From My Own Brain...

Compendium of Curiosities Finale: A birthday Card for Tim

2013-01-01T18:28:00.002+11:00

What a perfect way to end this series of challenges by Linda Ledbetter over at Studio L3. Although I have not had the opportunity to participate in many of the challenges this year, I have been following along and watching the fabulous work submitted by the participants.

I chose the Dabber Resist technique on page 37 of the Compendium of Curiosities Vol 1. It was one of the first videos I watched by Tim - I still laugh at the fact that he is using Shell Pink as the colour for his resist! I chose to use Snow Cap for mine and the ubiquitious Umbrella Man which I adore.

I chose not to add an obvious birthday reference on the outside but instead included a personal message inside.

My favourite bit of the card is the sentiment. I tried something different, altered it, scrunched it and in the end was very happy! The sentiment is from the Lost and Found set and says "Not all who wander are lost". I stamped it in Versamark and then embossed it with silver. As it is a mostly solid stamp, the words didn't show up to well but I thought "I wonder if?!" So I rubbed black acrylic paint over the entire surface. It made the sentiment look more grungy and metal like look. It also made the words come up out of the embossing!

I can't say a big enough thank you to Linda for running these challenges this year and of course to Tim Holtz who revitalised my love of craft and ink with his unique take on all things artful. Here's to a fabulous birthday Mr. Holtz and another year of fantastic inspiration!

**UPDATE: I forgot to show you the inside! It's manila cardstock with walnut stain Distress Ink and some corner stamps! TFL.

12 Tags of 2012 - November

2012-11-15T15:53:00.000+11:00

Hi all! Don't have a lot to say on this one. I used the tissue paper idea from last month's tag as my background and the focal image is based on Tim's work for November. As we don't do Thanksgiving in Australia, I went for a Christmas theme. Thanks for looking!

12 Tags of 2012 - October

2012-10-17T17:22:00.002+11:00

It's that time again - Timmy time! No, not Shaun the Sheep Timmy but one of my favourite crafters - Tim Holtz. His tag for this month is a fabulous tribute to Halloween - which all of the US crafters have been showing off but which just doesn't fly here yet (see what I did there, wink wink).

So, I decided that since it is Spring here (well, I think it is although the weather doesn't seem to agree), that should be my theme. Here is the finished tag:

I don't often use my own hand writing because like most of us, I don't like it! But, I had a photo that I needed for Fat Mum Slim's October Photo a Day and I know that you should try to capture your own writing as often as possible, so I did. I combined some Dyan Reaveley techniques here too and I am very happy with the out come. So, how did I do it?

First, please make sure you go and show T!m some love. His tutorials are always so well done and informative and I wouldn't be able to do half the stuff I do without watching his videos and following his blog. My challenge this time was to create the tissue paper that he has in his line because I haven't gotten around to purchasing any (although as usual, I want to)! I used two sheets of regular tissue paper that I stamped on with Archival Ink in Jet Black and glued together and this is the result:

I ended up choosing the script paper as I just wasn't happy with the memories stamped one. So I adhered it to the tag as per T!m's instructions.

I glued it down with the wrinkles then painted it with acrylic paints in a pale green, yellow and blue, wiping with a baby wipe as I went along.

Then I added the black acrylic paint around the edges, wiping with a baby wipe. I did find here that the tissue paper was getting very fragile so I needed to be VERY gentle.

I added Tumbled Glass, Scattered Straw and Bundled Sage Distress Inks over the top.

Next, I stamped using Archival Ink in Jet Black. The bottom stamp is a KaiserCraft Stamp and the stamp at the top is a Hero Arts.

To finish the background, I sprayed it with Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist - I love that shimmer!

I die cut the bird (Caged Bird Bigz Die) from grunge paper using my Vagabond and painted it with Snow Cap paint dabber before I added glitter (see how to make your own coloured glitter with Ranger's Dry Glitter on T!m's blog - using my other favourite - Alcohol Ink!).

Here's the glittered bird. I added the wing later (using the Alcohol Ink Gold Mixative to colour the glitter) and inked the branch and legs with Gathering Twigs Distress Ink.

