a dancer. Square Dancing in NYC is not the norm, either!  But what a great sport! It is one of my favorite memories dancing around with him.  

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Until next time, my friends!

Forever My Love

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing my completed tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013.  My tag was tweaked as I did not have the large Valentine Blue Print stamps, but I did have the minis so I used those and embossed two images onto it.  I used my Distress Paints for the background as I was using them for my Valentines.

I used a fun die cut from Tim Holtz Alterations line and used red stickles to make the heart shine.  The ribbon was made by using tissue tape as Tim demonstrated.  What a fun way to make your own ribbon!

I ended up giving my tag to my husband on Valentine's Day with his gift and card.  I promised myself this year I would share them instead of just keeping them all for myself!

If you want to enjoy yourself and learn some cool techniques, I would suggest you join in the fun!

Until next time!

Timeless Tag

Hi, guys! It is tag time again!  I am participating in the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013.  I had such a blast participating last year and even was a winner in December.  My friend Ruth loves my tags.  She has asked that I make them for her, so when I can, I will be making two each month and will be giving one to her.

I am very happy with how they turned out.  Distress inks and Distress stains (even the metallics) were used.  I didn't have the cute finger stamp Tim used, so I decided to use various arrows on mine.  Being the klutzy person I am, I was hesitant to cut my embossing folder as instructed. Now, I know X-Acto knives and myself do not play nice together.  My late hubby used to hide them from me.  I didn't cut myself, but I did cut my folder completely in half instead of just enough to insert the tag.  I was able to do this to another of my folders with no incident, but not this time.  Packing tape came in handy to mend it.

If you would like to learn some cool techniques and have a lot of fun, I would highly recommend you take part.  I can't wait to see what Tim comes up with for February!

Until next time!

Made With Love And Memories

Hi, guys!  Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the holiday season.  For today, I thought I would share two tags I completed on Friday.  I made this tags for my sister in-law as a gift.  As you probably recall, I have been taking part in the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012.  I had made a set of tags for myself a few months back when we learned to tint photos using distress inks.  My sister in-law liked the ones I did of my late husband and his mother and she requested a pair.  I decided to make them on Friday as it was the 6th anniversary of my husband's passing and thought it would be a fitting tribute to him.  I varied the tags from the ones I did for myself by using stamps that were more specific for a brother and daughter.

This project was very special to me.  I am not sure if I can relay the joy and memories that I was able to recall while creating these tags.  Charlie loved to sail, loved his garden, loved the stars and I was able to incorporate the verse my sister in-law read for us at our wedding.   For my mother in-law's tag, I used a Tim Holtz bingo chip to reflect the year of her marriage and it reminded me of her love of playing bingo and her "big" winnings of a couple dollars and her excitement.  I was able to use a page of an old book (avid reader and teacher) and scripture to reflect her strong faith.

When I was finished with these and put them in the mail, I felt very happy.  If you would have told me I would have felt those feelings Friday, I would have said you were wrong.  Crafting can bring me joy and contentment even when I am feeling at my lowest.  I am sure Tim Holtz probably never realized that such a project could have such a profound effect on someone.

If you are looking to make a special gift for someone (or just for yourself), I would highly recommend you visit Tim Holtz to learn how these are done. I am sure you will enjoy the experience and want to share your memories with those special in your life.

Thanks to Tim Holtz for always inspiring me (and countless others), and for sharing his knowledge. Teachers are truly special people.

Have a great day, my friends!   Until next time!

Happy Halloween Using Tim Holtz Patterned Paper

Hi, guys!  I am sure many of you know my love of Tim Holtz's products and inks.  I can't seem to put down the distress inks sometimes.  For today, I thought I would share 3 Halloween cards I made.  Paper is one of my favorite things.  I have been "collecting" various patterned papers by Tim Holtz.  For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to actually use it.  Crazy, I know.  So, for these cards, I used some of his wonderful vintage papers.  You will also notice that two of them have decorated bottle caps on them.  I was a fan of them years back and haven't seen them in awhile.  I saw a few of them in a shop on vacation and knew I had to incorporate them in my Halloween creations.

I used Black Soot distress ink on all the edges of each of these cards.  For the third card, I used glow-in-the-dark glitter in the BOO sentiment.  It looks cool when it is in the dark.  The googlie eyes just make me smile, so I love adding them!  The twill ribbon on two of the cards was repurposed.  I received a gift of dishtowels that were held together with white twill.  I saved it as it was so nice and soft and wide.  I used Dylusions Sprays to color it black with hints of orange.

Hope you enjoyed these cards, and hope they inspire you to shop in your stash.

Have a great day!

Happy 87th Birthday, Cal!

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I will be sharing a card I made for my father-in-law Cal for his 87th birthday.  I decided to emboss the front using the Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder. I used Core-dinations Kraft cardstock (new to me) and sanded it to reveal the kraft center.  Remember those Scrabble Tiles I have been saving? Well, they found a home on this card.  I used Distress Stains to color the ribbon and age the appearance of it.

