Monday 28 April 2014

Four Seasons but remember the now!

Saturday saw the start of Linda Ledbetter's  Tim Holtz Compendium of Curiosities 3 challenge, based on Tim's latest book and sponsored on alternate weeks by Inspiration Emporium and The Funkie Junkie Boutique, Tim and Mario themselves have  added to the prizes too. To find out more, just click on the link! 

Now if that's not enough, Linda has put together the most amazing design team, her Curiosity Crew; I was totally delighted to find so many of my blogging buddies among them, and boy, what inspiration they have provided!! The first challenge is all about Paint Marbling. Details of this technique can be found on page 43 of the book.

I love this technique and funnily enough had guessed and hoped this might be the first one, and when I saw it I immediately thought I would do something related to the seasons to have a chance to play with the technique several times in different colour ways. So I started with 4 size 8 tags, moving from cool colours for winter and spring, through to warmer ones for summer and autumn.
Below you can see the 4 tags after marbling, inking, doing some Sprits and Flick and in the case of 1 and 2 I added some stenciling too straight away.
For tag 1 I used: Picket Fence, Antique Linen and Tumbled Glass, and then inked with Frayed Burlap, and Walnut Stain. For tag 2 I used: Antique Linen, Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint and inked with Crushed Olive and Frayed Burlap. Tag 3: paints: Antique Linen, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey and Crushed Olive. Funnily enough the green of the Crushed Olive totally disappeared when I dried it, so I brought some of it back in when inking and also added more Wild Honey. Finally tag 4: Paints: Wild Honey, Ripe Permission, Fired Brick and Festive Berries. I inked with Aged Mahogany, Chipped Sapphire and a tiny bit of Dusty Concord and Walnut Stain.
After the backgrounds were done I added stamps, more stenciling, some embossing with texture fades etc.
Here is a close up of tag 1, kept it in a wintery mood.After adhering the stamped and die cut trees I added a bit more colour and texture with shadows. They were stamped in Iced Spruce. The dry embossed snowflakes on the right were from a little folder that came as a freebee with a magazine some years back. I am keeping my fingers crossed Tim will bring out a Snowflake layering stencil with the next release....
This tag sees a mix of stamps from the Tim Holtz Nature Walk set and the Artistic Outpost Birds of a Feather set. The little feathers at the bottom are Spellbinder dies, the greenery is from the TH Spring Greenery strip die and the little flowers I had in my stash. They are rather plasticky , but when I blasted them with my heat tool they curled up which I rather like.
For tag 3 I added some stenciling also, to fit in with the other two tags. I then used my favourite butterflies from the Papillion set, stamped them first straight onto the tag and then again, fussy cut them and coloured them with Distress Markers. I also used a stamp from the Odds and Ends set and some remnant rubs.
Finally for tag 4 the stamping is from the Mercantile set (I am totally in love with that bottle). The feather is from Spellbinders again and the word Autumn was cut out from a piece of Core'dinations card embossed with a texture fade. To echo the first tag I also ran it through a seasonal strip embossing folder.
 All 4 tags were then first mounted on to pieces from Tim's latest 8 by 8" paper collection, I added some more stenciling and inking to these pieces first and then I mounted them all onto a piece of dark brown mount board and further embellished with some die cuts and the words Remember the Now made from the little chip board letters. The final touch was an altered Ornate Plate (using more Distress Paints), and then mounted onto a Weathered Clock die which was also painted and rusted up with various Distress Embossing powders and some Antiquities Verdigris etc.
The text in the opening is from the Mercantile set.

I had so much fun creating this piece and obviously will be adding it to Linda's Challenge. This first challenge is sponsored by the Inspiration Emporium
Well hope you like my piece and have a fantastic week!
Thank you for visiting and make sure to stay inky!!


71 comments:

Rita said...

Good Afternoon Astrid. The tags on their own are Stunning, but the finished piece is magnificent. The colours look so spring like too. Enjoy your Day. Hugs Rita xxx

ike said...

Breathtakingly stunning !! I adore this piece. Your colours and techniques are amazing :-D

Hugz
IKE xx

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Maryann Laursen said...

Everything here is simply stunning Astrid and as always you just made a masterpiece here. I love it.

Inky and Quirky Designs said...

Absolutely beautiful,the combination of colours are stunning. Love the paint effect on the ornate plate too

Donna. X

Margaret Mifsud said...

Oh boy!! I have to keep up with my blog visits on a more regular basis, I miss so much if I don't. Didn't realize there were three of your posts to catch up on Astrid, but it was certainly worth coming here. I always love your creations and this one is, again, amazing!!! Each tag is stunning on its own but put them altogether and they are breathtaking!! Love the colours, love the stamping and the embossing. Just love it all!! ox

Joan said...

