12 Tags Of 2013 - January

You cannot believe the squeal I let out when I read he was continuing on with the tags! Creative life just wouldn't be the same...right? Thank you for the inspiration Tim!
Nothing like waiting until the very last day! Here is my take on Tim's 12 Tags of 2013 for January. It's a little...okay a lot...industrially gaudy, but it makes me HAPPY! My hands have been stained for days...YIPPEE! Maybe I should add a little more! ;0)

And finally, after many inkings and stainings and combinations therein, I've also included an easy tutorial for a cool background technique (Which I used on my January tag.), that I finally figured out after trying and trying to achieve it this past year, to make a "Colorized Metal Blow Torch Look" on paper. It's an Art to make colorized metal and steel now, but back in the mid 1980's when I was a pimple faced teenager taking Welding and Metal Shop, everyone was cutting out cool shapes and making fabulous signs and such with acetylene torches, while I was just heating up the metal and making colors, being totally fixated on it. It all makes sense to me now, but back then, everyone probably thought I was a bit mental (Still do perhaps!) I love the color combinations and how it changes and manipulates itself....like a metamorphosis. If I could go back in time, I would have cut the metal into cool designs, colored it up, and sold the goods for thousands! Oh, and all the while buying all the IBM and Windows stock I could! ;0)

I've deduced that Aged Mahogany (My fav!), Rusty Hinge, and Walnut Stain Distress Inks seem to make the best base colors. I apply them using Tim's good old technique of blending the inks in a circular motion starting on the craft sheet and moving on to the tag to prevent lines. Give this a little blast of heat to dry. Sorry for the poor photo quality...night shot.

Here is the secret...applying Weathered Wood Distress Stain directly over the blended inks, and then drying. It never occurred to me to apply it like this, but it makes all the difference here. I like do it in stripes, only because that is how I worked my acetylene torch way back when. You will not compromise the color inside the Stain, as the dabber does not allow color in. If the pad get Distress Ink on it, just purge it on your craft sheet a few times while whipping clean the pad. Here is the tag with horizontal stripes, and....

...here is the tag with vertical stripes. Both of the tags are very interesting and really look like heated up metal.

Next, finish off using Tim's spritz and flick technique, by applying water in the palm of your hand and flicking it onto the tag. Dry it with the heat tool after a few seconds.

I got a little too much water on the right tag, but it definitely adds interests. I wish the photos were better, and I wish I found a good colorized metal photo on the internet, but here is the link to a youtube video of a man showing you how he colors metal with a torch. You will see what I mean, sort of, as he doesn't finish the piece, but you will get the gist. I will be doing this technique a lot, so I am sure I will be getting much better photos of the results again.

Back to my January tag...I embossed the horizontal tag from above using the gears, and rubbed straight from the pad, Black Soot and Walnut Stain Distress Inks in different areas of the tag.

I misted the tag with water and then with Ranger's  Sunflower Sparkle, Heirloom Gold, and Perfect Copper Perfect Pearls Mists in the spots of color that I thought coordinated with them, and then misted them with more water to dilute them a bit. I dried it thoroughly.

I took this in the dead of night and just couldn't get my lighting correct to pick up the way it looks like light is shining from behind the gears, so this really looks very plain, but it really is not.

The Sizzix Gears, Mini Clock, and Maya Road Wings were colored with Metallic Distress Stains, then painted with Distress Crackle a bit. After all of this dried, I inked it all up using Walnut Stain.

I added Tim's Idea-ology Ball Chain around the Clock Face and filled it in with Glossy Accents a bit to hold it together, before adding the crackled wings.

This is probably my favorite quote of all of the ones on all of Tim's Stamper's Anonymous images. I thought it was perfect to start off a new year. I stamped it in Jet Black Archival and heat embossing it with Aged Mahogany Distress Embossing Powder. I did the same for the Pointing Finger.

I wanted this Word Stick to match the Philosophy Charm is terms of patina, so I did my best using these Alcohol Inks. It worked very well, and looks down right old!

 

 

 

Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

A Heart That Pops???

