tim tag mania! #1

so it's xmas, and evidently that means that tim holtz creates his "12 tags of christmas", and everyone else goes crazy. it's really amazing to watch. every day mario rossi starts tweeting behind the scenes shots and commentaries on that day's tag. we get peeks and teasers of what the tag will look like, and we build up to the big reveal at midnight. people challenge each other to post first on the tim blog, and this year we're able to post our own tags on tim's blog, to show off our own inspired spin on his idea.

it's a friggin party every night!

i didn't realize how crazy devoted tim fans are, and since i'm one of them, i think it only fair that i coin a new "gypsy jargon".

timaniacs - n. a person who stays up until midnight to get the first look at a tim tag, after spending several hours following on twitter, making shopping lists for the next day, and trying to be the first to post a comment when the tag goes live at midnight.

bonus jargon:

timania - n. state of being one with the timaniacs

i'm not saying i do all those things....ok, maybe i am just a little.

so in the spirit of timania i am starting my own set of tim inspired tags. i'm not doing a literal one-for-one, but rather creating tags that might be inspired by techniques from a couple of tim's tags. so are you ready gypsies? well here we go!

timaniac tag #1 - inspired by tim's day #1 tag

and it's inspired by...

so my first decision was to not copy the tag, as copying is boring

 so, i started off with one of my newest and most fun techniques - i made sweater letters out of the "noel". for those of you who visited during my "so knotty" tutorials, you'll remember my sweater letters, and i hope you're as excited as i am with the result.

next i added my other favorite new technique - homemade icicles

then i created some paper flowers from tim's cool tape. next i die cut some leaves and then crumpled and inked them for extra gypsiness.

final bits were the reindeer, which cut from a ribbon of them, and the lace at the bottom that i misted with water and then inked with "walnut stain" distress ink. some dabs of gold stickles and we're almost done!

to finish off the tag, i misted and inked some plain white ribbon with "iced spruce" and "festive berries", added some twine and sparkle charms and tied everything together around a glittered twig i stole from a decoration  found around the house.

i really had a lot of fun with this one, and i hope you're now inspired to try your own tag! don't forget to join the party on twitter tonight as we all await tim's #8 tag. and come back tomorrow for my timspired tag #2!

materials used:

"wonder" collection paper - authentique

"maraccinno" twine - the twinery

"iced spruce" and "festive berries" inks - tim's seasonal ink set

tim tape, bits and pieces, this and that

caffeine - starbucks

so knotty tutorial - sweater letters

welcome back for the very last "so knotty" tutorial. this one is actually my favorite, and it looks like it was a hit with a lot of you gypsies. so hold on to your knitting needles, and away we go!

 

now, i made xmas letters, but you can use this technique to create letters for any time of year. and the best thing is that you can use any left-over chipboard letters for this.

 i secured the end of the twine with a little dab from the hot glue gun,
to anchor the twine and make it easier to "knit"

 once the anchor point is secure, start wrapping the twine around the letter.

keep wrapping until the entire letter is covered, then use another little dab of hot glue
to secure the end of the twine on the back.

and that's it! really! that's all there is to it.

thanks everyone for coming to the caravan for "so knotty" this month. i hope you've learned some tricks and been inspired. the "so knotty" prize winner will be announced december 1. so make sure to return and find out if you've won, and also to see the first oh-so-jolly xmas project!

time to get knotty!

Welcome to the Authentique ~ The Twinery Blog Hop!
Blog Hop Prizes: {*2 total winners*}
From Authentique Paper – Authentique Paper prize pack ($20 retail value)
From The Twinery – Colorful Bunch Sampler Pack ($20 retail value)
To win: Participants should leave a comment on each blog along the hop. (Winner will be chosen randomly from all comments on the manufacturer blogs AND the DT blogs.) {Winner must have a US/Canada address}
Blog Comments Close: Monday, November 14th @ 11:59pm (Pacific)
Winner Announced: Wed, Nov 16th (on Authentique Paper's blog and The Twinery's blog).

Welcome gypsies! You've probably just come from the blog of Deena Neimat. If the gypsy caravan is your first stop, make sure you travel back to the start of the hop at the Authentique blog.

"So Knotty Tutorials"
What would a trip to the gypsy be without fabulous prizes? All month I'll be featuring tutorials on the techniques used today. Every time you stop by and leave a comment, you're entered in the drawing for ... twine from The Twinery, and a Free Bird Nest from Authentique Paper - sweet!
And now fellow gypsies, onward we go!

Faux spiral notebook card - tutorial Nov 13

Loop-d-loop card - tutorial Nov 16

Home Sweet Home hanger - tutorial Nov 19

Xmas tag - tutorial Nov 23

Sweater Letters - tutorial Nov 26

All right gypsies, I hope you found inspiration today. Off you go to visit Ivona Foster and I hope to see you back tomorrow for my first "So Knotty" tutorial!