LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE!!

It's finally HERE ... the day I get to go to Ranger U!!!

Today is also my birthday ... so I think it's safe to say that THIS is one of the best birthday presents I've ever gotten; thanks to Tim Holtz and the wonderful people at Ranger!

When the list was announced, I immediately started getting emails from people I could never believe were writing to me!!  People who's work I follow and admire so much....like Linda Cain, Tammy Tutterow, Nancy Wethington, Linda Elbourne ... the list goes on....  
They congratulated me and welcomed me to the "Certified Ranger Educator" family.  They told me how I was in for one of the most memorable and amazing experiences of my life!

I am still pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming!  

The list of Ranger U attendees is such an amazing "Who's Who" in the art world.  I a humbled to be among them....and as some of us have jokingly emailed to each other, just waiting for an email from Tim saying ..."Ooops....made a mistake!" haha

I have already made some amazing friendships with such insanely creative people like Hels Sheridan and Linda Ledbetter.  I soooo admire their work....and now I know that they are not only incredibly TALENTED people, they are incredibly GOOD people as well!

I hope that Cheryl Grigsby, another fellow April 2011 Ranger U attendee, doesn't mind my sharing a thought she emailed to all of us.  I about peed my pants when I read it!  But, it soooo appropriately captured the way many of us are feeling!  She said, "I feel like a weinnie in a steakhouse!"  Isn't that hysterical?

Since I won't have a laptop or Ipad2 (haven't evolved to that techno level yet) with me, I probably won't do a lot of Ranger U blogging until I return.  But, rest assured, I WILL be posting about this once in a lifetime experience upon my return!

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how excited I am!  I KNOW the wonderful opportunity that has been given to me and I plan to soak up every single drop of the creative genius in that Ranger U room...the entire time I am there!  And then...I can come back and do what I love to do...teach and share all of this wealth of knowledge with you!  I can't wait to be able to add "Certified Ranger Educator" under my name!

WISH ME LUCK and prayers for safe travel!!!

WOYWW

It's Wednesday again already?!  I have a couple of pictures I want to share with you that were taken yesterday morning; when we enjoyed a brief break from all the rain we've been getting.

I have dogwood trees off of our bedroom and they are just glorious right now.

 And right off of our patio, we have the most gorgeous azalea bushes that are popping out all over.

You can even see the raindrops still resting on this lovely bloom.

Don't you just love Spring?!

Okay...now on to what's on my work desk this morning.  I am actually not going to start any new projects today as I am packing and getting ready for my exciting adventure to RANGER U in the morning!  I can't wait!!!

I went to a flea market this past Saturday and while I didn't hit "the mother load", I did find a few wonderful little treasures and I laid them out on my work desk for you.

I found a couple of pieces of lace that I just had to have.  I LOVE laces!  I also found some zinc lids that will make great vintage Christmas ornaments.  I found a few vintage baby shoes that I have big plans for....one was already altered a little bit.  Check out the little Santa doll.  Would he not be cool in a Configuration Box?! The little bag of spools for $1.00!  Gotta love them!!!  And ... the vintage doll head!  I know...some people might be creeped out by a doll head...but I think she's lovely.  Her eyes still move and everything!  I'll figure out some really neat way to display her.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!

GRUNGY MONDAY

It's a soggy Monday afternoon here today....a GREAT day for playing in my studio!

 I just finished my newest creation for Grungy Monday Challenge hosted by Linda Ledbetter over at STUDIO L3!  This week, Grungy Monday is all about Tim Holtz' DIMENSIONAL ART TECHNIQUE he featured on his blog on May 8, 2008.  Check it out by clicking on either one of the links above.

So, here is my Dimensional Art piece.  The background paper on the left tag is from Tim's newest paper collection, "Crowded Attic".  The paper on the right tag is from Graphic 45's Steampunk collection.  The two tags are wired together.  

The tag on the left is supposed to represent a hot air balloon with the gear being the balloon tethered to a basket holding two of Tim Holtz' steampunk stamped images.  The balloon is embedded into the tag using Tim's Dimensional Art technique.  The basket is one of Tim Holtz' texture fades trimmed at the top using one of Tim Holtz' On The Edge die cuts. 

