The Lattice Pieces...

Next, I painted them with ground espresso, and rubbed on some Rose Gold wax to give a little extra sheen and help them tie in with my background.

The Finishing Elements…

The Assembly...

And finally the main quote chip…

Ta-da! I think the contrast of the muted couple with the brighter flowers around them is quite cute, I hope you agree!

Thanks so much for checking out my project ❤️

Happy crafting!

x Erin

Hello, and thanks for stopping by! I hope life is treating you and yours well these wintery days. ❄️ I didn't have a ton of crafty time before the holidays, but it's calmed slightly in the few weeks after so I've been able to get back to some lingering seasonal makes!

Let me show you my latest creation — a gritty little Christmas scene, featuring Santa’s sleigh from the Dash Away All die set and plenty of other Tim Holtz goodies...

The Background + Frames…

I started with two lace baseboard frames (obsessed with these!) + a little scrap of white heavystock paper for the background, and applied generous grit paste to all. Once my grit was dry, I painted my frames + background piece with a combo of Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot, just splotched on pretty randomly.

Just to the frames, I also added some Picket Fence splatters to give them a ‘snowy’ feel (this actually ended up being very subtle when it dried, which I’m loving, and made them a slightly lighter shade than the background paper). I then rubbed Antiqued Bronze stain over the gritty texture of the frames with my finger.

I used a small scrap piece of clear acetate, stamped it with Holiday Type (CMS281) using Antiqued Bronze stain, and placed over the top of my background piece just to add a little extra interest.

I also added two eyelets, painted with Antiqued Bronze, to the top corners of my larger frame to make it into a hanger. I set them with my Crop-a-dile tool and added a copper wire piece from my stash.

The Trees...

After my trees were dry, I ended up chopping them up into smaller tree clusters or individual trees, then added a small amount of grit paste to each piece. Once the grit was dry, I used my finger to rub on some Antiqued Bronze stain to the raised texture. 

The Santa + Ledge…

 

I wanted my Santa silhouette and my bracket trim ledge to have a similar look to help balance out my scene. I first cut 3 of the Santa silhouette pieces from white heavystock, then glued together to get an extra thick piece. Then I added a good amount of grit paste to Santa and the Bracket trim chipboard piece. 

Once dry, I painted them both with Black Soot and then added Antiqued bronze stain over the top of the texture with my finger, adding a bit more to the bottom of his sleigh and reindeer feet. 

Finished my ledge with two hardware heads on each side.

The Houses…

Next, I worked on some little houses from the Snowglobe #2 Thinlits set.

Once my houses were cut from white heavystock and assembled together, I painted them with Black Soot, sealed with a chunky topcoat of Collage a medium, then rubbed on Antiqued Bronze with my finger. This may look like it was time-consuming, but it was actually SO easy and I love how the antique bronze highlights the window frames and little details of the houses! 💥

The Snow + Layered Moon…

I wanted my snow and moon pieces to all have the same look. I cut a handful of snow pieces from the Snowglobe #2 dies and a few Stitched Circles from white heavystock. 

Then I applied grit paste to all (some on the ‘back side’ of my snow to give a little more variety). Once the grit was dry, I coated my pieces with Picket Fence paint, followed by Antiqued Bronze stain rubbed on the raised texture and edges.

The Merry Christmas Words…

I cut three sets of the words Merry Christmas from the Home for the Holidays Thinlit set, glued two of them together for a thicker piece, and left one set for my ‘shadow’ layer.

For my shadow set, I just painted thoroughly with Antiqued Bronze. For my thicker set of words, I added grit paste and let it dry. Then painted with Picket Fence, rubbed on Antiqued Bronze stain, and glued slightly offset over my shadow words.

The Finishing Touches…

As always, I added some odds and ends in the final stages…

A couple clippings from the Christmas sticker book, with Antiqued Bronze stain applied to the rough edges.

The numbers 2 and 5 are from the Ideaology Type Chips pack.

Cheese cloth is a staple in my craft room! I applied a bit of Antiqued Bronze stain to a few bits and used it to fill in some snow patches and around my moon layers.

