simple dreams

Some Xcalibur Answers

ETA: Please note that I am adding questions to the bottom of this post as they come in. I will do my best to answer them as quickly as possible.

What is the price point of the Xcalibur?

Oh how I wish I was at liberty to share this with you, but at this point I am not able to share this information. As soon as I can - I will, so keep watching being that once CHA begins I can then shout it from the rooftops. All I can say is that I believe you will be thrilled.

When will the Xcalibur be available for purchase?

Currently the release date is May 2008. So why are we talking about it now?

The crafting industry can be a very difficult industry to work within at times. It is important to share what new inventions are on the horizon, but the question is always when should we do it to best accomodate the needs of our customers. Many question why the manufacturer does not let everyone know the minute an idea hits the drawing board. I can easily tell you that it is due to the incredibly competitive nature of the industry. If word is leaked to far in advance that a new invention is in the works, another manufacturer will waltz in and take the idea and run with it. So timing is critical in this industry. Do I wish it was not this way? Very definitely yes, but it is what it is and so we must work with it.

The next part of this question is why tell about it so far in advance. My answer to that question is that by sharing this information in advance of the actual release date it then allows new consumers to make a decision as to whether they should wait on their next purchase or buy what is currently available. At times it can be a difficult decision especially when the new product is not even out yet to physically try. It's a catch-22 that unfortunately there are no good answers for. All we can do is try to accomodate as many needs as possible.

So as always we will do our very best to educate you about what is coming vs. what is here. You will then be able to make a decision for yourself as to whether what you currently own is best for you or if what is coming is worth all the hubbub. There are many consumers who currently do not own a diecutting system. This will allow them to reflect on what it is that they want and make the decision that is right for them.

Is the Wizard passe?

In my opinion I believe that the Wizard will always be my go-to tool for any heavy duty crafting. There will more likely than not ever be another machine on the market that can withstand the pressure that is exerted by this Univeral Crafting Tool. This little metal machine can withstand pressure like no other in today's market place because it is all metal.

The Wizard will not be taken off the market at this time. It is a tool that fills the needs of many. That is not to say that sometime down the road it will not be taken off the market - it just depends on you the consumer. Will you still have a need for a tool that is durable? We can't answer that question - only you can. Again I believe that there will always be a place for a strong tool and that is what the Wizard is - a strong, Universal diecutting and embossing tool.

Are we taking preorders?

I believe that it is much too early to take preorders on this product. It is so important to me that I leave your money in your checking account until I am ready to make a fair transaction with you. It is always my intention to be able to ship your product out to you immediately upon receiving any financial compensation.

I also take the trust that you place in me seriously. At this moment I have great confidence in Spellbinders and their ability to make things happen, but there are so many others that need to be counted on for parts and labor that it is out of the control of any one individual or company.

Can we take your name and put you on a list so that we make certain to order enough product to begin with - most definitely! If you believe that you are going to have to have one of these when they are ready to ship and you would like to support us by purchasing it through us, then please send us an email at customerservice@ellenhutson.com. We will put together a special list to keep you updated as to what it is that is happening with the Xcalibur and consider you in a head-count of those we will honor orders of when the timing is right. I promise that we will not bombard you with frivolous "stuff", but will keep you up-to-date on what is that we are learning.

Do I think the Xcalibur is big news?

Yes, I think it is huge. What an incredible innovation! There are many crafters who have a difficult time using tools that require manual labor, so to have a completely mechanized machine is huge. I am personally VERY excited about it being I have noticed arthritis setting in to my hands and I wonder at times how I will continue to do what it is that I do into my more "advanced" years - LOL! Well - I believe that the solution is within reach with this machine Ü

I thank you for your questions. I will most certainly be trying the Xcalibur for myself at CHA being that I have not had the opportunity to personally test the machine. We all work so hard to make a living and I respect you all so much for wanting to know what the "right" thing to do is. I hope to be able to share my perspective and knowledge with you as soon as I can have some "hands-on" time with this latest, greatest innovation. As always I will give you as much information as possible and I thank you once again for placing your trust in me. I hope to never let you down.

Will the Xcalibur Cut and Emboss Simultaneously?

Being that the dies are designed to be utilized in three possible ways it will still require two passes through the machine to first cut your cardstock and then a second pass through to emboss it. As with the Wizard you will be able to cut and emboss, only cut, or only emboss. Versatility is so important and this is the only way to achieve the flexibility we would like to see from the dies.

