Art tries to hang on

As you know, all of Wendy Vecchi's stamp sets have the word 'art' in the title.  So, I've decided to name this guy from one of her latest sets 'Art'.  If you love Wendy's stamps as much as I do I sure hope you're a member of the EWV Yahoo Group.  Group mom, Lori, has established weekly (most of the time) challenges.  This week, #10, is based on Wendy's card from book one, page 36.  We're supposed to feature stitching around the edge of the project and a butterfly from patterned paper.

I haven't made a tag in a while so I thought I would use this opportunity to play with Wendy's Tissue Tape & Color Wash plaid technique.

Not feeling like getting really messy, I created my plaid using Distress Inks (Broken China,Faded Jeans, Worn Lipstick, Fired Brick, Vintage Photo) and the sponge applicator.  The 'grass' was stamped in Olive Archival Ink (scalloped stitching from Just Sew Artsy).  The flower (Life & Art) was colored with dye-based markers.  The butterfly (Make Mine Mini Art) was stamped in Cobalt Archival Ink on some Bingo paper from Tim's Lost & Found stack.  It was also covered with Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  The clouds are part of the lace doily (In Love with Art) and were stamped in Broken China DI.  Art (Gentleman's Art) was stamped on grungepaper in Sepia AI then overstamped with a slight shift in Black AI so I could have a shadow effect.  He was colored with more DI (pinks, blues, browns).  He has twine attached to the butterfly and appears to be desperately hanging on as the butterfly flits off the page.  The sentiment (A Form of Art) was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.

Another day of high winds and plenty of rain, t-storms, etc. so hope Art has a firm hold on that twine!

My bag is packed...I'm ready to go...

leavin' on a jet plane....  Oh you so don't want me to sing this out loud.  I won't even sing in the shower - lol!

With a few hours to spare I finally got my  TH Technique entry finished for the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog - whew!  Tim has so many really cool techniques it was hard to choose just one so I opted for two.  The first is Shabby Chic (grungeboard map)which can be found on pg. 49 of the Compendium of Curiosities book.  The second (suitcase) is from his video using the Texture Fades and Distress Inks.

I started off with a chipboard purse and wrapped kitchen twine around the handle to resemble a vintage suitcase.  Using a Provo Craft Mesh embossing folder I created the suitcase covering...looks (kind of) like leather. 

Ingredients:  Tim Holtz 'Art Travel' stamps, Adage ticket, word token, Film Strip Ribbon, photos from 'Lost & Found' paper stash; Wendy Vecchi 'Gentleman's Art' stamp set - grungepaper belt; Ranger Distress Inks (Weathered Wood, browns & blacke embossing), Lake Mist, Pebble Paint Dabbers, clear embossing powder

Handy tip:  if you don't have a brushed silver brad from Tim, you can take a shiny silver one, scratch the surface with his sanding grip, then smoosh the brad into Jet Black Archival Ink and quickly wipe it off.  The black will remain in the grooves from the sanding block.    IRL it's a perfect match!  I haven't tried it on a gold or copper brad but guessing they'll work the same. 

I really don't like the verticalness of the filmstrip ribbon but once you put it down with Glossy Accents on the back...you're done.  Sigh.

Grungy grandma

Okay, she would definitely not like being called that but since I'm using a 4"x6" photo of her for a Grungy Monday entry, that's what it is.  So there.  Yep, time for another Grungy Monday project.   It's week 4 and the theme is to use Texture Fades and Distress Ink, per Tim's video.  He's offered two ideas using these products; I chose to use the coloring method, not the stamping one.

It's hard to detect the colors and texture but I used Tim's Damask Texture Fade with Antique Linen, Old Paper and Weathered Wood Distress Inks.

Because I chose a picture frame I ended up doing this technique on an 8.5"x11" sheet of paper that I cut into fourths.  While the pieces were drying I coated the frame with Claudine Hellmuth's Traditional Tan paint.  Then the pieces were torn to fit and glued to the Darice particleboard frame using Claudine Hellmuth's Multi Medium in Matte.  That stuff is awesome!  I did go around the frame's edges with a bit of Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink to set off the colors.

