Scrap N Grow

Archive for the ‘Challenge Entry’ Category

Good morning everyone!  How was your weekend?  Mine was productive and fun……..I spent much of the weekend in my creative playground, aka studio. Today, I am pleased to show you one of the projects I was busy working on, a mixed media canvas that highlight’s this month’s Paperie In Bloom, the hydrangea.

Paperie In Bloom: August 2012 Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

I had so much fun creating this canvas and remembered to have my camera nearby.  I took pictures (below) throughout the creative process.  To start, I used a primed 11×14 canvas from Michael’s.

Base Coat of Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

Ephemera Added To Base Coat of Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

Addition of Paint/Texture To Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

Die cut, Sand, and Embossed Letters For Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

And below is a photo of the completed and embellished mixed media hydrangea canvas. My apologies that I forgot to photograph the making of the hydrangea as I made the hydrangea and leaves prior to making the canvas.  Click here for detailed instructions.

Completed Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

Below are some close ups.  All pictures will enlarge when double clicked.

Close up of Background Paint/Texture of Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

Close Up of Hydrangea Bloom

Close Up of Seed Packet Of Mixed Media Hydrangea Canvas

I am quite pleased with my results and I had so much fun creating this canvas and really enjoyed working with a plethora of media.  I included a general list of supplies below.  I have also decided to use this canvas as my entry for this week’s Studio L3 Compendium of Curiosities II challenge.  This week’s technique is Creative Coordinations.  The technique can be found on page 61 of Tim Holtz’s Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  In addition, Simon Says Stamp is sponsoring this week’s challenge. I am a frequent customer of Simon Says Stamp. They have the latest and greatest, free shipping over $75, and process their orders quickly. Click here for additional information regarding the challenge.

Supplies Used:

11X14 Primed Canvas from Michael’s

Various colors of Liquitex Heavy and Soft Body Acrylic and Kaisercraft  Paint

Various stencils from the Crafter’s Workshop

Various rubber stamps stamped with Ranger’s Jet Black Archival Ink

Various colors of Faber Castell Big Brush Pens

Permaball Pilot Pen for doodling

Various embossing folders from Provocraft and Sizzix

Word Play Sizzix Alterations die for lettering

Vagabond Die Cut Machine to cut and emboss letters

4 inch Styrofoam ball cut in half for hydrangea bloom

Provocraft Cricut Die Cut Machine used to cut hydrangea petals and leaves

Provocraft Creative Memories Traveler Cricut Cartridge hydrangea petal image

Provocraft Giant Flowers Cartridge to cut hydrangea leaves

Coated garden tie wire for flower stem

Inkessentials Glossy Accents

Ranger Perfect Pearls White Opal for flower centers

Stampin Up Pearls for canvas embellishments

Tiny Type Black Letter Stickers for small sized text

I think I covered everything.  Feel free to email me with any questions and/or leave a comment telling me of you have tried mixed media play yourself.  If you have not…….I challenge you to try it. It is quite freeing……as there are no rules and no such thing as a mistake.  Thank you so much for taking time to stop by and I hope you come back again soon.  Have a great day!

Michelle

Hello everyone!  How is your week going?  Mine has been very busy.  I am looking forward to the weekend in hopes to slow down a bit and catch up on my ongoing projects.

Today’s post combines both last week’s and this week’s Compendium of Curiosities II challenge as I missed the deadline last week.   Last week’s technique was enameled metals and this week’s technique is Perfect Pearls mist. Linda Ledbetter over at Studio L3 hosts this challenge weekly.  Directions for each technique can be found inside Tim Holtz’s Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2. I used both techniques and made a matchbook notebook.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry for Weeks 15 & 16

Bird:

I followed the enameled metal technique’s directions on page 56 of Tim’s book in order to create the bird.  Bird was die cut from the Bird Branch Sizzix Alterations Die.

Matchbook:

I used Tim’s Sizzix Matchbook Alteration’s die cut from a solid yellow card stock.  I embossed the front flap using Tim Holtz’s Rays embossing folder. Afterwards, I added color to the rays using Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks. Lastly, for a nice finish, I followed Tim’s Perfect Pearls mist technique on page 54 which I feel added a nice shimmer finish which unfortunately does not show up well in the photo.

