the CLASSroom

Fab Finds Yesterday @ CHA 2012

At American Crafts we are swooning over Studio Calico's Abroad, new Classic Calico, Metallic Mister Huey's, Amy Tan and Dear Lizzy! We're also excited about Crate Paper, and Julie's got some fun ideas for DIY Thickers she can't wait to share. :)

Julie & Ellen go to Ranger by Design Class...

Hello, again! We finally got a video uploaded to YouTube about our Ranger retailer class, and if nothing else, maybe you'll get a chuckle or two... Enjoy here or on YouTube... :)

Hello, from CHA 2012!

We're waving!!! ;)

Ellen and I were in classes all day Saturday. I was learning about Ranger products and techniques! :)

We've been having trouble getting pictures up here on the blog and video loaded up to YouTube, so we've been sharing what we could over on Facebook so far. But soon as we can figure it all out for the blog, we'll be able to share more here. Our electronic devices have not been cooperating with us. LOL!

So far, we are squealing over Lilly Bee's Double Dutch, October Afternoon's 9 to 5, Cosmo Cricket's "23" and all the new Colors of Memento ink pads AND markers! We're also intrigued by Ranger's Distress Markers, which look very promising! YAY!!!

Also, Vintaj and Ranger have collaborated to introduce some great patinas for jewelry making--swoon worthy!!!

More to come!

Julie

Letter Love 101: Art Journals Class Giveaway

Art journaling is all the rage right now and one of the things that fascinates me most is the lettering and illustrated words I have been seeing. My handwriting is quite "precise" - it must be because of teaching elementary age children how to print and write in cursive. Then when I did architectural drawings and kitchen design it became even more precise - so I am very much looking forward to expanding my horizons with this class. Yes, I have already enrolled and have decided to give away a spot in this class to one of our lucky blog readers!

This wonderful line of stamps is created by Joanne Sharpe! As well Joanne has been published in many magazines including Journaling, Somerset Studio, Somerset Apprentice, Cloth, Paper Scissors and more!

Letter Love 101: Art Journals
Online Workshop with Joanne Sharpe

Letter Love 101: Art Journals is an online workshop taught by mixed media lettering artist Joanne Sharpe! During this course we will create THREE playful art journals with several hand lettering styles, illustrated words, doodled quotes and spectacular decorative pages. For complete information and to sign up just click on this link and it will take you to the page on Joanne's blog where you can sign up for class. 29 DAYS of class is only $35!

For your chance to win a spot in this class simply leave a comment below before midnight, January 29th. We will randomly draw one lucky winner from the comments below. We would love to hear if you have tried art journaling, adding art to your scrapbook pages or hand lettering on your card fronts! Oh and if you do art journal what is your favorite journal to use - is it a Moleskine, or??? Inquiring minds would like to know :-D I will do my best to draw the winner of this spot while at CHA so that we can get you enrolled before class starts on February 1st. I am looking forwards to exploring and creating using the techniques I learn in class - come and join in the fun!

New 2012 Copic Colors & Lockhart Stamps by Sharon Harnist

I was very excited to see these 12 beautiful new Copic colors for 2012 and wanted to share them in a project with you today:

Colors include:

• BG57- Jasper
• BG90- Gray Sky
• BV34- Bluebell
• E84- Khaki
• E89- Pecan
• G43- Pistachio
• G46- Mistletoe
• R56- Currant
• RV52- Cotton Candy
• V22- Ash Lavender
• V28- Eggplant
• YR27- Tuscan Orange

Ellen is offering the 12 new colors either in the whole 12-piece set (at a bit of a savings) or individually. Here's a run-down of how the new colors fit into the existing Copic color palette:

• Existing G40 now has companions of G43 and G46
• Existing BG53 now has darker shade of BG57
• Existing BG93 now has a lighter BG90 pairing
• Existing E81 and E87 now have darker E84 and E89 golden brown companions
• Existing BV31 now has a darker BV34 companion
• Existing V20 and V25 now have darker V22 and V28 for a wonderful muted lavender blending group
• Existing RV55 now has a lighter RV52 mate, for a wonderful pink grouping we've all been craving!
• Existing R59 now has a lighter R56
• Existing YR24 receives a darker mate of YR27

