the CLASSroom

Lockhart Neon Thanks by Sharon Harnist

Hello and happy weekend once again! Today I have a brand new Lockhart stamp image to share. You'll want to be sure and check out all of the sweet images in Karen's new 2013 Spring & Summer release, here.

(Click on any photo for a larger view)

Aren't these Gift of Flowers bright and cheery?!!  Here's Karen's colored image you'll see in the store -- I altered the image a bit, by cutting off the the "Thanks" flower stake and using it on the tab of the file folder:

 

I chose my color palette specifically to coordinate with the fun Hero Arts Neon Pink ink I used on the Hero Arts ClearDesign-Glow Girl greeting inside the adorable mini Naked ATC Manila Folder:

Isn't that greeting fun?!! I found my Copic RV06 was a close match to the neon pink ink pad, so I used it to color some of the flowers in these sweet potted plants:

The flowers were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto X-Press It Blending Card and here are the rest of the Copic Sketch markers I used, along with Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pens (Orange, Lemon, Melon & Pink) to color the flowers. I find the glitter pens are great for coloring in small images like these -- especially tiny stems and the planter's wrought iron:

After coloring the flowers, I used Paper Smooches wonderful Wise Dies Frame-Duo Die 2 to die cut some fabulous Chalkstock paper I recently discovered in the store . . . the texture is silky amazing and accepts the Hero Hues Snow Chalk Ink I used around the edges for a faux chalkboard look very well. I placed the frame over the colored flowers, then adhered the frame to the darling ATC-sized mini file folder. (This would make a great ATC, wouldn't it?).

To keep the folder closed until the recepient is ready to view the contents, I used a cute Mini White Clothespin. Copic Foam Tape was used on the back of the folder to adhere it to the card front, which allows for easy removal and replacing of the clothespin.

The pretty coordinating papers I used are from My Mind's Eye 6x6 The Sweetest Thing-Honey pad, on a Memory Box Raspberry notecard.  I hope you have a bright and cheerful weekend!

~ Sharon

{Supplies}

InLinkz.com

Custom Stamped Metal Jewelry by Sharon Harnist

Custom stamped metal jewelry is all the rage right now, so I thought I would try my hand at it and found out just how easy it is to make yourself!

I started out with some darling ready-made 7 Gypsies charmss:

Since they come two to a package, that was perfect for my two daughters and two pendants I wanted to make! Next, I used some Vintaj Natural Brass jewelry circle blanks (34mm) on which to do my custom metal stamping.

The metal punch set "stamps" are in the blue and red boxes you see in the photo above (the red box is the number set). The letters and numbers are on the ends of steel "pegs" that you use to hammer/stamp into the metal jewelry blank. I found it very easy to stamp into the thin brass blank with just two gentle but firm taps of the hammer.  You'll probably want to get an extra blank or two to practice on first, so you can get the feel of how much force it takes to get a good impression in the metal. You'll also need to steady your hand (just keep your pinky finger on your work surface while holding the peg and hammering), to prevent an unwanted shadow effect from the peg jumping around. You'll need to use a hard surface to work on, such as a steel bench block (or perhaps a brick?) that is used for jewelry making.

Please note: The alpha punch set size I used was 1/8" inch (3mm) tall, but the only size left in the store at this time is the slightly larger 1/4" 6mm size.

After stamping, your jewelry blank will naturally be a little warped from all of the impressions:

Just turn the blank over onto the back side and use a rubber mallet to flatten it back out:

Since these pendants are for my pre and young teen daughters, I thought they might like a shinier brass look, as opposed to the naturally worn/vintage brass patina of the blanks I used (which I prefer!). So I used Vintaj's Metal Reliefing Block to buff the brass to remove some of the patina and make a shinier finish. In the photo below, the right side has been buffed:

Here's the finished Alix/heart pendant:

Notice I positioned my daughter's names on the very bottom of the circles, so they could still be seen when the charms are covering them. I put Alix's pendant on a black lether necklace.

Here's Alyssa's finished star pendant, on an antique silver ball chain:

To get the spacing of your sentiment straight, you could use a straight edge/ruler to draw a pencil line but I had no trouble just eyeing it. However, I did print my message on paper, found the center of each phrase, and then started stamping from the center to the right and then to the left of center.

This was so much fun . . . I see a lot more custom stamped jewelry in my future! Many thanks for joining me here in the CLASSroom this year, I'll be back in 2013 with more projects for you!

Happy New Year ~ Sharon

{Supplies}

Punch Set, 6.0mm Letters	7 Gypsies Hardware, Gypsy	Vintaj Altered Blank Circle, 34mm	Bottle Cap Inc Black Leather Necklace, 2mm
Bottle Cap Inc Ball Chain, 2.4mm Antique Silver	Chasing Hammer 1-1/4"	Vintaj Metal Reliefing Block

InLinkz.com

 

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 6 by Teri Anderson

We are thrilled to welcome Teri Anderson back to the CLASSroom! Her joyful crafting style can be seen in the new line of stamps she has created for Technique Tuesday - I absolutely love the bold, clean and simple lines of her designs! As well you will continue to find her madly (now I saw madly, because I would quite frankly be losing my mind trying to keep up with this pace - LOL!) creating 25 cards in 25 days on her blog a bit of this. a bit of that. You must head over to be inspired! Now how she does this all, simulatenous with being a PaperCrafts Go-to-Gal, and doing design work for Lawn Fawn, Paper Smooches and Technique Tuesday I'm not quite certain, BUT she has also shared her creative genius with us here today!!!

Thank you Teri for sharing another clever creation with us here today - I absolutely LOVE your twine wrapped trees!!!

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Hi everybody! So happy to be back in the CLASSroom today with a tag for the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist!

I have to admit that one of my favorite activities during the holidays is to hit the holiday craft fairs. I just love seeing what other crafters dream up. Something that caught my eye at recent craft fair was a set of homemade Christmas trees. These clever, fun and funky trees were wrapped with yarn and fabric. It was just so fun.  I loved the look so I decided to show you how to make your own fun and funky trees with Baker’s Twine for today’s tag.

So let’s get started.

Start by using a pen and ruler to draw a triangle on a piece of chipboard. (The chipboard I am using is just from the back of a 6x6 pad of patterned paper.) 

Cut the triangle out with your scissors. Place a mini Glue Dot on the bottom of it and start wrapping green twine from Doodlebug’s Baby Girl Twine Assortment around it.

Keep going (and going) until your tree is completely covered with twine. Place another Glue Dot on the back of your tree and place the end of your twine piece in it.

Repeat these steps. This time, make a second triangle a little bigger. And then wrap the second tree in pink twine.


When you are finished, you’ll have something like these two trees.


Set the trees aside and cut two squares from white cardstock. They should be large enough to fit across a #8 sized tag. 


Cut a curved line through each square.
 

Arrange the cardstock pieces to fit on your tag so it looks like there are hills of snow.

Use Crystal Stickles glitter glue to add a line of glitter along top of each curvy hill of snow.

Place the trees on the snowy hills.


Repeatedly stamp one of the snowflakes from the Magic of Christmas by Ali Edwards 
with Spun Sugar Distress Ink onto a manila tag. When you stamp, be sure not to rock the stamp so you get nice, clean impressions.

Stamp Joy from the December Daily 2012 stamp set on white cardstock with Onyx Black ink.

Fussy cut the word out and adhere it to your tag. Stamp “celebrating” over the adhered word with Onyx Black ink.

Tie twine through some green buttons and adhere them to your tree with Glue Dots.


Give your trees one more funky touch: Randomly adhere some Diamond gems on top of them.

Add some accent pearls randomly the top of the tag near the snowflakes.


Finish your tag off by tying a little twine through the top of it. And ta-da! Thanks for joining me today and letting me be part of your day!

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamp Set, December Daily 2012 by Ali Edwards (Limited Edition!)	Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Magic of Christmas by Ali Edwards	Glue Dots, Mini (3/16")	Doodle Twine Assortment, Baby Girl
Accent Pearls, Small	Diamond Gems, 5mm	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	VersaFine, Onyx Black
Distress Ink Pad, Spun Sugar	Stickles, Crystal

InLinkz.com

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We would very much appreciate you sharing your appreciation with Teri for her oh so clever and fabulous feminine tag in the comments section below! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Can you believe we are already half-way through our series?!? Be certain to return tomorrow for yet another beauty!

