Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101 - Day 3

So, it's been a catch-up weekend for me!  Loving it!
Day 3 was all about Archival Inks.  And this almost totally the day of umbrellas (I don't know why - it wasn't raining, we've actually had some lovely sunny days!!)



1) Alcohol Ink Agates (left)
2) Archival Resist (centre)
3) stamping with reflections (right)

 1) Alcohol Ink Agates
For the background, I used a mix of six inks, Gold Mixative & Blending solution.  Then I stamped Art Journey's "Umbrella Girl" in Black Archival over the top.  I love alcohol inks!

2) Archival Resist
So the other day I bought a couple of 'bright' archival inks (I'd only got black & sepia) and used these (Magenta Hue & Aquamarine) together with StazOn mustard & pumpkin for the "resist" (Stampington stamps, & actual bubble wrap!).  Then I added distress stains & finally the images in black archival.

3) Stamping with reflections
OK, so most of my texture fades are all-over patterns, apart from Tim's small set.  And with my first attempt using - yes, you've guessed, Umbrella Man - this didn't cover the whole of the tag!  And I haven't got any reflections stamps - so this is my take on it!  I stamped a PaperArtsy image in black archival onto the texture fade using a small tag, from which I then ripped off the top & bottom & inked with distress.  For the 'background' tag, I just inked up the texture fade with Aquamarine archival & then went over with distress. (I haven't yet dared to cut a slit in any of my texture fades!!)

So I've finally got my day 3's sample tags!  But these weren't my first attempts! I definitely learnt from my first three! 

1) Alcohol ink agates - after I'd stamped with black archival, I decided it should have a bit more blue, so I started over the tag with another layer of alcohol ink - wrong!!!  - the alcohol ink started to dissolve the archival!!! Oops!!
2) Archival resist - when you've got two inks in plum (dark) & amythyst (bright) with similar lids (Ancient Page archival), pick up the correct one! My 1st attempt was going OK until I used the plum!!! Oops!!
3) Stamping with reflections - if you're using a small texture fade, do this on a separate piece & add to a background as the embossing folder tends to mark at the bottom & at the sides!  And I discovered I haven't got many 'background' stamps (or any reflections stamps)!!  Oh well!!

Back soon with days 4 & 5!! Kay

Tim Holtz's Creative Chemistry Day 2

I am thrilled to be taking Tim Holtz's online course (details here) "Creative Chemistry"... handouts, videos, forums & galleries & loads of support from Tim himself!  He's going into details of the "chemistry" behind products, so we understand why some things work & why others don't & showing us lots of techniques ... I've learnt so much already!!

So day 2 was on distress inks ... he showed us 3 different techniques, which I've been playing around with, on tags ...  I'll be creating a "tag book" for the techniques (we also get mini technique reminders to stick on the back of the tags) ... 

 

Blended distress (& flicking with water)


Brushless Watercolour 


Wrinkle-free distress








And I've been trying them out on lots of tags, making notes on the back of what colours I've used, in case I want to do them again!  I'm also writing what I did on other bits & pieces that didn't make tags!  And I'm hoping to stamp on some of today's not so successful tags later to improve them a bit (or a spray of perfect pearls mist may do the trick!)


For the tag on the right here, I used a limited colour palette - mainly browns with spiced marmalade, on a kraft tag, I quite like the way this one turned out (I think wrinkle-free distress is probably the most difficult of the day's techniques, for me, anyway!)
Mind you, dealing with inks & water is rather imprecise -that's one of the things I like about it, even if you do the same thing with the same colours, the next tag will turn out quite different!! And its amazing how different surfaces can create quite major differences in the appearance!


And lots more to come - I can see I'll be buying some more tags before the fortnight's out!  And I'm loving the opportunity to learn & play at the same time - "homework" has never been so fun & inspiring!!!


Back soon!  Kay

Tim's tags of 2012 - March

Well, I'd started the March tag a couple of weeks ago, with Tim's background wallpaper stamp (as I haven't got a woodgrain stamp), I'd diecut the butterflies with Tim's mosaic technique (embossed with distress embossing powder in tattered rose), stamped the quote "it's the little things that make life big", and then ...  how to embellish?  I couldn't decide, & it had been sitting around for a week or two, waiting for inspiration!!

Meanwhile, I had diecut some tiny flowers out of alcohol-inked glossy paper for my "inspire" canvas for May Flaum's "Curious Scrapbooker's Field Guide" class.  I had some of the flowers left over, they were sitting around with a few unused buttons & other bits & pieces from the project...

