Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016- December

Hello Everyone and Welcome
Here I am again today sharing yet another tag - this time its Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016 - December. I'm running 'close to the wire' this month as deadline rapidly approaches so I'll save you from my chit chat and get right down to business so to speak.

Tim's December tag and tutorial can be found here so there's no real need for me to go into any great detail as Professor Tim does a far better job of that than I .

So here's my take on Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016 - December

Now for a few close ups.... I don't have Tim's Dot stencil so I used a similar one I have in my stash.

the tiles and shadowpress

I added a poinsettia to my foliage spray and had fun, as I always do, splattering!

and here's a few more shots of the completed tag

I am so pleased to have achieved my goal to make all 12 tags this year! 

I have loved creating each and everyone of them and have learned so much in the process .
Huge Thanks to Tim Holtz for a year of fabulous tags and for sharing your invaluable wealth of knowledge, inspiration and creativity!
In case any one hasn't told you yet You Rock!!

Time now to head on over n link my tag up so I thank you again for stopping by today -much appreciated. 
Thanks too for all your support throughout 2016 . I really do feel incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful friends and followers .

I would also like to wish each and everyone of you a very Happy, Healthy New Year full of love,light and peace .
See you Next Year

Take care
Keep on the happy side
Amanda
xxx

Tag Friday-December 2016 at A Vintage Journey.

Hello Everyone and Welcome

Hope you have all enjoyed the fun and festivities of the Holiday season and are looking forward to ringing in a brand New Year in just a few days time!

Today over at A Vintage Journey we see the year out with our final post for 2016 - Tag Friday! . I'm sure many of you are already familiar with this tradition but for those of you who aren't, l will explain. When there are 5 Fridays in a month, the 5th Friday sees some of the AVJ Creative Guides post a tag they have created in whatever style they wish - no rules- no themes - anything goes!

So today I'd like to share my 'Tag Friday' with you all

My tag was born from the central alcohol inked panel I'd created earlier this year. I'd saved it for 'later', forgot about it (along with a whole lot more) and came across it whilst tidying!! (cough)

The tag itself is covered in canvas, given a coat of gesso and coloured using distress crayons and gesso. Some stamping and stencilling provide the detail.

The alcohol ink panel was created using a selection of Tim Holtz Alcohol inks pounced onto silver mirror board.

The base star was among my 'bits' and an application of Tim Holtz Grit paste gave it some lovely grainy texture.

The 'Star' of the tag was die cut from cardstock using Tim Holtz Dimensional stars thinlits die , given a coat of gesso and then crackled using Finnabair crackle texture paste before spraying with Deco Art shimmer minster. Deco art antiquing cream, media fluid and silver gilding wax all help bring the 'Star' to life!

Hex nuts and gem beads embellish both the stars

and the alcohol panel with a metallic small talk sticker as a finishing touch .

I really enjoyed creating this tag just going with the flow, getting inky and having fun .

Really is amazing what you can create when inspired by alcohol! lol.

If you haven't already be sure to stop by A Vintage Journey to see the fabulous gallery of tags created my my fellow teamies. 

I would like to enter this tag into the following challenge : 
That's Crafty- Anything Goes!

Thanks for stopping by today. Its always lovely to see you all.  I always appreciate you taking the time to visit and comment .

Look forward to seeing you all again really soon

Take care

Amanda

xxxx

Meet the Dapper Deer!

Hello Everyone and Welcome

Not long now  - just 9 sleeps to go to ......! Are all you ready?

 I thought I was and then realised I'd overestimated the time I had left and am now running around frantically trying to catch up as the clock ticks forever nearer to the big day.

Today though I'm  taking time out to share with you one of the Christmas cards I have made using some of Tim Holtz fabulous products- stamps, dies, embossing folders, distress inks and paints, industrous stickers, metallic card stock, watercolour card stock and ideology .

 Let me introduce to the The Dapper Deer all dressed to impress!  

The background is heat embossed onto black card stock using Tim Holtz Holiday words stamp and clear embossing powder

Tim Holtz BIgz dapper die dressed the deer. 