I used Karen Lockhart's pretty new Garden Roses #2159, stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card and used the new RV55 (with RV52) for the roses and new R59 for the deepest shading.  (You can find all of newest Lockhart stamp release HERE):

(New 2012 colors have a black dot below the color name on the cap end)

The leaves and stems were colored with existing G40 and new G43 and G46:

The basket is base coated with E81 and shaded with new E84 and existing E87 -- such a pretty golden brown / khaki color!

The ground was colored with existing E30, E31 and E35.

The image was die cut with Lifestyle Crafts Tags die and tied with some of Ellen's pretty light pink satin ribbon she sends as a thank-you gift in each order, tinted a little with Copic R20 marker to match the paper roses.  

The paper roses were die cut from October Afternoon Sidewalks 8x8 patterned paper with Sizzix Bigz 3D Flower, and I have a tip to share with you that makes rolling these paper flowers a little easier!

I use Locking Hemostat Pliers to hold the outside edge of the flower and roll it tightly into the center of the flower:

After rolling, you can loosen your hold on the flower, unlock the pliers and secure the flower to the center with a Craft Glue Dot . . . easy-peasy!  

I colored flat-backed pearls with Copic R56 and secured them to the centers of the flowers.  Green patterned paper from the same Sidewalks pad was die cut with Tim Holtz's On The Edge-Scallops die and everything adhered to a Memory Box Currant Notecard.

I know you will enjoy these new Copic colors -- they really fill out some pretty colors of blending groups!  ~ Sharon

Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company Garden Roses #2159
Dies: Sizzix Bigz 3D Flower & Tim Holtz's On The Edge-Scallops dies; Lifestyle Crafts Dies-Tags, 
Paper: Copic X-Press It Blending Card, Memory Box Notecards-Currant, October Afternoon Sidewalks 8x8 patterned paper
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Existing Copic Markers: 
New 2012 Copic Markers: 
Accessories: Simply Swank Locking Hemostat Pliers, Craft Glue Dots, Pearls, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, light pink satin ribbon (free gift from Ellen)

Round the Clock Love Note by Julia Stainton

Valentine's Day is the next big holiday and I thought I'd get a head start creating a vintage style valentine. I just love a romantic style.

The new Hero Arts Special Time stamp set works really well as a love note. This card actually doesn't have any of the traditional heart icon on it but still works well as valentine.

Here's some of the creative highlights of this design...

First of all I started with some pieces of Resist Canvas by Prima. Each package has a lot of shapes and they are all die cut and embossed with white embossing. All you need to do is add color.

Because I'm on a Distress Stain kick lately, that's what I added in my color with. The Distress Stains are super easy to add color with by just pressing the dabber end onto the surface. I've used Worn Lipstick and Spun Sugar together here for soft tonal variation.

This sweet cavas resist branch is another piece that comes in the package. I like adding all the colors on together while they are wet so you get subtle blending.

Something to note about this canvas is that it comes with a paper backing on it to make it stiffer. It almost looks like sticker backing but this product is not adhesive backed so don't try to peel it off. Just put your adhesive directly on the backing.

I love these darling clock images. The smaller clock is stamped in Jet Black Archival ink directly onto the canvas.

Here's a trick to add interest to a sentiment...stamp an image behind it in a soft color. Here I've stamped the larger clock. It's ok that just a portion of it shows. You don't always need to use an entire image.

These little Maya Road roses are a beautiful embellishment. I've colored then by dabbing them with Distress Stain and also cut off their wire stems. I find it easier to simply adhere them exactly where I want them with a Glue Dot.

 

Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom!

