the CLASSroom

Flowers with Gelatos and Big Brush Pens by Darlene DeVries

It is a privilege to share a very special project and video with you today! As someone who loves to color I have admired Darlene DeVries' gorgeous coloring over the last several months and am thrilled to share her video with you today as she showcases the technique she uses when coloring with the fabulous Faber Castell Design Match products. This project showcases the use of Gelatos together with Big Brush Pens!

You can see more of Darlene's beautiful work on her blog Darlene Design. Each blogpost not only shows beautiful projects but she shares a coordinating videos showing how she each project! We would love to have your help thanking Darlene for sharing her project here in the CLASSroom. Please head over to her blog, Darlene Design, and leave a thank you in the comments section of her post there. You know you are in the right spot if you see the following picture!

Thank you Darlene for sharing your creativity with us here in the CLASSroom! -Ellen

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Hi All!  I’m so excited to be invited into the CLASSroom today!! 

I tend to do a lot of coloring with stamps… Copic markers, colored pencils, inks, water-based markers, etc.  Today I thought I would try something a little bit different - coloring with Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos and Stampers Big Brush Pens.  I love how these products work together to create a beautiful blended look.  And the white pen that was released in the fall is fantastic!

As far as stamps go, I am using one of my favorites by Hero Arts, Everything Flower.  I love this stamp because you can use subtle colors to make it a background, or you can color the flowers to create a foreground out of the background, which is what I have done with this card. 

Sometimes I have trouble figuring out where to put a sentiment on my card.  In those instances, I turn to vellum.  You can pop it right on top and not cover up any of the important elements.  I heat embossed a Paper Smooches sentiment in black onto vellum and just ran it across the center.

Enjoy the video here or you can also watch it over on YouTube. (Many thanks for subscribing to our channel!)

Thanks for spending time with me today.  Thank you Ellen for the opportunity to visit.

-Darlene

Cling Everything Flowers	Everything Flower	Sentiment Sampler	Pitt Big Brush Pen, Subtles, Set of 3
Pitt Big Brush Pen, Green, Set of 3	Pitt Big Brush Pen, Blue, Set of 3	Pitt Big Brush Pen, White	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
A5 Cardstock, Black, 10 pack	Bazzill 40lb. Vellum, 25pk	VersaMark Inkpad	Ranger - Super Fine 1oz. Embossing Powder, Black
Mixed Accent, Neutrals	Glue Dots, Mini (3/16")

InLinkz.com

Imagine Paris Tag by Julia Stainton

I seem to be hooked on tags these days. Last time I was in the CLASSroom I went the art journaling route with a bunch of tags to make a mini album for my daughter. Today's post uses a tag as well. Inspired by a big beautiful black tag and the chalkboard trend, I've gone vintage collage style with them.

There are many ways to stamp on dark surfaces. You can use embossing powder,or a pigment ink, but I've found that paint always works really well. I've been a fan of stamping with paint for years. The interesting thing with stamping with paint is that it never turns out exactly the same each time. I think that adds to much to the vintage style. That perfectly beautiful imperfection.

I love using the Adirondack Paint Dabbers for inking up a stamp with paint. You can use a foam brush with any acrylic paint and brush it on the stamp, but the paint dabbers make it so easy and there is no cleanup. Simply dab the paint with the foam applicator onto the stamp and then press onto your surface. These dabbers also work really well for "inking" the edges of your paper to define them.

• step one - stamp the ATC and apply paint to the edges of the ATC and the Tag

Tip: Wash your stamps off immediately as the acrylic paint is extremely difficult to get off if you allow it to dry. This is the voice of experience and it was painful.

• step two - stamp postage marks onto the black tag
• step three - adhere torn coffee filter paper with Multi-Medium...wrinkle the paper when applying it for added texture

Note: Multi-Medium is a fabulous adhesive and and essential mixed media product. Just brush it on the back to adhere or on the front to add a glaze.

• step four - adhere adhesive lace and then stamped ATC
• step five - tie tag with twine and tie on button

• step six - adhere flowers and insert trinket pins
• step seven - pin metal tag to flower

Tip: When creating a black and white project, add one pop of color to brighten it up.

Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! I hope you'll give stamping with paint a try. Have a fabulous weekend!

Supplies:

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Hello, Monday 04.08.2013

True story:  I don't own a bike. Haven't ridden one in years!!! But, I'm a sucker for cute bicycles! Go figure! LOL!

Fell in love with this mini bike die set by Savvy Stamps the instant I laid eyes on it and am having crazy fun with it! 

Had a lightbulb moment a short while ago that I share in the video... Funny how something so simple and obvious eludes us and then, of a sudden: BAM!!! And, we're smackin' ourselves on the forehead... criminitly!!!

Enjoy the video here or you can also watch it over on YouTube. And, many thanks for subscribing to our channel!

Have a great Mundane and so glad you could pop in today for some crafty time!

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

Savvy Stamps, Hello (Bubble)	DesignBlock Envelope Pattern	Shadow Ink, Soft Granite	Brilliance Pad, Graphite Black
COPIC Sketch Marker R21, Sardonyx	COPIC Sketch Marker YR21, Cream	COPIC Sketch Marker 110, Special Black	COPIC Sketch Marker, 0 Colorless Blender
COPIC Multiliner SP - 0.03, Black	Essentials by Ellen, Julie's Smooth Bristol, 10pc- 8.0 x 11	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream
Savvy Stamps Dies, Mini Bike Set	Shape 'N Tape, Black	Gemstones, Black Crystals	Craft Knife, Fingertip
Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	2 Way Glue, Chisel Tip	Tweezers, Stainless
Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Teflon Bone Folder

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Spring Canvas by Sharon Harnist

I was feeling extra Spring-y this week, with all the pretty sunshine (preceeded by a few nice days of rain!) and all the Texas Bluebonnets starting to bloom along the road sides, so I wanted to capture that feeling on canvas and here are the results:

After a few trial and error attempts, I came up with this successful method when wanting to stamp and color with Copic markers onto a stretched canvas frame. Sometimes a detailed stamp like this one is difficult to get a crisply stamped image when trying to stamp onto a stretched canvas over a wood frame.

To begin, I stamped the Hero Arts DesignBlock Flower Text (measuring a nice 6" x 4-1/2") with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Sticky Back Natural Canvas-8-1/2" x 11" 

Then I started coloring . . . Here are the step-out photos of each flower and its corresponding Copic Sketch colors used:

1. I feather blended together Y18 and YR16 (start by coloring with the lighter Y18, then flick the YR16 from the center of the flower outward):

2. YG25 and G17 for the the leaves:

3. V04 and V06 for the purple flower:

4. The same greens and yellow from the first flower:

5. For the center flower, I used B02 & B05 for the flowers and a little bit lighter green combo of YG03 & G05 for the leaves, just for a little variation:

6. As a final coloring step, I decided to go back over the stamped lines and deepen the color with a Copic Multiliner 0.8 (from the Broad 4pc Set). This was just personal preference -- I really like how it made the flower colors pop! The right two flowers below have already been outlined, but you could skip this step if you wanted a more natural flower look like the purple flower on the left that still had not been outlined -- it has a more "painterly" look:

The final step was to trim the Sticky Back canvas to the size of my 5 x 7 Chunky Stretched Natural Canvas (the Sticky Back canvas trims very easily with your paper trimmer or scissors), peel off the backing and stick the colored canvas to the front of the stretched canvas frame (ahem -- thus covering up a previous non-successful stamping attempt!):

The finishing touch was to tie on some pretty Springy May Arts Parrot Green Crochet Ribbon around the left side:

I hope this project helps put you in the Spring spirit and encourages you to get crafting this weekend!

~ Sharon

{Supplies}

Edited 4/9/13: I see you all scooped up the remaining supply of of this great Hero Arts large DesignBlock stamp! If you are looking for a similar stamp, I recently found these while browsing through the Warehouse Sale section of the store (which means great prices!):

Hero Arts Words & Flowers (set of 4):

Three Quirky Flowers:

I hope that helps! ~ Sharon

Hero Arts DesignBlock, Flower Text	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	Natural Studio Sticky Back Canvas 8.5x11	Copic Sketch Markers
Copic Multiliner 4pc Set, Broad	Canvas Corp Chunky Stretched Natural Canvas, 5x7	May Arts Crochet Ribbon, Parrot Green

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Hello, Monday 04.01.2013

(click on the pic to enbiggan)

Some simple but beautiful tags on Pinterest caught my eye and I wanted to recreate the look... When we think of shipping tags, we tend to think of them in white, or cream and sometimes kraft... But the tags I had seen were in bold bright colors, and had boldly colored imagery on them. So striking!

I wanted to re-create that look to make some tags I could use to dress up ordinary white cards. As I mention in the video, ink can take on a whole different look when stamped onto COLORED papers--what you see on white or cream may end up very different! So, pull out your scraps and experiment before you begin on your project, just to be sure you like the results you're getting.

ETA: Not quite sure whether or not Neon is for you? Hero Arts' new cubes are a great way to dabble before taking the plunge with full-size pads! The cubes also come in other assortments of pretty color palettes!

The layouts I did were very spontaneous (!)--I just cut and layered snippets of pretty patterns from a variety of paper pads (6x6, 8x8) in combinations that seemed to compliment the stamped tags nicely... A little bit of twine, a little bit of bling and before I knew it, I had an assortment of cards that, hopefully, would brighten anyone's day!

