a class with Sir Tim

What a day yesterday was, a class with none other than Sir Tim Holtz and some of my best buddies.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera, grrr but thanks to Kay for passing on the group photo.

We got to the class all hot and bothered, stupid sat nav took me the wrong side of the dual carriage way and the hotel wasnt signposted at all.  But all that was forgotten once Tim stood up and started the class.  Now I've seen some vitriol in a few places online about the upcoming class, about it all being a money machine, being Tim'd out and the classes being craft by numbers but that's not what we found.  Tim himself was a lovely fella, patient, fun and the class was all about us doing it how we wanted.  Tickets werent cheap at £65 but compared to the prices I've seen for some watercolour classes they were very well priced, specially when we got their and found each of us had a kit crammed with goodies to use.  We  had an action packed 3 1/2hrs of getting inky and playing with markers, stamps, stains, paints and embellies.  Tim was very patient with Sandra who suddenly developed stripes in her blending and had to call him over for a bit of one on one tuition.. yeah right Sandra.. odd how that was timed.. you've been blending inks fine for years lol.  Tim did smile when I tattled on her for shamming ;o)

No way we had time to decorate the pages of the tagbook in class and sadly it was soon time to down tools, pay for shopping and say our cheerios to everyone. 

What would have been a sad few minutes got better when Tim told us all that we could keep everything bar the tools we'd shared.. markers.. stain, ink, paint, embellies.. all ours to take home with the apron we'd been given at the beginning.  Then to add it all Tim gave each of us a signed book and tote bag, talk about being dead chuffed, woohoo. 

Absolutely amazing day with some amazing friends.

If you want to be really jealous of the goodies one of the ladies that attended the class posted on her blog, not sure she photoed it all but judging by her post she had as good a time as us,  http://newlycreative.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/wow-what-amazing-time.html

After 8 choccie dispenser

I'm hoping that After Eight mint choccies are available world wide.. serious serious yummyness.. oooh.. wafer thin dark choccie and a mint fondant middle.. I loooves them.. until my lot have been at them and the box is full of empty lil sleeves... grr I could kill em for making me think I had lots more to munch.

While wandering through blogland trying to keep mr mojo at least pretending to live in the house I found a fabby template for an After Eight dispenser on Jokes blog.  Many thanks Joke, yay no more empty sleeves.  nb, I did change the base a teeny bit but not noticeably.

I decided to keep the front fairly simple because I wanted to add a stamped image to one side and lots of decos on the lid. Cream stardream base card,  papers are last years First Editions Festive Treats.  Pic doesnt show it but they're all glittery and lush, I didnt really want to use them but they seemed to be just right for what will be a gift of choccie.  Wee bit of frayed burlap, red stardream and my faithful corner chomper for the panels.  Add in a spellbinders bauble die, lil sweetie jar image cut from a paper in the same pad as the heart paper.  Teeniest weeniest bow and a red pearl in the middle.


I might take a pic again in the morning as the stamped tree isnt showing very well under the task lamp.  Copic r20s, g 40s, assortments of Es and a gold sakura to create the polka dots. Lots of glamour dust over her muff.

An old Magnolia tree stamped in olive versafine then cut is hiding the lil girl.  Crafty Notions red & gold rainbow drops added as baubles.

I went a bit mad on the lid, gold & cream pearl chain looped with pinecones cut with Tim Holtz tattered pinecone die from ochre Canson MiTientes, inked with frayed burlap, shaped then Wow high puff white embossing powder to simulate snow.  The green sprigs are also on the tattered pinecone die, I cut them in olive cardstock but the light has made them a bit bright.  The gold and black pearls on wire are from year before lasts Christmas crackers.. they all knew not to bin the crackers after lunch ;o) 

I think I'm going to enter this one into the following challenges

CraftinDesertDivas        Anything Goes
                                                                                     Fashionista Challenge    Christmas
                                                                                     Lexis Creations             Sparkle and Shine
                                                                                     My Craft Spot              3d Items

2 firsts on this one

Not sure whether this one has photoed properly or not, 10.30pm in a dark room under a day lamp isnt the best way but I'm going to be busy tomorrow :o(

Couple of firsts for me today, colouring on kraft and frantage.   It was nice to play with my polychromos (bought 4 or 5 years ago and used a couple of times) but crikey it's a lot more fuss than watercolouring with distress inks or using copics.. thought I was never going to finish and I'm still not happy with her boots.. or face.. or jacket lol.  I suppose I could have used a blending solution to make it quicker & easier but I wasnt sure how the stampinup card would react.





