A VINTAGE PAPER MACHE ELEPHANT PULL TOY

Greetings everyone!

Do you love vintage toys?  I do!  

Just last week, my crafting buddies and I got together for a play date to create a vintage elephant pull toy.  Most everything I used on this project was "stuff" that I had.  I am such a hoarder of anything and everything that looks like something I might use in a project someday.  Opportune word here is "someday". But, I think we are all a bit like that, aren't we?  I think that is a per-requisite of being an artist!  Anyway ...

(It's a bit hard to get a good photograph as the finished piece stands almost 18" tall.)

The original idea for this piece came from a project done for Graphic 45 by Nicole Eccles.  My buddies and I thought it was such a cute project but we could not find a really small paper mache elephant to fit on a 2" wooden block like Nicole used in her piece. 

So, we searched the internet and found a much larger paper mache elephant, approximately 8" tall  ... but, nonetheless, she was really cute so we decided to order her and make our own block to fit her "girth". When she arrived, we got together and started crafting!

The elephant measures approximately 6" across and 8" tall....much different from the tiny one from the original project that was probably about 2" long.  We all created our own 6" blocks out of black chipboard and covered them with papers we had each chosen that we liked.  We got as far as painting our elephants and getting our block covered when we had to call it a day.  We're meeting again this Friday to start on a new project and hopefully everyone will have their elephants finished so we can put them together and I can get a picture of all of them to share with you!



My black chipboard block is covered with some older ivory and black Graphic 45 polka dot paper.  I lightly distressed the edged of the paper with scissors.  Then I added some Wild Honey and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks to warm up the block and add a more vintage feeling. 

 I die cut the larger of Tim Holtz' 3D Star Bright using a black paper with small gold stars on it.  I cut one for each of the 4 sides and put them in place using 1/4" Scor Tape.  In the center of the side stars is a 7 Gypsies Antique Gold Brad.  Each of the stars has been lightly detailed on their raised folds with Mercury Glass Stickles. The front star on the box has an antique gold knob hot glued to the center.  To that, I have added some twine with a painted wooden knob to create the pull toy effect.

The wooden wheels have been distressed with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot Distress Ink.  The wheels will actually turn as they are glued to a small dowel rod that is cradled in a "V" shaped cardstock piece mounted to the underside of the block. The wheels are decorated with a Tim Holtz Rosette cut from some Graphic 45 striped paper.  The scalloped ends have been edged with Mercury Glass Stickles.  The hub caps are made from antique gold bottle caps with a vintage circus elephant image in the center. They are hot glued in place.

I love my elephant whom I have affectionately named "Ella". I think she is so cute and she was a ton of fun to bring to life! Originally just a brown paper mache, I painted her with a medium gray color and then lightly distressed her with Black Soot Distress Ink. I then added "toenails" with my Signo White Pen followed by an outlining with a permanent black Micron Pen. I drew in two black eyes and added white highlights.  She's a bit of a glitzy girl so I added the little rhinestone bracelet to coordinate with her glitzy party hat and full tutu.

Her hat is made from a scrap of paper from Graphic 45's Le Cirque paper; appropriately enough, covered with elephants on bicycles. Then I added a piece of Bethany Lowe's black and orange tinsel (that is tightly twisted together) to the bottom and also as a top knot.

My elephant is a circus elephant so I thought she needed a fancy tulle tutu. It is made out of black and ivory tulle that has been lightly sprayed with Dyan Reaveley's new Tangerine Dream Dylusions Ink Spray.  I simply layered the tulle and gathered it together with a needle and thread enough to go around her rather large tummy.  Then I sewed the two ends together and hot glued the tutu in place. Finally, I pulled the tulle apart to make the tutu nice and fluffy. I love it!

I added a little hair to her tail from some extra doll hair I had laying around.  As a finishing touch to her tush, I added a little metallic gold shiny bow. 

She is carrying a Le Cirque banner by her trunk.  It is lightly outlined with Mercury Glass Stickles. One side says "Spectacular" the other side says "Circus".  I added a Maya Road stick pen with a star to the top.  I colored the clear plastic star with a Gold Paint Dabber and then coated it in Mercury Glass Stickles.  I added a few curly pieces of gold shiny ribbon ... the same that I used for making the bow on her tush. Finally I added a piece of black seam tape that had been spritzed with water and then crumpled up to make it look more vintage.  Then I tied a shabby bow.