The tag on the right features two more embedded objects; one of Tim's keyholes and the Fractured Doll that is embellished with a small metal gear, a washer and some wire wrapping.  Above the compartment holding the Fractured Doll is a Tim Holtz crown.  "STEAMPUNK" are letters taken from Tim Holtz' Salvage Stickers and reduced to fit the tag.  The top right of the tag features one of Tim's gears from his die cut and other smaller gears from his Ideaology line.

Check out the Grungy Monday Challenge!  It's fun and for those of us who love Tim Holtz' techniques and products, this is the PERFECT challenge for you!

SIMON SAYS SHOW SOME BUTTONS

It's Monday!! You know what THAT means!  Time for another Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge!  This week, our theme is "SHOW SOME BUTTONS".  I chose to do a vintage theme using a 9" clipboard that I recently bought at Staples.

I covered the chipboard in a very soft pink paper.  I sanded the edges and distressed them with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  I have been dying to try Tim's new Kraft Glassine Paper Stash.  So, I took a sheet of it and heat embossed the larger of Tim's two new Book Covers Stamps.  I heat embossed it with a mixture of Queens Gold and Copper Embossing Powders.  I love the vintage look it gave to the clipboard.  Here is a better picture of the detail of the book cover behind my precious little vintage girl.

The little girl is an image I had on my computer.  I was drawn to her for this project.  When I see pictures like this, it makes me wonder about those unknown people.  What was her name and where is she from?  Did she have a good life?  I hope so because she is a beautiful child; so full of innocence and sweetness in this picture.  I colorized her just a bit using Victorian Velvet Distress Ink on her cheeks, the bow in her hair and a little on her dress.

Next, I added some vintage laces that I had and some soft pink pearls to the piece bordering on the right side of the clipboard.

I again used Tim's Kraft Glassine paper to mix in with some flowers I cut using crinoline and Tim's Tattered Flowers Die.  I sprayed the crinoline with Pink Bubblegum and then oversprayed with Vanilla Breeze Glimmer Mists.  Perfect color!  I mixed in a few of my vintage laces and one of Tim's Accoutrement Fanciful Buttons is the center of my vintage flower. I made some ribbons dangling from the large flower out of old organza (sprayed with Pink Bubblegum) and attached some smaller buttons to the ribbon.  After all...Simon Says "Show Some Buttons!"

Finally, I heat embossed a butterfly using Copper Embossing powder on a piece of soft pink paper.  I made it's antenna out of copper wire and attached "Butterfly Wishes" with two little pink buttons to the butterfly.  I added a couple more buttons in those little spots that "needed something" and it's all done!

Now...head on over to SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE and check out the incredible samples that the Design Team has made just for you!  Then, go dig up some buttons and see what you can create!  Link it to our blog and YOU might be the lucky winner of our generous sponsor SIMON SAYS STAMP's ...

$50.00 credit voucher to use in their store!  We also choose the TOP 3 entries to receive our coveted TOP 3 BLINKIE to be proudly displayed on your blog!  So, what are you waiting for?  Show Us Some Buttons!!!

WOYWW...Update!

Hello again everybody!  Here it is...Wednesday evening.  I finished the "vintage" Santa postcards I started for my Mother In Law this morning.  If you saw my WOYWW post earlier today, you saw them in their "raw" form. 

I had to let the Stickles dry before I put them together.  They are all done now!  I love the Hug Snug "Brique" ribbon I used so that my Mother In law can actually tie them onto the branches of her wreath and have some left over for decoration if she chooses to do that.  The Hug Snug actually just arrived in the mail today!  Perfect timing!

The back side of the postcards have this post card stamp on them.  They were made out of kraft paper and distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
Hope you all had a nice Wednesday!  Doesn't it feel good to get something accomplished?!  That's all for now... 

WOYWW

I can't believe it's WEDNESDAY already!!  But, it's just that much quicker until I get to be winging my way off to RANGER U!!!  I am counting down the days...no...the MINUTES until I get to go!!

In the meantime, here is what is on my work table today.  I just finished my next challenge piece for Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge and cleared it off.  No sneak peeks!  You'll see it posted on Simon Says' and also my blog on Monday morning!  I have so much fun doing their challenges!!

