TRY SOME GLITTER ... IT CAN BE VERY DISTRESSING!

Hello all of your Tim Holtz lovers!  It's time for a new Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge! How about Distress Glitter?  Do you have any?  Have you ever used it?  I love it because it reminds me of vintage glass glitter.

The colors of Distress Glitter come from Tim's Distress Lines, so if you use any of his Distress inks or paints or markers ... you get the idea ... then you are already familiar with all of the colors.  My favorite glitter ... Antique Linen.  I love the rich neutrality of it.  It compliments any color that you put with it.

Here is my creation emphasizing Tim's Distress Glitter.  To see how it is applied, check his Compendium of Curiosities Volume III on page 56.  There is a bit of a technique to it.

Here is the list of supplies that I used on this very vintage tag:

Large #10 Manila Tag, Distress Inks:  Stormy Sky, Scattered Straw, Gathered Twigs, Black Soot, Distress Glitter:  Antique Linen, Distress Paint:  Scattered Straw, Die Cuts:  Dream, Crescent Moon and Stars, Tattered Pinecone, Chalks:  Pink and Blue (eye shadow applicator), Plain Grungeboard, Ideaology: Found Relatives, Large Jump Ring, Heart Charms, Journaling Ticket, 1/4" and 1/8" Scor Tape, CropADile, CropADile Chomper using 1/4" and 1/2" rounded corner, Nostalgic Kraft Core Paper, Glossy Accents, Mercury Glass Stickles, Cardstock: Manila, Dark Brown, Misc. Ribbon, Book Text, Grommet, Pop Dots

 Begin the tag by making the background.  I created a cloudy sky effect on some Manila Cardstock by using a couple of cloud templates that I made and some Stormy Sky Distress Ink. Completely cover the cardstock with the clouds. To warm up the background, I added some highlights of Scattered Straw on top of the visible Manila cardstock that were actually the clouds. 

Then lay a #10 tag down on top of your background paper, trace around it and cut out the tag.  Punch a hole in the top of the tag as well.  Edge the tag with Gathered Twigs and a touch of Black Soot to further warm it up and define the edges of the tag.  I also then used Tim's spritz and flick method on the tag to add some more mottling to the background.  

Die cut the moon and stars (I decided not to use the ornate frame) out of Plain Grungeboard. Do Tim's technique to glitter them ... again, refer to page 56 in Compendium of Curiosities III.  I also lightly sprayed the moon and stars with Workable Fixative, a clear drying sealer, to stop any excess glitter from falling off.

Reduce the size of the Found Relatives card by cutting across the top and bottom of the portrait and round the corners using the CropADile Chomper. Edge the portrait with a Black Cats Eye Ink Pad or Black Soot to remove the white edges. Mat the photograph first with a Manila Cardstock backing (distressed with brown) adn then a dark Brown Cardstock.  I also added a hint of color to the dresses and bows with chalk and an eye shadow applicator using pink and blue and then I lightly sprayed over the photograph with Workable Fixative. I love colorized old black and white photographs. They seem to give the people in them "life".

Attach a Journaling Ticket to the right side of the photograph with a piece of 1/4" Scor Tape. Punch a hole with a CropADile, add an antique gold Grommet and the Heart Charm to dangle. I distressed some beautiful old book text sent to me by Gaby Bieberle, a very dear art friend I've met through blogging, and added it to the back of the photograph using 1/4" Scor Tape. Pop the photograph in place.

 

 Die cut "DREAM" at the bottom of the large tag. Go around the letters with Mercury Glass Stickles. 

Create little sweetheart roses using Tim's Nostalgic Kraft-Core Paper and his Tattered Pinecone die cut. Lightly sand and distress (using Gathered Twigs) the "roses" and greenery while they are still intact in the paper.  Create the roses with the help of a toothpick and Glossy Accents.  Here is a video from Tim showing how to create the pinecone which can also double as these little sweetheart roses simply by releasing the tension on the paper as you wrap it onto the toothpick.  Don't be afraid to try this....it's very simple.  It just takes a little practice. 

When the roses are dry, glue them in place using Glossy Accents and add a touch of Mercury Glass highlights randomly on some of the petals to help pick up the glittery look of the moon and stars.  

Glue the glitter stars and moon in place using Glossy Accents. Pop dot the bottom large star on the bottom left.  

