Good tidings ATC journal

Hi Everyone,
I have a really fun project to share with you that I created for Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

This ATC ticket journal is the cutest thing ever.  

I made one of these a few months back.  You can check out that post here.  When I was creating my spring themed journal all I could think about was how cute this would look done up for Christmas.

The basic steps are the same as the Spring journal.  Prep the journal by painting it.  Using collage medium, add Tim Holtz Christmas Collage paper randomly to each page.  

Once all of your collage paper is down add stamps using a permanent ink. I mostly used the Tim Holtz Holiday Postmark Set(but if you look closely you will spy stamps from about 5 other sets).  You can also use paint on your rubber stamps, just make sure you clean them off right away.  Once it's dried it will be on there forever.  The funky green branches you see here are stamped.  Stamp in a green paint and then add red berries with the end of a paint brush.  

 These are all of the inside pages.  I put a photo on every other page and the opposite sides are just fun piles of ephemera.

Most of the photos got a little something to dress them up for the holidays.  

These little anter brads just crack me up.  I used some of the Tim Holtz holiday snippets, a photobooth photo, and a chit chat sticker here too. 

This guy's hat and scarf are from the Christmas Shape Set.  Both pieces were embossed using Emerald Creek powders.  The hat is Mercury Rising and the scarf is the Spiced Candy and then there is a layer of Vintage Beeswax.    

Her wintery broach is from the Snowflake shape set and covered with Distress Glitter.  

Here are the rest of the pages.  This one has a little 3d stag sticker. 

Her santa hat is a brad.

The peppermints are made out of perler beads. 

I love the vintage Christmas seal on this page.  

The tree is from the Christmas Shape Set.  It was heat embossed using Charred Gold from Emerald Creek.    

I did my cover last.  The ribbon is glued under the frame and it has an eyelet in it.  The buckle is attached with a brad that you can see on the backside of the page.  The chip quote is embossed with Charred Gold on the edges 

The center of the poinsettia is the brad that is holding on the buckle.    

The buckle was a great way to hold this guy together since it's pretty chunky.  

I hope you enjoy this little book.  I had a blast making it.  Have a very Merry Christmas! I hope there is no coal in your stocking.

Jess

Mini Album Makers Challenge

The Sound of Music

Hi Everyone,
I am so excited to be sharing this project with you today.  I am the guest designer over at Frilly and Funkie today.  I was so happy to hear that the challenge theme is the Sound of Music. I am a huge music fan. When I am home there is almost always music on.  My taste is pretty varied too.  You never know what song might pop on the iPod next!

My first concert was Madonna back in the 80's. I was ten.  It was out in Foxboro Massachusetts, where the Patriots play.  We had nose bleed seats.  She looked like an ant.  I still know all of the words to her songs.  Ok, enough about me, let's get to the project.

I started by covering my canvas with Collage Medium and Melange Tissue Wrap.  I like bumps and wrinkles, so I squashed it around a bit.  I added a layer of Collage Medium to the top and some bits got Crazing added.

Once the canvas was dry I added texture paste through my mini stencil from set 25. Then I layered on my color using Broken China and Faded Jeans Oxides inks on the base.   I went Distress Crayon crazy using every shade of blue.  Once all of the blues were on I added some walnut stain to random edges.

I took some old sheet music and added it to the back if the canvas using Collage Medium and Crazing Medium.

 While the sheet music dried I worked on my interior piece.  I cut a piece of matboard, added a piece of paper from the 8x8 Etcetera pad, and inked the edges in Pumice Stone.

I cut heavy chipboard using the Crescent Moon and Stars die.  The moon was covered with Antique Linen Distress Glitter.

The various stars are covered with different things, some are covered with Pumice Stone Distress Glitter, some with Emerald Creek Hammered Metal Embossing Powder, and some with Emerald Creek Charred Gold Embossing Powder.  The moon and the stars covered with Distress Glitter were grunged up a bit using Distress Ink in Pumice Stone, Ground Espresso, and Vintage Photo.

My little paper doll is colored using Worn Lipstick Distress Marker on her dress. I used the same color for her bow, but I used my Oxide ink to color it.  I love how it is a bit darker.  

