Time will tell....

I had a dream... Ok, somewhat of a plan to turn Henry Ford into a pocket watch....

Did you know, Ford's father gifted him a pocket watch, which he took apart. This inspired his tinkering and a desire to build. Did you know Ford made an ELECTRIC CAR along with Edison way back in the late 1800's/early 1900's? Do you care why I know this? Our son, along with his partner, did their National History Day project on Henry Ford, and how his manufacturing strategy helped grow the middle class. They did REALLY REALLY well, and made it to the State competition. Not bad for a couple 6th graders.


ANYWAY, about my tag..... I used Tim Holtz' Pocket Watch and the Circles Dies to cut several layers of black cardstock, the image of Ford, and acetate. I used 4 layers of the die cut pieces between Henry and the acetate layer so that I could put the game spinners inside.



The finished tag is done



The base layer of the tag was embossed with the Diamond Plate & Riveted metal texture fade. It has layers of Distress Ink, Stain, and is spritzed with Perfect Mist to give it a shimmer. I hand cut the banners at the top from scraps made on canvas paper with my Gelli Printing Plate.

I added a Hitch Fastener to the tag hole, gears and a clock key as accents.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tag: Despite my efforts....

The other day I was playing with some Glassine paper. Distress Paint, Tattered Angels Mists, some Distress Ink... Add a little water & a heat gun and the paper curls! I used my Fringe scissors to cut into it to make 'hair'.

  The stamped and colored (pencils) image is from Dylusions. I wrote the sentiment out with a Sharpie Poster Paint pen to go along with the 'I have become my mother' quote from Lisa's Altered Art.



I added some doodling with Gel pens to the background.
Simple, yet a fun tag!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tag! fairy jar!

Oh I had such a cool idea!!!! I had to make a tag with the theme On the Wing.... I have this really cool mason jar Sizzix die that has matching embossing folder. I had previously cut & embossed several in clear packaging.

And I had this fabulous dragonfly woman that fits perfectly inside.

I had the cool tag from the other day done in similar colors. Best yet , a recipe for fairies in a jar!



Gosh I had hopes this was going to work, but the glow ran out of juice! Cheap stinking dollar store glow sticks .....









The mason jar was suppose to glow like this:



Pretty sweet hey??? You cut up glow sticks in a jar with Diamond Dust glitter & shake!

Sigh.. It would have been so cool if it would have held its glow long enough to get to Minnesota ....


Items used in this Tag:
Dylusions Sprays, Acrylic Paints, The Crafters Workshop Stencil, Rubber Stamps, Sticky Back Canvas by Ranger, Gelli Arts Printing Plate, Glitter, plastic packaging, Sizzix Bigs Die & Embossing Folder, Twine.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tag time!

Today I spent part of the day trying to get back in the creative groove, and finish up some swaps.

I tried REALLY HARD to focus on ONE thing! So it was TAGS and the theme was a favorite quote. The plan was to use Einstein's "Imagination is more important than knowledge" quote, but the inspiration that came was actually from this one by Stella Adler.

"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one."





What's funny is how this tag came about. I began with the first tag on the left (shown below). I did the tag on the right, and then worked on the middle tag. I typically will work several backgrounds at once. As long as I'm 'making a mess...."

Well Tag in the middle was becoming it's own disaster. By the time I got to that tag, the stencil was wet, the acrylic black was bleeding ( watered down by cleaning off the stencil, the green/teal circles were a nightmare.... THEN I used the DOTS stencil from Dylusions... Oh that did not make it all better I guarantee you..... I just KNEW at the time I should have taken a picture! I always tell people the beauty of collage is that you can usually cover or hide your mistakes. This one is proof. The background is very similar to the tag on the right, but think MORE train wreck....












As I worked layers of teal acrylic, and rehydrated the Dylusions spays it really came to life. The woman stencil is from The Crafters Workshop, and I used it to preserve some of the 'good' part of the train wreck by masking it off & going around it with acrylic black. When I removed it, I used a white Sharpie Poster Paint pen to highlight inside the black line.



I made a necklace from yellow brads to add a pop of another color. The hand is a masonite cut out from Michaels. The flower is a paper type, sprayed with Dylusions. in sunshine yellow and the new pink.


