Ticket to ride

If you haven't played with alcohol inks lately, now's the time to get them out and do some pouncing!  The latest Grungy Monday theme is based on Tim's Ranger video all about alcohol inks.  A lot of inking took place for on this #11.  There's also alcohol ink ideas on the eclecticPaperie blog hog today through Monday, July 4th...plus 5 giveaways. 

A bit of Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, and Peeled Paint Distress Inks were applied to make the tag look aged.  Next came Tim's bicycle stamp in Saffron, Monarch Orange (new colors!), and Crimson (retired) Archival Inks.  For the fun bit...pouncing Lemonade, Butterscotch, Peach Bellini, Terra Cotta, Red Pepper, Latte and Ginger on 3 different pieces of glossy cardstock. 

Tim's stamps (3 Men, calendar page and bicycle background info) were stamped in Jet Black and Coffee Archival Inks.  The ticket stamp was stamped on white cardstock and aged with whatever brown was on my blending tool.  After looking up a possible year for this calendar page, I handwrote the message using a Sharpie.  (ffrom the sets of Steampunk, Pen & Pencil, Odds and Ends, Calendar)

The word 'ride' was stamped using Hero Arts Quill LowerCase Letters in Espresso Adirondack Ink and my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig (sorry Tim, I do overthink sometimes!).

Miscellaneous:  Maya Road bingo piece (day of the race), gold chain, brads, black cardstock, Idea-ology gear

Heavy on the metal

Guess what...I took a longer break so I could also participate in the metal challenge over at Simon Says Stamp & Show.  This little sweetie would be 100 in August if she was still here but sadly my grandmother passed away 6 years ago.

Tim/Sizzix: Vintage Cabinet Card, Mini Vintage Cabinet Card, Mini Butterfly, Mini Leaf, Small Easel dies; Damask embossing folder

Provocraft: Divine Swirl, Friends Forever & Swiss Dots embossing folders

Studio 490: rose (Dimensional Rose Art)

Ranger:  Latte Alcohol Ink

Ten Seconds Studio:  Rock Star Black, Periwinkle, Appletini, Barn Red metal sheets

Ahead of the game...Halloween is only 4 months away

Wasn't sure I was going to be able to participate as I'm supposed to be working on the trip scrapbooks for my niece and her guest.  My niece's is done so the 2nd one should go together much quicker...all the thinking has been done.  Whew! 

So I took a break to make a tag for the Grungy Monday challenge hosted by Linda over at Studio L3.  This week's theme really challenged me as the image I chose just didn't want to cooperate.  You can check out Tim's blog to see his tag and technique.  Where Tim used a harlequin background stamp I used his Halloween cat stamp.

The background tag is a #11 jumbo tag while the smaller one was cut using a Sizzix Super Crescent Tag die.

Tim's products:  Seasonal Stash paper and stickers; Halloween Words embossing folder, bats & spider web from 'Trick-or-Treat', tissue tape

Ranger products:  Wild Honey, Fired Brick, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Black Soot Distress Inks;  Terra Cotta, Espresso Paint Dabbers, Sepia Accents, Jet Black Archival Ink

I know that the 4th of July is only days away but this is what came from my mojo today.  Sigh.

My dream is to journey 'round the world

but I just returned from an auto trip, IL to NY and back, and have decided my dream will have to wait a while longer.  After traveling nearly 2000 miles with 2 14-year old girls and my husband I have an aversion to my car at the moment. 

When we lived in NJ we started a tradition that when each of my 7 nieces and nephews graduated from 8th grade we would bring them and a friend out for a week and show them the sights.  This was the summer for the last trip.  My niece and her friend were great travelers despite both being prone to motion sickness; my husband no longer drives outside our community. 

We got to see old friends as well as treat the girls to the sights and sounds of Sandy Hook Lighthouse and beach, Ft. Hancock, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and a day walking around NYC where we caught a matinee and saw 'Wicked'.  The ocean was far too cold for swimming...could barely dabble your feet at the water's edge.  The stretch limo into the city was a super treat and made the girls feel very special.  While the trip may have seemed long, the days passed quickly and we were soon back home, sleeping in our own beds, readjusting to our own routines.  As Dorothy would say, 'There's no place like home." and I have to agree with her. 

