Happy Belated Birthday, T!m:)

Being out of the creative "loop" these past few months, I've been re-visiting some of the blogs I just LOVE.  One of them is Studio L3.  Low and behold, I find it's T!m Holtz's birthday yesterday.  So I decide to join in on this week's challenge and make a birthday card for T!m.

Now using my true frugal nature, I am still using ONLY my stash...luckily I have PLENTY of T!m's products I can use to make a card for him.  Better yet, it is actually my oldest son's birthday tomorrow, so while I'm making a card "for T!m", inspired by T!m's products, I will again in true frugal style, give it to my son for his birthday tomorrow.

So I get out some of my favorite T!m products and tools...my T!m Tonic scissors, my T!m sanding tool, some idea-ology time pieces and spinners, some T!m timepiece stamps, some paint dabbers, and I'm ready to go.

For further inspiration, I visit the Card Patterns Blog and find that this week's sketch is PERFECT for my card.  Although I did follow it "loosely", I was still inspired by the sketch:)

Here is the sketch:

and here is my take on it:

I used some paper I love but have to admit have never used (from my "hoarding" days)...it's Graphic 45 from the On the Boardwalk 8 x 8 paper pack.  As stated above, I used plenty of T!m stuff::

• Barn Door Distress Ink
• Pumice Stone Distress Ink
• Ranger Black Archival Ink
• Idea-ology time pieces
• Idea-ology spinners
• 2 different T!m clock stamps
• Chili Pepper paint dabber
• Snow Cap paint dabber

Hop on over to Studio L3 and check out this week's challenge.  There are lots of amazing projects to see!

enJOY:)

And so the story goes...

What a PERFECT time for an "and the story goes..." card:)  It's that time of year when WEDDING BELLS are ringing and buying NEW HOMES are on many FAMILIES minds...

So, I've been in a "NESTING" mood lately...ya know the kind that put you in the mood for buying a place of your own to call home?  BTW, heavens NO, I'm not thinking of nesting in the traditional way, lol...no more babies for this FRUGAL Scrapper...unless they are more grand babies of course:)  (hint, hint, Dan and Stephanie)...I'm just saying that my love of having NO maintenance issues by renting a condo are being upstaged by my need to FINALLY hang something on the walls AND to let go of the feeling that things aren't PERMANENT.

Anyway...I have a VERY SPECIAL niece who is getting married in two weeks, so I thought I'd work on a card for her...due to my "nesting" mood, I decided to use some of my favorite Studio 490 stamps...now I know I've had these for a while, but they ARE exactly what I just had to use for this card.

So onto the card (oh, and THANK YOU, Karen for your inspiration).

In addition to the theme, I decided I wanted to limit the colors on my card to natural colors.  Since BUILDING a life together starts with a VISION, I like to think that the color comes LATER.

and so the story goes...

Of course, I'm continuing with my decision to ALWAYS finish the insides of my cards...sooooo...

and they lived happily ever after...THE END

I made sure to leave some space on my card for a personal message to my niece and my new nephew-in-law.

Supplies:
Studio 490 Stamps SCS031
Studio 490 Stamps LCS018
Random stamps from the Carson Stamp Show (measuring tape and buttons stamp)
Bazzill Cardstock
K & Company patterned paper
Ranger Archival Ink - Coffee
Ranter Distress Ink - Wild Honey
Buttons from my stash

enJOY:)

Frugal....REALLY?

Hello all:)

I've been thinkin' about something that a VERY GOOD friend of mine mentioned to me the other day, so I thought...WOW, if this AMAZINGLY insightful friend of mine thought this...I'm sure it's crossed the mind of many other of my blogging buddies...and this is now my question of the day...

FRUGAL...REALLY?

Now I'm sure you all know that there are two things that are very "Close to my Heart" when it comes to paper crafting...FRUGALITY and TIM HOLTZ products...and the question came up about how I tie these two things together...and this is a VERY good question indeed:)

So I decided to reflect on what I mean, and thought I'd share a few things with you on my interpretation:)

Now, I do have to admit...I don't consider ALL of Tim's goodies to be frugal and those are items I typically use sparingly on my projects.  That being said, there are MANY things linked to Tim's name that I do find to be VERY FRUGAL purchases. I NEVER go anywhere without these products. When I think of FRUGAL, I think of "cost per use" basis shopping.