Wait till you see this!!!! Xcalibur!

Word is out - you are not going to believe what Spellbinders Paper Arts has come up with for CHA this year!!! I have the pleasure of sharing this amazing news with all of you out here in the blogosphere - Spellbinders is continuing in their tradition of innovation by introducing... THE FIRST MOTORIZED DIE CUTTING and EMBOSSING SYSTEM!!!

A touch of the button gently feeds and slowly releases mats for cutting and embossing. The mats used in Xcalibur™ will be the same mats currently used in the Wizard, Universal Craft Tool. Xcalibur™ will cut, emboss and texturize virtually every consumer die from leading manufacturers making it the universal system of choice.

Stay tuned for more information to come and check out Spellbinders home page for more updates Ü

Xcalibur™ is going to revolutionize the die cutting world!!! If you will be attending CHA Winter stop by Booth #5071 and experience it for yourself. We expect Xcalibur to be available to us in May 2008!

We have a winner!

Generate pseudo-random integers between and allowing repeats with no repeats

OUTPUT Copy down or cut and paste into your application

134

OK - so I counted and recounted from the opposite end - and I arrive at Melissa's name. Congratulations Melissa! You will now get your opportunity to give these a try being she wrote:

       "I haven't tried the Copics yet due to cost, but I would love to try them out if I win them!"

I will be sending you an email shortly, but if for some reason you do not receive it please email us at customerservice@ellenhutson.com so that we can get your goodies in to the mail to you on Monday Ü

Have a fun, relaxing, creative weekend everyone!

Background Fun

I got quite the chuckle when I saw Debbie's post - her creation is OVER THE TOP beautiful. So why chuckle you ask - well I chuckle because she used the Bride and Groom. Over the weekend I had started the creating of the card for this post - guess which images I used? Yep, you've got it - the Bride and Groom - LOL! And yes, I was begging Karen Lockhart for this groom, so please buy it - LOL! I absolutely am thrilled with how well this couple fits together - they truly do compliment one another.

It's the season for wedding preparations. With all the summertime weddings coming up it is now, that many brides (and grooms) are working eagerly towards getting ready for their big day. So why not start thinking of how you will surprise them with something hand-made on their wedding day.

Weddings typically have a soft edge to them and so in thinking through this creation I felt that I wanted to use simple Pergamano techniques to create an ethereal feeling to the image. I began by stamping the groom using Palette New Canvas ink on the Parchment Paper. To get my placement exact on the bride I did the exact same thing as Debbie - I pulled out my Stamp-a-ma-jig. It is a tool I just can't live without being I always like to stamp with precision.

To bring out the softness of the white stamped image I used a combination of two different embossing stylus - both the fine stylus and extra small ball. Once the image is dry I flip it over on to the specially designed embossing pad and draw over the stamped outline using these fine-tipped stylus. Once completed I then colored the image on this side with Copic markers. Copics work SO well on Parchment paper - they truly allow you to get a watercolor like feel to your images.

When teaching stamping classes as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator there were two ink pads I always recommended to a beginning stamper - one was black and the other was VersaMark. The subtle watermark or color tone change that occurs on most cardstocks when you stamp an image using this particular ink pad is subtle, yet distinct. I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that Memory Box Cardstock is made completely different then cardstock that is colored all the way through and therefore VersaMark does NOT leave a watermark on Memory Box Notecards or Cardstock. So for this creation I used Certainly Celery cardstock from Stampin' Up!

As you can see from the finished creation inking the Scalloped Lace Backgrounder with VersaMark and stamping on cardstock leaves a beautiful, monochromatic impression.

This beautiful addition allowed me to create a simple card with a lot of WOW factor. The window was cut and embossed using a rectangular Nestability, and white pearls were affixed to help complete that "wedding-like" feeling.

Now for my storage tip Ü I have taken a few pictures to share how it is that I am storing my backgrounders. First I run the paper insert that comes with the backgrounder through my Xyron machine - laminating both sides of the insert.

I then remove the backing on the backgrounder and attach it to the back of this insert as shown below.

When I ink my stamp I just leave my backgrounder on this laminate covered piece and lay it face down on my work surface, tapping the ink pad evenly over the entire backgrounder.

Place your cardstock on your background in the desire location as shown below.

I then flip the scrap paper that I am working on over the top of this "sandwich", lightly holding the card in place.

Next I gently rub my hand over the entire surface. Lift and remove.

