Over at Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge is ‘Happy Hour’ and once I seen this theme I knew immediately what I was going to work on. I planned on doing something to reminisce about my awesome experience but the challenge got me to do it sooner than later, lol.

My Happy Hour without a doubt is the hour I spend after opening and playing around with newly purchased products; getting to know what they will do, how they look, how they perform, how big are they, colors ….. you get it 🙂 And what perfect timing since I was blessed to be able to attend the Greatlakes MegaMeet Scrapbook & Stamp show in Novi just a few days ago (will share about the show after project details ) and had lots of ‘new to me’ items to play with, so lets get started….

During one of Tim’s demos he was showing us the DIY custom blend pads, although I knew they have been out awhile, I didn’t really ‘know’ much about them and enjoyed seeing them in action. I asked Tim if both Oxide and Regular Inks could go on the same pad and he said yes. So I ran, didn’t walk to get myself a few of these to play with. I really liked the idea of having both translucent and opacity on one pad for quick backgrounds. So using my re-inkers I did as Tim instructed and added a few drops in line with the pad of Old Paper but also wanted to add the few scattered areas, too, of Old Paper so I left those ‘holed’ areas void when adding Oxide Re-inkers Pumice Stone and Brushed Corduroy. Then went back and added the Old Paper.

Also new to me is Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous Mesh & Linen CMS221 and Glossy cardstock. Here is the Linen stamp that I have inked up using the custom pad.

Isn’t that Linen divine! Another technique I wanted to try that Tim demoed was the ‘Smudge’ Technique (he has a great tutorial here) I used the Mesh stamp from the set and DI Pumice Stone. If you are better with visuals, Tim does have a educational series Creative Chemistry that is absolutely AMAZING! I do recall him doing the technique in the class but with so much information and inspiration, it unfortunately is one I don’t do often. Well, I know that is going to change, so cool! So three colors, three depths and tons of interest in this background in just a few moments! Can’t wait to get more pads and DI re-inkers (can you believe Old Paper is the only regular ink one I have)!

If you have ever watched Tim demo live @ a show, FB live, IG live or on YT the ideas, tips and tricks he has are endless. Thinking of this is what made me think of Evolution CMS262. I didn’t want the silhouette portion so decided to use Black Soot Marker to color only the word portions of the stamp. I should have waited a few moments for the ink to dry on the glossy cardstock so there was a bit more smearing than I would have liked but I didn’t “freak my freak” lol, I just stamped again (I was using the Stamp Platform) and fixed it 🙂 Not shown but I then stamped the male from The Professor CMS373 set. This is a loving nickname used by many for Tim~ he really is teaching us all the time!

I also bought THMB016 ‘Treats’ from the show because it is often mentioned how Tim has ‘popcorn’ thoughts going on all the time. The mini blueprint stamp is a great fit and scale for the cloud image from Crazy Thoughts CMS238 but I did not want the inside marks so I used a Higgins permanent Black Magic ink marker with the stamp platform. This allowed me to do only the cloud and because the ink dries so quickly, did it in sections. I like to do multiple images for ‘just in case’ situations, prevents from having to do this step again 🙂

I wanted to see how two different coloring products worked on the new (to me) glossy cards stock so colored the one on the right with AI Dandelion and Red Pepper. The one on the left I colored with Mustard Seed and Barn Door. I ended up using the image colored with the Alcohol Inks, so vibrant! I also wanted the cloud to have loose popcorn so hand drew some in.

I had to cut some of the original 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 cardstock down to even up my uneven stamping with the background which in turn made for a wonky sized piece. I built my own frame using Etcetera Scallop Trims. I love the Etcetera series by Stampers Anonymous! So thick and easy to cut ❤ To alter these I first applied a base of gesso in white, added some Red Pepper AI randomly and finished with a coat (pretty thick in areas) of Distress Crackle Paint in Black Soot (discontinued) allow to air dry.

The frame was backed with a square from Merriment which is from Tim’s Eclectic Elements 2018 winter prints.

Added details; Remnant rubs on scraps of glossy cardstock then fussy cut, Ticket Booth CMS337 , Filmstrip, Gears, Key Quote Chips and resin pieces from my stash were all added to complete my wall decor piece.

The best part is each time I look at this, it will remind me of the wonderful experience I had while attending the GreatLakes MegaMeet Show on Thurs May 9 & Sat May 11. Not to mention all the upcoming ‘Happy Hours’ getting to know all my ‘new to me’ items that I bought 🙂

I bet there was a lot more going on in different booths at the show but I honestly hung out at the Stampers Anonymous Booth for the entirety of my time at the show. Tim is so entertaining, educational and a pleasure I didn’t want to miss anything!

I am normally a non-selfie girl but worked through my silliness and made sure I took some while I was there! And talk about embarrassing, I pushed the wrong button  (camera flip) before getting this shot, lol. Total newbie!

What an absolute delight these two are! Mario is amazing not only with his BTS (behind the scenes) work but oh my~ him at the registers, what a workhorse! And Stacy (check out how talented she is here) is even sweeter in person! Thank you so much for hanging with me Stacy and it was my delight to enjoy this together with you!

Here is Stacy and I with Ted ~ Mr.Stampers Anonymous. Such a friendly, personable, tall guy!

I really wish I could bottle up all the joy and pure happiness I experienced during my two days and share with everyone but a Super Special Thank You to Zoe Hillman the admin of Tim Holtz Addicts group for allowing me to do FB lives on both days, so everyone in the group could feel like they were there. If you are not a member, head on over and join to view the videos.

And I can’t forget~ having my Creativation samples travel the US for all to see among all these breathtaking works of art just blows me away to even think about it. #pinchmeplease ~ mine are the clock (pic1), stencil chip clipboard (pic 2).

Thank you for joining me and as always….

Have a blessed day,

Wendy xo

*I have supplied the links to some of the products I used but it’s a courtesy,  I am not affiliated with Stampers Anonymous.