simple dreams

Inchies from A-Z: B is for...

Before beginning on the letter B I want to forewarn you to the fact that when you link to Inchies on my storefront it comes back with a blank. This will change tonight! I wanted to ensure that it would be fair to all our newsletter readers and customers that you would all receive the same chance at receiving the Inchies that Karen and I have created to give away with your purchases (see details in newsletter). Please know that the links will all become live tonight, Tuesday March 11th at 8:00pm PST. Thank you for your patience and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter where all details are provided! Click this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to join our mailing list. Our newsletter will keep you up to date on our store promotions, news, and fabulous tutorials and tips. Don't forget to click on the link to the soldering tutorial in the latest newsletter - it has been receiving rave reviews Ü

B is for Bride

 

Created using Bride, Prismacolor color pencils, Spica Clear glitter pen, Sakura Stardust glitter pen, and Ultrafine glitter.

B is for Binder

The question became quite apparent as Karen began producing her Inchies - how would she keep track of them? where would she put them? It was at that time that Lisa of Inchie Arts went in search of a solution. I absolutely LOVE the solution she came up with! This binder is such a cool concept! It is made out of recycled corrugated cardboard and is 100% recyclable. The most unique feature of the binder is that the metal spine containing the rings can be removed from the binder allowing you to lay it flat for decorating.

Simply remove the screws from the metal rings and detach the rings from the cover, lay flat and personalize. Cover with decorative papers, paints, stamps, embellishments and Inchies of course! Reattach the ring spine once complete and you are ready to go. Being that the cover is completely removable you can also change out your covers after they become worn or if you determine that you would like a new fresh look.

Now to inspire you with some binder decorating ideas. Each one of you will have a look that is distinct to you. As I designed my cover I let a creative side of me show that I rarely expose. I love the grungey look and so I decided to bring that side of my creative personality out in this cover.

The wonderful thing about corrugated cardboard is the textural quality it has. I began by removing bits and pieces of the cover surface. This was NOT easy - LOL! This cardboard is VERY well made and so it took me a bit to work it off as I did so in a systematic fashion. I then followed up with two different colors of Distress Crackle Paint - Antique Linen and Old Paper. After allowing the paint to dry I then followed up by sanding the surface and then sponging and rubbing Distress Ink - Tea Dye and Old Paper - over the entire surface.

To enlarge the area of the focal point I stamped the Grid Paper backgrounder in Beaux Arts Blue. I also wanted to balance out the front surface of the binder and have been patiently biding my time hoarding my wonderful Kim Hughes Silhouette Blooms I for the perfect occasion. These stamps coordinate beautifully with Tim Holtz Nature's Moment Queen Anne's Lace. The scale of the two together made me giddy - LOL!

I then set about creating an Inchie "puzzle" using the Lockhart Hydrangea stamp. One might at first wonder how on earth you would incorporate a Lockhart stamp in to a grungey look, but it was SO fun to bring a new look to this otherwise colorful stamp. I began by creating my Inchie definition background using Word. (I still hope that I can figure out how to link up a document here on my blog. If anyone has any suggestions I would truly appreciate knowing how to do it. I have read the Typepad information, but... just not enough time in the day to figure it out without spending a ton of time.) I then stamped my Hydrangea image onto Solar White Cardstock. Next I stamped and created a mask with my Eclipse tape and placed it over my stamped image. I then sent my cardstock through the printer and achieved the results shown below.

Karen has recently been describing a wonderful artist technique referred to as grisaille to me. I do believe that she has some upcoming classes that may include this technique. After looking it up on the internet I learned that it is a multi-layering art process. It is begun by applying shades of gray to your work surface. So using the many Warm Gray's and French Gray's in my Prismacolor Colored Pencils I played with this concept.

This is then followed by the addition of muted color.

I scaled the image to a 2" square and cut it into quarters applying it to Black Inchie Squares. Then these were adhered to a Black Mat Board Base and using a silver tag holder I attached the binder title.

