12 Tags of Christmas 2008 - Part 3 ....

My obsession with Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of Christmas is still going strong but not as fast as I would like - why does life have to get in the way - lol. Here are Tags 8 and 9 ....
No. 9 is not as bright as I wanted it to be and No. 10 is missing the key (I don't have the Idea-ology word keys - yet - lol) but I just love them .....

Not Just Any Old Tags .....

Ever since I heard about Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of Christmas 2008, I was hooked. Then I found that there were 12 Tags of Christmas for 2007 - fatal. So with part Christmas presents from No. 1 son, part Christmas presents to myself and part what the heck spending, I now have all of the Christmas stamps, plus one or two (OK - maybe three of four) packets of goodies from the Idea-Ology range, all from Wendy at The Stamp Attic .....

The stamps are so lovely I just keep stroking them - as you do (a bit like we are with Anna Griffin papers). In fact, I love them so much that they and the Paper Artsy Egg and Nog plates have been given a Really Useful Box all of their own and not put in the bottom of the wardrobe in the spare room, along with the other Christmas craft stuff.
I decided that it didn't matter that it wasn't Christmas anymore - I would make them anyway - all 24 of them. There are some 'improvisations' but here are the first four ....(Thanks to my pal Ed for the bells on the first one ....)

More to follow soon ....

Wednesday Stamper .... Gesso

This week's Wednesday Stamper challenge is Gesso ...

I have had this canvas for quite a while - but it was abandoned in a drawer because it was very, very, very green (I went a bit too overboard with the acrylic paint - lol). Originally, I applied a thick layer of gesso to the canvas and then painted over that with very, very, very green paint.
So - said canvas was retrieved from drawer. To take away the green, applied more gesso and when it was almost dry, smudged and smeared it with a baby wipe. The circle idea is from this month's Craft Stamper (just punch a line of circles in card and paint the gesso over, just like a stencil). The faint lines are done by applying gesso to the Scratches stamp by Tim Holtz (but you must clean if off right away).
The images are from Tuscan Rose and Tim Holtz and are all stamped on tissue paper and then applied to the canvas with PVA. A tiny orange rose (the only colour I had) has been added and the final step was to edge the canvas with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Perhaps a coat of beeswax next - now that would be fun.
The canvas was green and is now much, much paler, so much so that he photo makes it look blue - but no matter. Hope you like it ....

An Awfully Big Art Adventure ... Absolutely Charming ...

Linda and Rosie's Awfully Big Art Adventure for the first week of 2009 is Absolutely Charming and you're invited to make charms. Both Linda and Rosie have created some beautiful pieces and I thoughtI would have a go ....Top left is a 'bracelet' made from Style Stones, which have been inked with Distress Inks, stamped with the Stampendous Marble Texture Cube and embossed a number of times with Amazing Glaze. The Style Stones and the beads were threaded onto some elasticated thread. Top middle is a 'sandwich' of 1" x 3" Memory Glass ofTim Holtz images and bordered with copper tape. Under the 'bracelet' is another Memory Glass 'sandwich' made in the same way. Next to that is a Bottle Cap, which has been Alcohol Inked, with a Crafty Individuals image, and then glazed with Glossy Accents. Bottom left is a wooden letter inked with various bright colours of Stazon, stamped with the Marble Texture Cube, embossed a few times with ordinary clear embossing powder and edged with gold Krylon pen. Middle bottom is a domino, done in the same way as the wooden letter (I didn't realise you decorate the undotted side of the domino - lol). On the right, the letters of the word Love are Grungeboard, inked with Distress Inks, a touch (well more than a touch, actually, lol) of Icicle Stickles and linked together with jump rings through eyeletted holes.

None of them can hang - I can make the holes (I have a braddle) but I don't have the equipment to solder on the hooky and hangy bits. I can just see my son's face when I say I want to learn about soldering and the like - he'll put me in a home - lol !!!

I Have Returned .....

The last few weeks have been really busy with one thing and another but I'm back (yes, I know I said that a short while ago - but this time I really am - lol).