I cut a few smaller strips from the Star Trim 3D embossing folder to add some extra interest around my frames, painted with Black Soot, then added antiqued bronze stain highlights.

The metal ruler is from the Ideaology Measurements pack. I rubbed Antiqued Bronze stain on the raised texture. (What is it with me and rulers!? They just always seem to find their way into my pieces 😂)

Once all of my pieces were assembled and jazzed up, it was just a matter of gluing all my layers together… 

And that’s it for this fun little make!

I hope you like it and get a chance to have some crafty time of your own soon!

Thanks for looking ❤️

x Erin

The Products…

Sizzix + Tim Holtz Dies… Dash Away All, Stitched Circles, Treeline, Snowglobe #2, Home for the Holidays

Sizzix + Tim Holtz 3D Embossing Folder… Star Trim

Surfaces… white heavystock, lace baseboard frames, bracket trim chipboard, heat-resistant clear acetate

Stampers Anonymous + Tim Holtz Stamps… Holiday Type (CMS281)

Ranger + Tim Holtz Distress Mediums… collage Medium, grit paste

Ranger + Tim Holtz Distress Stain… Antiqued Bronze

Ranger + Tim Holtz Distress Paint… Black Soot, Chipped Sapphire, Forest Moss, Rustic Wilderness, Iced Spruce, Picket Fence

Ideaology… Type Chips, Christmas sticker book, Measurements, hardware heads

Other Tools… Big Shot, glass mat, distress sprayer, eyelets, crop-a-dile, copper wire, cheese cloth

Hey, hey 👋🏻 We are getting excited for Halloween in my house, or trick-or-treating to be exact! To help set the mood, I created this quirky little cemetery scene, set in a Tim Holtz framed panel.

I had such fun making this, and there are a lot of details I’m excited to share, so grab some coffee and settle in and off we go!

The Background…

First, I cut some cobwebs out of heavystock from the Spider Web die set and glued down on the base of the framed panel with collage medium. Then I painted both my base and frame piece with Black Soot Distress paint. I love that the base and frame are separate so I can ‘sandwich’ my other layers between them!

Next, I used my finger to apply Sizzix Rose Gold luster wax to the base and frame, highlighting all the yummy texture. (I ended up covering the sides later, so didn’t need to paint/highlight the edges at all 🤷🏻‍♀️)

I used quote chips to elevate the top half of the frame because I knew I wanted my hills to be extra chunky at the bottom and I wanted to try to keep the frame (somewhat) parallel to the base 🤷🏻‍♀️

Next, I inked 4 larger hardware heads with Caramel and glued in each corner of the frame. Then I added translucent grit paste around the hardware (to me, this helps ‘unite’ them with the frame so they look less like separate elements). Once the paste is fully dry, I inked over it with Caramel. I usually like 2 coats of ink for a deeper, rustier look.

For my inner text border, I took clippings from the Curiosities sticker book, placed them side-by-side on strips of heavystock, sealed with collage medium, lightly rubbed Rose Gold wax over the top and front edge with my finger, and positioned them in place underneath my main frame.

The “Hallowed Ground” Pieces…

I’m loving the way these Hallowed Ground strips turned out. First, I cut 2 strips of white heavystock paper, exactly the height of the Mini Marquee Letters, and used my finger to cover them with rose gold wax.

Then I spelled out Hallowed Ground, glued my letters side by side and trimmed the length of my strips, leaving room on the sides for hardware.

Once the Glossy Accents was fully dry, I inked 6 small hardware heads and glued to the corners of each strip and added translucent grit paste around their bases (I didn’t do any for the right side of Ground, I knew that part of the strip would be hidden.) Then I used Caramel alcohol ink to ‘rust up’ the grit paste and add some extra grunge to the edges of my strips.💥

I wanted the right edge of the Hallowed strip to rest on the frame, so I needed to elevate the left side to make it parallel to the base… So, I inked 2 hitch fasteners with caramel and glued under the hardware heads (love those dang hitch fasteners!)

I found the ‘Toxique’ chip piece in the Halloween baseboard pack, added grit paste to the edges, then inked with Caramel and highlighted with Rose Gold wax.