All circus elephants need a ball, don't they?  So I painted a 1 3/4" wooden ball with a light red-ish color.  I heat embossed some Queens Gold (embossing powder) stars from Tim Holtz' Bitty Grunge stamp set onto white tissue paper and then tore around them.  I added them to the ball using Matte Multi Medium and then added little bits of torn white tissue paper all over the ball to blend the stars on tissue into the ball better.  The ball was more white-ish than I wanted to I added a little water to the paint and lightly brushed over the ball again to deepen the color.  Then I spritzed over the ball first with Forever Red and followed by Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist.  Then heat set.  The gold embossed stars got a little lost on the ball so I carefully re-heat embossed them with the Queens Gold and heat set them again.  Finally I lightly went over the ball with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink to add a bit of aging and I added a bit of Mercury Glass Stickles to the stars.  Now I was happy with the vintage look of the ball. I hot glued it in place between my elephants front legs and added a small strand of tickets (lined in Mercury Glass Stickles) from Graphic 45's Boardwalk paper.

This sweet little elephant will be displayed in my craft room.  But at Christmastime, I think she will be perfect sitting under my vintage style Christmas tree with other real and hand crafted vintage toys.

The best part about play days ... creating art with dear friends; laughing and talking and enjoy each other's company so much! What a wonderful way to spend a day! 

I am also entering Ella in the Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge that is all about Sparkle, Glitz, Glam!  I think with Ella qualifies with her glitzy rhinestone bracelet, glam fluffy tutu, very stylish party hat, and her sparkly bow on her butt!  :)  Check out this fabulous challenge!

Enjoy your week!

A VINTAGE MINI ALBUM FILLED WITH WORDS

Good Morning Blogging Friends!

Spring has finally arrived!  I am so happy about that and it shows in my vintage mini book that I have created especially for A Vintage Journey.  Alison's is this week's host and her challenge theme is  ... "WORDS".

I hope that you will join us by creating a vintage/shabby piece and enter our challenge.  We so love seeing everyone's interpretation of the themes. I hope that you enjoy seeing all of your "Creation Guides" projects made especially for you to teach you and give you ideas on ways to use Tim Holtz' techniques and products That being said, let the journey begin ...

I love words.  They can be so powerful. Words can be hurtful or they can inspire and raise the human spirit.  So here are my words and pictures in a tutorial form to take you through my mini book. I tried to incorporate a lot of various techniques throughout the book.  Most of the backgrounds are papers with words or numbers from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash.  Some are easily visible while others are covered with inks, paints, embossing pastes; just all sorts of fun things that I was experimenting and playing with.  

This book is full of Tim Holtz sentiments from various stamp sets; all positive, all encouraging and hopefully a little thought provoking.

Believe it or not, this mini book started out as three manila folders.  It is super simple to construct, inexpensive and really fun to embellish.  I totally played and experimented with every page and I have to say that I loved the artistic process! 
What a fun VINTAGE JOURNEY!

I saw the idea for the basic construction of the mini book on a YouTube Video by Michelle Mooney.  Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZMxfvLOJtc you can use as a reference if needed.

For the basic construction of the mini book, you will need 3 manila folders, some double sided Scor Tape or a glue of your choice, Distress Inks to distress the edges of the mini book, a bone folder, a Paper Distresser, 3 #8 Manila Tags, a paper cutter and a ruler.

1. Start by cutting across three manila folders 6 1/2" tall (measuring from the bottom of the folder up the folded edge). Save the left over folders to create tags or to use on other projects.  Pay attention to the location of your tabs as you cut so you can vary them as your outside edges.
2. The center fold line of the manila folders will change as you line up the outside long edges of the folder (not including the tabs).  Fold the manila folders across and create a new center fold line. Use your bone folder to burnish that new fold line.
3. Take one side of the folder and fold it in half on the outside so that the edge of the folder will meet the center fold line.  Press the folder down to burnish the fold mark with a bone folder. Repeat this for the other side. You should have what looks like a "W" when you are finished. Then repeat this for all three folders. (You are creating the pages for your mini book). You can leave the edges of the folder squared off or round them off with a corner punch...whatever look you prefer. 

You will now begin putting the book together; creating pockets at the center top and also on the side when joining the sections together.

 (In the photo above, I have not yet taped the section together, that is why that little opening exists)

1.  Use glue or tape (I prefer tape because it is dry and immediately sticks) for this step. Determine which will be the top of each section of your book. (The side tabs that are sticking out from the folders will help you determine how you want them to appear on the outer edge of your book). Locate the center of your "W" for each section.  On the INSIDE of that "W", add glue or tape along the bottom and outside open edge of the "W" then glue the sides together. This will create a pocket at the center top. At this point, before you stick the pages together, you may want to distress the upper portions of the pages so that when you look down into the pocket, it won't be manila folder cream. Then press the pages together and you have joined the "W" in the center and also created a top loading pocket at the same time. When you have done this, your section should look like an upside down "T". Do this for each of the three sections. 

