A Wonderful Life!

As a Design Team Ginger, I have some art posted on today's Gingersnap Creations Challenge: SP6: Once in a Blue Moon Ginspiration.   I'm challenging participants to CASE their Favorite Blogosphere
Find and Make it their Own.

I chose to CASE the very first tag in the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas.  It was the one thing that called to me the most this past month.

I stuck with my original plan to duplicate my own Victorian house by using Tim's grungeboard haunted house and running it through the embossing machine with the new Tim Holtz Sissex Texture Fades:  Bricked on the bottom and Wood Grain on the top.  I added a weather vane from Tim's Idea-ology metals.  The windows are backed with a piece of thick plastic packaging from Maya Road.  Ranger Distress Inks include Fired Brick, Weathered Wood, Black Soot, and Vintage Photo. I also added a little ColorBox brown.  The chimney smoke is a bit of USArtQuest Dicrofiber.

Several days after Tim posted his first tag, I watched the movie, It's A Wonderful Life.  I had seen bits and pieces of the movie before, but this was the first time I'd seen the entire movie from start to finish.  I now know why it's such a holiday classic!  My creative light bulb went off during one particular scene.  After a run on the Bailey Savings and Loan in which George gives away all of his honeymoon savings to his patrons, his new bride Mary calls him home to dinner.  He doesn't know where home is because she's just acquired a rickety house--a real fixer upper.  He arrives in a pouring rain to his new home and wife. 

I decided then and there that Tag #1 was going to be my artistic version of this scene from the movie.  I added Tim Holtz' umbrella man stamped onto grungepaper, but removed the umbrella, as George has only his hat to protect him from the rain.  I think this is the perfect stamp because of the stock market numbers in the design. A very vintage pipe cleaner candy cane replaces the umbrella.  I was happy to have the bell on it because in the movie, George's daughter states every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.  And we movie fans know all about Clarence earning his wings by helping George.

I love my Martha Stewart fence punch but it wouldn't punch through grungepaper so I used regular black card stock.  I would have preferred something heavier in weight to wrap around the tree.  I cut off the bats and added Green Patina Perfect Pearls to make the wrought iron fence look worn. 

I've been admiring how Lisa Pace uses those bottle brush trees in her projects, so I put one of those in the yard.

Since in the scene it's raining, for my tag background, I used Distress Ink in Broken China, Tumbled Glass, and little Faded Jeans. I embossed my tag with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and highlighted the dots with Distress Ink in Weathered Wood. For grass, I added some of my leftover shelf liner that I had painted with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Pearl.

Wikipedia has a public domain photo from the movie which I downloaded and then added the title. I stapled this onto the tag and added a bit of wool trim.

Thanks for visiting and reading about how I made this tag my own.  There are several other challenges by the other Gingers so I hope you'll choose one and play along with us.  You have until January 25, 2011, to make something and link back to Gingersnap Creations.  Ten Ginger Gems will be selected on January 27.

I'm also posting this at
Simon Says Stamp and Show Something from Yesteryear
Vicki Romaine's Challenge #8 Life In Times Past at the Cheerful Stamp Pad sponsored by Unity Stamps

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my crafty cyberfriends!
two images from the Graphics Fairy; Tim Holtz ornament fragment; Bo Bunny pp.
I'm also entering this card in Vicki's challenge at the Cheerful Stamp Pad ( a creation depicting the true reason for the season): Oh Holy Night

"Angels May Have Gathered..."

A Blessed Holiday Season to All!
A little something I made last year.  The base is dry wall compound with stamped imprints.

Mommy and Me

I managed to get a layout done tonight.  This is for my Pages In Time design team work.  I also am entering this in this week's Shabby Tea Room Challenge: Week 41 Scandinavian Christmas where I was inspired by the red snowflakes.

I can't remember when I did one last--seems like I've only been making tags lately.  I dug into my stash, and everything on this page is at least a year old (except for the red snowflakes).  The Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses papers and matching felt woolies were a gift from dd1 so I used them with a photo of her first real experience in snow. (dh pulled the sled and then took our picture.) I adapted the circle in the sketch by using my new tumbled glass Distress ink on a white paper doily.  The image is from a Red Lead collage sheet.
Our Design Team member Charlotte provided us with this gorgeous Thursday Pages In Time sketch.

