12 Tags of 2013 - July

Hi everyone. Again, I must apologize for not having my CHA products post finished, but things were turned upside down right after my last post on Friday. I've debated whether or not to bring this deeply personal issue up here, and my intention is not to bring anyone down, but I do consider all of you to be my friends, so here goes. 

My best friend from about the end of 8th grade passed away last Friday night after a heavy battle with cancer. I was very fortunate enough to be able to spend many extended times with her to relieve her husband for work, and I cherish those memories, but I so wish I could have been there at the end. I whole-heartedly believed she would make it much longer than she did, and the sudden turn around for the worse was very unexpected. Needless to say, I was sure glad I had my husband to lean on, as he had made the trip to Las Vegas over the weekend. We made it home in time to go to the funeral on Monday, and it was a beautiful service. I am glad she is not suffering anymore...so glad...and I know she was needed elsewhere, but she is sorely missed, and I am finding it hard not to think about all the time.

Although not in the mood to craft a lick, I thank Tim Holtz and his monthly tag series, for reminding me that I made a commitment to myself to participate each month, and I know my friend would want me to keep on keeping on, so I made this July tag with all Tim's techniques, but with my beautiful friend's spirit on my mind, rather than the freedom theme, and just in the nick of time too as it seems.

I love the Fanciful Flight Die, and thought the Mini Heart would make a great body for it.

I loved the brayer technique that Tim used. I know I will use it again many more times.

 

Supplies:

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Create'n and Connect'n at Summer CHA!

Hello everyone! Sorry to be absent for a bit, but it's been a busy time in my bubble lately. Please forgive me for not visiting your blogs. I promise to be around shortly.

I'm currently in Las Vegas (Waiting for hubby to get here!!!) where I attended the summer Craft and Hobby Association's (CHA) event called "Create and Connect". Although it was much smaller than the winter event in Anaheim, it was still a whole lotta fun to be at, and there was still a whole lotta wonderful products, projects, and people to see! This post will be filled with photos of the people I saw and projects I made, and then I'm going to do another post of the "Top 10" products that I loved from the show.

I started the show by attending Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Class. LOVE her!!! We made tons of GIANT sized #12 tags filled with her techniques, and I learned to use the wonderful new Ink Pad she has just launched. Then we joined all the tags together to make a swanky little mini book! It's so FUN!!!

I of course could not go to the show empty handed, so I finally finished my ATC's in the hotel room to give out along with a little Texas Trash! They are kind of cheesy, but they are fun!

These are the backs, that when folded make an easel to prop up the card.

Then it was time to hit the showroom floor, where I saw all my friends, and met new ones!

Here is Wendy demoing her new Tree Stencil (LOVE!) and her new Signature Line with Ranger for the Archival Ink family (LOVE!).

Here's Tim showing how to use his new Stencils (LOVE!) with Distress Paints!

This is the uber cute project I made at the Idea-ology Make n Take! ADORABLE!!!

I finally got to meet Amy Bowerman in the flesh! She was demoing for the super talented Eileen Hull in the Sizzix booth every day.  Eileen's dies are fabulous! Below is one of the new ones coming out that is a mini book cover. So clever!

 

Here is my pal Debby!

Here is Rhonda Palazzari, whom I went to Ranger U with. I am so proud of her and her new line of Stencils! They are so FABULOUS,  but more on that later!

Here is one of my projects on display for Ranger using their new Stickles colors...Cranberry, Pine Needles and Mercury Glass I think are the new names. I was beyond thrilled and so honored to have been asked! Thank you Ranger!!!

Then my arm was twisted by the amazing Daisy Plucker herself, Amy Bowerman, for some late night craftiness! Actually, I think I twisted her arm!

We had supplies spread out all over my room!

Amy made a fabulous Journal Page in Vegas style, and I made Mario's birthday card, that had sort of planned out before I left home. Happy Birthday Mario....again!!!

 

Also submitting this to Inspiration Emporium's Monthly Blog Challenge of "Happy Birthday America & Other Birthdays"

I'm very sad to say I didn't get photos of Shelly, Jim, Cesar, Carolyn, Gena, and Colleen...all of whom I also hung out with. What is wrong with me? I know....I just talked to darn much to snap photos!!! 

Be back later with more details from the show!

