Simon Says Stamp - Designer Spotlight Week 4

Hello Friends

I am here today to share another project in the Designer Spotlight for Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

For the new 'STITCH IT' Challenge I created a Halloween project.

I love to put a 'not too scary' Halloween piece in my front window on All Hallows Eve, so that it doesn't scare the little ones too much.  

I started by preparing the tombstone base by painting all of the base elements with Black Soot Distress Paint.  I then stamped the top and bottom parts of the Tombstone Etcetera Tag with Tim Holtz Stone background stamp before heat embossing it with clear embossing powder.  Once dry, gesso was dry brushed over the the Tombstone parts to give a slate like look.

Next, I used Distress inks in Scattered Straw, Carved Pumpkin and Wilted Violet to colour a piece of  white card for the background.  Once coloured I used the Tim Holtz Swirling Stars die to cut a few stars into the background and then stitched up the sides with black cotton to add some interest. I decided last minute to add some white splats with gesso.

I die cut the witch and cat and dressed the witch with some dyed gauze and created a skirt with some netting from my stash.  I stitched the items in place onto the witch.  The die cut cauldron was dry brushed with gesso before adding some Twisted Citron Distress Paint to give the impression of the cauldron boiling over.  I added some Idea-ology bones and dried florist bits to the cauldron.  The fire was created by die cutting the fire elements from the Tim Holtz Fireplace die set.  I also added a few twigs from the garden along with some Idea-ology skulls, pumpkins and dome from my stash.

At the top of the Tombstone I added a die cut spider web, a Raven, a spider, metal word adornment, quote and skull, crossbones and Quote Chips.

So that's it for this week from me but it would be lovely to see you join in the challenge.

As always, there is a $50 voucher for one lucky winner!

The products I used that are available from Simon Says Stamp are all listed below.

Thanks so much, as always, for your visit, I really do appreciate it and I hope to see you again soon.

Hugs, Anne xx


PRODUCTS USED:
Tim Holtz Etcetera Tag - Tombstone
Tim Holtz Slate and Stone Cling Stamp
Tim Holt Bigz Cauldron die
Tim Holtz Fireside Thinlits die
Tim Holtz Thinlits Swirling Stars die
Tim Holtz Batweb Trim Thickboards
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Boneyard Findings
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Word Adornments
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Crossbones Adornment
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Halloween Adornments
Tim Holtz Halloween QuoteChips
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Various colours
Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Black Soot
Dina Wakley Ranger White Gesso
Judikins Clear Embossing Powder

Altered Art for A Vintage Journey

Hello Friends, this is one of two posts today!

This month at A Vintage Journey, the very talented Alison (Butterfly) is asking us to:

  Turn something unloved and unwanted into a piece of art.  Try some re-purposing - make something new out of something old, or incorporate an unwanted object into your artwork.  Think tin cans and jars, old bottles, toothbrushes - the more inventive, the better!

Since it is near one of my favourite times of the year, Halloween, I created a 3D project by re-purposing an old gift box and some match boxes.

The gift box had two compartments which gave me the idea of creating a 'Welsh Dresser' type project.  The matchboxes are from a Tim Holtz die and were the perfect size for my dresser base.  After constructing the matchboxes and gluing them together in pairs of four, I gave all the pieces a good coat of Tim Holtz Distress Paint in Black Soot.

Next I covered the top and bottom of the dresser with some gorgeous Halloween paper, part of Tim's new release, gifted to me by my dear friend Kath Stewart.

I then glued the top part of the dresser to the bottom and it was ready to decorate (my favourite part)!  I have lots of pictures to share....

For the top shelf I created a 'ook of poison, a couple of little jars of potions (Distress Spray Stain filled) and a jar of broken bones.  The 'spells and fortunes' metal word band is from Tim's latest Halloween Idea-ology release, a gift from my lovely friend Jenny (Buttons).  I used Distress Crayon in Spiced Marmalade to highlight the wording and attached it with Tim's new string.