When the back was dry I colored it using Hickory Smoke, Walnut Stain, and Vintage Photo Distress Crayons.  I sliced it up like a very uneven pizza and colored the edges again.
I have to admit when I turned my canvas around and saw this I was pretty nervous.  I used my glue gun and glued the curls to the edge of the canvas.

I added in my moon and stars.  I used foam tape to adhere them to the background.  I then added my little girl and her clipping sentiment(there's that Madonna reference).

I stepped back to look at the canvas and something just wasn't right.  It didn't look finished.  I took out my girl and added a mask to the moon.  I splattered in Black Soot, Picket Fence, and Tarnished Brass  Distress Paints.  I added Dina Wakley Sterling for some heavier splats.  I popped my girl back in and added her wand.

I cut the Quote Chip using my Tonic scissors and added Tarnished Brass Paint to the edges.

The finishing touch was using metallic gel pens and my black Fude ball to add scribbles all over.
Here are a few more detail shots.

I hope you like here and thank you so much for stopping by!

Jess

A Vintage Journey- Use a Quote Challenge

Allsorts Music Challenge

Mix It Up Challenge Blog- Embossing( some of my stars are embossed)

Love to Create Challenge- Anything Goes Mixed Media

Snowmen and Bottlebrush Trees are a few of my favorite things

It doesn't get much better in my book than snowmen and bottlebrush trees.  When I was sent some Soft Fallen Snow embossing powder from Emerald Creek Crafts I knew I wanted to make a beautiful bottlebrush tree with it.

I used a Tim Holtz woodland tree and dyed it with glimmer mist and Iced Spruce Distress Spray.  Once my tree was dry I used Picket Fence Paint on the branches.  While the branches were wet I sprinkled them with the embossing powder.  I gently heated the powder.  Don't over heat or the tree with start to smoke! I just might have done that, maybe...  I kept layering on the embossing powder until I was happy with the coverage.  

I glued on vintage mercury glass beads and topped the tree with Mirrored Stars.

I set my tree aside to work on my snowman.  The snowman is made out of Activa Premier Clay.  I have a tutorial on how to make the snowmen here.  

His little hat is the topper from an old ornament top, a plastic Christmas light cover, a jingle bell, some tinsel, and tiny plastic Christmas lights.  His scarf is ribbon from Tim Holtz.  

Once he was finished I glued the large tree and the snowman to the tart tin.  

I added a couple tiny trees to balance out the scene.  Some teeny presents and snow complete this winter scene.  

Our Creative Corner Wish Upon a Star Challenge

Mixed Media Monthly Silver and Gold

Simon Says Stamp Hoping for a winter wonderland

Emerald Creek Dares Wishing You a Merry Christmas

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family! 

Jess

Making Spirits Bright

Do you love vintage Christmas like I do? I hoard so much Christmas stuff it is crazy.  I love old Christmas bulbs.  I display them all around the house at Christmas time.  This year I decided to repurpose some of them into ornaments.

Pop over to Altered Pages to see what I came up with!

What have you been crafting?

Jess

Tim tag for January

Another year means another batch of Tim tags! I tried so hard to do all 12 last year, but missed a couple.  This year I got this.  I think I'm off to a good start.

I followed the details Tim used pretty closely on this one.  I love the wrinkled tissue. 

I used some chit chat words that I want to be or do more of this year.  

What have you been crafting?

Jess

Tim tag for December

Whew. Just under the wire.

Looking forward to another year of creating and sharing! Have a safe New Year. 

Jess

Bottle brush tree ornaments

Richele Christensen had the cutest ornaments on her blog a couple weeks ago.  I went out and bought little paper mache boxes so I could make some right away.

This one has german glitter glass on the box.  I colored the tree using Iced Spruce Distress Spray.  I used glossy accents on my craft sheet and dragged the tree around  in it.  After I had the glossy accents on the tree I used distress rock candy glitter to make the tree sparkle.  The ornaments are vintage mercury glass beads.  

The rest of the boxes I covered with Distress glitter.   The trees were all decorated the same way, but I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Caper Green  to color this tree.  

For the pink tree I used Pickled Raspberry  and Worn Lipstick Distress stains.  

So much fun.  They will add a ton of sparkle to the tree.

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 17.  Still time to get your copy of Tim's Compendium of Curiosites 3!

Unruly Paper Arts 12 days of Christmas

What have you been crafting?

Jess