Prior to final assembly, I die cut the branch from the Bird Branch Die using a scrap piece of corrugated card stock.  I then adhered the layers together and added a velcro product called Hooks and Tabs from Archiver’s as a closure.  Lastly, I inserted a 3m Post it note pad inside the matchbook.  Upon review of my project, I realized that I forgot to add my tiny type letters to spell the word notes.

This project was completed in under 30 minutes.  Overall, I am pleased with the results though next time, I would like to die cut the matchbook from mat board. I think it would hold up better.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope that you stop back again soon. This Friday, I am going to unveil yet another new blog feature along with a super cool DIY project. I can not wait to show you.  Have a great week and see you on Friday!

Michelle

Good afternoon everyone.  How is your weekend going?  Mine has been pretty busy as I have been working on a flower bouquet which has a few thousand small cuts. I hope to complete and showcase that project later this week.  I need to stop tomorrow after work to replenish supplies that I ran out of.  This afforded me the opportunity to complete my entry for this week’s Compendium of Curiosities II hosted by the lovely Linda Ledbetter over at Studio L3. Click here for more information. This week’s challenge is being sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  This week’s technique challenge can be found on page 39 of Tim Holtz’s Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  The technique is called guilded kraft glassine, a new technique for me.  Below is my submission.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry Week 14

I began by coloring 8 sheets of kraft glassine paper following the instructions in Tim’s book.  I created 4 different color schemes: red, orange, green, and yellow.  Below are close up samples. I apologize that the photos do not actually showcase the vibrancy of the guilded kraft glassine sheets.

Close Up of Guilded Kraft Glassine Sheets Colored

Afterwards, I used Tim’s Sizzix Alterations Tattered Leaves die and die cut the colored sheets.  I completed the technique’s remaining steps.  Below are the completed guilded kraft glassine leaves. I plan to use them to surround some fall colored flameless candles come fall.

Close Up of Guilded Kraft Glassine Leaves

As I was cleaning up my studio’s table, I could not bear to throw away the negative from die cutting the leaves.  I thought that the negative might make a good card front.  For fun, I cut a mat for the negative and found that I really liked the effect.  I then wondered what it would like if I were to stamp behind the negative for added interest.  I used Tim’s new Autumn Blueprint stamp set to try it.  I did not like the result. Instead, I found that I liked the effect on the scratch paper that I used as a mask to ensure that I did not stamp onto the card front’s mat. Because I liked the effect, I decided to create a sample card to test drive my idea.  I stamped directly onto the mat as well as the interior of the negative.  I really liked the sketchbook result and just love the new stamp set.

I then proceeded to select and cut coordinating card layers to coordinate with each color of guilded kraft glassine. Each card is 6X6. I used Jet Black Archival Ink to stamp the images. Afterwards, I accented the corners with Ideaology Mini Fasteners and adhered an Ideology Pen Nib in the lower right hand corner of each card.  I am pleased with the way the cards turned out and decided instead to submit my cards for the challenge rather than the leaves pictured above. Below once again are my completed cards. Click on image to see a larger view.

Close Up of Completed Kraft Glassine Cards

Thank you for stopping by.  Feel free to leave a comment below.  Have a great day and please visit again soon!

Michelle

Good evening everyone.  How was your weekend? Mine went by way too fast.  I had a chance today to complete my Compendium of Curiosities II challenge entry for this week.  This challenge is hosted by the lovely Linda Ledbetter over st Studio L3.  This week’s technique is called Spritz and Flick distress.  Instructions for this technique can be found in Tim Holtz‘s book, Compendium of Curiosities II, on page 42.  The book is chocked full of inspiration and techniques. This week’s sponsor is Simon Says Stamp.  They are offering a $25 gift certificate to shop there online store.  I am a regular customer with Simon Says Stamp and can attest to their awesome service and that they ship fast.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry Week 13

This week’s technique is a great background technique.  Look into the sky region to best observe the technique.  Colors I used for the background: Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass, Mustard Seed, and Forest Moss Distress Ink.

I stamped the trees using Sap Green and Olive Archival Ink by Ranger.  The trees are from 2 different Stampers Anonymous stamp sets, Just Believe and Reindeer Flight.

Sentiment is Stampers Anonymous too and is from Good Thoughts and is stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger.

The birds are from a newly released Sizzix die called Birds On A Wire.  I placed pop dots behind each bird prior to attaching them to tag.  Like the added dimensional effect.

Lastly, I added a Thoughts Ideology Muse Token.