 
2. Stack all three sections together, paying attention to where the tabs on the outsides edges appear. To join them and create the side pockets at the same time, start with the front center section.  Apply Scor Tape or glue along the inside folded edge and across the top (and/or bottom) of the page. In the photo above, I have added a piece of Scor Tape along the bottom of the opposite page because that page is shorter (because of the extending tab on the right. I did not want the excess tape to be exposed.) At this point, if you want to distress the edges of what will be inside of your side pocket, do that now.  Then lay the front section on top of the center section and glue in place.  You have joined the top and center sections together and also created a side pocket at that point.  Repeat this step BACK page of the center section and the front of the third section. 

 (Sorry for the skip in my camera.  No clue what happened...but you can see how the book is coming together after Step 2.)

3.  Next tape the front of the third section to the back of the center section in the same manner you did in Step 2. 

  

Now the book is put together and should look like this with top pockets where you taped each "W" together and side pockets where you joined the sections together.

 

I added a pocket on the interior of the front and back covers and also three #8 manila tags throughout the book.  The tags are simple folded and taped to the interior pages that you will then cover with paper to hide where the tag is attached.  (You will see that during the embellishment stages of my book.)  The pockets, I simply measured how big I wanted them to be and increased that size by 1/4" on the sides and bottom.  I scored the 1/4" tab and then folded it under and taped it and attached it to the page after I'd completed the page itself.

That is all there is to the construction!  Now the real fun begins!! 

For the front and back covers, I started with a 4" x 6 1/4" piece from a 12x12 sheet of Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash.  

I first swiped Broken China and Rusty Hinge Distress Inks onto my Non Stick Craft Sheet, spritzed them with water and dragged the paper through the beads of color.  Heat set and repeat until you get the desired color that you want. 

  

TIME TO EXPERIMENT!!  I swiped Broken China onto the craft mat and spritzed it with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist rather than water.  Then I dragged the paper through that and heat set it.  I was loving the subtle sparkle and the mottled look I was getting from the Perfect Pearls Mist.  Then I just started tapping the paper onto the partially drying Perfect Pearls Mist and got an even more mottled effect.  Very cool!

I distressed the edges of the paper with a Tonic Paper Distresser (you could also use scissors).  Next I wadded up the paper then smoothed it out again and lightly went over the creases and the distressed edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and a Black Cats Eye Ink Pad.

Next I added some of Tim's Sketchbook Tissue Tape to cover the tab.

EXPERIMENT TIME AGAIN!!  I took a Collage Glue Stick and randomly smeared it around the edges of the entire book (a page at a time).  

 After smearing the glue on a page, I blotted off most of it with a paper towel.  While is was still tacky, I used an Ink Blending Tool with Gathered Twigs and sort of ground it into the edges of the pages.

The ink really stuck to where the glue was just a bit tacky and creates some really cool looking age marks.  This is easy and fun to do.  Try it!

Then I taped my cover in place and my book was on it's way.  I did not actually finish the cover of the book until the very last thing, so that I could really play and experiment with the inside pages without damaging the cover.  And...I had no clue what the cover was going to be until it was time to do it. 

 Now let's have a look at the inside pages and I'll give you a brief explanation of what I did on each page. 

Pages 1 and 2

I used more of Tim's Paper Stash papers from Lost and Found on both of these.  

On the left, I distressed the paper with Peacock Feathers and Rusty Hinge inked around the edges with Gathered Twigs.  I stamped the dragonfly from Tim's Classics #1 stamp set using Wendy Vecchi's Potting Soil Archival Ink.  I love the deep, rich brown.  The pocket has a die cut top from Tim's Scallops die cut. I distressed the pocket with Gathered Twigs and added another piece of Tim's Paper Stash paper that had been colored with Broken China and lightly swiped with Picket Fence Distress Paint to the top of the pocket.  Next I added "DREAM" from Tim's Destinations Salvage Stickers.  I love the license plate look!  Finally, I added a deep brown ribbon through the holes of the pocket and tied a little bow.