Finally, I die cut some leaves using the Mini Branch and Leaf Movers and Shapers set and the sentiments shape from the Mini Labels Movers and Shapers. I inked them with Distress Ink and wrote out the quote and adhered it with foam tape. I traced around both the die cut and stamped leaves with and Inkssentials Opaque Pen in white too. The bird was glued directly to the tag using Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive. My ribbon was a piece of cord from some clothes I bought the boys for summer!

And that folks, is my October Tag. Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed the process!

xoxo

Kim

Hmmmm, That Didn't Go to Plan!

2012-10-01T19:38:00.000+10:00

Truly. This project was meant to be done yesterday - Saturday even! But, I was enjoying family and friend time more. All of this is a good thing.

Then, I just couldn't decide what I wanted to do with my butterfly! So after struggling with my eCraft to cut three of them, I had to play. These are what I came up with:

The black one has been cut from glitter paper (although hard to see that in the photo) and I have edged it with Viva Pearl Pen in Ice White. I don't know if I'm done with it yet but I kind of like it like this. The bottom one was white card stock that had the wing pattern cut from blue mirror paper with the eCraft and glued on. I sprayed it with water and then coloured with Distress Stain (Spiced Marmalade, Broken China and Spun Sugar). I dried it with the heat tool and added Distress Ink (Vintage Photo) around the edges and then spritzed it with water again. Once dried, I added Diamond Stickles to it. I should have left it alone - because I like what it looks like in this picture. But I have continued to play...more to come on that later.

This butterfly is a little larger and was cut from green glitter paper. The wing decoration was then cut from red and blue mirror paper and gold glitter paper. All of the cutting was done with the eCraft. I glued some ball chain in the middle to make the body. At this point, I'm not happy with it. It's out of balance - it's the blue...I don't like it. I may take it off and replace it with the gold. Again, work in progress!

I am hoping to share a finished project using at least one of these soon. I started all of this to join in on the final Simon Says Stamp Stamptember challenge but I just didn't get it done! So now, it will just be a labour of love!

Thanks for looking and I hope to get lots of blogging done this month!

xoxo

Kim

Tape It Up Challenge

2012-09-23T16:32:00.001+10:00

Right, so today's creation started from the Simon Says Stamp Challenge of Tape It Up! I created my own tissue tape using the tutorial from Let's Scrap by Sue Dawn. I changed it up a little by using Distress Stain to colour the tape ad then colouring some of the images with Smooch Ink. This was the result:

It's a little hard to see the colour as it's on a brown background but I think you get the idea :0)

Then, I had to decide how to use this tape I had created. It took me a while to decide to make it into a "framed" piece of art. I cut a frame shape using my eCraft Fundamentals card and framed a 3 1/2" square of tape. Then began the odyssey of finding the "right" paper. You see, I'm one of those "Oooo, that looks nice! What about that one? I wonder what these would look like together?" people. It took me a fair while to choose. In the end, I went with some Webster's Pages from a 6x6 paper collection. I cut two of the pieces in half and attached them together to make a 5 inch panel, hiding the join under some Webster's Pages trim. I adhered the framed art and began the search for a sentiment.

It didn't take long - a Tim Holtz Philosophy Stick took my fancy and I altered it with a Snow Cap Paint Dabber. I added some jewels to the corner and I thought I was done, but I was wrong! The whole piece needed a frame. So I found a piece of Tim Holtz Kraft Resist (with butterflies, of course). I cut it to 5 1/2 inches and began colouring. I started with Picket Fence Distress Stain and then added some Broken China and Peeled Paint. I finished it off with some Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist and a bit of Walnut Stain Distress Ink on the edges. I stuck it behind the panel and I knew I had nearly finished. I adhered my pieces to a 6 inch card base and voila!

My tissue tape card!

Here are a few close ups AND a picture of the back which has just the Kraft Resist on it.

The tape framed art.

The philosophy stick.

You can see that the panels are elevated here with foam tape.

Oooooo! Look at that shine! I love the Perfect Pearls Mist!!

The finished panel on the reverse of the card. You can see the colour and resist pattern here.

