Design Elements: The last Studio L3 Compendium Challenge

When Linda started the Studio L3 Compendium journey the week of June 14, 2010, it was truly an adventure for me.

Up to that point I'd only heard whispers of Tim Holtz: I'd never seen the Compendium, nor tried Distress inks, embossing powders, crackle or stickles. I'd never played with alcohol inks or Perfect Pearls.

I know. My life was one of depression and deprivation before Tim Holtz. My Guy also lost his job about the same time the Challenges began, so despite the delight of Holtzy goodness to dive into ... well, it's been a long few months.

Anyhow, here's the reason the crappy unemployed topic is important to this post: First, if I could manage to squeeze in a tub, tube or sheet of this or that every month without creating any debt or living on dry noodle packs, you can, too. Second, you'll find that some products are favorites and others ... hey, we're all different and you might not ever want to buy this or that again, but I promise you'll be glad you tried each one.

Finally, the Holtz products are easily the highest-quality paper craft and altered art products I've used. There's no expert here, granted, but here there are two people (My Guy and me) who have, throughout our lives, worked with essentially every imaginable hobby and craft. We recognize crap, is all I'm saying.

OK. I'm finished advertising for Holtz and Ranger. Thanks for listening. Let's move on to the art!

Today's project shows off some of the first techniques we were challenged to use: In fact that water stamp tree on the right, it was one my first ever Compendium technique attempts! Then there's the crackle-painted block of red, the color wash bit on the top left and a whole lot of embossed, inked and painted bits.

Throw on a grunge flower with vintage paper, a brass button turned funky with alcohol ink metallic stuff, a token and an ornate frame with what My Guy likes to call the Children of the Corn faces. What of the silver wire spring thing, you ask?

I hate using wire for "stitching" because it's complicated and I'm lazy and impatient. Still, I tried with a bit and you can see the result. I gave up after one two-inch section, but had a bunch of wire remaining that I'd already cut off of the spool.

So, I wound it up, threaded it through a hole on the ornate plate and a punched hole in a rosette that is behind the grungy flower!

I guess it's the Spring forward twist? Or, perhaps more importantly, the Spring out of the Compendium and into whatever Linda has promised is in store for us in the future!

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the challenges, and to our amazing muse and hostess, Linda: We're a rowdy bunch and hard to keep in line!