Last minute Christmas gifts

I thought I would show you these mini calendars I made using Tim Holtz papers and stamps. The holder is magnetic so they can hang on the refrigerator. They went together really fast and were fun to make.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Tim Holtz giveaway that YOURS ARTFULLY is having. We can all use more Tim stuff.

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 25

Here we are at week 25 for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 25 where the ever amazing Linda has us doing Scribble Stain Distress. I have used bundled sage, stormy sky and walnut stain distress inks. I used picket fence paint for the snow. The snowman is by Sizzix. The words are by Quietfire Designs. After the frantic pace of the 12 tags of Tim it is nice to get back to the Compendium Challenges.

I hope everyone is ready for the big day and just relaxing now. I still have lots to do.

Thank you for looking! Happy Solstice tomorrow. Bring back the light!

Christmas cards 2010

I am almost finished making and sending Christmas cards for this year so I thought I would share a few of my favorites. Guess who inspired me for these? I wish the 12 tags of Christmas happened mid November. It would make it easier to get in the mood. I have used Stampers Anonymous TH, Artistic Outpost and Crafty Secret stamps on these.

Thank you for looking!

The PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 60

Over at The Play Date Cafe they are having another color splash challenge-black and white with a bit of yellow. I have used a die from Tim Holtz-townscapes, a Sizzix embossing folder, and a greeting and punches from Stampin Up. I have missed a few recently so thought I would quickly do a Christmas card. Thank you for looking!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010

Now I have really finished the Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas event. This is the first year I have managed to complete them and mount them. Too bad. It would have been great to have 4 years worth. This will sit on the shelf to inspire me and remind me of all of the ideas I have yet to try out. Thank you for looking!!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 24

The challenge for week 24 at Studio L3 was to use Rock Candy Distress Stickles. This chickadee by Impression Obsession is one of my favorite stamps so I wanted to include him in my book. I have used Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Black soot distress ink, black archival ink, and Stampin Up markers. The music is from Scrapblocks and the snowflakes are Stampin Up. Thank you for looking!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 12

Well I did it ! Twelve days and 12 tags. This has been a lot of fun. I have really enjoyed visiting other taggers and seeing all the amazing work inspired by Tim. Many thanks to Aryjen for hosting the group link making it easier to view other blogs. There were so many ideas shared by Tim that I hope I can repeat at least some of them before they get lost in my head.

Thank you for looking! Your comments are appreciated!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 11

Only one more to go. As much as I have loved this event I am glad it will soon be over. Maybe then I can get ready for Christmas. When I first saw the day 11 tag I wasn't thrilled but making it changed my mind. I really like it in person. First thing I did was make a stamp from the townscape die. I love that die. I didn't have dep in green so I used regular ep. I don't have sparkly fluffy so I used Marvy liquid applique. When I embossed over my dictionary paper it lifted the glue in spots so I covered it with dotted velum. Thank you for looking! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I will be posting to Artyjen and to The Artistic Stamper.

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 10

Tim is certainly sharing some wonderful ideas with us during these 12 days. I use lots of acetate or plastic for different projects but I never thought of putting it in an embossing folder. What fun! I don't have the snowman die so I used the snowman embossing folder. The Merry Christmas stamp is from craftsmart. Thank you for looking! I am posting to Artyjen.

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 9

I didn't get to finish tag 9 yesterday. I had to go to the city and do some Christmas shopping. I am no where ready for the big event. I changed lots of things for tag 9. I used some Basic Gray paper for the tag and rosette. The Peace is a die from Stampin Up. The dove stamp is also from Stampin Up. The embellishments are from my stash. I am hoping to get tag 10 done today as well. We will see! Feeling the pressure. Thank you for looking. I am posting to Artyjen and The Artistic Stamper.

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 8

Oh thank you Tim for giving us a simpler one today. I love this tag! I think Tim's ideas for the smoke and "and to all a good night" are amazing. I don't have his gizmo or time to improvise on it right now so I left mine plain. Another day I will fix it up. Thanks for your comments re the roof. Rick patched it today (in between cloudburst) so hopefully it will make it till better weather. It's our own fault. We knew we had to replace it. I will be posting my tag to Artjen and to The Artistic Stamper . Thank you for looking!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 7

Here we go. More than halfway through Tim's tags. My poinsettia is a bit of a disaster and I put it too high on the tag. I figure there is nothing a bird can't fix. Not sure who made him. I didn't have the wood grain folder so I used my Sizzix wood grain embossing plate. The leaves are plastic ones I painted. I have to hurry. We just discovered the roof is leaking right on top of our bed. Tis the season ...falalalala Thank you for looking. I am linking to Artyjen.

