I have so been feeling that “Spring Fever” lately. I love this time of year when the trees and bushes are budding out. When we moved into our new house, I was soooo pleased that we had most of those Southern “ya’s”: Azaleas, Camelias, Gardenias, you get the picture. Now is when those Azaleas are supposed to start budding out. I hate to say it, but I think the “Snowpocalypse” may have taken them out. Anyway, I decided that I wanted to make this weeks project a little bit Springy. I have never done an “Etcetera Tag” before and I have been dying to do one, so I figured something to display for Easter would be perfect. Plus, in sticking with that whole “taking the wrapper off” thing, I removed a few wrappers too. Let’s start with the background.

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Last weeks YouTube Live demo from Tim Holtz was about Distress Inks so if you missed it, you may want to check it out. He demoed using the regular Distress Inks with the Distress Oxides. So, as you can see, that’s what i did. I used two pieces of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock cut to the width of the Etcetera tag. Then, by pressing the ink pad into my nonstick side of my media mat and spritzed it with some water droplets. I then dabbed the paper into the ink and water mix until I was happy with the coverage. As you can see, I used several shades of the blue and several shades of the green until I was happy. My aim was for the color of sky and grass. Once I was happy with my colors. I distressed the edges with a little Vintage Photo. I used the Stampers Anonymous Craze & Planks (CMS344) and stamped the craze image with Distress Ink “Broken China” for the blue and Distress Oxide “Mowed Lawn” for the green.

I wanted to add another layer, so I used my Distress Ink “Picket Fence” as my embossing ink and “White” embossing powder from Ranger. The stamp set that I used for this was also Stampers Anonymous Papillon (CMS106). I always like to add some sort of script to my backgrounds. The stamp set that I used for this was Stampers Anonymous Faded Type (CMS397). The colors that I used to stamp the images were same as before, Distress Ink “Broken China” and Distress Oxide “Mowed Lawn”. And last on the background, I wanted to add a little bit of texture. For this, I used Grit Paste and a stencil from Stampers Anonymous called Blossom (THS031) because I wanted to stick with that Spring theme. Once both pieces were good and dry, I cut them down and glued them to my tag with Distress Collage Medium. I then added an “Etcetera” trim piece that I painted with “Tumbled Glass” Distress Paint. And that was the background.

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Now we come to that whole “taking the wrappers off things” part of the make. LOL. The new Sizzix release from Tim Holtz was amazing. I have to say that I probably bought way too much. But, today, we took some wrappers off of them and used them, so that makes up for it, right?? Instead of using colored cardstock, I decided to get inky and make the colored papers that I needed. I needed brown and green for the trees, gray for the rabbit, and orange for the carrots. Same technique as before, just press a little ink onto the nonstick mat and dab the paper into it until I was happy with the coverage. For the orange, I got a little industrious and added some stamping. LOL

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The Sizzix die sets that I “unwrapped” for this project were Funky Trees (665217) and Oliver (665219). I had already used the Carrot Bunny (665213) so that was already unwrapped. LOL. I just love how cute Oliver is. Those trees and carrots just add the perfect touch.

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Once I got everything cut out and glued together, I just played with it for a bit until I was happy with the placement. I glued it all down with some Distress Collage Medium. I added a few pop dots to Oliver and it was done. He’s soo cute! I think this is going to be a great little display piece for Spring. I love it!!

Until next time,

Jennifer

Y’all!! Today is a day that I’ve been waiting on for quite a while now. As you know, we have been in the process of moving, and it has definitely been a process. We have moved a little at a time for about three weeks now. This weather has not been cooperating. Between what we have so lovingly referred to as the “snowpocalypse” and the pouring down rain and thunderstorms that we’ve had here in Louisiana, it’s been slow going.

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This much snow is a very, rare thing here. But, I am glad to say that just about 90% of the craft room has been moved and finally unpacked. I have been dreaming about this craft room for a long time now. I know most crafters are probably that way. You have things you’ve always said you would do if you ever got the dedicated space. Well, this has finally been my chance. Today as I stood there, I have to admit I was just a little bit overwelmed as to where to begin. LOL. But only for about a minute. Once I got over myself, I decided to dive in.

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Todays make just seemed to really flow. I decided a while back, that I was gonna be taking off the wrappers on products and tools and finally make use of them. I think I unwrapped a few things today. However, these things haven’t really been with me that long. I’ve been dying to play with the new Sizzix die “Perspective Butterfly” (665201) (unwrapped) from Tim Holtz. I’ve been seeing some amazing inspiration on social media. This butterfly is HUGE! I think it turned out pretty nice. Let’s me take you through the process.

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The first step was to cut out this beautiful butterfly. For the background, I used Distress Mixed Media Heavystock by Tim Holtz. The weight of this paper is amazing for getting inky. I sprayed the paper with three of my Distress Oxide ink sprays. The colors I used were Peeled Paint, Peacock Feathers, and Rustic Wilderness. I dried it with my Ranger Heat It tool and then spritzed it with a little water. I dabbed up the excess water with a cotton rag and it left those wonderful water droplets. I then splattered a little Black Soot Distress Paint with my Splatter Brush. Once this was good and dry, I used my Vagabond and the Perspective die to cut out the butterfly. I did run it through the vagabond a few times, but only because the butterfly was so intricate.

