13th July, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Hello everyone. I am really excited to share my guest tutorial over at Ranger Ink today with step-by-step mixed media summer themed canvas.
I hope you can hop over and take a look, there are lots of step-by-step tutorials from other guest artists in the Ranger Ink Project Library.
Have a great week.
Category Craft, Craft Creations, Craft Techniques | Tags: | 4 Comments | Views: 544
4th July, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Happy 4th of July!
This wall hanging was inspired by Tim Holtz’s July 12 tags of 2015.
Tim Holtz new United States thinlits die is too cool. It cuts out the outline AND the individual states as well!
I used tissue tape to mask out lines and then inked up with distress ink, (don’t worry, I kept the tape to use on another project)! 😉
The stars were die cut using the thinlits shape strips.
Finally the entire die cut got swiped with vintage photo distress ink and spritzed with hickory smoke distress marker and spritzer tool. The hickory smoke is my new go to spritz colour!
I used Tim’s cool technique using crinkle ribbon and distress markers. Check out Tim’s blog post to see how.
Thanks for taking time to stop by and I hope you have a happy July 4th weekend.
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Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Craft Techniques | Tags: | 19 Comments | Views: 1,638
30th June, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Gosh I am really late with this month’s tag! I had my A1 level French exam, my birthday and I got sick all at the same time. Although I didn’t feel 100% on my birthday, I did get 100% in my exam!
Tim’s 12 Tags of 2015 lured me back to my craft desk and gave me the perfect excuse to use some of my birthday stash.
I followed the technique from Tim’s post and, as you can see, I tried a few different backgrounds. I loved experimenting and stitched these tags ready to use another day.
I settled on this slightly more muted background. I splashed a little picket fence distress paint over the top.
I LOVE the new distress colours and I wanted to use as many as possible on this tag.
I used the cloud die from the TH mini airplane and cloud die set to mimic cream in the top of the cup. I coloured it white using the technique from Tim’s post. I spritzed the newest distress family member, Hickory smoke, over the top with the distress marker and spritzer tool.
I used Tim’s remnant rubs to make the tea label and around the rim of the cup and then partially scratched off to look worn.
Thanks for taking the time to look at my tag. You can see this months tag and techniques on Tim’s blog and you can see the post translated into French on Scrapdeco’s blog.
Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Miscellaneous | Tags: | 5 Comments | Views: 4,674
2nd June, 2015 by iGirlZoe
I am VERY excited to share a guest blog post that I have over at Ranger Ink.
I hope you will be able to stop by and take a look at the mixed media canvas clock tutorial.
Have a great week.
Category Craft, Craft Techniques | Tags: | 1 Comment | Views: 535
11th May, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Over the past week I’ve learned 50 new French verbs and when I kept staring longingly at PEINDRE, (the verb to paint), I knew I was in desperate need of some creative down time!
I made a second tag inspired by Tim’s May 12 tags of 2015 and yet again the photobooth card inspired my beach theme. I thought the girl in the photo looked liked she was on holiday in Hawaii! The photobooth cards are fantastic for giving you somewhere to start and my tired brain was very grateful for all the creative inspiration it could get!
I used the Tim Holtz bubble stencil with Ranger texture paste and the new mermaid lagoon distress ink to create bubbles. After applying the ink, I spritzed some water over the top and then patted dry with a paper towel to lighten the shade. I love that you can build and dilute the distress ink colour so easily! I dyed some cheesecloth with antique linen distress spray to look like fishing net and attached with a tiny attacher staple which I concealed under watercolored blueprint star fish! I attached pearl beads with glossy accents to make it look like they had been caught in the net.
I wanted some nautical themed elements for my tag so I used some idea-ology to create an anchor. I cut the head off an adornment arrow and attached a mini pin to the back with glossy accents. Once completely dry, I attached the chain and hung from the tag.
Another nautical themed item I wanted to create was a message in a bottle with wet sand inside! I remembered Tim showing a technique for making sand in last years 12 tags. I adapted the technique slightly as I needed to make it inside the tiny bottle, but check out Tim’s technique, it’s really really cool.