Add a piece of dark brown corrugated paper that has been highlighted with White Fire Treasure Gold behind "DREAM".  Do this with a piece of 1/8" Scor Tape at the tom and bottom of the corrugated paper strip. 

Add some pink-ish and dark brown ribbon to the top of the tag. 

That's all there is to it and the Distress Glitter just oozes that beautiful vintage glitter glass appearance.  I love it!

Be sure to check out all of the Curiosity Crew's beautiful projects using Distress Glitter over at Linda Ledbetter's Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge.  Then join us with your own glittered creation.  You could win a wonderful prize from The Master of Distress Himself, Tim Holtz or our most generous sponsor for this challenge, The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

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CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT BUT COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES III BROUGHT HIM BACK!

Hello all of you Tim Holtz and Compendium of Curiosities junkies!

The wait is over and it's time for a NEW Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge with your host Linda Ledbetter.  This will be a bi-weekly challenge focusing on more of Tim Holtz and his amazing techniques and products. 

Linda has put together a smashing Curiosity Crew to introduce you to the various techniques from Tim's new Compendium of Curiosities Volume III and share some inspiration and helpful hints with you. I am honored to be a part of this curious team!  If you don't already have your Compendium of Curiosities Volume III, click on the red link above or click HERE to be whisked away to Tim's blog to order your copy now!

Are you ready to get started?  Let's GO!!!

Our first challenge is all about Paint Marbling.  This technique can be found on page 43 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities III.  While we will not show you the actual technique of the paint marbling (that's what the book is for), each of the Curiosity Crew has created a project for you including the marbling technique.  Be sure to check those out for some added inspiration.  Then join us at the challenge where you can share your art and also win fabulous prizes from our most generous sponsors.  Tim and Mario are also joining in on the fun by sending Linda lots of products to use as prizes for each challenge as well.  So a HUGE thank you to Tim and Mario for their generosity and for allowing us to even have MORE prizes to give away!  This first challenge is being sponsored by the wonderful folks at Inspiration Emporium. And get this ... their prize is a $50.00 gift certificate to Inspiration Emporium!  How's THAT for motivation?!?

I created this fun triptych from Tim Holtz' Arch Frame die cut, some chipboard and some manila tags that I experimented with while doing the Paint Marbling technique.

Here is a list of supplies that I used in creating this triptych:

Distress Paints: Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint, Salty Ocean, Barn Door, Picked Raspberry and a touch of Tarnished Brass, Distress Inks: Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry, Gathered Twigs, Archival Inks: Jet Black, #8 Manila Tags, Tim Holtz Stamps: Papillon, Classics #11, Classics #17, Glossy Accents, Compendium of Curiosities II, ITissue Tape: Sketchbook, Elements, Ideaology: Small Jump Rings, Detailer Water Brush, Collage Glue Stick,  Tim Holtz Ideaology Design Ruler, Tonic Craft Pick, Miscellaneous Metal findings, wire and chain, Small Square Turquoise Glass Beads, Treasure Gold: Green Amber, Florentine 

I had so much fun experimenting with Tim's Paint Marbling technique.  It is a very free flowing technique where you can manipulate the colors with water and moving the paper as the paints flow and blend.  When they are dry, the colors are set!  Even if you add Distress Inks over them, the colors remain with a beautiful matte but vibrant finish. 

Way fun!!!  

Here are a bunch of #8 Manila tags that I created using the marbling technique. I picked my three favorites and they became the backgrounds for my triptych.

Next I glued the marbled manila tags onto some chipboard and ran them through my Vagabond to get three arched pieces.  I painted the backs and edges of the chipboard with a Salty Ocean Paint Dabber. (You can see where the tag didn't completely cover the chipboard in a couple of places.  No matter....I just covered those with Tissue Tape!)

I stamped the center panel with Jet Black Archival using Tim's beautiful butterfly from his Classics #17 stamp set.  Then I stamped the butterfly image again onto a piece of vellum.  I heat set it and colored the backside using a Detailer Water Brush and some Mustard Seed Distress Ink. Later I added some more shading towards the center of the wings with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink. 

I added wire antenna for the butterfly and then attached the "floating" butterfly directly on top of this stamped on at just the body area using Glossy Accents. 

