Tag Archives: TimHoltz

Who’s for dinner on Halloween

Who’s for dinner on Halloween

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There was a time when I needed place cards because I regularly hosted dinner parties.

That however was a long, long time ago. That was back when I religiously memorized every issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Then life changed. Martha donned her Orange is the New Black party clothes and my life became consumed by family health care needs.

Sadly, nowadays–my guest list is purely imaginary. But hey! At least my imaginary guests will have place cards to die for! Read the rest of this entry

Go through the tunnel book to get to the Hanging Tree

Go through the tunnel book to get to the Hanging Tree
Go through the tunnel book to get to the Hanging Tree

The Hanging Tree song by James Newton Howard is a haunting tune that stays in your head long after you hear it. With the Halloween season upon us, I wanted to create my own homage to this song.

While I may sometimes feel murderous intentions–especially when one of my kids doesn’t replace the toilet paper on the roll–my desire to erect a hanging tree took on a more benign approach via this altered art tunnel book.

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Hanging Tree Altered Art Tunnel Book Cover

Once you enter through the spooky gates of this book, the song lyrics guide you though a series of hauntingly sad spaces. Read the rest of this entry

Do you know What Witches Do? This altered book may tell you

Do you know What Witches Do? This altered book may tell you
Do you know What Witches Do? This altered book may tell you

Combining altered books and Halloween–does life get any better?

It does when your altered art album gets featured on the Canvas Corp blog!

Please stop over and check out my tutorial (and my first-ever video explaining how I used magnets in the book).

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A time of magic and dragons in a miniature Merlin’s room

A time of magic and dragons in a miniature Merlin’s room
A time of magic and dragons in a miniature Merlin’s room

In a land of myth and a time of magic lived Merlin. With his room deep in the heart of Camelot, Merlin had a special connection to powerful dragons. If you look closely, you can see that one has appeared in Merlin’s mirror, ready to speak to the fearless wizard.

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Meanwhile his cupboards are filled with frightening potions and books of spells and other wizardry.

Betsy-Skagen-Merlin Room-7

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Treasures await beneath the sea

Treasures await beneath the sea
Treasures await beneath the sea

 

Only the Mermaid knows what timeless treasures and crusty old bones hide deep beneath the Sea. Nuggets of gold, silver platters, ancient relics…the fierce Mermaid and her scaly steed guard this watery tomb.

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Was Lewis Carroll a secret crafter?–an Alice in Wonderland Altered Tin

Was Lewis Carroll a secret crafter?–an Alice in Wonderland Altered Tin

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Becoming a professional crafter has changed my life. Monday mornings? Couldn’t be better! Daily commute? No sweat! I. Love. My. Job.

Admittedly though, it has made me a little odd. I am often going out in public with dyed blue fingers or traces of glitter in my hair. And seriously, who besides me makes frantic dashes to the dollar store before it closes for the night in order to buy cheap dolls to dismember?

Ummmm…Apparently several of you. When I asked fellow Alpha Stamps Design Team Members that question, more than one had done the same thing. One, who shall remain nameless, coughTristancough had bought 12.

Scary.

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This is not the first time I have dismembered body parts in the name of crafting…

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Welcome to our cottage on the lake–sorry no synchronized flushes

Welcome to our cottage on the lake–sorry no synchronized flushes

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Next year will be the 75th anniversary of our family’s cottage and I thought it was high time to acknowledge our family’s long history with this humble yet special place on “da lake”.

Humble is not some half-hearted attempt at being polite. I literally mean humble. Our little log cabin has been flanked in recent years by McMansions haughtily looking down from climate-controlled alfresco kitchens and his and her en suites complete with synchronized flushing.

Betsy Skagen of Paper Calliope

That’s Me! On the back steps of The Cottage.

While I might not object to a few upgrades to our cottage–like being able to take a shower some place other than in the basement with chipmunks dashing in to sneak peeks at my lady parts, I cannot imagine replacing it with some giant lake home.

Our cottage has too much character, heart and history–from the open loft guaranteed to cause concussions in any adult over five feet tall, to the six-foot wide longhorn steer horns above the table that my grandfather acquired somewhere in Texas, to the 1960s retro motel towels that my uncle “borrowed” when he traveled the state with his construction crews.

Bobber-girl by Betsy Skagen

I bet people in alfresco kitchens don’t let their kids stick fishing lures in their swimsuits.

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Under the Mixed Media Big Top

Under the Mixed Media Big Top
Under the Mixed Media Big Top

 

 

Canvas Corp will soon be publishing a plethora of 4 x 4 canvases, uniquely created by each of their design team members. Since the canvases are supposed to reflect the designers in some way, I decided to create a vintage circus meets industrial canvas.

Skagen-4x4challenge2a Read the rest of this entry

I love my word nerd friends so much that I made them an altered art Valentine tag

I love my word nerd friends so much that I made them an altered art Valentine tag

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As a former journalist and business writer, I have many friends in the editorial world. While our party animal reputation may not be on par with–oh say, the Kardashians–we still know how to have a good time. For example, can you think of anything that creates more rollicking merriment than a little word nerd banter?

Indeed, we are a boisterous and bawdy bunch.

Please go see the tutorial on the ColourArte blog.

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Swag swoon…Please don’t faint from this blog’s lavish perks…a free printable calendar

Swag swoon…Please don’t faint from this blog’s lavish perks…a free printable calendar

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had lots of fun making this month-at-a-glance mixed media calendar. I hope you visit the ColourArte blog to see how to make it. I will love you even more if you leave a kind note on the post over there.

To make the project a lot less time consuming, I create this printable calendar for you. And guess what! It’s free!

Just download the Month at a glance printable from Paper Calliope.

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