A Beautiful World - Idea-ology 2021

There are some really gorgeous products in the new Idea-ology release and I wanted to showcase some of them in this project. I know most of you are used to some back story or inspiration behind my makes, but this is one of those that just celebrates the product for its beauty.

The base of this project is a Mini Etcetera tag. I tore the new Entymology Collage Paper into pieces and adhered it to the raw tag and tag reinforcer with some Distress Collage Medium. Put a thin layer of Collage Medium on the tag, press a torn piece of the Collage paper into it, gently flatten it out, then brush the top of the paper with Collage Medium. Repeat until the entire tag is covered. 

Once it is completely dry, sand any excess Collage Paper off the edges, and get ready to use some Distress Crayons.

Begin by scribbling some Antique Linen Distress Crayon in a small area. 

Then use your fingers to rub it in and smooth it out. Do the same two steps in another small area. Cover the entire tag in this manner.

Once the entire tag is covered, then take some time selecting some of the new Metallic Stickers and put them around the entire edge of the tag. They are very sticky, so be careful when you set them down because they are difficult to remove and reposition once they are down.

When you get to the top corner, trim some of the smaller sayings so they fit in the angled areas.

Here you can see cut the ends of the stickers on the sides as they ran into the angled part. Also when I was completely finished, I added some of the new Velvet Trims in black through the hole at the top and added an Antiqued Gem for a little sparkle.

One of the beautiful pieces that inspired this project was this rose and the urn from the new Engravings Layers. I knew they had to be together. They are backed on a piece of the new Idea-ology Wallpaper. It is a beautiful Pumice Stone color with little bunches of roses the same color. One of my favorite patterns from this release.I cut a thin gold Metallic Kraftstock mat for the wallpaper and then sewed around the entire piece with gold metallic thread,

I started by watercoloring the roses with my Finetip Waterbrush. You need to be patient when doing this, to endure that you do not use too much water. Go slowly and just enjoy applying color to the gorgeous engravings. I found that it really helped me to thoroughly dry the color in between applications when I was building up color.   For this I used a variety of colors including Rusty Hinge, Crackling Campfire, Walnut Stain, Peeled Paint and Rustic Wilderness.     

NOTE: Tim Holtz did a great tutorial on coloring these engravings by covering them with a layer of Frosted Crystal Embossing Powder first. You can see it here.                                                                                                                                                               

 Once it was colored, I fussy cut around it to get rid of the wide, white outer edge around the image. I did the same to the urn, then adhered them together. It helps to attach them to something to make the piece dimensional. I used bits and pieces of some chipboard that I had.

Here you can see how they are set up and away from the tag. It adds great dimension. Also I added a whole piece of chipboard under the Wallpaper mat so that it also stood out from the tag. 

I added one of the new Metallic Sticker labels with a sentiment adhered in the middle. On each side is an Idea-ology Hardware Head that was colored with Gold Metallic. I put some dimension foam squares under the label to make it stand out. Alcohol Ink.

Before adhering the focal piece, I cut a mat out of some of the new Kraft Cardstock in the color that looks like Forest Moss. Make it a thin mat because you just want the tiniest bit of green to highlight the leaves and balance them with the large orange roses.

This is not a difficult project, but I would say it is probably an intermediate level piece. You do need some knowledge of Distress Products. It also takes some patience to get the stickers picked so they go with the theme of the main sentiment and so that they fit.

Thank you for getting this far in the tutorial, for stopping by my blog and for your support. I never take it for granted!

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Do the Next Thing - Sizzix Chapter 1

Hello fellow makers! I’m so excited to be able to bring this project to you today using Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 1 2021 dies. I made this for The Making Journal by Sizzix and you can see the post on their blog here.

This piece has a very personal message. As you know, we usually create samples quite awhile before we have a chance to share them, and I was creating this during a time when the world seemed to be out of control. I found myself so distracted by the chaos that I was struggling to finish this project and even to accomplish much of anything else in my life. Have you ever found yourself feeling that way? 

Well, thankfully a line from a poem came to mind that I have heard recited many times over the years by a mentor of mine, Elizabeth Elliot. She often quoted in her talks and books, the poem “Do the Next Thing.” When you don’t know what to do and you feel overwhelmed, just do the next thing, what ever it is. Get dressed, do the dishes, eat, run that errand, write that note, put away those clothes…whatever is right in front of you, get up and do it. Then do the next thing, and the next and soon you are being productive and moving forward, no longer stuck.So many times in my life I have had "Do the Next Thing" days, so I’m thankful for the reminder this decor piece brings.

It’s a fairly simple piece to assemble, so let’s get started with the how to.

Stain the frame and the side and back of the panel with Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain. You can brush this on with a paint brush or spray it, but that results in a lot of waste, so a brush may be your best bet.

Cut a pot and rim out of the potted die in both chipboard and Distress Heavystock Kraft cardstock. Ink the Kraftstock with Brushed Corduroy and then edge it with Walnut stain. Then run the large piece through the 3D Intertwined embossing folder.