Look how beautiful and crisp the image is Ü Thank you to Julie Ebersole for the wonderful tip of using the scrap paper I am working with - no longer do I go running around looking for a scrap piece of typing paper when I am getting ready to use my backgrounds - LOL!

Being that I know others like to feel the stamp in their hand we do have an alternative for those who prefer this method. We have found a beautiful acrylic block that is just the right size for use with backgrounders and other large stamps.

Having the ruler grid allows me to easily line the stamp up perfectly. As well the finger grip positions make it more comfortable to use.

I have a rather small hand - 8" from tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky when my hand is fully stretched open. I can still control these blocks due to the finger grips that are in place.

Another method for those who already own wood mounted backgrounds that have a decal in place on the front is to remove the backing on the Smart Cushion or EZmount stamps and temporarily affix it to the face of a wood mounted background. Once you have finished stamping clean the stamp, remove it and place it back on to your storage surface.

One last little bit of information that I would like to share in regards to storing Smart Cushion or EZ mount is extremely important.

Please Note: It is not recommended that you store any of your Smart Cushion/EZMount Stamps on Acetate Sheets. Acetate is made with chemicals that will react with the Smart Cushion/EZMount and any other cling cushion type product, making an almost permanent bond between it and the cling. Acetate products include transparencies and many binder inserts. Laminate sheeting is not supposed to have the same effects and therefore the reason I am really excited about being able to use my Xyron for this purpose.

Well, it is time to crawl into bed. I hope that you enjoy my version of the bride and groom as much as I have enjoyed Debbie's! Be certain to take a peek - her watercoloring is incredible! Thanks for stopping by and be certain to read my post of two days ago for a little surprise at the end - you have one more day Ü

COPIC Marker Sets CD24C and CD24D Update

Yes, unfortunately it is true. We are already sold out of these sets, but we are working to try and remedy this as best we can. Over the next few days we will be adding a few at a time to the store as we get supplies to make them up. We apologize for not having more on hand. As I said in my last post MANY more are on order, but today I found out that most of that big order will not be available to us until mid-February.

Thank you so much for your incredible support and please watch for them to appear in our store in little bits and pieces over the next week or so. If you would like to be put on a please notify us list you can email us at customerservice@ellenhutson.com and we will send out an email each time we are ready to put more back up.

Don't forget to read to the bottom of the previous post if you haven't done so you will find some blog candy posted there Ü Remember you need to post before Friday Midnight because the Random Number Generator will be used for all posts before that time :D

COPIC Marker New Color Sets

The moment has arrived. Yesterday we received our shipment of new COPIC Marker sets! So once again I have been glued to the computer screen typing and editting rather than creating. Hopefully soon the creating part will have time to happen Ü

Tonight at 10:00pm PST we will make the markers go live. It will be a first come, first serve basis, being that our supplies are currently limited. MANY more markers are on order, but I do not have word yet when they will arrive, so please hang tight with us as we await word on the arrival of more sets.

Now for the long winded explanation of what is here - LOL! I wish I knew how to say this in just a few concise words, but...

Before I begin I want to share with you that all my testing for colors was done on Neenah Classic Crest, Solar White cardstock. The white color base you begin with does affect your final color outcome. Solar White is a white that compares closely to Stampin' Up!'s white cardstock, only it is a more "sturdy" paper (for lack of a better word). I have found that Neenah Classic Crest is my paper of choice when working with both Prismacolor Color Pencils and Copic Sketch Markers.

First we have added seven, YES (7) new sets of 12 markers each. For your reference we have attached the picture below. I hope that I don't make typepad explode with the enormity of the files I will be attaching today Ü As you can see from these lists some of the colors are duplicates to the colors we already have in our line.

I am uncertain at this point as to whether or not this chart is even readable so you may need to wait for a second or third draft of this post to be able to read these charts. I apologize in advance if the font on the colors is so tiny it is unreadable, but I'll keep trying until I get it to a size that you should be able to view. After 10:00 pm I will come back to this post and add links to the store. This will allow you to read the color information at full size.

The first four sets listed showcase the colors that I believe compare closely to Stampin' Up!'s primary color families. The next set, which we are calling Trendy Tones, is a set of colors that were/are a part of Stampin' Up!'s color line last year and this year. Again, please know these are NOT Stampin' Up! colors, but colors that I believe after thorough examination, compare as close as possible to the Stampin' Up! cardstock I own and use.

