You Hold My Heart

Tim Holtz + My Mind's Eye = Swoon!
Today's card started out as me just experimenting with my new Distress Markers (loving them!) on Tim's "Birdsong" stamp. Add in some gorgeous MME papers and pretty soon I had a lovely card in shades of grey and pastels. So soft and sweet. I'm really into warm grey tones lately...and no, I haven't even read that book yet (but yes, it's on my list).

A Detail:

• I stamped our musical bird friend in chocolate and embossed with clear powder.  I then randomly added color with Distress Markers.  Here's the cool part...instead of using water to blend the colors, I used a healthy dose of Perfect Pearl Mist.  It gives the background such lovely shimmer.  The effect reminds me of the wallpapers popular back in the 80s...but in a good way!

Challenges:
Craft Your Passion Challenges: #125 - Emboss It
Make It Monday:  MIM #104
Catered Crop: No Stress to Distress Quickfire

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Sahara Sand’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Miss Caroline ‘Fiddlesticks’ 6x6
Stamps:	Tim Holtz ‘Bird Song’
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Iced Spruce’; Distress Markers; SU! craft ‘Chocolate Chip’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Perfect Pearl’
Embellishments:	Embossing powder ‘clear’; Bazzill paper flower ‘French Vanilla’; pearl; butterfly twill tape; leaf ribbon
Tools:	TH paper distresser, tiny attacher; Zig 2-way glue pen; Glue Dots; heat gun

Simple Moments

While on craft-cation a few weeks ago, we experimented with some Tim Holtz techniques.  My mom, sister, friend, Sue, and I made tags and samples of a variety of Tim techniques.  I was having one of those "every thing I touch turns to yuck" days, so out of several experiments, all but this one ended up in the trash.  (Yes, they were that bad...some days, you're just better off putting the inks down and stepping away from the craft table.)

This one was a keeper though.  I love the warmth and interest of the background (even richer in person)...Distress Inks do amazing things, no?  Since a great background shouldn't be covered up, just a simple silhouette, a simple saying, and a few simple embellishments finish things off nicely.

Challenges:
DRS Designs: Challenge #39 - Silhouettes
Crafts and Me Challenges: #98 - Autumn Colours
Anything Goes Challenge Blog: #74 - Make Your Own Background
Simon Says Stamp and Show: No Rules!

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Manila tag
Stamps:	My Mind’s Eye Stella and Rose Mabel ‘So Sweet’, Hazel ‘Memories’; Cloud 9 Design ‘Simple Thoughts – Memories’
Inks:	StazOn ‘Jet Black’; Distress Ink ‘Crushed Olive’, ‘Barn Door’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘Walnut Stain’; Distress Stain ‘Spiced Marmalade’, ‘Crushed Olive’
Embellishments:	Button; Wrights rick rack ‘Black’; gingham ribbon
Tools:	Foam ink blending tool; mini mister; Tim Holtz tiny attacher

Charming Posy Pocket

Can you guess what this lovely posy pocket is made from?  It's a common household item and I guarantee that you use it everyday.

Okay, I know, that's not much of a hint.  It's an empty toilet paper roll...can you believe it?!  I must admit, this was not my idea.  I was clicking around blogland a few months ago and pinned this.  I liked the concept, but it was too plain and nowhere near vintage-y enough for me, so I made my own version.  It's so simple and easy to alter for different occasions.  You will see more of these from me since the stash is now full of toilet paper rolls...like I don't save enough stuff already!

A Couple Details:

• I flattened my TP roll, then layered on some patterned paper.  I tried to use my little sewing machine to stitch the bottom, but the 4 layers of cardboard and cardstock were not friendly.  I'm sure I could have gotten through it with my big machine, but didn't want to drag it out of storage.  So, instead, I used a teeny-tiny hole punch and a tapestry needle with twine to whip-stitch the bottom edge.  Worked like a dream and looks pretty too.
• The front is layered up with book paper, pretty rose printable from The Graphics Fairy, vintage rick rack, ephemera stickers, and a stamped butterfly.  A thicker length of twine was used to create the handle by simply punching some holes and knotting the ends.  The finishing touch is some paper roses, reindeer moss, and ferns.

So charming!  Or should I say Charmin?  J

Challenges:
Graphics Fairy:  Brag Monday #150
Craft Punked: Week #33 - Flower Power
Frosted Designs: Fabulous Friday Challenge - Twine / Ribbon
Paper Play: Week #33 - Upcycle / Recycle
Stampotique Designers Challenge: SDC261 - Alter It
Simon Says Stamp and Show: No Rules

Supplies:
Patterned Paper:	Stampington & Co. ‘Quite White’; vintage book page
Image:	The Graphics Fairy ‘Pink French Rose’
Stamps:	My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found Two  Blush ‘Princess’
Inks:	StazOn ‘Timber Brown’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Distress Stain ‘Victorian Velvet’, ‘Worn Lipstick’, ‘Spiced Marmalade’
Embellishments:	Vintage cotton rick rack; K&Co stickers; recycled twine; Papertrey Ink rustic button twine; floral
Tools:	Hole punch; Tim Holtz paper distresser; scallop scissors; Memory Maker’s ribbon glue
Misc:	Empty toilet paper roll

Life's a Beach!

Okay, so I've been a really bad blogger this summer...  For a while I didn't even feel like creating, but now that summer is starting to wind down, I've found my crafty mojo again and have a stack of creations that need to be photographed and posted.  Bad squirrel...bad!  The good news is that I have lots of new things to share with you!

