Tim Holtz and Pyrex in One Week!

This has been an awesome week which included a mini-workshop with Tim Holtz. He had us playing with all of his different surface materials to see how they perform. My absolute favorite was the Shiny Foil Transfer Sheets, the Distress Specialty Stamping Paper and Clearly for Art {moldable plastic film}.

He explained the surfaces and then let us play. We weren't supposed to create a final project but I ended up composing this quick piece using the Sizzix Layered Bee die and Texture Fade. Behind the large bee is a stamped butterfly using the gold transfer foil. The horizontal band is a piece of thin wood. The center of the background is embossed vellum. All of this is mounted on corrugated paper.

But wait! There's more fun to this week!

CHA Winter 2015 - Craft Geek Confessions

I hope I never lose the excitement of attending the Craft and Hobby Association trade show. It is only open to the craft trade and I am the biggest craft gawker so attending the show is like being a kid in a candy store.

If you follow my blog then you will know that I am a Tim Holtz fan girl. Adore the man! I watch his demos and learn so much. I work with him and learn even more. He is amazing.

Sizzix and Tim Holtz CHA Sneak Peek!

Wow! I can finally share a little of what I've been working on for the past few months. Check out Tim Holtz's sneak peek for his Sizzix Alterations Winter 2015 line.

I created all of his Sizzix packaging shown as well as his catalog {cover only shown}. It is so exciting to see everything come together on his site.

My favorite die is the Thinlits Mixed Media set. The package image is the tone-on-tone one with a beehive pattern on the right corner. It includes four dies that cut these great shapes out of a background. Awesome! Must have!

And wait until you see what he does with all of those word dies. Seriously, I must have those as well.

CHA starts this week in Anaheim, CA and I have my pass! I will post photos from the show. I am such a craft geek! I'm just waiting to defy gravity.

Counting My Blessings, Enjoying My Life

I needed a little time to stop and count my blessings. I realized that I am blessed with so much right now and sometimes I need to slow down and enjoy my life.

A week ago I went to the Carson Rubber Stamp Convention. It is about a 45 minute drive via the freeway so I kind of take it for granted that I can always attend it when it comes to town.

But what I am truly blessed with is that I had the opportunity to spend some time with Tim Holtz. Back in August, Tim sent me a box full of goodies to play with. Oh the joy! But then I began to stress about what I could possibly do to thank him for his thoughtfulness and generosity.

Thank you Tim Holtz!

Today was like Christmas in August thanks to Tim Holtz.

Every year I design Tim's catalog for Sizzix and all of his packaging for his Alterations line. I adore working with him. He truly has the ability to know how something will look before it is created which makes my job so much easier.

Earlier this year I caught up with him at the Stampers' Convention in Carson, CA and he was so sweet to offer to send me some product if I would send him my wish list. It took several weeks of making and then trimming down my wish list but I finally sent it off to him and today a box full of creative magic arrived from him.

It felt like Christmas morning as I carefully opened the box. There is more awesomeness in this one box than I could ever imagine. And, as Tim said to me today "You're going to have a lot of fun!" Where to begin and how will I ever find the time to play with everything? I could just squeal with happiness.

Thanks Tim and Mario!

My Moment of Fame via Tim Holtz

As if working with Tim wasn't reward enough. Or having him invite me to stand next to him while he demonstrated at the Sizzix booth on Sunday wasn't enough to make me swoon. But then he introduces me and acknowledges my work ON CAMERA!

And thanks to his generousity and the talents of Mark Giles and Christine Urias of Scrap Time and Sizzix for letting me design Tim's catalog and packaging... I have a brief moment of fame in the papercrafting industry.

Check out the video while I finish swooning for a bit.

Thanks Christine!

CHA Day 3 - Vintage and Repurposed Displays

I love how vintage items were everywhere at CHA. I shot some photos but I apologize ahead of time because I may not have noted which booths had these delightful ideas.

I may have to steal this first idea because it is so clever. I think this is from Cosmo Cricket's booth because I see that cute chef on the card. They used a vintage drawer front as a shelf. Awesome! 

I know that I just threw out a bunch of these old wooden slacks hangers. I never would have thought to use them as a display item. Simple but very clever!

And speaking of hangers and clever displays, here is how Tim Holtz used old wooden hangers to display artwork. Notice the ladder holding the hanging lights. Brilliant!