Next you will find a Neutral Tone set. This set is comprised of colors that compare to the Neutral colors, but in addition it also has numerous neutral tones added to it that will allow you to combine with the colors in the first five sets to get a more accurate depiction of the colors in Stampin' Up!'s line.

The last set of colors, the Completer Set, is significant if accuracy is important to you. Many of the colors that are included in the first five sets do not compare closely if used on their own. They need to be blended with the colors that are in the Neutral set or Completer Set to gain in accuracy. I know the thought of blending colors may be scary to many of you, but remember this is art. It is about learning and perfecting over time.

To try and make it easier for each of you who purchase the Copic Sketch Marker sets through us we are including a chart with each set you purchase. On that chart I share how it is that I was able to create a color that compared closely with the Stampin' Up! cardstock I own.

You may ask why on earth do I need these two additional sets when there are 330 colors in the Sketch line of markers? Well there are 100's of 1000's of combinations that colors can be mixed and unfortunately COPIC and Stampin' Up! just don't have all of the same color selections. So how did I come up with these colors? The first thing I did was to go through the entire COPIC line and select one color that was as close in comparison as possible to the Stampin' Up! color. When that didn't suffice I then went back through the entire line combining and blending colors to achieve a color that compared to the Stampin' Up! colors. Believe me when I tell you that I tried MANY combinations - LOL!

These seven sets are for those of you who have never purchased Copic Markers before and would like to try them in one color family. It will allow you to add to your marker sets over time and hopefully not make such a huge dent in your crafting budget. Please remember when you purchase your first set to add a Colorless Blender Marker. No place in these seven sets is a Colorless Blender included. You may also want to consider getting the Colorless Blender Refill at the same time to help with clean up and to create special effects.

I would like you all to note this important item. In creating the sets of markers so that individuals could purchase one set only it became necessary to repeat a couple of colors in the sets. You will find that color Y21 is used in both the Pastel and Jewel Tones sets, marker R89 is used in both the Jewel and Trendy Tones, and marker YG63 is used in both the Pastel and Trendy Tones sets. Unfortunately if you purchase these in sets you will receive duplicates.

My suggestion for those who will be purchasing your markers one set at a time is to purchase the markers individually that are in these sets to avoid duplication. I wish there were an easier way around it, but I couldn't think of anything that made sense other than to purchase the markers individually or as a whole.

These seven sets will be sent to you in a Clear Copic Sketch Case. The retail value of these sets including the case is $75.40 - we will be selling these for $59.49.

For those who like to just make one big purchase and be ready to go we put together a COPIC Gotta Have It All (GHIA) for the first time COPIC user. This marker set is for those that wanted to have all the colors necessary to create the colors that coordinate with Stampin' Up!'s many beautiful colors as well as a few others that are just too good to pass up.

Hold your breath - the retail value of this set is... $631.05. Gulp - why so much you ask? Well included with the 96 markers, which are valued at $5.95 each, we have opted to include 3 wallets that each hold 36 markers. Each wallet retails for $19.95. But here is where the good news comes in - you will be THRILLED to know that the cost for the Ellen Hutson Exclusive GHIA is $456.96. (Well, perhaps I should say exclusive until another retailer comes along and reads about all this hard work and decides to sell the same package - LOL!)

In order to truly make this a one stop set of 96 (these were originally designed to fit into four wallets that only hold 24 markers) I had to leave out just a couple of colors that you can purchase separately in the store. YG23-New Leaf, W2-Warm Gray No. 2 and W4-Warm Gray No. 4 can be purchased seperately. At this time there is plenty of room in the large wallets these are coming to you in to add those other must-have colors you have been dying to try.

All coloring reference charts will be included with the GHIA.

Now you ask - I already own the two sets of markers in your store - I own 24A and 24B - what should I do? We have tried to simplify this for you. You will need to purchase 24C and 24D to complete your color collection.

Sets 24C and 24D include the YG23 - I believe YG23 is one of those Julie Ebersole must have colors - LOL! You know how much Julie (and Ellen Ü) love greens. It does not include W2 and W4, but I do believe that you will be able to suffice with the W3 it does include. It also does not include a Colorless Blender Marker in these sets because I figured most of you will already own one. As well, all of my coloring reference charts will be included with the 24C and 24D sets.

