Juggling Julia

Hello everyone!  I have been so busy lately "juggling" many different things lately but finally decided to take a break and create some play time for myself.  I just received this B Line stamp which fit my mood perfectly, so I decided to sit down and have a little fun making some cards with her.
Here are the results of my play time!

Isn't that the truth!  Sometimes life really can be a juggling act!  I found a circus tent template on line and decided to use it as a background for Julia.  I used Scattered Straw and Spiced Marmalade Distress inks and watercolored the stamped image of Julia. I then used Evergreen Bough for the juggling balls after I had stamped them 5 times onto scrap card stock and cut them out.

I cut the tent pieces out of a heavy double sided patterned paper I had in my stash and adhered them to a piece of white card stock along with banners cut from coordinating card stock scraps.  I stamped out the saying onto scrap white card stock and cut apart the words.  After going around the edges of the words with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, I adhered the words and juggling balls with pop dots.

To finish this piece I added a final banner to the top of the circus tent and a B Line star with a gemstone to the center of the star.  Now my life is perfectly described with this card!

I was having so much fun that I decided to create some more cards using this same stamp.  Just look at the variety and different looks that can be achieved using one central stamp with various sentiment stamps!

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Now I have a fun birthday card as well as an encouragement card for someone special!

I used  Rhonda Palazzari Crafter's Workshop and Tim Holtz Bubble Layering Stencil for the background of the "fan" card as well as Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw and Evergreen Bough Distress Inks.  It is hard to see on these samples, but I finished all of the cards with some Stickles placed on Julia's outfit.

I hope you can stop "juggling" things in your lives and take some time to play!  It's good for the soul! I know I sure feel better!

Susan

Embossing Diffusers

Have you heard of Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Embossing Diffusers?  If you haven't, this is a product you will definitely want to look for!  Embossing Diffusers are featured in this 27th Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge, so get out Tim's book by the same name and play along! Still don't have the book?  You may still purchase your autographed copy here.  If you don't have the embossing diffusers,  head on over to The Inspiration Emporium and order one!  The Inspiration Emporium is also the sponsor of this week's challenge and is providing a $50.00 shopping spree to one lucky randomly chosen winner!

Tim and Mario have another amazing prize package waiting for the winner of the Curiosity Crew's Choice.  I have noticed that several people have just bought the book and are playing along now!  Goes to show you it's never too late!  You will find this challenge on Page 61 of the book.

Without further ado, here is the project I created with the Embossing Diffuser:

I lOVE this butterfly image from Tim's Stampers Anonymous Perspective set!   Many people have already featured it in their artwork.  I have just been biding my time waiting for the perfect moment and I think this is it!

I started by using the paint marbling technique on manila card stock.  The paint colors are Cracked Pistachio and Pumice Stone.  I then filled in with Gathered Twigs Distress ink.

Before I began the embossing diffuser technique.  I also used the paint marbling technique on three more pieces of manila card stock for the butterfly.  So sorry I didn't get a picture of these pieces!  I used Cracked Pistachio, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed and Dusty Concord Distress Paints.

I followed the technique on Page 61 using Tim's Sizzix Alterations small oval embossing diffuser found in Set 1 and his Sizzix Alterations Trellis embossing folder.  Using Tarnished Brass Distress Paint, I then lightly touched the paint to the raised parts of the embossed piece.  I love the contrast with the open area of the oval!  To finish it off, I found some gold fiber in my stash I adhered around  the oval to make it stand out even more!  It was easy as the shape was clearly defined on the card.  Finally I added three small flowers I die cut from a portion of the prepared marbled card stock using Tim's Alterations Tattered Floral Garland die and some ivy from the Spring Greenery die.  For the flower stamens I put some matte medium  in the center of the flowers and sprinkled some coppery colored micro beads inside.

I stamped the butterfly three times on the marbled card stock and cut out all three.  I added a bit of slightly watered down Tarnished Brass Distress paint to the wings close to the edges and then adhered all three butterflies together using matte medium.  To finish the butterfly, I wanted it to connect "color-wize" with the metallic colors in the flower stamen, so I used the same micro beads for the butterfly's body.

Here are some close ups:

I am finding it quite interesting how the different lighting conditions affect the color of the project....

