Butterflies A Poppin'

The most recent challenge at the Wendy Vecchi yahoo group was to make something that included some sort of pop up (could be done with the Sizzix Pop N Cut die), hearts, glitter, and at least one of Wendy's stamps.  This coincided with my needing a birthday card for a friend, and I had immediate inspiration.

After completing the card (which was more involved and took longer than I normally take in my card making), photographing it, putting it in an envelope for mailing, and posting it on the group site, I realized one tiny little problem.  Oh dopey me....instead of using hearts, I used butterflies.  LOL!  Well, I appealed to a higher authority (that would be list mom Lori), who assured me in her unique style that there would be no challenge po po coming after me, and my entry could remain.  Phew!

Although I do have the Sizzix die, I was intrigued by an accordian fold pop up card by Sandi Genovese (remember her?).  You can find the video here. (Thanks Vic for sending us the link!)      So that is what I used as my inspiration.

Here is the front of the card.  Deliberately plain, because all the action is on the inside.

 

 

The background is Graphic 45 paper, over which I stamped four of my many butterfly stamps (the two on the right are Wendy's).  The very top one was cut from another Graphic 45 paper, and attached only in the center, so the wings could flutter a bit.  The stamped butterflies were colored with distress markers.

 

The inside.....which, you'll have to trust me, is more impressive in person.  A little difficult for me to photograph well.

 

 

The largest butterflies are stamped images which were colored and cut out.  The four in the front row and the one in the middle of the second row are from that same Graphic 45 paper from which I cut the one on the card front.

 

The birthday greeting is a Wendy stamp.

 

 

The bottom of the inside is a strip of Tim's tissue tape.  The two stamped butterflies are Wendy's again, and those were covered with Glue N Seal and then sprinkled with distress dry glitter in clear rock candy.

 

 

 

Oh, and all of the paper on the inside is Graphic 45 as well.  I'm not sure of the collections they came from as I was just grabbing papers from my stash.....my not terribly well organized stash.







Toss The Smokes; Alter The Box

The Kindred Souls group is in the midst of a cigar box swap, and I was lucky enough to be paired with Neil, an awesome artist from England.  We briefly communicated and both decided that whatever each of us did would be fine.  I was happy to be making a box for a man, because I don't often get to do that,  and I did what I love to do......a little bit vintage, a little bit steampunk, a little bit grunge, and a whole lot of texture.   I just mailed the completed box the other day, and it will take about two weeks to reach Neil.  So, Neil, if you're reading this and would like to be surprised, step away from the computer or go visit another blog!

Above, a look at the box with the lid partially opened (yes, it closes nicely).  And now for some closer looks.  First, the top.

I took some corrugated cardboard and ripped off the paper covering one side, then cut it into different sized pieces for the mosaic look.  I used inks and stains to color the pieces until I thought they looked suitably grungy, and adhered them with a strong glue.  Then I went through my stash of keys, selected some and glued them down.  I wanted to attach some sort of knob to the top to aid in opening the box, but the craft knobs I had on hand (lots of them!) didn't have a screw long enough to go through the lid, and I had no screws in my junk drawer that would fit, so I wound up using a finial from an old lamp that worked perfectly.  It took a while to get the hole made, but an awl worked fine.

The sides of the box were covered with many scraps of patterned tissue paper and sealed with Ranger's Glue N Seal.  Oh, I used that on the top of the box too, by the way.  The chain goes all the way around the box and the swags were created by attaching the chain with plain old thumb tacks....which I banged up and colored with permanent ink to get a rusty look.

Decorating the inside of the box was optional, but I just couldn't leave it naked.  Here's what it looks like fully opened.  And next, photos of the inside of the box and inside of the lid.

                                         

For the bottom and sides of the inside I took some patterned paper and altered it with stamps and stencils.

The underside of the lid was covered with Tim Holtz's tissue tape, which was then colored with both Golden's fluid acrylics and distress inks.  And yes, everything was sealed and protected with more Glue N Seal.

I think boxes look nicer if they have some lift, so I added feet.....made from bingo markers.  The paper on the bottom of the box is plain old kraft from a disassembled grocery bag.  It was inked, crumbled, inked some more and glued down, without smoothing it too much so some of the wrinkles remained.  It may not look it in the photos, but I think it resembles leather. 

I left this out and opened for DAYS before packing it up (carefully enough, I hope) and sending it across the ocean.  Even though everything seemed dry after a few hours, you really want to make sure of that before shipping something like this.  I wouldn't want Neil to be unable to open it.  Speaking of which, before packing it up I did put a little something inside for Neil to discover.  No photo of that, so even if Neil decided to look, something will still be a surprise.