 For all the current members of Pages In Time,you can find the sketch in the Thursday sketch group under the proper date discussion, and for all you who are not a member of Pages In Time you will need to join the site, and then jump over to the Pages in Time Thursday group, you can find this under the groups header. Find the discussion with the current dated sketch and upload your take on the sketch there. Karen will upload all takes on that weeks sketch to her blog and by uploading your take on the sketch you will be entered in a drawing for a RAK to be given by Karen. Don't forget to stop by the Pages In Time blog and leave some love for the rest of the participants. I hope you play along and have a wonderful time exploring our site!!!!

Shh It's a Secret Tag Reveal

As moderator of the Pages In Time Tags and Things Group, I challenged the group members to use a set of supplies to create a tag.  Today is the reveal, and I'm so impressed with the creative use of some simple supplies.  Each tag is completely different. Here is my take on my own challenge.

First I painted the shelf liner with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in pearl and then pressed it onto the tag.  It looks like shiny snow and you can see the pattern of the shelf liner if you look closely.  I then cut up the same shelf liner along the ridge so that it looked like lace and added it to the bottom and used it for a ribbon at the top.  On the bottom half of the tag I also added Rock Candy Crackle topped with glitter.
My personal addition is the image from Red Lead Paperworks collage sheet which I coated with glitter.  I added some Stickles to the snowflake and the runners of the sled.  I distressed and altered the color of the ticket to match my Distress Ink . I edged the tag with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Gold.

The original supplies were the tag, shelf liner, ribbon trim, Jolly label, snowflake, and ticket.

The 12th Tag on Twelve-12

I finally made another tag under the tutelage of the master Tim Holtz for his annual 12 Tags of Christmas.  I went straight to the end and created today's Tag 12. 

 

What's similar:  I used a patterned paper for the tag, mine is from Graphic 45.  I used a calendar, but from Jenni Bowlin.  I used a cut out ornament--this one a Basic Gray chipboard.  I was so pleased with myself when I saw the great results of the inked and Rock Candy crackled ornament.  It was only when I went to attach the metal hook, that I realized the BG different design included the hook so I had to go back and add a layer of silver stickles on the top. That meant more drying time! I found a couple of metal corners to add as displayed on Tim's tag as well as the evergreen trim.  Sometimes there's comfort in not straying too far from the original, unlike the other Tim tag I made where I created my own theme.

Since this is a technique learning experience, I followed the directions and used the same inks and distressing as Tim suggested. 

BRRRRR Glittery Snow Birds

The Great White North is the December Theme at Gingersnap Creations, and today starts a new supply challenge: glitter.  If you'd like to play along, you have until January 9 to link your creation to Gingersnap Creations.

For my Ginger Design Team glitter project, I knew immediately that I wanted to use the torn napkin technique I learned at the Art Quest 2010 Technique Tour.  I knew I wanted a winter theme because I also was using the design for a holiday ATC swap that I'm hosting in my Tags and Things Group at Pages In Time.  I found the perfect napkins by Gibson at my local Jeffrey Alans store.  Not only are they 3-ply (which you need for this technique) but also each napkin had six panels of the 2 bird images.  I really needed only one napkin, then, for my project.  I get to use the rest in my dining room.  YAY! 

I came home from the Art Quest 2010 Technique Tour with a boat load of product and an incredible number of kits that we used during the workshop.  We learned so many techniques that my head was spinning when I left.  Speaking of my head, thanks to my EWV blog buddy Lori, I came home wearing a little extra hair product.  Let's just say, never bend down to pick up your paper that just fell on the floor when Lori is sitting across from you trying to squeeze out a shot of glue! LOL!!!  Back to the number of kits:  I used some card paper and a mica chip corner that I found in one of the kit bags to complete this card.  Thank you Art Quest!  The sentiment is from Hobby Lobby.