My top 10 are (in no particular order)

1. Distress inks & stains

I've been surfing the web this morning looking at some AMAZING projects and am hardpressed to find ONE that doesn't use at least ONE of Tim's products...Distress inks are definitely up there at the top...a paper crafter should NOT live without them:)


2. Alcohol Inks
 
Now, you know that the challenge has always been how to "paint" metal, glass, plastic, and other non-porous surfaces, right?  Well, alcohol inks do a TREMENDOUS job on these surfaces...and the best part is that the coverage is transluscent so the character of the surface is still evident.  I now by MOSTLY white/cream pearls and rhinestones and change the color as needed with my handy alcohol inks.
 
3. Perfect Pearls

These awesome powders work tremendously well with distress inks when applying them directly to your project...they act kind of like embossing powder as it clings to the distress inked areas and are set with the Heat Tool....but better yet, when mixed with a little water in a mini mister, they become an awesome glimmery spray.  I just love using the spray technique because I can apply my distress inks to my project with more control for color and then spray my perfect pearls concoction to add the perfect level of glimmer.

4. Ranger Archival Ink

My FAVORITE ink for use with stamps when I want a really CRISP finish (perfect for sentiment stamps and flourishes, etc).  Stamps with alot of detail are also great because this ink doesn't "bleed" on your paper.

4. Distress tools (all are in this category such as the applicator AND the sponges)

Now, if you know me well, you know I started out with "frugal" distress ink/alcohol ink tools...but now????  I have to admit I have a separate distress tool for each color of distress ink I own...why, you may ask???? My second "frugal" philosophy...TIME IS MONEY, lol...I was tired of having to switch my sponges each time I wanted to use a new color of distress ink (plus, have you ever tried to "label" sponges with the color they are?)  Now I know there are some amazing ideas for keeping the sponges with the inks, like attaching a velcro piece to the bottom of the ink pad and attaching the sponge to it when not in use, but again, TIME IS MONEY...and I'd still have to keep switching them, lol...

5. Mini Misters

What can I say here?  Mini Misters are a MUST HAVE!  The can be filled with water, blending solution, perfect pearls concoctions, etc.  I use these ALL the time!

6. Heat It Tool

The quietest, but most effective heat tool I've come across.

7. Paper Distressor

NOT distress a paper edge???  It can't be!  I distress EVERYTHING!!!!  I do sometimes use scissors, but normally tear the paper MORE than I intended, so this distress tool is the BEST!

8. Tonic Scissors

The BEST scissors I've found for the price.  LOVE THEM!

9.  Alterations Dies

Now, I know you do need some sort of diecutting maching to use these...but you can now find them secondhand, so no need to fret...I use the alterations dies ALL the TIME...remember cost per use basis???  I'm talkin' pennies with these since I use them so much...the best part is that they don't just cut through paper, they can cut through chipboard, corregated cardboard, fabric, fun foam, aluminum (think soda cans)...plastic (think packaging), etc.

10.  Texture fades

I just LOVE these embossing folders for altering paper and adding texture to my projects...another MUST HAVE.

My cost per use philosophy:

Let's use the Heat It Tool as an example since that's probably the most expensive item on my top 10 list...It retails for around $25, but I've probably used it about 200 times since I purchased it...so we're talkin' about $.125 per use.  Now I could have purchased a less expensive heat tool, but they are MUCH louder AND tend to blow my projects ALL over the place while the Heat It tool is VERY quiet and while it really HEATS, it does so without blowing my projects around.

If you have any questions, or have other suggestions for uses of my top ten items above, feel free to leave a comment:)

Frugal Scrapper's Homemade Flowers Tutorial

You know, I think I may have posted a similar tutorial once before, but since paper flowers are still REALLY popular, I'm going to post it again, espcially since this has a bit of a "twist".