On the right, I used a 4" x 6 1/4" piece of vintage photographs. The sentiment is stamped onto a piece of manila paper that has been die cut from Tim's ATC And Corners die cut and distressed with Wild Honey and Gathered Twigs.  I used Tim's Spritz and Flick technique to further mottle the background. I distressed the edges with a Paper Distresser and inked them with a Black Cats Eye Ink Pad.  I stamped the sentiment from Tim's Way With Words stamp set. Finally, I attached the photo corners that I'd inked with Vintage Photo Distress Stain and edged in black.  I taped the ATC in place, letting it slightly hang out over the edge of the page.  (Be sure that you distress the back side of things that will hang over and edge so you don't see any white paper!)

 

 Pages 3 and 4

The page on the left began with a piece of dictionary cardstock from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash.  I applied Wendy Vecchi's Crackle Paste randomly on the 4" x 6 1/4" paper with a toothbrush and let it dry.  I then inked the entire page with Peacock Feathers and in Ink Blending Tool.  Then I created a "wash" made from Vintage Photo Reinker and a little water.  I brushed it over the entire page and blotted off the excess with a paper towel.  Then heat set, repeating the process until I got the rich brown that I was looking for in the cracks. Then I lightly spritzed Sunflower Sparkles Perfect Pearls Mist over the paper had heat set. I stamped the pen nibs from Tim's Artful Artifacts stamp set onto a piece of manila cardstock that had been distressed with Vintage Photo.  Then I cut all of them out and lined the edges with a Black Soot Distress Marker. (You don't want white edges!) Next I stamped the sentiment from Tim's Words For Thought stamp set with Jet Black Archival Ink onto manila cardstock.  I left a slight edge when I cut it out and lined the edge with a Scattered Straw Distress Marker and the Black Soot Marker right on the edge.  I pop dotted the sentiment in the center of the page and surrounded it with the pen nibs....that carried on over onto the next page.

The "Create" tag ...

Between the two pages is the first of three tags.  I had folded the bottom of the tag and bone folded it to create the "tab" that I would use to attach it to the next page.  I then distressed the tag with Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs.  I distressed the edges of the tag with a Paper Distresser and inked those edges again with Gathered Twigs.  I laid out my design and then stamped the sentiment from Tim's Classics #11 stamp set using Black Archival Ink.  Then I stamped the dragonfly from Tim's Classics #17 stamp set and colorized the wings using Broken China and a Detailer Water Brush.  I then doodled the little curly black lines between.  Next I stamped the "C" from Tim's Classics #14 onto a piece of manila cardstock using Ranger's Distress Embossing Ink.  I then sprinkled it with mostly Black Embossing Powder but then added little bits of Ranger's Verdigris Antiquities Embossing Powder to give a patina look.  Then I heat set it and let it cool.  I cut out around the image, leaving a little edge that I colored with a Scattered Straw Distress Marker.  I also lightly added some Scattered Straw Distress Ink to the "C" and "CREATE" using a Detailer Water Brush.  I covered this image with a piece from a Mica Sheet using small brads. Then I glued it in place on the left side of the tag.  Finally, I taped the tab portion of the tag in place on the next page and moved on to complete that page.

This page also has the 4" x 6 1/4" dictionary cardstock as a background from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash. It is distressed with Rusty Hinge, Scattered Straw and Gathered Twigs.  It is lightly sprayed with Dylusions White Linen Spray.  Next I laid Tim's Cargo Stencil over the top and using a make up sponge, I stenciled the letters in place using Jet Black Archival Ink.  (Immediately clean the stencil or this permanent ink will stain your stencil!) Then I taped the paper in place, hiding the tag tab.  Next I edged the page using Tim's Elements Tissue Tape to give that page lots of definition. The sentiment is stamped onto one of Tim's Journaling Tickets that I have altered by dabbing it with Picket Fence Distress Paint to cover the numbers on the one end of the ticket.  (I didn't want them to interfere with the stamped sentiment.)  Picket Fence dries more opaque than it appears when you apply it.  Then I added Peacock Feathers and Wild Honey and a touch of Gathered Twigs at the edges to color the tag.  I also added black just at the edges.  

