E-Team Special Mission: Distress Stains Revisited!

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

Broni Holcombe

Linda Ledbetter (that's me!)

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever

(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!

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!

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!

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

Hugs,

Linda

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Grungy Monday 16!

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

Bumblebees and Butterflies with Brenda

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!

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!

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:

Daisy Sparks, our Fearless Leader

Broni Holcombe

Latrice Murphy

Linda Duke 

Linda Ledbetter (That's me!)

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever

Starla Nelson

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!

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!

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!

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:

Tim's March 2008 Technique Challenge

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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