Autumn/Winter Tag

Today at A Vintage Journey is Tag Friday, which only takes place when there is a fifth Friday in the month; it’s all about creating something you love so there is no particular theme, it’s time to play, experiment and have fun – it would be great to see you there!

This Merry Moose is one of my favourite Thinlets from Tim Holtz so I couldn’t resist using it to create this double-sided Mixed Media tag showing the same scene in autumn and in winter.

To start, I used a large Poster Card by Tim Holtz to create the tag by cutting off two of the corners to make a tag shape and punching a hole using my Crop-A-Dile machine. I covered both sides of the tag with some white gesso as the card had blue flowers on one side and beige postcards on the other and I wanted to tone them down a little. I then used Scattered Straw Distress Ink to colour around the edges of the beige side which I chose for autumn and Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink on the blue side of the tag which seemed perfect for winter. I stamped some snowflakes using two blue Memento Inks onto the blue side of the tag and then the tree trunks on both sides of the tag using Toffee Crunch Memento Ink.

For the autumn scene: I coloured the stamped tree trunk using Dark Sepia and black Faber-Castell Big Brush marker and a black Uni Pin pen; stencilled the sun and coloured it using a Sun Yellow Inktense pencil; and coloured the foreground using Forest Moss Distress Ink and a Leaf Green Inktense pencil.

For the winter scene: I coloured the tree using a Cold Grey and black Faber-Castell marker and a black Uni Pin pen; used white gesso to colour the foreground and also to stencil the moon, once dry I added some texture to the moon using Platinum Planet Brilliance Ink, a Tim Holtz stamp with Black Soot Distress Ink, a white Faber-Castell marker and also a white Uni Posca paint pen. Then I used Inkylicious Fluffy Puffy Stuff and a heat gun to create the snow.

The Merry Moose, leaves, stars and wording are all Thinlets from Tim Holtz which I die cut from some linen textured paper coloured using Distress Inks: the moose was coloured using Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso ink; the antlers using Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo ink; the leaves using Scattered Straw and Rusty Hinge ink; the stars using Scattered Straw and Mustard Seed ink; and the wording using Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge and Chipped Sapphire ink.

To make them stand out from the background more, the autumn die cuts are edged with a Dark Sepia Faber-Castell marker and …

… the winter ones with a Cold Grey Faber-Castell marker and they are all stuck into place using a Zig Memory glue pen.

To finish, I added an eyelet with my Crop-A-Dile machine which reinforced the hole as I’m using a book ring to secure all of my double-sided tags together when they are finished to create a Tag Journal.

For more Tag Friday inspiration, please pop over to A Vintage Journey where you’ll find some fabulous tags created by my fellow Creative Guides. I hope you are inspired to join us as I’m so looking forward to seeing your tag designs!

I have been lucky enough to see moose a number of times in the wild whilst holidaying in America, although I have never seen any in Maine. I’m told you are more likely to see them further North in the state and we did stop to look for them at this quiet spot to no avail, maybe next time (grin!).

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the #107 – Picture Inspiration challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps as my autumn tag encompasses the picture colours and my winter tag matches the stars too.

I’m joining the Use your scraps challenge over at Moo Mania & More with the paper scraps I used for some of the die cut pieces.

I’m also happy to be joining the Anything Goes challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge too.

Over at the Mix It Up Challenge Blog their theme is Anything Goes + optional twist of Watercoloring, so I’m pleased to be able to join this challenge too.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this double-sided tag:     

• Tim Holtz idea-ology (Pocket Cards #TH93208)
• Pébéo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Scattered Straw, Chipped Sapphire, Forest Moss, Black Soot, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Rusty Hinge, Mustard Seed)
• Stamp Set (Winter Wonderland – snowflakes, Winter Woodland – tree)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Bahama Blue, Danube Blue, Toffee Crunch)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Dark Sepia 175 B, Cold Grey IV 233, Black 199, White 101)
• Uni Pin Fine Line Marker (Black 0.3mm)
• Inkylicious Template and Stencil (Sun and Moons)
• Derwent Inktense Pencils (Sun Yellow 0200, Leaf Green 1600)
• Tsukineko Brilliance Ink (Platinum Planet)
• Tim Holtz Collection Stampers Anonymous (Urban Tapestry CMS061)
• Uni Posca Paint Pen (White)
• Inkylicious (Fluffy Puffy Stuff)
• Craft Sensations Luxury Cardstock Linen Texture (White)
• Sizzix Thinlets Tim Holtz (Merry Moose 663103, Garden Greens 661206, Snowy Stars 663117, Alphanumeric Label 664177)
• Scraps of metallic yellow Linen Texture Paper and blue Glitter paper
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• American Crafts We r Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile and Standard Eyelets 41582-4)

Black Magic

I was lucky enough to receive a box of Black Magic chocolates for a good deed that a member of my family requested – they were very yummy! So I thought I would recycle the packaging to create my Black Magic Halloween page – I hope you like it!

