‘Creativation 2020’ Category

  1. In Case of Emergency… Break Glass

    12th November, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020

    Hello Friends. I hope you’re doing well. Can you believe it’s been almost 10 months since Creativation?! I still have one sample to share and I think it’s perfectly themed for this year. In case of emergency… break glass!!

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    If you know me, you will know my love for all things apothecary and the apothecary and corked vials in the idea-ology line are completely my jam. The new urban layers released in January made me swoon and I had to use them alongside the vials.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    I may sound like a broken record, but the best way to keep your favourite products in the idea-ology line is to buy them, use them and buy them again. I always try to use those products that I don’t want to see retire and so I chose a vignette tray as my base. I used vintage distress collage medium to glue the field notes and field notes snippets ephemera to the edges of the vignette tray.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    Once dry, I added walnut stain distress crayon to the edges of the ephemera and rubbed in with my finger.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    I took the small vignette box from the same set and lined the inside with typeset collage paper using vintage distress collage medium to glue into place. It gives the collage paper a nice sepia tint and made it translucent in places so you can see the wood peeking through.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    I added some more ephemera to the back of the vignette tray so it would poke out from under the urban layer piece.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    Which I added next using adhesive foam to lift away from the vignette tray slightly. I scratched and sanded the edges and blended in a little vintage photo distress ink.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    I added a piece of mica sheet over the top. Thanks to Tim for the idea (and for the mica) 😉

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    I added more pieces from the urban layer pack and added a clock hand and clock key, both painted with candied apple distress paint and rubbed when almost dry to remove some of the paint and create a chippy paint look. I also rubbed a little into the optical lens number and added some mushroom alcohol ink to the lens glass. I tucked a type chip in, I love these, they are card but look like weathered metal and needed no alteration, so cool!

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    I covered some of the bottles with distress collage medium and then painted with black soot distress paint, adding labels from the field notes ephemera pack and remnant rubs. I rubbed more candied apple paint into a token from the factory tags set which I hung from the top of the vignette box with chain and a hook. I added a small piece of adhesive foam to the back of the token so it stayed in place.

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    Finally I added twine to the bottles and a little more walnut stain distress crayon here and there. The distress crayon open stock is ending unfortunately and will only be available in the packs of 6 so stock up on your favourite crayons and if you have walnut stain crayons you don’t use… let me know 😉

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    Thanks for stopping by and hope you’re having a good week and staying safe and well.

    Zoe

    igirlzoe: tim holtz idea-ology vignette tray corked vials apothecary bottles creativation 2020
    My vignette tray hanging in Tim’s idea-ology booth at Creativation 2020!



  2. Agent B15

    24th April, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls

    Hello there. I wanted to share another of the samples that I made for this years Creativation for the Tim Holtz idea-ology booth using the new display dome.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    For my sample, I snuck in some skulls from the last Halloween release, any excuse to make Halloween a year long season! One of the (many) things that I love about idea-ology is how well the old and new products mix. I know you Holtz Halloweeners have hoarded some skulls in your stash for just such a project! 😉

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls
    The gears from the idea-ology range are my jam and the large ones made a perfect base for the interior of my display dome. I stained the cork base with distress paint and glued the first gear to the base, laying some ephemera in between.

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls
    I used some of the wood slices from the Christmas idea-ology release as spacers between the gears. I die cut idea-ology metallic kraft-stock with an impresslits folder and glued it around the edge of the wood slices to give an industrial look. Check out Tim’s demo from last Saturday to see the coolest ever technique using distress glazes, distress crayons and impresslits folders!

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls
    Another of my favourites from the idea-ology line is the bottles. I painted on distress collage medium, rock candy distress crackle paint and finally black soot distress paint, allowing to dry between coats. It gives a really cool gnarly texture to the bottle. I love making bespoke labels for the bottles using the ephemera and remnant rubs. Agent B15 sounds like something you may want to avoid!

