Tim Holtz

ranger u - day one...

hello again bloggers!  ranger u is well underway here in new jersey and day one was a great success.  lots of very eager students spent the day learning about perfect pearls and melt art and i taught the entire day sharing numerous techniques.  everyone created 21 technique swatches this first day complete with step by step labels attached to the back of the tags for perfect pearls, and technique bags for melt art.  i'm always amazed at the interaction and creative ideas everyone shares during this event - lots of inspiration going on around here.  so we're about to start day two and claudine hellmuth is here to kick it off teaching everyone 3 hours of technique using her studio line.  then i'm back to finish the day with 5 hours of distress goodness sharing inks, powders, crackle, stickles, and of course the new stains!  i'll be back tomorrow with a few more pics of what we were up to.  enjoy the weekend...t!m

ranger u weekend...

hey there bloggers and greetings from ranger headquarters!  it's been a busy week as usual and unfortunately i haven't had much time to blog, but i have a little time this morning before our attendees for the 2011 ranger u arrive.  i'm looking forward to this session filled with new techniques and of course new inspiration.  i'm also looking forward to the great new products we've been working on around here this week to release at cha-summer this july!  there's so much work that goes into prepping for this event and trust me when i say i do not do it alone.  everyone here at ranger jumps right in to do their part in making this annual event top notch down to every detail and i just wanted to thank them and let them know how much i appreciate their efforts.  so as the minutes tick away here before we start off this 3-day education extravaganza i just wanted to share a glimpse of what it looks like around here - i'll be back later tonight to post some pics of today's ranger u techniques...t!m

vagabond versatility...

hey there bloggers - hope you had a great week.  i've been wanting to do this video for months and i'm happy to finally have it finished.  i get emails daily asking about using other companies dies in the sizzix vagabond machine?  the short answer is...yes!  you can use other companies dies in this amazing machine, but of course there are things you'll need to know, and a couple additional supplies you'll need before you give it a try.  check out this video test drive of the vagabond - hopefully it will share just what you've been looking for...t!m
 

additional supplies used:
- decorative strip cutting pads
- replacement shim
- solo thin die adapter
- impressions pad
- silicone rubber pad

happy easter...

hi bloggers! wishing everyone a happy easter.  hope this day is filled with special moments - take time to enjoy them...t!m

tissue tape ideas...

hello again bloggers!  it seems as if many of you share the same crazy addiction for this little tissue tape dispenser as me.  i definitely still use it straight off the roll sometimes, but i must admit this dispenser sure makes it easy.  one other thing i had to figure out was a way to store all of these little guys and make it convenient for me to still use them...

- so how about this: attach a small book d-ring through the hole in the handle and click closed - clever huh?  (note: once you attach it, i haven't found a way to open the ring again so consider it permanent)

- this allowed me to hang them on an "s" hook on my shelves.

- and i mean all of them...just perfect!

so if you are looking for ways to color tissue tape, here are a couple suggestions...

1. apply a piece of tissue tape to your craft sheet.

2. apply a piece of felt to ink applicator tool and a few drops of adirondack alcohol ink.

3. swipe the inked tool across the surface of the tape and let dry.

4. another option would be to apply another piece of tape to the craft sheet.

5. swipe distress stain over tape - notice how the stain beads up but keep rubbing the stain in.

6. wipe away excess stain with towel.

here you'll see the differences: the alcohol inked tape is more vivid, the stain slightly more subtle.

there are so many ways to apply the tissue tape as well - check out some of these ideas...

- configurations are definitely a great surface but i want to point out that since tissue tape has a light adhesive that works best on flat surfaces, sometimes it doesn't like the folds and bends and starts to lift in places.  if that happens, simply tack it down with a glue stick, glossy accents, etc.

- how about creating tissue tape flowers?  i did this during my 12 tags of christmas last year and included the video below...

 
- another great use is creating ruffled edges or trim.  just follow the above technique but apply it to a strip of cardstock instead of a circle.

so hopefully you've found some inspiration for using or storing your tissue tape.  this stuff is so much fun to work with so i hope you give it a try and let the good times roll...t!m

tissue tape dispenser...

hi bloggers!  hope your week is off to a great start.  i wanted to make this post for the number of people who have been emailing me about their new tissue tape dispenser.  i must say i love using this little gadget and of course i have one for each roll of tape now.  i find them so convenient to use the tissue tape without fighting to find the end of the roll plus it makes it so easy to apply the tape.  anyways, the questions have been how to load the dispenser and how it works.  hope these steps will answer those questions.  i'll be back tomorrow with a few other tips to share about using tissue tape...t!m

step 1: get your dispenser and a roll of tissue tape ready.

step 2: begin the roll of tissue tape.

step 3: place roll of tape on to dispenser wheel with the tape feeding off to the left (adhesive side down).

step 4: gently pull the metal tab down to feed the tape through and guide tape between the white roller and metal tab.

step 5: to use dispenser, press tape on to surface.

step 6: pull dispenser along surface to apply tape.

step 7: to cut tape, slightly lift dispenser and twist at an angle to cut tape along blade. (this take some practice)

perfect...

south africa - the video blog...

