Ideaology – iGirlZoe, Crafter & Tim Holtz Addict

‘Ideaology’ Category

Tivoli idea-ology

20th April, 2023 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. Today I’m sharing another one of my makes from the Tim Holtz idea-ology 2023 LIVE launch. idea-ology is perfect for telling a story and this has never been more the case than with a very special (to me) piece of idea-ology released this year… and I’m not even talking about the hat or pointy finger from the figure stands adornments (insert swooning).

When my husband and I moved to Copenhagen, one of the first places we fell in love with was Tivoli! We have so many lovely memories from time spent there, so imagine my surprise when Tim shared the photo from the idea-ology photomatic set with the image of a Tivoli guard in his Tivoli hat!

This is the original Tivoli photograph that the idea-ology photomatic comes from. I was so touched that Tim kindly gifted this to me. And not gonna lie, I totally fan-girled over owning an OG piece of idea-ology and such a special one to me.

I knew I wanted to make the Tivoli photomatic photo the center of my make and an idea-ology vignette panel seemed like the perfect base. Working on the flat side of the panel, it’s easy to hang on the wall.

The bold print on the incredible backdrops volume 4 and 5 packs was perfect for the background. Like big advertising panels and a specific carnival themed one.

Tivoli has this old world carnival charm and is the second oldest theme park in the world. It even has a connection to Walt Disney, who’s early visits to Tivoli found much to inspire him, returning to Tivoli several times before opening Disneyland in the USA in 1955.

The old world carnival charm of Tivoli is the inspiration for these carnival stripes using paper from the backdrops volume 4. It wasn’t until afterwards that I noticed the AMAZING worn circles on some of the strips, it was PERFECT. The details on these papers is next level.

I had the new Rotary Media Trimmer to play with and it came perfectly timed to cut the carnival stripes and panels from the idea-ology backdrops papers to add to the back and sides of the vignette panel. Adding a little messy stitching around the edges to create a border.

With the vignette panel background done, it’s ready to decorate…

Add etcetera thickboard trims to the front of the vignette panel to create shelves for pieces to sit on.

Making this wonderful photomatic the center of my piece and adding one of the new photo frames over the top, dry brushed with a little distress paint and distress archival ink.

Tivoli sell beautiful ceramic toadstools, I have some on my balcony and virtual shopped with Tim via facetime and he has Tivoli toadstools in his yard too. The idea-ology toadstools helped to perfectly tell this story. Covering a bottle from the corked vials set with distress crackle paint and adding a label with remnant rubs on the front.

Toadstools at Tivoli.

In another bottle I added some fabric stuffing dyed with alcohol ink to give the effect of cotton candy, which is one of the snacks that they sell at Tivoli and my husband is all about the snacks! The word tags with the heart was perfect for this because I love the look on his face when we hit the park snacks.

My happy husband with his warm nuts! 😉

I can’t put into words how much I love the new idea-ology figure stands adornments. These pointing hands can be seen in one of the shopping alleys at Tivoli so I had to use this. The pocket watches work so well to add pieces to help tell the story. Add clipping stickers and game spinners to continue the carnival theme. We really enjoy the games at Tivoli so this was a nod to this.

Playing the horse racing game with friends at Tivoli.

idea-ology jump rings are the perfect way to attach the new word tags to the pocket watch. These definitely help to tell my story here as Tivoli is a happy place with special memories for me.

I absolutely love the new idea-ology quote chips which fit inside the idea-ology label frames. And a perfect quote for my story. I was pretty sad when we left Switzerland to move to Denmark and finding things I loved here definitely took me a long way to feeling better about our move.

Another perfect piece for story telling is the new idea-ology word plaque large. I love these longer word plaques and the fantastic art deco style font.

I mounted the large word plaque over a ruler from the idea-ology ruler pieces set and attached with large fasteners which I enjoyed hitting with the tiny texture hammer.

There’s so many ways to use the idea-ology pieces to tell your own story, I hope this has encouraged you to tell yours.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions.
Zoe

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Category Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 13 Comments | Views: 1,379
Tim Holtz Rotary Media Trimmer

23rd March, 2023 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends, hope you’re well, nearly weekend! I recently received a Tim Holtz Rotary Media Trimmer and I wanted to let you know what I thought. I’m not going to go through all of the features because I think Tim more than covered that during the LIVE, so I highly recommend you watch that as Tim shares a lot of education during his demos.