I have wanted to do a pop up card for some time (Been very intimidated to try it.), and  I have yet to do one, until the challenge at the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group has prompted me to get going on that. Our mission, (Should we choose to except it!) was to make a Pop N Cuts something or another, with a heart, some glitter, and some Wendy stamps. I think I took care of it all on this card for my extra wonderful In-Laws for Valentine's Day, except that I didn't have a Pop N Cuts anything, so instead I used a Sizzix Pop Up Spinning 3D Platform. 

I have to say, I totally love this new stamp set of Wendy's "Sunshine and Art"...the sun especially! He is grown up and not cutsie. I'm totally loving the Plaid design as well.

I stamped the Plaid in Cobalt Archival and the Gate Scroll in Jet Black and embossed it on the giant #12 tag from Ranger after I folded it in half to form a card.

I inked the sky portion with Salty Ocean Distress and the bottom with Cut Grass. I stamped the Sun in Jet Black onto Specialty Stamping Paper, cut it out, and colored it in using every shade of golden toned Distress Markers I have. I adhered that onto the card. I stamped a Floral Art Part with it's coordinating Floral image, colored it in with Distress Markers, and blinged it up using Stickles. It too went on the front of the card.

I stamped the sentiment onto Specialty Stamping Paper, dried it, and inked it using Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, then flicked some water on it. I dried it, and then sewed around the edges. I adhered this to the front of the card. I inked all the edges in Walnut Stain.

For the inside of the card I stamped the Script image in Yellow Chrome Archival, then I stamped the Tulips in Jet Black. I die cut the Spinning 3D Base using a scrap piece of black cardstock and folded and adhered it as per the directions. It took a few tries, and you should probably watch a video rather than listen to me, because I flunked Origami 101! I colored in my Tulips with Distress Markers, and added some color with the Summer Distress Inks to the sky and ground portions just like the front of the card. I made some dashed lines using a Glaze Pen around the edges for a border.

I stamped the Heart in Jet Black onto Specialty Stamping Paper, dried it, and colored it in with both Picked Raspberry and a Spun Sugar Distress Marker. I love the blended look. I dried this, and then stamped and heat embossed in Black Powder and Jet Black Archival the works.  I used a fancy cut out pair of scissors to cut out the heart, then used the Crop O Dile to punch holes to make a doily type pattern. I added the hand written and cut words.I adhered this to the Pop Up Base. I secured the ribbon using the Tiny Attacher to finish the card.

   

I am also submitting this card to Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stamper challenge of "Wish", since I'm sending some lovely Valentine wishes here. 

Supplies:
From My Stash- ribbon, fancy pattern scissors. rhinestone heart


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

The Year Of The Snake

Happy Monday crafters! It's the beginning of a new challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show, but before I tell you what it is, I would just like to say THANK YOU for making my first challenge week with SSS&S so special! All of the comments and emails have just touched my heart in the biggest way! You guys are the best, and make me feel so good. Thank you to all the new followers as well! WOW! 

Back to the challenge for this week....we want to see "Stars"! You’re welcome to take this inspiration literally or you can instead focus on a ‘star’ supply that you couldn’t imagine crafting without! Some glitter that sparkles like a star could work, or how about a punch, a sticker, or some paper. You choose to interpret this challenge any way you'd like. Whether you’re inspired by the night sky, the sports all-star in your life, or the cute star stencil you just found, we can’t wait to see what shines in your project this week!

When I first read the challenge of having to use "Stars", I wanted to incorporate this with the New Year somehow. I am also involved in an Asian themed postcard swap, so that got me thinking in terms of astrology by means of the zodiac...the Chinese Zodiac. 2013 is the Year of the Snake...yikes! I learned that from the paper place mats at my local Chinese restaurant, that are all detailed in gorgeous tones of red and gold. While I'm not into horoscopes or anything, I do find the place mats fascinating to read. They are almost always about what year you were born in, what animal you are represented by, and how other animals affect you. I'm a big pig, well technically a boar, and my husband is a snake. We are supposed to be mortal enemies. Even though we can put on a good fuss every now and again, I still like him after close to 21 years, so I don't place much creed in mortal enemies, but it's fun to discuss!

Using postcard shaped tags I got somewhere I can't remember, I made a Marbled Stained background ala Tim using Brushed Pewter, White Picket Fence, and Broken China Distress Stains, along with a water mister.

