Tim Holtz Technique Pendant

And now for something completely different...

L3's challenge this week is to use a technique Tim posted a while back.  In short, you ink up a non-porous surface with reinkers, futz around with it until you're happy, let it dry, stamp an image onto it with archival ink and then wipe it off immediately.  A chemical reaction causes the archival ink to also remove the reinker.  I have to say that it didn't go particularly well but in the end, I ended up with one piece that I can wear without embarassing myself... though I had to "erase" it 2x to get to this point.

Ingredients:

Ink: (Pesto, Stonewashed Alcohol Reinkers) Adirondack, (Perfect Picture Black) Inkadinkado

Stamp: (Etruscan) Stampin' Up

Misc: (Fragment) Tim Holtz, (Crystal Effects) Stampin' Up, Photo Paper, Jewelry Findings

 Here's another that didn't turn out so well but I saved it since it was still one of my better attempts:

Challenges:

L3: Grungy Monday #33

Simon Says Stamp: Anything But a Card

Zoo Layout

Well, I just did something I didn't think I could... and I like it!  :)  And no, I'm not referring to doing my 4th layout of the week (though that definitely counts too!)  I'm referring to doing a layout for my son with floral papers.  I strongly think it's because the colors are so bold but whatever the case, maybe I can do it again sometime.

Something else I did to conserve materials was to start using the foam in between the pop-dots.  I don't know where I got these dots but there's SO much in-between material- WAY more than the dots themselves and there's nothing wrong with it.  It may not be pretty but who's gonna see it?!

Ingredients:

Paper: (Cotton Bloom) DCWV

Misc: (Twine) Divine Twine, (Old King Cole & Billy Goats Gruff Alpha Chipboard) Piggy Tales

Challenges:

Shopping Our Stash: Make/Use a border (I trimmed the edges on the blue scalloped pieces to make some borders.  As for the stash, I'm using up those aforementioned pop-dots which were one of the first things I ever bought.)

DCWV Jan Stack-a-holic Template:

Gigglin' All the Way

Back when we were in NJ, there was a great kids' playplace called Giggles.  You know.  One of those with arcade games, skee ball, ride-ons, a carousel, a "hamster wheel" (the climb through unit like you see at some McDonalds still), lousy pizza (REALLY lousy pizza- I'd never order from the pizza joint next door knowing how crappy it was at Giggles!)  The challenge over at Sketch Inspiration works perfectly for these photos.

Because the photos are so "noisy", I kept them embellishments down to just some rubons and stickers I cut to make stylized photo corners.

Ingredients:
Paper: (Basic Black, Yoyo Yellow, Whisper White) Stampin' Up
Stickers: Creative Memories
Rubons: (Leaps & Bounds Rub-On Boy) Colorbok
Chipboard Letters: (Rough & Tumble) K&Co.

Challenge Sketch:

Company Chairs Card

Maybe I should feel "blech" more often- I'm getting more done.  I've got a nasty cold, hopefully not the start of the flu, and while I feel a bit gross, I also feel like making some things finally.  Nov. and Dec. were pretty dry so I'm taking advantage of it while I've got it running!

I mentioned in my last post that I'd ordered some Unity stamps back in Dec.- this was another one I picked up.

I didn't "dinge" up the vanilla cardstock initially but it just looked too stark.  I think the distressing (though I didn't go so far as to tear up the edge) helps.

Ingredients:
Stamps: (Enjoy Your Company): Unity
Paper: (Crumb Cake, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla): Stampin' Up
Ink: (Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla): Stampin' Up
Misc: (Lace edge punch): Martha Stewart, Lace scrap

Challenges:
Desert Island Scrappers #23: (No DSP, distressing, sentiment)
ippity OpportUNITY: Something Borrowed, Something Blue (the paper is at LEAST 2yrs old, the lace is antique and I actually won it from someone else's blog.  The stamps are quite new and well, there's blue.)
CAS-ual Fridays #35: Scallops

Crappy Day card

Hey!  You want to see something that's REALLY different for me?  A CAS (clean and simple) card that's MEANT to be CAS!  Whoo hoo!  I REALLY gotta try this more often- even with the cut image, it was very quick to make!

I ordered a bunch of Unity stamps at the end of the year when they had some great sale prices.  This is one that I really considered NOT getting but I just couldn't stop chuckling everytime I saw it.  While red may not be my favorite color, I love the way it looks with kraft paper and those little hearts screamed for red outlines.

Ingredients:

Stamps: (Crappy Day): Unity

Ink: (Real Red): Stampin' Up

Paper: (Crumb Cake, Whisper White): Stampin' Up

Misc: (Ribbon): Offray, (Ice White Pearl Pen): Viva, Pop-dots

Challenges:

The Kraft Journal: Favorite Colors

Skipping Stones: Sketch #110

Little Red Wagon Layout

Maybe I didn't care for my last layout but I definitely like this one.  If you've been with me long, you know this really doesn't look like my normal layout but that's ok- I really need to try some different looks- been with this hairstyle too long, ya know?  ;)

Ingredients:
DSP: (Mistletoe stack) Making Memories
Cardstock: (Very Vanilla) Stampin' Up
Ink: (True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp) Stampin' Up (these were used to tint the OA sticker)
Misc: (Bingo card, Merry Christmas sticker (under the round photo) October Afternoon

Challenges:
Moxie Fab: Punches Challenge: The black "lace" was actually black paper w/ cream spots. I punched the spots out to make a lacy paper.