It was a good exploration today. Thanks for looking and I hope to see you here again soon!

xoxo

Kim

Compendium of Curiosities 2, Challenge 20

2012-09-11T16:32:00.001+10:00

Today's work is my first chance to participate in the Compendium of Curiosities 2 challenge being hosted by Studio L3. I've wanted to join in but life got in the way so I've been enjoying all the other participant's entries.

This week is Enameled Stamping and can be found on page 44 of Tim Holtz's book, Compendium of Curiosities 2. If you want to know how to do the technique, you'll have to buy the book!

So here is my take on the technique:

Now, for a self confessed addict like myself, you'll be surprised to know that I don't own any background stamps! So I improvised with a large one I had. I also chose to ink with 3 colours - Spiced Marmalade, Stormy Sky and Shabby Shutters and then finished off with Vintage Photo. To add a little extra sheen, I put on a few spritzes of Perfect Pearl Mist in Pearl. The embellishment at the top is a Pink Paislee Artisan Element that I inked with alcohol inks and then misted with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Iridescent Gold. I've also included to Word Sticks that were altered with black acrylic paint. The final element is a die cut made with the eCraft machine that is FINALLY sitting on my desk! It's a layered flower from the Fundamentals cartridge that comes with the machine. I cut it out of white card stock and then inked each layer with the same distress inks used in the background. I curled the edges and popped it up on foam tape to give it a bit of height. I added a few small paper flowers under it with small beads as the centres.

Here are some close ups of the detail:

I had fun with this although it was one of those projects where I had to stop and step away to like what I had come up with. I hope you have enjoyed looking and that you too make some time for your hobby of choice!

xoxo
Kim

12 Tags of 2012 - September and My New Craft Space

2012-09-06T15:28:00.001+10:00

Yay!!! I'm back on line and in our new house. I can't tell you how much I detest moving but at least it is done for the next to last time. Which means, I have a new crafting space! It's fabulous for me as it is right in the middle of everything but still all mine so no need to clean up if I need to leave what I am working on. It's right next to the windows so it has great light and it has been Kiminated - overly organised for those of you who know me.

Here's what it looks like:

Of course with a new space, I had to give it a try. Oooooooohhhhhh....heaven! The right amount of space with everything close at hand and just a few steps from the cabinet of goodness that protects all my stash from 3 year old hands. And being that I am inflicted with "Tim Holtzitis", my first project in the new space had to be a Tim challenge.

This month is an industrial look (see Tim's tag here) and it required me to improvise a lot, which was fantastic. I have been watching videos and listening to podcasts while waiting to get back into it and the one saying that has really stuck with me was "What If I...". I heard it on the Paperclipping Roundtable podcast that Tim was recently on and it was from an amazing crafter, Laura Denison. Do yourself a favour, check her blog out. You will be blown away.

So, with "What If..." in hand, I began my tag! I didn't have foil tape or the right colour alcohol inks or steel wool or even any of the embellishments that were used on Tim's tag but I wasn't going to let that stop me! Here is what I came up with:

I used aluminium foil to replace the foil tape and instead of alcohol inking it, I used black acrylic paint. I found an old scratchy dish cloth under the sink and used that to rub the paint off and scratch up the surface a bit. I used the pen technique from Tim to create the rivet look and my pick for the holes. The "stitching" was created using my bone folder.

When it was time to embellish, I had to think hard because my Vagabond hasn't been replaced yet and I have no die cutting machine (so many dies and no way to use them!). I don't have any really industrial stamps but for some reason iron scrollwork popped into my head and I remembered some Kaisercraft stamps I had. I had actually picked out a bird but in the end, the dragonfly spoke to me more.

I stamped it using Staz-On ink onto silver foil card and embossed it with a glitter embossing powder. Then I used the ginger alcohol ink to colour it in.

I had a message in mind when I pulled out the word band and key. But where to find the words "the" and "is"? As I rummaged through my stickers, I came across the DCWV Once Upon a Time chipboard stickers and there was my "the". Still looking for the "is"... and then it hit me! I have had the grunge blocks for ages and barely used them. I could try a modified version of rusted grunge as I have no Distress Embossing powders!