The bottom shelf contains a vase of flowers, using Tim's Thinlits flower die, the dome is from last year's Idea-ology release and the fabulous skulls are part of Tim's latest release.

The book was created with card and some book pages, decorated with an Idea-ology skull charm.

I just had to add the fabulous witch to my scene, she was die cut several times, once in Kraft card to create the face and hands and twice in thick black card so that I could make her 'stand' up.  The fabulous cage is from Tim's Assemblage range, which I love!

Inside the bird cage is a Raven, stamped on (with Tim's new Ravens stamp set - gifted to me by the lovely Jenny) and cut from shrink plastic, he fits perfectly!

To finish off my little scene I die cut and coloured some leaves, in Autumn tones and added a broom and pumpkins,  from Tim's Idea-ology range.

I hope you like my re-purposed gift box and that you will join in the fun over at A Vintage Journey, where my teamies have created the most fantastic projects!

Our sponsor for this month is Simon Says Stamp Store who are offering a fantastic £25 gift voucher to one randomly selected winner!  If you love Tim's Assemblage range but cannot get to a Joann's store (like me!) Simon Says Stamp Store does stock some of the range.

Thanks so much for your visit, I really appreciate it.  I hope you will have a look at my other post   (HERE) too, it contains some wonderful NEWS!!!!

Hugs, Anne xxx

Twelve Tags of 2015 - May

Another scheduled post, I am still away from my computer, I apologise again if I have not been able to visit you, we are on our last couple of days of our holidays in Scotland, with some very dear friends, internet time is limited, but I will hopefully get round to visiting soon.

I am sharing my Tim tag, which I have to say was quite a pleasure to make.  You can seeTim's original version HERE.  I am not going to go into detail as, apart from some words and picture changes, I have stuck pretty much to Tim's 'recipe'.

There were certainly a lot of elements in this month's tag, I was concerned it might look a bit overcrowded but I don't think it does after all!

I tried not to use the same elements and colours on mine.  I envisioned the lady in the photo being a seamstress and tried to find elements to match that.

Sadly, I have not been able to get the new tiny Tattered Floral die yet, so I improvised and used the Tattered Floral Garland die.  To finish off I added some of Tim's small talk stickers.

This month at Inspiration Journal, the challenge is 'Get Pasted' where we are asking you to use Embossing Paste somewhere on your creation.  We hope you will join us there, one lucky randomly chosen individual will win a $50 voucher to spent at Inspiration Emporium's on-line store.  Remember too, if you do shop at Inspiration Emporium and use my code - Redanne, you will get a 10% discount off your whole order!

Thanks for looking, I hope to see you again soon!  Hugs, Anne xx

Inspiration Emporium Products Used:

Tim Holtz Surface Textures

Ranger Texture Paste

Tim Holtz Distress Paint

Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Garland die

Tim Holtz Idea-ology (various)

Tim Holtz Crinkle Ribbon

Fond Memories for A Vintage Journey

The latest challenge at A Vintage Journey  has been chosen by the lovely Terry and is 'Fond Memories'.  In Terry's own words - "Fond Memories, we all have them, whether they are of a special person, a pet, a period in time or a wonderful event. Let that "Fond Memory" be your guide and the focus of your creation, of course being inspired by Tim Holtz."  

Our wonderful sponsor is Country View Crafts who are offering a £10 voucher to one winner chosen by the Creative Guides (DT).

Choosing fond memories is not an easy task when you have lots of them but I decided to create a mini album in memory of my lovely Dad and his side of our family, who remained in Aberdeen, Scotland when my Dad emigrated to Canada shortly after the war.  There is only one photo in my album at the moment, I thought it might be more interesting to see the album rather than photos of my family!  My Dad did not do 'fancy' so I have kept the album fairly masculine looking. Click on the photos for a better view.

