Studio L3

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Your Favorite New Technique from 12 Tags '11

Thanks for visiting, and enjoy the gorgeous art my e-Teamates created!

Grungy Monday 33

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, friends, and welcome to "Episode 33" of Grungy Monday! You guys did a spectacular job re-interpreting your favorite piece from "12 Tags 2011" last week, and I can't wait to see what you do with this one:

Tim Holtz Technique Challenge, August 2008

This is another of those "magical" techniques-- your piece won't look like much while you're making it, and it may take a few tries before you get a feel for it. But, all of a sudden it will come together and you'll end up with something really, really cool. It's great for card making, scrapbooking, home decor.... and jewelry!

Watermelon, Wild Plum and Cranberry Alcohol Inks.

Keep in mind, the Alcohol Ink Metallic Mixatives don't work very well for this particular technique. Stick with the translucent AI colors for the best results. And, if at first you don't succeed, wipe off the ink with Blending Solution and try again!

To join this challenge:

Create a work of art utilizing Tim's technique from the link above.
Post a photo of your creation on your blog or at an online, public photo-hosting site like Flickr or Photobucket. You can enter anytime before Sunday, January 22 at 8pm MST.
Be sure to include a link to the post on Tim's blog where you found your technique.
Finally, please include a link to this Studio L3 challenge post
Link your art below using the handy InLinks button
Know that you are appreciated and wonderful!

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Thanks to the wonderful folks at Simon Says Stamp for sponsoring last week's challenge. They'll post the winner on their blog shortly, and I'll add the info to this post when I have it.

I hope you all have a magnificently grungy Monday and a beautiful and creative week!

Hugs,
Linda
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Grungy Monday 32: A Little 12 Tags Review!

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sponsored by our wonderful friends at

You know, I love hosting Grungy Monday, and before that, I loved hosting the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge. In all those many challenge themes-- this week makes 67!-- I've never enjoyed one as much as I did last week's Tim Holtz Birthday Card event! So many incredibly talented artists joined in, and every single one of those cards you guys created is magnificent! What an honor it is to play hostess to such generous craft artists. Thank you all!

Now, it's a whole new week and I hope you'll enjoy this challenge as much as the last! I don't know about you, but I found the 12 Tags of Christmas 2011 to be absolutely chock full of awesome, new-to-me techniques that I barely had time to explore beyond the rush to make the tag of the day. So, now that things have (hopefully) calmed down a bit, how 'bout we take a more leisurely approach and explore:

The link above will take you to a page on Tim's blog that lists all 12 of the tags, and your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find one particular technique that intrigues you and try it in a non-Christmas-y work of art. This is time to experiment and play and just have a complete blast, so find something you really want to do. Fun, huh?

I fell in love immediately with the delicate Tissue Wrap flowers Tim demo'ed for Tag #12, and wondered how well the technique would work for a large-scale Valentine's piece.

I followed Tim's instructions, but used larger squares Tissue Wrap (5 - 6 inches), and tinted it with red tones of Distress Stain and Ink. I cut leaves using the Tattered Leaves die and tinted those with Evergreen Bough Distress Ink. (If you use ink on the Tissue Wrap, give it a blast with your heat tool to set the color.) There are photos of each individual flower below.

Excited to play? I hope so! This week is extra special, because the amazingly generous folks at Simon Says Stamp will be giving a $25 gift certificate to one of our Grungy Monday participants! They have EVERYTHING-- it's such a cool online store!

To enter this challenge:

Create a work of art based on any technique from Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas, 2011.
Post a photo of your creation on your blog or at an online, public photo-hosting site like Flickr or Photobucket. You can enter anytime before Sunday, January 15 at 8pm MST.
Be sure to include a link to the post on Tim's blog where you found your technique.
Also, remember to include a link to our sponsor, Simon Says Stamp (www.simonsaysstamp.com).
Finally, please include a link to this Studio L3 challenge post
Link your art below using the handy InLinks button
Know that you are AWESOME!

Speaking of awesome, the lovely Gloria at the All Things Tim group has a special photo album where you can share your fabulous Grungy Monday art. If you're not a member, join up! They're such nice people and you'll learn a TON of great stuff from them!

Okay, friends, go have yourselves a magnificent and creative week! I can't wait to see what you come up with, and I thank you sincerely for being part of Grungy Monday!

Hugs,

Linda

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Grungy Monday 31: Happy Birthday, Tim Holtz!

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 2012, my dear Grungy Monday friends! I hope your January began with a smile, and that this entire year brings you nothing but the absolute best of everything.

While the official holiday season may be over, for us crafters there's yet another holiday coming later this week, one I'm very grateful to celebrate: Tim Holtz's BIRTHDAY! That's right, guys: January 7 is the big day, and we're throwing a Grungy Monday party to commemorate this auspicious event. Grab your Distress Inks, your Alterations, your Idea-ology, and/or your favorite Stampers Anonymous stamps, and create:

A Birthday Card for Tim!

Background is white card stock with Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade, Ripe Persimmon, Barn Door and Seedless Preserves. Alterations Weathered Clock was die cut from a Ranger Foil Tape sheet, colored with Alcohol Ink in Espresso, Black Soot and Copper, then sanded. Alterations Umbrella Man was cut from Grunge Paper and colored with Faded Jeans and Picket Fence Distress Stains. "Success" letters were cut from the Idea-ology Lost & Found Paper Stash and glued behind Idea-ology Filmstrip Ribbon. The Filmstrip was secured using the Tiny Attacher. The background card is a sheet of Kraft Resist paper smudged with Faded Jeans Distress Ink.

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To join this world-wide celebration, create a birthday card for Tim using at least one of his signature products, upload it to your own blog or online, public photo album, then add it to this post using the InLinkz button below. Please be sure to tell us which of Tim's products you used, and don't forget to include a link to Tim's website (www.timholtz.com) in your post or photo description. Submissions will be accepted through next Sunday, January 8 at 8pm MST.

If you'd like to send your card to Tim and need his address, please let me know and I'll email it to you one you've linked in your photo. Please understand that I'm not comfortable giving out his address until you've uploaded a card to this post. I don't want to just hand it out randomly! :-)

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Remember to share your photo at the All Things Tim group, where Gloria, List Mom Extraordinaire, has a special album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces. If you're not already a member of this awesome group of Tim fans, well, get on over there and join up!

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Thanks to everyone for joining the party!

Updated January 3 to say CONGRATULATIONS to Michelle Reaves, winner of the Simon Says Stamp shopping spree for her GM30 entry!!!

Have a blast with this challenge, and a completely wonderful week!

Hugs,
Linda
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Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 12: Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T21:48:00.002-07:00

Harry: What does this song mean? My whole life, I don't know what this song means. I mean, "Should old acquaintance be forgot…" Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean that if we happen to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot 'em?

Sally: Well, maybe it just means that we should remember that we forgot them, or something. Anyway, it's about old friends.

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Happy, happy New Year, to my dear friends, both old and new! My final submission to Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas comes in just under the wire (whew!), and it's a celebration of the brand new beginning that 2012 offers. It's also my wish for all of you that this coming year will be the best you've ever had! Take these next twelve months and shape a beautiful, exciting, inspiring existence for yourself. And remember, when all else fails:

“Draw a crazy picture

Write a nutty poem

Sing a mumble-gumble song

Whistle through your comb.

Do a loony-goony dance '

Cross the kitchen floor

Put something silly in the world

That ain't been there before.”

― Shel Silverstein

In other words, create, create, create!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 11

2011-12-31T15:40:00.001-07:00

Holy rockets, guys, how'd it get to be December 31?! WOW!

I woke up this morning with a gasp, realizing I had but a few short hours to finish and post the final 2 Tags of Christmas a la Tim Holtz. I promised myself I'd finish before New Years Day, so... the race is on!

Back shortly...

Hugs,
Linda

P.S. I used the Gingerbread Alterations Die, and a little Snow Cap Adirondack paint, for Santa's cookies.

Grungy Monday 30: Get Out the Tissues!

2011-12-26T06:00:00.001-07:00

Updated January 3 to say CONGRATULATIONS to Michelle Reaves, winner of the Simon Says Stamp shopping spree!

Sponsored by the lovely folks at:

Hello, my dear friends, and happy last week of 2011! I hope you're all enjoying a truly wonderful holiday season. Grungy Monday 30 is one of those "Let your imagination run wild!" challenges. Just create anything your heart desires using:

Tim Holtz's Tissue Wrap and Tape!

Yep, the only rule is that you use Tim's wonderful new Tissue Wrap from his District Market line, OR Idea-ology Tissue Tape... or both. If you haven't yet played with the Tissue Wrap, holy cow, you're in for a treat. I love, LOVE this stuff! It's an elegant, semi-sheer tissue paper, but with a lot more heft than the uber-fragile stuff that rips if you breathe on it the wrong way. This tissue wrap can be colored, die cut, crumpled again and again, glued down and manipulated, all without tearing.

Case in point: I colored Tissue Wrap with various shades of Alcohol Ink, crumpled it up so I could swipe some Gold Mixative over the wrinkles, flattened it out and die cut the Tattered Florals, stacked 'em, twisted 'em, floofed 'em-- and they held up beautifully to all that abuse.

The background is also Tissue Wrap, and it was inked, then wrinkled up and pressed onto a piece of heavy card stock I'd coated with Glue 'n Seal. You can create some awesome texture this way, and it's so quick and easy!

To be eligible to win the awesome $25 shopping spree from Simon Says Stamp, create your own work of art using one or more of Tim's tissue products. When you're ready, upload your finished piece to your own blog or public image-hosting site, then add it to this post using the InLinkz link below. Please remember to include a link to www.timholtz.com AND to www.simonsaysstamp.com in your blog post or photo description. :)

Remember to share your photo at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces! If you're not already a member of this talented, supportive group of Tim fans, be sure to join!

Okay, guys, that's the lowdown for the final Grungy Monday of the year! Have an awesome week, and I'll look forward to seeing your wonderful creations!

Hugs,

Linda

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Happy Winter Solstice!

2011-12-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, friends, it's the shortest day of the year, and that can only mean one thing: Light is returning! May your days absolutely be merry and bright, and thank you all for the kindness and friendship you've brought into my life. Happy Winter Solstice, Merry Christmas, Joyful Hanukkah, Spectacular Kwanzaa, Magnificent New Year... and may every OTHER day be amazingly wonderful, too!

And so the shortest day came, and the year died

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing,

To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive.

And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them

Echoing behind us - listen!

All the long echoes, sing the same delight,

This Shortest Day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, feast, give thanks,

And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And now so do we, here, now,

This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!

--"The Shortest Day," written by Susan Cooper for The Christmas Revels

E-Team Special Mission: Embellishment Bits!

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy mid-December! It's time for another eclectic Paperie E-Team Blog Hop Extravaganza!

This time around, our fearless leader, Daisy, challenged us to use the sweet new Maya Road Vintage Embellishment Bits in our project, and what a cool little package of stuff THAT is! Check it out:

Since I was doing a holiday card, I picked a few key pieces and still have enough groovy trinkets left over for several more projects.

As with all E-Team blog hops, eclectic Paperie is offering some fabulous prizes, and this time, there will be SIX lucky winners! Three people will win an eP $20 gift certificate, and three others will wins a fun box stuffed with eP's favorite embellishments-- trims, brads, buttons, decorative pins, Stickles... and more! To be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on each artist's blog between now and Sunday, December 18.

During this super-busy time of year, we're hoping to make it easier for everyone to participate in this hop--so we're spreading the love over two days! Today, these 3 E-Teamers are posting...

Micki Harper
Starla Nelson
Linda Ledbetter (that's me!)

...and tomorrow (Friday) there will be three NEW posts added from these E-Teamers:

Broni Holcombe
Latrice Murphy
Daisy Sparks, our eclectic Paperie hostess!

(Sherry Cheever is sitting this one out, but be sure to stop by her blog and see what kind of beautiful things she's been up to!)

I made a quick little holiday card for this challenge...

The background card is kraft color card stock stained with Fired Brick Distress Stain. The tree was drawn with an opaque green paint marker and decorated with Gold, True Blue and Tropical Tangerine Stickles. The little snowflakes are from the Maya Road Vintage Embellishment Bits kit, and were painted with Snow Cap Adirondack Paint.

I used a Santa image from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Paper Stash inside the little Maya Road tin, filled it about 1/8 of the way full with chunky white glitter, and sponged a little Bottle Alcohol Ink onto the metallic lid. The pretty little star pin is from the same Maya Road package, and the fake berries and leaves are just cheap craft store stuff. Everything is hot glued into place.

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Thanks so much for hopping by! Enjoy the gorgeous art my E-Team-mates created and have yourself a merry little Christmas!

Hugs,

Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 10!

2011-12-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

In my continuing mission to complete Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas 2011 before the calendar turns over to 2012, I have Number 10 right here, all done up and ready to hang on the staircase banister with the sparkly lights and snowman lanterns. Did you try this technique? Is the packing tape transfer cool, or what?! ESPECIALLY when you use shiny foil tape on the back. Okay, so it's not easy to photograph, but it's sure eye-catching in real life, yes?

I used little Christmas girl images from the Artchix Studio "Merry Christmas" Collage Sheet (they have such cool stuff!), and teeny little presents are table confetti from Pier 1. I destroyed a couple of images before I really got the hang of this, and finally figured out that if I stick the edge of the packing tape to my table so it doesn't shift around, it's much easier to get that little photo lined up correctly. A tiny "eureka," but I'll take all the eurekas I can get!

I think this year's 12 Tags has been the best yet, and I'm looking forward to completing the final two tags. Hope you're all having a blast, too!

Hugs,

Linda

Grungy Monday: Congrats to our Winner!

2011-12-12T06:00:00.002-07:00

Happy Monday, everyone! Have you guys been following along with Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas? What an awesome way to kick off December! Today is the final day, and then I guess it's time to madly rush into making some holiday cards, some Christmas gifts, maybe a little candy (can you tell? I'm a last-minute kind of girl!).

