Tim Holtz Tag Challenge - March 2013

Skidding in again by the seat of my pants to complete my March tag. I don't have the bunny die so I found a picture of it on the web and made a stencil which I drew round and cut it out. No tinsel in my stash so, for the rabbit aperture, I used some glitter/alcohol mix that I had left over from the October 2012 tag. The flowers were made from scraps lurking in various corners of my craft room. The grass and banner were cut by hand.

Tim's tag can be found here and this is my version -

 

Tag Recipe

Card/Paper

White card

Bazzill card

Tim Holtz Core'ordinations card

Tim Holtz Vintage Shabby paper

Background paper  - download from http://www.mrprintables.com/

Stamp

Leaves - Artistic Stamper's Stitchels #ST002 Daisy Dots

Dies

Spellbinders Labels four

Flowers - Tim Holtz Tattered Florals and Provacraft 

Other

Stampendous Crystal Glitter coloured with Aqua alcohol ink

Organza ribbon coloured with Spun Sugar Distress Ink, Tattered Rose and Walnut Stain Distress Inks

Seam binding coloured with Broken China Distress Stain

Leaves coloured with Peeled Paint Distress Stain and Forest Moss Distress Ink

Brads

Words computer generated - Typewriter font

 

Week 6 - Craft Barn Alpha Challenge

Goodness, week 6 of the Craft Barn Alpha Challenge already! The chosen letter this week is P and yet again I found a virgin stamp I could use. I wanted to give my atc a Victorian boudoir feel about it so I applied Forest Moss Distress Ink to my white card before stamping it with the lace stamp and embossing. The perfume bottle was also stamped with the same Distress Ink and then I washed over it with a little water so that the ink lightly coloured the white areas. I've had the little roses in my stash for years and never found a use for them .... until now.

 

ATC Recipe

Card/paper

White card

Inks/embossing powder/paints

Distress Inks - Forest Moss, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain

Versamark

Wow embossing powder -Little Lou Purple Glitz (regular) WS17R

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Satin Glaze

Stamps

Perfume bottle -Crafty Individuals - CI-335

Lace - Inkadinkado 

Other

Frame printed from internet

Lace

Satin flowers

Fabric leaves 

Week 5 - Craft Barn Alpha Challenge

Yet again thank you to everyone who left me comments last week but family matters are still at the top of the agenda and I haven't been able to look at any of the other entries to the challenge. At least I'm making sure that I find a few moments to take part in this challenge to divert my brain.

Week 5 of the Craft Barn Alpha Challenge and the given letter is M but a little twist has been added - the chosen word has to be between Ma and Me in the dictionary. If you want to see all the details click on the challenge logo on the right. 

I've managed to use yet another virgin stamp on this weeks atc. Only a teeny weeny one but never the less new! It's the postmark on the envelope. I used Dylusions Inks (mainly one which is aptly named Postbox Red) on my background with a quick Cosmic Shimmer spritz over the top. I put a spotty mask over the top and sprayed with water to remove some of the colour but the effect got lost under the postmark stamping.

 

ATC Recipe

Card/papers

White card

K & Co background papers

Copier paper (90gsm)

Inks

Dylusion inks - Postbox Red, Melted Chocolate

Distress inks - Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo

Rangers Archival Coffee

Gold Pen-touch Calligraphy pen

Cosmic Shimmer - Rich Gold

Stamps

Crafty Individuals

Other

Computer generated words - Typewriter font

   

Week 4 - Craft Barn Alpha Challenge

Firstly, thank you to everyone who left comments on my blog in Week 3 of the Craft Barn Alpha Challenge. They are very much appreciated. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to leave any comments on your blogs but life is getting in the way at the moment. I was amazed to see my "eye" on the Craft Barn Wall of Fame! Thank you Izzy.
   
So, now it's week 4 of the challenge. To see the details click on the challenge logo over on the right.

This week's letter is H. I didn't have to run my figure far down the list of words in that section of the dictionary before I came to the word haberdasher. I knew I need look no further as I had yet more uninked stamps that would fit the bill. Surely I'm not going to keep this going through the next twenty two challenge weeks? I knew I had a lot of unused stamps but I don't believe it's quite so many as it seems. Time will tell!

I'm reasonably happy with this atc - just wish I'd stamped the images with brown ink and also added a little more colour.

