Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 March

Hello Friends!

Happy last day of March.  Nothing like waiting until the last day to post my versions of the Tim Holtz tags, huh?  Hee hee hee.

I follow along each month and make my own version of Tim's tags.  Check out how Tim does smudge stamping here.

This month I actually had my two tags done early on.  My gal pal Michele and I have been meeting this year and doing the tags together.  So much fun to have a partner in Distress!  So why did I wait to post my tags?

Well, to be honest I wasn't happy with them and wanted to re-do them or fix them.  I never found the time to do that and so there they are just as I made them at the beginning of the month.

I'm going to share them anyway.  It's about enjoying the journey and finding joy in the creating.  Not about creating something perfect.  I caught myself falling into the comparison and perfection trap.  I don't want to go there and that's why I'm showing my tags.

 Here are my tags.  The original is on the right and the smudge stamp is on the left.

What's not to be happy about you ask?  I wish I had done a better job of inking up the feather stamp.  The original image is light and so the smudge is almost non existent.  Then when I spritzed through the stencil I got a little carried away and covered up most of the feather.

The original.

The smudge.

As I look at these photos I'm reminded how much fun I had playing with the stamps and the spritzer.  I absolutely love this stamp set with the birds, nest, feather, and eggs.  Just so many possibilities!  This is why I craft.  For the love and joy of it.

That egg just makes me happy!  Remember to create for yourself first.  If you do create something you are not happy with, learn from it and move on.  After all its only paper, right?  You can always make another.

Thank You so much for stopping by.  I hope you get to find some time to get inky and create something that brings you joy!

Happy creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

Spring - Birthday Card and Gardens

Hello!  Happy Spring to You!

I love Spring, don't you?.  One of the other things that I like to do besides crafting is gardening.  The past few years I have not been able to work too much out in my yard and my poor raised beds have been neglected.  On Saturday my hubbie and I were able to get outside and refresh one of the beds so I could plant some vegies and flowers.  Hope you don't mind if I share a bit about my garden.

Warning!  Photo heavy post.  Grab a cuppa, settle in and enjoy!

First, I'll show you a card I created for my sister's birthday.  What does this have to do with Spring you ask?  Well, Denise's birthday is March 21st so when I think Spring I always think of her.  Happy Birthday big sis!  Love ya!

I used the yummy Sweet Sentiments line from Graphic 45.  One of the great things about Graphic 45 is that their designs are so versatile.  Perfect for a Spring Birthday card, right?

The pocket on the front of this easel card holds a postcard stamped with the happy birthday sentiment.  I used some Tim Holtz stamps to create a postage stamp and cancellation.

Easel cards make for a more 3 dimensional display but fold down flat for mailing.

Here are some close up detail shots:

Ok, on to the gardening portion of our program, ha ha ha.  Just a few photos to share.  Felt so great to be out digging in the dirt.

Here is my sad and neglected raised beds before we got to work.

First thing was to take the drip irrigation out, add some more dirt and mix it in.  My hubbie, Chris is the best helper!  He did most of the hard part and left me the fun stuff.  Gotta love that man!

Check out that custom hat - ha, ha, ha!  It took years of being on the bottom of the garden shed to get that swagger and curve in it.

Ahhhhh, all fresh and new again.  Ready for some plants.

Instant garden!  Went with seedlings to get a jump start on the season.  I've got lettuce, spinach, chard, zucchini, snap peas, chives, and a little volunteer strawberry that came from a garden a few years ago.

And some chocolate mint that was threatening to take over the bed that got a new home in a pot to keep it contained.   Mmmmmm, smells so good!

We ended up not refreshing the other raised bed.  The bulbs have already come up and there are a couple of plants that need to be moved to other locations that aren't ready yet.  For now the daylily, sedum (Autumn Joy), and lambs ear, along with various bulbs will be joined by some annual flowers.

I'll add more flowers as the Spring and Summer progresses.  Be sure to check back to see how the vegies and flowers are doing.

Hope you enjoyed the Spring tour!  Feels good to get outside again and get my hands dirty.

Take care.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Happy Spring!  Happy gardening!  And happy creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

Happy St. Paddy's and More

Top O the Day to Ya! 

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday and St. Patricks Day.   While I'm at work our meal is cooking away in the crock pot. Not really in to the corned beef so I just got a brisket to go with the cabbage, red potatoes and carrots. Hope you have something festive planned to celebrate the day. 

Had a wonderful weekend at Chico Scrapbooks!  Saturday was an all day crop and Sunday I taught a mixed media canvas class.  Nothing better than hanging out with good friends and getting crafty. 

Here is my sample for the Spring Flight class.  Thank You to Debby, Michele, Pam and Rosemary. You did an excellent job and inspired me with your variations on my canvas. 

Where are the photos from class you ask?  Weeeeelllll, I really do have the best intentions to take photos of the class in action. I get so involved in teaching and walking around looking at the progress that I get totally lost in the moment and before I know it class is over.   I feel so blessed to be teaching something that I am very passionate about.  I do indeed think I'm  very lucky to have met so many people that share the same passion that I do. 

Wish I had some more photos to show you today. I've got several projects in the works that I will share when they are complete.  Terri, my teammate at Chico Scrapbooks, and I  have been collaborating on decorating a tree that is displayed in the store. We are currently working on an Easter themed tree for April. The reveal is usually the last week of each month and Jodie takes a video the following week. I'll show you the cute shadow boxes for the tree once they are complete. I'm also working on another simple but festive Spring/Easter multi panel wall hanging. 