You can enjoy the video here, or in HD over on YouTube--thanks for subscribing to our channel and I sure hope the ideas inspire!

Thanks for joining me this Mundane! ;) 

 

 SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

Wise Bird	Claudine Hellmuth Clear Stamps, Spring Garden	Savvy Stamps, Puddles	Three Artistic Butterflies
Savvy Stamps, Blossom Flower, Lg	Savvy Stamps, Thank You	Savvy Stamps, Outline Tile Pattern	Savvy Stamps, Thank You Flag
Huckleberry Branch	Hero Arts Neon Ink Pad, Neon Pink	Hero Arts Neon Ink Pad, Neon Orange	Chalk Ink, Cerulean
Shadow Ink: Mid-Tone, Pale Tomato	Chalk Ink, Grass	Glue Glider Pro	B2 Cardstock, Bubblegum
EEE3 Cardstock, Pool	EE4 Cardstock, Meadow	D5 Cardstock, Sunflower	Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Mandarin
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	Crate Paper Maggie Holmes Signature 6x6 Paper Pad	Studio Calico Sundrifter 6x6 Paper Pad
Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm 6x6 Paper Pad	Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool, Angle & Photo Corner	Crop-A-Dile Eyelet & Snap Punch	EK Paper Shapers Punch, 1/2 Circle
Gemstones, Black Crystals	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Glossy Black	My Mind's Eye Enamel Dots, Boy Crazy	My Mind's Eye Enamel Dots, Cute from Collectable-Notable by Jen Allyson
Bamboo Cord Spool, Black	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Lime Single Cord	Sew Easy Baker's Twine, Black	Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, .88 oz
3D-Dots, 1/8" Thick	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Tweezer Bee
Tweezers, Stainless	Honey Bee Non Stick Scissors

InLinkz.com

Tag Art Journal Mini Album by Julia Stainton

Art journaling and mixed media projects are really hot trends in the crafting industry right now. Today's project came together from inspiration off this trend as well as few other influences in my life. I've been wanting to get back into more inky techniques and let me tell you, this is the messiest, inkiest and most fun project I've created in quite a while. It's also inspired by my daughter who loves to journal. It's the way she expresses her creativity and is a great outlet for her emotions. Art is my therapy, journaling is hers. I'm so excited to have created this tag art journal mini album for her to use. I know she'll fill it with inspiring quotes and thoughts.

 

The key to creating this project is to realize that anything goes. I didn't put together step out photos for this project but rather, different samples of the tags I've created. Each and every tag you create will come out differently and that is the beauty of this project. Nothing is ever wrong. It's just a beautiful mix of colors and patterns and each tag is an adventure in itself.

To create my tag mini album I started off with 10 manilla tags. They are held together with a ring clip so putting it together is so simple.

Tag Design Notes:

• Start of with your lightest color of Distress Stain.
• Add lots of color and stain to your tag. The more you add, the coverage will be better and the colors blend beautifully.
• Apply heat with a heat gun to dry the stains and speed up the process.
• Work on a Non-stick Craft Sheet to protect your work surface.
• Each tag is inked up on both sides. 
• Don't worry if you get color onto the reverse side of the tag. The more speckles and layers of color, the more interest in your tag.
• After the stains are dried, add more interest to your tag with stamping details.

I've repeated two things on each of the tags. The Old Letter stamp was partially inked and stamped on each tag in Tumbled Glass Distress Ink and the Picked Raspberry Distress Stain was used on every tag for continuity.

Another example.

A few of the tags, I've added even more layers of color by using masks. The above tag was layered over with a chevron mask and then the Picket Fence Distress Stain applied. I love how this white stain is opaque while all the colors are translucent.

This tag has a damask masked area...once again using the Picket Fence Distress Stain.

Once the album is clipped together, it can be written on. I find that a Copic 0.3 Multi-liner works great for the journaling as it is a nice line weight and is permanent.

To embellish the front I've put a book plate on the cover and then added in some pretty felt flowers and buttons.

A little canvas tag is also stained with Distress Stains and then stamped with the Vintage Rose Spray Stamp.

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

 

Supplies:

 

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 03.25.2013

Embossing sure is making a big come back lately, and I thought I'd have fun playing with some colored embossing powders by Ranger!  They look pretty spiffy on black card stock, don't you think?! I love the look! So bold and bright!

Had to add a little butterfly punched from vellum card stock--the card stock weight is perfect for propping the wings up for added dimension!

Enjoy the video here or on YouTube! You can also subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any of our webisodes! ;)

Thanks for joining me today!

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Savvy Stamps, Poppy with Leaf (on side)	Savvy Stamps, Ornate Leaf	Savvy Stamps, Hello Tall	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black
VersaMark Inkpad	Bazzill 40lb. Vellum, 25pk	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream
A5 Cardstock, Black, 10 pack	Adirondack Embossing Powder, Lettuce	Adirondack Embossing Powder, Red Pepper	White Embossing Powder
Inkadinkado Embossing Magic Bag	Embossing Gun	EKSuccess Adhesive Remover Tool	Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White
Tsukineko Brushstix 3pk, Chisel, Brush, Dome Tip #2	Accents, Glossy	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Sew Easy Baker's Twine, Black
Gemstones, Black Crystals	Medium Punch, Butterfly	Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Teflon Bone Folder

InLinkz.com

Copic Blender Bleaching by Sharon Harnist

Happy weekend to you all! I have a fun Copic technique to share with you today, that you can use with just about any rubber (or clear acrylic!) stamp. I used it on this tri-colored birthday tag:

It's pretty quick and easy, so here we go with the tutorial:

1. Airbrush one of Inchie Arts' new 3" White Art Squares with Copic R83 marker along the bottom third portion:

2. Then airbrush Copic Y21 in the center of the square:

3. Finish with Copic BG13 on the top third of the Art Square.

4. Use an alcohol prep pad to as a "stamp pad" and wipe it all over the Fantastic Birthday cake stamp. You could also use Copic Colorless Blender Solution, but the alcohol prep pad is a little more cost effective and works in the same manner as the Blender Solution would, by "removing" or pushing aside the color. Plus, it saves your Blender Solution for refilling your markers!

5. Then, quickly stamp onto the airbrushed Art Square. It will take just a few moments, but you will see the alcohol start to "develop" and remove the airbrushed Copic color! You can use a heat tool to speed up the process:

6. To prep the tag, use the birthday sentiment stamp as a spacer (or go ahead and stamp with Memento Tuxedo Black ink first), then start placing the My Mind's Eye Decorative Black Washi Tape washi tape (I LOVE these new 8-roll packs of two colors of coordinating tape!). I started with the chevron pattern at the top, used the Art Square as a spacer so I would know where to place the polka dot tape towards the bottom, then covered the sides with the striped tape:

7. Use Copic High Tack Double-Sided Tissue Tape to securely adhere the heavy weight matboard Art Square to the tag:

8. To trim the bottom of the tag, I custom colored White Pom Pom Trim with Copic BG13 Various Ink Refill, to match the airbrushing at the top of the Art Square.

9. Place the pom pom trim inside a snack-sized ziplock bag, along with a few drops of -0- Colorless Blender Solution and "knead" the baggie from the outside so the solution distributes over all of the trim. This will help ensure the next step of color will distribute more evenly throughout the trim. Then squeeze in a few drops of the BG13 Various Ink Refill and knead the bag again:

If you happen to get some heavier patches of color in spots, just squeeze in a few more drops of Blender Solution.

10. Remove the trim from the bag and blot with a tissue or paper towel; let dry.

11. Attach trim to bottom of tag, using the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher.

12. Tie Maya Road Sparkle Silver Twine to top of tag.

And there you have a fun, unique birthday gift tag!

Thanks so much for joining me today!

~ Sharon

{Supplies}

HA ClearDesign Fantastic Birthday Stamp Set	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	Copic Sketch Markers	Copic Various Ink Refill, BG13
COPIC Colorless Blender Solution 200cc Bottle	Inchie Arts 3" Art Squares, White	Copic Airbrush jSystem Starter Kit 1N	My Mind's Eye Decorative Tape, Red & Black
Pom Pom Trim, White, 3yds Precut	Tim Holtz, Tiny Attacher	High Tack Double-Sided Tissue Tape, 1/4"	Maya Road Twine Cording, Sparkle Silver

InLinkz.com

Pattern Play Class Seat Winners

Well it certainly would help if I actually set this post to go live!! We are happy to announce that we did drawn winners for the latest Online Card Class Pattern Play! The following lucky ladies are currently enrolled in class:

 

 

If you have not registered yet it is not too late - this class is filled with lots of little gems that will help you learn how to use those gorgeous patterned papers you have been hoarding :-D Enjoy!!!

Hello, Monday 03.18.2013

(click on the pic to en-biggan)

The camera trend is, well, trending! BAH HA HAAAA!!! And, I totally LOVE it! I have been collecting lots of camera embellishments to go with my stamps and dies. But, I am such a naughty little hoarder... *sigh*... I decided this week, that I was going to USE them and three card designs popped into my head, begging to be made real...

So, I hope you like cameras, too... 'Cuz when the little voices give me three ideas in one fell swoop, I have no choice but to ride the wave... I didn't even ride it to the end, but I got a good start. Heh, heh, heh! 