I have to be honest, I’ve never had much luck with rotary trimmers. They wouldn’t cut straight, but would always cut me when it came time to change the blade, which was expensive and often difficult to find. BUT… this being a Tim Holtz designed Rotary Trimmer, I knew it was going to knock my socks off, and of course it did and here’s why it did…

First and most importantly, it cuts straight, and I can spot a crooked line a mile away without my glasses. I am not a fan of crooked and I hate nothing more than a trimmer that won’t cut a straight line! Now don’t be fooled by the blade carriage wobble. I touched that thing and it wobbled and I wondered how I was going to politely tell Tim it sucked! LOL But you gently press that blade carriage and it engages and you will get the straightest cut even on the thinnest paper strips. Also you don’t have to change the blade but in case you feel compelled to, there is a replacement blade carriage and even comes with the tool you need to change it!

I need to trust that I’m going to get a straight cut because I almost always trim what I make at the end. Having put all the love and time into a make, you need to trust your tools. I didn’t even hold my breath, I cut with total confidence! If you have one, you’ll know. If you get one, you’ll see what I mean.

Look at the tiny paper strands it cut. It cut through 2 sheets of distress mixed media heavystock covered in idea-ology backdrop papers, collage paper, ephemera, glue, texture paste and remnant rubs. It glided through effortlessly.

I also wanted to see how it would trim some of the things I use in my makes that I would want a straight cut for, one of them being the idea-ology filmstrip.

Perfect cuts and easy like a hot knife through buttah! It cuts through idea-ology transparencies and other acetate easily too.

I’m a big fan of the Traveler’s Company, traveler’s notebooks and wanted to create a few inserts to add to my notebook. Creating a cover from the large sheets of distress mixed media heavystock, which easily fit in the generous sized 12.5 inch (31.5cm) trimmer.

I use copy paper for inside the notebook insert and easily trimmed 10 sheets at a time. It made it so quick and simple.

I was so happy adding it into my traveler’s notebook. I can’t wait to make more of these now.

I haven’t used another trimmer since I took this out of the box. It’s lightweight and strong, easy to carry, looks good and doesn’t take up a huge footprint on your desk. It glides when it cuts and makes this really cool swoosh swoosh sound! You can tell I LOVE it right?! I can’t recommend this enough, it ROCKS… but only until you engage the blade! 😉

I’ve added a few more photos and details of the idea-ology I used on the traveler’s notebook insert below…

I cut distress mixed media cardstock to create the cover of my traveler’s notebook insert. Covering with the new idea-ology photographic collage paper and paper from the backdrops volume 4 and 5 packs. Adding some distress opaque crackle paste through a mini stencil and covering with distress collage medium and walnut stain distress crayon. I added one of the photomatic photos with the border removed. I LOVE these!

I added the idea-ology filmstrip with glossy accents over some palette collage paper.

Remnants rubs for the win! Adding the remnant rubs to my make is my favorite part. It brings it to life! I also added trims design tape and labels from the classic labels stickers, all from idea-ology.

I love this piece from the idea-ology 2023 ephemera pack. I added it to the bottom of my insert cover with distress collage medium and a piece on top from the collage strips pack cut with the trimmer.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions.
Zoe

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Category Ideaology, Mixed Media, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 2 Comments | Views: 1,461
idea-ology File Cards

21st March, 2023 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends, hope your week is off to a great start. In my last post I shared my science experiment tray and today I’m sharing the idea-ology file cards that were part of that make. You can see the idea-ology 2023 products, LIVE replay and inspiration makes over on Tim Holtz blog.

I was inspired by all the incredible paper and ephemera that is part of this new idea-ology 2023 line and wanted to add a paper element to my science experiment tray.

I created a compartment at the back of the vignette tray out of etcetera thickboard trims covered with backdrops volumes 4 and 5 papers for the file cards to sit in. You can see all the details of the science experiment tray on my other post.

I love that idea-ology helps you tell a story and this was the perfect way to continue mine. Let’s get into details…

Using idea-ology file cards I created scientist identification cards and experiment notes. I trimmed the index cards slightly to fit inside the pockets. The folded card in this pack perfectly fit onto the back of the pocket and I added some ephemera inside the pocket for visual interest when the index cards are out.