I suspect most everyone else is as busy (if not as behind) as I am, so Grungy Monday will be going on Christmas vacation, and Challenge 30 will post on December 26. It will be a cool challenge, and just to give you a heads up, you might want to have some of Tim's new Tissue Wrap on hand (that's the cool stuff he uses in today's 12 Tags Challenge).

First, though, I get to give away a prize! The winner of the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tote Bag is:

Big congrats to Kim Young!

Kim created a gorgeous, festive card for her entry, which you can read all about on her blog, Kim's Creations.

With that, I'm off to finish my own 12 Tags, do my shopping, make my cards... etc! Happy holidays to all, and don't forget to come back on December 26 for Grungy Monday 30!

Hugs,

Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 9!

2011-12-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Back in "catch up" mode, but with a good reason for falling behind: My awesome mom has been here since Friday, and we've been... ahem... power shopping. I am tired. I am broke. But, I sure did have a great time!

I love this technique. We practiced it at Ranger U last spring, and were all ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the beautiful, enamel-like look that can be achieved so very easily. Kind of makes me want to coat everything I own in the stuff and live in a shiny, lacquered world! That's not at all practical, though. ;-)

It was so much fun seeing not only Tim's gorgeous tag sample, but also the wonderful pieces created by Ted and Michelle Cutts, the brilliant people behind Tim's Stampers Anonymous stamps. Add to that Mario's insanely fun behind the scenes previews on Twitter and Facebook, and it's like a big 'ol online party!

Twelve Tags rocks. It SO does!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 8!

2011-12-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I went a little...Steampunk Kitsch with Tag 8. I admit it. But, really, weren't those guys just BEGGING for Santa hats?

Tim's is cool. Mine is cheesy. I sure did have fun making it, though. ;-)

I'm caught up! YAY!!!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 7!

2011-12-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

I fell in love-- at first sight, even!-- with Tim's tag for Day 7! It's so elegant and earthy and beauteous, and isn't Kraft Glassine the coolest stuff? EVER? Okay, so I say that about each and every one of Tim's products, but you know... it's all true. Every time!

This is a quick post-- I've challenged myself to get Tag 8 finished before bedtime, and the clock, she's a'tickin'! Back soon... barring catastrophe!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 6!

2011-12-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe we're halfway through the 12 Tags of Christmas already! This is my magnificently sloppy version of Tim Holtz's tag for Day 6, and though it's not going to win any prizes for prettiness, it really does remind me of a beat-up old aluminum tin, the kind of thing my dad might keep in his workshop to hold little parts for his antique engines. (Hi Dad!)

I used Tim's "Holiday Words" Texture Fade for the embossing, and folded big red Christmas rose (to cover a really ugly part of the tag.... shhhh! Don't tell!). The jingle ball and little ornament are also, um, strategically placed. ;-)

Isn't 12 Tags a blast?? Tim and Mario are absolute ROCK STARS for giving us this awesome project.

See you tomorrow!

Hugs,
Linda

A Beautiful Tammy Tutterow Project Giveaway!

2011-12-07T18:30:00.001-07:00

Edited December 11 to add:
Congratulations to Susan K, winner of the Tammy Tuttuerow Welcome Banner class! Susan was chosen via Random Number Generator, and she's going to ROCK this project! Thanks to everyone who participated, and I highly recommend purchasing this amazingly inexpensive, downloadable tutorial.

I'm just loving the reinvigorated focus on handmade gifts and decorations this holiday season, and was delighted to learn that my friend Tammy Tutterow is offering a brand new downloadable class on the most gorgeous Welcome Banner I've ever seen. Check this out: It holds a little key for Santa Claus!

Known as "Tammy Tutorial" to all of us who enjoy the beautifully composed craft lessons she shares every week on her blog, Tammy has gone all out on this class. It includes a supply list, printable instructions in .pdf format, and an amazing, richly-detailed slideshow that walks you step by step through the creation of your own Welcome Banner.

This is my next project, once the 12 Tags of Christmas is wrapped up. Wouldn't it make a sweet hostess gift?

The class is a bargain at only $5, and I'm thrilled to have the honor of giving one away to one of my blog readers! To be eligible to win, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite winter holiday song*. I'll choose the winner by Random Number Generator on Sunday, December 11. Don't forget to include you contact info in your comment!

Thanks to Tammy for allowing me to play Santa Claus-- and for creating such a cool project!

Hugs,
Linda

*(Mine, by the way, is Lee Ann Womack and Harry Connick, Jr.'s come-hither version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." My, oh my...)

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 5!

2011-12-05T23:47:00.002-07:00

Just sliding in before midnight, yet again, with my own version of Tim Holtz's (far superior) 5th installment of The Twelve Tags of Christmas! This was a great project, especially for anyone who's seen the "Reflections" stamps but couldn't quite figure out what to do with them. Boy, oh boy, now we know! What a brilliant product!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I actually used the Reflections stamp on the little tree, following Tim's instructions to ink a silhouette stamp with a light color, then stamp ONTO that stamp with a darker color using a Reflections stamp. I love this technique-- absolutely love it!-- and will be using this a lot in my crafting.

I had a hard time getting the Alcohol/Archival Ink trick to work on the plastic packing I had on hand (I think it had some kind of oily coating or something) and finally ended up using a piece of clear vinyl for the technique, with simple snowflake stamps instead of the intricate Reflections images. Gotta get me some of that Hambly Studios Clearly Heavy Transparency that Tim recommends! The "Peace" letters are cut from foil tape using Tim's "Upon a Time" die, and the tree is decorated with Xmas Red Stickles.

And, I have to be up for work in about five hours. Isn't it amazing how the time flies by when you're doing something you love?

Have an awesome December 6!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas, Day 4!

2011-12-04T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that with this, we're already 1/3 of the way through this year's 12 Tags of Christmas, but like this entire years seems to have done, this celebration is flying by!

I immediately fell in love with the tag when I saw it on Tim's blog this morning. The dreamy, misty background, the cool wintery blues, the beautifully crackled snowman... I couldn't wait to re-create it! But, having spent the entire evening doing and re-doing this, I've realized that either:

a. The Snowman doesn't like me, or
b. I'm crackle impaired, or
c. Both of the above.

Tim always manages to get those perfect, delicate little crackles, where mine look more like... well, what I'd imagine a window would look like if a paint can sneezed on it. Blob. crackle-crackle-crackle, BIG blob... you can plainly see what I mean by looking at my snowman (who is plotting against me as I type). Nonetheless, I had a blast making this, and will probably give it another try to see if perhaps Frosty and I can achieve détente.

Here comes Monday, just an hour away, and Tag 5 comes with it. Can't wait!!!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Days of Christmas: Day 3!

2011-12-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Is the 12 Tags of Christmas a blast, or what?? I'm have such a great time playing along with Tim Holtz and the huge, international (interplanetary?) group of artists creating these cool seasonal tags every day. I hope you're playing along, too!

Today's tag, which you can see on Tim's blog, uses his very cleverly designed stamp/embossing folder combo to mimic the look of a letterpress. The stamped image aligns perfectly with the embossing, creating a fabulous raised letter effect. SO stinking smart! Love, love, LOVE this idea!

As with the first two tags, my own version is a complete ripoff of Tim's original, with the tiniest little tweak. Instead of the Alcohol Inked bling, I colored a strip of white satin ribbon with Fired Brick Distress Stain and folded a little Christmas rose. I also tossed in a few sparkly snowflakes.

Wow-- it's nearly tomorrow, and almost time for Tag 4! I'd better hit the "Publish" button! Have a wonderful evening/morning/afternoon... wherever you may be!

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz 12 Days of Christmas: Day 2!

2011-12-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

Whew! I finished Tag #2 of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas 2011 with barely an hour to spare before the stroke of midnight! Another fun and clever design from the mind of our favorite Jedi/Ninja/Craft Guy, and c'mon, how cool is that Kraft Resist Paper?!

Again, I didn't deviate much from Tim's original. I used the leaping deer instead of her meditative sister, and Evergreen Bough Distress Ink instead of Iced Spruce, but basically I'm a total copycat tonight--and happy as ever to have such amazing inspiration.

Are you following Mario's "Behind the Scenes" ("BTS") reports on Twitter each night? Oh, you've gotta! It's so much fun, and there are a bunch of awesome people Tweeting along! What a beautiful, happy little worldwide community we share. Thanks to everyone who's been so kind and supportive-- I'm honored to be among such fabulous artists!

Until tomorrow...

Hugs,
Linda

Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas: Day 1!

2011-12-01T20:07:00.002-07:00

You know what? It really is the most wonderful time of the year! As you almost certainly know, Tim Holtz launched the 2011 edition of his beloved 12 Tags of Christmas today, meaning we're all going to get a spectacular crash course in awesome techniques both old and new, discover clever uses of his abundant product selection, and experience the warm, wonderful knowledge that we're part of a huge, worldwide crafting community playing together for the next 12 days. What a beautiful way to kick off winter, don't you think?

Click here to see Tim's post for Tag 1, and check out his gorgeous work of art for today. You'll also learn the secrets of making fabulous foliage using his cool Tattered Pinecone and Festive Greenery dies!

I followed Tim's instructions nearly verbatim for my own piece; the only deviation is the color of the "Noel" piece (I painted the Grunge Board with Adirondack Paint in "Stream" then used "Lagoon" Stickles for the glitter). Oh, and I added a little snowbird, because, well, I just love little birds!

Are you playing along? I hope so! I'm heading over to see all the submissions at Tim's blog right now, and from what I hear, they're amazing!

See you tomorrow!

Hugs,
Linda

Grungy Monday 29: Countdown to 12 Tags, and a Cool Prize, Too!

2011-11-28T06:00:00.003-07:00

Happy last Monday of November! Before we get rolling on the next challenge, I have a prize to give away. The Random Number Generator has spoken, and the winner of the Tim Holtz Journal Kit is.... Number 3, Bonnie McLain! Congratulations, Bonnie!!!

Thanks to everyone who shared their gorgeous creations last week. I truly do wish I could sent every one of you a prize.

And now, it's officially The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! We grungy crafters wait for it, wish for it, plan our early Decembers around it... that's right, it's almost time for:

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas 2011

YAY!!!

Did you watch the video? You've got to watch the video! I watched the video, like, eight times. I love, love, LOVE the 12 Tags, and can't wait to enjoy this beloved tradition along with my Grungy Monday friends!

This challenge is going to be a little different from the norm, because I want everyone to have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in The 12 Tags of Christmas. So, Grungy Monday 29 will be open for TWO weeks, and the challenge is to post your favorite winter holiday-themed project using Tim Holtz products and/or techniques. You are welcome to link in one of your new 12 Tags projects, or any other Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice/"What-the-Heck-It's-Cold-Outside" piece you wish! Please be sure, though, to include info about which of Tim's products you used.

You can post your entry anytime between now and 8pm Sunday, December 11. That's the second-to-last day of 12 Tags, so you'll have lots of projects to choose from if you decide to link in one of those pieces. One lucky participant-- selected by Random Number Generator-- will win this very cool, canvas Tim Holtz Idea-ology messenger bag! What a great way to tote around your craft supplies!

To keep it all equitable, please link one project only for this challenge. You can upload a picture from your blog or any online photo-hosting site, using the InLinkz button at the end of this post.

Don't forget to upload your art to the Grungy Monday photo album at All Things Tim, too, where awesome List Mom, Gloria, has provided this easy way to share your GM work with the entire membership there. It's an awesome group of artists, and if you're not a member, it's high time you joined the fun!

Have a great time with this super-sized Grungy Monday, and I hope to see you all linking your tag every day at Tim's blog when the 12 Tags of Christmas officially begins. Don't forget to add a project here for an opportunity to win the messenger bag (and because I'd miss you if you didn't!).

Hugs,
Linda

For my project, I made a shadowbox to display a couple of the vintage shelf elves my mom gave me last year. They're old and a little stretched out, and don't sit too well on their own anymore... so, they needed something to lean against!

The shadowbox is a cheap-o craft store crate, painted with Adirondack Denim Paint Dabber, then sponges with Snow Cap Paint Dabber. The edge is painted with Silver Adirondack Paint. The snow is... well, um... it's blown-in insulation from my attic. Yep. You can craft with darn near anything.

This is a big 'ol celebration of Tim's new Christmas Alterations dies: Bigz Vintage Noel (cut from Grunge Board), Bigz Holiday Lampost (more Grunge Board), and the Festive Greenery Strip Die (cut from various colors of Tim's Core'dinations Kraft Core paper).

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Grungy Monday 28 and a Great Big Prize!

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, and happy Thanksgiving week to my friends here in the states! You guys did a spectacular job on last week's challenge, and I'm very much enjoying making the rounds and seeing your beautiful art.

Simon Says Stamp will be announcing the winner of the $25 shopping spree on their blog later, so be sure to check and see if your name is there! Thanks, as always, to the wonderful ladies at SSS for their generosity.

Do you follow the Ranger Ink blog? If so, you probably saw their awesome Great Pumpkin Challenge last week. They gave several of their most beloved designers a little craft store pumpkin and asked them to create a wonderful centerpiece using Ranger products. Well, the designers more than rose to the occasion, and created some mind-blowingly gorgeous pieces. Here's a link to the first post in the series, so you can see all the cool art! In that spirit, this week's Grungy Monday will be to create your own project that's based on....

Tim's Piece for the Ranger Ink Great Pumpkin Challenge

The idea here is to be inspired by the technique Tim used to alter the pumpkin, not to actually alter a pumpkin (unless you want to, of course!). So, think embossed, Alcohol Ink'ed foil, and then let your imagination run wild with the idea. For my sample piece, I made a little holiday gift box:

I got the template for these little boxes from my friend, Lynn Stevens, who's truly one of the most amazing artists I've ever known. You can check out her beautiful blog here. The box is made from Tim's new Christmas Memories Kraft Resist paper, colored with Festive Berries Seasonal Distress Ink. This week's technique was used on the strip of Ranger Metal Foil tape, embossed with the garland folder from Tim's Sizzix Alterations Christmas Backgrounds and Borders set. Santa is from Tim's Seasonal Paper Stash, attached with Glossy Accents to a round Idea-ology Fragment.

