12 tags of 2012 ~ may

tada! my may submission for the tim holtz 12 tags of 2012. i was really excited when i first saw that our inspiration had a sewing theme. i immediately decided that whatever i created would be for my mom because she loves sewing and quilting.


sorry for any visible spots of glue!

i had to determine how i would create a tag like tim's without having hardly any of the supplies he used. instead of pattern paper i used regular tissue paper to cover my tag. and because i do not have a dress form stamp or die i drew my own! i added some pins and buttons just to make it a little more sew-like. i was also happy to find a little sewing machine in my dcwv crafty stack and i had just recently bought the cute little frame charms so that worked out great. i am really happy with the results and it was nice to spend a little time with my sewing machine. hope you like it, mom!

12 tags of 2012 - april

this month flew by for me and with just a half an hour left to spare i completed and submitted my april project for the tim holtz 12 tags of 2012.

for the backgroud of my tag i was excited to use my new pocketwatches embossing folder by sizzix / tim holtz alterations. i then inked it with a few different colors of distress ink and then spritzed with a dark brown {homemade} glimmer mist.

next i got to work on my bird. i drew him onto some chipboard, inked him up, and then embossed him with a bright blue and dark blue mix of powders. after that i cut a little crown from my paperdoll dress up cart, embossed it with metallic silver, and added a couple of black hot fix jewels to the front. i used real sticks and moss for the birdie perch. i really like to incorporate these items into my papercrafting and other projects.

i added a mother of pearl button with hemp and a sentiment to the bottom, plus a couple of staples, and tied some hemp on the top to finish it all off.

{please excuse the visible glue behind the sticks and moss...my tag was not completely dry when i was taking pictures!}

harry potter bookmarks

when the harry potter books first started coming out i didn't really catch on to the craze. once the movies started, though, i really liked them and decided that once i had seen them all, i would go back and read all the books. i spent the past few years collecting the books and movies (watching them multiple times as i was happily crafting) and, at the beginning of this year, after getting the final movie for christmas, i was sooooo excited to start reading!

not wanting to dog ear the pages as i do in many of my books i thought about grabbing a bookmark but quickly realized that no ordinary bookmark would do! this is harry potter for goodness sake! and i had also just received the paper doll dress up cart and knew full well there were wizarding dies to be cut!

 for the background i used textured red and tan paper with tim holtz distress stain, distress inks, and glimmer mist. i then used my star cluster punch with metallic gold paper behind. this was also the first time i got to use my crop a dile big bite, which was fun! on the back of the bookmarks i wrote out many of the spell names they use in the books and movies. and because i have a harry-potter-loving nephew, i figured i should make a bookmark for him, too! hope he loves it!

project #13

with earth day coming up and spring cleaning on everyone's mind i thought that this month a *reuse and recycle* theme would be really fun and interesting. the requirements were to turn items that may normally be thrown away into crafting supplies or embellishments. i don't know about everyone else but i do already recycle and i also have a habit of looking at "garbage" items and thinking "now what can i do with this?" actually...i have an entire drawer and a couple of file folders dedicated to these items so i was anxious to see what i could come up with! here is my overall project...

i did a 12x12 *environmentally friendly* themed layout and when i get a chance to go out and take some pictures of pretty trees and things i will add them to the page. the reused and recycled items i used in this layout were a magazine clipping, a bottle cap, and the paper (dcwv green stack) which is 70% recycled paper!

 i love this motto! definitely one to live by, especially if you are one to go out and visit nature.

this was a fun thing to try. i embossed this bottle cap and then stamped into it. i do suggest being VERY careful if you want to try this. i did use needle nose pliers but the little cap is hard to maneuver and it will stay hot for a long time. i know this because i burnt myself...*twice*.

tim holtz ~ 12 tags of 2012 ~ march

when i heard about tim holtz's 12 tags of 2012 i thought is was a great idea! i had not heard of the 12 tags of christmas (yes, i live under a rock) and while that sounded fun, one tag each month sounded even better! but with april just around the corner i thought it was too late to join in on the fun and had hopes of maybe joining in next year. then, just a few days ago i was looking into this project a little more and realized i could join...tim himself even started the entire concept late, beginning in february instead of january. and even though i am not a crafting god like tim <3 i am sure me coming in on march is acceptable!