Side view: pocket on top, folded card behind, index card inside the pocket with tab showing (all from idea-ology file cards pack).

This is one of my favorite photos from the idea-ology snapshots volume 2 pack. I had already seen the “The Chemistry Club” sticker from the clippings stickers and this photo just perfectly matched the story. I covered a pocket from the file cards pack with palette collage paper. The photo covers the blocks of color on the collage paper but I love that you can see the numbers and writing peeking out around the edges. I wrapped a label from the ephemera set around the front with some remnant rubs added.

I added a spoon from the idea-ology silverware pack to the front of the file cards. Covered it in foundry wax and once heated and COOLED, I rubbed distress crayon over the top and then dry brushed black soot paint over the top of that. I added a piece of ephemera and a little more distress crayon. I was really pleased with how this turned out.

I absolutely love idea-ology photomatics and they were perfect for my scientist identification cards. I used the index cards from the idea-ology file cards pack, adding ephemera, design tape trims, remnant rubs and clippings stickers to tell the story of scientist Dr Schuyler.

I used one of the cards from the idea-ology file cards pack to create the scientists notes. Gluing paper from the backdrops volume 4 paper pack and scored the center to break the paper so the booklet closed easily. I added pieces from the layers, transparencies and ephemera packs. I also added some more remnant rubs, design tape trims and clippings stickers.

I glued scientists notes card to the back of the pocket and then decorated the back of the card with paper, ephemera and remnant rubs. I used the new distress sanding disks and mini round blending tool to sand the large numbers. I then used the blending tool with blending foam to blend in a little distress ink over the scuffed sections.

I decorated the front of the second pocket. That gorgeous grunge is part of the backdrops volume 4 paper pack that I used to cover the front of the pocket. I love using ephemera to tell a story.

I used the clippings stickers to name my scientists and the remnant rubs to continue the story. The tickets and postal stamps give an element of travel to the cards. Meet Dr Adeline, she is a founding member of The Chemistry Club.

This was my favorite spread from my file cards. I love that pop of orange from the piece from the layers ephemera and that gorgeous transparency. I used distress collage medium underneath the butterfly to attach the transparency without the glue showing. I added remnant rubs, design tape trims and ephemera to build the story.

I love this paper from the backdrops paper pack. I used tape from the trims design tape up the side which perfectly matched and some more ephemera and remnant rubs. I really love those larger number rubs and it’s worth picking up an idea-ology remnant rub tool, and some extra remnant rubs.

On the back of the index cards I added paper from the backdrops volume 4 and 5 paper packs, ephemera, layers, design tape trims and remnant rubs over the top. I love the collage strips because you can trim them into individual strips and they make fantastic ephemera pieces and I love adding he remnant rubs last to bring it all together.

The scientist identification cards, pockets and experiment notes were ready to be pulled together into a collection and that’s when I had an idea to make a strap. This was inspired by the very first ever craft class that I took in Coventry with Tim Holtz. We made an awesome tag booklet and were given these cool buckles and some measurement tape to make a strap and I wanted to recreate the look using ephemera.

I glued on pieces of ephemera from the collage strips pack onto seam ribbon and added a good layer of distress collage medium over the entire strap, setting aside to dry overnight. I then stitched along the center of the strap and added an idea-ology buckle onto the end. These buckles were retired some time ago but are still available from retailers if you look for them.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions.
Zoe

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Category Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 8 Comments | Views: 8,774
Tim Holtz idea-ology 2023

16th March, 2023 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends I hope you’re doing well and loving the new 2023 idea-ology products. Whether you’re a colorful rainbow lover, or grunge lover (like me), there’s something for you. You can watch the LIVE replay and see the full product range and inspiration makes over on Tim Holtz blog.

I was inspired to make with the new idea-ology Reliquary Dome from the moment Tim showed it to us. I love a good dome and having another, larger and differently shaped dome… well yes please. I decided to make something for me, to put in my apartment that would fit the vintage aesthetic. Let’s get into some of the details…

Taking a small vignette tray and covering the inside base and sides with papers from the idea-ology backdrops Volumes 4 and 5 paper packs. I used the new large fasteners to attach handles from the mini hardware pulls set to the sides of the vignette tray! Thanks to Paula Cheney for her creative “what about” input on the handles and making it into an actual tray!