Absolutely amazing! Love all the colours,textures and stencilling, the finished piece is beautiful

rachel said...

each tag is stunning individually but this is just amazing altogether Astrid - inspired work - love it xx

Meihsia Liu said...

Wow.. this is such an amazing creation, Astrid. All these four tags are stunning. :)

Redanne said...

I have just spent ages going back and back again to see these beautiful creations over and over! They are all fabulous Astrid. Hugs, Anne xx

Candy C said...

Astrid...you've done it yet again. You've made me sigh with complete joy at your art! :) This is such a lovely piece and perfect interpretation of the marbled background. Each of your panels is so exquisitely done. I don't have a favorite because I love them ALL! I also love how you've mounted them on the background paper and then added them yet again to a black background. That makes the panels pop even more. I also love the sentiment! You are amazing! Thanks for joining us at CC3C. <3 Candy

Dorthe said...

Dear Astrid,
What a most wonderful piece, again,dear friend !
The marble backgrounds are all so beautiful, and the chosen details so beautiful and proper for each season, and so gorgeously stamped and painted !
Hugs from Dorthe

Maryanne said...

I love the tags and then mounting them really makes them spectacular. I love how you finished this whole project!

Unknown said...

Hello Astrid! I love your tags and have been quietly admiring your work for some time! Just gorgeous! Ingrid

Rosie said...

Every tag is so gorgeous and the whole piece is breathtaking, Astrid. Your are a great artist.

Have a wonderful week.

The Sparkly Fairy said...

Wow - these are all stunning!

Jenny Marples said...

Oh my goodness Astrid this is clever. I love the way you've depicted the seasons here and altered your marbled tags with all your trademark embossing, stamping and embellishing. You are so incredibly gifted. Jenny x

Agnieszka Korman said...

All are stunning!

froebelsternchen said...

breathtaking tags each single of them and the whole assemblage is just GORGEOUS Astrid!

Berdien Weideveld said...

Wow what a beautiful tags!! The one with the bird is my favorite.
Thanks for your sweet comments on my blog.

Unknown said...

Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and everything. But just imagine if you added some great graphics or videos to give your posts more, pop! Your content is excellent but with pics and videos, this site could definitely be one of the very best in its field. Excellent blog!....Cccam Server

Cardgenie said...

Astrid, your tags are amazing - you certainly used a lot of colours! I love how you've gone with the seasons. Fabulous. Jean.x

Words and Pictures said...

Four glorious tags, Astrid, and as a seasonal set they work so beautifully together. An absolutely gorgeous take on the first technique - love it!
Alison xx

Crafty Lark said...

Wonderful project Astrid, love the theme and fantastic detail. Flora

Unknown said...

Absolutely amazing tags!

Lys said...

I love this tags set with so bright colours, and especially the "final touch"! Lys.

Alie Hoogenboezem-de Vries said...

Stunning these creations Astrid...very artistic!
Kind regards, Alie :-)

Nikki Acton said...

Absolutely stunning Astrid, all tags are gorgeous but I just love the autumn colours. The marbling, colour combinations and stenciling works so well. I also really like the way you presented all four. Nikki xx

Meggymay said...

All the tags are fantastic, I love how you created a wonderful piece to have them displayed together.
Yvonne

Rossella said...

Yes, Astrid, I love your piece, it's stunning
Rosie x

Unknown said...

Beautiful piece of ART... love the composition and colors for each seasonal tag... so very alive with each one... love the themes and the wholeness of the piece... WONDRFULLY done... Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie

Claudia N. said...

What a beautiful contribution to CC3C's first challenge, Astrid!

The winter tag is my personal favourite - but they look wonderful displayed that way!

Claudia x

Almo said...

Beautiful tags Astrid, every one a stunner. My favourite - has to be spring as that is my favourite season, the dawn chorus makes me so happy. Love how you have brought them all together as one project. Mo x

My name is Cindy said...

Beautiful project Astrid, so clever to do the four seasonal tags. So much detail on each one as well - superb!!

Brenda Brown said...

Stunning my friend, I just love the idea of the four seasons and the colour combinations fit perfectly. The painted ornate plate is a fabulous piece to add. X

massofhair said...

WOW! S T U N N I N G set of Tags Astrid, beautiful attention to detail :-) xxx

Annie said...

