Sizzix Puppy Layout Tutorial

Hi Everyone!  Love the new "Raining Cats & Dogs" pet collection from Graphic 45.  Today I have a tutorial up on the Sizzix blog featuring this layout:

Hope you visit me there!

Jan

2

Celebrate Card

I hope you are all having a nice and relaxing Saturday!  I know I am!  My week ended up a little chaotic with a trip to the emergency with my mom, whom we thought was having a stroke.  After over ten hours in the emergency, they determined it wasn't.  They aren't sure, but think it could have been a "complex migraine".  Whatever that is, it seems to have the same symptoms as a stroke.  We had a very interesting but long day/night.  An elderly man next to mom was showing some interest in her until she told him she was 89!  At least she didn't lose her sense of humour; when we finally were in a room waiting for the doctor, she told us she sure hoped he was cute.  I think she's watched too many soap operas!
Anyways, all is well for now.  I know she has been under a lot of stress with my dad's health scare(he's 91) and having to look after him.  They are still in their own home and are too stubborn to go into a seniors complex, or I should say, they think they are too young!

Thank goodness for this hobby, it takes all the stress away as I forget about everything, playing with paper and ink!

 Here is a card I created using new dies and coordinating stamps from Sizzix's Stephanie Ackerman.  Stephanie Ackerman is a very talented artist who also is a master at doodling.  Sizzix and Stephanie have taken her designs and created Dies, Embossing Folders and Framelits with coordinating stamps.

                                                                                             

I used  the flower embossing folder from this Stephanie Ackerman set(Sizzix 659965) and embossed a white piece of cardstock.   I then matted this piece with another piece of coloured cardstock, before adhering with pop dots to a larger piece of patterned paper.  This patterned paper is the Rhonna Farrer "Just Sayin' collection" from My Mind's Eye.  I also adhered this with pop dots to my white card base.

For my flowers, I used Sizzix's Flower#5 set.  I stamped a few of the flower stamps onto Ranger's Speciality Stamping paper with black archival ink.  I used archival ink so after it was dried, it would not bleed when I coloured my images.  I used Tim Holtz Distress markers and a water pen to create my coloured flowers.  Having more than one image of the same flower, I cut different layers out of the larger flowers and pop dotted these layers for added dimension.  My celebrate label was die-cut from Sizzix's Lori Whitlock 659710 Gift Card Embellishment set.  To finish off my card, I added in some enamel dots from the Just Sayin' collection.

I just want to thank all of you for all the comments I have been receiving!  I really do appreciate all of your visits here, and to my Sizzix and Tim Holtz posts.  It makes all the time and hard work that goes into not just the projects, (that's the easy part) but also the step by step tutorials, so rewarding!

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I think I'm going to go work in the garden and enjoy this beautiful fall weather we are having!

Bye for now,

Jan

0

Tim Holtz Media Team Card Tutorial

Today I have a card tutorial for the Tim Holtz Media Team on Tim's blog.  I will be showing you how I created this card:

Hope you visit me there!

Have a great weekend,

Jan

4

The Sizzix Challenge Card

There's a Sizzix Challenge going on right now and if you haven't checked it out yet, there's still time to join in the fun.  Details are here on the Sizzix blog. 

Just make a Sizzix craft project using this photo as inspiration, and your entry gives you the chance of winning an Eclips2 Machine!

The Sizzix Design Team have been asked to participate and here is a card I created using the photo for inspiration.  Hope you visit me on the Sizzix blog for details on how I made my card!

Thanks for stopping by!  

Jan

0

Autumn Leaves Home Decor Project

Hi everyone, today I'm sharing a home decor project I've made for the Tim Holtz Media Team.  I'm featuring some of the new Tim Holtz Sizzix dies that were released this fall.

Autumn is a favourite time of year for me, I love the warm and vibrant colours of all the leaves.  I wanted to use this quote by Humbert Wolfe on my layout and the thinlit letter die-cuts were perfect.  You never run out of vowels!

My project started out as a layout, but I decided to turn it into a wall decoration using a 12 x 12 wood panel.

For my layout, I've used papers from the Tim Holtz Resist Stash Motif Paper Stack (TH93112). This paper pack is white and kraft papers with different resist patterns.  I chose this one with writing as my background paper.  I started off with my lightest colour of ink, Antique Linen and using a mini ink blending tool, applied the colour with circular motions. I worked my way to the darkest colour using,  Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge, Dried Marigold, Brushed Corduroy, and Dusty Concord.  

Love using these papers!  It's amazing how different they can look, just by the colours or mediums that are chosen.