Attach the Intertwined piece to the chipboard pot and then the flat rim to the chipboard rim. Ink all the edges one more time. Set it aside.

Cut a piece of white heavystock to fit the panel, then ink it with Fossilized Amber.

Lightly add some Peeled Paint Distress Ink.

Finish with a tiny bit of Dusty Concord.

You want to add a bit of subtle interest, so you need a background stamp. I used one of the stamps from Ledger Script CMS241 from Stampers Anonymous.

Spray the background stamp with some water. Don’t get it too wet or it will just make a mess. You want an even mist all over the stamp. Lay the stamp into the background. lightly pressing it onto it and let it sit for a minute.

Lift the stamp off and dry. It should make a light pattern where the ink reacts with the water.

Do this across the entire piece and then attach it to the panel with Distress Collage Medium

On two other pieces of White Heavystock, randomly stamp bits of the Ledger Script stamp in Distress Hickory Smoke Archival Ink. Then on one of them, color the entire piece with Distress Ink in Chipped Sapphire and Dusty Concord. 

With the other piece, Cut out the flowers and leaves from the Brushstroke 2 set. I cut multiples of the leaves and all the smaller flowers. 

I made a palette on my Mixed Media Mat with all of the Distress Inks listed above: Fossilized Amber, Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender, Peeled Paint, Chipped Sapphire, Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, Shaded Lilac, Shabby Shutters.

Color each of the flowers and leaves with a water brush and the Distress Inks, then edge with Walnut Stain and assemble them.

Arrange some of the leaves and flowers on the background and then add the baskets and the large flower. 

Once you are happy with the arrangement, adhere all the parts, attaching some with dimensional adhesive so that there are levels and texture.

Get the dark blue paper back out that was made with the Chipped Sapphire and Dusty Concord.

Use this to cut out your sentiment. I used Stretch lowercase and Bold Alphanumeric.

Cut several of each letter from black cardstock. Attach 3 black letters together and top with the blue letter. This will make the letters stand out so well from the background. 

Arrange the letters to fit and adhere them to the left side of the frame.

This can be a decor piece to serve as a reminder to Do the Next Thing, or it will fit perfectly on a 5x7” or 5.5x8.5” card to send as an encouragement to a friend.

Thank you so much for following along with this tutorial and I hope you enjoy making one of your own!

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I Never Explain Anything - Sizzix

The Park dies from Tim Holtz Sizzix Chapter 1 release sparked so many wonderful projects in my mind when I saw it as I'm sure it did for you. So you may wonder, with so many ideas, how do I decide what project to make? Sometimes I immediately know and I just go with it. Other times, as with this piece, I change directions a couple of times. I also had this Mary Poppins quote going through my head and it was very much how I was feeling at the time I was making it, so of course it needed to be prominent in the make.

Here is a clip of the quote that inspired this piece: 

I love that and I'm still totally feeling this quote. 

To begin this, I used two Framed Panels. One complete regular framed panel, and just the back panel from a Mini Framed Panel. I covered the mini panel with a piece of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock lightly colored with Distress Spray Stain in Antique Linen and stamped here and there with the music from Music & Advert stamps.  I adhered it to the panel promotion of the Mini Framed Panel, sanded the edges and then inked them with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I have so black heavyweight 110lb smooth cardstock on hand, so I ran it through the 3D Floral Frame Impresslit, which embosses and cuts. Once it was cut, I rubbed a bit of Antique Linen Distress Crayon on the raised areas to make them stand out. I also put the female silhouette with a bit of the open umbrella in the frame. The background in the frame and of the larger panel were made by coloring Distress Mixed Media Heavystockwith Tattered Rose and a touch of Victorian Velvet Distress Inks.

You can see that I cut out several of the little butterflies from The Park and put them on the upper left and lower right corners of the frame. 

Here you can see the entire area we've been discussing. 

In this corner you can see that I painted the frame and the back of the panel with Black Soot Distress Paint.I covered the panel with a piece of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock colored with Tattered Rose and a bit of Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. Then I cut out a few of the new Flowery background die from Distress Mixed Media Heavystock. Before attaching it to the rose background, I tore away one side to make it look like a torn piece was running along each side.

I applied the sentiment, which was cut from Alphanumeric Script, a very early alpha thinly from Tim Holtz that is still available. I felt this font had just the bit of feminine whimsy that I wanted for this sentiment.
 

Overall this is a very straightforward project. Nothing too difficult and It really allows for a change of font and sentiment to fit whatever quote you may be feeling at the moment. :-D

Thank you once again for stopping by. I'm always so grateful for your support.

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Celebrating Ideaology Velvet Trims on Spools

Are you as excited about these gorgeous new Velvet Trims from Tim Holtz Idea-ology as I am? They are just so beautiful that I wanted to make a special piece of art that I could hang in my studio and just stare at them! 

I had a couple of ideas for this project and they all started with these spools. Several years ago, I bought a whole bunch of them from a craft/home decor store near me that was called Beverlys. I was going to make a class project out of them, but never figured one out. So they have been in a bag in my studio closet for 6 years. I knew they would be perfect for this. So then this idea changed from a wreath, to a loooong, end to end altered Vignette Tray, to this stacked Vignette  Tray version, which is my favorite!

So where can you get some similar spools, you may be asking. I have not been able to find any that are similar to these in look. They are wooden hour glass spools about 3" tall. I did find some 3"ish tall wooden barrel spools here, here, here, here, here, and lots of shops on Etsy have them. Good Luck!

This project began by covering the backs of two small Vignette Trays with two pieces of the new Backdrops paper.

Then I put a nice layer of Distress Collage Medium on the bottom of one box and the top of another and I adhered them together. It takes awhile for the Collage Medium to dry and you want these boxes to be completely stuck together, so I used these large clips to squeeze them together while they dried.

Once dry, I covered the entire outside of the now large tray with some of the new Fabric Tape. It sticks so well you don't even need any other adhesive. Just peel and stick.

I put another type of fabric tape on the inside of the boxes. These require a bit of trimming which I did with Tim's Tonic Fabric Scissors and his Tonic Retractable Craft Knife. Once I trimmed it I used this Tonic Retractable Craft Scratcher to fray the edges on the inside and out.

Then ink the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

I added four of these corner adornments from the Vignette Accents. I buy these practically every time I find myself in an aisle of Idea-ology.  I rhad four of these in my stash and didn't realize there is only one in a pack until I was writing this blog. All that to say, you need four if you want it to look just like mine, or none if you want to keep it a simple farmhouse style.

I added two of these handles to the sides. These are also favorites because I have used this one on a lot of my makes. I filled in the holes with two Hardware Heads on each handle.

Lastly, I covered the back of the large box with pieces of the Backdrops papers. You brush a thin layer of Distress Collage Medium on the wood and then lay the paper in place and press it down all over. I sand the edges when it is dry and then ink them.

To decorate each of the spools, you need the Hearts Adornments. You will need two packs because there are fourteen colors and fourteen spools, but the hearts come in a pack of twelve. On a happy note, you will have hearts left for other projects. You also need fourteen Mini Pins and Jumps Rings.

The top tray contains the Warm Velvet Trims. I used about 18" to wrap around the spool. I would try it before you cut yours though and see what you like. I put a drop of hot glue at the top back of the spool to anchor the trim, then wrapped it and made sure it ended again on the back with another drop of hot glue.

For each spool I picked a heart, then attached it to a Jump Ring and a Mini Pin. Once they were one unit, I then chose a corresponding Distress Paint for each color of Velvet Trim. There were a couple of times I mixed two colors to get it a little closer, but that is a little insane and really you can probably just pick one color and it will be close enough. I put a couple of drops of the paint on my fingers and then rubbed it onto all three parts. I rubbed it until it was mostly dry and then I used a dry cotton cloth (inky binky) to wipe off the excess on the raised areas so the details of the hearts showed through.

For these three I used from L to R: Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick (but I didn't have Kitsch Flamingo so that might be better!) and Candied Apple.

 

The Distress Paint I used for these from L to R: Aged Mahoghany, Crackling Campfire, Fossilized Amber, Antique Linen.

The bottom tray has the Cool Velvet Trims and don't they look wonderful?

For these three I used the following Distress Paint colors from L to R: Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, and Cracked Pistaschio.  I love how there were horseshoe and clover hearts for the greens.

For these three I used the following Distress Paint colors from L to R: Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, and Dusty Concord.

The top and bottom of each spool has a spool stamp from the Stampers Anonymous Haberdashery CMS105 stamp set. You can purchase this stamp set directly from Stampers Anonymous. There are two spool styles and I used both and just alternated them on the spools. The top and bottom art on each spool match through. I stamped them 28 times on Distress Mixed Media Heavystock  in Distress Archival Ground Espresso with a touch of Black Soot. Then I watercolored them in the same color Distress Ink as the heart for that spool. I fussy cut them out, edged each one in Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then adhered them in place on the top and bottom of each spool with Distress Collage Medium.

**Alternate Idea** I hope those of you who are interested in making something similar can find some spools that will work. If you end up having to use shorter spools, I would maybe consider using two Divided DrawerVignettes over each other instead of the small Tray Vignettes. That might work with shorter spools. 

This was a really fun project to work on and it is truly one of my favorite makes from this release. Thank you so much for visiting my blog today! I greatly appreciate your support!

Tami

I am an affiliate with Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com so the links below send you to one of those stores depending on which logo you choose.  If you wish to purchase something from either store and use one of my links below, I get a small percentage of your order, at no additional cost to you. This helps me to defray the costs of this blog, the time, the ideas and tutorials I post here. Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!