These will come in the same wallets as 24A and 24B come in. The retail value on this particular set is $155.75 and our price is $118.49. As you can see from this picture you can set these markers upright on your desk or you can stack multiple ones horizontally as I have shown using the sets of 36 above. When I use my markers I prefer to have the markers lying flat as shown above in the GHIA. This allows me to see all the colors simultaneously.

Well... as you can see we try our best to give you plenty of versatility and at the same time provide a good value for your dollar. We try and make certain that we share as much educational information with you as possible regarding how to use this product. We try to provide you with the best customer service possible. We thank you for supporting us in our endeavours and fully realize that you can purchase your product wherever you choose - we thank you for choosing us. I feel blessed to know that you value what it is that we do and that you continue to support us.

Insert long sigh here - WOW - what a WORDY post - LOL! Did I lose you? Are you still there? If you are still there I have a special bonus for you for reading all the way through this monstrosity of a post!!! BLOG CANDY Ü I think all that reading deserves a little fun.

Included in this treat will be a brand, spankin' new set of papers from Memory Box that I haven't even gotten up on the store yet - these are yummy! Included is a WONDERFUL new backgrounder, three fun COPIC Sketch Markers, and a little Fun Flock to top it off. To enter please post below - only one post per person please. I would love to hear what your experience with markers OR backgrounders is. Have you tried the COPIC markers or the CHF Backgrounders before? and what is it that you love about them. Just one little reason - you don't need to write an epistle like I have - LOL! Oh, and you must post before Friday, January 25th 11:59 p.m.

Thank you for stopping by and thank you so much for supporting us in what it is that we do.

CHF Backgrounders have arrived!

You guessed it!!! I am so incredibly excited about the latest additions to our store and hope to share and educate more about this product line in the next few days. My eyes are a little googley at this point being it took a bit to enter all the pictures and data - LOL! I had hoped to create another project to share with you tonight, but it always seems to take me longer to upload data than I anticipate.

Watch for more to come in the next couple of days. I plan on sharing why it is that I elected to carry the unmounted versions of the backgrounders. I will share how it is that I use and store them. As you all know the most important things to me in the products I carry are fabulous quality, excellent value, and most importantly the ability to be truly creative with the product.

The Cornish Heritage Farm backgrounders are all of these plus much more. So stay tuned for additional information and some creative stimulation.

Sittin' Comfy

I am loving your guesses, but so far no one has even come remotely close. The Heidi Swapp masks have been in my store for at least a month and I love my Distress Inks, but I hadn't thought about carrying those - hmmm, perhaps I should. But this is something I love even more than masks and ink Ü I have once again used this new product again tonight.

I have always been intrigued with adirondack chairs - they are so comfy looking and to sit in them with a glass of lemonade and a good book is a very relaxing thought.

I have been doing a little thinking about trends lately and was a little surprised to read that neon colors will be resurfacing again this year in a much bigger way. So I thought perhaps a bold "neon" colored chair might be appealing. Being that the Lockhart stamp has a very folk-like feeling to it I didn't want this chair to completely jump off the paper - I wanted it to look aged - distressed. I pondered for a bit as to how I might achieve that look.

I began by coloring the chair, flowers, pot, and grass with Copic markers. I started with intense, bright colors, but then I added a little pale olive to the neon blues I had colored the chair with just to add the feeling of rusticity. Next I created a reverse Eclipse mask as shown below. As you can see only the chair remains visible behind this mask. Everything else is covered. To cut out such fine detail I stamp my image on the Eclipse tape and then adhere it to my Magnetic Precision Mat and use my Retractable Blade Craft Knife  to cut the image out. This knife allows me to get in to the tiniest of places. Then using the Weathered Wood backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms I overstamped the chair using Antique LInen Distress Ink. This gave the chair a wonderful used feel.

Here is another view of the project in progress.

I felt at this point it was still a little stark and wanted to add color to the background. I used the other portion of the mask and placed it back over my chair and did a little airbrushing as shown below.

Airbrushing from the right side allowed me to control the spray so that it did not hit the flower pot, thus giving a brighter look to the lower right corner. I then removed this portion of the mask and using my Colorless Blender added clouds to the sky.

Just a few added touches of linen and thread brings that rustic feel back to this bold, bright card.

Keep those guesses coming girls - I can hardly wait to debut this new product on Monday!

