/* */ Beulah Bee: 2016

December 31, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - December


I didn't mean to wait so long to complete my final tag of this series and link it to Tim's December post but it's been a busy month.

Each day I would pass by the bulletin board in my bedroom/studio and see the blank spot meant for this month's tag. I considered skipping it but that just wouldn't sit right with me--my track record for completing the monthly tags will not be broken!

So on the last day of the month, last day of the year and at the very last minute, here's number 12.


Happy New Year!

December 21, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - November

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Tim's November tag was a lesson in using Remnant Rubs as a resist and dimensional coloring. As with my original tag and again for this one, my rubs didn't resist in the same way Tim's did. I'm not sure why but think it may have something to do with how absorbent the background paper is.

My background is a little out-of-the-box in that I used a piece of delaminated cardboard (made by soaking it with water then peeling apart the layers). I like how it took the various stains I applied and puddled around the cardboard lines.


I used the white version of Tim's Christmastime Remnant Rubs, filled-in the background with random dots made with a Gelly Roll pen and added some vintage lace and a few seed pearls. The tag borders were hand-stitched with thick white thread after punching the holes on my machine.

I stamped my poinsettia (Penny Black, Christmas Star) on watercolor paper using red archival ink then tinted it and filled in the lines with some glitter paint. To make the flower coordinate more with the rubs I outlined the petal edges in white. The center is a Gumdrop tinted with Butterscotch and Wild Plum alcohol inks.

I have one more tag to go but don't expect to complete it before Christmas Day so with this post, I'm sending you my very best wishes for a safe and peaceful holiday that's full of good cheer!

December 16, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - October

A patchwork collage and Sizzix monster, the remix for Tim's October tag, was too big a reach for duplicating in a Christmas theme, so I went for good old-fashioned vintage.

I pasted a book page on my tag (the right hand side is the original patina), added strips and text from Tim's Tidings paper stash, cut a piece of Festive ephemera into an oval, added a tree cut from some Kaisercraft Frosted paper, and cut and tinted a stamped reindeer (Inkadinkado Christmas Silhouettes).

The oval was enshrined with lots of tiny dots of red glitter.

December 13, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - September


Paint patina and an alcohol ink resist technique was the recipe for Tim's September tag. My intentions were honorable for attempting a Christmas version but when I tried the ink resist technique using glossy paper instead of Yupo it just didn't work.

So my background of various alcohol ink drippings was stenciled over with white paint then a stamped image (Deep Red, December Tree) was pasted in the center and tinted with ink.

I cut numbers from Tim's Christmas Words stamp, outlined them in black and applied tint and glitter. A remnant rub (Christmastime) was used to balance the top along with a Mirrored Star (tinted with alcohol ink).  More bling came from dots of purple Stickles around the borders.


The multicolored background reminds me of those big old-fashioned Christmas light bulbs and how any and all colors can work for this holiday!

December 09, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - August


Gosh, I'm having a hard time sticking to Tim's monthly techniques--it seems unfair to even call this one "August." You may recall that I'm making Christmas versions of his monthly tags and I'm resolved to the fact that I just don't have the stash to pull it off.

Still, it's the inspiration that gets me started and narrows down my choice of materials and I'm always happy for the nudge in a direction I might not have considered before.

This one started with a brayered stain background that didn't work with the stamps I wanted to use so I turned it solid using Seedless Preserves (such a strong color--it will cover up almost anything).

The stamping (Inkadinkado Evergreen Holiday) was done on watercolor paper using Sepia archival ink then tinted with watercolors and Gelly Roll pens.


I cut out the negative spaces so the background would show through then embellished with machine and hand stitching, some Liquid Pearls, Rock Candy Stickles and Lace Trimmings. I felt the lettering needed more contrast so I outlined them with a fine-line marker.

December 06, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - July


Last year, I was able to stick with the same techniques Tim used for my Christmas versions of his monthly tags. This year, not so much. For many of them, he favored using word die-cuts quite a bit and it's difficult to find an appropriate substitute.

So here's what I did instead for this year's July tag (a remix of watercolor resist and layered words).


A book page, Tissue Tape and an oval cut from tissue paper (which was sealed with acrylic medium) were pasted on a tag. The edges were brushed with white paint then I stained the surface with Distress inks and the previous elements resisted the tint.

