(Bombshell) BINGO!!!

Hello again!

I've been following the challenges on the Bombshell Stamps blog for awhile now, but haven't been able to join in because they usually require use of their stamps (not that I blame them!), and I haven't found room in my budget to acquire any of their sets yet.  (Though they're on my list!)

Well, this month I was in luck, since their posted challenge doesn't require using their stamps to participate.  So I gave it a shot with a stamp that I carved a few years ago based on a piece of clip art I found.  I hope I captured the Bombshell spirit!!  ;-)

The theme this month was Bombshell Bingo.  The spaces I chose were: distressing, tattoos, twine, purple and embossing.  I'm also submitting this tag to SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("Anything Goes"), as well as Simon's Work It Wednesdays ("Spring/Bright Colours").

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tag

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Dusty Concord, Peacock Feathers

 - Ranger Distress Stain: Dusty Concord

 - Ranger Distress Crackle Paint: Clear Rock Candy

 - Tsukineko Memento dye ink: Tuxedo Black

 - Copic Sketch markers: B04, BG10, BG13, R00, R02, R43, V15, YR16

 - idea-ology Grungeboard Elements

 - Maya Road Twine Cording Solids: Blue Raspberry

 - Core'dinations Tim Holtz Kraft Core: #18

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool

 - Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencil: Stars

 - Tonic Studios Craft Scissors

 - Paper trimmer

 - Painters tape

 - Stamp carved by me

 - Double-stick tape, foam dots, clear embossing powder, white cardstock from my stash

The purple stars in the background were embossed with clear powder, using the same technique I used on my February tag for 12 Tags.  Once they were cool, I was able to fill in the rest of the background with Peacock Feathers without changing their colour.  The mermaid stamp reminded me a bit of a tattoo you might see on a sailor's arm, so it seemed like a good choice for this project.  I coloured her with my Copics, distressed the edges with a little more of the Peacock Feathers ink for continuity, and layered that card on a piece of purple cardstock before affixing it to my tag.  Some embellishing with twine (love those Maya Road twine colors!!!), and a grungeboard star with a shattered stains treatment, and I was done!  Hope you like her.  ;-)

More views:

That's all I have for you tonight! 'Til next time!

BAC

Simon Monday Challenge: Transparent

Hello again!

This project is one I created for SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("Transparent"). I decided to take a stab at creating a transparent tag.

Here's my result:

Materials/tools used:
 - Ranger Archival Ink: Cornflower Blue, Vermillion, Watering Can
 - Ranger Distress Stain: Festive Berries
 - Staz-On Ink: Cotton White
 - Studio 490 Clearly for Art
 - idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon
 - #8 craft tag (to use as pattern)
 - Ranger Heat Tool
 - Tonic Studios Craft Scissors
 - Stamps by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: CMS102, CMS162
 - Single-hole punch

I don't own the nifty Sizzix die that let's you punch tags out of any material, so I used a regular blank tag as a pattern, and cut out my own tag.  Worked just fine (though I'll admit to coveting the die a bit!).

I definitely learned some stuff about stamping on Clearly for Art with this project. (And while I could have started over with different stamps, I figured the lesson was just as important to share.) Stamps with lots of lines, and very few vast inked expanses definitely seem to work best. If you look at the plane and ship stamps, you can see where the ink puddled a bit, and the details aren't as clear. In contrast, both the map and sentiment stamps stamped beautifully.

I also had to sit on my hands, to keep from pulling out my Heat Tool to speed up the drying of the ink.  I've gotten really used to doing that, but had to remind myself that I wanted dry ink, and not a reshaped tag. ;-)  You'll see the Heat Tool listed above, but I only used it to dry the stain on my ribbon.

More views:

That's it for tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow with a project for a challenge I've never joined before. :-)

'Til then!
BAC

Inspiration Journal March Challenge: A Splash of Colour!

