Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2014, Jane's Journal style - March

We are already on the 3rd tag of this year and as I thought, Tim's tag for this month has a very Spring feel to it. There was also a little twist this month as he made not 1 but 2 tags using the repeat stamping technique. Do check out his technique here  his blog but essentially it is stamping once and then without re inking stamping again. This makes a dark version and a lighter "shadow" version. He also adding some smudging to his stamping.

I have not used this technique for years so decided that I would indeed make 2 cards. I was also inspired the whole spring feel, by his nest and spotty egg as well as well as the coloured twine. Tim also used the new air spritzer on his card which looked great fun. After putting on my creative thinking cap and looking at the supplies I own I started to put my interpretation together.

First I stamped some spring like background images using my Lili of the Valley Vintage Backgrounds. I used the sweet serenade set and also used the flowers from the grunge elements set.

 I chose Tumbled Glass, Scattered Straw and Evergreen Bough as my main 3 Distress inks (DIs) and inked my stamps up. I stamped once on the left card and then "huffed" on the stamp with my breath and without re inking stamped the shadow on the right card. I then used a piece of blending foam to smudge parts of the stamped image over the bird and the corners of the rectangle whilst the ink was still wet

I needed to colour the background next and link in the images so using my blending tool and Vintage Photo DI I carefully started to blend, darker on the left than right card.

Having made my backing papers it was time to add my elements. Now I was really keen to add a nest with eggs stamp but as I don't have one  it was time for me to think "outside the box" and create something of my own. In the past with my jewellery making I have made birds with nests out of wire (see photo below) so I decided that I would do something similar as a nest with eggs in. I sorted through my bead stash and chose some spotty beads to resemble eggs.

These are what I made, wire nests with gemstone bead eggs ;0)

I also dyed some twine with the DIs to match those I had used on my cards.

 Now this month I decided to treat myself to one of Tim's new additions to his range...the Distress marker spritzer and what fun it is. I used a stencil to add some colour to my cards, I treated myself to my first 3 DI pens too ;0)

I used a tree stencil and I really loved the effect it left

Also as I had used wire for my nest I thought that Tim's metal florals and plaques would work a treat. I wanted some colour on them so I decided to see if my Promarkers would do this job as they are alcohol inks. I was delighted to see that they did. I also coloured up a TH die cut to add another bird to my card and some more of a tree theme.

So now it was time to put on my creative hat and put all my elements together for my finished cards.

Here they are;

First of all the "first" stamping version;

then the shadow version

and lastly

the pair together;

Personally I think I like the darker first stamped version best...what do you think?

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges;

Tim Holtz 12 tags of 2014 March Tag
A Vintage Journey anything Tim I think my post is self explanatory but I have used my March Tim tag challenge for my entry.
Loves rubberstamps anything goes
Papertake Weekly anything goes
Flonzcraft Just for you
Natalie and Amy flowers
Live and Love Crafts Earthy Easter
Oldie but a Goodie spring has sprung my button twine is over a year old as are my stamps.
Love to create anything goes
The Squirrel and the Fox autumn or spring

I really enjoyed my March project, it really made me pull out some different ideas. Thanks Tim for such an inspiring monthly project.
Thanks everyone who managed to reach the end of this post, I appreciate it was quite photo heavy.

I like to think that spring nearly has sprung, it reached 18c yesterday afternoon here in sunny Surrey. We even had lunch in the garden. Now that will do nicely.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x