This is another one of my friend Debi's clever booth displays. It is an umbrella with a chandelier spliced into the handle. This wouldn't work if you were superstitious about an open umbrella in your house but  you might want to make an exception for this clever idea.

I loved this collection of old clocks on the wall. I could see myself collecting these.

Finally, I was amazed to see the original drawings that were used for the new Tim Holtz stamps for Stampers Anonymous. These were displayed on a drawing table. I don't think I've ever seen original sketches displayed at a show before. I was priviledged to hear Tim's Business Manager, Mario Rossi tell me the whole backstory of how these were created.

I hope some of these images inspired you. I guess I go to the show more to meet people in the industry and see how creative people display things rather than to see what is new from the different manufacturers. Many informative bloggers and podcasters have all of the new offerings covered. I am just a Crafting "Groupie / Stalker / Super Fan" that takes pictures with crafting super stars and odd things on walls. But, oh wow, am I inspired!

CHA Day 2 - New Products, Sweet Colors

I am normally a rather shy person but I have discovered an entirely different side of me when I am at the Craft and Hobby Association tradeshow. Maybe it is because I love the industry so dearly that I am not afraid to go up and introduce myself to people I don't even know.

There is just so much to see that I often forget to take photos. I found that I took an equal number of photos of displays as I did of new products that delighted me. So today's post will be about some new products and tomorrow I will share photos of how some booths were decorated using vintage treasures that are so dear to my heart.

I noticed that many of the colors shown could be described as "cheery vintage". This is the Vintage Market line from Sizzix. My friend Jen drew these amazingly sweet dies. There are button cards, old scales, Mason jars and many other designs. And my other friend Debi created the samples and styled the display. It is all so inspiring.

Another example of cheery vintage colors is this line from Cosmo Cricket. Wouldn't these chef images look great to decorate recipe cards! I loved the colors and retro images.

This is a line from Echo Park. I love the little girl illustration on the bottom left and the soft pastel colors. How sweet is this!!!

 These adorable baby lines are by Kaiser Craft. They look like sweet old baby cards.

If you follow Tim Holtz's blog then you know that he in introducing a line of stamps of sketched images for Stampers Anonymous.  Here is a display of some cards and tags made with those stamps.

And finally, with Valentine's day right around the corner I wanted to share these amazing Valentine's themed cards using Tim Holtz's dies from Sizzix.

Tomorrow I will share some of the vintage displays I found all around the CHA showroom. Vintage is still so popular.

CHA Winter 2013 - Star Struck!

I already admitted that I am a Paper Crafting "Groupie / Stalker / Super Fan" so it shouldn't surprise anyone when I say that I had a great time visiting with some wonderful Stars of the paper crafting industry at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show today. I will share more photos of the displays and new products later but today's post is all about Star gazing.

My favorite super star is the oh-so-talented Tim Holtz. I am holding the Sizzix Alterations catalog that I designed for him. He really is absolutely brilliant and so creative. Love love love working with this guy!

Karen Burniston is another designer that amazes me. I got to know her a few years ago when I designed her logo. I love how she thinks in 3 dimensions and makes things pop!

Another designer that I adore is Eileen Hull. I don't think anyone could be any sweeter than Eileen.

I just met Brenda Walton but I feel like I've known her for a while. I worked on all of her Sizzix packaging and her attention to detail is amazing.

That's it for the Star gazing. I will be returning to the show again tomorrow so I will have more photos of new products and some awesome display ideas. Vintage display ideas were everywhere.

Designers Craft Connection Blog Hop - December

Welcome to the Designers Craft Connection Blog Hop for the month of December. This month's theme is "Handmade for the Holidays".

I am excited about this month's theme because; 1) I love making things, 2) I love the holidays and 3) I had a perfect idea for a dual-purpose project.

My sister and I exchange handmade ornaments every year. This year our theme was "Something Made of Paper". So combining the themes I created a "Tim Holtz Cuckoo Clock" ornament.

I began by covering a small box with old sheet music. This happened to be from The Nutcracker Suite in case anyone happens to notice. Before I sealed up the box I punched two small holes in the bottom of the box and ran a small chain through it leaving both ends hanging out of the bottom. I sealed up the box and used Distress inks to age the paper edges.

Using all Sizzix dies, I die cut two Tattered Pinecone pieces and followed Tim Holtz's video to create the pinecones hanging beneath the clock. I added some snowy glitter using white glue.

