Sizzix Layout Tutorial

I have a tutorial on the Sizzix blog today with this layout:

We have all been patiently waiting for the new Tim Holtz Sizzix dies and his first release, the Frameworks dies, will start shipping in March.  Love these dies, they will be used a lot!  Hope you check out my tutorial, to see how I used the Courtyard die.

Have a great weekend,

Jan

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Mixed Media Tag

It seems like I've been on the go a lot lately but I've been suffering the past couple of days with Vertigo, so I've been forced to stay at home.  Not much I can do with this dizzy sensation so I figured it was a good time to play with some mixed media!  

I'm not sure  if I can remember everything I used on my tag, but I do know I started off cutting out a tag with thin chipboard and my Sizzix Tim Holtz tag die.  I then painted on a coat of white gesso to give it a good base.  Next I applied a mixture of Wendy Vecchi's Translucent embossing paste  and Tim Holtz distress paint with Tim's Burlap stencil.  Love this embossing paste!  I've been using it quite a bit lately, love the translucent look, and when a small amount of pigment powder is added to it, it still maintains that but with a stain of colour.  I think I used just about everything on the background.  Mister Huey spray, Lindy's spray, Viva Inca Gold paste, Distress inks, Gelatos and paints.  The splatters were made using the Tim Holtz Splatter stencil and Viva Golden Green Ferro paste.  It was highlighted with Inca Gold paste and Silks paint.

The birds are from Sizzix's Tim Holtz new Birds in Flight decorative strip. Manila cardstock embossed with Ranger's Verdigris powder and stamped with a Tim Holtz stamp, from the Nature Walk set.  The honeycomb is vellum, stained with Lindy's spray and cut out with Sizzix's Tim Holtz Frameworks Honeycomb die. Ribbon, tulle and charms were added to my tag to finish it off.

Hope you were inspired to play with all your different mediums!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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Fancy Chair Card

Today I'm sharing another card made with a die from Sizzix's French Farmhouse collection.

This die is the Fancy Chair which comes with it's own embossing folder.  I wish all of them included a folder, it adds so much to the die-cut!  After I cut out and embossed my chair, I inked the raised areas and embossed with black ink.  I used Kaisercraft's Art of Life paper collection and a Prima metal leaf embellishment.  My flower with the brad was made with Sizzix's Tim Holtz Tattered floral garland and the other flowers were hand cut from my patterned paper.  With this paper collection, there is a film strip Acetate sheet, which I cut out a piece and adhered it behind my chair.  The butterfly and the verse are die cuts, also from this collection.

That's all for today, 

thanks for stopping by!

Jan

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Wishing for Springtime

It's a balmy -20C and snowing today, a little improvement over yesterday's -30C!  I think we are all so sick of winter here, it has been a long and cold one this season.  I find myself thinking of Spring a lot these days, hopefully we eventually see it!  I have a greenhouse window in my kitchen, I think I might have to do the same thing as I did last year, filling it with spring flowers and plants, so I don't have to look at the snow!

Speaking of Spring, this Sizzix French Farmhouse Egg & Wire Basket die is a good one to use for all those Easter cards.  Although my colours here aren't quite as light and cheerful as they could be for a Spring card, this basket could be used so many different ways.  Instead of eggs, it could also be filled with flowers or foliage.

I used Kaisercraft's paper collection, Hidden Treasures for my card.  The basket was cut out with a thin  chipboard; this one is thin enough that you can also use it with all the thin metal dies and it has a nice smooth finish to it.  If I know I'm going to apply different mediums to my die cut, and I don't want to or can't use thick chipboard, I like to use this as it gives a more stable base.  I embossed the basket with Lindy's embossing powder, pressing a rubber stamp into the basket while it was still hot. To highlight the embossed basket, I used a touch of Inca Gold on the raised areas. The doilies were cut out from Sizzix's Scrappy Cat Doily/heart set and the one egg was embossed with a Vintaj Textured Impression folder and painted.  My flowers were hand cut from my patterned paper.

Hope you are enjoying better and warmer weather, wherever you are!  Lucky you!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

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Roxy Love

It's that time again for Urban Scrapbook's Monthly Kit Challenge.  Here's my February layout:

This month's kit is filled mainly with papers and embellishments from the My Mind's Eye collection, Lost and Found - Heirloom.  There was also a Jillibean Soup kraft chevron placement, which I used as a stencil.  My medium was Wendy Vecchi's Translucent Embossing Paste, coloured with Luminarte's Primary Elements.  These Primary Elements are high quality pigment powders blended with mica that can be added into any liquid medium.  I used a tiny amount(about the size of a small glue dot) with my paste and still achieved this vibrant colour.  My spray was Mister Huey's Sugar Plum.  The wood paper clip piece was embossed with Lindy's embossing powder and the other wood hand piece was stamped.
Make sure you visit Urban's website and check out the other layouts from our design team for more Valentine's inspiration.

My muppet, Roxy looked a little scruffy here!  It was just before her beauty parlour day.  She loves her groomer so much, that she begs to sit on her lap while she's grooming other dogs.  I wonder what the other dogs think of that?!

Thanks for stopping by,

Have a great weekend!

Jan

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I Love You Layout

I have a short tutorial over at the Sizzix blog today featuring this layout:

I don't know where the time has gone, my sweet little girl is all grown up!  She has a birthday on Monday, wish I could be with her to celebrate.  New York is too far away for me!  Happy Birthday Cass, love you!

Hope you visit me over at the Sizzix Blog!

Jan

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