the CLASSroom

Hello, Monday 05.20.2013

(click on the pics to enbiggan)

Today I'm stamping with Ranger Ink's Distress PAINT (not the Crackle type, the water-based acrylic) on kraft card stock. I'm impressed over the opacity of the colors on this type of card stock--the colors remain vivid and bold. Yeah, yeah... I'm into bold lately.  Some day mebbe I'll get into a "delicate" mood. But, today is not that day.  BAH HAHAHAHAAAA!!!

So, by now y'all know me... It's rare I dabble in anything remotely messy (dreaded inky fingers syndrome). But this is a CLEAN techique--er, ahem--RELATIVELY clean technique. It's just basic stamping, we're not gettin' crazy or anything...

I do have a few tips to share:

• Shake the bottle prior to use, to make sure it's well mixed. With the cap on, of course! You'll hear the little ball bearings clickety clack around in there; that's a good thing, as Martha would say
• If this is a first-time use, depress the dauber tip to some scrap paper and you'll here a little "snap" or clicking noise. I'm not exactly sure why it does that, but it seems to get the flow of the paint going
• Apply paint directly to the stamp by daubing and tapping; avoid squeezing the bottle so that you dont' get an unexpected gush of paint (been there, done that...)
• Try not to dawdle; that doesn't mean you have to move like greased lightning, BUT this paint as a short "open" time and can begin to dry on your stamp
• Keep a water-filled mister bottle handy to spritz your stamp immediately after stamping; it helps keep the paint active and while you set your project aside to dry, you can spend a minute getting your stamp cleaned right away so the paint doesn't gunk up permanently in the crevices. 

Sidebar: Gunked up crevices are something I personally cannot abide, so I'd rather spend a few seconds cleaning it up right then instead of crying/whining over what a buggah it is to clean later on... I'm just sayin'...

• This paint will run/bleed while wet and/or if you add water to it, but once dry, it's permanently dry and cannot be reactivated. This can be good or bad, depending on what you're trying to do, but in any event, something to keep in mind while you're working
• While this paint will dry permanently, including non-porous surfaces (yes, it can be scratched off, but for all intents and purposes, you can pretty much consider it a "permanent" type paint), you can easily clean the paint off your skin/hands with baby wipes! This does not apply to your FINGERNAILS, however... If you have a beautiful manicure you don't want to get ruined, you may want to don some protective gloves

All in all, the Distress Paint is quite fun to work with, and I'm amazed at how the surface of the paper does not change at all! With most paints, you can feel the texture of the paint on the surface of the paper but these are almost completely imperceptible when you rub your fintertips across the top! Waaaaay cool!

Enjoy the video here or hop-skip over to YouTube and check it out there! Thanks for subscribing! 

 

Happy Mundane and thanks for watchin'!

 

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

Impression Obsession Cling Stamp, Worn Rose Branch	Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Love Always Wins by Ali Edwards	Distress Paint, Barn Door	Distress Paint, Broken China
Inkssentials Mister, 2 oz.	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, Ream	String by the Spool, Natural Burlap	Teflon Bone Folder
Ultra Clean, 2 oz.	Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Tweezer Bee	Paper Trimmer, Tonic Guillotine 8 1/2"
Honey Bee Non Stick Scissors

InLinkz.com

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

InLinkz.com

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!

La Blanche Stamps - Paper, Ink and Coloring Options

There has been a steady "hum" surrounding the La Blanche stamps and being one who loves to try new things I decided to venture into the mix and explore these beautiful stamps. I had never seen or used a silicone stamp before and when they arrived in the warehouse on Friday I knew I just had to "test" them. Isn't it wonderful that I have a valid excuse for needing to stamp?!? :-D

Today I would like to share my discoveries with you in hopes of answering some of the questions you might have about these stamps.

The amazing detail in these stamps is what struck me most!

There was a bit of a learning curve for me with these images, due to the way they are designed. I hope that by sharing my findings with you it might help you stamp a beautiful image without a lot of need to experiment.

The backing on this stamp is foam, with white silicone covering the entire base. I found it very important to do my best to keep ink off the edges of the perimeter of the base. I seemed to transfer the ink to my paper if I was not careful when inking the image.

The easiest method of applying the ink was to place the stamp - image side up on my work surface and then tap my ink pad to the surface of the stamp as shown above.

As you can see there is an ink spot on the lower right hand corner in the photo above. It is this ink that I seemed to transfer to my stamped image, so it is best to make certain your base is clean around the edges before you stamp.

 

You want your surface to be evenly inked with no ink around the edges. I kept a paper towel handy to remove any excess ink that strayed onto the base once I realized I was not going to be able to stamp cleanly otherwise.

ETA: To clean my stamp I have been using Ranger's CleansIt and fresh water.

To evenly distribute the ink on my paper and capture all the detail I carefully "walked" my fingers over all the details of the image as shown above. 

Yes, it is the detail in these images that is incredible! 

 

There has been a lot of talk about paper - which one is best, what should I use, etc. I have shared two examples above - the image on the left is stamped with Jet Black Archival on Neenah and the one of the right is Jet Black Archival on X-Press. X-Press is definitely a smoother paper and so the detail reads differently on this smooth surface, but I must share that they both are absolutely lovely! My opinion is that I LOVE the different looks that different papers can provide - so try them on all your favorite papers - I don't think that it makes that much difference.

 

I decided to also test different inks. In the video I observed the beautiful work created by using Distress Ink Pads and Cut n' Dry nibs so I wanted to try that, but I also wanted to see how Copic Markers would work and so I tried both Archival ink and Memento inks. Archival inks work fabulously with watercolor products and techniques, whereas I prefer Memento ink when coloring with Copics. The hardest part was taking a photo that would be accurate - LOL! As you can see the results are all beautiful and I can hardly wait to have more time to do entire images with various coloring methods!

Below I am sharing my version of the Distress Inks and Cut n' Dry nibs coloring process.

 

Utilizing the lightest selection of green I colored in the entire leaf.

 

Following the "shading" of the stamp I then added a more citrusy ink color for the highlights and a darker, mossy green in the shadows. This helped to add dimension to the coloring.