First, we start with a scallop circle punch and a paper lunch bag.  I love working with a lunch bag for a few reasons:

• They are EXTREMELY economical
• They have a bit of a "waxiness or glossiness to them
• They are a great weight and texture for altering

Then, once the bag is cut apart and 6 scalloped circles are punched, we add some ink.  I inked 5 of the scalloped circles with distress ink in Barn Door and one scalloped circle was inked with distress ink in Peeled Paint.  Make sure to ink BOTH sides of the scalloped circles.

Next, we crumple them up.  You can't crumple them TOO MUCH, so have a blast:)

Now, we'll un-crumple them and layer the red pieces on top of each other and secure with a brad.

Now, crumple them back up toard the center, one later at a time, starting with the top layer.  Once you've crumpled them back up, you can "press all of the layers together so that the brad cannot be seen.

Then you can slowly open the layers back up again...just open slowly so that the layers are still a bit crumpled.  This takes practice, so if you open the layers too much,you can always crumple them together again and start the opening process again until you get the results you want.

Once your satisfied with the results, take the last scalloped circle (the one inked with Peeled Paint) and tear it right in half.  This is where your imagination and inter artist is going to have to get to work.  You will play with each half of these scalloped circles until you think they look like individual leaves.  I personally play with them until when I "pinch" each end and leave the middle wider, they look like leaves.

My end result is this:

If you want to, you can also add a little "glimmer" to them by spraying them with some sort of glimmer spray (I use my homemade glimmer spray, made by filling a mini mister with water and adding a scoop of perfect pearls)...shake and spray:)

These are the results below:

The difference is subtle and based on how concentrated your glimmer spray is.  The reason I LOVE my homemade glimmer spray is because, my color comes from the distress inks and the spray just adds a pearly glimmer, now added color.

The other advantage to doing this is that you can then use a heat tool to dry your flower which will stiffen it, similar to starching.  Now your flower will hold it's shape perfectly!

Another suggestion is to go back over the tips of your flower with a darker color of distress ink (like Fired Brick or Aged Mahogony) so you can add more depth to the petals.

Stickles can also be added by squirting stickles on your craft mat and tapping your finger in them.  Then gently blot you stickled finger over the flower to randomly add more sparkle.

EnJOY!









Frugal Scrappin' February Class:)

I'm so excited about February's Frugal Scrappin' Class!  (You'll need to scroll through my "gab" to get to the pics).

While I was at CHA, I saw a few AMAZINGLY familiar embellies...FLOWERS!...now these weren't just ordinary "perfectly shaped" flowers, you know...they were flowers that LOOKED like they were HOMEMADE...Whoo Hoo!

Now ya know I had to study them for a while to see HOW I could replicate them and make them into a FRUGAL project, and I've done just that:)

I then saw some tips 'n tricks using the Tim Holtz Alterations diecuts (you, too, may have seen some videos on the subject).  So we will be making our VERY own STAMPS!  Yes, out of fun foam AND "trash" (well acetate packaging).  Each Frugal Scrappin' attendee will go home with their very own STAMP!

Also, while at TNT in February, the make 'n take was doing something I've been thinkin' about for a while...making our own decorative PINS!  Thank you, Jacquie (our Fearless TNT Leader) for hostessing such a GREAT TNT meeting AND an AWESOME make 'n take!  I love it when I can take an idea I've just learned and share it with my Frugal Scrappin' class!

So let's summarize...you'll be learning THREE awesome techniques:

• We'll make homemade flowers TWO different ways
• We'll make our own homemade decorative pins
• We'll make our own STAMP

We will also use some of my FAVORITE products in class:

• Gold Paint Dabber
• Perfect Pearls
• Studio 490 stamps
• Paper from one of Tim's Paper Packs
• Distress inks

In addition, for a BONUS, I will show you how to use an ordinary brown paper lunch bag to make card envelopes and embellies.