I also share a little tip for working with the Prima Marketing Metal Paper Clips in the video--if you watch and listen, you'll see what I mean. And, since I discovered that little trick, I'm stoked.  And, I want more of those Prima shaped clips!!! I'm kicking myself I didn't get the darn birds at the same time I got the cameras--cuz y'all know how I love me some birds, too!!! *chortle*

Hope you enjoy the video! You can watch it here or on YouTube and please subscribe to our channel!  We love sharing creative ideas with you!

Thanks for hangin' with me this Mundane morning and hope you have a gooder!

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Clear Stamp Sheet, Say Cheese	Studio Calico ClearDesign, Oh Snap from Hero Arts	My Favorite Things Die-namics, Accent It - Cute Cameras	VersaFine, Onyx Black
Memento Ink Pad, Espresso Truffle	Prima Hello Pastel Collection, Metal Paper Clips	Studio Calico, Abroad Wood Veneer, Cameras	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Orange Flame
Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Vanilla	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Daffodil	My Mind's Eye Enamel Dots, Boy Crazy	My Mind's Eye Enamel Dots, Cute from Collectable-Notable by Jen Allyson
Dylusions Ink Spray, White Linen	Accents, Glossy	Studio Calico Snippets 6x6 Paper Pad	My Mind's Eye Decorative Tape, Green & Navy
Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm 6x6 Paper Pad	Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Nesting Circles	Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Nesting Squares	Honey Bee Non Stick Scissors
Paper Shapers Circle Punch 1/2""	EK Paper Shapers Punch, 1/2 Circle	Tweezer Bee	Tweezers, Stainless
Craft Knife, Fingertip	Ruler, Tim Holtz Design	Glue Glider Pro Tool with Pro Plus PermaTac Cartridge	Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58'
3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board 6x12, 12p	Cardstock, Black, 10 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, Ream	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Sew Easy Baker's Twine, Black
Doodle Twine Spool, Beetle Black	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Teflon Bone Folder

InLinkz.com

Wishing You Sunshine by JJ Bolton

We would like to give a HUGE welcome to JJ Bolton as she shares her guest post with us today. I have long admired the beautiful cards and projects she creates. Her work as a designer for Mama Elephant and Avery Elle showcases her clean and simple style in a wonderful way. You can find more of her work on her blog Ribbon Girls.

We would appreciate if you would help us thank JJ for sharing her creativity with us by popping over to her blog Ribbon Girls - you will find so much inspiration there! Don't delay - read her post here and then head over to her blog and leave a comment there. You know you are in the right spot when you see the following goodies. 

Thank you JJ for being so willing to showcase the Mama Elephant stamps and teaching us this fun technique! -Ellen

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Hi everyone!  It’s JJ dropping in at the CLASSroom!  Can I just say that I’m so delighted to be here?  This place is just flowing with creativity and every day I visit, I learn something new :)  I’m so excited to be sharing a couple projects using the new-to-Ellen Hutson-line, Mama Elephant stamps! 

When I first started making cards, I would finish a project but still have that nagging feeling that something was missing.  I pored over magazines, over blogs, over catalogs looking for that elusive element.  One day on a papercrafting forum, a poster said that her cards didn’t feel complete until she added some texture.  That was a light bulb moment for me!  I’m sure you all realized this MUCH earlier than I did ;), but it made so much sense!  We stamp 2D images on flat paper!  So since then, when I’m just not feeling a particular project, I add a wee bit of texture and see if that perks things up!  For the CLASSroom projects I’m sharing today, I added texture in the form of scoring.  Hope you like it!

My first project is a sunshiny card!  I’m so ready for Spring and I’m craving some sun!  My first step was to cut a card base and a panel from white linen card stock.  {Love this stuff by the way!  Thanks to Cristina Kowalczyk for the heads up on this stuff :)}  The folded card base measures 5-1/2” tall by 4-1/4” wide.  The panel is just a smidge smaller at 5-1/4” tall by 4” wide. 

Next comes the stamping!  Using the scallop border from Mama Elephant’s Modern Borders set, I stamped a wave background on the bottom half of the panel.  Since the stamps are clear, I just eyeballed it to create the seamless pattern.   

After stamping the waves, I added the sentiment (2 separate stamps from the So Breezy set).  I have to admit that I am ADDICTED to the sentiments in this set.  Something about the combination of the handwritten font with the outline letters is irresistible to me! 

And now for the texture :)  I wanted to create a scored sunburst around my sentiment.  There’s no tool to do this easily, so I adapted my trusty score board to get it done!  I took a long pin (a quilter’s pin works great if you got one) and inserted into the center of where I wanted the sunburst.  {If you can, hide the hole inside of stamped image}  After inserting the needle through the card, I placed it all on top of the scoreboard making sure that my needle was seated in a score groove.  I had already marked off an area on my scoreboard with washi tape as a guide (we’ll get to that next).  Just a note, I made sure that my card was in the middle of the scoreboard.  {This technique requires you to spin the card around the pin, so you need the open space}  After lining up my card parallel to the score grooves, I scored my first line starting from the pin and working outward to the edge of the card.  {Note to self, get a better bone folder!}  

After the first line was scored, I gently rotated the card panel around the pin (making sure to keep the pin held down firmly).  To get evenly spaced score lines, I used my washi tape guides.  As I mentioned above, I had already marked off 4 score lines on my board with washi tape to help me score evenly.  So the process was….score line, rotate panel so that the scored line is lined up with the washi tape mark, score next line, rotate panel so that the scored line is lined up with the washi tape mark, and so on.  The process is surprisingly simple (despite my complicated directions;)!

Once the scoring was finished, I was ready to add some color.  I masked the bottom of the panel over the waves and blended a mix of yellow and orange inks over the sunburst.  You can just blend the ink over the sunburst, or you can use a cloud stencil like I did for a little extra detail.  The stencil I have is so old I don’t remember where I picked it up, but you can easily make one with a cloud punch or even cut one by hand.  The bottom of the card got similar ink treatment with masking and blending over the wave stamping.  Panel done!

Now to glue my panel to the card base.  Originally, I was going to add the panel directly to the white card base but when it came down to it, the stark white frame was so distracting.  So I ended up blending a bit of ink around the perimeter of the card which gave the card a much more natural look. 

Here’ s the final product again.  I think the scoring gives this card just the little bit of punch is needed!  What do you think? 

After I made my card, I applied the same technique to create a full sunburst tag!  Of course, I had to use my neon inks;)  The sentiment is from another Mama Elephant set called Say What.  Really fun stamps in that set!  

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me today!  I really enjoyed making these projects and I hope that you found a little tidbit that you can add to your crafting arsenal!  Huge thanks to Ellen for the honor :)  

Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Modern Borders	Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, So Breezy	Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Say What	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Base Die, Tag & Tie
A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	Distress Ink Pad, Mustard Seed	Distress Ink Pad, Spiced Marmalade
Distress Ink Pad, Peacock Feathers	Aquamarine Archival Ink by Ranger	Hero Arts Neon Ink Pad, Neon Pink	Hero Arts Neon Ink Pad, Neon Yellow
Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Martha Stewart Scoring Board	Sponge Applicator, Sponge Dauber with Airtight Cap

InLinkz.com

Easter Window Card by Julia Stainton

It's an early Easter this year! We don't have to wait for April as Easter falls on the last weekend of March. This means that it can also sneak up on you and it's coming up quicker than you might think.

Do you make cards for Easter? I have a sweet window design to share with you today. It's actually more of a Spring theme with an Easter sentiment but you'll definitely see touches of Easter in the oval (egg) shaped window and the pretty lavendar and soft yellow color scheme.

Window cards are a little more work than regular card designs and so I don't make them as often as I should. I confess to being a very lazy crafter. I had so much fun creating this one though that another will be on my to-do list very, very soon.

What originally inspired this design was a sheet of Secret Garden 12x12 paper from Graphic 45. This particular one is called Springtime and one side is patterned and the other has the most gorgeous little images that can be cut apart as images, accents and journaling card type embellishments. It's seriously amazing just how many projects could be made from one single sheet.

And HELLO?! It's only a dollar. I just couldn't resist.

To go along with it I also purchased the Secret Garden Chipboard pieces. I wanted to use this particular frame for it's oval shape and it would make a great focal point for my card design. It's pretty basic. You just punch it out of the chipboard sheet. So why the image? I wanted to show you a little trick.

See the little paper "spurs" that are left after you punch it out? You want to get rid of those for a nice finish on your project. To do that, simply file off the extra paper bits with a Sanding Block or the Basic Grey Precision File Set.

As a picture is worth a thousand words...I have lots of step outs for you today. This first one is basically how I start designing a project. I lay some of the pieces together to see how the design layout will work. You'll notice that some of the pieces I started with didn't make the final cut. That's OK. Just go with the flow.

Here's where I start putting the card layers together. And actually, it's also where I decided that this card needed a window and not just another layer.

Once the layers are all adhered together I planned out exactly where my window needed to be and then traced the inside of the oval onto the card front in pencil. As this is just a touch smaller in size than what I want the opening to be I just cut a very tiny amount outside the circle.

I wish I'd had an oval die that matching up in size perfectly but I didn't so hand-cutting was the only option. This is good to know though so that you make a window and size and shape that you desire.

Because there are so many layers of paper and cardstock, you may have to cut the oval out a few times with your craft knife. The first time I cut it only removed the top layer of patterned paper as you can see in the above shot. You'll find that after you cut one oval, the next layers go really quickly.