My angel is a stamp from Inkadinkado (Christmas Silhouettes) which I cut out and embellished with a white Gelly Roll pen, Liquid Pearls and Stickles. A Christmastime Remnant Rub provided the sentiment.

My little angel still seemed a bit plain (especially for Christmas) so I covered her with lots of Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles. You just can't beat this old favorite for adding the perfect amount of vintage sparkle!

December 02, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - June


Here's my Christmas version of Tim's June tag which, technique-wise was a total miss. I should have read the directions more carefully, ha!

He featured a tissue wrap collage and making a plaid pattern with a stencil. I just copied the overall appearance by simulating a die-cut over a contrasting background.

The pine tree was hand-cut and tinted with Distress stains, I used Simon's Falling Snow stencil with paste medium and there's a bit of glitter glue, stitching and paper-cut text from Kaisercraft (Frosted). The background paper is a dark maroon miniature damask.


If you are wondering about my Distress stain colors, I used a very dilute version of Concord Grape and my Peeled Paint, which has gone-off somehow, has a queer smell and has turned a very bright, almost fluorescent green. I toned down the brightness behind the tree with a wash of Faded Jeans. Frayed Burlap was used around the edges.

I'm linking this one to the Monday Challenge Blog at Simon Says Stamp because this week's theme is O' Christmas Tree.

November 30, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - May


Tim's remix for May was a Tissue Tape resist and Tattered Florals--here's how I spun a Christmas version.

Since the florals die-cut is on my wish list (are you listening, Santa?), I modified this element by using a scrapbook paper cut-out of poinsettias instead.

There's plenty of tissue tape, though, and also Plain Tissue Wrap stamped with red archival ink using the Dots and Florals stamp.


I used the Dot Fade stencil which, out of the package, has a modern, high-tech appearance but by applying texture paste randomly and then using gold paint for highlights, I was able to create a vintage look that coincides with the Christmastime remnant rub.

November 27, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - April


This was inspired by Tim's April tag and his faux mosaic/paint resist technique but rather than follow along exactly, I went with my impressions instead.

The background is a page from the Dapper paper stash die cut with a Mixed Media thinlet to cover an entire tag. Purple cardstock was pasted behind it then crackle medium was spread over the cut-out areas and it was sanded and stained with Distress ink to give it an aged, old-world appearance.

The angel (Somerset Studio) and framed text (Kaisercraft's Frosted paper collection) serve as the centerpiece.

The tag border was embellished with Platinum Stickles (distressed with walnut ink) and tiny dots of Liquid Pearls.

November 24, 2016

Platinum Blondes


Kismet: When you're browsing through web feeds and come across a photo that inspires you to create and it just so happens the theme at Simon's Monday blog challenge is using three of anything!

I haven't watercolored in awhile and thought I'd give an ink and tempera resist technique another try, this time using a tag, hoping the smaller format might be more manageable. It was.

November 22, 2016

12 Tags of Christmas - March


Here's tag number three of my Christmas versions of Tim's 12 for 2016. Each month he featured a technique remix and for March it was textures and dimensional die-cuts using cardboard.

I played around with my Mixed Media thinlet to see if I could cut a surface area larger than the original die to cover a section for the inside of a tree.


See the thicker line running up the left of center? That's my attempt to line up the die edge next to a previous cut. It was fun and challenging to use the die in this way and makes it more versatile.

The word bits are from this year's Idea-ology Christmas mini paper stash called Tidings and the packages were made from Christmastime ephemera.

Ranger's Stickles decorate the borders, Liquid Pearls created the texture you see along the cardboard ripples, I applied Glossy Accents to the package ribbons and a Mirrored Star tinted red with alcohol ink was the obvious choice for the tree top.

November 18, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - February


Monoprinting (a great way to get more mileage out of stencils) and embossed texture paste were the techniques presented in Tim's February tag--here's my Christmas version.

I stayed true to the monoprinting but....

The stencil image (a doily) just didn't develop like I wanted it to so I placed the stencil back over the printing and used paint through the stencil's negative shapes in the traditional fashion.

Without the special texture paste that Tim used, I had to improvise. But I came up with an alternative that yielded a new stencil in the process.

I stamped text on Yupo and cut out the letters to make a stencil then used brown-tinted paste medium covered with glitter.

