Compendium of Curiosities 2: Challenge #1

Thanks to my recent bout of spaciness (or maybe just burn out) I almost missed the very first Compendium of Curiosities 2 challenge, hosted by the lovely Linda from Studio L3. This first project from the new challenge series was a blast to make! It's another one of those Tim techniques that make you go "Wow! Wish I thought of this. I'm going to do this all the time!" No wonder he's the king of craft, right?!

Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring this fun challenge. They've been known to award a lovely prize a time or two. :)

And without further ado, here is my entry for the first CC2 challenge, based off of Tim's custom foam technique from page 66 of his new book:

The inspiration to use Tim's sewing room die came from the above Stampers Anonymous stamp. I immediately thought about people who go back to school to pursue their dream career ... whether it's hair, cooking, clothing design, etc. This particular tag pays homage to everyone who ever dreams about starting their own clothing or accessory line! 

I used Liquid Pearls to make my necklace, along with some Idea-ology Foliage. 

My skirt was made from some of Tim's Idea-ology Trimmings and Tissue Tape. (I used some Weathered Wood Distress Stain for the waist.) 

I love Tim's idea for custom foam stamps! They work very well and I know I'll be making plenty more of these ...

Well, that is all, folks ... I am sooo excited for this challenge! I just got Tim's book today and just love everything that I see. And a big thank you goes to Sannie for helping me get access to Thumblinky - I am going to add all the supplies for this project right now! (It's a wonderful supply list tool for all of us visual people!)

Walnut Stain - Distress Stains	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Weathered Wood	Walnut Stain - Distress Ink	Victorian Velvet - Distress Ink	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Broken China
Chipped Sapphire - Distress Ink	Black Soot Distress Ink	Tim Holtz Alterations Sewing Room Die	Idea-ology Baubles	Foliage - Idea-ology
Bisque Liquid Pearls	Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Trimmings	Tiny Attacher - Idea-ology	Jump Rings - Idea-ology	#8 Craft Tags

April 2012 Girlie Grunge Challenge

Good morning! The monthly challenge over at Donna Salazar's Girlie Grunge Ning is to create either a layout or off the page project about YOU! This was definitely a challenging project, as I stink at layouts and don't like pictures of myself. I started out making a layout featuring a picture of my sister and I but couldn't stand it, so I started over and decided to alter a paper mache book instead!

I love flowers ... and I've been meaning to make something to store all the flowers I collect, so this challenge ended up working out perfectly! I added the title "Flower Child" to the cover, since the other challenge requirement was to include a title or journaling that best described you. :) The other term I would've used to describe myself is "Chronic Sweet Tooth" ... if in the unlikely event I have enough time I might make a second attempt at this challenge! Back to the project. 

To create the paper mache book, I painted the entire book with one coat of white acrylic paint. Then, I inked the edges with brown distress stain. I applied Donna's Mix'd Media Inx in "Peaches" over some of the brown ink to add a slight bit of color to the rest of the book. 

I love how the book looks when it's lying down. It's so chunky!

For the cover, I used Donna's pretty "Spring in Bloom" paper, one of her new coordinating stamps, and her adorable Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms die. When I first saw this die, I just melted - see what I mean? I love flowers!! 

And I did add a photo ... on the inside. It's a picture of my sister and I right before we saw Snow Patrol perform at the Roseland Theater many moons ago. You can't see it, but I wrote the old adage "April showers brings May flowers" under our photo, as both our birthdays are in May! 

Thanks for looking!

Donna Salazar Mix′d Media Inx - Peaches	Donna Salazar Antiquities	Donna Salazar Spring in Bloom - In Bloom 12x12	Donna Salazar Stamp - Bird On A Branch	Spellbinders Donna Salazar - Bitty Blossoms Die	Chipped Sapphire - Distress Ink
Walnut Stain - Distress Ink	Zutter Distrezz It All

Make 'Em Laugh Challenges

Have you seen those silly "Hey Girl" Ryan Gosling photos on Pinterest? If you haven't, check out this pinboard that has several of these photos already, each with a crafty theme. It all started when Graphic 45 starting posting these hilarious photos on their Facebook page. These same silly photos were the inspiration behind the following card I made for both Graphic 45's "Make 'Em Laugh" card challenge and Operation Write Home.

So in place of Ryan Gosling, my cards have vintage gentlemen from various Graphic 45 paperlines, including A Proper Gentleman, Communique, Curtain Call, and On The Boardwalk. I had such fun trying to think up silly things for my "vintage Ryan" characters to say, that I ended up making 8 cards total! I'll share a few more ...

Well, that's it for now - I am behind on this month's other challenges and blog visits, so I better get to it! Have a great day! 

"The Art of Great Taste" Mini Album Class 5/03

Hello, dear crafty friends!

I apologize for my severe lack of posting and visiting these days. So much has been going on but hopefully I'll have more time soon to create!

Here are some photos from another class I'll be teaching at The Mad Scrapper. It's a 9 x 5 recipe book using Graphic 45's rich Kraft Reflections line. I felt the timeless patterns and images were the perfect tribute to the ultimate domestic goddess in our life: Mom! I also used Tim's fabulous Ring Binders for this book ... I absolutely love this handy book-binding system and hope to make more projects with them! What's neat about the ring binders is that you can keep adding pages to your mini book without compromising the design and construction of your book.

Anyhoo, the class will be held on Thursday, May 3rd from 6pm - 8pm - just in time for Mother's Day! I believe the approximate cost is $35 but I will confirm that as we get closer. :)

Thank you for looking and have a great day!

Graphic 45 Mini Book Class 4/21

Hey crafty friends! If you or someone you know lives in the greater Seattle area and would love the chance to make a Graphic 45 inspired mini album, this class on Saturday, April 21st is for you!

Below is a 6" x 5.5" mini album that I designed for The Mad Scrapper, a scrapbook store located just 15 miles east of Seattle in Issaquah, WA. Full details about the class at the end of this post. :)

This mini is all about escaping April showers and journeying back to memories of your favorite tropical adventures! I used Graphic 45's colorful Tropical Travelogue collection for this mini, along with some Tim Holtz idea-ology trinkets and Graphic 45 Staples.  This book also features pages that flip up and reveal more places to journal.

Interested??

To sign up:        Call (425) 427-8871, the phone number for The Mad Scrapper. 

Date:                  Saturday, April 21, 2012
Time:                 10:30 - 1:30
Place:             The Mad Scrapper, 1590 NW Gilman Blvd., Issaquah, WA 98027
Cost:                   $38
What you get:    All the supplies needed to create this mini album including instructions & color photos!

What to bring:  Scissors and glue. Optional: brown ink, distressing tool.