Wickedly Sparkly and Spooky!

I love to paint wooden pieces and put them together. This is just a piece of 2x4 scrap.

This piece was really fun.....the bluish paint, try as I might, would not photograph true to color. The knobs are purple!

Everything else is true to color....sometimes it just works out that way.

Got my 3 new Tim Holtz Autumn colors of Distress Ink and had to wait until I got home from Minnesota to play with them.

The Witch is cut from the new Kraft Spooky Words from Canvas Corp. LOVE the whole Kraft collection from them.

I used the Bewitching Hour dies for the Bats and Witch. I cut more with Metal Foil Tape for bats on the sides.

The Witch has the new Ripe Persimmon and Seedless Preserves Fall Distress Inks  (available here) added to the Kraft colored paper. Ended up really cool I think. The Broom end is colored with Mustard Seed and Gathered Twigs.

The bats and BOO are painted with Perfect Pearls and the front has Distress Stickles Rusty Hinge and Crushed Olive to make it sparkle.

It's hard to see the Pewter Perfect Pearls painted on the bat wings. I stenciled dots with Jennie Bowlin Malted Milk paint dabber and a Julie Balzer stencil Punchinella.

The squiggles on the top pieces are Lettuce Dimensional Pearls.  I'm really fond of all the Ranger products named Lettuce....don't know why.

 This shows the Distress Stickles up close and the Sunflower Sparkle on the Maya Road chipboard letters "boo."

The Seasonal Salvage Stickers are layered onto black chipboard.

I used a white Poster Pen from Sharpie....that they no longer make...boo!


The paints were a combination of many Golden paints.

Can't wait for the Indian Summer weather that's coming soon!

Be Well and Be Good to Each Other!

Linda

Sick and Twisted...but you'll LOVE it!

I know, it's pathetic, but I laughed so hard I could hardly stand it!  Bill, of course, thought I was crazy!!! (those who know me, know that's a given,)

Anyway, a slight explanation here.

We use wax worms, or bugs. And minnows.  I had been loading the hook up with 2 bugs AND a minnow with great success! And I brought in a nice Blue Gill.

After I took it off the hook......the bugs were in tact, but MOST of the minnow was gone.

ALL EXCEPT HIS 2 EYES!!! They were on the very end of the bug!!!!

HYSTERICAL....OK, I've been away from civilization for a week, and besides, I'm always easily amused.

I had to take this picture to share with my equally easily amused and twisted family and friends! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

That's a hard act to follow!

So I'll leave you with this gorgeous shot of the area we fish around. This setting on my camera is amazing. No adjustment here at all....Minnesota was breathtaking today!

And the sunsets are beautiful. This was the peaceful setting last night after we, and I mean WE, cleaned the fish. I helped fillet the little guys. Could not do the worst part, but I can skin the fillet.

We didn't get our limit, but then again we ate a lot of the product!

That's allowed.

Be well and be good to each other.

Miss everyone at home.

Linda aka MOM and NANA

Kraft Tag and Picket Fence Distress Stain Fun

It was a pristine day on the lake. Blue skies and the trees are turning. I got some great shots of the sunset on the lake. I'll post them later.

Gotta eat the goodies from the bakery in Cold Springs. It's a must stop whenever we are here.

Enjoy the tag. I did!

One of the new products from Ranger that were showcased at CHA was the new Kraft Tags.

These are really fun to work with, especially when you add the Picket Fence Distress Stain.

I LOVED working with the smaller tag and adding the new colors in the Distress Stains over the great opaque-looking Picket Fence. I used Dried Marigold, Broken China, and Dusty Concord.

I sprayed with a light mist of Pewter Perfect Pearls Mist and heat set.

Then stamp with one of my favorite Tim stamps of all time, Lost and Found and Urban Chic using Jet Black Archival Ink.

The Maya Road trim at the bottom gives you a good base and the Shabby Accoutrement in the lower left corner brings your eye into the piece for a starting point. I tied waxed linen through the button.

The Lavish Trim is died with Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey, and Dusty Concord   Distress Inks dried with the Heat It tool.

Add a small pearl Bauble, Type Charm, and gold Chain Tassle with a Jump Ring to the ribbon and tie in a bow to the top.


Have a great day and hope to hear what you think of the new products!

Linda

Congratulations to 2 of my Favorite Kids!