The last step was to adhere the completed butterfly to the card piece.  Once again here is the completed project:

As always, we REALLY enjoy seeing all the clever things you do with your artwork!  Head on over to Linda Ledbetter's site for all the details and make sure to follow the rules!  Most of all, have fun!

Susan

Remnant Rub Resist

Welcome to my 24th post for the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge.  This challenge is being sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique who is generously providing a $25.00 gift certificate to one lucky randomly chosen winner.  As they have with every challenge, Tim and Mario have another amazing prize package for the winner chosen by the Curiosity Crew.  Head on over to the lovely Linda Ledbetter's site for all the rules and details!

Here is my project using the Remnant Rub Resist Technique:

To tell you all the truth, I didn't think I was going to have time to participate in this challenge as I ran off to San Diego to help my parents as my mother had back surgery (all went well).  I started this project the day before I left, following the technique found on Page 51 of Tim's book which is still available (here).   I used the Botanical Remnant Rubs for the tag,  Tim's new Stampers Anonymous Watercolor set butterfly stamps and Scattered Straw, Peeled Pain and Broken China Distress Stains. The only other thing I did before I left was to dye Tim's Crinkle Ribbon with Broken China Distress Stain and create a bow.

I kept looking at my tag and thinking that I had gotten carried away with the Remnant Rubs and that I needed to change something or make another.  However, each time I looked at my tag I said to myself "I like it the way it is."  That is always my cue to stop.

When I returned home a couple of days ago, I set to figure out how to "bling up" the tag.  I decided I wanted it to be simple so I only added a Bauble with a Loop Pin to the bow, a Word Band and "Happy Birthday" by B Line Designs stamped on a scrap of cream card and colored with Scattered Straw and Broken China Distress inks.

This leads me to a topic I would like to discuss with all of you.  I kept looking at this project in the beginning and thinking it wasn't involved enough when, in reality, it was beautiful to me for its' simplicity.  That's what makes this technique so awesome!  Although involved projects with tons of ephemera that took us a long time to create are fabulous too, there is also something special about simple projects which can be created quickly.  My resist project was fast and easy to complete, making it an quick "go-to" project for a  Birthday or Thinking of You tag/card.

Here is one more look at my project:

It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or an experienced paper crafter, this technique is easy for everyone!  Pull out those books and get crafting!  All of us on the Curiosity Crew are looking forward to seeing your creations!  Come join the fun!

Susan

Collection Folio Challenge!

Here it is - the 23rd challenge for the Compendium of Curiosities III - the Collection Folio found on Page 34 of Tim's third book!  I will confess I was a bit nervous about taking on this challenge on as it looked like quite the task!  However, it has turned out to be one of the most rewarding challenges I have done!

I decided I would use my maternal grandmother, Eunice Blanch Wood, as my inspiration as she was truly one of the strongest people I have ever known.  She was also kind, loving, faithful and patient, attributes that I will always remember.  I was also blessed to be the granddaughter she wanted to have her photos, so I have lots of wonderful photos to work with.  It was hard to fit them all in!

Here is the cover of the folio:

I originally resisted using Tim's Wallflower Stash as I use it quite frequently, however, it is truly my all-time favorite paper and I couldn't bear not to use it for this project!  Don't ever discontinue it, Tim!  I removed the elastic closure and covered the entire folio with the paper with the exception of a few of the "fold-over" areas.

I then cut out my favorite picture of my grandmother with an oval die and oval scalloped die and mounted it on green and brown card stock.  I used Tim's Alterations Typeset die to cut the letters for her name.  After this was done, I reattached the elastic closure through the designated holes, adding a Word Band to the top before threading it through the last hole.

Now it's time for another confession!  I tend to generally "play it safe" with colors and textures.  However, I finally decided I needed to step out of my comfort zone and go crazy!  I did this with the inside piece of the folio that the photos and ephemera are attached to.  Here is what it looked like when I started:

I used Tim's Frameworks Trellis Die as well as the Latticework stencil along with Peeled Paint, Antique Linen, Forest Moss and Gathered Twigs Paint.

The fun then began!  I have to admit that it took me two full days to put this together, however, I wanted it to be extra special.  I also had lots of photos I wanted to incorporate.  You certainly don't have to put as much as I did into this project - just select a theme you like and go for it!

