Tim Holtz

a great weekend...

hey bloggers - just wanted to share my weekend adventures with you.  i arrived in dallas, tx. thursday night to meet my boss alain from ranger.  friday morning we set out to do an education event for michael's employees at their corporate headquarters where we met laura from advantus.  we had quite the crowd show up to participate in our make & take and watch me demo for a couple of hours.  everyone there was so nice in welcoming us and excited to know more about the products.
  that night we drove to meet up with my friends cheryl and megan from ten seconds studio.  i got the full tour of their incredible studio and work space - i LOVED all of the huge sign letters hanging everywhere.  it was great to see that cheryl and i had many of the same quirky like for letters, freaky doll heads, and all things altered.  they were also so nice to play a little and show us the latest and greatest things they are doing with their metal embossing tools, plates, and metals (not to mention they wowed me with some grungeboard techniques).  if you haven't checked out what ten seconds studio is all about - go and check it out (i lifted this photo from their blog).  i was lucky enough to get my hands on some of their new stuff to work with when i get home - can't wait!  then we all headed out for a nice dinner, a few drinks, and called it a night.  thanks again cheryl and megan it was great fun!

this morning we headed to the michael's store in hurst, tx. to celebrate their grand opening with their new store format - truly incredible!  thanks to so many of you for showing up today.  it was a fun day demonstrating and sharing all of the exciting products michael's brought in and the techniques to get you going.  everyone was so kind and excited and the day was really lots of fun....long but fun!  the store was buzzing non-stop all day with lots of demos and hands-on make & takes.  my sincere thanks to alain from ranger and laura from advantus for their tireless efforts to do the grungeboard make & take for almost 7 hours until they ran out of all 225 of them - way to go both of you, and for mario for prepping every single one of them...i couldn't have done this without you.  thanks again to all of you (or as they say in texas all-y'all) for making this a great day.  packing up now to fly out early tomorrow morning - i'm heading back home for a couple of days and looking forward to it as always..t!m

weekend plans...

hey bloggers!  sitting here at the airport (again) in phoenix heading to dallas, texas for the weekend.  i am thrilled to be part of the grand opening celebration for the Michael's store in hurst, tx.  i will be there saturday 10/11 from 9am-5pm doing a FREE demo!  that's right, stop by and say hello, check out all of the new products and this amazing looking new store.  i also have a FREE grungeboard make & take planned from 9am-12noon so don't miss it.  i'll be sure to take some photos of the event - can't wait!  hope to see some of you there...t!m

and the winner...

thanks for all of your comments.  seems like many of you enjoy this time of year as well.  congrats to the winner! please email me your mailing address to get your package out...t!m

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Grungeboard bats and letters BOO; What's a crafty girl to do? A pinch of sparkle, crackle paint; Distressing tools, ink to taint. This artist's brew Tim does create, But who will win is a matter of fate. Thanks for sharing with us, Tim.
Lisa

october technique challenge...

i just love fall - i guess i would even go as far as saying it's my favorite time of year.  i love the crisp feeling in the air as things start to cool down, the colors the season brings (with my addiction to all things brown), and of course the candy that's hitting the store shelves!  it's great to see all of the decorations everywhere not to mention the incredible selection of halloween products in the paper craft industry.  this year was my first ever release of halloween stamps, and i have to say, they were fun to do.  i decided to create a halloween tag for this month's challenge using distress crackle paint, inks, and this new stamp set.  get ready to have some spooky creative inspiration...

supplies: craft sheet, distress crackle paint/old paper, distress ink/black soot, vintage photo, spiced marmalade, adirondack paint dabbers/pitch black, mini mister, ink blending tool & foam, glossy accents, stickles/black diamond (ranger); seasonal grungeboard, washers, long fasteners, keyholes, fragment charms, trinket pins, jump rings, texture hammer (tim holtz idea-ology); stamps (tim holtz collection stampers anonymous); tim holtz scissors, paper distresser , scratcher, craft pick (tonic); #8 manila tag (american tag); paper (cosmo cricket); ribbon

step 1: shake distress crackle paint and unscrew brush cap.