So the other morning, I saw the flowers and the butterflies together - that's it, I thought - add the flowers & buttons to the March tag!!  Which I did!

I did think of redoing the quote, as I've got Tim's "disorderly" stamp - "one of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries", which I though was very appropriate and as an (extremely) disorderly crafter, so true!

But in the end I went with the original... bits & pieces attached, tag done - eventually!!

Back soon! Kay

curious scrapbookers field guide (2) !

Another project I've completed...

A bit of a 'sidetrack' this one, May had given us the link to Anna's (Finnabair's) website - her work is a m a z i n g !!! I found a 1 1/2 hour 'video' where she created a layout & I was inspired to try similar (it took me much longer than 1 1/2 hours though!).  I had such fun doing this!!  I'm hoping to do one of my Dad as well, sometime!  (Photo is of Mum as a little girl).







And some other finished projects...

2nd scrapbook page - I roughly painted the background paper, which was a bit too vivid for the photos.

A tiny altered 'birdhouse'... the house itself is only about 2 1/2" high & the 'tree' is actually a small diecut leaf!

And finally ...

A simple card with faux stitching...

I'm now working on a canvas... I've got as far as this at the moment...

Basic texture & colours done, flowers etc to add (not sure how I'm going to do them yet though!) we should be getting more ideas from May in the next couple of weeks!

Loving this class!!

Back soon!  Kay

Where in the World is my Vagabond?!

Hi there,
Sizzix are wanting to discover where in the world their (amazing) Tim Holtz Vagabond diecut machines have ended up (with a chance to get a set of new Gauge Keys & new limited edition Vagabond travel stickers!!!) thanks Tim for mentioning the Sizzix promotion on your blog!

So, one's ended up here, in Watford, UK.  (I was lucky enough to get the UK 2011 Tim Holtz Vagabond sticker last year when I went to his PaperArtsy workshop!)


Location is roughly where the Tim-inspired mosaic butterfly (Tim's March 2012 tag) is on the map...  At least it would have been here a couple of hundred years or more ago!  Of course Watford's grown a bit since then, & what were fields have become an area of small Victorian/Edwardian terraced houses!


So for a while now my Vagabond has been sitting in it's box, & the dies have been stored under other boxes of stash, so it's been a hassle getting everything out, although of course that hasn't stopped me!


But a couple of weeks ago I had a brainwave!!!  I craft in our dining room, (I said our house was small, didn't I!) and there was a small table next to the computer, just sitting there, with piles of CDs, floppy disks (!) & other bits & pieces; so I cleared it up & found other places (!) for the bits we kept, and purloined it for my 'craft area'.  


Of course my Vagabond has pride of place - there's a power socket on the wall below, space on the floor for cutting pads etc, and space on an even tinier table to the right for a couple of storage boxes for my dies - sorted!  It's just brilliant having everything to hand!!!  And a massive thanks to my husband & daughter who have allowed me to take over this table!!!!!

curious scrapbookers field guide (1)

I'm doing another amazing online course, this time with Big Picture Classes ... 12 weeks of classes & inspiration, taught by May Flaum (I heard about it on Tim's blog)!  Based on scrapbooking (which I haven't done for quite a few years) it also includes other projects, & everything can be adapted for anything else, so I'm enjoying playing along ...!!

The first 3 weeks have been on adding colours, paints, inks, stains, misting, glitter, etc etc - I've really enjoyed getting inky & painty fingers!!

Here's the first scrapbook page I've put on the class gallery ...

I enjoyed doing the background, with various colours of distress inks direct to the textured but plain cardstock, & I then had a great time flicking watered down picket fence stain at it to mix the inks together & add watery (snowy?) splodges!

I only took the pictures a couple of weeks ago, in the snow!

My next page will be of some spring flowers in Dad's garden - in brilliant warm sunshine a couple of days ago!! - coming soon!

Kay

altered book - the first chapter!

I'm taking another Altered Book class with My Creative Classroom - it's actually the first of the two, but I did the 'next chapter' last autumn!

So, one of the first week's lessons was on 'found poetry' - using the words on the book pages to create a new sentence, saying etc.  Here it is ...


reads "You swept me into your arms - I smile - I wish 
heart - friend



finished page

The last 2 words really didn't make much sense, so I hid them with a heart, added another heart at the top of the page, and then stamped one of my favourite stamps (even if the guy does look like Nick Knowles!) onto heart mulberry paper & glued it to the page.  I finally added a strip of misted tissue tape to add another colour - it was looking a bit too pink!

I was quite pleased with how it turned out!

This week it's windows & pockets - planning them out as I type!

Back soon,

Kay