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 6

This is my very favorite tag that Tim has shown us so far. I have been using the deer die combined with the pine tree embossing folder for making many of my Christmas cards this year. I thought it was a reindeer but of course it had no antlers. Well Tim showed us how to fix that. I don't own the tree die (yet) so I used the tree embossing folder to make my antlers. I didn't have his wreath trim either so I just made one with yarn and stars. My tag is much brighter than it appears- I really need to read the info on my camera and learn how to use it. I didn't get to visit very many blogs yesterday but today should be better. I am linking this to the Artyjen Splinter Group Linkie. I really hope you all find time to play! Thank you for looking!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 5

Tim had us working hard on Day 5. I thought it would be quick but there just kept being more to do. I had the Santa stamp and music paper and fired brick distress stickles and distress inks. The numerals I made by painting grunge board numbers with enamel. I did try his technique using the Utee on some foil paper. It seemed like it was going to work but when I put a second coat on it bubbled into a mess...a smelly mess. I kept putting white around the edges to stop it from looking pink but that didn't work either. A little frustrating this one but fun anyway. I am linking this to Artyjen's Splinter Group. Come and see all the amazing tags.

Thank you for looking!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 4

I really liked the tag that Tim created today but it was impossible to scan. The glass piece on the tag does not have a stripe on it but I guess because it is domed that is how it scanned. The supplies I had that Tim used were alcohol inks, fragments, ribbon and Seasonal paper. All the rest is from my stash. I like how the fragments turned out but they were too big for the tag. I will be linking this up to Artyjens Splinter Group. Thank you for looking! I hope you are having fun playing with Tim!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010 -Day 3

Tim has created another fabulous tag for us on day 3. The generous Artyjen is providing a T!m's Splinter Group Linkie for us. It is a great place to get inspired. I had many of the things for todays tag but not the tree stamp. Instead I used the tree embossing folder and rubbed over it with black soot distress ink. I used a piece of cloth tape instead of tinsel. I love Tim's ribbon but I am not thrilled with the tissue tape flower. It took me many tries and I am still not pleased. Oh well, that's what happens when you are in a hurry. Thank you for looking and thank you for all your kind comments. They mean a lot to me!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010

Here is my Day 2 of the 12 tags of Christmas. I really like this technique and use it whenever I remember. My tag is different than Tim's but I like how it turned out. I left the embellishments off so I could scan it. Don't forget to check out Tim's blog and join in the fun. It seems like half the world is tuned in. Thank you for looking!

Tim Holtz - 12 tags of Christmas 2010

Here it is day 1 of the 12 tags of Christmas that Tim does every year. I didn't own the dies that Tim used for the first tag so I made my own cutouts. Actually the only supplies I had for today's project were the inks and paints. Everything else is a make do. In my picture the background looks green but it is quite blue. It was a fun project but took me a long time. I am going to try to do all 12, but we will see. You should go check out his blog for all the details and join in on the fun. Thank you for looking!

THE PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 57

I made this for The Play Date Cafe Challenge. The colors for this week are brown, grey and silver. The reindeer is a TH Alterations- reindeer flight. The trees are TH embossing folder. The sentiment is from The Old Island Stamp Company and the flourish frame is TH Stampers Anonymous. Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 23

The challenge over at Studio L3 for this week is called "double distress". I think it is a good fit for the time of year when many of us are feeling double stressed. I have used a TH texture folder - snowflakes as well as TH alterations die- snow tree. For distressing I used blue china, weathered wood and tumbled glass inks. For the tree I used vintage photo, pine needles and acrylic gesso. The words are from Quietfire designs and are stamped on acetate.

Thank you for get well wishes. It is just a cold /flu thing but this one is a toughy. At least I can do some art now but I still have to rest a lot. (not something that comes natural to me). Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 22

I was thinking I was going to miss the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge this week because I have had a crummy flu thing ruling my life but I managed to make this piece this afternoon. I didn't have the can size but knew there was a big ac in the basement so used that. Not as much control maybe but after playing awhile I was seeing some possibilities for this technique. The stamps are Tim Holtz and Scrolls Work.

Thank you for looking!

