Category: Christmas

Tim Holtz Chemistry 102 Smudge Stamping

One of the techniques shared in the Online Card Classes Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 102 class was smudge stamping with distress inks. The idea being that you stamped once, then stamped a second time and smudged the stamped image. I attempted this technique, but I wasn’t able to smudge the ink.

Tim Holtz Chemistry 102 Smudge Stamping

I don’t know if my distress ink pads aren’t juicy enough, or whether I wasn’t smudging the right way. At any rate, trying the technique gave me an opportunity to use  the Tim Holtz Seasons Silhouettes stamp set, which I bought when I first started stamping two years ago.

The trickiest part was using the sentiment stamp, which is a subway art stamp with several sentiments. I put sticky notes on the stamp after I carefully inked the “Believe” sentiment and also put sticky notes on the tag to block out the area in which I wanted to stamp. I finished off with some Vintage Photo around the edges. I think I like the first generation stamped tag the best. I’ll add ribbon, die-cut evergreen pieces, and maybe a bell to finish it off.

OCC Tim Holtz Chemistry 102: Day Five

Today’s Online Card Classes Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 102 class was all about embossing effects. I had my share of “fails,” but in the spirit of working with what you’ve got and moving forward, here are my tags for today.

The image in this first tag was heat-embossed with Distress embossing powder. I unsuccessfully tried to apply Distress embossing powder to die-cut craftboard (I just couldn’t get enough to stick) but embossed this mini blueprint stamp to show the Distress powder’s grunge-y look. To finish off the tag, I added cardstock, which had been dry-embossed with one of the Tim Holtz stencils and then sanded, and one of the Tim Holtz metal word bands (these are brilliant and I will be buying the ones for Christmas, too.

OCC Tim Holtz Chemistry 102: Day Five

The second tag shows a chalkboard effect using heat-embossed Antiquities Frosted Crystal powder to which I applied chalk. This effect worked best on solid stamped images (again, I tried it on many stamped images that didn’t work). I just popped this tag up against some Echo Park paper to take the photo.

OCC Tim Holtz Chemistry 102: Day Five

This last tag from today’s lesson shows the application of Distress Glitter using Sticky Embossing Powder. I stamped the snowflakes with Distress Inks before applying the sticky powder. You can’t really see how well the snowflakes look in this photo. I die cut the Santa and sleigh with glitter paper. Of the three techniques I tried, I think this one was my favorite. It’s an easy way to add a little bling to your project.

OCC Tim Holtz Chemistry 102: Day Five

 

Neat and Tangled Holiday Packaging Ideas

I’m over at the Neat and Tangled blog today showing some holiday packaging ideas using stamps from the September  release.

I love dressing up gifts with little touches and decided to get an early start on my tag making. Danielle always includes lots of little extra on the stamp sets that can be used in all sorts of fun ways. Head on over to take a look!

Poppystamps: View from the Grand Chalet

I’m sharing a card over on the Poppystamps blog today using supplies from the new release of 74 dies and 20 cling stamps.

There’s a fabulous window die in the release that cuts in a unique way — it’s designed to open outward. For my card, I envisioned throwing open the windows to a fabulous outdoor scene. Wouldn’t you love to look out on this scene?!

Poppystamps: View from the Grand Chalet

While you can use the die to cut the window with open shutters, I wanted to create backed panels from a contrasting cardstock. I dry embossed the card front, then I placed the die on the backside of the card front and cut the window. I opened the window panels to the front, and cut about half of the panel off. I then die-cut the woodgrain cardstock with the window die and cut out the two shutters. I backed these with a rectangular panel and adhered the panels to the cut-off shutters on the white card base.

I filled the sleigh with a mixture of greenery cut from Meadow and Dill cardstock using the Small Garden Sprig and Garden Sprig dies.

OCC Insider: Day 3

The emphasis in today’s  Online Card Classes Insider course was “surprise insides.” I veered a bit off course to create a card that combined ideas from a couple of the cards shown.

I found a photo of my sons from last January (need to take some photos of the two of them together closer to the holidays!) to use in a die cut “window.”

OCC Insider: Day 3

I combined a sentiment from Hero Arts “Spread Joy” with patterned papers from Echo Park’s ‘Tis the Season.

I can see adding a panel below the photo with a personalized greeting. This has been a fabulous class; I’m sad to see it end!