the many adventures of a painter girl

Collection Complete

"Look at this stuff...

Isn't it neat?

Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?

Wouldn't you think I'm the girl....The girl who has everything?"

thinking about those lines from Part of Your World  in the Little Mermaid...i think, i have everything...i have inks, and dies, embellishments, stamps, paper...everything Tim Holtz i could possibly want...right?

not quite...this is the part where dreams do come true...and the girl gets everything her little heart desires...

F.A.B.R.I.C. who dared to dream it? who knew their collection would only be complete with it? who dreamt of a day when crafting with Tim Holtz fabric would come? a day when I can sew the most amazing quilt, kindle cover, or tote...a day when i could make this...

a card with matching patterned paper and fabric from my favortite designer...

i dreamt of such a day...

now, imagine...the possibilities!!!!

this lucky girl loved playing with the new fabrics...the quality is unbelievable, the colors are amaizng, and the patterns...oh my...perfection!

the Tim Holtz "Eclectic Elements" Fabric line from Coats is being debuted this weekend at the Quilt Market Show in Portland, Oregon...for more details please visit Tim's Blog and the Coat's Website.

for more inspiration from fabulous crafty friends please head to these blogs...you WILL be blown away!

Tuesday, May 14th - Tammy Tutterow 

Wednesday, May 15th - Richele Christensen

Thursday, May 16th - Chelle Fowler (Me!)

Friday, May 17th - Paula Cheney

Saturday, May 18th - Sande Krieger

 

Crinkle Ribbon Measuring Tape

today i want to share one of my new favorite things...my already beloved dyed crinkle ribbon turned measuring tape...

the stamped crinkle ribbon is just the touch on this simple tag...i am loving the look!

i start by dying my ribbon as i do for just about every project i make...this dreamy white becomes any color i need...

for this project, i used tumbled glass, broken china, and vintage photo distress stains...

i start with the lightest blue, dabbing some stain onto my craft sheet and spritzing with water...then smoosh your ribbon into the 'dye'...add more stain or water as need to cover all of the ribbon...

next, use the darker blue...same technique here...add stain and water to mat then pick up it all up with your ribbon...don't worry about being even, it's actually better to have the uneven coloring...

i dry my ribbon with my heat tool at this point...i want to see the color and decide if it needs more of either blue stain...

now, vintage photo stain with a spritz of water...here you want to use more water then stain...if you get too much stain or large puddles, sop some up with a towel...

dry again, add any colors you need to get the look you want...

this is the color combination that i used on my tattered floral canvas here...

and, of course, i HAVE to share the pink!

gorgeous...and a MUST if you are me...(i did end up adding more broken china to the blue, that's the beauty...you can change the color at any point, i often add some color to a left over scrap of ribbon to match my next project)

now...for the stamping...i used the fabulous new ruler stamp from Tim Holtz for this...

frist, i tape a piece of sctap paper to my mat, just keeps everything cleaner for me...

then tape down your crinkle ribbon...i use tissue tape, cause i love it...use what you have and what works for you!

  

i ink the background stamp by tamping the pad onto the stamp vs the stamp onto the pad...i use archival ink in jet black here...

now, for the fun part...line up the stamp with the ribbon...i peek from the side as i stamp...

no need to get crazy with the pressure...stamp firmly and evenly as usual...trust me...

one side down...now for the other...

again, line it up with one of the rulers on the stamp...don't worry about matching numbers, or even straight lines...again, trust me! i color outside the lines...and, it's okay!

dry the ink with your heat tool right after stamping...that way there is no smearing or bleeding...

there you go...gorgeous, custom ribbon for your projects...

just love the vintage look of this...and, see? looks great even if it's not perfect!!

i hope you try this...i can't seem to stop making it...perhaps i need to move on to other stamps soon...ish

 

 

Winner Winner Winner

thank you all so very much for your amazing comments, I am so blessed!!!  i am humbled by your kindness!!

i loved reading all of your comments...it seems that the crinkle ribbon tape measure was a big hit! i think a tutorial is in order, don't you?  i'm on it!! 

now, on to the lucky winner of the generously offered Tattered Floral Die from Tim Holtz (thank you so much for that, Tim!!)...

HERE IS THE LUCKY COMMENTER:

Love all your vintage fabric and buttons!! You are incredibly talented, oh my gosh, I was smiling through the whole post.

Thanks for the chance to win the die!

Hugs,

Carmen L

Posted by: Carmen Lucero | March 21, 2013 at 07:48 PM

CONGRATULATIONS, CARMEN!!! email me your information and i will send out your die!!!