Treasure Everyday Mini Album by Paula Cheney

We are honored to share the work of one of the very talented "Gypsy Girls", Paula Cheney, with you here today in the CLASSroom. The details that Paula includes in her work puts them over-the-top! I think it was my Excel spreadsheet that we had a good laugh over when we attended Ranger University a couple of years ago now that brought us together - we both love a good spreadsheet - ha! ha! I love a wonderful sense of humor and to mix it up with sheer artistic talent... you have described Paula to a "t"! I am very lucky to be able to have Paula as a friend.

You can find Paula at the blog she shares with Debbie (who is also amazingly talented and a very special lady!) titled "One Lucky Day." Their blog is filled with shabby, vintage beauties --- you will be able to spend hours going over the beautiful projects they share there. Paula can currently be found as the Creative Coordinator for Tim Holtz Brands and teaching here in the U.S. and abroad. If you ever have an opportunity to take one of Paula's classes you must! You will learn so much and laugh - a wonderful combination! I would appreciate if you would head over to Paula's blog now and help us thank her for sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today. Please leave your comment on her post about being a guest here. As our way of thanking you for taking the time to do so you will have a chance to win some of the fabulous products she used in this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following picture.

Thank you Paula for sharing your chic album with us here in the CLASSroom today! -Ellen

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Envelopes

Cut out 5 envelopes using the Sizzix Alterations Pocket Envelope die and Manila Cardstock from Ranger.  Do not fold.

Use Distress Stain Tumbled Glass and Mustard Seed to color the envelopes by squeezing Distress Stain onto a craft mat (use more blue than yellow).  Spritz with water from a Mini mister.

Swipe envelope into the stain. Dry with heat tool.
Swipe again, dry again.  Repeat as necessary.

Shake Brushed Pewter Distress stain to mix, then squeeze out a small amount onto craft sheet.  Repeat pervious steps until each envelope has a bit of metallic shimmer. 

Using Archival Ink in Aquamarine, stamp random text onto envelopes.  No acrylic block needed!

Stamp Butterflies with Archival Ink in Sap Green.

Cut out the Sizzix Alterations Inside Out Alphabet.  Create one word for each of the 5 envelopes and adhere with Collage Glue stick.
Add Vial Labels and chitchat words to describe each main word.  Stitch to the envelope if desired.

Adhere 1/8” Wonder Tape to the bottom and side of envelope.

Close envelope so both flaps are out.  The bottom of the envelope should be sealed just above the small flap.

Set finished envelopes aside while we make the cover.

Cover

Cut two pieces of Sticky Back Canvas 3 x 11”. 
Color the canvas with Tumbled Glass Distress Stain in the same method used previously.  Dry with Heat Tool.

Peel off the backing and stick the two pieces back to back. 
Stitch around the canvas with sewing machine.

Repeat butterflies on one side of canvas with Sap Green Archival Ink.

Stitching the book

Line up the first envelope at the left end of the canvas piece.  Stitch to canvas along the small flap.

Repeat stitching the envelopes onto the canvas cover about 1/8” apart. 

Trim away threads.

View of album spine.

Cut 30” of Crinkle Ribbon.
Color the Crinkle Ribbon with Distress Stains Frayed Burlap, Tumbled Glass and Mustard Seed.
Spritz with mini mister, then pounce the 3 colors at random onto ribbon.  Spray again to make the colors bleed then dry with Heat Tool.

Once dry, wrap ribbon around the book and secure to the TOP of the cover with Glossy Accents.
NOTE: make sure Glossy Accents is UNDER the Ornate Plate.

Cut a piece of paper from an old book.
Add Chitchat words and secure to the Ornate plate.

Add Ornate Plate over ribbon on cover.  Secure with brads.

Create small journaling cards for each envelope from manila cardstock. 
Round corners.
Stamp with butterflies and Aquamarine Archival Ink.
Add to each envelope.

Completed mini album cover!

Inside Pages

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic L Die, Pocket Envelope	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Sizzlits Deco Strip AlphaDie, Inside Out	Tim Holtz, Attic Treasures	Tim Holtz, Going Somewhere
Metallic Distress Stain, Brushed Pewter	Distress Stain, Tumbled Glass	Distress Stain, Mustard Seed	Distress Stain, Frayed Burlap
Aquamarine Archival Ink by Ranger	Viridian Archival Ink By Ranger	Tim Holtz, Ornate Book Plates & Fasteners	Tim Holtz, Vial Labels
Tim Holtz, Chitchat Stickers	Inkssentials Surfaces, 12x12 Manila	Studio Sticky Back Canvas, 8.5" x 11"	Tim Holtz, Crinkle Ribbon
Collage Glue Stick	Wonder Tape, 1/8"	Mini Mister, Individual	Non-Stick Craft Sheet
Heat It Craft Tool

InLinkz.com

Fringed Felt Flowers by Julie Ebersole

Isn't this little felt flower the cutest?! I just love making these happy little things!

Recently the Memory Box Fringe Border Die came to live at my house. ;)  Altho it is a low-profile die, it works beautifully with these *GAAAAW-JUS* rayon/wool blend felts Ellen just brought into the store. LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff!!!

The leaf from the Twigs & Berries Die Set is also the perfect size for these particular little blossoms.

After die-cutting the felt, I ran a strip of Be Creative Tape along the uncut edge.

After removing the liner paper, rolled the flower tightly over the tape.  Tip: It really helps to use a toothpick, laying just the tip down against the tape starting at one end and rolling it quickly. When you're finished rolling, you can usually slip the toothpick out--just take care not to undo the flower in the process.

I also die cut some leaves and made myself a little stash of felt flower embellishments that will be ready in a pinch for a future project! I had so much fun, I could have made gobs of 'em all evening long!

Just pop a glue dot on the back side to mount them to your card and my, oh my, they sure do finish off a card so sweetly! *monkey clapping*

Thanks for stopping by today! If you make any of these I'd love to see them and hope you'll come hook me up with a link!

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Supplies:
Stamps:  Hero Arts Cling Zig Zag Background; Hero Arts Cleardesign All Occasion Messages
Ink:  Adirondack Dye Ink in Cloudy Blue; Archival Jet Black
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Memory Box Peony
Tools:  Memory Box Fringe Border Die, Memory Box Twigs & Berry Die, Big Shot Personal Die Cutting Machine
Other:  Be Creative Tape (1/8"), Gold Rayon/Woolfelt, Strawberry Parfait Rayon/Woolfelt, Pea Soup Rayon/Woolfelt, 3D Foam Dots, Craft Glue Dots

 

2012 Photo Tray Calendar Q1 by Sharon Harnist

If you follow my personal blog at all, you know I have a thing for calendars -- I love them!  I like combining them with artwork to have on display in my home and most importantly -- right on my desk or in my office/creative space!  I also enjoy finding new ways to create them for gifts.  So here's a new one I came up with, that utilizes my 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray:

               (Click on any photo for a larger view)

Each section of the tray measures 4" x 6" -- perfect for just adding family photos to your calendar, if you wish, or artwork close to the size of a standard A2 card.  I decided to make three months at a time so I would have additional room to showcase some different techniques for you, but you could easily make this a 6-month calendar if you wish.  Then if you give the tray as a holiday gift, you can easily follow up with additional months later in the year (if you don't get them completed all at once) and they will be easy to mail to the recepient.  I'll try to have each calendar quarter prepared a month in advance over the coming year, allowing you plenty of time to follow along and create your own calendar/months, if you'd like!

The beautiful coordinating papers I used this quarter are all from Lilybee Design's Head Over Heels 6x6 Tiny Tablet, designed by our very own multi-talented Miss Julia Stainton . . . I adore all these colors together!

The calendars are Ellen's 2012 PDF Downloadable Calendar -- printed at 75%, they are approximately 3" square.  Each one was matted with Memory Box cardstock: Lagoon, Raspberry, and Vanilla Bean:

January:

I used Tim Holtz Texture Fades Embossing Folders-Snow Flurries & Snowman for the top panel. The embossed snowflakes were rubbed with Adirondack Snow Cap pigment ink pad and sprinkled with Glitter Ritz Transparent Warm Highlights micro fine glitter and then heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder (they were a little tricky to photograph, but show up a little better in the close-up views):

The embossed snowman was just hand trimmed closely to the embossed edges and the edges of both the snowman and snowflake embossed panel were sponged with Distress Inks. Pretty Zva Clear Swirl gemstones accent the Maya Road Mini Chipboard Snowflake which was also clear embossed with glitter. Hero Arts Pink Crystals accent the snowflake and calendar.

TECHNIQUE - Watercolor Two Ways:

I just recently discovered this gorgeous Hero Arts Felt Finish Natural White Watercolor Paper Ellen started carrying and LOVE that it comes in either Bright White or this soft Natural White color I used!  I used for both of these watercolor techniques.