 

One of the perks of the colored images on the website is the ability to refer to them as a guide. To add warmth and dimension to the sparrows I opted to utilize a little pink in addition to the browns. I love how they turned out.

 

To create the soft, blue sky-like background I used a foam ink blending tool and the beautiful Soap Powder ink pad.

Due to the intricacy of the design I wanted to keep the card simple. I decided to create a stucco like wall and die-cut a window to look out on this gorgeous natural scene.

I first painted some Neenah Solar White paper with a combination of Painterly Pink and Altered Orange allowing it to dry.

To create the "stucco" I simply mixed some Gesso together with Studio Paints as shown in the picture above.

Adding a little Rust reinker helped to add intensity to the color. 

 

Place a template, in this case I used the Crafter's Workshop harlequin pattern, over the painted background and use a Craft Scraper to add the gesso.

 

My mixture was a little more liquid than I had initially thought and so it oozed out beneath the stencil, but I have to admit that I love the effect and so rather than rework it I just went with it. Allow the gesso and paint mixture to fully dry and then cut the window. Distressing this image slightly with an ink blending tool and Vintage Photo distress ink helps to age it even further.

Stamp, color and fussy cut the birds, then pop them up off the image to create a striking focal point.

My opinion is that you will be able to use these images with many different types of papers and inks --- it all depends on the type of look you would like to create! Experiment and play with the different colors and textures of papers and inks.
 

stamps: La Blanche Two Sparrows

ink: Archival Jet Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Pads - Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters, Forest Moss, Spun Sugar, Antique Linen, and Brushed Corduroy; Jenni Bowlin Soap Powder

paper: Neenah Solar White, X-press Blending Card, Memory Box Meadow Cardstock

accessories: Studio Line - Gesso, Painterly Pink, Altered Orange and Traditional Tan; Adirondack Rust Reinker; Crafter's Workshop Harlequin Template, Craft Scraper, Tim Holtz Mini Cabinet Card together with Base Tray, Cut n' Dry Nibs, Ink Blending Tool

Artful Cardmaking with Joanne Sharpe

Please welcome Joanne Sharpe to the CLASSroom! Joanne is the talented designer of Art Gone Wild's "Artful Cardmaker" Stamps and our newest guest designer. Joanne brings her signature brightly-colored style and lettering to crafts, fabrics and other products. Joanne teaches art journaling and lettering classes nationwide, and keeps up on her blog, Whimspirations:Artful Musings By Joanne Sharpe, to boot!

We love having new talent in the CLASSroom (to add to the wealth of creativity of our regular designers.) Please leave a comment on Joanne's Blog to help us thank her for joining us here. Comment on her post about being a guest on the CLASSroom for a chance to win some of the great products used in this post! A winner will be randomly selected from those comments left on Joanne's Blog, Whimspirations, before midnight CDT, Thursday, August 4th and announced Friday, August 5th. Good Luck!

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 Artful Cardmaking with Joanne Sharpe

It’s such a thrill to share my Art Gone Wild “Artful Cardmaker” stamps with unlimited possibilities. When I created this collection, I wanted an interactive system that could stretch your creative choices, and your craft supply dollars! 

Currently there are four Artful Cardmaker themes: BUTTERFLY, HEARTS, FLOWER and LADYBUG. Simple and sweet. Each has a coordinated pack of Artful Cardmaker sayings (purchased separately)  that fit in the blank area in each design. With 4 card front stamps, and 4 sayings packs you can start with creating 48 different themed cards!!  that you can mix and match with each and every  stamp, all 12 sayings fit into all 4 cardfronts. Okay, enough math!

I love to color. It’s relaxing, meditative, expressive and therapeutic. These are coloring stamps, drawn to color exclusively. Here we go with the unlimited possibilities again with so many tools to color with, the favorite things you already have. 

Here are my Top Fifteen Coloring  Ideas:

1. Copic markers
2. Tombow watercolors
3. Memento watercolor markers
4. Faber-Castell Artist brushes
5. Twinkling H20s or Perfect Pearls
6. Sakura Glaze pens
7. Watercolor paints
8. Paint with reinkers
9. Colored pencils
10. Inktense pencils
11. Watercolor pencils
12. Sharpie markers
13. Pan Pastels
14. Acrylic and India Inks
15. Glossy Accents and dimensional paints

So just imagine if you used these 15 techniques on the 48 Artful Cardmaker styles you will create 720 DIFFERENT cards with just these 8 little stamp sets! Now that’s what I call interactive and purely economical. By choosing your favorite colors, palettes and tools each is “Artfully You”.

Here are three of the Butterfly design created in three different mediums done in (l. to r.) Copic marker, Copics with Glossy Accents highlighting the wings and Twinkling H20s.

 

When painting the image with water based pens and watercolors ink the stamp using solvent based inks (Ranger Archival) or permanent inks. If using alcohol based products such as Copics, you will want to ink stamps first with dye inks. (Memento or Distress Inks)

Embellish the card fronts with stickles or glossy accents for extra pop!

 

Decorate with dimensional paints to enhance the colored elements.

Try different color stories using the same stamp. The possibilities are really endless, aren’t they?

Enjoy the plethora of artful cards you can create with 12 thoughtful sentiments that are sure to fit all occasions. Using the Artful Cardmaker collection beautiful cards and expressions are “artfully yours”!

 

Rosette Die Comparison - Memory Box and Tim Holtz Alterations

Today we are going to do a comparison between the Tim Holtz Alterations Rosette and Mini Rosette dies and the Memory Box Rosette die. Can one have too many dies? Impossible - LOL! OK, so perhaps not impossible and so therefore my post today to share a comparison so that you can hopefully make a decision re: which dies are best suited to what it is that you would like to create! It seems that every die has it's pros and cons and so I will do my best today to share what I have learned about the dies with you so that you can make a more educated decision as to what is best for you.

 

Rather than saying Happy Easter, because it is simply too late to actually send a card using that expression, I went with the cute little Happy Anything Day sentiment, but I would like to express my desire that each of you enjoy this special weekend!!!
 

To begin I wanted to share a picture of the actual die, the packaging and a sample of the completed rosette. These dies are similar to all the other low-profile dies available now. As you can see the exterior line is deep enough to cut with and the interior line is the line that provides the score line.

