Why?

Enigma

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Enigma
noun  [enig·ma \i-ˈnig-mə, e-\]
: someone or something that is difficult to understand or explain

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Decidedly more funky than frilly, here's my tag for this month's Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016. I used his Sideshow stamp set. While the technique remix features stamping on fabric, die-cuts and tissue paper, only the later was used for this project.

You'll find the tissue in the lower and upper right-hand corners--it's stamped with text. I didn't wrinkle it like Tim did so you can't really tell where it is but that's why it's useful in collage pieces (because it blends in so well).

A Dream

I can't imagine anyone who doesn't know this sweet tune from the Disney movie, Cinderella. I used it for my sentiment since Tim's new stamp (Sideshow) is dream-like and I imagine the balloon to be a wish.

I stumbled with the stamping and had to start over a few times due to trouble masking out portions of it to accommodate the doorway. I ended up using clear, repositionable contact paper and included this photo so you could see what it looked like (with white lines added to show the cut-out).

Once that hurdle was over, the rest was pretty easy thanks to colored pencils (doorway) and Distress inks. I used a white Gelly Roll Souffle pen (which acts like a resist), brightened the tag border with Picket Fence Distress stain and made some of the blacks a bit darker with pencils and an ink pen.

I have to share the unique stamp set I used for my sentiment which was found a few years ago at a rummage sale. "Back in the day" (love this expression), phone company linemen used them to label trunks (phone lines) on terminals where the lines entered a building. The rubber is still good, I like the size of the letters, and the long, thin handles make them easy to space.

Poemata.

Poemata. That's Latin for poems. This word, along with a British Museum seal (in red), appears in their Flickr photostream where they have scanned and made available to the public over 1 million images. The small ornate frame with the word and number Tomo III also came from the stream.

I can't remember where the butterfly (actually a Luna moth) came from but it's an image transfer (along with the words) and appears brown because the particle board surface of my support is that color.

The wreath (Prima Noble Darling) was stamped onto old book paper and cut out, the lace was "borrowed" from a card a friend of mine gave me and the border was made with Liquid Pearls (Ranger).

The background text (Tim Holtz Ledger Script) was stamped with Ranger archival ink (Potting Soil) and the support is actually one of Tim's 4" x 6" burlap panels sans the burlap. There's also a tiny strip of white mulberry paper on the left-hand side.

I like working small so this was a good size for me and you can pull out more stops on wood than you can a manila tag. Maybe I've found a new calling? We'll see.

A Woman's Work is Never Done

Happy cook, housekeeper, nanny, teacher, organizer, accountant, shopper, nurturer, lover, empathizer, scheduler, chauffeur, disciplinarian, keeper of loose ends and tiny details, and very often child-bearing day. Also known as Mother's Day.

While I have never given birth, I have a couple of babies (I'm married to one, the other has fur and meows) and I care for my own Mother who is elderly, widowed and relies on me.

Today I addressed her plumbing and phone problems, donuts and a greeting card were delivered and, after our visit was over, I bought cat litter from the store and cleaned the box, carpets were vacuumed, the checkbook balanced and dinner preparation is complete. Yesterday, I spent the day installing cable boxes on our televisions (the provider is converting to an all digital format).

My weekend is almost over and, as usual, I had little time to indulge myself with my favorite pastime. Oh well, a woman's work is never done but, at least one day a year, we receive some recognition for all that we do.

Since a post without a photo seems strange, here's a peak at what I'd hoped to work on (stay tuned).

I'm sending a heartfelt Happy Mother's Day wish to each and everyone one of you and hope you take some time for yourself today because you've earned it!

May Remix

Let me introduce a tag made with all "Tim" products as inspired by this month's 12 Tags of 2016 (minus the tattered florals) where his remix features a Tissue Tape resist technique.

In the end, mine is more about enhancing the flower blossoms that are so much fun to paint. To quote Tim, "...stay true to your style throughout the creative process."  So I did and the sentiment was chosen to reinforce his statement.

