It's Thanksgiving in January - I finally made the Querky Turkeys, using the Tim Holtz Rosette die and tutorial!

Last year I saw these "querky turkey's" on the web and I was jealous because I had no querky turkeys for my thanksgiving celebrations and the tutorial was so 2011 and all the cool people made theirs already.

But this year, I tackled the "querky turkey" and made these 4. Still not in time for Thanksgiving this year, but by Thanksgiving 2014, mine will finally be complete and will be just as festive as those everyone else created in 2011!!! (Ok, mine are still missing the adorable "tickets" in the tutorial...but eventually mine will be finished!)

Here's the great tutorial by Tim Holtz that shows how to make them!

Remember to put a strip of tissue tape on the back of the paper after it has been cut out, but before folding so it doesn't tear at the perforations as you fold it up. Instead of tissue tape, I used a strip of newspaper the same width as tissue tape glued on with a glue stick. It's on the back so you don't see it, but if you do, newspaper still looks cute.

It's never too late to celebrate the noble turkey, which almost became our national bird!

And join with me in my tradition of celebrating any holiday you want at any time by making holiday decorations. It's January and I still have a large Halloween skull pottery in my yard with purple faux feathers coming out of the head. Yep, still got my Christmas Trees up. I also made a few Thankgiving turkeys! It's all good. Let's not worry about the small boring stuff when there's glitter to be applied!

Make a gaggle of gobblers in january, that's what I always say.

Snowflake Ornaments - Made from Tim Holtz Snowflake Rosette die

I made 4 snowflake ornaments using the Tim Holtz Snowflake Rosette die! It's an amazing die! 

I used some scrapbook paper with an ice pattern. I added blue denim distress ink to the edges, mica glitter randomly, and I also added embellishments to the centers. I used tissue tape on the back before folding so the perforations don't tear when you fold it up. If you don't have tissue tape, you can cut a strip of newspaper the same width as tissue tape and glue it on the back with a glue stick. I've done that and it works too.

To learn how to make the paper snowflakes using the Snowflake die, you can follow this video tutorial by Tim Holtz for making paper rosettes as the technique is the same. It's an excellent tutorial!

Look what "It's raining jelly beans" made with the same die! Beautiful! She gave her creations away as Christmas gifts! Wouldn't it be nice to be on her Christmas list!?

I love this die! The snowflakes look complicated to make but really they are easy and turn out spectacular! They are pretty stiff once assembled so they can stand up on their own on a shelf or you could hang them and they dangle beautifully. I've seen someone make an entire wreath decorated with these snowflakes.

I love snowflakes for their simplistic beauty, and would frame the real snowflakes if I could, but they do not last, as they melt ... after we ski on them, turning into water, which then evaporates ... and stuff. I'm sure there are many metaphors for life in there somewhere, but all I'm saying is, make a snowflake, it's fun, and they last on your shelf, and they sparkle! That's good enough for me!

January 2014 Tag - Playing along with the Tim Holtz tags of 2014

January 1, 2014! Happy New Year!

I've been playing along with the Tim Holtz Tags for 1 whole year now! That was my new year's resolution last year, to create something every month and I was able to do it. It was tough to find time sometimes, but it was a fun adventure!

This year my artistic new years resolution is to complete all the tags from the Tim Holtz Chemestry 102 course. I'm on my way, but still have the dreaded "alcohol ink" section to go. Alchohol inks are still a mystery to me so I will tackle the lessons as soon as my order of alcohol inks arrive. I have some alcohol ink pens and I'm still trying to figure out how they work.

Here is my January 2014 tag.

I don't have the watch die, but I'm going to budget that one in, along with the circle die to go with it! It would make a nice frame for many projects. I was excited to use my new-found stencil skills for this tag as I have completed the Tim Holtz Chemistry 102 section on stencils! I also have been practicing my paint spattering techniques as my furniture can attest to.

I took some time off work in December to help out with a newborn grand-baby and a toddler, so I've been having fun running all over the place with the little people. During this "time-off" work, I have a new-found appreciation for motherhood and was able to "invent" many items to "save the world" from utter disaster and mayhem. So it's no wonder that I came up with this slogan for my January 2014 tag. During 2014 I look forward to many more opportunities to "invent" as I help my favorite little people!

I also wish I had the embossing folder used by Tim, so instead I used this other folder I have. I made my own chit-chat words that are important to me for 2014.

 

As I go back to work tomorrow, I look forward this year to finishing up my many software "inventions" at work, and moving on to new work projects. I also look forward to creating many 2014 art projects just for fun. 

A Happy New Year to everyone! Thanks for being my creative teachers and idea people this past year! You have become my creative brothers and sisters related by our common love of the creative arts! We all have similar glue, paint, ink, and dye under our fingernails and we all have similar massive stashes of craft supplies stashed in little containers all over the place!!! I love that about us! You are my people!

Here are some photos I took of my little people!

New baby as yoda in the hat I crocheted for him. (He has a baby star wars room)

 

New baby in the Christmas outfit I crocheted for him. 

...He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

 

Toddler's first trick-or-treating in a fancy neighborhood.

New grand-puppy "Punkin" the toy poodle. She's very small, about the size of a guinea pig, and moves fast so I will probably never be able to capture a photo of her that's in focus!

My son's band "We are the Strike" performing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" on tv in December.

http://wearethestrike.com/. Like them on facebook.com/wearethestrike.