 

Tip: When using the Memory Box die snip the end piece off as shown above. I find that my completed rosette is so much more uniform and the folds meet together better.

 

Apply adhesive (I like using Be Creative, Sookwang, tape to the last fold) and affix the two ends by overlapping this one fold. You will achieve a circle as shown above.

 

Flip the circle down as shown above, apply hot glue to the coordinating disc and affix.

 

Gently hold this disc in position until the glue cools. Flip over and do the opposite side in the same manner.

 

To get a clear view of the differences in these dies I felt a picture was worth a 1000 words. As you can see you will need both of Tim's dies to create different sized rosettes. Due to the perforation utilized to create the score lines you cannot snip these dies to change the size of each rosette. BUT the pro in regards to these perforated score lines is that it is much easier to fold and score along these lines.

With the Memory Box rosette die it is incredibly easy to vary the size! Simply cut out your patterned paper and then shorten the width and length of your finished piece.
 

As you can see you can create a variety of different diameters.
 

I have stacked them so that you can have a top down comparison. What I realized when stacking them like this is that WOW you could create the coolest Christmas tree or fun flowers with the Memory Box die by simply resizing it! That is a cool PRO.

You will also note the different "points" or "edges" on each die - variety is the spice of life!

 

Thank you for once again joining me here in the CLASSroom as we explored the differences in these dies. SO MANY wonderful options - now it is up to you to determine which one best fits your desires :-D

 
stamps: Lilybee Design Picket Fence Clear Stamps

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

paper: Lilybee Design Stationery 12x12 paper collection and Picket Fence collection, Memory Box Mango Notecard

accessories: Memory Box Blooming Rosette, Pristine Border, and Double Ticket Dies, Tim Holtz Alterations Paper Rosette and Mini Paper Rosettes, Be Creative (Sookwang) Tape, Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun

Please be advised that more Memory Box dies will be arriving hopefully Monday. I will post to our Facebook Fan Club page as soon as they arrive for those who have been wanting to purchase some of these beauties.

Inside the Package - Magenta Cork and Chipboard

When I first began stamping years ago Magenta stamps were some of the first I fell in love with when shopping at my local stamp store. Little did I know that they had other awesome products that work together with stamps! So today I want to share just a couple of images from the products we received into our store recently and a few experiments I did with them.

 

Magenta's cork is self-adhesive making it so easy to work with! The images are laser cut making the detail so very precise! I have placed both an Inchie Square and a Twinchie Square atop the cork on the right so that you can see the scale of these pieces AND help you to see some of the possibilitles. Can you imagine an image "spotlighted" with one of these squares?

We have flowers, birds, butterflies, buttons, borders, pennants, mosaics and single sheets available for you to select from!

 

If you plan on coloring your cork with Copic Markers I would recommend stamping with Memento ink as I did above. The ink did not bleed when I colored it in - yeah!
 

As you can see the result is SO beautiful!

 

I also wanted to test some of the other colorants we carry. You can compare the finished results with the little original test square in the lower right hand corner.
 

I began by stamping this western image from Tim's new collection on the cork using Archival Ink - I wanted to use an ink that would be resistant to watercolor products. It worked brilliantly.

 

Curiousity when I thought I had ruined the butterfly below led me to trying the "removal" process - I wondered if the color could be removed. I wet the area surroundng the image with my waterbrush and then used a paper towel to dab the surface. Oh how fun to see how the color could be altered!

 

I also tried Glimmer Mist. A mixture of blue and purple was sprayed on the surface and allowed to dry. The result was somewhat murky and so I thought I would try adding more color. I ever so carefully colored my image with Copic Markers (being certain to stay in the lines because Archival Ink and Copic markers haven't been the best of combinations for me) and then added Broken China Distress Stain around the edges. Oops - not so pretty - LOL! It was waaaaay too dark for my satisfaction.

 

So once again I altered the color using my waterbrush and a paper towel to blot color away.

 

The image on the left doesn't show the pretty sparkle that shimmers from the cork surface. I spritzed this image with Old Lace. The image on the right also shimmers - it is much prettier in person. Taking pictures of sparkle is SO hard!
 

I had to test the Faber Castell pens! I stamped the first image on the left using Archival Ink and started coloring with my Big Brush Pen. You can see the difference in the blossoms if you look closely. The blossom on the right of the image is the first one I colored. I felt it was too uniform in color and wanted more depth, so I colored my Big Brush on my non-stick craft sheet and then used a waterbrush to dilute the color and paint in the blossoms. Coming back in with the Big Brush pen while the surface was still damp created a beautiful result.

Next I colored my image with a dark green Big Brush pen and stamped it on the cork. Then watercolor the bloom using the diluted mixture from the craft sheet and darken it with the Big Brush pen.

 

Colorwash altered the color of the cork dramatically.

Unfortunately I picked an image that was far too delicate - oops. So I tried once again to see if I could change the coloration of the square. I misted it with water and then blotted. This also muted and softened the color. 

Experimenting is part of the fun in learning about new products. I hope that my experiments help you to think outside the box when it comes to these cork products. I also hope that my oopsies help you to see what works well and what doesn't.

 

The other product that is new to me are the lazer cut chipboard pieces. Once again I placed a Twinchie and Inchie in the corner to allow you to envision the scale. These come in 12x12, 6x6 and individual image packets. The bird on the top left is the front side of the chipboard piece and the bird on the top right is the back side.

 

There are also some very cool photo holders. I popped out a couple of the butterflies in one to show you how you can place decorative paper, or photos behind the openings. You can then insert photos or tags into the little "prongs" that removing the butterflies results in. I look forward to creating a unique home decor item with this holder!

I didn't have a lot of time to experiment on the chipboard. I quickly stamped a background from Tim's new Reflections collection and grabbed my Distress Stain and wiped it across the surface. Gorgeous! Oh the possibilities - Studio Paint, Crackle, Copics, hmmm - what do you think I should try?

 

The last photo I wanted to share a comparison between the Magenta Chipboard and Art Parts. As you can see Art Parts are much thicker, but these two products seemed to take the Distress Stain in much the same manner. I think the combination of these two products is going to be magical - I can hardly wait to combine them in a project!