The Church + Graves…

Ahh, the church. Must confess I did some trial and error on this piece. I’ll show you how I made my final version, then compare to my ‘experimental’ versions and you can decide if it was worth the redos 🤦🏻‍♀️

I started by cutting 6 church pieces from the Ghosttown die set, then glued 2 layers together, which left me with 3 thicker churches. One is my base, the others will get cut up for detailing.

I sketched out my plan for the other layers and then fussy cut (so fun! and forgiving… all the layers of medium to follow help smooth or cover any cutting imperfections). I also try to stick with the ‘style’ of the die. I glued the layers in place and painted thoroughly with Antiqued Bronze stain.

Next, I decided to add a few remnant rubs for extra detail. I only had the Special Delivery set on hand, so I tried to make that one work. Not sure if I would do this step on my church again, but I do ❤️ remnant rubs!

Then I added some marquee letters behind the windows and coated the whole piece with a thick layer of Glossy Accents. (I liked the idea of not totally blacked out windows, but this detail is tricky to see once the Glossy Accents dries 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Once the gloss coat was dry, I added a caramel-inked hardware head over the door, a bit of grit paste, followed by caramel ink over the gritty bits. Below you can see through the windows a bit better.

I also cut 3 of the ‘smoke’ pieces from the Ghosttown set to use for my path and 3 gravestone cuts from Ghosttown 2, glued the layers together and gave them the same grungy treatment as my church. 

Here are my ‘matching’ elements at this stage:

Ok, so that’s how I made church #3, now I’ll show you my rejects and explain why I was unhappy with them… ✨

Below is my first attempt. I thought I wanted it black, but realized it needed more contrast with my background, so I started again…

Here’s #2… it was almost a keeper, but no cigar. I was really digging it, but then I messed up by adding a layer of caramel ink before adding glossy accents so it was much darker than my marquee letter strips 🙄

Below you can see my final version (pre-alcohol ink over the grit paste) next to version 2. I like it a lot better and feel it was worth the extra time! (You do you, boo! 😎)

The Hills…

For the hills, I used Stitched Ovals of various sizes, cut from heavystock. For the gritty black part, I covered them liberally with grit paste, then painted with Black Soot and added antique bronze stain highlights. 

To help provide contrast for my black ovals, I cut another set of ovals from heavystock and covered with antiqued bronze stain and glued slightly offset behind the black ones. Then I added more grit paste between them to give them some unity and colored the grit paste with caramel ink. Super grungy 😍

Love the way these turned out, but because I like to complicate things, I decided I needed even more contrast with my background. so I cut another set of ovals from heavystock and covered them with Curiosities clippings, similar to my inner frame.

I sealed my clippings with collage medium, distressed the edges, added Rose Gold Wax and glued slightly offset from my other oval pieces.

Some of the other elements I used to add interest to my hills…

Gear… From the Mechanical Bigz set, cut from thicker mat board. I added grit paste, painted with black soot, applied rose gold wax highlights to the grit, and finished with touches of caramel ink.

Ephemera… the ‘Condemned’ tag, the ticket, and the circle piece over the gear came from the Halloween ephemera pack. The 31 chip is a piece of paper with glossy Accents over the top. Lucky 13 pin from the Halloween flair pack.

Optical lens… I first gave it a coat of caramel alcohol ink, then added grit paste, then applied Rose gold wax over the gritty bits, and then more caramel ink.

Metal ruler… From the Odds and Ends Embellishments set. I covered with caramel ink, then added some grit paste, then more caramel ink over the grit.

The Trees…

These trees make me happy 🙊 I cut 6 trees from the Ghost town set, spritzed with water and ran through Tim’s Woodgrain 3D embossing folder, several good passes to really get that nice texture.

Coated with ground espresso paint. Then used my finger to highlight the texture with rose gold luster wax.

Next, I dabbed Glossy Accents on the ends of each tree branch, and sprinkle on the midnight mica flakes.

Once dry, I added drops of caramel ink onto the flakes, avoiding the tree trunks.

Once the ink had dried, I added Rose Gold luster wax highlights.

