Inchie INKlings

All Mixed Up by Julia Stainton

Inchies are fabulous little pieces of paper goodness with so many possibilities. If you're reading this blog, you either already are addicted to Inchies or  you're new to Inchies and looking for ways to use them. Today I'd love to show you how inchies can unify a design.

I love squares for designing with and as you know, Inchies are 1 inch squares. These tiny squares are the perfect size to create a grid on cards. As I love squares, my favorite way to make a grid with Inchies is to have a square grid and end up withe a square card design. If you like the more traditional 4.25" x 5.5" card size best, you may want to create a grid with Inchies that is 2x3 tiles or 3x4 tiles in size.

By arranging the Inchies into a very easily unified grid, you can tie the design together. This allows you to mix it up and use all manner of stamps, paper or embellishments and any combo thereof to create a fun design.

This is a FABULOUS way to use up all those bits and pieces you have laying around from other projects and making them into one sweet project.

As you can see in the above photo, I've used tickets, brads, buttons, staples, stamping, punches, patterned paper and embellishments to decorate each of the nine Inchies a little differently. By using and Inchie to form the base of each tile, I have a unified but diverse project. Once you've created all your Inchie tiles, arrange them onto the card to see what looks best before the final adhering the of the Inchies.

Enjoy using Inchies to create with all those little bits and pieces you have laying around and create fun mix and match designs.

Supplies: Solar white Cardstock by Neenah, Out of Print 6x6 paper pad by Basic Grey, Inchie Squares White by Inchie Arts, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, Dutch Mustard Soup stamp set by Unity, Country Gingham Flower by Maya Road, Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by Ranger, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Aquamarine Archival Ink by Ranger, Rose Madder Archival Ink by Ranger, Tissue Tape by Tim Holtz, Classic Butterfly Punch by Martha Stewart, Out of Print button by Basic Grey, Hello Luscious Stitched Brads by Basic Grey, Sweet Threads Petals by Basic Grey, Mini Ticket Transparency Strip Black by Maya Road

Happy creating!

 

Inchie Card Sketch #5

Happy Inchie Card Sketch Day!

I have to tell you how touched I was by your outpouring of well wishes and concerns after my little accident.  That you for being patient - I felt like I was letting ya'll down since you have been so kind to play along with these sketches right from day one.  It means a lot to me.  *hugs*

Today's sketch is going to give you the chance to make LOTS of inchies!  That doesn't mean that it has to take a long time though...let me show you what I mean.  Note:  All measurements you need are right on the sketch, hope that helps. 

My first "make it quick" tip of the day is to use a 7/8 inch square punch.  Can you cut 7/8 on your trimmer?  I am sure you can.  BUT, can you eyeball this perfect little layout of the butterfly and flowers?  You can use your punch as a viewfinder of sorts to help you decide on the best use of your patterned paper.

Speaking of patterned paper, the Webster's Pages 6x6 Petite Paper Pads are ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for Inchies and Artist Trading Cards.  Sorry I had to yell there, but I am serious.  They have so many serendipitous images nestled within their papers.  De-li-cious.  I used Lullaby Lane/LIfe's Portrait for this design.  Other's available include Garden Gala/Seaside Retreat and Home for the Holidays/Winter's Wings.

Another essential tool for this card is the Design Ruler.  The next two pictures show how I was able to space these 14 inchies exactly 1/8 of an inch apart in a frame on this card.  I used a few pieces of Judikins Eclipse Tape to hold my card and ruler in place while I adhered the squares down.  The beauty of the Eclipse Tape is that it is tacky enough to hold the project, but won't damage it.

 

You also may have noticed that I am using Black Inchie Squares.  They make the perfect frame for my little images.  :)  Here are my inchies perfectly placed.  *happy sigh*  The perfectionist in me sings with joy.  Don't laugh, you know you have the same problem.

 

To finish the card I stamped the "Never give up hope" sentiment (Beacon of Hope set) with Jet Black Archival Ink and embellished with a Black Butterfly (Jenni Bowlin), Cream Lace (Prima) and a row of black pearls.

So there you have it!  Go forth and INCHIE my friends.

