A random share cos it was a lot of fun to make

 

A wonderfully sweet colleague of mine has accepted a more reliable position at another educational institution.  While we were sad to see her go, we were all so happy for her that she was able to secure a position where her future was more assured.  She is a sweet, wonderful, generous, intelligent and awesome lecturer, our institution’s failure to keep her is certainly a great loss.  So I was charged with the task of coming up with a card, that would show her that even though the institution let her down, she was meaningful and well loved by the department.

I really had so much fun making this card and thought I would share both the card and how I did it.

 

How I did it:

• For the Background layer:
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• I tore up bits of dictionary paper and made a collage of it.
• I inked that with Brushed Courdroy and Gathered twigs Distress Ink.
• Stamped butterflies from both the Stampers Anonymous range and Prima Marketing randomly all over that.
• Used White Picket fence Distress Stain to tone down the colour intensity while preserving a relatively crisp image.

 

• I wrinkled a piece of tissuepaper and podged it down on the first layer of the background.  I swiped that with Broken China Distress Ink and then overswiped with Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  This gave me a nice hint of a blue translucent colourwashed sky but allows you to still see the stamped background, the wrinklin added some lovely texture.

 

• The butterflies in flight are die-cut from Sizzix, Spellbinders and a made-in-china mini handheld punch.

 

• I used the Sizzix alteration Alphabet Typeset Strip die and the Quickutz Alphabet Parade Font dies to make the sentiment.

The “dreams” part of the sentiment is cut out of Cordinations Brown Linen Cardstock and then Glossy Accented. The rest is cut with the Sizzix Alphabet Typeset Strip Die and Glossy Accented. The Typeset die is new to my collection but it is fast becoming my go-to die for die-cut text.

 

 

• Not to be out done by the front of the card – the inside has a cute sentiment which I stamped first in White Picket fence Distress Paint and then lightly colourwashed over with various Distress Inks. I die-cut Umbrella Man and added more punch out butterflies.
• This was a group card for a lecturer so I thought it would be cute for the part where we are going to write our personal messages ,to be a notebook page, I used the Sizzix Alterations Notebook folder.

 

 

 

Tim Holtz 2014 February Challenge – A dear letter to Mr Tim

Dear Mr Tim

Ever since you brought out the glorious Stencil Line in your exquisite range of craft essentials, I have been salivating and waiting to get my hands on them.  Mr Tim – they have not arrived here in South Africa yet (sobs inconsolably).  I know because I looked everywhere for them Mr Tim, I even searched the stock inventory of all the South African online stores. 

Mr Tim – I am so sad, gutted, incapacitated, like a junkie without a fix, Mr Tim.  What makes me sadder Mr Tim is that the tags in the 12 Tags series seem to be always made super awesome by your expert handling of these stencilling babies to make them.  I want to try them too Mr Tim.  I want to play in the challenge so very, very bad Mr Tim, but the stencils haven’t arrived in my country yet Mr Tim – even the ones you brought out last year Mr Tim.It hurts my heart, I am about to write a sad country love song about it - this is pain Mr Tim, heart wrenching agony.
  

So I’ve been waiting and waiting and I finally couldnt help myself – I really wanted to make a tag for the 2014 February 12 Tags, but with no stencils available Mr Tim, I had to come up with a new plan.  So I used one of your sizzix movers and shapers butterflies and die-cut my own stencil out of cardstock(so that I could do that awesome graduated colour technique you shared).  You can’t see most of it in the finished tag, because it is covered up by the foreground elements Mr Tim – but it turned out friggin’ awesome Mr Tim. I put this picture here to show you exactly how friggin awesome the butterfly stencilling turned out.  I still wish I had your real stencils though Mr Tim.

So anyway Mr Tim my question to you and Mr Mario is – do you know why they don”t sell the stencils here in South Africa Mr Tim and Mr Mario?  I like them, I want them.  Also Mr Tim – I hope you don’t mind that I submit my made-a-plan stencil tag for the February challenge.  Which also makes me ask Mr Tim, the butterflies were so cute when I die cut my stencil with the movers and shapers Mr Tim,  – so can you make a butterfly stencil if you are designing more stencils, I will start saving for a plane ticket so that I can buy them in America if I have to? 

Thanks Mr Tim.

Tincan Crafter

(P.S I dont mean to offend anyone especially “Mr Tim” himself by writing this post this way, please accept it in the way it was written – to convey a strong adoration for Mr Tim, his products and his generous sharing of technique!)

Birthday card for Dad

My mom gave me an hour to come up with a birthday card from her for my dad's 59th birthday - this was it:

I mix and matched a bunch of different Tim Holtz, and Prima collections here - I am loving the ATC die from Sizzix/Holtz - so very handy!

Newest member of the clan!

 

Last week my nephew Luke made his entrance into the world.  Isn’t he just beautiful?  He looks so much like my brother did when he was born!