I cut out a House, 3-D and used the Woodgrain Texture Fade for added dimension to the sides. Again, using Distress inks I highlighted the raised texture. I cut an opening near the top arch and attached a small die cut Cardinal {more festive than a Cuckoo Bird}. 

I die cut the Weathered Clock and first applied Tea Dye Distress ink as a background color. Next, I used Perfect Medium with an all-over pattern stamp and applied Perfect Pearls in Heirloom Gold. This created a random, worn metallic look to the clock face. Before assembling the clock/house I laid the clock face on the front and determined where the clock hands would be attached. I used a small brad to attach the hands then removed the clock face while I worked on the next steps. 

I assembled the clock/house and decided that it needed a roof. I folded a piece of brown cardstock and ran both sides through my Vagabond die cutting machine using the Snowflurries Texture Fade. I sanded the raised surface to give it more texture. I also added a small piece of die cut Vintage Lace along the front edge of the roof. It is cut from more old sheet music and left over from a previous project. It gave the house a gingerbread roof line. I used a large needle to punch two holes in the roof and top of the house. I glued the roof to the house then strung a piece of vintage ribbon through the holes.

I used hot glue to attach the house to the bottom box. I glued the clock face to both the house and the base. On the left side of the clock I added a small bottlebrush tree. On the right, I glued a small die cut Reindeer.

I hope you enjoyed my Handmade for the Holidays project. Please use the DCC Blog Hop button on the right to visit all of the talented designers and see their creative projects.

This is linked to:
Beyond the Picket Fence, Coastal Charm, Elizabeth and Co., Making the World Cuter, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, Sew Can Do, Sew Much Ado, Someday Crafts, Sugar Bee Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Topsy Turvy and Twin Dragonfly Designs

Designer Craft Connection - August

Welcome to the Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop for August. This month's theme is designing with school supplies. This was an exciting challenge because I happened to have a lot of vintage school supplies gathered from my thrifting adventures.

My favorite school supply that I collect are old wooden rulers. They look so lovely as they age and are quite varied in their appearance. I began with the idea of covering a lamp shade with rulers but with a bit of luck at my local Goodwill my project became more unique. I began with 24 vintage rulers and a boxy, pink polka dotted lamp {sorry there are no "before" photos} then using hot glue, I attached the rulers to the sides.

12 Tags of 2012 - May...

I really enjoyed working on this tag for the 12 Tags of 2012 challenge for May. I found so many ways to combine thrifted, vintage and repurposed items to complete this project.

12 Tags of 2012 - April

I had a lot of fun creating my April tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012.

This tag was a bit of a challenge in a couple of ways for me. I need to watch more of Tim's videos regarding how he blends inks. When he blends colors they all look so pretty and bright. When I blend colors I tend to get shades of mud. My other challenge was trying to include thrifted elements in the design.

I began by die cutting a tag using the Sizzix Tag & Bookplates die. I used the Fancy Frame Texture Fades to create the embossed pattern in the background. Next, I applied several colors of Distress Inks.

I die cut the bird and branch out of Grungeboard using the Bird Branch die. I trimmed off the bird and inked it separately. I glued the branch to the tag and then used pop-dots beneath the bird to raise it above the branch.

The leaves on the branches are vintage floral leaves that I had thrifted. I used Distress Ink on them to make them look a bit more weathered.

To create the title, I printed the word "Spring" on cardstock then die cut it with the Tattered Banner die. I inked it, folded it and used pop-dots again to give it dimension.

As a final detail I used a thrifted chain, a Trinket Pin and a thrifted amethyst bead as a decorative touch.

This is linked to:

Making the World Cuter, Rook No.17, Singing Three Little Birds, Sugar Bee Crafts, Tim Holtz and Vintage Wanna Bee

12 Tags of 2012 - Retro Flower Power Tag of March

This is the second tag challenge for Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2012. I was so excited to start working on the new tag. You can see the inspiration piece on his blog here.

Tim's tag looked like it was inspired by the beginning of Spring, I decided to do a Retro Flower Power version for my tag. As always, I tried to use as many thrifted or vintage items as possible.

I first cut the tag out of cardstock using the Sizzix Tag and Bookplates die. I also cut some butterflies out of the recycled clear die packaging using the Mini Butterflies Set. The flowers are all vintage thrifted earrings with their backings cut off.

