May 2015 - Tim's 12 Tags of 2015

OK, let me preface this with please be kind as I thought I had until tomorrow to finish this tag, and while I was casually glancing at Tim's Blog, to my horror, I saw that the link up closes in 2 hours!! ACK! So this is going to be fast and furious ~

Also, this was my first time using hot glue - ever. I have a small, push the stick in the thing hot glue gun that was given to me.  It was no where as clean & neat as Tim's hot glue gun - those strings get everywhere, as evidenced by my hair and my cat Bud chewing on one.  Good times. . .

Here is my take on Tim's May 2015 Tag:

What I did Differently than t!m:
DCWV Burlap Paper Stack, 6 x 6 (and glued that on my tag)
Schoolhouse Stencil THS011 (instead of the Typo Stencil)
Distress Ink in Tumbled Glass (over the embossing paste instead of cracked pistachio)
Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy (edged the tag)
Distress Ink Frayed Burlap (edged the ephemera & dyed the crinkle ribbon)
Core'dinations Pastel Cardstock (instead of the Kraft Core)
Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs in Life Quotes (instead of special delivery)
Tim Holtz Trinket Pin (instead of the memo pin & star fastener)
Tim Holtz File Tabs (instead of the typed token)
Tim Holtz Mini Pins (instead of the loop pin)
And I used different sayings from the Small Talk Stickers than Tim did.

I used everything else that Tim did - even the cute little white button, the same picture out of the Photobooth cards and the same ephemera packs. I followed the same directions he did (and I have a hint - regular glue does NOT work with the Tiny Tattered Florals - unless its a really quick drying glue - as you can see if you look close at the "daisy" I made.  The roses came out very cute, but my daisy is not a pretty flower.  This was my very first time making this type of rolled flower and it really was as easy as his video shows.  Well worth the money in my book!) and assembled my tag as close to his as I could.  I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I was pressed for time.  Thank you SO much for stopping by & please consider becoming a follower of mine to help me reach my goal of 100 new followers in 2015. Blessings! Christi

Entering my tag in the following challenges: 
12 Tags of 2015 - Tim's 12 Tags of 2015 Challenge
Simon Says Stamp, Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
Allsorts - #313, Vintage
Creative Inspirations - #315, Pastel Shades

Sparkle Happy Birthday Card

June begins the birthday Bonanza for my family and friends - I am swamped with birthdays for the next 2 months, so I decided to use one of the JittoBears awesome Happy Birthday sentiments on my first card of the "season". I'm pretty proud as I typically wait until the last minute to make my cards - well, at least one is done!

You can see the sparkle on the Happy Birthday and a little on the image

What I Used to Make my Card:
White Card Base
Numerous Distress Markers
Pale Yellow Shimmer Paper
White Cardstock for Image
JittoBear Happy Birthday Chipboard
Crafty Individuals Stamp - CI-367
White Gel Pen
Wink of Stella in Clear

The Crafty Individuals stamp is a brand new one for me - I have loved their stamps from afar, since they are located in England, but was lucky enough to find this lovely one on Amazon, so I scooped it up!  I used the good old "huff" technique on this card. I colored the stamp with Distress Markers (sorry, I was so busy I didn't make note of the ones I used), taking care to try to color each flower, butterfly, etc. a different color. You never know what the image is going to look like when you finally stamp it which is half the fun! After I colored the image, I huffed on it a few times (a huff isn't to dry the ink, but to re-wet it a little bit) and stamped it on scrap white card.  I loved the way it came out, looks sort of like a watercolor painting!  I spritzed the stamp with a bit of water and stamped it again a few times until the ink ran out.  I set the image aside to fully dry.

