Well, what an incredible weekend! I took the Simon Says Stamp Tim Holtz Collector’s Laboratory class and it was six hours of creative fun. Between Tim’s wonderful instruction, the humor and sarcastic banter with Heidi, Reed’s infectious laugh, and Brian and Mario keeping everything running behind the scenes, there was never a dull moment.
We created curio cabinets with shattered-glass windows, crackled and colored mini potion bottles, and added vintage labels. The kit was overflowing with little bits of goodness, and we used every piece.
If you haven’t taken one of these classes yet, I highly recommend it. It was the most enjoyable six hours I’ve spent in a long time. With glue and paint all over my fingers, I was definitely in my happy place–and now I have this amazing creation to show for it.
Want to see this project up close? – Check out my Instagram later today for a reel.
Tim Holtz – Tiny Books:
While I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this class, the “tiny books” were my favorite! One of the full Ephemera packs we received included book covers, so I watched Tim’s last class video HERE, to learn how to make them.
After making my first one, I knew I wanted to design some custom covers for this project, so I headed to my computer and got busy! I shared a reel on my Instagram page showing them up close. Of course, I should have taken a photo before gluing them all over my project, haha!
Some of my favorite titles:
Things best left buried
The midnight hour
Potions & Poisons
Book of Shadows
When I shared the reel over on Instagram and my Facebook page, I had a lot of people ask where I got the book covers from. So I created a PDF for each one and you can download them from here and print them.
Please Note: – When you print: print to actual size, not fit to page. Each book should measure 1-3/4″ wide and 1-1/4″ tall with a 1/4″ spine.
Once printed, cut them out and distress the edges with Gathering Twigs Ink.
Halloween Little Books 1 – Downloadable PDF
Halloween Little Books 2 – Downloadable PDF
and for the upcoming Christmas Class, here are some Christmas Tiny Books:
Christmas Tiny Books 1 – Downloadable PDF
Christmas Tiny Books 2 – Downloadable PDF
The Tim Holtz Collector’s Laboratory Kit:
The thought and attention to detail that went into this class was incredible, and the kit was just as impressive! Everything you see in these photos was included except the little white pumpkins–even the drippy candles, skulls, and rope tied around the bottles.
Those little orange Putka pods that look like pumpkins are crazy amazing! Heidi ordered a pile of them, and they’re currently available at Simon Says Stamp.
And check out those shattered windows! The kit included an exclusive die set with four shattered-glass designs, making it so easy to create that wonderfully spooky effect.
They even colored the pearls for us!
THEN, at the end of class, Tim shared a Christmas version he had made:
Tim Holtz Christmas Collector’s Laboratory:
I’ll be digging through my stash to create this one very soon.
And the supply list for the Tim Holtz Christmas Collector’s Laboratory is HERE on the Simon Says Stamp Blog:
Ok, that’s it for me today. If you also attended class this weekend, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you didn’t, the free class is on replay over on the Simon Says Stamp Youtube Channel. Although the kits are long sold out, most of the supplies are available through Simon Says Stamp, and I’ll list as many of them as I can find below.
Tim and Heidi’s next class is November 21 and it’s a beautiful Vintage Holiday theme – and you can get your kit HERE
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thank you for the book covers. awesome, I haven’t finished mine but working on it. I don’t see the reels so I am grateful that you still keep a blog post. I read every one. thanks as always for sharing and all the inspiration,
thank you Theresa, and have fun making the books, I’m just posting the reels right now, I slept in, so I’m a bit behind
Oh my goodness, how cool is that?!? Love the fun spooky cabinet, looks like it was lots of fun to create! 🙂
thanks Amy, it was a blast
I love your cabinet, love the creativity. I have never attempted to make something like this but would love to, maybe one day. I do have odd bits of Tim’s ephemera in my stash so one day I will create. I love his Christmas version as well, but Hallowe’en is so fun to decorate for!
Thank you Lynne: I would recommend trying one of these classes and purchasing the kit. That way you get everything you need at a great price. Tim is very good at teaching, I had no problem keeping up for the entire class, I’m sure you would love it
Thank you so much for the awesome tiny book covers!!! Love them, and I am obsessed wth tiny books1 I have a bunch of “pages” ready and needed covers!! Perfect timing! And yes, the class with Tim and Heidi was great and love my laboratory! All the makes I’ve seen are awesome, and I want to make more, as each one makes me go, oh why didn’t I think of that!!
you are so welcome LoriLee, I’ll have some Christmas ones coming shortly. I am also now obsessed with tiny books, haha and have a bunch of strips that need folding, haha. Can’t wait for the November Class
You are right, what a magnificent creation and you had so much fundoing it!
Thank you Sharon, I had a blast making it, LOL
Thank you for sharing your book covers.
you are so welcome – Christmas ones coming soon
Thanks for the book pdfs. Very cool!
you are so welcome, thanks for visiting
wow, what an incredible project! that must have taken a lot of time. fabulous Sandi
The class was 6 hours and I had to break it up over two days, it was worth every second
Thank you for sharing the book covers, they look amazing. The class was so fun, I took it with my daughter and granddaughter.
You are so welcome Kathy, and I just added the christmas tiny books to the same post.
The class was amazing! I had so much fun and the time just flew by! I always learn so much from Tim. I really enjoy seeing Heidi “going rogue” as she’s trying new things. He teaches techniques and gives tips & tricks that can be used to “edit” our supplies for any occasion, not just Halloween.
The tiny books are so much fun to make. He showed us how in a class last year. I’ve had a plastic box ever since with all the book covers from every ephemera pack, old book pages, my page-folding template and metal binder clips. There are also a few sheets of patterned paper that I thought would work well either as book covers or as labels and faux leather spines. I pull out the box frequently to make books while I watch TV or a movie. Sometimes I’ll construct them and sometimes I’ll distress them with inks and add tiny labels to the spine or the front. I don’t do that for every book but I love adding lots of little details to the ones that will be on the top of a stack or the ones that are featured by themselves. I guess I’m a little obsessed with them too.
Haha, I think I am a little obsessed with them as well, as I have a similar box
My apologies! I forgot to Thank You for the PDFs. They are adorable. It’s very nice of you to share them with us.
you are so very welcome Rick