I got so involved that I only took one snap for instagram! It’s really easy to do though…
Directions:
-remove cork from the glass vial and screw an eye into the top (set aside)
-take a small piece of paper 1/8 smaller in height than the glass vial and distress and ink the edges
-roll up into a scroll and secure with a little glossy accents (set aside)
-fill glass vial to 1/8 with antique linen distress embossing powder
-carefully drop glossy accents into the middle of the glass vial being careful not to get any on the inside sides
-use a pockey tool to mix into a paste
-drop the scroll and a few pearl beads into the bottle and set aside to dry
-secure the cork with a little glossy accents and once dry, attach the chain and it’s ready to hang
*once the paste dries it won’t move around inside the glass bottle and will adhere the message into place
Thanks for taking the time to look at my tag. You can see this months tag and techniques on Tim’s blog and you can see the post translated into French on Scrapdeco’s blog.
For lots of inspiration check out the following challenges:
Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015
Inspiration Journal Monthly Challenge
Category Craft, Craft Challenges | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 786
5th May, 2015 by iGirlZoe
I love it when the 12 tags of 2015 are posted just before the weekend as it allows me to dive straight in. The reveal of May’s distress colour twisted citron AND May’s tag ON THE SAME DAY got me really ramped up to get inky.
I had a look through the new Tim Holtz photobooth cards and found a card that inspired me to pay homage to my postman …bringer of happy mail, (who I love and regularly run towards, screaming, whooping and cheering loudly)!
I reached for a sheet of new idea-ology burlap, which comes with corregated and cork sheets and decided that the cork worked better for me. I used this new stencil which I am a little bit in LOVE with and reminds me of the arrows on postal packaging I’ve received.
The Swiss post colours are yellow so I grabbed my mustard seed distress paint and covered some alphaparts.
There was lots of postal ephemera to choose from in Tim Holtz’s ephemera packs. I also used mustard seed distress markers to colour the postal uniform in the photobooth card. Check out Tim’s tag for techniques. I cut up one of the new small talk sayings to read “always be on the lookout for the” and placed above the “postie” alphaparts. I am always on the lookout for the postie! 😉
Thanks for taking the time to look at my tag. You can see this months tag and techniques on Tim’s blog and you can see the post translated into French on Scrapdeco’s blog.
I hope you can check out the following challenge blogs.
Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015
Inspiration Journal Monthly Challenge
Simon Says Stamps Wednesday Challenge
Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Craft Creations, Craft Techniques | Tags: | 10 Comments | Views: 991
30th April, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Just squeezing in a second post inspired by April’s 12 Tags of 2015. This time with 2 Mother’s Day cards for a lovely American girl from my French class to send home. She asked me where she could buy Mother’s Day cards in Switzerland so I offered to make her a couple. She had recently given me some Reese’s candy, (and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for chocolate)!!!
As time was limited, I turned once again to Tim’s April tag for inspiration. I am still waiting for my “craft dealer”, (as my DH calls her), to return from holiday so I can get my hands on Tim’s new flower garden stamps. However, with a little distress ink you can make any stamp work… (temporarily anyway)!
I used the alphanumeric thinlit dies to create a customised “Mother’s Day” banner. I LOVE these dies, they are SO versatile, I LOVE that about Tim’s products!
I can’t wait for Friday! Tim’s May tag and the new distress color is unveiled! Could Fridays get any better? I DON’T THINK SO!!! 😉
Thanks for taking a look at my cards and I hope you can check out the following challenge blogs.
Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2015
Inspiration Journal Monthly Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Blog Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge
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Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Craft Creations | Tags: | 5 Comments | Views: 1,308
22nd April, 2015 by iGirlZoe
My French studies continue to keep me busy (and out of trouble), but I made some time to have a go at April’s tag.
I didn’t think that I wanted the floral stamps, used in this months tag, when they were released! WRONG!!! While waiting for them to arrive and stalking the postman, I decided to improvise. I went right back to the very beginning and used a floral stamp from set #001! They aren’t designed to colour in so I used the distress markers direct to rubber and then spritzed with water and stamped. I love the look of this technique and have used it many times since taking Creative Chemistry with “the professor”…
I used Tim Holtz’s new mixed media die set. This set is worth buying a die cutting machine for! I am not kidding, it’s awesome! Unlike me with a craft knife!! If you follow me on instagram you will know what I mean! #CraftFail
I stamped the bee from another earlier stamp set #083 and then stamped a second time on shrink plastic, just the wings this time. With a blob of glossy accents, I attached the wings and propped them up with paintbrush handles until they had dried in an upright position. I watercoloured the stamp with distress markers. I added lots of remnant rubs to the tag and some discontinued idea-ology from my stash.