To get a nice smooth edge to all those layers of cut paper, I pulled out my Precision File set again and just filed them smooth. This makes it almost look as if it were die cut.

Place your frame on and you have a nice window card design.

You can leave it open or you can also put in a piece of Crystal Clear Plastic to make it easier to adhere your embellishments.

It's always nice to finish the inside of a card but it's really essential with a window card design. Here's the beautiful image panel that I finally decided on adhere to the inside of the card. I'm very fond of florals and birds and so that's what I went with.

To finish off the inside of the card, stamp the sentiment and add a few little flowers and pearls as an accent.

 

The card front needs some embellishing too. I adore the new Maya Road Wood Birdcages and this one worked perfectly for the front of this card. Add in a few more pins and accents and it's complete!

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and have a lovely weekend!

Supplies:

 

InLinkz.com

Online Card Classes Pattern Play Giveaway

Do you love patterned paper? Grab your favorites and join Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire and friends for Online Card Classes' newest class - Pattern Play. Make the most of your patterned paper stash while learning tips and tricks and discovering both clean-and-simple and advanced techniques. Pattern Play includes many card ideas - all with videos - and a variety of card styles. Add step-by-step pdfs, a forum, giveaways, shopping discounts (one is included to our online store www.ellenhutson.com :-D), additional inspiration and a gallery, and you'll be ready to use your pretty papers in fun new ways. Class runs March 18-25 (yep, it starts next Monday!) but you will have lifetime access to the content. Sign up now for only $16.

Register Here - Online Card Classes Pattern Play

We are excited to be giving away THREE seats in this class! All you need to do is tell us what your favorite patterned paper manufacturer is in the comments section below! Please leave your comment by midnight PST March 15 to be included in our random drawing for seats to this fabulous class!

Hello, Monday 03.11.2013

Do you love circles as much as I do? Like polka dots, they always make me so happy! And, they always look so mod, too! LOL!

I was playing with the Circle Punches Dies by Lifestyle Crafts--these dies are actually quite handy! You can punch out a whole bunch of same sized shapes all at one time just cranking them through your die cutting machine! They come in basic shapes, like the circles I used here, and they also come in some fun shapes, like bunnies & chicks, snowflakes, hearts, squares, etc.  Very cool!

My voice is back--YAY!!! So, you'll hear me yappin' away once again... :)

You'll hear (and watch!) me make a mistake on the first card and then I save it (*fist pump*) using the QuickStik--such a great gizmo!

Enjoy the video here or on YouTube and please subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any of our weekly webisodes! (I sooooo made that word up!)

Thanks for joining me and I hope you have a great Mundane! *snarf*

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Studio Calico Cleardesign: Sundrifter Love This from Hero Arts Lawn Cuts Dies, Hearts Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Circle Punches Studio Calico Sundrifter 6x6 Paper Pad Studio Calico, Mister Huey's Color Mist, Inky Black Studio Calico Snippets 6x6 Paper Pad Bamboo Cord Spool, Black Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go Transparent Letter Stickers, Baxter 2 H4 Cardstock, Dove Gray A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream Tim Holtz, Tiny Attacher Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool Tweezers, Stainless Elizabeth Craft Designs Tweezers Be Creative (Sookwang) Tape, 12mm (1/2") 3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick EKSuccess Adhesive Remover Tool Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Easter Punches Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Butterfly Punches Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Flower Punches Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Pennant Punche Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Arrow Punches Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Star Punches InLinkz.com

Easter Poppies by Sharon Harnist

Hello and happy weekend! Easter comes around in just 3 short weeks, so I thought I would get a head start on a few cards. I finally purchased some Faber-Castel Gelatosand wanted to try them out, so I also have a few pointers I found helpful when working with them.

I purchased the collection sets -- I thought that would be a great way to find which colors I like best and would also give me a few hues in each color family, to work with.  

I found it helpful to have color swatches of each color, so I scribbled each one on an Inchie Arts Inchie+ Art Square and labeled it. I figured the Art Square would be sturdy enough to keep my sample safely right there in the package -- it sits perfectly right over the stamp that comes with each of these Gelato sets!

To work with the Gelatos on this particular Hero Arts Poppy Background stamp that has a lot of solid surface, first, spritz the stamp with water:

Then color directly on the stamp with the Gelatos:

The Gelatos I used were:

Cotton Candy & Blueberry from the Blue collection for the sky.
Green Tea from the Green collection for the grass/lower part of the image.
From the Red collection: Lavender for the flowers & Red Cherry for the flower centers.

By the time you are finished coloring the image, some of the Gelatos may have started drying, so you may need to lightly spritz the stamp with water again. This will also help blend the colors together a little. Then stamp onto Hero Arts Felt Finish Natural White Felt Finish Watercolor Paper. I love how this turned out -- it reminds me a little of a triple dipped-dyed Easter egg!

After stamping I used the watercolor brush that comes with the Gelato sets, lightly dampened with water, to go back and blend some of the colors a little and define the edges of the stamped image.

To finish my card, I trimmed the image and let the natural color of the pretty watercolor paper make a self mat. Then I popped it up on Copic Foam Tape on a Hero Arts Iris Folded Card.  Next, I stamped the Easter sentiment (from Hero Arts ClearDesign-Celebrate Everyday set) onto more watercolor paper with Soft Lilac Hero Arts Shadow Ink and die cut it with My Favorite Things Die-namics STAX-Fishtail Flags and tied it with Hero Hues Floral ribbon. It is also popped up on foam tape.

I hope you have a lovely Spring weekend ahead and get some crafting time!

~ Sharon

{Supplies}:

Hero Arts Cling Poppy Background	ClearDesign: Everyday Sayings	Hero Arts Felt Finish Watercolor Paper-Natural	Hero Arts Folded Cards, Iris
Hero Arts Shadow Ink Pad, Soft Lilac	Hero Arts Hero Hues Ribbon, Floral	Faber-Castel Gelatos Set, Blue	Faber-Castel Gelatos Set, Green
Faber-Castel Gelatos Set, Red	My Favorite Things Die-namics Stax, Fishtail Flags	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"

InLinkz.com

Introducing Mama Elephant with Kryssi Ng

We are so happy to share this special project with you today as we celebrate and announce the arrival of the Mama Elephant stamp line to our store! Mama Elephant is a small business based in NY/NJ. For childhood buddies, Kryssi and Angela, art and creating have always been our lifelong passion. They bring a collaboration of their aesthetic to Mama Elephant. Their stamps are designed with card makers and scrapbookers in mind with all designs carefully curated to provide optimal versatility with a wide variety of styles - modern, trendy, bold, graphic and most importantly fun!

I just had to know how the name Mama Elephant came about as I find it strikingly sweet and have come to find out that both Kryssi and Angela are devoted mamas to two small girls. Coincidentally, their daughters are name Ellie and Ella. They wanted their name and business to reflect the love they have for their children and family. Above all, like elephants, they never want to forget that their families are the root of everything they work for.

I would like to thank Kryssi for sharing this special project with us today as we celebrate the addition of this fun new line to our store! As well you can find tons (get it - tons, elephant,... ha, ha) of inspiration on their Mama Elephant Blog! -Ellen

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Take a closer look at your smaller stamps. They are great building blocks to create a graphic collage that makes a big, bold statement. With strategic placement and multiple sentiments, your finished work can make the same impact as larger stamps with a lot more visual interest. Choose stamps and sentiments that obviously work well together.

With CAS and one layered cards, placement of stamps is very important. You certainly don't want to overdo it. I wanted to create a "yahoo!" kind of card to celebrate Ellen Hutson carrying our line. And I was dying to use this luxurious linen cardstock that Ellen carries. It is as beautiful as I ever dreamed it was! CAS designers, listen up, this is perfect for you!



The first thing I stamped was the "That's What She Said" sentiment from the Say What set. It was easier to visualize where everything should go and balance out the card after the sentiment was stamped. I love that little bit of linen cross hatch pattern from the cardstock peeking out from the stamped image. I then went ahead and built a little collage using one of our newest sets, Rustic Spring. The little swing was designed to fit perfectly with the birdcage and birdhouse included in this set. I simply stamped the swing to suspend under the birdcage. I then stamped the small berry branch so the birdcage is hanging from it. Then I stamped the birdies. I usually take a step back after each image stamped. (Holding it at different angles and squinting your eyes works wonders!)

I then looked at my other stamps and picked sentiments that would either 1) work or 2) make my statement even cooler! "Oh yeah, baby!" played up my first sentiment so in it went! I also chose the  little "I heart this" banner from Smitten because it helped me convey my message and because of it was a reverse solid stamp just like "That's What She Said". it helped balance the design out. Finally, I colored in the birds and berries. Since I made the berries colorful, I was careful not to give too much color to the birds or else it would "compete" with the rainbow berries.

Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Say What

Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Smitten

Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Rustic Spring

A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 03.04.2013

I still have Easter on the brain, so you're getting another dose of Spring-time creations this week! The ideas just kept coming, so since I was on a roll... 

But, you'll have to pardon me... I have a terrible, TERRIBLE head/chest cold, and I completely lost my voice.  I mean, COMPLETELY. :(  I laid down a music track for today's video and hopefully I'll be flexin' the golden pipes once again by next week.