I love how detailed the idea-ology industrial gears are. I covered with layers of black soot and vintage photo distress paints to create an aged rusty look before adding to the base of the tray with distress collage medium. This is my “go to” glue which I used throughout this make.

Next I added pieces of ephemera from the palette ephemera pack to the inside sides of the vignette tray and added distress crayon over dried distress opaque crackle paste. I added idea-ology trim design tape around the top edge of the vignette tray. I love this trim tape and how narrow it is, making it really easy to add to vignette trays and boxes.

The idea-ology line is perfect for telling a story and this piece of ephemera from the organic layers pack did just that. It’s on the back of the tray but I know it’s there and it makes me smile. If you know you know!

I used the etcetera thickboard trims to create a compartment for my file cards and matching decorative trims thinlits dies to cut backdrops papers to match the outside of the tray. I use my Tim Holtz scissors to cut the thickboard trims to size and love having the dies to match as it makes it so quick and easy to decorate. I glued into place with distress collage medium.

Look at that gorgeous backdrop paper! I added a few drops of ink splatter to it, but it’s plenty grunge-alicious with nothing added.

I love love love the new idea-ology quote chip labels designed to match perfectly with the idea-ology label frames. I added a little black soot and vintage photo distress paint to the label frame and sanded the quote chip edges and inked before adding to the front of the vignette tray with distress collage medium.

Next I turned my attention to the pieces going inside the tray… This is where you get to go to town and find things that fit inside the domes, bottles and test tubes. I sometimes find making a larger project overwhelming, so breaking it down into small bite size pieces really suits my maker style and it’s fun tinkering with each piece.

Starting with a stack of gears with a clock key on the top, I used distress collage medium to glue the gear stack together and the clock key was added using the tiny screw in the base, thread through the top gear. Again I used black soot and vintage photo distress paints to create a rust effect.

I wanted to create a bottle that looked like labels had been added on the top of others over the years. To do this I cut strips from the collage strips pack to decorate the side of a bottle from the corked vials set. Using the mini round blending tool with the sanding disk attached, gently sanded the cork and labels and inked.

I love using ephemera to cover the cork in the domes. I added a bug from the entomology adornments set, covered in alcohol pearls. The bug is pushed into the cork and secured with a little drop of distress collage medium and I added a tack nail. Glue the dome into place and then add any outside ephemera using collage medium.

I used more of the bugs from the entomology adornments set inside a small display dome. I covered each in black soot and vintage photo distress paint for a rust effect to match the gears. I used memo pins to stand the bugs into the cork at different heights. Use a pair of pliers (tool box pliers not jewelry pliers) to squish the memo pin top and hot glue into the recess behind the bugs.

I covered a laboratory bottle with distress collage medium using a paintbrush and once dry, dry brushed distress paint over the top, wiping parts to create a more natural worn look. Next added idea-ology bubbles covered in alcohol ink that I hoarded from Halloween, along with some creepy string. I added pieces of ephemera to the bottle and cork that I rubbed with walnut stain distress crayon for a little grunge.

I cut more of the idea-ology collage strips to cover the cork of one of the jars from the idea-ology corked vials set. Adding a little collage medium and mushroom alcohol ink to make it grungy. I put some wadding inside the jar and squeezed in a wishbone that was attached to fishing wire and thread up through the cork so the wishbone is suspended in the jar. Finally adding some ephemera and pieces cut from the collage strips to create a label at the base of the jar so it doesn’t cover the contents. I pushed a tack nail into the top of the cork which had a piece of ephemera from the curator pack on top.

I added one more bottle from the corked vials set. Love how there are so many different pieces in this idea-ology pack enabling you to create lots of individual pieces. I used more palette ephemera from the new idea-ology pack and a small piece from the palette collage paper. Simply add with distress collage medium using a paint brush. I love that it becomes quite translucent against the glass.