Masked Love

Surprises are coming and I am wondering if any of you might figure out what we will be adding to our line of products over the weekend based on what has been used in the project below! This is a brand new product for us and I am thrilled to be carrying this product! I can hardly wait to spill the beans, so stay tuned and hopefully before Monday I will be able to share our latest excitement with all of you Ü

I'll take one of the guesses out of the equation though - it's not the additional Copic markers we are all waiting for. I am hoping that these will arrive this next week as well, but I have been hoping that for a LONG time now and therefore I am no longer holding my breath for fear of fainting - LOL!

I also want to let you know that we are making progress on the Scalloped Heart Nestabilities. The design has been redone and sent off - Spellbinders is hoping to have them in within the next two weeks. We have sent out an email to all of our customers who have ordered this product through us - if you have not received an email from us please let us know ASAP - we hope we didn't miss any of you. We will be sending another email out shortly with how and when it is that we are going to get this new improved product to you Ü

Masking and airbrushing - what a cool combination this is! I have fallen in love with creating some of my own background papers by combining masking, airbrushing and stamping.

In creating this card I made a couple of discoveries that have nothing to do with masking though. The first is that the Urban Couture ribbon line looks fabulous with the Memory Box Enlighten paper series. Secondly, I discovered that it is fun to color over patterned paper with Copic markers. I stamped the Lock Heart on patterned paper so that it would tie the color scheme together, but realized that some of the detail disappeared in to the pattern. By highlighting the special features of the stamp with just a light touch of marker it emphasized them just enough to bring those details to the forefront. The little key is made by Jolee - I picked some up to put in the store, but of course they aren't up yet - LOL! Could I please have just a little more time in my day, so that I could get all these things done?

Of course I forgot to take pictures of the background as I created it and so I needed to recreate the key steps to share with you for the pictures below. For the card above I used the Newsprint alphabet and for the examples below I used the Damask mask.

The first thing I would like to remind you to do is to lightly tap your finger tips over the entire sticky surface of the mask before adhering it to your project. This is important being that the masks are SO sticky they might pull your paper surface off if you attach them directly to your project first. Be certain not to overdue this step though being you want it to still stick to your project.

Lightly stick the mask on to your paper by pressing it down gently all over. I then selected a pink Copic marker in a darker value of the pink color and airbrushed over the entire piece.

Upon completion remove the mask and adhere it back to it's "plastic-like" surface so that you can reuse it for your next project. Also don't try taking pictures with your right hand as you spray with your left simultaneously, or you will get a "hot-spot" like I did as shown above - LOL!

If you do not own an airbrush please do not hesitate to try this technique. Instead what you will do is select an ink pad that is a slightly darker value of the color of cardstock you have selected.

Then using the Ink Blending Tool pick up color from the ink pad and smudge and smooth it over the entire surface with a smooth motion. The results are slightly more mottled, but this is a fun effect as well.

I finished the project off by using the Spanish Script backgrounder from CHF, a little piercing, ribbon and accent paper. Another idea that you could spin off of this project would be to write out the sentiment "i heart u" (using the Lock Heart as the heart). What other ideas do you have that you would like to share?

Well put your thinking caps on and get ready - what do you think it is that I have fallen in love with this time? I can hardly wait to share our exciting news!

XO

"XO" - the universal sign for Hugs and Kisses. What could be more appropriate for Valentines then a play off of this favorite set of symbols?

To create the "letters" for these symbols I began with the "O". Using an old Stampin' Up! copper tag I removed the paper insert. Next the Folk Heart was stamped using Palette Burnt Umber. I selected this ink pad because it is waterproof and I really felt the "need" to watercolor - LOL! There are so many different mediums one can use to watercolor, but in this case I decided to us my Stampin' Up! Watercolor Wonder and Lyra Crayons. Using the small tip of the waterbrush allows me to pick the color up off the crayon itself and then fill in the little details on this stamp.

The letter "X" is from one of the We R Memory Keepers chipboard collections - these are an awesome value for the dollar. First I sanded the letter to remove the pattern it comes printed with. I then painted it with off white acrylic paint, let it dry and lightly sanded it again to create a more distressed look that would coordinate with the Basic Grey Blush papers I had selected. Judikins makes some fun background stamps and I used their Paisley to stamp the letter to coordinate with the overall look I was hoping to achieve.

The card base is a Memory Box Pink notecard with a scalloped accent cut from Vanilla Bean and a complimenting band from the Blush pad. The fibers are coordinating Basic Grey Blush fibers and the sparkley brads are from KI Memories.

Thanks for stopping by today and send some XO's this Valentine's season.