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Next up was the background for my card. For this I used “Crackling Campfire” in both regular Distress ink and Distress Oxide ink, and “Speckled Egg” in Distress Oxide. I used my favorite technique of smudging a little ink onto my nonstick mat side of my Tonic Glass Media Mat. I spritzed the ink with a little water, and then dabbed my heavystock into the mix. I used this same process for each color, being sure to dry my paper in between each color choice. Once I was happy with the coverage, I distressed the edges with a little “Vintage Photo” Distress ink, and a little more “Ground Espresso”. You can never have too much brown. LOL. I used one of my favorite stamp sets to stamp a little bit of text into the background. The set I used was Stampers Anonymous “Faded Text” (CMS397) by Tim Holtz. I then took a mini stencil and some more “Vintage Photo” to stencil some foliage onto the background. I applied the ink thru the stencil with a Distress stencil brush. As you can see from the pic, a tip I learned from watching all the Tim Holtz Saturday demos was to have a stencil brush for each shade. I have one that has been marked with a brown sharpie that I can use with all the shades of brown Distress inks. One for brown, one for red, one for pink, one for blue….. You get the picture.

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After I glued my butterfly to my background, the next and last part was the sentiment for the card. I used a scrap from the piece I had cut for the butterfly. I always save scraps. You never know what you’re gonna need. I used my “Crackling Campfire” Distress Oxide and a mini blending tool to color my scrap. I spritzed it with a little water and dabbed the excess water with a cotton rag. I then chose my sentiment from another stamp set from Stampers Anonymous called “Perspective” (CMS213). I love this sentiment. I think it is definitely perfect for todays make. LOL. I stamped the sentiment with Ranger’s Distress Archival Ink “Ground Espresso”. I trimmed it down with my brand new (unwrapped) Tonic Deckle trimmer and then distressed the edges with some more Distress “Vintage Photo” and “Ground Espresso”. I pop-dotted it onto the card and I call that done.

I simply LOVE just about everything about the way this make turned out. I love the colors. I love the butterfly. And I definitley love the sentiment. I’ts perfect for today. This was my first make in a brand new craft room that I have definitely had a passion for and been dreaming about for years now. I love making things, playing with products, but I’ve always had to clean up the table when company came over. I think that may have hindered me a bit. Now, I love having a dedicated space where I can just stop what I’m doing if need be. I can come back to it later and not have to worry about the craft room having to become a dining room again. Now it’s “A place for everything and everything in it’s place.” Now, I just have to remember where I put it all. LOL.

Until next time,

Jennifer

Oh my goodness, y’all! Where has the time gone?? I’ll tell you where it’s gone. It has been sucked up with buying a new house, working with a contractor and packing the current house. Well, as much as I can pack and still live here. LOL. we just purchased a mid-century home a few months back and it is in need of a little rehab. LOL. I have, however, left the craft room for last because I have NO idea how long the rehab will take. We are praying that we can be in there by Christmas. I think October was the last time I can remember getting my fingers inky. Horrible, I know. I have, however, been collecting a lot of the new Tim Holtz holiday items. So many in fact, that it has taken me forever to figure out what I wanted to do for my Christmas cards this year. I figure December 1st made it time to start on them. LOL.

I feel like sending Christmas cards has become a lost tradition for most. I just love getting them in the mail and clothes pinning them to my Christmas garland that hangs over my door into my dining room during the holidays. I do feel, however, that they are becoming fewer each year. I just love making them and sending them. I hope that they bring a smile to whoever’s face when they open them and see the time and care that went into them. Anyway, Here’s a quick tutorial of what I did.

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This card was relatively simple this year. It only becomes a little time consuming when you make fifty. LOL. For this card, I used the new Distress Heavyweight white card stock. However, with all the inking that I did, the manila would have probably done just as well. I used my normal technique of smudging the Distress Ink pad onto the craft mat and spritzing it with water. I then just sort of dabbed the paper into the inky mix until I was happy with the amount of coverage. I dried the paper in between each application with my Heat It tool from Ranger. Then I just added another color of ink. For this card, I used three colors of Distress Oxide inks: Tea Dye, Speckled Egg, and Cracked Pistacchio. I used the same technique for each individual color.

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For the framing of this card, I used one of the new stamp sets by Tim Holtz from Stampers Anonymous. The name of this set is Skethc Greenery (CMS429). I used two of these stamps: the pine needle branch and the holly berry and leaves. Of course, to stamp these images, I used the BRAND new Rustic Wilderness Distress Ink from Ranger Ink. It is the perfect shade of green for Christmas foliage!! I then took my Faber Castell “big brush” markers and colored the holly leaves and berries. The colors I used were Deep Scartlet Red (219) and Green Olive (167).