 

Sharing the Tattered Floral Love...a giveaway!

the ever fabulous Tim Holtz has a really great challenge on his blog this month...and if you are like me, and a bit of a 'late bloomer'...you have just a few days to get your entry in to win some amazing prize packages!

so, the challenge is simply to make something using the Tattered Floral Die...create layered flowers your way...head over to Tim's blog to see all the amazing entries and check out his cool tutorial on his layered flowers. the challenge ends on Friday, March 22 so hurry!!!

as for my take on the challenge...of course it had to involve some sort of vintage deliciousness!

I love how colorful this canvas turned out...it certainly is one of a kind and cheered me right up...it just makes me happy when I look at it!

my layered flowers were vintage patterns along with vintage fabric...i used a needle and embroidery floss to tie them together with vintage buttons...that's a lot of vintage, and what makes this so special to me...

taking this closer look shows the other 'layer' of my flowers...i cut out the largest flower from the same fabric and layered them on the background with multi medium..giving me a great foundation to layer my other elements onto...

here is another look at the base flowers...I really like how they glued down...my mind is reeling with possibilities for the rest of the canvases in this set of District Market pieces...

i had so much fun first dying the Crinkle Ribbon with Distress Stain then stamping the measuring tape background from the Artful Tools stamp set...love the look of the custom ribbon... 

one last little close up of some details...mixing the old with the new...the fabricated with the real deal is so much fun...

now for the really great news...not only is Tim incredibly generous with his inspiration and creativity, but he has also given me a Tattered Floral Die to give away!!! 

so, leave a comment on this post and I will pick a winner on Sunday, March 24! Good Luck!

 

Book Page Eggs

i had some fun with paper mache eggs...thought i might share the fun...

these sweet little vintage inspired eggs were so much fun to make! let's look at some of the steps shall we?

i tore a few dictionary pages into strips and pieces...

use matte glue n seal to glue the strips onto the paper mache egg...overlap and brush over the top of the paper as you go...

allow the eggs to dry completely...i love that the glue n seal leaves the paper with no sticky feel and perfectly matte....it is my favorite!!

i cut some of the vintage postcards from my seasonal paper stash...

i inked up the edges with walnut stain distress ink and my blending tool...

i wanted my leaves to look older then they are...so i inked sprayed them with water, dabbed vintage photo stain on them, blotted them, then dried them with my heat tool...i really like out they turned out!

then the fun part...layers of vintage and vintage looking embellishments...

a little crepe paper, snips of tulle, millinery flowers...the leaves and the cards...

they make me happy...

really really happy...perhaps it's all the pink...or simply the vintage deliciousness of it all...

as always, thank you for visiting...that makes me happy too!

Spring in the Rain

it's been a little chilly and rainy...so of course i had to play with flowers...cheered me up and i hope it brightens your day too!

the base for this sweet easter hanging card is one of the new (and F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S.) cabinet cards from Tim Holtz's idea-ology line...here is how the project came together...

i cut a piece of grunge with the cameo frame die then covered the inside area with matte multi-medium...i glued and brayerd a piece of dictionary over the medium and allowed to dry...using a score tool, i rubbed along the lines cutting the paper to give me an outside frame...

then i painted the edge with broken china distress paint (dreamy, dreamy, smooth, dreamy paint)...just one coat covered beautifully!

i sanded the edges of the cabinet card and cameo frame then inked them with gathered twigs distress ink...

i used a cloth spritzed with a little water to remove a little of the ink from the painted edge to brighten it here and there...

next was a little stamping...i used archival jet black ink to stamp the blueprint eggs (reg & mini) then used distress markers and the detail tip water brush to color 'em...

i cut the mini bunny out of grunge, covered him with multi-medium then cinnamon stickles dry glitter...the bow was painted with borken china distress paint then inked with gathered twigs...

then some crinkle ribbon, flowers, tulle, a few pins, and two ring fasteners to tie the tinsel twine to...

sweet little spring project to get the mojo flowing...thank you for stoping by!

 

Blueprint of Love

i have a few samples i made using the Tim Holtz Valentine Blueprint stamps from Stampers Anonymous...

i love love love these stamps...i have always been a fan of Tim Holtz stamps and when the Blueprints launched i absolutely loved that i now had the ability to color...and color them i have! whether it is with copics, paints or distress markers (my current favorite addiction) i love the possibilities!

one of the best parts of these stamps is that they look great with a lot of coloring detail AND look great with little to no coloring...so so versatile...

i often use the larger image in my backgrounds and add colored images from the mini sets on top...the fact that there is a mini set for every full size set is awesome, gives you so many options to play!

