12 Tags of 2013 - September

Procrastinate much?  I'm working on my 'closure issues' and trying to finish up the 12 Tags of 2013.  ;)  As I've mentioned before (and I'm sure you've noticed if you've followed along for any amount of time) that I became addicted to ATCs some time around August.  I completely set aside all of my other little obsessions - cards and tags - and went on an ATC-making binge. While I've thoroughly enjoyed making ATCs, it has been bugging me that I didn't finish out 2013 with the tags.  Here goes...

In September Tim made a beautiful tag using Distress Stains, Distress Paint, embossing paste, stencils, etc.  (See his tags here: http://timholtz.com/12-tags-of-2013-september/)  I borrowed a lot of his ideas for my tag.

Embossing paste through a cityscape stencil

Distress Paints through stencils

I feel like I've lost my tag mojo a bit - something seems to be missing from this - but I'm sure if I keep plugging away at those 2013 tags (only 4 to go!) I'll get it back.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Wicked Wednesday Challenge - Zombies Need Love Too

I know, weird, right?  But the theme this week at Wicked Wednesday did crack me up.  Apparently so much so that I got my hand signals confused!  So I'm offering up two ATCs for your viewing pleasure today (both of which my daughter laughed at and said, "Ewww...".)

Title: Zombie Love

Title: Hang Loose Zombie

So ... yeah...  Happy Valentines' Day?

Wicked Wednesday - Your Favorite Team Colors

I'm proud of the Seahawks.  I really am.  And I'll be watching the Superbowl on Feb. 2nd, but they're not really my team.  My team is the Seattle Sounders.  I love these guys!  My neighbors know when the MLS season starts back up again because Saturdays will find me yelling and cheering on the boys in green.  And I'm LOUD.  My husband thinks it's very funny.

I'm such a dork.  I was so excited to make this ATC for the Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge this week.  Training camp started this Saturday and I sat here watching First Day back videos while I made this. (I had been wanting to use the background stamp as a soccer net for ages!)

As luck would have it, Sounders colors and Seahawks colors are really close so I'll look all spiffy in my blue & green on Superbowl Sunday, but you and I know who I really wear those colors for .

Go Seattle!

Journal 52 - Week 3

I was a little behind on Week 2 so Week 3 is right on its heels.  First thing I thought of with the "Smile" theme for this week was my children.  They really do crack me up on a regular basis.  Wonderful and funny little human beings, they are.  But then I ran across this picture from an outing last month.  What a great night!  My sisters, unbeknownst to moi, had schemed and planned a surprise girls' weekend for my birthday.

 
We aren't able to get together very often since we live in different states, but it is always a great time when we do.  Cheeks aching, side-hurting belly laughs and lots of side-long glances from strangers wondering what we've been ingesting.  We're all very different even so, not only do we share the same genetic material but also odd senses of humor and an appreciation for the slightly off-kilter.

They bring out the best version of me.  I don't know that I've let them know this (on the to-do list now) but they really do.  I'm really glad this page evolved into something different than I envisioned.  No doubt, every time I run across it I will definitely break into a grin.

Stuff I used:
Dylusions spray inks
Modeling paste
Random paper scraps
Washi tape
Pitt pens
Zig pen
Stencil

Happy Friday!

Journal 52: Week 2

This week's theme for Journal 52 is "Somewhere, a Simple Place".  In my mind that morphed into a really cool place that I like to hang out in.

Once upon a time my beloved and I lived in Santa Barbara, CA.  We were definitely beach people and spent lots of time doing beachy things.  One of these was scuba diving.  We would either dive off the local beaches or take a dive boat out to the Channel Islands.  I remember one night, diving out at the islands, when we decided to turn off our lights and lay on the seafloor.  We were in the middle of a kelp forest and when the lights were off we could clearly see the outlines of the kelp leaves as soft blue lights from bioluminescent bacteria flowed back and forth over their surfaces with the surge of the tide.  It was amazing and incredibly beautiful and peaceful.

I never did see a mermaid (and no.  That is not me AS a mermaid on my page.  I am brunette with hazel eyes.) but we had encounters with crabs, lobsters, lots of different fish, sharks, rays, seals...it was awesome.  Writing this makes me nostalgic for those good ol' days when we were carefree and childless.  Not that I would trade my kiddos...most days.  ;)  (That was for them, just in case they happen up on my blog some day.)

The page nitty gritty, i.e. materials:
Distress Paint
Acrylic paints
Precious Metal Effects paint
Pitt pen
Copics
Dylusions spray inks
Distress Stain
Stencils
Bubble wrap
Matte gel medium

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today!