The stamp is from the Flower Garden set, the bee is from Tiny Things. The Bubble stencil, Lace Trimmings (sewn on with gold metallic ribbon) and Small Talk stickers helped to embellish and I used the same tissue tape as Tim which is called Symphony.

And I used watercolor paper cut into the shape of a tag instead of one made with traditional manila cardstock.

Tim's tape is, without a doubt, my favorite kind because it's translucent, tough, and stays stuck! Just a little piece of it here and there in a composition can add just the right effect.

This month's tag made me appreciate it that much more.

Creativity

This is my last week as a guest designer for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and it has been a wonderful experience.

This is such a great blogging community full of inspiration and information--I'm happy to be a part of it and grateful for the feedback I've received!

This week's challenge is to use a metallic element so I made an assemblage that would definitely set-off a metal detector!

I used found bits of really rusty metal (the square frame and large nail), a vintage key and lots of Idea-ology including a Quote Band, Number Brad, Gadget Gear, and Faucet Knob.

A border for the Burlap Panel was made using tacks and copper wire (credit to Paula Cheney at oneluckyday.net for this idea).

The background technique is rather unconventional. After prepping the burlap with paste medium (to fill in and even out the surface), I transferred an image cut from the Destinations Paper Stash using polymer medium. The overage of paste medium around the edges was tinted to match the paper.

I've done image transfers with lots of Paper Stash and I suspect it would work with other brands as well. Here's a link to a recent tutorial which describes my technique in more detail.

I included a doll and roses because of the Quote Band. The Salvaged Doll is the artist, the faucet knob represents effort, the number stands for time, the key unlocks the idea, the gear stands for the process and the result is beauty represented by the three Heirloom Roses.

It's fun and easy to transform the doll from its original, stark-white appearance. I just covered her with off-white paint, used blue for the dress, brown for the hair and mixed-up a flesh tone for the face, arms and legs. Everything was coated with fine crackle medium and after it dried, I dropped in some Tea Dye Distress Stain to emphasize the cracks. A tiny drop of red ink went on her cheeks and a fine-tip black marker helped define the eyes and mouth (my photo doesn't do her justice).

I wanted to match the roses to the other pieces but didn't have rust-colored alcohol ink. Since mixing colors opposite each other on the color wheel makes mud, I thought to drop an assortment of colors I did have on top of the roses until I got the look I was after. Then I took the shine away with some fluid matt medium.

The Quote Band was also given a rusty look. I filled in the letters with white paint, wiped the background with a rust-colored ink (like StazOn) and used black paint to distress the edges. I used an antique gold metal paint on the Faucet Knob and glued on a few brads with Glossy Accents.

Speaking of glues, if you'd like to try making an assemblage but you're not sure how to anchor the elements I have some advice. Use nails, screws or wires when you can (no problem with the Burlap Panel since the backing is made of wood). When you can't, a good urethane-based glue (like Duncan's Liquid Fusion) and some clamping will secure just about anything. You can see my other assemblages here.

There are other details about this piece that I could mention but if you've already read through what just may be the longest post in the history of craft blogging, then I may have said too much already!

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Please join us for this week's challenge and when you upload your creation to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog you'll have a chance to win a $50 voucher at the Simon Says Stamp store!

Here's a list of the products I used for this challenge which can be ordered from Simon:

Tim Holtz Burlap Panels, 6x4 Inches	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash DESTINATIONS 12 x 12	Tim Holtz Idea-ology SALVAGED DOLLS	Tim Holtz Idea-ology 2015 HEIRLOOM ROSES Embellishments	Tim Holtz Idea-ology GADGET GEARS
Tim Holtz Idea-ology FAUCET KNOBS	Tim Holtz Idea-ology QUOTE BANDS Findings	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Remnant Rubs 2015 SPECIAL DELIVERY	Tim Holtz Idea-ology ELEMENTS REMNANT RUBS	Ranger Alcohol Inks
Duncan LIQUID FUSION Adhesive Glue	Glossy Accents	Tim Holtz Idea-ology PASSPORT Design Tape	Tea Dye - Distress Stains	Tim Holtz Idea-ology NUMBER BRADS