Today, I am meeting a friend for lunch and then I'm setting aside time to work on something my Mother In Law asked me to do for her.  She's making a Christmas wreath to be entered in some sort of fair where she lives.  The theme of the wreath is to be something vintage.  I am going to make some "vintage" Christmas postcards for her to include in her wreath.

I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday and are able to find some "ME" time to play.

GRUNGY MONDAY CHALLENGE

Hello again! Here is my GRUNGY MONDAY CHALLENGE tag for this week's challenge....Texture Fades and Distress!!

This started out to be a Steampunk dress form but when I cut out the bird cage die, it was bigger than I wanted it to be.  (I'm still waiting for my mini birdcage die to come!)  

 So, I switched gears from Steampunk to Debutante!

The background is done using Fired Brick and the brick texture fade.  Then I distressed the bricks with Vintage Photo.  I used the cardboard "stencil" that was created when I cut out the dress form and stenciled a "shadow" behind the dress form with Black Soot.  Then I inked around the edges of the tag with Black Soot.

The dress form bodice is made from canvas that is distressed with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain.  The "metal" base if a mixture of Pewter and Silver embossing powders. 

I gathered two strips of bright gold tulle and tied around the dress form.  I cut out 7 roses from my Maya Road Organza Rose Ribbon and sprayed them with Fired Brick and Sunflower Sparkle spray.  Then I hot glued the roses onto the tulle skirt.  I finished off the dress with a Fired Brick sash made from spraying some white Hug Snug.  The scarf around the neck is a piece of Hug Snug that was sprayed with bright yellow Glimmer Mists and then I attached another rose.

 The button card is a stamp is a Red Lead stamp.  I distressed it in Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Black Soot.  I colored a button with a red colored pencil and added Glossy Accents to all of the buttons on the card so that they would have some dimension.

The Spool Labels are from Tim Holtz' new Haberdashery stamp set. I distressed them with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain.  The one label looked torn on the stamp, so I tore it in those areas as I was cutting it out.  I mounted the labels on chipboard that I distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Stain.  I thought it really made them look more like labels that were still attached to a spool.

Hope you guys are having a wonderful day!  I've been playing all morning...so it's been a GOOD DAY!

FUNKY "ART" FUN

This week's Simon Says "SHOW A TIM HOLTZ TECHNIQUE!"  For those of you who are HUGE Tim Holtz fans like I am, you KNOW that you have TONS of techniques to choose from!  Betcha can't choose just ONE!!

So come with me on this journey...I'm going to wave my magic paint brush (made from a toothpick, copper tape and Fantasy Fiber and Wha-lah....

We're transported into the land of TIM and his amazing techniques!  How do you like my little version of me?  I'm standing on a 5x5 stretched canvas that is covered in Molding Paste textured with a palette knife and some sequin relief. It is painted with a bluish acrylic paint and then highlighted with various Perfect Pearl colors including Berry Twist, Interference Green and Copper.  

I love Tim's "Grungeblock Technique".  You know the one...where you put his Alphabet Soup letters on Grungeboard, sand them, paint them, distress ink the letters and edges and they look like printer blocks?!  Well, I did my own twist on that and instead of using Grungeboard as my base, I used Wendy Vecchi's Residential Art Parts.  I didn't want them to look like printer blocks.  I wanted them to look like funky little fun houses!

 I made my own sides and back on the "R" house so it would be 3D.  I did Tim's Grungeboard Blocks technique to create the basic houses. Then I added some designs either thruogh the sequin relief or Tim's mini checkerboard and brick stamps. Then I stamped or drew in designs on the roofs.  Before gluing them together, I did Tim's Rusted Enamel technique found on page 41 of his wonderful Compendium of Curiosities book.  This gave my houses a nice shiny, durable rusted enamel finish. I glued the roofs onto the houses and embellished them.

The butterfly features Tim's new Pen Nib for the body. The butterfly wings are heat embossed with Copper Embossing Powder over a blue card stock.  They are then brushed with Distress Rock Candy Crackle for that fine cracked porcelain look.