I started by using a Sun and Moon circle template from Inkylicious to mask off the moon and then painted the sky background with orange and black Kuretake watercolour paints. Then I removed the template and used the Sun and Moon stencil from the same Inkylicious set to add the moon detail using Vintage Linen and Hickory Smoke Distress Ink and a white Uni Posca paint pen. I stamped the sky with a Gothic Book stamp from Finnabair using Black Soot Distress Archival Ink and then I splattered the page with the orange and black watercolour paints. Next I recycled the inner packaging from my Black Magic chocolates by ripping the black paper into pieces and arranging them on the bottom and down the left-hand side of the page. I also die cut the flowers and ivy from the same black paper using Wildflower Stems and Garden Greens Thinlets from Tim Holtz and my Big Shot machine; they are stuck in place using a Zig Memory glue pen. I stamped some cobwebs from Molly Blooms using Black Soot Distress Archival Ink. Then I used some of the cardboard packaging for the “Black Magic” wording fussy cutting it out, black heat embossing it and sticking it in place using Ranger Glossy Accents. Then to finish, I splattered the page using the white Uni Posca paint pen.

Here’s my box of Black Magic chocolates, help yourselves – you have a choice of Coffee Crescent, Pure Black Magic, Midnight Truffle, Raspberry Heaven, Hazelnut Swirl, Dreamy Fudge, Almond Crunch, Orange Sensation and Caramel Heart. To make them last I treated myself to one a day and they were delicious (grin!).

This page reminded me of a song by Little Mix, I enjoy watching the video – it’s such a fun story line!

Challenges

I’m pleased to join the lovely Eileen of The Artful Crafter and her Dreams or Wishes challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my happy black magic dreams.

I’m also joining the Die Cuts and Punches challenge over at Moo Mania & More with the die cut flowers and ivy that I included on this page.

I’m pleased to join in the fun over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and their Fall/Autumnal Colors challenge with the orange colours on my page.

I’m pleased to be able to join in the fun over at Creative Artiste Challenge Blog for their Anything Mixed Media Goes with my mixed media art journal page which included paint, inks, recycled packaging and embossing powder.

Don’t forget that you can also join in the fun over at Try it on Tuesday for our Witches, Wizards, Halloween challenge too

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Inkylicious Template & Stencil Set (Sun and Moon)
• Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Paint set (Orange, Black)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Scattered Straw, Hickory Smoke)
• Inkylicious Ink Dusters
• Uni Posca Paint Pen (White)
• Prima Marketing Finnabair 2 Clear Stamp (Gothic Book 966966)
• Ranger Distress Archival Ink (Black Soot)
• Recycled Black Packaging
• Sizzix Thinlets Tim Holtz Alterations (Wildflower Stems 2 664164, Garden Greens 661206)
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)
• Molly Blooms Rubber Stamp (MB-0065D)
• Tsukineko Versamark Watermark Ink
• Stampendous Embossing Powder (Black)
• Ranger Glossy Accents

Happy January

I love the snow so had the idea of creating an all white page with some fabulous new Tim Holtz Thinlets and this lovely black and white photo of a little girl in the snow – Happy January everyone!

I started by covering the background in snowfall, firstly by layering a snowflake stamp and a snow dot stamp by Sheena Douglas using Hickory Smoke Distress Ink, London Fog Memento Ink and Platinum Planet Brilliance Ink. Then I stamped the circular snow stamps from BoBunny using Black Archival Ink by stamping the image on a piece of card first then onto the page to create a lighter image. With the background finished, I added the photo of the pretty little girl in the snow which is recycled from an old magazine and mounted onto a piece of card. As you may have noticed, the circular BoBunny stamps in the background have words on them which say “Frozen, Love, Snow, Sled, Winter” which seemed the perfect match for the little girl image.

I added the word “January” which is also recycled, this time from an old calendar. Then I decorated the page with some snowflakes from a Tonic Studios die set, a Spellbinders leaf swirl die and lots of Tim Holtz foliage and Tim Holtz tree thinlets, all of which are cut out of white card stock using my Big Shot machine. The Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets that I used to create the foliage included Garden Greens and also a new addition to my craft stash, the Holiday Greens Thinlet set (grin!).