But, enough about me. Let's talk about the awesome prize that one of these week's entrants is going to win! I bought this in Mario's "Shop at Sea" on the Crafting Cruise a couple months ago, and Tim was gracious enough to autograph it, knowing it would eventually be a Grungy Monday prize. It's a very special Life's Journey Journal Kit, and includes all the components you need to make your own beautiful book, with Tim's instructions for putting it together. Tim taught this class several times over the past year, including in Puerto Rico to an audience of 800 students! The kit is something that's relatively rare and completely wonderful, and I'm so excited to be able to offer it as a Grungy Monday prize!

To be eligible to win, create your own work of art based on Tim's Great Pumpkin tutorial. Remember, this is all about taking the techniques and making them your own, so you can make whatever you wish as long as you incorporate Tim's process for embossed metal/foil with alcohol ink. When you're ready, upload your finished piece to your own blog or public image-hosting site, then add it to this post using the InLinkz button below. Please remember to include a link to Tim's tutorial in your post. Entries that don't won't be included in the drawing for the prize. The winner will be chosen at random and announced in next week's Grungy Monday post.

Remember to share your photo at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces! If you're not already a member of this talented, supportive group of Tim fans, be sure to join!

I hope you all have a wonderful week, and whether or not you're celebrating Thanksgiving, I wish you countless things to feel grateful for. I certainly feel enormously thankful for all of you, my blog friends who never cease to inspire and amaze me with your kindness and talent!
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E-Team Special Mission: Be Merry!

2011-11-15T05:00:00.016-07:00

I'm always thrilled when a new E-Team Blog Hop rolls around, but I was over the moon when I learned that the topic this time is Seasonal Tags and ATCs. Yes, I've succumbed completely to Early Onset Holiday Syndrome, to the extent that I'm already drinking eggnog lattes and listening to Harry Connick, Jr.'s Christmas albums... over and over. I guess I just need a little Christmas. Right this very minute.

Here's my ATC

And, here's my tag.

As with every E-Team Blog Hop, Daisy from eclectic Paperie has some prizes up for grabs, and all you need to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment at each artist's blog. Easy as pumpkin pie, and you have until Thursday, November 17 to get those blog visits in. Daisy will randomly choose three winners from among all the comments, and each will win an awesome "Be Merry Goodie Box!"

Remember to visit the eclectic Paperie blog, too. Leave a comment there about your favorite Thanksgiving dessert, and you might win one of two $20 gift vouchers!

All winners will be announced on the eclectic Paperie blog on Friday, November 18.

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas, 2009, Day 7

I'm honored to be in such good company!

For my own Be Merry project, I went totally Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz (big shocker, huh?) ;-)

1. Begin by stamping snowflakes from the Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous Reindeer Flight (on #8 size tag) and Mini Holidays sets using Distress Embossing Ink. Heat emboss the inked images with clear embossing powder.

2. Smear a generous amount of Iced Spruce Distress Ink (from the limited-edition Winter Seasonal Distress Ink Set) onto a nonstick craft sheet. Spray the ink with Perfect Pearls Mist in the color "Perfect Pearl.

3. Drag the tag and ATC through the wet ink. Presto-change-o, the snowflakes pop! Blot off any pools of watery ink with a paper towel, and allow the tag and ATC to dry.

4. Grunge up the edges with a Tonic Paper Distressing Tool, then smudge Stormy Sky Distress Ink around the perimeter of the tag and ATC.

5. Stamp the large Santa from the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous "Letter to Santa" set with Jet Black Archival Ink. Use little brushes to strategically apply Festive Berries and Evergreen Bough inks (both from the Winter Seasonal Distress Ink Set).

6. Repeat using the little Santa image from the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous "Holiday Wishes" set. Cut out both Santa images.

7. Cut the Christmas Carol sheet music image from the Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Seasonal Paper Stash, grunge up the edges with the Paper Distresser, and smudge Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the edges.

8. From there, assemble your tag and ATC using foam tape to give them some dimension. I added Idea-ology Baubles to the tag, and an Idea-ology "25" Plaquette to the ATC. The candy cane-colored string is Twinery in Maraschino Red.

Thanks so much for helping the E-Team welcome the holiday season! We're wishing you all a lovely time, lots of happy surprises, and creativity to last the entire year through!

Hugs,
Linda

Grungy Monday 27!

2011-11-14T06:00:00.001-07:00

Sponsored by:

Happy Monday, blog friends! It's 5:30 AM as I write this, and the coffee hasn't kicked in, so please forgive all typos and bizarre syntax. :-)

I had so much fun revisiting that classic "12 Tags of Christmas" technique last week, I just couldn't help but do it again. Tis the season, right? This week, it's all about Perfect Pearls mist, masking and (of course!) grungy fun DELUXE! Let's hop in the WayBack Machine and set the dial to:

Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas, 2007, Day 6

Please click here for a list of the products I used.

You're not required to do a holiday-themed piece, by the way.

The awesome folks at Simon Says Stamp are sponsoring this challenge and will be giving a $25 shopping spree to their amazing online shop to one lucky participant! To be eligible to win, just create your work of art based on Tim's tutorial. Remember, this is all about taking the techniques and making them your own, so use whatever imagery, colors and theme you're drawn to. When you're ready, upload your finished piece to your own blog or public image-hosting site, then add it to this post using the InLinkz link below. Please remember to include a link to Tim's tutorial in your post.

The winner of the challenge will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog early next week!

Remember to share your photo at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces! If you're not already a member of this talented, supportive group of Tim fans, be sure to join!

And with that, I'm crossing my fingers that my spotty internet connection holds long enough for this to post, and will look forward to seeing your amazing Grungy Monday art! I hope you all have a magical week!

Hugs,
Linda
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Grungy Monday 26!

2011-11-07T05:59:00.001-07:00

As I write this on Sunday evening, I'm about 2/3 of the way through reading the submissions for last week's Grungy Monday, and they are breathtaking! The tributes to loved ones that were shared were absolutely beautiful and so heartfelt. I know it was a tough challenge and not everyone's cup of tea, but whether or not you participated, please carve out a little time to see the art and read the stories of remembrance. They're magnificent!

After last week's unusually introspective challenge, this feels like a good time to lighten things up and PARTY! Heck, Halloween is over and December will zoom in for a landing before we know it, so how 'bout we prime the pump and revisit one of Tim's 12 tags projects? This is one of my personal favorites, and taught me several techniques I've been using ever since:

For a list of the products I used, please click here.

Yep, I've succumbed to the lure of the holidays, even going so far as to listen to Michael Buble Christmas music while I was making this.

To play along at home, please create your own version of Tim's tag. This absolutely doesn't have to be a holiday piece-- just use his tutorial as a guideline and create something that's uniquely your own! Upload your finished piece to your own blog or public image-hosting site, then add it to this post using the InLinkz link below. Please remember to include a link to Tim's tutorial in your post.

Remember to share your photo at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces! If you're not already a member of this talented, supportive group of Tim fans, be sure to join!

Have a spectacular week, blog friends, and thanks for being part of Grungy Monday!

Hugs,
Linda
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Grungy Monday 25!

2011-10-31T05:59:00.001-06:00

Wow, you guys, I just finished my journey through your entries for last week, and my mind is blown! What a great job everyone did on the Perfect Distress technique! Thanks to everyone who participated and made such gorgeous, inspiring art. I wish I could send you ALL a prize, but since I can't, I let the Random Number Generator choose the winner of the Tim Holtz pin set. Huge congrats to entrant #27, the fabulously talented Kim Young!

It's a new week and, appropriately enough, Grungy Monday just happens to fall on Halloween! Whether or not you go for the "candy corn and costume" approach, some version of this holiday is celebrated across many cultures as an opportunity to pay homage to our loved ones and heroes who've departed this life. In keeping with this gentler approach, our challenge this week is one that I hope will make your heart happy:

Use your favorite Tim Holtz products to create a loving tribute to a friend, relative or inspiring person who's passed away.

The little card is chock full of Tim Holtz products-- Distress Inks, Alterations embossing folder and dies, Grungeboard, Idea-ology components... please click here for the lowdown.

I made this piece in honor of my beloved maternal grandparents, Albert and Kate Couch, and my best childhood friend, Dynamite the Chihuahua. I celebrate them all whenever I ponder the loved ones I wish I could have had more time with, and I'll always be grateful that they were (and will forever be) in my life and my heart. I think I was in 4th Grade when I took this photo!

To participate in this challenge, please create your own homage using at least one Tim Holtz product (ink, stamps, papers, diecuts, embellishments-- your choice!). Upload the finished piece to your own blog or online, public photo album, then add it to this post using the InLinkz link below. Please remember to include a link to Tim's website (www.timholtz.com) and tell us which of his products you used for your artwork.

Remember to share your wonderful creation at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special photo album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces!

And with that, I'll wish you a happy Halloween filled with all kinds of sweetness! Thanks so much for being part of Grungy Monday!
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E-Team Special Mission: For the Love of Starbucks!

2011-10-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

You know those hypothetical questions about what you'd take if you knew you were going to be stranded on a desert island? The latest eclectic Paperie E-Team Blog Hop theme is basically my own answer to that question: Tim Holtz's Seasonal Distress Inks and something inspired by Starbucks!

(I'd also take my iPhone and a bunch of Motown mp3s, but since I was listening to Marvin Gaye while I made this piece and I took the photo with my iPhone, I figure I've got all the bases covered.) ;-)

I made what is currently a little wall hanging, although I think I'll end up attaching a magnet to the back so I can stick it on my espresso machine:

My E-Teammates did an amazing job with their art (they always do, actually!), and I think you'll have a blast hopping around to check out their work! As always, the lovely and generous Daisy from eclectic Paperie has great some prizes up for grabs, and to be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment at each artist's blog. You have from today through this Sunday, October 30 to make the rounds. Daisy will randomly choose three winners from among all the comments, and each will receive $20 eclectic Paperie Gift Voucher! The winners will be announced on October 31 a the eclectic Paperie blog.

The E-Team is:

Daisy Sparks, our Fearless Leader

Broni Holcombe

Latrice Murphy

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Micki Harper

Starla Nelson

(Linda Duke and Sherry Cheever are sitting this one out, but be sure to stop by their blogs and see the beautiful projects they've been working on!)

But, wait! There's more. This is an eclectic Challenge, after all, and we want to see what YOU create using one of more of the Seasonal Distress Ink colors and a shot of Starbucks inspiration! The prize is awesome: A $10 Starbucks gift card and a box full of eclectic Paperie goodies! You'll have a couple of weeks to get this done-- the winner will be posted when our next E-Team hop goes up on November 15.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a spectacular, art-full weekend!
_________

A quick and easy wall hanging: Tint a Maya Road Super Mega Bottle Cap with Ranger Adirondack Espresso Alcohol Ink. Glue in an inkjet-printed Starbucks siren. Print the text on plain white paper and smudge it with Ripe Persimmon and Seedless Preserves Distress Ink, then color the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. Glue the text onto the siren. Add coffee beans and craft store botanicals, attached with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium.

Grungy Monday 24 (Plus a Way Cool Prize)!

2011-10-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hello, there, blog friends! It's time for another celebration of all things distressed, shamble-ized and awesomely Holtzian! This week, we're heading over the the Ranger Ink site, where Tim has a fantastic video tutorial just waiting for you...

Tim Holtz Presents: Perfect Distress

This is a classic Tim technique, and rightly so. It's simple, quick, and produces such cool results. With the myriad of ink and Perfect Pearls combos to be played with, the results are always fun and fresh!

Being a Halloween nut, I took one last opportunity this year to celebrate, but you can go with any theme you wish.

To play along at home, create your own work of art using the Perfect Distress technique, upload it to your own blog or online, public photo album, then add it to this post using the InLinkz link below. Please remember to include a link to this week's inspiration video in your post or photo description.

Groups.yahoo.com/group/allthingstim

Don't forget to share your creation at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special photo album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces!

So, have a great week...

Oh, wait! I almost forgot the prize!

As you might know, Tim and Mario sometimes offer limited-edition buttons at special events. During the cruise this year, Mario had a few sets of these very cool, very rare buttons with some of Tim's "signature" sentiments. I got one for me (of course!) and bought a second one to give away, which Tim was gracious enough to autograph. One of this week's participants is going to be sent this set of buttons! I'll announce the winner, who will be chosen by random number generator, in next week's GM post.

Okay, now go have yourselves a great week! Can't wait to see what you create.

Hugs,
Linda
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Grungy Monday 23: Tim in 10!

2011-10-17T06:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Monday, blog friends! To everyone who played along with GM22 last week, all I can say is "WOW!" Your Holtz-ian Halloween creations were absolutely sensational! One of you is going to snag a $25 shopping spree at Simon Says Stamp, who will be posting the winner on their blog this Wednesday! Be sure to check out the post and see if it's you!!! Here's the link to the Simon Says Stamp Blog. Thanks to the lovely folks at SSS for their generosity!

Ready for the lastest Grungy Monday challenge? This week, I'm introducing something new, and I hope you'll have as much fun with as I did! It's "Tim in 10," and just like it sounds, it's a speed challenge!

Here are the rules: Make a greeting card-- any theme you like-- using at least one Tim Holtz product, and make that card in 10 minutes or less! So, think your design through, gather your supplies, set your timer, and GO!

The point of this is to remind us all that with the right products and a little bit of planning, you can bust out a pretty cool piece of work in just a few minutes. If you need to produce a stack of cards for the holidays, for instance, or to send to Operation Write Home, it's nice to have some go-to techniques and products to streamline the process.

My 10-minute card is obviously super simple! I've posted the instructions on the Grungy Monday Products Page, and it took me just under 10 minutes to make (it would have been less if I could tie a decent bow on the first try!).

To play along at home, create your own "Tim in 10" piece, upload it to your own blog or online, public photo album, then add it to this post using the InLinkz link below. Please be sure to tell us which of Tim's products you used, and don't forget to include a link to Tim's website (www.timholtz.com) in your post or photo description.

Remember to share your creation at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special photo album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces!