Pages 5 and 6

Cut a 4" x 6 1/4" piece from manila cardstock.  Stamp David from Tim's Artful Artifacts stamp set with Jet Black Archival; centered and to the left edge of the cardstock. Mask the face (by stamping another image of David, cutting it out and laying it over the face).  Distress the rest of the paper with Rusty Hinge, Mustard Seed and a bit of Peacock Feathers.  Edge the cardstock with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot.  Continuing with the mask in place, stamp the measuring tape image from Tim's Artful Tools stamp set on the background. Remove the mask and add a piece of filmstrip tissue tape to the top and bottom of the page. Color the eye with Salty Ocean Distress Ink and a Detailer Water Brush. Stamp "LIFE" and "It's all perspective" from Tim's Good Thoughts stamp set onto manila cardstock that has been distressed with Vintage Photo. Cut them out mount them onto a piece of black cardstock, leaving a small black edge when cutting them out. Edge the black cardstock with a Gold Paint Dabber. Stamp the paint brushes from Tim's Artful Tools stamp set onto manila cardstock using Jet Black Archival Ink and cut them out, leaving a small border. Color the border with a Scattered Straw Distress Marker and edge with a Black Soot Distress Marker. Color "LIFE" and portions of the paint brushes with a Worn Lipstick Distress Marker. Color the metal bands on the paint brushed with Tarnished Brass Distress Stain and a Detailer Water Brush. Glue the three brushes behind "Perspective".  Then add pop dots behind the words and pop them in place. Add "TIME" from Tim's Words Remnant Rubs to the folder tab.

Cut a narrow piece of corrugated paper into a 4" x 6 1/4" rectangle.  Edge and lightly distressed the raised corrugated areas with Black Soot. Lightly run Wendy Vecchi's Red Geranium Archival Ink pad over the raised areas as well.  Die cut a piece of black cardstock with the Tim's ATC die cut.  Stamp the "wishes" sentiment from Tim's Good Thoughts stamp set onto the black cardstock using Ranger's Distress Embossing Ink and sprinkle with Antiquities Frosted Crystal Embossing Powder.  Heat set to matte finish, not a complete gloss of this technique will not work. Rub white chalk over the letters and then gently wipe away the excess chalk dust with your fingers.  Mount onto a piece of Kraft Cardstock that has been distressed with Gathered Twigs.  Punch the corners to make them rounded.  Distress the edges with Black Soot. Stamp another heart from that same sentiment using the Distress Embossing Ink and sprinkle with Fired Brick Distress Embossing Powder.  Heat set and rub off excess particles with your fingers.  Cut out the heart, leaving a slight edge and color the edge with a Fired Brick Distress Marker.  Glue in place over the heart on the sentiment. Tear a piece of Tim's Terminology Tissue Wrap to cover a portion of the background. Distress with Gathered Twigs and ink the edges with Black Soot.  Randomly stamp some polka dots and checkerboards from Tim's Bitty Grunge stamp set in Red Geranium and Jet Black Archival onto the Tissue Wrap. Glue in place. Center the "chalkboard" on the page and glue in place.  Add a silver metallic arrow from Tim's Borders Industrious Stickers. 

The Soar Tag ...

Distress a manila tag with Wild Honey and Peacock Feathers then Gathered Twigs and edge with Black Soot.  Paper Distress the edges and add more Black Soot. Stamp Tim's butterfly from Fairy Tale Frenzy stamp set using Jet Black Archival. Then stamp the sentiment from Tim's Stuff to Say stamp set. Color in the wings on the butterfly using Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink and a Detailer Water Brush. Use Glossy Accents on the butterfly's body and drippings. Randomly stamp the letter sampler from Tim's Artful Artifacts on the background using Jet Black Archival. Place "SOAR" from Tim's Ransom Alpha Parts onto a piece of black cardstock and cut out a rectangle. Back the rectangle with a piece of chipboard and glue it together. Cut out the rectangle again. Edge the rectangle with a Gold Paint Dabber.  Pop dot "SOAR" in place on the tag and then dab the Gold Paint Dabber on top of the letters.  Heat set.  Apply Scor Tape to the back side of the tag "tab" you have folded under and attach the tag to the lower top of the right page.

Pages 7 and 8

The left page is done right on the manila folder and is probably one of my favorite pages in the book. I distressed the background using Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks. I then did Tim's Spritz and Flick method with water to mottle the background followed by a light spritzing of Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist.

Here is what the page looked like before I added some stamping and the little fairy girl. 

The little fairy girl from Tim's Winged Things stamp set is stamped onto a piece of Specialty Stamping Paper and colored using Wild Honey, Broken China and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks on the girl's wings and clothes.  Her skin is done using a combination of Scattered Straw and Tattered Rose. It make a beautiful skin tone. Then I added more Tattered Rose to her cheeks. Her hair is a combination of Scattered Straw and Tea Dye Distress Inks. Then using an Ink Blending Tool and Antique Linen, gently grind the ink all over the colored image.  This "sets" the color and seems to just blend it all together so beautifully. Next I cut out the girl, leaving a small border that I later colored with a Scattered Straw Distress Marker and edged with a Black Soot Marker.  