Check out all the sets available...for holidays and everyday at the Emporium (as always use code apaintergirl to receive 10% off your order!).

 

CHA Winter Projects

phew, what a whirlwind this past CHA was!!!  For those visiting unfamiliar with CHA, it is the Craft & Hobby Association Winter Convention & Trade Show...it is an incredible show where manufacturers and designers showcase all the new and exciting products coming to retail stores soon.  

i grew up 'working' first in a needlecraft store as a child then in a craft store as my first job...i loved working and teaching in the craft store (i taught plaster/ceramic painting back in the day!!!) and attending the trade shows...and now i am so blessed to attend as a lover of paper crafting, designer, and teacher...

this show was super exciting because i was honored and humbled to be asked to make samples for Tim Holtz...an absolute dream come true!!! I am so grateful to have been able to see the releases early and work with them!!! oh my, what an honor!!!!

here are some of the samples i made for Tim's Stamper's Anonymous, Sizzix, Ranger, and Idea-ology lines...

i have seriously fallen in love with the blueprint stamps Tim has designed with Mario III...they are amazing to color!!

mmmm...the new Idea-ology is phenomenal...one of my favorites are the Cabinet Card Frames...I used this one as a sort of envelope for my tag...and the new Cameo Frame Die painted with the Tarnished Brass Distress Stain is the perfect touch...i loved how this sample came out!  i'll share more details later!

oh my...how i love this Pocket Watch Die...perfect pairing with the gears blueprint stamp!

i squelaed...literally...when i saw this stamp set...BEST BLUEPRINT OF ALL!!!! so so much fun to color with my distress markers!!! I'll show you how to make this cute card in a tutorial soon!

i did mention, mad love for blueprints, didn't i??...and for 'simple sayings' (i can't stop using it!!!)...

mad...

mad...

L.O.V.E.

okay...I'm done, for now...more next time!...thank you for visitng...i'll leave you with this fun photo...

when cleaning my stamp, i actually ended up with this reminder...a sweet reminder of why i blog...to inspire, to teach, to share...to tell my story...

Patchwork Fall 2012 Shenanigans

what an amazing day yesterday was! after a year, my partner (my fabulous and dear friend Michele...aka One L) and I loaded up the trucks and headed to our first event together since losing everything exactly a year ago...

sometimes getting back on the horse means you need to have some time to heal...just sayin'

we were excited and nervous to get out of the gate...Patchwork Santa Ana seemed like the perfect place to start again...several 'work days' and a few sleepless nights...and this is the result:

our sign...a vintage drawer gone chalk board...i pretty much adore it...

the booth got lots of compliments...they loved the vintage look with the bunting and quilts...

the ephemera kits were a hit...

this one was a favorite! we heard  a lot of stories about grandmas and moms collecting these stamps back in the day...

the pinecone trees and sweet bottle brush shakers were top sellers...

we didn't have the yoyos long...the baskets and the 4x4 mats sold fast (don't worry, we have more and they will be in the etsy store by the weekend!!!)...

we also have a few of each design left of the bingo cards...also in the shop this week...

it's funny...we kinda just do what we love and hope others like it as much as we do...

just a few more random pics of the booth for your viewing pleasure...

thank you for sharing in our vintage loving dreams!!!

 

Spooktacular Decoration

and so my favorite time of the year begins...the first of the holiday trifecta: Halloween...time to get my spook on!

this month at the emproium we are challenged to create a spooktacular decoration...i knew exactly what i wanted to do! 

i found a really cool framed mirror at a retail chain...the mirror was made to look old and had a skeleton image on it...it also had a price higher than i wanted to pay! right then i started thinking about how i could duplicate the look on my own...

i needed a cool frame, glossy paper, the new skull stamp from Tim Holtz, alcohol ink, and maybe an embellishment or two...

it all began with silver alcohol ink, a few other colors, a felt applicator, and blending solution...i kept layering on the glossy paper until i liked the look...a faux old mirror...

i stamped the skull and a few spider webs with archival jet black ink and completed my 'mirror'...time to decorate...

i pulled out some favorites...

dies and trinkets...glitter and ink

tattered papers, a new label for an old jar...

...a plastic skeleton, that should do...

i love how it all came together...looking at it from different angles it looks like an old mirror and other angles you clearly see the skull...spoooookkkyyyy...

thanks for daring to come by...