I started by mixing acrylic and glaze to paint my canvas ATCs.  Then I glued on the torn  napkins sections and
and sprinkled the ATCs with Crystal Effects.

For the ATCs, I added a feather from a pack I purchased at JoAnn Fabrics and some gems.  I stuck to the basic ATC rules of composition: background, image, embellishments --using only a minimum of embellishments so as not to cover this great image on the napkin and the added glitter.  I have to make 5 all together.

I'm also entering this in the Tuesday Taggers Deck the Halls challenge.
It's supposed to feel like zero degrees this weekend. So bundle up and stay warm!

A Little Holiday Treat

A fun and festive way to use up some scraps with your basic supplies.  I got this idea from my friends at Prairie Art Stamps.  These types of decorated treats are often found at their store celebrations/open houses.  I started with the stamp and then decided I liked the punched snowflake better.  But the two together make a nice display.  I'm going to hand these out at work---just a nice little treat to find on your desk.

St. Nicholas Day: December 6

Did you find sweet treats or coins in your shoes this morning?

This is a special project for the Design Team Gingers at Gingersnap Creations.  We were challenged to create something for St. Nicholas Day.  I hope you click on the link to visit the post where you can read more about St. Nicholas and view the other Gingers' art created for today.

Nikolaos of Myra was a saint and Greek Bishop who performed many miracles during his lifetime (270 A.D. - Dec. 6, 347 A.D.)  He was the role model for the modern day Santa Claus.  Many around the world leave their shoes outside their bedroom doors on the night of December 5, hoping to wake up on December 6th to shoes filled with treats.

He is the patron saint of many, including children and sailors.The Graphics Fairy had the perfect image for this. I incorporated this very old Woolson Spice Co. advertising card, showing Santa hanging stockings on the moon and looking at an ocean scene below. I found it here on a blog post from The Graphics Fairy .

Wikipedia provided some details to help with my art interpretation.

roses: it is said the relics of St. Nicholas exude manna (or myrrh) which smells like rose water believed by the faithful to contain the power of miracles

If in the recesses of your mind you're thinking there's something familiar about this tag----it's because it's Tim Holtz' Tag #4.  You have your Santa, pearls, and fragment.  However, if you also are a member of the Everything Wendy Vecchi group, then you see something else that's familiar.  Our EWV group has been challenged to make Tim's tags Wendy style.  I have a trifecta here:  GC design team project, Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas tag #4 design, and EWV Wendy-style tag.  

Wendy is all about flowers.  Most famous is her grungepaper rose.  This rose is a perfect symbol for St. Nicholas' rose scented myrrh.  So first on the agenda was a rose stamped and then distressed with Broken China ink.  The leaves are distressed with Shabby Shutters ink.  I inked the tag with Spiced Marmalade and Vintage Photo distress inks.  On the tag, I had to fill in above and below the GF image, so I used Wendy's Merry Christmas background stamp on top, stamped in Broken China distress ink, to match the color of the sky in the graphic.  On the bottom, I used Wendy's scallop stamp stamped in Faded Jeans distress ink to match the water (for a few extra waves).  I stamped that on a scrap of another tag, then cut it to fit perfectly across.  Wendy uses Stickles.  I used Frosted Lace on the icicles and Rock Candy on the white caps in the water.  I used one of Tim's fragment ornaments and a second printed image to capture the ship.  I read somewhere that St. Nicholas rescued sailors from a capsized boat.  So up they go to hang on the moon with the stockings.  (kinda like a ship in a bottle) I topped the ornament with a bit of foil scrap (my version of Wendy's use of metal embellishments).  I couldn't believe that I didn't have the believe stamp!.  But I found a couple of stickers in the new Websters Pages Holiday pack.  So there you have it..  A design team challenge, inspiration from Tim, and Wendy's stamps = one St. Nicholas tag.

And it can't get much better than this because I can also enter my tag in:
Tuesday Taggers challenge: Jolly Old St. Nick.  I was fortunate to recently have won their drawing and got some scrummy stamps from the Craft Barn as well as a spot on their blog as a guest designer.
And I'll post this in the Graphics Fairy Brag Monday blog since I couldn't have made this tag without her image.

