COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III CHALLENGE ~ DISTRESS PHOTO TINTING

Happy Saturday everyone and Happy Fall. Welcome to my blog and another new challenge from Linda Ledbetter's Compendium of Curiosities Challenge over at Studio L3.

This is already our TWELFTH in the Tim Holtz Compendium of Curiosities Challenges.  Can you believe it? Time flies so quickly and as the holidays are fast approaching, I fear that the ol' hands on the clock will spin even faster; counting down the days until Christmas.

The entries we received for our Effect Powders challenge were amazing! It is always so hard for the Curiosity Crew to pick one best project because there are SO MANY special ones. Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas and art with all of us and thank you for your continuing positive and uplifting comments.

** I would just like to take a second to remind everyone that there are a few simple rules to be followed for this challenge. If you have any questions about them, click here. There have been a few entries that have failed to link up to our sponsor and/or link to our Compendium of Curiosities Challenge on your individual blogs. We also respectfully request that everyone please participate in this challenge with how it is intended to be ... a community to share our "take" on Tim's techniques and products, not as a means to advertise and promote your own business or organization. 

We don't want ANYONE to miss out on the wonderful prizes that are awarded to TWO lucky winners each challenge. You guys work so hard to create such lovely and worthy projects. Please take the extra couple of minutes in your blog posts to be sure you're in compliance.

Now, time for the FUN!  Turn to page 41 in your Compendium of Curiosities Books and check out the technique for Distress Photo Tinting.  I love this technique because it can take any black and white photograph and through the magic of Tim's technique, it can be transformed into a vintage looking keepsake.

Because this technique really does lend itself to vintage work, I decided to start thinking about Christmas and create something that I can use long after this challenge as a home decor piece.  

Using an inexpensive wooden frame from a chain craft store, Tim's Merriment Paper Stash, some of his Woodlands Bottle Brush Christmas Trees and Wreaths, Tim's Mirrored Stars, some ephemera from Tim's new Christmas Ephemera Pack and a few other little "goodies" I had in my Christmas stash, this sweet little frame came to life.

I began by painting the edges and the peg stand of the 8 1/2" x 6 3/4" wooden frame with Tim's Barn Door Distress Paint. Once dry, I distressed it using Aged Mahogony Distress Ink to deepen the red and match the polka dot paper I used as my background from Tim's Merriment Paper Stash. 

I traced around the wooden frame, cut out the paper and glued it in place on the frame.  I sanded all of the edges so that the paper and the wood were better fused together.  Then I added Antique Linen to the paper front to soften the stark white to a more antiqued linen look. That was set to the side so that I could start working on my embellishments.

My inspiration for this vintage Christmas frame originated with a simple snow globe type of stamp that you will see in a moment. I thought it would be a wonderful way to showcase Tim's Distress Photo Tinting Technique by placing a vintage photograph in the globe.  For me, what makes this technique even more appealing is when you just pick out one or two things to emphasis through color, leaving the rest black and white. 

Look at this sweet little face!!! I found this sweet vintage photograph in one of my saved images on my computer and sized it to fit my snow globe. The expression on this little child's face is what Christmas morning is all about; wonder, surprise and the magic of Christmas! I will not divulge Tim's technique for photo tinting but I will share with you the colors I used: Milled Lavender on the cheeks and Tumbled Glass on the gown.

One thing I will say about this technique is I found that when using the Distress Markers, the color they give off is pretty vivid. I wanted my colors to be very soft.  So, I dipped the point of my Distress Marker in water to dilute the ink and then applied it.  I also had a Detailer Water Brush handy to also dilute and smooth out the colors.

 

Next I stamped the snow globe twice onto Specialty Stamping Paper using Coffee Archival Ink and then sprinkling just a little Queens Gold Embossing Powder over the ink while it was still wet.  I removed the excess powder and then heat set it and colored it using Pine Needles, Aged Mahogany and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks and a Detailer Water Brush. Once that was dry, I added some Texture Paste to represent snow on the pine cones and then sprinkled some fine glitter on top of the wet Texture Paste for even more of a freshly fallen snow look. (I would later add more snow to the top of the globe after I put it together). 

Next I colored just the globe portion of the second image I had stamped out and cut it out. I fussy cut around the globe and colored it with a Scattered Straw Distress Marker. Next I cut out a piece of clear transparency film and glued it to the underside of my top globe to represent "glass". I glued the vintage colorized photograph underneath the original globe. Then I pop dotted the "glass" globe on top of the entire image. 

 
 The snow globe all put together with snow added to the top.

