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 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

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:

 

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

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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!

Hello Monday 12.31.2012

(click on the pic to enbiggan)

Some beautiful watercolor images recently inspired me to pull out my watercolor tools/supplies and mess around in the studio. Mind you, I don't watercolor the traditional way... This is the Julie-Ebersole-slop-the-paint-around-and-leave-some-white-space-here-and-there technique. How's that for a mouthful?! *chuckle*

You can use watercolor paper for this, but I have a fondness for this paper HERE because it actually has a smooth (but toothy) surface and you get nicely crisp and even impressions when you stamp on it. SWEET!!!  It also accepts colored pencils and other dry coloring mediums beautifully, because of that toothy, but not lumpy/bumpy surface! It's also a nice 100# weight--so *plush*!!!

Also lovin' the Stickles Dry Glitters--this stuff has an incredibly fabulous sparkle!!! *monkey clapping*

Enjoy the video here or in HD on YouTube!

Thanks for joining me today!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Loving Words by Ali Edwards	Studio Calico, Mister Huey's Color Mist, Pretty Pink	Studio Calico Mister Huey's Color Mist, Boss Lady	Studio Calico Mister Huey's Color Mist, Custard
Studio Calico Mister Huey's Color Mist, Sherbet	Studio Calico, Mister Huey's Color Mist, Leaf Green	NEW Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black	Essentials by Ellen, Julie's Smooth Bristol, 10pc- 8.0 x 11
Studio Calico Mister Huey's Droppers	2 Way Glue, Chisel Tip	3D-Dots, 1/8" Thick	Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Diamond
Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Silver	Plastic Paint Palette	Tim Holtz Water Brush, Broad Brush Nib	Tim Holtz Water Brush, Detailer Brush Nib
Waterbrush, Small	Be Creative (Sookwang) Tape, 3mm (1/8")	Mini Clothespins, Natural, 25pk	American Crafts Elements, Mini Brads, Silver
String by the Spool, Metallic Silver	Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Nesting Hearts	Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Nesting Squares	Crop-A-Dile Power Punch, 1/16"
Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini

InLinkz.com

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 9 by Paula Cheney

As I began to think about whether or not to proceed with the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist this year when Tim moved to showcasing a tag and techniques each month I didn't quite know what to do or how to pay homage to what was the beginning of this series here in the CLASSroom. Each year it would get a tad manic as I would try to pull off creating a tag inspired by Tim's tags, but I wanted something special for all those of you who have been such loyal customers and supporters over the years. It has been a welcome change to not have the level of insanity that has ensued over the last few years and more importantly these lovely ladies have taken my breath away with their stunning tags! To have Paula here representing Tim and his product line is something I appreciate more than she can know.

Paula Cheney inspires me! The precision and care she takes when she creates her projects simply blows me away! You must visit the blog she shares with fellow crafter and friend Debbie. Visit One Lucky Day to see one of the most beautiful handcrafted Artful Christmas Villages I have laid eyes on this season. Elegant, exquisite, extraordinary - those are just a few of the words I can come up with that will hopefully make you click that link! I don't know anyone who can showcase the Tim Holtz products better than Paula and Debbie.

Thank you so much for sharing your friendship with me Paula and also for the inspired tag you created for us here in the CLASSroom! -Ellen

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Apply Frayed Burlap and Spun Sugar Distress Stains next to each other on Non-stick Craft Sheet by pressing down on craft sheet and apply pressure to the sides of the bottle.

Mist with water from a Mini Mister. 

Lay a #8 manilla tag in the Distress Stain to pick up stain.  Dry with Heat Tool then repeat steps until satisfied with the look of the tag.

Emboss tag with Sizzix Alterations texture fade - Textured Poinsettia.  To cover the entire #8 tag with texture you must imprint 1/2 of the tag at a time.   Place tag into the texture fade and run through Vagabond machine.

Turn tag around and run the other half through the machine.  Hard to tell where the line is, right?

Use a small paint brush to mix a bit of water and Perfect Pearls - Heirloom Gold on a non stick craft sheet until you have a smooth liquid.  If paint is too thin just add a bit more of the Perfect Pearls Powder.

Use a small brush to paint a few of the poinsettias.  Note: the center of the tag will be covered so concentrate on the top and bottom areas. 

Set aside tag to work on center wreath.

Cut a piece of Grungepaper 6 x 6”.  Use a collage glue stick to adhere a piece of book paper to the Grungepaper.

Use Holiday Wreath die to cut wreath shape from grungepaper.

Use an ink blending tool and vintage photo distress ink to age the edges of the wreath and well as the small leaves that pop up.  set aside.

Cut two pieces of manilla cardstock 2 1/2 x 12”. 
Use one to cut the Festive Greenery decorative strip. 
From the Festive Greenery die cuts, you will need 4 leaves and a pine branch (save other strip and pieces for later).  Use Distress Stain- Tarnished Brass to paint all 5 pieces (shake before use).
Note: there is one large leaf that points left...do not flip over to match the others.

Once all pieces are painted, use Emboss-it pad to coat the entire surface of branch.

Place on a sheet of paper.  Pour Sticky Embossing Powder over branch.

Gently tap off excess powder, place branch on non-stick craft mat.  Slide leftover power back into jar. 

Melt powder using your Heat Tool...as you can see the embossing powder turns clear and sticky.  So much easier to see the reaction when the manila paper is painted gold. 

Immediately cover melted powder with Stickles Dry Fine Glitter - platinum. 

When it is cooled, gently tap off excess glitter.  I like to go over with the Heat Tool again for about 30 seconds.  I find that it seems to cement the glitter into the sticky surface. 
Repeat steps with all 4 leaves.
NOTE: I love this method of adding glitter to a tiny surface area.  I have found that as long as you have good coverage from the embossing pad to begin with, the glitter will adhere easily the sticky surface.  I also know the Sticky Embossing Powder holds the glitter better than plain white glue with a lot less mess.

Add glittered leaves to wreath with a bit of Glossy Accents. 
NOTE: there are no glittered leaves under the top right and bottom right wreath leaves.  The top with be covered with a ribbon and the bottom is not necessary.

Assembling the tag:

Cut a piece of Mirrored (2 x 2”).  Peel off backing to adhere to tag.  Peel off protective top coating to reveal the mirrored surface.  I purposely took this shot with the camera showing so you can see that it is really like a mirror (you can also die cut this stuff!).

Adhere 3-d Pop-it shapes under wreath.  Add wreath to tag over Mirrored surface.

Clip the glittered pine branch in half and ink two other elements from the Festive Greenery decorative strip.

Layer the elements above and below the wreath with a bit of Glossy Accents.

Create a bow using Crinkle Ribbon and Distress stains Spun Sugar and a hint of Frayed Burlap. 
Begin by spritzing Crinkle Ribbon with a Mini Mister to keep in place on the non-stick craft sheet.  Pounce Spun Sugar onto ribbon (keep turning ribbon over to get all sides).  Using the same method, add Frayed Burlap (just a bit) to give the ribbon an aged appearance.  Spritz with water again, then dry with a Heat Tool.  Once dry, create bow (the tails are folded back and glued underneath).

Add bow to wreath a little to the right of center.

Hold on...just a few more steps!

Cut the last 2 1/2” x 12 manilla paper in half (or rip it...it doesn’t matter).  Use your Vagabond machine to cut out two “joy to the world” sayings from the stacked words: christmas decorative strip.

You need two because you are going to cut the words apart.  The bottom of the ‘y’ and the top of the ‘e’ are connected so from one you will cut the word “Joy” and from the other you will cut, “to the world”.  Discard leftover pieces.

Be sure to add the dot at the top of the J with a piece of 1/8” Wonder Tape.

Lightly ink the edges of the words with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  Add Crackle Accents to the word Joy and set aside to dry.  Once dry, rub with Distress Ink to bring out crackle finish.

Cut very small pieces of Pop-it Shapes and add to the back of the word Joy.  Add to the center of wreath.

Add “to the world” to the bottom right corner.

And it just wouldn’t be me without a bit of vintage...I added a few pearls I cut from an vintage necklace

And a bit of hand dyed cheese cloth.
Paper String tied at the top completes the tag.

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Bigz Die, Holiday Wreath	Sizzix, Tim Holtz Texture Fades Embossing Folders, Textured Poinsettia Pattern	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die, Festive Greenery	Tim Holtz, Grungepaper, 6"x12"
Tim Holtz Mirrored	Tim Holtz, Crinkle Ribbon	Tim Holtz, Paper String, Solids	Inkssentials Surfaces, Manila Tag #8
Inkssentials Surfaces, 12x12 Manila	Distress Stain, Spun Sugar	Distress Stain, Frayed Burlap	Metallic Distress Stain, Tarnished Brass
Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Platinum	Sticky Embossing Powder, 1 oz.	Perfect Pearls, Heirloom Gold	Accents, Crackle
Wonder Tape, 1/8"	Emboss It Ink Pad, Clear	Distress Ink Pad, Vintage Photo	Ink Blending Tool
Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Collage Glue Stick	Mini Mister, Individual	Heat It Craft Tool

InLinkz.com

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Please join us in thanking Paula for this exquisite beauty! Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store
www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Thank you for joining us here again today and don't forget to share the tags you create after being inspired by our 12 Tags series and link them in the post above!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 7 by Julia Stainton

Welcome back to the CLASSroom and another tag from our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist series. Today we're more than halfway through the series and I'm excited to be sharing a tag creation with you.

 

My Peace Snowflake tag features lots of holiday sparkle and some very easy techniques. Let's get started!

For my tag base, I've created a textural and shimmery embossed tag. I love how the color changes as it turns in the light.

1. Emboss the manila tag using a snowflake embossing folder and a Big Shot machine.

2. Color the tag by swiping it with a Distress Stain Dabber. I just drag the sponge end across the tag allowing the color to hit the higher embossed areas. Dry with a heat gun to speed up the process.

3. Rub a Versamark Inkpad across the surface of the tag. Sprinkle with Holographic Embossing Powder. Apply heat with heat gun until the embossing powder is melted.

Next steps are to create a pretty embellishment using a die.

4. Die cut the Snowflake Rosette Strip die from a sheet of patterned paper.

5. Pleat the snowflake in an accordian fold. Adhere ends together with dry adhesive.

6. Flatten snowflake out and adhere to scrap paper.

7. Adhere snowflake applique. Insert trinket pins.

8. Apply stickles along pleats to add glitter.

9. Adhere loops of tinsel trim behind embellishment.

10. Adhere to tag.

11.Dab Distress Stain onto Peace chipboard sentiment. Dry with heat gun.

12. Coat chipboard with Versamark ink and sprinkle with Holographic Embossing Powder.

13. Heat embossing powder to finish the shimmery surface.

14. Adhere to bottom of tag.

15. Adhere lace to bottom of tag.

16. Loop twine through top of tag.

It's done! Sparkly and pretty without being too over the top.

Hope you're enjoying each day of the 12 Tags of Christmas! Happy holidays and happy creating! 

