My First Configurations Box

I have been procrastinating making one of the ever neat Tim Holtz Configuration boxes. This procrastination quickly ended with the Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Special Edition Challenges 11 & 12; It's Configuration Time.

Mario from "the Behind the Scenes" at Tim Holtz has donated this awesome prize!

Just in time for Halloween (in 4 months lol!) Here is my first configurations box!
I'm not sure what's wrong...but my pictures didn't look fuzzy when I was editing them in photoshop....ugh...sorry

I love the layers of depth you can create! I made the candelabra, house, tree, fences, pumpkins, and cats using various Tim Holtz dies and shrink plastic! Since I consider them layers in the small boxes, I am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show Layered Challenge.

Other tidbits about my box. 

Background papers are Graphic 45 Happy Haunting

For the Hay and corn stalks...I used dried grass/wheat/barley picked up on a daily walk in the hills.

Thanks for visiting!

Heidi

Mini Union Jacks

I've got a nice(Great Britain) patriotic piece for you today. It is the summer of Great Britain; The Queen's Jubilee, Wimbledon on at the moment,  (the Tour de France kicks off this weekend with my high hopes on team Sky) and finally the London Summer Olympics. 

I made a distressed piece in the spirit of Simon Says Stamp and Show Depth of Distress. I took the word depth and added some serious dimension to my little project. I cut out and painted layers of cardboard with my Tim Holtz Vintage Cabinet Die and coordinating movers and shapers die. For the top layer, I used the rusted Grunge technique from the First Volume of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities book. I used Tea Die embossing powder because I don't have and Vintage Photo powder. For the background I used Distress Stains on Kraft Resist paper. I stamped some images from one of the London Artistic Outpost sets. I added some gears and game spinners, but they are hard to see. I took a stamped and scanned Union Jack and printed it on White Shrink Plastic. Shrunk them with my heat gun, added some thin gun metal coloured wire and stuck them in a  (uncorked) vial.  I added white acrylic paint to a word band and used handmade distressed brads to attach it to the altered grunge. I added some additional distressed brads and washers to add some detail to the top. 

Thanks for visiting!

I love reading your comments.

Hugs

Heidi

Art Journal Cafe

In my new journaling adventures I have stumbled across a journaling challenge blog by three wonderfully creative French Ladies called The Art Journal Cafe. I like it because I get to practise my French. I read and try to comprehend the French before I read the posted translated English.

They posted a colour challenge

I used a title that I found in a magazine for the theme

"Getting Back In the Game".

It's helping me focus on my cycling and how I need to work on my form and power. I know, not related to art at all, but isn't art journaling about life and art!

I finally got brave enough to dip into the modeling paste and I LOVE IT! I used it on a Dylusion's Dotted Flowers Stencil. Though it isn't too noticable, there is some brown so I am entering it into the Simon Says Stamp and Show a Bit of Brown

The specific journal is 5.25x 8.25 and opens in a landscape format.  

I had so much fun doing these two pages, but I can tell there is still some self hesitation. I know that will go away as I do more playing!

Thanks for visiting! I love reading your comments.

Heidi

Happy Fathers Day

It's Father's Day, at least in the U.S. and the U.K. So Happy Father's Day Dad!
Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #10 Tissue Wrap Flower. You can find the technique on page 37 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Vol #2.

I am sneaking my pocket watch from Challenge #9 into this challenge just so Linda knows I am on track for particiapting in all 35 challenges :-) I had it finished, but got sidetracked thursday evening and did not have a chance to compose my blog post.

It's the third Friday of the month, and that means the challenge is sponsored by the awesome Funkie Junkie Boutique, who is graciously offering a $25 gift certificate to the winner of this week's challenge

I am also adding this to the Simon Say Stamp Anything Goes Challenge.

 

Thanks for visiting! I love reading your comments!

