12 TAGS OF 2012 - DECEMBER

Did I tell you that I won a prize for my November tag? A whopping $25 voucher from Inspirations Emporium. Thank you Tim for picking my entry, thank you Mario for emailing me and organising the voucher and thank you Joy for giving the voucher in the first place. I am one happy cookie. 
This month was a bonus because Tim made 2 tags making up for missing the one last January. I finally made the time yesterday to complete mine.

They are so lovely especially the backgrounds. I got to open my metallic stains at last!

I realised after I took the photos, that I had forgotten to add a little gem above the 'j', I've done that now.

I wish I had the strip die that Tim cut the words 'joy to the world' from. Not seen that one but I will acquire it at some point because it's really a lovely die. I used a salvage sticker from the seasonal range. 
Tim also posted another tag that was made for the CHA show so once I have made my Xmas cards, I'll have a go at that one too.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - NOVEMBER

Another wonderful tag from Tim for this month. I adore the Autumn colours although not the season. I much prefer it when everything is springing into life rather than going to sleep because the awful cold is coming.
I had all the distress inks and stains plus the strip die, but that was it really, so another compromise which I think has worked really well.

I think the squirrel has his eye on that acorn but he had better wait a while because the glossy accents aren't quite dry!!
The leaf stamp is from Tim's Falling Leaf collection, the word is a Hero Arts stamp, the chicken wire stamp is from The Artistic Stamper and the gingham stamp is from Wendy Vecchi.
Another fun project which has given me a great idea for a birthday card I have to go and make now for an elderly male neighbour. Thanks Tim.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - OCTOBER

Somehow it seems longer than a month since Tim made the monthly tag. Got used to the 12 tags of Christmas I suppose. Anyway, how to compromise this time as I don't have the BOO die nor the ticket die nor the date stamps.
I came up with this:

I had everything to create the base tag so that was easy, I cut the spider from grungepaper but I already had the cat which was part of some pre-cut grunge from way back. The colouring of the glitter was quite messy and it took an age to dry so really it remained kind of lumpy!!!! Don't like that technique Tim, however, I do agree about the extra sparkle you get by colouring it with ink so maybe I'll have another go. I cut the October from the Lost & Found papers and stamped 'creepy' using some tiny Halloween stamps I have. The black wool tied at the top is also coloured with pitch black alcohol ink.
All in all, it turned out fine and I adore the colours. Thanks Tim for another fun tag time.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - SEPTEMBER

Oh Tim, you were a bit naughty this month. Has the typewriter mover and shaper die actually hit the UK yet??  Some of us like to make a replica tag to have a first class example of the techniques you use. I'm one of those folk. Ok, I accept that the real technique was the metal and the handy work on it which made it look like real metal 'stitched' together, so I forgive you.
I had some wonderful people, especially Anne, who offered both advice or a mocked up typewriter, thank you so much all of you, but I have decided that if I can't either obtain or afford a new crafty 'toy' then I MUST try something else from now on. With that said, I stamped an old jalopy and some words to replace the typewriter. Here, therefore, is my September version:

WOYWW #170

A bright and sunny morning to all woyww-ers around the world especially our lovely leader Julia who by now will be off doing other things after having posted a photo of her desk earlier.
I haven't done very much crafting of late because there are so many jobs to do around the house before the onset of winter. Oh! listen to me, as if we had a summer!!!!! Anyway, here is the usual bit of my desk:

Nothing new there except my DT book, my partly finished Tim 2012 September tag - I don't have the typewriter die so am pondering what to add instead - a tiny piece of crinkle ribbon on top of a bit of metal sheet, a pan scrub that I used on the tag as I don't have any nasty wire wool and a tiny perfume bottle.
The rest of my desk looks like this:

Empty apart from a part eaten bag of chocolate peanuts, some indigestion tablets, the piece of card I used to mark my green' should be brown' distress markers (now replaced by Ranger - thank you so much for such an amazingly quick service), an external hard drive and my wonderful glasses case and drinks mat.
So no crafty project in the making. Goodness knows when I shall be able to start something. We still have the shed fascia boards to replace, the greenhouse to re-coat (it's wooden) some cementing to do, a paving slab to lift and straighten as tree roots have raised it, plus ordinary life which keeps getting in the way. Hope we finish everything before our next set of booked dates which begin in 2/3 weeks. Righto, off to start again.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

That's what my DH and I have been since we came home from our hols - busy.
The outside looked like a bomb had dropped after the awful wet weather of this year. Black, almost, paths, flowers that had been attacked by the rain, empty flower pots that I never got a chance to plant. So drastic action had to be taken.
DH started to re-paint the fence panels only to find that some of the wood between the panels and posts was rotten. Amazing how one simple job becomes umpteen major ones. Then it rained - again! Anyway, after having spent days of having to go out for one thing or another, we finally got to power wash the paths last Thursday. It took all day and we were so tired and aching after it. I had the unenviable job of sweeping away the water. Just look at my feet:

The dye came out of my shoes and added to the dirt from the paths. I had a right job showering that lot off.
Anyway, we started to sort out the plants, re-preserve the wooden garden furniture, paint some trellis, treat ourselves to another tree fern and a chiminea. Still more to do but here is the result so far:

It would be lovely if the winter stayed mild so that I don't have to put fleece round the tree ferns and some other plants round the other side, but that's asking rather a lot I think.
Right, today I'm going to have a go at Tim's september tag. Not sure what die cut to use though as I don't have the typwriter one. Still, somthing will come to mind.