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls
    I glued one piece down at a time, checking that the dome would still slide over the top. I finally mastered distress collage medium!! You have to glue it down and WALK AWAY! NOT, I repeat, NOT, check if what you just glued down wobbles 10 seconds later… by wobbling it!! #ohzoe #craftworldproblems

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls
    I pushed the glass dome onto the cork base and added jute string and a piece of ephemera, not forgetting the idea-ology hardware heads… 😉

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz ideaology display dome flair apothecary bottles gears skulls
    Finally, can we please talk about the new idea-ology flair?! It’s awesome and all based on real vintage flair that Tim has collected. Cool right?!

    Thanks for stopping by and hope you are safe and well.

    Zoe



  3. Curio Box

    22nd April, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons

    Hello there. After the Tim Holtz Sizzix facebook LIVE last week and his demo on Saturday, I thought I would share a project that I made for the Sizzix booth using the new Tim Holtz dies for this years Creativation. It feels like a long time ago…

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons
    I love love love the foil embossed technique that Tim showed during last Saturdays demo. It has been a favorite of mine for many years, since seeing Tim demo it during the 12 tags series. Using the new 3D foundry embossing folder takes it to the next level. The deep embossed detail on the 3D dies is mind blowing.

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons
    I don’t have a tutorial for this project because, in truth, I finished it in Tim’s studio with the help of Tim “what do ya need” Holtz, Mario “MacGyver” Rossi and the best piece of pecan pie I’ve ever had. I KNOW you’re not looking at my project in this photo! LOL 😉

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons
    I have to say that the new die cut the curio box bigz xl die blew my socks off. I die cut it from heavystock covered with metal foil tape. I used the now retired larger sheets of heavystock from Ranger Ink and I beg you to all email Ranger ink and ask them to continue making it. You will NEED the larger sheets of heavystock for projects like this and I know my friend Tami B is mounting a campaign to bring this back to market. If you don’t want to see this disappear forever, please please email Ranger Ink and ask for this. #peoplepower

    Ok, so back to the project… once cut I ran the top of the box through my die cutting machine again to cut the frame. You can choose between 2 frames that come with the die, or you could leave the box solid. I then ran it through inside the 3D foundry texture folder. I used distress paint and distress crayons to colour the box and highlight the cool foundry pattern. Check out Tim’s demo to see how.

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons
    I added idea-ology pulley wheels, and when I say “I” I mean Mario drilled the holes and Tim took on the uber fiddly task of getting the screws in between the die cut gearheads that I had already glued into the box. He persevered and “we” got it done. Crafting is team sport… it literally takes a village (or studio)! 😉

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons
    I used the new heartbeat thinlits die. This die is very close to my heart and was something I knew I wanted to use. I die cut it from a sheet of red idea-ology metallic kraft-stock and added it across the gearhead thinlits die.

    igirlzoe: Tim Holtz sizzix curio box bigz xl heartbeat thinlits gearheads thinlits 3D foundry distress foil distress crayons
    With some idea-ology hardware pulls and remnant rubs added, it was done. I really love the curio box die, it’s one that I will use a lot.


    This is the pie I mentioned and is THE BEST PIE I HAVE EVER HAD! EVER! EVER EVER EVER!

    Hope you’re having a great Wednesday, I’m off to find myself a sweet treat to go with my afternoon coffee as this has made me hungry!