February:

Lockhart Stamp Company's Love Angel was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto the watercolor paper. Using a Niji Waterbrush filled with Copic Colorless Blender Solution, I dipped the brush into Copic Various Ink Refills (BG11, BG13, R24, R81, and YR31 placed in a plastic paint palette) to "water" color the angel (clean up afterwards with Clear Blender Solution):

Copic Clear Atyou Spica Glitter Pen accents the angel's wings and a light pink crystal accents the heart she is carrying. Memory Box Raspberry cardstock, die cut with Tim Holtz's Heart Wings Bigz Die, accents the background and calendar:

March:

Lockhart Roses Daisies & Polka Dots was also stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto the watercolor paper, but then watercolored the more traditional way, with Adirondack Dye Ink Pads (Lettuce, Pink Sherbet, Pool, Raspberry, Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow).  You can just used the ink pad lid as a palette, by rubbing the ink pad onto the lid (as seen in the lower left of the photo below) -- this will usually transfer enough ink to watercolor with, if your pads are juicy enough:

Or you can place a few drops of reinker into the stamp pad lid and use this to watercolor with.  To finish this piece, I used a few dye-based Memento Markers to accent the flowers and color those tiny flower stems!

Memory Box Taffy cardstock, die cut with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die, accents the background.

Please let me know if you like this concept and if you'd like to see more months each quarter next year!  ~ Sharon

Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company Love Angel (#7008), Roses Daisies & Polka Dots (#2122)
Paper: Hero Arts Felt Finish Natural White Watercolor Paper; Lilybee Design Head Over Heels 6x6 Tiny Tablet; Memory Box cardstock-Lagoon, Raspberry, Taffy, Vanilla Bean; 
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink kpad and Memento Markers; Ranger Adirondack Pigment Ink (January)-Snow Cap; Ranger Adirondack Dye Ink Pads (March)-Lettuce, Pink Sherbet, Pool, Raspberry, Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow; Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Jan & Feb)-Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy & (Mar) Worn Lipstick; 
Copic Markers: E33 & BG13 (Angel), Colorless Blender Solution; Clear Atyou Spica Glitter Pen
Copic Various Ink Refills: BG11, BG13, R24, R81, YR31 (Angel)
Dies: Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die-Heart Wings and Tattered Florals;
Accessories: 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray; Ellen's 2012 PDF Downloadable Calendar (printed at 75%); Niji Waterbrush; Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fades Embossing Folders-Snow Flurries & Snowman; Ranger Clear Embossing Powder, Heat It Craft Tool, and Ink Blending Tool; Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitter-Transparent Warm Highlights; Maya Road Mini Chipboard Sets: Snowflakes; Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares; Zva Clear Swirl gemstones; KaiserCraft Pearls; Hero Arts Pink Crystals; Darice Plastic Paint Palette; 

Very Vintage Christmas by Julia Stainton

I'm not sure if it is all the new and fabulous Christmas product in the Ellen Hutson LLC store or whether is was Julie Ebersole's stunning Holiday card found here on the CLASSroom earlier this week, but I've been so inspired to create for Christmas! If you're feeling the same way, why not join me today for a tutorial on creating some sweet and vintage Christmas ornaments. If you're not quite there yet, that's OK, file the idea away for closer to the holidays.

One of my very favorite styles to design in is vintage. For me, vintage and Christmas just go hand in hand. I love creating holiday cards but I really thought it would be fun to create some vintage-style Christmas tree balls that I could pull out and use each year.

First I started off with a clear glass ball I picked up in my travels. If you have small children in the house, you can even do these with plastic or paper mache balls and get the very same look...just a little more child-friendly. Can you tell I've had more than my share of children who LOVE redecorating the tree? It's not always pretty.

The Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gloss Multi-Medium is an all-round great product. It's perfect for decoupage and adhering things as well as so many other uses.I've just brushed it onto the glass ornament and then laid on torn pieces of tissue paper and then smoothed it out with more Multi-Medium and my paint brush. To easily hold onto the ball but keep my hands clean, I just placed my finger down the neck of the ball.

Once it's all smooth and well-adhered, I applied another generous layer of Multi-Medium and then sprinkled it with some Krystallos Vintage Glass Glitter. It's absolutely stunning looking glitter! Allow to dry before moving the glass ball.

One thing you may want to notice is the Non-Stick Craft Sheet I am working on. It's perfect for messy projects using liquids such as glue, paint or mists. It just wipes clean and totally protects my work surface.

The ornaments are simply beautiful on their own but it's always fun to add a sweet tag. It makes it easy to give these away as a gift. I've created my own little tags using the Sizzix Tiny Tabs and Tags die. I always love cutting a bunch of these from different cardstocks while I have my die out and storing these sweet tags to have on hand. It's so much easier and quicker that way.

Each tag was inked and then embellished. I've tied on some silk ribbon and some beautiful Maya Road Dangling Chandelier Beads.

On the other ornament tag, I decided to stamp some beautiful Christmas images from the Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Stamp Set 3.

And here's a final closeup. Anyone in the mood for some Christmas crafting?

Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Supplies: glass Christmas ornaments, Paris Collage Tissue paper by 7 Gypsies, Claudine Hellmuth Gloss Multi-Medium, Claudine Hellmuth Studio Artist Brushes, Krystallos Vintage Glass Glitter, 1/4" white silk ribbon, Tiny Tabs & Tags Die by Sizzix, Non-Stick Craft Sheet by Ranger, Dangling Chandelier Trinket Beads by Maya Road, Wood Vintage Snowflakes by Maya Road, twine, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Christmas Emporium Stamp Set 3 by Graphic 45, Vermillion Archival Ink by Ranger, Snowcap White Pigment Ink by Ranger

Welcome Gate Seed Packet

Holiday Monday's get a big thumbs up! I hope that you are enjoying yours.

Today showcases the coloring on the last piece of the little trio of projects I created using the new Lockhart stamps. Sharing garden seeds can be so much fun and the intent was to create a little piece that garden seeds could be enclosed and given to a friend.

 

Each of the pieces above have one common thread - the Mykonos papers. Using the colors from this collection was a wonderful jumping off point and allowed me to create an ensemble that easily coordinates.

 

Begin by coloring each different element in the stamped image with a light colored Copic. At times I make a "mistake" when pulling out the flowers, greens, etc. - by working with a light color it is so very easy to come back in and adjust the colors if you discover you have colored a leaf pink :-D

I am now going to work through how I add depth or dimension to my colored images.

 

Add W4 as shown above. Do not color the entire area - only little tidbits in similar corners of each "segment."

 

Add E34 in various areas as shown above.

 

Now go back over these areas with W1 - the lighter color will blend the colors you just added, as well, when you color an area over a second time it becomes darker. I have found that I will get varying shades of a color by going over an area up to four times. Each time I apply that color it becomes slightly darker.

 

The last colors I add are typically with Prismacolor Color Pencils. The added texture that colored pencils add by simply grabbing the top layer of tooth on the Neenah paper adds so much interest. I hope that you can see it in these photos.

 

I almost always work from light to dark.

 

Then come back over all colors with my lightest Copic color to blend and add colored pencil once again. Sorry for the blur on the bottom of this picture, my camera grabbed the marker colors and I didn't realize I had lost my focus on the bottom of the image :-( Please look at the photo below to see that area in focus.

 

One of the techniques I like to use when coloring "green" areas is to very lightly "blur" the background area with Chartreuse colored pencil as shown above.

I then come back in with a mix of greens to create depth.

 

Mixing yellows and yellow-reds creates a wonderful golden yellow.

 

A little Goldenrod colored pencil and the flowers and gate are almost complete.

I purposefully left the sign until the very end - I didn't know what color I wanted it to be until my image was complete. It then became obvious to me that I wanted to balance the blues of the flowers at the base and create a triangle of color.
 

To create unity amongst these projects I once again stitched my image to the flap of this wonderful little Kraft Glassine envelope. This time I took a picture of the back side as well so that you can see how the stitching can vary from one side to the next.
 

Using another Squash button together with a mini paper clip and adding a Whimsy Bird completed this simple project.

Remember to leave your comment before midnight tonight on the Summertime post to be eligible to receive the goodies you will need to create these projects! AND let's all cross our fingers for some nice summertime weather!

 

stamps: Lockhart Welcome Gate

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers

paper: 7 Gypsies Mykonos 6x6 Paper Pad, Neenah Solar White, Memory Box Squash Cardstock, Craft-a-Board

accessories: Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine Envelopes, Mini Paper Clip, Memory Box Button Die, Design Ruler, Retractable Craft Pick

Summertime with New Lockhart Stamps and Mykonos Paper

I just have to giggle this morning as I write this post - most obviously I hid my "clue" in the picture on Facebook well. Yes, it is new Lockhart stamps that I am so excited about! Lockhart stamps were my first "babies" here in our store. I would head out and teach coloring classes using these images and would love every minute of it. I still love every minute of the time I get to spend coloring these delightful images. The details make me smile and feel all warm inside.