Since there is little time to make art before the deadlines Sunday night, I decided to make a two-fer tag that fits both the Grungy Monday (Tim's technique challenge from January 2008) and Simon Says Stamp & Show (Distress or Torn Edges) blog challenges. 

Ingredients:  Tim's stamps (Air travel set , dream); Jet Black & Olive Archival Inks; Crushed Olive, Forest Moss, Walnut Stain, Pumice Stone, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot, Tumbled Glass Distress Inks; clear embossing powder; Pool Acrylic Paint Dabber, Vintage Photo Distress Stain, Idea-ology (game spinner, token)
Maybe someday I'll take my journey 'round the world.  Until then, I'll continue dreaming.

Welcome to my home

Thought I'd share another garden journal page with you.  This page was made based on a challenge over on the EWV Yahoo group.  Wendy's inspiration piece can be found in Book One, Page 34.  From this we're to use rickrak, ball chain, and a circle on a square.

I stamped the floral background stamp (Rose Art Part 2) in Stormy Sky Distress Ink; the clock (RAP2) and leaves - as wings - (Forever Art) in Jet Black Archival Ink on some polished stone paper I'd make sometime way back when.  That's a TH game spinner on the clock.
The four corners are from Tim's paper stash and helped stifle the brightness of the blue rickrack.  I took some of my recently shot garden photos and printed them out in index size then backed them in black.  The photos are of the 3 entry ways to our home.  I prefer perennials to annuals but nothing perks up a bare spot like a great pot of annuals. 

I spend as much time in my garden as I can.  We've transformed the lawnscape into something quite colorful over the few years we've been in our home.  Not done yet, but one only has enough energy and funds to do a bit at a time.

If you can't visit me in person, at least you can see what would greet you if you did!

P.S.  Why can't Blogger work out its bugs?  Why doesn't Blogger do WYSIWYG on the screen?  Nothing like formatting one way only to see it posted another.  And when I look at my blog on my dh's computer it's formatted completely different from mine.  Heavy sigh.

'B' is for distressed butterfly tag

As forewarned, I made another tag using plenty of distress inks.  This tag is for the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog's challenge 'use a tag'.  It's a #8 tag...my favorite size to work on....at least right now.

I started out using the watercolor distress technique using the blue and purple palette with a touch of yellow thrown in...hence the green in spots.  Next up I stamped the large image from Tim's new 'Papillon' set in Ranger's new archival color of Saffron.  Of course I knew it wouldn't show up real well but I wanted it for a shadow behind the image stamped again (slightly offset) but in Coffee.

The vertical column of butterflies was stamped in Jet Black Archival ink and Tim's filmstrip ribbon was attached using his tiny attacher.  The flowers were cut from Tim's new kraft glassine paper using his Tattered Florals die.
I colored the flowers with Saffron, Monarch Orange and Crimson (now retired) archival inks.  I tried the distress inks as Tim showed but didn't get the depth of color like I wanted.

Using Sizzix's Leaf Stem die I cut 2 from green paper and distressed them manually and with distress inks.  A chipboard 'b' was coated with gesso then blue and brown distress inks were smudged on, edged in Coffee Archival Ink. 

I used plain gold brads for the flower centers, roughed them up with Tim's sander then pushed them into the Coffee Archival Ink pad before pounding them with Tim's hammer.  Some miscellaneous ribbon scraps were colored with Espresso Color Wash and Coffee Archival Ink because they weren't quite the right colors.  A bit of Black Soot Distress Ink around the tag and it's a fait accompli.

Distress Ink-O-Rama

What could be more up my alley than a challenge to use distress ink!?!!?  Yup, that's the theme on the Grungy Monday site over at Studio L3.  As you know, Tim is the man behind the idea for this super wonderful ink that I simply must use on each and every project I make.  Fortunately there are plenty of colors to choose from, including creating some new ones of your own with the blending tool.