I've said it before--Yupo makes great stencils (cuts like butter, is durable and easy to clean) and now I have a stencil I can use for future projects.


I love the Santa image from Tim's 2016 Christmastime Ephemera Pack (wish there was more than one) and framed it with tiny dots of Ranger's Liquid Pearls.

Stencil credit: The Crafter's Workshop (Mini Tatting), Stamp credits: Stamper's Anonymous (Christmas Words) and Inkadinkado (Christmas Silhouettes)

November 16, 2016

Abraham


A mixed-media menagerie is what Tim had in mind for this month's tag using a rub resist technique with dimensional coloring and this is what his post inspired me to create.

I lightly tinted a vintage tag (used for tracking sewing alterations) with shades of fall colors and applied Gilded Alpha remnant rubs and a bit of stenciling.

The photo is an image transfer that I framed with tiny dots of black Scribbles (a 3D fabric paint).


I cut and pasted Abraham's initials from a text stamp and the owl stamp was hand-carved by yours truly. The Adornment Arrow was tinted with Butterscotch alcohol ink to match the gold of the remnant rubs and I used some Small Talk stickers that were a perfect match for the photo.

November 15, 2016

12 Tags for Christmas - January

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Once again, I've made Christmas tags inspired by the Tim Holtz monthly tags which I use for decorating gifts.

This year's theme of remixing techniques helped me discover more ways to use my stash--holiday style!

The January tag featured a chalkboard/industrious metal combo with a word band.


This was the first time I've ever embossed metal foil (I didn't have die-cut equipment back in January) and it's an interesting effect. I always prefer a matt finish but since sparkles and shine are must haves at Christmas, this technique was really appropriate.

Without frosted embossing powder for the chalkboard technique, I tried to make do by embossing red vellum (bottom flower layer) with white ink and clear powder but the lines were too faint. Then I tried stamping white ink on red cardstock (top layer) which also faded some so I went over the lines with a Gelly Roll pen. What is it about white inks that make them so fussy?!

I combined the layers for a lush flower look and now I wish I had used green vellum for the bottom layer since Poinsettias have that look naturally. Maybe next time.

The rest, I think, is self-explanatory and here's a list of the products I used: Penny Black (Christmas Star), Stampers Anonymous (Christmas Words), Idea-ology paper (Merriment), cardstock, vellum, heat duct tape (metal foil), Sizzix Thinlet die (Mixed Media #2), Distress inks, acrylic paint, Scribbles, Stickles, Glossy Accents, a white Gelly Roll pen, and one tiny pink gumdrop.

October 29, 2016

Field Notes


Autumn means a second spring here in Phoenix. After the long, dry summer (when plants are in survival-only mode), cooler temps give them an opportunity for another growth spurt before winter sets in.

Trees don't turn colors or lose their leaves but seed pods, so common among many desert-adapted trees, have dried out and begin to fall.

So, when this week's theme at Simon's Monday Challenge Blog was Autumn, I thought to pick up an empty pod on an evening stroll and made a paint box out of it. Crazy? Yes, but you have to admit it's original!

October 10, 2016

Science Guy


Made to link-up with Tim's 12 Tags for 2016, this is the 41st tag I've made for the year not counting all the boo-boo's that ended up in the trash (Halloween pun intended).

It's a little plain Jane, especially for Halloween, but I lean towards "less is more" (perhaps just an excuse for not knowing what to do next). However this time, I did summon the courage to add some tiny black splatters and for me that's a step in the right direction.


Tim's technique started with a collage background of paper bits then a covering of crackle medium. I discovered first-hand that a thin application yields tiny cracks (background) and laying it down thick on the frame/tag borders (I used a fine-tip squeeze bottle) changed the look completely.

(Click on photos for a larger view.)


Obviously, my "Science Guy" isn't one of Tim's metallic monster masks but you have to admit this photo is just as bizarre. We can only assume this gent may have been a little impoverished (note the clever way he's buttoned his jacket) and I have no idea what he's cooking but it looks a bit suspect to me.


I used the skull from Tim's Mini Halloween Set #5 and also one of his Vellum Ephemera pieces painted off-white on the back and then distressed by sanding, wrinkling and inking.

To fill in the empty spaces, I mixed some texture medium with paint to match the shade of the medicine label and applied it through Tim's Dot Fade stencil before splattering the tag with watered-down black paint.