ATC Recipe
Card
White card
Copier paper
Inks/Paints
Ranger Archival Jet Black
PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints - Orchid, Ice Blue, Crackle Glaze
Distress Inks - Walnut Stain, Stormy Sky
Stamps
Cotton reels - PaperArtsy Minis MN65
Buttons/Pins & Needles - PaperArtsy Buttons Plate 4
Safety pins - Crafty Individuals CI-328
Other
Dictionary definition - photocopy
Press stud
Button painted with Orchid Fresco Paint
Embroidery thread
Ribbon

 

Tim Holtz Tag Challenge - February 2013

Yet another month almost behind us and I'm just about in time with my February tag.
.
All I had in my stash was the Fired Brick Distress Stain which resulted in even more improvisation on this months tag. In the end I didn't use the stain because I got a very streaky effect when applied over the Festive Berries Distress Ink that I used as the tag base. Instead I used Fired Brick Distress Ink.

I knew the miniature pack of playing cards I bought in a charity shop would come in useful one day. I photocopied the Queen of Hearts twice, cut out the Queen from one and coloured any white areas with alcohol pen and stuck her on top of her sister for a 3D effect. To say that folding the tissue tape in Tim Holtz style was fiddly would be a gross understatement!

Tim's February tag can be found here and this is mine -

Tag Recipe

Card

White card

Tim Holtz Core'dinations ColorCore card

Inks etc

Distress Inks - Festive Berries, Fired Brick, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain

Copics and Promarkers

Black water colour pencil

Other

Photocopies of playing cards 

Butcher's twine

Bottle cap

Glossy Accents

Sentiment and pointing finger computer generated.

Tim Holtz Bingo embossing folder

Tissue tape

Hearts die cut from a recycled envelope 

Birthday greetings!

At the start of the year I had yet another birthday - I'm sure I have more than one a year! 

From fellow crafters I received some really beautiful card creations which graced my living room for weeks:  I just couldn't bring myself to take them down they were so delightful. Eventually, of course, this duster avoidance tactic had to come to an end and I am tucking all the lovely works of art away in a safe place - but not before showing them off!

Sorry my photography skills aren't the best and I haven't done these cards justice.

 Sara

http://blog.cardmakingparadise.com/ 

Christa

http://craftychris.webs.com/ 

 

 Linda

 Marion

Pam

Jill

http://craftingintheloire.blogspot.co.uk/

Hilda

http://hilda-aplacetoshare.blogspot.co.uk/

Glennis

http://creatingcards-grf.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Annie

Chris

http://themessycraftroom.blogspot.co.uk/ 

 

Lynn

Thank you so much ladies.

Week 3 - Craft Barn Alpha Challenge

This week's letter in the Craft Barn challenge is E. For details of the challenge click on the logo on my sidebar.

I think I must have set myself another challenge subconsciously. This is the third week I have used a stamp that's been lurking, unused in the a dark corner in my craft room. It's a Judikins cube that I bought a couple of years ago in a sale (of course!).

I created the face image on my atc from two of the stamps on the cube - it was pure serendipity. I stamped both  images onto a scrap piece of paper to see how they looked and just happened to stamp them close together and liked the result. I used bleached to remove the Distress Ink from the whites of the eyes, the first time I've used this technique.  Have you noticed my creative pun? I've used eyelets!!
  
ATC Recipe
Card
Xerox Colortech+
Inks
Distress Inks - Worn Lipstick, Faded Jeans, Old Paper
Ranger Archival Jet Black
Stamps
Script - A Stamp In the Hand Background Text - Medium N-1772
Judikins Soul Windows#1
Hero Arts - Signature Lowercase Letters
Other
Stencil - The Crafter's Workshop -Mini Harlequin
Eyelets
Dictionary page

Week 2 Craft Barn Alpha Challege

The second letter on the Craft Barn alpha challenge is C. Click on the sidebar for details if you want to join in.

I've chosen the word Couture to make my next atc so that I could use a stamp that had yet to see ink although it has been in my collection for some time.

ATC Recipe
Card/Paper
Cream card
Xerox Colortech+ white card
Copy paper
Dress pattern tissue
Inks
Distress Inks - Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain
Versafine - Onyx Black
Archival Ink -Coffee
Copics/Promarkers
Stamps
Figure - Crafty Individuals CI-322
Scissors - Crafty Individuals CI-328
Other
Tape measure - photocopy
Button
Pin
Material

Tim Holtz Tag Challenge - January 2013

One minute it was the 1st January and in what seems like a blink of an eye we're at the end of the first month of 2013.

Tim Holtz is continuing the monthly tag challenge this year and here is his January tag. 

The only thing I had in my stash were the Distress Inks and lots of improvisation!
I don't have a clock embossing folder so I stamped and embossed the background with clear embossing powder. The small bolts and washers I found in a tin in the garage obviously being saved for this very day by a kind husband with foresight.