InLinkz.com

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We are so fortunate to have Julia here in the CLASSroom sharing her inspired ideas with us on a constant basis - thank you for sharing your creativity with us! Please help us thank Julia for this stunning, sparkly goodness by leaving your appreciation below in the comment section. Leave your comment below to be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com - be certain to do so before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to "fawn" over the oh, so cute tag a special lady has prepared for you!

Hello, Monday, 12.03.2012

Hello, Monday was on hiatus last week due to my class schedule, but we're back again today with an easy holiday project! As well be certain to scroll down for Day 3 in our 12 Tags of Christmas series!

I've always thought Christmas Crackers to be such a cute and fun tradition for the holidays! Everyone at the table will be charmed by these delightful  decorations, filled with trinkets and candies!

I'm smitten with red, white and kraft this holiday season, so I chose to create my crepe paper "ruffle" using a gorgeous shade of red--Barn Door Distress Stain by Ranger!

This was so easy, I could make yard and yards of it in advance to keep on hand for embellishing my packagins and cards and I think it would make a darling trim on tree ornaments, as well!

Enjoy the video here or in HD on YouTube, and please subscribe to our channel for future Hello, Monday webisodes!

Happy Holidays and thank you for joining me in the CLASSroom today!

 

SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Crepe Paper, White & Cream	Cleardesign: Designer Snowflakes	Distress Stain, Barn Door	Distress Ink Pad, Barn Door
Maya Road Twine Cording, Sparkle Silver	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack	Heat It Craft Tool	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick
Glue Glider Pro	Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58'	Non-Stick Craft Sheet

InLinkz.com

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 2 by Claudine Hellmuth

Today I have the absolute joy of sharing Claudine Hellmuth's whimsical collage tag with you! Four years ago I had the pleasure of being introduced to Claudine and having dinner with her and some friends. Her vivacious spirit and warmth are two of the things I treasure most about her. These traits are evident in every product that she creates! Claudine Hellmuth stamps, paints and embroidery kits have "cheerful" written all over them - they just make me smile from ear to ear!

Claudine also designs THE best printable kits - they bring me back to my days as a child when I would cut out and cloth paper dolls. The hours of joy you will receive from cutting and putting together these little treasures will bring back happy moments from your childhood, or even better provide a gift to a child you know by allowing them the joy of working on these kits!

I have to share this adorable free printable tree with you - I encourage you to give it a try or share it with your child or grandchildren!

You can find more of Claudine's quirky, retro style on each of the projects she shares on her blog Claudine Hellmuth. Psst - I have a little secret - if you head over there now she is giving away one of her fabulous stamp sets, so don't delay visiting her blog!!!

Thank you Claudine for sharing your creativity with us here in the CLASSroom and even more importantly - thank you for sharing your sweet spirit and friendship with me!  -Ellen

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The completed whimsical and quirky retro-inspired Christmas tag!

Paint a tag using Claudine Hellmuth Studio Painterly Pink. Squeeze the paint directly onto the tag

Then brush out paint using a brush (Claudine Hellmuth studio brushes)

Dry with Heat it Craft Tool

Glue music paper to the bottom 2/3 of your tag using Multi Medium

Now we are going to stamp some images using the Claudine Hellmuth Studio Christmas stamp set by Stamper Anonymous

Stamp the car using black Ranger archival ink onto red scrapbook paper.

Stamp the little tree onto decorative green paper also using Archival ink

Cut out both the car and the tree. Cut off the presents from the roof of the car and cut the tree in ½ so it looks like it could be riding on the roof of the car.

Glue both to the tag using Multi Medium

Glue on a decorative strip of scrapbook paper using multi medium

Stamp a frame and the words “so merry” from the Words and Frames Stamp set

Cut out and glue to your tag, then dry with the Heat It Craft tool to speed drying

As a finishing touch you can add snow by making tiny dimensional dots using the tip of the Claudine Hellmuth Studio mini paints in Blank Canvas.

Add extra trim to the bottom of your tag. Enjoy!!

Claudine Hellmuth Clear Stamps, Christmas	Claudine Hellmuth Clear Stamps, Words and Frames 1	Studio Acrylic Paint Mini, Painterly Pink	Studio Acrylic Paint Mini, Blank Canvas
Studio Multi-Medium, Matte Mini	Studio Artist Brushes	NEW Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black	Heat It Craft Tool
Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Claudine Hellmuth, Rock-A-Blocks	Inkssentials Surfaces, Manila Tag #8

InLinkz.com

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Please help us say thank you to Claudine for joining us and sharing how to create this adorable, quirky and whimsical style Christmas tag! Simply leave your comment below and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return again tomorrow for Day 3 of our feminine tags. Let's just say you love this ladies sweet charm - don't miss it ;-D

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 1 by Sharon Harnist

Hello and welcome to Day 1 of Ellen's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist -- I'm thrilled to be starting off this 12-day celebration today!  Tags are one of my very favorite papercrafted items to create and combining them with a fun technique makes them even more special!  The technique I'm using today is: "Snow" heat embossing on dry embossed snowflake background.

(Click on any photo for a larger view)

Here's how to create my tag:

1. Cut #8 tag shape out of aqua/light teal Core'dinations Kraft Core Collection Cardstock by Tim Holtz-4x6 Assorted 72-pack.  This cardstock is the star of the show today -- it has a fabulous linen-like texture and kraft core that you can expose by sanding it! You can either trace around a #8 Manila Tag and cut to create your tag, or do what I did and just cover the #8 tag with Kraft-Core cardstock. Note: the length of this colored cardstock is 5.50", so your cardstock will be a little shorter than the #8 tag. You can either just trim off the tag or do what I did and just adhere another piece of teal cardstock to the bottom of the tag -- the poinsettia will cover the seam later.

2. Rub Embossing Ink Pad over on the front inside of the Snow Flurries & Snowman folder (where the snowflakes are recessed):

3. Insert cardstock tag in embossing folder and dry emboss the tag with your die cut machine.

4. Take tag out of embossing folder and immediately cover with White Embossing Powder.  Shake off excess powder and/or lightly rub away any stray embossing powder from raised snowflake impressions and around the edges/bottom of tag. You want it to look snow scattered, not completely covered (in retrospect, I wish I had brushed off a little more of my embossing powder!).

5. Heat emboss the white powder using Heat It Craft Tool.

6. After embossing powder cools, lightly sand the tag with Tim Holtz Sanding Block to reveal the kraft core around the raised snowflakes:

7. Distress edges of the tag with Paper Distresser -- this will reveal more of the kraft core of the cardstock.

8. Create reinforced hole for top of tag, using reverse side of a scrap piece of Kraft-Core cardstock (kraft side): Punch a handheld 1-/4-inch hole in cardstock first, then use a 1/2-inch hole punch to punch around the hole. Adhere to top of tag and punch out center of hole reinforcement with handheld 1/4-inch punch; set tag aside.

9. Stamp Pearl Cling stamp onto Neenah Natural White cardstock with Memento Rich Cocoa ink; lightly/quickly color with Copic Sketch markers E00 & E11 (skin), R20 & R83 (lips, flowers & gift bow), E21 & E23 (hair & shoes), BG70 & BG72 (dress & hair bow). Cut out image and set aside:

(For a more in-depth tutorial on how to color people with Copic markers, please visit THIS CLASSroom blog post I prepared with this same Pearl stamp).

10. Using Heart Wings die, die cut wings and crown from Natural White cardstock; run through Xyron sticker maker.

11. Cover sticky side of wings with Melissa Frances Pure Silver Vintage Glass Glitter. Use Teflon Bone Folder to press glitter into adhesive -- glass glitter shards are very sharp and can easily cut your fingers! Shake off excess glass glitter. Sprinkle Glitter Ritz Silver Microfine Glitter over wings -- this will fill in any gaps that the chunky glass glitter did not cover and make them super sparkly! Shake off excess glitter.

12. Attach wings and crown to Pearl with foam tape; set aside.

13. Die cut Sizzix Tattered Poinsettia out of burgundy and rose Kraft-Core cardstock pad; sand the edges of the flowers. (It appears this particular poinsettia die I used is temporarily out of stock. You could also use this beautiful My Favorite Things Poinsettia die, or this Poppystamps Blooming Poinsettia die.)

Tip: Leave die cuts still attached to larger piece of cardstock after die cutting, lying flat on your work surface when sanding. Amazingly, the edges of your die cut will even get sanded and you'll have less of a chance of tearing the flower petals:

Ink edges of poinsettia with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

14. Cover poinsettia center with silver glass and microfine glitters, same as wings above. Layer poinsettia pieces together with foam tape and attach to lower right corner of tag.

15. Stamp Hero Arts Holiday Sayings sentiment with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink onto Neenah Natural White cardstock; cut into banner shape. Sponge edges of banner with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink; adhere banner over Pearl's hands with foam tape.

16. Attach Pearl to tag, behind poinsettia, with foam tape.

17. Cut a 12" length of Ivory May Arts 1-1/4" Wide Silk ribbon and ink both sides of the ribbon directly with the Victorian Velvet Distress Ink pad:

18. Spritz ribbon with water and scrunch it up; blot excess water with a paper towel. Let ribbon dry naturally or quickly heat it from a distance with heat tool (heating silk ribbon too long or too closely will burn it). If ribbon needs more color, lightly tap it with the ink pad again:

19. Thread ribbon through tag hole and then tie ribbon together above tag with Silver Tinsel Twine and a jingle bell.

All done!

Thanks for joining me today -- I hope you'll have fun with this technique and enjoy the next 11 days of tags!  ~ Sharon

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{Supplies} 

 

Core'dinations Cardstock, Tim Holtz Kraft Core	Inkssentials Surfaces, Manila Tag #8	Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fade Embossing Folder, Snow Flurries & Snowman	Ranger Distress Embossing Pad
White Embossing Powder	Heat It Craft Tool	Tim Holtz Sanding Block	Tonic Tim Holtz Paper Distresser
EK Success Paper Shapers 1/2-inch Circle Punch	Melissa Frances Pearl Cling Stamps, Just A Little Something	Memento Ink Pad, Rich Cocoa	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack
Copic Sketch Markers	Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die, Heart Wings	Xyron 1.5" Create-a-Sticker Machine	Melissa Frances Glass Glitter, Pure Silver
Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitter, Silver	Teflon Bone Folder	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"	Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die, Tattered Poinsettia
Distress Ink Pad, Brushed Corduroy	Ink Blending Tool	Distress Ink Pad, Victorian Velvet	Hero Arts ClearDesign, Holiday Sayings
May Arts Silk Ribbon, Ivory 1-1/4" Wide	Mini Mister, Individual	Tim Holtz Tinsel Twine, Silver	1/2" Silver Jingle Bells

InLinkz.com

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We would like to thank you for joining us and leaving a comment for each of the designers who participates in this very special event. Simply leave your appreciation for Sharon's beautiful tag here today and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to see what our special guest Claudine Hellmuth has created!

Treasure Everyday Mini Album by Paula Cheney

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

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

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

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Envelopes

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

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

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

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

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

Stamp Butterflies with Archival Ink in Sap Green.

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

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

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

Set finished envelopes aside while we make the cover.

Cover

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

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

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

Stitching the book

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

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

Trim away threads.