The new idea-ology tiny vials are seriously cute. You can see how they’re altered in my Through the Looking Glass post. I filled it with mustard seed distress glitter and sealed the cork on with glossy accents. I added an idea-ology screw eye and hung it from the chain. My DH made the honey label for me. I love his writing, he used to write me love letters when we dated as teenagers, so it’s special to have it on as part of my tag. <3
Thanks for taking the time to look at my tag. You can see this months tag and techniques on Tim’s blog and you can see the post translated into French on Scrapdeco’s blog.
Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Miscellaneous | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 1,229
10th April, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Hello everyone. I am guest blogging over at A Vintage Journey today where Julia set an awesome theme, “Through the looking Glass!” You can see the finished project over there and the step-by-step below.
Take Tim Holtz’s square 5.75″ x 5.75″ idea-ology configuration box. This one was very kindly gifted to me by my good friend Genevieve, (thank you <3)!
Put aside the lid and insert boxes to use another day.
Cut a sheet of paper (7.5″ x 9.25″). Score across the top of the longest edge (1.75″), then turn the paper 180 degrees and score left to right (1.75″ & 7.5″).
Trim the excess square out of each top corner and cover the reverse in glue n seal.
*TIP: work quickly, glue n seal waits for no one. 😉
Line the configuration box and paint the edges with distress crackle paint and set aside to dry.
Cover Tim Holtz idea-ology tiny vials and light bulbs with multi medium matte and set aside to dry.
Cover each with a good layer of distress crackle glaze and set aside to dry.
Once completely dry, drop alcohol ink on each bottle and set aside to air dry.
Put the corks back into the vials and make tiny labels to attach to the vials with string.
Arrange vials into your configuration box and then glue into place with glossy accents.
These hanging bulb lights were inspired by the AWESOME lights from this years Tim Holtz CHA idea-ology booth!
Crackle glaze the bulbs, (same method as before), wrap wire around the top, secure in place with glossy accents and set aside. While waiting for the glossy accents to dry, poke 3 holes into the top of the configuration box. Once the glossy accents are dry, poke the wire underside through the top and secure with tape, (which will be covered next).
Cover the outer top and side of the configuration box with picket fence distress paint and once dry, cover in a layer of distress crackle paint. Allow the box to dry completely and then rub walnut stain distress ink into the cracks and remove excess with kitchen roll (paper towel).
Next prepare the mirror frame. Die cut a Tim Holtz ornate frame from grungeboard and cover with tarnished brass distress paint and set aside to air dry. Once thoroughly dry, sand portions of the frame and cover in cracked pistachio distress paint and allow to almost dry. Wipe away paint with kitchen roll (paper towel), the cracked pistachio distress paint will come away easily from the painted surfaces and cling to the edges of the sanded areas giving a faux aged patina look.
In order to hide the reverse side of my stamped fussy cut Alice image, I added distress crackle paint to idea-ology mirror. It also gives a cool shattered effect.
Finally, assemble your confirguration box adding several of the bottles to the top and adding some idea-ology hardware.
I die cut “WONDERLAND” from Tim Holtz holiday words script thinlit die set. This fits in perfectly with the theme and helps me to continue my challenge to use my festive dies for other things throughout the year.
Hope you’re still with me! To see the finished project, stop by A Vintage Journey and enter the “Through the Looking Glass” challenge.
Thanks for stopping by and for your comments, I really appreciate them.
Have a great weekend.
Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Craft Creations, Craft Techniques | Tags: | 13 Comments | Views: 1,648
6th April, 2015 by iGirlZoe
Hello everyone. I am SO excited to let you know that I have a guest blog post over at Ranger Ink today.
I hope you will stop by and check out my tutorial.
Have a great Monday.
Category Craft, Craft Challenges, Craft Creations, Craft Techniques | Tags: | 7 Comments | Views: 804
I was there in the afternoon.