Discover

Hello, everyone!  I bet you thought I had fallen off the face of the earth!  I have been busy doing a little spring cleaning, working and gardening, so not much time left over for crafting.

 Today I have a little  chunky style ATC to share with you. There are a couple of great challenge blogs I like to regularly participate in, and I wanted to create something just for them. Linda Ledbetter's Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities 3  challenge this time is to create something using Tim Holtz' technique/product Frameworks found on page 64 of his book A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 3.  Linda has 2 prizes:  A ton of goodies provided by Tim and Mario for the Curiosity Crews Choice and a generous shopping spree to Inspiration Emporium, provided by owner Joy and her family.  To play along you'll need to work from your own copy of CCV3, and you can order one here. There's still time to join in the fun!

Julia at A Vintage Journey  is challenging us to use something to represent the theme "Through the Looking Glass" using inspiration from Tim Holtz.  Obviously, my inspiration comes from his latest book this time. In addition to the reward you receive of just creating for creating's sake, there is also a generous prize up for grabs, so be sure to visit and link up your Tim inspired artwork!

I die cut an ATC and two Honeycombs using Tim's dies: Honeycomb Frameworks and ATC and Corners Bigz. I used the second Frameworks as a "shadow", cut from a piece of reflective card waste packaging I had in my stash.  I followed Tim's instructions (Painted Industrial technique page 46) for making my background using his Honeycomb Texture Fade.  I used Tim's Motif paper stash in the honeycomb design to cut one of the Frameworks, and used stains (Stormy Sky and Black Soot) to color the entire thing. I love how the stain puddles in each honeycomb compartment, changing the tone. Notice I made sure the honeycombs lined up in the "framework". One tiny mirror in the corner for my queen bee for her to discover herself was made from Tim's Mirrored.  I love this stuff--you can really see the difference from the metal coated card I used for my second Frameworks.  Both are reflective, but Mirrored is like a real mirror, with a crystal clear reflection.

I swirled some white card stock through a puddle made with Distress paints (Stormy Sky and Brushed Pewter) and water spritzed on my mat, dried with my heat gun, and punched an oval, using a Stampin' Up punch; just the perfect size for Tim's smaller Industrious frames. I stamped a  male bee from the Stamper's Anonymous Classics #12 set in Archival ink, and masked him off. I over-stamped with the honeycomb image from that same set in Versamark, and embossed with black embossing powder.  I colored the bee with Distress markers, and added a little high light around him with Picket Fence Distress marker to help him stand out.  I gave him wire antennae. I treated the Industrious frame to a little Black Soot Distress paint.  I actually took this shot to show the great reflection you get with the Mirrored. That's a flower I was holding over the mirror to catch it's reflection--probably seen better in the previous shot.

UPDATE: please take note, I changed the colors of my framed piece.  Aside from changing the direction of the male bee and the colors, everything is the same.
I stamped (Archival), colored (Distress markers), and fussy cut the female queen bee also from the Classics #12 set. I gave her legs and antennae made from Tim's Idea-ology paper twine, and added some Ranger gold glitter embossing powder at the tips of her antennae to show off her beauty.

I chose words from Tim's Remnant Rubs, added them to card stock and edged with Black Soot Distress ink.  Because we live in a world that places so much emphasis on physical beauty, and I wrestle with lack of self confidence in that department, often to the point of not even looking in a mirror, I chose these words.  I want to remind myself, it is OK not to be beautiful on the outside.  I need to look in the mirror and see the beauty I have on the inside. So, again, deeper meaning...this is why I create.

While the rest of this image is blurry, you can see my camera and that beautiful Carolina blue sky we have today in the Mirrored reflection.  You can also see a hint of the sparkle that's on the antennae.

Now, you may remember this beautiful piece, and wonder what in the heck it has to do with my post.

Isn't it breathtaking?

Truth be told, I haven't had enough creative "get up and go" to take the few minutes I have here and there to spend it in the Closet lately.  But as fate would have it, the very person who blogged about a very similar situation not too long ago sent me this beautiful wall hanging, which reminded me to get off my duff and start imagining, believing and creating! Nikki Acton is the artist behind this lovely and inspiring piece of artwork--thank you, Nikki, you've inspired me much more than you will ever know! I have this lovely reminder hanging in my favorite room of my home--my sunny breakfast room off my kitchen, (2nd favorite actuallly; the Closet is first, which is not actually a room) so I can see it every time I pass by. I will be reminded to imagine, believe, and create everyday!

 I  have to say that Tim is one creative genius!  Look how many different honeycombs he's offered, and how well they all work together!

UPDATE: you might notice the framed piece looks a little different from  the 3rd photo above.  I did a quick redo and updated my paint colors to Wild Honey and Antique Linen with a splash of Antiqued Bronze.  The difference in the two blues (even though I used the same Stormy Sky, it was 2 different mediums, 2 different papers and different lighting) really was making me feel ill. The lighting in my craft room didn't make the difference so obvious. Sorry for any confusion, and since it's about to rain (again), I could only take a few quick shots.

I hope you enjoyed this post!  I appreciate you taking your time to stop by and for any lovely comments you would like to leave.  I read and appreciate every single one of them, and eventually, I end up responding to them, too! Hugs!

Sara Emily

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

Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge #25 "Frameworks" "Let's Framework it up!"

A Vintage Journey "Through the Looking Glass" I used Mirrored to make a "looking glass" for my bee and some reflective card just for fun.

Frilly and Funkie "Spring Time Die Cuts" This may not look too spring like, but when I was photographing this tag early this spring,  I saw a honey bee buzzing around.The blue flowers and the dark areas between them inspired my color choices on my bee ATC, as it inspired my colors for that tag.

Ink On My Fingers Sunday Stamper -Week 352- True Blue

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #11 "April Showers" The color I chose "Stormy Sky" is my association to "April Showers", since it seems all we've had are stormy skies this month; except today--beautiful blue skies!

ATP Exchange April Challenge I was inspired by your Pinterest board--the color of the parcels, the repeated pattern on the textiles, and the painted industrial look and shape of the sign.

Be sure to check out their generous giveaway here!

Try it on Tuesdays "They Who Have Wings"

A Sprinkle of Imagination "Anything Goes"

Mixed Media Place Creative Gym Exercise 6 "Typography" I think my two little phrases summarize what I'm trying to portray with this piece.