Father's Day Cards....for those special men in my life.

I am lucky to have 3 wonderful men in my life that

represent all the best qualities of being a great dad.

First up - my own dear dad. Living in a house with a

menopausal woman and 2 teenage girls must have been trying

but somehow he survived and still likes all of us. Now, he has 2 amazing son-in-laws so

all the drama we gave him was worth it.

Gears Embossing folder, Foil Paper, alcohol inks, bronze & black paint 

Next up my wonderful father-in-law. He set an amazing example of father & husband 

for his 5 sons. 

Distress Marker Water colour, stamping, ephemera

And last but certainly not least my husband and the father of our 2 kids.

For 25 years you have put up with my craziness and for 22 of those 25 years have been

a wonderful father to our 2 kids. Thank you for helping me to not screw them up.

Alcohol Inks on Yupo

Remember To Make Memories......reverse canvas

I was so happy to be invited by Nicole & Kim to watch the production of the first sets of Nicole Wright Designs Stamp Sets at Emerald Creek Craft Supplies last week. 

I left with my very own sets too!

Pre-orders are beginning to ship this week so watch your mailbox or ask your LSS
to carry the Nicole Wright Designs line of stamps.

Now on to my project ~ 

I started with a piece of watercolour paper trimmed down to fit inside the reverse side of the canvas.

I used Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass & Cracked Pistachio Distress Stain, with a wet 

watercolour brush to achieve the watery look.

For the canvas ~ i started with a coat of gesso and applied crackle paste in random spots. 

After I let this dry over night I used the same Distress stains.

I help add a bit more dimension I cut four "wavy" pieces of acetate and used 

alcohol inks to add some more watery colour.

I dragged a sheet of watercolour paper through Lucky Clover, Mowed Lawn &

 Shabby Shutters Distres Stain, sketched a few lily pads and fussy cut them out.

Here is a closeup of a finished lily pad complete with an Abandoned Coral flower.

My Koi fish were stamped on Artic White 100lb card stock from Emerald Creek.

I absolutely love it for its silky smooth finish ~ prefect to get those crisp stamped images.

I used various colours of Distress Markers to make some funky fish.

Thanks so much for dropping by my blog today!

Don't forget to drop by Emerald Creek Dares blog and join in our current challenge!

Show us your Valentine's Day projects for a chance to win a $25 credit to the online store.

Hello 2016!

After an extra long winter break, I am ready to get back in my craft room!

2015 was a great year and I am thankful to have so many crafty friends both online & off who inspire me to learn and grow as an artist. Thank you!

My first post of 2016 is my January tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016 - Technique Remix

I am thrilled that Tim will be revisiting past techniques, combining them

 with others and sharing new tips! 

I followed Tim's instructions but decided to add some Bottle Alcohol Ink from Ranger to the metal foil for a bit of colour.

Thanks so much for dropping by today!

~~stay crafty~~

julia

Challenges Entered:

Tim Holtz - 12 Tags of 2016 (January)

It's the most wonderful time of the year....my Tim Tag for December

It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

I'm looking forward to spending time with kids who are both back 

home from college ~ we have plans to decorate the tree & bake cookies!

Before I pack up the car and head back to Calgary, I wanted to share my take on Tim's tag.

Here are my tag bases I did. I wasn't sure which one I was going with at first but I 

decided to save the lucky clover argyle one for another project.

The tree is from an old Sizzix die I had and I think its called Christmas Tree #2. That was going to be the base for my next technique.

This is the same technique Tim used to make his wreath except I used my Holiday Greens Thinlit dies to make my tree.

I added a sentiment from the Occasions Small Talk and some splattered Picket Fence Distress Paint along with a few alcohol inked stars and some jute along the edges.

Another finished tag for 2015!

I am already so excited for 2016 and looking forward to more wonderful inspiration from Tim Holtz!

I wish you a very Merry Christmas & a happy and crafty new year!

Thank you so much for popping by my blog today.

 I hope I was able to inspire you even just a little bit! 

~~stay crafty~~

julia

Challenges Entered:
Tim Holtz - 12 Tags of 2015 December
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge
 

Tim Tag September 2015

I can't believe it is already half way through September! Where did the time go?

The hubby & I are starting to feel more settled in our new condo and I think I have my craft room pretty much organized. Or at least as organized as I can get.

I was so ready to sit down and get my hands messy while making my September Tim Tag!

Check out Tim's Tag here

Gorgeous, right?

I had to get a bit creative since I didn't have the Frosted sheets. I had Frosted Film and decided to layer that on to a piece of acetate/plastic that I had in my stash. It seemed to work when I experimented with it.

Here is my first finished tag - 

 I absolutely love the look of the transparent gloss gel over the alcohol inks.

I decided to make another tag but this time with a more Fall feel to it and what feels more like Fall than leaves! I used these 2 stamps from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies.

The Leaf & Maple Leaf 

I ended up using my finished leaves with the frosted film side down, I just liked the look of the stamped image better but I still had the shimmery, frosty effect.

I used the Woodgrain Stencil by Tim Holtz for the background and gain I love, love, love the look with the transparent gloss gel. This will be a product I will use again very soon.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today!

Leave me a message so that I knew you were here. I love making crafty new friends

 and visiting your blogs!

~~~stay crafty~~~

julia

Submitted to:

 12 Tags of 2015 - September