November 2013 - Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013

Hi, guys! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!  I have been so focused on Thanksgiving, and decorating for the holiday, that the date on the calendar saying it was the last day of November came as a bit of a surprise to me.  So today, I am sharing my November tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013. This month he focused on using the Chalkboard Technique using the Ranger Embossing Antiquities Frosted Crystal powder and real chalk. This was so much fun that not only did I make a tag, but I also made a card using a Giant Tag by Ranger (#12 size).

Tim made Fall themed tags this month, but I decided that since Christmas is very close that I would make holiday ones.  For the tag, I used Tim's iceskate stamp from his blueprint series.  The skate was stamped a few times and foam squares were added to give it a 3D look.  I also decided to add pom-poms to the skates as that brought back fun memories from my youth.  The tinsel was then colored with Mushroom Alcohol Ink to give it an aged look.

The Christmas Card was made with the Giant #12 Black Tag by Ranger as I mentioned above.  It was scored and I used a punch to create the tie on the side.  Seam Binding was used to close the card.

If you want to make a tag or a card using this technique, I would suggest you head over to Tim Holtz's blog as he takes you step by step in the process.  Once you try Frosted Crystal powder, you will fall in love with it.

Wishing you all a fabulous rest of the weekend!  Until next time!

My Homework For The Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 102 Class (Lots of Inky Fun!)

Hi, guys! Hope all is well! Tonight I am going to share with you some more "homework" from the Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 102 online class.  It was a fun-filled week!  Lots of great videos and techniques.  I started out just doing tags as I normally do, but decided to add a couple of Christmas Cards and a pair of gift tags into the mix as well.  I normally use my PDFs and directions to refer back to instead of the tags, so I figured this way I will have a jump on the holidays, too!

The first pair up are examples of embossing using Distress Glitter.  Let me tell you, I have a ton of glitter in my collection, but nothing is as nice as this glitter! On this first card I used alcohol inks to color the gems on the snowflakes, as well as to add color onto the Kraft Glassine paper panel. The glitter I used for the snowflakes was Clear Rock Candy Distress Glitter.

Another fun technique we learned was how to create an ombre look using Alcohol Inks.  For this, I decided to make a Christmas card.  The picture was taken at an angle to show the use of the tissue tape along the inside of the card as well. I colored the tiny attachers with alcohol inks as well as the film strip tape!

The next Christmas card is a fun example of using both colored Distress Glitter and Rock Candy Glitter with Distress Inks:

This tag was fun to make as it used Distress Embossing Powder and Distress Inks.  I wish you could feel this tag as the gears feel very textured, like a light grain sandpaper.  The background was stamped and embossed using the same powders so it is also textured.

This next tag was made using the chalkboard technique.  It was fun and I plan to use this on a Christmas gift.  I decided to use this fun old vintage-looking Santa from Stampers Anonymous along with the sentiment from the set.

The next few things are not paper crafted.  I used the faux patina techniques that Tim shared on a couple of metal embellishments of his.  They really look great, and I can't wait to incorporate them onto some of my holiday crafts this year.

We learned how to faux crackle glass items as well.  For my bottle I crackled it and then added a mixture of oats and glitters to make "Magic Reindeer Food." I always bring some to my sister's house each year and we toss it on the lawn for Rudolph and company.  I thought this was a fun way for me to present it. (Took a few shots as I wasn't sure which would show off the crackle better.)

Thank you to Tim Holtz for such a great class and all the hard work.  I want to thank Mario Rossi for all the fun BTS and all his kindhearted Facebook fun.  All those behind the scenes at Online Card Classes deserve a great big thank you as well.  I sure hope there is a Creative Chemistry 103 class next year!  If there is, I will be there!

A BIG thank you if you made it through this long post!  Until next time, my friends!

20th Year of Teaching Anniversary Card (Chalkboard Technique)

Hi, guys! Today I am sharing a very special card I made.  My very good friend Asia is celebrating her 20th anniversary as a teacher!  I am in awe of her talents and kind nature.  She teaches kindergarten and I know she gave so many kids such a great start in their schooling.

I decided to use the chalkboard technique and to use one of my very large Ranger Tags as the card.  I found these adorable bags that look just like looseleaf paper and so I decided to use one of those instead of an envelope.

The stamps I used for the tag are from Stampendous.  I used some fun math-themed washi tape as the ribbon pull.  I think it was a fun touch.  The funniest thing for me while making this card was to try and print the way I used to in grade school.  I was much neater as a kid, and formed my letters properly back then, too.

This was a fun card to make, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful friend in Asia.  Her students  sure hit the jackpot by getting her as their teacher!

Have a great day!  Until next time!