Heidi

Time...Friend or Foe

I've been trying to do more journaling. This entry is about time. Is it a friend or foe. I am a very impatient person. Something that I have been tying to work on for a long time. But at the same time, I want loads more time to do things I need to do.....so is it my friend or is it my foe........ It is so had being patient...sigh.....

Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #8 Re-purposed Packaging. You can find the technique on page 62 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Vol #2.

I had some clock face rub ons and decided to add some plastic clock faces and game spinners to add some interest. I left plenty of room to do some additional hand written journaling.

Thanks for visiting!

Heidi

Dad's Birthday Mural

Happy June 1! Today is my Dad's 70th Birthday. 

I've got something very special to show you today, and I am entering is into two challenges;  

Sarah's My Monthly Mojo: Man Up! and Simon Says Stamp and Show One for the Boys. 

I am excited to finally show you the masterpiece I have made for one of his gifts!  To give you some background, we are originally from England and my dad is a massive WWII buff! So those in the United Kingdom will surely appreciate this.  My Dad is from Coventry England and was three when WWII ended. His mother, my Grannie Winkie told stories of how she had to run for cover while German Bombers were attacking Coventry.  In making this piece I was trying to capture some history to help preserve the past. 

There are two 16"x20" pieces. The one on the left focuses on British WWII planes. The one on the right focuses on Prevailing through the War with a positive attitude. Scroll down to see detailed shots and some added commentary for personal meaning. 

The eight rusted bolts came from our back garden deck, I got the wire mesh from my local hardware store and spent some time rusting it with chemicals from my local craft shop. I added Tim Holtz Metal embellishments and flowers to "frill" it up.   The images were printed on Artist transfer Paper and then ironed onto Mulberry Paper and then added to layers of cardboard using matte medium. This piece is for personal use only, so there are (hopefully) no copy write violations.

Going Anti-clockwise starting in the top left corner:

Hurricane

Wellington

Mosquito

Lancaster

Spitfire

Winston Churchill Quote

There are tiny pewter models of each plane on each picture (Close ups below)

I am always so amazed how my dad and brother can quickly identify these planes (don't they all look the same).....yet I can quickly identify Tim Holtz and Stampin Up colours!

Going Anti-clockwise starting in the top left corner:

Coventry Cathedral after bombing

New Coventry Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

Union Jack

My favourite poster from the Keep Calm and Carry On morale boosting posters created during WWII.

I think the sentiment is perfect for ANY difficult situation, and it is with those words I face every day!

Hurricane

Wellington. The Time Holtz pieces signify the secret code breaking....secrets and knowledge.

"Wooden Wonder" aka Mosquito

Lancaster

Spitfire

Coventry Catherdral after being bombed. Coventry was a target because of all of the significant engine building/industrial manufacturing so I added some Tim Holtz gears

I love this image of St. Paul's Catherdral withstanding the War. The Union Jack was made using Artistic Outpost London Underground Plate. 

Finally, do you remember my Attitude Hanging I made for last Monthly My Monthly Mojo? It earned me top honours by the master metal maker herself! I love Sarah's work and love how she can alter metal to look so cool! I love her latest Sardine tin creation.  (I also love the fact that I have been rescuing, washing, and squirreling away some sardine tins so I might have a go at making something fun)

Thanks for visiting! Happy Queen's Jubilee Weekend!

Heidi

Brushless Water Colour

Yet another very short post as I have been very busy working on a project for my Dad's birthday. Alas, it is completed! But I won't share it until I give it to my dad on is 70th!

Happy Birthday Golden Gate Bridge! You are a beautiful feat of engineering!

I have a quick tag that I threw together experimenting with the Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #7 Brushless Water Colour. You can find the technique on page 49 of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Vol #2.  This week's challenge is being sponsored by the wonderful The Eclectic Paperie!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Thanks for visiting!

