Season's Greetings Christmas Card

Hey Everyone, 

It's October 1st, so it's ok to post Christmas cards now!

This is one of the cards I made for the new Christmas release from Tim Holtz and Stampers Anonymous.  I  loved this one because all of the elements really came together. And the pinecones; I'm a sucker for pinecones.  I apologize for the cruddy photos.  I had to get a new phone and these were taken with the old guy.  They are a bit darker than I would like them.

I started by taking the Stamptember set from 2018 and using archival inks in Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo.  I used specialty stamping paper and stamped the images in the corners.  I wanted a good portion of the image, but still blank space in the center so the sentiment would draw your eye.
 I blended old paper, antique linen, and tea dye distress inks all over the entire background. I lightly spritzed on distress spray stain in tea dye and quickly blotted it so it just makes the paper look like it's foxed. I added highlights using a gold gel pen.

  The sentiment is from the new Christmastime 2 set(CMS389).  It was stamped and then embossed using Ranger embossing powder in gold. 
The specialty stamping paper was then backed with brown kraft stock.

The next layer is the snowflake acetate sheet from last year's Ideaology Christmas Stack. 
The gold metallic kraftstock was stamped with the new Lumberjack set(CMS384) using archival ink in Vintage photo. 

I dyed some sari ribbon using all(yes all of them) the green Distress Inks.  I smooshed then all on my glass mat and ran the damp sari ribbon in it until I was happy with the color.  I added a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink to pull in the brown.  The ideaology pinecones were colored using gold and mushroom alcohol inks.  They were tied on with an ideaology tiny bell.  I glued the ribbon to the back of the layers and then used a final layer of kraftstock as my card base. 

I hope this starts to get you into the Christmas spirit!
Happy making,
Jess

Land of the Free

Hi Everyone, I am posting my final project as a guest designer for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  I hope you have enjoyed my projects as much I have enjoyed making them.

This week's theme is Stars and Stripes!

Today I have made a little home decor piece for you.  I started with a mini Tim Holtz Etc tag and covered it with paper from the Correspondence paper pad.  I used collage medium to adhere it to the tag and another coat on top.  Once the collage medium was dry I spattered on some Black Soot Distress Paint nand made some scribbles using a white gel pen.  A little bit of Vintage Photo Distress Crayon added some shading to the edge of the paper.
I spritzed some of the Tim Holtz Christmas Fringe with Tarnished Brass Mica Spray and glued it to the edge of the tag.

To create the center panel I used a vignette panel and covered it with paper.  I used the collage medium again underneath and on top of the paper.  Once again I added black and white details using the paint and gel pen.
Using metal tape I made several lengths of the Mini Provincial 3d Impresslit.  I painted them white and then used Distress Crayon in Walnut stain and Vintage Photos to grunge it up a bit.  I also pounced on a bit of Mushroom Alcohol Ink.  I removed tha backing from the paper and stuck the tape around the edges of the panel creating a frame.  I glued the panel to the center of the tag.

The paperdoll was given a coat of clear gesso and then I added Distress Marker in Faded Jeans and Festive Berries to give her a pop of color.  A teeny star was added to her sash for some bling.  A metal star was added to the top of her flag.   She is popped up on the panel using foam tape.

The stencil chip was painted with Dina Wakley Media Paint in Ancient.  While the paint was still wet I dripped on alcohol ink in Mushroom and Patina.  Because the paint was still wet it looks like it corroded the metal.  A vintage ticket was layered underneath and then the chip was glued down using foam tape.

I used letters from the Tim Holtz Halloween typography set to make the word "free.'  I  sanded the letters and painted on some Tarnished Brass Distress Paint, then wiped it off before it was totally dry.  I used collage medium to glue the letters to the panel.

A flashcard from the Tim Holtz Elementary was added to the bottom of the panel.  The card was dinged up a bit by running it along the side of my media mat.  I added some Tarnished Brass Distress Paint to the edges and glued it down using collage medium.

The clip on top was coated with clear gesso and then alcohol ink in mushroom and patina was added to age it.   A large star completes the clip.

I hope you were inspired to enter the challenge or at least bust out your supplies and make! Have a happy and safe Fourth of July. 

Happy crafting,

Jess

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $50 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ?  If so please add  #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too

You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in 

All of the products I used on today's project that are available from Simon Says Stamp are linked below.