Emma is the big 7 years old today. In her words, it was AWESOME. We celebrated early with Hot Fudge Brownie Delights.

She also lost a tooth...she's trying to have you see that.

Hope your day was great Miss Emma.

And our Grandson Alex Haifa was named to the Moline High School Homecoming Court!!! WHoo Hoo!

Way to go AJ!!!  He's a great kid and we wish him the best.


Today was kinda cold out there in the wind. We decided to have a big fish fry for lunch!!!

Nothing like freshly caught Crappie and Blue Gills for a great meal.

Reading the Reversal by Michael Connelly of the Lincoln Lawyer fame. Hope it's as good as the other one.

Tomorrow is to be a warmer and sunnier day.

Be well everyone! 

Linda

Here's just a TIP

 
Yep, we're back up North. I love this picture so I thought I'd share it again.

It was simply a perfect day on the lake. The fishing was fantastic and the weather gorgeous! We even had Fish Fry for dinner....we'll both sleep good tonight!

This is our cabin number..it's really a duplex with 2 sides. I get the loft upstairs to play with my G45 project I'm working on, and my computer. This sloooooowwwww WiFi is driving me crazy!!!!


So here's the tip I mentioned....it's really a cool and simple thing you can do with your metal pieces.

Give it a try!

Depending upon how you like your pieces of "hardware" for your projects, this is a TIP from me.

I used the Locks from Tim Holtz. On the RIGHT is the before....the one on the LEFT ( I know backwards) is the after.

I used the new Vintaj Metal Reliefing Block to sand the high points of the lock, and then buff the finished piece.

Here is the before on the Left and the after on the Right.

You can use a sanding block, but it does have a heavier grit to it, and doesn't have the polishing side.

Either way, you can see the difference in the piece.

Try it. I LOVE the contrast!

Linda 

Loved making this Kraft Tag!

When I got these Kraft Tags from Ranger to use for samples at CHA, I knew I was going to love them

One reason, of course, is my fondness for BROWN!  The second was I knew how cool they would be with probably my favorite color combination. Brown, Red, Black and White.

I think they are a Classic combination for Vintage pieces.  I'm just sayin', I think they work.

Add a bit of shine, like Gold, and it is all you need for a tag that's fun!

 

I trimmed down a #8 Kraft Tag and embossed with white embossing powder and the Steampunk stamp. I decided to cut the bottom off with the Mini Scallop die just for kicks.

Then I used Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks around the edges. You cannot beat the richness of the Mahogany on the Kraft colored paper!!!!

Next I layered it onto a black Chipboard tag cut with the large Tag Die from Tim.

I cut some Mini Gears out of Grungeboard and swiped the Picket Fence Distress Stains on them. Then added Gold, Silver, and Copper Paint Dabbers on them.

Loved how the paint dries with texture from the sponge applicators.

Add a bit of Gold around the black chipboard tag for some contrast.

The light bulb has Sunshine Yellow Alcohol Ink dabbed on it. Very vintage looking I think. I wrapped a piece of wire around the base and glued tit o the tag.

The Plaquette is added over a piece of magic mesh just to make it stand out a bit more.

The Pen Nibs are glued in a pattern to make the eye follow around the piece from the lower left, up to the Timepiece and Spinner assemblage and around to the Gears. The Sprocket Gears are just a bit more metal here and there.

The ribbon at the bottom gives the piece a base for stability and the Pen Marks outline the piece to make the color pop!

Get some of these Kraft tags and give it a try! Let me know what you think.

Linda

Ranger Products:

Tim Holtz Collection - Steampunk Stamps

Embossing Ink - Pad

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Pen Nibs

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Plaquettes

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Game Spinners

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Light Bulbs

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Sprocket Gears

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Grungeboard Basics

Tim Holtz Distress Stains - Picket Fence

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Timepieces

Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks - Sunshine Yellow

Distress Ink Pads - Aged Mahogany and Fired Brick

Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Tag & Bookplates

Sizzix Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set 2PK - Mini Gears Set

Adirondack Metallic Paint Dabbers-Gold, Silver and Copper

Inkssentials Surfaces - Kraft Tag #8

Claudine Hellmuth Studio - Multi Medium - Matte 4 oz

Classes and Pictures of Samples are UP

The newsletter is out for Memory Bound Scrapbooks in Ankeny, Iowa!!!