Glue each piece onto the tray using distress collage medium and WALK AWAY! LOL Allow time to cure before touching… or shipping! 😉

Look at how much space you get in the new idea-ology reliquary dome!! I trimmed pieces of ephemera from the palette ephemera pack and glued around the cork base. I added quite a few idea-ology toadstools, using my Tim Holtz scissors to cut some of the stems shorter to create the different heights. I used some spare pieces of cork and leftover woodland tree bases to make some of the larger toadstools taller. I used my Dremel tool to make holes in the cork and added a little hot glue and pushed each toadstool in. Adding more hot glue and pushing the moss into and over it. Finally adding a little distress crayon to the toadstool tops.

I recommend you wear safety glasses when trimming the toadstools and using a Dremel or other power tools.

I trimmed one of the beautiful transparencies from the transparent layers pack to fit inside the dome behind the toadstools.

Slide the transparency into the back of the dome and carefully slide the glass over the toadstools onto the cork base.

I added several of the adorable new idea-ology word tags to twine which was wrapped around the base of the reliquary dome glass. Painted with black soot and vintage photo distress paint. They look way more yellow in the photo than they actually are.

I added distress grit-paste to the handles and once dry, covered with distress paint. Using the AWESOME new texture hammer to give the new large fasteners a good bash. #MacGyverApproved

A big thank you to Tim, Mario and Paula for their encouragement, creative support and shipping wizardry and to you for the kind comments left for all the makers during the LIVE and on social media.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you have any questions.
Zoe

Join me on my blog tomorrow(ish) to see details of the file cards.

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Category Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 17 Comments | Views: 3,910
Tim Holtz Easter Idea-ology

23rd January, 2023 by iGirlZoe

Happy Monday friends. Hope you had a nice weekend and were inspired to get making after such a fun Saturday with Tim’s Valentine + Easter LIVE demo. If you missed it, Tim showcased the new idea-ology Salvaged Rabbits and Tiny Eggs and shared some great techniques, tips and tricks (and Mario brought the costume fun with his cute bunny glasses). You can catch up with the replay over on Tim’s blog.

I made a sample that Tim shared during the LIVE using the new Salvaged Rabbits, Tiny Eggs and some other pieces from the idea-ology line. I’m so happy that Tim designed some rabbits and eggs for this year and I hope they come back next year, but I stocked up just in case, so grab what you need before they hop away.

I was inspired by many of the ideas Tim shared during last years Creative Easter Ideas LIVE. So make yourself some snacks and check out the how to’s on Tim’s blog.

Here are a few more details of my make and the idea-ology products used…

Botanical Test Tube
idea-ology: Test tube. Bouquet. Snippets Ephemera. Specimen Remnant Rubs.

Buried Carrots (Technique Video HERE)
idea-ology: woodland tree.

Easter
idea-ology: Letterpress (retired).

Barrel of Eggs
idea-ology: Tiny Eggs. Barrels. Toadstools. Salvaged Rabbit. Clippings Stickers.

I made each of the components for my sample and gathered them ready to add to my vignette tray.

Cover a small idea-ology vignette tray with paper from the backdrops paper pack and add design tape for detail.

Paint a test tube with distress collage medium and once dry, add a layer of distress translucent crackle paint and set aside to dry again. Add a little mushroom alcohol ink to age and a label from the idea-ology snippet ephemera set.

Dye idea-ology bouquet flowers with distress spray stains and once dry, paint the center piece with distress paint.

Add moss to the inside of the test tube, make a hole in the top of the cork and push the bouquet flower stems in. Add jute string around the top and hot glue to the vignette tray. I added “No. 57” from the specimen remnant rubs set.

Check out the LIVE replay to see Tim’s egg-citing foil technique. I didn’t make mine smooth as I wanted them a bit crinklier and grungier.

Hot glue idea-ology toadstools into an idea-ology barrel and add moss and the foiled eggs. The “coated with sugar” sticker would be even more perfect for the sugar eggs that Tim shared during the LIVE. They are definitely on my list to make next, so cool!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out Tim’s LIVE replay. Let me know if you have any questions.
Zoe

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Category Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 2,514
Witches Potting Shed Part 4

13th December, 2022 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. I’m back with the final part of my witches potting shed! Thanks for flying your broomsticks with me witches! If you’ve just arrived, you can grab your broomsticks HERE!

Remember that the Halloween products are one and done for the season so grab anything you need to last you. To see all the incredible makes, head over to Tim’s blog for the LIVE replay.