Supplies:
Paper: Recollections Kraft Note Card, Core-dinations (Kraft Core)
Ink: Distress Ink (Vintage Photo), Distress Stain (Vintage Photo)
Misc.: Mini Scrabble Tiles, Tim Holtz Gears, Tim Holtz Ribbon, Tim Holtz Alterations Pocket Watch Embossing Folder

For the sentiment inside the card, I used a stamp by Sweet 'n Sassy that reads: Your Influence In My Life is Timeless.  Perfect to use with pocket watches, I think.

Wishing Cal a very happy birthday!

Hope you have a great day and find a few moments in the day to do something you love!

It's Tag Time (Jane Austen Inspired)

Hi, guys! It is time to share my monthly (August) submission for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012!  This is one of my favorites that I have done.  I had to incorporate a cameo type image as the focal point, and decided to use my Jane Austen set by Papertrey Ink.  You may recall that I have a great bunch of friends that formed a group because of our love of Jane Austen.  So this tag will be going to one of the ladies in our group with her Christmas gift.  We do a secret santa each year, and what better way to celebrate Jane than a tag using one of her quotes about friendship.

I had a blast making this tag.  The distressing and paint resist were fun to do.  What I love about doing these tags is the freedom to use what you have on hand, and use the basic idea, but make it your own. Tim never ceases to amaze me with his ideas and creativity.  I can't wait to see what he comes up with for the September tag!

Hope you have a great day!  Hope you find some time to do something you love (maybe read a bit of Jane?).

Not Bob, But Lee The Builder

Hi, guys!  Hope everything is well. I am really looking forward to some R & R this weekend.

I thought I would share a card I made for a friend's brother.  My friend asked me to make a special card for her brother Lee, as he is currently building her a house and she wanted a special "thank you" to him. She fondly refers to him as "Lee the Builder," so I wanted to make sure I included that.  I went through my stamps and found a whimsical house set by Claudine Hellmuth that had some great images that I knew I had to use.  I watercolored the sky and grass with Distress Inks, and used my Distress Markers to color all the images.

Supplies:
Paper: Stampin' Up
Stamps: Claudine Helluth Studio
Inks: Distress Inks, Black Archival, Distress Markers
Misc.: Memory Box Cloud Dies, Tim Holtz Ribbon

This was a fun card for me to make.  I haven't had time lately to watercolor and it was so relaxing to do.

Hope you have a great weekend!   I hope you find time for some fun and relaxation!

July Design Team Submissions - Inky Butterflies

Hi, guys!  Hope all is well.  I finally found some time to get INKY today and thought I would share the two cards I made with you.   These are the first two of my July Design Team submissions for The Ink Pad NYC. This month I was given Maya Road butterflies, and Dylusions spray ink to work with.

I was given Ranger's Cut Grass Dylusions spray.  I really love this stuff.  I have it in a few other colors, so I included Crushed Grape Dylusions spray also.   I love the vibrant colors.  For this card I just misted it on dry card stock.

For the next card, I used the Dylusions spray on glossy card stock with water to obtain a watercolor look. The colors of the sprays I used on this one are Pure Sunshine and London Blue.  The butterfly on this card is by Stampers Anonymous and the background is by Hero Arts. The hardware is by Tim Holtz.

I had fun making these cards.  Have a cardboard box handy when you are using spray inks.  It really does keep your work surface clean as well as containing the ink from going airborne (take it from one who knows firsthand!)  I know there are little boxes made for use with spray inks, but really any old box will do (and it will save a tree to recycle one you already have!).

I look forward to sharing the next few cards in the upcoming days.  Stay cool, my friends!

Happy 236th Birthday, America!

Hi, guys!  Hope you are having a great Fourth of July!  My husband and I are staying home this year as it is mid-week and don't feel like running around in this heat.  We are going to spend time working on my stamp room and having a barbecue.

I thought I would share a few cards I made for the holiday (yes, I sent a few Fourth of July cards!).  This first one was made for our friend Michael.  He is a history professor and actually sent us a card and noted that it is the 236th birthday of our great country.

Stamps: Viva Las Vegas Stamps, Papertrey Ink
Paper: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento Black
Misc.: Really Reasonable Ribbon, Copic Markers, Felt Star


The next two cards I made for our parents.  I used the splatter technique that Tim Holtz showed for his new July 2012 tag. I thought it would be fun to use on these.  They mimic fireworks.

Stamps:  Stampsmith, Papertrey Ink
Paper: Ranger Gloss White, Papertrey Ink White
Ink: Archival Black (for Lady Liberty), Alcohol Inks, Archival Blue (Sentiments), Stampin' Up Red
Misc: Really Reasonable Ribbon, Tim Holtz Vintage Labels 

May each of you have a safe and fun-filled holiday!  I hope you will join me in taking a moment from our festivities to give thanks for this great nation and for all those who are currently serving in our military who are sacrificing so much to keep us safe and sound.