View of album spine.

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

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

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

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

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

Completed mini album cover!

Inside Pages

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

InLinkz.com

Tissue Paper and Die Cuts - Part 1, Collage

It is hard to believe that fall is in the air! The air is crisp now in the evenings and mornings and the leaves are beginning to turn. This time of year brings SO much inspiration!

It was while putting together a birthday package that this idea came to mind and I really think that it is going to trigger something fun in each of your minds. This is the first of a couple of different ideas I am sharing using tissue paper and die cuts, so let the fun begin!

Claudine's video on how to use Studio Multi-Medium (find it at this link) will come in handy when creating a project similar to this. The beauty of tissue paper is that it is semi-transparent one wet and when it dries the pattern of the stamped image below shows through.

Die cut various colors of tissue paper - I was able to cut through at least 6 sheets of tissue paper at one time. You will need to carefully pull the sheets apart once they are removed.

I began by stamping through a circular mask on to linen cardstock using the Hero Arts woodgrain stamp - LOVE this stamp! Be certain to use a waterproof ink such as Archival ink.

Apply a thin layer of Multi-medium to the cardstock surface and place your tissue paper leaf in the wet area and paint over the entire leaf using more Multi-medium.

If you are uncertain of leaf placement allow the first piece to dry, or if you are confident in your layout just keep working. Add a leaf at a time until your project is complete.

To adhere the letters I held each one using a pair of tweezers and applied Multi-medium to the back side of each letter. Multi-medium dries clear and is a phenomenal adhesive. I liked using it for this project because it allowed me to scotch the letters around on the wet surface until I had them perfectly straight. Tweezers are an absolute must for crafting in my opinion!

I hope to see loads of projects using die cuts and tissue paper from each of you - let's see how long this idea takes to catch on :-D My hope is that I have planted a new seed and I can hardly wait to see it sprout (or leaf out - ha, ha!)

Memory Box Dies, Maple Leaf	Memory Box Dies, Parker Lower Alphabet	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	Memory Box Die, Metal Adaptor Plate
Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain	Archival Ink Pad, Sepia	Essentials by Ellen, White Linen Cardstock, 25 pk	Studio Multi-Medium, Matte
Studio Artist Brushes

InLinkz.com

Designing with Neon by Julie Ebersole

When I was a teenager back in the '80s, neon was hot! I must admit to being intimidated when the trend came back into vogue this year... But, then I took it as a challenge to stretch creatively! :)

Probably one of the easiest ways to interject these hot new colors into your projects is by playing with inks, like the new Hero Arts Neon Inks! It took some experimentation to find the right combinations that I was satisfied with, so don't worry if your initial attempts leave you feeling a bit unsure--I look at it as part of the process. :)

Even so, I do have some tips to share that will hopefully guide you on the quest to incorporate this fun trend into your paper crafting!

And, be sure to enbiggan the pics by clicking on them!

For me the biggest rule of thumb, when it comes to neon, is that less equals more; use it sparingly!

This design features two neon speech bubbles, flanked on the right by a more subdued, yet still bright "pool" color of blue.  It compliments the neon orange and pink quite nicely, without overwhelming or competing, as do the birds stamped simply in black ink.

Partner neon with a neutral hue, such as grey. In the above example, the soft grey (it's actually called "Cloudy Blue", but it stamps "grey") color used on the alpha letters acts as a counter-balance to the vivid neon orange and yellow scattered dots. A little bit of Crystal Stickles also reflects the color and enhances the overall effect in a very light and airy way!

Use neon colors with patterned border stamps (Chevron - My Happy by Hero Arts/Studio Calico, Polka Dots - Geo-Graphic by Paper Smooches, Zig Zag Stitching - Sew Artsy by Hero Arts)--it will give great "pop"! The white spacing gives some breathing room to the neon hues; a black base card and some black accents also help ground the design and keep it from being overly dominating. I think this makes a great teen card, or just even fun for a guy card!

Want a dramatic blended effect? Sponge neon hues onto white card stock, allowing them to overlap and mix, creating additional hues--this combo would make a fantastic sunset effect on a scenic design as well! The white popped up flowers (Sew Me Flowers - Hero Arts) offer a nice contrast to the neon backdrop.

Try stamping a neon hue with a large background stamp (Square Pattern Background, Clippings Collection by Basic Grey/Hero Arts) directly over the top of another color--this example above features neon pink atop a non-neon mandarin orange colored card stock.  Neon pink and green washi tapes (from my stash) accent the design, and the focal sentiment is stamped in full-on neon pink, and subtly edged with neon orange.

This simple design was inspired by a Letterpress card I had seen--the Citrus ink is not necessarily neon, but when paired with the Neon pink, the combo offers a refreshing jolt--I love that it makes me sit up and take notice! The "Thank You" banner by Savvy could also have been stamped with the Neon pink, and then the panel mounted to a neon pink base card if I'd had one on hand; I must admit to being particularly fond of green, however--green just seems to go so well with practically every other color on the planet. ;)

Thanks for joining me in the CLASSroom today and I hope today's post sparks some fun ideas for turnin' up the neon in your projects!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS

STAMPS: Telephone Lines by Impression Obsession; He Said/She Said, Geo-Graphic by Paper Smooches; My Happy by Studio Calico/Hero Arts; Sew Artsy, Many Birthday Wishes, This Is Big , Sew Me Flowers by Hero Arts; Square Pattern Background, Clippings Collection by Basic Grey/Hero Arts; Monogram Alphabet by My Favorite Things; "have a wonderful...[birthday]" and Scattered Dots by Savvy Stamps

INKS: Neon Pink, Orange, Yellow by Hero Arts; Adirondack Cloudy Blue, Pool, Citrus by Archival Black by Ranger; Mistery Huey's Mist in Inky Black; Copic Marker in YG23 New Leaf

PAPERS:  Neenah Solar White (25 sheet pack or ream); Key Lime by Memory Box; Pool and Sunshine Layering Papers by Hero Arts; Black Card Stock

EMBELLISHMENTS: Crystal and Lime Green Stickles; Washi Tapes (from my stash)

TOOLS: 1 3/4" Circle Punch

OTHER: 3D Dots; Round Sponges (quartered)

Land of the Free Mini Canvases by Julia Stainton

Independence Day is coming up and inspired by the new Maya Road Star tins, I thought a patriotic project might be a fun one to work up for my American friends. I hope you enjoy it!

Mini Canvas Frames have to be one of my all-time favorite products in the Ellen Hutson LLC store. They are 4"x4" in size and are the perfect size for making fun altered canvas projects and just right for experimenting on. A great feature of these canvases are they are triple primed meaning you can get right to the fun stuff. As well they come two in a pack, are super high quality and as the canvas wraps right around to the back, you don't even need a frame for them. Unless you want one of course.

 

Today's tutorial has lots of photos to take you through all the steps. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?...so I've taken a few to make it easy to follow. The first step is to paint one of the canvases with blue Studio Acrylic Paint.

While that is drying, you can stamp a nice collage of images onto the other canvas. It's already triple primed as I mentioned earlier so you can just stamp away. I like using the Ranger Archival Inks for stamping on canvas and then heat set the ink for permanence.

Creating stripes is easy to do when you mask off an area. Tissue Tape makes a beautiful accent but it also works perfectly to mask with. Apply the tissue tape on the areas you want to remain white and paint the rest in red.

After the paint has dried, you can remove the masking tape and your canvas should look like the above photo.

While that continues to dry, it's back to the blue canvas. Once it's surface is dry you can stamp on it with paint applied to a background stamp. I love doing this with an Adirondack Paint Dabber as it makes it super easy to cover the area. Stamp canvas and set aside to dry.

Once both canvases are dry you can add a lovely crackle finish if you like the vintage look. Apply Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over each of the canvas and give it an hour or so to dry.

The Distress Crackle layer will add a beautiful vintage distressed look. To highlight it, sponge the surfaces with some Distress Ink. If you'd like to check out the detail, just click on the above photo to enlarge it.

Finally we get to the Maya Road Star Bottle Cap that inspired the project. Most paints flake off metal so I've painted the inside of the bottle cap with Gesso. I've filled the inside of the star with a knotted length of burlap tirm and added some other sweet embellishments.

Here's a detail of what the star canvas looks like finished.

To complete the striped canvas, I've painted some chipboard letters with the matching blue Studio paint and adhered them to the canvas.

You can display these canvases horizontally as in the first photograph but after completing the project, discovered that it looks great arranged vertically as well.

Hope you've been inspired to create some patriotic art for your home this summer.

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

Supplies: White 4"x4" Canvas Frames, Studio Gesso by Ranger, Snow Cap Adirondack Paint Dabber, Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint, Dash of Red Studio Paint and Smidge of Blue Studio Paint by Ranger, Studio Artist Brushes, Jet Black Archival Ink, Vermillion Archival Ink and Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Cling Music Background,  Large Newspaper Background DesignBlock, Basic Grey Carte Postale by Hero Arts, Patti Mini Alphabet Chipboard Set by Maya Road, Star Bottle Cap, Vintage Paper Roses, Linen Burlap Trim and Ticket Transparencies by Maya Road, Heart Trinket Pins, Crystal Star Trinket Pins, Kraft Flag Trinket Pins and Wood Bingo Motifs by Maya Road, Love Banner Clear Stamp Sheet by Maya Road

"Faux"berge Easter Eggs

Easter is right around the corner and I thought I would share an idea that has been brewing in my head for some time. I figured I'd best get busy and share it if anyone is to have time to play with it this Easter season.

It was as I thought about the many ways to use adhesives that these ideas popped into my head. I cannot lay claim to the clever title of these eggs. Julia E, here at work, is so very clever with words!!! After sharing my idea she just popped out the word "faux"berge and I started to laugh - it was perfect!

Glitter, foil, pearls, gemstones, Be Creative (Sookwang) tape, embossing powder, Distress Stain... the list of products in our studio that can be used to embellish an Easter egg is LONG. It is so fun to think of different ways to use these products!

I would like to recommend that you blow out the insides of your eggs before beginning, but due to limited time I just went for it being VERY careful not to drop it as I worked. Sadly these eggs would not smell very good if I were to actually put them out on display, so I keep peeking at them in the fridge from time to time - LOL! Next time I will definitely be blowing the insides out!

The first idea was to use the beautiful Design Adhesives we carry. The smaller designs are simpler to use because you do not need to worry about them overlapping themselves when you adhere it to the rounded surface. Cut out an individual shape and burnish on to the surface of your egg.

Gently peel back the protective coating.

Apply glitter and press glitter into adhesive with your fingertip.

Pour off the excess glitter and burnish the glitter into the adhesive, just as you would when doing the burnished velvet technique on paper.

Remove excess glitter with a soft brush.

These glittery eggs are absolutely spectacular! Use one color or many colors of glitter for a variety of looks.

The larger adhesive designs are a little more difficult to work with on the rounded surface. You will need to slightly overlap the design, but I found the look to be worth the extra effort.

Apply the Designer Foil to the sticky adhesive surface and gently rub the foil into place making certain all adhesive is covered with foil.

Peel it back and the foil remains attached to the adhesive.