Over the next three days I will be sharing a new project each day, showcasing the new images AND we have a special give-away here for you today, so be certain to read all the way through this post and leave a comment to the question below to become eligible for this random drawing.

 

Ready To Plant... I am SO ready to plant this spring! I really would like to have some of my favorite home-grown tomatoes again this year, but the weather - oh vey! So for now I will have to satisfy myself with coloring pretty garden images :-D The shape of today's tag was inspired by the fabulous little tags available in the new Mykonos collection. The colors in this collection just scream summertime to me and so I began to color my series of projects with these beautiful papers sitting next to me.

 

As always I begin to color my image by "picking out" the details in my image using a light colored Copic marker.

I then come back in and add darker highlights such as the red, as you can see I am beginning to do in the petunias above. There are times when I am uncertain what colors I will want to use on certain pieces of the image, such as the wheelbarrow, and so I leave them alone until I get further into my color selection.

 

Once I have all my colors in place I then come back with the lightest color to blend them all together. If the range of the color values is too large I will scribble some of the darkest color in the area I am blending on my non-stick craft sheet and using the lightest color I will pick this color up off the sheet with the tip of my marker and bring it back into the design to blend the colors. This will create depth in your image with the varied color values.

 

I used two coordinating patterns and the tag series shape as inspiration. A layer of squash cardstock is used on the reverse center section to "disguise" the inky backside of my colored image and add sturdiness.

A button was created using Craft-a-Board and covered with Squash cardstock. I adhered the cardstock to the Craft-a-Board using a small amount of Matte Multi-Medium.

To create the stitching I simply punched holes in my tag using Tim's Design Ruler. The perfectly spaced holes make it so very easy to create simple stitching patterns on your paper. Then thread good old-fashioned and inexpensive DMC floss on a needle and stitch.

The rain is coming down outside yet again today - crossing my fingers and toes that tomorrow brings sunshine so that I can spend some much needed time in my garden. :-D

 
stamps: Lockhart Ready to Plant

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

paper: 7 Gypsies Mykonos 6x6, Neenah Solar White, Memory Box Squash Cardstock

accessories: Memory Box Button Die, Craft-a-Board, Design Ruler, Retractable Craft Pick, Matte Multi-Medium

Do you like to garden? What is your favorite plant --- is it a flower or a garden vegetable? By taking the time to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below you have a chance at winning this fun little prize package of (3) new Lockhart images, the 6x6 pack of Mykonos paper and the new Memory Box Button Die!

You have until 12:00pm PDT Monday, May 30th to leave your comment and be eligible. (One comment per person please.) We will do our random drawing on Tuesday morning and announce the winner here in the CLASSroom as well as on our Facebook Fan Club page.

Thank you for stopping in here at the CLASSroom - we wish you a happy Memorial weekend and thank all those who help protect us by serving this country!

Father's Day Card Using The Metallic Foil Multi-Medium Transfer Technique

Do bells and whistles ever go off in your head when you see a technique? Claudine recently shared a fun video showcasing a Multi-Medium Transfer Technique and bells and whistles went off in my head - this technique would be PERFECT for creating a masculine themed card for the men in your life! 

With Father's Day right around the corner I felt the combination of October Afternoon's Rocket Age would make the perfect fit with this fab technique!

 

I also wanted to show you the goodies that come "Inside the Package" in the Miscellany kits from October Afternoon. It was so much fun to select the ticket and rocket from this collection to add to my card today. I am hoping to create some additional pieces in the next few days to show you some other options - there are so many items (buttons, ribbon, tickets, cards & chipboard) to select from in these fabulous collections!

 

With Claudine's permission we are sharing her video here today. Her blog is filled with magical techniques using her fabulous line of products! Claudine is also teaching an on-line class covering "Composition" which is open for enrollment right now - so head over to Claudine's blog to learn more about it and enroll today!

 

I thought I would also show a few step-by-step photos to share my little "twist" on this technique. Rather than using actual tin I opted for something I had right here in my studio - the new Inkssentials Foil tape. I printed a picture on my laser printer (it is my understanding that inkjet printing does not work the same) of a moon using the mirror image mode since there is writing on the picture I used.

Apply multi-medium directly to the Metallic Foil as shown in Claudine's video.

 

It is absolutely critical that you allow your sample to dry completely. I left mine overnight and found it in this curled up state this morning. No worries... it works just fine!

Spritz to wet thoroughly. 

Using your pointer finger gently rub the paper fibers until your image is revealed. Continue to spritz and gently rub until your image is fiber free. 
 

When working with the foil you will need to hold down the edges as you work and be careful not to bend wrinkles into it.

Cut out a piece of Craft-a-Board to fit the moon. Use a Silver Paint Dabber to create a metallic edge on the Craft-a-Board. Simply remove the backing and the self-adhesive foil can be adhered to this more sturdy base.

You will also use this same Dabber to paint the chipboard rocket. While the paint is still wet simply take a large Artist Brush and smooth the paint for a wonderful "space-age look."

The picture above is one I have wanted to share for some time. I love using adhesive dimensionals when I add embellishments to my cardfronts. The two depths of these dimensionals (1/16" 3-D Dots and 1/8" 3-D Dots) allows me to have varying heights and create a more interesting look overall.

Jenni Bowlin's Spice Tin ink pad is a fabulous navy color and works together with so many of the Navy papers we carry. I couldn't believe I did not have a "dad" stamp in my stash! A ClearDesign alphabet saved the day!

 

Tiny Type stickers and 7 Gypsy studs were the final touches to this masculine look.

Creating for men is always a bit tricky, but I think that this technique will blast you into the stratosphere with the men in your life - ha! ha!

 
stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesign Typewriter Letters

ink: Jenni Bowlin Spice Tin Ink Pad

paper: October Afternoon Rocket Age 8x8 Paper Pad and Miscellany Kit, Memory Box Parchment Cardstock

accessories: Studio Matte Multi-Medium & Artist Brush, Inkssentials Metal Foil Tape, Cosmo Cricket Red Tiny Type, Tiny Attacher, 7 Gypsies Display Trim Studs

Life Canvas Wall Art by Julia Stainton

Art is everywhere. It's in nature. In design. Essentially any thing of beauty is a work of art.

As a child we love art. We love painting. We love creating. It brings us joy.

Somewhere along the way, something happens.

We start to critique ourselves. We start to decide that art is only for "real" artists and we just don't compare.

I'm more often than not stuck in this mindset too.

Today I have a challenge for you. To believe that you can create art. To feel the freedom of getting messy with some paint and canvas. To explore. To enjoy.

This is my little foray into an altered art wall hanging. It's not perfect but that's OK. I'm not either.

I have to admit this was all a bit of a trial and error project. If we don't take the chance to try things out, we don't learn. I encourage you to dare.

To start my project, I cut a piece of Sticky-Back Canvas to 7x7" square and placed it on a plastic mat. I roughly painted mine with two colors of Studio Line paint from Claudine Hellmuth.

Studio Gloss Multi-Medium is a fabulous product for adhering paper and especially tissue. This new 7 Gypsies Tissue is just stunning and there are a few different prints of it available. To adhere the tissue, brush the entire surface with Glossy Medium and then apply some torn tissue. You'll want to apply another coat of it over the tissue as well to really seal it. If you like a more matte finish, the Studio Matte Multi-medium works in exactly the same way. I've purposely added in some creases in the tissue to add texture to the finished design.

You can layer tissue over tissue and it's a great way to add a stamped sentiment or quote. Here I've stamped my sentiment on plain white tissue with Jet Black Archival ink and then heat set it.

Apply a fresh coat of Multi-Medium to the surface and then layer on the tissue. Brush another coat over the top to seal it.

After your canvas layers are dry, you are then able to embellish it. I've used Glimmer Mist, a Prima Canvas bird, ink, Jenni Bowlin Chipboard Buttons and a beautiful Webster's Pages Designer Threads Doily.

Here's a closeup of all the great texture you get with painting on the canvas and also with the tissue.

To finish off my project, I've stamped various areas of the canvas and tissue to tie the design together.

Please feel free to click on the above images for an enlarged image to see better detail.

As spring is the season for all things new, I encourage you to try something new and explore your creativity! Thanks so much for joining me in the CLASSroom today!

