First Impressions - Alcohol Lift Ink

After seeing Tim's demo of Rangers new Alcohol Lift Ink back in late June (see the video below), I knew it was something that I wanted to add to my distress collection. I had to wait for a couple of weeks for my ink to arrive and it did this morning WHOOO HOOO! After I'd got over my excitement I set to having a go and this is what I discovered...

In my Maybe Someday box I had some alcohol ink projects that I'd done a while ago, probably 3 years ago. I'd used shades of red, green and some gold mixative on glossy coated paper. I followed what Tim said in his video and the tips that Paula Cheney gave in her blog on Alcohol Lift Ink and I had mixed feelings. Transfering the ink to another piece of paper was a resounding success - I used some Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. But despite dabbing and buffing like a boss, the 'ghost' image on my original alcohol piece was not as vibrant as I thought it would be.

I'm not sure if it was down to the mixative, the fact that the piece I used had been inked years ago, or the fact that it was photo glossy paper that made it not work. I'll try again on the same paper but I won't add mixative and see what happens. I'll also try double stamping to see if it lightens things more. I was a little crest fallen, but I'd seen fab results on Yupo and luckily I have some in, not the Ranger kind, so again my results may differ, FYI the brand I used was 'Legion Yupo Medium'.

I used 4 colours of alcohol ink for the Yupo panel: - Valencia, Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow & Pitch Black. I allowed the inked yupo to dry, then set about stamping my image with the lift ink. I transferred the image and WOW, again I stamped on to Neenah, I then set about dabbing with a paper towel, the 'dab' technique I used is a firm press, move to another area and dab press, don't slide though or you'll smudge. Once you've dabbed all the lift ink, lift your project and check that there is no wet ink left on it. If there isn't, buff with a cloth, I used an old soft t-shirt, well it is old now 😂😂😂

If you look closely at the image by clicking on it to expand, you can see the difference, myself I suspect that the formula for the lift ink resonates more with Yupo paper more than glossy paper, but I still have to practice. I did notice that the stamped image is sharper than the ghost image, again that could be down to my technique, but its a cool effect nontheless! I still have to play with stencils and the refill and a combo of the two, but I wanted to share my first impressions, mainly because I think some people are going to try the lift ink, not use Yupo and be disappointed. More soon, time to play some more 😍😍😍

Distress Rainbows and Wildflowers

My second Tim Holtz inspired creation in as many days and I'm really happy with the way it turned out, even more happy when I think that the back distress inked rainbow effect panel has been in my 'Maybe Someday' box for a while now, in fact its been there for almost 3 years, ever since I got the Botanical Sketch stamp set in fact! FYI I still have used "The Chemist" set, something I need to rectify real soon!

I used my powder tool on the panel and then inked the stamp with versamark and sprinkled Cosmic Shimmer Black Detail embossing powder on the stamped image. Once I'd allowed the embossing to cool I used a blending tool and Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire, Mermaid Lagoon, Twisted Citron, Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade and Festive Berries Distress Inks to create the rainbow effect.

If you look at the photo of a smilar card in the link above you can see that I'd originally stamped the "Thank You" words from the set, but it didn't look right on this card, instead I decided to use one of the dies from the Stacked Baroque set to make a new sentiment instead. I chose one from my Life Quotes CMS277 stamp set and embossed it in WOW! Opaque Bright White embossing powder.

The flowers are from the Sizzix Wildflowers #2 set and  were cut with black card stock then coloured with Distress Oxides in Bundled Sage, Candied Apple, Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade, Cracked Pistachio and Lucky Clover. I added some touches of distress marker in the same shades on the flowers and some shimmer pen to give the flowers some sparkle.

I made the card blank myself using the Tonic Studios 'Bowscale' die set, I cut a third panel to make a frame around the rainbow panel and used the long edge of the centre discard to make a piece for the bottom that I trimmed off to glue the wildflowers to so that I could attach the flowers to the bottom of the card with 3D foam pads to create some dimension.

Another project completed with my Tim Holtz stash, I'm on a roll this week, so much so that I've even had some time to play with a couple of other dies and stamps, I bought a set off Ebay a while back called 'Bird Talk' which contains 3 small versions of the larger Crazy Birds stamps, matching dies, stamps and an embossing folder. I'm playing with an idea in my head that requires me to cut the Tree Rings die cuts in half. This is the first time I've played with both dies and I had lots of fun, coloured with distress inks and markers. My colouring isn't brilliant but I'm pleased with the results.