That’s it for today.  I have been busy working on another bouquet.  I hope to post that later in the week.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you stop back again soon.  Have a great evening and see you soon.

Michelle

Good Evening Bloggers.  How are you?  Well today is special for a few reasons. First, I think I am finally starting to kick the summer cold I have been fighting for the past 2 weeks.  Second, I was able to catch up weeding in my gardens earlier today. Lastly and most importantly, I completed my configurations box for Linda Ledbetter’s Studio L3 special edition challenge.  Up for grabs is a giant goodies package from  Tim Holtz and Mario. Click here  for Linda’s blog.

Participants were given 2 weeks for this challenge as it is a big one and takes a bit more time to complete.  The directions for this technique can be found on pages 33 and 34 of Compendium of Curiosities Volume 2.  My completed configurations box has a garden/nature theme.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry Weeks 11&12: Garden Configurations Box

I used Ideaology’s largest box and followed the instructions inside the book. Afterwards, I preselected my trinkets and pre planned each of the boxes.  I decided to print off coordinating background images from Google.  This is a fine thing to do so long as it is for personal use only.  Below is a picture showing the configurations box with just the background papers.

Garden Configurations Box With Background Papers

Below are close ups of the individual boxes along with a brief summary of supplies or techniques used. Starting in the upper left hand corner is a fractured girl doll. I used Ranger’s Alcohol Ink Filled Pens to give the girl clothes, skin tone, hair, and added a sunflower garden hat similar to one I wear while working in my gardens. The rusted watering can is a trinket from my stash.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up of Girl and Watering Can

Next is a seeds miniature display that I picked up awhile back on a shopping trip.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up Of Seed Packet Display

Upper right hand corner are Scrabble letters distressed using Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Below are miniature terra cotta pots that have been altered using Vintaj Patina. Inside each pot is a mini Styrofoam ball that has been painted green.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up of GROW and Garden Pots

Next is a miniature garden desk scene.  Scene includes an Ideology timepiece and a couple Maya Road Bingo motif pieces for accents. The desktop surface has a garden journal and pencil.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up of Garden Desk Scene

In the middle is a garden bench and tree.  The tree is a jewelry charm from Michael’s.  I altered the tree using Vintaj Patina.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up of Garden Bench Scene

Over to the the far left are some mushrooms, a watering hose, and a faucet.  The mushrooms are from Melissa Frances.  I added Walnut Stain Distress Ink to grungy them up and placed them into some Earth Textures by Elements to simulate dirt.  I love the effect.  The hose is a Jolee’s embellishment and the faucet is from Ideaology.

Garden Configurations box Close Up of Mushrooms and Faucet

In the lower left hand corner is a bird feeder suspended from a tree branch and a bird nest. I made the bird feeder from a piece of rolled mesh tape, painted it silver with Ranger Paint Dabber and used Glossy Accents to adhere feeder to a painted button.  I cut and painted toothpicks for feeder ports and filled the feeder with a few black oil sunflower seeds. The birds were created using a mini Punch A Bunch punch.  Lastly, I added a wire hanger and another button for the feeder’s cover.  For the nest, I started with a plain unadorned pre bought nest to which I added various feathers, excelsior, grass, twigs, strings, and 3 eggs.

Garden Configurations Box Close up of Bird Feeder and Bird's Nest

Bottom center is a trellis filled with Recollections roses.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up of Rose Trellis

Lastly, is a bird bath and a bird house.  The bird bath is a trinket filled with Glossy Accents to simulate water .  The metal bird house is from Michael’s.  I altered it using Vintaj Patina.  Afterwards, I added a bit of nesting material inside the house.

Garden Configurations Box Close Up of Bird Bath and Bird House

Afterwards, I completed the box by adding some Ideaology foundation feet.  I altered these with Vintaj Patina.  Below is the completed garden configurations box.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry Weeks 11&12: Garden Configurations Box

The box was a lot of fun to put together.  To date, I have made a few and the possible themes for a box is endless. I invite you to make one yourself.  Thank you for stopping by. Please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what you think.  Please stop back again soon.

Michelle

Hello blog readers. I am so happy to be back blogging. I came down with a nasty summer cold Monday and today was the first day I could actually think and see straight enough to create.

A lot of exciting things happened while was sick.  First, I received a very sweet thank you card from my girlfriend’s daughter who graduated from high school this year. Her thank you card included,”your card was the coolest card I have ever received and I am going to keep it and put it in my scrapbook”.  She is such a sweetheart and I am certain thatshe will do great as she heads to college in the fall.

