April ePlay Challenge - Wood !

Well April is rapidly coming to a close and here I sit rushing to enter yet another Challenge I did not make the Eclectic Challenge deadline last month... but I am determined to make it today !!
I really like participating in these challenges because they force me to create out-the-box and out of my comfort zone.
This month' s ePlay Challenge over at Eclectic Paperie http://eclecticpaperie.blogspot.ca/2014/04/eplay-challengewood.html    is Wood !

 I had to scratch my head a few times on this one. Then I remembered my Michael's dollar bin ( now 1.50 ) find. Those items just seem to call to me ... I gotta stay away from that section !


Queen Of The Block

 

I started with a few fun finds and some embellishments from my Tim Holtz stash.  My base was a fun wood block with a Q on it ... I love collecting things to display in the Queendom ( my craft room ). When I saw this I knew I wanted to embellish it but had no idea what  direction I was going in. Perfect for the wood challenge ... let the challenge begin !

I saw the coolest image on my Stampington & Company  e-mail and knew I wanted it for my Q- block  ... Queen of the Block was about to be born !! I had no idea what I was doing... I covered  one side of the block with clear gesso and then attached the print I photo copied on to the block then covered it with clear gesso ... being as impatient as I was I did not look up any information on how to attach my print I just figured I'd experiment. Gotta tell you that when the pictured started to bubble I got nervous !!! REALLY ??? I got a few hours to get this ... what ever it's gonna be done... this can't be happening. I took a few deep breaths smoothed it with my fingers and then let it dry ( I lost some of the color and smeared  what remained... didn't know if I should abandon the project at that point or not. So I moved to a different stage ( the sides ) . I had gotten these cute wood cutouts for the side but hadn't a clue what to do with them... and not wanting to do  much at this point. Got out my dusty concord distressing ink and distressed them and quickly glued them to the sides. Now what??
This is definitely a play as you go and hope for the best. Every Queen needs bling... right ? So I got out some bling and put bling  on the side pieces... decided at this point to use purple and gold bling.

Oops ... photos are out of order ... below you will see the side pieces  and the bling.
next I embellished the Q with some bling and decided to create a design using remnants of my Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs ( they'll work on wood right? ... this is my thought process). Yay ... it worked; I put an eyeball rub in the center of the Q ... What ?? I don't know !
Okay this Q needs a crown I used my Tim shears to cut off the unwanted parts of the crowns added bling to it and then attached it to the Q. Okay so the Q has a crown guess I need a crown on the Queen image ... I'm laughing at myself at this point ...  really?? okay embellish the Queen ... got out silver stickles and with a tooth pick placed dots on various parts of  her garment.

Alrighty then... she's beginning to look like  royalty!  I added a purple flower from  my  Michael's stash.

 The block was still "lacking" so I decided to add a Tim Holtz curio knob ... aah ... a little personality here... now it needed some added color on top for the Q side so I colorized some Tim Holtz crinkle ribbon and made a crumpled bow... okay I think that about does it !

Queen of the Block has arrived !!  I think this one may make the deadline... Thanks for hanging out with me while I "figured" this out! See you next month ... maybe :)

Inspiration Journal April Challenge

This months challenge over at Inspiration Emporium's  Inspiration Journal Blog is " A Few Of My Favorite Things" .  http://blog.inspirationemporium.com/?cat=18. At Winter CHA this year the burlap canvases caught my eye. I just thought it would be fun to "play" with along with Tim Holtz Found Relatives. Those are the coolest vintage photos that lend themselves to creative adventure.
 My favorite things would be anything Tim Holtz. I chose to "play" with an inverted burlap canvas. Lately I've had an obsession with burlap and the colors green and orange.

 

 

I decided to play with this cute little girl... as soon as I saw her I knew she was to be my "subject". First I wanted to experiment and see if crackle paint would work on burlap... yes it does how fun , I painted splotches of peel paint crackle paint on my canvas. While it dried I gathered up various  elements that I thought would "compliment my little girl... oh I gave her a name Cuzin' Sugar Pie ( even I got tickles with the name.) . This came about when I spotted  the Sugar Pendant  from art.i.cake by Amy Labbe. These are just the coolest ... I KNEW I needed this for my canvas!!

My background papers were chosen from Tim Holtz Lost And Found Paper Stash; using my distressor and vintage photo distressing ink I distressed the edges and then layer the papers... rolling the edge of one side so that the Memory definition could be seen. So my first layer was an ephemera page layered with a floral page. Next I fussy cut my little girl and used vintage photo around the edges then I used pop dots to mount her. Her little outfit reminded me of muslin fabric so I used scraps of muslin that I colorized with spiced marmalade distress stain to make the ribbon tie and the little fabric bundle in my sewing themed cluster.  My cluster included a small wooden spool wrapped with a scrap of muslin, crochet circles, metal buttons that I painted with peeled paint to give a more vintage look, a fabric covered button ( I covered with the colorized muslin).

 

 

 

 

I added a sprig of silk flowers and one paper flower I stained with a button added to the center. I added a wire pin to attach the Sugar Pendant, added mini clothes pins and a antique copper heart, and a word band, a small alpha charm ( from my stash... a very old embellishment from my very first gatherings of embellishments).

I wasn't sure that my color combination was going to work... thinking the orange would detract from the vintage theme I was going for... BUT I was pleased with the final project! Such a fun  "out of the box" creation !

