Friday, April 10, 2015

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:

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.

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!



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

58 comments:

  1. Sara, your ATC is absolutely fabulous! You are a very talented artist! I love the colors you used there,your texture and that honeycomb frameworks die looks amazing on your beautiful creation! Well done, my friend!
    Big hugs :)
    Branka xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Branka, this is a very kind compliment! You see I changed the color of my framed piece. It was really bugging me that the same color looked so different. I hope you like it as much! Hugs!

      Delete
  2. Sara Emily your ATC is out of this world!!! Love the colors and the design is superb! What a treat for our eyes! Also that true blue tag is gorgeous!! My favorite color :) It is so nice of Nikki to send you that wall hanging, such a gorgeous piece of art!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Samra! You are such a sweet heart to say these nice things. I do love the colors of my Tim tag, and really hated to cover it up. Yes, I was very happy to receive Nikki's artwork, and I treasure it. It's gorgeous AND inspiring!

      Delete
  3. Chunky ATC needs to be a new 'thang' as this is just awesome. I love how your design is coming off and over the lines of the ATC and all the honeycomb patterns in different forms. Beautiful!!

    Thank you so much for my birthday card, I just adored it and has pride of place on my mantelpiece :)

    Big hugs my friend,
    Georgie xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Georgie! I'm happy you liked your birthday card and this ATC. I thought it was so cool that there were so many honeycombs, that I just had to put them all together. I did change my colors, though. I didn't like that the 2 blues looked so different--one cool, one warm. Sorry your card was late, and I have to say I had to move fast to get 'er done in the midst of my Easter card frenzy!! I'm a seat of my pants crafter! TEE HEE! Hugs to you!

      Delete
  4. Absolutely beautiful piece! I love the mirror reflecting behind the honeycomb as well as the double layer! Such beautiful colors too! Spring is here! Thanks for joining us for this challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fabulous ATC with a great design! I also love the colour combo.
    Thank you for joining us at Try it on Tuesday.
    Mar x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful card! Love all the honeycombs you used. Great colors and texturing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Clareene! For some reason I'm drawn to honeycombs! My neighbor raises bees, and he gives us the best honey! And I love it when his bees visit our garden!

      Delete
  7. Wonderful details on your ATC Sara and I love the techniques you incorporated....very inspiring. A great make for Julia's challenge at AVJ and how lovely to receive the gift of Nikki's gorgeous wall hanging. TFS
    Have a lovely weekend
    Annie x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Annie; what a fantastic compliment! And, yes, I was blessed to receive such an incredible art piece from Nikki!

      Delete
  8. Fantastic!
    Thank you for joining us at Try it on Tuesday.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fabulous details, love it all, but must say giving the bee gold glitter antennae was genius!! Great to see the reflection of the sky! Thank you for joining us at Try It On Tuesday! Chrisx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thank you, Chris! What a wonderful compliment! I'm happy you like the little touch of gold!

      Delete
  10. Oh Sara Emily--This is a lovely, layered chunky ATC!! I love what you've done with incorporating all of the fun Honeycomb designs :) And you've even incorporated mirror for the AVJ challenge, too!! AWESOME!!! I do like the yellow panel that you exchanged (but yellow is my fav color) :) My eyes goes right to the framed bee on the yellow honeycomb :) So Fun!! Good Luck with all of the challenges :) This is a good one!!! :) XOXO-Shari

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Shari! The entire ATC was made with the idea of putting a mirror in for the queen bee, so I'm happy you liked that! Hugs!

      Delete
  11. Ooh - love your honeycomb ATC with all the reflective surfaces - it looks so cool! Thanks so much for joining us on A Vintage Journey.

    Lucky you getting that fabulous hanging from Nikki - one of my favourites of her creations. I'm having a bit of a reorganisation of the craft room, amidst heavy work schedules - so I completely sympathise! Hope you're at least getting to enjoy a peaceful weekend.
    Alison xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Alison! Yes, I'm SO lucky to receive Nikki's fabulous artwork! I did enjoy a peaceful Saturday viewing some of our town's most beautiful gardens on a Garden Tour with my friend. That, too, is so inspiring! I hope you have a lovely weekend, too!

      Delete
  12. Wonderful ATC, Sara Emily! I love your kind care of your bee, giving her a little mirror!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow Sara, this is fabulous!! I can't believe how shiny that mirror paper is, and what an amazing job you did capturing it with your camera! I love the honeycomb and bee theme, it's a wonderful spring theme! Your vibrant blue and yellow is so striking against the metallic, gorgeous my friend!! How lucky are you to receive such a wonderful gift from Nikki! She is so talented and sweet! hugs :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pamellia, you are so sweet! I'm happy you like my photography skills! Ha! Ha! The Mirrored is not really a paper, it's like a plastic mirror-perfectly reflective! Great stuff! The "shadow" Frameworks is reflective card, so not as clear a reflection is rendered. That Tim sure is a genius! And, yes, I am so blessed to receive this wall hanging made by the sweet and hugely talented Nikki! I treasure it! Big hugs!