The little light bulb on the "R's" roof is from Tim's new Light Bulbs Ideaology.  The crown on the"A" house was made by pouring hot Bronze UTEE into a mold.  When it hardened, I added a bit of Antique Gold Rub 'N Buff to highlight the detail.  I added the little trinkets hanging from the roof of the "A" house and the Maya Road Cream Organza Roses Ribbon sprayed with a concoction of another Tim Holtz idea; mixing Fired Brick Refill Distress Ink and Perfect Bronze in a Mini Mister with water.  Then I put all the houses in place.

The round medallion featuring the lovely vintage lady is also made using hot UTEE.  I stuck a distressed doily behind her and she's peeking out from behind a metal patina butterfly with a little Vintaj clock hanging on a chain.  The other end of the chain attaches to another Tim technique.  I metal stamped "CREATE" onto a piece of thin copper metal.  Then I ran a little bluish paint over the metal with my finger, wiping off the excess and leaving a patina look.

The back side of my little ART village features a Tim saying that I love and yet another Tim technique...one that I dearly love...COLORIZING vintage photos!!!

 This is such an easy and  FUN technique with dramatic results!  You simply print out a vintage image (preferably black and white or sepia tone) on either glossy or semi glossy photo paper.  Then, taking a Cut 'N Dry Pen Nib, rub it onto the surface of a Distress Ink pad and begin colorizing your photo.  Use this technique to highlight elements in your picture!  In this case, I used Broken China for the head band and Victorian Velvet to lightly colorize her cheeks, the rose in her hair and the tulle she's wrapped in.  After you finish coloring the areas of interest, lightly go over the entire photo and the edges with Vintage Photo.  I LOVE this technique!

Thanks for coming on this little Tim technique journey with me!  Now...hop on over to SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE and drool over the wonderfully creative and informative Tim Techniques that my design teammates have waiting for you!

Then use YOUR imagination to create something using a Tim Technique and enter it in our challenge!

Our wonderful sponsor, SIMON SAYS STAMP is awarding one lucky person with a very generous prize of .... (drum roll) ....

If you are chosen as one of the TOP 3 artists for the week, you will receive our coveted TOP 3 Blinkie for your site!  So, what are you waiting for?  Get your Tim on and get inky!!!

DISTRESS INKS 101 AT SCRAPBOOK GENERATION ~ APRIL 14TH

JUST A QUICK REMINDER TO THOSE OF YOU IN THE SPRINGFIELD, MO AREA...

I WILL BE TEACHING AND DEMONSTRATING DISTRESS INKS THURSDAY, APRIL 14TH FROM 6 TO 8 PM AT SCRAPBOOK GENERATION. 
WE CALL IT "DISTRESS INKS 101"!

COME OVER AND JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF TECHNIQUE FUN! I WILL DEMONSTRATE SEVERAL DIFFERENT TIM HOLTZ STYLE TECHNIQUES USING DISTRESS INKS AND THEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO EXPERIMENT AND PLAY WITH THE INKS!  IT'S FUN AND BEST OF ALL...IT'S FREE!!  I HOPE TO SEE LOTS OF YOU THERE!  

WOYWW

I can't believe it's WEDNESDAY already!  And here is what's on my workdesk today

....once again, A MESS!!

 I am actually working on my counter top this morning...designing my next challenge piece for Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge.  More of the components were spread out on my work table and I didn't want to totally give away what I'm conjuring up!!

Spanning the ol' camera lens down the counter, you will see more MESS!!  Ahhh...I'll clean it up later, I'm playing right now!  That's more important!

Have a creative day everybody!

FOR KEEPS SAKE WORKSHOPS IN ST. LOUIS

Hi everyone!  I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to be a guest teacher at FOR KEEPS SAKE in St. Louis, Missouri this past weekend!

 

This is on the wall of their classroom area...very fitting!

When you walk into the store, you totally understand how their "motto" is so appropriate!  They have a little bit of everything!  The girls of For Keeps Sake are a warm, wonderful bunch of talented ladies.  A huge shout out and THANK YOU to staff and owners: Missy, Sue, Amy, Nancy, Nancy and Timi!!!  Thank you for making my first teaching experience at For Keeps Sake so FANTASTIC and memorable for me! 