Have a beautiful Easter,

Julia

Supplies: Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas, Studio Line  Paint Sky Blue & Studio Line Paint Landscape Green by Ranger,  Studio Line Multi-Medium Gloss by Ranger, Designer Threads Doilies by Webster's Pages, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, Birdsong Collage Tissue by 7 Gypsies, Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist & Sweet Clover Glimmer Mist  by Tattered Angels, flower by Prima, Vintage Green Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Raw Canvas Chipboard by Prima Marketing, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Shabby French stamp set & Stuff to Say Stamp Set by Stampers Anonymous, Sketchbook Tissue Tape by TIm Holtz, Chipboard Buttons by Jenni Bowlin, Avignon Clear Stamps by 7 Gypsies

Spring Photo Tray by Sharon Harnist

Time for an update of my seasonal Photo Tray for Spring & Summer!  You can find my other seasonal Photo Trays here (Fall) and here (Christmas), if you care to get some other ideas of how this tray can be used.  I use temporary adhesive on each of the 4" x 6" panels within each tray section, so they can be removed and the tray used over and over again!  I used this gorgeous new Prima 6x6 paper pad-Madeline, for an easily coordinated tray.

In the top left section, I used Spellbinders largest Labels Large Nestabilities die to cut the photo of my oldest daughter (showing off her new glasses!) -- notice that pretty embossed edge of the photo!  I love using dies to cut my photos into unexpected shapes -- I think it gives my scrapbooking a nice professional touch.  

The flower accent was cut from coordinating Madeline paper using Tim Holt Bigz Die-Tattered Florals.  It's quick and easy to cut all the coordinating flower pieces you need in just one die!  I stacked the pieces together with 3D Foam Squares, and accented the center with a Hero Arts Medium accent pearl.

In the upper center section, the bird cage was die cut from a sheet of cork that was backed with a sheet of Be Creative tape:

Then I just cut away pieces of the adhesive backing from where I wanted the cork to adhere to the butterfly patterned paper in a curved dimensional shape.  The adhesive sheet helps give the cork more stability, to retain its curved shape and makes it super easy to adhere to the paper.  Then I just trimmed the patterned paper around the cage and laced it up with Brown Twine, and walah . . . caged butterflies!

This Tim Holtz Caged Bird die contains two images:

Here's how I used the bird in the upper right section:

For this sweet bird die cut, I adhered Creative Imaginations Real Cherry Wood Cherry to Craft-a-Board to give it more stability and then die cut it -- I love the texture!  It's popped up on foam tape.  I loved this wonderful scalloped sentiment piece that is from another piece of the Madeline paper. It says: "True beauty lies within. I know that yours will shine so brilliant it will be blinding."  Something I hope my beautiful daughters learn in life.

 
My favorite section is fabulous dress I created!  I used Tim Holt's Bigz Die-Sewing Room dress form to cut Craft-a-Board, which was then sponged with Antique Linen & Brushed Corduroy Distress Inks:

Then I adhered a large Prima Cherry Rose Trim to the dress form -- one flower was all that was needed of this gorgeous trim:

I trimmed the flowers to fit the dress form, and then finished it with a Hero Arts Small Accent Pearls necklace.  My oldest daughter said she wants a dress like this!

The final two sections on the lower right were accented with huge Spellbinders Nested Butterfly die cuts.  I cut the largest butterfly in half and adhered the halves in each section and then topped it with the middle butterfly die that was adhered on top of the section divider and finished with Hero Arts Medium accent pearls.  Some Maya Road Cream Small Organza Rose trim was used in each section, to help tie them together.  In the left section, I used pieces of the fuschia Tattered Flowers die cuts that were left over from the top left section, topped with one of the small organza roses.  The small label cut out in the left section is from another piece of the Madeline paper, cut in half:

The photo of my youngest daughter was cut with a circle die.  I hope this tray helps to give you some ideas of different ways you can use this wonderful 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray!

~ Sharon Harnist

Paper: Prima 6x6 paper pad-Madeline, Magenta Cork sheet, Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board, Creative Imaginations Real Wood Cherry-Thin,
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks-Antique Linen & Brushed Corduroy, Ink Blending Tool; 
Tools: Sizzix Tim Holt Bigz Die-Tattered Florals, Caged Bird & Sewing Room; Spellbinders Nested Butterfly, Labels Large Nestabilities & Circle Nestabilities die sets
Accessories: 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray, Prima Cherry Rose Trim, Hero Arts Medium & Small Accent Pearls, Maya Road Cream Small Organza Roses, Jillibean Soup Brown Twine, Be Creative (Sookwang) Sheet adhesive, Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, Glue Glider Pro Repositionable tape, 

Stamping on Canvas by Julia Stainton

One of the things I love about stamping is the unlimited number of options for creating.There are just so many possibilities. There are so many techniques.

Often we get so caught up in stamping on paper that we forget to try stamping on other surfaces. Today I'd like to share a couple projects I've created by stamping on canvas and a few methods I use for doing so.

Stamping on Canvas with Paint

 

Canvas is such a great and also trendy surface to alter. This first card design uses a darling canvas dress from Maya Road as the central part of the design. I love the texture but it also presents a few stamping difficulties on how to get a great impression. One of my favorite solutions for stamping on canvas or other fabrics is to use paint.

Ranger paint dabbers make applying paint to rubber stamps a breeze. Just prime them on some scrap paper and then dab on the paint.Stamp your image firmly onto the canvas and make sure you wash the paint from your stamps right away. I know from experience that dried acrylic paint is nearly impossible to remove for a stamp. Not fun!

For best results, use bold images without fine detail with paint. After stamping the image with paint and the Cling Dots Background, allow to dry well.

I then started to "dress" up the project. Pun intended. :) The Hero Arts lace is so pretty and easy to use.

To give the dress a little further pizazz, some silk ribbon tied in a bow and a few embellishments finish it off.

For final touches, I stamped the sentiment and then stitched a border around the card in black thread.

Supplies: Kraft Cardstock by Hero Arts, Cling Dots Background by Hero Arts, So Artsy 4x6 stamp set by Hero Arts, Laundry Day Canvas Pieces by Maya Road, Cranberry Adirondack Paint Dabber by Ranger, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Black Vintage Button by Jenni Bowlin, twine, sewing machine, Rose Silk Ribbon by May Arts, Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Cream Self-Adhesive Lace by Hero  Arts

 Stamping on Canvas with Ink

My next project once again stamps on canvas but this time with ink. I've used some basic canvas fabric from the fabric store. Once again, because of the texture, it is best not to use too fine a stamp on canvas. I suggest testing your image on a scrap piece of canvas fabric before commiting to the actual project.

This beautiful Hero Arts butterfly image is stamped in Jet Black Archival ink by Ranger. It is my go to ink for stamping almost everything, except for when I want to use Copic Markers. Jet Black Archival gives a great rich black impression and is perfect for stamping on fabric. Once stamped, heat set the image with a heat gun.

I decided to try misting the canvas to see how that looked. The spritzed Glimmer Mist looked wonderful but I still wanted to add a little more color. Because Jet Black Archival does not work well with Copic Markers, I brushed on a little color using my Memento Markers which are dye based. I love the look and will be experimenting with this further.

Supplies: Kraft Layering Paper by Hero Arts, Antique Engraving stamp set by Hero Arts, Everyday Sayings stamp set by Hero Arts, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, canvas fabric, heat gun by Ranger, Cataloupe, Pear Tart and Lilac Posies Memento Markers by Tsukineko, Electric Blue Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels, Leaf Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Buttons by Basic Grey, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, Tim Holtz Tissue Tape by Advantus, Avignon Printed Papertape by 7 Gypsies

Have fun experimenting with different surfaces you can stamp on to stretch your creativity. Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom!

Love is in the Air #2 - Lille goes to Paris with a Nostalgic Blended Batik Technique

Today's tag takes a completely different twist from yesterday. I love this about this art form - yesterday was more glam and glitz, whereas today it's more about the vintagey goodness you can create!

I don't know if you remember when I posted my excitement over the new Lille line from 7 Gypsies and how I felt that it would be an awesome fit with Valentine's Day. If you don't have the time to create for Valentine's Day you could always just make a romantic card or tag for your special someone for an anniversary or just because as well.

 

Wouldn't it be SO much fun to head off to Paris for a romantic adventure?!? If not for real than perhaps it would be just the "ticket" to find a French Restaurant to rendezvous at OR you could create your own special dinner event in the coziness of your own home!

 

The technique I am sharing today is called Distress Ink Nostalgic Blended Batik. To begin I stamped Tim's Valentines ticket from Odds and Ends using Distress Embossing Ink multiple times on Manila cardstock. Apply clear embossing powder and heat set. Be certain to heat until the powders melt and become shiny and clear.

