I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Art Adventure





Hello all... busier and busier here at Words and Pictures - it's been daily this week so far, and even then I've held this post over for two days!

When I saw Tim's cool November tag I felt a little stymied again as I have very few Blueprint stamps, and the pumpkin is not amongst them.

So I let my subconscious go to work and it woke me up in the middle of the night on Saturday with the answer.

Unfortunately I was away from home at the time.  Well, it wan't so unfortunate... I was having a lovely crafty time on the Mixology workshops in Coventry - more of that another time - but it meant I had to wait until Monday to put the plan into action.













And here you see it... No pumpkin, but a vertical equivalent - almost the same shape and it ended up (unintentionally) almost the same colours.

Well you never know where one of Tim's Art Adventures is going to take you.













So yes, the balloon was the solution my mind came up with - perfect to get the debossing effect which looks so great with the pumpkin.  I even have the same segments to play with.











And it was also a bright idea because there are parts of the image which had to be stamped direct to the tag - no way I could fussy cut all those ropes.











I started with the background though, and oh my word I love this look!  I don't have the simple crosshatch stamp Tim used, but I do love this fabulously grungy cracked alternative.

Over the Picket Fence stamping I added spritzes of Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood and Pumice Stone and then inked with Blueprint Sketch, Frayed Burlap and a little edging of Walnut Stain.










The gilding was enormous fun.  I've had some gilding sheets sitting around almost since I started crafting.  I picked up some cheap ones in The Range or somewhere, thinking they looked useful, and of course I haven't even opened them until now.  So thank you, Tim, for making me explore my stash!

And given my love of things catching the light, once I started gilding I couldn't stop.












So as well as the gilding around the edges...














... I also used it to create my word panel.  I applied quite a lot of foil to a tag and then inked over and in between the die-cut letters, which gave quite a leathery look to the background.










It's a bit like a worn, gilded book cover.

And I loved that effect so much that I couldn't resist using some of the leftover letters too... 











I started with True Adventure as my wording, but then decided that I should reflect the inspirational journeys Tim's tags always take me on, so I changed it to Art Adventure.

I even added some weathered gilding to the Game Spinner pointing the way forward.







I gave the balloon itself a gilded touch too.

(And although there's no Blueprint stamp, I did use the Blueprint Sketch Distress Marker to add deeper shadows and colour the webbing.)













The Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey colouring was golden (a colour choice inspired by the gilding - I'd originally planned a green balloon... well, of course I had!), but not quite golden enough.












I cut the basket, sandbags and flag from the watercoloured image and glued those on.

And the banner needed some gilding - it's flashing gold in the sunlight (sunlight, what sunlight? - there's none around here at the moment).










I added a bit of background stamping using the Correspondence set, to take the place of the text surrounding the blueprints images.














And the piece of blue-dyed crinkle ribbon which had been floating around the craft table for a couple of weeks finally found a home, wrapped around with some rusty wire to echo the tarnished gilding on the rest of the tag.






I had a grand time on this little adventure.  Thanks go to Tim Holtz yet again for triggering another brainstorm and a great crafty journey.  Thanks to all of you too for your lovely comments and feedback.  It's a joy to be on the journey with you, and I hope my balloon will carry me around Craftyblogland for some visiting in the very near future.




Suddenly the wind ceased.  The air seemed motionless around us.  We were off, going at the speed of the air current in which we now lived and moved.  Indeed, for us there was no more wind; and this is the first great fact of spherical ballooning.  Infinitely gentle is this unfelt motion forward and upward.  The illusion is complete: it seems not to be the balloon that moves, but the earth that sinks down and away...
From My Air-Ships, 1904, by Alberto Santos-Dumont

I have known today a magnificent intoxication.  I have learnt how it feels to be a bird.  I have flown.  Yes, I have flown.  I am still astonished at it, still deeply moved.
From Le Figaro, 1908


I'd like to enter this as my November tag in Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2015





Answers to questions in the comments: both stamps are by Tim... the balloon is from the Remnants set, and the scratches are from the fabulously grungy set called Slight Alterations.

64 comments:

froebelsternchen said...

B*R*I*L*L*I*A*N*T
Alison!
You never cease to amaze me!
oxo
Susi

Vintagehandmade said...

Spectacular tag, Alison! I love your version much more than original! (Sorry,Tim haha) What a fantastic background and such an awesome design!
Hugs! Branka xxx

Annie said...

Love your take on Tim's tag Alison x the background is wonderful and the improvisation of the balloon is perfect with that fabulous gilded plate.
Hope you had fun at the workshops
TFS and best wishes
Annie x

Lauren Hatwell said...

