Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 2 - Colorize Rupert and Egg at the Rock Cave Graduation Card

Hello All! Here is my last make from the Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 2 release. I saved the best for last! This one is made with Colorize Rupert of course, as well as the Ovals Stacked Tiles (more rocks and an egg...I love this set) and a couple of Chapter 1 dies. A little back story on this so you can understand my thinking in it's design, my youngest is about to graduate high school and he is the one who watches Harry Potter with me. I loved the tests that Harry had to go through in the Goblet of Fire, especially getting the egg from the dragon. To me, it's a lot like life...having challenges and trials and hopefully overcoming to get a reward, so that is why I designed the egg and the rocky scene for the dragon. Now that my son is of age, he will probably have to overcome a few dragons in his life. I know he will love this card and get my meaning. Hope you like it too. Enjoy!

For the Dragon Rupert, use dark gray felt for the Green 1, silver glitter felt for the Green 2, silver scales ribbon felt for the Green 3 and Green 4 for the face, and dark gray felt for the arms and legs. I purchased the felts from Hobby Lobby fyi. Use green cardstock in place of the yellow. Assemble Rupert and use a black marker to help define some of the gray areas so you see them better. Set this aside.

 

For the egg, die cut the smallest oval from the Ovals Stacked Tiles Thinlits using gold Metallic Kraft Stock. Run it through the Blueprints Embossing Folder, choosing a portion that looks like a building (I found the London Eye and tall building.)...use your imagination. You want this to resemble the Harry Potter egg from Goblet of Fire. Open a Long Fastener and spread the legs of the brad so they are angled out, and use a craft hammer or pliers to flatten it as much as you can. You want it to be arrow like. Adhere it to the top of the egg with Collage Medium. Pounce over this with Gold Mixative. Use a Ground Espresso Distress Crayon and Waterbrush to color in the debossed areas and highlight the images. Ink the edges of the egg heavily with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink from Ranger.

 

 

For the background of the card, cut a piece of White Heavystock to 5 1/4 x 7 5/8 inches. Mist the heavystock with Speckled Egg and Tumbled Glass Distress Sprays from Ranger. Lightly add a few mists of Pumice Stone Distress Spray Stain. Let it sit a few seconds and lightly mist water for a little mottling. Let this dry or use a heat tool to dry it completely. Ink around the edges in Speckled Egg Distress Ink. Stitch around the upper half of the background using white thread. Set this aside. 

 

 

 For the cave, use three pieces of Cracked Leather Cardstock, and mist each with Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, and Pumice Stone Distress Spray Stains. Let dry or use a heat tool.

  

Die cut one of the pieces with the Bubbling Thinlit, another piece with several of the Sized Ovals (using the three largest sizes), and leaving the third piece alone for now. Set the oval pieces aside for now. Use the Die Brush and Die Pick to get out all of the pieces in the Bubbling Thinlit. Set aside the larger circles and some of the smaller ones as well. Save all the little pieces that you don't use for another project.

 

 

 Using the Collage Brush and Collage Medium, adhere the Bubbling piece to the last piece of Crackled Leather, making sure to coat the top as well to seal in the inks and give a more workable surface for the next part.

 

  

Using Ground Espresso, Hickory Smoke, Peeled Paint, and Iced Spruce Distress Crayons, apply the crayons to random areas on the Bubbling piece and use a little water on your finger to move the color around and into the cracks and open areas until you like the look. Dry this. 

 

 

Turning the Bubbling piece vertically, use the largest Stacked Oval and die cut this for an opening to the cave. Save that egg shape for another project. Trim the bottom part off so it looks more like an opening, and ink the edges of the opening in Black Soot Distress Ink. Trim around the top portion randomly making a hill shape. Adhere a piece of black cardstock to the back of the cave, using a small pieces of foam tape on the bottom for a small gap look and two sided tape on the top part. Ink the edges of the cave using Hickory Smoke. Set this aside.

 

 

For the tree you will use the smallest die set of the pine tree. Die cut one in a darker green, one in a lighter green, and one in brown. There will be two of everything so you can actually make two trees if you die cut another brown, and save the other tree for another project as you will only need one tree for this. Make sure to ink the edges of everything in Gathered Twigs before adhering the pieces as shown on the package of the die. If your background is already stitched around, adhere the cave on the upper left side of the background about an inch down from the top and the tree next to the cave using either Collage Medium or two sided tape or both like I do.