Holiday Tag

The Design Team started a new term on December 1st.  Like a comfy old chair and a cozy pair of house slippers, Pages In Time is a perfect fit for me.  So, of course, I agreed to stay on for another 6 months.
We welcomed five new incredibly talented women to our awesome design team....Carrie Taylor, Starr L Timmons, Sandi McClean, Shawn(mycupoftea), and Charlotte( Suepup). Please visit their personal blogs on my left sidebar and congratulate them!

The new term also means a new Design Team logo from Karen (PIT founder).  She decided to go steampunk. I chose one of the two possibilities and created a DT badge which I posted on my left sidebar.  Click on it, and it magically transports you to Pages In Time.  Next, Karen has asked each Design Team member to create something with one of steampunk images, so my creation will be posted here in the near future.

At Pages In Time, I'm continuing to moderate my Tags and Things group.  The November/December themed ATCs are rolling in now for me to swap out and return to participants.  We're also following along with Tim Holtz' 12 Tags of Christmas tutorials.  Karen is offering a prize to one lucky participant in our Tags group who completes all 12 tags.  The prize will be by random draw so everyone has an equal chance of winning!  If you're making the 12 tags, why don't you join us at Pages In Time?  We just completed our tag mingle.  Here's the tag that I made to mail out:

 

I used the Nutcracker theme challenge from the What Do You Ink? group at Pages In Time.  I found this beautiful digital image of Clara at McMahon 5 Designs.  After coloring her with my Copics and cutting her out, I used foam adhesives to place her on a tag I made from Making Memories Mistletoe music paper (the green ink is glittery) .  I used some Shabby Shutters Distress ink on the tag.Various trims in my stash filled in the tag.  On top are Making Memories holly leaves and berry brad.  The 25 is a Graphics 45 tag mounted on a cardboard inchie.

I'M ALSO ENTERING THIS TAG IN THE SIMON SAYS STAMP AND SHOW CHALLENGE.

The first of the month also means a new Pages In Time kit which you can get through the website.  This is such a beautifully coordinated kit and add-ons for the month of December:

And here's this week's Thursday sketch. There's a direct link on my left sidebar to the PIT Thursday sketches.

I've Been Caught Red Handed !

I'm this week's Rogue on the Run, having been caught  redhead-handed using my new RRD stamp plate, Relish Reading. Today my card is featured on the web site Rogue Redhead Designs.

I was caught on November 15-- if you care to scroll down to that post for all the details.  It's just two posts down as I've been MIA for a couple of weeks, mini vacation, Thanksgiving family reunion, needing to replace the router for my computer, etc.  I'm back now, ready to roll out some holiday inspired art.



I really like this Relish Reading stamp plate and plan to make some bookmarks and mini gifts with it.  I've been inspired by the many wonderful examples at the RRD site so I hope you visit there.

I've also posted my card up above as the background skin on my Playlist.  Yes, I figured out how to do that! It's not perfect as the dimensions don't match the screen so I'll post something new up there in a few days. But for now, I like to think she's thinking about the lyrics to the song I'm playing. (That would have been Grown Up Christmas List at the time of this post.) And I changed my blog background to have a new look for December (that part was easy thanks to Itkupilli who provides amazing free backgrounds for bloggers). 

I'd love for you to come back tomorrow for more news and some new art.

Mystery Solved

Or maybe I should say, a couple of mysteries solved!

I've been MIA from my blog.  First on a road trip, now because of family home for Thanksgiving--a week long reunion here.  I'll do my best to catch up on some art and visiting my cyberfriends' blogs when there's a little down time around here.  

A while back I was in a Red Lead Sisters Swap for Halloween Postcard Tags.  It was a long time coming, but my swapped out tags mysteriously showed up today.  How appropriate for Thanksgiving week, as I'm very thankful this wonderful art wasn't lost.  First I'll show you what I made for the swap.  This one I saved for this post:

I used the same Red Lead stamp set for all three tags.  For this one, I also used some G45 Alice papers and Maya Road ribbon.