    Zoe



  4. Creativation 2020 Artist Spotlight

    6th March, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight

    Hello everyone. I can’t believe it’s March already, for me it’s a great thing that the year is whizzing by and one month closer to my favourite pumpkin season! It’s really never too early for pumpkins! Back to the winter season and I was really surprised and honoured to be asked by Tim Holtz to make a piece for this years Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight. In previous years this was the Ranger Designer Challenge. This year Ranger switched things up and asked each of their signature designers to create a piece and invite five makers to also create a piece of artwork using the designers respective lines to be displayed on the Ranger ink booth at Creativation, in this case, Distress products.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    You may know that I’m big fan of distress, all things grungy and all things brown, so this is what I based my piece on.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    I also have a big love for the professor and the professor 2 stamp (cms395) is bigger and better. I covered an etcetera tag in a layer of distress crackle texture paste and set aside to dry. I added a layer of distress vintage collage medium and a piece of torn typeset collage paper.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    I added a piece of the typeset collage paper over the etcetera tag hole reinforcer. This covered a gear die cut from distress watercolor cardstock which was covered in distress grit-paste and distress crayon. idea-ology hardware heads were added using the new distress collage medium in a bottle which makes the application of these small pieces so simple.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    I added this vintage ruler and pocket watch that Tim kindly let me pull out of his box of vintage found things.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    Along with this awesome US Customs plaque that I really love, again from Tim’s collection. Something about this just spoke to me… 😉

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    This awesome metal clock face was also from Tim’s collection, look at how the authentic cracked vintage clock face is so alike the texture paste on the tag. Love the authentic look of the distress crackle texture paste covered with distress vintage collage medium.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    The gears on my tag were made by die cutting distress watercolor cardstock with the gearhead thinlits die set covered in a layer of distress vintage collage medium, distress crayon, distress grit-paste for texture and then more distress crayon on top once the grit-paste dried.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    I love how the distress grit-paste creates a great rust effect and it’s so easy to do. The outer circle was stamped from the original professor stamp set (cms373) with distress archival ink and covered with distress vintage collage medium and distress crayon added to the edges.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    I wanted to share this photo of me putting this together just days before the show! Truthfully, I was terrified of this project, so I procraftinated and put it off. Just putting it out there for anyone that ever struggles with creative mojo or feels pressure when creating anything, I get you. A big shout out to the friends who talked me down off the paper ripping ledge Kaz Hall and Juli Riedel and to Tim Holtz who splattered paint for me because I had “the fear” and Mario Rossi who helped me with construction, that ruler would never have been straight otherwise… 😉 (I think Vicki Evans aka Thelma was still loading her tags into the freezer to see “what if” at that point). Plus any excuse to share one more photo from “that day” is good one!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    I loved the projects by the other makers, Paula Cheney, Stacy Hutchinson, Emma Williams, Jennifer McGuire and of course Tim Holtz pieces were awesome. I’m a bit head over heels for Tim’s alcohol ink piece. It’s BEW-TIFUL!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz Ranger Ink Artist Spotlight
    To see the other signature designers displays and more photographs and links, go to the Ranger ink blog.

    Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a great weekend.

    Zoe



  5. Creativation 2020 Part 3

    27th February, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz

    Hello friends. I’m back with the third and final installment of my Creativation adventure. Thanks again for your kind comments, it’s really nice of you to take the time and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed seeing bits from the show. I know I sound like a broken record, but if you get a chance to attend, do it!

    The show floor goes from complete chaos to complete craft village in just a couple of days. It’s a lot of hard work by the people involved, plus all of the planning that goes into it ahead of the show. I watch with awe at what they do!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Stamps are my jam and Stampers Anonymous make the best red rubber in the industry. This is their cool booth! Love all the vintage suitcases and the signage I’d seen for years in photos online before seeing it in person at the show. See the hat? You always need a hat! #justsaying