...and I'm back!  :-)

Several of the tags I created this month were submitted to Inspiration Journal's March challenge ("A Splash of Colour"), but I wanted to create something with that challenge specifically in mind.  I'm also submitting it to A Vintage Journey ("Say It with Words"), and to SimonSaysStamp's Work It Wednesdays ("Spring/Bright Colours").

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tags

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Mowed Lawn, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, Salty Ocean

 - Ranger Distress Stain: Salty Ocean

 - Ranger Distress Paint: Picket Fence

 - Ranger Archival Ink: Cornflower Blue, Deep Purple, Magenta Hue

 - idea-ology: Crinkle Ribbon, Tiny Attacher, Word Bands

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Blending Foam

 - Tonic Craft Scissors

 - Stamps by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: CMS165, CSS25870, CSS30188

This was a simple and fun project, that came out exactly like I wanted it to!  :-)  Not much I want to say about it, other than yay!

More views:

I have a couple more projects that I'm trying to wrap up by the end of March, so I should be back with more within the next few days!

'Til next time!

BAC

March tag!

Hello all!

I have 2 posts for you today, and the first is my March tag(s) for 12 Tags of 2014!  It's actually 2 tags, created at the same time, using Tim's suggestion of huffing the stamp after stamping the first time, for a second generation print.

Here are my tags:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tags

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Chipped Sapphire, Dusty Concord, Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain

 - Ranger Distress Marker: Fired Brick

 - Ranger Distress Paint: Barn Door

 - Ranger Distress Stain: Weathered Wood

 - idea-ology: Crinkle Ribbon, Jute String, Tiny Attacher, Tissue Tape (Nostalgic), Word Bands (Observations)

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Distress Marker Spritzer

 - Ranger Inkssentials Mister

 - Ranger Inkssentials Blending Foam

 - Tonic Studios Craft Scissors

 - Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencil: Harlequin

 - Stamps by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: CSS25894, CSS30188

I won't lie; these are not my favourite tags out of all the ones I've done for 12 Tags over the last 15 months.  If I did them over, I'd probably choose some brighter ink colours that would pop more against the background.  But the technique is solid.  (And any letterboxers reading this know that we've been huffing our stamps for more impressions long before Tim Holtz started telling papercrafters to!)  ;-)

I'm a bit frustrated with the Marker Spritzer.  When I first tested it out, I used a new marker with it, and got great, dark results.  The colour I used on this project is one I've had for over a year, and while it still colours beautifully, I had a lot of trouble getting it to work with the Spritzer.  :-/  Maybe it only works with very new juicy markers?

More views:

I'll be back in a little bit with my next post, so grab a cup of coffee (tea/water/etc.), kick your feet up, and hang out.

'Til then!

BAC

Simon Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Glitter It

Hello again!

I'm back with a tag that I created for SimonSaysStamp's Wednesday Challenge ("Simon Says Glitter It").  I'm also submitting it to SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("Transparent").  :-)

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:
 - Ranger Inkssentials Black tags
 - Ranger Inkssentials Kraft tags
 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tags
 - Ranger Distress Ink: Fired Brick, Tea Dye
 - Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black, Vermillion
 - Ranger Stickles: Baby Blue, Dark Blue, Yellow
 - Ranger Glitz Stickles: Ruby Slippers, Tiara
 - Ranger Glossy Accents
 - Studio 490 Clearly for Art
 - Maya Road Twine Cording: Tomato Red
 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool
 - Sizzix Big Shot
 - Sizzix Dies: ATC & Corners, Tattered Banners
 - Tonic Studios Craft Scissors
 - Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencil: Harlequin
 - Stamps by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: CMS155, CSS27911
 - Paper trimmer
 - Double-stick tape, white cardstock from my stash

To create the stained glass effect, I stamped with Archival ink on one side of my Clearly for Art, and then flipped it over and applied Stickles to the other side.  Left it to dry overnight before finishing the final assembly on my tag.  I've read about this technique before, but it was my first time trying it.  Worth trying again.  :-)

More views:

Well, that's it for now!

