Trimcraft (Dovecraft) Inspiration

My delighted to say that two of my cards, made with Trimcraft (more usually known as Dovecraft) decoupage 'Fairy Cakes', have been featured on Aussie Scrap Source in their Inspiration weekend! It is worth having a look at the fabulous scrap pages the team have made too: They really are great inspiration. I'm also pleased to say that I have all the Trimcraft products featured in stock too!
Here is another card that I made for our Grandson's 2nd birthday this month:

This one is using the new 'Cookie's Birthday' decoupage and Paper Pad. I love how quick and easy the pre-cut decoupage are to make and you don't have to scramble for the right papers as there is a choice of double-sided papers included too! I just added ink, text and a bit of paper ribbon and layered it all on a Dovecraft card blank  :)

Travel - Intergalactic or Tunisia?

So who knew parts of Star Wars were filmed in Tunisia??? Not me, not until after we booked the holiday and started researching the tour sites: Wow, was my son excited when we found we were visiting two Star Wars film locations!
This week Simon Says Stamp and Show 'Travel' which is the perfect excuse for me to get started on scrapbooking my holiday photos! This 8x8" (20x20cm) page shows the place at Matmata where (apparently) Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle lived until they were killed by nasty stormtroopers! In real life it is a troglodite hotel but they left the props in place after the filming was done. Of course, Jack had to wear his favourite Star Wars T-shirt that day! 

Materials: Bazzill kraft; Distress Inks (Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain); Distress Stains (Peeled Paint); Tim Holtz idea-ology: Sprocket Gears; Tim Holtz Stamps: CMS-089  Bitty Grunge Stamps; MSE alphabet stamps; Punches: Dovecraft star and circle; Spellbinders 'Labels 1' and embossed with Cuttlebug 'Script'; lots of scrap bits of card.

Summer Tag - GM#20 & SSSS

Back from a fantastic week in Tunisia, I've made a tag to try to encapsulate our little adventure. I've made 6 for an exchange of Summer tags and I collected things to use while we were on holiday: the bottle cap, the charm taken from a necklace I bought there and real Saharan sand! The stamps were printed out and I was inspired by some art that I saw in Tunisia to have a go at metal palm trees!
I've also incorporated the Grungy Monday #20 challenge - to use Tim Holtz' Distress Stickles - and the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge - Bling. Well, if Distress Stickles aren't bling enough there is the charm and all that shiny metal so I hope that's covered?!
You might need to look closer for the Distress Stickles: I've used the Rock Candy which is a lovely sugary texture and I made good use of it as a glue for the sand and then over-coated that in places to define the 'dunes' a little: Subtle but lovely sparkle.

Materials:
Tim Holtz - Ranger: Manilla tag; Distress Inks (Broken China); Distress Stains (Broken China, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint); Rock Candy Distress Stickles; Foil Tape; Alcohol inks (Bottle and Citrus) and blender tool; Paint Dabber (Pitch Black).
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Charm clips;
Tim Holtz - Stampers Anonymous: CMS-089  Bitty Grunge Stamps
Other: ribbon (coloured with Distress Stain), Ten Second Studio metal tools to create the palm tree.

Grungy Monday 16, 17 & 18 !!!

Ooops, been a bad blogger again!!! I've been crafting in snatches and not getting to blog, at least not in time for Linda's Grungy Monday challenges: Until now!!! Made it for #18 !
So challenge #16 was to use grungeboard/paper; #17 was to use Rock Candy crackle paint and #18 is to use this technique demonstrated by the genius himself, Tim Holtz.
So here's my project with all three! The current challenge is the page with the stamped parchment in the 4th photo: You can zoom in to have a closer look :)

I have wanted to use Tim's Valise die to make a mini-book since he demo'd it back in January and here is my first: A little travel book for me to keep my notes and souvenirs as we travel around Tunisia for a week soon. I have made it general with lots of pockets and spaces for notes so that afterwards I can use all the bits I collect in scrapbooking the holiday and hopefully the little book will last for many more adventures to come.

Materials:
Tim Holtz - Sizzix: Vintage Valise die
Tim Holtz idea-ology: Dotted Grungeboard, Grungepaper; Lost & Found Papers, Ring Binder; Salvage Stickers; mini paper clips;
Tim Holtz - Ranger: Manilla tag; Distress Inks (Walnut stain, Vintage photo); Rock Candy Crackle Paint; Archival Ink (Sepia);
Stamps: Tim Holtz, Inkadinkado, Hampton Art.
Other: Zutter strap & clasp; PaperArtsy Old Gold Fresco paint; brads; scraps of paper, card and ribbon

Grungy Monday tours Europe

Some members of the European branch of the All Things Tim Yahoo group have recently swapped pages representing their home region so, of course, the resulting book needed covers. I took my inspiration from some covers Tim Holtz recently made and used this week's Grungy Monday technique, as demonstrated by Tim (are you noticing a pattern here?), to colour the grungeboard letters spelling 'Europe'.

All the details of the challenge, including the link for the technique, are on Linda's blog. I used Crushed Olive and Black Soot Distress Inks for my example then outlined the letters with black pen after they were stuck down.
Here's the rest of the cover and I shall show the pages over the next few days so be sure to check back.