THE PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 55

The color challenge over at The Play Date Cafe involves the colors red, light blue, pink, bright blue, and burgundy. The sponsor for the prize this week is Betsy Griffin from Innovative Stamp Creations. I used one of her stamps for my main image. The background stamps are from Stampington. I am not sure who made the BEACH stamp. To add the colors I used water color pencils, pencil crayons and distress inks. The card front is mounted on a light blue card. The black is just for scanning. Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 21

This week over at Studio L3 the amazing Linda has given us the task of creating Perfect Distress. I can't tell you how I made this piece but I can say I used a sentiment stamp from Scrolls Work, a stars background from Cornish Heritage Farms, a Sizzix embossing folder, distress inks - chipped sapphire, broken china, and tumbled glass. I also used turquoise Perfect Pearls.The generous people at Simon Stamps are sponsoring us this week.

Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 20

Here we are at week 20 and this time Linda at Studio L3 is having us do Industrial Grunge. I don't think you can get much grungier than this. I found the little explosives sign on our stairs and my piece went from there. The crow is from Scrolls Work. I stamped him on grunge paper and then cut him out and industrialized him. I did the same with the background. The cityscape (TH) and trees (no name) and splotches (SU) were stamped using a pitch black acrylic paint dabber (Ranger).

The firemen where I live usually sell raffle tickets and use the money to put on a big fireworks display on Halloween night. Our neighbors provide all the fixings for a feast with fresh crab and chowder, special hot chocolate etc. This year the firemen cancelled the fireworks due to high wind warnings. Our neighbors went ahead with the feast and several people put on mini fireworks displays. Not quite the same but fun anyway. The rain and wind held off till later. Weather permitting we will have fireworks next week. Hope you had a great Halloween!

Thank you for looking!

Gingersnap Creations 76: Color Challenge

The color challenge at Gingersnap Creations is to use Pumpkin, Eggplant, and Avocado. I have used a stamp from Magenta, inks from Stampin Up and Colorbox. The paper and ribbon are from my stash. I used a cuttlebug folder to emboss the bottom edge. I really like these colors together. Thank you for looking!

The PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 53

The color challenge over at The Play Date Cafe Is to use black, white and a touch of burgundy. I have used Stampin Up paper and ink ( Baroque Burgundy). I used part of a sizzlet strip die and a cuttlebug folder for making the Joy. The chickadee stamp is from Impression Obsession and Christmas is from Artistic Outpost. Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 19

Over at Studio L3 this week, Linda has us doing Extreme Masking. I have been playing with this technique since Monday but I wasn't happy with the results until I listened to my Bird brain. That is I have birds on the brain because after a long time of trying I finally have a chickadee taking sunflower seeds out of my hand. It is amazing how it feels to have a little chickadee grasping your finger . She sits there and throws the first 2 or 3 sunflower seeds onto the ground before she takes one and flies off. So cool. Anyway for this challenge I used TH letters and stamps. I used chipped sapphire, rusty hinge and crushed olive distress inks.

Thank you for looking!

The PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 52

Over at THE PLAY DATE CAFE they are celebrating a One Year Anniversary. Congratulations Play Date Cafe! The colors they challenged us with this week are orange pink and yellow. I have made this card in honor of their anniversary. I used some graphic 45 paper for the backgrounds and image and SU paper for the flower. The ticket is from TH and the Art stamp is from Catslife Press. I also used distress inks and glitter gel pens. The jewel on the flower is orange but my scanner doesn't think so. If you haven't checked it out, you should. They are providing lots of inspiration from past and present designers.

Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 18

The challenge for this week at Studio L3 is dabber resist. This is one of my favorite techniques. I used a Stampin Up wheel- midnight musings to create the background. I used distress inks - dusty concord, wild honey and forest moss. I stamped the owl and raven on glossy card stock and cut them out. The skull is grunge board painted with snowcap white. I put a piece of red acetate behind it. I can't believe we are half way all ready. I really look forward to these challenges and it is so great to see how everyone interprets the technique.

Thank you for looking! A special thanks to all those who have commented on my posts. It really

makes my day.

The PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 51

The color challenge this week at The Play Date Cafe is to use beige, pale blue, and pale mint-ish green. I have used a background stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms, inks from SU and Nick Bantock. The punch is from SU and the ribbon is from my stash. I couldn't get this to scan very well. The ribbon is a lovely mint green.

Thank you for looking!