Please join us for frugal scrappin' on:

Date:  February 24, 2011

Time:  6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Place:  Ever After Scrapbooks

Cost:  JUST $15

Now for a sampling of the cards we will make along with the supply list:

Supply List:

• Gold Paint Dabber
• Liquid adhesive (that dries clear)
• Your favorite tape runner
• Adhesive Pop Dots
• Distress Inks in Fired Brick, Black Soot, and a cool brown like Brushed Corduroy or Frayed Burlap
• Mini mister
• Black pen or thin black marker
• Scissors
• Paper Trimmer
• Paper Distressor

Frugal Scrappin', Studio L3, and Holiday class samples...

Since I'm working on a class sample for my upcoming Holiday series, I've been closely following Studio L3's TH challenges and WOW, have I found TONS of inspiration over there!  The crafters taking part in the weekly challenges are SO amazing!  If you haven't been there yet, "hop" on over by clicking here.  You will be AMAZED at all the talent you see!

I haven't always been able to complete the weekly projects on time, and have been more of a "lurker" these last few weeks...but that has changed...whoo hoo!  I was able to complete this week's challenge!  (It doesn't hurt that I've taken a "staycation" this week so I can get my crafting "fix", lol).  My grandkids are also visiting and my husband has them at the pool right now...whoo hoo...what a GREAT hubby I have!

Here is a pic of my challenge entry.  I actually added a technique from a few weeks ago that I didn't complete, so this is doubling up (I covered some old chipboard #'s with old print paper).  For this week's challenge, turn to page 36 in your book of "Compendium of Curiosities" for this wonderful technique called Blending Batik.

The bottom torn piece of paper started out as a pale yellow piece of paper...for the technique, you'll have to refer to the book, but I can tell you that I added peeled paint and barn door distress inks...I love the white torn edge and the red plaid pp on the top...I think the "BELIEVE" stamp kind of tells the story I'm trying to tell.

There will be more sneak peeks of the other ATC size "tags" as I go.  This Frugal Scrappin' class series starts in September and will run for 3 months.  For $15 each month we will work toward completing a 12 x 12 canvas that will hold 12 of these individually created "tags"...kind of the 12 Tags of Christmas, Frugal Scrappin' style...using, of course...all things T!m!

Class Location:  Ever After Scrapbooks in Vista, CA (call 760-630-2767 for more info)

Class Dates:  September 30, October October 28, and November 18.

Class Times:  6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Class Costs:  $15 for each class

When complete:  After completing all 3 classes, you will have an awesome wall hanging that will contain 12 "Tags" (well 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch ATC's) inspired by none other than T!m (and his awesome new design team AND the awesome crafters over at ATT)...

EnJOY:)

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas (Day 3)...Part 2

On the third day of Christmas cards...played with my alcohol inks 'cause I dared...lol...

I just love this technique and was so glad to see that T!m used alcohol inks since I have SO MANY of them! Tryin' to stay on track with my "frugal scrappin'" take on this is REALLY hard, though...

T!m, you're killin' me, dude! I TOTALLY want to shop for stamps, metal parts, and all of the goodies I don't already have, but a girl's gotta BEHAVE sometimes, right?

So, I have used "similar" techniques with alcohol inks and shared one of my older posts with you this morning...well, I then realized I had used the alcohol inks for a class in October and wanted to share my work with you again.

I hope these techniques inspire you the way they inspire me!

Check here for the October class samples:) The "A Perfect Ending..." card is the one using glossy cardstock and alcohol inks. It's an aweome technique that can be used for SO many occasions!

EnJoy!

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas (Day 2 FS Style:)

Good morning bloggers!!! Frugal Scrapper here...whoo hoo...on to day 2 of the T!m 12 days of Christmas tags...frugal scrapper style:)

So, I don't have the awesomely cool border stamp OR the awesome Season's Greetings stamp....hmph....what's a frugal scrapper to do?

I'm LOOKIN' through my stamp STASH, and low and behold, I find my tattered angels stamp of a clock and clock post...I turn it around and around and think...hey, if I just use part of THIS stamp, it KINda looks like a SLEIGH...sooooooooo...I use old paper distress ink (adlib-ing again), to cover my tag (btw, I got thes tags a MILLION years ago from a bank I was working at...long, long ago in another life...they were throwing them out...remember these Teresa?...:)

Then I use some embossing ink with my "sleigh" stamp and some clear embossing powder...no, I don't have any of that cool distress embossing powder either...(add that to my Christmass wish list, I guess)...