If you have little gaps left exposing the adhesive simply apply a little Microfine glitter. You can use a coordinating color or contrasting - just think of all the options this leaves you!

Not only can you use Design Adhesive for this technique but you can create your own adhesive shapes using your dies and Be Creative (also known as Sookwang) tape! You must use the sheets which have the protective backing attached.

Select a design that would compliment the shape of an egg and cut it out. Dies that are extremely intricate will not work for this technique because the adhesive will stretch as you remove the backing and apply it to your egg. Select your dies with this in mind.

Begin to peel back the protective backing and attach this to your egg. Remove a small portion at a time and adhere to your egg surface.

Once you have it attached apply a light pressure over the entire design to make certain the adhesive is adhered to the egg.

Remove the backing and apply your glitter, burnishing it in to the adhesive.

Add additional embellishments to glam up your egg!

As with all things crafty one things leads to another --- what would Distress Stains do to an egg? I simply applied the stain to my egg and used a soft tissue to remove the excess.

Eggs are so very interesting - the striped appearance just happened naturally!

Using the dots from my previous experiment with diecutting Be Creative sheets I covered my egg. You could easily use Glue Dots if you were simply applying glitter or foil, but if heated Glue Dots will begin to bubble, whereas Sookwang tape can be used with heat.

Remove the backing and apply white embossing powder. Heat the embossing powder to melt.

You could create so many different patterns using tape - stripes, plaids, chevrons, mixed dots and stripes, more die cut shapes - my oh my the list is endless!

How cute is the polka dotty egg?!? These would make awesome little decorations on your Easter table!

I hope that you try making "Faux"berge eggs this year!!!

adhesive: Design Adhesives - Leaf Nouveau and French Swirl, Be Creative Tape Sheets

accessories: Grasshopper Microfine Glitter, Limeburst Designer Foil, 3" Nest, Circle Borders Lifestyle Crafts Die, Smooth Clear Round Gemstones, Opaque White Embossing Powder, Peeled Paint Distress Stain

Merci Card by Julia Stainton

I love things that color coordinate. It takes a lot of work out of things if you just know two things will work together. I also love dye-based markers as there are so many things you can do with them. This made the new Tim Holtz Distress Markers a must-have for me. They arrived in my mailbox yesterday and of course, I just had to create with them right away.

Making this card perfectly coordinated was easy even though I used ink, stains and markers because the colors transfer perfectly throughout the Tim Holtz Distress line. I've used the new Distress Markers, Distress Ink and Distress Stain but also in this line are the Distress Crackle Paints and the Distress Stickles.

One of my favorite things that I like to use markers for is adding color rubber stamps before stamping them. It's an easy way to highlight an image and make it more realistic. I was really excited with how well the Distress Markers worked on rubber with no beading of ink. To add the color, use the brush end of the marker.

After I added color throughout my image with different markers, I "huffed" (breathed) onto the rubber to remoisten the ink and then stamped.

Since I used Tumbled Glass Distress Marker on my main image and it's a color I paricularly love, I turned to the Tumbled Glass Distress Ink to quickly ink up my background stamp.

Distress Stains are a great way to add color to white paper flowers and so I used the Dried Marigold Distress Stain to perfectly color coordinate my embellishments.

Little paper curliques are a fun way to add a little more interest to a floral cluster. I didn't have any perfectly coordinating paper so I decided to alter what I had. I used a scrap of my white cardstock and dabbed it with Tumbled Glass Distress Stain and allowed it to dry. It's then easy to trim tiny slivers of cardstock to make the paper curls.

Each paper strip is wrapped around a long thin instrument. You can use a paper piercer or a small paintbrush but I like using a small tiny from the Basic Grey Precision File Set so that it doesn't slip. Wrap tightly, slide off and adhere to your project.

Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom! I hope you're inspired to get creative!

Supplies:

Solar White Cardstock by Neenah, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Tim Holtz Distress Markers- Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Crushed Olive, Brushed Corduroy by Ranger, Tumbled Glass Distress Ink by Ranger, Tumbled Glass Distress Stain by Ranger, Dried Marigold Distress Stain by Ranger, twine, flower by Prima, Green Leaf Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Cling Dot Flower Pattern Stamp by Hero Arts, Cling Greetings Stamp set by Hero Arts, Vintage Sew-on Buttons Orange by Jenni Bowlin, Basic Grey Precision File Set

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

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

Feminine Twist Tag Bloopers

On the way to fun creations there are always a few bloopers (or maybe more than a few ;-D) that occur. Many items hit that circular file, otherwise known as the garbage, and others end up being quite spectacular. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the "experiments" that occured along the way to the final 12 Tags of Christmas series.

Colored Pencil and Picket Fence Distress Stain

You know you have a fun idea, you can hardly wait to share it... oops you stamped it all too low on the tag to make the balance work. So you start all over - hmm... what to do with the old tag? Well, I like to experiment because I'm simply curious. What would the colored image look like with Picket Fence Distress Stain over top as well as underneath? The answer is - quite soft and beautiful!

Lesson relearned from tag #2 - position your key elements before beginning. Yes, I already knew this lesson, but in my excitement... oh well - we now get to see what colored pencil looks like stained with Picket Fence ;-D

Testing 101

Use those little tidbits that are left over after diecutting to test with! When trying something new and different, rather than using the key elements, I like to use the tidbits to test my ideas.

When I know what is going to work the best, THEN I'm ready to roll on my key elements :-D What an amazing time saver AND good use of these tidbits!

Remember how Tim suggested a nice thick layer of Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint. Well... sitting in my studio all alone on a Sunday, waiting and waiting for it to dry... finally giving up and taking my Heat It tool and ever so gently trying to coax it along... What could have been a beautiful piece... not so much! ha, ha! Lesson learned - leave it alone - do NOT heat Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint!

Thank goodness for innovation. Yes, on Tag 4 I waited for a very long time before realizing I might be at the studio all night, and all the next day, waiting for my project to dry. So I started all over with a nice thinned out layer which ended up being spectacular!

Cracked Glass Technique

In the mean time I had PLENTY of time to experiment and started trying to think of other ways I could achieve a similar look. So I decided to try an old standby I learned years ago - Cracked Glass. Inking my ornament with Distress Embossing Ink and applying a layer of UTEE. Heat, reink and apply a second layer...

and finally a third layer. As you heat the last layer you can alter the texture of the finished project. As you can see at the bottom of this ornament the texture is glossy and smooth - this is the UTEE completely melted. Up in the right hand corner you can see the bumpy texture - if you start melting the UTEE and then move on to a new section you can achieve a completely different look. The choice is yours!

As you can see I went with the completely smooth look.

Allow the UTEE to cool completely and then gently bend your project, cracking the UTEE. You can apply another layer of ink over the surface. It will seep into the cracks and create an even more dramatic look. So many choices, so little time :-D

Colorizing Metal Foil

As you can tell I had a LOT of time on my hands, so I decided to experiment a little further with a look that I then altered for my Mexican Tin Ornament on Day 6. Using Snow Cap Alcohol Ink Mixative I covered the surface of my foiled and embossed ornament. (See Tag 4 to learn how to create this ornament)

Apply a layer of alcohol ink using an alcohol ink applicator. Allow to dry for a few seconds and then use a sanding tool to brush away the top surface of alcohol ink products, exposing the now brushed foil beneath.

Such a striking look and SO very easy to do!

More UTEE Shrink Plastic Embellishments

Shrink plastic also comes in white. Create your embellishment as shared in our Tag 11 post.

Pigment ink also works beautifully as a release when stamping into hot UTEE or hot glue. I inked my stamp using the gorgeous Delicata gold ink.

Remove embellishment from the melting pot and drag across your non-stick craft sheet, immediately stamping as shown above. Allow stamp to sit until UTEE cools slightly, about 3-5 seconds, and remove.

Once again use the hot edge of the melting pot to refine your embellishment.

If you ended up trying this technique and created some pieces that didn't quite cut the mustard, you can still salvage them with this technique.

Clean up the edges of your embellishment by cutting away or melting away the excess UTEE. Place into a clean melting pot project pan, or something similar.

Heat with your Heat It tool, softening the surface, and sprinkle on glass glitter. Allow to cool and then pick up and release excess glitter.

You will end up with a gorgeous, embellishment with glass glitter embedded into the UTEE.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my experiments and "recovery tactics" from this last set of tags. Yes, when trying new things there are going to be quite a few that are questionable :-D Wishing you a stress-free, productive and creative week ahead!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 12 by Ellen

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house...

This is the theme of my last tag of the year. Day 12, Tag 12 - the end of our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist for the year 2011. We hope you enjoyed the twists that we shared here in the CLASSroom this year. Yes, it is a labor of love that pushes us through each year. It is a "mission" each day just to get these completed in a manner that we hope inspires you.

Today it is my desire to share several more ways for you to use tissue paper in your projects, as well as share one more resist technique with you!

Don't you find these contemporary, yet rustic little dwellings, sitting in a snowbank with Santa flying overhead simply cute!

Adhering tissue paper to a surface can be done in ways atypical to the usual glues and adhesives. If you would like to add color to your project Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Line is the PERFECT way to add your tissue paper! First cut the dwellings from Craft-a-Board. Apply a layer of Studio Paint.

For variation and interest I added a second color in a streaky manner. You could stamp patterns or use stencils to add variation as well. I was trying to keep today's projects simple and colorful.

Immediately, while the paint is still wet, attach your tissue paper to your project by placing it on the painted surface and applying pressure evenly over the entire surface. Magically the color appears through the tissue paper in a wonderful muted way.

Aren't these just the sweetest mix of colors - right now I am picturing myself in a tranquil setting on the Italian coastline where their homes are so magically colored. How divine!

To add snow to the rooftops follow the same technique I showed a few days ago. Using Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint apply along the roofline and drag a piercing tool through the paint for a random appearance. Sprinkle silver and clear glass glitter (Twinklets Diamond Dust) into the wet paint. Allow to dry.

Streak Picket Fence Distress Stain randomly over a manila tag.

Add "icicles" to the manila tag surface by randomly streaking Rock Candy Distress Crackle paint on the surface. Apply enough so that you get random cracking. The more you apply, the larger the cracks, with thinner layers providing smaller cracks. Allow to dry.

This surface is absolutely fabulous and very "icy" looking, but I had more to show you ;-D

Using an ink blending tool, in a circular motion, add both Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky distress ink at random to your surface.

Stamp snowflakes in both Stormy Sky and Tumbled Glass.

Make a corner of a soft towel or paper towel damp and wipe the excess ink from the surface where the Rock Candy Crackle paint is applied. Your snowflakes will start disappearing into the night sky.

To create your snowbank use a piece of tissue that has the tiny pinked edge formed by the cutting blade on the packaging on one side and a haphazardly torn edge on the other side. Crumple your tissue paper and then straighten back out. Apply Tumbled Glass distress stain in a random way and dry with a heat tool.

Cut a piece of manila cardstock to fit the width of the tag from the edges of the houses. Tear a random pattern in the top of this snowbank.

On the side opposite of the Distress Stained tissue paper, apply a layer of Gloss Multi-Medium.

