Tim Holtz

happy halloween...

happy halloween bloggers!  thanks to everyone, everywhere for sharing their favorite treat whether you celebrate halloween or not, we all have that special snack that calls to us now don't we?  they were all fun to read and now i definitely know i'm not the only candy addict!...time to finish off the rest of my stash...t!m

candy + candy = creative overload...

well bloggers this has been quite a week!  as the halloween weekend is just days away there is definitely an abundance of sweet treats everywhere i look.  not having the willpower needed to ward off such goulish delights i find myself snacking from morning till night on candy, candy, and more candy.  complaining?  i think not!  this is seriously how my studio table looks right now filled with yumminess, starbucks, and starbucks pumpkin cheesecake muffins.  if you know me, you know my love for candy - all candy.  i love candy holidays and that's that...  so, combine candy and some studio time and you have one creative week!  i can't wait to start sharing what i'm up to...soon enough.  leave me a comment of your favorite halloween treat and i'll choose some winners on halloween day and send you some of my halloween dies and texture fades to add to your stash!  time to grab some candy and get back to work - yipeeee!!!!....t!m

absolutely amazing weekend...

hey bloggers!  i'm back from a great weekend teaching at absolutely everything.  we landed in boston flying direct from ranger which gave up most of friday to get everything set up for the classes and hit the ground running.  since i had 90 students in the classes we shipped a ton of products and supplies for everyone.  after several hours of set up we were ready for the big weekend...

 

saturday morning we arrived bright and early to the store to see crowds of eager students braving the fall chill to get their seats - what a humbling sight!  the tables were loaded with everything they would need for each and every project and the energy in the room was amazing and people started shopping, shopping, shopping!...

i taught a total of 4 different classes throughout the weekend ending each night with my new configurations where we made a seasonal shadow box.  we started off with "creative blocks" inspired by the talented lisa kaus, where students created a layered canvas covered with my idea-ology papers, beeswax collage and finished with eclectic elements....

 

the first night was "halloween configuration of your imaginations" where i shared all of the tricks and shortcuts to creating your own customized configurations box.  everyone received all of the spooky elements they needed to create a one-of-a-kind illuminated shadow box.  we also made clever spider webs, faux print blocks, and got loaded up on tons of candy as halloween tunes filled the room.  i was in awe of the creative energy everyone had to create and finish their creepy creations, and too distracted to take any photos during the class (i'm sure the candy had something to do with it)...

day two began with "ultimate alterations" which is a technique loaded mini book.  this class used a variety of ranger products including distress inks, paint dabbers, perfect pearl mists, and archival.  i shared all about my alterations line including dies, on the edge, texture fades, and taught a clever book binding trick using the cinch (love that machine).  everyone did a great job with this very intense, very inky workshop...

 

our last class was my favorite - the "christmas configuration of your imagination" project.  the room was filled with holiday magic and festive tunes as students created a christmas shadow box filled with vintage trinkets from seasons past.  there were stations set up around the room where vintage glass glitter and vintage mica snow could be added to every element of the project.  it was so cool to see everyone assemble, decorate, and finish their holiday creations.  a few sing a longs happened throughout the night as everyone got into the spirit of the season...

thanks to all of my students who were able to attend and shared in the fun, creativity, and projects.  i also want to thank kate (the owner of absolutely everything), her staff, and my friends who helped out in the many hours of set up, clean up, and packing up throughout the weekend - couldn't have done it without you all.  now back to catch up in the studio...t!m

greetings from ranger...

hey bloggers!  just wrapping up my week at ranger before heading off to teach at absolutely everything this weekend in massachusetts.  it's been a very productive trip: discussing techniques, talking about ranger u, shooting a few videos, and working on new products for next year (some very exciting things i might add).  here's a look at what we're working on:

hmmmm.... that's strange, it looks perfectly normal when i took the photo but blurry when i'm trying to post it.  oh well...  enjoy today...t!m

alterations halloween luminaries...