I used the same resist paper, but Kraft and smaller sized squares for my letters.  I cut off a section and applied different colours of ink.  I used Ripe Persimmon, Wild Honey, Dried Marigold and a small amount of Crushed Olive.

My letters were die-cut from Sizzix's Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Thinlit set.  This set is amazing!  There are 125 dies in this set.  I love the idea that there are enough letters so you could die-cut words and use the negative space.  The Sizzix Magnetic Plate comes in handy die-cuting these small dies too, they don't fall off the plate.

They even come in a handy plastic envelope!

Before adhering my letters, I flicked water droplets onto my background paper in random areas and heat dried. I also applied a fine dusting of Distress Walnut Marker with the Ranger Distress Marker Spritzer. I then applied Ranger's Matte Medium (also acts as an adhesive) to the backs of my letters and adhered to my background paper.  

Now onto the leaves!  I die-cut these using Sizzix's Tim Holtz Layered Leaf with Texture Fade(660039) and the Mini Tattered Leaves Movers & Shapers set(657460).  I used one piece of Wallflower Vellum.  

After they were all die-cut, I highlighted the embossed areas and edges with Ranger's Alcohol Inks and a touch of  Ripe Persimmon Distress Paint.  Arrange your leaves and adhere to the background paper 

To cut out the Sizzix Tim Holtz Hanging Lantern Bigz die(660030), I used Vintaj Copper adhesive metal sheets, and black Sizzix Little Sizzles Mat Board (656490) or chipboard.  I applied a piece of the copper metal to the mat board and then ran it through my Vagabond machine.  

Before painting my hanging lanterns, I scratched up the surface with my Tim Holtz Tonic Craft Scratcher which is a wire brush.  I also drew lines on them with Sizzix's Flower tool.  To colour the lanterns, I first painted with Black Distress paint, and wiped off all the excess.  This leaves just he colour in the cracks.  I added in touches of Wild Honey and Evergreen Bough.

To finish off my lanterns, I cut out a piece of Tim Holtz Frosted Film that I also tinted with light coloured alcohol ink, applied this to a piece of thin acrylic, and adhered to the back of the lantern.

I then attached the candle to the back of this with a glue dot.  

 I coloured  a piece of crinkle ribbon with Dusty Concord, Rusty Hinge and Wild Honey Distress ink, misted the ribbon with water and let dry. I then made a bow and tied the two lanterns to the ends.  Adhere this to your page amongst the leaves.

To finish off the layout, I applied very small dots of Liquid Pearls Buttercup pearlized paint underneath the letters and a few dots from a Distressed Walnut Marker.  This makes it look like the letters are floating in the wind.

After everything was completed, I adhered my layout to a 12 x 12 wood panel with deep sides.  I had painted the sides of the panel first with Ranger's White Gesso and after it dried, applied a combination of Riper Persimmon, Rusty Hinge, and Dusty Concord Distress paint.  After the paint was dry, I painted on a layer of Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  Once that dried, I inked the sides with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and rubbed off the excess, leaving the ink mostly in the cracks.  

You could still use this as a layout by just adding in a photo amongst the leaves.  

Hope you enjoyed my tutorial and thanks for stopping by!

Jan

33

Sizzix Inspiration Card

Hi everyone, I have an inspiration post on the Sizzix blog today, featuring this card:

Hope you visit me there!

Have a great day,

Jan

3

Urban Scrapbook September Layout

I can't believe it's already September!  As much as I love fall, I'm not ready for it.  We've had a beautiful hot summer, I would just like a month more.  I think because our last winter dragged on forever, just the thought of it arriving before we know it, makes me cringe!  With September, comes the fall leaves and that's the feature of my Urban Scrapbook September Layout Challenge:

Our layouts included Papers, and journaling cards from We R Memory Keeper's line, Indian Summer.  Also in each kit is one of Sizzix's Tim Holtz ShadowPress Debossing folders.  I had the "hello" one in mine.  For my leaves, I used Sizzix's new Tim Holz Layered Leaf w/texture fade.  I am loving these bigz dies that come with it's own texture fade (embossing folder) and this one is going to be a big favourite!  They haven't arrived at the store yet, but should be in the next week or two (I hope).  I cut one out of plastic and used it as a stencil on my background paper first.  I used sprays and also my Tim Holtz Distress Marker Spritzer.  I'm starting to use this spritzer more and more, I love the control I have where I want the fine spray.  My other leaves were cut out of the patterned paper then inked.  There was burlap ribbon in the kit, which I sprayed and pressed into my paper, and also leather trim, metal feather, Tim Holtz banner die-cuts, and American Crafts letters.  

Check out what the rest of the design team have done with their kits here!  If you would like to join in on the challenge, the kits are for sale at Urban.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jan

5