I do have the aged mahogany, fired brick and pine needles distress inks and do use them...then I pull out an old mnt I had not completed and find there are two of the TH metal flowers in it...I add the grungeboard strap (also in the mnt bag along with the knubby thing to attach it)...I add one of my "old faithful" quote stamps, a watch face from an old watch I took apart...and voila, my day two tag is done:)

Of course, I just LOVE T!m's tag, but alas...a frugal scrapper wouldn't be frugal if she didn't try to use what she already has:)

Enjoy!

Until day 3...

Lori M., FSE:)

12 Tags of Christmas-Frugal Scrapper Style:)

Can you say WHOO HOO!!!! T!m is doing the 12 tags of Christmas again this year:) For the first tag, I did stay up until midnight so I could get a head start on the project. His tag is AWESOME!!!



Of course, I didn't have "quite" all of the supplies T!m used, so I had to adlib "frugal scrapper" style! I still love the way this first tag turned out! (Especially since it's now 12:45 a.m. AND I have class tomorrow morning...) Feel free to visit T!m's post for his instructions. I did use the same distress ink colors and the same technique for the background.

I changed the snowflakes and used white pigment ink and holographic embossing powder. I used the same on black cardstock for the deer. Then I cut him out and adhered him with pop dots. The wording at the bottom is done using WORD and the highlighting tool.


Enjoy:)


Happy Holidays,


Lori M., FSE:)

Lori's Frugal Scrappin' Tags of Christmas

As you can tell, I've been creating T!m Holtz style again:)

I've made these tags for my upcoming Frugal Scrappin' class at Ever After. The class will be held on Thursday, December 10th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

If you haven't been to one of my FruGaL ScRapPin' classes yet, you need to TRY ONE OUT:)

These classes are fast paced, technique heavy, and LOADS of fun! They are also VERY frugally priced at only $15! Each tag is made with distress inks, with each tag using a different technique. Some tags also include paint dabbers, stickles, acrylic, and some other fun embellies. Stamps are a variety from my stash and most are done using Ranger's Archival Ink. (Staz on ink was used on the acrylic).

Any questions about these tags? Feel free to leave a comment:)

Enjoy and THANKS for visiting!

Remember to...create like no one is watching...

LoRi, the FruGaL ScRapPer ExTraOrdiNaiRe.

Creating again...Frugal Scrapper Style:)

Whew....finally, I've had some time to create today:) I feel like it's been "forever" since I've had some time to just relax and create...whoo hoo!

Now, since my time is precious, I've had to create "with a little help from my friends"...my friends being my Paper Craft magazine and the twopeasinabucket webiste...

If you subscribe to Paper Craft magazine (or have the current copy), you may recognize my "a perfect ending to a perfect day" card...I did use my own techniques on this card, but the appearance is similar to one in the magazine. For this card, I used alcohol inks with glossy card stock. I used a few stamps (with my favorite staz on ink, of course), added some ribbon and buttons, and voila, a perfectly awesome fall card.

I also make one card with some leaves from my local dollar store...I used some stamps, stickles and some embossing powder to create a great "Thinking of You" card.

I made the card at top right and bottom left using one of the 2 Peas techniques from their fall stamping tutorials...of course, I was happy to use my distress inks and even a page from an old AAA travel book, whoo hoo for frugal scrappin'!

The tag at middle top was made using various techniques including the use of products such as distress inks, glimmer mist, staz on ink, a few stamps, some ribbon, flowers and buttons. There is alot of layering in this tag and is one of my favorite items for my upcoming Frugal Scrappin' class at Ever After Scrapbooks. This tag will make use of alot of my frugal scrappin' techniques and will allow for alot of creativity from my students.

Wow, it's good to be creating again...

Enjoy:)

Lori McCausland, Frugal Scrapper Extraordinaire:)