Here's the outcome -

Tag Recipe
Card/Paper
Cream card
Acetate
Stamps
Clock faces - magazine freebies
Film strip - PaperArtsy HP1005
Alphabet - Studio G
Inks/Paints/Embossing Powder
Distress Inks -  Iced Spruce, Rusty Hinge, Stormy Sky, Walnut Stain,
Distress Stain - Broken China
Versamark
Stazon - Jet Black
Adirondack Dabbers - Silver, Gold, Pearl, Black
Die Cuts
Tim Holtz die cut cogs and clock hands
Other
Finger pointing hand - image found on web
Sentiment - computer generated
Peg - painted black
Seam binding coloured with Broken China Distress Stain
Permanent black marker
Black fineliner 

Week 1 - V is for........

........visage.

I'm taking part in the Craft Barn alpha challenge. The challenge will not be in alphabetical order and each new letter will be posted on the Craft Barn blog every two weeks. I'm not sure if taking part in a challenge spread over a year is going to make the year feel it is going far too fast - 2012 slipped away far too quickly without adding a fortnightly challenge!

All the details of the challenge can be found here. I have decided to make a set of ATCs and if possible use techniques that I've seen demonstrated at shows, on blogs or in Craft Stamper magazine.

The first letter of the challenge is "V" and for this background I've used oil pastels. I saw Helen Chilton demonstrating this technique at the Craft Barn's Extravaganza last year.

 ATC Recipe
Card/paper
White linen card
Copier paper for flower
Inks/pastels/paint
Faber-Castell Oil Pastels - 101, 102, 154
Ranger Archival - Jet Black
Dylusions Ink - Bubblegum Pink
Inka - Gold
Claudine Hellmuth Gesso
Stamp
Freebie with Craft Stamper magazine
Dies/Embossing folder
Tim Holtz - Tattered Floral die
Tim Holtz Bubble Wrapping Embossing folder
Other
Eyelets

Capricorn birthdays

Firstly, Jennie, the Artistic Stamper has these goodies to giveaway to celebrate her birthday.

 The details of this blog candy can be found here.

Our grandson had his fourth birthday on Sunday but my inspiration seemed to disappear with the end of Christmas ( I hope it didn't get packed away with the decorations). I couldn't come up with anything Thomas the Tank Engine related so I used an image and a sentiment that were freebie stamps with craft magazines and a Papermania "four" that I had bought way back in the year especially for this occasion.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super white, super smooth, printer card
Xerox Colortech+ white card
Scrapbooking paper (possibly K&Co)
Red copier card
Stamps
Rabbit taking tea - Craft Stamper freebie
Sentiment - Simply Cards & Papercraft freebie
Four - Papermania
Ink
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Versamark
Copic/Promarkers
Other
Spellbinders scalloped die
Detailed silver embossing powder

Welcome to 2013!

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has visited Avoiding the Duster during 2012 and to those who have left comments, which are much appreciated. I wish you all a very happy, healthy and fun 2013.

My first card, measuring 95mm x 95mm, was quick and simple. A couple of bottle tops used as stamps, a freebie stamp from Craft Stamper and a bit of black organza ribbon. Job done!
 

This next card took a tad longer and kept me out of mischief cutting out all the flowers. It was a project in the January 2013 Craft Stamper magazine.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Xerox Colortech+
Tim Holtz Core'dinations orange card
Aqua Bazzill card 
Black card
Adhesive label
Stamps
Crafty Individuals - CI-237, CI-194, CI-206
PaperArtsy - MN 72, MN11
Diamond stamp by Visible Image
Crackle stamp - maker unknown
Sentiment - Hero Arts C2656
Masks
Creative Expressions Honeycomb, Ivy Background
Crafter's Workshop - Mini Circle Explosion
Inks
Brilliance - Pearlescent Jade, Pearlescent Orange, Pearlescent Yellow, Pearlescent Crimson
Archival Ink - Jet Black
Other
Black embossing powder
Raffia

Christmas Card Catch Up

Christmas must nearly be over as we are onto turkey soup now! The best part of the festive season - the soup that is, not that it's almost over!

I didn't get a chance to blog all my Christmas cards before the 25th so this is going to be a marathon post. I hope you have a St. Bernard by your side because you may well need a just a wee sip from the brandy barrel before you get anywhere near the end!

Here we go.

The Chocolate Baroque stamp that was  the freebie with December's Craft Stamper made an appearance on most of my cards this year - it stamped so beautiful.

