Tim Holtz Roses Embossing Folder

After the holidays I hit a wall. I was making Christmas cards and gifts until the end of December. 

I actually sent cards out to everyone I needed to and donated some and made some gift sets! Then Jan 2 came and I couldn't think of anything to make. At all. So I started watching YouTube, my favorite place to find new ideas or retry some old ones.

I really enjoy mixed media, so I re-watched Tim Holtz's demos. He suggested making technique tags, similar to swatches, so you'd remind yourself how something is done. I have the worst memory. I always think I'm going to remember how I did something and then someone asks me and I draw a blank.

I'm going to try harder to blog more too, I've seen that many more people have been looking here, probably wondering what colors I used or how I made something. I'll do my best but I get lost in the making and often forget to take pictures or take notes. 

I made this vintage card and received lots of DM on my Instagram account asking how, what, where. I really didn't think many people would like this card much less ask about it. So, I'll do my best to remember.

I took a piece of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock and spritzed and sprayed the paper with Distress Oxides in Crushed Olive, Rustic Wilderness, and the Distress Mica Sprays in Tree Lot and Holly Branch, adding only a little of the dark shades. I also added a bit of Snow Flurries Mica Stain Spray (ugh, I'm almost out of this limited release!) I let it dry.

I then used the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Roses embossing folder, I didn't spritz my paper, just ran it through the Big Shot. This is where the Tim Holtz demo came in, I watched the one on Distress Crayons and saw how you could paint with them. You scribble a bit on your craft mat, spritz it with water and with a paintbrush paint it on. It's a pretty cool look, very pigmented. I used Peppermint Stick and Picked Raspberry, the Peppermint has mica in it so it sparkles. 

After it was dry, I couldn't see any of the lines in the flowers or leaves so I used a small blending tool and Espresso Distress Ink and blended the ink onto the raised areas of the flowers and leaves ON THE FOLDER and immediately reran the paper so the ink would be pressed into the paper. 

I could have just taken a thin paintbrush and painted these lines but after getting the rose and leaves wet, they kind of deflated and rerunning the folder with the paper pops it back up.

I was happy with the result so I took Black Soot Archival ink and the script stamp from Dearly Departed and lightly stamped a few areas that needed "something". I took just a bit of the Distress Mica Spray in Flickering Candlestick and dropped a bit in a few areas for highlights and spritzed a little water to make it blend. The sentiment is from SA Tiny Text.

I hope this helps anyone wondering. Thanks for stopping by, I post several times a week @susanbcards on Instagram.

I'm entering this on the Funkie Junkie Blog Challenge called "Out with the old, in with the new", since it's an old folder using some of the new holiday Distress Mica Stains and Crayons.

You can find the challenge here:

http://frillyandfunkie.blogspot.com/

YAY! LOOK WHO WON! Thanks to the Funkie Junkie Blog!