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Next, I used the Vintage Photo and my mini blending tool to distess the edges of each background. Then I used the Ground Espresso and a finger dabber to give it that nice, dark edge.

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Last step for this card front was the embossing. For the embossing, I used my Tim Holtz Tonic Stamping Platform, Distress Embossing Ink, and some gold embossing powder that I have had for years from Stampendous. I used my stamping platform to make sure that the image was stamped in the same place every time. The sentiment I used was Holly Jolly Christmas. I stamped the sentiment with the embossing ink and then sprinkled a generous amount of the embossing powder over the ink. Then, I tapped the paper onto a piece of printer paper on the table to knock off the excess. You can pick the paper up and pour the excess back into your jar of embossing powder. Then, using an embossing gun, you heat the image until the powder melts. This gives you have that glitter, gold goodness without it coming off on your fingers!! Love the gold!!

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This is just a little step I like to take. It’s definitley not neccessary, but I think it makes a nice, personal touch. I found this stamp at Scrapbook.com a long time ago. I stamped this image with the Distress Archival Black Soot onto some blank card bases that I found at Michaels in the Christmas crafts section. I love blank card bases. It saves me those extra steps of cutting the cardstock and folding it. LOL.

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For the inside sentiment, I chose two sentiments and the holly leaf stamps from the Christmastime 3 (CMS427) and the little bird with the holly leaf in his mouth from the Snarky Cat Christmas (CMS416) set. The color I chose was Festive Berries in the Distress Ink. I used my stamping platform to align all the stamps where I wanted them. The stamping platform just allows me to make sure that each image is sstamped in the same position every time. I love this stamp set! It has those great, retro fonts that remind me of vintage Christmas cards. Love it!!

Once I was done with the card front, and the card base, I used my X-press It High tack tape to adhere the front to the card base. I just Love these cards. I think they have just enough grungy, vintagey, Holiday goodness. I LOVE them. I hope the people who receive them will love them as well.

My crafting times have been few and far between, so if I don’t talk to you before then, I hope you and your family have a very merry, Merry Christmas!!

Until next time,

Jennifer

Hey Y’all! It’s been a little while, but I’m back in the craft room today. We are in the process of buying a new house so as much as I hate it, my crafting time may be a little sporadic over the next few months, so please forgive me. Lol.

This week’s theme over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is “spooky”. I don’t really do spooky, or Halloween at my house, but I do have a Big ‘ole black cat. And that’s no lie. He weighs about 20 pounds. We call him Humphrey. Humphrey was a gift from God. I say that because he just showed up in our backyard one day. He decided we seemed like nice people and decided to stay. That was almost four years ago. So now, anytime I see black cat items that I like, I tend to snatch them up.

I decided to make an art journal page for the challenge this week. I decided to work in my Dylusions 8″x8″ Art Journal. The Tim Holtz tools I used today were Stampers Anonymous Layering stencil THS147, Snarky Cats Halloween CMS407, Faded Tyoe CMS397 and Sizzix Haunted 664735.

Here’s what I did. I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Crackling Campfire to ink my background. I just smudged some ink onto my Ranger craft mat and spritzed it with water. Since I was working in my art journal, I picked the ink up with a piece of acetate and transferred it to the art journal page. I did this until I was happy with the coverage. I then used my Distress sprayer with water and spritzed the page with some big water droplets and dabbed them up with a cotton cloth. Then I used my Stampers Anonymous Faded Type stamps to add some text to the background. I used my Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink in Orange Blossom to stamp the image. I also used my new layering stencil and Distress Ink in Crackling Campfire to add a little more interest to my background.

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Once I was done with the inking and stamping, I used my Distress Ink in Vintage Photo and a blending tool to distress the edges of my page. Then I took my white gesso and a Distress Splatter Brush and added a little texture with some droplets of the gesso. This technique is becoming one of my favorites. All you do is put a little of the gesso onto the nonstick mat and spritz it with a little water. Then, you dab the splatter brush into the gesso and holding the brush over your project, you slowly pull back the bristles causing the gesso to splatter the page. It gives you these great droplets. You can also use black gesso, or black paint if you wanted to darken your page.

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Next was the Snarky cats. I love these sets because the sentiments are so spot on for what I would figure cats think. And yes, you know we all talk for our pets. Lol. For the pumpkins, I just stamped them with my Distress Archival in Black Soot. But for the cats, I really wanted them to be black, so I embossed them with my Distress Embossing Ink and Ranger Black Embossing Powder.

Next comes the Sizzix parts. I have to admit I kinda went the easy route on these. I’m not very patient when it comes to tiny, tiny pieces, and it’s just an art journal page, so I doodled some of the details instead of cutting them out. I’m sure it would have looked much better had I cut them out, but I didn’t. I love this haunted house die, strictly because of the black cat in the window. Lol. I’ve also seen some wonderful makes where they make an everyday house and not a haunted house, so I figure I’ll find plenty of uses for this particular die. For the lettering, I used the relatively new set, Alphanumeric Shadow Upper (664729). I used gray kraft stock and highlighted them with a black ink pen.