 

Supplies: Cleardesign: Special Time stamp set by Hero Arts, Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Peeled Paint and Old Paper Distress Stains by Ranger, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Kraft Cardstock, Londonderry Resistant Canvas by Prima, Chewing Gum Dye Ink by Jenni Bowlin, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Vintage Paper Roses by Maya Road, Crystal Trinket Pins by Maya Road, twine, Gramma's Doilies Vintage Findings by Maya Road, 5th Avenue Tag Collection by Melissa Frances

Hero Arts Take 'n Make Winners

If you haven't heard we are having "lovely" weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Our office is currently closed - no phone, no email, etc. so if you are trying to reach us we are just not available. We thank you for your patience and hope that we will be able to get to things tomorrow, but the back-log may be a little overwhelming.

This is the current view out my front door - it is so pretty, yet so lethal. First snow, now ice... I REALLY hope that it starts to rain (and not flood) --- didn't think I would ever wish for rain - LOL! Trying to sit back and relax, but I'm so not used to doing that. Guess I need to download a book and start reading, so that I get absorbed in a good story rather than sitting here worrying - LOL!

I now have the time and can do our Hero Arts Take 'n Make winners though because I am lucky to have power at my house! YEAH for power! I'd better hurry though based on the outages all around me - LOL!

A huge thanks to all who participated - I love seeing the projects you created! It appears that you may be getting a head start on next year's Christmas projects - yeah for you!!!

Hero Arts Wood Take 'n Make Winner

Congratulations go out to Teri (blindstamper) - I love how you used both Distress Ink and Copics!

Hero Arts Cling Take 'n Make Winner

Congratulations Athena! You have been a busy lady!!! I love how you used the stripe to create a plaid!

Hero Arts Clear Take 'n Make Winner

Congratulations Pai! I love the white and black with a pop of color!!

Please contact us at customerservice@ellenhutson.com with your snail mail address. It is going to take us a few days this time to get your goodies out to you, but please know that we will be in touch!

Thank you again to all for your patience and support!

Faux Letterpress, Chapter 2 by Julie Ebersole

We've been squealing quite a bit over the new Letterpress Paper--I wish my photo did this paper justice . . . Seriously, petting it thru the monitor is just not the same thing.

If you are a fan of Letterpress like Ellen and I, you will really enjoy working with it. I did a previous tutorial on faux Letterpress, which you can see HERE.

This is yet another method of achieving a similar effect! You know the saying, always more than one way to skin a cat?! *head bobbing up & down vigorously* Well, the same is true for faux Letterpress!

This method features a folder from the "Dainty" Lifestyle Embossing Folders Set-I just love the pattern on these two--*uber* modern!

I wanted to try a partial emboss, leaving an expanse of area unembossed so I could later stamp on it, so I opened up both/all the tabs on the Multi-purpose Platform of my Big Shot then put one of the clear plates atop. More on why, in a sec.

This is a quarter sheet of Letterpress Paper, with roughly two thirds of it inside the folder; I used the pattern to align the paper as closely as I could so everything would turn out straight. I placed the chipboard on top of the folder, then added the 2nd clear plate on top and ran it through the machine.

I opened up the tabs, and used a chipboard shim because on Tab 1, the pressure of the machine was so strong, it was also debossing the outer edge of the die, and I wanted to avoid that as much as possible on this partial deboss. I still ended up with a faint line but it doesn't detract from the finished project, so I consider that a success. LOL!

I also wanted to see what kind of results I might get if I used a brayer to apply pigment ink to the folder and then ran some smaller pieces. Any time I want to test, I try to use smallish pieces to avoid wasting too much while I figure out what I like, and what I don't, what worked well, and what . . . ended up hittin' the circular file. *chuckle*

So, why didn't I just tap the pad against the folder? Well, the pad of a pigment ink is spongy and has a lot of give; I might have ended up with ink down in the recessed details of the pattern, which I didn't want. So, brayering the ink allowed me to avoid that, and it also helped in getting as smooth and even an application of ink as possible.