Unbelievable as it might sound, I have a miniscule amount of Asian ephemera...to be exact, I have two 7 Gypsies Paper Pads with tiny amounts of Chinese writing on them, and a paper torn out of an Asian magazine that I received wrapped up in a package I ordered from Ebay, not paying attention that is was coming from China. It took weeks to come to me, but the paper was so cool I of course saved it. I have no idea what any of it says, but I think it is about different types of kitchen cabinets for sale based on the photos...cool! What was I thinking participating in a swap that was going to be very difficult to accomplish? Anyways, I used one of the 7 Gypsies papers in the Rays Texture Fade. It reminds me of the sun on the Japanese Flag. I inked over the raised areas using Vermillion Archival Ink and then coated it with Glue N Seal to stiffen it up. Hello McFly...now I can't see the writing! Ugh!

On another 7 Gypsies paper from the Gypsy Market Stack, I used  the new Winter Branches Texture Fade. I inked over it with Walnut Stain and coated it with Glue N Seal as well. I tore both of papers to give them that rugged look. Guess what? Can't see the writing on this one either!

Here is the paper I received from my far away package. I searched through the stamp stash and pulled out what looked Asian ornate to me. I cut the papers into strips, and heat embossed one of  Tattoo Flower images on them using Queen's Gold. I colored the strips with Barn Door Distress Stain. I could smell Emboss It Dabber forever...yummy cinnamon!

I stamped the Fiery Looking Vines from the Rockstar set in Olive Archival onto the bottom of the postcard. They look very Asian to me. I kept thinking a dragon would be cool here. I adhered my embossed strip and torn pieces to the card.

On my other 7 Gypsies paper pack called Camden, there are 4 teeny tiny strips of Asian writing. They are so small so this should tell you how I scoured my whole stash looking for ephemera. I had to use tweezers to help me cut them out, but they fit perfectly as trim on my card. I stamped the Row of Stars in Water Resist Ink and followed with Heirloom Perfect Pearls, but it wasn't bright enough ornateness for me, so....

I heat embossed the Row of  Stars using Queen's Gold, and cut them apart thinking I'd only use one for the tag whole, but that was not enough for me, so I ultimately just did the whole row...much better. This reminds me of the Chinese Flag now.  I looked online to see what the Chinese sign was for Year of the Snake, and did my best free hand of it with a Black Glaze Pen.

I die cut the branch using the Bird Branch die and Kraft Paper. I trimmed the bird off and will use him for something else later on. I stamped the branches with the Wood Grain image and Sepia Archival and then ran them through a Wood Grain Texture Fade. After rubbing a Walnut Stain Distress Pad onto the raised areas, I coated the branches with Glue N Seal to sturdy them up to hold a giant slithering yucky reptile.  I read that this is supposed to be a black snake, but I'm from Texas, so it's a scary as all get out, oh my gosh I hate and never want to see you, rattlesnake. Yes, I don't like snakes!

Using an image I found online of a creepy snake on a Chinese coin as my guide, I free hand cut a snake out of Kraft Paper and used it to make a pattern for the rest. I added that gross bumpy rattle...yuck!

After painting the snakes with Gold Paint Dabber, I embossed them using Tim's Bubble Texture Fade. Talk about cool!  I started liking my scary little guys and had a little paper doll fun with them. Here little hissy hissy!!! That Fade was perfect!  I stained the rattle with Brushed Pewter Metallic Stain and some of the circles with Antique Bronze Metallic Distress Stain. Walnut Stain Distress Ink was then directly applied from the pad to color in the rest of the circles. COOL!

The snakes were finished off with a red wired tongue and some Black Glaze Pen detailing. Do these not look great? Am I allowed to say that? I love how they came out. Sick isn't? Yucky Snakes! I wrapped the snakes around the branches, and of course more play time ensued and now my son was playing a part. If we had Barbies available, they would have needed anti-venom and quick! The branch was given a little Peeled Paint Distress Stickles on the buds. Metal numbers for the year, a computer generated title, and some gold accents with a Krylon Marker finished this off.

Show us the "Stars" in your life! After you create your work of Art, enter it into our challenge, and you might be the lucky winner of a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp. You can also be named as one of the "Top Three Picks" for this challenge. Good luck, and don't forget to visit all of the other fabulous DT work this week...awesome!

 

Supplies:

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!