'Til next time,
BAC

Simon Work It Wednesdays: Something Simon

Hello again!

Here's another project I managed to get finished this past weekend.  I created it for SimonSaysStamp's Work It Wednesdays!  The theme this month was to use something (stamp, die, paper, ink, etc.), that was Simon-branded.

I used a stamp from the Chalkboard Love set to create this:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tags

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila ATC blanks

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Tea Dye, Vintage Photo

 - Ranger Distress Paint: Antiqued Bronze, Broken China, Peeled Paint, Salty Ocean

 - Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black

 - idea-ology: Word Bands (Observations)

 - Maya Road Twine Cording Solids: Blue Raspberry

 - Stamp by SimonSaysStamp: Chalkboard Love

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Mister

 - Tonic Studios: Craft Scissors, Paper Distresser

 - Foam dots from my stash

 - Paper towels

This seemed like the perfect sentiment stamp to use for this project, because the others on the sheet seemed more Valentine's-specific, and I did a lot of that last month.  (Though the stamp on that sheet that led me to buy it in the first place was the "My Funny Valentine" stamp, so expect to see that at some point before Valentine's Day 2015!)

Once I'd chosen my stamp, I needed to decide how to present it, and decided to open the copy of Compendium of Curiosities Volume 3 that I finally got my hot little hands on last week.  :-)  The background was my first attempt at the eroded metallic technique showcased in that book.  It calls for some more experimentation and playing, but not a bad first result.  The sentiment was the perfect size for a blank ATC, so I stamped onto one, quick-dried it with my Heat Tool (yes, I am impatient forever!), and got to distressing.  I wanted a little something extra for the bottom, so I opened up a package of Word Bands, and secured one with some twine cording.  (I *love* that Blue Raspberry colour, so much so I see that this is the second month in a row I've used it on my Work It Wednesday project!)

More views:

Well, that's it for now.  Hopefully back with more soon.

'Til then,

BAC

Simon Monday Challenge: Lucky

Hello everyone!

I don't know about you, but my weekend was pretty crazy busy!  Luckily, I was able to find some time in my studio this afternoon, though, as I really needed a little creative break!  :-)

This tag was created for SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("Lucky"), and will also be submitted to SimonSaysStamp's Wednesday Challenge ("Simon Says Glitter It"), to Inspiration Journal's March challenge ("A Splash of Colour"), and to A Vintage Journey ("Say It with Words").

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:
 - Ranger Inkssentials Kraft tags
 - Ranger Distress Ink: Fired Brick, Frayed Burlap, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint
 - Ranger Distress Stickles: Fired Brick, Peeled Paint
 - Ranger Glossy Accents
 - idea-ology: Grungeboard, Remnant Rubs (Life Quotes), Tiny Attacher
 - Maya Road Twine Cording Solids: Cherry Red, Lime Green
 - Ranger Heat Tool
 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool
 - Sizzix Big Shot
 - Sizzix Movers & Shapers Die Mini Hearts Set
 - Tonic Studios: Craft Scissors, Paper Distresser
 - Foam dots from my stash

Well, I'm still having a little trouble transferring my remnant rubs without losing any of the edge bits.  But I really like how they look, so I'm going to keep trying!  ;-)  Other than that, I was pretty happy with how this one turned out.  It's on the simple side, but I like how it came together.

And I really like how I can get a different glitter effect with Distress Stickles, than I can the Distress Glitter.  Here, I put some Stickles on each grungeboard heart, and spread them out with my finger for a thin layer over the whole surface. I'm not sure how I'd go about doing that with the Distress Glitter, and I'm really hoping Ranger doesn't decide it's run it's course, and pull it.  (I'm also firmly convinced the Stickles are easier to clean up after!)

Here are a couple more views:

Well, that's it for now, but I'm hoping to have more playtime this coming week than I did last week, so hopefully the next post won't be too far along.