I just loaded the brayer with ink directly from the pad, but at some point, I might try putting some pigment refill in a little puddle on an acrylic block to see if that works any better. It might make a difference; it might not. I won't know until I try it. :)

I then placed a small piece of Letterpress Paper into the folder and debossed it to see the results.

I also tried the same method with dye ink (Adirondack Pool, on the left; Adirondack pigments in the lower center and to the right).

My thoughts: I personally didn't care much for the dye ink; it dried in tiny splotches--perhaps if you really wanted that kind of textural effect, you would like it? I much preferred the pigment ink, however, because Letterpress Paper is quite absorbant, due to a high cotton content, it absorbed some of the color so it was somewhat diffused. This isn't a bad thing, just something to be aware of if you were instead hoping for deep opacity. As I said before, you might achieve that if you used a reinker puddle, instead of the ink pad itself.

I didn't have any pastel hued pigment inks on hand to try, but I suspect the results will look quite nice, so I'll have to get some and try it. The yellow pictured above is a mid-tone color, and I quite liked that. Watermelon was deeper, and more intense, but as you can see, the result on the paper is diffused. But, I still liked it!

I also tried a chalk ink. But, I didn't shoot it because I didn't like the results at all. I mean, AT ALL. LOL! I also discovered that it was very hard to clean the embossing folder afterwards; the chalk ink left a residue that took a long time to remove, even with warm soapy water and a tooth brush. I spend enough time at the sink doing dishes, I don't wanna be there all night cleaning off one embossing folder.

My advice? Stick with pigment ink or water-based dye inks (non-permanent, of course) for easy clean up.

I also tried die cutting an uninked debossed piece with a magnetic Movers & Shapers die, and it cut through beautifully without flattening the debossing! I haven't tried die cutting debossed pieces with a low-profile die yet, however. I probably give that a whirl some time, as well. Or, I'll die cut and then deboss.

On the left card, I simply matted one of the smaller inked pieces with Neenah Natural White and then 3D mounted it to a charcoal 4 bar card (paper from my stash) and then white embossed a quick greeting.

On the right card design, I was also pleasantly surprised to find I could use my paper trimmer to trim down any pieces without ruining or crushing the debossing, and mount them to a chartreuse 4 bar card (4 bar a.k.a. A 1 measures 3.5 x 5"). WOOT!!!

WOW!!! So easy, so sophisticated--you can bet I'll be doing more of this in the future as I positively LOVE the look!

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SUPPLIES:

• Stamps: Basic Grey/Hero Arts Piccadilly Cleardesign Hello There; Hero Arts Cleardesign All Occasion Messages; Hero Arts Cleardesign Essential Messages
• Inks: Adirondack Stream (pigment) Adirondack Pool (dye), Watermelon (pigment), Sunshine Yellow (pigment); Versamark
• Paper: Ellen's Essentials Letterpress Paper; Neenah Natural White, Solar White; Black Card Stock; My Minds Eye Lost & Found II Breeze 6x6 Paper Pad; Charcoal & Chartreuse card stocks from my stash;
• Tools: Dainty Embossing Folder Set; Big Shot; Rubber Brayer; Martha Stewart Multi-butterfly Punch
• Other: White Embossing Powder

Photo Transfer to Canvas by Sharon Harnist

Hello and welcome to the CLASSroom! With Valentine's Day approaching, I wanted to do something "love" or Valentine themed with some recent photos I had taken of my daughters.  After stumbling across a photo transfer to canvas technique, I decided to combine the two ideas into this fun home decor craft!