Pin It!

No, this is not a post about pinterest (although I've very recently started pinning and enjoy it a lot), but rather my response to the current Compendium of Curiosities 2 challenge.  Linda is giving us two weeks to work on a configurations project. All of the details you need to create one of your own can be found on pages 33 and 34 of C of C, Vol. 2.   You know, those boxes that Tim Holtz designed with many smaller boxes inside that can be used to create all sorts of things in the shadow box style.  I've made a few, as well as some printers trays (same idea, just shallower sections), and wanted to do something a little different.  Although the configurations pieces lend themselves to collections of memorabilia, they certainly can serve other purposes.  I had an idea percolating inside my head for some time, and Linda motivated me to finally put it into action.

Here's my piece.  Any guesses what it is to be used for?

C'mon, doesn't the post title give you a hint?   I have a huge collection of pins (that I mostly forget to wear), and I think they are too beautiful to keep tucked away all the time in jewelry boxes.  I've long wanted to have some way to display them but still be able to wear them if I want.  Enter the configurations box.

Admitedly, this project would have been easier to do with a configuration tray, but that's not what I had on hand.  First thing I'd need to do (well, not the first thing.  First I decorated the outside of the box with Tim's vintage subway sign paper.) was raise up the insides of the inner boxes, and at the same time have something to poke the pin backs into.  The solution, foam.  This is really easy.  Just use foam that is the correct depth, cut pieces slightly smaller than each inner box and wrap them in the fabric of your choice.  Gift wrap style.  You don't have to be  terribly neat in your cutting as the fabric hides all sins.  Put a glob of strong glue (I used Ailene's tacky glue) in the bottom of the box and stick the fabric wrapped foam inside. 

That's what I did.  If I had it to do over, I'd to the tissue tape part first.  It would have saved a little time, but it will work out either way.

The other thing I would  have done first was attach the decorative finial on top.  As it worked out I had to do a tiny bit of deconstruction to make the hole for the screw. 

It's helpful if you have some coordinating fabric, and I had this pack of different patterns within one color scheme by Moda:



So, here is what my finished piece looks like filled with just a few of my favorite pins.  The best part of all is that I can change out the pins whenever I want.  And I'll be able to enjoy them even if I forget to wear them.  Maybe if I see them on display I will put one on from time to time.

Looking at it makes me think it gives the expression "think outside the box" a whole different meaning, LOL.







The Accidental Project

It started out as a simple desire to better organize my big box of Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts, Clearly For Art, and Blossom Bucket Embellishments.  In the middle of doing so, my eyes kept darting between the spools Art Parts and the pile of tissue tape and washi tape on my work table.  Before I knew it, I was busy creating a simple, yet useful way to corral my tapes and keep them where I could see them.  Now, admittedly I have way more tapes than I need to keep out, but at least now I can have the tapes I most often use, or the tapes I need for a particular project at hand and all in one place.

The tubes that come with the spools set weren't long enough for my purposes, so I simply glued three together, reinforced the seams with tape (appropriate, huh?), then covered them totally with tape....this time tissue tape.  As you probably know, tissue tape does not stick to itself (duh! if it did how would we get it off the roll?), so to make sure it stayed put, and to give the whole thing some added strength, I covered it with Glue N Seal.  Wait!  Before I did that, I sprayed it with some Dylusions sprays.  I think it's time for some photos.

Above, the finished tape holder.  Like I said, simple.  To be useful, there just isn't much room for embellishments.

To finish off the top, I threaded some beads on a stick pin and just stuck it into the end cap of the tube (with a bit of glue to make sure it stays put).

The only place where I could do any stamping was on the disc on the bottom, and I used Wendy's polka dot stamp over the sprayed Art Part.

Ta da!  My tape holder in action.  Room for lots more, as you can see.

Now that I accidentally did something creative today, do you think I can also accidentally do some laundry?  Hah!  Sometimes I really crack myself up.



My Funny Valentine

Big announcement from Tim yesterday.....no more 12 Tags of Christmas (sigh....), but instead, the launch of the 12 Tags of 2012.  A new tag, chock full of techniques and step by step directions each month.  Starting with February, a Valentine's tag.

Not that I'm cynical about love, but whether I've been in or out of a relationship come February 14, it has just never been one of my favorite holidays.  But I couldn't resist the challenge, not to mention I had an idea to put a less than serious spin on things.

