Layering Stencil: Paint Resist

Challenge Number 31 - only three more to go!  The official countdown has begun!  It's never too late to join us, we would love to see your work!  I hope everyone has Tim's fabulous book, Compendium of Curiosities III, however, you may still order it here.  Tim and Mario also have yet another incredible prize package awaiting the Curiosity Crew choice winner!  It could be you!

This challenge is sponsored by the generous folks at the Inspiration Emporium.  They will be providing a $50.00 shopping spree for one lucky randomly chose winner!

Now for the challenge..head on over to page 47 of Tim's book, study the technique and enter to win!
Here is my project:

I decided to create a box to hold some of my stash as I seem to have so much of it - it's addicting!  I started with a paper mache box that I painted with Seedless Preserves Distress Paints.  I only added the paint to the edges of the sides and top of the box.

I painted the box inside as well as the lid inside and outside edges.

Next I applied the technique to five card stock pieces, one for the lid and 4 for the box sides.  I can't tell you how it was done, however, I can tell you I used Tim's Wildflower,  Flourish, Traveler and Bubble Layering Stencils.  I also  used Seedless Preserves Paint and Squeezed Lemonade, Dried Marigold, Seedless Preserves and Peacock Feather Distress inks.

I then adhered all of the panels to the box and finished the box by adding one of Tim's Idea-ology Curio Knobs to the box lid.  Finally, I added some butterflies from B Line Designs to all the panels.  Here again is the finished project:

Now that you have seen my project, head on over to Linda Ledbetter's site here.  You will find all the rules for participating - hope to see your projects there!

Susan

CC3C Eroded Metallic Technique

We have arrived at the 29th Challenge, the Eroded Metallic technique found on Page 33 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosity III book.  Think it's too late to join us?  It's never too late!  You still have time to purchase an autographed copy of the book here.

This challenge is being sponsored by the Inspiration Emporium, a wonderful online company!  They are providing one lucky randomly chosen winner a $50.00 shopping spree, so buy the book, try out the technique and join us.  All the information, including rules for participating, can be found at the lovely Linda's website here.  Tim and Mario have yet another fabulous prize package for the winner as chosen by the Curiosity Crew!

I was in my studio the other day trying to decide what I was going to create with this fun technique.  I looked out the window, and, as usual, it was raining AGAIN!  That's when I decided that I just had to incorporate Tim's Stamper's Anonymous Umbrella Man with an Idea-ology Faucet Knob to act as a shut-off valve.  That way I can shut the rain off temporarily, at least in my imagination!  I guess the knob also represents shutting off fear and indeed "Living the life you have imagined" - traveling, dreaming, just going for it!  Here is my creation:

I love the look of the finished technique so much that I didn't want to add too many images to take away from the eroded metallic look.  Believe me, I tried!  Finally, I decided that simplicity was the answer and then I was satisfied with this tag.

After completing the technique (wish I could tell you how I did it, however, you'll have to look in the book on Page 44 yourself), I stamped the Umbrella Man directly to the tag along with the sentiment from Tim's Stamper's Anonymous Creative Muse cling mount stamp set.  I also used several rub-ons from Idea-ology Words remnant rubs which I adhered directly to the tag.  Finally,  I had to have my rain Faucet Knob.   Before adding it to the tag, I used some of the Paint colors from the tag background to add a bit of color to the faucet knob.

Finally, I adhered a black mat to the tag and died crinkle ribbon with some of the same colors I used for my technique, Cracked Pistachio, Evergreen Bough, Peeled Paint and Broken China Distress Paints.  I also added a bit of the Metallic Bronze paint on the ribbon.  Voila!  Easy to do!

I also wanted to experiment more with this technique to see what it would look like to be "more eroded".  I made up a quick tag to show you what it looks like.  I actually like how both of them turned out!

I hope you will all try this fun and easy technique!  I am "hooked" now and will definitely be incorporating it into my future artwork!

Once again here is my finished project:

Hope you enjoy it!  I wish you all sunshine (except in drought-sticken areas).  Maybe we can send some of this extra water your way via the Colorado River.  Can't wait to see what all of you create!

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

Fabulous Frameworks!

Drumroll please!  We have officially arrived at the 25th, yes 25th Challenge for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge using Tim Holtz's fabulous frameworks dies!  I honestly don't know where the time has gone as I have been having so much fun with these challenges!  Linda Ledbetter  has been doing an awesome job hosting them too!  If you haven't played along with us, it's never too late.  Head on over to her website for all the rules and information. You won't regret it!

I have been so happy enjoying our beautiful Springtime in the Rockies - the trees are in bloom as well as the daffodils and grape hyacinth. Therefore I knew my project had to be inspired by the beauty around me.  Here is the tag I created using the Lattice Framework Die:

Now here  is the irony.  This is what I woke up to this morning!

Somehow this just isn't right!  However, as they say here in Colorado, "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes".  It will change back to Spring again - our local meteorologist has assured us that it will in a few days.