There's some washi tape that adds to the yellow accents as well. On the hand, I used the small flower boarder from the Dylusions DOTS stencil with my white Sharpie. I had painted the hand with Snow cap white Dabber, then let the pink spray run down it spritz with water to lighten.  I dapped it in the end in extra puddles on the craft sheet.


I have to admit, I LOVE how the tag turned out. But I am still going to send it out. I'll know it's journey, and hope it's new home will appreciate it's transformation into art.

So my lesson to remember today, is things aren't always as they appear.

With art as with life, you need to push past the bad and keep at it. Sometimes a train wreck isn't a train wreck after all...
(yes I made that up. I better not see that wise-ness show up on a stamp... LOL!)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mono Printing with the Gelli Plate & Embossing Folders

I JUST LOVE this technique. Now, I’m not saying I made this up (but maybe I did), but I haven’t seen it done elsewhere. Yet. So if you’ve seen this before, let me know. Otherwise, I’m coming up with a cool name for this technique. For now, we’ll just consider it an embossed mono printing technique.

 

So, if you’re like me, when you get a new die or embossing folder, you’ll run cut or emboss SEVERAL pieces with no real purpose other than to try it out. I have folders FULL of these (you’d think I could actually get a completed piece of work done with this stash). I grabbed 2 that had a great design & depth. The Subway Texture fade from Tim Holtz and the other one by Sizzix. I’ll also include the Honeycomb.

I brayered acrylic paints onto my Gelli plate, and laid the pre-embossed (using tan Co-ordinations cardstock) piece into the paint.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of this!

I can see doing this, A LOT. The finish from the paint (and I BET the new Distress Paint will work REALLY cool too) gives this a semi glossy finish, and will create a great resist to some additional inking with Distress Inks or Stains. It will also help keep the embossing raised when using additional wet mediums.

 

Above is the Gelli plate, after the embossed piece was pulled. (note to self, place a piece of white cardstock underneath for pictures). Because the Sizzix Texture Fades have such great depth, the text & design pulls so well, making for a great ghost print! I LOVE that the text WILL BE rightside facing in the final print. 

     

TA Da!!! The image on the left is the print, onto white 110# cardstock. The image on the right, shows both the ‘print’ and the original embossed piece from the first press together.

Now there was a lot of paint on my Gelli plate, because I hadn’t done a print prior to putting the embossed piece in. Therefore, there was still quite a bit of paint for the 2nd print. The words are  distinguishable, and there is some white space.

What a great background this makes!!!!

 

Now this time, I had some paint left on my plate from a previous pulling, before I laid the embossed piece onto the Gelli plate.

This is one reason why the cardstock piece on the right of this image, doesn’t have as much paint on it as the Subway piece in the first experiment.

You can see on the left side, the design on the Gelli plate, produced by the embossing folder.

Pretty sweet!

 

This image shows white cardstock pulled off the Gelli plate, transferring the embossed design.

You all are going to L*O*V*E doing this!!!!!!!

 

These tags was done using the Honeycomb Texture Fade.

The white piece in the center was the original embossed cardstock. The tags are the pulled pieces.

See what I mean? VERY COOL backgrounds!!!

Loving the idea? I know I am.

I can’t wait to work with some of the other embossed pieces I have just waiting for me!

 

I have a 6x6 Gelli plate, and am finding this to be a great size to work with for what I do. The paint stays pretty wet for the amount of time I need. While working with the 8x10, which again is a great size, the paint dries up a little quicker. I notice the difference.

Star Bright Die

I am having fun with this new die from Tim Holtz! It's and L Die called Star Bright. The larger star is about 4.75" finished. The smaller is 2.5". VERY easy to fold as all of the crease lines are placed when the die is cut.





For this tag, I covered the star with Washi tape from Washi Wishes on Etsy. The HELLO & Hand washi are by 7Gypsies. The circles die at the bottom is also by Tim.







These stars were done using the Faux Riveted Metal technique Tammy Tutterow shows on her blog.