So, it's not exactly what I was in my head but it is close and I like it. The blocks were inked with Black Soot Distress Ink and then I dusted silver embossing powder over the top. There's a lot more black showing that this picture suggest. The letters were inked with Vintage Photo and then embossed with clear powder. Before I heated though, I ran my fingers over the letters to remove patches of powder. Then I inked the top with Black Soot. I got a pretty decent speckled look.

Overall, I am extremely please with my improvisation! I hope you had fun looking and that you too will think with "What If I..."!

xoxo

Kim

12 Tags of 2012 - July

2012-07-07T16:04:00.002+10:00

Tim challenged us to play with our alcohol inks in this month's 12 Tags and I finally have time to join in!

As we don't celebrate 4th of July in Australia, I chose some bright colours that would help me feel warm in all this cold. Also, I didn't have any canned air so I had to improvise there too. I chose to use a straw to blow the ink around. I am happy with the way it turned out. I turned the tag each time applied ink to ensure that I was blowing in the direction I wanted it to splatter. This is such a quick way to make a cool, colourful background!

Finally, I applied my stamps using Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black, added my embellishments and tied on my ribbon. Easy and fun!

Some of the close up details: As you can see here, I inked the edges of the glossy card stock with some Tea Dye Distress Ink

This addition of a chunky embellishment like a key is new to me. I have tried it a couple of times now and have determined that I need more of this style of embellishment with new ways to attach them! Watch out wallet :0)

I hope you liked my take on Tim Holtz's July tag. Thank you for looking and I will get back into posting after we have moved!

xoxo

Kim

June Card Class Project - A Photo Wallet

2012-06-21T10:26:00.001+10:00

Hey everyone! Hope this frosty morning finds you all well.

I've posted this project before but I wanted to share again - including what we are making for the class. This project was sourced from Splitcoaststampers. It's a really simple way to share a few photos with friends and family.

So here are the two different versions we are making this month.

The second version:

The flower on the front came from Paper Loves Glue. It's super easy and soooo effective! Here is a side on photo to give you an idea of the dimension:

You will also notice I chose to go with a Velcro fastener and not a belly band. I found that the band kind of takes over if you are using patterned paper.

The projects are made using KaiserCraft and Prima papers. I used Stampin' Up and Distress ink to ink the edges of the paper and stamp the sentiments. Stamps are from Hero Arts, Bo Bunny and KaiserCraft.

xoxo

- Kim

The Book Card

2012-06-21T10:03:00.001+10:00

So, my one of my besties had a Finally Forty party last week and I wanted to make her something special because it was a big birthday! I wish I could say I invented this card but, alas, such is not the case. I found it at Gramma's House of Cards. It's called a book card.

As you can see, it sort of looks like a book. It looks really intricate but the hardest part is the accordion frame inside. Before I make this again, I'll be buying a scoring board! So here is the front:

I used Bo Bunny Country Garden paper and embellishments plus a little Stickles and a few rhinestones. The inside is more of the same:

I printed the poem and greeting onto cardstock and inked the edges of the patterned paper. I also added ribbon and corner fasteners to the top of the "shadow box". Here are some close ups and different angles:

In this part of the card, I placed the different items at different levels of the accordion folds to give a 3D effect.

It's a fabulous card that is sure to get lots of admiration if you are keen to give it a try!

- Kim

Where Does the Time Go? And Giving the Gift of Cards

2012-06-01T21:40:00.001+10:00

We have been so busy around here! What with regular daily activities, visitors and card classes, I just haven't had time to post. I'm not complaining, just making note :)

Today, I had friends come to visit with their new baby. It was wonderful to cuddle a newly born little guy again, but equally as nice to give him back. It made me realise that my "little baby" will be 3 in a few months and I am wondering where all that time went! It all just goes by so quick - I mean the oldest will be double digits next year. Sheesh!

As I like to do, I picked up a gift for the baby to give to my friends when they arrived. And, as I also like to do, I added something for Mum. After all, she had a lot of work to do (and much more to come) and deserves a little treat too! This time I decided on a gift of cards.