Over the last few weeks I have been really busy with one thing and another but I am back - and yes I know I said that the last time but this time I am - really - lol.
One of the things I have been doing lately is making cards - loads and loads of them.
Right this minute I really don't care if I never see another Christmas stamp, pads of Christmas backing paper or anything remotely to do with a crafty Christmas. Although I will confess, I am waiting for the Tim Holtz Letters to Santa plate from the lovely Wendy at the Stamp Attic!!!
So why all this frenetic card making? Well, I have ventured out into the public arena with them!!
I haven't 'done' a Christmas Fair for a good couple of years and earlier this year, the confidence took a bit of a bashing, when a potential outlet to sell my stuff went pear shaped (she turned out to be a very nasty lady and I had a lucky escape). Anyways enough of that, spurred on by my daughter and my good friend Sue (you know, the one who hasn't got a blog but should have) I set to and Today was The Day .....
Here's a photo of one end of my table (the photo of the other end was all blurred) ....
What do you think of the stand? I was going to buy a couple of the cardboard ones but then I found these online and thought they would be much better - you can take the slopey bit off the back and hide them away flat under the bed or somewhere. You can't do that with the cardboard ones without risking breaking all the little tabs and where would I keep them!!!
Here's some pieces that I like - More than Words albums from Colour My World. I just love these and have quite a few now. These are Christmas and Noel ...

And here are some Paper Artsy Christmas Tags - just love these - aren't the green boots something else ....The Christmas Fair was for the local PreSchool and they also did their Nativity Play. That took me back a good few years I can tell you - lol. One of the angels suddenly started crying because she wanted her Mum, the PreSchool leader picked her up and the Mum threw the angel's comfort toy to the leader and caught her stright in the face with it. One of the Shepherds got 'stage fright' and wouldn't get out of his seat for anything or anyone and one of the Kings tripped over Baby Jesus laying on a pile of straw - just your pretty normal Nativity Play really. In all seriousness though it was great and gave you a nice warm feeling to watch.
The Pre-School did well and what will I do with my earnings? I'm off to visit Wendy in The Stamp Attic again, 'cos I'm going to make Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas for both this year and last year and they will be Just For Me - lol.

Thank God It's Friday Challenge - Quotations

The TGIF Challenge this week is Quotations ...

There are so many funny and inspiring (and otherwise) quotations out there that it's quite difficult to pick a favourite. Last night my new grandson came to stay for the first ever overnight baby sitting and I have to say, I don't remember it ever being that difficult !! At 3am while I was looking for the triple 6's, it came to me - Trust Your Crazy Ideas ....
After Damien, aka Finley William, went home with his doting mother (she had a lovely night's sleep, thank you very much) and I had caught up with last week's East Enders, I sat down and produced this for the Challenge ...... and got completely carried away ....
After all - you have to trust in your ideas, crazy or not, don't you ....
The stamps are Tim Holtz (Crazy Ideas) and Paper Artsy Dolls plates 1 and 2.

I'm not sure if the piece fits in with the Challenge and I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but I had great fun making it ....

Found This ...

While contemplating what to have for lunch and whether to go and do some gardening, I was visiting various blogs and found this link to a great Tim Holtz technique on Paul B's Blog (another great place to visit).
Since coming to Blogland I am surrounded with hundreds of little bits of paper with scribbles reminding me of various Blogs and links to visit again. I really don't want to lose this one and thought you might like to have a look too ...
It's raining now - so no gardening for the minute. Maybe I should make myself a notice board for all my scrappy bits of paper this afternoon? ...

Paris .... on a clipboard

This is a 'work in progress' that has been in progress for quite some while! I went to Paris once, ages ago, for the day - and loved it. Maybe I will go again, when I retire! Paris themes seem to come and go and this is one of my pieces .....

The masonite clipboard was bought from an office stationers and, despite being thick, can be punched with a Crop-a-Dile. The surface was painted with a very light brown acrylic paint and then with Paper Glaze Sheer Gold Glaze. The clip was dabbed with Wild Plum and Lettuce Alcohol inks.
The Paris word idea is from a back issue of Somerset Studio Gallery. It is cut from foamboard and covered with pages from a French book out of the libary, which were inked with Old Paper and Vintage Photo Distress Inks. The stamps used are from Tim Holtz - I See Paris; and the Oxford Impressions plates - Paris Poste and Travel Journal; and are all stamped with a Ranger sepia Archival ink pad.
Other images - the Parish metro map, Moulin Rouge, Mona and the French flag were all from the net.
Even though I say the piece is finished - everytime I look I think - does it need something else, that 'je ne sait quoi'. Post a comment and let me know what you think.......