Today I’m sharing part 4 of the witches potting shed made for the LIVE launch. You can see the introduction and close ups in my first post. Let’s get into the details…

BACK GARDEN, BAT TREE, TOMBSTONE + BROOM

The idea-ology woodland trees are good for all seasons so I make sure to stock up on these each year. They take distress ink like a dream, I added iced spruce and rustic wilderness distress ink sprays and allowed to air dry. There are so many of the cool bats in the halloween ephemera pack, so perfect to add lots to the tree. I replaced the tree’s wood base with a wood slice.

I added distress crypt-paste to an idea-ology tombstone and once dry, added distress crayon and paint. I love the fun “tombstone toppers” from the halloween remnant rubs and used “Nora Gretz” on the front. I removed the crossbones from the skulls and spiders adornment set, covered the skull head with distress crypt paste, dry brushed with black soot distress paint and glued to the tombstone above the remnant rubs.

I love the new idea-ology broomsticks, the handles are so gnarly and needed no additional grunge and a little distress paint and collage medium over the brush makes it look witchy and weathered.

Finally, I added the idea-ology drippy candles and a flower from the idea-ology bouquet pack dyed with black soot distress ink spray. This photo gives you a good view of the idea-ology halloween design tape I covered the vignette tray sides with.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed the witches potting shed series and it inspires you to make. I really appreciate the kind and funny comments you’ve left and a big thanks for being patient. Let me know if you have any questions.

Zoe

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Category Halloween, Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 3 Comments | Views: 852
Witches Potting Shed Part 3

12th December, 2022 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. Without delay, I’m back with part 3 of my witches potting shed! Halloween products are one and done each season, so grab what you need to last you and check out incredible makes over on Tim’s blog.

Today I’m sharing part 3 of the witches potting shed made for the LIVE launch. You can see the introduction and close ups in my first post. Let’s get into the details…

BONE GARDEN, BARREL + URNS

In Part 1 I talked through preparing the vignette tray.

I adorned the front of the vignette tray with a bat from the halloween adornments set.

Time to assemble the individual pieces for your garden, starting with the bone garden…

Tape off the area where the vignette frame will sit to keep the paste and moss off.

Add distress grit-paste to the piece of cardstock and once dry remove tape. Paint the surface with distress paint to simulate soil and once dry, add moss with distress collage medium.

Add etcetera trims from the halloween set to the underside of the vignette frame to make it deeper. Glue to the cardstock base with distress collage medium.

Grunge up a fork from the idea-ology silverware set and glue into the plant bed with distress collage medium.

Add bones from the boneyard pack, skulls and bouquet flowers to the plant bed with extra moss. Using nails from the vignette hardware set to add a halloween word plaque covered with picket fence distress crayon.

Spray a medium idea-ology woodland tree with distress spray and once dry, add to an idea-0logy urn grunged up with distress paint and distress crypt-paste. I added a spider from the halloween adornments set to the tree.

One of my urns arrived broken so I went with it and used the broken one on it’s side with moss and a flower from idea-ology glued in.

I have been obsessed with these idea-ology barrels since Tim showed a ruler with barrels with different things in them. I added mummy cloth that I dyed with distress spray and idea-ology pumpkins.

The pumpkins were painted with distress paint, with distress crayon painted down the creases and moss and a stick hot glued into the center of the pumpkin. Stacy Hutchinson shared a tutorial on her instagram stories a few years ago. For extra creep I added a hand from the milagros adornments set. I painted it with antique linen distress paint and glued it into the barrel.

They’re prize winning pumpkins so I added a prize ribbon, covered with distress paint with a piece of ephemera cut to size and added to the center.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you found this post helpful and it has inspired you to make. Let me know if you have any questions.

Back soon with the final installment in the witches potting shed…
Part 4 – Back Garden, Bat Tree, Tombstone + Broomstick

Zoe

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Category Halloween, Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 2 Comments | Views: 798
Witches Potting Shed Part 2

9th December, 2022 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends, hope you’re doing well! I had the best of intentions to get these posts finished before Halloween, but alas, December arrived! I make for the dark side all year though and there’s nothing to stop you adapting any of the things I share to any season, so grab your broomsticks witches and let’s continue this flight…

Remember that the seasonal products are one and done for the season so grab anything you need to last you. To see all the incredible makes, head over to Tim’s blog for the LIVE replay.