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No, it’s not very spooky. But after all, it is how we interpret the theme. To me, black cats aren’t spooky. I think they get a bad rap, thanks to Halloween. My black cat doesn’t have a spooky bone in his body. He’s very loving and very talkative. LOL. I wouldn’t trade him for anything.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed making it. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Until next time,

Jennifer (and Humphrey)

Here is a list of the supplies:

   Ranger  Dylusions 8”x8” Art Journal

Products used:

   Distress Oxide Crackling Campfire

   Distress Ink Crackling Campfire

   Distress Ink Vintage Photo

   Ranger  Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink Orange Blossom

   Distress Archival Ink Black Soot

   Distress Collage Medium

   Distress Embossing Ink

   Uniball White Gel Pen

   Fude Ball Black Pen

   Ranger Black Embossing Powder

Tools Used:

   Stampers Anonymous Snarky Cats Halloween  CMS407

   Stampers Anonymous Faded Type CMS397

   Stampers Anonymous  THS147

   Ranger Heat it Craft Tool

   Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

   Sizzix Haunted 664735

   Sizzix Alphanumeric Shadow Upper 664729

Today’s make was a Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. The prompt for today was “add a photo”. Well, this little picture has been on my brain a lot lately. As most of you know, I live in Louisiana. Contrary to what you might think, not all of Louisiana looks like this. I live in the Northern part of the state and you don’t see this as much as you’d think. In looking at properties around town, my husband and I found this little, peaceful spot. It’s right in the middle of town. My mom was all about her state. She loved all things Louisiana. And she LOVED dragonflies. When we were looking at this particular property, the dragonflies were out in full force. So this is what inspired todays make. I just love makes that have special meanings and sentimental value. Don’t you? They seem to go so much better than what you had planned. Let me tell you how I did this.

Todays substrate was watercolor paper from Arteza. I used the smooth side of the paper because I knew I was going to be doing alot of stamping. For my background I used my Distress Oxide Ink pads. The colors were Forest Moss and Peeled Paint. Perfect selecetion for a swampy bayou. LOL. I smudged a little of the Forest Moss onto my nonstick mat and spritzed it with some water. I dabbed my paper into the mix until I was happy with the coverage. I dried the paper really well with my Ranger Heat It tool and then did the same procedure with the Peeled Paint. I think I had to do this about two times for each color until I was happy. Once it was good and dry, I used my Peeled Paint and a blending tool to fill any spaces I wasn’t completely happy with. Once I was completely happy, LOL, I cut my paper down to 8″x10″ because I think I want to possibly frame it.

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Next, to finish out my background, I distressed the edges with some Ground Espresso Distress Ink. Then, I used my Distress Splatter Brush and my Black Soot Distress Paint and splattered a little black paint.

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Once I was happy with my background, I got out my Lavinia Stamps stamp binder. This is just a binder I purchased at Office Depot and it has acrylic stamp sheets in it. It’s strictly dedicated to Lavinia Stamps. That makes it sound like I have a ton of them. I don’t. But I’m working on it. LOL. For stamping, I used my Distress Archival inks. The colors were Black Soot and Peeled Paint. Most of the stamping was done with the Black Soot. Also, somewhat necessary when you are silhouette stamping, is a stamping tool of some sort. I have the Tim Holtz Stamping Platform, and I have a small Misti. It just depends on what I’m working on as to which one I use. I used several of the stamp sets from Lavinia Stamps. Here is a list of the ones I used: Mooch (LAV404), that’s the cat, Whimsical Hares (LAV482), The Fairy Foragers (LAV498), Fairy Dandelions (LAV373), Fairy Lanterns (LAV586), Bullrushes (LAV003), Fairy Bugs (LAV471), Berry Leaves (LAV577) and Fairy Orbs (LAV377). As for stamping, I traced where my frame was going to go and I just added things until I ran out of space. LOL. Using the stamping press helped me to stamp over and over if I needed to get a good, dark coverage. You have to make sure your paper doesn’t move or you could end up with a shadow. I was quite pleased that the only thing that I got a shadow on was the bigger dandelion.

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And, last but definitely not least, the Bayou. I used a Tim Holtz Idea-ology baseboard frame, and glued my picture to the back of it. I then, of course glued it to my page. I just love these Lavinia Stamps sets. They’re so whimsical and they were the perfect touch for my bayou scene. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed making it.

Until next time,

Jennifer

How many of you have projects that you started and just lost interest in? I got on this big kick of Christmas in July in JULY. And now, here in September, almost October, I have decided to finish it. Well, at least finish it for now. I just need to get it off my table. LOL.

When the Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fabric “Yuletide” came out this Summer, of course I thought quilt. I have one of those unfinished too. LOL. But, I also thought about maybe some type of banner for my mantle. I feel that it still needs a little something, I just haven’t figured out what yet. If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments. Can’t wait to see what you come up with. But for now, I’ll tell you how I got to where I am at this point.

