Giving thanks

Today I'm giving thanks for all that I have.  I am not a Black Friday shopper, not even from my computer.  We don't exchange gifts so that helps.  But there's nothing I really need or want so sales haven't even tempted me.  Boy, is my husband surprised!  But pleased!

I still am struggling with cheaters (cheap reading glasses) so it took several days to make this adorable little milk carton that showcases Tim's efforts with Sizzix that embrace fall and Ranger's awesome coloring mediums.  Thank you!!!!

The unadorned milk carton is about 1 1/2" square and 3 1/2" tall.

 Sizzix (Tim Holtz) dies: Tattered Leaves mini movers & shapers, Autumn Gatherings decorative strip die, Typeset decorative strip die

Sizzix Milk Carton Box thinlits die

Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz) Mini Blueprints 5 (Wheat)

Ranger:  distress inks, distress stains, distress markers, Jet Black Archival Innk

Miscellaneous:  watercolor paper, Bazzill card stock, raffia

My eye exam is next Friday.  I can't wait to hear what my new vision is in the terms of numbers.  And I hope he can prescribe reading glasses that will be better for me than using discount store plastic lenses.  These are okay for quick reads, but not a long term solution.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Supplies:  Tim Holtz/Sizzix Alterations (Framelits 659373), Tim Holtz/Sizzix Texture Fades (Thankful background); Ranger (Paprika Stickles), Gathered Twigs Distress Ink, Jet Black Archival Ink, red, orange & yellow alcohol inks; leftover very thin clear packaging; olive green baby rickrack trim; Candlelight Bazzill cardstock

May your stuffing be tasty,

May your turkey be plump.

May your potatoes and gravy 

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize.

May your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Happy Chanukah!

I can't believe how early Chanukah is this year!  There aren't a lot of Jewish stamps out there...so many are so similar.  It gets harder and harder to use them so they don't look the same year after year.  But this time I took a unique approach.  When I saw this Triangle Swirl Tile set (SCO28003) on the Rubber Stamp Tapestry site it screamed Star of David to me.

After some fiddling around with the layout I finally got a satisfactory image...that I had to recreate 10 more times.  So I took the easy way out and used vellum so I could place the original underneath and stamp over it.  I found that archival inks bled too much but distress inks were perfect.

Underneath the white vellum is a layer of gold vellum.  These are layered onto Avalanche Bazzill cardstock.  On the right hand side I smudged more distress ink through Tim Holtz' Stripes stencil for a random look.  I didn't want true stripes, just a suggestion of a faded striped ribbon.  On top of this I stamped the phrase (also RST) in distress ink.

I wish all my Jewish family and friends 

a season of light and warmth 

with peace and joy 

for you and your family.

Bazzill: Avalanche cardstock
Rubber Stamp Tapestry:  Triangle Swirl Tile SCO28003, Menorah mini SPO20070M, Happy Hanukkah mini WOR38224M
Ranger:  Faded Jeans, Wild Honey distress inks
Tim Holtz: Stripes stencil
Misc:  white, gold vellum, vellum tape

Yum, pumpkin pie!

It's November....time for Tim's 11th tag of 2013.  While I have the framelits/stamp set he used, I opted to not use it so I could be more creative with another idea I had in mind.

I took a 4"x8" tag and dipped it in various distress inks and stains to make it look very autumnal.  It was so pretty I really hated to cover it up.  On the 'net I found a recipe for Classic Pumpkin Pie that I copied and shrank to fit on the tag.  I tore the edges and using brown and black distress inks made them look burnt.  A bit of wadding up and a spritz of water helped age the recipe.

Using the chalk art technique Tim shared, I chose the pumpkin from Halloween Blueprints 2 and the label and text from Simple Sayings.  The pumpkin was attached with Tim's tiny staples; the label was elevated with foam tape.

From black cardstock I die cut some ivy using an old Sizzix die.  I pounced distress paint on the die cuts in a haphazard manner.  They were tucked around the various elements.  A word stick finishes off the piece; a bit of distress paint was worked into the letters.  Scraps of silk ribbon were stained, misted, wadded and dried.

Yes, indeed...life is good when it's time for pumpkin pie!