So, I found this awesome little thing called a One Sheet Wonder. It's different patterns you can cut up one sheet of paper into to make bulk lots of cards. I found the one I used at Mae's Cachet. If you search her site for One Sheet Wonder, you'll find a few different templates for both A4 and 12x12. There are tons if you search on Google too.

I also made the envelopes (I may never buy envelopes again) using the Any Size Envelope tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. The box is the A2 Card Box tutorial from the same site.

So here are the results:

All cardstock, embellishments, ribbon and stamps are from Stampin' Up (What! No Bo Bunny or Tim Holtz I hear you say!). As I have often said, it's much easier to create cards and other projects when you use a coordinating line of products. I made all of this in about 3 hours (including envelopes and the research). I hope you give it a try!

I have sent out the email for the June card class. We are making photo wallets! Let me known if you want to join in and I'll send you the details.

xoxo

- Kim

The Never Ending Card

2012-05-16T20:19:00.001+10:00

Much like the Never Ending Story, this card just keeps on going! It's almost mesmerising. You just want to keep turning it.

The main thing to remember with this card is not to put bulky embellishments on it as it needs to be able to fold through all the faces without getting stuck. I found an excellent set of instructions here (remember, no point reinventing the wheel).

So here is an example I made while at MUFOG:

This is the front of the card - the start if you like.

This is position 2 - the first set of fold backs.

This is position 3 - the second set of folds

And position 4 - the last set of folds before you get back to the beginning!

I again recommend that you use one line of paper so that all the panels match and a 6 x 6 paper pad works beautifully here. If you get a single line of product, you can use the matching stickers, rub ons and other flat embellishments to dress it up.

Have fun!

xoxo

- Kim

Gatefold Card CAS

2012-04-15T10:51:00.001+10:00

Hi all. It's been busy here with the first term school holidays and Easter but I managed to get this card done during my marathon Easter card making day.

This card is a copy (although not exact) of one in a Print Blocks ad on the back of Scrapbook Creations No. 87. The card was done by Libby Savaille. I really loved it when I first saw it so I bought one of the embossing folders to try it out.

Here is my take:

And here is a close up of some of the detail:

Looks hard right? So not! It's just some paper piecing and addition of some bling on top of embossing! A card like this could really make a great wedding invite. It's quick and easy but very effective.

Thanks for looking today!

xoxo

Kim

Alcohol Ink Monoprint Technique

2012-04-10T11:55:00.000+10:00

First, I just have to say I have the BEST husband. He has taken my Tim Holtz addiction on board and purchased me both Compendiums (both autographed too) along with the funniest email to Tim to get them for me for our 15th Wedding Anniversary. It just goes to show that he does pay attention each time I squeal at a new technique or product!

These cards were made using one of the techniques from the first Compendium called Alcohol Ink Monoprint. Essentially, you put a few different colours of alcohol ink on your craft mat along with some Metallic Fixative and blending solution, swipe your glossy card stock through and voila! So easy yet it makes a fabulous background. Using the same inks, you get some very different results as can be seen here:

Yes, the exact same colour inks were used to make these backgrounds - just in different concentrations. So now what? Well, this is what I did with these two.

This card was stamped with a combination of Bo Bunny Gabrielle stamps and Stampin' Up sentiment. You have to use a dye based ink pad like Memories or Archival Ink on top of the alcohol inks. It will dry on it's own but I am always in a hurry so I use a heat tool.

These stamps are from Gina K. Designs and I created the scene by stamping the horse first, masking it and then stamping the trees and fence. The colours of this background just really suited the theme.

Talk about easy cards! Just a bit of swiping and stamping and you have a stunning finished product! I was having so much fun though, I created one more. I have the same problem with my alcohol inks as I do with my Distress Ink - similar colours. I will need to make sure I get some colours outside of my usual palette next time. Here is the last card:

This is a Gina K. Designs stamp set too. I stamped the image onto silver card stock and added the sentiment before punching it out and adhering it with foam tape. I added some KaiserCraft pearls to the flower centres and used my Distress Stains to colour some Tim Holtz trimmings to match. Again, simple card but effective!