Genius! Absolute GENIUS! I salute you :oD

Lx

A Pink said...

Fabulous take on Tim's tag - such a clever idea to use the hot air balloon , Love your background and all the fabulous gilding you have carried throughout . x

Shilpa Nagaonkar said...

Mag background and stunning tag, Alison!

brenda said...

By far preferable than a punpkin Alison, lovely colours, texture and unique design which you always ring to your work.

B x

Gitte said...

Wow beautiful.

Jennie Atkinson said...

Stunning Alison !!! I love that wonderful blue background and the balloon is just amazing. Gorgeous - far better than the original xxxx

sally said...

Genius! I haven't done a Tim tag in months....

Sally

Monika Gulyas said...

BEAUTIFUL!!!

experiments in paper said...

Wow!! This is absolutely stunning and a brilliant take on the November tag.....I love that background! May I ask what stamp produced all the fantastic scratches? xxx Lynn

SewPaperPaint said...

This is amazing! I read this post through and through first thing this morning, and am back to have a closer look. It was so clever to use the balloon in place of the pumpkin. I have my background done, but can't find the right focal image... I am so inspired to keep digging now that I've seen this gorgeous rendition! I just love all the gold throughout, especially on the die cut word. Beautiful! Hugs, Autumn

Marci said...

This is my favorite of all your recent makes. The combo of the touches of gold with the blue is "heavenly". The balloon stamp is Tim's? And I like the stamp you used in white on the base.

Shirley said...

Dare I say that I like it better than his or is that being blasphemous???? Brilliant.

Warm crafty hugs from Shirl x x x
ShirlsCards.

Dorthe said...

It is spectacular Alison, so beautiful with the gold leafe, love the shine, also without sun, lol- also no sun here - your background is gorgeous, too- and wow the tag and the letters!
! Love what you did !!
Dorthe, xxoo

Adventures in Paperland said...

Well I love your hot air balloon and think it's utterly fabulous Alison. Great tag! Hope you had a great time at your class. xx

Words and Pictures said...

Hi Marci and Lynn! I've added the answers to your questions to the bottom of the post with links to the stamp sets... hope that helps. Thanks for your lovely comments everyone.
Axx

Meggymay said...

Wow, another fabulous tag, you have so many creative ideas to insipere us.
Yvonne xx

chrissie said...

A wonderful tag with the beautiful blue and gold mix. The words today are terrific..how amazing it must have felt to be the first to fly and how brave as well

Love Chrissie xx

Jenny Marples said...

Absolutely GENIUS!!! That is such a clever idea! This SHOULD win! Jenny x

Amanda said...

Ooh fabulous
Love
Amanda x

Cestina said...

I could put two balloon tags to good use.....this one is gorgeous. Sumptuous in fact.
xx

Chrissy said...

Oh! I love this tag Alison..I can feel myself floating away [forward]..the gold adds such elegance..love the background and the text..just gorgeous.

luv CHRISSYxx

Corrie Herriman said...

So lovely ! Great colours, great design I still have to do october's and november's !
Corrie x

Mrs.B said...

Absolutely stunning tag Alison, and it's such a brilliant take on the pumpkin. Hope you managed to get back to sleep with all that activity going on in your head!
Avril xx

Beulah Bee said...

So very clever! Love the gilding and especially the scratchy blue sky.

Helen said...

Fabulous take on Tim's tag, Alison! the weekend obviously sparked your imagination off, and with great results.

Astrid Maclean said...

Great take on the original Alison, and yes that back ground looks fantastic! Gosh you are a dedicated crafter though, waking up in the middle of the night because of a Tim tag, I have to say that made me laugh out loud..... It was worth it though, the result looks great!

Marci said...

Thank you for taking time to add the info on the stamps!

Anonymous said...

The tag itself is wonderful but what I am especially drawn to is the little details, the game spinner, the words, the touches of shimmer and glimmer.
An absolute beauty of a tag.
Wishes
Lynne

rachel said...

stunning work - i adore this Alison - the art and the adventure look brilliant with the balloon image - perfect wording! Hugs rachel x

pearshapedcrafting said...

So glad you thought of the balloon because it looks brilliant! Your whole tag is fabulous and as well as being a great Tim tag it is so you! Chrisx

Anneke said...

Wonderful tag. Love the orange and blue together.
Thanks for showing Anneke

Gio said...

Don't tell anyone, I am so sicked with pumpinks...your tag is fresh air, and how beautiful and elegant it is!

hazel said...

Love the balloon and gorgeous colours on your amazing tag.
xxx Hazel.