i don't have a woodgrain stamp like in the demonstration so i used a woodgrain patterned paper. i also had to figure out a way to make the butterflies with my supplies. i punched each one out and then glued on the mosaic pieces. after that i used an embossing marker to ink between the mosaic pieces for the "grout". for this i used a metallic embossing powder.

for the flower my wonderful hunny thought of making an accordion flower. while he suggested green, i went with a strip of tan patterned paper that featured brown swirls which created another flower design inside the accordion flower itself. nope, didn't plan that! just a happy crafty surprise :)

all in all, i love the way my first of 12 tags of 2012 came out! i do plan on creating the february tag as well. even though i cannot submit it to the site, i would like to join in on making it - and then i will have a set!

#1 of 4 mini album order

not long after i gave my stepdad his toilet paper roll album my mom brought it to her office to show her coworkers. she called me that night with 4 orders of them! my first thought: "do i have enough rolls saved up?" and my second: "how am i going to get all these done?!" but i didn't want to turn down this opportunity so i accepted! each album was to be based around the same theme: spiritual / inspirational. i spent a little time finding psalms and other sayings that i could put in each book so they weren't all the same. this is the first of the order of 4 i have created so far...

i found some binder rings at staples and thought they would be great for these albums. i love that i could tie tule and other fun stuff onto them! throughout this album i used distressing inks, paper tearing and wrinkling, as well as glimmer mists to make it shabby but also a little chic! <3

 1st page: i used my tim holtz clock stamp with white ink and clear / glitter embossing powder. in the pocket is a tag that swivels open to reveal the word "faith"

2nd page: featuring my FIRST EVER accordion flower!!! i love this little guy! i got to use my ms scoreboard for the first time and this flower was so easy!

 3rd page: untie the brown ribbon to reveal an accordion type folded strip of paper with a different message on each square. this was quite fun to make!

4th page: a little pocket holds a double sided tag and a butterfly background

 5th page: lift up the little tab and find a folder with a message inside. this saying is my favorite. it was found on the wall of a bunker where, i believe, a jewish family was hiding during ww2. very sad but also very beautiful words that should always be remembered.

6th page: another little swivel tab with a message underneath.

tube pocket inserts

my sanctuary

          

here is the view of my room from the doorway...i love walking in here with an idea in my head and time to create!

when i started crafting i had a cupboard and some drawers in my dining room. i spent more time getting set up and then cleaning up my mess than i did creating. now, i have a beautiful craft room and while this one is not permanent it is wonderful!

my desk is my favorite part. my mom gave it to me, with a note taped in the drawer, encouraging me to use my crafting abilities and reminding me how proud of me she is. i get so much inspiration from my mom and from this ol' desk!



1st toilet paper roll album

hello there! i am excited to share my first ever toilet paper roll mini album. when i came across this idea in december i was immediately interested. i love recycling so reusing items for crafting is fantastic! i decided to start saving toilet paper rolls and try to create one of these albums after the new year. however, a few days later a great gift idea popped into my head and i had 3 days to complete the project before christmas. this spiritually uplifting album was made for my stepdad.

i had really been hoping to get a cropadile for christmas (which i did :)) but because i did not have one while making this i decided to not do eyelets in the holes. instead i strung hemp through and tied many knots. because i chose mostly greens and browns and tried to give it an "earthy" feel i think the hemp and other supplies i used helped me achieve my goal. 

throughout the album i printed psalms and inspirational sayings. while i tried to make this album a little masculine i also wanted it to be pretty. i used whatever i could find in my craft room. buttons, stickers, stamps, staples, tags, ribbon, everything. i was trying to keep from throwing it together but i also had to hurry!

with the covers, pages, and inserts there was a total of 21 pages to decorate...with work and getting ready for christmas i really felt the pressure but i managed to do 7 each day for 3 days and was so happy that i got it done on time! nothing like working under a bit of a time constraint to get me in crafting gear!

come to think of it...this isn't actually a toilet paper roll album but a wrapping paper roll album instead. i hadn't gotten the chance to stock up on tp rolls and, with it being christmas, had plenty of empty wrapping paper rolls ready for recycling. i ran the tube through my sizzix, measured each piece evenly, and cut. i love it and my stepdad does too!