The Saturday group did the Configuration of Your Imagination Vintage Bird Box.

 

Most of the ladies who enrolled for class said that they had never done anything like this before.  We jumped right in and we played...and we played...

And before you knew it ....

the ladies had created beautiful Vintage Bird Boxes that they were so proud of.  A few of the ladies taking the class were "speedsters" and finished ahead of the pack.  They missed out on the class photo!

On Sunday, we created The Vintage Bunny Box.  I commented after we got started that some of the ladies in this class work like I often find myself doing....standing up!

Everyone was really concentrating on sculpting their little bunny faces!

 As Elmer Fudd would say, "It got "vewwy   vewwy  quiet!"

Once the faces were made, we moved on to the hats and ears.

In about three and a half hours' time ... Whalaa!!!

We've got BUNNIES!!!

Not all of the bunnies made the "lineup" because their "mommies" were shopping, but we lined up the bunnies that were left.  Are they not just adorable?!

I want to say a HUGE "thank you!" to all the ladies who took my classes!  They totally rocked the projects and I could not believe how quickly the time FLEW by!

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! 

ENCAUSTIC ART CAN BE VERY DISTRESSING!!!

Happy Monday Everybody!  Time for another SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE!  This time....it's DISTRESSING!!!  No...not literally DISTRESSING as in "suffering anguish or agony"~dictionary meaning~.  Although sometimes when I'm working on a project, I feel some anguish when the products I'm working with aren't doing what I want them to do!

But, this distressing is the F-U-N kind!

I started out with a 6x12 stretched canvas that I covered in papers from Tim Holtz' Lost and Found Paper Stash.  Then I used some thinner dictionary paper and covered the smaller canvases with it.  I did Tim's "fossil technique" to create the butterfly image on one of the larger protruding canvases.  When the butterfly "fossil" was dry, I lightly went over the it with Vintage Photo to make it pop.  Next, I wrapped the outer edge of the 6 x 12 canvas in Journeyman Tissue Tape.  After putting all of the smaller canvases in place, I applied various Distress Inks; including Fired Brick, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain to the surface of the canvases and the Tissue Tape.  This gave some extra depth and color to my piece. 

I antiqued some of the elements I chose to use on my canvas by dabbing them with a Pool Paint Dabber.  I then wiped away the excess paint and left a patina looking finish to my Clock Face and the edging I created to use on portions of my smaller canvases.  I made the edging with Tim Holtz' Stripes Grungeboard and the On The Edge Ornate Die Cut.  I then painted it with Pitch Black and antiqued it with Pool Paint Dabbers.  I added Tim Holtz' Measuring Tape along the left side of my canvas.  You can see a lot of dark colorizing on the tape.  There is also darker colorizing in areas of the canvas where I used a graphite pencil to shade and even scribble in areas for added interest.

Then it was time to encase it all in Natural Beeswax!  I have to admit, I have not done a lot with beeswax and I'm a bit intimidated by it.  But, I melted it in my extra Project Pan of my Melting Pot and began to brush the hot beeswax all over my canvas.  Then I worked and smoothed the beeswax with my heated stylus.

The last step was adding all of my elements to the canvases.  I melted Black UTEE and poured it into a molded heart.  As soon as it cooled; which doesn't take long, I added some Antique Gold Rub 'N Buff to my heart, added some little wings and glued it in place.  Then I added my little porcelain doll head (love those things) and some other Ideaology elements to complete my canvas. 

So, now it's time for YOU to get DISTRESSING!!!  

Hop on over to the SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE blog and check out what my fabulously creative Design Team members have waiting for you to feast your eyes on!  Then link up your creation to our challenge blog!  YOU could be the lucky winner of our most generous sponsor's $50.00 credit voucher to be used at SIMON SAYS STAMP STORE! 

If your work is exceptional, you can be rewarded with our coveted TOP 3 BLINKIE AWARD to proudly display on your blog!  So, what are you waiting for?  Better get distressing!!!

BUTTERFLY GARDEN COMING SOON!!

It's a beautiful day in Springfield, Missouri!  The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and there is a soft, gentle Spring breeze kissing the new buds on the trees.  Isn't Spring wonderful?  Ahhh...new beginnings, new life!!