Pleat, crumple, and mash the tissue paper to fit and adhere to the manila cardstock snowbank you created above.

Apply another layer of Gloss Multi-Medium to the surface by pouncing with a paintbrush. Sprinkle with both silver and clear glass glitter. Allow to dry.

I love having both 1/16" and 1/8" dimensional squares for adding depth to projects. When you need to layer items one on top of another you can achieve a "flat" look by combining the adhesive squares dependent upon where it is being attached to your project.

As you can see, one of the edges of my blue house is mounted on the tag and the other is mounted on top of the other dwelling. By placing the thicker dimensional on the side that is mounted directly to the tag it keeps my house level. Yes, the perfectionist in my is always coming out and I thought I would share this little trick with you in hopes that it will help other perfectionists out here in cyberville - LOL!

Tip: Create a more unifed balance by spacing these dwellings of different sizes and shapes in an assymetrical way. In other words, don't center the red house or it will not look right. It's all about breaking up your space into thirds and fifths - the Roman mean. Yep, that puts me right back in Italy and I'm going back to the Cinque Terre - ha, ha!

I needed to use my second set of hands, my self-closing tweezers, to knot my baker's twine and add the little jingle bell.

Since it is Christmas Eve I decided to add one simple "window" to my dwelling, but needed to alter the color ever so slightly to coordinate with the house on the left and Santa's face - Delicata Gold ink to the rescue!

One last parting shot of our last tag of the season. We hope that you have enjoyed your time here with us and with that we would like to close with... Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

stamps: Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook 

ink: Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky, Distress Stain - Picket Fence and Tumbled Glass

paper: Manila Cardstock, Craft-a-board, Terminology Tissue Wrap

accessories: Studio Line - Dab of Yellow, Yellow Pastel, Modern Red, Dash of Red, Sky Blue, Landscape Green, Glossy Multi-Medium; Off White Twill, Silver Tinsel, Santa Christmas Ornament (these are absolutely darling and the size is perfect for crafting!), Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint, Silver Glitter Glass, Twinklets Diamond Dust, Bakers Twine, Jingle Bell, Game Pieces

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It's our last day of blog candy, but the party is far from over! Be certain to join us again tomorrow as we get our Hero Arts preview party started. Due to the "inconveniences" of today (yes, my studio is in complete disarray as the neighbors flooded toilet made an amazing mess in our office and warehouse - who would have thought a toilet contains that much water!) I am not certain when we will be able to get our first post up, but it is on to Plan B for the short term as I try to wade through this - ha, ha! Gotta laugh about it or I just might be sitting in a puddle crying - double ha, ha!

To be eligible for the random drawing of the goodies shown above please leave a comment here on this post by noon Pacific Time, Wednesday, December 14th. 

One last reminder that the goodies in the 12 Days Tag Time will be on sale until tomorrow morning at 9:00am, so if you have been inspired to try something new and different please head over to take advantage of the savings.

Thank you all once again for joining us here in the CLASSroom. We sincerely hope that we have brought a bright spot to your holiday season, that you have been inspired, and hopefully, have picked up a couple of new ideas to use in your creating!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 11 by Ellen

It was 10 years ago, when I attended my first rubberstamp convention here in Puyallup, WA, that Suze Weinberg was showing Melt Art. I dabbled with my Melting Pot since that time having loads of fun when I pull it out. It was so fun to see Tim playing with it today, showing how to create Shrink Art embellishments. We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new rebranded product - I am hoping that Tim posting means that they will soon be on their way! 

I thought I would share a twist on the technique Tim shared with you today; one that brings in some of the other products you may have in your stash.

These irridescent beauties sing in real life - LOL! OK, so that's stretching it just a touch, but they certainly are stunning. I think they might make the cutest earrings, as well as tag embellishments.

For this particular project I used Black Shrink Plastic. You can find it in this Sample Pack. I hope in the days ahead to share several of the other techniques that I played with today while I had my Melting Pot ready for action. There are SO many possibilities!

I put about 2 oz of UTEE into my Melting Pot turning the heat to the UTEE setting. Put the lid on and leave it untouched until the UTEE is completely melted.

Do not be alarmed by the twisting and turning motion of the shrink plastic as you place it in the hot UTEE and it begins to melt.

Remember UTEE is HOT!!! So always be cautious while working. I always have my Kooltoolz handy along with my self-closing Teflon tweezers. The spoon shown above works great for flattening your shrink plastic into the UTEE and you do not need to worry about damaging it with the hot pot and UTEE.

Once my piece is flattened I like to move it towards the front end of the pot into a more shallow area of the liquid and then grab the end with my non-stick tweezers. The UTEE will build up on the non-stick tweezers, but it is easily removed!

Before removing the shrink plastic ornament from the UTEE ink your stamp with Perfect Medium. This will aid in easy release of the stamp from the UTEE and provide the perfect medium for adding Perfect Pearls.

I followed Tim's recommendation to pull the embellishment along my non-stick craft sheet before continuing. It worked like a charm (ha, ha - get it, "charm.") Immediately impress your stamp into the warm UTEE. Allow the stamp to sit for a couple of seconds and then remove. Magical texture!

Perfect Pearls over black is STUNNING! Use a soft brush to apply the powder and to remove the excess.

I wanted to test a clear stamp to see if it would work, because I wasn't certain how it would hold up. Once again I inked the stamp with Perfect Medium.

It was wonderful being able to see through the stamp to precisely place my image on the ornament.

Perfection! As you can see the detail in this stamp is super fine, whereas the red rubber stamp I selected had a bolder image. Exciting to know that both types of stamps work for this technique!

Once again you will see the pattern and texture emerge as you brush on the powder. Place the excess powder back into the container when you are finished.

As you can see I had little "nubbins" on the edges of my ornaments. Once the UTEE has cooled you need to be careful about removing the excess, so as to not crack your project.

I like to use the edge of my Melting Pot to finesse my UTEE pieces. Be super careful so that you don't put your fingers on the hot surface. I find it quite simple to hold the piece and use the heat to soften and melt those weird little pieces that jutt from the edges. It also helps to soften the UTEE slightly so that cutting with scissors and or just scraping with your fingernail works easily.

To create my tag background I use a very old resist technique. This is one of the very first techniques I learned as a stamper and I love it to this day. Glossy cardstock lends a contemporary feel to a project and I wanted that feel with these ornamental beauties.

Ink your background stamp with a watermark resist ink and stamp on white glossy cardstock. I like to place my tag atop the stamp as shown above and then use a piece of scratch paper over the top and apply pressure evenly over the surface. Glossy cardstock is slippery and this helps me keep from smudging it with excessive movement.

Lightly heat the surface of the tag and set the ink. Then apply dye ink to your brayer and roll it over the tag. It is like watching a ghost appear :-D So cool!

Add a second color for interest. In this case I elected to use two green dye inks that are fairly monochromatic.

After brayering on the second color use a soft paper towel or cloth to remove the excess ink.

I don't know how many of you like to work with wire, but it was so fun to use it on this project. I like using a heavier gauge wire, shaping as needed. THEN to add interest hammer the wire, flattening it. You will not be able to change the shape once you flatten the wire so be certain you have the desired shape before hammering. Hammered wire is so cool looking!

I hope you enjoy the contemporary twist that I took with today's tag - bold, yet simple and elegant at the same time.

stamps: Hero Arts Cling Dot Flower Pattern, Antique Sweet Threads Cling Stamp,

ink: Perfect Medium, Inkssentials Watermark Resist Pad, Adirondack Juniper Dye Ink Pad, Iced Spruce Distress Ink Pad

paper: Glossy Cardstock

accessories: Tim Holtz Ornaments 2, Vintage Lace and Tags & Bookplates Die, Assorted Polyshrink Sampler, Perfect Pearls Brush, Perfect Pearls - Sour Apple, Grape Fizz, Pink Gumball, 20-gauge wire, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Brayer, Clear UTEE, Melting Pot, Kooltoolz, Tweezer Bee, White Silk Ribbon

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Day 11 - it's hard to believe how quickly time passes! I have very much enjoyed reading your comments! Christmas Eve is typically spent together with my husband's family. I think it is their Welsh background that brings the tradition of making homemade beef and noodles each year. The noodles have to be hand-rolled and laid out on the counters to dry. It is quite the spectacle and oh, so delicious! I would love to hear what one of your favorite Christmas Eve traditions is. By leaving a comment (one comment per person please) below you will be eligible for the random drawing for the Mini Reindeer & 25 Die set and Shabby Accoutrements shown above. Please do so by noon on Tuesday, December 13.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 8 by Ellen

Steampunk - oh dear, not something I'm particularly good at - LOL! A couple of things popped into my mind this morning when I first saw Tim's tag and I ended up going with the first idea because, well... it's just simply ca-ute! Having just seen the fabulous street scene in the October Afternoon Holiday Style collection the idea of using a gear as a wreath on a lamp post was the first idea.

OK, so it's not very Steampunk, but - it's cute! AND I used a couple of awesome techniques to get to my finished project that I'm going to share with you today, so... here goes.

How to achieve the look of a street post? I began by cutting a strip of Manila cardstock wide enough to cut out the Holiday Lamp Post. Using the direct-to-paper technique, apply the Iced Spruce directly to the surface of the manila cardstock.

Cover the tag with clear embossing powder and remove the excess. Now typically you do not want to flick your paper after applying the embossing powder, BUT today I want you to try holding it over a garbage can and using your fingernail to give the back side a VERY firm "flick" or two. This will remove some of the embossing powder.

When heated it will give you this fabulous "orange peel" like texture. Be certain to double click on the pictures to enlarge them so you can really see the details.

Run this through your diecut machine leaving the pieces intact as Tim showed in an earlier tag post and as shown above. Use Black Soot Distress ink and your ink blending tool to age the lamp post.

Wipe the excess ink off the surface with a paper towel. The resulting finish really reminds me of the finish on an old lamp post!

Remember how on my day one post I wanted to try "colorizing" my lightbulbs. Well, today was the day. I wrapped tissue tape around the base to help avoid getting alcohol ink on the silver base and simpy added a drop or two of alcohol ink directly from my Various Ink refill to the bulb surface. If you get alcohol ink on the silver base simply use a small corner of a paper towel with a little blending solution on it to remove the excess.

Insert a piece of wire and curl it. Now don't you think these would make THE cutest holiday earrings or necklace?!?

The foil is an extra from my project on day one as well. It was cut using the Vintage Lace die and Metal Foil attached to Solar White cardstock. By attaching the foil to the cardstock it made it a lot more durable. It was still too bright a silver color even after a light sanding and so I used W4 Various Ink Refill to "dirty" it slightly to blend better with the Gear Wreath.

When turned upside down this trim felt like little snow drifts and so I went with that idea and added a little Picket Fence Distress Crackle paint to the top edge. While still wet sprinkle Twinklets Diamond Dust, a fabulous glass glitter, on to the wet paint. It will stay embedded after the paint dries and cracks. It really looks SO cool! 

A little "snow" was added to the other embellishments as well. Allow the pieces to dry and then proceed.