I joined in the world wide annual Christmas card swap on the Cardmaking Paradise forum. Here is my make  -

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+ card
Papermania kraft card
Tartan scrapbooking paper
Inks
Memento - Tuxedo Black
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Walnut Stain
Memories - Sand Memory, Soft Leaf
Stamps
Father Christmas - Blue Moon
Snowflake - December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment - Hero Arts C2850
Other
Red chalk
Glossy Accents
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Spellbinders die cut tag
Ribbon
Brads

This is the swap I received from Australia. Thank you Colleen!

~~..~~

 I intended having silver bows on this next card but I couldn't get them to stick even with Glossy Accents. The red bows looked less garish in real life.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Silver card
Inks/Embossing Powder
Tumbled glass Distress Ink
Versamark
Archival Ink - Jet Black
Judikins EP - Lapis Lazuli
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Bauble - maker unknown
Sentiment from Reindeer Swirls set SSC1064

Other 

Organza ribbon

~~..~~

I'm sure the image was straight on this card and it's just the angle of the scan that's making it look wonky!
 

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Silver card
Inks
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Memories - Sand Memory
Brilliance - Poppy Pearlescent
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Main image - Crafty Individuals CI-169 
Other

Red organza ribbon

~~..~~

I won this Darkroom Doors word block stamp in the Craft Stamper giveaway at the end of 2011 and this has been the first chance I've had to use it.

Card Recipe

Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Xerox Colortech+
Tim Holtz Core'dinations card
Inks
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Memories Sand Memory
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie 
Word block stamp - Darkroom Door DOWB006 Christmas
Other
Spellbinders snowflake die cut
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous

Ribbon 

~~..~~

My next offering was based on a card in December's Craft Stamper.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Gold paper from Craft Creations
Maroon card
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment from Reindeer Swirls set SSC1064 
Inks
Memories Sand Memory & Soft leaf
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Other
Red flat pearls

 ~~..~~

This tag had a hinged back on it so it could stand unaided.

 

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Inks/Embossing Powder
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Versamark
Personal Impressions Clear Gloss EP
Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic markers
Stamps
Patchwork Robin personal Impressions PICST001
Snowflake Crafty Individuals
Other
Seam binding coloured with Broken China Distress Stain
Sentiment free from Birds Cards

 ~~..~~

I made several variations of the next card - quick and simple - and yes it's that free stamp again!

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Inks
Memories Sand Memory
Brilliance Poppy Pearlescent
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Stamps
Snowflake -December 2012 Craft Stamper magazine freebie
Sentiment- Crafty Individuals CI-142

 ~~..~~

 The template for the stocking on this card and the image on the next card both came from Birds Cards, a site with free digital cutting files, digital stamps and more.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Scrapbooking paper
Glitter card
Inks
Archival Jet Black
Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Stamp
Crafty Individuals CI-326
Other
Ultra fine crystal glitter - Stampendous
Snowflake brad
Red organza ribbon

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Snowflake paper from Craft Creations
Red card
Image
Digital image from Birds Cards
Inks
Broken China Distress Ink
Promarkers/Copic markers
Other
Spellbinders snowflake
Gem

 ~~..~~

 Phew! that's Christmas all done and dusted for another year!

Tim Holtz Challenge - December

Not one but two tags this month. That's because the 2012 challenge didn't start until February. You can find Tim's tags here.

I've tried to stay as close as I could to Tim's basic designs but this has meant a lot of improvisation throughout the year on my part and this month was certainly no exception.

I don't have any metallic Distress Stains so I used Rangers Gold and Silver Dabbers instead. It didn't mix particularly well with the Distress Stain but did the job. However it does make taking photos difficult.

For this first tag I made my own tissue tape from micropore tape. I printed out some music I found on the net (pity I didn't use a something with more notes rather than "O Come All You Faithful" for the pan pipes!) and laid the tape over one stave and put it through the printer again. You can also make tissue tape by stamping on micropore instead of printing. The tinsel came from a piece which displays our Christmas cards each year - just hope we don't get extra cards next year!!