Now the fun begins!  Decorating the frame that will house a wedding photo of my maternal grandparents.  My mom keeps ogling the one I made earlier so this one will be her Mother's Day gift.

All flowers and leaves were cut from ivory cardstock.  Some were stamped, all were colored with Weathered Wood Distress Ink (smoosh on my craft sheet, spritz with water, let soak, crumple or form, let dry).  The oak leaf is a leftover using Tim's Shabby Chic technique.










Here's a closeup of the flower corner so you can see the dimension.  The layers are over 1" deep.

Ingredients used:
Wendy Vecchi: Botanical Art--Tim Holtz:  Tattered Florals, Tattered Leaves, Ticket, key (sanded off most of the copper color), Damask Texture Fade--Maya Road: chipboard word, leaf pin--Ranger:  Antique Linen, Old Paper, Weathered Wood, Tumbled Glass, Brushed Corduroy, Clear Embossing Distress Inks; Black, Sepia Archival Inks; UTEE; Silver embossing powder; Brushed Pewter, Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paints--Hero Arts:  pearls--Sizzix:  Flower Layers #2 die--Martha Stewart fern punch--Claudine Hellmuth:  Traditional Tan paint; Matte Multi Medium

Now I just have to make a card to accompany the gift...good job I have several days to do that!  lol

Happy Passover!

Happy Passover to all my Jewish friends and family!

If you're not familiar with Passover there is a point in the dinner service where the youngest child is to ask 4 important questions.  Hence, my sentiment and the question marks.  The vintage photo was reproduced and framed using a Spellbinder's oval die.  The sentiment was computer-generated, cut the words apart and distressed the edges.  The question marks are Hero Arts stamps.  Inside the sentiment reads 'they just make me hungrier'...because they delay the meal time by that much longer. 


On the left is a copy of a Haggadah from the 1950s while the one on the right is fairly new.  Here's to eating lotsa matzoh!

I hit the trifecta!!!

Well, not really but I do think I scored big with this entry that meets the requirements for three challenges.  Linda's Grungy Monday was using the Ranger Adirondack Colorwash Stains, Simon Says Stamp & Blog wanted some Distressing, and the ninth challenge for the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group needed at least 3 buttons and some dimensional grungepaper or grungeboard objects (the inspiration piece can be found in Book 1, page 24--a card).

I started off with a chipboard square; painted it with Mushroom Acrylic Paint Dabber; stamped on it using Snow Cap Acrylic Paint Dabber.  Let's see...Tim's Tissue Tape frames the stamped background, edged in Gold Paint Dabber.

Ranger:  Colorwash Stains on the watercolor paper flowers and leaves: Butterscotch, Pesto, Lettuce, Denim, Eggplant, Wild Plum;  Archival inks: Olive, Jet Black; Distress Stickles: Old Paper; Distress Crackle Paint: Picket Fence; Distress Inks: Brushed Corduroy, Black Soot, Walnut Stain, Vintage Paper, Broken China, Faded Jeans, Peeled Paint, Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick; Enamel Accents: Black

Tim Holtz:  Tattered Florals, Hanging Sign, Caged Bird Sizzix dies; stamp from Adverts, Sheet Music embossing folder

Wendy Vecchi: stamps from Art-Fully Said, Art Fit for a Queen, Make Mine Mini Art

Maya Road: Jonathan Mini chipboard alphabet

Martha Stewart: green silk ribbon

So, there's defiinitely plenty of color stains, lots of distressing with paints, glitters, inks and my fingers, more than 3 buttons and several grungepaper dimensional elements.  Ta da!

Anything but a card

Hey, check out the new theme over on the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog...anything but a card.  While deciding what to make other than a card I happened to kick over a package of Stampbord ATC blanks underneath my table and thought to myself...'aha, let's try something!'  So I did.  I've only played with Stampbord once before and that was under the watchful eye of my good friend, Judy Kreitler, who's done extraordinary work with this medium.  She's had quite a bit of art featured on the Stampbord site.

