Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - March

Uh Oh - scraping in under the wire with this one methinks!

This month Tim has demonstrated two different stamping techniques on his tag, the first being "smudge" stamping (where you deliberately smudge your still wet inked image to give a blurred vintage effect) and the second, using the smudge technique on second generation stamping (re-using your stamp after making the initial impression without re-inking your stamp, to give a softer less intense image - great for backgrounds).

You can see Tim's original Tag here.

Once again I was sans stash for this project but when I saw the freebie stamps that came with this month's Creative Stamping magazine, I couldn't 1.) resist and 2.) NOT use them for this project!

So here is my take on Tim's March Tag...

You see what I mean about the freebie stamps?

I haven't added any dimensional embellishments to my second generation tag as I plan to use it in a journal spread and want to keep it flat on the page.

My smudging didn't work particularly well, you can see it best on the tiny butterfly just above the reef knot.

The next two shots are just to illustrate the difference between first impression and second generation stamped images.

Tim's stamp set has a plain egg shape for the background and a second speckled stamp for the detail - mine didn't, but my index and little finger ends were the perfect size and shape!

Sorry I couldn't take any more shots, my camera batteries ran out :0(

Well that's it from me, off to post my link - I think I've still got time...

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - February

Hello and welcome.

Time for another link up to Mr Holtz's blog and to reveal my take on Tim's February tag. You can see the original tag and tutorial here.

Tim has gone for a chalkboard look, and as I missed trying this technique on his November tag I was keen to give it a go (with mixed results... I'll explain at the end of the post)

I've pretty much stuck to Tim's original design, just changing some of the details to work around any missing supplies. So without further ado - here is my February Tag...

As you can see I didn't have Tim's hearts layering stencil so I made do with a TCW Harlequin design.

I used a Paper Artsy stamp HPXT04 which had a suitably loved up, but appropriately sized, sentiment, and a flourish  from October Afternoon's Remember When calendar set which was still out on my desk from making my Calender Girl tag. The heart is cut from greyboard using a Cuttlebug die and covered with Dimensional Magic and ordinary micro glitter.

The key and metal trim have been touched up with a little TH Antique Bronze DS to blend with the colour palette.

As I said above, I had mixed results with Tim's chalkboard technique - possibly because I was using a different embossing powder (mine was whatever I had in my stash rather than Tim's Antiquities Frosted Crystal). I never seemed to catch the embossing powder at that magical point between turning from matte to gloss and so was really unhappy with the results I got (see picture below).

In the end I decided to use a Versamark stamp pad and talcum powder to create my chalkboard effect. So now I'm happier with the look and my tag smells scrummy too!

Thanks for stopping by, let me know you came, I'd love to see your take on Tim's tag.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - January

Well - here we are with the first crafty finish of 2014. I've got to say that the old Mojo is still feeling a bit sluggish (no doubt the effects of way too much festive food!) and I'm struggling to find the inspiration to get in to the craft room and do some creating.

That said - I'm making a mega effort to keep up with at least the Tim Tag challenges (only managed 6 out of 12 last year - SHAME!) so here is my January 2014 tag...

You can see Tim's tag here.

As usual I had so few of Tim's chosen supplies that I had to come up with workarounds almost from the first step! My background colours are Weathered Wood and Old Paper DS and I've used Tim's Timeworks mask instead of the layering stencil - I quite like the result.

I used the large numbers from the 7 Gypsies Numero set, stamped with Black Soot DI to get an approximation of Tim's sanded rub-ons - I don't think it looks too bad!

Of course I don't have the fob watch die either so I've used the frame part of a Wendy Vecchi Art Part pocket watch covered in aluminium tape and a circle of cardstock similarly covered for the watch face. I was pleased with how well this worked and surprised by how easily the tape cut with a craft knife.

A couple of close ups...

Ooops - did my splattering at the wrong stage in the proceedings!

There are a few bits I'm not too happy with, but considering the lack of the supplies - it's not bad.

Hope to see you again soon.