Meantime, I have some additional tips to share that you otherwise would have heard on the voice-over:

• A 1/4" hole punch can be used to take "bites" out of your die cut "chocolate" bunnies (the bunnies card, by the way, was a card I'd seen in a store and have been dying ever since to recreate cuz it's hilarious!)
• I always prefer to stamp my sentiments, but if I simply don't have what I need, I will use my computer or alpha stickers (depends on how elaborate/lengthy the greeting is)
• Shape N Tape or Washi Tape is a great way to add a little bit of pattern and can serve as a substitute for patterned paper in a pinch
• I use a craft knife blade to separate Shape N Tape from the liner; my fingers are too clunky and can't get between the layers
• Due to Shape N Tape's size, you can die cut fairly large shapes from the sheets, but you can also cut strips to size, apply them to card stock and then die cut for a multi-patterned/multi-colored effect
• When applying Stickles glitter glue to tiny areas, I try to apply a drop but use a pin to spread it out

Enjoy the video here or on YouTube and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Thanks for joining me this Mundane!

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Savvy Stamps, Hello Spring Memento Ink Pad, Pear Tart Memory Box Cardstock, Vanilla Bean Memory Box Cardstock, Squash EEE3 Cardstock, Pool B2 Cardstock, Bubblegum Memory Box Cardstock, Parsley A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack Savvy Stamps Dies, Grass Impression Obsession Dies, Chocolate Bunny Memory Box Dies, Family Ties Impression Obsession Dies, Egg Set Shape 'N Tape, Yellow Shape 'N Tape, Teal Blue Shape 'N Tape, Orange My Mind's Eye Decorative Tape, Green & Navy Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Stickers, Yellow Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink Stickles, Orange Peel Stickles, Yellow Glaze Pen, Black, 2 pk Sakura Quickie Glue Pen Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, .88 oz 3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick Glue Glider Pro Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58' InLinkz.com

Spring Blossoms by Julia Stainton

It's March! Spring is just around the corner. Officially just a few more weeks away! It will be awhile yet before we see much of Spring here in Canada but I'm totally getting in the mood for it with some pretty blossoms on today's card. It's a simple technique using Liquid Applique and is one of my favorites. Why is it that any technique that using a heat gun seems so much more magical?!

I've started off with one of my favorite new Hero Arts stamp sets, the Art of the Card Friend Collage set. It has a cling rubber background stamp and as I love, love, love background stamps, well...it's simply irresistable when combined with some beautiful timeless florals and a sentiment. I love being able to make lots of cards and designs all from one purchase.

First step...the background. I've stamped the background using the Aquamarine Archival Ink. Archival Inks are my favorites. You can heat set them to make them permanent and then do all kinds of great techniques over them.

Next, the beautiful swirly vines were stamped in Olive Archival ink and then heat set once again.

After trimming the panel to the size I wanted (3.75" x 5") I then sponged on lots of Distress Ink. Keep sponging on color until you get the saturation you want. The main part of the image is sponged with Tumbled Glass and Crushed Olive Distress Inks. Around the edges to add a bit of depth I sponged on Broken China Distress Ink.

Now we're ready for the fun part...adding in all those sweet little blossoms. If you've never used Liquid Applique is so quick and fun to use. Simply squeeze out tiny dots of the Liquid Applique wherever you want a little blossom. This product also makes for GREAT snow if you are creating holiday cards!

Use a Heat Gun to apply heat to the wet Liquid Applique dots. They puff up like tiny marshmallows to almost twice the size of the wet dot. You can leave them like this but I like to add a little color with chalk.

The Pitt Pastel Pencils are like chalk in a pencil form. Scribble some color onto a scrap piece of paper. You'll find this leaves some chalk dust and color that you can pick up with a cotton ball or a cotton swab. Dab it onto the heated Liquid Applique to color the blossoms.

Next step..the sentiment. Stamp it in Jet Black Archival Ink and then color in with a dye based marker to make it stand out.

Because of the dimension of the panel, I add the adhesive onto the card base and then adhere the panel to the card.

The final step is to add an embellishment. When using a lot of technique, I like to highlight that and keep the embellishments simple. For this card, a little Leaf Trinket Pin inserted through the top of the panel does the trick.

 Thanks so much for stopping by the CLASSroom! Have a fabulous and creative weekend!

Supplies:

 

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 02.25.2013

I love snow, and because of snow, I love Winter. BUT, since we didn't get any snow this year, I'm pretty much over it and ready for Spring. Now. How 'bout you? *grin*

I went a little nuts over these cute, CUTE bunny dies by Impression Obsession when we saw them at CHA--ADORBS!!! I love that you can use them alone OR in conjunction with the stamp set--I must apologize that I jumped the gun when I was working on today's video and didn't realize the coordinating stamp set was not yet in stock over in the warehouse, but if you like the idea of the egg card, there are a ton of different styles that could be used in this design, from solids to detail, vintage and contemporary!

These little kraft envelopes were PERFECT for my little note card set--LOVE!!!

And my favoritest new background stamp is this Thick Stripes by Impression Obsession! I have tried making my own striped backgrounds with a single stripe stamp, and while I can do it, it does take a bit of time to stamp them all the way across a card front individually, while keeping them "perfectly" aligned... this stamp does it all in one fell swoop AND because it's a 6x6" Cover-a-Card, it can go vertical OR horizontal.

   It doesn't get much easier or faster than that, my friends!

For more in depth details on these projects, enjoy the video here or on YouTube! I had some serious fun creating these!

 

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Impression Obsession Cover-a-Card Cling Stamps, Thick Stripes	Impression Obsession Dies, Bunny Set	Shadow Ink, Soft Green	Shadow Ink, Soft Pool
Hero Hues Dye Ink: Ocean	Shadow Ink, Soft Cantaloupe	Memento Ink Pad, Espresso Truffle	Poppystamps Dies, Grassland Border
EEE3 Cardstock, Pool	E7 Cardstock, Parsley	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream
Envelope, Kraft 3x3, 12pk	Pom Pom Trim, White, 3yds Precut	WoolFelt, 12"x18" White (35%)	Doodle Twine Spool, Tangerine
Doodle Twine Assortment, Boy	Doodle Twine Assortment, Bright	Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive	Accents, Glossy
Teflon Bone Folder	Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2""	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink
Tweezers, Stainless	Elizabeth Craft Designs Tweezers	Tweezer Bee

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 02.18.2013

(click the pics to enbiggan)

I've been having a ball with sequins and wanted to share a few card ideas I've been playing with in the studio that incorporated these pretty, PRETTY things!!! I just can't get enough of them! The iridescent sparkle and shape make them a perfect accent--they also make fabulous filler in a full card-front shaker pocket! SWEET!!!

Seriously, I am obsessed with sequins as much as I am with Washi tape! Eep!!!

Also, I wanted to mention a few extra tips:

• You might be tempted to color white/vanilla sequins with your Copic Markers, but be advised that the alcohol ink will more than likely ruin the iridescent finish of your pretty sequins.

                Ask me how I know...

• Glossy Accents is a perfect adhesive for gluing individual sequins into place as it dries clear and sets up very quickly
• A few sequins can go a long way--start with a little, then add more when filling your pocket...
• As I mention in the video, if you're good with a sewing machine, you can create your pocket that way; I am not so good and found Washi tape an easier, full-proof method for creating my pocket--the added bonus is that it is repositionable and enables you to interject some additional color and pattern to your project!  BOOYAAAAAAH!!!

Enjoy the video here or in HD on YouTube and thanks for subscribing to our channel!

 

Thanks for joining me!

 

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Bring on the Sun by Ali Edwards	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Bee Mine	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sophie's Sentiments	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black
Shadow Ink, Soft Granite	VersaMark Inkpad	Crystal Clear Plastic, Medium Weight 8 1/2"" x 11"" (10 pk)	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	H4 Cardstock, Dove Gray	EEE3 Cardstock, Pool	My Mind's Eye Decorative Tape, Red & Turquoise
Shape 'N Tape, Teal Blue	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	My Favorite Things Die-namics, Flat-Bottom Clouds	Studio Calico Darling Dear 12x12 Vellum, Hepburn
Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Peach	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Sky	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent White	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Daffodil
Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Orange Flame	Studio Calico Darling Dear Wood Veneer, Triangle	Glue Glider Pro Tool with Pro Plus PermaTac Cartridge	Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58'
COPIC Sketch Marker Y35, Maize	COPIC Sketch Marker YG21, Anise	COPIC Sketch Marker YG95, Pale Olive	Embossing Gun
Accents, Glossy	Hero Arts Embossing Powder, White	Sew Easy Baker's Twine, Black	Doodle Twine Assortment, Boy
Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	EK Paper Shapers Punch, 1/2 Circle	Tweezer Bee

InLinkz.com

Lawn Fawn - One Die Three Ways by Nina Yang

**Please note - we have two posts to share with you today! Be certain to scroll down and leave a comment for Julia as well! Thank you!

As we stood in the Lawn Fawn booth this past CHA admiring the cards, one in particular popped out at Julie and I (well lots of cards popped, but this one... well...) We squealed with delight at the genius behind the card. As good fortune would have it the creator of that fabulous little card walked into the booth moments later and we were introduced to Nina Yang. My goodness but the lady is clever and talented, so to have her joining us and sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today is so much fun!

Nina is author to a marvelous blog called Waffleflower. It is filled with a myriad of treasures as Nina designs for Hampton Arts, Neat & Tangled, Paper Smooches Sparks and Runway Inspired Challenges! You will definitely enjoy the inspiration she shares there. I would appreciate if you would head over to Nina's blog now and help us thank her for sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today. Please leave a 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 new products she used to create this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following picture.