I also added a piece of kraft cardstock to what would be the exposed half of the back of the snow globe. Then it was time to add the snow on top, the glitter and set it to the side to dry.  I think the snow on top is cute and I carried the freshly fallen snow theme throughout the entire frame ... because it was on top of the pine cones on the original stamp.

The trees have snow on them in later pictures.

I have not received my new packages of Tim's Bottle Brush Christmas Trees yet, so I pulled out the smaller one and two wreaths from a couple of my Woodlands packages that I had on hand. The trees and wreaths are an ivory color, allowing you to spray them whatever color you want them to be.  I chose to use Peeled Paint Distress Spray as my base and a light top coat of Pine Needles to vary the green color of the needles. I cut the back sides of the trees off as I knew they would be glued onto my frame and I needed them to be flat. Then I hot glued some little "glass" ornaments ( beads from some old Christmas garlands I had) into the trees and wreaths. I also hot glued two Mirrored Stars that had been lightly painted with a Silver Paint Dabber on the tops of the trees. 

Finally, I added some more Texture Paste and glitter to the trees and wreaths let them dry. 

I love ALL of Tim's ephemera from his new Christmas Ephemera Pack. So many nostalgic images!  It was hard to decided which ones would be perfect for my frame but I managed to narrow it down to the red "Icicles for decorating Christmas Trees" banner going across the top of the frame, the "Shiny Brite" ornament box end underneath the Icicles banner, the "25" tag that I added jingles bells and candy canes behind, the sweet little gift tag (that I added Patina, Eucalyptus and Candy Cane Stickles accents to) attached to the right wreath, and MY FAVORITE PIECE FOR THIS FRAME ... the wonderful Tinsel Rain Icicles box lid.

This was so stinkin' cute that I just had to make it more of a dimensional piece and made a box for it, complete with "tinsel" inside.  To do this, I simply laid down the image, drew around it, added 1/2" all the way around it, cut it out and folded it on the pencil lines.  Then I just clipped the ends and made two box lids. One would be the bottom, the other would be the top.  

I cut out the green Christmas tree on the image because I wanted the top to be a see through box lid, showing the silver tinsel inside. I also cut away the kraft top underneath the cut out Christmas tree on the image.  Then I placed a piece of transparency film on the underside of Tim's image and glued it in place. Then I glued the ensemble on top of the kraft box lid and inked the edges first with Gathered Twigs and then Black Soot. 

I created the "tinsel" out of the silver Foil Tape Sheets cut into thin strips long enough to attach to the top and bottom of a piece of kraft paper cut to fit inside of the box.  I left the backing on the strips except for the two ends that were joined to the backside of the kraft paper insert. Then I added a little Glossy Accents to the interior ends of the box and glued the lid onto the bottom.  

Now it was time to put everything together, mainly using hot glue to attach everything. I found a cute little string of lights and wound it through the weaths and across the top of the frame.  Here you see the Icicles and Shiny Brite Christmas Ephemera. I also added a thin line of Platinum Stickles around the Shiny Brite strip.

I added more Texture Paste and glitter to carry on with the snow theme on the top of the frame and on top of the Tinsel Rain Icicles box.  Then I set the frame aside to try. Here you can also see the sweet little vintage gift tag highlighted in Stickles from Tim's Christmas Ephemera Pack.

Now for more of Tim's Distressed Photo Tinting on another very sweet picture that I will put in the frame.  This is a 4" x 6" photograph that will probably be replaced with a photograph of my grandchildren each Christmas ... but I may make their photo black and white and do this photo tinting technique on it!!

The colors I used to colorize the clothes are Tattered Rose and Tumbled Glass.  But, you will need to check the technique on page 41 of the Compendium Of Curiosities book because there is more to the technique than this!  One more thing that I added to this photo which is NOT a part of Tim's technique is the silver "tinsel" I added to the Christmas tree branches in the foreground of the picture.  I lightly dabbed the photograph with Silver Stickles in areas where garland or tinsel was hanging. I love the little bit of "glitz" it adds without being overpowering.

Finally, I added the photo tinted vintage photograph to the frame. I love how the two little Distress Photo Tinted photographs compliment each other. And ...

 
I love how they look in the vintage frame!

Now it's YOUR turn to find the Distress Photo Tinting Technique on page 41 of your Compendium of Curiosities Book and then create something vintage-ly wonderful. Link it up to our challenge and you could be the lucky winner of one of our two very generous prize packages.

Our sponsor for this challenge is the the lovely Linda Coughlin of the ...

She is offering a $25.00 gift certificate.  She has an incredible store with GREAT prices!

We also have a mountain of prizes donated by Tim and Mario especially for our challenge participants. You won't believe the wonderful prize packages Linda send out each challenge.

So, good luck!  I can't wait to see the photographs you choose and your tinting techniques.