Tuesday Taggers - Something Old

Those lovely people at The Craft Barn are sponsoring Tuesday Taggers Challenge again with a fantastic £15 internet voucher as candy for the winner of our challenge, and all you have to do is produce something aged and enter it on the challenge blog. Easy eh?? well to make it easier we've asked Tim Holtz if we could use his tutorial to inspire us to great things. We were lucky enough to meet him not too long ago (That's me on his right) and there is no one who can distress quite like him. Check out Tuesday Taggers to see the master at work! It just so happens that the Craft Barn have a lot of the Tim Holtz range in stock so if you need (notice it's a need, not a want!) to update your stash, they are a good place to start!

So my effort for this week - well a couple of weeks ago me and my OH went for a run out to take some photo's and despite driving past this place every day for about 8 years, this was the first time I'd ever been and had a look at Barden Tower.

I can remember as a kid getting stuck here in the snow on the way to school and all 20ish pupils getting off the bus to try and push it up the hill so we could make it home - great days!

You would think that the tower being built in the 1600s, would be the thing that inspired my work, but no, it was an old shed at the back of the great tower that took my fancy


I just loved it's ramshackle glory and the distinct smell of hay coming from within. (There's a memory or two being stirred there as well but definately not for public consumption!!)


This door particularly appealed as many moons ago someone had take the time to write 'private' in lovely lettering on this decrepit piece of timber which looks no more private than fly!


And isn't this paintwork just wonderful! The whole thing just reminded me of a poem Miss Smith taught us at school called The Listener by Walter De La Mare, and this then was the inspiration for my tag. I know it's been a long winded build up but read the poem here and you'll get the amazing picture!


The tag then was painted with crackle paint, coloured and stamped with distress inks, The lamp was stamped onto paper made from distress ink shimmer mist and embossed and yes I did stamp all those leaves and cut them out. The metal bits and bobs I made from wire and jewellery findings. What a lovely way to spend the weekend, with such wonderful memories and pictures from the poem too!

We do get our inspiration from the strangest of places don't we? Hope this has inspired you to have a go at TT Challenge, can't wait to see what you come up with!

x Michelle