Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 34!

Dimensional Collage Fragments

Sponsored by I Brake for Stamps!

I used the mac daddy super-size Fragment for this one!

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great week, and are ready to create more awesomeness inspired by Tim Holtz's A Compendium of Curiosities! Your art for Challenge 33 was truly magnificent, and I can't wait to see what you do with the Dimensional Collage Fragment technique. Open up that Compendium to page 63 and check it out!

This is a very product-specific challenge, but if you don't have Fragments, you're welcome to improvise with something similar, such as Memory Glass. Use your stash of supplies and have a blast with your collage!

I'm delighted to introduce a brand new sponsor to the CCC this week: I Brake for Stamps! What a great store-- have you checked it out yet? Della, the owner, carries lots of Distress Inks and Alterations products and other Tim Holtz must-haves, and I asked her to tell us a little more about her shop:

I Brake For Stamps is the home of Auntie Amy's Embossing Arts and Time To Stamp images. With over 3000 rubber stamps in stock, we're sure to have the image you've been looking for at a price you can smile about. We strive on quality! All of our stamps are deeply etched and sold as either red rubber only or with cling foam mounting attached. For more information, please stop over at our website: www.ibrakeforstamps.com

I Brake for Stamps has offered a generous $25 gift certificate for the winner of CCC 34! Thanks, Della! To be eligible to win this this awesome shopping spree, simply create your own art using the Dimensional Collage Fragments technique and link it to this blog via the InLinkz button at the bottom of this post. You're in the running as long as you honor these two simple rules:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in A Compendium of Curiosities (adding your own special flair, of course!); and

2. Out of respect to Tim, please don't post the technique instructions on your blog!

Of course, the lovely and talented Gloria, List Mom at the All Things Tim Yahoo group, will also send a sweet prize to one of this week's participants! Please add your image to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the ATT home page, and be sure to tag your photo "CCC #34." Gloria will choose her winner from that folder.

Can you believe we're on the second-to-last Compendium challenge?? These months have gone by so quickly. Next week, when I announce Challenge 35, I'll have another announcement to go along with it. Let's just say... it ain't over yet, baby!

Hugs,
Linda
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Congratulations, CCC 33 Winners!

Another week has gone by, and it's time to walk the red carpet and announce the winners for A Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 33! 

Our sponsor was the wonderful Simon Says Stamp, who have a spectacular $25 shopping spree to give away!

And the Oscar goes to... no, wait. That's not it. The prize goes to:

Marilyn

of the Crafts and Beyond blog!

Isn't this the sweetest?? Click to visit Marilyn's blog. 

Meanwhile, over at the All Things Tim group...

 

Gorgeous Gloria has chosen her winner from among the entries at the group's page, and huge congratulations go to:

Shari

from Shari's Creations with the Cricut!

Click for a closer look at Shari's stunner of a tag!

Thirty-three down, and just two to go. Oh, my. Challenge 34 posts in just a few minutes, to please stay tuned...

Drunken Stampers Go All Rhinestone Cowgirl-y!

Well, yes, technically I'm already in the west, living in Idaho and all, but this week, the entire Drunken Stampers posse has saddled up and ridden off into the sunset...

And where better to spend a Wild West evening than the Las Vegas strip?

I've been to Vegas exactly once, for a trade show, and (when I wasn't working) I had a blast. Best parts? Seeing the gorgeous, fake-outdoor plaza deep inside the Venetian resort:

Fake sky. 

Fake Venetian canal.

And, admiring Siegfried and Roy's white tiger cubs at the Mirage:

Not fake. Surrender to the cuteness! 

Oh! I did some art for this challenge! I used the Dottie Cowboy digi from Bugaboo Stamps for this card, printing her onto white cardstock and coloring her with Copics. I scanned the colored image into Photoshop, then dropped it on top of a photo of the famed Las Vegas sign, and added the border and text.

My Drunken Stamper teammates have filled the virtual Saloon with awesome, Rhinestone Cowgirl-themed art, which you should definitely check out while preparing to create your own! This challenge is open through Friday, March 4, and we're just itchin' to see what y'all, um, rustle up.

(That's the last time I try to talk like Jeff Bridges in "True Grit." Promise.) 

Have a great weekend!
Linda

Gingersnaps Rock the Jewels!

Over at the Gingersnap Creations blog, our overarching theme for this month of February is "Royalty," and we're wrapping it up with a fabulous color challenge: Jewel Tones and Gold!