The pictures of the samples for classes are there, too. It's a great newletter and the people there are truly wonderful.

On another great note, classes @Creative Cuts and Crafts are almost full!!! YAY!!!!!

There are just a few seats left. Pictures are on Aug. 10th post here. I am so thrilled.

You cannot find a better group of students or staff than at these 2 fantastic shops!!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them all!!! Hope to see you there in October!

Linda

The All Seeing Eye ATC - And a Challenge!

 

This is a project that was in the Ranger Booth at CHA. 

And it was one of my favorite pieces to make. So if you want a bit of a tutorial, sit down, get a cup of coffee, and enjoy the ride.

1. First you spray a Black ATC with Ink Refresher. Rub it in. Seriously. And then crumple it up really tight. Open it up and flatten out.Spray it with Blue Patina  and Sour Apple Perfect Pearls Mist. Dry with the Heat It tool. You can also use the powdered Perfect Pearls as well here.

2. Color a Kraft ATC with Picket Fence Distress Stain on one side and Chipped Sapphire on the other. (The Chipped Sapphire looks almost black in the picture.) Dry. Spray with Pewter on dark side and Perfect Bronze PP Mists on lighter side.

3. Cut an X on the Kraft ATC diagonally about 1/4 inch from the corners. Roll open the 4 sections over a pen or paintbrush exposing lighter side. Glue to Black ATC on the edges.

4. Paint thin layer of Gesso onto Shrink Plastic. Let dry. Stamp Papillon stamp and Artful Eye with Archival Jet Black ink and LIGHTLY heat set. Trim. Punch hole for piece with butterfly. Shrink with Heat It tool.

5. Paint color onto plastic with Distress Stains Wild Honey, Broken China, Pine Needles, Chipped Sapphire, Pumice Stone and Dried Marigold and small brush.

6. Cut plastic packaging to 1 1/2 inch square and put into Memory Frame. Glue Artful Eye piece on top of clear plastic with Matte Medium. It looks like its floating in the center of the frame now.

7. Add Butterfly with a jump ring to the bottom of Memory Frame. Glue onto ATC center.

8. Layer onto black cardstock 2 3/4x 3 3/4 inches to display.

Here's a different angle of the piece. The Perfect Pearls really are gorgeous on the black paper.

Kind of different and quirky for a change!

AND there's a Monthly Challenge going on at Inspiration Emporium for a $50 gift certificate!!!! Check it out. PLUS a 20% off Sale as a Remembrance for the victims of 9/11 in the Newsletter. All the links are below for the products I used.

Hope you have a great weekend. The weather here is very cool. Not at all like just a week ago.

Be Well and Be Good to Each Other,

Linda

Ranager Products Used:

Black ATC, Kraft ATC,

Perfect Pearls Mists-Blue Patina, Sour Apple, Pewter & Bronze.

Distress Stains-Picket Fence, Chipped Sapphire, Wild Honey, Broken China, Pine Needles, Pumice Stone, Dried Marigold.

Refresher Spray,

Heat Tool,

Studio-Gesso & Multi Medium-Matte,

Shrink Plastic,

Memory Frame.

Archival Jet Black Ink.

Stamps-Papillon & Artful Eye, Archival by Stampers Anonymous

Can you stand one more Necklace

This is just another fun piece I made in the Melting Pot with Vintaj and Embossing Powders.

I learned that if you punch the holes in the brass blank BEFORE you add the powders, it gives you many more possibilities to add more beads.

The leather cord for the necklace gives it a more rustic feel as well.

All the kits for the Artful Dwellings class are gone. YAY! They went very fast in Davenport. But I do have a few left for the Loaded Chunky ATC Kits if anyone is interested.

Pay Pal is set up. So email me or whatever.

They are $30 plus shipping. Only to US right now please.

Everything is inked, painted, Distress Stickled, sprayed with Perfect Pearls and ready to go. All you need is a few background stamps to the main papers, some Distress Ink Tea Dye and Black Soot, black paint for the block, some glue and a sanding block for the metal on the back.

Hope you're having a safe and happy Labor Day in the States, and a good weekend to everyone else!

Linda

Tag Tutorial on Ranger Ink

Just a quick post. This tag is up on the Ranger Blog today with a link to the tutorial!  Enjoy!

Linda