For the inside cover of the folio I used one of Tim's Mini Cabinet Cards and placed my grandmothers baby's picture in it!  I always laugh when I see it as she looks so startled.  I used this photo for the first challenge and turned the photo into a birthday card.  I die cut a banner from Tim's Sizzix Alterations Tattered Banners strip and hand wrote her birthdate.  To finish this cover I added two photos of the farm where she was born in Alva, Oklahoma.

On the right side I sandwiched two new Elementary Flashcards, one that said "family" and the other "story" over the first cascading flap.  These Flashcards have such wonderful words on them!  Love them!

On the right hand side of the second cascading flap I attached two photos of my grandmother's family.  I used an Industrious Frame from the new Gallery set to frame her parents' wedding picture.  Some photo corners from the same set were used in all four corners of the family photo.  I used the Alpha Parts: Newsprint letters to spell out the word "Family" at the top of the photo.

For the back of the second cascading flap I added two more photos which I adhered to not only the flap, but also the reverse side of the photos on the opposite side.  I used the Life Quotes Remnant              Rubs to add some words.

The right side of the third flap features my Great-Grandmother Mamie.  I used a library pocket I had in my stash.  I laid it on its side and covered part of it with paper from the Wallflower Stash.  After placing the photo on a brown mat, I adhered it over the paper and added some Alpha Tiles to spell out her name.  I tucked in a tag I colored with Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Inks and stamped with a B-Line Designs Gorgeous Fabric background.  I added another Elementary Flash Card and then a Remnant Rub from the Botanical set to the card.  I finished the front of the flap die by cutting and adding a Tim Alterations Distressed Doily die cut and  fussy cutting a rose image from the Wallflower Stash paper (one of my favorite things to do).  The last touch was the addition of an ephemera piece from the Emporium Ephemera Pack.

Close up of the tag:

I used the reverse side of the third flap for one photo plus another Flash Card and some fussy cut images from the Wallflower Stash paper to create a nature collage. 

I also stamped the tag on the reverse side with a stamp from Wendy Vecchi's The Beauty of Art stamp set.  Here's a close up of the reverse side of the tag:

On the right side of the fourth flap I used two large #10 tags.  I adhered a reduced size copy of my grandmother's graduation certificate to the top tag.  I used two B Line Designs stamps for the bottom tag, Women are like Buttons and Button Collage that I stamped lightly with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  Another photo was placed on this tag along with a Life Quotes Remnant Rub, Stencil Mark and Chit-Chat sticker.   Both tags were finished with a strip from the Industrious Gallery Stickers, two bows made from Crinkled Ribbon, a Ring Fastener and a Graphic 45 Shabby Chic key.  Another                      Flash Card with an image from the Botanical Remnant Rubs can be found in the center of the flap.

The left side of the fourth flap features two #8 tags to which have been added Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress inks and adhered to the larger #10 tags on the opposite side.   I decorated the tags with another photo, my grandmother's wedding announcement, a flower from the new  Emporium Ephemera pack, two bows made from burgundy seam binding that was crinkled, an photo is an oval frame from the Industrious Gallery Stickers with a photo, a Flash Card with a Botanical Remnant Rub and a metal key (sorry - not sure where this is from) and a floral stem from Nature Adornments.

The left side of the fifth flap was adorned with photos of my mother and uncle in Industrious Gallery Frames and finished with words from Chit-Chat stickers.  The back of the library pocket on the opposite side was decorated with another photo and Label Letters spelling my mother's name.  I also attached a gingham ribbon bow by Creative Impressions to the tag front.  Here's a close up of the tag front:

 Finally the back of the tag was stamped with a border from Wendy Vecchi's The Beauty of Art set and a stamp from Wendy's new Art and You set.

Close up of the reverse side of the tag:

Finally, the last flap was adhered to the back of the folio and a large photo of my grandparents on their honeymoon was placed on top.  A later photo of my grandmother was adhered to the top inside flap and a photo with me in it was adhered to the inside bottom flap and a fussy cut image from the Paper Stash was glued over the photo and onto the paper. 

I had to move from my small studio to the dining room table to spread everything out for this project. Here is what it looked like (I'm embarrassed to say):  I would bet that many of you can confess to the same thing!  Am I right?