These are the two that I previously posted:

And today here's what I received from my swap sisters:

Isn't their work amazing? Now you know why I was anxious to get these delivered in the mail! Thanks Carolyn, Dottee, and Jackie!

For participating in the swap, we also got from Chris and Sharon a set of post mark stamps, including a St. Louis Red Lead one. What fun!

The Joy of a Good Book

Thanks so much to the Tuesday Taggers group for asking me to be the guest artist on their site today !!!!!!!
They like to call me Helena over there.  But you know it's me, 2amscrapper.

This also is my first project using the debut stamp plate, Relish Reading, just issued by Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC. I dusted off my Copic markers to color the image and coupled it with some of the BasicGray papers in the Eskimo Kisses Paper Pad.   After cutting the image in order to turn the chair into a rocker, I used dimensional foam dots to place it on top of my wood floor created with  Spellbinders scalloped oval Nestabilities.

My little scene fulfills Tuesday Taggers' theme for a project featuring the word joy. There's nothing like the joy of curling up with a good book, in a comfy chair, on a cold winter's day!  Won't you join in the challenge? You have until midnight next Monday to link your project here: Tuesday Taggers.

I'm also entering this project in the Lots To Do challenge to create anything with the theme friends/friendship.
A good book is the best of friends.  ---English Proverb
You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.  ---Paul Sweeney

This also qualifies for Simon Says Stamp and Show because this week we're showing whatever makes us happy. What makes me happy is getting to play with a brand new rubber stamp that I just had to have!!!

Card entered in the Card Challenge offered by DT Marie at Pages In Time.  Challenge runs Nov. 15-Dec. 15 so join us at PIT!!!!!

Veterans Day

I was inspired to make this layout after dh and I attended the special Veterans' Day observance at our local War Memorial.

My hubby, a Navy veteran, touring the Battleship Wisconsin during our recent road trip out East.
I used the Nov. 11 Pages In Time Thursday sketch turned sideways.

The base is Tim Holtz pp covered with Karen Foster Navy paper cut for a pocket to hold the brochures. The BB64 is Tim Holtz grungeboard alphas unadorned in battleship gray. Found a large chipboard W which I distressed with Pearl Adirondack Paint Dabber, fired brick and mustard seed Ranger distress inks, and stamped stars on top with weathered wood Ranger distress ink. Some Jenni Bowlin products: BINGO card, tickets, and top right corner: the Wisconsin earned six battle stars.


My hubby's parents during WWII.
(all Jenni Bowlin products)

Sewing Notions for Two Challenges

Here's my Ginger Design Team sample for this Wednesday's Gingersnap Creations Spicy Supply Challenge.  In keeping with November's fashionable theme, today is all about SEWING NOTIONS.  I hope you have a notion to enter the challenge.  More details here: GC78

She's Amazing:
I'm also entering this layout in Sandy's Challenge #1  She posted some domestic diva frames that are similar to my banner that I made a while back.  I love this vintage style and it's perfect for this layout.  All four frames inspired me but I have to state which one specifically.  The blue and red colors are from Domestic Bliss but I went with Home Girl's sentiment, She made it look easy, because my babcia made sewing garments look so easy!

Another challenge to enter: November Creative Spirit Challenge.  I really can't think of anything more creative than my grandma's sewing abilities.  

I chose this photo of my mom with her mom which I printed on cloth paper.  My grandma (babcia) was a seamstress.  The button on the top left corner is from her fragile collection (lots of shards on the bottom of the bag because the buttons are disintegrating).  My mom told me that she and her sisters would take their mom to a clothing store and show her a dress in the window that they liked.  My grandma would return home and sew it from scratch.

