Birds & Words

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Embossing Diffusers

Happy Spring, CC3Cer's!!  The weather is warming up and things are turning green and I'm thinking travel!  We've got a couple of family trips planned soon that we're really looking forward to and I took that theme for my challenge today.

I'm a big fan of dimension and texture and I love the look of embossed paper.  Embossing Diffusers are such a cool addition to this look!!  This year is all about frames for me, I see them everywhere and the "diffused" area creates a fantastic frame for your featured images.
I embossed a panel of watercolor paper using Tim's Regal Flourish Texture Fade embossing folder.  I picked up some Cracked Pistachio and Old Paper Distress Inks with a Detail Nib water brush and touched the high embossed areas.  I used Vintage Photo blended over the whole thing, leaving the center oval mostly white.

Note:
I used the following sandwich in my Vagabond, which would also work in the Big Shot:
Solo or Multipurpose Platform
Embossing Diffuser Plate
Embossing folder containing watercolor paper
Acrylic cutting plate

After running this sandwich through and getting my embossed area, I ran the paper back through with with following sandwich to get the inner oval frame to emboss:
Solo or Multipurpose Platform
2 Spellbinders Rubber Tan mats (you need to use rubber matting to equal the thickness of the acrylic cutting plate)
Watercolor paper with oval cutout placed over diffused oval area
Acrylic cutting plate

This is a bit different than what you'll read in Compendium of Curiosities III, but its what worked for me.  The point of this challenge is to use the Embossing Diffusers in your project, but you will need your own copy of the book, as always.  Hopefully, this will not confuse you, but will simplify things.  Tim's book, which I'm SURE you own!!, will add step by step photos and details to help you get your very best, successful result. 
 
We live in Colorado and Tim's Tall Trees stamp is a very worn, well loved stamp in my collection.  I traced the oval from the Embossing Diffuser on some paper and cut the oval out to create a mask, then stamped the Tall Trees through the mask.   I can really relate to the little jalopy bumping over mountain roads through the trees as we begin our journey. 
A little spiral of white wire tells you our jalopy is chugging along.  I've got a big bag of old car keys I got from an estate sale.  This one went with a 1969 white Ford of some kind.  4 door.  ;-)
 Some bits of Tim's Expedition Ephemera.  Planes, trains, and automobiles, baby.
When I was a little girl, wanted to go see all the places I saw on my View Master. Sequoia trees in California, Niagara Falls, Mt. Rushmore, all of it.  This Picture Wheel has always meant travel to me.  I put some alcohol ink on acetate and then cut an extra picture wheel, just for the little window cutouts.

How are you going to diffuse?  There are more ways to use this one and I KNOW you guys are going to find them!!!

Our sponsor this challenge is Inspiration Emporium.  A FABulous $50 gift certificate for a randomly chosen winner.  Just by entering your art!!  You oughta do it.  Just follow some simple guidelines on Linda Ledbetter's blog and you've got a chance for this cool prize.  The Curiosity Crew Choice wins an outrageous bundle of goodies from Tim Holtz himself!!  

Alrighty, then.  Go explore your world! 

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Smudge Stamping

Greetings, CC3Cer's!!  Thanks to all of you for all the beauty and inspiration you are creating.  I can't tell you how many times I look at your art and think to myself "I want to redo mine!"  Truly, you guys are all so awesome.  Your blogs are a joy to read and your art is a joy to view.  What a cool challenge to get to be a part of.  I am blessed.  YOU are blessing me!

This challenge is just super easy and I promise you, if you are a Timaholic at ALL, you have everything you need for this technique.  You can take off on this one a thousand different ways.  Let your creativity FLY.  I love the ebb and flow of these challenges.  Sometimes, there are very specific things you need to do creatively and sometimes the choices are wide open.  Find the technique on page 42 of your very own copy of Compendium of Curiosities III and GO!!

This time our challenge is sponsored by the good folks at Funkie Junkie, where Linda keeps Holtzie stuff stocked deep and wide.  Pay her a visit and do some shopping, she'll take good care of you!!  Our random winner gets an awesome $25 gift certificate from Funkie Junkie!!

Our Curiosity Crew choice will, after they stop jumping up and down and screaming, will win a bundle of fabulosity from Professor Holtz and his able teaching assistant, Mario Rossi.  Trouble is, they may not stop screaming for a while.  Its kind of an exciting thing.
Of course, I cannot explain the technique upon pain of death, but so I've just included some close ups of the details of my tag.  My "thing" that I wanted to build my project around was the stamp from Wendy Vecchi, "rules to live by".  So simple, I think I'm gonna get a tattoo.  My frame kind of covered up the stars on the sides of the first line of the text, so I stamped them again, cut them out and popped them out.  The text of this stamp, including the stars, are embossed with Wendy's Watering Can embossing powder.
***RED ALERT***
Ranger just announced today NEW colors from Wendy in Archival Ink Pads and Embossing Powders.  Pink Peony, Tiger Lily, and Violet.  That Wendy is a flower girl.  ;-)
 I stamped Wendy's bee on her Art Parts.  Such a cool dimensional statement.  I've big plans for Art Parts this summer, I'll be blogging what I'm doing with them!!  My tag layer is out of my "starter" basket, which is full of tags and bits that are just things with a bit of ink or embossing paste, or whatever, that I like for whatever reason and don't want to throw away.  I love that basket.
 Here's where I'm committing blogging blasphemy, I think.  I'm not sure I remember how I created this frame.  I picked up a frame I'd done several months ago and I'm not sure how I did it.  BUT!!  I'm pretty sure I cut the frame from Tim's Ornate Frame  Sizzix Bigz Die, painted over it with black gesso and then applied Picket Fence Distress Stain.  If I didn't, that's darn sure what I'm going to do the next time I need one of these suckers.
Ain't it, though?

For this project I used Wendy's Art-fully Said and Art for You stamp sets, Tim's Special Delivery Remnant Rubs and Typo Layering Stencil, Vintage Photo, Wild Honey and Walnut Stain Distress Inks, Wendy's Watering Can Embossing Powder, and Tim's NEW Handwritten Journey Thinlits dies by Sizzix.  I've been dying to use those dies!

Please visit all the Curiosity Crew blogs and leave them a little love, I know they love YOU!

Thanks for enjoying the journey with us.  I am, aren't you??