I stamped three column tops from Tim's Classics #2 stamp set.  I colorized them with Pumice Stone Distress Ink and a Detailer Water Brush. Next I stamped the two small globes from Tim's Tiny Things stamp set on the two outer column tops and colorized them with the water brush and Peacock Feathers for the water and Rusty Hinge for the continents. Next I stamped the sentiment from Tim's Random Quotes stamp set and added the doodled frame around it with a permanent fine line black pen. I then randomly stamped portions of the small flourish from Tim's Fabulous Flourishes stamp set. To add some nice highlights, I spritzed Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist onto my Craft Sheet and used the water brush to add detail to the column tops, around the frame and randomly on the flourishes. I distressed around the edges of the page with Gathered Twigs and a touch of Black Soot and then pop dotted the winged girl perched on the center column top. 

The right side is a brown spattered cardstock from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash that I tore into an approximate 4" x 6 1/4" rectangle. I distressed the edges with Black Soot. I stamped the crackled background from Tim's Ultimate Grunge stamp set followed by Tim's Weathered Clock from his Soulful Journey stamp set. I added "JOURNEY" from Tim's Traveling Friends stamp set at the top and the bottom sentiment from Tim's Good Thoughts stamp set at the bottom. I colorized the hands on the Elements Tissue Tape with the water brush and Broken China and Tattered Rose. Finally I stamped "BRAVE" (taken from a sentiment in Tim's Way With Words stamp set) onto the outer tab and added the little doodled design. 

Pages 9 and 10

The left page is also done directly onto the manila folder.  I lightly distressed the page with Peacock Feathers and Gathered Twigs.  I stamped the sentiment from Way With Words stamp set in the center of the page using Jet Black Archival. I then inked around the edges with Black Soot. 

The "ART" Tag ...

Distress a manila tag with Wild Honey and Peacock Feathers then Gathered Twigs. Distress the edges with a Paper Distresser and then ink with Black Soot. Lightly spritz the tag with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist. Randomly stamp the larger Fabulous Flourish stamp set onto the tag using Jet Black Archival. Emboss the letters "ART" from Tim's Cirque Alphabet using Ranger's Distress Embossing Ink and Black Embossing Powder. Lightly sand the tops of the letters to reduce the shine. Cut them out and ink the letters with Peacock Feathers. Edge them with a Black Soot Distress Marker. Glue them in place on the tag.  Using a Black Graphite Pencil and a Detailer Water Brush, create a shadow around the letters.  Apply Scor Tape to the underside of the "tab" created on the tag and glue the tag in place on the upper portion of the right page. 

The right page is heavily distressed onto a piece of cardstock with numbers from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash.  With my finger, I added Wendy Vecchi's Crackle Paste lightly and randomly over the paper.  When it was dry, I heavily inked the page with Peacock Feathers and a little Gathered Twigs. I then edged the page with Black Soot. Next I stamped the soaring bird from Tim's Bird Feather stamp set in the upper portion of my page, underneath where the "SOAR" tag would rest. Next I randomly stamped the "Fig. 1, etc" from Tim's Bird Feather stamp set followed by random stamping of the love letter and leaves from Tim's Nature Walk stamp set. At the bottom of the page, I heat embossed the sentiment from Tim's Random Quotes stamp set using Distress Embossing Ink and Black Embossing Powder. Finally I added the black measuring tape from Elements Tissue Tape and gently smeared paint from a Gold Paint Dabber around the edges and on the crackles of the page. I then added Scor Tape to the page and glued it in place on the manila page. 

 Pages 11 and 12

The page on the left is a combination of Ripe Persimmon, Peacock Feathers, Mustard Seed and Gathered Twigs Distress Inks blended together on a 4" x 6 1/4" scrap that looks like a ledger page from Tim's Lost and Found Paper Stash. It is then lightly spritzed with Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist. I continued the black measuring Tissue Tape across the top of this page. The stamped head image is from Tim's Classics #11.  