I hope this gives you a little insight into these fun new items. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to continue to experiment and post my results for you all to see.

Have a wonderful day! (or perhaps better said - evening/night) Thank you for stopping in here at the CLASSroom once again.

 
stamps: Tim Holtz Reflections and Wild West, Unity With Sympathy

ink: Archival Jet Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Faber Castell Big Brush, Distress Stain - Vintage Photo and Broken China, Color Wash, Copic Markers

accessories: Magenta Cork and Chipboard (scroll through this page to see all the options) 

Earth Art Frog and Perfect Pearls = Stunningly Beautiful

I am blessed to live in a town that has one of THE best arts and crafts festivals in the country - Issaquah Salmon Days. It was this year when I attended our festival that I first heard the name Sue Coccia. Sometimes standing in line can be a good thing!! :-D

It was while waiting in a VERY long line to catch a bus back to our car that I had the pleasure of speaking with a woman who helps with the Fine Arts at the festival and she told me about Sue's images and stamps. Upon my return home I immediately googled her name and found the amazing art she creates! I knew immediately I wanted to share it with you.

Animal Spirit Stamps are meticulously hand-drawn using pen and ink. The images depict animals or totems from around the world. Animal Totems represent a deep spirituality, and Sue shares that by beginning to understand animals' qualities and traits, we can learn from them. Sue hopes to raise awareness that animals are in need of protection and that we as people are intricately connected to them.

Each image has significance, for example Sue has shared the following description for the image showcased below. "The Frog represents prosperity, healing and inner peace! In the center of this image is the great inner strength of Bear, who is living abundantly along with the love and protection of Turtle. The Dragonfly enters Frog's dreams to bring about transformation and enlightenment. Journey within Frog as you express your individuality like the Whale and gain the power of the Snake. Good luck and happiness are yours with the Ladybug!"

You need to look at these like they are a little puzzle and see how many of the different images you can spot within the main image - AMAZING!

Included with the arrival of our order today was this simple, and oh so elegant, card. By simply stamping the image using Perfect Medium and then brushing a variety of Perfect Pearl colors over the image you can recreate this stunning example.

 

The image above showcases the intricacy of the animals Sue draws. This image is one that Sue has colored. She has graciously provided us with color examples for you to learn from. We have shared those on our website alongside the black and white images.

You can find the images in our store by searching by manufacturer Earth Art International. More stamps are on their way, so please continue to check back. If there is an image you are looking for that is not currently available in our store please let us know at customerservice@ellenhutson.com and we will do our best to get it for you.

I ask that you honor all copyright laws by not copying, printing and using images illegally. These gorgeous images are now available to you as stamps and Sue does have an Angel policy in place for her Animal Spirit Stamps so that you can create art to share with others and she encourages you to do just that. All commercial use of the Animal Spirit Stamp designs are subject to the following terms and conditions:

1. All stamp impressions must be made by hand and no mechanical or other form of reproduction is permitted.
2. Quantities are limited to projects that are limited in scope, local in nature, and otherwise do not constitute an ongoing business. Additionally, quantities for commercial use are generally allowed if they are in the range of 50 handstamped impressions per stamp image. The production of much larger numbers, and/or for an ongoing business, and/or for an endeavor that is not local in nature, is forbidden.
3. Sue Coccia Copyrights should be displayed.

There are so many ways that you will be able to create beautiful art using Sue's fabulous stamps! I look forward to experimenting and sharing using these images and hope that you are as delighted with them as I am. We would love to hear from you and have you welcome Sue and her gorgeous art to our store. Leave your comments below and I will be certain to share this post with her!

Thank you once again for stopping in here at the CLASSroom.

Countdown to Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Mix and Match Products - They Are Here!

ETA: YEAH, everything is here and we are almost done with everything here. The Faber-Castell product is now live! We are hopeful that tomorrow clears off again and we will be back to pack your orders! I'm taking home some product to do a little "study session" so that I can make some "Inside the Package" recommendations.

Yes, we hope - LOL! Washington state has once again been hit by snow. I am writing this post from home as I watch the weather forecast on TV. The view out our back window is VERY white and they keep saying it is going to snow some more. Perhaps I am ready to move someplace warmer, it seems to have been a LONG winter :-D

I will be heading in to work shortly to see if UPS is going to be able to make their deliveries today. Then I'll do a quick count and come home to make the updates, because it sounds like the snow is supposed to come again this afternoon. So keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds off and that the snow disappears quickly so that we can get back in here to pack your orders :-D

For today's project I did some experimenting with applying these mediums directly to clear stamps. The results were a happy surprise!

 

It may be hard to see what I stamped in the project above, but I stamped the flowers on the background paper, as well as the pennants. Looking at these gorgeous colors really makes me want spring to arrive!

 

To begin I started with the Big Brush Pen and a clear Hero Arts flower stamp. The first image next to the pen is first generation and the one directly beneath is the second generation stamp.

Next I tried the Artist Pen - the results were surprising. Due to the finer tip on the pen the finished image had a "feathery" appearance.

I also colored an image with the Artist Pen and then came back in with the Big Brush Pen with beautiful results, but I can't seem to find that photo this morning as I'm editing pictures. The color variation between the Artist Pen and the Big Brush Pen is ever so subtle and so the combination of the two is quite lovely!

 

The last technique I tried was coloring the stamp with the Gelato watercolor tube. After adding the color to the stamp lightly spritz the stamp with a mini mister filled with water from about 12" away and then stamp. It is SO cool how the veining becomes more prominent!

The images that were colored with the Gelato stick can be spritzed numerous times before reapplying the watercolor base - experimenting is so much fun!

Gelatos have been one of the products in the line that seem to have a lot of questions and so I thought I would try and share just a little background information here in this post. I know that I will personally have to do a lot more experimenting to fully understand the possibilities, but here is just a little more information on these delightful color "stix."

Gelatos have a creamy, rich texture and when first applied are opaque in color. The colors are vibrant and when combined with other watercolor products, or other Gelato colors blend smoothly. Apply the gelato color directly to paper by easily gliding it directly on the paper - this color can be left to dry or dissolved wtih water to create beautiful watercolor effects. Another application is to create a palette on a non-stick craft sheet or any plastic surface, picking up the color with a watercolor or wet paint brush. 