Thank you Nina for inspiring us on so many levels - your projects are simply fabulous! -Ellen

Just a side note - the Lawn Fawn CHA release is scheduled to arrive at our warehouse February 20th or 21st. Simply click the notify box and fill it in if you would like to receive an email when the product arrives.

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Hello there! I’m very excited to be joining Ellen Hutson in the CLASSroom today to share some fun ways to use dies.

One of my favorite CHA Winter 2013 releases is the A Birdie Told Me die set by Lawn Fawn. What I like most about this set is the cute hand drawn twist to the speech bubble trend. I am showcasing the mini circle bubble today.

First up, the birdie hello card.

 
The speech bubble is designed to come out from the right but we need it to come out from the left for the bird. For stamps, we can do mirror stamping to get it right; for a die, we just need to die cut it on the back of the paper and flip it! Then diecut the heart from the bubble to create a negative image.

Have you noticed that I used the thought bubble die from the same set to create my tree? The bird die makes it easy to create a a-bird-in-the-tree scene.

Here is a close-up. I used lots of foam adhesive to add dimension. I used cardstock but it should be fun to mix and match your patterned paper for a different look.

On the first card, we used two different dies to create the speech bubble. On the second card, We are going to use the negative piece after die cutting a bunch of bubbles to be the base and raise the heart in the middle.

Play with the patterned paper combination and trace the speech bubbles down with a pencil.

No need to be perfect when cutting the bubbles out. We will need the extra paper to mount them with foam adhesives.

I usually add foam dots on the back of my front piece. This way it is sure that they will not show up through the windows. Don’t forget to remove the pencil lines before you mount the patterned paper pieces to the back.

The sentiments were stamped on some scrap and cut out. This is the fun part of speech bubbles and frames – mix and match your sentiment stamps!

The sentiments were adhered to card with some foam adhesive as well. Play with the positions until you are satisfied.

Now, I am very excited to introduce the third way to use the die – make a 3D flower with it!

The little tail on the speech bubble is just perfect for making a flower like this. I first heat embossed the cardstock with the triangle stamp to give some texture to my flower but you can also use patterned paper instead.

Diecut 6 bubbles from the paper and poke a hole in each of them as shown. No need to be perfect but be careful not to tear the paper.

Start with 3 petals with a brad and secure; add foam adhesive to the other 3 petals and adhere them to the back of the first three. Arrange them to your liking.

There is one more tip I would like to add. The white embossed letters are hard to show up on bright yellow cardstock. I used the heat emboss resist technique to give it a shadow so it can stand out from the background. Just make sure that you use a water-based ink for this technique.

The frame die I used is a new CHA release by Paper Smooches. It is my absolutely favorite frame of all time. Have you noticed that it is very similar to the one in the PS logo? Timeless! I have another 1 die 3 way post using the Duo Die 2 on my blog.

That’s it for today! I hope that you are inspired to play more with your dies.

Thank Ellen and Kelly for going through all the trouble to get the new products to me so quickly. Patterned paper I used is from Daphne’s Closet 6x6 pad by Lawn Fawn. Ellen handpicked the cardstocks that go very well with the paper. Check out the supply list below for details.

Lawn Cuts Dies, A Birdie Told Me	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, A Birdie Told Me	Paper Smooches Wise Dies Frame Die, Duo Die 1	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sharp Backdrops
Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Hello Friend	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Love 'n Breakfast	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sophie's Sentiments	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Critters Down Under
Lawn Fawn Petite Paper Pack, Daphne's Closet	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	Hero Arts, Layering Paper, Punch	Memory Box Cardstock, Parsley
Cardstock, Juniper	Memory Box Cardstock, Sunflower	Memory Box Cardstock, Sugar Plum	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black
Memento Ink Pad, Toffee Crunch	Stampendous Embossing Powder, .92 oz Detail White	Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Single Spool Peppermint	Essentials by Ellen: Sequins, Iridescent Daffodil
Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Retractable Craft Pick	Non-stick Micro Serrated Scissors

InLinkz.com

I Do Wedding Card by Julia Stainton

It's a lovely time of year for a white wedding. We have a fresh dusting of snow and it's that special season when we celebrate love and the special people in our lives.It seems very appropriate that tomorrow we are attending what is a very special wedding in our family. My oldest son and his lovely fiancee tie the knot and I couldn't be more excited.

(image credit: Vincent Kember)

One of James and Shannon's beautiful engagement photos inspired this design. This is my favourite photo of them and I really wanted to work it into the card.

Truth be told, this card I designed wasn't the one I had planned in my head. Designing can be like that and projects can take on a mind of their own. When that happens, you might as well just go with the creative flow. While this card isn't the over-the-top floral and embellisment-laden design I had wanted to create, simple and elegant with the focus on the couple themselves is perfect for James and Shannon.

  To start off this design, I used one of my favourite photo techniques that is so easy to do and adds wonderful texture and interest. The Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas is perfect for so many different art and mixed media techniques but it is also perfect for clean and simple design as well. Did you know that you can run these sheets right through your printer? Oh the possibilities! No specific settings needed, just put the sheet into your printer and print your photo. I love the black and white look but colour works great as well.

Once my photo was printed, I trimmed it down,removed the backing and adhered it to a piece of Craft-a-Board, a great chipboard-type product.

Next I wanted to die cut the image but as the Styled Labels die was on a angle, it was difficult to line up. I certainly didn't want to cut off the wrong part of the photo. A piece of vellum to the rescue. I die cut the vellum out with the die and then placed it over the image where I wanted it. Because you can see through vellum, it made it easy. Then I lined up the die over where the vellum lay and ran the whole thing through my Sizzix Big Shot.

I love how clean, crisp and pretty the die cut turned out.

Which in turn made it very difficult to add too much to the design. Everything seemed to take away from it. And so...

...the best solution was to keep it simple.

• a very simple sentiment using white canvas letter stickers
• a simple white on white embossed dot background
• a simple trinket pin and charm to dress it up

To finish the inside, I turned to a simple Now and Forever stamped sentiment. The  two little canvas chipboard hearts were created with more sticky-back canvas and Craft-a-Board to coordinate with the front.

 Wishing you a lovely and creative weekend! Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom!

Supplies:

 

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Hello, Monday 02.11.2013

(click on the pics to enbiggan)

Paper Tole has been around for quite a while and I totally love the dimension it can give my card-making!

It's often done with beautiful floral images and butterflies and can yield stunning results! It can be intricate, and time-consuming, depending on the type of images used--I'll be the first to admit that images with lots of "tiny" details could be quite tedious.

BUT, this series of blueprint style stamps by Stamper's Anonymous had me *uber* excited to play with the technique--they are positively POIFECT for it!!! The variety of different themes really appeals to me, and I love the fact that they have also combined some of them into "minis"! 

The technique isn't limited to just card-making--I think it would be very cool to frame the finished pieces inside shadow boxes and hang 'em on the wall!

Enjoy the video here, or in HD on YouTube!

 

 

Thanks for subscribing to our channel, and for stopping by today! Have an AWESOME Mundane! *wink*

 

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SUPPLIES:

Tim Holtz, Travel Blueprint	Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	COPIC Sketch Marker B91, Pale Grayish Blue	COPIC Sketch Marker E30, Bisque
COPIC Sketch Marker T5, Toner Gray #5	COPIC Sketch Marker YR12, Loquat	A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack	Teflon Bone Folder
3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Honey Bee Non Stick Scissors	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"

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Love is in the Air by Sharon Harnist

Since Valentine's Day is next week and I needed another Valentine card, I thought I would dedicate today's project to a few of my most loved papercrafting supplies and tools!  Here they are, in no particular favorite order (I tried to limit it to 10 but failed!):

 1. Hero Arts Stamps: Year Round Sentiments ClearDesign
 2. Washi Tape: Lifestyle Crafts Shape 'N Tape (Gray)
 3. Dies: MFT Die-namics Fishtail Flags & Sizzix Framelits Hearts 
 4. Copic Markers: R85 
 5. Memento Inks: Gray Flannel  
 6. Doilies: Sizzix Tim Holtz On The Edge Distressed Doily Die
 7. Neenah Natural White Cardstock: for soft ivory card base
 8. Pink hues of cardstock: Memory Box Bubblegum and Raspberry, 
 9. Buttons 
10. Copic Foam Tape - 1/4"
11. Corner Chomper 
12. Glue Dots: Craft and Mini 
13. Sewing 

And here's the card I came up with (click on any photo for a larger view):

Another favorite of mine -- horizontal cards. Do you have an orientation preference for cards?  Mine has always been horizontal! I started with my favorite ivory cardstock (Neenah Natural White) for a base, rounded the bottom corners with the Corner Chomper, then die cut the doily out of the same. This is an edger die (meaning only half of a doily), so I die cut two of them, which gives the oval shape that fits perfectly on a card front!

Next, I die cut Gray Shape 'N Tape with MFT Fishtail Flags and custom colored the tape to match the rest of my card with one of my favorite Copic marker colors, R85:

The tape covers the seam of the doily halves. Next, I die cut two colors of my favorite pink and raspberry Memory Box cardstock four times with the heart die and machine stitched them down the center. Then I folded the sides of the heart up and separated the layers with 1/4-inch Copic Foam Tape, to give the heart dimension. The heart is secured to the card with Craft Glue Dots:

My newest favorite Memento dye ink pad color, Gray Flannel, was used to stamp this darling Hero Arts XOXO sentiment. I used ivory embroidery floss to string and tie the buttons together, then secured them to the card with Mini Glue Dots.