Here's my version of anything but a card...pendants using stamps by Tim Holtz (Just Thoughts) and Wendy Vecchi (Lower Case Art).  For the Tim version I just randomly smooshed a whole bunch of distress inks while the Wendy one has bright Posh Rainbow inks (also by Ranger) in a streaked pattern using a Dee Greunig sponge applicator.  Both images and the sentiment were inked using Jet Black Archival ink.  I did heat set the ink before using the scratching tool.  A 22" length of chain, some beads and I'm ready to wear some art!

Grungy Monday #2

Where does the time go???  The second Grungy Monday theme is to use Distress Ink with Claudine Hellmuth's Multi Medium.  This was so much fun!!!! Tim certainly has some wonderful ideas, doesn't he? 

I chose to use Tim's Tattered Florals die for my new stamp.  Using his Tag & Bookplates die I cut out a tag from his Vintage Shabby paper stash (one of the gray sheets).  I used Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks.  Jet Black Archival Ink was used to stamp the sentiment (My Sentiments Exactly) and the flower advert (Tim Holtz).  Pearl Perfect Pearls was sprayed on the petals.  On the leaves (Tattered Leaves) was stamped the background image from Sketch Art by Wendy Vecchi.  I cut out a 5/8" gold circle and pricked holes all over it.  Turned it over and distressed it with Walnut Stain Distress Ink for a more realistic look.  A circle of foam tape is under it so the edges could be curved, again a more realistic look.  Black penstitching, a memo pin and some vintage ribbon finish off my tag.

BTW, the flowers and leaves were cut from some old crepe paper ribbon that has a pattern on the reverse side that wasn't my style.  I hate to waste things and since one side was plain it was perfectly fine to use for this more natural looking flower arrangement.

A rosy outlook

Over on the EWV Yahoo group, Lori's chosen a hanging piece using at least 3 grungepaper flowers and a snippet of something that has Perfect Pearls on it for the latest challenge.  I knew what I wanted to do but could I get the layout the way I wanted?  Nope!  It seems like it's taken forever but I think I'm okay with it.

The base is a chipboard purse that has seen Distress Ink and Perfect Pearls mist added to it along with a fringe of pleated tissue tape.  There's lots going on so I'll just list the items used. 

Studio 490 stamps: Dimensional Rose Art, Rose Art Part 2, It's Face Art, All About Art, Be Inspired...Make Art, Love to Make Art, Live and Make Art and A Form of Art

Provocraft:  Mesh Texture embossing folder

Tim Holtz: Tattered Florals die, Carnivale alphabet die, Fragment charm, music embossing folder, grungepaper, grungeboard, calendar tissue tape

Ranger Perfect Pearls:   Sunflower Sparkle, Blue Patina; Distress Stickles: Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans, Broken China, Weathered Wood, Chipped Sapphire, Rock Candy; Distress Ink: Bundled Sage, Crushed Oliver, Pine Needles, Mustard Seed, Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Broken China, Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood, Fired Brick, Pumice Stone, Tumbled Glass; Paint Dabbers: Salmon, Mountain Rose, Red Pepper, Terra Cotta, Sunset Orange, Peach Bellini, Cranberry, Watermelon, Shell Pink; Jet Black Archival Ink

Misc:  Gold Lame Smooch by Clearsnap, Martha Stewart Butterfly anywhere punch (vellum), Faux enamel tag (Wish), gold rhinestones

Whew!  Pundits often say that 'less is more' but when it comes to Ranger and Wendy, I have to disagree! 

HB little brother!

My brother turns 50 today...hard to believe.  Now all 4 of us are over the half century mark.  I created a special scrapbook for him; what a trip down memory lane.  I hosted his party Sunday and the album was a big hit as we recalled past moments in time.  If you'd care to see the album it's in PictureTrail.  Here's the address.

Here's the card I made him.  All the images and most of the dies are from the Tim Holtz collection and all Ranger inks.  I added a small kraft envelope that contained a mini file folder.  On the outside was stamped 'An age old question, or is it an old age question...do men as old as you wear boxers or briefs?'  On the folder tab I stamped 'open' so that you could see the answer...'Depends'.  He thought it was hilarious - thank goodness!

Hope everybody will have as special a day today as my brother is having!