(Photo credit: Susan Karlsson from Five Days Later Studio)

You will need these supplies:

1. A photograph copied or LASER toner printed (NOT home inkjet printed) onto regular 20 lb. copier paper. It is the toner in regular (or color) copiers and laser printers that makes this transfer technique work. Just remember the photo will be reversed, once transferred, so if you want your canvas to turn out exactly like the photo, you will need to print the photo in reverse.
2. Stretched canvas on a 1.50" wood frame, any size you wish to work with -- Ellen has several to choose from. I used the triple primed (white) kind like these 4x4 Pair. Ellen also carries these sizes 10x10, 4x6, 5x7 of natural canvas (unprimed). I have to assume they would work just as well since I know this technique also works on the same type of natural canvas FABRIC (See **Note at the bottom of this post).
3. Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Multi-Medium Matte (or I used Gloss) 
4. Paint brush,
5. Scraper to smooth out any bubbles 
6. Mister filled with water
7. Sponge, soft cloth or your fingers!

Since I was going for a Valentine look, I turned my photos a sepia color and then re-colored the red accents so they would stand out. (You can find a quick tutorial for that here). You can use sepia, black & white or full color photos -- whatever you like, it doesn't matter.

Once you have the photo copied and trimmed to the size you want transferred, paint a generous amout of the gel Multi-Medium all over the canvas.  You want enough gel so that the photo is thoroughly saturated, but not so much that it's dripping down the canvas!

Next, place the photo face down onto the Multi-Medium and smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles from the center, out, with the scraper. Be careful not to pull or tug too much, as the thin copier paper might tear easily. Make sure all areas of the photo are "adhered" to the canvas well (click on any photo for a larger view):

My original photo is on the right above, left is the canvas painted with Multi-Medium and the photocopied photo smoothed and "adhered" to the canvas.
A word of warning here: If your scraper picks up any gel Multi-Medium that may ooze out from under the edges of the paper, wipe the scraper off and DO NOT spread it around on TOP of the copied photo! With gel medium on top AND under your photo, this will cause a white spot where the paper is really "glued" to your canvas (I had a few of those spots)!

Then, let dry!  It will probably take a few hours, depending on the size of your photo and how much gel medium you used. To be safe, I let it dry overnight.

Once the Multi-Medium is dry, generously mist the paper with water and start to carefully wipe/peel away the paper with a soft cloth, sponge or your fingers -- whichever works best for you. But "carefully" is the keyword here -- if you rub too hard, you will rub off the photo! But having some of the photo rub off isn't the end of the world -- I think it makes the canvas look like it is a real "painted" look and some of the image missing gives the canvas character!

I started with a soft cloth in the first step but then switched to my fingers in later repeated rubbing (see below).

Water is your friend here -- if the paper is stubborn and doesn't want to peel off easily, re-wet it and let the water soak in, then try gently rubbing the paper off again. Let the canvas dry again.  

If it dries looking "cloudy" (like the photo above) you may have to repeat the process a few more times, to work off all the layers of paper (this is where my fingers could feel the paper better and work it off easier, so not to rub off the photo!).

Once thoroughly dry and you are satisfied with your results, paint a final protective sealing coat of the Multi-Medium over the top of the canvas. Don't worry, it will dry clear!

I added my girls names with painted chipboard letters. To do this, I painted the letters with a base coat of Claudine's Studio Painterly Pink acrylic paint (that's my drying canvas in the top of the photo below!):

Then I used Claudine Hellmuth's Modern Red acrylic paint (it's a little more on the peachy orange end of the red scale), because it matched the red colors in my photos:

and painted it onto Hero Arts Antique Brocade Cling Stamp and stamped over the pink painted letters, for a two-toned pattern look:

The finished letters were glued onto the canvas with Glossy Accents (you can also see the great canvas texture you get with this technique!):

Here are close-ups of the completed canvases -- oldest daughter:

And youngest daughter:

NOTE: For a different look, try using Claudine Hellmuth's acrylic paint COLORS for this transfer technique ... Claudine says they work, too! You can find a tutorial Claudine did HERE.

** NOTE: After completing my project, I discovered both Julia and Ellen have used this same basic technique here in the CLASSroom before (great minds think alike)! You can find Julia's Dec 2009 project HERE where she used a black & white photo on a FABRIC canvas album for a lovely vintage look. And Ellen created an adorable photo pennant banner HERE with fabric canvas -- she had success using a color copy of her photo she printed with her home inkjet printer!