I first stamped the words using archival black ink. Next, I used Distress Inks in Peeled Paint, Dusty Concord and Stormy Sky and rubbed them on a Non-stick Craft Sheet then lightly spritzed water across all of the colors. I pulled my tag across the inks until I liked how it looked. While the inks were wet, I quickly sprinkled salt across the surface. The salt causes a resist effect with the water and when the ink dries there is a subtle but interesting texture.

Salt on the surface

After the ink dries and the salt is completely brushed away

Another example of the salt effect on the ink

You can experiment and get other effects. It tends to look better on darker inks. This is my attempt at a tie-dye effect for my retro tag.

Next I used Alcohol Inks on the clear butterflies. I always like to make my butterflies as symmetrical as possible. I applied the Alcohol Ink on one side and Silver Mixative on the opposite side so that they would not blend.

The butterfly on the right shows the alcohol ink side up. The one in the middle shows the mixative side up. The one on the left is folded for added dimension.

I began assembling the tag by adhering the Film Strip Ribbon and butterflies to the tag using Glossy Accents. I used the Film Strip ribbon as a "trellis" to visually support my flower. Next, I used a glue gun to adhere the flowers.

I used a thrifted piece of vintage Rayon seam binding for the ribbon. I laid it on the Craft Sheet and rubbed the Peeled Paint Distress Ink pad across it. Then I crunched it up and used it to wipe up any excess ink on the Craft Sheet. This created the wrinkled, distressed look on the ribbon. 

I'm having a great time playing in the Studio. 

This is linked to:

Coastal Charm, Making the World Cuter, Rook No. 17, Sew Can Do, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Tim Holtz and Twin Dragonfly Designs

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 - February

As most of you who Follow my blog have realized by now, I have been in a creative slump. Blame it on being busy at work or freelance design jobs or life in general but I just haven't had the inspiration to create anything in a while.

Well leave it to the every-inspiring Tim Holtz to come along with the perfect kick start to get the creative juices flowing. He has started the 12 Tags of 2012. Check it out and join along if you are so inspired.

Starting with his tags as the inspiration, my goal will be to create all of these tags using thrifted and vintage elements as much as possible although I have a ton of his product to include as well.

The February Tag:

I began with pink cardstock that I embossed with the Valentine Background Texture Fade. I rubbed wax over the raised words then sprayed it with Candy Apple Red Glimmer Mist. The wax acted as a resist to the Glimmer Mist. I wanted to highlight the letters a little more so I used a brayer and rolled on white acrylic paint in some areas.

I die cut the cupid out of Grunge Paper using the Love Struck die by Sizzix. I painted it with red acrylic and added some thrifted glitter.

Tim used two strips of the Vintage Lace Decorative Strip die cut but because I used real Scrabble Tiles for the words I didn't have enough room to place two strips on my tag. So I added one strip along the bottom as a decorative edge.

I made this Vintage Lace decorative edge by using a sheet of thrifted vintage music. It was too fragile to be used alone so I applied some Tissue Tape along the back to add stability before I die cut it. I further "aged" the sheet music with Tea Dyed Distress Ink.

Because the Heart was the focal point of the tag and I didn't have the honeycomb paper that he used I had to dig through my thrifted stash. I found a silver heart and hand-gathered some old lace into a ruffle to go around the heart.

I had the Trinket Pin and the Philosophy Tag in my stash. Among my thrifted treasures I found a vintage earring that added the perfect finishing sparkle to the piece.

I attached the Scrabble tiles in a crooked manner because I liked the playful appearance. The cupid is attached using glue dots that raise it above the card surface for a little dimension.

This has been a great inspiration to get back into the art of creating something everyday. Thanks Tim!

This is linked to:
Craft Envy, Home Savvy A to Z, Homemaker on a Dime, I {heart} Naptime, Marvelously Messy,  Sew Can Do, Singing Three Little Birds, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative and The Southern Institute

Thrifty Crafters Are Trendsetters!

I just got back from opening day at CHA {Craft and Hobby Association} Winter tradeshow. It is the largest tradeshow for the crafting industry. I can only describe it as fun, exciting, entertaining and enlightening.

I admit that I am a bit star-struck by the famous crafter/bloggers in the industry. The first favorite person I saw was Tim Holtz. He is so popular that I got just a quick hello and then he was off talking to the retailers.