I added some Sketchbook Tissue Tape at the top and bottom of the arch and distressed it with Mustard Seed and a touch of Peacock Feathers. "Field Notes" is stamped onto a scrap of Gathered Twigs distressed manila cardstock and then added to the arch. 

I had some little metal squares that I thought might make a cool top piece on each arch.  So, I cut out one section of the square and used the daisy center of the square as the top for each arch. They are attached by using Glossy Accents.

This is the completed panel to the left. I added the tissue tape to the outer side and distressed it with Mustard Seed and a touch of Peacock Feathers.  I stamped the butterfly trilogy from Tim's Papillon stamp set onto the center.  Then I added more bits of black Tissue Tape from Tim's Elements collection in various spots.  I love the contrast between the black Tissue Tape and the colorful marbled background. Then I added some Florentine Treasure Gold around the edges to give the arch a subtle metallic sheen.

The right panel is finished off much like the left panel.  I stamped this side using the smaller butterflies from the Papillon set and stamped the sentiment from Tim's Classics #11 between the rows of butterflies.

Now that the panels were complete, it was time to put them together. Each flat side of the arch measured approximately 3 inches.  So, I laid my Tim Holtz Transparent Design Ruler on the edge, measured up 3/4" from the bottom and 3/4" down from the top of the flat side and pierced a hole through the handy little holes of the ruler using my Craft Pick.  The line where the holes are measures 1/4" in.  It's really easy to get your holes to perfectly line up using Tim's ruler.  I repeated this process on each of the panels.

Next I threaded a thin bronze-ish colored wire through the holes and wrapped it through several times.

I twisted the wire in the center, added the turquoise beads (in keeping with the application I'd done on the butterfly's antenna).  I repeated this process on both of the top areas of the panels to join them.  On the bottoms of the panels, I simply wrapped some wire through them and twisted them off in the back of the arches.

Here you can see the finished joining of the panels with the wire through the pierced holes.  I also added some little metallic medallions that I found a long time ago at a flea market along the taped outer edges of the two side arches.

Once the panels were joined, I decided to add a piece of small bronze-ish colored chain to span the triptych.  I did this by cutting two pieces of 2 3/4" chain and attaching them to each of the three metallic daisy toppers with a small Tim Holtz Jump Ring.

So, there it is ... my paint marbled triptych using Tim's Paint Marbling technique from page 43 of his Compendium of Curiosities Volume III.  As you can see, the techniques in Tim's book can be used for all sorts of things, not just making a tag.  Won't you join us at the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge?  

Just create your artistic masterpiece and link it to our challenge.  Share your creativity with a community of others who love Tim's style and learn something along the way as well!  And ... you might be the lucky winner of products especially sent to Linda by Tim and Mario and/or the wonderfully generous folks at Inspiration Emporium!  And ... as an added kick off celebration, Inspiration Emporium is offering a 10% code to all participants of this Compendium of Curiosities challenge!  Coupon code is:  CC3C.  See what I mean about generous folks?  Thanks so much to Inspiration Emporium for their support!  

Happy crafting and have fun with this technique!

 

ARE YOU CURIOUS??

Hey everybody!!

The time to be curious is at hand! 

ARE YOU CURIOUS ???

I recently received my Tim's new Compendium of Curiosities Volume III from non other than the Master Of All Things Distress himself, Tim Holtz.  Yes, I ordered it directly from him and he autographed it for me with "Be Curious". That seems to sum it all up, doesn't it?  

And ... I got my book just in time for the NEW Compendium of Curiosities Challenges that are once again being hosted by the lovely Linda Ledbetter.  I'm a member of her "Curiosity Crew" along with some of my most favorite ladies on the planet and fellow Ranger U grads. I could not be more excited about that! 

 

Here's a sneak peek at my first challenge piece. 

Hmmm ... does this make you even MORE CURIOUS ???

The challenges will begin THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 26th!  They will be biweekly challenges concentrating on new Tim techniques from his book.  I hope you will be able to join us as the Curiosity Crew shares our artistic visions for each technique with you. Then YOU are invited to join in; posting your creations to the blog so we can see all of your fabulous ideas, too!

There will also be prizes given from our two most generous sponsors; Inspiration Emporium and The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  And ... Tim and Mario have been super generous by sending boxes of products for Linda to give as prizes, too!  So...some really fun times ahead with lots and lots of giveaways!