Tim's main technique involved the use of a specialty paper that results in a honeycomb (and very dimensional) image.  You have to click on the 12 Tags link above to see it.  Now, as much as I own in the way of supplies, this paper is not in my stash.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, however, was a vague memory of making homemade honeycomb paper with my kids way back when I was an elementary school teacher.  I did a quick google search and found this totally easy tutorial which is just the way I remember doing it.  Does it result in the exact same perfect honeycomb effect as the Inky Antics paper?  Of course not, but if you want to give it a try and are too impatient to wait until you can find the real thing, I don't think you'll be disappointed.  I'm not trying to take business away from Inky Antics, but not everyone has the means to buy every cool product, and besides, it's always nice to know your alternatives.

Before I go into details, this tag will be my entry for two challenges besides Tim's.

Grungy Monday #36 :  V-Day, Tim Holtz style.

Simon Says Stamp and Show :  anything goes

And by the way, both of the above challenges will have prizes sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.

I used Tim's paint resist technique with his Rock Star stamp, then used just about every shade of red distress ink over the entire tag.  The embossing you see on the top and right side was done with one of those skinny embossing folders from Sizzix.  Instead of the lace die for the bottom (which I don't have....and why is that?  Something else for the wish list), I used two Martha Steward border punches on Core'dinations whitewash paper.  I followed Tim's directions to make the heart with the tissue tape ruffled edge, and made the honeycomb heart following the tutorial directions I mentioned above.

When I saw cupid on Tim's blog, believe it or not, I was instantly reminded of the running man from Wendy Vecchi's Gentleman's Art stamp set (similar pose, no?), so I had him holding onto the heart,  and instead of covering him with red stickles, I used black diamond.

I used a plain old office date stamp for the one-day-too-late-for Valentine's-Day date, and right below it, the "oops" is from Wendy's Destination Art set.  The "I'm Late! I'm Late!" is from a Stamping Ground Alice in Wonderland set.

And I'm thinking this tag will go out in the mail to a friend who I know is also no great fan of V-Day, and won't mind a bit it's being late.



Grungy Monday 31 -- Happy Birthday Tim!

Linda Ledbetter, the brains behind Grungy Monday came up with a real winner this week....this Saturday is Tim's birthday, so Linda's challenge is for us to use whatever Tim products/techniques we'd like and create a birthday card for Tim.  I actually did mine on Monday, even popped it in the mail for Tim yesterday morning, but today is the first chance I've had to post about it.

While I was at it, I noticed that the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show is "something old, something new," and my card (and envelope) fit this challenge as well, so here we go with another twofer.

It's an easel card, and what you see peeking from beneath it is the envelope I made for it....which is what constitutes the "something old" part of the Simon Says challenge.  It was made from a sheet of vintage advertising, attached to some sturdy cardstock.  And it was part of a package of goodies sent to me by my good pal Nancy in Arizona.  (BTW, the "something new" is the distressed doily on the edge die I used to keep the easel open.....it was the very first time I used that die).

Here are some more shots of the card and some of the supplies I used.



The background paper, as well as the paper used on the triangles is from Tim's Lost and Found paper stack.  The letters that spell out FUN are Jenni Bowlin stickers, and they are attached to cardstock, placed inside blank brads (an old Stampin' Up product), and the whole thing covered with a layer of glossy accents.  I edged the triangles with some white paint so they'd show up better against the background, and they're glued to the string with glossy accents.



The filmstrip was cut from the filmstrip frames die.  Where did I get a stamp that says "Tim?"  Haha, I didn't.  It is actually a stamp from an Oxford Impressions set that says "Time."  I just covered the e with tape before inking, and voila!  A Tim stamp.   (As I take a bow for my cleverness, LOL).

And here is a better look at the envelope.  Although I used s a strong adhesive to seal everything, just to be on the safe side (and to add a bit of decoration) I used tissue tape around all the edges. 



Oh, and my message to Tim is above the doily where it can remain unseen while the easel card is displayed; one of the great benefits of this style of card. 

Only one last thing to say:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIM!!!



OMG, A Non-Cruise Post!!

Grungy Monday #22 - A Tim Inspired Halloween

and

Simon Says Stamp and Show Something With Wings

I was so happy to see Grungy Monday reappear, and lucky for me, I was able to create something that also works for the Simon Says challenge this week.

I'm not much of a Halloween person, but I know plenty of people who are, so this tag will be headin' out sometime soon.

The base is a black Ranger tag which was embossed with Cuttlebug's spiderweb folder.  Embossing ink was swiped over the raised parts and then brushed with copper and grape Perfect Pearls.  The top of the tag (where there was no embossing, is covered with some of Tim's Halloween tissue tape.

