Dabber resist

Our FB group, for anyone who's done (or is doing) Tim's 'Creative Chemistry 101' course holds a monthly challenge.  This month, it's the 'dabber resist' technique and today's the last day for posting!!!
I've been experimenting (playing around!) with it & here's my attempt!...

 The background text & the main quote are Tim's stamps,

the flowers are from a 'retro florals' set by Chocolate Baroque

I used a silvery pearl cardstock, which seems to work quite well.  The background is in peeled paint & broken china.  I embossed the quote & the middle flowers with dried marigold distress powder on top of spiced marigold distress ink.

taken with flash, this shows the shine from the cardstock!

 At the moment, I've put it in a wooden frame - I did have a try doing the dabber resist technique on a frame, but I think I need some warmer/lighter colours of stains - the peeled paint in particular came out very dark on the wood - not the effect I was looking for at all!!!  Once I've got a couple more colours, I'll have a go at the frame, with a few embellishments as well, of course!!

I didn't have as good success on other surfaces - here's one I did on linen-textured cardstock... I found it quite difficult getting the stain off the resist but leaving it on the background!! Again, I used the same colours of distress... (stamp by PaperArtsy)

Back soon (in June)!  Kay x

CC2C - challenge 7

It's time for the next Tim Holtz "Compendium of Curiosities vol II" challenge, hosted by Linda of Studio L3.  This week, the challenge is being sponsored once again by eclectic Paperie.
So, this week's technique is 'brushless watercolour'.  Now in Tim's book, it's on page 49 &  I've used this technique for the card background.  But we also learnt another, different 'brushless watercolour' technique in his Creative Chemistry 101 class (you can still join this class - it was amazing!) and I've used this one to add the butterflies.

I used watercolour paper, which gives a great effect!  I did the background in tattered rose, & used lots of different distress colours for the butterflies.

Such fun techniques!  And a way to watercolour where you don't have to be able to draw!!!
A little bit of ribbon,  a black diecut butterfly which I spritzed with perfect pearls (heirloom gold) & it was done...
I also started on a piece which I'll add to a card later, after I've added a couple of bits!

I love this colour combination of peacock feathers & crushed olive - I can see me using this a lot!

Back soon!  Kay 

12 tages of 2012 - May (and more!)

Just in time, a tag inspired by Tim's stunning May 2012 tag.  Such a beautiful tag, & gorgeous faux porcelain flowers!!
Firstly, I have a confession to make - for some unknown reason, I have no Tim Holtz haberdashery stamps (unless you count my 'sewing room' die custom foam stamps)!  How has that happened? (I can't believe it!)
So for May's tag, I've pulled out some 'Stamp Attack' haberdashery stamps I've had for a while instead! But at least I've used my custom 'dress form' foam stamp!

My first attempt didn't go too well (the background stamp was too obscured by the dress form) - but I cut out the dress form to use on another tag (see below) & stamped the 'Made to Measure' words on a blank bit for this tag.

And my first attempt at UTEEing the flowers was hopeless (I haven't yet got a melting pot - which is definitely on my wish list now) so I scraped off the solid clumps of UTEE (!) & had another go, this time using beeswax - slightly better - up close the texture is a bit like velvet (although it's a bit 'solid' - I love beeswax so that's yet another reason I would like a melt pot!)

I didn't want too many embellishments on it as the dress form is quite striking, but I did add some real, probably vintage (!) press studs (snap fasteners) to the triangle stamp at the bottom, along with a vintage hook & stamped button on the hanger clip.
Very grungy this tag, a bit to grungy for me?  not sure! Anyway, there it is!

So anyway, I decided to use my 'spare' dress form for another tag.  Here in the UK, everything is gearing up to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations the weekend after next - 60 years on the throne!!!  So there's lots of Jubilee things in the shops; Union Jacks, crowns, corgis (!) - red white & blue everywhere!!
So as I can't beat them, I've joined them!!!

This tag is based (very loosely!) on Tim's May tag with the dress form & flowers (this time inked in picket fence, tumbled glass & worn lipstick distress markers, & coated with glossy accents which I think gives more of a porcelain effect!).

 I inked the background (through a Union Jack stencil from Tanda)  with worn lipstick & tumbled glass distress markers, as I wanted the colours to be light & bright.  I added a couple of stickers onto the dress form from the company East of India (which produce some lovely things) - these were from their Jubilee sticker sheet no 1741 (background to the tag photo) - I found them in a gift shop in Watford - but the company supplies lots of retailers in the UK!!  