Today I’m sharing part 2 of the witches potting shed made for the LIVE launch. You can see the introduction and close ups in my first post. Let’s get into the details…

POTTING SHED, CAULDRON + GATES

In Part 1 I talked through preparing the vignette box.

To create the shelves for the potting shed, cut pieces from the idea-ology Halloween backdrops with the decorative trims thinlits die. These dies perfectly fit the etcetera thickboard trims, I used scalloped edged with the corresponding dies. Use distress collage medium to glue the die cuts to the thickboard trims.

Thread tiny lights into the vignette box through holes drilled in Part 1. I simply glued the lights behind where the bottle would sit so it lit up the bottle, (see next photo).

Cover an idea-ology tiny vial with alcohol ink, I added a spider from the idea-ology Halloween Adornments pack. Cover the spiders back with a drop of envy alcohol pearls ink and tie it to the bottle with twine. The tiny lights glued behind the bottle give it a creepy glow. I added a little moss with distress collage medium to hide the wires.

Using meadow alcohol ink to dye the idea-ology bubbles, I swirled them in a cup and used the packaging they came in as a “bubble drying station!”

Thread a set of Halloween tiny lights in green up into the vignette box and through the back of the cauldron. I use a Dremel Micro tool to make the holes and don’t forget to wear your safety glasses for drilling. Glue the tiny lights into the bottom of the cauldron and add one large bubbles and then begin adding more bubbles. I use glossy accents to attach them as it dries clear. You need a little patience with this as the glossy accents take a little while to dry, but worth it.

Add distress crypt-paste to the edges of the cauldron. Once dry I painted with black soot and then added peeled paint distress paint to highlight, allowing it to dry between layers. I added a sticker from the idea-ology curiosities sticker book.

I added another sticker from the curiosities sticker book under the shelf above the cauldron. These curiosities stickers help tell the story.

I love having new larger skulls in the idea-ology Halloween line. I wanted to show the size comparison so used this years and last years together. I LOVE how creepy and dark the 2022 skulls are!

Every potting shed needs pots, so I added a couple of tiny terracotta pots. They are real terracotta, I bought them from Switzerland 10 years ago. I’m sure you can get similar from hobby stores and if not, maybe we could ask Tim, “wouldn’t it be cool if…” 😉

On another shelf I added a couple of books made using the book covers from the Halloween ephemera pack. I added another bottle, this time dyed brown, with a label from the same ephemera pack. The drippy candle is back lit by a clear tiny light from the same set as the onea sitting behind the green spider bottle.

Using a piece from the vignette hardware pack, I hung a birdcage. I used pliers to bend the cage bars and added a piece of mummy cloth to the bottom and a crow made using the Halloween ephemera. Glue 2 crows either side of a piece of fun foam and fussy cut.

I added gates to either side of the potting shed using distress collage medium to attach to the edges of the vignette box. Adding distress grit paste to the gates with my finger and once dry, dry brushed black soot distress paint over the top. Once dry, I used bronze Gilders Wax to highlight.

Finally I wrapped a chain around the gates and added a lock from the locks and keys set. I rubbed distress collage medium onto the gates with my fingers and then added moss and left to dry.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you found this post helpful and it has inspired you to make. Let me know if you have any questions.

Back soon with the next installment in the witches potting shed…
Part 3 – Bone Garden, Barrel + Urns

Zoe

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affiliate links used at no cost to you

Category Halloween, Ideaology, Mixed Media, Ranger Ink, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 1,602
December is here…

2nd December, 2022 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends and happy December! I’m so happy it’s here. I love December and get so excited to crack open those tiny doors on Advent Calendars and decorate for Christmas without anyone grumbling about it being too early. I think December has a smell to it too, today it’s a yummy vanilla candle from day 1 (yesterday) of my Rituals Advent calendar. We take Advent Calendars pretty seriously in this house!

We are putting our Christmas decorations up and have some special traditions when we do, things we eat and listen to. I really love the Christmas traditions that I have adopted over the years and every year I think I must document those traditions and the special moments. This year I finally decided not to wait another year and lightly follow December Daily using my Tim Holtz idea-ology products and a Heidi Swapp planner to document my December.