First thing I did was decide which stamp sets I wanted to use. The two sets I chose were from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz line and they are Scenic Holiday (CMS391) and Cirque Alphabet (CMS065). I just love the vintage scenes and frames from Scenic Holiday and I just new that the Cirque Alphabet would add a nice, vintage touch. First thing I did was cut some mixed media cardstock that was large enough for the frames and the letters. I then took my Distress Oxide in Barn Door and smushed some of the ink onto my nonstick mat and spritzed it with water. I dabbed each piece of the mixed media cardstock into the mix until I was happy with the coverage. I spritzed it again with some water and then dried them really well.

Next step was the stamping. For this I used my stamps, stamping platform, and Archival Ink in Jet Black. For the end pieces, I stamped one of the scenery images; and for the letter cards, a postcard for a frame and then the letter. I used Distress Ink in Ground Espresso and a blending tool to distress the edges of each card.

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So next, but not shown, I took some chipboard and cut pieces that were just a little larger than my stamped images and covered them with the Idea-Ology Christmas paper Noel. I also distressed these pieces with the Ground Espresso.

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Next thing I did was take some watercolor paper and my Distress Oxide Sprays and ink up some green paper. The shades I used were Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint, and Forest Moss. Once I had dried the paper, I had myself a little Vagabond party. I used the Holiday Greens (658759) Tim Holtz Alterations die set from Sizzix to cut out some greenery.

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Next was just a little assembly. I glued the greenery pieces onto the Noel paper pieces. I then pop-dotted the Red Barn cards and glued them on top of the greenery. I made sure to have the greenery sticking out under the red cards. I then used my Cropadile to add eyelets to each card so that I could string them together with bakers twine. I used four differnt shades of twine to give it a little strength.

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Then comes the two months later part. I know, “Say it ain’t so”. But it is. I did actually pick up a green garland at an estate sale about a month back for like $2.00 I think. So I decided that might be a good addition to this project. So, today I cut up a few of the different fabric designs in my fat quarter bundle of the Yuletide fabric into 1″ strips. As you can see, I got a little help from Honeysuckle. She loves to be included in the decision making process. LOL

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Once I got rid of the help and got my strips finished, I tied some of the strips to the bakers twine in between each card. Then, I simply tied the whole banner to the garland with more pieces of the fabric. No, it’s not going to hang over the doorway. It’s a little too short. But, I think it will be the perfect size to add to my mantle. However, my mantle is decorated with the appropriate, seasonal decorations right now, so I couldn’t test it out. LOL

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I know, it’s not quite time for Christmas decorations. This has already come down and will be packed away until after Thanksgiving. Again, I feel like it may need something, so please feel free to leave me a suggestion in the comments. I hope you get inspired to get in your craft room and get something finished. I know I have more in there to get done, but lets just focus on this win for now, Ok? Thx.

Until next time,

Jennifer

Hands UP!! How many of you have unfinished projects? Or in this case, un-started projects. Haha. I bought this Tim Holtz Idea-ology Flip Frame a while back, fully intending to do a scene for each month. I’m not sure I will be able to get twelve cards on there, or come up with 12 themes. Haha. Today we are going for October, though. I got the new Crackling Campfire and just knew I needed to start with October. Yes, it’s September, but work with me here. I’m still waiting on my new fall stamps to come in, so today’s make is using the Stampers Anonymous Halloween Blueprint 2 (CMS167) set by Tim Holtz and some candy corn minis. I did however use the new Halloween paper dolls from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology line. I found this cute little trick or treater and the project took place from there. Here’s how it went.

First, of course, was the background. I have to say, I am loving this new Crackling Campfire. For my background, I used Distress Oxide Crackling Campfire, and Vintage Photo. As with most of my projects, I just smudged some ink onto my nonstick mat and spritzed it with water, dabbing the paper into the ink mix until I was happy with the coverage. I just love this effect that it gives. I repeat this same technique for all colors that I choose. I then distressed the edges with a little Distress Oxide Ground Espresso with my blending tool.

I then took my Stampers Anonymous wood grain layering stencil (THS023) and the Ground Espresso with my blending brush and added the woodgrain look to the background. I also took the wheat stamp in the set and my Distress Archival Ground Espresso and added a little wheat to the background. You can’t really see it once the project was finished. But I know it’s there. Haha

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Next, I used my Crackling Campfire in the Distress Oxide to color a piece of mixed media paper for stamping my Pumpkin. I used the Distress Archival Black Soot for stamping the pumpkin. Once I stamped the pumpkin, I used my Big Brush Markers to color the stem and the vine and of course, fussy cut it out. The candy corn pieces were an after thought. I already had them colored and left over from another project. I adhered these items to my card with my Distress Collage Medium. Once this was all good and dry, I used my white Uniball pen to highlight the stamped image a little.