Years later, babcia would sew pleated wool skirts for my sister and me.  I have a small photo of us wearing those skirts under the fragment distressed with alcohol inks.  (I attempted Tim Holtz's tinted vision fragment technique.)  The photo wasn't very good, so I altered it in PSE7 using the canvas filter.  It's tucked under the flower so here's a close-up:

Some of the other materials I used:
patterned papers:
Crate Paper Restoration Collection: slipcover;
Fancy Pants Designs: Patterns: Simplicity by nancie rowe-janitz
g.c.d. studios MeLODY RoSS Homespun Chic Collection: Vintage Jane (both sides; plus vintage models fussy cut from a second sheet and layered on top)

antique button card purchased at auction: LuckyDay
Dress It Up: A Stitch In Time (sewing embellishments)
Anna Griffin Elegant Embellishments: Dorothy Rub On Art (title: She's Amazing)
antique red seam binding
Tim Holtz idea-ology fragment and snaps
Dolgencorp Perfect Harvest decorative garland: red flower

Pages In Time Swaps

As a Design Team member at Pages In Time, I moderate a group, Tags and Things.  We're a very active group with lots of swaps.  In the group, we talk about our art, share techniques, and give each other feedback about our projects.

Our vintage bookmark mingle just closed.  We each made two bookmarks to exchange.  Here's the bookmark I made:

Here are the two beautiful bookmarks I received in return:

I also hosted a Fall Fantasy ATC Swap for the Tags and Things group. Members had a choice of making 3 ATCs using one of these themes: Halloween, Fairies, or Twilight (the books/movies).   I chose to make 3 Halloween ATCs:

The members really got into making ATCs.  Several of them made more than one set of 3, some making a set for each of the categories.  There were nine participants.  My dining room table was loaded down with ATCs which I swapped out and returned in the mail.  Here are the 3 Halloween ATCs I kept. (I also put in the card I got from Sandi when she sent her ATCs.)  I really wanted to keep them all and agonized over what to keep and what to send back.  But since I'm hosting some more swaps, I should eventually end up with one piece of art from each Tags and Things group member.

We just closed the sign-up list for the swap of 5 holiday ATCs. The members are busy working on those. But sign-ups are still open until the end of this week for a holiday tag swap. If you like these kinds of art exchanges, please come on over to Pages In Time and join our Tags and Things group.

For further PIT inspiration here is this Thursday's sketch, hot off the presses.  Karen is giving a weekly prize to one of the layouts submitted to the PIT Thursday Sketch Group. 

GC77: Haute Couture

For the month of November, the Gingers are working with a Style and Fashion theme.  This week's GC77 Theme challenge is Haute Couture. 
Bring fashion to the forefront with an amazing creation for Gingersnap Creations own Project Runway assignment.  When the challenge closes on November 28, 2010, GC will pick 7 Ginger Gems.  For additional details and to link up your creation, click here:  Gingersnap Creations GC77 Haute Couture.

This is my Ginger Design Team example for the challenge.

I created a new cover for a composition notebook: Style Statements.  My G45 Fashionista Vintage circle tag is sandwiched between a stylish image found on the internet and my dressmaker mannequin adorned with various ribbon trim and bling.  Martha Stewart daisy fan punch, Bo Bunny patterned paper, Paper Bliss Accents (acrylic letters), Pink Paislee Enchanting alphas.

Happy November First!

The Halloween trick or treaters are snug in their beds, and it's hard to believe Thanksgiving is around the corner.  At Pages In Time, our Design Team has posted new challenges for the month of November.  At Gingersnap Creations, we Gingers are gearing up for a new crafting theme this month. At home, I'm getting ready for the family reunion later this month.  My blog has a new look for the month of November, too, thanks to Itkupilli at Cute 'n' Cool Blog Stuff.  (She takes the work out of creating a blog background.)

Design Team work and setting up my new blog look took up my time today, so no new crafting to show you.  Instead, I'll post something old just to get the Harvest Time/Thanksgiving month started.  I made this card last fall with Queen Kat Designs stamps when I was on her Design Team.

 

Happy Halloween

Forget all those slasher movies. For me, the spirit of Halloween is embodied in Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven and Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. So this year's layout is all about Poe. Next year I'll have to create something for Sleepy Hollow.