step 2: apply a medium coat of paint to tag leaving areas of the tag exposed. allow paint to dry and crackle completely *tip: if paint is too thick, simply add a little water to it.

step 3: using ink blending tool, ink entire tag with spiced marmalade by working from craft sheet and apply ink in a circular motion with tool.

step 4: ink cobwebs stamp with black soot and stamp over tag.

step 5: mist towel with water from mini mister

step 6: lightly wipe of crackle paint areas to remove distress inks. *tip: distress crackle paint acts as a resist from distress ink if water is applied over it.

step 7: apply pitch black paint dabber to skeleton stamp by tapping paint on to stamp.

step 8: lightly swipe dabber over stamp to knock down any peaks of paint. *tip: this steps helps to achieve more detail when stamping with paint.

step 9: stamp skeleton over crackle paint areas and let dry or dry with heat tool. *tip: stamp with paint to achieve a more opaque look.

step 10: drag paper distresser along edge of tag to tatter paper.

step 11: ink edges of tag using ink blending tool with vintage photo distress ink.

step 12: drag scratch tool along front of tag to expose some of the background.

step 13: remove "bats" and the letters "BOO" from grungeboard seasonal set and ink with black soot distress ink using ink blending tool.

step 14: bend in wings of bats for added dimension. *tip: remember grungeboard is completely flexible and will retain it shape when you bend and fold it.

step 15: apply stickles to letters and let dry.

step 16: attach grungeboard elements to tag with glossy accents.

step 17: create fragment charm by applying a small amount of glossy accents to one side of the fragment and spreading it around with the tip of the bottle.

step 18: immediately press down on to patterned scrapbook paper and hold in place for about 10 seconds. *tip: by pressing down you are removing and access air and allowing the glossy accents to dry.

step 19: cut out fragment with scissors.

step 20: poke holes in corners of tag with craft pick.

step 21: insert long fastener through slot in washer and secure through hole in tag to create a "faux rivet". repeat for other corners.

step 22: tap with bump tip of texture hammer to dent brads. *tip: this makes the brads look like old weathered nails.

step 23: hang fragment charm from trinket pin using jump ring.

step 24: insert ribbon through tag hole and attach pin through ribbon on tag.

so get crafting bloggers!  time to goul up your grunge, dig up your distress inks, and spackle your crackle paint.  have fun with this month's challenge.  to get you motivated i'm giving away a halloween prize package filled with the NEWseasonal grunge, NEW fragment charms, NEW cobweb mask, and some distress products to one lucky winner!  it could be you... simply post a comment by 12:00 midnight PST tomorrow 10/8 for your chance to win....t!m 

busy...

there's just no other way to put it...i've been busy.  busy on the road, busy on qvc, busy teaching, busy with new product designs, busy with new product development, busy with ranger u, busy getting ready for my next trip, and basically just too busy to blog.  i always have the best intentions though when i head out on the road to click a few photos maybe shoot a few flip videos, and be a good blogger posting everyday...then reality hits and there are just not enough hours in the day.  what an adventure these past 2 weeks on the road have been along with mario (my assistant) thanks to him for his tireless work, and endless efforts to make everything i do possible.  so much has gone on from one place to the next so i figured my post today would be a recap of what i've been up to - so here we go...

QVC - we headed out 2 week ago to new jersey to make a 1 day stop at ranger for the final preparations for my QVC debut.  tuesday morning we hit the road for a 2 hour drive to QVC headquarters.  we arrived on the set 3 hours before we were set to go on air as required to get unpacked, everything set up, go over the time slots, find our set, a quick stop to hair and make-up, and then wait it out.  then it was time - i have 6 minutes for each of my 3 on-air kits and let me tell you, the 18 minutes flew by!  it was such a rush trying to fit everything i had to say into just a few minutes along with all the host had to say, the caller, the robotic cameras everywhere (yes, the cameras were automated!) and do it all with an electronic clock within view clicking away the countdown of seconds!   i have to say i was pretty impressed that i actually remembered to video our 1 day journey to share with all of you.  after all, you made this one incredible experience - my sincere thank you.  then it was back on the road to head back to ranger.