You can also apply the gelato color directly to a red rubber or clear design stamp image, then mist with water and stamp. (This is the technique I used for today's project.) As you add water to these intense colors a translucent tint is formed, dependent upon the amount of water added. You can use them to add color to chipboard, watercolor paper, canvas and so much more.

Gelatos also come in metallic form! These will not only add color, but will add a lustrious sheen to your projects as well! Once again color Gelatos are acid-free and odorless. Now back to my project.

 

For the background paper I stamped the first set of flowers using the Big Brush pen to ink my image. Then I used the Gelato to add color to my stamp, misted it carefully with water and added the image that almost feels like a reverse of the first image.

 
Thank you for once again joining me in the CLASSroom as I try to escape winter and share a new found product I plan to enjoy for years to come!

 
Faber-Castell products - hopefully I will be able to add direct links later today :-D

stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesign Blossom Art and Friendly Flags

paper: Memory Box 6x6 Brioche Cardstock and Holly Berry

accessories: Martha Stewart Baker's Twine

Inside the Package - Prima Style

I thought I would start something a little different here in the CLASSroom. When the title "Inside the Package" pops up on your feed burner reader you will know that I have been bugging the girls in the warehouse again - LOL! 

When new products arrive in the warehouse I can't help myself... I jump up from my desk and start making the girls crazy by pulling things out of the boxes. I have tried to discipline myself and make certain that I put it all back, so that they can count it in, but sometimes I think perhaps I am to blame for the wrong inventory counts - oops! Sorry about that, but this is what I do...

I pull the new products out of the boxes to see the colors, to see what goes together, and... so I thought I would share some of my discoveries here in the CLASSroom.

This week we received a HUGE new group of products from Prima and they are simply breathtaking. Today's photo discoveries include the a size comparison between the 8 1/2" x 11" paper pads and the 6" x 6" paper pads.

 

The paper pad on the left is the new Madeline 8 1/2" x 11" size and on the right are two pages from the 6" x 6" paper pad.

 
As you will see the scale of these two paper pads is perfect for card making, ATC's, Inchies and more. These are sneak peeks of projects I created using the new Prima products and I will be sharing them this coming week :-D So please come back and join me!

Last year when I attended CHA I spoke with Tammy and asked her if she would be willing to create their paper pads in the 6x6 size, because if she did I would be interested in carrying them in our store. I explained to her that most of our customers create cards and that the typical paper size we start with is 8 1/2" x 11". I shared that I felt that we would love to work with the Prima style of papers and would appreciate so much if she would consider adding new sizes to her line. Well... ask and you shall receive :-D

 

The Inchie above is placed over one of the papers in the 6x6 paper pad and the inchie + and twinchie are placed atop the same paper in the 8.5 x 11 paper pad.

 

Included in some of the 8 1/2" x 11" pad are designs that can be cut to fit the front of your cards! The pad shown above is from the Botanical collection.

 

Another innovation that I had the pleasure of using at CHA were the flocked rub-ons. These are truly innovative and SO wonderful to touch :-D

 
This last picture was taken to show the scale of the trim. Each "flower" is about 2" in diameter, but is made up of eight blooms! In one of the projects I actually cut out an individual bloom to use on my card. SO many options!!!

So what do you think about this idea? Is it something that you appreciate or is it just an unnecessary taking up of space? Yes, I'm OK with you being brutally honest - LOL! My goal is to be gere to help you; not to just waste your time. I felt this might be helpful because I am an internet only store and I can see the goodies that arrive, I touch them, work with them and can share my findings with you. So tell me what you think in the comments section below. Would you like to see more photos than I shared today, was it helpful to see the products side-by-side, to see how the colors work together,... Share your thoughts - we would love to hear from you!

Prima Marketing Masks and a Canvas Pennant Gift Tag

Masking and pennants are all the rage! You can use your masks for airbrushing, spritzing with misting sprays, paint, gesso, and ink blending tool and so much more.

Prima has added a bunch of different stencils (scroll down to the bottom of the page) to the mix and I wanted to give you the low-down on how these come packaged so that you won't be surprised as I was.

Each group of masks/stencils is held together with a rivet. I found it difficult to manipulate these stencils in their current form and so I tried several things. First I tested the rivet to see if it was threaded like a screw - nope. Next I tried to pry it open. Still no luck.This did loosen the rivet and thus made it easier to move the masks, so if you like the idea of keeping them together you may want to try this just to loosen them up a little.

So I finally ended up using my little scissors to snip off one mask right next to the rivet so that I could test how this would work.

 

To clean up my cut and make the edge symmetrical I used my Tonic cutter to trip the "label base."
 

I then used the 1/4" corner rounder on my chomper to even up my corners.
 

Both sides will need to be "chomped" to make them even.

 

To avoid movement as I sprayed I attached the stencil to my canvas with tape to hold it in place.
 

As you can see it is quite wet as I spray to get a deep color.
 

I remove the stencil very carefully to avoid dripping on my project. If you do drip, don't worry - just pretend that was the look you were going for as it is interesting as well.
 

To speed up the dry time I use my heat it tool.

Attach to your gift and make someone feel special with this one of a kind tag.

TIP: Use a basic brown bag and mist it with complimenting colors to create a unique gift bag. In addition you can add some color to plain tissue or packing paper with mist to brighten it up and make the gift even more fun to open.

stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesign Sew Stylish

ink: Tattered Angels Mist - Electric Blue, Sweet Clover and Timeless Lilac

accessories: Prima Masks I, Canvas Triangle Banner, Kioshi Bloomers and Buttons, Maya Road Turquoise Trim, Violet Silk RIbbon

Vintage Masculine Card by Debbie Olson

 

Good morning and welcome to the Classroom! Today I have a vintage masculine card to share. 

 

I started with the Stamper's Anonymous Urban Tapestry set, an On the Edge Brackets die, thin real wood, and some Basic Grey Origins papers. 

 

Although I liked the floral background for my focal image, it seemed a bit too distracting and overwhelming. I sponged on a thin layer of canvas paint to tone down the background; you can see the before and after in the picture above.