Are there any projects or tutorials that you would like to see on the blog?  I've had some requests on the steps for tags. What else would be interesting or useful?  Would love to get your feedback!  Leave a comment on this post or send me an email (listed on the right side column). 

Hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy the rest of your week. So excited that Thursday is the first day of Spring. I know for some of you it's still very much Winter. May the winter give way to the warmth of Spring sooner than later. 

Thanks so much for your support and for taking the time to stop by. 

Happy Creating!

Hugs, Sharon

Graphic 45 Design Team 2014 Audition

Hello,

its Graphic 45 Design Team Call time again.  Graphic 45 papers and products are one of my go to lines.  The vintage inspired designs and colors are so inspirational.  I only have to look at the papers to get tons of ideas for projects.

I've decided to try out for the Graphic 45 team!  Part of the first round is for artists to create a blog post with a minimum of 6 projects.

 Here are some of my favorite Graphic 45 projects to share. . . .

Tag with Olde Curiosity Shoppe.  One of my first projects with Graphic 45.  

A memorial tribute to my cousin Camille.

Olde Curiosity Shoppe 50 Things @ 50 mini books.  Look at the blog post here.

Just because I love Olde Curiosity Shoppe  so much, here is another . . . a wall hanging.  Look at the blog post here.

A Ladies Diary wall hanging.  You will find the blog post here.

Steampunk Spells box and mini.  What a perfect combination - Halloween and Steampunk!  The blog post is here.

Other favorite projects without Graphic 45 . . . 

Gratitude place cards.  More details on the blog post here.

A mixed media patchwork canvas.  The blog post is here.

Valentines tag, Tim Holtz style.  Check out my version here.

A hair raising experience stamped canvas.  The blog post is here.

An earth day landscape.  More details on the blog post here.

Happy Birthday easel cards.  The blog post is here.

Hope you like my favorites as much as I do.  Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great week!  Happy Creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 February

Hello all!

Tim's tag for February was chock full of techniques.  Chalkboard, stencils, embossing, and glitter.  If you haven't been by his blog to check out Tim's February tag you can find it here.

My version features the doily stencil and some grunge wings and crown.

 Do you love the sparkle of the distress glitter as much as I do?  These photos don't quite capture the shine of this glitter.  Super blingy in person.  I used pumice stone and peeled paint distress glitter here.

The chalkboard technique is so fun.  I don't have the same embossing powder that Tim used so I used my white embossing powder.  Still gives an effective chalk look.

The industrious stickers, the arrow and the border on the bottom are a perfect finishing touch.  It all came together nicely.  Makes me happy!

Are you following along and making your own version's of Tim's tags?  If not, join in the fun!

Thanks for stopping by.  

Happy Creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

Masculine Valentine Shadowbox

Happy Valentines Day!

Hope you are spending it with one you love.  My husband and I try to make every day about love and we know how much we love each other so a long time ago we agreed that we didn't need to make a big fuss over this one day.  We usually don't even exchange cards.  I'm ok with that.  He is the best husband and does so much all the time to show me he loves me and how important I am.

That being said this year I was inspired to create him a valentine shadowbox.  Something he could keep in his office.  When I saw the Love Letters post by Emma Williams I knew I had to make my own version of her shadow box.

Check out Emma's Love Letters post here.  I discovered Emma through either a Sizzix or Simon Says Stamp post.  She does amazing work and I find inspiration there all the time.  Thank You Emma!

I wanted to surprise the hubbie with this token of my affection.  When he was in the shower this morning I snuck into his office and left it on his keyboard.  It made me so happy to be able to surprise him and see the gratitude and love in his eyes.  Love this man!  So glad to have him in my life.

Ok, the mushy love part of the post is complete.  Tee Hee.  On to the project.  As I said I got very excited and inspired when I saw Emma Williams shadow box.  

It is made with chipboard and the Tim Holtz Sizzix postage stamp die.  All the hearts, the feather, and the pen nibs are also die cut from chipboard. 

Old book paper was used for the background.  The banners are from watercolor paper and then stamped and inked.

All of the hearts were embossed with texture fades.  Some were crackled.  The final touch was a spritz with the new Tim Holtz Distress Marker Spritzer using copper and gold sharpies.

Great little project, don't you think?  So many possibilities with this.  Holidays, birthdays, special events, or just because.  Gather your chipboard, dies, texture fades, inks and mediums and have some fun.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I love to get your comments.  Happy Creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

Happy Day - Easel Birthday Cards

Good Afternoon!

It has been a happy day.  Slept in.  Did some chores.  Went grocery shopping.  Got some studio time in.  Yay!  Rainy day here in Northern California.  Perfect crafting weather.

We have a few birthdays coming up in the family so I decided to make some easel cards.  Nothing new about these.  You can find tutorials all over the web.  Just thought they would provide a nicer presentation than a plain, flat card.

I wanted something easy and quick.  I started with some pre-made cards and envelopes.  Folded the top flap in half, adhered some sturdy card stock, and tah dah, an easel card is born.  The rest is all about the pattered paper, die cuts, stamps and ink.   I also used my We R corner chompers to add some interest.

I used the 8 x8 Collage Paper Stash from Tim Holtz Idea-ology for some masculine cards.

KaiserCraft Lavendar Haze for the feminine cards.  Love the pop of pink combined with the black.

Easy right?  The nice thing about easel cards is that you can get as detailed as you want and it folds flat for mailing.  

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you get some studio time in too!

Happy Creating!

Hugs,  Sharon