Mirror, mirror...

Hello everyone!  I know it's been a busy few days here at Words and Pictures (if you've missed anything - my rusty rustic Calico Crafts debut is here, my glossy steampunk PaperArtsy Guest project is here, and my pink - yes, pink - Artistic Outpost mini-canvas is here), but I'm back again - doing the double today - with maybe my favourite make of this busy time: my take on Tim Holtz's absolutely brilliant January tag.

I'm so happy Tim's offering us 12 Tags of 2014 and, wow, what a start to the year this tag is - I fell in love with it... to the extent that I was a bit stumped about how to even begin my own version.  

But then my Spring Greenery Decorative Strip Die arrived, and suddenly my brain began to whirr.

Regulars will know of my thing about ivy (see what the tag is surrounded by in the photos!) so I knew this die was an absolute must-have the moment I saw it...

















And when I'd cut my first few strands of ivy out of the dark green Shattered Kraft-Core, I found myself in faerie-tale land - a place I love to be.
















I don't have the pocket watch die (yet - it's coming!) so had been mulling over what I might use instead, and when the faerie-tale appeared it all dropped into place.  The Ornate Frame was the perfect magic Mirror Mirror.

It needed a faerie-tale look, so it's had layers of black paint, Pewter Perfect Pearls Mist, Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder and some Aged Silver Frantage.  











This is a mirror which has been on the wall of a secret tower room in a stone castle for hundreds and hundreds of years.  

(Check out those volcanic craters from heating the Frantage for ages!)

And the centre of my Mirror Mirror is revealing its internal workings as it performs its magic, summoning up visions and prophecies.








The background was one of the other things I loved about Tim's tag (all his tutorial details are here so I won't go over them again)... mine has a bit more Walnut Stain about it for that look of old parchment recording the ancient story.  

The clocks are perfect for summoning up time past, and "Once upon a time..."













... and the effect of the sanded rub-ons is just beyond cool.  The man's a genius!!












Have I mentioned that I love, love, love this ivy?!  You'll be seeing this a lot...

I had an almost disaster when I stuck the mirror just a little too high to start with - it wasn't until I was taking photos that I realised it was annoying me enough to have to change it.  

Heart in mouth as I tried to unstick it without ripping the whole thing to pieces... but it was worth it to get the positioning right.











I used my little £1 alphabet to stamp the words of the spell (they still get my heart pumping with the thrill of black magic).










Lovely Idea-ology linen ribbon at the top, and the M of the type charm could be Magical or Mirror or Mystery... 













I'm fascinated that the ChitChat stickers always seem to have just the words you need!











I had so much fun making this - pure joy - thank you, Tim, yet again... (though I fear my bank manager won't be thanking you when all the new CHA releases reach the UK!)

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Mirror, mirror, here I stand,
Who is the fairest in the land?
Traditional variations

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
Mae West

I'd like to enter this as my January tag in Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2014

P.S. Yay - the sun finally came out (but after I'd given up and written the post)... so I'm adding just one photo with that slightly warmer glow to it!

Thanks for stopping by everyone - and for your amazing support and comments over the last few days.  As always, I'm blown away, and so grateful.

And on the subjects of light and thanks, a bonus quote for today, which seems appropriate for a TH post:

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being.  Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.
Albert Schweitzer