Then I took my sentiment, the chipboard Happy Birthday from JittoBear.  I have to let you all know, this is an amazing value - you get 10 different Happy Birthday cuts in a pack, all different fonts and all different sizes!  Plus, if you see something you want in chipboard just ASK them and get a quote! Anyway, I

typically coat my chipboard with gesso, but this time I just used it raw.  I used a Distress Marker, Seedless Preserves I think, and colored the chipboard.  I let it dry (and it dried lighter than it went on, so keep that in mind) and used some white gel pen to lighten the color up just a little more.  When it was done the color was so awesome (the white gel pen sort of melted into the purple) but I needed some sparkle.  I took my trusty Wink of Stella pen in Clear and covered the whole Happy Birthday, then highlighted certain areas on the colored stamped image.

Lastly, I cut a piece of the light yellow shimmer card, cut it down to size and mounted both my sentiment and image on that, then mounted that onto the blank white card base.   

Thank you so much for stopping by! Please consider becoming a follower as I am trying to get 100 new blog subscribers this year.  Be sure to let me know what you think of my creations in the comment section and leave your blog info so I can leave you some blog love in return.  Have a great day! Christi

I would like to enter my Sparkle Happy Birthday Card in the following challenges:
Ink on my Fingers - #357, Anything Goes
Allsorts - #312, Happy 6th Birthday Allsorts!
Simply Papercraft - #5, Anything Goes
Seize the Birthday  - Anything Goes
Fan-Tastic Tuesday - #86, Anything Goes, No Patterned Paper

Voting has begun for the Design Team Showcase!!

I need your votes!

I have entered my Bird in a Birch Tree Shadow Box

in the Design Team Showcase Challenge, #12

(it's a unique challenge, as you can only enter projects that were made as a part

of a Design Team (DT) comittment)

And I need VOTES to win :)

All I need you to do is go to this LINK and click the little heart in the right hand corner of my Bird in a Birch Tree :) 

Vote Now, Challenge #12

Thank you so very much and please feel free to share with your friends :)
XO
Christi 

Bird in a Birch Tree Shadow Box

I love birch trees - always have.  I remember being fascinated as a child at how the bark just peeled off.  So when I saw the cut out on JittoBear's website I knew I had to get it!  I know it's officially spring, but it is snowing (yes, it is really snowing - and not just a flurry either! We got about 5 inches) here in my area of Colorado, so I felt that a nice spring scene just wasn't going to do it for me. So, here is my Bird in a Birch Tree Shadow Box:

You can see how I made the trees look like Birch Trees

What I Used to Make this Project:
Shadow Box 8" x 6"
Golden Acrylic Paint in Carbon Black
Birch Tree Cut Out
Gesso
Tim Holtz Distress Marker Spritzer
Tim Holtz Distress Marker in Black Soot
Red Cardstock
Black Cardstock 
Brown Cardstock
Martha Stewart Paper Punch - Bird
Silhouette Machine for Frame
Crafters Pick The Ultimate Glue

I have had this shadow box for years - and I have more somewhere in this house - I bought them off of eBay when I still lived in Connecticut - it was so long ago I think I was still married! The only issue with the boxes is the glass does

All Taped Up!

not come out, so it can be a bit tricky to paint.  But, I taped the glass panel on the box up and painted the wood black, letting it dry in between coats.  I must of painted this box 800 times (it felt like 800 times) - I kept finding spots I missed! But, better that I got to fix them then be embarrassed later when I give the gift.

Once I had the box painted, I set about making a frame for the inside. The birch tree chipboard doesn't quite go to the top of the window, so I measured the inside (the best I could) and made a few frame templates with my Silhouette machine to make sure I got the correct size. After I cut the frame, I set it aside and set about making the birch trees look like birch trees.