I just finished my newest creation, to celebrate the coming of Spring and the coming of Pink Paislee's New Butterfly Garden Collection.  I am in LOVE with this collection!

Here are a couple of "sneak peeks" at the Butterfly Garden Book. 

  ~ The Front Cover of the Book ~

There are all sorts of pockets, pull outs, tags and interactive elements in this beautiful celebration of Spring.

And so the story goes...there are little girls wishing they were butterflies and butterflies wishing they were little girls.

I will be teaching this class at Scrapbook Generation here in Springfield, Missouri on Monday, May 23rd from 12 to 5.  Call the store to sign up now!  And keep watching the blog for more details and a class supply list!

Have a wonderfully creative day everyone!

BUNNIES BUNNIES EVERYWHERE!!!!

I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than to hang out with a group of talented ladies who want to CREATE!!!  That's what I had the privilege of doing today!  I taught the Vintage Bunny Box class at SCRAPBOOK GENERATION in Springfield, Missouri!  They have an awesome classroom area and we took full advantage of that today!

Some of the ladies skipped out before I could get a class picture.  But, here are some of the ladies and their finished bunny boxes!!  From start to finish...only THREE HOURS!  These girls had it goin' on!!  Everyone said that they had a great time playing, visiting and learning new techniques that they can apply to lots of their other crafting projects!  So, THANK YOU LADIES for letting me teach you and totally enjoying my time with you!!!

And...I get to teach TWO classes this weekend at FOR KEEPS SAKE in St. Louis, Missouri!  I am sooo excited to go there and teach the Configuration of your Imagination Vintage Bird Box and this Vintage Bunny Box.

I just completed my class project for May at Scrapbook Generation.  I gave the ladies in class a "Sneak Peek" today and they loved it.  It's the Vintage Butterfly Garden Book made from Pink Paislee's beautiful new Butterfly Garden papers, embellishments and other vintage images that I added.  I will be showing some sneak peeks as soon as I get some pictures taken!  Be looking for that class on May 23rd from 12 to4 or 5-ish!!! There are already several spots taken for this class.  Call Scrapbook Generation to sign up at 417 886-0440.

Take time out for yourself to PLAY!!!  It's SOUL FOOD!!!

GRUNGY MONDAY (on Tuesday)

Good Tuesday morning everybody! Have you checked out Studio L3's Grungy Monday challenge yet?  It's a fun, weekly challenge that encourage and inspires you to use Tim Holtz techniques to help you create art!  Today's challenge takes you to a video from CHA 2010 and Tim is demonstrating the technique used this week.

When this challenge started, I decided I wanted to do all tags.  That way, when this challenge is complete, I'll have a bunch of cool tags using a lot of Tim techniques that I can display somehow.  So, learning or relearning new techniques, making tags, having a cool display when I'm finished...WIN...WIN!!! 

Here is my entry for this week's Grungy Monday...

 

I started with a shipping tag and covered it with text I'd torn out of an old book.  I layered the text using Multi Matte Medium and heat tooled it dry.  Then I burnished a couple of pieces of masking tape on the paper and tore it off.  It sort of gives you the effect of several layers of wallpaper being exposed on an old wall.  I had no idea where the tag was going from this point other than I wanted to use the largest flower from the Tattered Flowers die cut as my stamp.

I distressed the tag with Stormy Sky followed by Wild Honey.  It went green on me; which was okay since I was using the outline of the flower as my background.  Then it just kind of all fell into place pretty quickly.

I made what I like to call an "Attic Flower" from some cream netting.  I tore a little bit of brown netting and stuck it underneath.  I finished off the flower with a button from Tim Holtz' Accoutrements.  I found the brown leaf ribbon in my stash of trims and used a little of it to vine up the tag.  Then I added some Chestnut Roan cats eye ink pad around the edges of the tag to pull in the brown.  Loved it!  I cut out the old woman from a vintage picture and popped her onto the tag.  Next I gathered a piece of old lace onto some double sided tape and stuck it across the bottom of the tag.  

I turned around to look at my stamps to add a sentiment and it was like this little stamp jumped off of my shelf..."How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"  Think about that for a second!!!  What a GREAT thought!  When I'm able to play in my studio...I'd say I'm about FIVE!!!