'Til next time!

BAC

Simon Wednesday Challenge: Mother's Day/Special Girl

Hello all!

I'm back with a tag I whipped up this afternoon for SimonSaysStamp's Wednesday Challenge ("Mother's Day/Special Girl").  I'm also submitting it to SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("D is for Distress"), Inspiration Journal's March Challenge ("A Splash of Colour"), and to A Vintage Journey ("Anything Tim Holtz").

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:
 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila tags
 - Ranger Distress Ink: Broken China, Frayed Burlap, Shaded Lilac, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick
 - Ranger Distress Stain: Milled Lavendar, Spun Sugar
 - Ranger Distress Markers: Faded Jeans, Victorian Velvet
 - Ranger Archival Ink: Magenta Hue
 - Ranger Glossy Accents
 - Ranger Embossing Antiquities Powder: Claret
 - idea-ology: Chit Chat, Filmstrip Ribbon, Grungeboard Elements, Tiny Attacher, Trimmings - Lavish
 - Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencils: Cargo, Hearts, Rays
 - Ranger Heat Tool
 - Ranger Distress Marker Spritzer
 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool
 - Ranger Inkssentials Wonder Tape Sheets
 - Tonic Studios Craft Scissors
 - Stamps by Hero Arts ("Three Smiles", "Woman with Pearls"), and Recollections ("Happy Mother's Day")
 - Foam dots from my stash

More views:

Well, that's it for now!  Hope you're having a great St. Patrick's Day weekend!  :-)

'Til next time!
BAC

Simon Monday Challenge: D is for Distress

...and I'm back!

Here's the second project I have to share with you today.  I created it for SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("D is for Distress"), but will also be submitting it to SimonSaysStamp's Wednesday Challenge ("Simon Says Tag It"), to Inspiration Journal's March Challenge ("A Splash of Colour"), and to A Vintage Journey ("Anything Tim Holtz").

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials #8 Kraft tags

 - Ranger Inkssentials #5 Manila tags

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Barn Door, Black Soot, Pumice Stone, Walnut Stain

 - Ranger Distress Paint: Barn Door

 - Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black

 - Ranger Glossy Accents

 - idea-ology: Alpha Parts (Ransom), Remnant Rubs (Words), Tissue Tape (Commute)

 - Maya Road Twine Cording Solids: Cherry Red

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool

 - Sizzix Big Shot

 - Sizzix Texture Fades: Subway

 - Stamp by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous: CSS27911

 - Tonic Studios: Craft Scissors, Paper Distresser

 - Paper trimmer

 - Foam dots from my stash

Okay, I need to start out by saying that I LOVE Tim's subway design, as seen on the embossing folder and tissue tape I used on this project!  In fact, if you ever see me in person, chances are the bag I'll be carrying is this one (from the idea-ology District Market line):

So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this is my favourite tag that I've made in a very long time!  I absolutely love it!!!

That said, I do have a couple of quick notes:
 - If you're as impatient as I am, you probably grab your heat tool to help speed your Distress paint as it dries.  Not a bad thing, but be careful heating Alpha Parts, especially ones with thin areas like the ones I used!  You'd think after the last time, I'd remember, but my letters still warped slightly.  :-/  I loved the way the red in the main portion of the tag pops, though, and I think painting the letters was absolutely the right choice.
 - The other thing I found was that in the course of painting the Alpha Parts, I got some paint on their backs (don't ask!), which detracted from their stickiness.  So I used some Glossy Accents to adhere them.  It worked well, but came out a tiny bit messier than I'd have hoped.
 - I love the various texture fades/trades embossing folder, but I have found over time that sometimes they crease the paper/cardstock so sharply that it can weaken and become prone to ripping/tearing.  This happened with the first Kraft tag I ran through when beginning this project.  I started inking it up, and it started separating along the embossed lines between the words.  So, I ran 2 tags together through the embossing machine, and that worked great!  The tag for my project was embossed nicely, but not too deeply, and I already have a second tag embossed with that design for a future project.  :-)

More views:

Well, that's it for now, though if what they're saying about our weather tomorrow is true, I might have more for you quite soon!