 

Here I've stamped the bird and branch in Adirondack Espresso ink; the paint underneath muted it more than I expected, so I used Versamark to overstamp the image and emboss in clear embossing powder to add some sheen and texture. You can also see where I used the bracket die to cut the wood and its mat before stitching it to my card front. (Both the die and the sewing machine worked well on the thin wood veneer.)

 

The focal image still needed something, so I chose the frame stamp and stamped and clear-embossed it in the top left corner, adding tea dye distress ink on top to make it show up.

 

My little corner fragment wasn't enough to make the focal image really pop, so I added a couple of Vintaj Brass corners--I love that brass! Yes, I put a bow, but it is tiny--hopefully acceptable, even on a guy card.

In contrast, I had used the same Urban Tapestry stamp set and bracket edge die on the card above with an entirely different feel. That's why we love our stamps, right? Thanks for stopping by the Classroom today!

Tattered Webster's Birdcage by Sharon Harnist

 

I couldn't believe how large this Maya Road Birdcage Chipboard Book was when I received it -- it's 6" x 7"!  So I thought it would be a good size to make it into a Spring home decor piece.

To start this project, I covered the front chipboard birdcage piece with Webster's Petite Papers Life's Portrait, using Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Multi-Medium in Gloss.  Amongst its many uses, the multi-medium is a great all-purpose glue and works in the same manner as decoupage glue.  I also brushed it on top of the papers, to give them a slightly glossy finish. 

For the back chipboard piece, I first applied a couple of coats of Claudine Hellmuth's Gesso and let it dry.  The Gesso primes the chipboard (since it is a semi-dark color), so that it takes fewer coats of paint color to cover it (especially when using a lighter color of paint). Then I used Claudine's Color Mixing Chart and Studio Paints in Yellow Pastel & Painterly Pink to mix up a close match of Studio Paint to the patterned papers and painted the back chipboard birdcage piece.

 

Once dry, I attached a piece of Webster's Pages paper to the back of the painted birdcage chipboard piece. 

The bird is a piece from Maya Road's Song Bird Coaster Book, which was the perfect size to fit inside the birdcage!  What a great value this book is -- at just $2.20, you get 6 birds to use either all together as a book/album, or separately as accents on any number of projects!  I covered the bird in more Webster's paper (notice the bird and cage theme of the paper?!!), and gave her a beak with a Copic N5 marker. 

 

The Bird's eye is a KaiserCraft Latte Pearl.  I accented her with Maya Road white zig-zag vintage crochet trim that was sprayed with Tattered Angels Old Lace Glimmer Mist.  In the photo below, you can tell a subtle difference between the original white color of the lace (top) and how pretty the Glimmer Mist aged it and made it match the papers better:

The lace also now has a pretty shimmer to it (which, of course, I had trouble showing in a photo).  While I've had the opportunity to experiment with many different colors of Glimmer Mist, I only had Old Lace on hand to use on this project.  So while my examples may not be very dramatic, you can imagine the possibilities with all the gorgeous Glimmer Mist colors Ellen carries!  A GREAT example of how pretty these colors can be mixed, is Becky's Trend Watch Tuesday post this week -- in her layout at the bottom of that post.

I have a few good tips for working with Tattered Angels' Glimmer Mist --

How to use Glimmer Mist:

• #1 Tip - make sure the bottle is shaken up very well so that the glimmer, which settles in the bottom of the bottle (as in the photo above), is distributed throughout.  That being said, don't shake it SO vigorously that all you have are air bubbles inside the bottle -- these will cause splattering!  So after the bottle is shaken well, gently swirl the bottle for a minute (tilting it back and forth), allowing any air bubbles to settle, while keeping the glimmer evenly dispersed in the bottle.  Not only will this give you better results, but it prevents the nozzle from becoming clogged.
• For a light, evenly misted look, hold Glimmer Mist away from your project and spray such as you would when applying hairspray.
• For a thicker, raindrop application, hold Glimmer Mist closer to your project while spraying. Do not move the sprayer too much, or too fast.
• For a pooling effect, which gives intense color, spray Glimmer Mist very closely and directly on your project.

You can let Glimmer Mist air dry or use a heat tool to speed up the drying process. While Glimmer Mist is attractive when just using one color, layering multiple colors also adds a beautiful richness to your projects!  It is acid-free.

Can be used on: 
-Wood, cardstock, patterned paper, metal, glass, fabric or paper flowers, felt
-Cardboard, Grungeboard, Craft-A-Board 
-Adds a gorgeous sheen to lace, ribbon, twill and fabrics (will wash out!)
-Pools on plastic to create a stained glass effect
-Makes your stickers shimmer 

To avoid sprayer dribbles/drips:
When you spray, make sure your finger is not hanging over the front edge of the sprayer. When the Glimmer Mist disburses it will hit your finger and dribble back down onto the rim of the sprayer. The next time you shake it or tip it, it will dribble out. If your finger is pulled back the Glimmer Mist will spray out in the pattern it was intended to and it won't go back onto the cap.

If the sprayer gets clogged:
-To prevent it getting clogged - Make sure you shake the bottle of Glimmer Mist really well before you spray it. The glimmer part settles at the bottom and if the bottle isn't shaken really well, the sprayer will suck up too much glimmer for the sprayer to handle.
-To clear out the sprayer - Take off sprayer top, put canned air (without the spray straw) directly on sprayer opening. Apply canned air in short spurts 1-3 times until clear.

If you don’t like the spray pattern:
-If you want a fine mist - Push the sprayer down quickly and move it across the surface of your project like you’re applying hairspray. You want to keep your hand moving quickly and evenly across your project. Bear in mind the nature of the product is that it may take you several tries to get a completely even spray pattern. Practice spraying before you do your final project.
-If you want a “splotchy” look – Push sprayer down half way while aiming at your project. Don’t move the sprayer too much or too fast.

If your paper is curling:
Glimmer Mist is a water-based spray that can make lightweight mediums (like tags and paper) curl as it dries. There are a number of ways you can correct this:
-Use a heat tool on both sides of your paper
-Iron your paper
-After it’s dry, place a heavy object on it for a few minutes

Will it stain my hands and/or clothes?
As with any arts and crafts project, messes happen. Glimmer Mist will come out of your clothes in almost all circumstances. It may take a couple of washings so make sure you check before you put it in the dryer. Glimmer Mist on your hands comes off best with shampoo, so once you’re out of the shower it should be gone! It will also come off with several washings with soap.