 Cuuuute 🙊

The Bats…

To make my bats, I cut out 2 of the largest bats from Bat Crazy, then fussy cut some extra detail on one of the pieces before gluing it on top of the other piece. I Added grit paste, Painted with black Soot all over, then touches of rose gold wax highlights, followed by caramel ink.

I didn’t think plain black bats would contrast enough with the background, so I cut another piece for my ‘highlight’ layer, coated with antiqued bronze stain and glued slightly offset below the black piece.

Then added grit paste followed by caramel ink, and shaped the wings and body. Used these steps for 5 more bats of various sizes. For the largest one, I thought it’d be cool to go for some extra elevation, so I tinted a vignette box hardware nail with caramel ink and poked through the bat. As part of my finishing touches at the end, I hammered the nail into my background and secured with Glossy Accents at the base to keep it elevated.

Now, I’m ready for assembly. Obviously, I like to make most of my elements independently, so then it comes down to just gluing them all in place together. I use Distress Collage Medium for my adhesive… and A LOT of clamping.

The Edges + Hanger…

Once my scene was fully glued and dry, it was time to fix up the edges.

I started to wrap the edges with black Halloween label tape (the back is very sticky but I still stuck it down with collage medium for good measure).

Then I added touches of rose gold wax to the white lettering to grunge it up before sealing with Collage medium, then applied grit paste randomly. 

Once the paste was dry, I colored with caramel ink.

The Moon + Finishing Touches…

I loved the idea of using the drawer pull as a moon, so I first inked it with Caramel alcohol ink, along with two little studs from hardware heads. I added some grit paste, highlighted with rose gold wax, then more caramel ink. I glued the studs on first, then glued it in place on the frame (I like the spider web under it 🕸)

Next, I stained some cheesecloth with black soot and added little bits here and there around my scene. I also added more grit paste around the edges and corners of my frame, followed by caramel alcohol ink.

And that’s my grungy, quirky church graveyard scene 🪦⛪️ Whew!

Thanks so much for looking! ❤️ And Happy Halloween 🎃 

x Erin

The Products…

Dies… Spider Web, Bat Crazy, Ghosttown, Ghosttown 2, Stitched Ovals, Mechanical Bigz

3D Embossing folder… Lumber

Surfaces… framed panel, Distress white heavystock

Mediums… collage medium, Distress grit paste, Rose Gold Luster Wax, Distress midnight mica flakes, Glossy Accents

Distress paint… Black Soot, Ground Espresso

Distress stain… Antiqued Bronze, Black Soot

Alcohol ink… Caramel

Ideaology… hardware heads, mini hardware pulls, Halloween baseboards, optical lens, type chips, vignette hardware, Tiny Clips, Hitch Fasteners, Curiosities sticker book, Halloween Label Tape, Odds and Ends Embellishments, Halloween Ephemera, Halloween flair

Other supplies… Big Shot, glass mat, Distress sprayer, heat tool, Cheesecloth

Hey there! I’m SO happy to be back after the craziness involved with moving into a new home, especially with little ones in tow! 🤪 But I’m lucky to have a new studio space and TONS of pent up creative energy, so stay tuned! Anyway, it’s been a bit cooler here the last few weeks (+ football is back!), so it felt right to create a little fall scene featuring the fabulous Tim Holtz Funky Foliage dies.

The Tray…

Started off by applying texture paste through the Tim Holtz Script Layering Stencil (THS149) onto my medium vignette tray. I used a palette knife and actually ended up cutting the edges off my stencil to get in all the nooks and crannies a bit better (you gotta do what you gotta do 🤷🏻‍♀️). After the stenciling was dry, I also added a bit of texture crackle paste here and there. Once the paste was dry, I coated the whole tray with a layer of Picket Fence distress paint. Then used Walnut Stain distress stain to highlight the stenciling.

Next, I added a few bits of numbered ephemera and moss. Then used caramel to ink up a few hardware heads and a mini drawer pull before adhering to the tray corners and top edge with collage medium.

The Foliage + Fungi…

I LOVE the whole Funky line of dies and used the Funky Foliage set for this project, cutting several of each piece out of heavy stock paper, then gluing 2 layers together for extra thickness. I painted them with a bunch of different distress paints, including the edges (this part is a bit time-consuming, but I find it so relaxing!). 

