We Are Fearless

 Creativity is good for the soul. A healthy escape and cheaper than therapy. I made this mixed media card using many of Tim’s techniques from his demos. 

As I patiently await for the palette papers to arrive I had to get creative. Using recoiling scissors and palette collage strips cutting down in different sizes to make ephemera then collaging it to the card base. 

Building up the layers TH/Sizzix texture fade wood planks, swiping the embossing folder with distress ink in frayed burlap, once embossed swipe a mini cube of distress archival frayed burlap on the raised parts to create dimension. 

Chipped Sapphire is one of my favourite ‘old school’ distress inks/oxides. I used the oxide and smooshed it onto distress watercolour card stock, heating between layers. Next using the same oxide swipe the TH/Sizzix 3D texture fade Typewriter, run it through, then with a brayer and distress paint black soot lightly run over raised areas of embossed background.

 Bringing the flower and greenery to life. I love the thickness of chipboard. It’s sturdy and great for painting. I used lightweight chipboard and dies from vault wildflowers. They are the perfect size for this card. I tucked the banner behind the flower/greenery, using dies from vault bunny and chick. Distress paints to colour the dies. Tim and Ranger came up with these awesome label stickers for their line of distress. I especially love the distress paint stickers. It makes it easier to see what I have or to grab and have at the ready. lol 

Cello sticker tape from Tim’s idea ology line has been my go to for final touches on my cards. I added an extra cello sticker over the bottom part of the stems as if they were wrapped. You can have a closer look in the second picture.

Finishing touches. Tying a piece of twine from my stash around the stems ending with a knot. Tim’s idea ology chit chat sticker book has many sayings to choose from that are perfect for simple sayings on makes. I modified a saying to fit this card perfectly. Even though they are self adhesive I always like to add collage medium for extra tackiness.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and that you take the time to make stuff. It’s a beautiful thing.

Christina

Mr. Dandy

 Meet Mr. Dandy, he has a dandelion garden.

I made a front facing card using Stampers Anonymous Mr. Rabbit stamp set and Sizzix thinlit dies.

Smoosh distress ink + oxide in pumice stone on distress watercolour card stock. Heat set between layers. Using the faded plaid, dots and words from cms478 Mr. Rabbit and distress ink Pumice stone, stamp in random spots on inked background.

Bringing Mr. Dandy to life with TH/SA cms478 Mr. Rabbit. VersaFine Clair nocturne ink, Distress watercolour pencils, water brush and to complete him with Simon Says Stamp coordinating dies.

I had a lot of fun making the dandelions with TH/Sizzix dies. The feather from vault lovebirds has a unique shape that is perfect for the dandelion leaves. Mixed with wildflower stems #1 and vault wildflowers you can get a variety of leaves.

Choosing the colours for the leaves + twigs came easy, as I had swatches at the ready. Distress inks add a nice saturated colour with a spritz of water and a water brush.

I used the same technique for the dandelion flowers. From when they bloom to when they blow into white fluff.

 Securing Mr. Dandy to the card front with pop up squares. Adhering the dandelions with collage medium. Intertwining them to create dimension. Adding a saying from the idea ology sticker book and last but not least machine stitched border in cream thread.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and it leaves you feeling inspired.

Christina 

You are Beautiful

 

Distress watercolour card stock is my go to for mixed media. It’s heavy weight and perfect for all mediums. There are two sides textured and smooth. I opt for the smooth side. But it’s entirely up to you. 

Creating the background using distress ink + oxide, distress spray oxide in lost shadow, distress sprayer and heat tool. Making sure to heat set between layers. Once dry stam with cms454 gothic tapestry (music notes) distress in lost shadow in random places in the background.

Simon Says Stamp embossing folder SF460 Pinnacle Hearts adds a nice soft dimension to the background.

Tim’s collage strips from his everyday idea ology release come in many colours. I chose the pink palette and trimmed it to fit the card base. Adhering with collage medium. Using Tim Holtz/Stampers Annonymous mixed media stamp and stencil set THMM162 (stencil) linked circles and crackle paste translucent to create added texture over collage strip.

For the focal point I used one of the flowers from cms487 French garden. Inked with distress archival ink in black soot.

What I love most about these stamps is the room for colouring. Tim’s distress watercolour pencil crayons are great for  wet or dry watercolour. I used the wet technique for a nice soft blend. You can see the process here.

Fussy cut the flower using recoiling scissors and a craft knife for the intricate details. 

Machine stitch the right side of the card in pink thread. cms394 tiny text stamped in distress oxide kitsch flamingo masking out the word “BE” and placing it behind the flower.

Adding dimension to the flower with pop up squares. Tiny attacher to secure the stem of the flower and the saying. The finishing touch adding cello tape to random sections of card.

I hope this inspires you to make. Thnx for looking.

Christina 

Mini Grinch Tree

 ~ maybe Christmas he thought, doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps…. means a little bit more ~ Dr. Suess 

I love Christmas movies especially The Grinch who Stole Christmas (cartoon version) reminds me of my childhood. Definitely a favourite. I made these mini grinch Christmas trees with Tim’s ideaology. They are simple to make.

Tim’s thimbles make great planters for these grinch trees. Paint them with your favourite colours. I painted the inside as well. Heat set to speed up the process of drying. Distress paint is permanent when dry, which is perfect for adding distress crayon for definition.

Tim’s woodland garland is very pliable. Cut the garland in half, using a splat box or covering, spray colours to cover garland. Once it’s coated heat set it. Using Ranger handle IT tool helps with the drying process. 

The lonely red ornament hanging at the edge of the tree has a metal bell on it. Dyed with alcohol ink, I believe I used poppy. Heat set. 

The grinch trees needs more character. Tack nails to the rescue. Paint with your favourite distress paints then heat set them.

Assembling the grinch tree with my trusty glue gun. It used to be my mom’s and to this day it’s still going strong.

It’s easy and fun to make. Get all your supplies out and have fun.

Christina