 

For the rocks, take the Ovals Stacked Tiles and all of the largest circles from the Bubbling Thinlit, as well as some of the small and tiny circles, and arrange them (NOT adhering yet, just playing with the arrangement) on the background so the bottom area will be covered in the rocks and you will know how many you need and have an idea of where the rocks will go. Keep a few more circles out though just in case you need them. Also, if you don't have enough you can leave the center area uncovered as the dragon will go over that space and cover it up. Once you like the arrangement, use Distress Inks straight from the pad and lightly rub the pads over the bumpy texture of the ovals, using Hickory Smoke, Speckled Egg, Crackling Campfire, Gathered Twigs, Fossilized Amber, and Twisted Citron, and even mixing them on a few of the ovals. The Citron and Campfire give a nice mossy look I think. After you ink one lay it back down where it was so you don't lose your arrangement. I did three rocks in each color except for Gathered Twigs and Hickory Smoke as I did many more of those as they are the typical rock look. When all the surfaces are rubbed with ink, use a Blending Brush with Gathered Twigs and working in a circular motion, lightly color over the Hickory Smoke, Twisted Citron, and Speckled Egg rocks for a more blended and realistic look. Use another Blending Brush and Hickory Smoke Distress Ink and lightly color over the Crackling Campfire, Fossilized Amber, and Gathered Twigs rocks. Ink the edges of the rocks in either Gathered Twigs or Hickory Smoke. It's a good idea to take a phone picture of the arrangement of rocks so you know where everything goes after the next part.

 

To add to the shadow and bleached out areas from the sun on the rocks, use a little Picket Fence Distress Ink with a Blending Brush that is almost closed for a little more control of the white, and working in a crescent like shape at the top of the rock, add the white ink lightly going back and forth until the ink underneath has lightened up. The white really makes a difference with the rock looking so real. I think this part is essential. If you didn't snap a photo of the rock placement before, now is the last time you can. Transfer the rocks to a clean paper towel or splat box. I tried to keep mine in the same placement just spaced out for this part. To keep the Distress Inks in place and to further add to the real feeling of the rocks, mist them liberally with Distress Resist Spray. This will definitely keep the inks from smearing and add a nice sheen to the rocks. While they dry undisturbed, unscrew the top of the Resist and rinse with water by cupping the water in your hand and misting the sprayer until all the Resist is gone and water is spraying through. Clean out the nozzle and tube, and then spray until all the water is out, and then screw back on for next time...no clogging now for your next use. Your rocks should be dry after cleaning the Resist, and you can now transfer them back onto the background. Use your phone photo if you need to so you know where the rocks will go. 

 

 This was my phone photo so that I would know where my rocks would go. 

 

Use Collage Medium to adhere the rocks in place. I had a few left over so I made a tiny rock cairn on the right side below the tree. I think it's so cute! Once all the rocks are adhered, trim off any overhang, and ink the edges of the rock portion with Hickory Smoke. To add the darker shadow areas between the rocks, use a Hickory Smoke Distress Crayon and a little water with the paintbrush (or Detail Waterbrush) and brush over the tops of each rock making a solid darker line. Seriously, these rocks are not only addicting but actually look real. Trim a piece of black cardstock for the matting to 5 1/2 x 7 7/8 inches, and adhere the background to it using two sided tape. Add this to a kraft cardstock base card 5 5/8 x 8 inches that is inked in Gathered Twigs.

 

 Adhere Rupert on the card front using two sided tape or Collage Medium. Add the egg so it looks like he is holding it using foam tape. Choose the sentiments you want to use from the Small Talk Stickers for whichever occasion you want and cut them apart. Ink the edges in Gathered Twigs and adhere them to the rocks, adding a little Collage Medium for extra adhesion.

 

Supplies: 

(Die Cut Machine, Craft Hammer, Alcohol Ink Blending Tool, Detail Waterbrush, Paper Trimmer, Distress Sprayer with Water, Heat Tool, Ink Blending Tool, Sewing Machine with White Thread, Die Brush, Die Pick, Distress Collage Brush, Scissors, Foam Tape, Two Sided Tape, Blending Brushes (3))

-Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits (Chapter 2 2021): Colorize Rupert 

-Dark Gray Felt, Silver Glitter Felt, Silver Scales Ribbon, Black Pitt Pen 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Collage Medium: Matte 

-Tim Holtz Idea-ology:  Classic Kraft Stock, Metallic Kraft Stock, Long Fastener, Small Talk Stickers

-Sizzix Tim Holts Framelits (Chapter 2 2011): Ovals Stacked Tiles 

-Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fade: Blueprint 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Mixative: Gold 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayon: Ground Espresso, Hickory Smoke, Iced Spruce, Peeled Paint 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Mixed Media Heavystock: White 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain: Speckled Egg, Tumbled Glass, Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap, Antique Linen 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Speckled Egg, Black Soot, Gathered Twigs, Hickory Smoke, Crackling Campfire, Fossilized Amber, Twisted Citron, Picket Fence 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Cracked Leather Cardstock 

-Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits: Bubbling, Funky Trees 

-Ranger Surfaces: Black Cardstock, Kraft Cardstock 

-Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Resist Spray

 

I'll be back soonish. Thank you for following along on this Chapter 2 Sizzix journey and for all the lovely comments. Until next time, I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!