Second, each month I have been diligent to complete Tim Holtz’s Tags of 2012. Click here to be redirected to Tim’s site for each month.  Each month’s  featured tag is chocked full of techniques and/or insightful ways of using a current or newly released product. Each participant can opt to upload their entry using a inlink tool on Tim’s website. Then at the close of each month, Tim selects a certain number of tags and each of these tag’s creator’s receive a package of goodies from Tim himself. Drumroll please……..I was one of the winners for June.  I was so excited and have already contacted Mario, his assistant, to receive my goodies.

I copied and pasted the text from Tim’s site below:

congrats to the winners from the june 12 tags of 2012 gallery posts.  if you see your name below and it links to your tag, please contact mario@timholtz.com to claim your prize!

1. emeraldradio
2. Barbara Ford
3. Dottie
4. Michelle Nun ME!!!! Yahooo!!!!
5. Miss Laballade
6. Antonia
7. Bararayaya
8. Creative Tara
9. Pamela Bennett
10. Anita Houston
11. Judy C.
12. stampersuzz 

Lastly, for great news.  I have been contacted by a publisher who is interested in using one of my featured projects in their upcoming magazine.  I am still awaiting to hear about the final details, but what great news to hear when you are under the weather.

So onto today’s featured tags.  Today’s tags are inspired from Tim Holtz. Directions for the tags can be found on his website, click here to be redirected.

The first one is my official entry.  I followed his directions rather closely and only changed up a few of the embellishments to what I had on hand.

Tim Holtz Tags of 2012 July Challenge Entry

I also did a second tag wondering what it would look like without use of compressed air and instead use my alcohol ink felt applicator tool. My results are below.

Tim Holtz Tags of 2012, July Version #2

Here they are side by side.

Tim Holtz Tags of 2012, July Challenge Entries

It is hard for me to decide if I prefer one tag more than the other.  I would love to hear what you think. Simply leave me a comment below, and as an added bonus and to celebrate my win. I have 2 unopened sets of Tim Holtz Distress Inks your choice of Fall 2011 or Winter 2011. I will draw 1 winner at the close of July.

Lastly, I invite you to subscribe by email if you would like to stay informed each time I post a new, inspiring project.  Thank you for taking time to visit and I hope that you will come back again real soon.

Michelle

Hello readers,

How is everyone?  It is a sweltering hot one here in Minnesota.  I ran errands earlier today and finally had a chance to complete my June tag.  Since February, Tim Holtz has featured a tag and accompanying tutorial each month. Each tag is chocked full of techniques and new ways of using his various products.  This month was no exception for he demonstrated how to tint photos (which is way cool). Click here for Tim’s website. The June tag was very fun to create! Below is my tag.

Tim Holtz's Tags of 2012, June Edition

A few minor differences to note. I used a snippet of paper that featured a Minnesota advertisement (Destinations Paper Stash).  I used my favorite number 9 for the file tab and exchanged the star for a heart to which I applied a Vintaj patina.  Lastly, I preferred to use a row of flowers rather than a single flower.

Thank you for taking time to stop by and I hope that you will return again soon.

Michelle

Good Evening everyone.  I had a little free time this afternoon to complete my challenge entry for week 10 of Compendium of Curiosities II. This challenge is hosted by the lovely Linda Ledbetter over at Studio L3.  This weeks technique is tissue paper flowers and the instructions for this technique can be found on page 37 in Tim’s latest book, Compendium of Curiosities II.  The Funkie Junkie Boutique is sponsoring this week’s challenge and is offering a $25.oo gift certificate for their online shop for one lucky participant.

Compendium of Curiosities II Week 10 Challenge Entry

I kept this week’s tag pretty simple. It was fun and allowed me to test drive some new product. First up is the background.  Earlier this week, Kaz over at the The Little Shabby Shed shared a technique that she recently discovered by accident.  Click on the hyperlink to be taken to that post.  I love the results and will definitely use it again on future projects.  The stamps I used to create the background  were from Tim’s winter CHA release, Mixed Media and Words For Thought.  The colors I used are from Tim’s latest summer Distress Ink release, Mowed Lawn and Salty Ocean.  These colors are so vibrant in person.  Afterwards, the tag’s edges were distressed and inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