I hope you'll have as much fun with this technique as I did!

~ Sharon

Additional Supplies:
Maya Road David chipboard letters,
Claudine Hellmuth Painterly Pink & Modern Red Studio Acrylic Paint
Hero Arts Cling Stamp-Antique Brocade,
Ranger Glossy Accents,
 

Clean & Simple Card Making Class Spot Winners

Class starts today!! Following are the three very lucky ladies who have won spots in the Clean & Simple Card Making class:

Congratulations ladies - you will be contacted shortly regarding how to join class!!

If you haven't already signed up for class - you will not want to miss out! For complete details please visit the following link - Clean & Simple Card Making.

Dotty Distress Stains by Julia Stainton

To kick off the new year with some fun creating and great colors, I've been enjoying exploring the possibilities with my Ranger Distress Stains. Today I have a quick, fun and happy project to share with you that features these fun stains.

This is a card design I've had in my mind since my Distress Stain dabbers arrived at my doorstep. This stamp from Hero Arts just popped into my mind and I couldn't wait to see if the sizing was right. Lucky me! It was.

The Hero Arts Cling Word Pops stamp set is a fun background stamp with dots of text.To create this fun and funky background I stamped the image onto white cardstock with Jet Black Archival Ink and then heat set it. You want to use a permanent ink for this so that it doesn't run once the stains are applied.

Next, easy peasy step...just dab on Distress Stain colors over each dot to make your background. I've used Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Tumbled Glass and Broken China. Use a heat gun if you have one to make it dry quickly.

Can you believe I got lucky with stamp sizes twice in one project?! The center of the sentiment image was just perfect to add in some more Distress Stain color. This stamp comes from the Untitled Postmark Art of the Card Stamp Set by  Hero Arts. It's one of the beautiful new 2012 stamp sets from Hero Arts.

The Ranger Distress Stains are also fabulous for adding color to paper flowers. A few dabs makes the white flower coordinate in a hurry.

Finally, tie it all together with a pretty ribbon and you have a pretty card that's perfect for almost any occasion.

Thanks for joining me in the CLASSroom!

Have a creative day!

Supplies: Cling Word Pops Stamp Set by Hero Arts, Untitled Postmark Art of the Card Stamp Set by  Hero Arts, Solar White Cardstock by Neenah, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Tumbled Glass, Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress Stains by Ranger, Light Pink 1 1/2" Faux Linen Ribbon by May Aroads, Wedding Shoes flower by Prima, Heart Trinket Pins by Maya Road, 1 3/4" circle punch, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger

This One's For The Boys - by Julie Ebersole

I like to make things for my guys; being the "burly men" that they are, however, I gotta watch it with the frills and lace. ;)  To the rescue:  Patterned Heart by Hero Arts!!!

And, a super fun rectangle box die that you can fill with chocolates! I'm seriously in love with all the box dies by Lifestyle Crafts!!! So easy and fun for making little boxes!

For this die, I like to use a little thicker card stock, and Memory Box Kraft works wonderfully!  Plus, I think the color and texture works well for the look I was going for.

After die cutting, I stamped the heart with Snow Cap, but I didn't emboss it; it's hard to fold something when you emboss it over a fold line without cracking, so I left it unembossed. It shows up very well on the box in Snow Cap and I love the look, besides!

For box assembly, I love Be Creative Tape; it has all the properties of red liner tape (industrial hold, heat resistance, etc.) BUT, it does have one advantage you may or may not be aware of:  You can tear it easily with your fingers because the liner paper is paper, not plastic.  With red liner tape, you have to cut through it with scissors.  That's not a bad thing, it's just an added step.

I'm always lookin' for a short cut, tho, so I usually use Be Creative Tape when I just wanna rip & go! LOL!