well bloggers, i was finally able to finish the video from our south africa trip to share with you.  it was quite the challenge this time to fit 11 days of adventures into 13 minutes of video, but i think you'll have the highlights for sure.  enjoy this glimpse into another journey of a lifetime - have a great weekend...t!m
*UPDATE: many of you have commented about the amazing music in the video.  these were from cd's i bought in south africa titled "the great south african trip vol.1/vol.3" which contain music from various artists.  i found vol.1 available here at amazon.com, but you will have to google vol.3 to find other online sources...enjoy!
 

beautiful cape town...

hello once again bloggers!  well our final day in south africa has come and we are on our journey back home.  we finished our adventures in cape town spending 3 amazing days in a beautiful place filled with sunshine, blue skies, vineyards, mountains, and rolling waters.  we checked in to our venue for the second half of the sa scrapbook convention which was held at the spier estate in stellenbosch.  this stunning place was the perfect setting for the delegates to enjoy the event.  the day prior to teaching was spent doing a little tour of capetown starting with a drive along the cape to kalk bay to do some shopping.  this quaint little colorful town is filled with antiques shops, art galleries, and colorful scenery set along the coast of the bay.  we enjoyed some shopping and took time for little mojito break to relax and enjoy the moment - yum...

then we were off once again winding down the roads back to stellenbosch through miles and miles of vineyards to fairview for a wine and cheese tasting (something i've always wanted to do).  this incredible venue was the perfect place to spend the afternoon enjoying delicious wines and cheese all from this local estate.  their signature logo features this spiraling tower they have built for the goats to climb, pretty cool to see.  after a quick tour we were seated at our table all set for our wine and cheese tasting.  who knew the palate can change so much depending on what flavors of food are combined with wines -  such a great experience i really loved...

our saturday started early with the excitement of our delegates for their education packed day at spier.  margie and i taught our workshops to 145 creative delegates and enjoyed seeing many familiar friends and meeting new ones as they experienced a new world of inking, painting, grunging, and distressing.  thank you to all of the cape town delegates for making the day so much fun!  for our last night in south africa we shared a dining experience like no other at one of my favorite places i enjoyed during my last visit - moyo.  however this time we enjoyed an evening of friendship, laughs, face painting, and good food high above the treetops.  that's right, our tables were high up in the trees built on wooden platforms, simply amazing (you'll have to wait for the video to see more of this)...

 

so again thank you to my friends of south africa, i truly love sharing in the magic of your special country.  i look forward to the day i am blessed to return once again.  thank you to the team from sa scrapbook convention who's hard work and kindness made each event perfect, the adoring auntie val for making us smile each and every moment, and our wonderful hosts and sincere friends glenda and gary who made this another journey of a lifetime - who knew it could happen all over again and be even better?...i'm truly grateful...t!m

returning from kichaka...

"howzit" bloggers and greetings once again from beautiful south africa.  we  just returned from a trip to our favorite game lodge, kichaka.  when i visited south africa 2 years ago i had the incredible opportunity to visit this luxury lodge north of port elizabeth in south africa.  this place is simply amazing and truly somewhere i would refer to as paradise.  we spent 3 days at the lodge and took time to relax, enjoy each others company with our hosts glenda and gary, the wine was flowing, and of course we adventured out on several game drives as we came up close and personal with the animals.  words cannot describe what this wonderful place does to my soul - it's awe inspiring.  our personal huts were complete with private infinity pool overlooking the african bush, and our ranger geoffrey was outstanding and able to show us all of the "big 5" game throughout our game drives.  i'll be sharing more in a video when i return but for now i wanted to share with you a glimpse of paradise - south african style.  we're off to cape town for another fun filled event of the sa scrapbook convention, i simply cannot wait...t!m

see you now now...

hello bloggers from beautiful johannesburg south africa...our journey so far has been such an amazing experience once again.  we've been having fun picking up on a few local south african terms including my favorite "see you now now" which means see you now, or see you later, but basically means see you when i see you - i love it.  the past three days have been filled with places to go, people to meet, and things to do.  we arrived at our hotel, the mondior at emperors palace, also the venue for the event and lucky for us the weather here has been beautiful...

our first day in south africa we were off for a day of shopping at sandton city.  our means of transportation was the newly built "gautrain" for a quick 15 minute ride along the rails to this is a huge shopping center filled with a variety of designer shops, food, and inspiration galore.  after some retail therapy and a little lunch it was time to head back to the hotel to get everything ready for the event the following day.  upon arrival i was presented with many books to sign that were purchased by the delegates coming to the event the following day - lots of books...

on saturday it was show time for the first of two events for the sa scrapbook convention hosted and owned by my very talented friend glenda.  this event is top notch, every detail taken care of, handmade gifts, totes, and a beautiful setting to create in, all for the delegates.  we spent a full day together with workshops taught by margie and i, afternoon tea, lunch, and of course lots of shopping.  i had a great day teaching over 300 delegates and a sincere thank you to each and every one of you for being so inspiring, creative, and gracious...

today we finished packing up the event to move it on the road down to cape town where we'll do it all again next saturday - i can't wait for that too!  we got to spend the afternoon with glenda, her husband gary, their family and friends for a traditional south african "braai" (what we would call a bbq).   the food was simply spectacular, really...you just can't imagine!  we had "boerewors" (south african sausage), lamb, and ribs grilled up by "grill master gary" and "pap" a local fave (which are like grits) cooked by "weatherproof andre" - again all were simply amazing...

so thank you again to the delegates of jo'burg - i hope you enjoyed the day as much as i truly did.  tomorrow we're off to a whole new adventure.  so as they say "see you now now"...t!m