(Run the die through the Big shot to just above the lapels so as not to die cut the moustache or top hat)

Embossed silver mirrorboard using an embossing folder from Tim Holtz knit set and Tim Holtz painted industrial technique created a panel to use for the dickie bow, lapels, collar tips and buttons 

The deer head (Tim Holtz Scribble woodland stamp set ) is stamped in Black archival onto watercolour card stock ( smooth side) ,and subtly painted using hickory smoke distress paint as a watercolour.  The antlers are heat embossed using silver embossing folder

and  given a touch of  black soot distress paint. 

Industrious stickers( borders and frames) embellished the edges of the background, once matted and layered using Tim Holtz silver metallic card stock and white card stock

 

 With a few pieces of Christmas related ideology,  hex nuts topped with festive red gems for buttons and some splatters of snow (Picket fence  distress paint)  and Dapper Deer is ready to celebrate Christmas in style!  

Thank you so much for taking  the time to stop by . I hope you have enjoyed your visit.

I'll be back at some point in the coming weeks to share a few more of the Christmas cards I have made this year so look forward to seeing you again soon . 

Until then have fun, be good and keep believing!!!

hugs

Amanda

xxx🎅xxx

Winter Magic- A Vintage Journey, December 2016 Challenge

HI Everyone and Welcome
Hope you've all doing good and have had a great week. With Winter now upon us I hope you will be able to join us in our new Challenge over at A Vintage Journey which is just perfect for the season. Debs is our host this time and she has chosen
Winter Magic
'For us in the Northern Hemisphere December brings the start of Winter is so much more than that and so we ask , how would you interpret the magic of Winter? Snow, Icicles, colours of blue, silver and white, the festivities of Christmas, misty winter landscapes: show us what your magical focus is for this season .As always we ask that you follow our travelling instructions and that your project be created in a vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling,industrial or steampunk style .'

As always there will be one lucky winner who will receive our sponsors prize which this month is a £20 voucher to spend at Country View Crafts.
The Creative Guides will also choose 3 pinworthy winners who will not only win a pinworthy badge to display on their blog but will also be invited to join us as a Guest Designer for a future Challenge.

Snow always comes to mind when I think of 'Winter Magic' so I have a canvas to share with a snowy feel created with an arty, wintry spirit.

Having come across a 5x7 canvas I started painting earlier this year I decided to build on the grey wash I'd already laid down way back when by adding tones of blue, grey and white using Tim holtz distress paints ( broken china, tumbled glass, hickory smoke, picket fence) and gesso for the white. All applied very freestyle and with the finger , just going with the flow

continuing the process until it looked ok. I love how the paint and especially the gesso pick up the texture of the canvas.
Unfortunately that's the only process photo I have so I hope you will now enjoy a descriptive tour around the canvas
Detail was created using stamps (Tim Holtz snowflakes, Birch , Half tone, a script stamp) with Archival ink(cornflower, watering can,cobalt) and Tm Holtz layering stencils (Snowflakes,Dot fade) with Tim Holtz Grit paste and gesso .

The snow is a mix of both DecoArt Snowtex and Tim Holtz Grit paste . It was given a touch of sparkle using Tim Holtz distress glitter (rock candy) and in some lights it really does gently glisten. A spritz of perfect pearls also added a touch of shimmer.

With the crackle sneaking in on the photos so far its time for the focal feature . This was created using Seth Apters Drip drop die - multiple die cuts adhered together , painted in silver and crackled using DecoArt crackle paste,the cracks being highlighted with gilding wax .

This was adhered to a painted and lightly sparkled mdf pocket watch which provides an ideal base for the snow dusted Tim Holtz dimensional Silver star.

And a few snowed up embellishments helped finish off my arty spirited canvas

with a snowy feel

I hope I have offered some inspiration and that you will be able to join us in our 'Winter Magic' . If you haven't already be sure to pop by A Vintage Journey to view some of my fellow Creative Guides projects. There are some fabulous creations to be seen and lots of inspiration to be had. 
I really did enjoy being back in my 'happy' place doing what I love, for a design team that I feel so lucky and proud to be apart of.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges : 
The Craft Stamper TIMI December Challenge: Take a Theme: Snow and Ice  
Frilly and Funkie : Home for the Holidays 

 Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today and big thanks too for always leaving me such lovely comments. 

Both are so very much appreciated.