hey bloggers!  just landed in jersey to spend the week at ranger before heading up to mass. to teach at absolutely everything this weekend.  since i'm a few hours behind in my sleeping clock, i figured i could post this before heading to bed.  of course you never know when inspiration hits, so i literally had this idea this morning and decided to make these, and even took step out photos and shot a quick video before heading down to the airport - crazy huh?

well these very easy to make halloween luminaries could certainly be used for a variety of decor ideas.  indoor or outdoor, used for party decor, or even in the kid's room for a fun nightlight.  once you see how simple they are to make, no doubt this idea will be put to good use throughout the christmas holidays too.  let's get started...t!m

supplies: paper lunch bags, cardstock/chipboard (use any recycled or leftover supplies for this), dry adhesive (glue stick or double stick tape), battery operated tealights, your favorites dies and dies cutting system (i used my alterations dies and vagabond machine)

step 1: place material to cut on to die.  here i'm using chipboard sheets i've been saving and this project is perfect for using up old papers, chipboard or recycled materials.

step 2: die cut a variety of shapes and elements.  i've used the following alterations dies: bewitching hour, raven & scaredy cat, on the fence, rickety house

step 3: gather up some lightweight paper lunch sacks

step 4: open bag and adhere cut shape INSIDE the bag.  i prefer to adhere the elements more towards the bottom of the bag.  *also be sure to use a dry adhesive like a glue stick or double-stick tape for this step. (liquid adhesive could bleed through the paper bag and we don't want that)

step 5: fold down the top of the bag by rolling it back.

step 6: repeat the previous step to have a more sturdy roll on the top of the bag.  this will keep the bag open and standing tall.

step 7: get a battery operated tealight and turn it on. *if you want more light simply add 2 per bag

step 8: drop it inside the bag. *if you're putting these outdoors, fill the bag with a little dirt, sand, rocks, etc. before adding tealight to keep the bag from blowing away.

step 9: my favorite part of creating these this way is during the day it looks like an ordinary paper bag, but when night falls, enjoy the  flickering of these festive and spooky luminaries.

holtz holiday workshops...

hey bloggers!  get ready to sing fa-la-la's and decorate your creative world with the magic of the holiday season - holtz style.  i will be teaching at stampers corner in elk grove, california on saturday november 6th-7th for a fun-filled festive weekend of Christmas workshops. it's time to get into the spirit of the season and join the artful ideas in these exclusive workshops designed for this one-time-only holiday event of the year.  so share in the magical moments, christmas creativity, and the joyous journey these workshops are sure to bring.  this weekend event of workshops, prizes, and festivities will have limited seating so don't miss out.  sign ups will begin THIS SATURDAY at stampers corner or click here for more details....t!m

back on land...

well hey there bloggers - long time no blog...  just returned home from another amazing journey at sea.  this year's cruise to canada & new england was everything i had hoped it would be - the students, the workshops, the ports of call, the fall colors...spectacular.  as always, i'm happy to be home though as i have much to get caught up on from being gone for so long, but trust me when i say it was so worth it!  we had great weather for our journey at sea with the exception of our first day of embarkation, but after that it was sunny skies and gorgeous fall weather.  the students were so much fun, sharing their excitement and talents throughout the week of workshops.  our stops throughout our travels were so unique, colorful, and inspiring (especially for this west coast guy).  seriously, i am still taking it all in.

the students took a total of 4 workshops throughout the voyage as well as one "tim time" day where we had a chance for a little Q&A and they learned all about the vagabond and had the rest of the week on the ship to use it all they wanted to.  our workshops were filled with a variety of techniques as they created everything from a journal which they could use during our voyage, to tags where students learned various ways to create flowers, a dimensional shadow box where the students were asked to gather trinkets throughout our journey to put inside it, and a shabby canvas which turned out as unique as everyone's creativity.  so once again a sincere thank you to all that joined this adventure, to my team who worked so hard to make sure everything went perfectly, the sponsors for their generous product donations, and to all of you who are here to share this voyage with us via the video blog - enjoy the journey...t!m