Will it fade in the sun?
Yes, Glimmer Mist will fade if left in the sun. You may be able to resist fading if you use a UV protective coating over your project.

Is Glimmer Mist water resistant?
No, Glimmer Mist is water-based and does not use pigment dye. Therefore, it will run if exposed to moisture. If you’re planning on using Glimmer Mist in a humid environment (bathroom décor, for example) put a protective coating over it.

My stamped images get blurry after being sprayed:
There are two ways to use Glimmer Mist with stamped images: If you’re using archival ink, you can spray Glimmer Mist on top of your stamped image and it won’t run. If you don’t use archival ink, spray the Glimmer Mist first and stamp your image over it, after it’s dry.

To finish up my birdcage decor, I suspended the bird to the top of the birdcage with narrow silk ribbon and then tied up the top with wide ivory silk ribbon.  I also Glimmer Misted white Prima 4-Petal Flowers and (I think) managed to capture the glimmer in this photo (click on it for a larger view):

I added a tag with the "Live, Love, Bloom" sentiment from one of my all-time favorite Cornish Heritage Farms' stamp sets -- Kim Hughes' Silhouette Blooms II; it is cut with Spellbinders Tags Trio die and also Glimmer Misted.  You can see below where I attached two strips of patterned paper to the bottoms of the chipboard birdcage pieces, so that it would stand up:

I hope you'll have fun with all these wonderful new Maya Road chipboard pieces Ellen is now carrying, along with my favorite Webster's Pages papers!
  

 
Stamps: CHF-Kim Hughes Silhouette Blooms II
Paper: Webster's Petite Papers Lullaby Lane/Life's Portrait 6x6
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad, Ranger Antique Linen Distress, Copic marker N5
Accessories: Maya Road Birdcage Chipboard Book & Song Bird Coaster, Tattered Angels Old Lace Glimmer Mist. Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Multi-Medium (Gloss), Studio Paints in Yellow Pastel & Painterly Pink, and Gesso. Prima 4-Petal Flowers, Hero Arts Spring Fancy Felt Flowers, May Arts wide ivory silk ribbon and narrow white silk ribbon, KaiserCraft Latte Pearl, Spellbinders Tags Trio die, Sanding Block,  

Button Up by Julia Stainton

Buttons. I love them. They are among the most humble of embellishments but there are so many things to do with them but they are almost indispensable for crafting with.

Buttons work really well with a myriad of different styles...

Vintage - check, Cute - check, Whimsical - check, Country - check, Primitive - check, Collage - check, Crisp and Clean - check, Masculine - check

I love an embellishment that works with almost anything. They are also pretty inexpensive embellishments too which makes them even better.Designs that have dimension are favorites of mine. Buttons are an easy way to do that.

1. Embellish stamped images.

Stamped images don't have to be specially designed to work with buttons to be used with them. Crafters have been adding buttons to stamped images for years. Whether they are just a cute embellishment or used to accent circular features of the design itself. Think of obvious things like wheels or flower centers or try...

buttons to embellish clothing like on this Vintage Apron stamp by Lockhart,

 
buttons as apples on this sweet tree from Kim Hughes Spring Trees stamp set,

 

eyes, or in this case lack thereof, on this skull and cross bones from Kim Hughes Ahoy Matey set.

 

2. Hang images from them.

Buttons are always sweet to hang design elements from. In this card design, I've hung some stars from the button. Mittens are a cute choice, as is a baby dress, a bunch of dried flowers, or whatever else you can think of.

 

Supply List: Nutmeg 6x6 paper pad by Cosmo Cricket, sewing machine, Baby Dear stamp set by CHF, Tim Holtz Sanding Block, Nested Stars by Spellbinders, twine, button by Basic Grey

3. Create a border.

Buttons make great borders and a way to emphasize a vertical or horizontal element in your design.

 

Adhere buttons along an edges, accent a strip or string on some ribbon or twine to create your border.

Supply List: Robin's Egg Notecards by Memory Box, Nutmeg 6x6 paper pad by Cosmo Cricket , stamp by Hero Arts, On the Desk stamp set (Rummage Bin line) by CHF, Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Tsukineko, twine, Diamond Lace Edger Punch by EK Success

4. Decorate Scallops.

Buttons are fabulous for accenting the rounded shape of scallops. Add them to a scalloped shape or punched scalloped border to add interest and accent the detail.

 

 

Supply List: Earth Love 6x6 paper pad by Cosmo Cricket, Baby Dear stamp set by CHF, Tim Holtz Mini Attacher and Sanding Block, Copic Markers, twine, Large Classic Scalloped Circle Nestability Die

Now these simple ideas are just the beginning. There are so many more. I'll be visiting a few more ideas in upcoming weeks.

Thanks for joining us today in the CLASSroom.

Love: Miniabilities and Grungepaper by Debbie Olson

Today I have something new to share with you--at least new for me. Ellen had sent me a couple of sheets of the Tim Holtz Grungepaper a while back, and I just got around to experimenting with it this weekend. If you have ever tried Grungeboard, the Grungepaper has very similar characteristics in its ability to accept paint and be flexible. The big difference is that it is thin enough to run through most inkjet printers and to cut with a chemically etched die or a die-cutting machine.

Grungepaper looks something like the inside of a cereal box, but it is as flexible as a piece of suede--a really great feel. Here I've shown you the Grungepaper as well as the dies that I used, Flower Bouquet Miniabilities and one of the Double-Ended Tags. (You will see a normal tag on the card; when I need a smaller tag than the tag in the Tags Trio set, I simply use the smallest Double-Ended Tag die and cut it to length, then round the corners with my scissors.)

 

Here are the products that I used on the Grungepaper: Old Paper Distress Crackle paint, a Shell Pink Dabber, Adirondack Watermelon Ink, and Vintage Photo Distress ink. (If I had had a Tattered Rose Crackle paint, I would have used it and dispensed with the Shell Pink Dabber on top of the crackle paint surface.)