Biscuit Tin Organizer and CHA Preparations

I've had a couple of vintage biscuit tins sitting around just looking pretty. I knew they made great storage solutions but with a bit of luck I discovered the perfect use for them.

If you're a paper crafter then you know that some scrapbooking supplies come in 12"x 12" sizes. Papers are easy to organize by theme or color but what do you do with things like 12" Grungepaper or 12" stencils or 12" chipboard alphabet sheets?

I discovered that they will fix perfectly in a biscuit tin. The larger sheets are in back and the smaller, bulky items fit in front.

My biscuit tin is sitting on a wooden stool that was my chair when I was a toddler. I like that it places the container higher so that I can tuck some sewing supplies underneath.

The two strawberry canisters hold vintage millinery supplies. On the wall to the right are some of my Tilt Bins holding items like acid free drawing ink and Glimmer Mist. I'm slowly but happily organizing my studio.

On a personal note: I finally completed the two catalogs, 47 packages and three booklets for Tim Holtz's new Sizzix lines for CHA {Craft and Hobby Association trade show} this weekend. This should explain why I haven't had the energy to do very many creative projects on my blog recently. I love working with Tim but his "creative genius" brain keeps me hopping. {Luv ya t!m} Hopefully I'll get my studio organized and be back making projects soon.

And in a few days I'll be at CHA in Anaheim, California and have a chance to meet up with some talented friends from the crafting industry. Hopefully I will get some great sneak peek photos of what is new and trending in the crafting world. It is very exciting!

This is linked to:
Coastal Charm, It's a Very Cherry World, Mod Vintage Life, Savvy Southern Style, Tales From Bloggeritaville, The Thrifty Home, Thrifty Decorating and Very Merry Vintage Style

Fused Bag Art

A few months ago I had seen a technique of fusing layers of plastic grocery bags together but I didn't have any idea of how I would use it. Recently I experimented with a lot of Tim Holtz's products and a little idea started to grow.

I started with eight plastic grocery bags, cut open and laid flat into layers. I will be posting a tutorial on how to fuse the plastic bags but this post is about adding art on the plastic before fusing.

Because the plastic bags are non-porous it was the perfect surface to use alcohol inks. I applied the inks directly onto one layer of plastic. Next, I used permanent black ink and rubber stamped several designs. Here is how the art started off.

Since the plastic is translucent, I used French ephemera from the Graphics Fairy printed onto vellum and layered it behind the inked layer.

Once I had the art completed I fused the plastic layers together to create a large piece of Fused Grocery Bags. "Fusing" involves ironing eight layers of plastic between sheets of parchment paper. I highly suggest practicing with scrap plastic until you know the correct temperature to use. Too hot and it melts the plastic. Not hot enough and the layers do not fuse. Most tutorials suggest the Rayon setting on your iron.

My original idea was to add a layer of plastic over the artwork so that the finished piece would have softer colors. Looking back, I love how vibrant the original artwork was that I wish I hadn't covered it with the final layer of plastic. 

Once I had the large piece of Fused Grocery Bags, I cut it into a folded rectangle, sewed up the sides, added a gusset, sewed seam binding along the top edge and added a handle. Here is the finished piece both front and back.

It has a distressed look which is created from the fusing of the plastic. Perhaps if you use the perfect heat setting then it might not wrinkle as much. Now I'm thinking that maybe the muted colors work better with the distressed plastic. This was my first attempt with this technique. It is a great way to recycle your plastic bags and create some unique art.

I am honored to be featured at:

Thrifty Decorating

Rook No. 17

This is linked to:

504 Main, A Little Knick Knack, Be Different Act Normal, Between Naps on the Porch, Cherished Treasures, Chic on a Shoestring, FaveCrafts, Finding Fabulous, Frugalicious Me, Just a Girl, Homemaker on a Dime, Keeping it Simple, Life Made Lovely, Lovely Crafty Home, Making the World Cuter, Marvelously Messy, My Romantic Home, Not So Simple Housewife, Paisley Passions, Rook No. 17,  Running With Glitter,  Sew Can Do,  Simply Designing, Skip to My Lou, Somewhat Simple, Sugar Bee Crafts,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Tatertots & Jello, The 36th Avenue, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, The DIY Showoff, The Shabby Nest, The Southern Institute, Thrifty Decorating, Truly Lovely, Vintage Wanna Bee and What Allie's Making Now