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I took my little gypsy, trick or treater and highlighted a few spots with the Distress Embossing Glaze in, you guessed it, Crackling Campfire. Added her some fairy wings, and pop-dotted her to the card.

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I added a sticker from the Idea-ology Curiosities Sticker Book that says “The Jack-o-lantern. I then took my Hug Snug, white seam binding, and spritzed it with some water. I then, spritzed it with Distress Spray in the Crackling Campfire. Mixed it around a little till I was happy with the color, and dried it with my Ranger Heat It tool. I adhered it to my card and tied a little bow. I added a few enamel hearts, and that was that.

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For the first card of the Flip Frame project, I think it turned out pretty cute. I am really loving this new Crackling Campfire, but I think I already said that. Haha. I think it was definitely the perfect color for Tim Holtz to release during this season. LOVE it! Well, I hope this was helpful and maybe inspired you just a little.

Until next time,

Jennifer

Here is a list of the supplies:

   Ranger  Distress Mixed Media Paper

Products used :

   Distress Spray Stain Crackling Campfire

   Distress Oxide Crackling Campfire

   Distress Oxide Vintage Photo

   Distress Oxide Ground Espresso

   Distress Archival Ink Ground Espresso

   Distress Archival Ink Black Soot

   Distress Collage Medium

   Distress Embossing Glaze Crackling Campfire

   Uniball White Gel Pen

Tools Used:

   Stampers Anonymous Halloween Blueprint 2

   Stampers Anonymous  THS023

   Ranger Heat it Craft Tool

   Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

   Hug Snug Seam Binding white

   Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Flip Frame

   Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Halloween Paperdolls

   Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Transparent Wings

Y’all, today’s prompt for the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge was “Oodles of Doodles”. In this case, not so much. Haha. I don’t doodle and the only thing I have that even resembles doodles was the Stampers Anonymous set Stitches (CMS365) by Tim Holtz. So, it’s in there. But since I don’t doodle and didn’t really have alot to add, I just went with a small project today and made a tag.

The tag that I used was a mixed media tag from the Tim Holtz Distress line from Ranger. It is great for mixed media projects. I actually tried a DIY custom blend today. I got the “recipe” from @kathinwesthill on Instagram. If you follow the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, then you know her as Kath Stewart. I LOVE this blend, and I thank her for sharing it on FB. Here are the colors if you would like to make your own as well: Antique Lined (DI), Speckled Egg (DO), Old Paper (DI) and Frayed Burlap (DO). The blend is AMAZING. You just add a little to your non-stick mat and spritz with water. Then you dab your paper, or tag in this case, in the mix. You may have to do this a few times until you are happy with the coverage. I think I did maybe three? Four??

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When I was happy with the coverage on my tag, I distressed the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress Oxide with my blending tool. Then, I used my white Gesso and my Distress Splatter brush to splatter some white droplets onto the tag. I am really getting the hang of this splatter brush thing. Haha. Practice, practice.

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Next is where the “doodles” comes in. Haha. I used my Distress Archival Vintage Photo and Stampers Anonymous Faded Type (CMS397) to add some “scripty” text. Handwriting, it’s doodling right?? I know, it’s a stretch. But!! Then, I used the Stampers Anonymous set Stitches (CMS365) to add a little border on the sides. The Stitches do actually look a little “doodly” to me. Some of my stamping wasn’t exactly straight, but thank goodness there are embellishments.

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I have found a new love in Finnabair Icing Paste. I just love the shimmer. I used a limited edition stencil that has the word found on it, so I used that and my Icing paste to give it a little shine. Icing paste is a little thinner than normal texture paste, but same concept and you’re left with a great metallic effect on your project.

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If you follow my blog, then you’ll remember I had a Vagabond party a while back. When I say Vagabond party, what I mean is this: I took almost a whole weekend, inking water color paper and mixed media paper. I then took several of my die sets and cut out tons of items with my Sizzix Vagabond. One of the sets that I used was the Sizzix Wildflower Stems #1 (664163). I have used these on several projects. If fact, it may be time for another Vagabond party. Once I decided where I wanted them to go, I used my Distress Collage Medium to adhere them to the tag.

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Next, I found a really cute Photobooth picture of these two friends laughing and having a good time. I distressed the edges with my Vintage Photo, and pop dotted it to the tag. I then picked my sentiment out of the Snarky Big Talk sticker book. I think I found the perfect pic and sentiment to go together. “Friendship must be built on a solid foundation of sarcasm and shenanigans.” I LOVE it. I think there is no truer saying than that. And, If you know me at all, I do have a tiny bit of sarcasm running through my veins as well.

The sentiment comes in either black or white. I chose the white one and colored it with a little bit of Antique Linen Distress Oxide, and distressed the edges with Vintage Photo. This was also pop dotted to the tag.

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And, last but not least, the ribbon in the tag. I used white Hug Snug seam binding as my ribbon. I like keeping plenty of the white on hand because I can use whatever color of spray I am using and make a matching ribbon. Today’s spray was Vintage Photo. I simply cut my ribbon that I was going to be working with, and spritzed it with some water. Then, I sprayed it with the Vintage Photo and used my Heat It tool to make sure it was good and dry.