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white, printer card
Watercolour paper
Silver card
Tim Holtz "Coredinations" card
Holly sprig from scrapbooking paper
Paints/Inks
Broken China Distress Stain
Adirondack Silver Dabber
Archival Ink Jet Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Black Soot, Vintage Photo
Stamp
Clarity
Dies
Spellbinders snowflake
Cuttlebug Hippie Chick alphabet
Other
Music from internet
Micropore tape
Tinsel
Stampendous crystal glitter
Gem
Seam binding

I didn't have a reindeer charm for my second tag but I did have a Tim Holtz  die-cut reindeer. So I copied it on my printer reducing it by half and printed it onto some card. I then cut out the image - very fiddly - painted it with silver paint and then triple embossed it with clear powder.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Anna Marie Designs super smooth, super white printer card
Papermania kraft card
Xerox Colortech+ card
Tim Holtz "Coredinations" card
Old book pages
Paints/Inks
Fired Brick Distress Stain
Adirondack Gold & Silver Dabbers
Jet Black Archival Ink 
Versamark
Distress Inks - Walnut Stain, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint
Stamp
Poinsettia - Stampabilities F1188
Other
Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die
Tim Holtz reindeer die-cut reduced on printer
Diamond Stickles
Glossy Accents
Personal Impressions Clear Gloss embossing powder
"Joy" sentiment from internet
Seam binding

I've really enjoyed making the 12 tags of 2012. It's been fun kicking the grey matter into action and working out how to get a similar outcome despite not having all the ingredients that Tim used on his tags. I've learnt some new techniques along the way and reacquainted myself with some long forgotten stash. Do hope that we get to do it all again in 2013.

Wishing you a very ................

Christmas with Cardmaking Paradise

These three cards were made using templates from Cardmaking Paradise. Why not pop over to the site and take a look at what's on offer.

Firstly meet Percy and his mum Polly waiting for Santa. To make Percy, I reduced the original template to baby size on my printer and glued him in front of mum.

Card Recipe
Anna Maria Designs "Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card"
Tumbled Glass Distress Ink
Black permanent ink pen
Glossy Accents
Bottle top
Black Promarker
Crafty Individuals stamp CI - 326
Ribbon

I've had this Father Christmas stamp for several years and wasn't sure how to use him. The other day I had one of those light bulb moments - he would fit with the Cardmaking Paradise house template. It looks a bit dull in this photo but there is glitter on the snowflake and Father Christmas to give some sparkle.

Card Recipe
Card/Paper
Tim Holtz Core'dinations Card stack
Xerox Colortech +
Black card
Cream Christmas Holly - Craft Creations SR104P
Inks
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Stamp
Wizard Santa - Funstamps F-M152
Other
Spellbinders Snowflake Die
Copic markers
Stampendous Crystal Glitter
Brad
Peel off greeting
Martha Stewart edge punch

My final card is the Cardmaking Paradise rocking snowman.

  
Card Recipe
Anna Maria Designs "Super Smooth Super White Printer Card"
Scrapbook paper from  Craft Creations
Orange card
Black card
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass and Black Soot
Wire
Wiggly eyes

Fabulous Blog Candy from Crafty Individuals

Crafty Individuals has some fabulous blog candy on offer until the 10th December and this wonderful array of goodies is what you could win.

 

You will find all the details on how to enter on the Crafty Individuals blog.

Two of a kind

I was really chuffed with these two cards and it's not often I say that about things I make. I used the wrinkle free distress technique to apply the ink before applying some more through a mask. On the second card I also added some random script.

Card one

Card Two

Card Recipes

(Both cards)
Card - Craftworkcards Digital Ultra Smooth Premium Cardstock
Mask - Crafters Workshop -  Mini Harlequin
Stamp - Stamp Addicts Wildflowers SA-5029
Ink - Ranger Archival Jet Black

Card One
Maroon card
Picked Raspberry & Shaded Lilac Distress Inks

Card Two
Black card
Peacock Feathers & Squeezed Lemonade Distress Inks
PaperArtsy Script stamp MN44

Follow Your Dreams

For the background on this card I applied Distress Inks with a Dreamweaver stencil brush. This is now my preferred way to apply these inks as it gently builds up the colour on cardstock, although I do go just around the edge with a piece of cut'n'dry to finish off.

 Card Recipe 
Card
Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Silver paper  
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Distress Inks - Broken China, Tumbled Glass 
Stamps
Personal Impressions Flower Silhouette PICS057
Personal Impressions Fairy Silhouette PICS056
Leaves - Crafty Individuals  CI-234 
Other
Stampendous ultra fine crystal glitter
Computer generated sentiment

Classy Cat

I do like black and white cards and this cat stamp from Katzelkraft is just right for that colour combination. For the paws I the stamped the image four times before I photocopied them at a reduced size.

Card Recipe
Card
Anna Marie Super Smooth, Super White, Printer Card
Black card
Embossing Folder/Dies
Embossing folder - Cuttlebug Swiss Dots
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Oval and scalloped oval
Inks
Versafine Onyx Black
Black Soot Distress Ink
Stamps
Cat - Katzelkraft Mini 01
Paws - The English Stamp Company
Other
Sentiment - computer generated