Tim has multiple, and all wonderful, Frameworks dies by Sizzix.   I envisioned flowers and leaves on a trellis so I used his Lattice die to create the base for this project.  I began by cutting out two lattices from chipboard.  I then painted both of them with his new January release color - Cracked Pistachio.  Love this color!  Once dry, I added some Pumice Stone Distress Paint over the top.  I forgot to take a picture of both pieces before I adhere them to the tag.  However, I have a small piece leftover which hopefully will show the color.

I stamped the tag with Tim's Stamper's Anonymous Wood Grain background from the Wallpaper and Wood stamp set using a combination of Vintage and Antique Linen Distress Inks.  I then stamped the sentiment from Tim's new Life Quotes set in black over the background.

I used one of my favorite techniques, Paint Marbling, to create some flowers to add to my trellis.  I used Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade and  Festive Berries Paints.  Once dry, I used Tim's Sizzix Alterations Tattered Florals Garland die to cut out the flowers.  Here is what it looked like once I cut out the flowers along with a sample flower:

I then used Tim's Sizzix Alterations Spring Greenery die to cut out a variety of greens to creep up my trellis.  I cut them out of cream card stock and added color with Peeled Paint and Forest Green Distress Inks.

I stamped some tiny flowers from Tim's Stamper's Anonymous Watercolor set randomly over the background on the left side of the tag.  I used one entire trellis and parts of a second one to add over the top.   I wove some of the greenery through the trellises before I adhered everything to the tag.

Flowers were added to the greenery and trellis as well as butterflies from Tim's new Watercolor stamp set (one of my favorites!)  Here is a close up of the flowers and butterflies:

I finished the tag off by dying Tim's Crinkle Ribbon with Festive Berries Distress ink and Spice Marmalade and creating a bow which was adhered to the top.  I then adhered one more watercolor butterfly to the center of the bow.

Okay now, get out your Compendium of Curiosities III book and turn to page 64.  Still don't have the book?  Don't worry, it's still available here.  Come join the fun!  This challenge is generously sponsored by The Inspiration Emporium who will provide a $50.00 shopping spree at their online store for a randomly chosen winner.  Tim and Mario are also providing a fabulous prize package for the Curiosity Crew Choice as well!

Good luck to all!

Rock Candy Distress Glitter

For this 21st challenge I couldn't wait to create a Valentine themed project using this technique found on Page 55 of Tim Holtz's Comdendium of Curiosities III book!  I have noticed that we have some "newbies" (yay!) who have recently joined us for these challenges, so, as they discovered, it's not too late to get your own autographed copy of Tim's book here.  Then head on over to Linda Ledbetter's site to read all the rules!

Rocky Candy Distress Glitter is awesome!  It is just perfect for anything that needs a bit of sparkle!  Here is my project:

I started off by following the technique on Page 55.   I used Tim's Stampers Anonymous Flourish stamp and Victorian Velvet.  The background is Antique Linen.  The tag looked like this:

Don't know if you can see the sparkle very well on this photo.  Here is another look at it:

I stamped the "With all my Heart" image (B Line Designs) with Black Archival ink at the bottom of my tag over the background.

I then stamped and cut out a heart and cupid image (B Line Designs) to add to my tag.  I used Barn Door Distress ink for the heart.  I created a black mat for the heart and attached it to my tag using foam tape.  I watercolored the cupid image with Distress inks (tea dye and tattered rose for flesh color) and used a Barn Door Distress marker for Cupid's sash.  I added some Rock Candy Distress Glitter to Cupid's wing too.  After cutting out Cupid, I attached him to the tag with foam tape and positioned him alongside the heart.  The final touch for the heart was the addition of an Idea-ology Arrow Adornment on the heart.

I used Barn Door Distress Stain to dye Tim's Crinkle Ribbon which was then crinkled and heat set.  A bow was tied using a thin piece of thread and an Idea-ology heart charm was added.

The final additions to this tag were the numbers 14 from Idea-ology Alpha Parts Newsprint, a small bunch of red rose buds tied with a red bow, a a small bit of lace trim adhered to the bottom of the tag!

Here's a close up of a portion of the tag.  I think you can see the sparkle a bit better from this angle:

A huge thank you goes out to the Inspiration Emporium for sponsoring this challenge.  They will be providing a $50.00 shopping spree to the winner of a randomly chosen entry for this challenge.  Tim and Mario have yet another fabulous prize package awaiting the Curiosity Choice winner as well.

Good luck to all!  We can't wait to see your entries for this glittery challenge!

Susan




























The Inspiration Emporium is generously sponsoring this challenge and has a $50.00 shopping spree on their site just waiting for one lucky randomly chosen winner.  Tim and Mario have yet another prize package for the Curiosity Crew choice winner as well.

Good luck to all.  Thanks for participating in this glittery challenge!

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

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