I was SO excited to stumble upon this out of print stamp called "Black Velvet" from Lynne Perrella's old Acey Deucy catalog. Lynne created the first line of stamps I truly fell head over heels in love with, and I've been kicking myself for years for not buying the entire collection when they were on the market. The good news is, Stampington has brought back quite a few of the Acey Deucy designs, and you can still find some of the older stamps at Stamp Diva, too.

Sorry... kind of went off on a tangent there!

Anyway, I colored this piece with Copic Sketch Markers and a gold metallic pen, the created the text on my computer and printed it onto cardstock. I think she makes a kickbutt musketeer, although I'm pretty sure that's not the original intention of the design!

Our Challenges at Gingersnaps are open for several weeks, so it's super easy to schedule it into your busy life. Why don't you join in? The only rules are, use jewel tones and gold. Just think of the possibilities! My design teammates created some gorgeous inspiration for you, so please check out their examples, then knock our socks off with your own masterpiece!

Have a magnificent day!
Linda

Soul Healing, Stick Figures and Airplanes (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Meet my friend, Matt Pipkin. Great smile, huh? It's the smile of a guy who's made peace with himself, and with a world that hasn't always been kind to him. See, Matt was molested by a family friend multiple times at the age of five.

After years of shame and silence, he finally began to open up about his experience, and started counseling in 2009.  Taking those steps completely changed his life and gave him a passion to help others who are carrying the same silent burden of fear, shame, guilt and anger he did for almost twenty years. Matt decided to take what was once his secret, and shout it out at the top of his lungs. To that end, he founded the nonprofit organization, Commit 65.

COMMIT 65 is a national “challenge” to victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse – Speak Your Silence! The goal is to create an environment where victims and survivors feel safe to tell their stories and begin the healing process. 

• Because: 1 in 4 girls, and 1 in 6 boys, are sexually abused prior to the age of 18.

• Because: 9 out of 10 never tell anyone.

• Because: Too many of our lives are filled with feelings of fear, shame, guilt and anger.

• Because: Loved ones care and do want to help.

• Because: We have to strip the power sexual abuse has over its victims.

CLICK HERE to help get Matt on the Oprah show! 

Matt (who's also an advanced stick figure artist) is going to attempt, along with his dad, Chet, to fly a plane for at least 65 straight days (no touching ground!) to break a Guinness world flight endurance record (yes – they’re both pilots). He’s using this stunning feat to create an atmosphere in which victims feel safe to share their secrets.

COMMIT 65 is just the first of many large-scale, high-exposure events that will continue this campaign into the future.  Matt wants victims and survivors to Be Heard!

As you probably know, this is the final year of the Oprah show. We want to see Matt there, telling his story, inspiring people, and hopefully getting some much-needed sponsors to make his flight possible. He's not asking for money-- just exposure-- and who better to give him that than Ms. Winfrey? A few moments with her is all it will take. Matt's genuine warmth and dedication to his cause is the kind of inspiration Oprah has championed throughout her career.

The link above will direct you to a pre-written letter in a pdf file. All you need to do is print it, sign it, and send it to the address on the cover page. If you do this, please leave a comment on this post and I'll send a randomly-drawn winner a $25 gift certificate to the online craft store of their choice! And, Matt will send you a Commit 65 T-shirt, featuring one of his fabulous stick figure drawings!


Please take a moment to help my friend Matt do the awesome work he's committed his life to. I'd really appreciate it. So will he.

Thanks, everyone!

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 33!

Altered Metal Alcohol Inks

Sponsored by Simon Says Stamp!

Holy cow, embossed metal roses are SUPER difficult to photograph!

Welcome to A Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #33! I was so delighted to see some first-time participants last week, and was as impressed as ever by all the magnificent art everyone created! This week, we're heading back to the land of metals, which we'll be altering with those spectacular Alcohol Inks we all love. Have a blast with this technique, and let your creativity run wild! Please open your Compendium to page 56 and let's get started!

Those fabulous ladies at Simon Says Stamp are sponsoring this week's challenge, and are generously offering up a $25 shopping spree to their awesome online store! Have you checked out their site lately? They have an incredible selection! Their customer service rocks, too.

Don't forget to check out the awesome weekly challenges at Simon Says Stamp and Show, too!

To be eligible to win this this awesome Simon Says Stamp experience, simply create your own art using the Altered Metal Alcohol Inks technique and link it to this blog via the InLinkz button at the bottom of this post. You're in the running as long as you honor these two simple rules:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in A Compendium of Curiosities (adding your own special flair, of course!); and

2. Out of respect to Tim, please don't post the technique instructions on your blog!

The ever-fabulous Gloria, List Mom at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, will also send a lovely gift from her special stash to one of this week's participants! Just upload your image to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the ATT home page, and be sure to tag your photo "CCC #33."