I have used Tim Holtz's Crowded Attic papers throughout the album, which measures 6" x 4" and is approx 2.1/2" thick.  The base and pages of the album are made from grey board, painted with Black Soot Distress Paint.  I kept the front and back free from larger embellishments as it will eventually go onto my bookcase.  I also used one of Tim's new framework dies to add some interest.  I thought it fitting to have the map of Canada on the front cover, from the Crowded Attic paper pad.  The word memories is made up from Tim's Idea-ology label letters and a small frame from my stash.

The first page has a photo of my lovely Grandparents and my cousin and her hubby. I created a couple of slim pockets for the first pages and again used pieces from the frameworks die to embellish.  Dad was a Sargent in the British Army and I thought the frameworks looked a little like the Sargent stripes.

On the left hand side I created a very wide pocket  using an accordion fold which allows the pocket to expand to approx 1" thick to hold lots of photos. I created a closure with some black twill and one of Tim's Idea-ology belt buckles which I sewed into place. The right side has a single pocket to keep negatives etc.

On the left side the flap opens and there are more pockets underneath to put some journaling.  I created a little mini book with the papers that were left over and I stamped all the pages with stamps from the Mini Blueprints 6 set.

Again, on the left hand side this opens out and there are three inner pockets to house several pictures or ephemera.  The fastener is a Tim Holtz Cash Key Idea-ology piece.  The right side is plain for some notes or journaling.  The stamp is again from Mini Blueprints 6 and the Calgary post mark is an embellishment from Wendy Vecchi's embellishment range.

This is the last page of the album, the '48' signifies the year my parents went to Canada.  The 4 and 8 are Prima buttons which I stitched on and used one of Tim's heart charms and some thread to form a closure.  Behind the 48 (the year Dad and Mum emigrated) are more hidden pockets to store pictures.

This is the back of the album, again embellished simply with a framework die and Crowded Attic papers.

And finally, a photo of my lovely Dad, with his beloved fishing ground, Loon Lake in the background, near where my parents lived in Haliburton, in the northern part of Ontario in Canada.   This is one of the many photos that will go into my little album.  I have had the most wonderful (and pretty emotional) trip down memory lane creating this mini album!

So what fond memories do you have?  We all hope that you will take that trip down memory lane and come and join us at A Vintage Journey with one of your 'Fond Memories'.  Do please remember to read the rules for joining in.

Thanks for looking and hope to see you again soon!  Hugs, Anne xx

A Mini Storage Box .....

Thanks for all your comments on the Wedding Favour Artist Trading Blocks/Boxes, Jenny and I are both thrilled that you love them.

I still have boxes on the brain.  A couple of years ago I wanted to purchase a project for making a storage box HERE, but it had been discontinued in 2010, just my luck.  I kept the picture of the box and decided to have a go myself.   What's so hard about a bit of measuring and gluing (?)  ........well I persevered and here is what I created.  Apologies, there are a lot of photos, but not too much chat so I hope you will stay with me!

To make my box I used greyboard (about the thickness of mount board or mat board), Tim Holtz's new Wallflower 12" x 12" paper pad, black Distress Paint, Gathered Twigs Distress Ink, Idea-ology pieces, Remnant Rubs, Stampers Anonymous Classic Favourites #1 stamps,  a tiny door knob from Marks and Spencer, a lot of measuring and a few choice words!

This is the front view, the finished box measures 5" square. Lots of Idea-ology and Remnant Rubs were used here. Click on any of the photos for a better view. 

Side view, right side, love that bird!

I wish I had put this gorgeous piece at the side, instead of the back.

The left and final side.  For each side I cut the paper to fit, inked the edges with distress ink and simply glued them on to the assembled and painted box.

This is a view from the top showing the lovely little door knob, it is made from pottery and hand painted (not by me!) with some little flowers.

This first piece in my box is a little storage box, made to store ATC type projects

This is one of my books which is just under 4" x 5" in size.  I added some pages in thick card.

I won't show you inside as I have not added anything to the pages as yet.

Another little book.  All of the books are covered in the Wallflower papers and all the edges have been coloured with Gathered Twigs DI.

This shows the inside of the final book.  I have added lots of pockets, these will take mini tags or tickets or other small items.