Once the paint was dry, I applied a coat of rock candy clear crackle to all my pieces, then rubbed Walnut Stain distress crayon into the cracks.

The Centerpiece + Sentiment…

For my center shape, I used the Tim Holtz Trinket Frames Bigz die, cut 3 pieces out of chip board, and glued together. I painted with seedless preserves distress paint and then added a thick layer of clear crackle over the top. (Some of it chipped off in a few spots but I actually really love that!) I rubbed walnut stain crayon into the cracks, added a couple hardware heads, and then sealed the whole piece with collage medium.

For my words, Autumn Splendor, I used the Tiny Type Upper set to cut 2 of each of my letters out of heavystock paper, then glued them together. I glued them onto my shape and sealed again with a coat of collage medium. (I didn’t paint them, I like the ‘heavystock’ color 😜 but in the final stages, I did add some caramel alcohol ink to the bottom edges for a bit of extra oomph)

I added a few scrap pieces of scalloped trim under my centerpiece to give it some extra lift so I could tuck in my moss and leaves around the edges.

The Finishing Touches…

Now I just needed to glue all of my leaves and pieces in around my centerpiece! I made sure to add in plenty of moss too to help hold everything in and add dimension.

Once everything was glued down, I went back through and added extra caramel ink to my hardware and letters for grunginess/rustiness and tucked in some bits of excelsior.

And that’s it, my funky little fall tray is complete! Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting!

x Erin

The Products…

Stencils… Script (THS149)

Dies… Funky Foliage, Trinket Frames, Tiny Type Upper

Surfaces… heavystock paper

Mediums… distress texture paste, texture crackle paste, collage medium, rock candy clear crackle

Distress stain… Walnut stain

Alcohol ink… caramel

Distress Paint… picket fence, walnut stain, vintage photo, aged Mahogany, fired brick, rusty hinge, spiced marmalade, wild honey, fossilized amber, forest moss, peeled paint, seedless preserves

Ideaology…  vignette tray, ruler pieces, mini hardware handle, hardware heads

Etcetera… pinked trim

Other Supplies… numbered ephemera, moss, excelsior, Big Shot, palette knife, glass mat

Hello there! I was flipping through my dies recently, looking for something completely unrelated, when I spotted this cute fella (long owned but never opened! 🤦🏻‍♀️) and was struck with inspiration. So, Christmas in July it is!

Let me to show you how I created this festive little scene ✨

The Background… 

I grabbed a medium Ideaology vignette tray and covered it in cheesecloth, adhered with Collage Medium (such a simple and fun way to get a nice textured background). Once dry, I painted thoroughly with Ground Espresso distress paint.

Then added a layer of Sizzix Luster Wax in Rose Gold to the raised texture with my finger.

The Moose, Trees, and Stars…

I started by making some of my own papers from mixed media heavystock: two brown variations, a green, a creamy off-white and a pale yellowish piece. See the Distress Paint combos I applied to each piece below…

Once my first layers of distress paint were dry, I added a layer of Versamark with the Tapestry stamps, followed by Distress Glazes and clear embossing powder, then set with the heat tool.

Now to cut my elements! I decided I wanted my moose and trees from the Merry Moose set a little thicker, so I cut an extra set from plain heavystock and glued behind my ‘fancy’ brown-toned papers. I used the Treeline die with my green piece, the Swirling Stars die and moose collar were cut from yellow piece, and the words + antlers from the cream-colored piece.

The Snow…

I have always had the idea in my head that the Crochet strips would be cute as snow and this was the perfect excuse to try it out. I cut (many! 😅) pieces from heavystock and applied a coat of clear embossing serum, then sprinkled white embossing powder and heat set. I wanted to grunge them up slightly so they weren’t so starkly white, so added some vintage photo oxide over the top, let dry a bit, then wiped back considerably.

The Sentiment…

I cut my sentiment from the Merry & Bright set. I wanted it thicker, so I cut two layers of plain heavystock + 1 layer from my handmade creamy paper and glued together. I wanted to customize it to say Be Merry instead so I cut the B from Bright and some extra ‘e’s from Merry and glued them together.