Y'all have a wonderfully creative day and take some time out to PLAY!!

WELCOME TO MY HOUSE !!

Hello everyone!  This week's Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge is a really broad theme ... anything but a card!

I decided to do something that REALLY isn't a card...not even close!  I built a house!  Actually, I named it  "The House That Tim Built" because of all of the Ideaology and other items that I used to create this vintage cottage. 

I am, of course, referring to THE "Lord Tim of Holtz" 

(as Linda Elbourne - our wonderful Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge Hostess so

affectionately refers to him).

So, here is my house...the "House That Tim Built"

Front View of "The House That Tim Built"

The basic house is about 6" tall.  It is made out of paper mache and was purchased at a large craft and hobby store.  I first covered the body of the house, including the eaves on the upper portion with papers from Tim Holtz' Lost and Found Paper Stash collection.  I sanded all of the edges and inked them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  Then I dry brushed a little white paint over a few places on the surface of the house.  Next I used the ruler stickers from Tim's new Crowded Attic Salvage Stickers to create the lower portion of the walls.  I die cut the edges with Tim's Brackets On The Edge die cut and glued them into place.  I love the detail on those stickers!

Next, I painted the roof with a Fired Brick-ish color and inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I highlighted portions of the roof with Burnt Umber Acrylic Paint to bring out the ridges and valleys.  Then I added Tissue Tape to all of the edges of the roof.  I inked them with Fired Brick and a touch of Vintage Photo.  The chimney was painted with Golden's Yellow Ochre Acrylic Paint and dry brushed with Burnt Umber. Now the house was built!  Time to decorate!

Closeup of Front Door and Window

The front door and window are made out of a 1"x3" Copper Memory Frame and a 1.5"x1.5" Copper Memory Frame.  I selected vintage images from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash paper and cut them to fit the frames.  Then I melted Clear UTEE in a Melting Pot, poured it into the frames and let it set up.  It looks like old vintage glass in the window.  The front door is embellished with Foliage Flowers and Leaves and a small keyhole and key from Locket Keys.  The window has gathered Tissue Tape above it that has been inked with Fired Brick.  The Fleur De Lis on top of the window is from Adornments with just a touch of "bling" in the center.  Hanging from the upside down (frame) window is a small Bauble. 

 

Views Of The Sides Of "The House That Tim Built"

The sides of the house also have windows.  I dry embossed a piece of thin copper metal to make a window frame and window box.  I die cut the tops of the window frame and box using the Plaque and Postage die.  The window boxes have more of the foliage flowers and leaves hot glued onto them.  I added Corners to the ridges on the sides of the house and other knobs, numerals and keys from the Ideaology line.

 The Back Side Of "The House That Tim Built"

The back side of the house features an Ornate Plate with one of my favorite sayings, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from Tim's Odds and Ends 100th Collection Stamp Set.  This time, I used Glossy Accents to fill in and seal between the paper and the rim of the Ornate Plate.  I used the largest wings from the new Regal Adornments set behind the Ornate Plate.  On the roof, I heat embossed another one of my favorite sayings "Live the Life You've Imagined" with Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder.  I made a flower out of Tissue Tape inked with Fired Brick and added a bling" button from Fanciful Buttons Accoutrements to the center.  Finally, I selected a beautiful butterfly from Tim's Crowded Attic Salvage Stickers; inked it with Fired Brick, Broken China and Rusty Hinge and attached the body to the roof of my little house.

So that's it!  My vintage cottage dripping with Tim!

Frozen Charlotte was so happy the house was all finished that she decided to take up residence in the chimney!

So now, it's YOUR turn to create ANYTHING BUT A CARD!  Check out the  WONDERFULLY CREATIVE AND UNIQUE ideas that our Design Team has for you at Simon Says Stamp and Show! Then enter the challenge!  You could be the lucky winner of our most generous sponsor's prize of a $50.00 CREDIT VOUCHER to Simon Says Stamp STORE! ... And, you can receive our Elite Top 3 Award for your extraordinary work!  So, come on and play! 

Have a wonderfully creative day and take time to PLAY!