A Rosie Thank You

Further to my previous post "Tim Holtz for the Terrified" I've been working with my TH stamps and dies and creating some projects. This card was so quick and easy to do and I plan on replicating it in various colourways.

I cut a piece of white card smaller than the pink card base I wanted to use, and die cut one of the dies from Tim's Mixed Media #5 set on the panel at either end. Then I just glued a piece of vellum to the back of the die cut panel, and used an assortment of Tonic Alcohol Markers to colour the vellum.

I was thrilled to discover that I can colour on vellum with Distress Markers as well, and the effect is a lot smoother than alcohol inks, a point to note for next time!

I used the 'thanks' dies from the Shadow Script #2 set, cutting the larger die from the same vellum I used for backing the vellum and some Distress Collection Victorian Velvet Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock. A few 3D foam pads and the card was finished, I love the bold colour and how easy it was to achieve, okay its not a dark gothic mixed media masterpiece, but it is me using my Tom Holtz stash and creating something.

Fellow Tim Holtz Addicts - and there are many of us, I recently joined a group on Facebook with over 20,000 members and counting! - will know that Wednesday 11th July was the release day for the 4th batch of Distress Oxide inks, and I along with lots of people from the group and some of my crafting friends watched Tim reveal the new colours via a Facebook Live video.

I left a comment in the group after Tim's FB live and I was absolutely delighted to get a comment from the man himself. If you'd been a fly on the wall in our house you would have heard a high pitched shriek followed by a crazy 54 year old woman yelling "OMG Tim has commented on my post!". It was just a short sentence but it meant the world to me and really made my day, I wasn't expecting it, and I appreciated the time he took when he could have been relaxing after talking for so long.

During the live reveal I was sad to learn that we won't be getting a Picket Fence Distress Oxide due to the ink formulation needed to produce white, but Tim did say that the Picket Fence Distress Ink could be used on dark cardstock, so at least that's something. He also mentioned that there were some new Distress Oxide things coming soon, my money is on Oxide Markers or Paints, but it could be something brand new and equally wonderful!

As we're not far off the Halloween and Christmas 2018 releases of Tim's new stuff from Sizzix, Ranger and Stampers Anonymous et al I need to get saving, I'm pretty darn sure that there will be new delights I want to acquire and the final 12 oxides get released in October which means we'll get them in the UK sometime between November and December. Suffice to say  I've pre-ordered the next batch of 12 which should arrive sometime in August, I also got the Alcohol Lift Ink and Re-Inker and a couple more Distress Markers for my collection, so all in all its been a very good day and I've completed two other TH projects as well, whoot, whoot, more on them soon, but for now I'm off to get inky and made some more backgrounds.

Tim Holtz For The Terrified

In my craft room I have a lot of Tim Holtz products, distress inks and oxides, distress markers, stamps, dies, stencils, embossing folders an a large array of tools including the Stamping Platform, scissors, and so much more.

Imagine my surprise when doing some blog maintenance I discovered the jaw dropping lack of projects added to my blog that are made with Holtz products, despite owning so many! So much so I found myself asking myself some questions, the first was "What the Flock?" or something like it!

I've been a huge fan of Tim, his style and products since I first came across his distress inks not long after I started crafting in 2014. Pretty much not long after I saw that first You Tube video of Tim using Distress Inks, Tim has been one of my crafting constants ever since, I make use of my distress inks and oxides so much as can be seen in the projects I add to my blog, but there is a distinct lack of projects featuring none distress products by Tim like dies, stamps and embossing folders.

Whilst searching my card photo archives I couldn't understand why despite having created cards with some of my TH products I haven't added that many to my blog, and further to that I haven't used even 1/6th of my Holtz Stash! When I asked myself why, I was startled and I guess a little ashamed at my answer. The reason I haven't used the products I buy or added cards I've made to my blog seems silly when I think about it. When I look at projects that amazing people like Paula Cheney, Zoe Hillman and Richele Christensen create and so many of the other extremely talented Tim Holtz Addicts out there, I find myself wanting. I am way too critical of what I make and convince myself that others will feel that way as well, or I tell myself that no matter what I do, I just can't create something as wonderful as the people I admire creatively.