Thanks for looking and I will be bringing you a more constructed card soon!

xoxo

Kim

A Card from Day 10 Technique

2012-04-09T21:08:00.001+10:00

So, I was given the day to craft today. I made 6 cards in total with three being made from Tim's first Compendium that Drew gave me for our wedding anniversary. The one I want to share first is using the same background I made for Day 10 of the Creative Chemistry class.

This is very different from my normal card and I'm still deciding if I like it. Please let me know what you think.

Right. The circle embellishment is a few different things. I used the base tray to die cut the butterfly from the middle of a chipboard circle. I had created an alcohol ink background on acetate before hand which I adhered behind the circle. Then I filled the cavity with Glossy Accents. I inked the chipboard after the Glossy Accents dried and added a coating of Diamond Stickles. It's hard to see but you can see through the butterfly to the background.

I embossed the Core'dination Distress card stock with a Tim Holtz folder and sanded it. I inked the Day 10 panel with Vintage Photo. Then I wrapped a key with twine and attached another small sentiment with jump rings to the twine. I used Glossy accents to attach the key and the chipboard circle. I added the ribbon and glued the whole thing to the card stock.

Thanks for having a look! Don't forget to let me know what you think and I'd love for you to share this with others you think might be interested.

xoxo

- Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 10 Homework

2012-03-31T12:32:00.000+11:00

Well, this is it! The last day... seems sad but it isn't because I have lifetime access to the class and it's information so I can go through the whole thing at any time. So can you if you are still interested! Just go to Online Card Classes to sign up.

Day 10 was about Stickles and Dimensional Mediums but only one tag to be made - with Rock Candy Stickles...which I don't have. So, I used Diamond Stickles instead! More glitter but I am happy with it. Very cool background (I need more background stamps cause I don't really have any)! Already have ideas to use it :0)

Tag 25 - Rock Candy Distress Stickles (really Diamond Stickles)

Probably more shiny that it will be when it fully dries but so cool! The streaking effect is what makes this a fave for me. It looks a little like old vintage paper that has survived time in the rain. I didn't colour the background like Tim did (forgot until just now!) but will give that a try next time.

Thanks for following me on this learning curve. I hope to be back soon with some projects using my new found skills!

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 9 Homework

2012-03-30T12:00:00.000+11:00

Perfect Pearls - I just adore these. I desire more colours! I think they are some of the best shimmer sprays on the market. So, I was very happy to have a go at Day 9. Again, some challenges for me but overall, pretty happy with the results. Enjoy!

Tag 1 - Perfect Distress Mist

Not as awesome as Tim's BUT I was only working with one mini mister. The additional colours on this tag come from Perfect Pearl Mists. So the green and blue combination on the tag were the technique. I really need to get "stadium seating" and the misters that go with it!

Tag 2 - Perfect Distress

Love the shimmer but I didn't get the wicking effect as I was working with a spray bottle that just hasn't got a fine enough spray! I will have to do this again with a proper misting bottle.

Tag 3 - Perfect Splatter Distress

I. Love. This. Tag. It's hard to see but those splotches of blue, green and red are the Perfect Pearls. But aside from the awesome shimmer - I love the colours! So will be using this background again.

So, tomorrow will be the post for Day 10 and the class will be finished but I hope to be making some cards using these techniques in the next week or two!

Have a great weekend all and to those travelling, drive/fly safe.

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 8 Homework

2012-03-30T11:42:00.000+11:00

Day 8 is all about Crackle - Crackle paints and resists to be exact. I don't have any of the Distress Crackle paints - except Rock Candy (which I luv and will now need to get more of!) so I used a combination of that Rock Candy and Claudine Hellmuth's Acrylic Paint.

Here's the three tags:

I have to admit, I found this challenging. Although the resist technique on the left is one I've attempted before, the other two were completely new and I will need to practice some with the techniques. I love the last tag's technique...just need the appropriate tools (more colours of Distress Stain!) and a different medium to adhere it to. The middle tag may work better from my perspective both with Distress Crackle paint AND with an actual manilla tag! Still, overall, I am happy with my first play, just need to do more :0)

So here are the close ups. Tag 1 - Paint Dabber Resist

I only have a Snow Cap paint dauber but I really do like the look!