RANGER - the next 2 days were spent at ranger working on finalizing all of the new CHA-summer releases of Distress Metallic Crackle Paint and Distress Stickles.  everything turned out great and the products should be shipping in the next couple of weeks - i can't wait!!!

WATCH CRAFT - on thursday i took a break and headed into New York City for a day of fun.  my good friend nadine made plans for us to visit the studio of watch craft - this is the company that creates the hand-made watches i love to wear.  this was definitely a day i will never forget!  we made the 2 hour drive into the heart of Manhattan and then over to queens to visit the studio.  you see, the artist of watch craft eduardo milieris, does not open his studio to the public, but that didn't stop nadine into charming her way into getting us in  (we actually joked that it was like getting in to see "the wizard" of oz - and nobody gets in to see the wizard)...  the studio was housed in this very old, very eclectic, very grungy warehouse complete with found objects and elements from the city that i could only dream of owning.  eduardo and his staff were simply amazing and kind.  we got to tour the studio and get a glimpse into the process they go through to create each watch by hand - yes, by hand one at a time.  i was just in awe, like a kid in a candy store, asking him question after question about inspiration, design, and his creative muse.  he was so genuine.  i showed him the 2 watches i own of his and he asked me what my "ultimate" watch design would be...and to my surprise, by the end of our day there i was handed the exact watch i described.  you guessed it, he had the watch i wanted created for me right there, on the spot, that very day!  nothing short of amazing.  of course i also bought another one of his creations i had my eye on so now my watch stash is up to 4.  my friend nadine was able to buy a treasure of her own from him.  unbelievable!  so thank you again nadine, for doing something for me, something i will never forget...

ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING - we left the city and headed for the airport to fly to boston for a weekend of teaching at one of my favorite stores "absolutely everything" for the tim holtz holiday festival!  friday morning we headed straight to the store to unpack and get ready for our friday night Christmas party at the store.  kate, the owner and her amazing staff had the store decorated in holiday hoopla and were busy the entire day unpacking product and setting up for the weekend.  that night we kicked off the festival with an exclusive party complete with food, holiday punch, Christmas music, and 3 make & takes i designed for the attendees to create throughout the night.  we even had a "Christmas sweater contest" where the attendees were awarded prizes for the ugliest holiday sweater (and we mean that in the kindest way...)  lot's of laughs!  saturday and sunday were full days of 6 holiday classes total with about 55 students in each.  space was tight, but everyone had a great time creating some amazing and inspiring projects.  the store was filled with products, including all of my new releases of grungeboard, masks, and idea-ology trinkets.  the students were so talented and creative - there was just a festive spirit in the air for sure!  the weekend finished off with a surprise gift for me of a HUGE bag filled will "all things vintage" that several of the students brought in for this collaborative gesture of goodness...once again i was speechless.  so thank you to all of my students for such a great holiday festival!!!

RANGER U - monday morning we were back on a plane from boston to newark for a week at ranger and then ranger u.  the week was spent finishing up kits for ranger u, meetings, new product development, and final preparation for the ranger u weekend.  friday morning the 24 selected attendees started to arrive from all over the world.  we had students from the east cost to west coast, spain, uk, belguim, norway, and canada - it was a great mix.  designers suze weinberg and claudine hellmuth were also there to teach on friday as their part of the curriculum we had in store for the students.  ranger u is a 3-day educational program for store owners, teachers, designers, manufacturers, and distributors to learn everything there is to know about all things ranger.  from development to technique, this session is what i refer to as "ranger boot camp" filled with over 75 techniques in 3 days.  saturday and sunday were my days teach where students learned 51 techniques hands-on to create a tag swatch book.  everyone worked so hard, shared their creative experiences, and learned a great deal over the weekend.  thanks to everyone at ranger for their tireless efforts to make this event a success each and every time - as well as a sincere thank you to the wonderful students of Ranger U 2008 - congrats!

whew!  so there you have it, the last 2 weeks were very busy, but filled with creative fun.  i'm home for the next 2 days, unpacking, repacking and heading out again on thursday for my visit to the Michael's store in Hurst, TX. for a day of free demos and a grungeboard make & take.  if you're in the area, stop by to celebrate the grand opening of their new store design.  working on the technique challenge to post tomorrow....until then -t!m 

by request...