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I am really loving how this tag turned out. I was a little worried about how I was going to do getting back into the swing of things after taking a few weeks off. I’ve had a few events the past few weeks and my dining room table just wasn’t available. I’ve been spending time with friends. And yes, there was lots of sarcasm and shenanigans.

The thing I think I love most about these challenges, is the motivation. I get to go in my room and just make. A little “prompting” here and there isn’t too bad either. Haha

Until next time,

Jennifer

Here is a list of the supplies:

   Ranger  Distress Mixed Media Tags

Products used :

   Distress Oxide Spray Vintage Photo

   Distress Oxide Antique Linen

   Distress Oxide Vintage Photo

   Distress Custom Blend Ink Pad

   Distress Archival Ink Vintage Photo

   Distress Collage Medium

   Liquitex White Gesso

   Finnabair Icing Paste White Gold

Tools Used:

   Stampers Anonymous Faded Type CMS397

   Stampers Anonymous  Stitches CMS365

   Ranger Heat it Craft Tool

   Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

   Sizzix Wildflower Stems #1 664163

   Idea-ology Big Talk Snarky stickers

   Hug Snug Seam Binding white

Y’all!! Today’s prompt for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge was “Summer Memories”. When I think of Summer Memories, I think of backyard gatherings, sitting on the deck, watching the kids play in the pool. There’s not so many of those days anymore, as most of those kiddos are growing up and having babies of their own. This little guy, tho. His mother sent me a picture a few weeks ago of him holding his learner’s permit. He’s not the cute, little baby anymore. He’s still cute though, but I’m his aunt and I have to say that, right?

When I saw that the prompt was Summer Memories, I immediately thought of all the Summer scrapbook paper that I have collected over the years. All those bright blues that are in just about every paper pack. I’ve been doing mostly mixed media lately, but I decided to throw a little scrapbooking into it as well and do an art journal page with this picture of this little cutie pie. I think this is one of my favorite Summer pictures.

For my art journal page today, I used my Dylusions 8×8 art journal. I of course chose my Distress Oxide Sprays since I am working in a journal. The colors that I chose for my background were Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Mermaid Lagoon. Since I was only planning on one page, I used my Ranger Silicon Mat to protect the other page from spray over. The first thing was to spray the page with some water, and then spray the Tumbled Glass. Once that was dry, I used a layering stencil from Stampers Anonymous that resembles Bubbles (THS138) and sprayed my Distress Resist Spray over the Tumbled Glass. Once that was good and dry, I spritzed it with some water and sprayed my other two colors.

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I decided I wanted to use some pieces I had already cut out with my Vagabond and make a net, if you will, to hold the items in. To make the net, I used some cheese cloth that I picked up somewhere at an estate sale I’m sure, and my Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide Spray. This is a really great technique that you can use on white ribbons, white flowers, etc. (you get the idea) to make them whatever color you need. The trick is to spray it with some water to make sure that it will wick up all the ink, and then spray it with whatever color your heart desires (or your make requires).

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Next, I matted my picture with a piece of scrapbook paper that I had in my stash and distressed the edges with my Vintage Photo Distress Oxide and a blending tool and foam.

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Once I was happy with my picture, I tried to get happy with my background and my “net”. I have to keep it real here for a minute. I wasn’t too sure about how it was looking with just the background and the net glued down, but you can’t always tell early in the make. Thank goodness! I do admit I was more pleased with the final outcome. LOL. To make me a little more happier with the background, I decided to do a little stamping to fill in some holes. For the stamping I chose a set from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection called Faded Type (CMS397). This is without a doubt, one of my favorite stamp sets. For the ink, I used Distress Archival Mermaid Lagoon. This made me happy!

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Next thing I did was tear me a piece of paper to cover my “net” because I forgot that I wanted to use my splatter brush to splatter some white gesso on my paper. Please tell me I’m not the only one who says, “Oh yeah, I forgot to do…” during a make.

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Once I made sure it was good and dry, I then placed my photo onto my art journal page with pop dots and Distress Collage Medium. Then I had to decide my arrangement. Decisions, decisions. I said earlier that I was planning on using a few pieces I had already cut out with my Vagabond. The pieces I used were a sea horse and two sand dollars cut out with the Tim Holtz Alterations set Mini Sand and Sea (659582). I distressed these pieces with my Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink as well, and positioned them in my net. I added a few Prima flowers with some brads for a little pop of color, and some BoBunny bling that I had in my scrapbook stash.

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And that was that! I think this make turned out pretty cute. The kid’s ok too! LOL. It was looking a little iffy there for a minute or two, but in the end…. You be the judge.

I have to say that I think Summer is one of my favorite seasons. As long as I can stay inside, or in the pool that is. Haha. I cannot do this Louisiana heat anymore. I guess Summer runs a close second to Christmas, though. I do like that weather better. Haha. Please, leave a message in the comments. Tell me what Summer Memories means to you!