Oh!  One more thing, Ellen is putting on one of her rare store wide sales this weekend so if there was something you wanted to stock up on, now is the time!

 

Inchingly Yours, Lisa Strahl

Inchie Card Sketch #3 - Canning Inchies

It's Thursday and you know what that means...it Inchie Sketch time!  Makes me soooo happy.  Without delay, let's get to the sketch - as always, don't be afraid to turn it if you are inclined.

I put together a fun little quad of fruit and preserve themed Itty Bitty stamps by Lockhart for this sketch and used Adirondack Dye Ink Pads to water color the images.

 

Stamp the IB Cherries, IB Jar of Jam, IB Jar of Berries and the IB Pear with Graphite Black Brilliance Ink (Tsukineko) on White Inchie Squares (Inchie Arts, LLC).

Press the lid of the Red Pepper Adirondack Ink to the pad and use the lid as your palette to dilute the color with a Niji Waterbrush.  Lay down a VERY light layer of ink on the cherries.

Repeat the process with Cranberry Adirondack Ink, this time just highlighting the cherries.

Lay down a light layer of Willow Adirondack Ink on the leaves and tops of the jars.

Highlight the green areas with Lettuce Adirondack Ink.

Color the Jar of Jam and Pear with Lemonade first and then highlight with Sandal Adirondack Ink.

 

Use the Red and Clear Spica Glitter Pens to add some depth to the images.

Here is a shot of my final images.

 

Other Supplies Used:

-Material Girl 6x6 Mini Deck Paper (Cosmo Cricket)

-Red Pepper Duplex Cardstock (Memory Box)

-Can It Stamp Set (Cornish Heritage Farms)

-Trinket Pins, Crystals (Maya Road)

-Scalloped Dot Border Punch (Martha Stewart)

-white pearls (Kaisercraft)

This card was just a delight to make - I hope you enjoy the sketch this week.  :)  I am going to make you wait one more day to announce the winner of this week's inchie stamp.

Inchingly Yours, Lisa

Plus Size Inchies

As I laughingly stated in our newsletter being a little on the "plus size" myself I think it is hilarious that 1 1/2" and 2" squares are considered plus size - ha! ha! But in the Inchie world they have pushed past those 1" limitations and so I guess it qualifies for this title :)

Having a mathematical, precision based mind I am delighted to work with these little embellishments! Since opening the box I have now created multiple little puzzles, mixing and matching and sorting and layering. I am looking forward to your thoughts on these new sizes of stamping tools!

Always in a time crunch I decided on this little creation which showcases all three sizes! The base is an Inchie Notecard, followed by Inchie Squares, a Twinchie and topped off with an Inchie +.

I began by laying out three colors of neutral inchies in to a pleasing pattern. Once I had determined the pattern I then used temporary adhesive to hold the inchies in place.

To create subtle texture on this layer I used Antique Linen Distress Ink on the Vintage Text Scrapblock. To break up the square lines of this project the image was impressed at an angle.

The pine cone focal image was stamped on an Inchie + Square using Rich Cocoa and colored with Copic Sketch markers and Prismacolor pencils. Having a variety of sizes in the Inchie Arts line of products will allow you to select the best size for your image!

To add dimension to the inch sized squares each edge was distressed using Antique Linen and the Ink Blending tool. Around the outside edge I wanted additional definition and so dragging only the outside portion of each of the square across the Walnut Stain Distress Pad it provided a finished edge to this layer. These squares were then adhered to the Inchie notecard. This technique was repeated on the focal square as well.

A little glitter pen and this project was complete.

Being that it is primarily women who participate in Inchie exchanges I felt that this image from Haute Couture was the perfect one to use for my next creation. Inchie products are meant to be used in so many ways. Not only can you trade squares, but you can use them to embellish your card fronts, gift tags, scrapbook pages, gift packaging and so much more.

Now that we have 2" squares, otherwise known as Twinchies, larger images can be stamped with ease!

Once again I used temporary adhesive to hold my squares in position as I stamped. I then colored these elegant ladies using Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils.