Let's Ink It Up-#4

The challenge for Let's Ink It Up is to use Halloween colors. I have made a window card using a movers and shapers die. The witch stamp is from Scrolls Work. The other stamps are from Martha Stuart. The pumpkins are done with foil. I used a TH alterations die to cut the side of the card. The paper is from Stampin Up. I painted the sky with blue acrylic paint.

Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 17

Our amazing Linda at Studio L3 has chosen Fragment Charms as our Challenge 17. Linda is also hosting a Warrior Women Blog Hop . Sherry Goodloe is our amazing women warrior muse for this event. Linda has organized a wonderful array of artists to participate. You really have to check it out!! I have decided to "think pink" for my project this week in honor of all of the warriors who are dealing with or have dealt with breast cancer. Sherry is sharing her story so that others may be more aware. Our greatest protection from the horrors this disease can bring is early detection. The M is for mammogram. The paper I used is TH. The stamps are from Stampington and Quietfire Design.

Thank you for looking!

The PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 50

This is my entry for The PLAY DATE CAFE challenge #50. The colors this time are white,melon and green. I have used a stamp from Stampin Up that has been embossed in white. I then sprayed perfect pearls in blush and green over it. I filled in the ivy and poinsettia with markers, added embellishments and mounted.

Thank you for looking!

Tuesday Taggers - Pandoras Box

The challenge at Tuesday Taggers this week was to make a box and a gift to put inside it. I made this handmade glass dragonfly pendant and box. The supplies for the pendant came from Annie Howes etsy shop. The dragonfly came from some velum I had. The box I made from a pattern which I altered to include a flap. Velcro dots act as a fastener. I used distress inks, stazOn, and dragonfly stamps from Stamp It and Clear Art Stamps. I attached punched dragonflies to fine ribbon and put it between the 2 layers of the lid so when the box is opened the dragonflies flutter. My picture is not the best but I hope you can see it well enough.

Thank you for looking!

Drunken Stampers #36- Think Pink

This week over at Drunken Stampers we are to think pink to honor all those women who are fighting or who have fought the battle with breast cancer. In past times garlands (especially of bay leaves) have represented victory. It is my hope that anyone fighting this battle will get to wear the laurel garland.

Thank you for looking!

The PLAY DATE CAFE - PDCC 49

This week over at the Play Date Cafe we are given the colors hot pink, turquoise, rusty orange and chocolate brown. I have made a distressed piece using TH distress inks, a Cuttlebug "gears" embossing folder, TH "gears" die, TH stamps and embellishments. I have used alcohol ink on the clock and stickles on the gears.

Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 16

Here we go with challenge #16. This week the amazing Linda of Studio L3 has us doing "wrinkle free distress". Wouldn't it be nice to be wrinkle free. My fish (Scrollswork) was embossed onto a baroque die cut before doing the technique. I used faded jeans, broken china, tumbled glass, chipped sapphire and rusty hinge distress inks. I outlined the fish with a black pencil and partially stamped over it with black archival ink. I filled in the back of the fish with modeling paste to give him depth, added some black soot distress stickles to his back and made him an eye using " crystal effects". I added some miniature starfish and called it complete.

Next Monday will not be the same without a new challenge but I am glad for all those lucky people who are cruising with Tim. Thank you for looking!

Gingersnap Creations 71: Random Redhead-Inchies

I made this card for the GC C 71: Inchies. The postage stamps are my inchies. I mounted the stamps on black and cut them out with postal scissors. The bird image is from "The Lady's Closet". I used stamps from Stampington, Tim Holtz and Stampa Rosa. The background paper is from My Minds Eye. I colored it with distress inks - bundled sage, pumice stone and faded jeans.

Thank you for looking!

ONE POWERFUL HOUR -Happy Birthday

I made this card for the Birthday Challenge at ONE POWERFUL HOUR. Amy from Paper & Gluestix is the host and is celebrating her birthday this week.Her artwork brings me joy. It is so creative and fun. I made this card using her collage sheets that I purchased from her Etsy shop. I don't have her talent but it was fun working with her images.I painted the background and used a Stampin Up stamp for the words. The inside of the card says Have a HOOT! Happy Birthday Amy!

Thank you for looking.

Gingersnap Creations - Color Challenge 72

This is my entry for Gingersnap Creations Color Challenge - Neutrals plus one color. I have used distress inks brushed corduroy and frayed burlap over a piece of TH paper - vintage shabby for my neutrals. I used distress ink faded jeans for my color. The flying crows are from King Rubber. The scrolls are from Old Island. The chair and crow is from Martha Stewart.The quote, clock, flower spray and shatter is Tim Holtz. I embossed the edge with Cuttlebug- organic flourish.