I followed Tim’s technique on page 37 to make a tissue wrap flower using Terminology Tissue Wrap from Ideaology.  After the flower was assembled, I lightly sprayed Perferct Pearl Mist spray for added sparkle and added an accouterment to the flower center.  I then adhered the flower using pop dots to the tag and attached a green chenille stem using my tiny attacher stapler. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment using Jet Black Archival Ink and used Shabby Shutters Distress stain to color Stampin Up Seam Binding ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by. I have been busy behind the scenes making custom ink palettes for forthcoming Compendium of Curiosities II challenges.  I will share those in accordance with those challenges in future posts.  I am also in the process of reorganizing my studio and am taking pictures of the process.  Next up is to finish my June Tags of 2012 that Tim features each month on his blog. Have a great night and hope that you will stop back again soon.

Michelle

Good evening everyone.  I am excited that I was on the ball this week and already completed my entry for this week’s Studio L3‘s weekly challenge. Each week, Linda selects a technique from Tim Holtz’s latest edition of Compendium of Curiosities II. This week’s challenge is pocket watches and is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.  There is no technique really associated with this challenge, but page 35 in Tim’s book does provide tips for you to create your own pocket watch.

I have to admit that I was ecstatic on Friday when I checked Linda’s sight for this week’s challenge. Almost immediately the ideas began to flow and cultivate.  After considering my list of possibilities, I decided to create my top three ideas: a garden inspired, a nature inspired, and of course a time inspired one.  My schedule on Saturday allowed time for me to stop at both Joann’s and Michael’s to search for trinkets that would fit inside each of  the pocket watches. I was pleased to find garden trinkets as I was unsure how available they would be locally.  Below are my three completed pocket watches.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry Week 9

The home pocket watch features bird feathers, twigs, string, and excelsior that accommodate two bird eggs against a wood veneer backdrop.  The word home is a chit chat sticker from Tim Holtz’s Ideaology line. The Ideaology bird accouterment is attached with a jump ring to the pocket watch.

Close Up of Home Pocket Watch

The time pocket watch is Tim Holtz inspired.  Tim’s book features a similar pocket watch that I liked.  I am so glad that Tim introduced mini sprocket gears as they fit well inside the watch.  I used various gears and a game spinner.  The backdrop is a snippet from his Shabby Chic paper line. Lastly, I attached a Ideaology swivel clasp to the pocket watch.

Close Up of Time Pocket Watch

The garden pocket watch is a compilation of trinkets.  The watering can, garden rake, and shovel are charms that I found at Joann’s.  The metal flower is by Making Memories and the glove is a jewelry component from Bead Landing that I purchased from Michael’s. The letters are beads as well and come from Michael’s too.  The background is a flower encyclopedia stamp that I stamped onto green card stock.

Close Up of Garden Pocket Watch

I hesitated afterwards to add a chain or ribbon to the home and garden watches as I would like to keep them for use in an upcoming configurations box.

The watches were very fun to create and I am very pleased with how they turned out.  Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope that you will come back again soon.

Michelle

Good evening.  I finally completed my entry for Studio L3′s Compendium of Curiosities II technique challenge.  This challenge is hosted by Linda Ledbetter over at  Studio L3.  Each week Linda selects a new technique from Tim Holtz’s latest book, Compendium of Curiosities II. This week’s featured technique challenge can be found on page 62 and is titled re-purposed packaging.  In the book, Tim provides a few different artful methods and ideas for which to reuse the plastic packaging that our art goodies are often packaged in.

Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge Entry Week 8

In addition to the technique challenge, I challenged myself primarily due to time constraints to embrace the KISS principle (Keep It Super Simple). To do so, I chose to make a card.

I began by embossing the card front using the large background stamp from Americana Silhouettes stamp set. Afterwards, I masked off three stripes using blue painter’s tape.  I then used my ink blending tool and Distress Ink to color each stripe.  I used Festive Berries for the red and Faded Jeans for the blue. Next, I followed Tim’s technique on page 62 and adhered my packaging to the white stripe for an embossed accent. I adhered my packaging accent with Inkessentials Glossy Accents and let dry under tight clamps to ensure a strong hold.  Once dry, I cut mat layers and finished the card assembly.

I am proud of myself as I successfully adhered to the KISS principle for today’s card.  I must admit that I still feel like the card needs something else but I will leave it as is.

Thanks for stopping by. I will be back tomorrow with part two of the Toy Box Mini Album. Have a great night!

Michelle