I'm not brilliant, but I am improving all the time, and the last thing I want to be is a "collector" of all things Tim buying his stuff just for the sake of it but never use it. Talking to my husband who popped into Narnia (the name for my craft space) just now, he made the comment that I'm too hard on myself, and that the more I use and play, the better I will become. He's right of course (but don't tell him I said so lol) its the practice that helps us develop as crafters and NOT letting stuff sit on shelves and never using it for fear of messing it up!

If you mess it up, then find another way to use it or bin it! I'm looking as I type at a big stack of Holtz fueled creations that I've made that date back to 2015 and I've still not used them, they sit in my 'Maybe Someday box' and their some day has still not arrived! The odd thing is I was really pleased with most of them when I created them, but I just couldn't seem to get the final flash of inspiration that turned them into cards.

I made xmas cards with Tim's dies last year (see above) and I was really pleased with the way they turned out, but did I share them on the blog? Did I heck, not until today, above is an example of one of them. The rest went in the post without my even taking photos! In the above example I used one of the deers from the 'Reindeer Flight' Bigz die, the holly die from the 'Holiday Greens' thinlits set and the Noel word from the 'Vintage Tidings' thinlits set and an assortment of distress inks to colour the deer, holly and background. It isn't brilliant but it didn't turn out half bad.

Back in September and October of 2017 I acquired almost all the Autumn release of Tim's Halloween Sizzix dies release, some of the Stampers Anonymous stamps and an assortment of other TH goodies. Yet aside from the Vintage Spirits words, NONE of the dies and embossing folders in this photo have been used, and I bought others from that release after this batch arrived?! The same has happened with the Christmas release and other releases. Absolutely bonkers!


I really do need to get over this fear of my creations not being as good as someone elses, because at the end of the day it should only matter what I think, right? Yet something in me keeps telling me I'm not good enough, I'm going to have to smoother that naughty little inner demon and cover it with distress ink and spritz it until it gives up. I think there is another part of me that until recently hadn't really found her crafting 'niche', I asked myself what I most like to do and its get inky and messy, I'm happiest when I'm making inky things with distress inks and I love the themes and ideas that Tim Holtz creates.

I've been collecting so many products from different companies with different styles and outcomes that I realised that I've not found my own style, in the meantime my little room is becoming cramped and I have a lot of stuff that I've bought but it isn't really me. I'm botanical, dark and geeky. I love classic halloween colours (purple, orange, black and green), my favourite season is autumn. I have a passion for herbs and 19th century pharmacy styles, love watching shows like American Gothic, Vampire Diaries and Midnight Texas. I adore Cats especially my two furbabies and I like cute stamps which Tim doesn't do, things like unicorns and cutesy animals. As most of what I like I can find in the realms of Mr Holtz I really need to experiment more and keep trying, that's the way I will learn to be better and improve my techniques.

3D Printed Distress Marker Pen Rack File - Free to Download

Since I published this photo of the 3D printed pen racks that Si designed and printed for me I've had lots of requests from people asking if he could make a set for them.

Sadly it takes about 5 hours to print just 1 of the racks, you'd need 10 for all the Distress Markers, so it will take 50 hours total to print enough layers to house all the Distress Markers.

Its not beyond the scope of things to make a set but the time involved means the cost would be high. It doesn't take long to print the Wreath Templates by comparison he can do a few sets of those per night.

With the time/cost in mind my wonderful fella has agreed to make the .stl files required to print the racks available so that other people who have access to a 3D Printer will be able to get their own set of racks printed.

As well as Distress Markers, the racks can also hold Stampin Up's 'Stampin Write' markers, and Arteza 'Real Brush Pens'. Each layer is designed to slide into the one below so make the complete like sturdy and stop the racks sliding apart they are 10cm wide x 15cm long and they can be added to over time so if Tim releases any new colours in the future you can add another rack to your stack to accommodate the new colours.

You can get Zig Real Brush Markers in the slots also, but as they are shorter pens they are not so easy to get out. Si is going to tweak the files to make the rakcs shorter to accommodate shorter pens and wider so pens like Promarkers, Aqua Flow Pens and Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens can be stored on them. Once these files are complete I'll add them to download as well.

Download The Pen Tray.stl Here. If you have trouble downloading the file then send me a message via my Facebook shop Cook's Craft Supplies I will send you the file via facebook message so you can print a set of racks for yourself.  I'll add the links to larger size pen trays as soon as hubby has had time to get them done.