Tim Holtz Christmas Fringe
Tim Holtz Mini Etc Tag
Tim Holtz Vignette Panel
Tim Holtz Mini 3d Impresslit Provincial
Tim Holtz Stencil Chips
Tim Holtz Elementary Flashcards
Tim Holtz Halloween Typography
Tim Holtz Paperdolls
Tim Holtz Vintage Clips
Tim Holtz Paper Pad Correspondence
Tim Holtz Faded Jeans Distress Marker
Tim Holtz Festive Berries Distress Marker
Tim Holtz Collage Medium
Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Mushroom
Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Patina
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Spray Walnut Stain
Tim Holtz Distress Crayon Vintage Photo
Tim Holtz Distress Crayon Walnut Stain
Tim Holtz Distress Paint Tarnished Brass
Tim Holtz Distress Paint Picket Fence
Tim Holtz Distress Paint Black Soot
Tim Holtz Mica Spray Tarnished Brass
Tim Holtz Star Adornments
Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen
Prima Clear Gesso
Dina Wakley Media Paint Ancient
Dina Wakley Media Paint Umber

Adventure Awaits My True Friend

It's time for a new Monday Challenge!

The theme this week is Vacation!

I started by covering my vignette box inside and out with a thin layer of Picket Fence Distress Paint.  Once the paint was dry I used college medium to adhere the travel collage paper to the outside of the box.  A bit of Tarnished Brass Distress Paint was added here and there on the outside of the vignette box.
Using a piece of matching travel paper from the 8x8 etcetera pad, I glued it to the back the inside of the box.  I sanded the paper so the map appears aged and covered it with Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  The final touch was to splatter on some Black Soot Distress Paint. I snapped one of the ruler pieces in half.  I just held mine in my hand and snapped it.  I didn't want it to be even.  If you wanted an even cut you could cut it with your craft knife or even use a pair of Tim's scissors to snip it.  I wrapped the ruler in a piece of craft thread and added the compass charm.   I then glued the ruler inside the box about two thirds of the way down.

A couple clipping stickers were added to the top of the box.  I centered them so they would be above the baseboard doll's head.  Then outlined them using a gold paint pen.
The bottom part of the box has a vintage clock face.

The baseboard doll was colored using a Distress Crayon in  Cracked Pistachio.  The tiny flower was colored using Wild Plum alcohol ink and added to her hair.  Two sets of transparent wings were added to her back using foam tape.  The wings got a tiny bit of Wild Plum alcohol ink and some Tarnished Brass Distress Paint added to them.  I glued a little clipping sticker to her center and then I glued the doll to the box using several bingo markers to hold her upright.

The bottom of the box is covered with vintage paper flowers.

I covered the lace baseboard frame with crackle texture paste and let it air dry.  Once the crackle was dry I sprayed it with Distress Oxide Sprays(Pumice Stone and Cracked Pistachio). Some of the crackle flaked off and I was totally okay with this. The exposed areas suck in the spray and you get all that wonderful oxidization.

I took a ribbon from the Ideaology Ribbon and bow assortment and colored it using Tarnished Brass Distress Paint.  Before the paint is fully dry, I wiped some off to expose the metal underneath.
I used a chip quote and banged up the edges by running it along my desk.  The edges got a coat of Tarnished Brass Paint.

The finial was painted with Black Soot Distress Paint and then given a couple sprays of the same Oxide Colors I used on the frame.   The little grooves were painted using the Tarnished Brass Paint.

Using a strong glue I added the fence to the back of the frame and then glued the frame to the vignette box.

I hope you enjoyed my take on this weeks theme.  And now it's your turn to create a Vacation themed project!

Jess

As always Simon Says Stamp will be giving away $50 voucher to shop at the fabulous Simon Says Stamp Store

Follow Simon Says Stamp on Instagram

Do you use Instagram ?  If so please add  #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too

You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in 

Tim Holtz Lace Baseboard Frame

Tim Holtz Chip Quotes
Tim Holtz Cracked Pistachio Distress Crayon

Tim Holtz Ribbon and Bow Assortment

Tim Holtz Vignette Box

Tim Holtz Souvenir Adornments

Tim Holtz Finials

Tim Holtz Metal Gate

Tim Holtz Ruler Pieces

Tim Holtz Travel Collage Paper

Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium

Tim Holtz Clippings Stickers

Tim Holtz Oxide Spray in Cracked Pistachio

Tim Holtz Oxide Spray in Pumice Stone

Tim Holtz Spray Stain in Tea Dye

Tim Holtz Picket Fence Distress Paint

Tim Holtz Baseboard Dolls

Tim Holtz Transparent Wings

Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink in Wild Plum

Tim Holtz Etc Paperie Stash 8x8

Tim Holtz Black Soot Paint

Tim Holtz Tarnished Brass Paint

Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Pumice Stone

Ranger Crackle Texture Paste

Beacon Three in One Glue

The house that snark built

This is the house that snark built.  

It's a bittersweet day for me today.  After three years with the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts team today will be my last post.  I have loved every second I have been on the team and promise I won't be gone forever.  So, for this post I decided to go out the way I came in- full of snark.  

This project was made with the House Oddities box.  This kit includes the box and all the little houses inside.  It's pretty amazing.  