'Til then!
BAC

Simon Wednesday Challenge: Simon Says Tag It!

Hello again!

I have 2 project posts to share with you today!  The first is a tag I created for SimonSaysStamp's Wednesday challenge ("Simon Says Tag It").  I'm also submitting it to SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge ("D is for Distress"), to Inspiration Journal's March Challenge ("A Splash of Colour"), and to A Vintage Journey ("Anything Tim Holtz").

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila craft tags

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Black Soot, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain

 - Ranger Distress Stain: Barn Door, Faded Jeans, Vintage Photo

 - Ranger Distress Paint: Picket Fence

 - Ranger Distress Markers: Chipped Sapphire

 - Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black, Vermillion

 - Ranger Alcohol Ink: Lake Mist

 - Studio 490 Embossing Paste: White

 - idea-ology: Chit Chat, Crinkle Ribbon, Enameled Tags, Long Fasteners, Remnant Rubs (Elements, Life Quotes)

 - Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous Layering Stencils: Cargo, Harlequin, Rays, Stars

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Mister

 - Ranger Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool

 - Ranger Alcohol Ink Felt

 - Tonic Studios: Craft Pick, Craft Scissors, Paper Distresser

 - Xyron 2.5" sticker maker

 - Plastic palette knife

 - Stamps by Stampabilities (Eiffel Tower), and Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous (CSS30188)

For this tag, I had some fun playing around with and combining some of the techniques from last year's 12 tags.  You'll notice inspiration from May, July, and September.  One thing I *did* notice was that the Chit Chat stickers did not want to stick very well to the areas with embossing paste.  I solved that by quickly running them through my Xyron for an extra layer of adhesive.  Worked like a charm!

I had fun using the Remnant Rubs to create a custom enameled tag, though I did find that I need to be a little more careful getting my words straight - oops!  But adding a custom tag, TO my tag, seemed the like perfect idea when the theme is tags of all sorts!  :-)

More views:

Well, that's it for this project!  But I'll be following this up with another post later today, so don't go too far!

BAC

Simon Monday Challenge: Tick Tock

Hello all!

This project is a quick one I whipped up for the current challenge on SimonSaysStamp's Monday Challenge blog.  The theme is "Tick Tock".  I'm also submitting it to the SimonSaysStamp Wednesday Challenge ("Simon Says Tag It"), and to Inspiration Journal's March Challenge ("A Splash of Colour").  :-)

Here's my tag:

Materials/tools used:

 - Ranger Inkssentials Manila craft tags

 - Ranger Inkssentials Kraft ATC blanks

 - Ranger Distress Ink: Seedless Preserves, Shaded Lilac, Victorian Velvet

 - Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black

 - idea-ology: Crinkle Ribbon, Journaling Tickets, Tiny Attacher

 - Maya Road Twine Cording Solids: Cherry Red

 - Ranger Heat Tool

 - Ranger Inkssentials Blending Foam

 - Sizzix Big Shot

 - Sizzix Texture Fades: Pocket Watches

 - Stamps by Stampendous (Winged Timepiece), and Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous (CSS25870, CSS30218)

 - Foam dots from my stash

For this one, I picked 3 different purple shades of Distress: one that was more pink (Victorian Velvet), one that was more blue (Shaded Lilac), and one that is very purple (Seedless Preserves), and used them as my palette throughout this project, from the backgrounds to some of the stamping (the main sentiment was stamped in black), to the colouring on the ribbon.  The red of the twine cording adds some contrast, but otherwise, it was those three colours alone.  :-)

More views:

Assuming all goes according to plan (ha!), I'll be back in another day or two with a new project!

'Til then!

BAC