Wow!!! Love this magnificent make x totally stunning with the most fabulous depth of colour.
I can see y really enjoyed creating this wonderful project. Huge hugs and TFS
Annie x

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Wow gorgeous tags, love the colours and designs. Cheers, Shirleyx

Scrumplescrunch said...

Hello Astrid,
The marbelling technique has produced some stunning makes by many of Tim's followers, but I have to say your idea of depicting the 4 Seasons is unique and looks fabulous. As always you inspire.
Smiles:)
Sue

Susie Bentz: My Time to Play said...

It is just gorgeous!

Heather Jacob said...

freaking awesome.. loveeeeeeeeeeeeee these xoxoo

Julie S said...

Wow - gorgeous! Great, vibrant colors.

maria's knutselplezier said...

What a great project again , dear Astrid , I really really love it!!!

Greetings
Maria

Anonymous said...

A delightful piece Astrid! Absolutely love all your gorgeous tags, especially the red one. Thanks for sharing your step by step too. Karen.x

Unknown said...

Ack! I can't decide which tag is my favourite, they're all gorgeous! Another fabulous make Astrid! Chris xxx

Valerie-Jael said...

A wonderful piece, so interesting with the various tags and colours. I can't join in the challenge, as I don't have the book, but it looks fun! Have a great day, it's pouring here, so the farmers will be happy! Hugs, Valerie

chrissie said...

A wonderful idea to do the four seasons. All of the tags are very beautiful with great technique backgrounds

Love Chrissie x

Jennie Atkinson said...

Absolutely stunning Astrid and what a fabulous idea for the challenge. All the tags are beautiful and I love how you have showcased them. Fabulous! X

Artyjen said...

Great idea....love your seasons tags ;)
xoxo Sioux

Hels Sheridan said...

Absolutely AMAZING art Astrid as...erm... ever (was going for all A's but ran out of ideas lol) Anyways... AWESOME! Love that you used the seasons as inspirations... thanks for sharing your art with us and joining in with the CC3C x

Terry said...

This just blew me away, Astrid! Your marbling technique is perfection and I love how you covered all the seasons with such beautiful colors! Love these amazing project! Hugs!

Jools Robertson said...

These are just simply stunning and the colours are just gorgeous so vibrant
The layers of colour and pattern is fabulous, love them all and the total finished effect is lovely

Jools x

Anonymous said...

That is so gorgeous!!! Each tag is stunning & they look wonderful together. I love the ornate plate too.

Anonymous said...

Each tag is certainly a piece of art but then to combine them and add that gorgeous stamped text in the frame - exquisite!
Wishes
Lynne

Silvia(Barnie) said...

Wow Astrid I'm missing words, that's a fantastic project. Love what you've created with these four tag backgrounds.

Klaudia/Kszp said...

Simply gorgeous! I love all 4 tags and the final artwork

Juliz Design Post said...

Such show stopping work Astrid.

Julie x

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

WOW Astrid! Your seasonal scene is a color extravaganza! I love each tag and what it depicts! Thank you so much for playing along in our first CC3 Challenge!!!

Ros Crawford said...

Wonderful work ... love these tags

May said...

Gorgeous tags Astrid, Love the techniques & wonderful designs....Beautiful work... Hugs May x x

Susan said...

I love your work, Astrid! Your artpiece is absolutely beautiful! I love the composition and the different colors combined together! Thanks for playing along with us!

Yvonne said...

Splendid!!! Love the fact that you did all four seasons!!! Your marbling is fantastic...thank you for sharing and playing along!!!

Cheryl Grigsby said...

Brilliant, Astrid! Color, texture, dimension, theme. This piece has it all. Well done!

Unknown said...

So beautiful Astrid. This takes tags to a whole new level...what a great idea.

Ruth said...

Was blown away by this the other day Astrid, wonderful piece of art, great idea with the 4 tags and they all work together so beautifully!

barbarayaya62 said...

You're making the works absolutely gorgeous! this is a fest for my eyes! Congrats for " blogworthy links"! Totally deserved! BArbarayaya

Shelann said...

They are all beautiful and love the colors!

Minxy said...

So much wonderful detail, and oh so pretty x

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Love the tags and what a great idea to do four seasons colour schemes.
Happy crafting, Angela x

Linda Ledbetter said...

Astrid, this is an AMAZING work of art, worthy of a place on honor on a gallery wall! Great use of the technique and such a gorgeous composition, too! Thank you so much for being part of the CC3C!!!

iGirlZoe said...

These tags are incredible! I love them all. You've shown the technique off in it's best light. :)

Redanne said...

Just came back to say congratulations on being 'pinned' by Tim on his new CC3C board with this amazing entry! A xx

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