My covers are made from Dovecraft chipboard covers and a recycled clothes tag then decorated with Tim Holtz stamps, Distress Stains, 'Pitch Black' Paint Dabber and 'Kraft Resist' paper, Hitch fastener, Charm clips, D-Book rings, Alpha Parts, Grungeboard (Nature) and Sprocket Gears from the Tim Holtz idea-ology range.

Finding My Wings

When my son asked me what I wanted for Mother's day this year, I said "This!" - I was looking at Kelly-Rae Roberts' book 'Taking Flight'. So, here is the cover of my journal, created by trying to follow some of her tutorials, substituting materials where necessary (a lot) and generally playing with paints and inks. I've also managed to incorporate the theme for Hel's Sunday Stampers challenge #162 - Flying: Wasn't difficult was it?! In the process, and through trial and error, I've learnt a little more of what to do and not to do when trying different techniques. That makes me happy :)

I've used a child's board book, sanded and painted with gesso. Then on the front cover I've used Studio 'Traditional Tan' paint, 'Stream' ColorWash, Tim Holtz' butterfly stamp, 'Snow Cap' paint dabber, Perfect Pearls mix and Tim Holtz' idea-ology tissue tape. The 5 pieces stuck on the left are fabric collage, painted with acrylics. The panel on the right is a paper collage on card, painted with a variety of acrylics watered-down to different extents, black and white pens, Lumiere paint (wings), 'Snow cap' dabber. Studio Matte Gel Medium has been used for several layers across all of these.

Mixed Media Scrapbooking

This little piece was made as an assignment on a Mixed Media course I am currently taking with Shirley Pando on My Creative Classroom. The photo is of my husband's grandmother and I've used fabric, lace, ribbons, paper, ink, card, chipboard, faux leather, beads, metal....lots of stash that has been hoarded for years. All that on a piece that only measures 4x4" (10x10cm): The small size was the biggest challenge for me!

I'd love to know what you think.

GM13 - Alcohol inks

I'm determined to get something, anything blogged AND to get something on to the Grungy Monday challenge -this week. Did you notice I'd disappeared again ??? I've actually been making lots of things and have loads to blog but I'm soooo tired that I just haven't found the motivation to sit in front of the computer and show the world. And I'm rather embarrassed that, with everything else I've been doing, this is such a simple piece!
It's basically using the platform of the Grungy Monday challenge to kick-start an alcohol inks technique book which will be just a sampler of different techniques on different surfaces:

Here I've used 4 different blues and greens with pearl mixative and stamped over the background with stamps by Fiskars and Tim Holtz and black Stazon. You can pop over to GM13 on Linda's blog or click this link to Tim Holtz explaining the technique.

Crop à St Yvi (29) : le dimanche 5 juin

Je vous propose une journée à la fois bon pour la créativité, d’apprendre les techniques et pour l’humour.

Nous faisons un album de bonne taille avec plusieurs poches et des étiquettes avec les nouvelles collections de JilliBean Soup. Ces collections sont pleines de fleurs et de papillons et nous travaillerons les plaques à découper et textures, les encres et les tampons.  C’est un album avec plein de place à l’intérieur pour mettre vos plus jolies photos de voyage, enfance, printemps ou d’été ... à vous de décider!

La journée comprend un super kit, toutes les instructions, convivialité et des gâteaux !

Pour avoir l'affiche détaillée avec l'aperçu, la liste des photos et des fournitures à prévoir, simplement laissez un commentaire ici avec votre adresse mail : Il ne sera pas vu sur mon blog mais je peux l’utiliser pour vous répondre. Pour l’instant, quelques places restent encore disponibles.

Butterfly tag with a twist!

Not sure where I got this idea from, having the tag with butterflies also being a butterfly, but I just had to go with it so the text is very appropriate! It is for the challenges Grungy Monday #6, Simon Says Stamp & Show (Anything goes) and PaperMinutes (Wings).

J’ai créé une étiquette plein de papillons pour les défis Grungy Monday #6, Simon Says Stamp and Show et PaperMinutes (les ailes). 

The Grungy Monday challenge is a technique demonstrated by Tim Holtz on his tag #8 from 2007 which I have used directly on the tag. Not having a suitable colour of paint dabber, I coloured some white acrylic paint with Stream ColorWash and applied it with a tooth brush! I then used pumice Stone and Black Soot Distress Ink. The large wings were printed on to card and painted with Lumiere paint, as were the little ones cut with the Sizzix Movers and Shapers Butterflies designed by Tim. All the stamping is with Tim Holtz stamps and Black Stazon. Unfortunately the flash seems to have picked up a sheen on the ink but not the Rock Candy Stickles smeared on the small butterflies for extra sparkle.

Le défi du Grungy Monday est d’utiliser une technique montré par Tim Holtz du décembre 2007. J'ai appliqué la technique sur l’étiquette, utilisant l’acrylique blanche coloré avec ColorWash ‘Stream’ et l’encres Distress en Pumice Stone et Black Soot. J’ai découpé les petits papillons avec le Sizzix ‘mover and shaper’ die dessiné par Tim Holtz et j’ai imprimé le grand papillon. Je leur ai donné une couche de peinture Lumière et du Stickles Rock Candy. Toutes les images ont tamponnées avec les tampons de Tim en la Stazon noire.