Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 May

Hello!

thanks for stopping by.  Another Tim tag to share.  This month Tim challenged us to pick out some things from our trinket stash and do a creative composition assignment.  Yes, he asked us to actually use all those goodies we have been buying and "saving" for the right project.  Ha, ha, ha.

Check out Tim's inspiration piece on his blog here.

My composition is similar to Tim's.

This is the fifth month in a row that my friend Michele and I have gotten together to work on our tags!  So much fun.  We haven't managed to finish the tags while working together so I haven't been able to show you her versions.  I'm hoping at some point this year I will get pics of both of our versions.   Big shout out to Michele who is always so generous with her supplies and tools.  Thanks bunches!  Between the two of us we manage to always have what we need to complete the tags.

I have to say my favorite tile is the butterfly.  Just love that movers and shapers die.  And doesn't it look great that frame?

This was our first time using the Shadowpress words.  Takes some practice to get used to what they can do.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  The key is to not use a print that is too busy or the word just gets lost.

Here is some close ups of the trinkets I choose for my tiles.

This one took me out of my comfort zone a bit.  Felt good to stretch my creative muscles with these composition tiles.  

Are you playing along with Tim's 12 Tags of 2014?  If not, what are you waiting for?  Take some time each month for some creative play and join in!

I so appreciate you taking the time to check out my version of Tim's May tag.

Happy Creating!  Take care.  Hugs,  Sharon

Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge 2

Hello there,

Its time for challenge 2 in the Compendium of Curiosities III Challenge.  This one is all about the bling.  Love me some Distress Glitter!

If you are playing along in the challenge be sure to head over to Studio L3 to get all the details and check out what the Curiosity Crew has come up with.

I think the world could use a little more glitter, don't you?

I used some Peeled Paint and Stormy Sky glitter to add some sparkle to this globe.

Its hard to capture just how much bling Distress Glitter has.  Not too much bling though, just enough to add a twinkle to any project.

Rock Candy crackle gives the globe stand just the right grungy and vintage look.  I pulled it all together with a textured background.

I am really enjoying the CC3C.  We are given a technique and then can choose any type of project.  Ah, creative freedom.  So. Much. Fun.

Be sure to stop by Linda's blog to see what see and the crew created for challenge 2.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I really appreciate your support.

Happy Creating.

Hugs,  Sharon

Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge 1

Hello there, hope you are having a great week!

Have you picked up your copy of Tim Holtz latest book, A Compendium of Curiosities Volume III?  If not, what are you waiting for?  It's got the latest techniques that you will want to try.

The fabulous Linda Ledbetter, over at Studio L3, has invited all of us to join in on another challenge using the techniques in CC3.  Not only do we get to play our way through Tim's new book but we will get tons of inspiration from all those playing along, Linda and her Curiosity Crew.

I've decided to play along.  How about you?

Thanks to Inspiration Emporium for sponsoring CC3 Challenge # 1!

Challenge 1 is the Paint Marbling technique.  Here is what I came up with.

Here are the colors I chose . . . 

Some close up shots . . . 

Hope you decide to come play along.  Or at least visit Studio L3 to see all the amazing art.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  I so appreciate getting visitors and I love to get comments.

Happy creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 April

Hello!

Just getting the post on my version of the April 2014 Tim Holtz tag in the nick of time!

Whew, its been so busy that I just haven't had the time to sit down and share it with you!  My pay the bills job is insanely busy with new hires, training, and the usual payroll, benefits, safety, and our computer network.  I wear a lot of hats.  In addition I just had two days of jury duty and I'm helping when I can at Chico Scrapbooks to get ready for the big National Scrapbook Day weekend.

My friend Michele has been playing along with me this year.  It has been great to have someone to get creative with.  You can find her on the net as hyperartistgirl.  Her blog is here.  She also has an Etsy shop where there are some unique creations.

If you haven't already, check out Tim's April tag on his blog at http://timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2014-april/

We followed Tim's design using our own palette of colors.  We used the honeycomb frameworks instead of the trellis frameworks, and the tattered florals die instead of the tattered pine cone.

Great reminder to just take time to breathe!

Love the texture.

As usual, Michele and I had a great time creating our own version.  Won't you join us?  Tim always posts the new tag on the first of each month.  Look for the May tag tomorrow.

Thank You for taking the time to stop by.  Hope you get a chance this month to create something.

Take care.  Hugs,  Sharon

Birthday Cards - Masculine and Feminine

Happy Monday Everyone!

hope your week is starting out great.

I know its been a bit since my last post.  Busy at my pay the bills job and weekends have been full too. I have been working on some projects behind the scenes.  Today I'm going to share a couple of birthday cards that I made for friends recently.

First up a masculine card for the sports fan in your life.  Have you seen the Graphic 45 Good Ol' Sport Collection?  Perfect for those sport minded guys and gals in your life.  As this card was for a baseball fan I just used baseball images.  There are quite a variety of sports represented in this line so it is easy to personalize cards.

I used one of the Touchdown paper postcards for a label on the front of the envelope.

The front has a pocket with a hidden holder.  Just perfect for a gift card.

This is an easel card and doesn't have a happy birthday sentiment on the outside so it makes a wonderful home decor piece after the birthday is over.

On the inside is a panel where the birthday message goes.

Graphic 45 Good Ol' Sport Collection papers used:

• Teamwork
• Newsworthy
• Champion
• Touchdown

Next up is a feminine birthday card using lots of Sizzix dies and embossing folders along with some Distress ink and Tim Holtz Idea-ology.

The background image was created with a Vintaj 6 x 6 embossing folder on watercolor paper.  I used some bright Distress colors to give it a fun and girly feel.  The layered flower is the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die by Sizzix. 

This is also an easel card with the sentiment on the inside.  The words on the front are created using Idea-ology chit chat stickers colored with distress inks.

Here is a close up of the layered flower.  You can see that each layer is texturized with a different embossing folder.

Idea-ology fragment charms highlight the remember the now sentiment.

Supplies used for the feminine birthday card:

• Canson watercolor paper
• Vintaj Leaf Rosette embossing folder
• Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations dies:  Tattered Florals, Styled Labels, Mini Labels Set
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology chit chat stickers and fragment charms
• Tim Holtz distress inks in picked raspberry, mustard seed, wild honey, iced spruce, black soot, vintage photo
• Tim Holtz Sizzix embossing folders:  Bubble and Honeycomb set, Snowflake Pattern & Plaid set, Springtime Background and Borders set

Hope you like these easel cards.  They make for a wonderful birthday (or any other occasion) presentation that can be displayed after the event is over.

I have more projects in the works for some spring and summer classes.  Will also have some fun display items that I made for Chico Scrapbooks to share as well.

Thank You so much for stopping by!

Happy Creating!

Hugs,  Sharon

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