Gentlemen's Club

Good Morning!  I'm here today to share with you a vintage photo collage inspired by the one and only Tim Holtz.  I think he may have been snooping around my Closet when he came up with that vintage looking flip photo frame! I think Tim and I were separated at birth, except he is MUCH older than me (TEE HEE)! And honest to Goodness, my plan was to finally use my  vintage flip stand for the latest challenge at A Vintage Journey  before his new Idealogy debuted. I am lucky enough to have a vintage one in the shape of a frame, too, but it is in need of some repair work. Hoarding Saving that for another day.

Any-hoo, here is my take on take on the challenge to use a portrait.  I looked high and low for a beloved photo of my Dad on a pony taken when he was a boy, and guess when I found it? Yup, after most of my work was done.  Maybe that will go in the wooden frame mentioned above.  Instead I am using one of Tim's Found Relatives.  This one spoke to me...a Gentlemen's Club where one can only be admitted by special invitation and if you are of the male persuasion.  These fellas don't look too happy...maybe if they invited some WOMEN they would have far more FUN in their club!

The cards that came on this flip thingy were way too small for me to fit much of what I wanted to put on, so I cut one the right size out of card stock.  Twenty-twenty hindsight teaches me to choose a heavier weight card next time.  I used black texture paste and Tim's Gothic stencil for the background.  When dry I swiped on some Brilliance Lightning Black ink.  So hard to capture on the camera, and photos were taken at night, but there is this exquisite depth and shimmer to the background, making it look like old embossed leather.

Next, I carefully removed the backing from the Found Relatives card and added card stock to both resulting pieces.  I made a puddle of Brushed Pewter and Vintage Photo stains mixed with a spritz of water, and swiped the backing piece through that.  Blasted with the heat gun.  I chose which gentlemen I wanted in my frame, and splotched on alcohol inks (Caramel and Silver Mixative) to the remaining portions to give a look of the old tin-type photos.  (Very effective in real life; not so in the photos) I used Tim's Distress Photo Tinting technique from CC3 for the one particularly fine gentleman.

Please "scuse the glare!

I used of one of my new small cabinet cards for the frame, and after removing the back, I scuffed it with sandpaper, stamped with a few of Tim's images in Archival ink and textured it with my new silver Arto Texture Paste and Tim's Burlap stencil. I used a variety of Distress inks, stains and alcohol inks to achieve the look I was going for.

I backed some of Tim's filmstrip with his rub-ons and distressed the paper with DI's.  I inked up a brass clip thingy from my stash with alcohol inks and clipped a piece of cord in it.

I was so inspired by Brenda's Faux Rust tutorial that I had to give it a go on this project.  Only I had to try it with some different Ranger and Tim's products, as I didn't have the ones she used.  It's an awesome, easy to follow tutorial, so be sure to hop over and check it out if you love rust like I do! Pure inspiration!  I personally have never seen it done the way I made faux rust, and the outcome was purely found by experimentation, not from another source.  I would like to share it with you, but that will have to be in a future post.

I die cut grunge board using my new Hardware Findings die and used my rust technique on the key and lock.  I attached the lock with brads that I also gave a rust treatment. The pieces are to symbolize the exclusivity of the Club. The clip from Recollections and the Idea-ology drawer pull and brads also got "rusted".  I used a Tim rub-on for the tab in the drawer pull, and used Distress markers to color it.  The Idea-ology bingo marker was distressed using DI and adhered to the clip to mark the year of this photo-op.

I have to say it feels good to be back on grungy ground again after several shabby projects!  I know not everyone is into this sort of thing, but I'm quite happy with my reminder that I will never be invited into the Gentlemen's Club!

Thank you for stopping by and for all your lovely, heart-warming comments!  I read and deeply appreciate all your feedback! Blessings and hugs!

Sara Emily



I would like to enter this into the following inspiring challenges:

A Vintage Journey Challenge 23 "Use a Portrait" I think my Tim influence is written all over this!  Thank you for another great challenge!

Inspiration Journal "Fresh Start" My new products are in bold text.  Thank you for another great challenge!

Craft Hoarders Anonymous January Challenge "Choose Your Challenge"  Color medium: Ink, markers.  Fiber: cord.  Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, mixed media.  Texture: Embossing, metal.   Embellishment: Ephemera, brads, found objects (I found my stand at a yard sale!). Thank you for another great challenge!

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #8 "Something New For the New Year"  My new products are in bold text.  I tried a new rust technique! Thank you for another great challenge!

Country View Challenges "Use Something New to You" My new products used are in bold text.  I tried a new rust technique!  Thank you for another great challenge!

Artist Trading Post Exchange "Fresh Beginnings" New products used in bold text.  I tried a fresh new technique and several other techniques that are new to me, but borrowed.  Thank you for this fun challenge!

The Artistic Stamper January's Challenge "New Beginnings" My new products are in bold text.  I tried a new rust technique! Thank you for another great challenge!

Paper Artsy Topic #2 "Shiny Stuff" My first time joining in!  Lots of shiny and not so shiny stuff on this! I was inspired by Linda Cains' box and the rusted elements on it.

The Mirror Cracked #5 Stencils I used Tim Holtz Burlap and Gothic Stencils on the Cabinet card and background respectively. Thank you for another great challenge!