Wow, that was a much longer post than I had intended, however, there are so many details I wanted to share with  you.  Now it's your turn to create something beautiful with this wonderful Collection Folio and share it with us.  As usual, head on over to the lovely Linda Ledbetter's site, read the rules for the challenge and start creating!  For this 23rd Challenge,  Inspiration Emporium is sponsoring a shopping spree in the amount of $50.00 for one randomly chosen winner.  Tim and Mario have a fabulous prize package for the winner of the Curiosity Crew Choice.

Good luck to everyone and have fun!

Susan

Fabulous Frayed Fabric

Happy New Year, everyone!  I can't believe I am sharing the 19th CC3 Challenge, Frayed Fabric, with all of you!  Somehow I managed to get it done even though I had company for the holidays.  Here it is:

I will confess that I had never used Tim's Eclectic Elements Fabric before.  However, I LOVED the finished product!  The fabric is such good quality which made it so easy to work with.

I wanted a "natural" look to this project so I decided that a burlap panel was in order to use with the fabric (LOVE Tim's burlap panels).  I also wanted to keep it simple.  I referred to the technique found on Page 66 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosity III book and followed the instructions to create the fabric background.  I used the Eclectic Elements Timepieces Neutral fabric.

This piece is dedicated to my father, so I copied his high school graduation photo which I adhered to a slightly larger black mat and then to the fabric.  It started out like this:

My grandparents had very little money (remember the piece I did with the imaginary Paris honeymoon? - that's them), and my father had a dream to be a dentist.  Without any money or emotional support, he set out to make his dream come true.  After much sacrifice, he did indeed graduate from the University of Washington with a degree in Dentistry and was a Navy dentist for many years.

I used the Alpha Part - Remember and backed it with a piece of red card stock.  I then poked a hole in the card stock below the "R" and threaded through a piece of thin jute .  The other end of the jute was used to attach a Philosphy Tag that says "Journey".  I wanted my Dad to remember this journey he was on as his accomplishment is a source of great pride, as it should be.

I loved the expression "Dare to Dream" from Tim's Simple Sayings set, so I stamped it on a piece of extra cream card stock, inked around the edges with Fired Brick Distress ink and adhered it to the piece.  I also used Alpha Tiles to spell out "D A D".  A Word Band which says "Life is about creating yourself" was threaded through a piece of natural trim, a pen nib (representing his studies) was added to the upper right portion of his photo and finally a metal Timepiece with game spinners attached was adhered over a piece from the Thrift Shop Ephemera pack.  I used Fired Brick Paint to highlight the words on the Philosophy Tag and the Word Band and also on the metal timepiece to add some color.

Here's one last look at the finished project.

There you have it!  I truly hope you will participate in this fun challenge.  Whether you are new to this challenge or have participated before, we would love to see your work!  You can still order your very own copy of Tim's book here and you will find this particular challenge technique on page 66.  Then head on over to Linda Ledbetter's site to get all the information you need about participating, including all the rules.

This challenge is generously sponsored by the Inspiration Emporium.  One lucky randomly chosen winner will win a $50.00 shopping spree to their site.  A fabulous prize package generously provided by Tim and Mario will be presented to the winner of this challenge as chosen by the Curiosity Crew.  Good luck to all of you!

All the best
Susan

Pocket Pages

Remember when we were challenged to decorate Tim's Worn Covers?  Did you ever wonder when we were going to decorate pages to include in our journals, tag holders, recipe books, etc.?  Well, the time has finally arrived for Challenge No 18!  Even if you have already created your pages, there are more techniques to learn and more pages to add!  Here are my pages:

I previously created a Quote Book to store inspirational quotes along with my art tags.  I was SO ready to incorporate them into my book!  The techniques can be found on Page 36 of Tim Holtz's Compendium of Curiosities III book.  If you don't have it, you can purchase it at Tim's site here.

While I can't tell you exactly how I used/altered these pages as you have to work from your own copy of the book, I can show you close ups of some of the things I did.  I'll start with the tags:

I used Tim's door die, thrift shop ephemera (flower), Tim's woodgrain stamp from the Wallpaper and Wood set and  "The Impossible is Often Untried"  from the clear stamp set Thoughts and Phrases                    along with crinkle ribbon died with scattered straw and Vintage Photo Distress Stains.