      Delete
  14. This is just a wonderful chunky ATC! Your eye for art and creating is superb dearie. I love the colors and that mirror is genius, just absolute genius! The layering you have achieved in this small space and the story you are able to tell inspired the heck out of me! Amazeballs! Hugs to you muffin! ~Niki

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, Niki! I'm so happy to be able to inspire, YOU! It is you who inspires me! Thank you and big hugs to you, too, Punkin!

      Delete
  15. Hi Sara -

    You may not have much time to "bee" creative these days but you have put that time to excellent use. Your ATC is fabulous and that color combination is one of my favorites. Of course with orange being my go to color, how could you go wrong? Thanks so much for joining us at A Vintage Journey. As always, love your crafty work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandy, great pun! Thank you for this incredible compliment! It has totally made my day! Hugs!

      Delete
  16. Hi Sara - just starting a catch up in blogland after a busy weekend and thought I would start with my Try it on Tuesday comments and guess who landed as my next number to comment on!!
    This is just stunning - I love how it evolved as you were creating it and the final piece looks stunning - wonderful theme and some amazing details. What you say about beauty - don't be hard on yourself girl - but you are right it is what is on the inside that counts and when we can feel and believe that, then outside shines too.

    Thank you so much for showing my piece - I am SO glad you like it and honoured you have put it up. I am overjoyed and humbled it helped you too.

    Before I write a novel (LOL!) - I must go. In my official capacity thank you for sharing with us at Try it on Tuesday and A Vintage Journey. And from me - a big thank you for being you, for your honesty and for sharing your fabulous creativity with us.
    Nikki xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nikki, what can I say? You hit the nail on the head about feeling and believing what's on the inside that counts, and it will show outwardly--that's the idea behind the gilded antennae!

      What a wonderful compliment you offer here! I'm just speechless! So many nice things to see! And I truly love your artwork; this is very special to me! (I see it clearly from my desk here in the breakfast room.) What an honor to own it now! Big hugs!

      Delete
  17. Great ATC Sara, wonderful use of all of Tim's honeycombs and the addition of the mirror for the queen bee to view herself in is fab! What a lovely gift from Nikki too, enjoy it you lucky girl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Deb! I do enjoy my gift! Thank you for your wonderful compliment on my ATC, too! I love that Mirrored stuff! Hugs!

      Delete
  18. Really fantastic! Thank you for joining the Mixed Media Place Gym!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Riikka! It was fun to be able to join in again at Mixed Media Place!

      Delete
  19. What a wonderful creation Sara! love the bee theme with all the various honeycomb pieces - such a clever shaped design! Thank you so much for joining us in the AVJ Through the Looking Glass challenge! Julia xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a sweet comment, Julia! Thank you for that and an awesome challenge! I hope I can come up with something a little grander!

      Delete
  20. Beautiful ATC Sara. Lovely honeycomb background and cute honeybee :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great work, your ATC is fantastic!! Thank you for joining the Mixed Media Place challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a beautiful piece Sara! I love the metal and the blue together and the honey comb over the honey comb is brilliant. Lucky you receiving that beautiful piece from Nikki. Also wanted to thank you for your very kind comment and stopping by to visit my blog. Very much appreciated. Karen.x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen! I'm happy you visited and left this sweet comment! Ilove the blue and mettal combo, too! And, yes, I'm blessed to have Nikki's work here to enjoy everyday!

      Delete
  23. I love honey Bees and this is such a beautiful piece to represent! Wonderful Sara!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jackie! I so admire your work, so it is a great compliment coming from you!

      Delete
  24. What a fun ATC! I love the stormy sky honeycombs. Thanks so much for joining us this month at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Donna! Yes, it was a fun ATC to make!

      Delete
  25. Cool project, I love it! Thank you for joining our challenge at Mixed Media Place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Athanasia, I'm so happy you like it!

      Delete
  26. Wonderful chunky ATC!! I love the reflective corner - it really caught my attention!! And the stormy blue - just a perfect background color!! Thank you so much for playing with us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen! It's good to know that the mirrored honeycomb center shows up enough to catch your attention! I'm happy you like it!

      Delete
  27. Ohhhhh now this is fun! Love all the reflections you've caught! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us at Frilly and Funkie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Nicole! I'm so happy you like my fun ATC! I love that Mirrored material!

      Delete
  28. Oh Sara, yet again you've created a little piece of magic! I love the reflective pool idea and the whole honeycomb theme running through this. A real treasure. Thank you for joining us at Frilly and Funkie. Jenny x
    p.s.Must admit to being just a little bit envious of your having Nikki's beautiful hanging - one of my all time favs - but it's brilliant to know it's gone to such a good home where it will be appreciated and treasured. How kind of Nikki and brilliant for you! x

    ReplyDelete
  29. Doh, it's one of those days! Forgot to say thanks for joining us at A Vintage Journey too. Jenny x

    ReplyDelete
  30. Beautiful ATC! Love all of your details. Thanks for joining us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving your comments...they mean so much to me.