Thank you for looking!

Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC 48

I made this 4x4 card for the Play Date Cafe Challenge 48. The colors to use were dark purple or blue, lime green and silver or grey. I used a bird collage stamp from Magenta, scroll stamp from The Old Island Stamp Company and pearls from Basic Grey. The paper is Stampin Up and Making Memories. I used Color Box fluid chalk lime pastel and Stazon midnight blue. I glued a circle of thick acetate onto the collage face.

Thank you for looking! Come check out the challenge. There is an amazing prize from Crafty Individuals.

Alter it Monthly - September

The theme for September at Alter it Monthly is rust. I had a hard time getting inspired with this challenge. I tried different techniques for rusting paper and I scrounged around my hb's stuff and the marina next store looking for rusty stuff. I found a few neat things but it wasn't until I found a rusty tin can on the beach last weekend that the light bulb went on. The tin can is the background after some hammering and folding. The nest is rusty wire and some steel wool I soaked in water.The chain links are from my junk jewelry stash. The leaves I did years ago. I made the paper for the letters using paint and distress embossing powder. I used a Tim Holtz die to cut them out.The bird was purchased years ago. The mounting board was what I used for trying different ways to make rust. It ended up being a fun project! Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 15

Oh yeah it's Monday! This is way better than camping in the rain. The challenge this week at Studio L3 is Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge. I have to keep reminding myself that it is a technique book I am making so keep it simple. Here I have used a pearl ink dabber, alcohol inks, embossed grunge board, a quote from Quietfire Designs,TH dots stamp, butterfly and pearls from my stash and archival ink. The quote was stamped onto acetate.

Thank you for looking! Your comments are very appreciated!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 14

Here we are at week 14 of the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge at Studio L3. Mondays will never be the same. This week it's all about using masks. I used a TH Haunted mask, TH flutterby stamp, black soot and fired brick distress inks, turquoise felt pen, fiskers heart punch, words from SU and a plastic spider.

Thank you for looking!

Let's Ink It Up

I made this for Let's Ink It Up Challenge #2 where the theme is tags or bookmarks with a vintage feel. I have used stamps from Stampin Up, Stampington, Tim Holtz, Limited Edition, Stampa Rosa and Inkadinkado. I used distress and archival inks. The leaves are from Black Ink.

Thank you for looking!

Tuesday TAGGERS

I created this tag for Tuesday TAGGERS. The theme this week is "books". Before retiring I worked with young children. One of my greatest pleasures was introducing children to books and the concept of imagination. I used TH stamps, distress inks, an image from Itkupilli, some paper tape and tissue tape to create my salute to imagination. I found out about this challenge through Meggymay. She is their guest designer this week. Thanks Meggymay!

Thank you for looking!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 13

Week 13 at L3 Studio. The Compendium of Curiosities Challenge continues. This week its about the flowers. I used a variety of papers all distressed with vintage photo ink and the Sizzix THA tattered flowers die. My flower brads were painted with black alcohol ink. The background was made using SU wheel Very Vintage and clear embossing powder. It and the paper tape were distressed with vintage photo ink. Not sure where the words came from. Thank you for looking! Come and join in the fun!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge- week 12

Here we are again having fun at Linda's Studio L3. This week it is all about chipped enamel. I like how the embossing powder works on metal and I happen to have a lot of metal pieces in my stash. I just have to stop burning my fingers. I have used a pieces of corrugated cardboard with some of the top paper removed, for the background. I used Distress crackle paints picket fence and broken china. I stamped over it with SU stamp French Flair. I used worn lipstick, old paper, antique linen and broken china Distress embossing powders to emboss my metal pieces. My scanner wasn't liking this piece at all. Thank you for looking! I hope you get to play at L3 studio this week!

Alter it Monthly - August

This is the first time I have entered the Alter it Monthly Challenge. I can really use some inspiration to alter all those "things" I have collected. The theme for August is Music. THE ALTERED ELEMENT is offering a prize which makes it even more fun to enter. I picked up this mini cupboard at a $1.00 store eons ago. I covered it with music paper, and TH symphony tape. I also used acrylic antique white paint and matte Mod Podge. I used part of a TH stamp and an image from my stash. Thank you for looking!