Holy Confirmation Card

Hi, guys!  Hope you are having a great day!  I thought I would share a Holy Confirmation card I made for a friend at work to give.  It is the first one I have made this season.  I thought about using a cross, but then decided to use a dove, which signifies the Holy Spirit.  I found this dove in a Christmas set called "Madonna and Child" from Stampin' Up.  It is another use for a Christmas stamp.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Paper: Stampin' Up
Misc.: Tim Holtz Embossing Folder,White Embossing Powder, Circle Punches, Square Punch, Silver Cord

I had fun making this card for this special occasion.  It was fun looking through my stamps to find a focal image that would be appropriate and different.

Hope you have a great day!   Hope you find a few moments in your day to do something you love!

May Design Team Submissions - French Inspired

Bonjour! (I couldn't resist!)  Hope you are having a great day.  I mentioned yesterday that I would share the last of my May submissions for The Ink Pad's design team.  These cards are French inspired. If you know me personally you know that I LOVE Paris!  I was lucky enough to get there once.  It was a trip I will always remember.  My husband will tell you I am a bit obsessed with my love of France and Paris, pointing out all the pictures, art and Eiffel Towers all around our home.   I hope to get there again someday.  In the meantime, I will create with it in mind!

This month I was given papers that had great French images, French scripts etc.  I thought it would be fun to make cards with a French feel.

The first card I am sharing had lovely French script on the paper and I thought it would be fun to use a dress form from Stampers Anonymous.  I used Alpha letters from Tim Holtz to write out Merci.  I was given great linen tape ribbon that I thought would go well with the dress form.

The second card also features lovely French paper.  When I saw it I knew I had to pull out the Sizzix/Hero Arts stamp and die cut set.  I used a Sakura glitter pen for the Eiffel Tower image. 

My husband wasn't surprised when I showed him these two cards as he said it was only a matter of time before I had an Eiffel Tower on one of them.  

Hope you enjoyed looking at my submissions. It was fun sharing them with you.

My Apron is Here!

Hi, guys!  I am very happy today. Funny what makes me so happy sometimes.  I received the apron I ordered from Tim Holtz after attending his Creative Chemistry 101 class.  I thought it would be a fun keepsake and functional, too.  I am forever ruining my clothes with my ink pads and paints etc.  Why is it that the ink pads that fall on my lap are always the permanent ones?

I am currently working on a few more birthday cards that I hope to share with you on Friday.

Hope you have a great day!

Tim's May Tag - No Laundry Involved

Hi, guys!  Hope all is well!  I just finished my May Tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012.  This month we learned how to use UTEE and turn paper flowers into porcelain-looking ones.  It was my first time using my Melting Pot by Ranger.  It was a lot of fun.   We also utilized sewing patterns as backgrounds.  If you know me personally, you know I don't sew a lick.  My hubby gave me a couple from his late mother's collection.  I thought that was sweet and now I will think of her when I look at this tag.

I am enjoying making these monthly tags as I love learning new techniques.  I like to use what I have on hand, so my tag is not identical to Tim's, but that is part of the fun.  Tim used a wooden spool to put his flowers in like a vase.  I could see me losing a digit or two trying to sand down a wooden spool, so I turned my flowers into a corsage.

If you haven't tried making some of these tags yet, I would recommend you give one a try.  It is always a lot of fun and you will get......INKY!

Have a great day!

A Hoot of a Card!

Hi, guys!  Today I thought I would share with you a card I made for a friend of mine.  He requested a card for someone who liked skulls and/or owls.   I mentioned that I liked to use metal for embossing and he was on board with me using it on his card.

Supplies:
Paper: Ranger Specialty Stamping paper, Gina K Designs Black
Ink: Versafine, Distress inks, Distress Stain Picket Fence, Distress Markers
Stamp: Tattered Angels
Misc.: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Ten Second Studio metal sheet, Tim Holtz pin, clear embossing powder, water brush

I used a sheet of metal from Ten Second Studios for the background.  If you haven't used it, it is great to work with.  I then embossed it and sanded it with my sanding block. I used my distressing tool and my distress inks, too.  I used my new distress markers by Ranger and love them.  I love watercoloring so these made it easy.   This was one distressed card by the time I was finished with it.  My friend was very happy when I gave it to him today.  Can't wait to hear what his friend thought of it!

Hope you have a great day!  Looking forward to sharing more with you tomorrow.

April 2012 Tim Holtz Tag

Hi, guys! I finally got my April Tag done.  I barely got it done before the clock turned to May.  I can't wait to see what Tim does for May!

I love stamping on the embossing folders and then embossing the tag.  I had fun inking with Distress Inks and using grungeboard shapes.

Hope you like it.   I have been very busy lately with Mother's Day and Communion Cards. I hope to share a bunch of them with you later this week.

Have a great day!  I hope you find some time in the day to do something you love.