Thursday, March 22, 2018

Taking a Trip Back in Time With Tim Holtz Stamps and Oxides - A Mini Mini Album



Hello friends! How about a little time travel? I've taken a trip down memory lane and made a star album. (Remember when they were popular?) My tiny album includes stamped images from some of my first Tim Holtz stamp sets--those dreadful acrylic ones. Well, even though they are grungy and sticky, they still make a nice impression, and I felt it was time to give them some love.

Here's what my  3 by 2 inch  album looks like when it's opened up. I didn't know it was going to be a star album until I was finished! I am terrible at visualizing these types of things, and I actually started this back in December. No tutorials were followed; I just winged it. So if you've made one like this, and I don't give you credit, it's because I didn't follow your tutorial. I also have no step by step photos, because I really didn't think I would ever finish this miniature monster. It may seem like an odd orientation, but that's just how I like to look at thing--like a stenographer's notebook.


I can recall that the papers were from a kraft paper scrap pack from ages ago, already cut to size. Sadly I think I threw out the rest of the pack, but I saved these thinking they would make a quick album! Ha! NOT. Each of these 14 business card sized pieces of kraft paper have ugly prints on the opposite side. I just flipped them to the 'clean' side and dipped into various Distress Oxide puddles all in blue. It was my original intent to make an album titled, 'If You're Feeling Blue' with little cheerful quotes for my daughter. Her blue period is over, so this just became a trip back in time for me. I tried to make facing panels look similar. Nothing fancy--just fun!









The stamping went quickly, and so did the assembly, once I figured out what the heck I was doing. I glued two completed cards back to back, leaving just the bottom quarter inch unglued. I made an accordion folded spine with 7 'mountains' and two free ends which would become the inside front and back covers. I added glue to the bottom quarter inch of the stamped panels, and slipped them over the 'mountain' folds. I debated about gluing the back of the folds together, but when I found out the album made a star shape I decided against it. At the last minute I decided to add some old Tim tissue tape to cover the seams of the pages.


Although the album looks pretty all fanned out, it folds down nice and flat, shown below.


I made the covers by cutting my cat food box into panels just a tiny bit larger than the pages. I took plain kraft paper, inked with Ranger ink refresher, and crumpled it up, to make it more flexible to wrap my cat food panels with. Then I glued the inside front and back panels to the inside, covering the folded over edge. Lastly, I made two more panels out of some kraft paper, inking with Blueprint Sketch and Cracked Pistachio DOX and glued these to the front and back. Here's the plain backside.


I really enjoyed my trip down memory lane, and it felt good to use some of the stamps that got me hooked on Tim Holtz' products so many years ago. It is the little things that make life big!


Thank you for your visit today and for your lovely comments!
Hugs and Blessings!
Sara Emily
I'm sharing with these challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Road Trip A trip down memory lane with my old Tim Holtz stamps!

18 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, isn't this amazing!! I can't believe how tiny it is. If you didn't say the dimensions, I never would have guessed. Your work with the oxides is incredible, what amazing textures and effects you have achieved. Love all your amazing stamped designs, can't go wrong with birds and butterflies I say! LOVE IT!

    The weather here has been so dull and grey, I would actually call it a complete lack of weather!! No sun, no rain, no snow, just grey, grey and more grey. Good thing I have tons of new crafting supplies to play with. lol. Although I haven't brought myself to pick up my camera, I did take a walk to the lake the other day to check out the gazillion seagulls that were making a ruckus. lol. Well I hope you have a great week my friend, sending hugs and thinking of you :)

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  2. FABULOUS little journal! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at our Double D ‘Just Wing It’ challenge! Good Luck and we hope you’ll come back often.

    Darlene
    DOUBLE D Challenge Blog
    DAR’S CRAFTY CREATIONS Please stop in for a visit!

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  3. Wow, wow, wow!! This is amazing, Sara Emily!! What stunning colors!! I love the stamping and the texture and all of the gorgeous details!! Spectacular, my friend!! Have a great day!! Big hugs :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  4. Well, you know I love this, Sara! The inking is just gorgeous and I can't believe how much detail you work into this small wonder! I love that it opens out into a star shape. Your work is so inspiring!

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  5. This album is really lovely, Sara. Gorgeous idea and color combo. I have never made a star album...

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  6. What an awesome album, Sara Emily! I do believe I have these stamps as well. I need to pull them out and make use of them!

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  7. Great one! Love that you kept is almost monochrome between blues and beige. Pretty stamping and the backgrounds are stunning. Thank you for joining us over Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

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  8. This is so freaking cute, Sara Emily! Your backgrounds are great, as always, and I love the simplicity of the background colors, stamping and some tissue tapes. I haven't seen the star style of album in awhile and have never made one. You did a great job putting this together and I'm so impressed that you didn't use any tutorials - WOW! Hugs!!

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  9. What a fabulous mini album! I would not have a clue to how you make a star album but I really love yours, it is lovely to see those older stamps get an airing and the oxide backgrounds are gorgeous - I especially love the butterfly pages and the front cover - gorgeous!

    Thanks so much for joining in our challenge this month at Mini Album Makers! Hugs, Anne xx

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  10. What a wonderful little book - love the colour and the stamps. Thanks for the inspiration to use the Cat Box as a backing I will use that idea.

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  11. What a great little book Sara Emily! I'm glad you told me the size because I was envisioning it bigger - how adorable is this! love the star formed when opening it up - and your beautiful pages - SO clever to use a cat food box for the base! Julia xx

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  12. I really love how you just went at it and worked and worked these panels until they were AMAZING! And they are! I've admired this before, but am back again to say how thankful I am that you finally finished up and shared with us at Mini Album Makers. This is so cool girl! Hugs, Autumn

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  13. This is gorgeous. Love your colour choices and stamps. Thanks for sharing with us at Double "D" Challenge.
    Amelia (Double "D" Challenge Design Team)

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  14. Such a fantastic work on this beautifull album! You've offered us a trip in time...and beauty Thanks for playing at LTSCB !

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  15. Your work is always so beautiful and inspiring! I love this blue beauty! Thanks for sharing your work with us at Mini Album Makers Challenge Blog!

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  16. Totally fabulous creation! Thank you for sharing with us over at Let's Craft and Create. We hope to see you again.
    ~ DT Sherry x

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  17. You can probably guess how much I love this - the colours are right up my street, and I just love the joy of how some simple inking and stamping can make something so beautiful. Thanks so much for playing along with us at Mini Album Makers.
    Alison x

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  18. Wow! This is amazing! Your work is always so beautiful and inspiring! Thanks so much for playing along with us at Mini Album Makers.

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