Fond Memories at a Vintage Journey

Todays challenge at A Vintage Journey has been chosen by my lovely friend Terry. Ken and I have been really lucky to be able to go to California for the last two years and have met up with her and her husband for lovely meals and some great crafty shopping. In fact when this post goes live I will be back over again, heading off to Hawaii for a couple of weeks and then back to California where Terry and I have another date set to rendezvous, which will be amazing.

So for my project for Terry’s challenge I have made a tag book which brings back very fond memories of our visits to CA in 2012 and 2013, just a few photos but a couple that Terry will recognise I am sure.

This little album is one that Tim has taught around the world and I was very lucky to be at his workshop in England when he taught it last year. This is my version of it.

To bring some continuity throughout the album I have used the new TH trellis frameworks die cutting them from embossed card, silver mirri board, hessian, felt and cork which has given me lots of texture.

My youngest granddaughters who struck a most amazing pose when we were in san Diego.

I used a small set of alphabet sticks to stamp everyone’s names and added butterflies ……..

…… stamped ephemera, journalling tickets and lots of other bits and pieces.

This is my daughter Maddie enjoying the sunshine as we waited for the boys to come off one of the ships in San Diego harbour.

The back of the flap page with one of Tim’s quotes.

My son Ben, daughter-in-law Bev and eldest granddaughter Becca with the younger ones also in San Diego when out one evening for a meal.

We are very lucky that we have friends in Garden Grove just outside of LA who we stay with when we go over, Leo is Hawaiian and is taking us over to his home islands of Oahu, Kauai and Hawaii Island, we have so many places to visit planned in.

So here is the four of us, Terry and Steve with Ken and I.

Michaels? Could be.

And another store …………………

….. and guess what? Yes another.

The backgrounds were made with the wrinkle free technique using the new TH mini DI sets in peacock feathers, mustard seed, spiced marmalade and walnut stain on #8 tags and Tim’s classics #1 and #3 stamp sets. I also used his cargo stencil, the butterfly frenzy strip die and the typeset alphabet strip die.

I do hope you will pop over to the challenge blog to see what amazing inspiration awaits you from the other Creative Guides and I hope you will be able to come aboard and join us for this leg of the journey.

hugs Brenda xx

Chunky Steam Train Tag for Crafty Individuals

I was rather pleased with the effects of this tag card using the Chunky Steam Train Tag image, one of the brand new releases from Crafty Individuals.

I am trying to use up some of my paper stacks and loved the map design for the backing to create a tag card.

The main image was watercoloured using a Tim Holtz water brush and vintage photo, weathered wood, black soot and frayed burlap distress inks.

The dark kraft card was covered with a text mask, inked through with walnut stain distress ink and covered with clear embossing powder and heated to give this cool text effects.

The 'Wishes' sentiment (another one of the latest releases) was stamped in antique linen distress paint and when perfectly dry I blended vintage photo and frayed burlap distress inks over it then edged it with walnut stain., wiping the inks gentle from the stamped image to reveal the lighter design.

The background paper is from the DCWV Trade Winds 12 x 12 paper stack and I used a clock stamp and ticket stamps from CI to bridge the focal images.

I also added an old natural rusted key, you can see the number on it.

Have a wonderful week and hopefully some time to get your hands inky.

hugs Benda xx

Make A Wish – Wallflower card for CVC

This is card three in my Wallflower collection (one more to come) and I just adore the colours on this one – in fact I know exactly the person who will receive this for his birthday later in the year, he loves his birds (the feathered ones that is) so this fits perfectly.

Again I have used a 6 x 6 cut from a 12 x 12 from The Wallflower paper stash and I also used Tim’s new Courtyard Framework die, although there’s not much of it left to see, it just peeps out from behind the love sentiment.

Other supplies used -

Spellbinders die from my supplies

Movers and shapers LOVE die

Cash Key

Stamps – simple sayings

Tim Holtz paper string

Feathers, rusted heart wings and raffia from my supplies

I would love it if you popped over to see the card in fuller detail over at Country View Crafts Updates blog.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Have a wonderful; weekend.

hugs Brenda xx

Nature’s Beauty 2 – Crafty Individuals

A beautiful World

The challenge at Crafty Individuals is at full swing and I have produced a bright little card and process steps for you today. This mini tutorial has already been shown on the Crafty Individuals blog.

1. Place doily stencil on tag and apply distress paints (festive berries, spun sugar, picket fence) using blending foam and dry.

2. With tumbled glass, spun sugar and milled lavender distress inks blend colours over the whole piece and then mist with water and dry again.

3. Apply tumbled glass through the latticework stencil using an ink blending tool.

4. Lay the schoolhouse stencil on the card and spray with a glimmer mist or re-inker mist that you have made up yourself. (I used one I had already made up a while ago - sorry don’t know the colour).