A little red velvet ribbon, silver tinsel, a couple of holly berries on your wreath (Berry Pearls) and some glass (Fantasy Film) in your lamp post and your sweet scene is complete.

So, there you have Ellen's version of Steampunk - pretty lame, I'll admit it - LOL!

But hey - it was a really cool technique I happened upon for the lamp post and you just have to love the snow ;-D Julia E. here at work said, "If you entertain yourself, you're half way there on entertaining everyone else!" We're quite the bunch aren't we?!?

ink: Distress Ink Pads - Iced Spruce (Winter Limited Edition Color) and Black Soot; Copic Various Ink Refill - R59, W4

paper: Neenah Natural White, October Afternoon Holiday Style 8x8 Pad, Hero Arts Pine Layering Paper

accessories: Tim Holtz Vintage Lace, Holiday Lamppost and Tag & Bookplates Dies, Sprocket Gears, Light Bulbs, Metal Foil, Clear Embossing Powder, Berry Pearls, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint, 20-Gauge Wire, Dandelion Fantasy Film, Red Velvet Ribbon, Silver Tinsel

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The other idea was by far more hysterical and definitely way more Steampunk, but I just couldn't get the cute factor of the new Holiday Style collection from October Afternoon out of my mind. I have to share the idea for all those of you who are truly diehard Steampunk fans because I think you will get a kick out of it.

I LOVE The Christmas Story movie --- one just cannot forget the Leg Lamp! In the Steampunk Debutante collection there is the image shown to the left. Wouldn't this just make THE most hysterical Christmas tag ever if you turned it into a Leg Lamp?!!

Someone just has to do it and when you do we would LOVE to see it, so be certain to let us know! 

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Do you have a favorite holiday movie? If so, what is it and does it inspire your creativity? By leaving a comment below you will be eligible for today's random drawing for the fabulous Vintage Lace die, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and Light Bulbs shown above. You have until noon Saturday, December 10th to share your thoughts about my tag or movie below (one comment per person please.) We hope to have brought a smile to your face today - thank you for once again stopping in here in the CLASSroom!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 7 by Julia Stainton

I've always believed the saying that inspiration breeds more inspiration. I love being inspired by other crafters and for today's tag, number 7 in our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist, is definitely inspired by Tim's tag. I hope you enjoy this version that takes some of the techniques and elements and makes them work for my style and what I have on hand.

 

The other night I was watching a Christmas special and the set was beautiful white, silver and a hint of blue. I decided I just had to create a project using that color scheme so that is what I went with today. Here's what I did...

First of all I was inspired to use Kraft Glassine but I didn't have any on hand. What I did have though was a Kraft Glassine Envelope and as it is fairly close to a tag in size and shape, decided to make it into my tag base for my project. I started off by crumpling it up for some texture.

I don't have any alcohol inks on hand so I decided to play around with my kraft glassine envelope and see how it would take white paints and inks. I love how this really lightened the glassine kraft color.

To get my finished look I first rubbed in Picket Fence Distress Stain onto the envelope/tag and then heat set it. I wanted a snowy look so I then misted it with Calico White mist and then heat set again. Lastly I stamped the tag with snowflakes in white pigment ink and then heat set it.

Next I moved onto my snowflake accent. I die cut it with my Big Shot from Craft-a-Board and then painted it with Brushed Pewter Distress Crackle Paint. This step takes the longest to dry. I admit I was a bit impatient and this photo is before it was totally dry and cracked.

Altering embellishments with Alcohol Inks was an idea that intrigued me but again, I didn't have any. Copic Ink Refills to the rescue! You can use them the same way. I squirted some into a bag and then colored the pearl tips of my trinket pins. For all of you who support Ellen's Store, you'll know that she ships many of her liquid products in small plastic zip bags. Save them as they are perfect for this purpose!

My little tag was created by pressing some Distress Stain onto my Craft Mat and then swiping the paper across it.

It may be difficult to see in the picture but the flower is accented with dabs of Diamond Stickles for an icy look.

Finally here's a top view of how it all goes together.

I hope this tag inspires you and gets you into a frosty holiday mood

Supplies: Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine Envelope, Snowcap White Pigment Ink by Ranger, Mr. Huey's Calico White Color Mist by Studio Calico, Picket Fence Distress Stain and Tumbled Glass Distress Stain by Ranger, Tim Holtz Grunge Flakes stamp set and Tim Holtz Odds and Ends stamp set by Stampers Anonymous, heat gun, Snowflake Die by Sizzix, Wedding Shoes Flower by Prima Marketing, Diamond Stickles by Ranger, Tinsel Trim by Webster's Pages, Brushed Pewter Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger, Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road, twine, Hinge Clip by Advantus, Small Doilies by Essentials by Ellen, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, B00 Frost Blue Copic Refill

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Oh how I love a pretty tag - and Julia S never fails to create beautiful projects with loads of depth. I love how she was able to alter the Kraft Glassine using a completely different method! Please she your love with her this holiday season - by leaving a comment on this post you will be eligible for the random drawing of the stamp set, Kraft Glassine envelopes and Calico White spray above! Please leave your message no later than noon on Friday, December 9th to be included in our random drawing.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 6 by Ellen

Inspiration comes in interesting ways! It always amazes me how memories in the recesses of one's mind come to the forefront when creating. When I first peeked at Tim's tag this morning I paused - I knew that it reminded me of something, but I could not put my finger on it. Christopher Radko makes some of the most beautiful glass ornaments and the bright colors just struck a cord in my mind, but that wasn't it. It was when one of our sweet customers stopped in, exclaiming that it looked like a Mexican ornament, that it truly dawned on me what memory was trying to find its way to the surface.

(remember to double click on the photos if you want to see them in more detail)

It was a trip to Old Town San Diego when my girls were little! We purchased two very sweet little Mexican Tin Ornaments for our Christmas tree. I always like to purchase a Christmas ornament when we take a trip, so that when we decorate our tree each year it brings back fond memories of time spent with my family. Well guess what... we haven't had the time to decorate our tree yet this year and my mind was blanking... and yet the idea was still there!

Are you tired of me using the Inkssentials Metal Foil yet? LOL! When Tim used it today I knew that I wanted to try another idea I had discovered and will be sharing that "blooper" discovery with you after the tags are completed. Today's creation pushes that blooper a step further!

Adhere a piece of Metal Foil to the Craft-a-board (picture showing this is on Day 4 Tag.)

Place in embossing folder making certain that the debossed area is pushing down into the metal foil.

This particular embossing folder is exquisite! I love the textural difference of the metal foil where it is untouched vs. embossed!

Now being the complete tease that I am, I wanted to post the picture above and say - here is the completed Day 6 tag. I LOVE how simple and beautiful it is!!! You could crank out a TON of these!! But, I had an idea and I carried on :-D

Apply Snow Cap Alcohol Ink Mixative to the felt applicator and dab the entire tag with it.

Then, one drop at a time, use Various Refills (which are alcohol inks) to color in the debossed areas. I used a fine tipped old paintbrush to paint in the color. It is not critical that you stay within the lines, but working in a "neat" manner will make it easier in the long run.

As you can see the color flows fairly well within those debossed areas.

Apply all colors before moving on. I like working on my non-stick craft sheet. Cleanup is super easy - to clean your paintbrush put a small amount of alcohol ink blending solution or rubbing alcohol into a tiny container and swish the brush clean between colors. Then use the solution to clean up any mess on your non-stick craft sheet when your project is complete.

Alcohol ink dries quickly! It still may feel a little tacky, but you can proceed. Put your project on a piece of scrap paper (don't sand directly on your non-stick craft sheet or you may destroy it) and sand the top surface of the tag. Using a corner of the small Lucky Squirrel sander you can also rough up the painted interior of the flowers if desired. It is so fun to see the satiny foil appear through the white mixative!

Use a soft cloth to remove dust from sanding.

I love that the Webster's Pages trims are mounted on a clear backing. This allows you to easily see what your project will look like if you apply these fun jewels. Add additional bling to the flower centers.

I hope you like today's interpretation of Tim's tag and for those of you who love simplicity and are way behind, just stop at step 1! So simple and gorgeous, or detailed and colorful - you pick!

ink: Snow Cap Alcohol Ink Mixative, Various Ink Refills - R29, YG67, Y17, V17, Colorless Blender Solution

paper: Craft-a-Board

accessories: Tim Holtz Tags & Bookplates Die, Sizzix Basic Grey Winter Botanicals Embossing Folder, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Sanding Block - Tim's and Lucky Squirrel, Alcohol Ink Applicator, Webster's Pages Botanical Christmas Dazzle Me strip, Yellow Gemstones Large and Small, Violet Silk Ribbon, Red Tassle

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What is the favorite new tool/product that you have tried recently? By sharing your comment below you will automatically be entered in our random drawing for the goodies shown above. Be certain to leave your comment before noon on Thursday, December 8th to be included. Thank you for once again joining us as we celebrate creativity at this festive time of year!

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2011 - Day 4 by Ellen

Welcome to Day 4! The inspiration I took from Tim's tag today was the beautiful cracked detail! The first thing that popped into my mind was the beautiful old glass vintage ornaments that I have seen in photos and so I decided I would try and play with that idea.

I am going to apologize right now for the quality of my photos and promise I will try to take some better pictures during the daylight hours tomorrow. I'm not certain what I did, but the white balance on my camera was definitely not accurate and combine that with the sparkle and sheen... well the quality of my photos tonight is definitely off. I considered going back down to work to reshoot them, but admitedly I'm just too tired - so I decided to share them as is and try to get better photos tomorrow.

OK - so this is a new day and a new photo. The color is much more accurate in this photo, but now you can't see the pretty sparkle - LOL! Oh well, it's all good because I know that you all have wonderful imaginations :-D

To begin adhere the Inkssentials Metal Foil to Craft-a-Board. Craft-a-Board is a product that works BEAUTIFULLY with embossing folders and diecuts. It adds stability to your projects and yet allows all the detail to show.

Use Carved Ornaments #2 to cut out the ornament shapes.

The detail of this embossing folder also reminds me of the patterning I have seen on vintage ornaments. Align the ornament within the folder using a small piece of tissue tape to hold it in position. Run it through your diecut and embossing machine.

Use the alcohol ink applicator and YG63 Various Ink refill to colorize the metal foil. Drip several drops of Various Ink onto the felt pad and dab on the ornament surface.

Lightly sand the raised surface of the ornament. It is incredible how gorgeous the detail looks when the burnished satiny silver appears above the light green.

Apply a light layer of Rock Candy Crackle paint to the surface. Using the Ranger scraper remove the excess Rock Candy by dragging the scraper across the surface. You could also use an old credit card or Starbucks card to achieve the same result.

By removing the excess Rock Candy it exposes the satiny silver finish better and the thinner layer of Rock Candy will crack into the most beautiful fine scale which works perfectly with this embossed pattern. It truly does look like an old vintage ornament.

