12 Tags of 2014 December Tag

It's hard to believe this is the last tag of 2014 ! It has been an amazing journey... so many interesting rewarding stops along the way. Tim has certain inspired us ( or at least me) to new heights. As I look back over each one of the tags, I marvel at how I was able to "push" beyond the frustration barriers and create something I was very proud of . My pride is not so much in the finished project as much as it is in my growth.
Well enough of my babble...
Tag number 12 not unlike the other 11 ... blew me away ! I oohed and aahed I think every step of the way. I think my favorite part was the background. Watching the distress stain spray and metallic interact with the simple spritz of water while drying ... OMG ... magic right before my eyes ( had to call my husband in to check it out ).  Here are samples of my backgrounds ( I made two ... one is part of a card I'm making ). I did not have the Christmas Nostalgia Stamp so I used the small stars from my Merry Christmas Framelit set  ( I wasn't happy about not having the set but I'm adjusting) ... it's on my list ... it really is a cool stamp set... besides I'm just obsessed with using what Tim uses ... don't judge me ... I TOLD YOU I'm a Tim-A-Holic !   :)

I so love my Tim toys... I had everything else ... well almost . Cool technique with tea diffuser ( you know I went to thrift store and a few other places looking for one like that I LOVE IT ... I have the mesh one ... not bad !

Oh the Thinlits... OMG Genius ! Tim gave us a tip at the stamp show about using wax paper ... it works like a charm. The verdict is still out on my Holiday greenery die ... one of those pieces just wasn't co-operating ... takes skill ... I'm working on it I won't be defeated!  The stitching ... great touch... another fabulous tag ... Thank you Tim !

CC3 Challenge # 17

Oh my where did my time go? It has been a busy week ... rehearsals, birthday  party, memorial service and doctor appointment ( urgent appointment ... yuk ) ! Okay so I've got 14 hours. and 20 minutes  to pull this off ... I thought of not participating BUT ... I worked too hard not to !
We are at Challenge 17 ... I'm hanging in there ... how 'bout you ?
OMG ... Linda and the Curiosity Crew went Christmas ... have you seen their projects ???
Oh my BAAD... first things first... Our wonderful hostess Linda Ledbetter over at http://lindaledbetter.com/2014/12/compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-17.html and that fabulous Curiosity Crew have a treat for you.  Now if you have not joined us by now it's not too late ... Linda still has the rules/guidelines posted for your viewing pleasure. Tim Holtz's book  A compendium of Curiosities Volume III is our guide. Now I gotta tell you even if you don't participate THIS is the book to have to check out ALL those amazing techniques ... great reference book! The very personable Tim himself will autography your book too if you go to http://timholtz.com/a-compendium-of-curiosities-volume-iii/.  Our sponsors this week are my friends at http://www.inspirationemporium.com/ ; should you be the lucky winner you get a $50 gift certificate to their online store ... how cool is that ?!  Psst ... by the way when you go to check out their store ... go check out their blog... talk about inspiration for some amazing gifts !!
The Curiosity Crew has Curiosity Crew Choice Award and Honorable Mention ... so umm if you participate you have a chance to win ! Those goodies from Tim and Mario are the best ... Thank you again Linda, Curiosity Crew, Tim and Mario my package came Monday ... I'm still grinning !!
Okay so to be eligible you gotta go check out the blogs of the Curiosity Crew ( you'll want to do that  anyway) ; show them some love while you are there okay ?!
Now to Challenge 17 it's  Woodland and Tinsel Twine p. 60 ... OMG you are gonna love this singing ..." It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... "
I so love this ... I chose a vintage look my friend Paula Cheney had a tutorial last week on colorizing pearls ... it was the boom ! I don't want to get into trouble... Soooooooooo I'll just say I had loads of fun. I did not have all the supplies I thought I had so I went with what I had... so pleased with the results.

Sure hope you can see my details... THIS WAS A CHALLENGE ! Not feeling well and antibiotics kicked in while I was working... talk about stressing :) . Anyway I have share photos ( photographer I am not ... especially not right now. I chose to do this ... so I must complete it ... I will not be defeated.
I so enjoyed the process. I'm so thankful I have Tim's other two compendiums ; I had to consult it ... I could not remember how to do the tissue tape on my configuration ( don't know if it was the meds or forgetfulness... hahaha ) ... ANYWAY I had the resources !
Happy Friday !