 

Then using an ink blending tools, ink over the entire set of images including the embossed design with Distress Ink using a circular motion. Apply the colors individually and in a random pattern as shown above.

 

Place a piece of newsprint or porous paper over your stamped images and iron over it on high heat. This causes the embossing powder to melt once again and be absorbed by the newsprint. Continue ironing and slowly remove the newsprint while it's still hot. If it cools the newsprint will be firmly attached to your project - LOL! SO be certain to remove it while the embossing powder is still hot and melted. Keep ironing it over again until it lifts off easily and when you view it there is no sheen on your project. Be certain to keep moving your newsprint to a "clean spot" as you work so that you do not reapply the embossing powder back to your project.

 

I love the diversity of these tags!

 

I punched a small circle from the Lille paper and colored in one of the flowers, punched it out and inserted it into a typewriter charm. Adding these fun little embellishments to your projects makes them come alive!

 

Stamp the Eiffel Tower on Manilla Cardstock and cut out. The center of the Eiffel Tower was cut out using my little Fiskars fingertip knife. This knife is the perfect way of cutting out those tiny, awkward spots. Affix a heart to the tower for added romance.

The background for my tag was created by randomly applying Matte Multi-Medium to my #8 Tag. The odd outline of attached paper makes the project more vintage in feel. By attaching my printed designer paper to the tag, allowing the adhesive to dry and then tearing away the excess paper I was left with this awesome vintage feel. Next apply Distress Ink using an ink blending tool. Stamp the flourish using Barn Door Distress Ink and then apply Rock Candy Distress Stickles with your finger randomly over the image and edges. Allow it all to dry before attaching your embellishments, twill and baker's twine.

Thank you for joining in my romantic adventure - LOL! I hope that you can use these techniques to create a vintage wonder of your own!

 
stamps: Memory Box Eiffel Tower, Tim Holtz Odds and Ends and Fancy Flourish 

ink: Distress Embossing Ink, Distress Ink - Barn Red, Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky

paper: 7 Gypsies Lille 6x6 Paper Pack, Inkssentials #8 Manila Tag

accessories: Hero Arts Heart Accent Pearl, Tim Holtz Typewriter Charm, Tiny Attacher and Rock Candy Distress Stickles; 1/2" Circle Punch, Studio Matte Multi-Medium,  7 Gypsies Princesca Crystals

English Garden Appreciation by Julia Stainton

I adore flowers. Don't you? Each one is so stunningly beautiful!

Because I adore all things floral, I love floral stamps. They are among the most timeless of images and are perfect for almost every occasion. One of my favorite companies for floral images is Lockhart Stamps. Beautifully detailed hand-drawn images always have me gasping in delight.

Enter the English Garden Flowers image. I just had to have it. Roses. Hydrangea. Lavender. Oh my!

I started off by coloring in the lavender at the top of the image. This image is very fine and it doesn't have to be perfect. I simply dab on color along each of the stalks using my Copic markers. This purple is V15 Mallow. As you can see below, the roses started out yellow, Y23 Yellowish Beige. Yes...I did plan to have them finish up red  but I thought some pretty yellow highlights under the red would give the final roses a more natural appearance. Don't be afraid to add a light color under the final color as the colors will blend when they are added on top.

Now my best of intentions of photographing each step of the coloring process didn't quite happen. I hope you'll forgive me for getting so caught up in the enjoyment of coloring that I completely forgot. Here's my steps though...

• add in R24 Prawn and R27 Cardinal Red over the yellow on the roses
• color the hydrangeas B12 Ice Blue
• dab in shadows of B14 Light Blue as well as some more V15 Mallow
• color in the basket using E31 Brick Beige and E34 Orientale
• color in the leaves using YG 93 Grayish Yellow and YG 95 Pale Olive
• go back and fill in any white between flowers with green foliage
• add a very light shadow in under the basket using W1
• add some final highlights using a white gel pen

Here's a photo of the Copic colors. Remember that you can always substitute using colors you have on hand for your own personal look.

After the image was complete, I stamped on the sentiment and adhered the layer.

I love adding a "bouquet" of pretty embellishments to my projects and group them together. The beautiful canvas butterfly is a canvas chipboard sticker that can be inked any color to match the design.

Supplies:

English Garden Flowers stamp by Lockhart, Neenah Classic Solar White Cardstock, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Tsukineko, Lille 6x6 paper pack by 7 Gypsies, All Occasion Messages stamp set by Hero Arts, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, Raw Canvas Chipboard by Prima, Red and White Flower Trinket Pin by Maya road, twine, Tim Holtz Mini Pins by Advantus, Curio Small Details by Basic Grey, B12, B14, R24, R27, V15, Y23, YG97, YG93, W00, E31, E34 Copic Markers, White Opaque Pen by Ranger

 Hope these flowers brightened up a wintery day for you. Yes, spring is really around the corner if we just hang in there!

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom --- tomorrow we resume our Love is in the Air Tag Technique Mini-Series, so be certain to stop by again!

Valentine Chandelier by Sharon Harnist

I must admit this wasn't my original idea -- I recently came across this wonderful Valentine Chandelier and wanted to make my own version of it -- a little more vintage-themed one, so here's my take on it!  Sorry these photos are not better -- it's hard to get a good photo of things that are constantly turning and twisting!

For the base of the chandelier, I used one chipboard heart "page" from Maya Road's Heart Chipboard Album:

These hearts are a nice size -- approximately 6.50" at the widest point and almost 6.25" tall.  With eight "pages", you can either make a lot of these type of projects, or a very full Valentine album!  Alternately, you could use some of Ellen's Craft-a-Board or Crystal Clear Plastic to fashion whatever shape you'd like your chandelier to have.  That's what I was originally going to do, until I saw how nice and large this heart album was!

I covered the chipboard heart with patterned papers from 7 Gypsies' Lille 6x6 paper pack -- I love the warm tones and vintage collage style of these papers!

The 6-inch paper will not quite cover all of the heart chipboard -- it must be turned at an angle into the corner of the paper and then just some tiny slivers of the chipboard will still show.  The rose trim I used around the edge of the heart chipboard shape finished covering the chipboard just fine. But if this bothers you, the Lille papers are also available in a larger 8-inch size!

 

I trimmed the edge of the heart with Cream Small Organza Roses, adhered with Copic's X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape (shown below is the top side of my paper-covered chipboard heart, untrimmed and the bottom side, shown trimmed with the cream roses):

 

For the photos, I used Ellen's fabulous selection of Assorted Doilies:

See those cute heart doilies in the pack?  They are the perfect size (approximately 4" x 4") for about a 2.50" x 3" photo!  So I made them into "frames" by cutting my black & white photos into heart shapes and adding some Zva Clear Swirl Crystals to dress them up: 

 

I backed the doilies with patterned paper, to give them more stability & weight, and make them pretty on the reverse side, too!  I sponged some Antique Linen Distress Ink on the white doilies, so they would match the vintage patterned papers a little better.  Instructions for the red tissue flowers are below with the Bingo card and the little "love bird" was die cut with Spellbinders smallest Nested Bird die set.

 

I used a Jenni Bowlin Red Adore Mini Bingo Card and since the back of it is plain white, I machine stitched more of the Lille paper onto the back and then trimmed the edges with pinking shears.

 

To accent the front of the Bingo card, I made a tissue flower by die cutting several layers of red tissue paper with Spellbinders Nested Peony dies.  After die cutting, just stack the layers of tissue paper together and secure them in the center (I used Tim Holtz's Tiny Attacher) and cover the staple with a large pearl or rhinestone.  Then fluff up the layers of tissue paper -- quick and easy!  Alternately, you could use a brad to secure the center of the flower.

The "wonky" hanging hearts were die cut with Tim Holtz's Heart Wing Bigz Die (shown below): 

from Memory Box Cranberry cardstock (solid heart) and then topped with the swirly heart die cut from Lille papers (these are two separate shapes on the die):

 

More solid hearts were die cut from Memory Box's Red Biscotti cardstock, aged with Antique Linen Distress Ink so they would match the Lille papers better, and accented with red gemstones. To make it quick and easy to die cut matching images (that you want to have a nice front and back), fold the cardstock in half (Memory Box is colored on one side and white on the back), so the white is on the inside. After die cutting, just adhere these two mirror images together and you'll have a colored heart on both sides! To adhere smaller die cuts like the swirly heart above, I like to use a mini bottle of Ranger's Glossy Accents -- it's a great liquid glue!  The bottle is easier to hold, the small applicator makes it easy to control the "glue" in tight spaces, and it dries quickly.  The double heart at the bottom of the photo above was cut on the fold of the cardstock and then opened up and backed with another piece of patterned cardstock.