Heidi

Journey Awakens the Soul

Hiya Blog friends, another short post as I have been very busy working on a project for my Dad's birthday. Hopefully, you will all see it someday soon! This is a card that I'll throw in with the gift. He loves trains, so I made a train related card. I used the Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #6 Tissue Wrap Collage for the inspiration. You can find the technique on page of Tim's Compendium of Curiosities Vol #2.  This week's challenge is being sponsored by the wonderful Funkie Junkie Boutique. You can find so many cool embellishments among inks, tags, all sort of Tim stuff at this awesome boutique!

Thanks for visiting!

Heidi

12 Tags of 2012: May

Just a simple post today. It's my Tag for May for the Tim Holtz Twelve Tags of 2012. This weeks Simon Says Stamp and Show is anything goes.

Have a great week everyone!

Heidi

Unlock the Door

Challenge #5 in the A Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2 challenge series being hosted by Linda at Studio L3 is the shattered glass technique. This can be found on page #48 in Tim's Book A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  This week we are being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp with a $25 gift cetificate for a random winner!

I created two pages in one of my journals for the challenge.

I got the big letters from Michael's $1 bin section.

Thanks for visiting!

Heidi

Time Stand Still

The theme of this piece is Time Stand Still, my favourite song by the Canadian band Rush. I still vividly remember the first time I heard this song. I was at University living off campus in a townhouse. It was early in the morning so I was still in bed. We were in the middle of an ice storm and this song came on the radio (battery powered due to power being out). I listened to the words about time standing still and not looking back but wanting to look around me now. The singing sounded familiar, like the group my brother listened to.....aghhhhhh...I can't like a song by the same group my brother likes......I poddled into my roommate Sherri's room and asked to see her copy of the Rush Chronicles 2 disc CD compilation. There is was....Time Stand Still. I started listening to the CDs and found I liked most of the songs.

A few months later when I was back at home, my brother and I were driving somewhere and Rush was playing on the Radio, I started to sing a long and my brother did a double take....."what the bleep" he exclaimed, how do you know the words. I told him the Ice Storm story. That is when I learned that he secretly had been listening to my favourite Group Depeche Mode.

I am posting this just in time before the cut off for the Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities Vol 2 Challenge #4. Faded Layers found on page 43 of Tim's New Book. (Linda, you rock for leaving comments on all of my entries so far! I understand if I dont get a comment since I am so late this week....a lot of practice went into the background)

I am also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show your favourite Stamp challenge. Right now that stamp has to be the Hero Arts Watch Gears Stamp

I love how Sarah used metal fencing on her piece, so I used some rusted chicken wire. (On my way to hardware store to find some small square fencing I can rust up to use in future projects)

Lastly, this is going into the Frilly and Funkie Alter It Challenge. I altered the wood frame using Crafty Notions Rusting Powder. I sealed it with Matte Medium. I am probably going to add more metal embellishments to the frame later.

The Before Frame!

Thanks for visiting! I love reading your comments!

Heidi

Another rusted bolt creation

I've got another fabulous creation using some rusted bolts from the deck in my back garden. I have plenty of these bolts....so I see many more cool creations coming in the future! This one uses some chicken wire and various hand crafted flowers! I also deem this creation worthy to enter into the My Monthly Mojo May Floral Frenzy Challenge.

The theme this month at on the Inspiration Emporium Monthly Challenge is Bring on the May Flowers

This is the piece I started to work on last week when I came across my Attitude Poem.

I used 4 layers of cardboard, painted them with gesso, tangerine acrylic paint, martha stewart crackle medium, white acrylic paint, matte glue and seal. I put rusted chicken wire in between the second and third layers. The flowers are made with the Tim Holtz Tattered Pinecone Die, the tattered florals long sizzlet strip and metal foliage covered with embossing powder.  I printed the attitude poem on tissue paper and then used glue and seal to attach it to a piece of the tangerine coloured painted cardboard. For the letters, I stamped a music background, also attached it to some tangerine coloured painted cardboard, then cut out with my Tim Holtz Word Play Die.

Thanks for visiting!