Until next time,

Jennifer

Here is a list of the supplies:

   Dylusions 8×8 Art Journal

Products used :

   Distress Oxide Spray Tumbled Glass

   Distress Oxide Spray Broken China

   Distress Oxide Spray Mermaid Lagoon

   Distress Oxide Spray Frayed Burlap

   Distress Oxide Ink Vintage Photo

   Distress Archival Ink Mermaid Lagoon

   Distress Collage Medium

   Distress Resist Spray

   Liquitex White Gesso

Tools Used:

   Stampers Anonymous Faded Type CMS397

   Stampers Anonymous 

   Ranger Heat it Craft Tool

   Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

   Ranger Silicon Mat

   Ranger Craft Mat

   Sizzix Mini Sand & Sea 659582

Y’all, the first week in August is the PERFECT time to be doing a “Happy Birthday” themed challenge!! Because……. August is MY birthday month!! Yes, I will be celebrating all month. We have several birthdays in August. It’s my husbands too, but I mean come on!! To add icing to the cake, Simon Says Stamp gave me permission to play with Stampers Anonymous Stamps. So, I guess you could say today’s challenge was right on. Haha. For today’s challenge, I of course went with a birthday card. It was simple and quick, but I think it turned out simply beautiful.

I used a kraft paper, blank card base, and my Dylusions Mixed Media Cardstock. And of course, with my Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamps, I went with Distress Oxide Sprays. The colors I chose were Peeled Paint, Crushed Olive, and Shabby Shutters. I used my favorite technique of spraying a little of the spray on my non-stick glass media mat and spritzed it with a little bit of water. I then dabbed my paper into the ink droplets until I was happy with the coverage. I made sure it was good and dry with my Ranger Heat It tool before moving on to the next color. I of course used the same technique for all three shades of green.

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Once I was happy with my inky background, I used my original Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, to distress the edges of my paper. For this, I used a blending tool and blending foam. You just simply apply the ink in a circular motion, around the edges of your paper until it makes you happy.

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On to the Stampers Anonymous Stamps!! For today’s make, I chose Baroque (CMS400), Classics #1 (SCF001), and Just Sayings (CSS31727). For the background, I chose to use the smaller flourish in the Baroque set. I stamped the image with my Distress Archival in Vintage Photo to match the distressed edges. I figured that would blend in nicely in my background. And, I think it did.

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For the main focus of my card, I went with the dragonfly from the Classics #1 set. My mother used to take pictures of dragonflies, so I’ve acquired a new appreciation for them, lately. When you pay attention to them, you’d be surprised how many different colors and types there are. We were at a house on the lake the other day, and there were some little, bitty, baby ones in an azalea bush. So cute!

Anyway, this dragonfly, today, is liquid platinum. I just LOVE liquid platinum. It is beautiful when it’s heat embossed. For those of you that may not know, a quick tutorial on heat embossing. First, you stamp your image that you want to emboss with embossing ink. I used my Distress Embossing Ink, but there are others out there. Once you’ve stamped a good, clean image, you pour the embossing powder over the image and tap off the excess. I prefer to do this part over a coffee filter, or a piece of copy paper so that when I’m done, it can be poured back into the bottle. Then, using a heat embossing tool, you heat the powder until it melts. You end up with a beautiful, crisp image. Some embossing powders are shiny, and some can be dull. This particular powder is true to it’s name. It just looks liquid!!

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Once my dragonfly was embossed, I couldn’t really decide what to do about my sentiment. But, since I liked the embossed dragonfly so much, I just decided to go the same route with my sentiment. The set I used for the sentiment was the Just Sayings set from Stampers Anonymous. I think this set was made for your big box stores, and i think I purchased it at either Hobby Lobby or Michaels. Once I was happy with the page, I adhered it to the blank card base with my Xpress-It double sided tape.

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And that, as they say is that. Simple, but somewhat elegant, I think. But that’s just me. It really is all about what makes you happy. Dragonflies, they make me happy. Birthdays, not so much now as they used to. Little peoples birthdays, those make me happy. Cake!! Now CAKE, that makes me HaPpY!

Until next time,

Jennifer

Here is a list of the supplies:

   Dylusions Mixed Media Cardstock

   Blank Kraft Paper Card Bases

 Products used :

   Distress Oxide Spray Peeled Paint

   Distress Oxide Spray Crushed Olive

   Distress Oxide Spray Shabby Shutters

   Distress Ink Vintage Photo

   Distress Archival Ink Vintage Photo

   Distress Embossing ink 

   Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder by Ranger Ink

Tools Used:

   Stampers Anonymous Baroque CMS400

   Stampers Anonymous Classics #1 SCF001

   Stampers Anonymous Just Sayings CSS31727

   Ranger Heat it Craft Tool

   Marvy Embossing Tool

   Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

   Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat by Tonic

   Tim Holtz Stamping Platform by Tonic