I hope you have some fun this weekend with some of your favorite papercrafting products, too . . . Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Sharon

{Supplies}

A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack	Sizzix Tim Holtz On The Edge Die, Distressed Doily	My Favorite Things Die-namics Stax, Fishtail Flags	Shape 'N Tape, Gray
Copic Sketch Marker, R85	Sizzix Framelit Dies, Hearts	Memory Box Cardstock, Bubblegum	Memory Box Cardstock, Raspberry
Hero Arts ClearDesign, Year Round Sentiments	Memento Ink Pad, Gray Flannel	Hero Arts Buttons, Mixed Blush	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/4"
Glue Dots Sheets, Craft	Glue Dots, Mini (3/16")	Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool

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Hello, Monday 02.04.2013

Before I get started, I want to thank you for the lovely birthday wishes--y'all made my 50th AWESOME!!! And many, MANY thanks to my incredibly dear, and incredibly talented, friends for the AMAZING blog hop! I know everyone enjoyed all that eye candy and, um... I pretty much fell off my chair...

Thank you SO much!!!

 

So, I've been in a Lovey-dovey frame of mind lately--how 'bout you?

 

(click on the pic to en-biggan)

I love LOVE the chalkboard trend we're seeing everywhere these days--not sure if it's due to my former teaching days, when I did actually have a chalkboard in my classroom... Ack! I was pre-white board days... Hah! *chuckle*

There are several different ways of going abut getting the chalkboard effect--some folks like to white emboss their images and then add details with a white pastel pencil or white pen. I decided on this one to just use a good white pigment ink (Unicorn, or Snow Cap), and leave it nekked. We are talkin' pigment ink here, so heat setting will be crucial as you work, to help avoid smearing.

Enjoy the video here or in HD over on YouTube! And don't forget to subscribe to our channel, as we continue to add videos on a regular basis! Yay! :)

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Mundane is a happy one!

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

My Favorite Things Clear Stamp Set, Lovey Dovey Sentiments	Savvy Stamps, Laurel	Adirondack Pigment Ink Pad, Snow Cap	Hero Arts Memories Pigment Ink Pad, Unicorn White
Faber-Castell Pastel Pencil, White	PITT Pastel Pencils, Set of 6, Red/Yellow	Cardstock, Black, 10 pack	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	Glue Glider Pro	Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58'	Ruler, Tim Holtz Design
Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Embossing Gun	Heat It Craft Tool	Krylon Matte Finish Spray
Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White	Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini

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Paper Piecing Backgrounds by Julia Stainton

Paper piecing. It's one of those timeless techniques that is fun to do with line art images. But did you know that you can paper piece background stamps?

There are so many great collage style background stamps on the market these days. Hero Arts makes a lot of beautiful ones and they are perfect for stamping simply. With color blocking being so in style these days, it's also fun to paper piece them for a unique look.

Today my card design is just in time for Valentine's Day and uses a paper pieced background technique. Stay with me. I'll show you how easy it is to do.

I like to take three coordinating colors of cardstock to create my collage. I find that a white, a cream and a kraft cardstock work really well for a subtle effect. Stamp the same background image onto each of the cardstock pieces in the same ink. Here I've used Sepia Archival Ink.

Cut our your images and decide which of the colors will be your base. I chose Kraft for the base and then cut up the image in both the white and cream stamped images into the areas that were naturally broken up in the original design. When you do this, try and plan ahead so that you vary and balance the cardstock colors. Sponge the edges with some distress ink and adhere your layers over the kraft stamped image.

Add more detail as you go along. I've also paper pieced a heart image from another stamp set as it seemed to go along with the design and style perfectly.

Once your background is finished, you can adhere it to a cardstock base. I then planned out how I wanted my design to be laid out. Move the elements around your design until you get the placement as you want it.

By using a the word heart on the key embellishment, I could incorporate it right into my sentiment for a fun detail.

I liked the Memo Printed Letters but found they faded into the background too much. They needed to stand out more so I turned to my Copic Markers to alter them by simply coloring them before adding them to the design.

Lastly I colored in the wood on the Wood Bingo Motif piece to coordinate the design.

I hope you have fun trying out this twist on an old stamping technique! Thanks for joining me in the CLASSroom!

Supplies:

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Keep Calm and Party On!

Today we are celebrating my dear friend Julie's BIG birthday!!! Please join us as we party with this incredibly special lady and leave your birthday wishes for Julie in the comments section below!

I could not ask for a more amazing friend - kind, respectful, loving, loyal, funny, clever - she is the real deal! Julie you have blessed my life - I love you my friend and wish you a very special birthday and a year ahead filled with moments that make for many happy memories!

I am a lucky lady to have known Julie from the early days at Splitcoaststampers where she is known as JulieHRR --- HRR standing for "her royal rubberness." And yes, she is the queen of stamping! So what could be more fitting then using a stately birthday crown as we celebrate her today!

Please party along with us today and join us as we hop along with a few of Julie's friends that were able to join in the fun and create a special card celebrating her special day!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE!!!

Here we go...

• the CLASSroom <--- you are here
• a bit of this. a bit of that. - Teri Anderson
• BellePapier - Julia Stainton
• Cheiron Brandon: My Crafty Life - Cheiron Brandon
• Clean and Simple Cards - Krystie Hersch
• Creative Chick - Jenn Shurkus
• Damask Love - Amber Kemp-Gerstel
• Jenn Balcer - Jennifer Avilés
• Jennifer McGuire Ink - Jennifer McGuire
• K Werner Design - Kristina Werner
• Lawn Fawn - Kelly Marie Alvarez
• Mossy Made - Chari Moss
• My Paper Secret - Cristina Kowalczyk
• One Little Spark - Heather Meeson
• Paperfections - Sharon Harnist
• Shari Carroll ...my world - Shari Carroll
• Sideoats & Scribbles - Lisa Spangler
• Simply Stamped - Maile Belles
• Witticisms - Jessica Witty

Hello, Monday 01.28.2013

You know me.  I don't like to get my fingers inky. I'm kind of an oxymoron in the stamping world. Hah! But, I love color--bold, sassy, eye-poppin' color! And, that's what you get with Dylusions Sprays.  

I will admit, however, that I wore gloves. And a full body apron. And I protected my work surface under the camera.  Cuz these sprays, my friends, are very inky business...!!! But, oh, my they are wicked FUN!!!

By the way, I got myself a new non-stick craft sheet... I didn't know that if you FOLD them, you "break" the glass fibers. This causes wet mediums to LEAK.  BOO.  So, I got a new one, so I could stuff like this, and now that I know better, I will never fold it for storage; I will roll it up and clip it.

Enjoy the video here or in HD on YouTube!

Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and thanks for joining me today!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS

 

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Incredible by Ali Edwards	NEW Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black	Dylusions Ink Spray, Squeezed Orange	Dylusions Ink Spray, Cherry Pie
Dylusions Ink Spray, White Linen	Inkssentials Mister, 2 oz.	Essentials by Ellen, Julie's Smooth Bristol, 10pc- 8.0 x 11	Cardstock, Black, 10 pack
Crafter's Workshop Templates, 6x6 Chunky Chevron	Crafter's Workshop Templates, 6"x6" Flower Frenzy	Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Embossing Gun
Craft Knife, Fingertip	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"	Shape 'N Tape, Black
Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White	Gemstones, Black Crystals

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February Calendar by Sharon Harnist

Happy Friday, everyone!  With February just one week away from today, I thought I would get a head start on my February calendar:

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday to create projects for -- I LOVE this combination of colors!  I decided to accentuate the teal/aqua accent flowers in this gorgeous sheet of Basic Grey True Love 6x6 patterned paper, so I stamped Lockhart Stamp Company's Oodles of Doodles Heart with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto X-Press It Blending Card and colored it with these Copic Sketch markers and Red Atyou Spica Glitter Pen:

The heart is SO quick and easy to color, with all the pretty doodles already drawn in for you! It was hand trimmed and popped up on Copic Foam Tape. Next, I printed Ellen's 2013 Ring Binder Calendar PDF Download (sized to 80%) on Neenah Natural White cardstock and trimmed it closely.

When I saw Julie make this project with Lifestyle Crafts' new Shape 'N Tape (it's washi tape in sheet form that can be die cut or cut into any shape you want!), I said "Shut the front door" and immediately went shopping!  I used Shape 'N Tape-Teal Blue, and die cut it with My Favorite Things Die-namics Postage Stamp Edge die. The photo above shows the die I originally intended to use -- you can see how well the tape cuts, even with very intricate dies! But after I die cut the tape with the Memory Box Pepita die above, I decided I wanted something wider with more presence to anchor my calendar. I really like how the Postage Edge looks like a window awning!

I finished my calendar with a red Baker's Twine tied teal button. If you aren't into making calendars, you could also use this same layout for a scrapbook page by just replacing the calendar with a photo. I use my calendar pages in my scrapbook, after the month is over. Or you could just trim this down a little and use it for a Valentine's Day card!

~ Sharon

Clean and Simple 2 Class Seat Winner!

Congratulations Maureen W - Online Card Classes will be in touch with you soon to get you registered for class!