SDC 131

"Star Light, Star Bright

First Star I see Tonight.

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might

Have the Wish I Wish Tonight"

I used to the say this every time I saw the first star in the evening sky.  (Still do on occasion.)  The SDC challenge to use stars brought this little poem to mind right away.  I made an ATC with some new shiny blue paint I bought yesterday.  :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hearts & Skulls

Apparently my focus over the last couple of days has been body parts?

Quickie post today to share ATCs for a 'Skulls & Skellies Swap' over at ATCsforAll and my FB mixed media group 'Pink, Red or Hearts' themed swap.

Title: The Eyes Have It!

Title: Name Your Poison

Title: Colorful Skull (not very creative, I know!)

Title: Senorita Bones

And now for the hearts...

Title: Her Heart is a Fortress

Adding the one above to the Wicked Wednesday Love & Hearts Challenge.

Title: Love Song

Title: Sweetheart

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a fantastic weekend!

Stampotique + Dylusions

...a marriage made in heaven.

The other day I made a batch of ATC backgrounds.  They've since been sitting here begging to be completed.  This morning I perused a bunch of Stampotique designers' blogs and was inspired to pull out some of my Stampotique stamps.  Coincidentally, I've also had some Dylusions stamps, practically brand new, sitting here for several months.  Love them together.

Title: Here Comes Trouble

Title: Morning Person ... NOT!

Title: Working for The Man

Okay.  The last one didn't have any Dylusions because I accidently stamped her too close to the middle and they wouldn't fit.

Here are some more random ATCs  I've made over the last few days...

Bluebird (for blue-themed swap)

A Million Shining Stars (for altered text - brown swap)

Believe in Yourself (initially for modeling paste challenge but went with a different one instead.)

Calavera de Azucar (black & white swap)

Fly (modeling paste challenge)

Her New Do (playing around with gesso over magazine image.  She looks WAY different than the original.  AVAILABLE for TRADE)

Hey, Baby...  (Freakie Friday freebie challenge at Smeared & Smudged)

On Grandma's Wall (playing around with new TH stamps/dies.  AVAILABLE for TRADE)

The Piecemakers (book page swap - for quilter)

Rain not Thunder (quote swap)

The Evil Garden Fairy (playing around with magazine images again. AVAILABLE for TRADE)

Van Gogh (quote swap)

Hunh...so that's where all my time's gone lately!  If you'd like to trade ATCs give me a shout.  Have a great week!

Journal52: Up, Up & Away

I found out about Journal52 last week through Willy Andersen.  It's a FREE (love that!) online art journaling workshop that offers weekly prompts and tutorials through 2014.  Last summer I started prepping a composition book with the idea that I would do some summer-specific art journaling.  Ha!  Never happened.   So now my little set-aside-and-forgotten book will get some love.

This week's prompt is "up, up and away".  Here are some process pictures on the way to my completed page.

A lot of these pages have random splats and dabs on them from other projects.

First gesso then glued ripped pieces of a voters pamphlet that I use when spraying inks.

Acrylic paint

Phone book page that I had glued onto cardstock for another project.  I've had a balloon template in my drawer for YEARS.  Think I had only used it one other time but originally bought it when I first started scrapbooking.

Randomly stenciled, splattered and blotted and then had a little therapy session with myself.

This is it!  I added some tissue paper clouds, washi tape, some wording around the balloons and a heading.

Ta da!  I hope I can keep this up for a whole year.  It really was very therapeutic and relaxing.  I'm adding this to the 'something new' challenge' over at Stampotique too.  I scored persimmon distress paint over on Blitsy and it arrived the day before I made this (I used it on one of my balloons).

Cheers!

12 Tags of 2014 - January

I completely fell off the wagon last year with my 12 Tags attempt.  Lost my mojo around August.  Never one to give up, I'm trying again this year.

This is my tweak of Tim Holtz's January 2014 tag; not a tag, but an ATC for moi.

Initially this started out as an ATC for a metal-themed swap I'm in, but maybe I'll just sneak it into my own collection.  As I worked on it I kept thinking "layers, layers, layers".  For me, this is a lotta layers.

Products:
Metal tape: Lowes
Distress Paint: Seedless Preserves, Pewter
Distress Inks:  Walnut Stain, Black Soot
Acrylic Paint: black
Embossing folder: TH
Voter pamphlet: State of WA  ;)
Fabric flower: Prima
Dream ticket: TH
Clock die: TH

Here's another view.

Thanks for stopping by!