It is stamped onto manila cardstock and colorized using a Detailer Water Brush and Tattered Rose, Scattered Straw Distress Inks for the skin tones.  I then added some Gathered Twigs around the perimeter of the head, eyes, nose and neck for a shadowing effect as well as the eyebrows. The lips are Tattered Rose and the eyes are Faded Jeans. I cut out the head, leaving a small border that was colored with Scattered Straw and edged with Black Soot. I added the two strips of harlequin Elements Tissue Tape across the page and added the doodled outline on either side of the tape. I then glued the head in the center of the page and added "SERENDIPITY" from Tim's Winged Things stamp set underneath the head.  It was stamped onto manila cardstock using Jet Black Archival, cut out and edged with a Black Soot Marker. I then glued the head onto the center of the page with Serendipity right under it.  I added some art journaling around the head and randomly stamped some polka dots from Tim's Bitty Grunge stamp set in Jet Black Archival.  Finally I used just a touch of Turquoise Perfect Pearls Powder and wet the end of a Q-Tip.  I tipped the Q-Tip into the powder and added some shimmery turquoise dots on top of some of the black polka dots. 

The final page of the journal features a Mona Lisa from Tim's Mona's Sketchbook stamp set.  She is stamped onto the page and then masked in the same manner as David was on page 3.  I then distressed the manila folder page primarily Peacock Feathers and edged it with Gathered Twigs.  Then I cut out just Mona's silhouette, layered it on top of the stamped Mona and added the Persimmon coloring inside of the circle around Mona's head.  I added a pocket to the final page in the same manner that I did on the front interior page only this time, I dry embossed the pocket with Tim's Bricked Texture Fade.  I then colored it with Rusty Hinge and Fired Brick Distress Inks.  I added color to the mortar and also the chipped bricks with Pumice Distress Ink and a Detailer Water Brush.  I inked the edges with Black Soot and glued it in place.  I stamped the sentiment from the Mona's Sketchbook stamp set and the line of stars in Jet Black Archival Ink onto a piece of plain white tissue paper.  I then tore the tissue paper around the sentiments.  I brushed Matte Multi Medium onto the surface of the brick pocket and laid the sentiments in place.  I covered the sentiments with a light top coat of Matte Multi Medium and heat set them dry. (I had also added another little strip of Tim's Tissue Tape to the outside edge of the page).

I glued the 4" x 6 1/4" back of the book in place and returned to the front of the book to create my cover.

The cover of the book features sweet vintage images from some of Tim's newest stamp sets: Nature Walk and Bird Feather.  First I stamped the nest onto the page using Jet Black Archival Ink and heat set it. Then I colored the nest using Gathered Twigs and a Detailer Water Brush.  I then used the larger love letter and lightly stamped it onto the center of the cover. I stamped the bird from Nature Walk onto manila cardstock with Jet Black Archival and colorized it using Rusty Hinge and a Detailer Water Brush.  I cut it out, leaving a small border that I colored using a Scattered Straw Distress Marker and edged it with a Black Soot Marker. I added some little feathers and real tiny wooden sticks under the bird and glued them in place using Glossy Accents.  I pop dotted the bird and popped him in place.  "WORDS" at the top of the cover is more of Tim's Alpha Parts that were glued in place using Glossy Accents (even though they are adhesive on the back, I still like to secure them with Glossy Accents). Then I pounced over them with a Gold Paint Dabber and heat set them.

 Finally, I added a binding to cover where I had glued the folders together.  I cut a 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" strip of natural Sticky Back Canvas and distressed it with my own mixture of a little Gold from a Paint Dabber mixed in a Mini Mister with Water.  I sprayed that onto the canvas and heat set it. Then I distressed the edges with Gathered Twigs and Black Soot.  I stamped the buttons running down the center of the binding with Jet Black Archival Ink and added the "faux stitching" with a permanent black ink pen. I removed the backing of the canvas, added a piece of 1/2" Scor Tape (to better ensure the permanent sticking to the book), positioned the binding over the folded edges of the manila folders and glued it in place.

DONE!

The back sides of the inserted tag flip outs are left blank for journaling and more tags, notes or ephemera can be added to the top and side pockets. 

This was so much fun to make and it really brings me joy to look over the pages and read all of the sentiments.

Now come join us at A Vintage Journey and link your creation to our challenge.  You could be the winner of a lovely £10 gift voucher from our generous sponsor ...

 

and be a part of this exciting new challenge blog where we LOVE the Tim Holtz' vintage/shabby/grunge style! 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy YOUR vintage journey!

  

  

 
 

 

A VINTAGE JOURNEY TAG FRIDAY

Stamp your passport for A VINTAGE JOURNEY into Tag Friday.

(Original tag on the left, smudged tag on the right)

I literally just received more of Tim Holtz' brand new stamp sets and couldn't wait to play with them.  I also wanted to join in on his March 2014 tag technique and challenge.  This month, it's the smudge technique.  Check out his challenge for all of the details and to link up your creation to his challenge. 