Tag 2 - Crackle Paint Resist

There is more going on here than you can really see from the photo. It was a fun technique, I just need more practice and the right paper and paint. The Rock Candy just makes it too glossy.

Tag 3 - Shattered Stains

Again, I love this technique! I can think of so many applications for it. My main problem here was my butterflies are made of balsa wood and the crackle was a little unhappy about sticking once it dried even though it was untreated wood. Next time, I will prime it first; or use chipboard or grunge board (just didn't have either of those this time). DEFINITELY will do this again! Maybe very soon too :0)

So, Day 9 will be along shortly and then Day 10 for tonight...then, it's over! *sigh* Still, so much fun!

Thanks for taking the time to look!

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 7 Homework (almost there!)

2012-03-29T14:15:00.000+11:00

So Day 7 is about embossing. Something I do a lot really but I was looking forward to trying some different techniques and colours. I had fun and love the Rusted Enamel but Tag 1 won my heart this time!

Tag 1 - Nostalgic Batik Technique

Well, I don't know if it's nostalgic but I love it! Sooooooo not my colour palette but it just works somehow. I added the corner stamps as a last minute thing but am so glad I did! Embossing with the Distress Ink is so great - so many gorgeous colours to choose from.

Tag 2 - Rusted Enamel Technique

Now there's a colour I like! I think this would work better with a lighter colour but I still like it. Such a great background.

Tag 3 - Distress Powder Resist

Ummmm, don't have Distress Embossing powder so I chose to use a sparkle embossing powder and again, a set of colours I don't often use. I want to get some of the Distress Embossing powders but for now, I am quite happy with this tag!

Thanks for continuing the journey with me. I hope to get Day 8 and 9 up tomorrow - I'm getting my crackle on right now!

Till then,

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 6 Homework (I'm catching up!)

2012-03-29T14:02:00.000+11:00

Day 6 is all about markers - Distress Markers - which I don't have yet. Would love to have them but just haven't gotten to that purchase. So, I used Stampin' Up markers. Still water based ink but without some of the other properties of the Distress Markers. Still, I had fun colouring! I wish I had kids who wanted to sit and colour. It's so relaxing.

So, here they are - the three tags:

Let's go backwards today (because I can):

Tag 3 - Stamping with Markers

I've done this before but I have never added the distress ink over the top. I was happy to see that although I wasn't using a specialty stamping paper, my marker colours didn't get covered up - there was a sort of resist there. Like this tag a lot!

Tag 2 - Blending with Markers

Well, I've never been the best blender but I have to say that the last flower on this tag (the yellow one) is the way I would go from now on! So easy!

Tag 1 - Watercolour with Markers

Again, I think the last flower is best. This will be my water colour technique!

So, until Day 7 - enjoy the day.

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 5

2012-03-29T13:50:00.000+11:00

Hellllooooooo Distress Stains!!! These inks are totally cool - a fluid form of Distress Ink that can be blended the same way. I don't have a very wide colour palette with these yet as I just bought a few to try out but I so want to get some blues and greens now! Not having the colours I normally like to use made me think a little more. So here are the tags:

I was really please with my efforts. The spritz and flick is becoming addictive!

Here is tag 1 - Stained Kraft Resist Technique close up:

Tag 2 - Stamping with Stains

Although it's very hard to see here, there is a stamp on the tag behind the butterflies on the right side of the Stampin' Up Medallion. I need to move more quickly with the heat tool to get more opacity!

Tag 3 - Marbled Stains

I really love this technique! I tried to be as free as Dyan Reaveley with my stamping and for a first go, I'm pretty happy with the end result.

Thanks for looking!

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 4 Homework

2012-03-25T18:03:00.000+11:00

Right! So Day 4 has been all about re-inkers. I don't have any Distress Re-Inkers (one of the things on my long list of desires) so I played with what I had which in this case was a limited range of Stampin' Up re-inkers. I only had one mini mister too so I used the Glimmer Mists and Smooch Sprays that I had along with one mix of re-inker and water. For the final tag, no Cut n' Dry Felt either! I had this mounting board that was styrofoam in the middle with a cover on both sides. I peeled back the cover and gave the soft fabric uncover a try. It was marginally successful - another item to add to the list! All in all, considering the substitutions I made, I am quite please with the results - and I learned heaps!