Thanks so much for being part of Grungy Monday! I can't wait to see your "Tim in 10" art-- I know it's going to be spectacular!

Hugs,
Linda
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E-Team Special Mission: Be Thankful!

2011-10-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, and welcome to the latest eclectic Paperie E-Team Blog Hop! This time, our theme is "Be Thankful," and our mission is to make anything BUT a card!

I decided to create a Gratitude Journal, using a Maya Road binder and Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints. I even (gulp!) did a little drawing, which scares the bejeebers out of me but ended up being kind of fun, even if my Grateful Girl does look like a slightly misshapen refugee from The Archies!

As with every E-Team Blog Hop, the always generous Daisy from eclectic Paperie has great some prizes up for grabs, and to be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment at each artist's blog. You have from today through this Sunday, October 16 to make the rounds. Daisy will randomly choose three winners from among all the comments, and each will receive $20 eclectic Paperie Gift Voucher! Woot!

Remember to visit the eclectic Paperie blog and leave a comment there, too. Daisy will give away a very awesome box full of eP goodies like paper, embellishments, stamps… and more!

All winners will be announced on the eclectic Paperie blog on Monday, October 17.

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Daisy Sparks, our Fearless Leader

Broni Holcombe

Linda Duke

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Sherry Cheever

Starla Nelson

(Our co-conspirators, Latrice Murphy and Micki Harper, are sitting this one out, but please stop by their blogs to see all the other wonderful things they've been up to!)

Recipe for a Gratitude Journal:

Ingredients:

Maya Road 5 x 5" Chipboard Binder
Ranger Nonstick Craft Mat
Claudine Hellmuth Studio White Gesso
Soft Pencil and eraser
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints: Modern Red, Sable Brown, Traditional Tan, Painterly Pink, Smidge of Blue, Dash of Red, Purple Palette, Landscape Green, Altered Orange, Sky Blue, Charcoal Black
Bubble Wrap and Baby Wipes (to apply paint)
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Alpha Parts: Ransom
Ranger Adirondack Paint Dabbers: Red Pepper, Copper
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments, Regal (crown)
Pitt Artist Pen (Black)
Ranger Inkssentials Opaque White Pen
Paper Flowers

Recipe:
1. Begin by applying a quick coat of Claudine Hellmuth Studio White Gesso to the chipboard binder. The gesso will assure that the paint color stays true, and help it adhere better to the chipboard.

2. Using a soft graphite pencil, sketch a happy, grateful little face right onto the gesso. Don't worry-- you can erase and start over as many times as you need to (I did, like forty million times...). Don't stress over this! Just make a smiley cartoon if you're a lousy drawer like me!

3. Mix your skin tone. I used more or less equal parts of Studio Traditional Tan and Painterly Pink for my girl. If you're looking for a deeper tone, start with this base combo, then stir in Sable Brown until you get the color you want. Studio Paints blend together beautifully, in fact, you can download a mixing chart from Claudine's website.

4. Fill in the face and neck area using a small paintbrush. Another cool feature of the Studio paints is their translucent property. You'll be able to see your pencil sketch through the paint, so you can easily ink it in later.

5. Paint her hair and blouse. I used Sable Brown for the hair, and Modern Red for the clothing. A fine detail brush makes this an easy task. Again, if you're not a painter, don't sweat it. Just have fun, relax, and loosed the death grip on the paintbrush. ;-)

6. Choose or mix a background color and apply it with a large, flat paintbrush. I wanted a royal purple, so I goofed around with a combination of Smidge of Blue, Dash of Red and Purple Palette until I had the tone I was looking for. Paint carefully around your Grateful Girl, but don't worry if you overlap the colors a bit. We're going to outline her later, anyway!

7. Here's where it gets random and fun. Smear some paint onto your nonstick craft sheet and use miscellaneous household objects to stamp the color onto your journal. I used bubble wrap and wadded up baby wipes to apply Landscape Green, Altered Orange and Sky Blue colors. You could also use actual stamps for this step! Finally, dry brush Charcoal Black paint around the edges of the journal. This easy border makes such a huge difference in how the finished piece looks!

8. Gently twist the letters off the Alpha Parts set, then use scissors to trim the connector away if necessary. Paint the letters with Red Pepper Adirondack Dabber, allow them the dry, then paint over this with a Copper Adirondack Dabber.

9. Use a black, fine-point Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen to ink the face, following the faint pencil lines beneath the paint. These pens will work right on top of paint without smearing it. Use an opaque white pen to add details to the clothing, and a tiny paintbrush to give her some lipstick. Lastly, glue a little paper flower into her hair.

10. Now, add your finishing touches. Your letters should be dry, so glue them on, then add any additional bling you wish! I used more paper flowers and a little Idea-ology crown.

Thanks so much for hopping on by, and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs,
Linda

Grungy Monday 22!

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Sponsored by:

Welcome, blog friends! It's been way too long since we grunged our Monday, and I'm so happy to be back with a brand new challenge for you! My week-long cruise with Tim, Mario, a bunch of my net friends-- and my lovely mom!-- left me inspired and inky, and I can't wait to dive back in. I hope you're ready, too! How 'bout we get seasonal with...

A Holtz-ian Halloween!

Please click here for instructions and links to the products I used.

The rules for this challenge are super simple: Create something Halloween-related using a one or more of your favorite Tim Holtz products! How fun is that? Let your creative self have a field day!

I used the new, limited-edition Seasonal Distress Inks for this card, and absolutely fell in love with the colors! Ripe Persimmon, Seedless Preserves and Gathered Twigs = WOWZA! If you missed out on the first production of these beautiful inks, fear not-- Ranger is making one more batch of them this year, and you can order a set from Simon Says Stamp right now, while their supply lasts!

There's also a chance I might give a set away. You just never know. ;-)

Speaking of Simon Says Stamp, they've graciously offered to sponsor this week's challenge, and will award a $25 shopping spree to one of the GM22 participants! To be eligible to win, create your own Holtz-ian Halloween piece and post it on your blog or online photo album, and please be sure to tell us which of Tim's products you used. Don't forget to include a link to Tim's website (www.timholtz.com) in your post or photo description. The winner of the shopping spree will be chosen by the lovely ladies at SSS and posted on their blog soon after this challenge ends.

During the cruise, I had the delightful experience of finally meeting the lovely Gloria, list mom at the All Things Tim discussion group and organizer extraordinaire! Gloria has a photo album especially for Grungy Monday at the group homepage, and you're invited to share your artwork with this awesome group of artists!

There you go, my fabulous, Grungy friends! I can't wait to see your Tim Holtz-themed Halloween art, and hope you have a wonderful week!

Hugs,
Linda

P.S. Congratulations to Sandy Nolan, who won the Tim Holtz prize package from our last challenge. Sandy did a beautiful job on the "Transparent Illusions" theme:

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The Tim Holtz Scrapmap Caribbean Cruise!

2011-10-09T12:07:00.000-06:00

Ta Da! The Cruise Video!

(Well, sort of "Ta da," anyway. More like "Ta Da Lite" with a disclaimer... I still have a lot to learn about video slideshow production!!!)

A week after it ended, it's still hard to even know where to begin telling you about the Tim Holtz/Scrapmap Caribbean Cruise. It was a spectacular week of crafting, friendship, beautiful scenery, and-- literally-- boatloads of inspiration. It was awesome getting to spend time with a bunch of my favorite people, including my mom, and to soak up the beauty of the sea and the islands. And really, four crafting projects in five classes with Tim Holtz over the course of the week... could it get much better? I don't think so!

Over the past few days, I gathered my photos, found a couple of cruise-y songs, and made a slideshow to share with my blog friends. I hope you enjoy it!

For those who've asked, Tim did say that he's taking some time off cruising, but that he has some exciting new things in the works! Nope, he wouldn't tell me what they are (I wish!), but knowing him, they're going to be sensational! Keep an eye on his blog... there's always something fabulous going on there.

By the way, my friend and fellow Caribbean Cruiser, the brilliant Eileen Bellomo, has been posting the most wonderful day-by-day recaps of the cruise. Be sure to check them out at her blog, Art Saves Lives!

See you all tomorrow for the return of Grungy Monday!

P.S. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I won a spot on next year's Ultimate Multi-Media cruise out of New Orleans, courtesy of the wonderful people at Scrapmap! I'm so grateful and absolutely thrilled. So...who's coming along?? Let's make a plan to meet up!

An Open Letter to Tim Holtz

2011-10-04T22:37:00.000-06:00

Hey blog friends, I just returned from a week on a beautiful cruise ship with Tim Holtz and about 180 enthusiastic and wonderful crafters. It was an awesome experience and I'll be posting photos and stories over the next few days. Right now, though, I want to talk about the most important things I learned on my trip, and the best way to do it is in a letter to Tim. I'd like to share it with you all as well.

Dear Tim,

For the record, I've wanted to be an artist since I was a little kid with a shiny box of 64 Crayolas and a dream. Absolutely, it would be an epic understatement to say that I was born with no natural aptitude for drawing (or painting, or coloring, for that matter), but I sure did love doing it, in that fearless, in-the-moment way kids embrace their creative impulses. It was pure joy. Then came that disenchanting, defining moment when an art teacher with too much influence and not nearly enough insight told me I was no good at it. I honestly don't remember if she said it in words or implied it through actions, but it was powerful enough to change my relationship with art-making, draining it of its magic and sending an already neurotic nine-year-old to a whole new level of self-consciousness. After that, I was embarrassed to show my sketches to anyone, and eventually stopped trying to draw at all.

But deep down, I never stopped wishing I were an artist.

I tried again in college with equally ridiculous results (what is with art teachers in small town academia, anyway?). In fact, I was so frustrated with my Painting 101 course that for my final project, I covered a sheet of canvas with the most godawful shade of barf green I could concoct, then glued a few carelessly ripped up pieces of fluorescent pink, lime and orange paper to it, as a "screw you" to my professor. He gave me an "A" and told me I finally "got it."

At that point, I decided that artists are insane.

I'm not telling you this because I want sympathy or encouragement or anything like that. I'm telling you this because I want you to know where my starting point was. I didn't enter papercrafting as an artist. I came in more like a monkey with a paintbrush.

It was just a little over two years ago that I wandered into a craft store and saw a display of cool, intriguingly non-cutesy embellishments alongside some packages of something called "Grungeboard," and while I didn't buy anything that day, the visual stuck in my head. I remembered the name on the packages, though, and that evening did a little internet investigation into this "Tim Holtz" guy. What I saw blew me away! The art was awesome, not like anything I'd seen before. It was dramatic and beguiling and powerful, but somehow felt accessible and-- most intriguingly-- it seemed doable, even for a non-artist like me.

I went back to the store the next day... and again the day after that. I immersed myself in your blog posts, your videos, and as soon as it was released, your Compendium of Curiosities. Little by little, my long-neglected, frighted little creative spirit began to emerge. I learned to ink things and distress things and play with color and composition. Many, many packages of Ranger and Idea-ology and Stampers Anonymous and Tonic products later, through 12 Tags projects and Grungy Mondays and the experience of a lifetime that was Ranger U, I am still inspired by you every day.

What I've learned from you goes far beyond techniques, though. I've learned that what really matters is the process itself, the indescribably gratifying feeling of being completely caught up in the act of making something, when time becomes elastic and the art seems to be creating me-- there's nothing in the world like it. Whatever the finished piece ends up looking like, it truly is all about the journey.

Though the word "artist" sticks in my throat if I try to apply it to myself, I have a great deal of hope that someday I might actually feel comfortable enough to own that adjective, at least a day or two a month. Then again, maybe art isn't in the eye of the beholder, anyway, but instead in the heart of the creator. If making something with my hands transforms me and frees me and impels me to dream a little bigger, well, maybe that's the whole point. I'd probably never have figured that out if I hadn't stumbled upon your products a couple of years back.

Tim, you've been, and continue to be, the most wonderful teacher I could wish for. I've always appreciated your vision and talent and willingness to share your knowledge, but what I saw on the cruise last week was how much heart you put into what you do (along with those long hours and that hard, hard work). Though you never let it show, I'm sure you have days when you're burned out and sick of being "on" all the time. It's got to be exhausting when a couple hundred or so people all want your attention. But, you keep right on smiling while you graciously autograph every apron and pose for every photo. That's classy, my friend. Classy and incredibly generous.

So, from a monkey with a paintbrush to her Jedi-ninja-rockstar art mentor: Thank you! For all you do and who you are. You inspire my creative spirit to play, and give it the tools and information it needs to give form to its vision. I don't think you'll ever fully know how precious that gift is to me.

Your friend,

Linda

E-Team Special Mission: Be SPOOKY!

2011-09-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

BOO!

Did I scare you? Just a little? Oh, come on... a tiny bit?

Oh, well. Even if I can't pull off spooky, I'm delighted to be part of the eclectic Paperie E-Team's new blog hop series, "Seasonal Tags and ATCs" -- especially since the first installment is all about my favorite holiday, Halloween!

As with every E-Team Blog Hop, Daisy from eclectic Paperie has fabulous some prizes up for grabs, and to be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment at each artist's blog. It's your chance to get in the spooky spirt and check out the spectacular art my E-Teammates created! You have from today through this Sunday, September 18 to do the Monster Mash... er, I mean blog hop! Daisy will randomly choose three winners from among all the comments, and each will receive an exclusive Tag/ATC assortment, including a variety of tag sizes and surfaces, some Twinery samples, and some very cool surprise treats!

Remember to visit the eclectic Paperie blog, too. Leave a comment about your Halloween treat, and you might win a $25 gift voucher!

All winners will be announced on the eclectic Paperie blog on Monday, September 19.

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Latrice Murphy and Micki Harper are sitting this one out, but please be sure to stop by the blogs and see the wonderful things they've been creating!

My tag is basically a full-on homage to the many products of Tim Holtz! It was quick and easy to make, too.