To create my tag I created my own background using the words from the ATC Haute Couture set. Creating your own backgrounds are simple when using unmounted stamps. Position them on a clear acrylic block in a random pattern as show above, ink and stamp. I find that stamping at an angle makes it easier to align without worrying about it being crooked. Before continuing with the next step I quickly made certain the ink was completely dry by using my Heat It tool.

Next I inked the Firey Floral with Versamark ink and stamped it over my custom background. Applying clear embossing powder and heat setting the powder with the Heat It tool prepped my surface so that I could apply color to the tag.

Using a combination of Adirondack Denim blue and Distress Faded Jeans ink along with the ink blending tool, color was added to the tag. Use a circular motion when you apply ink to the surface. Upon completion wipe the surface with a paper towel to remove the excess ink from the embossed surface.

 

The Webster's Pages Whimsy Threads are spectacular and I felt that this "bow" added just the right touch to my piece. I wanted to stabilize the bow and have it protrude slightly from m tag and so I improvised by apply a piece of cardstock to the "bow" portion of the whimsy. First trace the bow and then cut out your shape slightly smaller than the actual thread piece. Apply ribbon glue and attach the cardstock to the back of the bow as shown above.

Attach film strip to the tag base using the mini stapler for added dimension. Adhere the Twinchie Squares.

Thread 1 1/2" width silk ribbon through the tag hole, adhere the Whimsy Bow and attach the type charm using a mini pin. Just a quick note regarding the type charms - a 1/2" circle punch can be used to punch a unique center for your dangling accent.

We would like to invite you in to the CLASSroom over the next couple of weeks to see how the girls use the new Inchie Arts products in their creative endeavours. Hmmm - I have to wonder what our twin will do with the "Twinchies!"

 
stamps: All Things Considered Evergreen Holiday, Vintage Text Scrapblock, All Things Considered Haute Couture, Fiery Floral Scrapblock

ink: Memento Rich Cocoa and Tuxedo Black; Distress Ink Pads - Antique Linen, Walnut Stain, and Faded Jeans; Adirondack Denim, VersaMark Ink

paper: Neutral Inchie Notes, Large Manila Tag, Fashionista Perfumeria (insert in type charm),  Neenah Classic Crest Natural White

accessories: Inchie Neutral Squares, Inchie + Neutral Squares, Twinchie Assorted Squares, Ink Blending Tool, Stardust Glitter Pen, Nature's Storybook Whimsy Threads, Film Strip Ribbon, Tiny Attacher, Typewriter Charms, 1/2" circle punch, Clear Embossing Powder, Ivory Silk Ribbon, Copic Markers and Prismacolor Color Pencils

Inchies from A-Z: C is for... continued

C is for Clay

It has been a long time since I stamped in clay, but I knew that making Inchies out of clay would be an absolute blast! One of the easiest and readily available types of clay to use is Creative Paperclay. I believe I purchased mine from Michaels. It is simple to use being you do not need a special oven to bake it dry - it will air dry!

 

To create the Inchie above I rolled out a small piece of clay to the depth of approximately 1/8". I then cut it into a 1" square. To smooth any rough edges on the square I moistened my fingertip and ran it around the edge. Next I stamped the Spanish Script backgrounder into the surface by gently laying the backgrounder face down atop my Inchie and lightly pressing evenly over the Inchie. I then used my paper piercer to locate holes in the bottom right hand corner for the mini-brads I knew I wanted to add once the clay had dried.

I stamped the IB Pear in to the excess cut-off clay and then cut around the edge with my Retractable blade knife. I also smoothed these edges with my damp finger. These pieces were then set aside to dry overnight. I did go back several times throughout the evening to make certain that the clay was drying flat.

This morning I added color to my white clay Inchie. I am SO loving the airbrush! I put my Y21 marker in and quickly airbrushed the white square. I then used my Blending Tool along with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to darken the edges. The pear was airbrushed with YR24. The highlight was created with my Special Y21 Light marker. The leaf was then colored with YG63 and YG00. E57 was used for the stem. To attach the pear to the background I used Matte Inkssentials glue.

I think that this could make an absolutely charming piece of artwork when mounted to a larger surface. Perhaps I'll have to give that a whirl next Ü