October 05, 2016

Triplets


Identical triplets are extremely rare and so, I suppose, are purple tree trunks. But who cares--anything goes on Halloween, right?

I stamped and embossed the trees (Inkadinkado) to create a resist for the Distress ink sky then ironed off the embossing (see my tutorial here). The moon was made with a mask. The text was stamped (Tim's Mini Halloween #5).

I wanted the house (also Mini Halloween) flipped from right to left so I stamped it on Plain Tissue Wrap, turned it over, painted the backside off-white, cut it out and pasted the painted side down. You lose some of the crisp image with this method but I think the softer, lighter look works here.

I needed something in the foreground so more tissue wrap was used, this time stamped with a crackle image in brown archival ink and tinted with distress.

I cropped Tim's Gothic Gate thinlet die to fit my tag (and support the composition) then darkened the gray paper with black Distress.


The triplets were laser-printed in a very small size, cut-out and pasted down. Do they remind you of that hallway scene in the movie The Shining? I guess that's the look I was going for. Anyhow, some shadows were added and I decided to mount the tag on black paper and add some dots of Stickles around the edge.

I'm linking this to Simon's Monday Challenge blog where this week's theme is Halloween.

September 29, 2016

Wicked Dare.


The older I get, the less enthusiastic I am about celebrating Halloween but I've made an exception this year because of the purchase of a seasonal stamp set I just couldn't resist.

He had me at the house (used here).

I'm referring to the Tim Holtz Mini Halloween Set #5 used on this tag to create the background, skull, bottle label, and typewritten text.


I have to admit making spooky tags is pretty fun--it's a chance to use unusual color combos and the more distressed the better, right?

I like the effect I achieved on the bottles which might be due to the clean, crisp, blue-ish white colors contrasting with the muddy oranges and browns.

Click to Enlarge

If you're curious regarding technique, here's what I did:

A piece of scrapbook paper with various shades of orange, reds and yellows was cut and pasted to a manila tag then covered with stamped Plain Tissue Wrap.

An anchor for the bottles was made with a torn piece of Postale Tissue Wrap.

The bottles were stamped on old book paper, then embossed, cut-out, tinted and pasted to the tag.

There's only one way to use the skull stamp (IMHO)--black ink on white paper. It was also embossed and cut-out.

I used a Vial Label that was stamped with text from the set and cut out parts of the apothecary label stamp (also on Tissue Wrap) and pasted them to the large bottle.

The 45-cent piece Vellum Thift Shop Ephemera was distressed with some sanding and scoring and attached with tiny staples.


You may have noticed the crackle edges. This was done with Distress Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint and I rubbed in some white creamy eye shadow (yes, it's true) to bring out the crackling.

I accidentally overheated the black embossing on the smaller bottles and they turned a lighter shade of gray so I used it to my advantage and tinted them further with a bit of blue.

To create an illusion of depth, I glazed the top portion of the tag with blue, brought out warmth at the bottom with some Wild Honey Distress and brushed in some inky shadows.

I am linking to Simon's Monday Challenge Blog where this week's theme is Powder Power.

Other Stamp Credits: Big Bottle-Inkadinkado, Small Bottles-PaperArtsy

September 26, 2016

Toxique

Everything about this creation is unconventional and you may not care for it. However, my experimentation here illustrates some unusual techniques that may be of interest so I've decided to share it.


I began by using watercolor on watercolor paper. I stamped on some Plain Tissue Wrap (the hand and face with circle/lines). I cut out some gear images from some Tissue Tape. I used a home-made circle stamp and filled one of them in with some dot-stamped tissue wrap.

I wondered what it would look like to draw white lines with a Gelly Roll pen throughout the background. Then I sharpened the circle edges and added some dots with my black and white pens.

But it wasn't big enough to be a tag so I mounted it on some grey cardstock with stitching.

Now what to do with the empty space on top? I stamped and then embossed some black dots and added the white ones with a gelly roll.

I brought out the whites of the lady's eyes with a Picket Fence Distress Marker.

I think it's interesting that you can't really tell what's tissue wrap or tape when you compare the look with the stamped circles (where the watercolor paper is completely exposed).

For collage work, the tissue wrap is really useful and I have a tip: There is a subtle difference between the front and back surfaces--one side is slightly smoother and stamping on that side seems to give me the best results.