The bird is from Tim's Raven/Scaredy Cat die.  It was cut from grungeboard, inked with black embossing ink and covered with black embossing powder.  Then it got a coat of rock candy crackle paint.  When I went to finish drying it with my heat tool it did some crazy bubbling, but I'm going to say it was deliberate because I like the texture.  (But it really was a happy accident).

Behind the bird are both sizes of the mini rosette die. They were cut from some Cosmo Cricket Halloween paper that I've had for about two years.  The Happy Halloween ticket is hanging from a bit of ribbon behind the raven.

OK, I think I'm done with spiders and black cats and ravens and witches.  Bring on Santa!

Hey Mr. Postman....

......bring me some postcards!  Do people on vacation still do that?  Nah, I think not.  We just aim our phones at random monuments and send them to torture our stay at home friends.  Well, to put an end to such modern but less than artistic practices, I recently hosted a postcard swap with some of my buds.

Everyone made cards depicting either real or imagined vacations, personalized the backs, got them to me, and I assembled them into books with my trusty Cinch.  I also made covers for the books, and now that everyone has received theirs (well, almost everyone, so you know who you are and if you want to be surprised, go to another blog) I'll share them with you.  It was a fun project to do this summer, and it reminded me of so many trips when I was younger and the only way to communicate with the folks back home was by mail.

Here is the front cover that I made, using Tim Holtz paper and stamps, tissue tape, a few other odds and ends, and covered with my new favorite supply, Ranger's Glue N Seal.

I'd love to show you the backs of the cards but I doubt my friends would appreciate seeing their names and addresses all over the internet.  Keeping privacy intact, here are the cards:

 love the bathing beauty!

 wish you could see all the shine and dimension under the lighthouse

 fantastic way to represent the sun!

 dreamy and romantic, just like Paris

 she really didn't go round the world a la Phineas Fogg, but sounds like fun!

 gorgeous stamping, and the blue star marks Alaska, the destination of this cruiser

 some people have out of control imaginations, as this card, commemorating a

trip to Idahopia attests.  The happy vacationer had a spud-tacular time.

 greetings from one of my favorite places, England

this one is mine, since I didn't go anywhere this summer (not that I think

being in NYC is any kind of hardship, LOL)

this swapper made cards of every place on her wish list to visit, and I

was lucky enough to receive Paris

The back cover was done similarly to the front, and is a good example of turning lemons into lemonade.  I did everyone else's book without a problem, but when it came to my own (guess I was tired) I punched the holes in the back cover on the wrong side.  Look how I solved that problem:

Sometimes ribbons are your best friend.

Goin' Hauntin'

I had a blast working on this week's Grungy Monday project.  Linda L. chose a cool technique for us to incorporate.  Click HERE to see how it's done from the master himself.  And for those of you who just arrived in my world, I am referring to Tim Holtz.

While I do enjoy the quirky, I am not particularly a lover of all things Halloween.  However, at this time of year so much of the new crafts products seem to involve that holiday, so it's been on my mind.  And, I had this leftover cover from a small configurations project, and some Halloween tissue tape, and a stamp set, and ......

So, here is my skeletal friend, just chillin' in front of his digs, doing some last minute prep work before his big day:

I lined the inside with one of Tim's Halloween tissue tapes, and the outside with the other.  The back on the inside is the apothocary label page from his Lost and Found paper stack.  Here's a side view:

Inside, behind Mr. Skeleton is the piece I did with this week's challenge technique.  I used the witch hazel stamp from Tim's Haunted Mansion set.  Attached to the top of the box is a raven, also from that set.  I put a poison label (from the Curiosities set) on a small vial, and attached it with wire to the vellum piece.



The haunted house is actually called Rickety House, and it is a Tim Holtz Sizzix die.  I cut it from a piece of Core'dinations paper (the black magic line), then ran it through my machine in the Cracked embossing folder, and sanded the raised areas.

As for Mr. Skeleton himself.....I bought a bunch of them in Mario's shop on the 2009 cruise to Mexico, and this is the first one I've used in a project!  He's somewhat pliable, so I've managed to sit him up, cross his legs, and manipulate his arms so he's holding his book.  C'mon, admit it, that book tickles you as much as it does me. 

I tore some black lace up and attached it the top.  It sort of hangs down, and I'm not sure how well you can see it, but here's trying:

I didn't even try for any twofers or threefers this week.  This was one of those rare times when I actually had a clear picture in my mind of how I wanted this to turn out.  So, now I'm off to see what I can do with the Simon Says challenge.