 

Thank you to all who have shared your favorite stamp lines with us as well as those who have ordered your class supplies through us - we appreciate hearing from you and look forward to doing our best to get your orders right out to you so that you will have your goodies in time for class on Monday. 

This is a class that is going to absolutely rock - I have seen some sneak peeks of Julie's projects and all I can say is WOW! Head over and register if you are looking to be inspired!

Favorite Finds from CHA Winter 2013 - Video

Hi, everybody!

In lieu of a Hello Monday video, we're sharing some of the things we found at the CHA Winter 2013 show!  

CHA is the Craft & Hobby Association Trade Show that occurs every winter, typically down in Anaheim, CA. The show is open to the trade only (retailers, manufacturers, and other industry related businesses) and showcases products and lines that manufacturers are debuting for the new year.

Ellen and I arrived a day ahead of the show, and took classes to learn more about some of the exciting new products being released, such as the new Ranger Distress Paints!  This water based paint is very unique and features some very interesting properties, unlike any other paint we've ever worked with before! Watch the video to see and hear more about these paints and some of the other items we were *monkey clapping* over! 

You can enjoy the video here, or on YouTube!

Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse of some of the coming new products!  Keep your eye on the "Coming soon from CHA Winter 2013" category to see what will be arriving soon!

Online Card Classes Clean and Simple 2 Card Class Giveaway!

We are once again thrilled to be a sponsor of Online Card Classes latest class - Clean and Simple 2! You can find a special category in our store to assist you when thinking about supplies - remember to "shop your stash" because many of the card ideas can be easily modified :-D

AND we are giving away a spot to class. If you would like a chance at winning this spot leave a comment here on this post! In the comment section below please tell us what your current favorite stamp/stamp line is --- if you have multiple favorites just list them all. We love to hear what you are creating with! You have until Tuesday, January 22nd at midnight PST and we will announce the winner on Wednesday, January 23rd.

Online Card Classes is back with an all-new take on one of our most popular classes: Clean & Simple Card Making 2! Join Kristina Werner, Julie Ebersole, Jennifer McGuire and friends to discover the “secret” to minimalistic and fabulous cards. Learn new techniques and be inspired by 26+ videos and 34+ clever and creative card designs. Gather inspiration from your fellow students and Online Card Classes teachers in the forums and galleries. Then print out class PDFs to take Clean & Simple Card Making 2 with you wherever you go. Plus, with lifetime access, random giveaways and shopping discounts (including from us!), you’ll be able to outfit your card making stash in clean and simple style.

For more information on the class, check HERE.

An Inchie Valentine by Julia Stainton

Cold winter days makes the perfect time to cozy up and celebrate one of the "warmest" holidays of the year, Valentine's Day. Today's project is a little valentine I put together for my sweetie.

Sometimes you have an idea of exactly what you want to create when you start and other times, well...it's a bit of a journey to the end project. This is one of those journeys and it was inspired by a stamp set I just had to have.

The sentiments in this beautiful Wplus9 Cupid's Arrow stamp set were ones I just had to have and look at all the sweet little accompanying images! This was my first foray into using Wplus9 stamps and I was so pleased with them, it definitely won't be my last!

The biggest problem I faced with this set was just what sentiment I would use. I loved them all. The fonts and typography and phrasing were so cool. So...

What to do? Use them all (or most of them) of course!

Enter my next idea, color blocking the card so that I could include as many images and sentiments as I wanted. Inchies are a great way to color block and it's been a very long time since I've pulled mine out so it was meant to be.

I combined a variety of White Twinchie Squares with White Inchie Squares to form a 4"x4" pattern. You may notice that I have some rectangle shapes in there as well. They are simply Twinchies cut in half with the Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer.

I have to admit this next photo takes in a lot of steps. Oops! I got a little carried away and forgot about the camera. Don't worry because they are easy.

1. Stamp images and sentiments on squares with Jet Black Archival Ink and Vermillion Archival Ink by Ranger. Heat set with a heat gun.
2. Sponge edges of Inchies and Twinchies with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink or Dried Marigold Distress Ink.
3. Adhere to 4.25" square card made from Solar White Cardstock.
4. Punch holes in unstamped squares with Cropadile to allow for insert of brads.

Color in large font words to accent them. I used the Rose Bud Memento Marker. Go over the words again with a Clear Glaze Pen to add some shine and highlight the letters.

Sponge edges of Cosmo Cricket Natural Burlap Brads with Distress Inks. Insert through holes onto cards.

Quick Tip: Place a Glue Dot behind each brad to keep them straight and in place.

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

Plaid Stamping by Laura Bassen

Laura Bassen's clean and simple style had me from the word go - the moment I saw her work I was hooked. Precision is key to creating a beautiful clean and simple look and one of the techniques that requires precision and that Laura is queen of is plaid stamping. I was thrilled when she so graciously accepted my invitation to teach this technique here in the CLASSroom! Currently Laura does design work for Paper Smooches, Runway Inspired Challenges, Jane's Doodles, and Clear & Simple Stamps.

To see more of Laura's gorgeous work please visit her blog, Doublestick Heaven! I would appreciate if you would help us thank Laura for sharing her technique 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 fo the fabulous products she used in this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following picture.

Thank you Laura for teaching us how to do this beautiful and addictive stamping technique here in the CLASSroom! -Ellen

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Hello there! I’m so excited to be joining Ellen Hutson in the Classroom today to do a plaid stamping tutorial.  I thought it would be fun to create a plaid pattern on an angle and show how the colors overlap one another. So let’s get started!

First, you need to stamp your sentiment and begin stamping your first strip of color to create the plaid.

Now just continue stamping more strips of color.

Next you’ll need to mask off your sentiment.

Now begin stamping your strips of colors going in the opposite direction.

Continue stamping until you have equal strips going both ways.

Finally, remove your mask and admire with great self admiration!

Here’s the final result in all it’s glory.

And here’s a close up.

I did one more card, just for fun. Here’s the two together.

Be warned, though, plaid stamping can become very addicting. There are endless patterns to create and color combinations to try. I’ll be honest, I go through a ton of printer paper beforehand testing out my stamping to make sure I get just the right amount of spacing between strips and colors just how I want them, so make sure you test what you do before you waste that precious Neenah Solar White. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and are inspired to try some plaid stamping. Thanks so much for having me today! - Laura

Chalkboard Technique by Sharon Harnist

Hello All -- and Happy New Year to you, since this is my first CLASSroom project for 2013! Today I wanted to share with you the fun chalkboard technique I've been playing with lately:

When I started this project, I wished I had a larger die to use (that would fill an A2 card front) and remembered another fun technique I wanted to share today, how to expand the size of your dies!  So let's get started . . .

1. Start by cutting a piece of black cardstock to the width of the die you want to use but longer than you want the finished size, to give you a little wiggle room.

2. With the cutting edge of the die facing down (I'm using Fancy Labels Sizzix Framelits Die), slip one end of the cardstock into the center of your die (feeding it from the top of the die), down under the cutting edge and position it straight. The other end of your cardstock will be on top of your die and won't be cut. (I'm just showing the next smaller size of this die set in the photo above, so you can see the shape of it). Run through your die cutting machine with normal sandwich.

3. Slide the die down to the other end of your cardstock (the right end in the photo above), to the length you want your final die cut, and run through your die cutting machine again. I lengthened my die cut by a little over an inch!

4. Stamp your images with Versamark ink and emboss with white embossing powder. I used My Favorite Things' Pure Innocence Angel stamp set:

TIP: Lay your stamps face down on your die cut, so you can position the images before stamping. Then place your acrylic block on top of the stamps to "pick them up", ink them, then stamp all at once, for perfect placement!

5. Add more details and continue building your scene with other stamps, using Hero Arts Snow Chalk Ink pad. I used some swirly elements from Hero Arts ClearDesign set, Cheer Up. The white embossed images are crisper and whiter, while the images stamped with white ink are softer and a little duller, adding variety to your project.

6. You can also add some hand-drawn details with a white pencil. I added a rectangle around the sentiment and some extra lines on the sides of my swirls.

7. When you are finished with your scene, go back and stamp the first white embossed images with the white ink, shifting the stamps slightly so they create a shadow effect. This helps make your images truly look "chalky" (photo above)!

8. To finish, add some "chalk smudges" with your finger -- tap it onto your white ink pad and smudge here and there, for a realistic effect. I  created a "cloud" for my angel to stand on and went around all the edges of my chalkboard, too:

I finished my card by mounting my black chalkboard piece with Copic Foam Tape to a card base of Hero Arts Mixed Layer Papers-Blush. Flower accent was cut with Tim's Tattered Florals Bigz die from red WoolFelt, sewn with a Hero Arts Blush Mixed Button. I thought this color combo would work well for Valentine for one of my daughters!

I hope you have fun with these two techniques ... thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom today!  ~ Sharon

{Supplies}

Cardstock, Black, 10 pack	Sizzix Framelits, Fancy Labels	Clear Acrylic Block, 5x7	MFT Pure Innocence Clear Stamp, Angel
VersaMark Inkpad	White Embossing Powder	Heat It Craft Tool	Hero Arts Chalk Ink Pad, Snow
Hero Arts ClearDesign Stamp Set, Cheer Up	Faber-Castell Pastel Pencil, White	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"	Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die, Tattered Florals
WoolFelt, 12"x18" Red	Hero Arts Buttons, Mixed Blush

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