Finally (if you are still with me!), in the little drawer I have stamped the dragonfly from Classics #1 and then I coloured some of Wendy Vecchi's Clearly for Art with alcohol inks, stamped the dragonfly in Stazon and fussy cut it to add to the base stamping.

Here is the final piece again.  You can just about see the little platform at the bottom.  It is simply a 4" square box that I made up from thick black card and glued to the base.

If, like me, you love all things Tim, there is still time to enter our challenge over at A Vintage Journey where the lovely Alison has chosen the theme, Say it with Words..... we would love to see you play along.

Speaking of challenges, I would love to enter this into Country View Challenges HERE which is 'Paperchase' and this month there will be two lucky winners, each receiving £20 voucher so spend at Country View Crafts.

Thanks so much for looking and hopefully leaving me a comment. Take care.  Hugs, Anne xx

Tim Holtz Configurations Book - a labour of love

I am sharing something today that I have been working on for several weeks.  The very talented Richele Christensen shared a Tim Holtz Configurations Book HERE and invited people to make one along with her.  Since I love Halloween and I loved what she had created I decided to join in and I have had so much fun making this.  As ever, I did not have all of the elements that Richele used so I had to improvise on quite a few things but I am thrilled with the result and will be displaying it in my window on All Hallows Eve.

Richele has been doing the tutorial in stages but has been ill recently so I have taken the liberty of finishing the box off myself by following the photo on her blog.  I needed to get it finished because, as I will not be around much over the next week.

There are quite a few photos but not too much by way of explanation because Richele has gone into great detail, so if you want to make one you can follow her brilliant tutorial.  It does look much better in real life, but to see it better just click on the photos.

This is the front of the closed box.  Tim Holtz very kindly gave Richele permission to scale up the scary house die onto a template which was used to cut the house shape from the box cover - that was the hardest part because the configurations boxes are very strong.  The moon, bats, wrought iron fence and tree are all die cuts, all TH with the exception of the fence.

This is the inside of the whole box, each box has been trimmed with tissue tape.

The skeleton is holding a lighted lamp, the battery pack is threaded through and I'll show you where later.

These are my favourite sections, I love Tim's new Movers and Shapers clock die.  It was hard to photograph the bone dust but this section is actually a working shaker box and is filled with broken up Tim's Idea-ology wishbones.

For the bottom half of the box, my friend Mo helped me out with the owl (a new die that I do not have) and she created a melt pot one which I have coloured.  She also gave me the wonderful dome bottles at the top of the box and the fence on the front - thank you Mo!

This is a view of the back of the box.  The wire from the light has been threaded across the top and down the right side, hidden by Tim's Laboratorie papers and the battery pack is hidden behind that die cut bottle.

This is just a view from the inside of the box, looking out, to give you an idea of the shape of the house.  The box itself is approx 12 inches by 9 inches so there is lots of space to work in.

I hope you have enjoyed the tour of my little spooky house!  I am entering this into Simon Says Stamp/Monday Challenge this week, which is 'Spooky'.

Edited: In my haste to post this I forgot to mention that I would like to enter this into Country View Crafts Challenge which is 'Something Spooky'.

I am also including it in Richele's blogpost linky HERE.


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Finally - NOT FOR THOSE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION - please look away now if you have!



I was so inspired by Lynne's recent spooky skeleton creation (Mr and Mrs Bones) that I created one of my own.  I did this for my soon to be Son-in-Law, who is a History Teacher and loves skulls, a bit like me.  Lynne, these photos are just for you!

Mr and Mrs Skeleton are decked out in Graphic 45 Steampunk papers and Mr Skeleton is sitting in a Tando Creative coffin........... his top hat is handmade.  Mrs S wears a skirt of lace, coloured with Black Soot Distress Paint.  They are ready to go to the Halloween ball.......


I am entering this piece into Anything But a Card Challenge which is Colours of the Season - Orange and Black

Thanks for looking, hope to visit you all soon, but please forgive me if I miss a few posts over the next week or so.  Hugs, Anne xx