Have a wonderful, artful week, my friends!

Hugs,
Linda
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Congratulations, CCC 32 Winners!

Happy Monday, you amazing artists! I hope you all had a fabulous, creative weekend. We're heading into The Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #33, but first, I get to give away a couple of prizes! What a cool way to start the week!

eclectic Paperie has a fabulous $25 shopping spree for the winner of this week's challenge, just in time to order some of the fab new Tim Holtz products that are hitting the market as we speak! Let's consult the Random Number Generator and see who's going shopping:

Hey, look! It's...

Hels Sheridan

of the Ink on My Fingers Blog!

Congratulations, Hels! You rock...and so does your tag!

Over at the All Things Tim group, sweet list mom, Gloria, has chosen her own winner from among the members' entries. Big congratulations to:

Donna Lewis

of the Scrappin-Scrappin Blog!

Isn't this gorgeous?

Thanks to everyone who created the amazing art that made Challenge 32 so awesome! Ready to do it again?? Stick around-- CCC #33 posts in just a few minutes!

Drunken Stampers (Die)Cut it Out!

Happy Weekend! Whew. Made it! And, over at the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog and Crafting Lounge, we're partying down with the die cuts, making for a very crafty Saturday indeed.

I'll confess, it took Tim Holtz producing his cool Sizzix Alterations dies for me to finally dive into the universe of die cutting, but once I did, I dove big time! Seriously, how cool is it to simply push a button or turn a crank, and, presto change-o, you've got yourself a perfect little shape, ready to be inked or painted or bashed with a texture hammer? It's way cool.

Between Tim's dragonfly (made using parts from his Fanciful Flight die),  some Grungeboard flourishes and and a couple of Maya Road chipboard flowers, I've got diecuts all over this little canvas. The background is tissue paper over a thick coat of gesso and a bunch of colors of pink- and orange-toned inks. This was a simple project that for some reason took me hours. I really need to schedule my life better... but that's a completely different blog post.

Peggy, Spike, Tracy and Tash all did an absolutely smashing job with their examples for this challenge, so please go show them some love, then join in and create your own fab diecut art. This party lasts through next Friday, February 24. I implore you: Go have fun and be creative!

E-Team Special Mission: Get Distressed!

When Daisy, owner of eclectic Paperie and Wise and Benevolent Leader of the E-Team, handed down the assignment, I was all over it like a monkey on a banana cream pie. Distress! My Favorite! 

I decided to combine a few of the distressing techniques and products I love most to create this piece. You won't be at all surprised to hear that virtually everything I used on my wall hanging is from Tim Holtz, the Superhero Jedi Master of All Things Distressed. 

I began by applying a generous coat of Distress Crackle Paint in "Peeled Paint" to a piece of Grungeboard that I'd pre-cut using the "Ornamental" Alterations die. 

Once the paint had dried and crackled, I inked over the top with Forest Moss Distress Ink, using an Ink Blending Tool, really working that ink into the crackles. 

I used a damp paper towel to remove the excess ink, to further accentuate the crevices. 

Next, I created a grungy, highly textured boarder by inking the edges of the diecut with Distress Embossing Ink, then sprinkling on Distress Embossing Powder in "Vintage Photo."

When you use Distress Embossing Powder, heat it until you see the color change (it will take longer than a regular ol' embossing powder), and allow it to cool completely. Then, use your fingertip to gently rub the "release crystals" away, leaving a cool, shabby-chic look. 

Incidentally, I'm a huge fan of Distress Embossing Powder. This stuff can be used for so many unique effects-- there's just nothing else on the market quite like it...

..for instance, it's perfect for the uber-cool Rusted Grunge effect, from Tim's Compendium of Curiosities. Thoroughly ink your Grungeboard shape with the Distress Ink of your choice (I used Rusty Hinge), then coat the entire piece with Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder. Emboss as explained above, and you've got yourself a sweet bit of faux rust!

By the way, the broken bird cage is an idea I borrowed from the very talented Nicky Cresswell, who created a wonderful version for one of the Compendium challenges a few weeks ago. Click here to check out her piece-- it rocks!