WOYWW #169

I wonder when our lovely Julia publishes her woyww post each week? I've scheduled posts, stayed up until midnight to publish a post, kept my phone in bed and checked through the night to see if Julia's is on, I've even jumped out of bed at 6am to be an early bird and link mine so I get near the beginning of the list. Why?? because this woyww 'thing' is exciting. Being able to visit with crafty folk all over the world and see the creations, stash and sometimes, awful mess that we are all capable of making, is the highlight of each week. However, today I decided to simply get up - whenever - take my photo and write up a little ditty before joining you all, so here goes:

Quite tidy again. I have been making a few things for anniversaries and challenges this week as proved by the little pile of scraps to the left. You can see 3 lovely Inkadinkadoo stamps that I used to stamp on tissue paper for a canvas I made, the flower and rosette are still waiting for a project, there's a little box about to be decorated, 2 paper flowers I made from Tim's pine cone die for the August tag - trouble with them is, I made them inside out, der!! the usual scissors etc, and 4, actually, distress stains that are all brown but come out green. I marked them on white card and then emailed Ranger who are going to replace them.
That's how it is today, all ready to play on the next set of projects. I have to write another post now because the 3rd of the little tutorials I did for Just Some Lines is live today, then I can call round yours.

TIM'S 12 TAGS OF 2012 - AUGUST

At long last I have made the August tag. I couldn't take my craft room on holiday so, having just returned after 4 weeks, I have just completed it. I just want to say a great big thank you to Jennie of the Artistic Stamper fame. I placed an order with her for a few things with which to make my tag, one item being the small leaf and branch die. Jennie thought she had one in stock but it turned out not to be the case so as a good will gesture, she cut some leaves and branches from her own die and sent them to me. How generous is that then. Thank you so very much Jennie.
Right then, another gorgeous tag from Tim. Here is my version,

12 TAGS OF 2012 - JULY

Tim certainly set a challenge today. Not the actual techniques to achieve this month's tag, but where to find my air can!!!!!
In the end I had to resort to using a straw and nearly blowing my brains out apart from almost choking.....However, on the second attempt I managed to make a 'reasonable' background . Obviously July 4th is very special in the US but the colours, red, white and blue have also been special for us in the UK. I therefore decided to go patriotic myself and came up with this interpretation for the July tag -

The flag is one given to me by the olympic torch procession, so glad I kept it.
Thanks for another bit of fun Tim.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - JUNE

I think Tim's June tag is wonderful. However, I don't have half the embellishments he used so as usual, I had to make some.

I don't have any of the gem paper pins, so I used an ordinary paper clip, unbent one end and stuck a bead on it, simples. I didn't have a single metal number but did have one that said 1/2. I simply cut it apart and used the no. 2. I didn't have the background stamp but did have Visual Artistry - lost and found. I didn't have the stamp he used on the photo but did have one from The Artistic Stamper which works well. The rest is all Tim's stuff, just different. It broke my heart to have to cut into the Destinations papers. I keep going through the whole stash and reading each page. It's a trip back into history.
Another fun tag from the master himself.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - MAY

We've had a little wait for this month's tag because Tim has been teaching at Ranger U, but he caught up with the May tag just the other day.
I started mine yesterday but didn't get it finished because I needed to lift my big sewing machine - my titchy craft one doesn't do zig zag - and my right wrist is sore with arthritis just now so I couldn't manage it yesterday. However, onwards and upwards as they say and I just got on with it today.

I got to use one of the brass type charms that my DH made for me before he sold all his engineering machines and tools. Cute eh? I so love making faux porcelain flowers and adding a bit of distressing with the new spring colours made them even more special.
I really like this month's tag. It was simple to make but is so effective.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - APRIL

Had a little break from crafting yesterday after my marathon 2 weeks of fun. However, today I just couldn't wait any longer to have a go at Tim's latest tag - April.

The only things I used which matched Tim's tag were the stamp, the embossing folder and the inks, everything else is different. It worked though. Have fun with yours this month.

12 TAGS OF 2012 - MARCH

A new month means a new tag from Tim Holtz. He said that March meant spring to him and he came up with yet another new technique - mosaic.
Here is my version of today's tag:

I don't have the lovely wood image stamp that Tim used, so I had a go with the woodgrain texture fade instead. It didn't come out as defined as the stamp, obviously, but you can just make out the grain. The butterfly movers and shakers are on my list of crafty needs (still have some Xmas craft vouchers) but as that is the case, I had to rummage around and find some pre-cut grunge butterflies instead. I stuck the 2 I found to a sheet of double-sided sticky stuff and began to cut them out. Not easy even with Tonic scissors. Then, I cut the mosaic bits from the little squares I still have from Tim's workshop last year.
Again, I have actually never seen any Ranger embossing powders so I used scented creamy vanilla which is the only one I could find remotely near the colour required. Trouble is, it isn't matt. Never mind, it did the trick and smelled gorgeous 'to boot'.
The rest, as they say, is history.

WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE - 12 TAGS OF 2012

You just cannot have missed this, Tim is doing 12 Tags of 2012 beginning today.
What a wonderful Valentine present for all Tim followers. Of course, I just had to have a go.

Once again, I used the same as Tim if I had the stock and then 'made up' the rest. The little cupid is from some pre-cut grungeboard sheets that  I have had for years. How lucky I still had him. The heart is very special because it's one I made at a Suze Weinberg melt pot workshop. I have been so reluctant to use it but as I keep all my 'Tim' tags, this seemed the appropriate time. Still struggling with making baubles but I'm not going to give up instead I intend to master this bending wire into a ring - thing.
Now every month will be special, not just December. How lucky are we??