 

If you've never used any of Tim's or Sizzix's Bigz dies and don't have either Sizzix's or Tim's die cutting machines but have a Cuttlebug, these dies work perfectly and easily in it!  I just use a Cuttlebug B plate on either side of the die and get perfect cuts every time, even with cardstock doubled like I've done here.

 

The birds were die cut with Spellbinders Nested Bird die, again from doubled Memory Box Cranberry cardstock, and I made the wings from Tim Holtz's Heart Wings Bigz Die!

To assemble the the chandelier, I lined up all my elements in four different columns and played with the placement.  Then I threaded an embroidery needle with fishing line and strung each of the four lines separately, leaving enough fishing line at the top and bottom of each string to allow for tying.  Using my Crop-a-Dile, I punched holes at the point of the heart and on the top of the heart, at each of the curves.  A piercing tool was used to place a hole in the center of the heart for the fourth line.

NOTE: When adhering the heart and bird fronts and backs together, I only placed a strong adhesive on the edges and not in the middles, so I would be able to string the fishing line through the centers of the double-sided cardstock shapes.  These "sandwiched" shapes were then easy to slide up and down the fishing line, to determine good placement and then stayed in place very well.

To anchor the doily heart frames to the fishing line (since I had not thought ahead and glued all of the photos and backing papers to the doilies and didn't leave a space through the middles!), I sewed the fishing line through the bottom of the front of the heart, along the back, and then back through the top of the heart to the front side.  Until the exact placement of the frames was determined, this let me slide the frames up and down the fishing line easily:

   

Once the proper placement was determined, I placed Mini Glue dots on the back of the heart frame where the fishing line was "sewn" through the cardstock.  To make the Glue Dot a little prettier, I sprinkled Glitter Ritz Warm Highlights Transparent Microfine glitter over them!

To weight the ends of the fishing line, I used these beautiful Melissa Frances Diamond Chandelier Drops:

 

The Chandelier Drops also help to weight each line, so they hang nicely.  And the darling butterflies are Jenni Bowlin Vellum Embellished Butterflies in Red! 

Finally, to make the hanger at the top of my chandelier, I used ivory satin ribbon threaded through each of the three outer holes (knotted separately on the bottom of the heart base) and knotted them together at the top. I hope I've explained the construction of this chandelier well - if not, please let me know if the comments and I'll answer your questions! Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!  ~ Sharon

 

Paper: 7 Gypsies-Lille 6x6 paper pack, Memory Box Cranberry Cardstock & Cranberry Biscotti Cardstdock; Essentials by Ellen Assorted Doilies, 
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Antique Linen,
Copic Markers
Tools: Tim Holtz Bigz Die-Heart Wings; Spellbinders Nested Bird & Nested Peony die templates; WRM Crop-a-Dile, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher,
Accessories: Jenni Bowlin Vellum Embellished Butterflies-Red & Mini Bingo Cards-Red; Maya Road Chipboard Album-Heart; Prima Small Organza Roses-Cream; Melissa Frances Chandelier Drops-Diamond; Hero Arts Assorted Gemstones-Red; Ranger Ink Blending Tool & Mini Glossy Accents; 3/8" Glue Dots; Glue Glider Pro with Perma Tac adhesive, Copic X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape; Zva Clear Swirl Crystals, Glitter Ritz Warm Highlights Transparent Microfine glitter,
Other: fishing line, red tissue paper, pinking shears, sewing machine + ivory thread, embroidery needle

Holiday Recipe Album by Sharon Harnist

I've been promising myself the past several years that I would gather up all of my favorite family holiday recipes from the four different cook books, three loose recipe cards, and five different pieces of paper they are all written on and put them all together into ONE easy-to-access holiday favorites recipe album, so I finally did it!

 

I started with one of the several different Melissa Frances Kitschy recipe albums Ellen carries:

There are also coordinating 6-inch and 12-inch papers Melissa Frances patterned papers that match these albums that you could use on the chipboard album cover, but since I didn't plan very well in advance(!) and was looking for more of a vintage style as opposed to retro/kitschy, I chose some beautiful Conservatory 6x6 papers from 7 Gypsies:

I thought they were the perfect combination of colors, a little bit Christmasy but yet still just plain vintage that would go well in my kitchen or for any holiday!  I also decided to give the album a little bit different shape for the cover, by using this nice, big 7" x 9" Melissa Frances Label style "backdrop" piece of chipboard for the cover:

It's good and sturdy (and a real bargain at just $1!) and easy to cover with the "patchwork" style of papers I chose.  For covering chipboard with paper, my favorite adhesive, especially for something that will be kept in a moist, hot environment, is Royal Coat Decoupage glue.  After adhering the papers to the chipboard cover, sand the edges and then sponge the edges with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.  Then give the top of the paper a sealing coat of decoupage glue, too, to help make it water-resistent.  After covering the chipboard label, I punched holes in it using my trusty Crop-a-Dile, that would coordinate with the Kitschy album cover's holes and bound everything together with the binder rings included in the kit.

 

For the cover, I made a flower accent by die cutting Grungepaper with Spellbinders Nested Peony dies and inking them with Worn Lipstick & Fired Brick Distress Inks.  I thought this thicker, sturdier paper would hold up better than regular paper in a moist, hot kitchen environment:

 

I alternated inking each layer of flower with a different Distress color, to give the flower more depth.  To create dimension, I used thick foam tape between the layers of flowers:

 

But because I'm pretty certain the foam tape would end up eventually not holding the suede-like fabric texture of the Grungepaper together over time, I used Tim Holtz's Tiny Attacher to secure the flower together in the center, minus the smallest flower.  Then I added the last, smallest flower to the center to cover up the staple:

 

The Maya Road chipboard letters were colored with YG93 Copic marker, to match the greens in the papers.  I LOVE using Copics to color chipboard -- it dries fast, is easy, not messy, and with 346 Copic colors to choose from, you're sure to find just the color you need!

 

The last finishing touch was this pretty Maya Road Yellow Ruffle Edge Trim that matched these papers perfectly!  It is securely held in place with Copic's 1/8" X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape:

 

The bonus to using this larger chipboard label as an album cover is that you can flip the recipe cards over to the front of the cover and the covers stand up & open and act as a built-in stand, for easy viewing of your recipe!

 

I hope this album sparks some creative ideas for you -- if not for recipes, then maybe for some favorite family photos!  Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!  ~ Sharon

 

Paper: Melissa Frances Kitschy Kitchen Homemade Recipe Album, 7 Gypsies Conservatory 6x6 paper pack, Tim Holtz Grungepaper,
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Inks-Worn Lipstick, Fired Brick & Brushed Corduroy, Copic marker YG93,
Tools: Spellbinders Nested Peony dies,
Accessories: Maya Road Mini Alphabet Chipboard Set-Noah & Yellow Ruffle Edge Trim, Ranger Ink Blending Tool, WRM Crop-a-Dile, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, EK Success 3D Dots thick foam tape, Copic X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape, Royal Coat Decoupage glue, sanding block,

12 Days of Christmas: Day 7 - One Little Word

One little word... Ali Edwards has shared this idea for the past several years. Ali has suggested that, "one little word can make a big impact in your life." This year I decided I would select a word. I thought about what word would be most appropriate for my life right now and settled on the word "purpose."
 

I decided to create a "purpose" book that I can work on throughout the year and so today as we celebrate the seventh day of Christmas with an "altered project" I completed my title page and first tag.

 

To make the background for the tag I wiped Pool Adirondack dye ink on my non-stick craft sheet. I then put a small dab of Stream Dimensional Pearls on the mat beside my ink and added water. Using my paint brush I then splattered the Dimensional Pearl mixture over the Pool ink as shown above.

I then laid my tag into this mixture and allowed it to dry.

 

To paint the foam layer of my image I went with a similar approach. This time I mixed a tiny amount of Modern Red Studio paint together with Red Pepper Dimensional Pearls. I inked my non-stick craft sheet with Red Pepper Adirondack dye ink and my paint mixture.

 

For the leaf I used Lettuce Adirondack Dye ink, a little Peeled Paint Distress Ink and Lettuce Dimensional Pearls. The sheen is so very pretty!

 

I wanted to add additional dimension to my painted surface and so I allowed the acrylic paints to dry. I then colored over the top of my acrylic painted images with Copic Markers. Isn't the additional depth fabulous!?!