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

An Old Pane...and Saying Good Bye

It's another wonderful Monday, and a new beginning to a work week as well as a new beginning to a challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show. 
From upcycling to playing with your favorite green ink pad, this week we’re all about how good it is to "Be Green". Whether you want to use something that would otherwise be garbage on a project and be inspired to be environmentally friendly, or if you want to play with the color we hope you’ll join us. Maybe, you'll do both and upcycle an old green colored something. What to choose? From recycling to upcycling, and frogs to leaves,  or olive to kelly, we look forward to seeing all things green this week. 

Not only is this a new beginning to a challenge, but it's also a new beginning for me, as this is sadly my last challenge at Simon. It's time for me to focus on other things for the moment.  I cannot thank the ladies, the DT, and all the followers at Simon Says Stamp & Show enough for all their goodness in soooo many ways! It has been a most awesome experience! Thank you all for following me and commenting on all the SSS&S posts here as well! I treasure all of you!

I had to clean it up a lot, and remove all the old chalking and paint.

I made a terrible but fun mess!

I gave the frame new paint with Ranger's Pearl Paint Dabber.

I stamped all over the frame with Jet Black Archival and a few Stamper's Anonymous images from Tim Holtz.

I cut the cork and adhered it to corrugated board that fit into one of the panes.

I cut and fit magnetic panels and adhered it onto corrugated cardboard as well for another pane.

I stapled metal mesh that was originally for cooking veggies on the barbeque grill onto another pane, and used screw eyes and twine to make a hanging line in the last pane.

 

 

 

 

Do you like to make old things into new things? Or, do you like the color green? If so, create a project with either or both in mind, and then enter it into our challenge. You just 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 check out the other Design Team member's blogs to see how green they've become this week!

Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Stamps & An Assemblage Clock!

It's no tiny thing, it's Monday! That means it's time for another challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show. This week we challenge you to use "A Small Stamp", or use a stamp in some small way on your project. You could finish a project with a bit of stamping on an edge, use a tiny heart stamp, or perhaps you’ve got some small stamp on a set that you’ve yet to use. Now would be the time! 

This challenge was a little hard for me as I don't go for mini stamps much, so Tim's new Tiny Things Stamp Set was a perfect choice for me as I loved all the vintage images on it. I thought they would look great in this vintagey real working clock.

After disassembling the clock, I coated all the pieces with Ranger's Inkssentials Glue N Seal Matte to give it some tooth and grip for all the coloration I was about to do to it. 

I painted the main part with Red Brick Distress Paint, and added Antiqued Bronze Distress Paint throughout all the parts to start a vintage look.

I wanted some sheen and more rust, so I got some help with Alcohol Ink. I followed this up with Rock Candy Distress Crackle.

I added Barn Red Distress Stain to all the cracks from the Crackle to really highlight them and show of some more red.

Pitch Black Paint Dabber was added to all the pieces to grunge everything up.

I took a pair of metal wings from my stash and gave them a coat of Snow Cap Paint Dabber, some Walnut Stain Distress Ink, and used the same Alcohol Inks to distress the Idea-ology Hinges that attached them to the clock.

I die cut the clock face and adhered it some of Tim's paper from the 8x8 stash book. I cut a hole in the middle of it for the real working clock motor to go through. I purchased the clock motor at a local craft store.The tiny images were stamped on Specialty Stamping Paper in Jet Black Archival. I stamped several that I will use later., and gave all a good drying with the heat tool.

I colored the images with Distress Markers, dried them, cut them out, and used Glossy Accents to highlight a few parts as well as attach them. Jump rings were added so the flying time could be hung inside the clock.

I stamped the sentiment directly onto the glass using Jet Black and gave this a little heat to dry it.

I needed a way to hang the flying time, so I used an Idea-ology Memo Pin, and bent it around one of the braces that held in the glass in the clock. It worked perfectly.

 

Do you have tiny stamps in your stash? I am sure you do. Why not use one on a project this week, and then enter it into our challenge. You just might be the lucky winner of a $50 voucher to Simon Says Stamp. You can also be named as one of the many "Spotlight Artists" for this challenge. Good luck, and don't forget to check out the other Design Team member's blogs to see how tiny stamps have invaded, I mean enhanced their projects this week!

Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!