The Ingredients:

Ranger Inkssentials #8 Size Kraft Tag, edges grunged up with a Tonic/Tim Holtz Paper Distresser Tool.
Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Dusty Concord and Vintage Photo
Perfect Pearls Mist in Perfect Copper
Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Dies: On the Fence and Scaredy Cat
Black Cardstock
Adirondack Paint Dabbers in Snowcap and Pitch Black
Spider Web and Bats stamp from Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Halloween set
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Attacher staples
"Haunted" letters are from Tim's Idea-ology Seasonal Paper Stash

The Recipe:

Ink a #8 Inkssentials Kraft tag with Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and Dusty Concord Distress inks, blending the colors in the order listed from the bottom to the top of the tag. Shade the edges with Vintage Photo.
Apply Snowcap Adirondack Paint to the spider web stamp and stamp it randomly all over the tag. Wash your stamp immediately.
Apply Pitch Black Adirondack Paint to the bats stamp and stamp it in the "sky" area. Wash that stamp right away, too!
Spritz the tag lightly with Perfect Copper mist.
Die cut the fence and scaredy cat from black cardstock, and glue them to the tag.
Cut out the sentiment and glue it down.

Thanks so much for stopping... and hopping! I hope you have a great weekend.

Hugs,
Linda

Gingersnap Creations Celebrates Gal Pals!

2011-09-08T12:45:00.000-06:00

September is International Women's Friendship Month, and the Gingersnap Creations team is celebrating with a Gal Pals challenge! After all, when the chips are down, it's our girlfriends who are always there for us, through the icky and the awesome.

We'd love to see your own tribute to your lady friends, and this time around, Viva Las Vegastamps is going to send a set of their cool flower stamps to one lucky, randomly-chosen participant. All you need to do to be eligible is create your own Gal Pal-themed piece and link it to the challenge blog at Gingersnap Creations by October 2. You might be chosen as a Ginger Gem or Home Page Artist, too!

Give a hug to your best girls, and have a wonderful day!

xo,
Linda

I love this sweet photo, which I've had in my stash for years. It's pretty low-res and the colors were a little weird, so I used Photoshop Elements to make it all vintage-y. The background is watercolor paper, dry-brushed with aqua and gold metallic paint and spritzed with Krylon Gold Webbing Spray. The letters are chipboard, colored with several shades of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.

E-Team Special Mission: Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints!

2011-08-30T04:00:00.000-06:00

Happy day, everyone! It's the sixth installment of the eclectic Paperie E-Team's "It's Better with Color" series, and this time around we're playing with one of my favorite product lines in the entire universe: Claudine Hellmuth Studio!

I had the incredible good fortune to spend a morning learning techniques from Claudine herself a few months ago, and one of the projects we worked on was a little wooden caddy. Unfortunately, I totally messed it up in class, trying too many techniques in too short a time (like I tend to do...), and finally gave up and went to lunch. I brought that poor little caddy home and it's been sitting at the back of my work table ever since, just waiting to be redeemed. Last week, I sanded it down, started over from scratch, and got all painterly with it:

The texture was created with a thick coat of Claudine's White Gesso, applied with a palette knife. After it dried, I covered the entire surface with her Classic Teal paint, then wiped it with a soft cloth to remove some color from the raised areas.

I used five colors of Claudine's Studio Paint for the stamping: Yellow Pastel, Landscape Green, Altered Orange, Modern Red, and-- yes!-- Painterly Pink! The images are from several of her Creative Layers Foam Stamp sets: Bloom, Doodles, Domestic and Nature. I love these stamps, with their sweet, funky designs. Very happy and mod, and very Claudine.

As with every E-Team Blog Hop, Daisy from eclectic Paperie has some prizes up for grabs, and all you need to do to be eligible is leave a comment at each artist's blog. Easy as pie, and you have until Thursday, September 1 to get those blog visits in. Daisy will randomly choose three winners from among all the comments, and each will win a brand new set of Claudine Hellmuth Studio Mini Acrylic Paints (they are SO cute and handy!), along with some surprise eP goodies.

Remember to visit the eclectic Paperie blog, too. Leave a comment about your favorite tips or techniques for using acrylic paints, and you might win a $25 gift voucher!

All winners will be announced on the eclectic Paperie blog on Friday, September 2.

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Starla Nelson is sitting this one out, but be sure to stop by her blog and see what kind of gorgeous creations she's been working on!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have fun hopping with the E-Team!

Hugs,

Linda

Grungy Monday 21!

2011-08-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday, and welcome to Grungy Challenge number 21! This week we're going to explore some really cool ways to use Idea-ology Fragments, with some hot-off-the-press techniques from Tim's Blog! Who knew you could use clear embossing powder to create an etched glass look, and that an easy trick with packing tape could turn a Fragment into a cool, dimensional vehicle for image transfers? Well, Tim knew, but I sure didn't! Check this out:

Tim Holtz Blog: Transparent Illusions

I'm always thrilled when Mr. H posts a new technique on his blog, but I've gotta say, this is one of my favorites ever. Four clever new ways to rock the Fragments! For the purposes of this challenge, you need only try ONE of the four techniques, but really, they're so much fun, I bet you'll want to try 'em all.

I had a blast with this, and put together a little homage to my favorite beverage using images and text from an old magazine and an empty bag of Starbucks Sumatra. The background is Sticky-Back Canvas:

As I mentioned last week, I'm going to be taking a few weeks off to re-group, plan the autumn Grungy Monday challenges and do some SERIOUS blog visiting! Rather then shut down the party, though, I'm going to leave Challenge 21 open through Sunday, September 18. So, you've got tons of time to get yourself some Fragments, experiment with the awesome techniques in Tim's blog post, and enter the challenge as many times as you wish! Please link from your blog or an online photo album, and be sure to include the link to Tim's blog.

Oh, did I mention that someone's going to win a prize? A REALLY COOL prize, with lots of Tim Holtz goodies? It's true, and all you have to do to be eligible is enter Challenge 21. I'll announce the winner and ship the prize package before I leave for the cruise.

Sanded and Embossed, backed with Kraft Resist:

Alcohol Inked:

(Starbucks Sumatra Tiger! ROAR!)

Packing Tape Transfer:

Remember to share your creation at the All Things Tim group, too! Lovely List Mom, Gloria, has a special photo album just for your Grungy Monday masterpieces!

Okay, go get 'em, artful friends! I can't wait to see what you create with Fragments!

Hugs,
Linda
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Grungy Monday 20!

2011-08-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Gillian Simson

Jason Melford

Happy, happy Monday, everyone, and welcome to Grungy Monday number 20! WOW-- number twenty?! We've done some serious distressing these past few month!

Before I introduce this week's challenge, I want to take a moment to sincerely apologize for being so behind in visiting your blogs. Some aspects of my life have been intense lately, and I got a little overwhelmed by it all. My intention with these challenges has always been to be a good cheerleader for the participants, and I haven't been able to pull that off these past few weeks. I'm truly sorry. Things are coming together now and my goal over these next few weeks is to reconnect with my blog friends. Thanks for hanging with me during a rough time-- you guys are awesome artists and downright wonderful people!

Next week is Challenge 21 (preview: Be sure to have some Fragments on hand!), and after that, I'll be taking September off to catch up, plan the autumn and winter challenges, and prepare for the big Scrapmap cruise with Tim! When Grungy Monday resumes with first week of October, look out, because there's going to be something extra exciting happening! More on that later...

Right now, let's have a party! That's right, it's a...

Distress Stickles PARTY!

Grab those sweet little squeeze bottles and Distress Stickle the living daylights out of your art! That's the only rule, but please remember, regular Stickles do NOT qualify for this challenge. Distress Stickles is a completely unique product, chunkier than regular glitter glue and more matte in its look, and this week is all about exploring the bazillion things you can do with those pretty, grungy sparkles!

This week's special guest star designers made absolute magic with Distress Stickles, which is no surprise given how talented and creative they both are. Huge thanks to:

Gillian Simson

Gillian's Mixed Media Musings

Jason Melford

Creative Scrapping Guy

Fantastic art, Gillian and Jason! You guys rock!!

Here's mine:

Please click here for my product list.

Okay, it's your turn! Show us the brilliant ways you use Distress Stickles in your artwork. When your piece is ready, link it here using the InLinkz button below. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album to participate, and please remember to include a link to www.TimHoltz.com in your post!

Don't forget to share your art in the Grungy Monday photo album at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, too!

Thanks so much for being part of Grungy Monday! I'll look forward to catching up with your awesome artwork, and hope you have a wonderfully creative week!

Hugs,
Linda
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Grungy Monday 19!

2011-08-08T06:00:00.005-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Christine Nay

Julie Forest

Happy Grungy Monday, everyone! I apologize for the technical difficulties with Blogger right now-- all the text in this post vanished between the time I scheduled it and the time it posted, and I have no idea why! Anyway... onward, and let's dive right into a fun technique from Mr. Holtz's most recent holiday celebration:

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas 2010, Day 10!

I'm delighted to introduce you to two incredibly talented designers who are certain to inspire you to let your creativity run wild! These ladies are brilliant. Check it out:

Christine Nay

Change of Heart

Julie Forest

Jul's Art Niche

I love how Christine and Julie used the same technique yet came up with such wonderfully unique pieces. Beautiful art, ladies!!!

Here's mine...

Please click here for my product list.

We'd love to see your take on this clever use of packaging material! Visit the link above to Tim's blog for you inspiration, then create your own artful piece this cool packaging recycle technique, then add it here using the InLinkz button below. You'll need to have a blog or online, public photo album to link from. Don't forget to include a link to Tim's blog in your post or photo description!

Remember, too, to share your masterpiece at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, where fabulous Gloria has set up a photo album just for Grungy Monday art! You'll never find a nicer, more supportive bunch of people, so if you've not a member, join up!

I hope you all have a fantastic, artistic, inspiring week!

Hugs,

Linda
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Grungy Monday 18!

2011-08-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Desingers

Inge Bekaert

Judy Wood

August greetings, blog friends, and welcome to the 18th installment of Grungy Monday! The summer certainly is flying by, isn't it? Just to speed things up even more, let's look back at another of Tim's fabulous holiday techniques, which is, of course, completely adaptable for non-holiday projects:

12 Tags of Christmas 2009, Day 8

I'm honored to introduce this week's Special Guest Star Designers, two incredibly talented and creative ladies who truly took Tim's technique and made it their own in the most fabulous way! Huge thanks to:

Inge Bekaert

PinkePinke

Judy Wood

A Brush with Angels

Here's mine:

Please click here for my supply list

Okay, it's your turn! Visit the link above to Tim's blog for the fun technique, then create your own artful piece and add it here using the InLinkz button below anytime between now and 8pm MDT next Sunday, August 7. You'll need to have a blog or online, public photo album to link from. Remember to include that link to Tim's blog in your post or photo description!

Don't forget to share your art with the awesome folks at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, too! Lovely list mom, Gloria, has created a photo album especially or Grungy Monday, and everyone is welcome to join this fun, supportive group!

Thanks for being part of Grungy Monday! I hope you have a wonderfully creative-- and just plain wonderful-- week!

Hugs,
Linda
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E-Team Special Mission: Distress Stains Revisited!

2011-07-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's installment #5 of the eclectic Paperie E-Team's "It's Better With Color" series, and to celebrate the release of a bunch of new colors, we're revisiting Tim Holtz Distress Stain! This is one of my favorite product releases in recent memory-- Distress Stain comes in all those great, Distress-y colors we all know and love, but it's a quick-drying liquid that makes quick work of laying down a lot of color very quickly. It's buildable, too, so you can get more intense color by layering.

I used Distress Stain for this happy little wall hanging. There are a few tips below that I hope you'll find helpful!

As with all E-Team blog hops, Daisy at eclectic Paperie has some sweet prizes on the table, and it's super-easy to enter. Simply visit each designers' blog on the list below and leave one comment between now and Sunday, July 31. On Monday, August 1, Daisy will randomly choose 3 winners from the comments on the E-Team blogs, and those folks will each win a $20 gift voucher! PLUS, one lucky winner from the eclectic Paperie Blog will win a small assortment of Distress Stains and some other fun surprises! Bonus-- my teammates are going to show you all kinds of cool, clever ways to use Distress Stains!

eclectic Paperie has all the brand new Distress Stain colors in stock now, and all colors, new and old, are 10% off!

The E-Team is:

Daisy Sparks, our lovely leader

Linda Ledbetter (that's me!)

Bumblebees and Butterflies with Brenda

(Our design team-mates Latrice Murphy, Linda Duke and Starla Nelson are sitting this one out, but please check out their wonderful blogs when you get a chance!)

Distress Stains in Picket Fence, Barn Door, Milled Lavender, Vintage Photo, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Broken China, Chipped Sapphire
Sizzix Alterations Dies by Tim Holtz: Mini Bird, Mini Heart, On the Fence
Grungeboard (the little fence)
Studio 490 Art Parts Rectangle Frame
Ranger Glossy Accents
Idea-ology by Tim Holtz Tissue Tape from the Symphony Set (to finish the outer edges)
Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sticky-Back Canvas (Background, Bird, and Heart)
Maya Road Mini Scallop Chipboard Set
Alphabet Beads (Last-minute addition! You can see them on the finished piece above.)
A little ribbon (another last-minute addition...)

This entire piece was colored using only Distress Stain, from the background to the frame to the little fence to the Sticky-Back Canvas bird and heart. Oh, and the chipboard flowers, too! Distress Stain makes it SO quick and easy to color a lot of surface area in no time at all!

And, boy oh boy, I'm loving the new Picket Fence Distress Stain! It's opaque and can be used under other Distress Stains to keep their color true on colored backgrounds, or on top of other colors for a shabby-chic whitewash look, as seen here. This background is Sticky-Back Canvas adhered to the back of an Art Part Frame. I colored the canvas with Barn Door, Dried Marigold and Mustard Seed stains, dried it thoroughly, then swiped the Picket Fence over the top.

Remember to gently wipe off any color that gets picked up by the foam dabber top!

For the frame top, I first put down a couple coats of Picket Fence, dried it well, then swiped on some Chipped Sapphire. At first, the Picket Fence will act as a resist, but if you gentle rub the colors together they'll blend, and you'll get a nice, opaque stain. You can even rub a little more Picket Fence across the surface with your finger for a dry brush look.