Fair few colours used, light & medium flesh, juniper green, earth green, chromium green opaque, dark naples ochre, burnt ochre, bistre (? teeny gold writing late at night after a few ports and glasses left in the car isnt a good idea lol) walnut brown, deep scarlet red, light purple pink, pink carmine, middle cadmium red, pink madder lake, cream and white (under the glamour dust) 

Once Miss Anya was coloured I cut with a nesty and added some shabby white frontage.  Think next time I'll try resting the topper in a melting pot on top of some heatproof paper because all the crystals near the edges blew away. Or of course I could look in the loft for my old and less powerful one.. who am I kidding.. I'll buy a new 2 speed lol.

Layout is from Sketch & Stash blog,

Papers are from last years Christmas Village by First Edition, matted onto deep brown stardream and edged with tea dye distress ink.  I dont know if you can see it but there's a few pearls made with Golden Pearl coloured pva glue from Cosmic shimmer.  One of the leaf dies from Marianne Designs cut from sage green card then rubbed with Cosmic Shimmer Pearl Moon gilding wax.  Pine cones from Tim Holtz, cut on pale beige Canson Mi-Tientes art paper before being dusted with Wow high puff white embossing powder.

get me being organised!!

Not organised enough to blog on a regular basis but I have at least been in the playroom prepping samples for future playdays. I havent got samples for next month because I'm off to a class at the end of the month with wait for it.... Sir Tim of Holtz... woohoo yippee yay.   I missed out on a spot in his class a couple of years ago and it's taken that long for him to teach another class over here :o(   On the upside to it tho... I'm going with some of my mates from playdays,  Gawd help Tim, he is sooo going to regret us lot going... Trouble with a capital T and that's being polite.. Kay has nefarious plans about kidnapping him then stowing him away in her playroom ;o)

Anyways, next months theme is Homage to Sir Timmy.  Not sure what we'll be doing but it's going to be based on whatever techniques we learn in class then translated to tags.  Be prepared to get inky ladies.

Going back to samples, all 3 are from stampelmiens blog.. I just lurves it there lol.

 Odd, just typed a paragraph and it's disappeared!  CC stamp coloured with copics.  2011 first edition xmas papers, teal cardstock, spellbinders labels 4 dies, memory box frosty border die and shedloads of glamour dust glitter.

Not sure whether we'll be doing this one in October or not, I have vague recollections of having something else planned.  Oh well if I think of it before then I'll let everyone chose.

This is a year round calendar.  Nowt but cream and pewter card stock.  Lots of diecutting with spellbinders dies, asian motifs, the heartfelt gift box & retired bottle cap font.  My absolutest favourite kimmie stamp coloured with copics and a paper pieced dress (first edition papers).

This is the project planned for November

and finally Decembers project. A lantern gift box.

This is one of those rare times when something looks better on the pc screen.  In real life even though I've only used faded jeans ink on everything it's reacted differently on the papers and looks plain wrong to me now.

White card, chipboard, thin d blue card, snowflake embossing folder, cherry lyn (?) barbed wire die, spellbinders bauble die, sugar nellie(?) stamp, azure blue gilding wax, acetate, white su ink, snowflake stamps, various papers and a wee lil wooden knob courtesy of my mate Angie. 

Took me hours to make and it's the decorating that's ruined it, grrrrr.  Will make life easier on myself next time & use patterned cardstock and more traditional colours.