 

To complete the tag I wanted to create a striped appearance to make journaling easier. Using tissue tape (it is SO easy to remove after inking!) I masked the bottom portion of the tag and used an ink blending tool and Pool ink to create tone-on-tone stripes.

 

Journaling was added by first lightly printing my words using a pencil and then using my 0.3 Copic Multiliner to finalize the words.
 

I was laughing at myself tonight as I shared this project with my family. I told them that it was a rather "cerebral" project, probably due to my exhaustion factor - LOL! They looked at me oddly and so I explained. I used the mirror as I "reflected" on why I had selected the word "purpose," and added the Eye Chart to help bring the year ahead into "focus."

I would like to encourage you to select a word that might help you move forward in the new year ahead. Then create some type of journal or art project that allows you to explore your word. My hope is to "live my life with purpose" in the year ahead. Thank you for once again joining me in this brand new year and decade.
 

stamps: Claudine Hellmuth Creative Layers Clear and Foam - Decor and Nature

ink: Adirondack Dye Ink Pads - Pool, Red Pepper, Lettuce, Butterscotch, Slate; Peeled Paint Distress Ink Pad; Jet Black Archival Ink; Copic Multiliner .3 Black, Copic Markers - YG25, YG95, R43, R46

paper: October Afternoon 8x8 Schoolhouse Paper Pad

accessories: Melissa Frances Envelope and Tag Book, Studio Line - Modern Red, Basic Black and Traditional Tag; Dimensional Pearls - Red Pepper, Stream, Lettuce, Butterscotch; Mini Mister, Ranger Inkssentials Opaque White Pen, Red Bakers Twine, 7 Gypsies Word Binding Rings, Facets

On the seventh day of Christmas (and the first day of the New Year - Happy New Year everyone!) by alterable items could be:

• 7 Gypsies 5x7 Ruban Book Cover
• Essentials by Ellen: Assorted Doilies
• Substrates, Board Book 8"
• Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board
• Tim Holtz Configurations, 5.5 x 5.5
• Tim Holtz Traveler Tissue Tape
• Adirondack Color Wash, Lettuce

 

To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only for each goodie package. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight. We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

I would love to hear what word you have chosen, or might choose as the one word that will inspire you this coming year. Please share your word and if you would like you can share why you selected your word.

Remember to visit the following 12 Days of Christmas blog candy drawings --- be certain to post a comment to the question on each individual post to be included in that drawing!

• One Stampin' Treasure
• Two Melting Tools
• Three Copic Goodies
• 3 Stamps + 1 Color Sampler = Four Memory Box Treats
• Five treats from Claudine's Lines
• Six Sizzix Goodies

Christmas Photo Tray by Sharon Harnist

Remember when I made this Fall photo tray project?  I promised a Christmas version and here it is!  When I made the Fall tray, I used repositionable adhesive to hold each panel in the tray.  That made it easy to remove each section and store them until next Fall, enabeling me to change out this tray seasonally!

 

Once you decorate one of these trays, you'll be hooked -- they are so much fun! Here's how I created each section, starting at the top:

 

On the top left is Spellbinders Wreath die, cut from a Memory Box Dill Notecard.  I sanded the embossed areas of the die cut, then added Christmas Red Stickles for berries.  Jillibean Soup Red Twine ties up the the wreath that is adhered with  EK Success 3D Dots.

 

In the center of the wreath, I placed our family monogram using Ellen's Traditional Seasonal Alphabet Digital Download -- a red letter H tied up with a bow coordinated perfectly with these gorgeous Webster's Pages Waiting For Santa Petite Papers I used!  The darling Christmas Wish List in the center section is a fabulous Melissa Frances Retro Printed Chipboard piece!  I thought it might be fun to have my girls write their wish list to Santa here!

 

For the top right section, I made a Tim Holtz Paper Rosette and topped it with another piece of the Retro Printed Chipboard.  The Christmas tree is a fabulous dimensional Melissa Frances resin Christmas Tree that I airbrushed with these Copic markers:

 

The YG63 was used to base airbrush coat the tree, then YG97 used to add depth directly with the brush tip.  These colors were still a little too bright for the papers, so I finished the piece with a light airbrushing of E25 to give it a more antiqued look.  The tiny tag in the middle far right side, tied with red twine is another MF chipboard piece!

 

On the bottom left section, I hand trimmed a letter "A" ornament from the Webster's paper (both my girls' names start with an A!) and popped it up with foam squares on top of a Martha Stewart Large Snowflake punched piece of cream Webster's paper.  The center section has another Melissa Frances Retro Printed Chipboard snowman that says "Holiday Memories" and is accented with a Melissa Frances Candy Cane.

 

The photo of my girls was framed with Spellbinders Snowflake Frame, cut from more Webster's Waiting For Santa paper.  The bottom right section has another Retro Printed Chipboard "the Season's Greetings" large postage stamp adorning the Webster's paper.

 

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today -- I hope this Christmas home decor piece puts you in the holiday spirit on this almost first day December!  ~ Sharon

Paper: Webster's Pages Petite Papers-Waiting For Santa, Copic X-Press It Blender Card, Memory Box Dill Notecard,
Dies & Punches: Spellbinders Wreath & Snowflake Frame; Sizzix Tim Holtz Paper Rosette Decorative Strip Die, Martha Stewart Large Snowflake punch,
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copic Markers: YG63, YG97, Y26, R39, E25
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, 7 Gypsies Black Photo Tray, Melissa Frances Christmas Tree Applique, Retro Printed Chipboard & Candy Canes; Traditional Seasonal Alphabet Digital Download, Ranger Stickles-Christmas Red, Jillibean Soup Red & Brown Twine, Sanding Block, EK Success 3D Dots, Glue Dots-Mini & 3/8",

Printer Tray Family Collage by Debbie Olson

Welcome! Today I have an altered item to share; I had ordered one of the black Printer Trays several weeks back but wasn't sure what I wanted to make with it. When the new Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 line came out, I knew that the vintage office look would be perfect with my printer tray.  

I started with the printer tray, an assortment of Circa 1934 papers and elements page, and some snapshots that I had taken one beautiful October day in our back yard. (The pictures were taken with a digital camera, converted to black and white in Adobe Photoshop Elements, and sized roughly for the openings before being printed with a Canon Selphy CP760 printer.)

Tip: Be sure to measure carefully before you cut your pictures; sometimes the shapes are 1/16" more or less than a standard size. Leaning on my woodworking husband's advice, "Measure twice, cut once." 

 

After you have the photographs in place, fill in with bits and pieces of patterned paper, buttons, string, tags--whatever your heart desires!

I considered leaving my photographs and papers just tacked with a bit of adhesive so that I could change the pictures seasonally, but I ended up using Ranger's Matte Accents to glue the pieces thoroughly. I'll just order another tray. . . or two. . . Christmas presents for grandparents, anyone?

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!

Optical Lens Halloween Ornaments

Can you tell I have been having waaay too much fun here at work lately? Life is settling into a more regular (and happy) routine which allows me to do what it is that I LOVE - create and share :-D

The optical lenses from 7 Gypsies are so wicked cool and I have many ideas floating through my brain since first seeing them in July. The first to surface is the use of these as "Halloween ornaments." Come Christmas time I have another whole new set of ideas, yep my brain is exploding and I can hardly wait to share those - ha! ha!

We were seriously laughing today because it took longer for me to take pictures of the finished designs than it did to create them! Yes, the glare on the lens makes these hard to photograph, but I just had to go outside where these orangey-red berries were. The wind was blowing, the sun was placing dappled shadows on my lenses, but I was determined... and I think I won out :-D

Begin by applying the design adhesive to the lens surface by using the spatula end of the Rub-on tool.

Mix together black ultrafine glitter and black flock. Apply and burnish with finger. Remove excess glitter and flock with a soft cloth.

So pretty!

Add additional dimension to your piece by first applying a rub-on. Then flip over your lens and apply the design adhesive crow, flock and glitter.

TIP: Cut the rubbing down to size before applying. If it is too large and you just try to pull it apart you will pull the rubbing from your surface. Guess how I know this... just look at the top edge and you will see :-(

You must admit that these are rather cool looking! Hang as a window ornament, put branches and berries in a vase and hang these or put it on a chain and wear it as a necklace. Yes, you could even use it on one of your paper craft projects - LOL!

Yes, I am having a barrel of fun! Thank you for stopping in and I hope that I have been able to bring a smile to your day!

accessories: 7 Gypsies Optical Lens, 7 Gypsies Chain and Time Rubbings, Memory Box Fright Night Design Adhesives, Doodlebug Flock (Black), Black Ultrafine Glitter RItz, Basic Grey Rub-on Roller