I used this fabby My Mind's Eye Haunted patterned paper Raven and used the front (house) and back (houndstooth check) of  Haunted House. The house, raven and candlestick are flocked.  The spider webs and distressing are nice extra touches.  Additional materials:  Shindig beetle black Doodlebug flocked alphas.  Public domain computer image of Poe.  Tim Holtz Sissix label die cut run through the Cuttlebug with the Tiny Mosaic embossing folder. Red Lead Paperworks Poe collage stamp. Spine and The Raven text page from old book. Martha Stewart daisy fan punch.  Corner punch.

My layout is loosely based on this week's Pages In Time Thursday sketch that was posted on Karen's blog.

And just look at this yummy November Pages In Time monthly kit.   It's chock full of Scarlett Lime goodness from Glitz Design and can be purchased through the Pages In Time site.

Chunky ATC Swap

The Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo! Group just completed a chunky ATC swap.  First I'll show you what I made for Eileen, then I'll show you what I got from Donna.   This was my first attempt at a chunky ATC.  My DH cut for me some ATCs from his woodworking supplies.  They're cut standard ATC size 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" from a 2x4 board.  That makes the sides 1-1/2" wide and gives you 6 sides work with.  Since Wendy has her own stamp line, Studio 490 for Stampers Anonymous, I used those stamps.  Since she also designs for Tim Holtz and uses his products, so did I.  Then I threw in a few things I use to make this from me.  Using tickets and games, my theme is Play (since New York has great plays on Broadway and Eileen--from what I can gather on her blog-- seems to enjoy life, making art and traveling).

For starters:  I primed the entire block of wood with ArtQuest PPA (Perfect Paper Adhesive) Matte.  I used Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Expresso to distress all of the edges.  Then I layered side by side--all around the four 1-1/2" sides--the two Tim Holtz tissue tapes that came in my package, one with tickets, one with numbers.  I hammered in 4 decorative upholstery nails for feet on the bottom side. 

Here is the front.  I cut a vintage (meaning auction find) BINGO card to ATC size and glued it on the front. I distressed the edges with Tim Holtz for Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink.  The BINGO markers are inchie size and thick, so I dug around and found the O62 to put on that space at the bottom, hanging over a bit.  The leaf and flower are Wendy's stamps, stamped onto grungepaper, cut out, inked and layered.  The inks are Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, and Pine Needles, all Tim Holtz for Ranger Distress Inks.  I outline everything with black pen. The color palette is from the back side, so maybe I should have shown that first.  The flower center is from a slightly newer, different, yet still vintage BINGO set.  I chose "B" for Eileen's last name.  I wrinkled and distressed the ticket.  Both the ADAGE Ticket and Memo Pin are Tim Holtz Idea-ology.  Of course, grungepaper allows you to mold the leaves and flowers into a 3-D shape.

Here is one of the sides.  You can see the two tissue paper strips.  This is another layered and inked Wendy flower stamped on grungepaper.  I then ran them both through the Cuttlebug, using on the bigger flower the Tim Holtz Alterations Cracked Texture Fade and using on the smaller flower the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.  You can see the 3-D effect of the grungepaper flower from the front.

Here is the other side which has a grungepaper Sissex vine cut with my Cuttlebug rather than by hand as I did the flowers.  Then I ran it through the Cuttlebug a second time using the Bird Call embossing folder.  This vine is painted with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber in Lettuce.  I wrapped the vine (sorta like a beanstalk) up the side and across the top.  Only the stem is glued down.  I didn't take a picture of the top, but I added a Websters Pages bloomer--that and the vintage BINGO card are the me parts.

This is the back and my favorite part of the Chunky ATC. I hope Eileen likes it because I used Tommy Boy, from Paper Imagery Designs, a group she designs for. The ATC background is from Tim Holtz' new paper line.  He cleverly designed paper with a pattern perfect for cutting ATCs and strips.  So this is one of the ATC rectangles from the 12x12 sheet.  I stamped on top of it one of Wendy's number background stamps.  I also stamped on grungepaper Wendy's smaller butterfly and inked it with Vintage Photo and added some vintage Stickles.  Tim Holtz' filmstrip ribbon down the side and Tommy's metal crown complete the ATC. 

