There are so many fun challenges, group projects, and exciting classes happening around the internet right now! I feel like a kid at Christmas time again! Do you find yourself getting inspired, wanting to participate, but without all the supplies you see in the demo’s?
I’m raising my own hand here. I’m following along with Tim Holtz’s 12 Tags of Christmas project and I’m still fairly new to most of his supplies and techniques (though not to his metal pieces!). Clearly, we cannot go shopping every single day to purchase the supplies he uses on each of his daily tags. So what do you do?
Here is the tag I made from the inspiration I got from Tim’s first tag. My tag is not taking my breath away. I made the mistake of gluing a transparency (the snowflakes and green flourish) over a tag before I was satisfied with the background I gave it. That left me with only the upper corner to try and adjust. And I ended up adjusting it multiples times turning one mess into a different mess into a different mess.
But never mind my (lack of) inking technique here. There are some things that I think are pretty good about the tag. I happen to like my reindeer and his Christmas wreath. Here’s how you can learn from others’ techniques using supplies you already have . . .
Specify what you like.
When I saw Tim’s tag I was drawn to the colors. I really wanted to make a tag with layers of blues tones in the background and the bold red and green as accents, like he did.
What I was missing: A die cut machine, or a house of any kind for that matter * a wreath * a snow flake stamp (I know, how lame is that?) * those great inkable ribbons * blue distress inks (I have one light blue distress ink pad and that’s it).
Identify what supplies you have with similar characteristics.
- I had multiple tones of blue Glimmer Mist, one blue Distress Ink, and one blue Stampin’ Up ink pad.
- I had two tones of green wire.
- I had red rhinestones.
- I found some sparkly snowflakes that I could cut away from a photo transparency.
- I had cream-colored organdy ribbon, which I thought might possibly take some ink — and it did!
Identify any problems caused by your lack of supplies
I started by coloring my tag blue and white in ways I don’t care for and will no longer discuss. I also had a way to make my own wreath, but there was a problem. You can’t just hang a wreath from the winter blue sky — a wreath hanging in the sky would cause a good amount of cognitive dissonance to the viewer!
Identify replacements based on supplies you do have.
I looked through my stamps and found a reindeer head with lovely antlers. I had grungeboard, gold embossing powder, and some Walnut Distress Ink to stain the edges of said reindeer head.
Notice the common characteristics between what I had (a reindeer) and what Tim had (a house):
- Both are made with grungeboard, allowing me to have the three-dimensionality and the weight of a focal point item
- Both are in the brown tones, allowing me to continue with the overall color scheme
But here’s the important part . . .
- Both are great for hanging Christmas wreaths!
When You Have Almost Nothing
How about a few more case studies?
Case Study #1: IZZY
Izzy decided to make tags along with me last night! He has even less experience than I do, and what’s worse, he doesn’t know what supplies are even available to him, since they’re mine. He decided to just use the fact that he felt inspired by Tim’s tags, and he practiced the techniques he was already a little familiar with. Aren’t the tags awesome?
Case Study #2: TERESA ROBSON
We are on Day 3 of my Holiday Photography Course for Paperclipping Members. The first challenge was to photograph either ornaments, decorations, or the Christmas tree. Not everybody has their Christmas stuff out yet, or even plan to put any out. That didn’t stop Teresa! She took her camera shopping and got these neat shots.
Who cares that they’re not her own ornaments? She got some photography practice and she captured what we all experience of this season while we’re out shopping, whether we even celebrate Christmas or not!
Holiday Photography Course — You Still Have Time!
So far, 336 of our members have signed up for the course, and 47 of those decided to join the group gallery and forums.. This is a free course for Paperclipping Members. If you get a membership now, you can still join us! You’ll just be a couple days behind, and that’s okay. Email me if you are a current Paperclipping Member and I will send you a link to the sign-up page!
Members will also get their two video episodes this month, of course! One will be a brand new Flexible Template. The other will be on design for titles! New members will also love getting access to the 158 tutorials we already have in the archives! You can find out more here!
This Week @ Paperclipping
In case you missed it . . .
Happy Holidays!