I used Tim's '60' game piece, adding diamond bling & added some Jones Tones silver hologram glitter (which is very fine) to Tim's crown.  I found some (very old) rub-on numbers which I added for the dates.  A bit of trim, & it was done!
I may well do a couple of other 'jubilee' pieces... 


Back soon!  Kay

CC2C - Challenge 6

So, it's week 6 of Linda's Tim Holtz "Compendium of Curiosities vol II" challenge, this week sponsored by the Funky Junkie Boutique...
This week's technique is 'tissue wrap collage' - page 38 in the book.
I'd not tried this technique before - as I was doing it I really wasn't sure how it would turn out!  I think at some stage I might get the music tissue wrap as well; it seems to be more 'open' (with less printing) which would maybe give a brighter effect.  I was pleased with the result though!  I love the texture of the tissue wrap..

I added cranberry dabber, & then I used the following distress ink colours - peacock feathers, squeezed lemonade, wild honey, mustard seed, & scattered straw.  I also put on a little frayed burlap, bundled sage & crushed olive distress markers with my fingers over the raised bits!
Finally, I decided to add a bit of contrast, so I painted the foliage flower & die cut letters with a thin layer of broken china distress crackle paint (for the colour, not particularly for the crackle!).

texture detail (& this is more the colours of the original!)

I think this technique would look great on a 'mixed media' canvas (especially as you'd get another layer of texture behind it with the canvas) - I must go & experiment!
Back soon!  Kay

CC2C - Challenge 5

It's week 5 of the Tim Holtz 'Compendium of Curiosities vol 2' challenge on Linda's blog, this week it's kindly sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.
Turning to page 48, you'll find the 'how to' for the Shattered Stains technique, which I used for the bird on the branch...
This week, I decided to do a quick tag, as we were away at our friends' house at the weekend...  It was quite showery, so I thought the quote was appropriate!

I added the bird to a black tag - I stamped the quote in picket fence distress stain (and went over it a bit where it wasn't clear in picket fence distress marker), and then inked the background with tumbled glass & picket fence stains, finally adding the stained trim & teardrop 'jewels'.

you can see the shattered stains technique better in this photo!

Back soon!  Kay 

CC2C - Challenge 4

Another week, another technique for Linda's "Compendium of Curiosities II" challenge, based on Tim Holtz's new book, available direct from Tim here!  This week it's 'faded layers' ... on page 43.
Here's my take on the technique.  I used the new limited edition spring distress inks; squeezed lemonade, shaded lilac, and peacock feathers, with a little bit of wild honey on the edges.  I really love these new colours!  The base card is made of silvery cardstock, inked with the same inks.

Back soon!  Kay

CC2C - Challenge 3

This week's Compendium of Curiosities Vol II challenge on Linda's blog is for Tim's marbled stains technique on page 46, and this week's sponsors are eclectic Paperie.
Certainly a challenge!  I love the look of marbled stains, but I really don't find this technique easy - I still need lots of practice!!  I'm in awe of everyone's marbled stained backgrounds already posted! Anyway, here's my attempt!

I used Tim's technique on the card with broken china, dusty concord & picket fence.  Then I edged it with mustard seed.  I stamped over with Dyan Reavley's Dylusions flower background stamp, & added more distress on the flowers, to make them stand out a bit more!  And I embossed Tim's quote (which I then stamped over with jet black archival) and the flower centres with Stampendous Fran-tage aged silver powder.
My final additions on the card were stained tissue wrap, and 3 pearl buttons.  I remembered I'd got a packet of 'waxy flax' a while back - I thought the turquoise/blue colours would go with the background - they did, so I used 3 of the colours for the bows.


Back soon!  Kay

New spring seasonal distress inks!

I was so surprised on Saturday evening when I went onto Countryview Crafts website & saw Tim Holtz's new 'Spring' seasonal distress inks were available, especially as he'd only blogged about them last Wednesday!  Thank you, Countryview Crafts, ordered late on Saturday, dispatched yesterday & arrived this morning!!! (I've ordered quite a few things from them - free postage & packing to the UK!!! & as long as it's not the weekend, the parcel usually comes the next day - & the prices are good as well!).
So I've been playing with them this evening - at the moment I've only used them on their own (with a little stamping in black soot or jet black archival & vintage photo for the edges on a couple of them).  I love the colours, & I'll be trying them out with other distress colours soon!
I decided to use some of the techniques from Creative Chemistry 101... 
Blended spritz & flick

 Brushless watercolour

 Wrinkle free distress

 Finally I coloured a Dylusions background stamp with a waterbrush (having pressed pads on my craft sheet - I think it shows the range of colours you can get quite well...

Back soon! Kay