Tim Holtz

Tim Holtz, iconic designer

Tim Holtz is a creative jack-of-all-trades who has earned an iconic status in paper crafts. Tim has been creating for most of his life. He enjoys working with his hands and loves developing new, innovative products. Using his love for eclectic vintage, he designs stamps, stencils, cutting dies, stamping inks, embossing powders, embellishments and tools for several big brands, including Ranger, Advantus, Stampers Anonymous, Sizzix and Tonic Studios. All his designs are easily recognisable because of his characteristic, edgy style.

For years, Tim Holtz has played a leading role in the development & design of progressive and cutting-edge products. His ingenious ideas have led to wonderful collaborations with the best brands in the hobby world. For Tim Holtz stamps, you can go to Stampers Anonymous and for cutting dies in all shapes and sizes with accompanying die-cutting and embossing machines, Sizzix is the brand for you. Tim designs the essential tools together with Tonic Studios. These include the popular Tim Holtz Stamp Platform, the Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat and the Tim Holtz Scissors that cannot be missing from your craft room.

Tim Holtz & Ranger Ink: a success story

Since 2003, Tim Holtz has associated his name with Ranger Ink. Before this kick-started his career, he worked in a craft store in Arizona. As a purchaser, he got a chance to visit a large craft fair where he saw first-hand what the creative industry has to offer. His first experiences with stamping soon led to an introduction to Ranger's innovative products and special colours, which impressed him greatly. During his many trade fair visits, he would drop off his self-designed product samples at Ranger's stand, which led to them approaching him for a demonstration at the next trade show. That turned out to be such a success that they offered him a job as Signature Designer and Director of Education two weeks later! It didn't take long until he became Creative Director of Ranger, although, since 2016, Tim has solely worked for the brand as a Signature Designer.

Distress & Alcohol Ink

For the world-famous brand Ranger Ink, Tim Holtz developed his Distress and Alcohol Ink product lines, which fit perfectly within his signature eclectic vintage style. The Distress line includes Distress ink pads, sprays, paints, stains, mediums, crayons and markers. The products from both ranges are easy to mix because they come in the same colours. The Alcohol Ink collection consists of Alcohol Inks but also includes Alcohol Pearls, Alcohol Ink Blending Solution, Mixatives and Yupo Cardstock. The product line also offers handy tools and matching accessories, such as blending tools for applying ink or paint, paper cutters, work mats and many more indispensable craft tools.

Want to find out more about the Distress collection? Read our blog to discover how to use Distress ink.

Tim Holtz Idea-ology 

If you're looking for vintage embellishments, your heart is bound to beat faster with Tim Holtz's Idea-ology line. In addition to the products resulting from his role as Signature Designer at Ranger and various collections in collaboration with other brands, Tim Holtz also has his own product line: Tim Holtz Idea-ology. The Idea-ology collection features elements from the industrial revolution, such as antique clocks, ornate keys and old means of transport. It mainly involves metallic charms, stickers with fun quotes and paper pads full of designer paper. According to Tim, 'Idea-ology' is a concept that our brains create because we constantly ask ourselves what ideas we see in front of us and how we wish to implement them. The products in his collection help crafters turn their fantasies into reality. Tim releases the Idea-ology line under the umbrella of the Advantus brand, just like his Assemblage product line, which consists of jewellery and accessories.

The Tim Holtz style appeals to scrappers and papercraft lovers from all over the world. Both those who love the distressed look as well as mixed media artists who love his simpler and more classic designs.

Want to know more about the other Ranger Ink Signature Designers and their collections? Read all about:

• Dina Wakley
• Dyan Reaveley
• Simon Hurley
• Wendy Vecchi