5. I then cut the decorated piece to fit a C6 card and stamped the birdcage and roses image (CI-320) centrally using black archival ink.

6. Stamp it once more on plain white card and cut out the cage and bird, ink them both with distress inks and edge with walnut stain.

8. Find a scrap of patterned paper that fits the colouring of your design and die-cut ‘Victoria Corner’ twice.

I knew I wanted the little bird and flourishes but it didn’t fit my corners as I wanted it to so I cut both down to find the bits I could piece together to balance my design. Then inked the pieces with walnut stain distress ink.

10. Distress and ink the edges of your card and assemble the pieces together.

12. Embellish with whatever else you may have in your supplies that would fit the design and the theme. I used remnant rubs and chit-chat stickers.

I hope to see you over at Crafty Individuals with your nature projects.

Spring has sprung and I am getting excited as next week we are off to sunny California and onto Hawaii for 16 days. It’s a special treat to ourselves for our ruby wedding anniversary. Do you think I might run into Steve McGarrett?

Take care.

hugs Brenda xx

Spring Flowers at A Vintage Journey

What better with these lighter evenings and the weather warning up than to think of all the lovely Spring flowers that are now in bloom and it’s thanks to the lovely Jennie for this challenge at A Vintage Journey.

I’m still using the Wallflower stash and have used it for the gorgeous patterned background together with some Tim Holtz ephemera which I think are from the Thrift Shop set.

I also used the lovely papers to cut the sentiment label from a spellbinders die and used the hashtag stamps.

The gorgeous trellis frameworks die was cut from some textured bazill paper and the clock is from another of Tim’s paper packs..

I used the tattered florals garland die with some smooth cartridge paper and distress paints to make and colour the flowers and leaves.

The numbers are also cut from Tim’s papers, I just cut and keep bits like this in a small box so I can add them to projects when they fit in. can you also see the tiny eggs?

I hope you will join us at A Vintage Journey – you don’t have to use Tim’s products to join in, just use a vintage/shabby/mixed-media/journaling style and tell us what it is of Tim’s that has inspired you, for me this time round my Tim inspiration is his products, but it could be one of his projects, tags or techniques another time.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today. Have a great weekend.

hugs Brenda xx

April Tim Tag

Yay I’ve got my Tim tag for this month done in plenty of time.

I followed Tim’s process pretty much to a T except I used rusty hinge distress paint with walnut stain distress ink for the background …..

…. and I added three flowers with antique linen distress glitter..

I just adore the trellis framework die and I coloured mine in broken china adding different inserts like Tim showed us including a hessian one. (Top tip here - lightly spread some wet glue over the hessian you want to die cut to make it stiff so that it doesn't fall to pieces when you die-cut it. My favourite general wet glue is Evo-Stik wood adhesive from B&Q, it dries clear and is very strong).

The mottled effect of the spritzed distress ink over the distress paint is fabulous.

With rusty hinge and broken china distress inks for the ribbon and a philosophy tag with antique linen paint to colour in the words, it's finished - oh apart from some coloured twine and string through the tag hole..

I have to say I really loved making this tag and going back to the pinecone die to make the roses.

Have you made yours yet?

Linking this to Tim's blog for the April 12 tags of 2014.

hugs Brenda xx

The Chemist’s Concoctions leads to exciting new discovery

Hello everyone - I am writing this post to schedule for tomorrow and it's gorgeous sunshine outside, so wonderful to have the windows and doors open.

I thought I would use a couple of the gelli prints using distress inks for this collaged piece, just to show you a couple I made at the workshop I taught a few weeks ago which lead to my Destination Inspiration tutorial (here).

I’ve used The Chemist stamp set, Laboratorie paper stash, a quote and other stamped elements all by Tim Holtz.

Gelli print made with distress inks and scrunched paper to create texture.

Another gelli print made in the same way but with spritz and flick water and ink over it.

The paper from the laboratorie stack was altered by giving it a coat of watery gesso then some splatters and drips of vintage photo distress ink.

I collected together some  stamped and die-cut elements including a ruler I made using the faux leather technique.

The chemist equipment laid out on the table was painted using distress inks and a water brush.

The apothecary bottle was given two coats of embossing powder, the first in silver and the second in clear, the labels came from the little labels set of stamps.

The mini inkwell and feather ….

… and a pertinent quote.

This has been put in my collage journal.


Well it's Friday today, I am going to pick up my friend Astrid from the airport later and we are off to Ally Pally both Saturday and Sunday, catching up with some wonderful crafty friends and no doubt spending a few pounds as well. If you are going to AP see you there if not have a wonderful weekend whatever you have planned.

hugs Brenda xx