I began with two #8 Manila Tags.  The coating on these tags allows you to do all sorts of fun things using inks and paints that some other "manila" paper may not.  I stamped the ink bottle from Tim's Typography stamp set onto the tags using Jet Black Archival Ink. It is a wonderful permanent black ink. Again, check out Tim's blog for the "smudging" technique.

I added a feather from Tim's Nature Walk stamp set to create a quill pen effect coming out of the ink bottle.  Since the feather is much longer than I needed, I simply masked the bottle right at the top and stamped my feather.  The left bottle has been stamped.  I am in the process of adding the feather to the top of the bottle on the right. You can see the feather stamp attached to my Grid Block and a scrap tag placed along the edge of the bottle to protect it from the part of the feather stamp that I do not want included.

I did a couple of my steps in creating my tags different than what Tim shows on his blog, but it really didn't make any difference.  So, whatever floats your boat!  Here I have added "JOURNAL" - a partial stamp from Classics #1 stamp set (stamped in Jet Black Archival) and the top butterfly on the vertical collage of butterflies from Tim's Papillon stamp set. I used Wendy Vecchi's Cornflower Blue Archival Ink to stamp the butterfly and added the Rusty Hinge Distress Ink accents to is using Detailer Water Brush. The bottle has also been colored in using the Detailer Water Brush. The bottle colored first with Tea Dye and then highlights of Rusty Hinge. I wanted it to have sort of an amber glass feeling. Next the label was colored using Fired Brick and Broken China. 

Next I blended lighter colors of Distress Inks in the background to pull everything together; first Pumice Stone then Scattered Straw followed by Broken China Distress Ink colors. I then added some darker Distress Inks; Gathered Twigs followed by a touch of Black Soot around the edges to warm everything up, give more of a vintage look and give the edges some distinction.

To add a very cool background effect, I laid my new Latticework Stencil on top of my tags and using a Stormy Sky Distress Marker and my new Tim Holtz Marker Spritzer, I created a dimensional patterned background that is subtly there but adds so much!  (See Tim's blog for a video of how the Marker Spritzer works. It is SO EASY!)

Next I wanted to add a little more dimension to my tag so I stamped the butterfly image from Papillon again on to Wendy Vecchi's Clearly For Art Modelling Film using Stazon Jet Black Solvent Ink. Then I gently heat set it, cut out the butterflies, heated them up again and molded their wings to bend slightly forward.  I added some Cornflower Blue behind them and glued them (using Glossy Accents) on top of my butterfly on the tag. The slight lift of their wings adds some nice interest.

I also added some pens that I made from clipping a small dowel rod into two pieces, coloring them with Gathered Twigs Distress Paint followed by some Rusty Hinge Distress Ink.  The Pen Nibs were altered by dabbing the metal with a Gold Paint Dabber and a little Pitch Black Paint on the tip area.  I loosened the prongs on the back side of the Pen Nibs with some needle nose pliers, added a little Glossy Accents to the top of the dowel rods and slipped them into place inside of the prongs.  Then I closed the prongs.  I added the string around the bottom of the pen nibs to create a better transition from wood to metal and added the Type Charm. BUT ... instead of using the letters that come with the Type Charms, I used the larger of the circle images from Tim's Custom Fasteners.  They are the same size as the Type Charms! Coincidence?  Probably not.  But I love how they look on the pens!

I wanted to add something really fun to the bottom of my tag so I cut two Pediments out of Grungeboard.  I first painted them with Wendy Vecchi's Crackled Texture Paste and let that dry. Once dry, I added some Scattered Straw followed by Antique Linen Distress Ink.  At the edges, I added some Gathered Twigs followed by Black Soot just on the edges.  Then I turned the Pediments upside down and added the telegram stamp from Tim's Mercantile stamp set.  The are set in place with 1/4" Scor Tape (double sided tape).

I added the "fine rubber stamps" image from Tim's Mercantile and pop dotted them on top of the pen that was glued onto the tag using Glossy Accents.  They were stamped with Jet Black Archival on top of manila cardstock that was lightly distressed with Gathered Twigs. The edges were inked with Black Soot after being cut out. Finally, I added some black "smudges" of my own to the top of the tag using my finger and a bit of Pitch Black Paint.  I also added a bit of black ribbon to both tags.  All done! 

I will be linking these up to Tim's 12 Tags of 2014 Challenge.  I invite you to play along with his challenge as well as experiment with his smudge technique.  It is easy and fun!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.  I hope that you have checked out the other examples of Tim style tags that your other Creative Guides have prepared just for you over at A Vintage Journey!  

Have a wonderful weekend!