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    The etcetera tags from Stampers Anonymous are the perfect base for the new Tim Holtz professor 2 (CMS395) stamp set, he’s bigger and better than ever! The tag (top left) is the one Vicki Evans, (Thelma) nailed to Mario’s table in Creativation part 1.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    These are some of the incredible card samples from makers around the world using the new Tim Holtz stamps, hanging in the Stampers Anonymous booth.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Mr Stampers Anonymous! One of the nicest guys in craft and so much fun to hang out with. He tells the best stories!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    The Tim Holtz section of this years Sizzix booth. Not going to lie, last years booth was EPIC and I’m not sure anything will ever match it for me, but this was cute, like a small artists studio.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I don’t know who drew the sketches of the new colorize dies, but they’re amazing. Love these samples using those colorize dies by Kath Stewart and Tami B.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    More samples from the Sizzix booth using the new Tim Holtz dies. So much inspiration…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Monica and I did a make and take together at the Sizzix booth, it was a lot of fun. I think that Bad Monica is rubbing off on me and when they offered us bright distress ink colours I snuck a brown out the cart and started a tiny revolution on the table, sorry not sorry Sizzix. Thanks for suggesting it Monica, had a lot of fun.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Shortly afterwards, Monica was back to misbehaving… 😉

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Mario and I ran into Eileen Hull at the Sizzix booth. I really enjoyed getting to meet Eileen and spend some time chatting with her, such a genuinely nice lady.

    One of the things I love best about going to Creativation is the people. It’s a such a pleasure to get to see so many people I adore in one place. Here are some of them…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Tim Holtz and Mario James Rossi are two of my favourite people in the world. They are genuine, kind, thoughtful, hard working, humble and SO much fun. They are both such great company and a total joy to be around and I feel really lucky to have friends like these.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Speaking of a joy to be around, my sister from another mister, Joy Kennedy is joy by name and nature. I love this girl, she is such fun to spend time with and makes me laugh. Beautiful inside and out and the selfie queen! She makes us all look good.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I loved finally getting to meet my sweet friend Stacy Hutchinson in person this year and hang out. She is truly awesome, super talented and even sweeter and we shared so many laughs, dessert and sugartinis.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Thelma and Louise Part 2! I love riding with this girl, she is so easy going and we have so much fun together. We are trying to convince Kaz Hall to come next time… we need a Brad! 😉

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Paula Cheney is the Mum of the group and she takes care of us all during Creativation. She is incredible to the team of makers and guides us through with good humor. I love spending time with Paula in person, and she shares her cookies! (photo credit: Joy Kennedy)

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Last day selfies with my SFAM, Dyan Reaveley, Ben Reaveley (Art from the Heart) and Anita Houston.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    How many photo’s does it take to get 4 people to smile, open their eyes and look into the camera? I had to include all of these because they make me laugh! So much silliness. <31

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    We nailed it!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    During the show they run education workshops and seminars. Vicki and I signed up for a jewellery class with Susan Lenart Kazmer. Susan is such a cool and nice person and I really enjoyed talking to her after class.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Susan makes these amazing jewellery pieces. Just in awe!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    It’s incredible how many colour swatches have to be made for the show! These were just 4 boards of many that Tim Holtz prepared for the Ranger Ink booth using distress products! It’s a lot of work to get ready for the show, so hats off to all of those who work like crazy in the run up. The displays were awesome!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Shout out to the Tim Holtz Addicts group who I did a couple of facebook LIVES for when Tim demoed on the Ranger ink booth. Stacy Hutchinson was doing a LIVE for the Tim Holtz page. How awesome to have 2 perspectives. Thanks for taking this Mario, I love the photo, the moment and the perspective. (photo credit: Mario James Rossi)

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    It was a lot of fun to watch Tim demo, he’s an incredible educator and makes learning so much fun.
    (Monica has her eye on me…)

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    One of the new products that Tim demoed is the distress embossing glazes! They are so awesome and I was lucky enough to take some home with me to play with! Check out Tim’s facebook LIVE replay or head over to Tim Holtz Addicts group to see the facebook LIVE from the show.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Celebrating Heidi Klausing Crowl from Simon Says Stamp receiving a Creative Retail Award. Cheers!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    And just like that it was done for another year! Packed up and heading home…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    On my long journey home I got a fever and went down with flu right after the show. When I got home I was overtired and not feeling good, but the sight of this one soon had me smiling again. Missed him.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I want to end with this piece I made in the jewellery class I took. It’s important because of the words I chose. Last year was a really tough one for many reasons and I got through thanks to some really good friends. To see them and hug them after such a scary, happy, sad and introspective year for me personally was so special. And to spend time with these people that I love, surrounded by inspiration and incredible kindness was genuinely what I needed most. Counting the days until we get to do it all again and I get to see all of these amazing people again. Thanks for following along, reading, commenting and mostly for making this creative community such a happy place.