I did have to laugh being in the end my grungey look still has a sense of elegance to it - oh well, what's a girl to do?

Now I want to share a polar opposite of this binder to spur on your creativity and bring you a completely different look. Karen is the queen of covering!!! Her ability to cover boxes and books and... is extraordinary. I so admire the amazing detail and crisp quality of everything she creates.

"Country Kitchen" are the words we are using to describe Karen's binder. It has a warm, cozy feeling to it.

The details are incredible. First I want to tell you about the framed square - it is metal! So you know what that means - she can change the Inchie on the front with a whim.

 

Being that Karen is so meticulous she also covered the inside of the binder!

Look how beautiful the details are!

This view shows the inside of the binder. In this picture you can see how the Inchie Pocket Pages work. In each pocket Karen has inserted a black piece of cardstock to give each Inchie a unified background. After journaling in the Inchie Index regarding each Inchie it is then inserted in to a pocket or put out for display. Much more will be coming on ways to display your Inchies as well as more information regarding this storage system.

Well it is apparent to me that Typepad is not on my side today - LOL! I have just been switched over to the Edit HTML method of posting, being my post has become too complex - aargh. I don't know HTML - LOL! So this last part could be rather interesting when it goes live. I'm going to give it my best shot to wrap up now.

B has many more entries that could be posted about - backgrounds is one that is essential. I hope to share more regarding the letter B tomorrow. I'd best just make this post go live now. Thanks for hanging in here with me and have fun playing with this whole concept!

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

Nestability Update and Spellbinder Thank You Blog Candy

They are arriving - they are almost here!!! I am so thrilled to tell you that a partial shipment has landed!!! OK, so it's not all here just yet, but within 7-14 days I am hoping to have ALL of the new dies in my possession to fulfill your orders!!! With this I can promise you that we are SO ready to get your orders out to you and we plan on making good on our promise of having these shipped out to every one of you who has supported us, by ordering through us, as quickly as possible. It is with much excitement and a tad bit of stress that I sit here and await their arrival - LOL!

So with this news I would like to announce a special promotion on the Wizard for the month of September. Many of you already have a diecutting system that you love and I want to once again assure you that it will definitely work just fine with the Nestabilities!!! But for those who are considering investing in the Wizard I wanted to give you the opportunity to do so before the dies arrive and do so at a price that is competitive to other places you can find on the internet. So for this month please enter the promo code: wizwon to purchase the Wizard Embossing and Die Cutting System at a savings of $30 - promotional price will be $99.99. There is no other die cutting system that exerts the same level of pressure provided by the Wizard system. So with that I will warn you that if you do not watch the video or read my directions be aware of plates projecting across the room - LOL! You will also want to know that when the Wizard arrives in your house fresh and new that the first run throughs of your cardstock and dies may be so tight that you will end up with embossing on those first cuts. But with no time that "effect" will pass and you will need to run your projects through the machine twice - first pass to cut, the second pass to emboss. It is just at the beginning when the machine is fresh out of the box will you perhaps get the embossing on those first pass throughs.

Now for some additional exciting news!!! Once again I have the privilege of announcing that we have on order some BRAND NEW Spellbinder products to aid you in your creating. The first is a magnetic plate - yes, you heard me right!!! No slip slidin' away Ü No need for temporary adhesive as shown in my little tutorial as to how I hold the Nestabilities in place to ensure proper placement. Yes, Jeff and Stacey have done it yet again. They solved the little dilemna I placed before them. It has been so amazing working with them. I kid you not when I say that they are solution oriented! They have been a pleasure to work with and so very accomodating. So for $6.99 we will be providing a magnetic plate for you to use to keep your dies exactly where you want them. Being that it is brand spankin' new we hope that there will not be any set backs, but they are working hard to get these out pronto. I am hoping for shipment of these within a week or two!!! This leads me to the next annoucement!