Candy C said...

Alison, this art adventure tag is gorgeous. Thank you for taking us on this adventure with you! I adore your hot air balloon. It is magical against the combination of distress blues you have used in the background. I adore the building! It adds such a subtle yet important touch to your tag. I love your crackled background, possibly even more than Tim's original scratched stamp. Perfect substitution and so is the hot air balloon!

Pamellia said...

What a breath of fresh air, I just love that you used a balloon! The colours are just wonderful and the added gold gilding is an absolute winning feature! hugs :)

cathylynn said...

Totally awesome!!! Love it!
Hugs, Cathy-Lynn

Sue Jones said...

This is wonderful - I am still thinking!

Lisa Minckler said...

Brilliant way to adapt and overcome...I would have gone mental fussy cutting the rope, but I LOOOOVE the way you turned that problem upside down. That looks fabulous. The balloon gives off so much warmth and the aged blue compliments perfectly. You make me smile with your makes.
Big hugs to you and so nice to be visiting you again.
Lisa x

silvergran said...

Fabulous! Totally fabulous!

Lys said...

Oh là là! Marvellous! Now I know your secret, Alison! You are not just a wonderful crafter, you also have creative nights!!! What a great choice the balloon instead of the pumpkin. And another blue marvel!

Julia Aston said...

I am in total awe of your creative thought process and your mixology knowledge in the inks you pair up - this is just beautiful Alison! and I love all the gold gilding! Julia xx

Redanne said...

What a great substitution the balloon was Alison and the background you created is absolutely breathtaking! I think this may be my new favourite of your tags - it really is fabulous.... xx

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

LOVE your take on the tag!!! LOVE that old balloon, always a favorite!!! So cool!

maria's knutselplezier said...

What a great specila tag, great colours and structure, I really love the golden accents on the blue sky!!

Greetings
Maria

Renee said...

I love this tag Alison! The background is amazing and done in my favorite shade of blue. Makes me want to give this a whirl. Thanks for sharing.

Jackie PN said...

Amazing as always!! I have to tell you that I truly though your wording and plate were metal!! You are genius with your supplies Alison!
Jackie xo

Ruth said...

An inspired stunning take, love the pumpkin balloon...prefer it if I'm honest! The cross hatch stamp is perfect. All the little details, wire and lettering aged beautifully. Perfection! Ruth xx

Terry said...

At least your being busy is not keeping you from sharing some fantastic artwork with us! Alison, I love this tag! The blues and golds are just wonderful and love that background! Have a great weekend! Hugs!

Lucy Edmondson said...

This is wonderful, Alison, I love that scratchy background and the glow from the balloon!

Lucy x

craftytrog said...

Beautiful!!! xx

Kay Wallace said...

I love Tim's challenges, Alison, but because of "life events" have not been able to participate for some number of months. This month's challenge, I must agree, is intriguing. Lovely result on your part, my friend!

Kirsten said...

Gorgeous tag, I love the background.

Cocofolies said...

Wooow, fabulous again!!!!!
You will never cease to amaze me Alison!...
Thank you for your wonderful talent and all the detailed steps each time, this is such a huge work I know, which well deserve a huge THANK YOU.
Hugs, Coco xxx

Etsuko said...

Thank you for your kind comment, Family of work was busy, but I went back to normal life now.
Amazing The Adventure tag Alison! great 3D and fab background. I love the distress result. xx

Barbara said...

This tag is wonderful ! Your idea to use this balloon is fabulous! Great work as always!
BArbarayaya

TAM said...

Simply amazing, love this

Fliss said...

Just stunning! Amazing background and so inspirational.
Fliss xx

Sandy said...

Bravo!! I love adventure but I think I will stay at home to have my adventures!!
Sandy xx

Julie Lee said...

Alison, this is magical!You capture something really special about the experience of ballooning - and to think it was for lack of a pumpkin! I love how you shared your process right from the point when you had the initial inspiration. The background is superb and the gilding is such a wonderful touch. I always mean to say, but I always forget, how much I enjoy the little quotes you include at the end of a post. This time the quote from Le Figaro was perfect at capturing the wonder of flight. I have a friend who briefly owned and flew a hot air balloon. I think she would love to see your tag and I think she would wholeheartedly agree with that quote!xx

Paper Profusion said...

Up Up and Away!! What a fantastic tag Alison! Especially love the way you have worked the text elements. Nicola x

sarascloset said...

One word...MAGNIFICENT!!! Love all your touches of gilding...the hot air balloon is genius! This is one of my all time favorites, and thus pinned to my all time favorites! Big hugs!