Showing posts with label 12 Tags of 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 12 Tags of 2014. Show all posts

Friday, November 14, 2014

Tim Holtz Tags of 2014 - November

Have you seen the November tag? I think it is one of my favorites of the year! I couldn't wait to try it for myself. Check out Tim's blog post for his complete instructions. There is a lot of grungy goodness! I made my version into an anniversary card for my husband. I also wanted to give my new Layered Snowflake die a try so I made a Christmas card too. It fits right in with the Inspiration Journal Happy Holidays challenge for November. Check it out and join in for a chance to win $50 to spend at Inspiration Emporium. ;-) So, let's get down to business. The leaf card:


The Bigz dies cut right through the corrugated cardboard. I'm going to have to utilize it more often. I love the grungy look and texture it brought to these cards. It's not hard to peel off the outer liner to reveal the fluting. The Distress Spray Stains really are pretty fabulous too. At first, I didn't think I needed them because I already had the regular stains and could always decant some into a mister. Well, you don't get the cool spatter pattern with the misters and it is kind of a pain to do it. I'm sold on the Spray Stains! Someone tell Santa ha ha.

I did things a little differently for the snowflake card:


Of course I wanted a "snowier" look. After I tore some of the liner off the corrugate I went over it with my Picket Fence Distress Stain (regular dabber - see both kinds have their place). I wanted it to have a whitewash look in some places. I did leave parts the raw kraft color though. After the stain was dry I used Picket Fence Distress Paint to add another layer of white over parts of the cardboard. I also sprinkled Dry Rock Candy Glitter on the wet paint. Too bad it doesn't show up in the photo; it is so wonderfully sparkly. I spattered on some Brushed Pewter Spray Stain for more metallic texture.

Most of the supplies I used for these cards can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE to save 10% if you go shopping. I will also point out that US shipping is always $5 and international shipping is just $10. ;-)


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Sea Themed ATB

Get ready for a looong post because there is a lot going on in this project! I am using the techniques Tim Holtz shared for September's tag of 2014 and incorporating the color challenge going on this month at Mixed Media Monthly. Here's a look before I dive into all the info:

Front View
Mixed Media Monthly provided a photo to use as the inspiration for your color scheme:


I just loved these colors and they made me think of a tropical coral reef and the flowers looked like sea anemones to me. That sparked the idea for my theme! I also thought the alcohol ink/glossy cardstock techniques Tim shared on his blog for the September tag would work well with it too. Looking at the other sides…






The base is a circle of foam core board and the base of the Sizzix Cupcake Stand. I used the Dot Fade stencil and Texture Paste on it, then painted over the top of it all. The Distress Paint blends well and catches in all the nooks and crannies. I wanted it to have the feel of rock. The sand is Tim's special "recipe" – you can find it and the directions for creating the seahorses and starfish in his July tag post. Make sure you have everything ready to go when you mix it up because it hardens fairly quickly! Each of the four quarters of the base has a little vignette in it:



The letterpress blocks I swiped with Weathered Wood paint and then sprinkled with a bit of embossing powder. It look a bit weathered and like it's covered with barnacles.


The sea anemone is actually made from the Rosette die. I cut the strip out of rice paper and used Distress stains to make a gradation of color from hot pink to light pink. When it was dry I snipped two thirds of the way down the perforated fold lines. I rolled it around a little section of a drinking straw and glued it into place – then fluffed out the "arms".


More sea horses! I just love these dies and the Rock Candy Crackle Paint looks so neat.


My husband laments that I did not actually write a secret message on my "message in the bottle". Next time! I did make it look cool with Crackle Paint and alcohol ink though. Be sure to coat a slick surface like glass with Multi Medium first (and let it dry) or the crackle paint will flake off.

Finally a close peek at the top:


I started the top out with the largest teardrop facet glued into a hole I punched in the middle of my stamped and embossed compass medallion. Once that was dry I could glue the seahorses and coral pieces into place. I also glued in a few pieces of sea glass to help prop everything up. Strong, quick drying glue is important!

Thanks for sticking with me on this long post! I'm really happy with the way this turned out. I hope you find it inspiring. Most of the supplies I used for this can be found at Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE to save 10% if you go shopping. I will also point out that US shipping is always $5 and international shipping is just $10. ;-)