What we hold on to...

Hello everyone, I'm here with a double whammy DT post today, showcasing Artistic Outpost stamps with a whole lot of eclectic Paperie goodies in the mix too!  You'll find product links within and at the foot of the post as usual.

I'll be sharing a detailed "how-I-got-there" over on the eclectic Paperie blog on Monday, so I'll do my level best to keep this from War and Peace lengthiness...  Here's my tag trio: What We Hold On To.

The main images are from the Generation Redux and Think and Wonder sets... there's something about these two sets that touches me deeply.  

I've used these (to me) sibling pairings as a group before, and their deep connection to one another and direct gaze out to us, the viewers, have such power.













I find the images so inspirational.

What they hold on to is each other, of course, but also the other things indicated in the tags: our work, our knowledge, our creativity.




This trio of tags came about mainly as a result of some playing with Distress Paints - I was a little late to the DP party because of the whole packing and travelling across Europe business.

You'll have seen that they've been creeping into projects here and there, but I thought it was time to sit down and really start to get the measure of them.  You'll see more experiments at eP next week...

This trio uses the Tim Holtz wrinkle-free distress technique - such fun to do it with paints for a change, and the marbling effects you get as a result are pretty cool.

And they're all from one mat of paint... progressively smooshing up less and less paint for a paler and paler effect.









I layered up some stamping in Archival coffee of stamps from the Ephemera Backgrounds and Secretary Pool sets.  The DPs give a great stamping surface, so smooth and yet somehow toothy.













I even did some stamping in DP using one of the texture stamps from the Generation Redux set (like tiny bubble wrap - it matches the effect at the top of the image of the two brothers).










Then some Vintage Photo inking around the edges always zhuzhes things up, I think.  And a little go with the Paper Distresser of course.













I stamped the main images on handmade paper, so there's a texture and life within the paper before you even start.  It may not give the clearest of images, but I like the weathered look of them.












As I was layering them up, I tried to avoid covering up too much of the background - even more so once I decided to add some embossed texture with the Tim Holtz Flourish Texture Fade - so that rather dictated the composition of the elements.

I love the effect of the embossed flourish in with all the layers of paint and ink...

And, in the end, I think the positioning helps with the thought of "What we hold on to", when we're huddled together for strength and protection in times of crisis.







The images are attached with the tiny paperclips from Idea-ology - not glued at all - another way of holding on.

And the other embellishments are mostly by Wendy Vecchi - the heart for love...













... the postmark for the communication we need with others to survive, both given a touch of Weathered Wood Distress Paint.









The little metal clock - from my stash - for the times we spend together - also got some DP; I love them on metal!















I had some trouble with the toppings at first.  I dyed some ribbons but couldn't get them to look right in bows or threaded through each other.  After trying out a number of "meh" options I reverted to my trusty twine to tie it all together.









Thank you so much for stopping by today... I so appreciate every one of your comments, and I'm so happy to have your company for a while whether you comment or not!  Hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you soon.

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
Audrey Hepburn

Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
Kevin Arnold

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.
Henry Ellis


Click on the link to go straight to the product:

Inkssentials Surfaces #8 Manila Tags	Tim Holtz Alterations - Flourish & Wings Texture Fades Set	Wendy Vecchi - Blossom Bucket - Postage	Wendy Vecchi - Blossom Bucket - Natural Hearts	Fasteners - Mini Paper Clips	Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Crinkle Ribbon 10 Yards
Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Seedless Preserves	Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Weathered Wood	Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Picket Fence	Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Archival #0 Pad - Coffee	Inkssentials Foam Blending Tool

I'd like to enter this in the following:
The Very Strict Challenge over at Simon Says Stamp and Show
Anything But a Card would like to know what we're Inspired By - these AO images fire my creativity time and again
The Bloggers Challenge hosted by the wonderful Lisa Somerville is looking for Backgrounds this week