The trees were also created using a new set of Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlets called Woodlands (double grin!).

Some of the die cuts are coloured using a Cold Grey Faber-Castell marker and a silver metallic pen, and I also used some Inkylicious Fluffy Puffy Stuff to add some texture; simply added the Fluffy Puffy Stuff to the die cut and then comes the fun part, heat it with a heat gun which makes it puffy and 3-dimensional. To finish the die cuts, I also added some glitter using Icicle Stickles and then I arranged and layered them onto the page using some glue dots and a Zig Memory System glue pen.

This page captures the magic of a beautiful decoration that we had on display over Christmas, I think it looks so pretty with the snow and trees …

… whether it is lit up or not (grin!).

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

The lovely Alison/Craftytrog is hosting her Geometric Shapes challenge over at Art Journal Journey so I’m pleased to be able to join in the fun with all the circular snow stamps that I used on my page.

As this page captures the snow and frost of January days, I’m joining the Cold and Frosty Colours challenge over at Moo Mania & More.

I’m also joining the lovely Wen and her Simply Neutrals Tuesday party over at Apple Apricot with my neutral Happy January art journal page.

Inspired to create this page by my love of snow, I’m happy to join the Put Your Stamp On It challenge over at A Vintage Journey as I used more than one stamp for the background of my Mixed Media Style page.

I’m pleased to join the “New” (Fresh Start) challenge over at Paperbabe Stamps as my page was created to using new die cut sets.

Over at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge their challenge is Use Something New challenge so I’m pleased to join them as I used some new Tim Holtz products to create this page.

Don’t forget that you still have well over a week to join the Something Old … Something New challenge over at Try it on Tuesday too, it would be lovely to see you there!

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of all the materials used to create this art journal page:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Hickory Smoke)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (London Fog)
• Tsukineko Brilliance Ink (Platinum Planet)
• Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
• Faber-Castell Big Brush Pitt artist pen (Cold Grey IV 233)
• Script Metallic Pen (Silver)
• Inkylicious (Fluffy Puffy Stuff)
• Stickles (Icicles)
• Sheena by Sheena Douglas Clear Stamp Set (Winter Woodland) – Creative Stamping Magazine Issue 62
• BoBunny Stamps (Snow Days Clear Stamps 13705563)
• Tonic Studios Christmas Trio Die Set (Falling Snowflakes 1792e)
• Spellbinders – Swirl Leaf Die
• Sizzix Thinlets Tim Holtz Alterations (Garden Greens 661206, Holiday Greens 658759, Woodlands 660978)
• White Card Stock
• Old Magazine – image
• Old Calender – wording
• Recycled white card
• Stix2 double-sided tape and mini glue dots
• Zig Memory System 2-Way Glue (Dual Action Glue Pen)

Merry Moose Winter Wonderland

Our new challenge at Try it on Tuesday for the next two weeks is Winter Wonderland, where you will find some amazing creations from my Design Team teamies!

For my art journal page, I had so much fun creating a winter wonderland for my Merry Moose. I fell in love with this Merry Moose die set from Tim Holtz as soon as I saw it and finally succumbed to purchasing it last week, so I just couldn’t wait to use it and it didn’t disappoint – I love it (grin!).

To start, I stamped the pretty snowflakes using the Simon Says Stamp Frozen Fractals stamp set and Versamark Watermark ink which I covered with white Stampendous embossing powder. I shook and tapped any excess powder off the page and then I used a heat gun to melt the embossing powder until it became smooth and dimensional with a glossy finish. Next I positioned a circular stencil onto the page to depict the sun and also a hand cut paper template to mask out the foreground. Then I painted the sky background using my Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour paint set; I did this by wetting the page with water first and then applying Ultramarine Pale, Ultramarine and Turquoise Blue colours using my paintbrush, gradually shading and blending the paints so that they were lighter around the sun. When dry, I splattered the page with white acrylic paint and then I defined the edge of the foreground more using Paris Dusk and Danube Blue Memento Inks and a blending tool. I removed the foreground mask and also added another line of snow using a mask and the same inks. I added some colour to the snowflakes in the foreground by painting them with the Ultramarine and Turquoise Blue watercolours too. For the sun I applied a light wash of Lemon Yellow watercolour paint and when dry, I covered it with some Platinum Planet Brilliance Ink to add some shine. The wording is stamped using the blue Memento Inks again and overlaid with the Platinum Planet Brilliance Ink and I added a little of the Turquoise Blue watercolour paint to the letters so that it colour matched the background more.