Have a lovely weekend Everyone

Take care and keep on the happy side

Amanda

xxx

Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016- November

Hi Everyone and Welcome
Hope you are all ok. I really am so sorry I haven't been around much lately, either here on my blog or visiting and commenting on your blogs .My recent shoulder injury is to blame ! Sigh!!
I have been trying to get back into crafting over the past few weeks (Yay! Sanity is restored - well ok, some, hahaha.....). Slow but steady - as 'they'' say so I'm pleased to say I have managed to make Novembers tag for Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016 which I would like to share with you today
Tim's fabulous tag and all details of how he created it can be found here so be sure to stop by to see our much loved professor working his creative magic and explaining 'how' so well .
Here's my take on Tim's 12 tags of 2016 November

Love the remnant rub resist technique - so effective . May be using that one alot more in the coming months. I used a mix of Distress stains and Distress stain sprays ( my craft stash dictated) . Rusty Hinge, mustard seed, peeled paint, mermaid lagoon , forest moss ,

I stamped and watercoloured 2 of the leaves from the blueprint leafs set but decided to go with the maple leaf . I added some touches of gesso to give the leaf a more weathered look and embellished with a small ideology game spinner .Seems the fork from my tableware set is MIA (???) so went with a spoon instead.

Though I have the alphanumeric thinlit dies I soon found out I have the 1" set not the 3/4" set so used a die from the Adventure Words: block thinlit die set instead.

And once again here is my finished Tim Holtz 12 tag of 2016 - November

Big thanks once again Tim for another great tag full of creative inspiration.

 Its hard to believe there's only one more to go ???!!!
Thanks everyone for stopping by today . 

Your visits, follows and comments are much appreciated . 

Thanks too for your patience in my absence-I'm hoping its not gonna be too long now before its business as usual here at Ink- A Pink
Until then 

take care and stay on the happy side
Amanda
xxx

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016- October

Hi Everyone and Welcome
Hope you are all doing ok and enjoying your weekend.
I'm here today to share my take on Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016 - October . I began creating my tag a few days after Tim released it but unfortunately things got real messy here - I had a bad fall that left me with a very bad shoulder and arm injury  and I haven't been able to craft since .
Having spent what feels like the longest time not being able to do what I love I decided to at least try to finish off my Tim tag one handed! It wasn't easy and there was plenty of frustration and many expletives along the way but I am pleased to say I managed it and have a finished tag to share with you today .
Here it is

Tim's tutorial for this months tag can be found here and I've changed mine up only where supplies or spacing dictated.
Regions Beyond and Laboratorie Paper pads created my patchwork collage. They 're covered with a generous layer of Distress crazing medium.

Distress Crayon smudging around the paper pieces and on the crazing gives a grungier look and some paint splats too - tricky to do one handed!

The finished background before the zombie and ideology are added.

The Zombie die is embossed using the shattered embossing folder and given a grungy industrial look using Black Soot distress paint. He has a pewter conical bead eye- piercing!

and the ideology word band is also attached using pewter conical beads.

 Boris the spider seems to be quite happy dangling from a wire- no fear!!

and once again here's my 'one handed' take on Tim's October tag

It wasn't easy given my current state but I am pleased I have a tag to enter into 

Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2016- October. 

I'm not sure how long it will be before normal service is resumed so I hope you will bear with me until then. Every days a new day right and hopefully with every new day I will be one day closer to healing!

Thanks for stopping by today. Your visits, comments and follows are much appreciated . 

Take care and 

Happy Halloween Everyone

Amanda 

xxx

Make it Spooky - A Vintage Journey October challenge

Hello Everyone and Welcome
Hope you are all ok and a good week has been had by all. Today we are all set to start a new Challenge over at A Vintage Journey  and this time we have a theme that is ideal for the month of October.
Its the lovely Anne who is hosting this months challenge and Anne's chosen theme is 'Make it Spooky'! I'm sure most of you will know just how much Anne LOVES Halloween so she really is the perfect host and here's what Anne has to say:
'As we approach All Hallows Eve we want you to create a vintage, shabby, industrial, steampunk or mixed media project to celebrate the 'spookiness of Halloween. Don't limit yourself to black, orange and purple just 'Make it Spooky!'

 I confess to initially opting out of Anne's challenge theme thinking I wouldn't be able to do it any justice then I came across some styrofoam skulls and thought why not give it a go ... So for Anne's 'Make it spooky' challenge I have had a spooktacular time altering 'skellie' heads !! Each one has had a complete makeover using a range of products to give them their own unique image and personality!