hello again bloggers...  just wanted to make a quick post since several of you  have posted and emailed me asking me to put up pictures of my QVC samples of the Grungebook/Tin kit i designed specifically for QVC.  this kit is not available in stores (which many of you have asked), so if you're interested, i think there are still some left on QVC.com to order online.  here are the projects i shared on-air using this kit in a variety of ways:  as a simple photo album holding 60 photos (the tin painted black, wiped off, and covered with fragments), a recipe book (the tin covered with old recipe's from a cook book using gel medium and fragments), a travel journal (the plain tin covered with fragments), and a diary book (the tin alcohol inked and covered with fragments).  definitely lots of fun - one of my favorites i'm telling you...  i know many of you have one on the way to you from QVC so enjoy the inspiration, have fun creating your own, and thanks again for sharing this amazing adventure...t!m

QVC...what a blast!

hey bloggers! thanks to all of you who tuned into QVC today and for posting such kind comments! seriously, what a fun time we all had. everyone at QVC was so nice and i truly had a blast! i have to say that the grungebook kit has turned out to be a favorite of mine. i designed it just for QVC and honestly, i kept one for myself. if you didn't have a chance to get one for yourself, you can still purchase online form the QVC website while supplies last.  plus you can watch the QVC segment online for each kit! i thought i would share a little video i did of the QVC journey - enjoy... and CONGRATS to the 10 lucky winners - wow over 2000 comments? thank you all so much for the support, it was fun and i'm so happy you shared this with me. winners, please e-mail me your information so i can get your shirts out when i get back to my studio on october 7th...t!m

I have to admit, I did not know who you were until I signed up for CKU Provo this yr. My friend Kathie introduced me to you and your products just weeks before going. I have to say YOU were the highlight of my trip to CKU. The class you taught was amazing. I have since been making frames with your grungeboard and fragments. I have Tivo set to tape all the shows. Good Luck on QVC. A new Tim Holtz fan!
Commenter name: Bridget
Congrats to you!!! I bet your kits go like hotcakes! Your creativity will inspire more folks to enjoy the past time of scrapping and card making.....You are awesome!!
Commenter name: Barbara
Hi Tim! The possibilities you inspire are exponentially neverending! You have a Ph.D in Ideaology from the University of Awesome! I'll be tuning in!
Commenter name: concordcyn
Wow - super congratulations!!! Way to go Tim! Sure would love a shirt... but I'm generally just not that lucky.
Commenter name: Sandy L
Congratulations on your upcoming QVC spot Tim. How cool is THAT?! Sure hope I'm one of the lucky 10 for a shirt this time.
Commenter name: Sherry Goodloe
Well .. I sure loved your expression when the shirt off of your back raised $6,000 .. My expression if I won a T-Shirt would be just as amazing! ... I've collected over 100 scrappin related T-Shirts the past 14 years .. and it sure would be a treasure to have a possibilities shirt!
Commenter name: Lyn Meeker
The show was great Tim! I always enjoy anything that you have anything to do with. I wish the host didn't talk show much and let you talk more.LOL I really, really hope I win one of the shirts! Teresa
Commenter name: Teresa Mahnke
You know, I was seeing nothing for the last couple of days. I've had stampers block and had really lost my inspiration. But..have just looked through your blog and I will take your advice and get out my Adirondack's that are sitting in the back of my ink drawer and my most special stamps and start seeing the possibilities again! Tim, your work always inspires me. Thankyou for your generosity in sharing your ideas. And congrats on getting the spot on QVC. You must be thrilled!
Commenter name: Melissa
Congratulations on your QVC debut! I am a Q shopaholic and I love their crafting shows. I was hoping they would have many new items and for them to add TIM HOLTZ-way to go Q!
Commenter name: Gabbey
I have already placed my order for your items, but will be staying up to watch all your ideas. Good luck to you and luck to me in hopes of winning one of your t-shirts.
Commenter name: NancyR

save the date - QVC here i come...