I started with two sheets of watercolor paper and used Distress Oxide Sprays to color them.  The first sheet has Broken China, Wilted Violet, Pumice Stone, and Cracked Pistachio Oxides.  After the initial layer of Oxides I added some PaperArtsy Infusions in Rocky Road. I areas that were still exposed got hit with Distress Ink in the corresponding colors.  

The second sheet was made using Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers, and Squeezed Lemonade Oxide Sprays.  I added Infusions in Violeta and filled in the blanks with Distress Ink.

The houses are hinged together using plain white sports tape.  I cut a small piece and put it on the front of the house.  A second piece went on the back so there was no stick exposed tape.  I knew I wasn't going to make the pages too thick with embellishments.  If you want to recreate this house and know you will have chunky pages just make the hinges longer.  The hinges are painted with colors that correspond to the pages.  

I cut the watercolor paper to fit each house and then stamped up the backgrounds.  I used several of Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous sets (CMS364, CMS341, CMS328,CMS302, CMS294,CMS261, CMS187, CMS172,CMS083, and CMS081) for this.  Some of the backgrounds were stamped using Archival ink in Hydrangea and the rest were stamped using Staz-on Pigment inks.  

Part of the stamping was done before the embellishments were added.  After the paperdolls, sentiments, and other bits were glued down I added a bit more stamping. 

Once all the stamping was done I went back in with various gel pens to add doodles and scribbles.  

So this is what the front row of houses looks like all stretched out.  

You can see I added bits to some of the pages.  The little crown, chain, party hats, and coin add just a bit of bulk but I took that into account when making the hinges. 

 Here are the back pages of the house.

 Now these could be the front.  It just depends on how you fold them up.

 I had so much fun picking out the paperdolls and the snarky sentiments for each.

The exterior is quite simple to put together. 

I painted the exterior black and the interior with Dina Wakley's Lime.  Once it was all dry I used Beacon 3 in 1 glue to stick it all together.  Don't glue the front to the box or you won't be able to get inside! I gave the exterior a spritz of gold ink spray just so it wasn't flat black.

 The interior was splattered with the same color paints I used to color the hinges in the book. You can see the little houses all fit right inside the box.  

You can hinge the door to the houses, so when you pull the door open all the houses come right out.  I decided to do mine a bit differently and I actually used Tim Holtz hinges to hinge the door to the box.  The door panels were covered using the same background paper that covers the houses inside. 

Here you can see the top of the box was stuck to the door using a layer of foam tape.  The door is hinged to the side of the box using the metal hinges.  I used an awl and then was able to use brads to attach the hinges.  Please pardon my hand in here, the wooden base I use to take my photos is a bit warped so sometimes projects want to fall over.  

The final touches were added by spraying the finials with Oxide sprays in Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio.  They got splattered with the paint too.  The baseboard doll was edged with gold(and the entire backside is painted gold too).  He got his snarky sentiment and was glued to the box using super glue.  

I hope you enjoyed my project today.  I had so much fun making it! 

Happy Crafting,

Jess

  

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Hi Everyone,

 

My favorite day of the year is coming up.  Each year my mum and my  sister come to my house for cookie day.  We bake all day long, I'm talking like 7am-9pm.  We have our favorite recipes we use year after year.  We keep those in a little notebook.  We do like to try new recipes each year too.  More and more often we are finding new recipes on the internet.  I thought it was the perfect time to make a Christmas themed phone/tablet holder so we don't get baking supplies all over our phones.
 These phone holders are so easy to put together(there are only three pieces). They would make an awesome gift!

Paint the base white.  Make sure the edges and at least one side are really well done since they will be exposed.  Paint the edges of the other pieces white too.  The other two pieces get covered with patterned paper.  I used some of the Tim Holtz Christmas wallpaper to cover the back piece.  This paper looks and feels like real wallpaper.  It's nice to add the tiny bit of texture to the project.

These snowy flourishes are coming to the shop soon.  You get two in a pack.  Paint both pieces white, then cover them with a clear Rock Candy  glitter.  

Insert the pieces into their slots. Don't forget to add a bit of glue to hold them in securely.   Technically your piece is completely put together at this point.  But we will embellish this! Glue to snowy flourishes to the back of the piece.  Then cover the base with Grit Paste from Ranger.  While the paste is wet sprinkle on more rock candy glitter.  Leave the space where your phone will sit paste free.  

Paint an ideaology resin snowman and cover him with rock candt glitter.  Add teeny mercury glass holly berries to his hat.  While the grit paste is wet stick the snowman in the paste.  In front of the small piece of chipboard add a chip quote Christmas saying.  Again, do this while the paste is wet and it will dry in place.  

One the back add a couple bottlebrush trees, teeny presents, a deer, and peppermints.  Another Christmas sentiment will complete your project. 

I hope you have a great kick off to your holiday season!

Jess