Sketchy Thursday:

They Might Be Giants LO

OK.  2nd "not my favorite" post of the day but I'm THRILLED to have this one done finally.  These photos and papers have been in my "to-do" pile since, yeah, wait for it, July.  Seriously.  I actually took it all to CKC with me to do at the scrap.  Obviously THAT didn't happen.  Last night I decided that they just HAD to be done and now they are.  YAY!

It all turned out a rather busy but that's ok because it kinda reflects the concert that way.  Somewhere along the way, completely unrelated to the concert, I received 2 sheets of TMBG stickers so I stuck some on the page and the rest to cardstock that I then cut out and pop-dotted on top of the first ones.  The confetti was some of the what was shot from confetti canons at the concert (there's actually a confetti photo behind the title.)   I tried to do a glitter rub-on of a guitar in the top right corner but it didn't go so well- the solid drum in the bottom left corner worked MUCH better.  Finally, the journaling is on a strip of vellum.  White or colored paper was too obvious.

Ingredients:
Cardstock: (Black) Stampin' Up, (Purple) ?
Print paper: (Numbers) ?
Misc: Rub-ons & guitar tag: Piggy Tales

Wedding party invites

This may not be my favorite card in the world but the "customer" decided on the look so we're all good.  My cousin is getting married this month and my mother and aunt are going to have a bit of a post-wedding party a few weeks later for the newlyweds knowing they wouldn't have one otherwise.  I volunteered to make the invites and sent several examples of what I thought would be nice (everything was beach-related because the couple wants to move to FL soon.)  However, my aunt wanted to go in a different direction and while they're beachy, they're not where I would have gone.  And hey.  That's ok.  Not my party.  :)  Sorry for the bad photo but I haven't been able to get a good one of this card.  This is my best one but it meant sitting in direct sunlight and getting hard shadows.

The short ingredient list:
Stamps: (Best Blossoms) Stampin' Up, (Party Invite) Stampendous
Cardstock & Ink: Stampin' Up

Latest Mantel Banner Installment

I'm really liking the whole "banner hanging from the mantel" thing - it helps jazz it all up a bit.  I know Valentine's Day is right around the corner (though I'm sure it's still Apr. 2011!) but I wanted a generic "Winter" banner right now- I'm just not ready to think Valentine's quite yet.  I'm head over heels for the BoBunny Snowfall line so I had to run out and get some the other day JUST for this project.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any BB accessories I liked for it but as I was heading out the door, I saw some Little Yellow Bicycle packs that I loved.  Turns out, that if you "vintage" them up with a bit of distress ink, they go REALLY well with the Snowfall line.  SCORE!  I hung them from the bottom of the "tiles" with 2 jump rings each after reinforcing all punched holes with eyelets I've had hanging around forEVER.

Later Noted: It was pointed out to me that this could use some close ups and you know what?  I agree.  Thanks Samantha!  I added 2 sets of photos- the 1st without a flash, the 2nd with.  The 1st shows more detail, the 2nd truer colors.

Ingredients:
Paper: BoBunny (Snowfall)
Snowflakes: (Paper Snowflake Kit from Winter Twig): Little Yellow Bicycle
Ink: (Faded Jeans & Walnut Stain): Tim Holtz
Misc: (Chipboard Letters): Heidi Grace, Jump rings, Eyelets
 
Challenges:
Simon Says: Something Old, Something New (the eyelets have been here for years, the vintage looks old, and the paper was bought the day I made this.)
Craft Your Passion: #91: Anything Goes Distressing
Tip Top Tuesday: #67: Anything Goes
Paper Crafts January Gallery Challenge: Winter
Unique Crafters Challenge: #1: Anything Goes

Trying to get organized... again!

I have the problem everyone else does- too much space, not enough space to hold it or time to use it. I've been trying to purge some of it (which will hopefully result in a grand ol' giveaway here!) and the rest I'm trying to organize in such a way that I can actually find it. I made leaps and bound last year but I'm finding that it's just not all working for me.

This is what I have now:
 
The drawers in the first photo are cluttered and sometimes, I just can't figure out where things should go.  For instance, all of my Tim Holtz stuff is together and just in an unlabelled bin.  The massive pile of paper in the corner is my son's artwork that I need to photograph and get rid of.  I want to make some books of the photos- they'll obviously take up less space and be a bit more organized.
 
The second photo is a dresser that matches my son's bed but the changing table is still in his room.  He's been out of diapers for about 8 mos. so I'd like to switch the dresser for the changing table, photo below.

We had a crib that matched this table but it never converted to a bed and daybed the way we wanted so we sold it before we moved.  However, I think the changing table would be a fabulous workspace in my room- the Cricut and Big Shot would actually have a table top I could use them on.  And, I'm trying not to use the dresser in my space because it simply doesn't belong there.  Therefore, I switch them and I gain more storage AND workspace and he gets a matching room.  Hmmm... maybe THAT'S what we'll do this weekend!  Once I have the right furniture in here, maybe I can get fully organized too.  What a concept!