I left the smaller star 'plain'. I covered it with Metal Foil, and went over it with a Black acrylic Dabber, but never added the 'riveted' portion. I like it! I have a feeling I'll be making A LOT of stars....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Flight

I was asked to join a new Yahoo group. A limited number of like minded creative talent at 50. It's a mixed media group. Not product specific, which I love because I use so many different products & mediums.

Our first swap is a tag. Mine is going to Neil in England. At first, I was going to do a sewing theme with a dress form. I already have that done. BUT, decided to switch it out with a more manly, steampunk, flight theme.

































I had already done the background, and them my (or should I say another) package from Artistic Outpost came.

From the Diesel Punk set

PERFECT!




This tag also fits the June Referal progam theme of MASCULINE over at Artistic Outpost. BONUS!
I RARELY make things that fit ANYBODIES theme! LOL. Well, occasionally, but it's an on purpose.

I had already stamped the bi-plane from Pink by Design Flying High set and added foil highlight to it.



The background had Distress Inks and Mists sprayed. There's actually a mask underneath from Tattered Angels, but you can't see it anymore. Remember when I posted below pic's of incomplete tags? Well, this is one of them.

There's plenty of Tim Holtz products used here too. The Pennant die was used to cut linen, the Numbers at the bottom, Gears, clock hands and OOOOOOOOO the Rivets & diamond plate Texture Fade!

You can see the 'hanger' I placed has a copper N charm & a dog tag (which I might smack around with a hammer before I finish & mail). Notice the jump ring? I put a spring from a defunced pen....
NO I DO NOT save everything! Geez, I can't believe you thought that.....




How do you love the log book??? Made it myself! I did watercolor the guys with Distress Ink & my Niji brush.

The stars at the top were stamped with Delicata by Tsukineko. GOD that ink has shimmer!

This is a better view of the Gears & watch parts I added. There's also some washi tape & wallpaper tape in the background.

Happy memorial weekend!

This tag features the Americana stamps & Flag Bigz die by t!m Holtz .



Also stamps by Artistic Outpost and the Circles stencil by The Crafters Workshop.



After stamping Americana silhouettes in gold, I sprinkle antique gold embossing powder & heat set.



This is a card using stamps from Artistic Outpost (Heros), t!m's Americana Silhouettes and Rays Texture Fade.



Watercolored in with Distress Stains in Peeled paint, Faded Jeans & Vintage photo.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Origin of Love Tag

Working with a 12x12 stencil from The Crafters Workshop, Archival Ink, Distress Ink in Ripe Persimmon & Mustard Seed, along with Distress Stain in Peeled Paint.
This tag is simply done as to not overpower the background . I love how that turned out. I accented petals of the flower and word borders with a very fine marker.





The hand cut heart features a LOVE stamp from Inkadinkadoo.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Do more of what makes you happy...

A TAG!!!!
For my friend from the south.
He's a stalker....




This is "Twinkie" from Stampotique. LOVE THESE STAMPS! They are soooo fun to work with!
He's colored in with Copics.



There's a lot going on here. Circles template from The Crafters Workshop,  word quotes from Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 line (Art School, Essence of Home) and Artistic Outpost's Typeography set, Stampotique, Circles from Stamp Diva ....



Oh and of course some Tim Holtz...
The Admit One stamp and the new Spring Distress Inks!






It's nice to RAK a friend!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Art lives tag

I know ANOTHER tag!
CALLING ALL ARTISTS.....
Too much??? I just had to use that phone! I love that the 'dial' because I made it look like a paint palette! Clever? I think so....





Admittedly, there is A LOT going on with this one. And it 'could' have been left alone without the phone. But a girl dosn't always know when to STOP....
So the telephone is one of Tim's new Alterations Die. In another post, I make a card with the phone. Which is HUGE!





Once again, I stamped JUST the cap from the ink bottle into Rangers Metal Foil, while the jar is done one Matte-Krome paper.

The Circles stencil in the background is a Julie Fei-Fan Blazer design for The Crafters Workshop. Done up with, the new SPRING LIMITED EDITION DISTRESS INKS ( IN STOCK at Red Rubber!!!).
The harlequin stamp is a Dylusions, but all the rest are from Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 sets! EXCEPT the little pencils. Those are from the Secretary Pool set by Artistic Outpost. See how everything just works so well together?



Wendy says it all with this little phrase....
 
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone