back to the drawing board

i recently finished stitching the autumn whirligig design by heart in hand - these designs are super quick to stitch. over the summer i decided i wanted to frame the whirligig series in a tim holtz assemblage clock - but it took me a while to get started painting the clock. i used a set of verday paints that i've had for several years - i bought the paints a way long time ago when i saw a one of these clocks painted with them at the queen's ink in maryland. the paints were super easy to use & i let each coat dry for several days before adding to it. i've already stitched the summer whirligig & plan on switching out the design for each season. up next - winter!

supplies
pattern: [autumn whirligig] heart in hand
fabric: [32ct wren linen] picture this plus
threads: classic colorworks, gentle arts & weeks dye works

frame: [assemblage clock] tim holtz idea-ology
gesso: [clear] liquitex
paint: [verday paint & patina set] ten seconds studio
other: [foam core board, batting]

this guy made an appearance on the echo park paper blog yesterday. i punched lots of squares from the jack & jill: jack collection patterned papers & distressed the edges a bit before decorating this wooden bird i found at michael's. the little sign he's holding is a chipboard piece which is also part of the jack collection.


supplies
patterned paper: [jack & jill: jack collection pack & 6x6 paper pad] echo park paper
accents: [jack decorative brads, epherma & 6x12 chipboard] echo park paper, [eyelets]
fiber: [twine]
stamp: [such a good boy set] echo park paper
watermark ink: [clear versamark] tsukineko
embossing powder: [walnut stain distress] ranger

today begins our taylored expressions november sneak peeks with release day on thursday. this month we are featuring new items for autumn & gift giving. everything will be available for purchase on thursday, november 6th at 7am pst. and be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for details on a giveaway.


my first project today is a framed calendar featuring the 2015 3x4 calendar cards. the calendar cards fit right inside this 4x6 frame i found at michael's - the cards are clipped together atop a piece of cork i slid into the frame. and if you are a project lifer/pocket scrapbooker then once each month is up just slip the calendar card in one of your pocket pages.

for january i used the little owl & tree branch from the woodland winter set along with a sentiment from the set. and with gift giving in mind i put together a little tag. the background was cut with the new loop-de-loo cutting plate & the sentiment is a punchables - christmas cardstock circle. punchables are new this month - the christmas set comes with 30 1.5-inch circles pre-printed on cardstock.  

my next project for today is a movie night themed gift card tin. for the top of the hinged tin i used the new tin topper die and the new little bits - movie night dies which make cuts that fit perfectly inside the scalloped circle. the sentiment is from the new sentiment set small packageswhich has a bunch of sentiments that fit right inside the open portion of the tin topper die cut.

for the inside i used the previously released gift card frame craft die to make a cut that fits inside the lid of the tin. the little to/from die cuts are new dies that are part of the on display tin insert set. this set also has a die that creates an insert to hold a gift card, necklace or earrings. 

taylored expressions is celebrating release week with some fabulous giveaways! visit the te blog each sneak peek day this week for details on how you can enter to win.

if you'd like to see more taylored expressions projects and new product information then please head over to the te blog for a complete blog roll of participating designers.

3x4 framed calendar & gift tag
cardstock: [oreo, poppy seed, sugar cube] taylored expressions
patterned paper: [scraps]
paper accents: [2015 3x4 calendar, punchables - christmas] taylored expressions
accents: [hinge clip] tim holtz/advantus
fiber: [twine]
rubber stamps: [woodland winter set] taylored expressions
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
craft dies: [loop-de-loo cutting plate, tag stacklets 2, woodland winter] taylored expressions
other: [cork, frame] michael's 

available in the taylored expressions store -

*woodland winter	Woodland Winter Die	Loop-de-Loo Cutting Plate	*tag stacklets 2	2015 3x4 Calendar
Punchables - Christmas	Premium Cardstock - Oreo	Premium Cardstock - Poppy Seed	Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	*cork paper

InLinkz.com

movie night gift card tin
cardstock: [cherry pop, oreo] taylored expressions
patterned paper: [gingerbread lane 6x6 paper pack] taylored expressions, [joy ride 6x6 mini deck] cosmo cricket, [midway 8x8 paper pad] october afternoon
rubber stamps: [sentiment/small packages set] taylored expressions
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
marker: [clear wink of stella] zig
craft dies: [gift card frame, little bits - movie night set, on display tin insert set, tin topper] tailored expressions
other: [hinged tin] taylored expressions

available in the taylored expressions store -

Small Packages	Little Bits - Movie Night	Tin Topper	On Display Tin Insert	*gift card frame
TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Gingerbread Lane	Premium Cardstock - Cherry Pop	Premium Cardstock - Oreo	*small hinged tin

InLinkz.com

i've been wanting to make one of these tim holtz configurations shadow boxes for oh about 2 years now. during a class with tim this summer i was able to put one together - then the plan was when i got home i was going to make a smaller halloween themed one. i searched around and found everything i wanted to put inside of it - but it just didn't happen. so i figured i'd try for a christmas themed one based off of tim's holiday happenings project. finished it up on christmas eve :)

as my summer crafting time comes to an end i have a beach themed project to share. i received a box from bazzill basics paper last week and in it was the 6x6 mini prints of their beach house collection. not only is this collection perfect for beach themed cards or project life documenting - but all the red, white/neutral & blue papers also make this collection perfect for patriotic cards which you can send off to operation write home.

most of my crafty time this summer has been spent creating cards, so i went with a 3-d project for this week. the mini birdhouse comes together quickly - the trickiest part is cutting the paper for the front. after glueing down the paper i highlighted the edges of the birdhouse and toned down the paper a bit with distress ink. and then what took the longest time - deciding which shells to use!

now for a giveaway - bazzill generously sent along an extra set of the beach house 6x6 mini prints & a package of card shoppe cardstock. i will send these off to one of my blog visitors next week - if you would like to be entered into the drawing for these bazzill products leave a comment on this post and i'll choose a winner after labor day.

updated with giveaway winner:

supplies
patterned paper: [beach house collectoin 6x6 mini prints] bazzill basics
rubber stamps: [checkerboard/ultimate grunge set from tim holtz collection] stampers anonymous
ink: [pumice stone distress ink] ranger
accents: [sea shells]
other: [mini bird house] michael's
finished size: 4.5" tall

a few weeks ago i discovered that i own very few spring decorations - so i bought a cheap chunky wood flower at michael's and made it pretty. i took this photo to use in my project life album - i've been using the camera+ app and instagram for about 99.9% of the photos that are going into the album.


supplies
patterned paper: [pretty party 6x6 paper pad] crate paper, [on the bright side 6x6 paper pad] my mind's eye
clear stamps: [enjoy the journey/tim holtz] stamper's anonymous
ink: [pumice stone distress ink] ranger
accents: [chipboard flower/restoration collection, fabric brad/pretty party collection] crate paper, [butterfly] studio calico
stickers: [butterfly, scallop border/anthology collection] studio calico
fiber: [baker's twine] the twinery
tool: [tiny attacher/tim holtz idea-ology] advantus
other: [wood flower] michael's

this card is from a few months back - it was published in the holiday cards and more special issue which came out way back in september i think. and another project i had in the issue - a christmas tree puzzle - appeared on the moxie fab blog a while back. you can see it here. and finally, see that christmas tree on the cover - that's mine too and my first cover for paper crafts magazine.

supplies
cardstock: [white] neenah
tape: [green washi tape] kamoi kakoshi
accents: [button, twig]
fiber: [white thread] ikea, [baker's twine]
felt: [red] heather bailey designs
steel die: [star] spellbinders

a happy valentine's day welcome home flower that i made this weekend. i stumbled upon some new unfinished wood items at the craft store recently and the petals on this flower looked like hearts to me - so i decided to decorate it for the holiday. i used glimmer mist to paint the pot portion - so in real life it's quite glimmery. everything else was inked up with distress ink which also doesn't show that well with the bright light in the photo. trust me though - by the time i finished up my hands were quite inky and glittery.


supplies
paper: advantus [seasonal paper stash pad/tim holtz idea-ology]
stamp: prima [bingo clear stamp]
ink: ranger [pumice stone & victorian velvet/tim holtz distress ink], tattered angles [charcoal chalkboard & tattered leather/glimmer mist]
accents: jenni bowlin studios [chipboard button/vintage valentine's], ki memories [button]
ribbon/fiber: advantus [ruler ribbon/tim holtz idea-ology], [pink jute twine]
other: wood flower [michaels]
size: 6" tall

just getting caught up on reposting some projects that were published the past couple of months. these are actually two of my most favorite projects that i made last year. the canvas is 6x6 i think, and the star is about 5-inches tall. that's it for today - tomorrow i've got a few cards to repost and on monday a new torendi project.

  

pumpkins canvas - paper: basicgrey [forest b-side/figgy pudding collection], a page torn from an old dictionary; fabric: moda [gobble gobble by sandy gervais]; stamp: glitz designs [distressing set 2]; paint: pebbles inc. [spice], making memories [manila]; ink: ranger/tim holtz [walnut stain/distressing ink]; embroidery floss: dmc [dark brown/#3371]; other: button, 6x6 canvas, jute twine.

star ornament - paper & chipboard: cosmo cricket [haunted collection]; stamps: tim holtz/stampers anonymous [x-ray, skull & ultimate grunge set]; ink & embossing powder: ranger/tim holtz [black soot/distress ink & distress powder];  paper embellishments: making memories [orange journaling tag/spook alley collection], jenni bowlin [halloween bingo card]; brads: making memories [spider & bats/spook alley collection], tim holtz/advantus [tiny brads/idea-ology collection]; metal embellishments: time holtz/advantus [ball chain & jump ring/idea-ology collection]; other: charm, wire, ornament [yellow-gold wooden star/michael's].

a project i made just over a year ago, then sent it off so it could appear in the april/may issue of simply handmade. see how it has fabric on it - well i've been doing some stuff with fabric this week. nothing fancy. just finally learning how to really sew. i've had my machine for about 3 years now and i figured i should probably start using it the way it's supposed to be used. so last night i made a napkin. yeah, i'm totally on my way to project runway.

paper: studio calico; fabric: moda [recess collection/american jane]; paper accent: jenni bowlin [ticket]; stamps: prima [bingo & notebook/clear stamps]; ink: ranger ink [old paper & antique linen/tim holtz distress ink]; paint: making memories; embroidery floss: dmc [#838]; other: plaid  [flower wall hanging], [buttons].

paper: sassafras lass [cherry delicious/wee bundle]; sticker: sassafras lass [apple/cherry sweet treats cardstock stickers]; accent: maya road [blue bird/birds of a feather trinket bead]; fabric: [white with lace edge]; fiber: dmc [green/embroidery floss]; other: [mini wooden birdhouse].

this 5" tall windmill birdhouse is one of the things that i picked up at the craft store earlier this summer because i knew some day it would most definitely make the most perfect project. then it sat on my desk and kept getting moved around from spot to spot until finally i got tired of looking at it and decided to do something with it. so i painted it and hated it. so i sanded it and hated it. so i threw it away still hating it. but - i really, really wanted a windmill birdhouse to put on my shelf. so off we we went to the craft store in search of another 5" tall windmill birdhouse. and what do you know - 1 left. and check this - end of year clearance meant it was only 40 cents. of course - that meant i had to go back and see if there were any other 5" tall birdhouses that i knew would some day most definitely make the most perfect project.

patterned paper: cosmo cricket [material girl mini deck], basicgrey [toby/max and whiskers collection]; fabric: [old denim jeans]; sticker: k & company  [grass border/actopus to zelephant adhesive borders]; wire: darice [20-gauge copper wire]; accents: making memories [yellow/metal flowers], [clear bead], [clear rhinestone]; tools: janome [sewing machine]; other: [unfinished birdhouse].

[larger images: flower & flower holding photo]

it's time for another moxie fab world blog challenge - fun with fabric. this $1 wooden flower photo holder has been sitting on my craft table since i bought it two months ago. so after it fell onto the floor last night i decided it was about time i do something with it - so how about something denimish for the fun with fabric challenge. i like that the flower didn't turn out too girly - at least i don't think it did. and since i don't think it looks girly it's ok for my flower to hold  my favorite non-girly photo sent home from iraq.

cardstock & paper: dcwv [hippie chic collection]; fabric: [old denim jeans]; brad: pink paislee [bella brads/ queen bee collection]; embroidery floss: dmc [green & orange]; other: [wooden flower photo holder].

[click here for a closer look]

another project for the current challenge on the moxie fab word blog - create a project with a critter. with this weekend's snowstorm i should have a chance to make another project or two before the monday evening deadline.

paper: autumn leaves [the dove/a rhonna christmas collection] & scraps; stamps: hero arts [bird/lp159], [joy/cl238]; ink: tsukineko [timber brown/stazon]; paint: plaid [tompte red], making memories [daiquiri], ranger [espresso/dimensional pearls]; rhinstones: swarovski [circles], darice [stars]; glitter: ranger/tim holtz [fired brick/distress stickles]; embroidery floss: dmc [dark brown/#3371]; other: ornament, twig.

another star ornament to add to my collection. the first one appeared last christmas, and then made it into the scrapbook trends holiday idea book. next was the second one which popped up this summer around the 4th of july. and with halloween just a few days away i figured it was a good time to make the third one. for those that are interested - i was just at michael's and noticed that they are selling these 6-inch already painted wood ornaments again this year. just might have to buy myself a few more so i can make the fourth one, and the fifth one, and...

paper & chipboard: cosmo cricket [haunted collection]; stamps: tim holtz/stampers anonymous [x-ray, skull & ultimate grunge set]; ink & embossing powder: ranger/tim holtz [black soot/distress ink & distress powder];  paper embellishments: making memories [orange journaling tag/spook alley collection], jenni bowlin [halloween bingo card]; brads: making memories [spider & bats/spook alley collection], tim holtz/advantus [tiny brads/idea-ology collection]; metal embellishments: time holtz/advantus [ball chain & jump ring/idea-ology collection]; other: charm, wire, ornament [yellow-gold wooden star/michael's].