This tag is already shown in the pocket page - a perfect fit!  I used an old ready made library pocket and a number 8 tag.  The pocket was decorated with paper from Tim's French Industrial Paper Stash and the quote from Tim's Stampers Anonymous set  Way with Words stamped over the top of the paper.  The paper I adhered to the tag is from Tim's Wallflower Paper Stash.  I ran the paper through the  Gears Texture Fade, blended color using Peeled Paint,  Black Soot and Vintage Photo Distress inks and then added Idea-ology pieces - the arrow, chit-chat stickers, gears and the swivel clasp to the tag.  The finishing touch came from the bow from Tim's Bow-tied die.

The final tag uses the Paint Marbling technique for the background.  I added stamps from the Typography stamp set as well as an Idea-ology pen nib, a mini gear and a remnant rub from the Numbers set.

I had some some tags I wanted to incorporate into the 3 Pocket Page.  I really wanted them to stick out the side edge, so I carefully cut the side edge and sealed the top edge so that I could achieve this look.

Again, I used the Wallflower Stash paper on all of the tags (I absolutely can't get enough of that paper!).  The quotes are from Tim's  clear set Thoughts and Phrases with the exception of the Mother Teresa quote on the bottom tag.  She was and is such an inspiration to me!  The stamps are from Stampers Anonymous Nature Walk and Butterflies and the bird on the bottom is cut from the Thrift Shop Ephemera.

Here is another set of pages I created:

These are fold-out pages.  Check out Page 44 for more details.  The paper is from the Wallflower Stash.  I added a painted Idea-ology piece from the Nature Adornments set and a chit-chat sticker on the bottom right piece that says dreams.  The "Cross your heart and fly" quote is from B Line Designs and "The quieter you become, the more you came hear" quote is from Inky Antics.  I created the piece at the top left using the technique on page 44 as well.

Here is the back of this fold-out page:

More Wallpaper Stash goodness along with a quote on the upper right hand piece from B Line Designs ands the words "Live with Purpose" cut from part of the large stamp in the Stampers Anonymous Way with Words set.                    .

There you have it!  I can't wait to create more pages like these for my Quote book:

Now it's your turn!  Show us your magnificent pocket pages!  For all the rules, go to Linda Ledbetter's site and read up!  You could win a wonderful prize package from Tim and Mario if your work is chosen by the Curiosity Crew!  This 18th challenge is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique who is generously providing a $25.00 shopping spree in their store.  Remember, you can't win if you don't play along!  Come join us!

Best Wishes
Susan

Fabulous Faux Tea Roses

Here we are at the third challenge for the CC3C Challenge!  I had a ton of fun with this project!  Who would have thought to make tea roses this way - Tim Holtz, that's who!  I love it!  Here is the project I came up with:

I decided to make a middle step card with a bit of a vintage romantic theme.  I started off with the basic card that I covered with paper from my favorite Wallflower paper stash.

I then gathered up my supplies including some of my favorite images from B Line Designs, Lisa and the Open Book.  I also used Tim's leaf and love letter Stamper's Anonymous images along with his On the Edge Distressed Doily and Alterations greenery dies.  Please refer to Page 65 in Tim's Compendium of Curiosities III book for directions on how to create these gorgeous roses.  It's still not too late to pick it up.  Go to        http://timholtz.com/a-compendium-of-curiosities-volume-iii/ for your copy.

I wanted my little open book to have some pages, so I stamped the book once on cardstock and 3 times on text weight paper.  I stamped the love letter text on two of the pages and adhered all the pages to the center of the cardstock image and finished by wrapping a thin piece of gold cord around the book.

It's a bit hard to see in the photograph, but I added some Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges along with some gold ink.  I edged all the separate images with Vintage Photo as well.  Some Bundled Sage Distress Ink was added to the greenery and Peeled Paint to the leaves.

I finished this piece by adhering all the cut images to the different steps.  The tea roses were the last to be adhered using glossy accents.

I hope you enjoyed my project.  Are you playing along with the challenge yet?  It's not too late!  This week's challenge is sponsored by The Inspiration Emporium.  We will also have another fabulous prize package of goodies from Tim and Mario!  Don't forget to leave at comment at each of the Curiosity Crew Member's pages for your chance to win!  Join us!

Susan