So may I introduce you to the 'Skellieheads' ( left to right - Freddie, Johnny, Boris, Mozza and Spike ! (Please note:  I felt I had to tame the level of spookiness as I didn't want to scare you all away but believe me once I got started my mind was tripping over itself with some really gruesome ideas! Mwahhhh!!)

As each one wants their 'famous for five' spotlight be prepared - this is a long post!
Here's the before shot - white styrofoam skulls purchased from a commercial craft store for just 50p each. At that price it was most definitely worth the play and the fun to be had .

Now for all the makeover shots taking one 'skelliehead' at a time starting with Freddie.
He was given a coat of black gesso then covered with strips of metal tape , working the tape with fingers into all the contours and crevices of the skull. The tape was then coloured with Alcohol inks using a blending tool .

The creases that happen when applying the tape create some texture and detail

A ball tool worked around the eye sockets and teeth removes some of the alcohol ink and enhances these features.

By adding two rusty bead for eyeballs topped with silver gem dot pupils

I reckon Freddie looks kinda menacing!

Johnnys up next

He was given a coat of black gesso and then covered with gears diecut form greyboard using Tim holtz gearhead thinlit dies. Tim Holtz distress collage medium was used to adhere and seal the die cut gears.

He was spritz with Decoart Media shimmer mister, Perfect pearls and Tim Holtz distress mica spray. Silver gilding wax helps enhance the gears and his teeth

and Silver beads were used for his eyes.

So after his makeover here's Johnny

Are you ready for the next one? 
This time its Mozza. He was given a coat of white gesso and then mosaiced using Tim Holtz mosaic kit and paper from Tim holtz 'Regions Beyond 'paper pad.

Mozza was no quick makeover as each mosaic tile has to be cut and adhered before being glazed .

The glaze needs to be kept flat when drying and given that the skull is anything but flat it had to be applied to a few tiles at a time and left to dry before applying to a few more tiles ...... but as the saying goes patience is a virtue....... !

Distress ink is blended into the grout to give it a more worn appearance .

Mozza has gold bead eyeballs with rusty brown gem dot pupils and his teeth are painted with gold alcohol ink! Those empty hollow eyes are kinda freaky don't ya think ?

Hope you 're still with me .... Time for Spikes makeover .

He was given a coat of black gesso and then a generous coat of Tim Holtz grit paste.

Once dry a dry brushing of distress paint ( Black Soot and Walnut Stain) gives Spike some colour . Gold and Bronze gilding wax enhances all his texture

His eyes are bronze beads with gold gem dot pupils and his teeth are painted using bronze alcohol ink.

And last but by no means least meet the 'head' of the Skellieheads Boris
Just like the rest he was given a coat of black gesso before being covered with a very generous application of Silver Viva Decor Croco crackling medium . ( note: apply a coat of Tim Holtz distress collage medium before and after the Croco to help with adhesion .

Croco crackling is best left to air dry and the time it takes depends on the thickness pf application. Boris decided he was worth the wait and took about 36 hours. Here's a few photos of him 'cracking up' !

Boris has silver bead eyes and his teeth are painted with Black Soot distress paint. He insisted too on having a pair of headphones- he wouldn't tell me why but  between you and me I've heard he's a real wimp and is scared of all the spooky sounds the other skellieheads make so wants to drown them out with some 'tunes'! So not to upset (I hate to see a skelliehead cry) a pair of headphones were made using bottle tops, hexnuts and wire.

And here he is all cracked up and wired for sound! (Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' on a loop - mwahhhhh!)

So thats all five happy with their makeovers and all ready for their big Spooky fright night!.

Freddie, Johnny, Boris,Mozza and Spike hope you like their makeovers as much as they do and they hope too they have given you some inspiration to go create your own 'Make it Spooky' project and join us in this challenge.
Be sure to pop by A Vintage Journey (if you haven't already) where you can see a gallery of super inspiring spooky projects created by my fellow Creative Guides. 
I  would  would like to enter these into the following challenges 
Country View Crafts October Challenge 'All Things Spooky!'  
Simon Says Stamp- Monday Challenge - Halloween

From myself and the Skellieheads we would like to thank you greatly for stopping by today and enduring such a long post.
As always your visits, comments and follows are very much appreciated. 

So until the next time  take care and 

please

 don't have nightmares!
Mwahhhhhh!
Amanda
xxx