 

I first die-cut and embossed the Miniabilities. Since I wanted them a bit lighter-toned than the Grungepaper naturally was, I coated them with Old Paper distress Crackle Paint and then Shell Pink Dabber paint. After the paint went on, I had basically lost my texture from the embossing pass. So after the paint was completely dry, I carefully stuck my shapes back into the dies and re-embossed. Before removing them, I sponged some Watermelon Adirondack ink on for additional color. I also sponged it and the vintage photo distress ink around the edges of each shape.

 

The card background uses an Ornamental Borders Scrapblock inked in Adirondack Latte ink and sponged with both Watermelon and Vintage Photo. The little Love tag is stamped with a piece from the Ornamental Beauty set. Ribbon is some that I've had here for ages--not sure where it came from--and the mini pin is a Tim Holtz item too. I'm loving the mini safety pins! Finished size of this card is 3-1/8" x 6-1/4"

I have one more Grungepaper project started, and I'll try to share that next week. Thank you for visiting the CLASSroom today!

Glue Glider Pro vs. ATG 714

ETA: Thank you so much for your responses to this post and for the amazing support you have shown us. First I want to let you know that if the links below show no product that means we are currently sold out. We have more on it's way and will update the site as soon as it arrives. We are hoping to have it up soon so that you can continue to use your well-deserved coupon towards this purchase. 

On another note I want to thank Glue Arts for their quick response. I have sent them a note letting them know how much we would like for them to consider continuing to research their product line to make it a little more environmentally friendly. I truly hope that there is something they can do. It never hurts to ask!

As you all know I really like to research a product before I determine whether or not I will carry it in our store. It was at CHA that I discovered this awesome little glue applicator. I don't know if this has been all the rage, but I know that I just discovered it and knew I had to share it with you.

As you well know I'm not so much about the "cute" factor - LOL! For me it is finding out if the product works as professed. What are the Pros and Cons? So here's the skinny from Ellen's vantage point.

 

Size Comparison:

Glue Glider Pro - 5 ounces and 6 3/4" x 5 5/8" x 1 1/8"

ATG Gun - 13 1/2 ounces and 9 1/2" x 9" x 1 3/4"

For those of you who are young and strong the ATG Gun is not a problem, but for those who have arthritis setting in, or fully set in, I believe that the Glue Glider Pro is the answer to your adhesive needs! It is not cumbersome or awkward. With the ATG gun there is a little trigger that needs to be pulled in order to activate the release of the adhesive. Another advantage with the Glue Glider Pro is that you simply pull - no double action trigger activation required! 

   

Storage and Travel: One of the things that I must be extremely careful with is how I store and travel with my ATG gun being the adhesive is out there fully exposed. It has been on numerous occasions that I have had my gun stick to different items in my storage drawer or in my tote. Glue Arts has an innovative solution for this problem. Quickly pull the adhesive cartridge out and flip it around storing the exposed adhesive on the inside of the applicator as shown above.

 

The next part of my test was determing how easily the adhesive applied. As you can see I have tried to title the two parts of this project defining which applicator I used. One of the disadvantages to the ATG gun has always been the "start and stop" of my adhesive application. As you can see many times there are "strings" that extend beyond where I actually want my adhesive to be applied. I would have to pull this extra adhesive off. Sometimes I would remove too much of the adhesive and have to reapply it.

Once again Glue Glider Pro has come up with an innovative solution. They have die cut the adhesive every 1/16" to allow you to apply a small amount of adhesive with a defined cut point. This applicator does still allow you to use a continuous line, but as you will see I don't think that you will find this necessary. 

 

Now it was time for the mother of all tests - the TRUE TEST! How would it stick?!?

Cathy is my witness to this test. After applying the adhesives I closed my card and pressed my hand smoothly and evenly over the entire surface. I let is sit for a minute and then I opened it up.

SHUT UP!!!! OMWord - never in my life would I have thought there was an adhesive that holds better than the ATG Red. I have tried the ATG Gold tape (this is the acid-free variety), but it was WAY too stringy for me, it drove me crazy and didn't stick as well. So I switched to the ATG Red tape. Well look at the result! WOW, WOW, WOW! I couldn't believe. I felt that my trusty red ATG tape had let me down, so I tried again because I know it sticks, it really does!

 

This time I pressed hard on the ATG adhesive and left it sit longer - thank goodness - it does work. I knew it had too, I have been in love with it for far too long to not have it work. I remember the days of using Snail Adhesive or Mono Adhesive and having my cards fall apart right before my eyes. So when I tried the ATG adhesive I was absolutely thrilled with the "hold" it had. I still am thrilled with it and so this test totally blew me out of the water.

So are there any Cons - well yes, there are. First is the environmentally friendly aspect. Rather than just having a roll of paper to dispose of upon completion there is the plastic cartridge. Unfortunately so many struggle with installation of the tape in the ATG gun and the slightly awkward application that I determined that currently there is a need for this type of applicator. I truly hope that Glue Arts will continue to work on the cartridges to reduce the amount of waste when the adhesive has run out, in fact I will urge them to do so.

Second is cost. We have priced the Glue Glider Pro at $13.49 to try and have the price competitve with other sources on the internet. Once you purchase your ATG dispenser, your initial cost is somewhere in the $50-$75 range, the adhesive is inexpensive. I believe it is somewhere around $.12/yd. and if you are a shopper of all shoppers you can probably find it for less.

So next I did an internet search to find the costs of the Glue Glider PermaTac refills. With that search I found a range of prices beginning around $.52/yd up to $.68/yd. I wish that I could compete with the prices of the big name retailers in the industry, but unfortunately I can't. We spend so much on education (yes, I do compensate the girls who work with me Ü), and customer service, that we just can't bring the price to that same level. So we have tried our best to be competitive in our pricing structures and will be offering it for $8.09 or ($.607/yd.). We appreciate your support so very much and we will continue to provide you with this type of education.

The other refill that I am extremely excited about is the Repositionable Adhesive. It is something I use a lot when working towards having my work be precise.

Thank you for once again for stopping in here at the CLASSroom - so let's go get "sticky!" Pull out your crafting supplies and have a wonderful and creative day!