After white embossing "just for you" from the All Occasions Messages Set on a scrap strip of red card stock, I set a silver eyelet through it with my Crop-a-Dile. Wrapped some baker's twine around the box a couple times, knotted it, and then used a dental floss threader to pull the ends up through the eyelet, so I could tie a bow and secure the tag to the box.

After finishing the box, I had some leftover Kraft card stock that was the perfect size for a little card, so I stamped the heart again onto it and added some red alpha stickers, spelling out "love".

I wanted a black chipboard letter "U", so I pressed the front side of one from the little Mini William Set by Maya Road into my Brilliance Graphite Black Pad, and then dunked it into some clear embossing powder.

Lifted it out with tweezers and set it on my Craft Sheet and heat embossed it.  I used the tweezers to keep it from getting blown off, but not burn my fingers.  You'll also note that I wrapped a piece of scrap card board with foil and put that under my Craft Sheet while I was embossing.  This was just to protect my cutting mat, which would have warped if I applied heat for too long so close to it. Ask me how I know . . .

Glued the letter on with Mono-Multi, wrapped more twine and knotted it, and look at my glossy little "u"!  Perfect!

I also rounded the upper right corner of the card using the 3/8" Radius Punch, which seemed to look good on a card this size.

Together, I think think the box (stuffed with the right treat, of course, LOL!) and card will be a winning combo with my men-folk!  What do you think?

Thanks for poppin' in today!

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Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts Patterned Heart, Hero Arts Cleardesign All Occasion Messages Set

Ink:  Adirondack Snow Cap White (pigment), Brilliance Graphite Black, Versamark

Paper: Memory Box Kraft Card Stock

Tools:  Lifestyle Crafts Rectangle Box Die, Big Shot Die Cutting Machine, Heat Tool, Radius Corner Chomper (3/8"), Crop-a-dile, Non-stick Craft Sheet

Embellishments:  Baker's Twine (Slate), Silver Eyelet (from my stash), Red Tiny Type Alphabet Stickers by Cosmo Cricket, Mini William Chipboard Alphabet by Maya Road

Other:  Clear Embossing Powder, White Embossing Powder, Be Creative Tape (1/4"), Mono-Multi Glue

Clean & Simple Card Making Class: Join in the fun + 3 Spots!

We have a very special something to give you to start your new year off with a bang! These girls ROCK the clean and simple look! Julie Ebersole is joining Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner for this fantastic upcoming online class: Clean & Simple Card Making! We know Julie is definitely the queen of clean and simple!

 

In this online class you will learn to take the mystery out of creating a minimalist card that looks "complete," AND WOW you with numerous tips and techniques for clean and simple cards! This upbeat and inspirational class will include nine fabulous guest artists (all of who are exceptional at the clean and simple look), a discount code to our store Ellen Hutson LLC, giveaways (and YES, there is a special prize from us!) and a few surprises along the way!

We have created a special category in our store, Clean & Simple Card Making, to help you simplify finding the products these talented ladies have used in this class. We encourage you to use the products you already have on hand, but there are a few new products we have brought in for this class that will be featured. We have extended the discount period to run past the end of class, so that you can wait to place your order for specific items until after you have seen everything in the class - we hope that this helps you purchase only what you will use. Yes, we know that we are a retail store, BUT we really do want you to use what you purchase from us! Please check back often, as these popular products will continue to be replenished before and during the class!

Clean & Simple Card Making will feature over 25 new card ideas and over 15 instructional videos. What better way to start the new year than with a wealth of new ideas to add to your card making arsenal and simplify your creations!

Class is January 9-23, 2012, but class materials (videos, pdfs, etc.) will be accessible for a lifetime. Click HERE for more info.

* * * * * * * * * * G I V E A W A Y * * * * * * * * * *

We are giving away THREE spots in the Clean & Simple Card Making Class! Just leave a comment here by this Thursday, January 5th 11:59pm PST, telling us what you are most excited about learning creatively in the new year ahead, for your chance to win in this random drawing. If you have already paid for a spot in this class and are picked as a winner you will be given your money back - Good luck!!!