P.S. In my haste to get this posted I forgot to share with you what I used... I used  Tim Holtz  Merriment Paper Stash , Merriment Tissue Tape and a 6.75" x 8.75" Configurations.
Ideology  ring fastener,  baubles, Christmas muse token, mirrored stars, corners, curio knob , Christmas word band and Christmas tidings tokens. Oh and of course woodland tree !
Okay ... I'm off to clean up so cats don't get my stuff ... then off to bed ... antibiotic is messin' with me :(  ... See You later !

CC3 Challenge # 16

Is it just me ... or are you feeling it too ... time is flying by ... it's December already !!
How was your Thanksgiving? Hope you had a Blessed one. Well time to get in gear for Christmas... are you getting in the spirit ? Well if not maybe a peak at what Linda and the Curiosity Crew has in store might help you! I tell you those ladies are so talented... and the versatility is amazing ( something for everybody).
Speaking of everybody... did you join in the fun yet? Okay we are at Challenge # 16... come on you can do it... visit Linda Ledbetter 
http://lindaledbetter.com/2014/11/compendium-of-curiosities-3-challenge-16.html ., she's got complete easy to follow guidelines ; a link to the amazing Tim Holtz so you can purchase his book  A Compendium of Curiosities Volume III ... don't forget you can get it autographed too . Now if you have yours already but you want some company on this amazing journey gift a copy to one of your friends; invite them to join you. Tell them Tim and Mario have goodies ... should you be the Curiosity Crew's Choice Award Recipient ... if that does not get them tell them our sponsors this week are  The Funkie Junkie  Boutique  http://www.thefunkiejunkie.com/  , they could win a $25 shopping spree. Now they will probably tell you they wouldn't know what to create or where to start ... not a problem ... tell them while they are at Linda's site they can see projects  done by the Curiosity Crew ... it's fabulous inspiration ! All they have to do is visit each one's blog; show them some love ( so easy to do... cause they will want to tell them how awesome their projects are) and then they'll be eligible for prizes. Can't get any easier than that !
Okay ... so while you brush up on your recruitment skills I'll share my project...
This week is Challenge # 16  Layering Stencil Embossing found on p.50
OMG... this is so amazing... I don't want to get in trouble ... let me just say the technique is so easy and the results are amazing ...

The above photo is of my other  new Tim toys, I used Christmas framelit, , labels thinlit ,  and handwritten Christmas Stamps .

I used  the Holiday Knit and the Speckles  stencils and some of my other new Tim toys . I'm showing you the above photo so you can see my background. I used worn lipstick, fired brick and barn door distressing inks. I just love this color palette.

This photo is showing the other elements of my tag. I had so much fun using the stencils with texture paste and foil sheets ... way cool !!! You'll have to look close at the finished tag to see the details ... OMG ... with the help of Tim toys I worked some magic !

Well I've probably told you to much ( hope not ... I couldn't help it) ... but I do hope you enjoyed it.
Have I  convinced you yet ?? Come on join us...
Alright ... don't forget to visit the Curiosity Crews blogs, let them know you enjoy their work ! I'm going back to play...

Oh, Thank you again Linda and Curiosity Crew for choosing me for  the Curiosity Crew's Choice Award for Challenge # 15 . I am HONORED !!!

It's Advent Season !

Speaking of Holidays ... have you seen Somerset Holidays & Celebrations ? OMG I love Somerset and every now and then I buy a copy. There are so many great ideas and so much inspiration... it just takes me to my Happy Place ! Vanessa Spencer created this adorable Advent Calendar; it's called an Out-of-the ordinary ( Somerset Holidays & Celebrations p. 26 ) .  As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make one.
Last year I purchased some stickers from Simples Stories from a 25 Days Christmas Collect with the intent to create an advent box I was waiting for the place where I ordered to get more papers so I could order them... well long story short that collection was discontinued. So when I saw Vanessa's calendar these stickers came to mind immediately ... yay I found something to do with these number stickers !

I just love the colors of these stickers and figured I could create a cute calendar too ! It took me a month almost ( doing several other projects in between)  to plan out my calendar. A few days ago I started my count down to my 65th Birthday and my goal everyday is to create something and/or complete a UFO everyday for the next 65 days ! What better thing to complete than an advent calendar! I used Vanessa's Calendar as my springboard. What a project it turned out to be ... I almost gave up ! I had trouble trying to find some items I wanted. I ended up masking the coin envelopes because I could not find them in white. Finding buckets the size I wanted was difficult as well but I created a way to include the buckets on tags with the numbers on the tag.

It was a little frustrating in that my cats thought it was a play toy and that I was playing with them as I attempted to attach the various components. I am  happy to say they all survived and the calendar is completed in time for advent season !