    Much Love

    Zoe x

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    …oh and come to Creativation, it’s so much fun!!


  6. Creativation 2020 Part 2

    21st February, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz

    Hello friends! Thank you for your kind comments on my blog and social media, I really loved reading them all, so thank you for taking the time to say hello, it’s nice to know someone is reading this. 😉


    Today I’m back with part 2 of my Creativation journey and along with my travel co-conspirator Thelma, we drove down the hill to the next stop on our crazy adventure, downtown phoenix to help set up the idea-ology booth… and when I say “help” I mean watch the creative genius of Tim Holtz, Paula Cheney, Stacy Hutchinson and Debbie Crouse, alongside MacGyver Mario and their awesome neighbor Art and the entire team from Advantus. A better description would be “hanging out with friends”…

    I did a couple of Starbucks runs #coffeematters #neeededatranslator

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Teamwork really does make the dream work and watching this team build the booth is nothing short of amazing!! Go Team Tim!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    This year Stacy Hutchinson joined the team. It was so great to meet her, hang out and get to know her better. I’ve known Stacy online through our love of Tim Holtz for many years and she is just as sweet, awesome and genuine in person as she is online! It felt like we had known each other for years and she introduced me to #sugaritas!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Hanging out with these sillies is my favourite! They really are so much fun. My SISTA Joy Kennedy and Mr BTS Mario, Bad Monica and Thelma, and I think you all know the professor! #shenanigans

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I had to include this photo… Check out Bad Monica photo bombing in the background!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Monica makes me laugh so much, she really is very very bad though.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I was lucky to hang out with these fabulous women. Debbie Crouse, Stacy Hutchinson and Paula Cheney. It’s such a fun few days setting up and there is so much laughter : (photo credit: Mario James Rossi)

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    This years make n take on the idea-ology booth was the beautiful new display dome (I know right?!!). We were lucky to do the test run before the show opened, it’s a lot of fun with these girls : (photo credit: Mario James Rossi)

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Sadly the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Phoenix is closing so we visited a couple of times for dinner, including this girls night out which was super fun. Sharing is caring…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    The booth is stunning, filled with vintage finds and incredible creations from makers from around the world. I could happily live here. Anyone else collecting vintage paintbrushes for their wall now? So cool…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Look at all of that idea-ology goodness! SWOON!! I really could live here…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    The way the team dress the booth is always perfection.

    Here are some of the samples made for the idea-ology booth by different makers from around the world. Check out Tim Holtz Creativation recap post to see more…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    If you haven’t attended the show and you can, you should try to. It’s a celebration of the craft industry and fantastic inspiration for any maker. The show is now open to more people and you can check out the requirements for AFCI membership on their website HERE.

    Thanks for stopping by and again for all of your kind comments. I will be back with one final post from Creativation 2020.

    Zoe


  7. Creativation 2020 Part 1

    14th February, 2020 by iGirlZoe

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz

    A few weeks ago I attended Creativation (formerly CHA). The craft industries big annual trade show where designers, manufacturers, retailers, buyers, bloggers and makers gather to see the new products, meet friends, do business and get creatively inspired. If you haven’t yet been, it’s something you should try to attend at least once. The show is now open to more people and you can check out the requirements for AFCI membership on their website HERE.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    My trip began with a 3am alarm and the help of a very fun wake up call involving a shark (really, don’t ask)! I headed to the airport to catch the first of 2 flights to Phoenix. It’s a long travel day, but I had a pretty nice seat so I’m not complaining at all and I was beyond excited to get there and see friends I hadn’t seen for a year!