  hey bloggers!  i have some exciting news to share!  join me on tuesday - september 23rd for my debut on QVC!  that's right, can you believe it?  i have 3 kits i'll be selling on QVC at amazing deals so you won't want to miss it.  i am thrilled beyond words for this opportunity and i hope you share it with me.  the show is called "paper crafting with the pros" and i should be on around the 3:00pmEST - you can also watch the show live online by clicking the "watch live tv link" on the site.  this is the biggest paper crafting event of the year on QVC so i'm sure there will be lots of great deals. one of the kits i'll be showing, i designed exclusively for QVC - Fragments Memory Kit...

do you see nothing or possibilities?  an exclusively designed grungeboard gate book with grungeboard covers and dividers, cardstock pages, and a unique hardware closure!  you won't want to miss this one chance to get one of these very limited "won't find anywhere else" book kits!  the kits also comes with a storage tin (that the book fits into perfectly) and fragments to embellish both.  where will your creativity take you? 
i also have a kit from ranger and another grungeboard kit that is sure to spark your creativity - wow!  so there you have it - such an exciting day planned for tuesday - september 23rd on QVC.  mark your calendars, tune in, and join the fun, i can't wait!

to celebrate the possilities of my QVC debut...

i'm giving away 10 (that's right 10)
"do you see nothing... or possibilities?" t-shirts.

this is the last of my stash of these shirts so your last chance to win one!  i know so many of you have been wanting one - so just post a comment on the blog for your chance to win. ..

i will choose the winners when i get back from QVC tuesday night - so you have until midnight on tuesday - september 23rd to post a comment
(as many times as you would like to)
after all, the possibilities are endless...right?

see you on QVC...t!m

darkroom door...

i just wanted to let you all know that i am the guest artist on my friend rachel greig's blog the darkroom door.
she invited me to create a project using some of the darkroom door products - they are creative goodness!  anyway, go and check it out if you'd like - definitely some fun inspiration for the day...t!m

just too busy to keep up...

hey bloggers!  whew - i've been going non-stop it seems since the beginning of the month.  i'm home for a few days to work in my studio, but wanted to check in - lots to share, lots to link to, here we go...

CREATIVE ESCAPE:
can i just say this event was absolutely amazing.  heidi and everyone at bazzill put on the most incredible weekend of education, inspiration, and pampering that i have ever been to...down to every last detail.  i met some of the most incredible people, the stories they shared, the creativity they brought, and a genuine sense of happiness they had throughout the event.  thank you to all of my students - thanks for "embracing" and trying out new things.  i also had the opportunity to teach with some of the most talented teachers at this event - what a great mix of talents and personalities.  thanks to all of them for sharing their creativity and time.  i'm sure many of you have seen other blog posts about the event, and have read many of the amazing things that went on throughout the weekend, if you haven't here are a few.  all is can say is i had one of the most humbling and gracious experiences of my life that weekend...and it all started with a shirt.  thank you again to everyone for allowing me to be a part of something this special...
http://heidiswapp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/sigh-its-over.html
http://jessicaguthrie.blogspot.com/2008/09/6000-creative-escape-shirt.html

SCRAPFEST:
from CE i went on to ScrapFest at Mall of America for Archiver's.  this is one of the those events that is just craziness from the start.  This was my 5th year at this event and it just gets better and better.  it's always great to meet up friends in the industry who show up each year to do a weekend of make and takes for literally 1000's of attendees.  the vibe there is good, the shopping there - out of control, and the laughs there - endless.  scrapbookers from all over come for the weekend to participate in this "fest" and the unbelievable part is it all takes place throughout the mall.   i spent the weekend demoing for about 5 hours a day, teaching a class each day in the main rotunda of the mall, of course being in the Mall of America has it's perks - lots of places to shop and eat and play!  one night i went with my friends carol and michele to the theme park (that's right, this mall has a theme park INSIDE the mall)! carol and i did the craziest rides right after dinner - not the best idea for the future, while michele watched on in disbelief.  i have never laughed so much...(carol actually bought the video of us riding) maybe i can post it on my blog when i get a copy!

all in all, it's been 2 weeks of work mixed with a little play (which is always good for the creative soul).  thanks for checking in - well, it's back to work for me....-t!m