Now here is the amazing Chunky ATC I received from Donna.  By the way, these are her photos.  You can tell she's a pro at anything artsy. 

Do you see the face up above?  Isn't Donna amazing? I love that feather! And look at that pleated paper!

I love this bird and rose.  And check out that topper!

GC Creative Connection #2: Only One

It's time again to craft it forward.  Gingersnap Creations has started another creative connection.  This time the challenge is to use only one stamp. 

The words on the stamp I chose are penny for your thoughts.  I'm hoping your thoughts are to participate by completing your own Creative Connection art using only one stamp on your submission.  Just upload it on your own blog with a link to my blog where you first heard about this month’s Creative Connection. Adding this text on your blog post will help to keep the Creative Connection moving in cyberspace:

“I am participating in a GC Creative Connection. I heard about this month’s GCCC - Only One - from {insert artist name here} of {insert referring blog name and link here}. Why not play along? Post a creation to your blog mentioning my post and the Creative Connection post on Gingersnap Creations. Let’s all craft it forward and see how far we can get this connection to go!”
Don't forget to also go to Gingersnap Creations to link up: GC Creative Connections #2
Please note: to participate in this event, your blog post's main focus must be the Creative Connection.

About my card:

I chose a Canadian stamp from a company called Magenta.  The title on the package is Crafty Individuals.  The stamp itself is in the shape of a tag.  I used Archival ink in sepia to stamp it four times.  I cut out parts of the stamped image and colored them in order to create a layered effect with cardboard and foam adhesive.  The ticket portion is distressed with Ranger Spiced Marmalade ink and layered with some grungeboard underneath.  The photo portion is layered on top of the ticket.  I highlighted the words with a Copic, YG03 yellow green.  Some of the tiny letters were painstakingly cut out and adhered with pop dots to make them level with the layers.  I water distressed the edges of some green paper that I had run through the Cuttlebug using a Tim Holtz Checkerboard Alterations Texture Fade. You can't really tell in the photo, but I highlighted the checkers with some Ranger Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.  I finished with a button and twine.


I'm also using this little creation for Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge: Week #126 green.

Who Goes There?

This is the last October goth themed creation for me as a member of the Gingersnap Creations Design Team.   November brings me a whole new theme to work with.  In the meantime, it's your turn to create something for the color challenge GC76: Eggplant, Avocado and Pumpkin. There's plenty of color inspiration on the Gingersnap Creations blog today.  Be sure to link your creation back to GC76.

I started with an unfinished wood frame from Ikea and experimented with some paints.  First I painted it Purple Mist with ArtQuest Perfect Pigment liquid acrylic paint. Then I rubbed in some Spiced Marmalade Ranger Distress Ink followed by another coat of purple paint.  I added some Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in 3 areas for some aging then more paint.  It took a while to get the effect I wanted.  Then after all that, I ended up covering it with my embellishments!!!!!  I embellished with some leftovers from last year's Halloween collection and can't tell you about the manufacturers as the packaging is long gone. But you're looking at a felt glittered bat and Oct 31 as well as an orange glittered cardboard flourish.

The paper is Little Yellow Bicycle Frightful Collection 2008; Party Favors Stretch Skeletons with red eyes made with a Sharpie; Tim Holtz Idea-ology grungeboard: Seasonal Plain for the lantern distressed with Ranger Vintage Photo Distress Ink topped with Green Patina Perfect Pearls.  Inside the lantern, I have a piece of leftover tag that had been distressed with Ranger Mustard Seed.  I added some Ranger Scattered Straw Distress Stickles for a warm glow.  I found the felt glitter spiders at Hobby Lobby this year.  The iron fence is from my newly purchased Martha Stewart punch.  I created a cobweb in the top left corner with some leftover ArtQuest DicroFibers.

This also qualifies for the following challenges:
Dezinaworld Spot Challenge:  Halloween
Tuesday Taggers: Halloween theme plus deep purple 

Tuesday Taggers prize sponsor this week is the Craft Barn