So here they are:

As usual, there are close ups too:

Tag 1 is Watercolouring with Re-Inkers. There is actually a light colour wash over the tag which is hard to see.

Tag 2 is Layered Misting.

Tag 3 is Custom Stamp Pad.

I was hoping to get Day 5 done as well so that I would be up to date but I have found that I NEED the manilla tags that I have ordered. So far, I've been able to get away with plain card stock but the last two techniques for Day 5 just didn't work because the paper disintegrated under the water. So, I hope I can get Day 5 and Day 6 up tomorrow night!

If you want to know more, go to Online Classes and sign up for the Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry class.

Thanks for looking :0)

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 3 Homework

2012-03-25T17:42:00.000+11:00

Now that Mom has gone home (sigh), I am catching up on my homework for my online class with Tim Holtz. Day 3 is all about archival inks. Here are my Day 3 results:

Some close ups of each tag:

This is the Alcohol Ink Agates Technique.

Tag 2 is Archival Resist Technique

Tag 3 is meant to be Stamping with Reflections Technique but I didn't have any Reflections Stamps or an embossing folder that formed a frame so I used what I had and added a repeated stamped image on top. I think this one is my favourite of the 3.

If you want to learn how these tags were done, you can join in on the class (there is still a week to go) at Online Classes. You get lifetime access to Tim's videos, the pdfs and forums. It's worth the money, in my opinion!

Thanks for looking :0)

xoxo

Kim

Creative Chemistry - Day 2 Homework

2012-03-21T14:48:00.000+11:00

Hi all!

I signed up for this course "Creative Chemistry" with Tim Holtz at On Line Card Classes and I am loving it! I get a class that is run by Tim even though I can't be there in person.

Yesterday, there were some techniques that we were to try (three to be exact) and these were my results:

I have to say that I am really please with the finished tags. I am in love with the watercolour one and adore the rusty aged feel of the middle one. Really, I think they are all fabulous - and all done with Distress Inks and water!

Here are some close ups:

You can still join the class if you want and I highly recommend it! Just click the link above.

xoxo

Kim

Some Sticky Back Canvas Cards

2012-03-21T14:06:00.002+11:00

Yep, being slack again! In my defence, my mother has been visiting from the USA but if I am totally truthful, I finished these before she came. I have been stuck in the "I need to blog but I don't feel like blogging" mode for a few weeks now. I'll try to be better from now on ;0)

So, I promised some canvas cards and here they are:

So, what did I do?

The first one was using the Medallion stamp from Stampin' Up. I stamped it in Claudine Helmuth's Studio acrylic paint in Charcoal Black. You really need her extra time medium for this but I managed without. The top image was actually my first attempt but it was too light so I spun the canvas around, reinked and stamped again with better results. Essentially, I moved faster the second time. I dried with the heat tool, frayed the edges and then inked with Distress Inks. I added the inked image from Dreams Du Jour (Stampin' Up) and coloured it using my water brush and the distress inks. I added some rhinestones (Kaisercraft) and some Diamond stickles, a matt and all done! I'm really pleased with it.

The second card was a painted background. I mixed Sky Blue and Purple Palette to get the colour you see (see Claudine's mixing chart). Then I added the swirl stamp from Baroque Motifs (Stampin' Up). Punched the butterflies using an EK Success Punch and adhered them with the sentiment to the canvas which was then matted and stuck to the base card.

The third was a resist technique. I stamped using matte multi medium, heat set it and then inked over that with Distress Inks. The words didn't come out as clear as I would have liked but I'm happy with the image otherwise. I haven't finished this into a card yet but I will!

I love the Sticky Back Canvas. It allows for wet work, heat setting and just about anything else you can throw at it and it still. sticks. It can be used for so many different types of projects so go get some!

I'll be posting some work I am doing for an on-line course I signed up for with Tim Holtz (I love that man's genius) so you'll see a lot of me the next few weeks!

xoxo

Kim