Finally, my favorite way to use Distress Embossing Powder: Freestyle Texture Painting (okay, yes, I made up that term...). This is so easy, and such a fun way to create a colorful, highly textured look. Simply ink your grungeboard shape with Distress Embossing Ink, then sprinkle on various colors of Distress Powder in a design you like. Melt the powder and rub off the release crystals. I created a little yellow-breasted bluebird (a totally fake species).

At that point, I assembled my wall hanging. I used a hot glue gun to stick the pieces together, then added some tiny Washers and Long Fasteners, which I bashed with a Texture Hammer. I also attached a couple of Foliage Pieces, accented with Adirondack Paint, which I scratched a little after it dried for extra added distress-iness.

The grungy letters were cut from a page in Tim's Seasonal Paper Stash. 

Voila!


Here's something not remotely distressing: eclectic Paperie will give away two $25 gift certificates during this blog hop, just in time for all the fabulous new products that are already beginning to show up from CHA!  To be eligible to win, simply visit and leave a comment at each participating blog:

Daisy, our fearless leader

Broni

Latrice

Linda D

Linda L3-- That's me!

Micki

Sherry

Starla

My E-Teammates did an incredible job with this challenge!

You have the entire President's Day weekend to play! Daisy will pick her two winners and announce their names on the eclectic Paperie blog on Tuesday, February 22. And, if you're in the mood for a little shopping, keep in mind that eclectic Paperie is offering a 10% discount on Distress Ink pads and Re-inkers! Products from the Tim Holtz 2010 release and Studio 490 (Wendy Vecchi) stamps are on sale, too.

Thanks for stopping by and getting grungy with me! I hope you have a spectacular weekend!

Hugs,
Linda

Compendium of Curiosities Challenge 32!

Inking and Stamping Masks!

Sponsored by eclectic Paperie

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Whatever your romantic situation might be, I wish you a day of love and friendship and the knowledge that you are deeply treasured.

Oh, and lots of chocolate, of course.

We're up to Challenge #32 now, which kind of blows my mind! It seems like this journey began just a couple of weeks ago. I hope you're all having as much fun as I am. This week's technique is another of my absolute favorites. The effects you can create by inking and stamping masks are unique and dreamy and wonderful! Please open your Compendium of Curiosities to page 59, and let's get started.

Our sponsor this week is eclectic Paperie, owned and operated by the delightful and incredibly kind Daisy Sparks. Daisy is offering a $25 shopping spree to the winner of this week's challenge! And, check this out... some of the new Tim Holtz products will be arriving at eclectic Paperie this week! I don't know about you, but I seriously want the whole shebang!

Don't forget: CCC participants get 10% off any eclectic Paperie order! Just enter the coupon code studioL3 at checkout! 

To be eligible to win this this fabulous eclectic Paperie prize, simply create your own art using the Inking and Stamping Masks technique and link it to this blog via the InLinkz button at the bottom of this post. You're in the running as long as you honor these two simple rules:

1. Follow the technique as it's written in A Compendium of Curiosities (adding your own special flair, of course!); and

2. Out of respect to Tim, please don't post the technique instructions on your blog!

The ever-fabulous Gloria, List Mom at the All Things Tim group at Yahoo, will also send a cool gift from her special stash to one of this week's participants! Just upload your image to the Compendium of Curiosities folder at the ATT home page, and be sure to tag your photo "CCC #31."

Have fun with this challenge, and don't forget to add you link before 8 pm next Sunday, February 20. I can't wait to see your art!

Hugs and Happy Hearts,

Linda

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Congratulations, CCC 31 Winners!

I used to dislike Monday, and then it became the day when I get to give a prize or two away to someone who's made amazing art for the Compendium of Curiosities Challenge! As I always do, I find myself wishing I could send a prize to everyone who participated. Seeing your Rusted Enamel work this past week has been such a treat, and it really recharged my creative battery. So... thank you. Every one of you!

Now, about those prizes...

Tim and Mario sent me a box of goodies a while back and told me to distribute them throughout the course of the challenge series. Are they the greatest, or what?? The winner of Challenge 31 will receive a nice selection of cool stuff from that box. The Random Number Generator has done its thing, and the winner is:

Kathy Eddy

of the Inkin' It Up Blog!

Click the photo to visit Kathy's fabulous blog!

Kathy, huge congratulations to you! Those goodies are heading your way, including the autographed stamp!

The lovely Gloria from the All Things Tim group at Yahoo very generously sends a prize to one of the group members who participates in the challenge, and I'll be announcing her choice at the group's home page shortly. If you're not a member, please join. The friendship and inspiration you'll find there will be a delight in your life.

Ready for Challenge 32? Stick around... it will post in just a few minutes!