One more little tip: Avery 3/4" round labels fit the Distress Stain tops perfectly! Just dab on some color and you'll have an easy way to find the stain you want right away!

Thanks for checking out my little frame! Enjoy hopping around to the rest of the E-Team blogs, and remember to leave a comment at each one so you'll be eligible to win!

Have a fabulous day!

Grungy Monday 17!

2011-07-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Nancy Crissinger

Stephen Jew

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a spectacular week and are ready to get your distress on! This week, we're going to be exploring one of Tim's coolest, most universally useable product categories-- two brilliant products that are guaranteed to jazz up any project. That's right, it's the glossy side of of grunge, brought to you by ROCK CANDY! Check out the video and be dazzled!

Tim Holtz: Get Ready to ROCK!

I am an unrepentant Rock Candy addict. I love both these products for the great texture, beautiful shine and glam/distress they offer. Rock Candy adds instant character to pretty much anything, and it's foolproof (one of my very favorite attributes of all!). For this challenge, you're welcome to use either Rock Candy Crackle Paint, Rock Candy Stickles, or BOTH in your creation! Gloss it up, guys-- this is literally the time to shine!

I'm just thrilled to introduce you to two absolutely brilliant artists, both of whom have been inspiring me for a long time. They are masters of the Tim Holtz crafting style, and darn nice people, too. A round of applause for:

Nancy Crissinger

What's Next, Nancy?

Stephen Jew

My Thoughts, My Life

Stephen made TWO rockin' pieces for this challenge!

Here's My Little Travel Journal Cover. I love how the Rock Candy Crackle makes the stained Grungeboard look like glazed leather.

"Why, this car could be systematic.... hydromatic.... ultramatic...."

Ready for some Rock Candy? Awesome! Visit the link above to Tim's blog for you inspiration, then create your own artful piece using Rock Candy Crackle Paint and/or Rock Candy Stickles, then add it here using the InLinkz button below. You'll need to have a blog or online, public photo album to link from. Don't forget to include a link to Tim's blog in your post or photo description!

Okay, friends, rock on! I hope you all have a fantastic, artistic, inspiring week!

Hugs,

Linda

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Grungy Monday 16!

2011-07-18T06:00:00.001-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Brenda Brown

Crafty Dawn

Hello and welcome to Grungy Monday 16! This week, we're celebrating one of Tim Holtz's signature creations, a product so unique and versatile, every crafter should have a stack on hand. That's right... the time has come for:

GRUNGEBOARD EXTRAVAGANZA!

Grungeboard (and Grungepaper, as either qualify for this challenge) is the COOLEST stuff. You know, if you've used it, how unique it is. It's made of recycled paper, but acts more like leather. It's durable, bendable, embossable, wearable... it's the schizzle!

Your challenge this week is to use Grungeboard or Grungepaper prominently in your artwork. Make a card, make a book, make a bracelet-- let loose and have fun!

I'm absolutely delighted to share the work of this week's brilliant Guest Star Designers, two wonderful artists and all-around wonderful ladies, both of whom did an absolutely amazing job with this challenge! Give it up for:

Brenda Brown

Crafty Dawn

The Crafty Dawn Blog

Here's my little Grunge Book of Joy:

Ready to rock the Grunge? I think this week is going to produce some exceptional works of genius! You're welcome to use either Grungeboard or Grungepaper for this challenge (or both!), and that's you're only requirement. Let your imagination run wild! When you're ready, just link your masterpiece here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album in order to participate. This challenge is open until 8pm MDT next Sunday, July 24. Please remember, you must mention T!m Holtz in your blog post or photo description!

Don't forget to add your image to the Grungy Monday album at All Things Tim, where lovely List Mom, Gloria, has created a space especially for these challenges! It's a great way to share your enthusiasm for Tim's art, and make some awesome new friends, too!

And, with that, I'll wish you all a wonderfully creative and happy week, and look forward to seeing your beautiful Grungy creations!

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OWSE Christmas in July!

2011-07-16T08:23:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I'm absolutely delighted to be a guest designer for the Outlaw Women Scrapbook Emporium's Christmas in July event! Outlaw Woman Scrapbook Emporium is a wonderful, online buying club where you can find all those crafting goodies you crave at amazing prices! This club is free to join, and has a wonderful online community that shares ideas, supports each other... and host challenges!

It's such an honor to have been asked to create a challenge for the OWSE Christmas in July event, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than an ORNAMENT CHALLENGE? Everyone's invited to participate-- just visit the OWSE Events List and sign up!

Your challenge is to create a sparkly and unique Christmas or Winter Holiday ornament that incorporates the following products:

Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink, at least one color
Perfect Pearls powder or Perfect Pearls Mist
At least one die cut of your choice
Stickles, Distress Stickles or some other glitter product
At least one sheet Designer Paper of your choice

You absolutely DON'T need to use any of those products the way I have! Just play and have fun and get in the Christmas (in July) spirit!

For my Designer Paper, I used this sweet, vintage Santa from Tim Holtz's Seasonal Paper Stash. Isn't he the jolliest little guy EVER? (Santa, I mean, though I'm sure Tim has his jolly moments, too...). My die cut is the Sizzix Alterations Baroque die to cut my ornament base, and then cut a piece of silver metal using the same die with the Mini Baroque insert, which created a frame:

For structure, I also cut a piece of regular 'ol chipboard with the larger Baroque die and glued the Designer Paper onto it.

Yay, it's BLING TIME! I used Ranger Stickles in Xmas Red, Dark Blue and Baby Blue to glam up Santa's hat and create some icy sparkles in the background:

Ready for his close-up:

Let's get back to that metal frame! This challenge requires only one color of Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink. I used Red Pepper, but just for fun, I added in some Pearl Mixative for extra shine, and a couple drops of Blending Solution to make the colors mix together better. You're absolutely not required to use the Mixative or the Blending Solution, so don't sweat if you don't have those on hand! I used an Ink Blending Tool to apply the inks, but you could also use a cotton swab or piece of felt.

Dabbing on the color....

Now, we've got some shabby vintage Christmas happening! I used Distress Stickles in Rock Candy to add some texture to the frame:

It's all about Joy, right? I cut the word from the same Seasonal Paper Stash, and gave it a quick spritz with Perfect Pearls Mist (in the color "Perfect Pearl).

And now, joy has a shimmer:

I glued a thin satin ribbon to the top edge of the ornament to use as a hanger...

... and then used Glossy Accents to glue on the frame. This stuff will hold just about anything, and it dries quickly, too!

The finishing touch is the edging. I wanted it to look a little old and battered, like a vintage ornament, so I just dabbed some silver Alcohol Ink Mixative along the edge using a Cut and Dry Pen Nib. (A cotton swab would work, too, and so would a Krylon pen). Don't try to be too precise, or you'll lose that shabby look!

I like my ornaments to do double duty, so this one also serves as a Christmas card! I just glued some pretty paper to the back and hand wrote the greeting. You could also make this a two-sided ornament if you'd like, and repeat the entire process on the other side!

And there you have it!

(I forgot to take of photo of the "Joy" being glued on, but I did, in fact, glue it on!)

Okay, now I want to see YOUR wonderful holiday ornament! Create it, add it to the folder in the OWSE Events section, and feel the holiday cheer!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I can't wait to see what you create! OH, and there's a fabulous prize up for grabs, from the generous Robyn and Jeanette at OWSE...

Hugs,

Linda

E-Team Special Mission: Tattered Angels!

2011-07-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, and welcome to the latest edition of the eclectic Paperie E-Team's "It's Better with Color" series! This time around, we're getting blingy with one of the most beloved product lines in the crafting industry: Tattered Angels!

Tattered Angels has recently introduced a bunch of gorgeous new colors in their Glimmer Mist, Glimmer Glaze, Chalkboard Mist and Glimmer Glam lines. There are new kits as well, and I used their Sand and Surf Glimmer Mist Kit, along with Firefly and Seven Seas Chalkboard Mists, for this piece. And I had a blast! If you've ever played with Tattered Angels before, you know all about the beautiful effects you can achieve with just a few simple spritzes, and how much fun these products are to use. If you haven't tried them, boy oh boy, are you in for a treat when you do!

I have a set of mermaid-themed vintage postcards that have been shoved into my "Do Something with This Someday" box for years, and I used one of them for this piece. The flowers are all cut from leftover scraps of designer paper using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Alterations die from Sizzix. Then, I spritzed the individual layers with the colors I'd chosen and crumpled up the petals into soggy little wads. After they dried, and gently pried the petals apart and stacked the layers together. I used little fake pearls for the flower centers.

I used Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky-Back Canvas for the background, and added a compass mask before spritzing the canvas with Glimmer Mists. I love the more speckled effect you can get by holding the bottle close to the surface you're spraying.

Seeing as how this is an eclectic Paperie hop, you've gotta know that Daisy has some awesome prizes up for grabs. She makes it easy to enter, too-- all you have to do is leave a comment! On Monday, July 18, Daisy will randomly choose 2 winners from among the comments left at the E-Team designers' blogs between now and Sunday. Each winner will receive a $25 eclectic Paperie gift voucher! Daisy will also choose a third winner from comments left on the eclectic Paperie blog, and that person will win an awesome assortment of new Tattered Angels mists and other goodies! The winners will be announced at the eP blog.

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Tim's March 2008 Technique Challenge

Please be sure to hop around and check out the gorgeous, GORGEOUS art my E-Teammates created using Tattered Angels products. These ladies are amazing!

Have a great day and a fabulous weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by. :)

Gingersnaps Get All Mechanical!

2011-07-13T20:00:00.003-06:00

It's time again for another Spicy Supply Challenge at the Gingersnap Creations blog, and this one's for all us steampunk fans: Gears, Cogs and Watch Bits!

I bet you recognize the Designer Paper I used for this piece-- it's from the beautiful Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante collection. I added a layered flower cut from leftover scrap paper using my long-neglected Silhouette SD machine. The gear border is Ranger Metal Tape cut using the Tim Holtz Alterations Steampunk die, tinted with Copper and Espresso Adirondack Alcohol Ink. The metal gears are from 7 Gypsies and Tim Holtz. I love gears, I truly do!

Please head on over to the Gingersnap Creations blog and check out the gorgeous work my design teammates created, then get, um, geared up to play along! This challenge is open through August 7, and we can't wait to see what you come up with!

Grungy Monday 15!

2011-07-11T06:01:00.001-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Barbara Washington

Rinda Ontiveros

It's the most wonderful time....of the year!

Okay, I think that can be said for ANY time of year, but there's just something especially lovely about these summer days (for my friends south of the equator, I hope your mid-winter is lovely as well!). You might be wondering why I chose to quote lyrics from a Christmas song, beyond the fact that I'm a little weird and love a good anachronism... well, it's because we're taking another trip back in time to Tim's very first 12 Tags of Christmas for this week's challenge! Just hear those sleigh bells jingle...!

12 Tags of Christmas 2007, Day 7

I'm so excited to introduce you guys to this week's Special Guest Star Designers! I (virtually) met these amazing artists during the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge, when they both produced stunning art week after week... and they've continued the tradition for Grungy Monday! Give it up for:

Barbara Washington

Magical Delights

Rinda Ontiveros

Gallo Organico

Here's mine. Finally put that cool Vintage Valise Alterations Die to use!

Now it's your turn! Follow that link to Tim's blog for the detailed instructions on this technique, then link up your creation here using the InLinkz button below. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album to link from. Don't forget to include a link to Tim's blog in your post or photo description!

Remember, too, to share your art with the awesome folks at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo! Lovely list mom, Gloria, has created a photo album especially or Grungy Monday, and everyone is welcome to join this fun, supportive group!

Have a spectacular, creative week everyone! Thanks so much for being part of Grungy Monday!
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Grungy Monday 14!

2011-07-04T06:00:00.003-06:00

With Special Guest Star Designers

France Papillon

Lisa Somerville

Happy 4th of July! I hope you all have a fun and fabulous day with your loved ones, with lots of good food, and countless joys to celebrate (whether or not you're having a holiday here in the States!).

This week, we're making our own little fireworks with sparkly, shimmery Perfect Pearls, turned into colorful mists and spritzed over a cool white paint dabber resist. It's an awesome mash-up of some of Tim's finest techniques, and his gorgeous example will knock your socks off! Check it out here:

I'm honored to have two incredibly talented Guest Star Designers, who've taken this challenge straight into the stratosphere! Give it up for:

France Papillon

Papillon sur la branche

Lisa Somerville

Designs by Lisa Somerville

Aren't those gorgeous? I love the beautiful colors and masterful use of the technique that France and Lisa brought to this challenge! Please be sure to visit their blogs and let them know how they've inspired you.

Here's mine:

Please click here for my product list.

Ready to rock this fun technique? C'mon... you know you can't resist it (actually, you can, and I have no doubt you're going to do that resist beautifully!). Follow the link above for step-by-step instructions from Tim's blog, then create your own shimmery work of Paint Dabber Resist art and link it here using the InLinkz button below. You'll need to have a blog or online, public photo album to link from. Don't forget to include a link to Tim's blog in your post or photo description!

Remember, too, to share your masterpiece at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, where fabulous Gloria has set up a photo album just for Grungy Monday art! You'll never find a nicer, more supportive bunch of people, so if you've not a member, join up!

I hope you all have a completely wonderful week! Thank you so much for participating in Grungy Monday. It's an honor to be your hostess, and I'm inspired and awed every day by the beautiful you guys create!

Hugs,
Linda
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E-Team Special Mission: Adirondack Alcohol Ink!

2011-06-30T05:00:00.014-06:00

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is back with another installment of our "It's Better with Color!" series, and this time around, we're playing with one of the most AWESOME products in this quadrant of the galaxy: Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks!!!

Alcohol Ink is one of those products every paper and multimedia crafter needs to have on hand. It's so versatile, reliable and easy to work with, and there are countless ways to utilize it in your art. Heck, you can even use it on glass, like I did here:

This little sun catcher was made using Ranger's Adirondack Fillable Pens, filled with Alcohol Inks in Raspberry, Meadow, Lemonade and Butterscotch.