    Photo 15-01-2020, 06 10 57
    My roommate and travel co-conspirator, Thelma aka Vicki Evans aka that crazy chick was waiting for me at the airport and snapped this awesome selfie. I think this picture says a thousand words!

    Different to last year, when we headed straight to our hotel in downtown phoenix, albeit having driven for 20 minutes in the wrong and opposite direction because we were too busy chatting, this time we took a bigger detour and headed to see some friends who live in Arizona! 😉

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Cute story… when we arrived at our hotel we walked into the hotel lobby, behind that wall (picture above) were Mario and Tim waiting to surprise us! It was such a great moment with genuine surprise. It was so good to see them and give them both a hug!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    That time we hung out with Tim and Mario at the studio, watched a facebook LIVE actually LIVE, nailed stuff to the table, ate the worlds best pecan pie, laughed a lot, went to Michaels and crafted till midnight… Let’s rewind and go from the beginning because I know you want details and to zoom in! 😉

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    We had such a fun start to the day by making our own waffles for breakfast in the hotel. Breakfast of champions!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    We arrived at the Studio and Mr BTS was already hard at work making sure there was enough light for the facebook LIVE.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    “WE ARE LIVE!” I love that Tim says that at the beginning of the facebook LIVES. Love those smiling faces!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Mario answering questions and commenting during the LIVE. Mario is always smiling.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    A BTS during the facebook LIVE. Tim showing the awesome new glazes with perfect lighting. Great job MacGyver.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Vicki watching the LIVE, actually LIVE! Did you see her hilarious t-shirt or are you too busy checking out the background?

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Standard tongue out selfie pose! I love this girl, she is exactly my brand of silly. I met Vicki online 10 years ago through our joint love of grunge and Tim Holtz. We finally met for the first time in person last year and shared a room at Creativation. She is just as awesome in real life and definitely my spirit animal. I love that this craft community brings such incredible, genuine and long lasting friendships.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Honestly, we are both still smiling a month later.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Vicki has earned her name “that crazy chick” and is always experimenting! She and Tim made stuff and froze it to see “what happens if…” Love the expression on Tim’s face… “what the what?!” These two share a mad science gene! It’s fascinating watching them create!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    That crazy chick nailed her tag to table! It was a very funny moment as you can see… Fortunately MacGyver was in the house and freed the tag!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Crafting is a team sport and it was all hands on deck to finish making some samples for the show.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I have wanted to try Mario’s homemade pecan pie for years and it was so worth the wait! World’s best pecan pie! Fact!! It was SO GOOD!!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    In fact it was SO GOOD I needed a moment! It tastes as good as it looks and then some! I haven’t stopped banging on about it since I got home!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I love this pic. It sums up the day. So much happy, so much laughter, so much love, so much fun!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    You may not know this, but as well as being a creative educator, Tim also runs lightsaber training classes.

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Jedi Master…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Jedi in training…

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Dark Lord… proper laughing!

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    Now it’s no secret that I am a Tim Holtz Addict and years ago, the thought of having a day like this, well… the addicts will understand! #fangirl!! I still remember about 10 years ago, waking my husband up at 6am jumping on the bed and screaming that I had a blogworthy link from Tim!

    What I have realised over the years is that Tim, whilst incredibly talented, inspiring and god like (fangirl forever!) is also a crafter, one of us, no different, (ok creative genius yes) but down to earth, humble and genuine. Tim and Mario are the kindest, funniest and most genuine humans you could ever wish to meet and their goodness truly shines through. What was once a celebrity style crush is now a true friendship and you all know that I’m talking about Mario! 😉

    Creativation 2020 Tim Holtz
    I had such great fun and spending time with these three monkeys and just being. They are are such a gift and I feel so blessed to have friends like these.

    (We had had a LOT of sugar at this point… LOL)