 

 

12 Tags of 2014 April Tag

April's  almost gone... another tag done ... yay !  Wow ...Tim has done it again... another awesome tag ( yeah I know ... I always say that)  ... BUT it's true !  Don't believe me ? Go check him out over on his blog http://timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2014-april/. This tag is amazing!
This month we used his  new Frameworks Trellis die along with that famous  Tattered Pinecone die.

OMG... the Trellis die was so much fun to use and to cut varied pieces and to re-insert them... just awesome! I love the tissue tape collage background too... it was like magic happening before my eyes; using the techniques with the distress paint and then the distress ink. The most difficult part for me was that  rose made from the pine cone die; it's really not hard ... I've done them before and  I'm happy to say it's getting easier each time !  Oh and I so love the mini distress pads and the round mini blending tool. 
The colors are just so yummy evergreen bough is so pretty! The combo of worn lipstick and tattered rose; squeezed lemonade and scattered  straw on the roses is nothing but vintage goodness at it's best!
Well, I do hope you will come join in with the monthly tags... it is such a rewarding experience. One of the biggest pluses is that I'm using my Tim stash more and more; and learning new ways to use my supplies.
Oh and by the way... check back periodically I'm joining Linda Ledbetter and the CC3 Challenge Crew    http://lindaledbetter.com/2014/04/compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-begins-april-26-2.html  for the CC3 Challenges! Check out her site for details ... come join us it should be loads of fun !!
Okay... that's it for now ... see you soon !

Create To Live April 2014 Challenge

I love to Celebrate Easter Season and Spring ! With the changing of the seasons everything is fresh and pretty, flowers are blooming, trees are getting fresh green leaves... it just gives me a sense of "Refreshing" and New Beginnings . I celebrate by reflecting on the life God has given me and the new mercies He affords me every morning. I work with Children's Ministry and  share the Good News of the Gospel with them. I love to celebrate with the children. We celebrate newness of life with baby animals.   Every since I was a little girl I loved rabbits and when I think of Easter I think of soft furry baby  rabbits.
Over at Susan's Blog I saw the Celebrate Challenge and decided to take a break from a project I was working on ; and create this card to put on my blog for Easter.
 http://mysweetearth.blogspot.com/2014/04/april-create-to-live-challenge.html they were doing a Create To Live Challenge with the theme Celebrate!

 
 I loved the colors for their Challenge and decided to create this card. My papers are from  My Minds Eye Dolled Up ( Paper Pad ) ; colors matched the theme colors perfectly !
  I used my Tim Holtz Movers & Shapers ... Mini Bunny & Bow Set . Pulled a Stamp from my stash Hoppy Spring ! I've had a love for Kraft paper this year so I used a Kraft card base oh and every spring card needs a butterfly right... what's spring without a butterfly?! I used my Tim Holtz Mini Butterflies Set ( Alterations Movers & Shapers). I added small pearls for the rabbit's tail!

I hope as you celebrated the Easter Season you reflected on the true meaning of Easter and allowed God through His Holy Spirit to refresh you as well !  Hoppy Spring !

Easter Fun

Hi ! Don't know about you but with all the activities between family, church,  and home it seems Easter flew by. I always think I'm going to be on top of things but I always seem to be overwhelmed with activities.
I started these cute little hanging eggs weeks before Easter thinking I would decorate a little here at home ... hahaha ...
Anyway, these were scrap lifted from ... OMG I forgot and my notes are gone ( don't laugh you'll get there one day ). I saw them somewhere as a cute kids craft and thought it would be fun to create some from Graphic 45's  All My Love from the Sweet Sentiments Collection . So cute and so easy.
I cut four egg shapes and then adhered them together, adding a lavender  button and lavender bakers twine. My intent was to add embellishments such as flowers , bling and Sweet Sentiment stickers ( my stickers did not arrive on time... boomer ) so I abandoned the project.

 

 

Although I did not complete embellishing them I was somewhat pleased... maybe next year I'll finish these and make more!  Or I think maybe I might have a UFO Day in the near future and  just spend sometime completing projects ... I really want to see these completed  , don't you ??

Taylor # 1 Has arrived ...

Hi everybody! After giving it some thought I decided to finish Taylor #1. Taylor is one of Julie Nuttting's  new doll stamps.  As you recall in an earlier post she was to be a part  of my Inspiration Challenge that took a "turn". I'm  pleased to say she's got her own venue now; a Julie Nutting Tag ( tag from Tag Pad).

I so enjoyed playing around with this tag. I used a leopard print vellum from Recollections for the over skirt, and Basic Grey Oxford Collection Sorority (front and back) for the other parts of her outfit. For embellishments I punch flowers from each of the papers I used and Gilded Kraft  Glassine Paper ( created using one of Tim Holtz's techniques from Compendium II ) using my Marvy  and EK Success floral punches. I embellished my flowers using my Martha Stewart  Embossing Stylus set ; so fun... gave some dimension to the flowers.  I added black bling to the leopard flowers and I rolled bits of burlap thread to create centers for the  Basic Grey flowers. I cut a burlap butterfly using my Mini Movers and Shapers Butterflies die and embellished it by adding a wooden jewelry bead, with black fiber laced through it to create antlers.

 

I really love the burlap so I added a small square on a small card I stitched on my sewing machine and added a small card made from Graphic 45 Fashionista Paper ( it just seemed to fit my theme).

Finishing touches I colorized Tim's Crinkle Ribbon using a combination of Peeled Paint Distressing Ink and Wendy  Vecchi's Fern Green Archival Ink; which I attached along with a piece of twine!

Every diva needs her bling ... Taylor has a black bling for an earring ... she's good to go now !