I haven't used the Burnt Edge technique in a while so I thought this would be the opportune time to make use of the brown and black palette of distress inks.  Ranger also makes wonderful archival inks (Coffee, Jet Black) and dye inks (Adirondack Rust) that were used on the tag. 

Stamps used: Studio 490...Tools for Art and A Form of Art and Tim's Artful Artifacts

I stamped the ink bottle twice, once on kraft paper, the other on blue paper then cut out the label from the one on blue paper.  Glossy Accents was spread on the bottle before adding the distressed label. 

A vintage pen nib finishes off the art.





I know, I know...I could have used this as a two-fer because over on the Simon Says Stamp & Show blog the challenge is to use a tag in your art.  However, I enjoy distress inks and tags so much I decided to create a separate piece for their challenge.  You can check in tomorrow or Friday to see that entry.

Putting on the bling

If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT a bling-y person.  Don't wear much jewelry - ever, not even my wedding ring.  So when the challenge was issued over on the EWV Yahoo group to use some bling, I went out of my way, it seems, to use it where possible on this piece.  You be the judge...is it bling-y enough?

My 3-D wardrobe screen comes complete with rhinestone-studded gold gloves, diamond-encrusted tiara, gold-tipped ebony hanger, gold lame skirt and blouse.  Now you can't get much bling-ier than that!  lol

Studio 490:  Fashion Style and Art stamps; Dress Forms & More Art Parts

Tim Holtz: Woodgrain and  Damask embossing folders,  Mini Cabinet Card die (cut 3 but only 1 in full), hitch fastener

Sizzix:   Crescent Tag

Ranger:  Gold Acrylic Paint Dabber, Pitch Black and Snow Cap pigment inks, Tea Dye and Walnut Stain distress inks

Maya Road:  chipboard crown, hanger

Miscellaneous:  square sandwich toothpicks (legs for wardrobe screen and shelf), mini wood clothespins, jewels, foil (mirror)

If you'd care to see the inspiration piece, you can check out Wendy's second book, page 14.  It's amazing where a little bit of inspiration can take you!

Reflections

Just got my new 'Reflections' Tim Holtz stamps and was eager to play with them.  These are designed to be used on embossing folders so that when stamped the image is not backwards.  Both cards feature Tim's 'Old Jalopy' texture trade embossing folder. 

On both I attempted to smear distress ink over the folder before stamping the image so it would appear to be placed behind the car.  This is trickier than it looks as it can appear to be too solid or show smears; definitely warrants more play time.  I tried distress ink and archival ink on the stamps, both worked but with the archival ink you need to make sure you get your embossing folder absolutely clean or it will show up again later.  Trust me.

Plenty of distress inks used, Tim's Collage embossing folder and the Numbers from Provocraft.  The first sentiment was computer generated, the 2nd a stamp from Hero Arts.  Just some fun play time for cards I needed to make right away.








Gardening...another way to express your artistic talents

If you've been following my blog you know that I'm creating a gardening journal to track what I planted this year, photos of said flowers, veggies and herbs, notes and quotes...whatever floats my boat...as long as it pertains to the art of gardening.  I'm hoping to do as many challenges as I can within this journal...a twofer of sorts.

The lovely Linda from Studio L3 is hosting Grungy Monday.  'Tis now the 9th challenge and she's chosen the Shabby Chic technique that Tim Holtz shared in his Christmas tags from 2007, Day 10.  He said the technique could be done on cardstock painted black or on black cardstock.  I tried it on the black cardstock but don't think the images are as crisp and clear as they could be.  Be that as it may, here's my entry for the challenge, a landscape of sorts.

My stamps are from Tim's sets, Spring Sprung and Urban Grunge.  My page, the frame and the butterfly all use the shabby chic technique.

Ranger acrylic paint dabbers:  Mushroom, Clover, Lettuce, Sailboat Blue, Cloudy Blue, Gold, Red Pepper, Butterscotch, Terra Cotta

Ranger:  Rock Candy Distress Stickles

Computer-generated sentiment: Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as the paint, and the soil and sky as the canvas --- working with nature provides the technique.   ---  Elizabeth Murray