I stamped the butterfly on a 2 x 2" piece of Ranger Inkssentials Clear Memory Glass using Adirondack Pitch Black Pigment Ink, and set the ink with my heat tool. Then I flipped the Memory Glass over so the stamped side was down, and colored the image using the Alcohol Ink filled-pens. Coloring on the back of the stamped glass means you never need to worry about smearing your outline, and if you change you mind about colors you can simply wipe the glass clean with a little Alcohol Ink Blending Solution and start all over.

After coloring, I just slipped the glass into a Memory Frame, added some Idea-ology Baubles and Link Chain, and voila! A little swinging color for my kitchen window.

This is a great way to make jewelry, too. The stained glass effect is beautiful as a pendant.

As with all our E-Team blog hops, my co-designers have created some gorgeous art to inspire you. Oh... there are prizes to be won, too!

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas, 2007, Day 10

Be sure to visit each designer's blog and leave a comment, because Daisy will be choosing FOUR winners randomly from among the comments, and those people will each receive at $20 eclectic Paperie gift voucher. But wait... there's more! One winner who comments at the eclectic Paperie blog will win a gift pack including assorted colors of Alcohol Inks, a bottle of Blending Solution, an Ink Blending Tool... and some extra surprises! You have from now through July 4 to leave your comments, and the winner will be announced on the eclectic Paperie blog on Tuesday, July 5.

(Broni Holcombe, Linda Duke and new mom Latrice Murphy weren't able to participate this time, but please drop by their blogs and see the wonderful things they've been creating!)

Even MORE good news: All Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks are 20% off at eP right now, so it's a great time to stock up (which you'll want to do once you get all inspired by the cool creations of my teammates!).

Thanks for stopping by!

Grungy Monday 13!

2011-06-27T06:00:00.007-06:00

With Special Guest Star Designers:

Celina Matthews

Suzanne Bouchard

Welcome to the Lucky 13 Edition of Grungy Monday! This week, we're heading over to one of my favorite places in the real world and online: Ranger Ink! I bet you enjoy Tim's instructional videos as much as I do, so I'll stop yammering so you can check out this week's challenge, as presented by Mr. Holtz himself:

Tim Holtz Demonstrates

Adirondack Alcohol Inks!

I've been looking forward to this challenge for weeks. I absolutely LOVE Adirondack Alcohol Ink. It's so much fun to work with and has that wonderful and rare quality of being perfect on non-porous materials like glass, metal and plastic. And, those colors! Vibrant, clear... gorgeous!

How 'bout we check out our Guest Star Designers' spectacular art? Huge accolades to:

Celina Matthews

of Scrap Vamp

Suzanne Bouchard

of La Maison de Plume

Are those gorgeous, or what? Please be sure to follow the links to our Guest Artists' blog and leave them some comment love. Suzanne and Celina, you are rock stars!

Here's mine:

Ready to get all alcohol inky? I love this stuff! Follow the link above to bask in Tim's video inspiration, then create your own awesome version and link it up here using the InLinks button at the end of this post. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album to link from. Don't forget to include the link to Tim's video in your post or photo description!

Remember to add your masterpiece to the Grungy Monday photo album at All Things Tim, a Yahoo Group especially for Tim Holtz fans! Lovely List Mom Gloria and the gang there are wonderfully supportive and incredibly creative. If you haven't joined yet, hop on over and do it!!!

Have a spectacular week, everyone!
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Drunken Stampers Raise a Glass to YOU!

2011-06-26T19:33:00.000-06:00

Well, even the best parties have to end, at least long enough for the attendees to get the lampshades off their heads and find their way home, and in that spirit, the Drunken Stampers have decided to close up the lounge for the summer. We're taking July and August off to recharge our batteries, and to celebrate a lazy (-ish) summer, we're keeping Challenge #73 open until we reconvene in September. Oh, the theme of that challege? Why, it's Fruity Cocktails!

Okay, yes, I cheated a little, in that a Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale isn't technically a cocktail, but it's a lot easier to etch a big, straight-sided beer mug than a curvy margarita glass. I made this mug for Scott, one of the world's most accomplished appreciators of beer (although he'd never touch anything as girly as Frambozen). I cut the kitty shapes out of vinyl with my Silhouette SD, and used the negative as a stencil. Etching glass is SO easy-- you just apply the stencil, glob on the etching compound and let it do its job. Then lather, rinse, but don't repeat.

In fact, the only thing hard about this project was getting a photo. As you can tell, it took so long the Frambozen went flat. Sigh.

Thanks so everyone who's played along with our challenges for the past year and a half, and don't forget to submit your own Fruity Cocktail art at Drunken Stampers before the end of August. We'll look forward to seeing you in September, and hope you all have a spectacular couple of months!

Cheers to you!

Gingersnap Creations: The Color of Money!

2011-06-24T17:53:00.000-06:00

Over at the Gingersnap Creations blog, we host a monthly Color Challenge, and to wrap up our June theme of "Shopping," it's natural that we'd go for the greenbacks! In the interest of authenticity, I used actual money (and look-- now I have a savings account!). ;-)

I went through an origami phase a few years ago and learned to fold a few simple designs. I have no idea who originally came up with this little dress, but it's a two-piece outfit with one dollar folded into the blouse, and another into the skirt. It's mounted onto two coasters streaked with Adirondack Dye Ink, the foreground piece in Clover and the background piece in Bottle. I used green Twinery string for the lace.

I hope you'll pop over to Gingersnap Creations if you haven't already, and check out the wonderful art my co-designers came up with for our "Color of Money" challenge. And, I hope you'll join in! You can submit your art anytime before July 24, and we can't wait to see what you create!

Grungy Monday 12!

2011-06-20T06:00:00.008-06:00

With Special Guest Star Designers

Alison Hall

Linda Hoffman

Is it just me, or does it seem like time itself has had too much caffeine lately? Wasn't it just, I dunno, Valentine's Day? And here we are, on the cusp of the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Whatever this Midsummer's Eve brings you, I hope it's filled with joy and heralds in an entire season of blossoming creativity!

I've been having a blast reading older posts from Tim Holtz's blog and finding all kinds of fabulous techniques from years past. This week's challenge is another from 2008 (a very prolific year for our favorite crafting guy!), and while it has quite a few steps, it's really quite easy and a lot of fun! Remember, it's not necessary to copy the project step by step. Instead, let the technique inspire you, then put your own wonderful and unique spin on it!

Tim Holtz Blog Technique Challenge, April 2008

If you can't access the technique by clicking the link above, paste this URL into your browser's address bar:
http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/april-technique.html

I'm so excited to share the work of this week's brilliant Guest Star Designers, both of whom did an absolutely amazing job with this challenge! A standing ovation to:

Alison Hall

Craftytrog's Inky Adventures

Linda Hoffman

Scrappin' Bears' Studio

Gorgeous projects, ladies! Everyone, please be sure to follow the links to Alison and Linda's blogs and give them some comment love!

Here's my own piece:

Click here for my product list.

Ready to try this fun technique? I know you'll rock it! Follow that link above to get the instructions from Tim himself, and link your masterpiece here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album in order to participate. This challenge is open until 8pm MDT next Sunday, June 26. You must include the link to this technique on Tim's website in your blog post or photo album!

And, with that, I'll wish you all a wonderfully creative and happy week, and look forward to seeing your beautiful creations! Happy summer, everyone!

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Happy Fathers Day, Dad!

2011-06-19T00:05:00.001-06:00

My dad is cool. For one thing, he's a stand-up kind of guy. Honest, hard working... you know, all those qualities you expect from a man you'd call "Dad." He's a pretty darn good friend, too.

The third of six kids born to Clarence and Elma in the Ozarks of Arkansas, John Baty Ledbetter grew up tinkering with machinery, playing in his family's gospel group, and (I'm only guessing at this) dreaming of a strapping son to take hunting and play basketball with. The fact that his only child ended up being a non-athletic, vegetarian daughter is, no doubt, one of life's little ironies, but one that he's embraced with good-humored resignation.

Dad was a handsome kid with green eyes and a wicked sense of humor, and I don't doubt that he caught the eye of many a southern belle during his high school years. He played basketball and apparently wore dapper bow ties off the court, and I don't think there was ever a time in his life when he wasn't working, whether on the family's farm or in the workshop.

When Dad was ready to venture out on his own, he moved to Little Rock and put all that tinkering experience to good use in his job as an office equipment sales and service man. It was there that he was introduced to Miss Patricia Couch, the beauty who would become his wife.

Dad served his country in the National Guard, and worked hard to prepare for the adventure to come (fatherhood, I mean), until that fateful December morning when his life was forever changed by a six-pound, three-ounce bundle of opinionated unpredictability (yeah, that would be me). The poor man. I mean, I seemed so small and harmless at that time...

Perhaps feeling the need for more personal space, Dad moved his little family to the open rangeland of southern Idaho when I was two, and that's where I grew up. Without question, his little girl pushed every button, tested the very limits of human patience... and just plain wore him out. But, he persevered, providing a safe and happy home, Barbie dolls in the early years and Bee Gees albums later on, and never failing to love me, no matter how opinionated and unpredictable I might be acting.

I remember my dad watching Monday Night Football and trying to explain what a "first down" is. I never quite got it. I remember him picking up a guitar that I'd bought with money I earned selling Christmas cards, and, to my amazement, playing it perfectly. I remember him taking in a baby squirrel that had fallen from its nest, and I remember him incredulously questioning my choice in boyfriends. And, I remember him teaching me to drive in an AMC Pacer on the icy winter roads south of our little town. It's a wonder he didn't have a heart attack. In the end, he survived, but I don't think the clutch did.

He even made it through my high school years, although he does appear to be sneaking a quick nap in my graduation photo...

It wasn't until he was in his late 50s that Dad discovered what was to become his life's passion: Restoring small antique gasoline engines. I'm not sure quite how it began, but I remember visiting one weekend and seeing that he'd somehow acquired a garage full of rusty, decrepit little engines, many of which were already undergoing the process of being transformed into a driveway full of beautifully renovated, fully functional little treasures. As the years have passed, his part-time hobby has blossomed into a full-time vocation, one that brings him a great deal of joy, a community of like-minded friends, and considerable notoriety in the Antique Gasoline Engine world, where he's known as "Two Engine John." He helps new enthusiasts learn the ropes and displays his latest renovations at the County Fair every year. He even has his own blog where he shows his "before and after" photos. He's an amazing craftsman, and I'm very proud of him.

Dad, thanks for keeping me safe and teaching me to look out for myself. Thanks for loving me no matter how maddening I was. Thanks for giving me everything I needed and a lot of stuff I didn't need but wanted, anyway. Thanks for letting me make my own choices and taking care of me when those choices turned to be all wrong. Thanks for a million little things, and most of all, for always being there for me. I love you very much.

Happy Father's Day! You are the best.

Click the image to read the article!

Drunken Stampers Get a Photo Opportunity!

2011-06-18T15:25:00.001-06:00

Ahhh... Saturday. And, it's hours from summer, according to the calendar hanging on the wall at the Drunken Stampers Crafting Lounge, but the weather here in Idaho apparently didn't get the memo. As I sit here at my neighborhood Starbucks with a very hot drink, watching through the window as the perma-gray sky empties its watery contents onto the pavement, I dream of a shady oasis on a sweltering afternoon, a scene of genteel elegance and luxury so high-falutin' in its presentation it could only come from one place: the Pottery Barn catalog.

As you've no doubt surmised, we're hosting a photo-inspiration challenge this week, based on that pretty picture above, and we'd love to see what you make of it! Go with color, go with geometry, go with something totally abstract-- it's all good.

This photo-opportunity challenge is open through next Friday, June 24, and we're looking forward to your inspired creation! Check out the fab art of my Drunken Stamper teammates, then come join the party (rain or shine)!

All inks are Ranger Archival (the new colors are AMAZING!). Stamps are by Tim Holtz and Hero Arts.

Grungy Monday 11!

2011-06-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Dan99

Deborah Mahnken

Welcome to a new week and new Grungy Monday challenge, everyone!

I try to leave my personal life out of these challenge posts, but I just have to share this with you guys, since you feel like old friends. For the past couple of months, I've been putting a lot of time into a huge project at my "day job" as Member Services Coordinator at the Boise Co-op (a big gourmet and natural foods store). We've been through some serious managerial upheaval this year, and as a way of marking a new era, we decided to host a free dinner for our members. Well over 2,100 people RSVP'd! YIKES!

Once we finished hyperventilating, my co-organizers (including the crew from an awesome local nonprofit called Life's Kitchen) and I put our heads together and came up with a plan that, I'm delighted to say, worked better than we could ever have hoped. The dinner finally happened this past Wednesday, and it was a success! It really was! Here's a link to the photos if you'd like to see the end result: Boise Co-op Member Appreciation Dinner 2011.

The extra-good news is, I'll have a lot more time now for my crafting and blog friends. I so appreciate your patience with my blog visit delays and slow response time for emails.

Okay, enough of that. Let's get rolling with Grungy Monday 11, and take another hop back in time to Tim's blog for this beautiful bit of inspiration:

Tim Holtz Blog, January 2008

Technique Challenge

I'm delighted to introduce you to this week's Special Guest Star Designers, both of whom created something magnificent for Grungy Monday 11. A round of applause for:

Dan99

of My Crafty Life

Deborah Mahnken

of Method Playground

Beautiful work, Dan and Deborah!

Here's mine...

Please click here for a list of the products I used.

Follow that link above to learn how to make your own richly-colored, faux batik piece, then add it to the collection here using the InLinkz button at the end of this post. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album in order to participate. This challenge closes at 8pm MDT on Sunday, June 19.

Please remember, you really MUST mention that this is a Tim Holtz technique in your blog post or photo comments, and include the link to the technique from his blog. Submissions that don't meet this requirement will be removed. It breaks my heart to have to unlink anyone's art, so please follow this one little rule and all will be well.

Remember, too, to add your photo to the Grungy Monday album at All Things Tim, where fabulous List Mom, Gloria, has created an easy way for you to share your work and make some wonderful new friends!