I’m using a planner from Heidi Swapp and Tim Holtz Mini Trimmer and Distress Collage Medium. I fussy cut with EK scissors linked below. I also use an Epson XP8505 printer. It’s a European model and a fair few years old but it’s been low maintenance and it prints beautiful quality photos. This was a printer equivalent to a model that Ali Edwards recommended years ago on her blog. It’s pretty reasonable on ink cost wise and easy to use, I have zero patience for printer antics! ZERO!

I gather all my dimensional idea-ology in a muffin tin like Tim does. It helps being able to see it all when I’m making.

This basket is known as the Christmas idea-ology paperie. Ready for me to dip in, to document December.

My sweet husband even got behind documenting December by staging this festive photo outside of a department store in central Copenhagen after Advent Calendar shopping.

If you would like to follow along or even document some of your own December traditions, whether you celebrate Christmas or simply enjoy the coziness of winter, join me. I’ll be sharing here and on instagram.

I’ve linked to some of the items that I’m going to be using to document December.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Zoe

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affiliate links used at no cost to you

Category Christmas, December Daily, Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 4 Comments | Views: 1,578
Witches Potting Shed Part 1

4th October, 2022 by iGirlZoe

Hello friends. With Halloween on the horizon, have you stocked up on your Tim Holtz Halloween idea-ology? I like to make for the dark side all year round, so I’ve stocked up on seasonal products to last me… Some people collect purses and shoes, others collect cauldrons, skulls and pumpkins! 😉

To see all the Halloween idea-ology products and incredible makes, head over to Tim’s blog for the LIVE replay.

Today I’m sharing part 1 of the witches potting shed made for the LIVE launch. You can see the introduction and close ups in my first post. Let’s get into the details…

BASES + BACK DOOR

To start with I covered the smaller vignette tray from the idea-ology vignette tray set with paper from halloween backdrops. I used the halloween design tape to cover 3 sides of the vignette and used the halloween backdrop paper to cover the front.

I sanded and inked parts of the background for extra grunge and decided on the placement of potting shed and drilled 2 holes in the base with my Dremel micro. You can use a hand drill or any drill with a small drill bit or an awl to do this. I like using a Dremel micro as it’s small and light weight.

PLEASE WEAR PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR WHEN USING POWER TOOLS!

Cover the back of the largest vignette from the vignette box set with idea-ology halloween worn wallpaper. Adding distress opaque crackle paste to the inside sides. I covered the inside top of the vignette with a generous layer of distress collage medium and pushed moss into place and allowed to dry. Some of the moss will fall off but you can add more if you need to. Remember, perfect doesn’t look natural, moss in nature is a hot mess.

Line up your vignette box over the vignette tray base and use a marker or pokey tool up through the holes in the vignette tray to mark the underside of the vignette box. If you don’t care about the exact placement of the holes you can eyeball it.

The placement of the holes in the back of the vignette box are more important as they need to sit underneath where the door frame is going to be. I used chalk to mark out where the door would be.

I used 2 sets of tiny lights, a set of everyday tiny lights (white) and a set of Halloween tiny lights (green), thread up through the underside of the vignette tray. The battery packs are stuck to the underside of the vignette tray out of sight. I work with the tiny lights on as it’s easier to see positioning.

I cut a piece of paper from the backdrops halloween collection into strips and covered the back and sides of the vignette box. You can see here where I marked a chalk line of where the windows were going to be versus the base of the door. The tiny lights have wire in them so it’s easy to bunch them together and they hold their place. I added a tiny dot of hot glue at the top and bottoms to hold them in place. DO NOT get hot glue on the bulbs as it can short the lights out.

Taking the door from the baseboards halloween set (pictured above)…

I flipped it over and added a piece of vellum, a paper doll and a sheet of transparency (in that order) over the window. I built a frame using the straight trims from the etcetera bat and cobweb trims from stampers anonymous. It needs to be deep enough for the lights to sit behind the door and back light the cobweb transparency.

I glued the door to the back of the vignette box with distress collage medium and added moss around the edges.

So creepy right?! Trapped in the doorway forever…

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you found this post helpful and it has inspired you to make. Let me know if you have any questions.

Back as soon as I can with the next installment in the witches potting shed…
Part 2 – Potting Shed, Cauldron + Gates

Zoe

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affiliate links used at no cost to you

Category Halloween, Ideaology, Tim Holtz | Tags: | 15 Comments | Views: 1,828

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