Add a little extra Rock Candy Crackle paint to the top edge of the ornament and the very bottom. Sprinkle Vintage Glitter Glass on these areas. Allow to dry. Rock Candy Crackle paint takes a LONG time to dry - LOL! This is experiment #4 I believe - when we have completed the 12 days series I hope to do a "bloopers" post. I think you will be highly amused and begin to understand why these posts go up so late each night ;-D

I tried so hard to get a picture that captures the gorgeous cracked detail, but argh - my pictures just are not good today - hopefully you can envision the absolute beauty in this little decoration.

Using the technique that Tim shared today I swiped Picket Fence and Bundled Sage Distress stains on my non-stick craft sheet. Spritz your tag with water and then pull it through the inks on the craft sheet.

When creating my tag base I decided to experiment with the combination of Picket Fence and Bundled Sage. I was curious if there would be a difference between the tags if I added Picket Fence or left it out. I was quite surprised that there was a subtle difference between the two tags. Can you guess which one has the Picket Fence stain added?

It's the tag on the left - the Picket Fence seemed to give a more subtle, "grainy" appearance. It is so fun to compare! I'm certain if you were using a darker stain color that it would be even more defined.

Ink the snowflake stamps with Bundled Sage Distress Stain and randomly stamp the tag background. The difference when stamping using an image inked with Distress Stain vs. an ink pad is quite noticable. Distress Stain will give you a looser, more watercolor like look (shown on the left), whereas your stamp pad will define the image clearly (shown on the right).

Cut the evergreen foliage using the Tattered Pine Cones die from excess plastic packaging. It is fun to know that there is a recyclable use for the packaging from the dies. If you do not have any Clearly for Art works in a very similar manner.

Use Snow Cap and Silver Metallic dabbers to ink the foliage. Then lightly heat the plastic and shape. You need to work quickly as the plastic cools it hardens into whatever form you have created. Good news is that you can always reheat and reshape.

One last parting shot that also has really bad coloring - LOL! Be certain to double click on the photo and it will pop bigger so that you can see the cracked detail. Please use your imagination to input the color above to coordinate perfectly with Bundled Sage, then add an incredible sparkle and a silvery satin quality and you've got it :-D Sorry for the bad photos but I do hope that this inspires you to try playing with these fun techniques!

stamps: Winter Sketchbook

ink: YG63 Various Ink Refill, Picket Fence and Bundled Sage Distress Stain

paper: Neenah Solar White, Craft-a-Board

accessories: Tim Holtz Tags & Bookplates, Carved Ornaments #2 and Tattered Pine Cones Dies, Lifestyle Crafts Whimsy Embossing Folder, Inkssentials Metal Foil, Alcohol Ink Applicator, Melissa Frances Pale Green Glass Glitter, Rock Candy Crackle Paint, Webster's Pages Vintage Netting, Vintage Satin and Lace, Lavish Trimmings, Snow Cap and Silver Metallic Dabbers, Sanding Block, Baubles

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I love dies - there are SO many to pick from! Tell me which dies you currently use frequently - by doing so you will automatically be entered in our random drawing for the Carved Ornaments #2 Dies shown above. You have until Tuesday, December 6th noon Pacific Time (one comment per person please) to share your comment.  We look forward to hearing from you!    

Colorblocked Custom Canvas by Sharon Harnist

I'm still on a canvas kick (loving it!), so I decided to try something different and came up with this Fall color blocked custom canvas/wall hanging:

It's pretty simple to create one in whatever color combo you'd like, to match your home decor or the season ... here's how:

I started with a piece of Ellen's Craft-a-Board and cut it into a 6-inch square and then rounded the corners, using Crop-a-Dile's Corner Chomper.  Alternately, you could use a shaped piece of chipboard, such as this pretty Melissa Frances 7" x 9" Label Backdrop.  Next, I took Ranger's Sticky Back Natural Canvas ATCs and color washed them with Ranger's Adirondack Color Wash in Sailboat Blue and Wild Plum:

You'll want to be sure to use this product away from anything you don't want colored, as it could wreck havoc with your carpet or furniture!  I used an old shipping box to contain the spray, but Ellen has this nifty Color Catcher that works great with color sprays:

After letting the canvas pieces dry, I lightly sanded each piece, to remove a little of the color and let the natural canvas texture show through (the left piece of canvas below has not been sanded yet, while the right piece has):  

Then I just peeled off the sticky-back liner paper and started placing the pieces of colored canvas in a random color-blocked pattern onto my piece of Craft-a-Board.  Using Tim Holtz Non-Stick Micro Serrated Scissors, trim off any excess canvas hanging over the edges of the Craft-a-Board.

Next, I stamped a random pattern of flowers onto the canvas, using Hero Arts Layered Flowers, with black and white pigment inks. I also sanded the edges of the Craft-a-Board/canvas, to fray it a bit ... I like how it made the canvas look a little like blue jeans!

To finish my piece, I also colored some white Sticky Back Canvas with Lettuce and Butterscotch Adirondack Color Wash and die cut it with Tim Holtz's Tattered Florals die (I left the backing on these pieces, as well as the sentiment tag, to give them stability). I used Copic E35 marker to lightly color the edges of the Butterscotch flowers and define the petals, then I layered the flowers together with a large brass brad. 

The Hero Arts sentiment was stamped onto another piece of the Natural Sticky Back Canvas ATC and hand cut into a tag shape.  You could also add a favorite photo to this piece, and it becomes a wonderful scrap page or scrappy wall art!

I hope you'll try making your own canvas piece -- get creative and choose some different die shapes and seasonal colors!  

~ Sharon 

Stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesign-Layered Flowers & Made With Love, 
Paper: Ranger Sticky Back Natural Canvas ATCs & 8.50" x 11" Studio Sticky Back Canvas (white),  
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Adirondack Color Wash-Sailboat Blue, Wild Plum, Lettuce & Butterscotch, Archival Ink-Jet Black, Adirondack Pigment Ink Pad-Snow Cap; 
Copic Marker: E35, 
Dies: Sizzix Tim Holtz Bigz Die-Tattered Florals, 
Accessories: Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board OR Melissa Frances 7" x 9" Label Backdrop, Sanding Blocks; Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper; Tonic Tim Holtz Non-Stick Micro Serrated Scissors; 
Other: Brass brads 

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

Watercolor Stamping with Distress Stains by Jennifer McGuire

A big welcome to Jennifer McGuire to the CLASSroom! Jennifer is a longtime friend to Ellen Hutson, LLC, first time poster here. Her blog Jennifer McGuire Ink is always chocked full of projects, classes, videos and fun. She is a Go-To-Gal with Paper Crafts Magazine and a talented designer for Hero Arts for seven years running.

We are so glad to have yet another talented guest designer, we appreciate their time and creativity so much. Please show Jennifer some love and help us thank her for joining us in the CLASSroom by leaving your comment on her blog. Comment on her post mentioning the post featured here for a chance to win a bundle of goodies! A winner will be randomly selected from those comments left before midnight CDT, July 16th and announced Monday July 18th.

 Watercolor Stamping with Distress Stains by Jennifer McGuire 

Projects:

 
 
 
 

Steps:

Clean stamp well. Dab Distress Stains directly onto stamp, being careful not to touch another color with the tip.

 

Give the stamp 2-3 mists of water from about a foot above.

 

Leaving the stamp facing up on the table. Lay a piece of watercolor paper onto the inked stamp and press around. It is will messy and splotchy and yucky at first. But never fear – it will look lovely when it dries! (You can use regular cardstock. I just like the color of watercolor paper.)

  

Let the piece dry or heatset it with a heatgun. If desired, stamp over the image with a Shadow Ink for a look of texture.

  

You can also use Distress Stains to color flowers. For a dark flower, just dab the Stain directly on the white flower to color. Mist with water heavily to blend and let dry.

  

If you would like a flower with shine, use Perfect Pearl Mist instead of water. Let dry.

  

Stains will make the flowers dark if you put them directly onto the flower. If you want a softer flower, put some Stain onto your Craft Sheet (or a piece of plastic) and add lots of water or Perfect Pearl Mix. This will “water” down the Stain, making it lighter. Then just drag the flower through the color. Let dry.

  

 

• Distress Stains (purple card: Forest Moss, Faded Jeans and Dusty Concord; pink card: Fired Brick, Spun Sugar and Vintage Photo; blue card: Weathered Wood, Broken China and Faded Jeans)
• Cling Classic Fabric Design
• Basic Grey, Sweet Threads Cling Stamp, Antique from Hero Arts
• Cling Lotus Background
• ClearDesign: Special Note of Thanks
• Versamark 
• Hero Arts White Embossing Powder
• Mini Mister
• Perfect Pearls Mists, Perfect Pearl
• Hero Arts Watercolor Paper White
• May Arts White Silk Ribbon 1/4"
• Buttons
• Hero Arts Notecards (Blush, Sea and Floral)
• Prima Craftable Flowers

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ETA: Blog Candy Winner

Congratulations to Brenda B! Her comment was chosen randomly from comments left on Jennifer McGuire's blog!

 

Thank you to everyone who participated, the response was great!

Brenda, if you could email us at customerservice@ellenhutson.com with your snail mail address, we will get your goodies to you ASAP!

Texture Fades Embossing Folders By Becky Olsen

Embossing folders have been around for a while, and while I thought that they were cool, I had not jumped into the pool of users because none of the designs really fit my design aesthetic. That all changed for me when I found out that Tim Holtz had designed a product for Sizzix called Texture Fades. These embossing folders are right up my alley, and now of course my collection is growing faster than I can find places to store them!

For this project, I designed it to have more of a masculine feel, although it could be given to anyone it is so beautiful! I started with the Regal folder and ran it through my Sizzix with Neenah Solar white card stock.

After removing the embossed paper from the folder I applied Faded Jeans Distress ink to the high points by lightly rubbing and tapping the ink pad across the top. Be careful with this part of the process, if you press too firmly you will end up with ink in the negative space. 

Because I wanted more depth and dimension in the project, I applied Antique Linen and Tea Dye Distress inks with my favorite applicator tool, a nice chunk of Cut N' Dry Foam over the entire surface, making sure to vary the amount of ink and colors as I worked.

To embellish I tied some navy silk ribbon around garden twine that I had looped around my hand a few times. The sentiment is from a Hero Arts set called "Thoughtful" and I used Black Archival ink to stamp it onto a Maya Road Kraft Mini Tag. A Tim Holtz Trinket Pin is the perfect finishing detail to attach the sentiment to the bow.

Now for the best part! Not only do I love this card and would love to receive it, but my husband gushed over it too and it was unsolicited! He loved how it was stylish, but a little retro and beautiful without being foofy. Yay!

B-

Black Velvet and Perfect Pearls Sympathy Card

It is with a sad heart that I create these cards for my cousins today. Perhaps using the word "journey" for a sympathy card may not be the best, but it is the word I settled on as I reflect today on the life of my dear aunt. 

 

Remembering the good times and reflecting on her "journey" through life brings a smile through the tears and my hope is that during the difficult months ahead as they struggle through the heartache that death leaves, they will be able to focus on the positive moments of my aunt's journey through life.  

 

Stamp your image using Distress Embossing Ink and heat emboss with Super Fine Clear Embossing Powder.

 

Mix perfect pearls together with water on your non-stick craft sheet.

 

Paint over the heat embossed surface and watch your image appear.