The trees are die cut using the Merry Moose Thinlets by Tim Holtz from Sizzix and my Big Shot Machine. I used some brown wood effect paper from Tim Holtz and also some blue glittery paper for the dripping snow dies; they are stuck to the page using a Zig Memory glue pen. Next I added a puffy snow effect using Inkylicious Fluffy Puffy Stuff which you apply and then heat with a heat gun to make it 3-dimensional; it was so much fun seeing the snow come to life (grin!). I also die cut some snowflakes out of the same blue glitter paper and embellished them with the Fluffy Puffy Stuff too and then stuck them to the page. I really need to use the fluffy puffy stuff again, just so I can write fluffy puffy some more (double grin!).

To finish, I added the Merry Moose which is die cut three times, once out of cream linen finish card stock and then twice out of white card stock; I layered them together so the linen finish was on the top. I masked off his antlers and then coloured him using Tea Dye, Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso Distress Inks blending the colours with a blending tool. Then I removed the masking tape and coloured the antlers with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I stuck him in place and then decided that he needed a scarf to keep him warm, so I used the harness die cut from the Thinlet set and fashioned one together using the blue glitter paper and white card stock which I coloured with the Paris Dusk Memento Ink. It was fiddly to make but I think it completes his look beautifully, don’t you (grin!).

We have been lucky enough to see moose several times in the wild on our travels to America and so I love everything moose! We have a few moose items around the house from our travels too including these beautiful mugs which we were purchased at Booth Bay in Maine. Today they are filled with hot chocolate that has Pumpkin Spice syrup in it and topped with whipped cream – yum! As T Stands for Tuesday, I’m saying a big hello to the T Gang and wishing you all a very happy T Day!

Challenges

I’m glad I found out about Challenge Blogs, like Try it on Tuesday, as I enjoy taking part, they provide me with inspiration for my pages and are a wonderful way to meet like-minded arty people. So here are the challenges I’m joining today:

I’m pleased to join the lovely Erika from BioArtGal, who is hosting the Vintage or Modern challenge over at Art Journal Journey with my modern Christmas page!

I’m also joining in the fun over at Moo Mania & More and their Tic, Tac, Toe theme (Designer Paper – Glistening Season from Tim Holtz Paper Stash, Die-Cut – Merry Moose, Circles – on the scarf and the sun).

I’m also pleased to join A Vintage Journey and their Paper Stash challenge this month as I was inspired by my new Tim Holtz Merry Moose Thinlets so used the linen and glitter papers that have been in my craft stash for a while as well as the Tim Holtz Paper Stash pad to create my Mixed Media style page.

Over at That’s Crafty! Challenge Blog their theme is Winter Wonderland so I’m pleased to join this challenge with my Merry Moose Winter Wonderland page.

I’m also pleased to be able to join the Baby It’s Cold Outside challenge over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with as it must be cold with my Merry Moose wearing his scarf (grin!).

With the embossing powder that I used for my pretty stamped snowflakes, I’m also joining Fashionable Stamping Challenges and their Resist It challenge too.

Thanks for joining me today! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

Here is a list of the materials that were used to create this art journal page:

• Tsukineko Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• Stampendous Embossing Powder Basics (Detail White Opaque DP100)
• Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Paint set (Ultramarine Pale, Ultramarine, Turquoise Blue, Lemon Yellow)
• Tsukineko Memento Ink (Paris Dusk, Danube Blue)
• Tsukineko Brilliance Pigment Ink (Platinum Planet)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso, Antique Linen)
• Faber-Castell Craft Stamper Big Brush Pen (Dark Sepia 175 B)
• Derwent Graphic Marker (black 0.05mm)
• Inkylicious (Fluffy Puffy Stuff)
• Simon Says Stamp Clear Stamp Set (Frozen Fractals SSS101694)
• Inkylicious Stencil (Sun & Moons)
• Winter Wonderland Stamp Set (free with Craft Stampers magazine No:62)
• Tim Holtz Alterations Sizzix Thinlets (Merry Moose 663103)
• Dovecraft Cutting Dies (Merry Christmas DCDIE052X16)
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Paper Stash (Halloween #TH93712)
• Blue Glitter Paper
• Cream Linen Card Stock
• White Card Stock
• Zig Memory System Chisel Tip Glue Pen
• Stix2 double-sided tape
• Ranger Heat Gun
• Sizzix Big Shot