Like a Schoolgirl . . .

That's how I felt when I opened my copy of Tim Holtz's new book, A Compendium of Curiosities and read "Maria - Explore your curiosities! *Tim Holtz 2010."  It made my heart flutter like a schoolgirl to know that he had written that - just for me!  Yes, I have a little crush on Tim.   I have actually met him several times, including at a very small mutli-day retreat when he was just starting out.  We've also exchanged emails a few times when I was teaching projects using his techniques at my local scrapbook store.  It's hard to imagine there's a sweeter, more generous artist.   Anyway, the book got my muse all, um, stimulated, and I made a few tags.  The one of the left uses a very cool stamping with water technique to create the batiked/bleached flowers at the bottom.  I also colored the crown with alcohol inks after painting with a silver dauber, but that's hard to see in the picture.  I made a few other Tim-inspired bits and pieces that will no doubt show up soon in my artwork.  If you like Tim Holtz and want to learn more about how to use his products, the book is a terrific resource - and he'll even autograph one for you if you order it from his website here.