We have been in a dilemna as to what we were going to do. Spellbinders is completely sold out of Wizard Charm Embossing kits and it will be some time before more can be manufactured. Let me tell you - I have learned SO much about the manufacturing process and the hold-ups and change-ups, and.... believe me it is not easy for items to be produced in a timely manner being that so many variables are constantly involved. If you want a quality product you have to constantly be open to change, follow-through, yada, yada, yada. Talk about stress, it is a continual and ongoing thing it appears. So with this dilemna we started brainstorming and I am THRILLED to tell you that we are going to have a new addition to the line-up of products. Put a few braincells together and voila you have a solution. That solution is going to be a special package of Wizard Tan Mats - yep, you heard me - we will be selling tan mats only. They will come as a 2-pack and be the same size as those that are provided with the machine when purchased or as seen in the Wizard Charm Embossing Kit. These will also be priced at $6.99 for two!

As soon as I have the pics and all details I will be uploading them to my webstore for your shopping pleasure. We are trying so hard to work towards total customer satisfaction. We have SO VERY MUCH appreciated your patience with the delays that have occured and rest assured we will work so hard to continue to provide you with the best products we possibly can.

Last, but certainly NOT LEAST I am finally going to share with those of you who preordered the Nestabilities through us what surprises we have in store for you. Preorders placed before September 1st will include the following "Thank You for your patience gift". Orders valued between:

• $24.99 to $79.99 will receive 1 free Mystery die - there are loads of styles and they are sent to us randomly, therefore we will just pull one out of the bin and be including it with your order.
• $80 to $159.99 will receive 1 free size S3 die of my choice - again this will be totally random, but the selection I have purchased includes:

 

SYMBOLOGY and

DECORATIVE PHOTO CORNERS

• $160 or more will receive 1 free size S4 die of my choice - so what did I pick? I hope you will enjoy the surprise of an additional set of Nestabilities - the STARS! (Unfortunately I don't even have a picture of these to share at the moment, but I'll see what I can do about that come Monday Ü)

Now just a little bit of food for thought to help get you organized for the arrival of your dies. Storage - the big "S" word Ü Well in this case it's the little "s" word - LOL! I want to share my solution with you in hopes that it might be beneficial for any of you trying to think in terms of how you will store your new dies.

My DH went out and purchased me a CaseLogic Double CD holder. Then Malena pulled out my Xyron machine and using the laminate/magnet cartridge we adhered the magnet to an 8 1/2" x 8 3/4" sheet of cardstock. We then cut this sheet in to four equal pieces so that the final size of 4 1/4" x 4 3/8" is a wonderful fit for each pocket in the CD case.

Voila - no more dies tumbling around or waiting to get lost. I'm guessing I could have gone lighter on the magnetic pieces, but I just love a unified look and this did the trick for me. I hope this helps some of you who may be in a dilemna as to how you will plan on storing these. I now can store hundreds of dies in one little case!!! TOO COOL!

It has been an incredibly hectic few days. With the month end comes many bookkeeping tasks, planning for the new Stamp of the Month Packets, and much, much more. I hope to continue my series of COPIC articles and intersperse more Nestability education in here as well over the next few weeks. Thank you again for your patience and support - it is so very much appreciated!

To celebrate and show our appreciation we will once again offer some amazing blog candy!!! This time round all you need to do is leave me with some words of wisdom of your choosing. Leave me a saying, or your favorite quote or your best advice - let's make this easy. I am going to once again use the random number generator to select our winner. This random drawing will occur for all those who participate before midnight, Wednesday, September 5th.

Do you want to know what I'm giving away? Naaah - you don't want to know, do you? OK, OK - I'll give it up! Once again you will be charmed I'm sure if you have the good fortune to win the complete CARGO Alphabet and Number set! OK, so perhaps charmed isn't the best word, but ribbon slide just didn't fit in to that sentence. I am only guessing here being that I don't own this alphabet, but that guess is that these little 1/2" tall cuties make THE perfect ribbon slides - so how charming can that be - LOL!

So leave your words of wisdom for me - I can always use some sage advice :D