I added a paper ‘reinforcer’ to the back over where I glued my letters together for some extra strength and used a good amount of Collage medium in the front to help camouflage the seam 👌🏻

The Gluing Process…

Thought I’d share some snaps during my gluing phase!

The Word Band…

I love these word bands but I’ve never had great luck getting the recessed phrase to contrast nicely for crisp readability. SO, my work-around is to use a remnant rub over the top instead. Love the final look!

I first add collage medium to the band, getting in the grooves of the phrase to help hide it. 

Then added caramel alcohol ink over the whole piece and let dry completely. 

I cut the white remnant rub phrase of choice, peeled the back off and rubbed thoroughly on the metal band. Then peeled the front clear layer off very carefully. To finish it off, I added a coat of vintage collage medium over the top to seal it in place and create more of a grungy look. 

I Attached some jute cord to each side and secured in place just above the bottom edge.

The Finishing Touches…

To finish it off, I added caramel ink to four mini hardware heads and placed in each of the corners and inked a handle from the Mini Hardware Pulls set and two larger hardware heads before adhering on the top of my tray. As an afterthought, once they were dry, I rubbed on a bit more of the Rose Gold wax with my finger to help tie them to the tray a bit better.

And that’s my take on this cute Merry Moose, I hope you like it. Thanks for stopping by to check out my walk through!

Sending you happy crafty vibes ✨

x Erin

The Products…

Surfaces… vignette tray structures, mixed media heavystock paper

Dies… Merry Moose, Crochet, Treeline, Swirling Stars, Merry & Bright

Ideaology… Mini Hardware Heads, Mini Hardware Pulls, Christmas word band, Christmas remnant rub, mini bells

Alcohol ink… Caramel

Mediums… Distress collage medium (matte), Distress Collage Medium (vintage) , Rose Gold Luster Wax, Distress embossing dauber, Versamark

Stamps… Tapestry

Distress Paint… antique linen, vintage photo, walnut stain, ground espresso, rustic wilderness

Distress Oxide… Vintage Photo

Distress Glaze… Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint

Embossing Powder… Clear, White

Other… glass mat, big shot, heat tool, jute cord, small sewing pins, cheesecloth

The Frame + Hanger...

For the hanger, I used two screw eyes from the Vignette Hardware Findings pack, inked with Caramel and twisted into the top edge of the frame. Then I removed the 'swivels' from four swivel clasps (just wanted the chains) and used a few jump rings to connect them together before inking with Caramel and attaching to the screw eyes.

The Background...

I loved the idea of having a little transparency in the background of the frame, so I cut the Pattern Repeat thinlit die from Mixed Media Heavystock paper, making sure the pattern would entirely fill the frame (even though a lot of it ends up getting covered later). I added grit paste to the pattern cutout, and once it was dry, coated with Antiqued Bronze distress stain.

I wanted a little more of a border inside the frame, so I put some strips of design tape down on heavystock (I think this particular tape of Tim's is discontinued now), added a wash of Antiqued Bronze stain, and cut out the strips. (Love this part, but it ends up almost entirely covered and unnoticeable in the end... oh well, still so fun!)

You can see the strips a little better in the photo below... and this photo shows the grit paste covering my small frame and ledge before I added paint, more on that ahead. (I usually change my mind quite a bit throughout my projects, so you'll notice things (or colors) in early stage photos don't end up in the final piece!)

In the next photo, you can see how I glued the design tape + pattern cut out to my frame and clamped until dry (when my glass mat/counter is this messy, it usually means I'm really in the ZONE :)

Next, I wanted to create a few unique papers to add to the corners. I stamped a small piece of heavystock with the numbers stamp from the set Faded Type (CMS397) in Walnut Stain Distress ink and added a light wash of Vintage Photo distress paint to help grunge it up. 

The Small Frame + Sentiment...