I really don't know what to make of my subject matter except to say that maybe it reminds me to wash my hands to avoid germs? I think I'll link it to Simon's Monday challenge blog (this week's theme is embossing "powder power") just to remind them too :)

September 24, 2016

Not Alcibiades


Dotty is making an appearance once again--this time, she's a bit smaller and the setting a bit more somber. The dark (perhaps dastardly) mansion is courtesy of Tim's new Mini Halloween #5 set made larger by multiple stampings on tissue paper.


The autumnal leaves were cut from a G45 paper collection called Botanicabella and the distinguished gentleman (José de San Martin) graces an Argentinian postage stamp circa 1935.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this tag is the background made with torn squares of tiny book text pasted in random fashion. It was a tad time-consuming to prepare but I love the look and plan to set some time aside to make more of it to use in the future.

September 19, 2016

Common Denominator


Images that caught my eye were printed and pasted, then Tissue Wrap, stamping, stenciling and bits of Dapper paper stash combined with Distress ink/paint and many dots from a Gelly Roll pen became this journal page assembled over the weekend.

For me, the fun of "journaling" is I don't have a plan, I just take what interests me and begin. I never know where it will lead me and along the way I always learn more about what works and what doesn't.

Here are some close-ups (click for the larger, lightbox view):



The papers designed by Tim Holtz are ideal for collages but can be a little too thick for some applications. But no worries, as I have found they are easy to modify into a thinner version perfect for pasting.


I just use my fingernail to separate the front from the back then use a tiny amount of water to soften the paper so I can gently rub more paper bits off the back. In the image above, the paper on the left is the original, thicker version, the right one is how it looks after my delamination process.

I really, really enjoy the challenge of trying to create a sense of depth in my work and with this page, using warm reds at the bottom, cool blues and blacks at the top and the lightest values in the center along with modifying the size of the people helped to accomplish my goal.

And, if anyone is curious, the guys in the white uniforms--they were Coca-Cola salesmen from the 1930's. Perhaps the common denominator here is the love of a good cola?

Stamp credits: Tim Holtz Dots & Florals, Inkadinkado Newsprint
Stencil credit: Crafters Workshop Art Is

September 14, 2016

Moonrise Kingdom


Many times as an adult, I've wished for the exuberance and abandon of a child--it was so easy to be this way when I was young! This must be why I'm drawn so much to crafting where I can let go of my inhibitions and just play.

I've made this tag to link up with Simon's Monday challenge blog where this week's theme is "At the Movies" and I chose to commemorate a recent favorite called Moonrise Kingdom which celebrates the spirit of childhood and is touching, bittersweet and very, very funny.


It was released in 2012 and Netflix has made it available for streaming.

As far as my tag goes--that's a treehouse from the movie which was built on top of a utility pole and I did my best to turn some Found Relatives into boy scouts. It was fun to remember this movie and I plan on watching it again.

September 07, 2016

Ripper Street


My husband said this Found Relative photo reminds him of the Victorian era detective drama called Ripper Street that he enjoys watching hence the name of my post/tag. One of the main characters wears a Bolo hat so I suspect that's his reason for this connection.

It's my entry for Tim's September tag challenge where he introduced an archival/alcohol ink resist on Yupo. The background text in the close-up above was made using this technique with his Ledger Script stamp.

I've always wanted an easy way to make light text on a dark background and this is a great way to do it--thanks, Tim!


I began by cropping and distressing a Sophisticate cabinet card that I delaminated and pasted to a manila tag. The Found Relative (also delaminated) was cut-out and pasted to the Yupo and then cropped into an oval for mounting on the cabinet card tag.

I used copper and black Scribbles around the oval to create a pseudo-frame along with some Idea-ology ephemera (Thrift Shop) and paper strips (cigar box labels) cut from the Dapper paper stash.


The star was made by altering an Idea-ology Fastener by picking out the original image, painting in the center, applying a Remnant Rub and tinting/distressing the metal edges.


If you're on the fence about adding Yupo to your stash let me say I highly recommend it. It's great for mixed media and I've used it extensively for creating my own stencils because it's thin, easy to cut and very, very durable (see my post here).

In my opinion, the only shortcoming is that since it's actually a plastic you have to use caution with heat guns.