Tag Archives: TimHoltz

Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope

Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope
Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope

So, by now you probably know that I love making vintage circus art. It probably has a little something to do with the fact that my kids have gone to a circus performing arts school since the youngest was still in diapers. Yep, The Daughter™ hung from a trapeze, even before she was out of Pampers.

Aside from my kids’ involvement, I also like making circus-themed art because of the vibrant graphics and the endless opportunities for whimsy and creativity. Over the last week,I have been laboring over a special project that has been on my to-do list for a long, long while. It was finally time to make a paper calliope.

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Make a Valentine pop-up box

Make a Valentine pop-up box
Make a Valentine pop-up box

 

 

Be still my heart–at least until I get my heart rate down. There’s been such a flurry of Valentine projects underway at Paper Calliope that I haven’t had a moment to blog.

That changes today however. Please stop by the Robin’s Nest and see a tutorial for this fun little box I created using paper and the spring from an old ballpoint pen. Read the rest of this entry

Celebrate the past and future with this calendar gift card book

Celebrate the past and future with this calendar gift card book

Paper-Calliope-Calendar-Gift-Card-Holder-cover

So it was just a week ago that my 8.5 ounce baby boy was born. Well….a week and 18 years ago. It feels like a few days ago. Cliche or not, where the hell did the time go?

Since he is past the age of wanting action figures for presents and since he is always broke, his dad and I decided to give him small denomination gift cards that he can use throughout the year. I tied it into the chance to remind him about the incredibly awesome parents who threw so many over-the-top theme birthday parties over the years. Aaaannnnd, since I’m still Mom, I decided to also use the opportunity to boost his awareness about Mother’s Day other important days throughout the year. Read the rest of this entry

The fabulous supplies of Elfville

The fabulous supplies of Elfville

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My Elfville post a few days back showed off some of the Robin’s Nest fabulous products. If any of it caught your eye, I wanted to make it easy for you to find, so I am providing a comprehensive list here.

Just to note, I’m not getting paid for this. Although I am on the design team, I bought the materials for Elfville myself since it fell outside the realm of my contractual obligation. (I also bought a whole lot more, but we won’t talk about that…) Read the rest of this entry

The end is near, so let’s can* it.

The end is near, so let’s can* it.

Halloween-tin-created-by-Betsy-Skagen-in-early-2000s-diagonal

 Altered tins are a treat on Halloween

On Day 12 of Paper Calliope’s 13 Days of October the end is near. It may not be Thursday, but I am sending out a throwback today with this Halloween tin I created several years ago. Read the rest of this entry

An artist trading block–be careful when toying with Number 13

An artist trading block–be careful when toying with Number 13

Paper-Calliope-Halloween-ATB-outside-1

As you are probably aware by now, Paper Calliope has been hosting the 13 Days of October. For 13 days in October I am featuring different autumn and Halloween focused craft projects. I playfully chose the number 13 to toy with spooky superstitions. Read the rest of this entry

Golden Age of Travel Altered Art Box Tutorial at Robin’s Nest

Golden Age of Travel Altered Art Box Tutorial at Robin’s Nest
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There was a time during the 1940s to 1970s when some families got to experience the Golden Age of Travel. These were the days of roomy planes with curtained windows and hot meals; luxurious hotels with gloved bellhops; and even wood-paneled stationwagons with kids frolicking unbuckled in the back, while adults navigated empty interstates using a map from the Amoco station.

Ok, truth be told, I don’t remember most of those either. I am not prehistoric after all!.

My altered art box reflects how I imagine some mid-century Americans families  spent their holidays during this era You can read more about this altered art box, see a tutorial on how to make it and even find out what it has in common with Oprah by visiting my post at the Robin’s Nest.

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Stop those dreaded pen thieves in their tracks

Stop those dreaded pen thieves in their tracks


Paper-Calliope-pen-holder

 

“They walk among us, silently waiting for an opportunity to strike. People you would never suspect in a hundred years, capable of inflicting deep harm and intense personal suffering.
 
Every 38 seconds in the United States, they claim a new victim. At this very moment, they could be targeting your significant other, or your best friend, or maybe even you.”  –J. Mark Powell
 

The most treacherous criminal in existence is the dreaded Pen Thief. Unfortunately, in my house, there’s a young criminal in the making. No pen, pencil or marker is safe from The Daughter™. Read the rest of this entry

Learn how to brighten someone’s day with this greeting card tutorial

Learn how to brighten someone’s day with this greeting card tutorial
Learn  how to brighten someone’s day with this greeting card tutorial

The Robin’s Nest recently gave a challenge to think outside the box when creating greeting cards. Since I don’t think a box exists that contains enough nooks, crannies, twists and turns to hold my little ol’ brain, this seemed like the perfect challenge.

I love creating three-dimensional and interactive cards such as explosion cards, pop-up cards and cards with secret compartments. (I also like creating irreverent cards with vintage images, but The Robin’s Nest might not want their upstanding name associated with that). At the same time, I think a lot of manufacturers would like designers to get back to the basics and offer tutorials that crafters can complete without an engineering degree, $47K in specialized tools and a tattoo of Tim Holtz’s autograph on their arse.*

With that in mind, I created a three-dimensional card that can be completed in one sitting, requires no special tools and remains flat enough to be mailed in a regular envelope. Read the rest of this entry

Altered art goes retro

Altered art goes retro

Creating a vintage recipe box

Rebel that I am, I decided to break away from the crafting styles of late and head in a new–or rather, should I say, an old–direction.

With this altered art project I went back in time and put a little kitsch into the mix by transforming a cardboard book box into a retro pink refrigerator, or as it was called in the olden days, an ice box. Read the rest of this entry