Using the same steps as the ledge pieces, I gussied up a small Ideaology lace baseboard frame. I cut a piece of clear acetate to fit behind the frame, splotched on some caramel alcohol ink and adhered with matte medium. I also stamped the first part of the phrase, Don’t count the Days, from the Tiny Text set (CMS394), along with the numbers dial stamp from The Professor set (CMS373), onto some clear acetate with Versamark clear emboss ink. Then sprinkled Ranger’s white embossing powder over the top and embossed with my heat tool. (While the acetate is heat-resistant, I still try to be quick or it will eventually start to twist up a bit.)

I knew I wanted to top edge to rest on the larger frame, so I needed a way to prop up the bottom, which gave me the idea to glue two hitch fasteners behind the bottom corners to help give it some lift.

Next, I cut out the acetate piece with my stamped phrase by hand. I positioned the smaller scalloped circle from the labels die set over my embossed dial stamp and cut out my shape. I added a small amount of Caramel ink over the white embossing on both the phrase and dial to give them a grungy wash.

I cut the larger label strip from the Labels (660060) die set and another of the smallest scalloped circle from heavystock paper. I added grit paste to both, let dry, and then colored with Antiqued Bronze stain before placing under my stamped pieces.

I added caramel alcohol ink to 6 hardware heads, placing two under my Don't Count the Days label to lift it off the frame a bit, then two more on the top corners of the label and two in the bottom corners of the frame.

Next, I added Caramel ink to an index clip fastener, the little clock from the mini flare set, a mini gear, and another hardware head, and nested together in the lower center with my stamped dial. I added the "Lesson 175" clipping from the Clippings Sticker Book above my phrase.

For my "Make the Days Count" letters in the center of my frame, I used Tim’s Alphanumeric Labels font set. I like them a little thicker, so I cut 3 of each letter and glued together (sometimes they aren't perfectly aligned, but that's ok with me! And I find adding an extra topcoat of Collage Medium helps hide most of the imperfections.) Once I was happy with the thickness, I coated them all with a light wash of Antiqued Bronze stain and let dry before gluing to the clear acetate.

The Bottles...

For the vertical ‘metal’ bottle, I first embossed a small piece of Mixed Media Heavystock paper with the Foundry 3D texture fade (be sure to dampen the paper a bit before embossing for the best imprint!). Then used this piece to cut one of the medium-sized bottles from the Bottled Up Bigz die. I went ahead and painted it but decided I wanted to create a little more depth so I embossed another small piece of heavystock and cut out a few of the sections that lined up with my bottle and glued them over the top. I then added some of the small hardware head brads (clipping the brad part off) and rubbed grit paste over the whole bottle. Next I coated with Antiqued Bronze stain, then used Caramel ink to go over my hardware and ‘rivets’ for extra depth.

For the bottle laying down, which I’ve already cut from my background paper, I just needed to add a few more details to finish off. I cut a couple strips off the bottom of my vertical bottle because I knew it would be hidden, and added them to my darker bottle, along with a couple more hardware head brads (snipping off the brad part) to help make them look more coordinated.

The Greenery...

So many green things! I glued the Typeset collage paper down on 3 half-pieces of heavy stock, and painted each with a different green base, forest moss, peeled paint and mowed lawn. Then used my emboss dabber to make some random swipes and sprinkled on my green glazes, in peeled paint and rustic wilderness, before using my heat tool to set. Then I went to town cutting my greenery from the Funky Florals 1 dies.

I wanted it to look like my greenery was coming out of my bottles, or behind them, so I glued most of the greenery first, before securing my bottles over the top.

The Flowers...

For the flowers, I glued strips of design tape on to a piece of heavystock, then I used Versamark to stamp a design from Tim's Tapestry set over the whole piece. I wanted a little variation, so on one half, I covered it with Ranger's white embossing powder and on the other half, Antique Linen embossing powder, then set all with a heat tool. I used the Funky Florals 1 die set to cut as many flowers as I could fit on the paper, then shaped, assembled and glued.

I also found a numbered piece from the Collector ephemera layers pack that inspired me to cut a few accent flowers and also add some numbered strips along the edges of my frame.

The Finishing Touches...

I added the number 2 from the Ideaology Odds and Ends Embellishments set, a few random number strips, calendar ephemera pieces, and bits of moss here and there (a great way to cover up any imperfections and just tie everything together). I also like to go back and add some extra alcohol ink around most of my hardware heads or metal bits.