I used white gesso, brushed it on, and then used my finger to swipe the gesso,

Bare Trees

while leaving some of the chipboard brown showing through.  After I felt they looked pretty good I spritzed 
the trees with the Ranger Spritzer and Black Soot marker. I thought I took a picture of the trees before I out them in the shadow box, but either the camera ate it, or I forgot. I'm betting it was the camera. Next, I just punched the bird out of the red cardstock and assembled the piece.  Lastly, I used a piece of dark brown cardstock as my backdrop, it was just glued on to the back of the shadow box.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my Bird in a Birch Tree shadow box.  If you have a moment, please stop by the JittoBear site and see all the ready made chipboard cuts they have.  And remember, they specialize in custom cuts - they can make you anything (I have a few customs that I have yet to use). Also, please consider subscribing to my blog and help me meet my goal of 100 subscribers ~ Fondly, Christi

Another look - sorry about the glare - it's a constant struggle!

I would like to enter my Bird in a Birch Tree Shadow Box in the following challenges:
Allsorts - #310 - Use 2 Die Cuts (the trees and the bird) NOTE: I wasn't sure if my project would be OK to enter, but I saw no where on the challenge site that said your entry must be a card, so here it is!
Brown Sugar Challenge Blog - #145, Layers
Moving Along With the Times - Birds and/or Feathers
2 Creative Chicks - M, #26, Anything Goes (no cards) 
Animal Friends Challenge - M, Use a Bird
Design Team Showcase - #12, Anything Goes - project made for a DT you are on (voting starts 5/23)
Through the Craft Room Door (wk ending May 11, 2015) Always Anything Goes
Clear it Out Challenge - Anything Goes
Decorate to Celebrate - Anything Goes

Lotus Card ~ April Card Chain Challenge Card Reveal

This month for the Card Chain Challenge, I got to send my Lotus card all the way to Australia this month - How exciting!! My receiving partner was Lizzy, a talented card maker - check out her blog - not only is she crafty, but she sings!! Thank goodness no one can hear me sing. . .or is that scream?? Anyway, here is my card that I sent Lizzy: 

I chose this shot because you can really see the different blues & golds in the embossing powder ~ very cool!!

And, here is the card I received from the extremely talented Loly:

She used the correct colors, the sketch and the friendship theme

This month I messed up - I used the color palette for May's CCC, and technically, this card is for the April CCC.  :::sigh::: and by the time I realized it, the card was mailed.  Sooooo my card is not going to match anyone else's when you go to the reveal at the Society of Stampaholics (the "mother" site of the CCC).

I was SO excited because I had used the color palette instead of just going with the monthly "always theme" of friendship, so of course it was a mess up - LOL. But, I have still created a wonderful card! So let's move on!

What I Used to Make my Card:

Blue Card Base

Yellow and Light Blue Cardstock

IndigoBlu Stamp, Lotus, #IND0140PC (Brand new from Limor Webber!)

Die-Namites Spring Blossom Die, DN-1150

Spellbinders Nestabilities, Labels Forty-One, S4-468

Embossing Ink

Lindy's Stamp Gang Embossing Powder in Lapis Lazuli Blue Gold

This is a fairly straight forward card so I didn't take pictures of it's creation.  I stamped the Lotus stamp on the yellow cardstock with clear embossing fluid and then embossed the image with the Lapis Lazuli Blue Gold embossing powder.  Then I cut the image with the Spellbinder's die, I did have to cut a teeny bit off the top of the image for it to "sit" right, you can see where the top dot is cut in half.  I still like the way it turned out.

I then cut 2 "Spring Blossom" dies and adhered them to each side of the image, glued them down, and that was it!  Easy peasy!  I hope you will consider joining in on the fun at the Card Chain Challenge (or at least go look at the reveal and see everyone's beautiful cards!) ~ I love getting good mail ~ Fondly, Christi

Another look :)

I would like to enter my Lotus Card in the following challenges:
One Crazy Stamper - May Challenge - Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge - #104, Anything Goes
Simply Papercraft - #3, Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday's Challenge - Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow - #103, Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday's Challenge - Anything Goes

And, Simon Says Stamp is having a Design Team Call - you have until May14, 2015 to enter! Just thought I'd pass the info along :)