Have an absolutely wonderful week, everyone! I can't wait to see what you create for Grungy Monday 11!

Thanks to Deborah and Dan for their gorgeous Design Team samples!

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Drunken Stampers See Orange!

2011-06-12T20:38:00.000-06:00

Over at the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog, we're painting the lounge walls orange in celebration of this week's challenge! Seriously, who doesn't love this happy, uplifting, half-red/half-yellow cog on the ol' color wheel?

You might notice that I kind of plagiarized myself on this piece, in that it's remarkably similar to a cooler-toned card I posted earlier this week. I'm really enjoying making little Grungepaper envelopes right now and riveting them onto cardstock, and I just wasn't ready to give up on this particular design. So, yeah, I re-did it in orange tones. I even played with a wood burning tool and didn't set the studio on fire. Cheers to that!

My Drunken Stamper teammates have created some fabulous art for this challenge, and I hope you'll check it out and then create your own orange-y masterpiece to share. This challenge is open through next Friday, June 17!

Have a fabulous, sunshine-laden week!

The Deets:
I used Tim Holtz's Retro Circles embossing folder on the Grungepaper and the Ranger Inkssentials Metal Foil Tape, and carried the pattern onto the background with a stamp from Tim's Bitty Grunge set. The "Thank You" was wood-burned into the little tag. I used Adirondack Dye inks in Terra Cotta, Rust, Sunset Orange, Espresso and Pesto on the papers, and Pitch Black Paint Dabber on the embossed metal.

Grungy Monday 10: Distress Ink-o-Rama!

2011-06-06T06:00:00.005-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Karen Matthews

Marjie Kemper

Good Monday, Tim fans, and welcome to Grungy Monday 10! I hope you all had a fabulous week, and are enjoying this new month (whatever kind of weird things your weather might be doing!). Your work for Grungy Monday 09 was just spectacular, and I'm still making the rounds of your blogs and having my socks knocked off by the wonderful things I'm seeing. Well done, you guys-- truly, you're awesome!

This week, let's get loose and have fun with a product challenge everyone can enjoy, a celebration of what may well be the crown jewel of Tim Holtz's many incredible creations:

DISTRESS INK!

That's right. Make whatever you wish, go nuts and have a blast using any combination of Distress Inks you like! Our Special Guest Star Designers certainly did, and they created two absolutely amazing works of art for GM10. Give it up for:

Karen Matthews

of the Paperfanatic blog!

Marjie Kemper

of the She Who Stamps and Scraps blog!

Here's my own Distress Inked-up piece:

Once you've created your own spectacular homage to Distress Ink, use the InLinkz button at the end of this post to add your image to the collection. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album in order to participate. This challenge closes at 8pm MDT on Sunday, June 12.

Please remember: You MUST mention Tim Holtz, the creator of Distress Ink, in your post or photo comments, and include a link to his website (www.timholtz.com). Submissions that don't meet this requirement will be removed.

What's the best discussion group on the entire Yahoo Groups roster? Why, it's All Things Tim, moderated by the fabulous Miss Gloria, and populated by the coolest group of Tim fans on the planet. If you're not a member there, you're missing out on some awesome friendships, not to mention all kinds of insider tips and great ideas for making your Tim-themed art even better! Gloria has created a photo album especially for Grungy Monday, and you're welcome to upload your art there and learn from the work of other members. It's free, it's fun... get on over there!

Okay, guys, let's hit it! I know you'll make some amazing Distress Ink magic! Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you on the internet.

Huge thanks to Karen and Marjie for their sensational art!
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Getting Mall-ed with the Gingersnaps and Altered Pages!

2011-06-01T18:45:00.002-06:00

It's a new month, and that means a new theme at the Gingersnap Creations blog! For June, we're teaming up with the fabulous folks at Altered Pages to explore the womanly art of buying stuff. It seems as though a lot of men just don't get shopping as a recreational activity, but most women, I suspect, will concur when I say that it's therapeutic. As Carrie Bradshaw famously said, "Shopping is my cardio."

I used the Altered Pages "Fashion Ladies" collage sheet for this simple and snarky digital greeting card, dropping in some text and a few Photoshop-created buttons. I upped the contrast a little to really bring out those vintage-y discolorations in the background, and used a burlap texture filter on the background.

For the record, I do not own a German Beer Frau costume.

We'd love for you to join this challenge, and if you do, you just might win a cool gift package from Altered Pages! To be in the running, simply create your own "At the Mall"-themed piece and link it at Gingersnap Creations by July 3 (that's right-- July. Can you believe that's only a month away?!).

Have an awesome rest of the week, everyone!

Grungy Monday 09!

2011-05-30T06:00:00.002-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers

Jennie, the Artistic Stamper

Kaz Hall

Happy almost-June, blog friends! I hope you're enjoying a wonderful 3-day weekend, or if, like me, you're working today, that you'll find a way to treat yourself (I recommend chocolate, but that's just me...).

Your watercolor stamped art last week was fantastic, and I had a great time visiting your blogs. I know I say this every week, but you guys are SO talented it blows my mind! I learn so much from you every week, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to admire your work.

This week, we're heading back to December, 2007, for an easy and probably very familiar technique from the very first 12 Tags series:

You've probably seen this technique referred to as "Shabby Chic," and that really is the perfect description of the effect it offers. It's fab for greeting cards and ATCs, but as this week's designers demonstrate here, it's awesome for three-dimensional pieces and wall art, too!

Jennie

The Artistic Stamper blog

Kaz

The Little Shabby Shed blog

A round of applause for Kaz and Jennie, yes? They ROCKED this technique!

Here's my own piece. I went tropical. Imagine listening to Jimmy Buffet and sipping a pina colada while viewing this. Yep, I'm really, REALLY sick of cold, gray weather.

Please click here for a list of the products I used.

Ready to get your shabby chicness on? Cool, because I can't wait to see this week's submissions! When you've completed your piece, use the InLinkz button at the end of this post to add your image to the collection. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album in order to participate.

Please remember, you must credit Tim Holtz for the technique and include a link to his website in your blog post or photo comments section. Submissions that don't meet this requirement will be removed.

Don't forget to add your photo to the Grungy Monday album at All Things Tim! List Mom Gloria and the awesome artists there are waiting to see your masterpiece. If you're not part of this fabulously supportive and talented group of artists, run over there and join up!

I hope you all have a wonderful, creative week!

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Drunken Stampers Conjure Up Some Magic!

2011-05-28T11:30:00.001-06:00

Well, our Spike is now MRS. Spike, and apparently there's quite a story behind the Las Vegas wedding of our Drunken Stampers co-founder! While she and Jeffrey honeymoon, Peg recovers from the lingering effects of her whirlwind trip to Sin City, and Tash suffers from with sympathy hangover, Tracy and I are holding down the lounge and hoping you'll join us for our "Magic" themed challenge this week!

I think I might have de-vigin-ified a Virgin Mary stamp for this challenge (I have no idea where I got that stamp...). Now she's a crystal-ball-reading gypsy under the full moon. I think she can seriously rock the scarlet and magenta robes, and the blue eyeliner, well, it's a fortune teller kind of thing.

I used a Kitchen Sink Stamps triple-step moon for this, first stamping and masking the gypsy, then stamping the moon in progressively deeper colors of gold Adirondack Dye Ink (Lemonade, Sunshine Yellow and Butterscotch) and then masking that before I went completely nuts with paint and embossing powder. There's all kinds of stuff going on with the background: Adirondack Pitch Black paint, Lumiere paints, Liquid Pearls, a few shades of Stickles... and Golden Glass Bead Gel. That's some cool stuff...have you ever used it? It's gel medium with tiny, clear glass beads mixed into it. For the weird, super textured effect here, I globbed it on, let it dry about halfway, sprinkled it with several colors of Adirondack embossing powder and some metallic silver embossing powder, then heat gunned it until it boiled and bubbled and the powders melted into it. I don't even want to think about the toxic fumes I created.

The crystal ball is an Idea-ology Fragment tinted with Alcohol Inks, with a little transparency face behind it. (Her future looks bright, in case you were wondering... ).

Enough about me. You've got to check out the gorgeous Magic Wand that Tracy created for this challenge! And, once you're sufficiently inspired, come join us! We're looking forward to seeing your magical art, which you can link up at Drunken Stampers anytime before midnight next Friday.

Abracadabra, y'all!

Grungy Monday 08!

2011-05-23T06:00:00.004-06:00

Featuring Special Guest Star Designers:

Sue West

Ellen Vargo

Wow, you guys ROCKED the Color Block art last week! Wasn't that a fun technique? I'm having a blast seeing the variety of beautiful pieces you guys created-- so many brilliant ideas and so much talent! This week, we're back to Tim's blog for a classic that I think you'll love, but first...

***Important Message from Your Hostess!***

I'd like to mention something I think you'll all want to be aware of. In the past week, I've been shown two unique instances of someone in the online art community laying claim to Tim's work as if it were their own. In the first case, an alert blog friend (thanks, Connie!) sent me a link to an online e-Zine where tutorials were all but lifted directly out of A Compendium of Curiosities, but Tim's name was never even mentioned. The second case was a link Mario sent me, where-- incredibly-- a retailer has apparently scanned or photographed Tim's Idea-ology Word Keys and is selling the resulting image as a downloadable file (including warnings about not using it for your own commercial-use products). There's no mention that those keys are Tim's signature products. Amazing, isn't it?

As artists, we share ideas, we learn from each other and we discover things together. That's a big part of what makes the process so much fun! But, we're also mindful of the fact that when another artist, be it a peer or a teacher, creates a new product or a technique, it's absolutely essential to give them proper credit. We do this to avoid any copyright issues, certainly, but also because it's simply the right thing to do. I know that the legalities surrounding intellectual property are murky, at best, and have no idea how instances such as those I've cited above would be viewed in that arena, but I do know it's disrespectful and often financially damaging to the actual creator when someone lays claim to their work.

Please be assured, I'm not talking about being inspired by something you see and using that inspiration to create something new and wonderful of your own. That's what we do, and it's awesome! Nor am I talking about the fact that sometimes, two or more people simply come up with the same (or very similar ideas). That's bound to happen in the creative community. I'm talking specifically about people who copy someone's work outright and don't give credit, or worse, take the credit for themselves.

I've been so impressed with the participants in the Tim-inspired challenges I host-- you guys are great about giving Tim the credit he deserves. Occasionally, though, someone simply forgets to do so. I get that. I forget stuff all the time! But, as hostess of this challenge, it's my responsibility to make sure that the credit, the link back to Tim, is present in every submission. In good conscience, I have to remove any submission that doesn't include that link. I'll always contact the person first, though, and I doubt I'll ever encounter someone who doesn't immediately correct the omission.

Okay, that's my Public Service Announcement for the week. How 'bout we engage in some artiness?!

This week brings one of my all-time favorite techniques from Mr. Holtz, and that's saying a lot because I've never seen a Tim Technique I didn't like! It's a fun, totally clever way of creating a watercolor image using stamps and Adirondack Dye Ink. Let's hop into our handy Technique Time Machine and visit a blog post from a few years back...

Tim's September, 2008 Technique Challenge

Our Special Guest Star Designers took this challenge to the stratosphere! Check out these amazing works of art from two very talented ladies:

Sue West

Pink Ink

Ellen Vargo

Ten Thirty-Six Arts and Crafts

Ellen put some great "code" in her piece!

I've had such a hard time not posting this next photo until now! Ellen actually gave me the gorgeous piece she created for this challenge when I met her after Ranger U! It's now hanging in a place of honor in my studio, a reminder of a wonderful friend and inspiring artist!

Yes, that's the one of only Hels Sheridan in the background!

Here's my own GM08 piece:

Please click here for my product list.

I hope we've inspired you to try your hand at this beautiful technique! I think you'll really enjoy the process, but do heed Tim's advice that "practice makes perfect" on this one. It might take a couple tries to get a feel for it, but fear not! You will, and you'll have a masterpiece in no time!

When you've completed your work, use the InLinkz button at the end of this post to add your image here. You'll need to have a blog or an online, public photo album to participate. And, of course, please include a link to Tim's website in your blog post or photo comments section, as we discussed above.

After you link your art here, don't forget to add it to the Grungy Monday photo album at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo! Fabulous Gloria, who owns and moderates the list, has generously given us a place to share our GM pieces there, and the lovely folks on the list will make you feel right at home. Be sure to wish Gloria a happy, slightly belated, birthday, too (it was the Saturday)!

Okay, friends, go forth and grunge! I hope you all have a fabulous week!
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E-Team Special Misson: World of Color with Stampavie!

2011-05-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, blog friends! The eclectic Paperie E-Team is launching a new challenge series today, called It's Better with Color. And, truly, it is! We're excited to partner up with the designers from Stampavie to show you a variety of ways to add color to some of their great images. Are there prizes to be won? You know it, baby!

I chose Stampavie's "Simon" image for my slightly grungy skater boy card, and colored him with Prismacolor pencils. More and more, I find that I choose pencils over markers for coloring my art, primarily because they're more forgiving. Blending is still a challenge for me, no matter which medium I choose, and the fact that pencil can be erased and redone (over and over and over) makes me love it a whole lot! Plus, thanks to a helpful tip from my friend Cheryl over at Rocky Mountain Memories, I learned to blend out pencil marks using Gamsol (odorless mineral spirits) on a simple paper stump, and that helps polish up my amateur coloring skills.

The background paper here is from Tim Holtz's Retro Grunge Paper Stash, and the "Ollie" letters are cut using his Chip Block die (an "ollie" is a particular type of skateboarding jump). The lyrics from John Gorka's beautiful song, "Furniture," were ink jet printed on regular ol' copy paper. They were "aged" with Antique Linen Distress Ink, as was the newsprint base.

Okay, let's talk about those prizes!

On Monday, May 23, Daisy from eclectic Paperie will randomly choose FIVE winners from among the comments left at the E-Team and Stampavie Design Team blogs between now and Sunday. Each winner will receive a Stampavie stamp plus some cool eclectic Paperie goodies! The winners will be announced at the eP blog.

The eclectic Paperie E-Team is:

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)