And there you have it! Please feel free to leave a comment or email me if there's something you're curious about that I didn't cover, always happy to talk craftiness!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

x Erin

The Products...

Hello friends! Today I’m sharing a tag with some grungy bees from the Funky Insects die set, one of my faves from Tim’s latest Chapter 2 release. Let’s get into some details about how this one came together, shall we?

The Background...

I cut a bunch of the Sizzix Tim Holtz Honeycomb Framework dies (retired) from chipboard and placed them randomly on top of a large Etcetera tag, adhering them with matte collage medium. I stacked some and added a few hexagon centers back in to create different levels and depth.

Next, I used my finger to add grit paste liberally over everything. Grit paste is UP there for me on my list of must have products… it helps cover any imperfections from unaligned dies and just makes it feel a little more organic, grungy, and hive-like. Don’t forget the edges!

Once the grit paste is dry, the real fun BEEgins (jk, it’s all fun). I used a brush to coat thoroughly with mustard seed distress paint, getting in all the little nooks and crannies and edges. Let it dry. The next layer of paint was Fossilized Amber, brushing on a little less thoroughly so some of the mustard seed was still visible. Then I used my finger to add some highlights of Antiqued bronze stain. Finally, using an ink dabber, I went over just the very top-most textured areas with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I’ll also use these same steps for the small frame, more on that ahead.

The Bees…

I cut a ton of the Funky Insects bees from Mixed Media Heavystock paper. I love how it’s designed with separate pieces, and decided to take that even further by cutting the wings off a few body pieces, and cutting the legs off a few body pieces. I glued 2 layers of heavystock together for each section for extra dimension. I cut the wings with holes from heat-resistant clear acetate. I also cut my own little stingers ✨

Once I had all of my sections cut and ready to color, enough for 5 bees, I added grit paste to the body+wing pieces and the striped body pieces. When the grit paste was dry, I painted the striped body pieces with Fossilized Amber then added Antiqued Bronze stain to the raised texture with my finger. All of the other pieces, except the wings with holes, I painted with Ground Espresso then used my finger to lightly add Antiqued Bronze stain to the top-most texture.

Finally, I shaped and contoured all of the individual pieces first before assembling and securing together with matte collage medium. Just. Obsessed.

The Small Frame + Phrase…

I used the largest frame from the Vignette Frames pack and flipped it over to work with the back/flat side this time. Then repeated all the same steps used to create my background tag.

Once my colors were dry, I added Caramel ink to four of the smaller machinery heads and added them to each corner of the frame with collage medium. Then added some grit paste around them, letting it dry fully before using my finger to apply Antiqued Bronze stain to the raised texture.

I added grit paste, painted with fossilized Amber then highlighted the grit textured with Antiqued Bronze stain. I cut another set of the letters to use as shadows, painting with Ground Espresso, and gluing them slightly offset behind the thicker letters. Then I glued my finished letters to the clear acetate piece (decided to stagger the bottom edges slightly instead of making them perfectly straight).

The Finishing Touches...

Before gluing on the completed frame or bees, I colored some pieces of cheese cloth with Walnut Stain and placed randomly under where my frame would be and looped through the top tag hole. Then I glued the small frame and bees in place over the cheese cloth and… voila! Grungy bees buzzing around their hive 🐝

Thanks for looking and happy crafting!

x Erin

The Products…

Sizzix/Tim Holtz Dies: Honeycomb Framework (659430) (discontinued), Funky Insects (665364), Alphanumeric Stretch Lower (665207)

Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Paint: Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Ground Espresso, Clear Rock Candy Crackle

Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Stain: Antiqued Bronze, Walnut Stain

Ranger/Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Ranger Alcohol ink: Caramel

Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz: Large Etcetera tag

Ideaology: machinery heads

Surfaces: chipboard, mixed media heavystock paper, heat-resistant clear acetate

Other mediums: Distress Collage Medium matte, Translucent Grit Paste, Glossy Accents

Other supplies: Big Shot, glass mat, cheese cloth