To start back on the right blogging track, here's a tribute to summer featuring bright fun colors and a vintage bathing beauty poster.  This is a study in ink.

Some Details:

• To create my colorful, watery background, I used the basics of a Tim Holtz technique...pressing my Distress Ink pads onto my craft mat, misting with water, then setting my paper on top.  I must note, however, that I used GLOSSY paper.  LOVE the effect.  The glossy paper allows for the wonderful runs of color and adds so much depth. Tissue tape borders the top and bottom edges.

• The flowers were colored in much the same way as the background, however, I made sure to mist the paper flower first, and then drag it through the watered-down ink on my craft mat.

• Next up for inking was my ivory seam binding.  I wanted a space-dyed/variegated effect to keep my colors pure.  To do this, I pressed each color onto the craft mat at approximately 1/2-inch intervals, then misted both the inks and the seam binding.  I then laid the seam binding on top of the ink, pressing the binding down into the ink as necessary.  I repeated this along the length of my binding and then dried with my heat gun.

• Just about any day at the beach is a happy day!

Thanks for stopping by today and I promise more good stuff is on the way soon!

Challenges:

Crafting for All Seasons: Challenge #33 - Bright Colors

Anything Goes Challenge: #73 - Summer Days

Ribbon Carousel: RCC66 - Celebrating Summer

Unstampabelles Challenges: #14 - Paper Flowers

Simon Says Stamp and Show: Challenge - Favorite Technique (coloring things with ink!)

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Ranger Gloss Paper; Stampin’ Up! ‘Not Quite Navy’; watercolor paper
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Barn Door’, ‘Peeled Paint’, ‘Wild Honey’, ‘Stormy Sky’
Embellishments:	Bazzill Basics 1.5” Primula flower ‘French Vanilla’, 1” Primula flower ‘French Vanilla’, Half the Edge ‘White’; Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type ‘Storytime’; My Mind’s Eye Stella and Rose label sticker Gertie ‘Little One’; Tim Holtz tissue tape ‘Journeyman’; Papertrey Ink baker’s twine; jump ring; mini safety pin; leaf ribbon; SU! eyelets; Hug Snug seam binding ‘ivory’; The Girls Paperie brads
Tools:	Zots; Zig 2-way glue pen; Making Memories ribbon glue; TH tiny attacher; 3M foam tape; mini mister; Glue dot ‘Pop Up’; wave edge scissors; heat gun; spray adhesive; cardboard; tweezers

Kitty Thank-You Card

While I was spending my vacation week at the lake with my mom and sister, the boys stayed with my dad (bro-in-law is "allergic"...uh-huh, sure J).  I whipped up this quick thank-you card to send to my dad for taking good care of the fur balls while I was gone. 

I came across this photo of the Dodge-ball in mid yawn from a while back and was inspired to make a card with him "shouting".

The inside of the card features both boys...I couldn't leave out Ollie!  Quick and simple...and cute because my kitty cats are on it!  J

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’
Patterned Paper:	Paper Pizzaz
Stamps:	Inkadinkadoo
Inks:	Color Box ‘Black’
Embellishments:	Stickopotomaus ‘Comic Book Captions’; Karen Fosters Designs ‘Love My Cat’; gingham ribbon

Song of Thanks

I'm still here!  Sorry, I know it's been a while...this summer has been a whirlwind!

But I'm back to kick off a new week's theme at Card A Day Blog today.  Come join us for some "Embossing" fun...whether you prefer dry or wet embossing, the sky's the limit because it's your choice on which you use on your challenge project.

I chose wet, or heat, embossing for my thank you card.  I spent the last week at my sister's on my annual "craftcation" and of course had to play with all her stamps.  This Tim Holtz 'Birdsong' stamp was perfect to do some soft blended coloring with my new Distress Markers.

A Couple Details:

• 'Birdsong' was stamped in pigment ink and embossed with clear powder.  I then randomly added color with Distress Markers and sprayed the entire surface with Perfect Pearl Mist.  This blended the water-based colors so nicely!  I then just wiped the excess ink from the embossed surfaces with a paper towel.

• This little banner is adhered with the Tim Holtz tiny attacher.  It flies up a bit at the bottom because the Birdsong image is mounted on foam tape.  I love the dimension.  Our little butterfly friend adds that finishing touch.

•   Lot of layers on this card...patterned paper, doily, book page, velvet ribbon, etc.  Gotta love layers!

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Barely Banana’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Miss Caroline ‘Fiddlesticks’ 6x6; vintage book page
Stamps:	Stamper’s Anonymous Tim Holtz ‘Attic Treasures’, ‘Birdsong’; MME Lost & Found Two Blush ‘Princess’
Inks:	Distress Markers ‘Tattered Rose’, ‘Spun Sugar’, ‘Bundled Sage’, ‘Tumbled Glass’, ‘Crushed Olive’, ‘Scattered Straw’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Perfect Pearl’; SU! craft ink ‘Creamy Caramel’, ‘Sage Shadow’; Distress Stain ‘Picket Fence’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; StazOn ‘Timber Brown’
Embellishments:	Embossing Powder ‘Clear’; paper doily; velvet ribbon
Tools:	Heat tool; TH paper distresser; Zig 2-way glue pen; 3M foam tape; TH tiny attacher