Things I Love

I have another Valentine card to share with you today--this one's a little bit non-traditional. I made is for my sister whose favorite color is green. This layered card uses a lot of leftovers and lots of techniques including Tim's Rock Candy Distress Glitter  technique.

The 21st installment at Linda Ledbetter's Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge is using Tim Holtz' Rock Candy Distress Glitter Technique found on page 55 of Tim's inspirational book A Compendium of Curiosities Vol. 3.  In order to play along you will need your own personal copy of Tim's book, and you can order your autographed copy from Tim here. Make sure to visit Linda's blog to see the most awesome artwork inspired by Tim Holtz' techniques, and you will be delighted you did. There are several prizes up for grabs, too.  An amazing array of Tim's goodies compliments of Tim and Mario are awarded to the Curiosity Crew's pick, and if you are a lucky winner you will receive a generous $50 shopping spree to the well stocked crafty Heaven known as  Inspiration Emporium.  So grab your CCV3 and your Distress Glitter and join the fun!

Annie at A Vintage Journey is hosting this fortnight's challenge where she has set up a Tic Tac Toe grid. We get to choose which line from the chart we want to complete and include those 3 elements on our project.  I chose the last vertical line and included twine, die cuts, and stains on my card.  For some reason, I find this kind of challenge a little more, how shall we say--challenging!  I had a couple of lines with two elements, but how would I add the third to complete a line?

 I used Tim's glittery technique on the green layer using Tim's lace stencil--just a little twist on Tim's approach and following  Anita Houston's lead, but I followed his instructions to the letter on my next layer using his flourish image from  Tim's Boundless Flight stamp set.

This second layer started out as watercolor technique I was trying out using watercolor pencils and a TCW stencil.  It didn't turn out to my liking, even after I added some highlights to the birds and did some stenciling through a Dylusions stencil, so into the recycle pile it went. And so today  I decided to use it as a background layer for this card.  I gave it a light coat of gesso which really helped to blend the birds. I had some spots of Picket Fence Distress paint on my craft mat, and I blotted them up with it, too, to give it a little texture. Then I used Tim's RCDG technique, distressed the edges and inked them with Walnut Distress ink.

I used another "leftover" stained scrap of water color paper (Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, and Tumbled Glass) that I was testing colors on. I thought it was too pretty to throw out, so I threw it in the recycle bin. I stamped Tim's bird image from his Urban Grunge set using 2 colors of Distress ink on tissue paper.   I tore the image and applied  it to the stained water color scrap with Matte Multi Medium and when dry, used a water pen and Rusty Hinge Distress ink to color in the bluebird's breast. I tore the edges of the scrap and inked the entire piece with Old Paper to knock the colors down a bit, then edged with Vintage Photo. A little spritz from Tim's marker spritzer to finish.

I used Tim's Honeycomb die to cut some cheap sketch paper lining my spray box which has the most amazing colors collected in tiny droplets on it. I cut the green hearts using  Spellbinders dies Kathy Clement sent me. I used designer paper which I inked and spritz and flicked, embossed with Tim's Regal Texture Fade (which obliterated the spritz and flick--oh, well!) and added some more Rock Candy Distress Glitter to the larger hearts.

The sentiment is 7 Gypsies inked in Archival on a banner cut with Tim's banner die from paper I  inked and spritz and flicked, and splatted on Picket Fence Distress paint with my basting brush. Also a few spritzes from the marker spritzer.  I added the Creative Memories punched heart from the same paper.

 I soaked some green twine with Stiffen Stuff to help it keep it's shape and  wrapped it  around a dowel to make little twirly springs and wrapped this and  burlap twine around the honeycomb "trellis" to resemble dried and withered vines and then new growth like I am seeing in the garden where I work.

This was before I spritzed and added the twine...I just thought it needed something else!

Better!

I hope my sister likes her green Valentine.  Thank you for stopping by and leaving all your awesome comments! Hugs!

Sara Emily


  Remember, I will be having a random drawing for some craft goodies on February 15.  Each time you comment (starting with my first January 2015 post) you get your name thrown in the hat for the draw. You do not have to be a follower, but you can follow if you wish. I really don't know what my goodie package will include yet, but there are a few things that I've thrown into a bag (and I'm still adding) that I would like  to share. It's just my little way of saying thank you for all your positive support and inspiration.

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

Linda Ledbetter's Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge Rock Candy Distress Glitter

A Vintage Journey "It's Time to Play Tic Tac Toe!"

Mixed Media Card Challenge #8 "Love"

Inspiration Journal "Love is in the Air"

Country View Challenges "Drips and Drops" My drops are symbolized by the dot stenciled on my background, the tiny droplets on the honeycomb die cut,  and by the spritzes and splats on my sentiment banner and on the water colored bird panel.

The Artistic Stamper February's Creative Challenge "Love"