 

I used a color palette that would coordinate with the colors I wanted to use when coloring my flower. Allow the surface of your project to dry.

TIP: If your paper is bent, simply swipe it gently over the rounded corners of your table or desktop in various directions and it will pull out those awkward "kinks."

Black Velvet Technique Using the Position It

 

A couple of month's ago I shared a wide variety of techniques using the Metallic Gelatos. In that post I refreshed your memory regarding the black velvet technique. To create my white butterflies in that post I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig and had to try several times to align it correctly. I had heard about the Position It by Scor-It, but had never tried it. Well, I must tell you that if you are wanting a tool that helps you align stamped images repeatedly and precisely this is definitely the tool for you!

I began first by "positioning" my image. Just as with the Stamp-a-ma-jig the Position It comes with a piece that helps you to figure out the perfect placement for your stamped image. I began by stamping my image on the acrylic piece and then using this piece determined the best placement of my floral image on my background.

 

The edge of my background is secured beneath the Position It bar, but to ensure that my project not move with repeated stamping I used my trusted, and oh so handy, Tissue Tape to attach my stamped image to the gridded background as shown above.

 

I "inked" my stamp using a Snow Cap dabber and stamped my first "take." As you can see the image was quite light. Allow to dry.

Repeat. I believe that I stamped it three times allowing the image to dry completely between stampings.

 

With the background being sparkly, I wanted the focal point to be matte. The Position It would have made it super easy to apply color using Gelatos but coloring is soothing to my soul and so I opted to return to the roots of the Black Velvet technique and use Prismacolor Color Pencils to add color to the flowers.

Life is a journey and sadly it comes to an end, but remembering the moments of love helps us to continue on our own journey. Auntie you will be missed.

 
stamps: Unity Stamps Moments in Bloom, Memory Box Journey Collage

ink: Distress Embossing Ink

paper: Black Cardstock, Memory Box Meadow Notecard

accessories: Scor-It Position-It, Perfect Pearls - Green Patina, Perfect Gold, Perfect Bronze, Non-stick Craft Sheet, Clear Super Fine Embossing Powder, Snow Cap Dabber

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

Spritz to wet thoroughly. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 
stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesign Typewriter Letters

ink: Jenni Bowlin Spice Tin Ink Pad

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

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

Melissa Frances Bridal Shower Card

It finally feels like springtime --- YEAH!!! Springtime brings summer weddings and tomorrow I have the honor of attending my niece-to-be's bridal shower. I wanted to create a special card for her. Melissa Frances has the most beautiful wedding inspired sticker collection called Dearly Beloved. The minute I saw it, I knew that it would be perfect with the gorgeous gray Jill has selected for their wedding.

It is the simple embellishments and trim that give this project the fabulous texture that makes me smile! Don't forget that you have until tomorrow at midnight to purchase some of these lovelies on sale - be certain to use promo code embellish at checkout time!

I was feeling that this style was a little outside "my box" but I am absolutely thrilled with the final result. As I stated it started with the bride and the color gray. 

 

I used the coordinating 5th Avenue 6x6 papers as the background.

What could be more perfect for a wedding look than loads of lace? My plan was to play the silky, smooth feeling of the silk and satin, against the matte, cottony texture of the crochet trims. The result is really quite lovely! This would also be a wonderful way to use up those little bits of ribbon ends!

Use Fabritac to apply a single line of adhesive for each piece of ribbon and/or lace. Snip the ends even with the edge of the card and apply Fray Check to the edges. Allow to dry.

 

To create the focal point I used Tim's Styled Label to cut a shaped piece of Craft-a-Board and applied Pearl Dabber to the surface. The sticker was popped up using 3D Dots and I felt THE perfect embellishment is the new Antique Silver Display Trim Corners. These corners come with adhesive already applied and are simple to attach to cards, display trays, scrapbook pages and so much more. LOVE the new studs as well, but had to slap my hands and go with the less is more attitude because it really felt that less was more! :-D

 
paper: Melissa Frances 5th Avenue 6x6 Paper Pad, Dearly Beloved Stickers, Memory Box Dove Gray Cardstock, Essentials Craft-a-Board

accessories: Antique Silver Display Trim Corners, Tim Holtz Styled Labels Die, Pearl Adirondack Dabber, Crochet Trim, Baby Pom Pom, Mini Ovals, Vintage, Vintage Scallop,  Satin Pleat Ribbon, 1/4" Silk Ribbon, Fabritac, Fray Check

Photo Tinting Using Studio Line Products

Today a beautiful woman from "across the pond" is celebrating her 70th birthday! We LOVE you sweet Miss Judy and wish you a healthy and happy year ahead --- now go grab your "cuppa" and revel in this special day!

 

Claudine shared a super easy photo tinting video tutorial on her blog along with this fabulous blossom. I decided to try my hand at this technique. I kid you not when I tell you that trying to take the photo was MUCH harder than creating the card - LOL! Trying to capture the soft beauty is almost impossible.

 

Print the photo on Glossy Cardstock. Mix Extra Time with Studio Paint - in this case I used Painterly Pink and Purple Palette.

The more Extra Time you use the more translucent the mix. Paint the petals of the blossom with this mixture.

 

You know me - I must experiment as I learn - LOL! I wanted to add a little more depth in the color in some places and so you can see how I added a little additional paint to my first mix. Oh how I love a good experiment when it turns out :-D As you add more paint it becomes a little more opaque. Don't overdo it though because you still want to see the photo details peek through from beneath.

 

Again it is so hard to capture the lovely mix of the glossy cardstock and the change in texture that is created when you tint your photo. I hope this photo gives you a little idea of this beautiful combination.

 

To create the background strip I used one of the new Memory Box dies. To hold it in position use Tim's Tissue Tape. It holds it perfectly and is super easy to remove without damaging your cardstock.

 

I like to align it first as shown above.

 

For the second cut I will measure. The old adage measure twice, cut once is an appropriate attitude when it comes to cutting borders. :-D

 

One last try at photographing this pretty little blossom. Note the "pearl" embossed words --- the effect was to play off the subtle sheen provided by the exposed Glossy Cardstock. This technique adds subtle beauty to any of your black and white photos. My head is now running through some of the photos I have taken - hmmm perhaps I should turn them into digital images to use on cardfronts, altered projects or even scrapbook pages.

Once again happy, happy, happy 70th birthday my sweet Australian friend!

 
stamps: Hero Arts/Basic Grey Life of the Party Birthdays

ink: Distress Embossing Pad

paper: Ranger White Glossy Cardstock, Memory Box Cherry Blossom and Dove Gray Cardstock, Neenah Solar White, White Twinchie Square

accessories: Studio Line - Extra Time, Painterly Pink, Purple Palette, Artist Brushes; Silver Pearl Embossing Powder, Memory Box Bitty Scallop Die 

Mother's Day Paper Shoe

Today I am super excited to share a new version of my Wicked Shoe with you! Now for the part that is unbelievably exciting... I didn't hand cut this version!!! Yes, you heard me right --- this beauty was cut with the Silhouette. Julia is making a tremendous difference here at work with her abilities to figure out computer related "things." THANK YOU Julia for making my project today SO MUCH EASIER!  Watch for electronic files to debut in our Digital Downloads category soon!

 

I also wanted to take this opportunity to invite you to shop with us during our Mother's Day Sale. Simply use promo code 'momsday' upon checkout to save 15% off your entire order Friday 5/6 - Sunday 5/8. Remember that we are on Pacific Coast time and the sale runs from midnight to midnight. 

 

I am a hopeless romantic - I absolutely adored the oh so elegant dress that Princess Kate wore last week. It was the perfect "royal attire." You know me - I had to see the shoes too. LOL! Her shoes had the most beautiful soft texture with a lace overlay.

 

Simply stunning! I thought about creating another pump with a rounded toe, but had limited time, so decided to modify my previous Wicked shoe pattern. Using the texture on Kate's shoe as inspiration and a color that most Mom's will love after this LONG winter - sunshiny yellow, I went to work! What better way to brighten it up even further, than with a single beautiful paper blossom!

 

This time I wanted to create a Begonia. Using the directions in Susan Tierney Cockburn's Paper Bouquet book I went to work. This book truly is a treasure trove of fabulous flower designs and instruction!

Just as when we created the Lily, I began with Solar White Neenah cardstock. This allows me to color my petals and leaves to replicate the actual flower with incredible accuracy. I always print off a picture of the actual flower to utilize as a guide. You can see a progression of the color in the photo above.

I work quickly on each individual petal to get the beautifully blended colors. Begin by coloring both the front and back entirely with YR30. Then add the Y21, stroking upwards from the base of the petal. Once again I add this color to both sides of the petal. Next randomly stroke RV32 along the very top edge of the petal. Now go back over this color and work your way back into the Y21 with the lightest color, YR30. This helps to blend the colors together beautifully.

 

The leaves were created from white Neenah cardstock as well. When I looked at the photo of the Begonia leaf it appeared that the leaf was darker on the top side and a little more yellow/green on the underside. Begin by coloring the leaves on one side only with YG63 and YG95. (In writing this post I realized that I forgot to add YG95 to the photo above.) Then flip the leaf over and colored the opposite side with YG63, G85 and a few strokes of YG96 and G29. By working quickly with the different colors they blend beautifully. They do seep to the opposite side, but this only adds to the overall effect.

 

After adding the veining to my leaves I decided to add that little hint of burgundy to the foliage using Pitt Pastel Pencil #193. Smudge the pastel using the little white sponge. I also added a hint of the burgundy to my petals as well. The soft "smudging" of the pastel over the Copic marker base makes for amazingly transparent, dimensional color.

As you can see the colors were SO close to the image I found on-line. I love looking at the real flower as I create my paper blossom - it inspires me. I can only imagine if I had the actual flower sample in hand!

Using Susan's fabulous directions I then finished the construction of my paper Begonia. 

Double click on the photo above for an even closer look.

TIPS FOR CREATING THE SHOE

To create the beautiful lacey texture on the soft yellow shoe is so very easy. Working on light colors can be tricky, but if you keep your Snow Cap dabber handy, all your problems will be solved. "Ink" your image using the dabber - it will appear as above.

 

As you can see the white is quite lovely against the soft Daffodil cardstock. To create a more shabby appearance used an ink blending tool in a circular motion, inking the entire surface with Scattered Straw distress ink.

 
The Snow Cap paint will resist the ink and yet at the same time "grab" it creating a soft suede-like look.

I also stamped the white interior of the shoe with the fabulous Hero Arts Envelope Background stamp using Spun Sugar Distress Ink, adding just a hint of Scattered Straw with an Ink Blending Tool.

 

To add texture and character crepe ruffles were added to the toe and heel area. Cut two pieces from the crepe sheets - 5 1/4" x 1 1/2" (heel area trim) and 3 1/4" x 1 1/4" (toe area trim).

To create balance the heel ruffle is edged with the same pink Copic color as used on the Begonia petals. The toe area was colored with YR30.

 

Thank goodness for my sewing background. Fit is essential when putting these pieces together. To simplify the process add a gathering stitch to the lower edge of the crepe paper and gather as shown above.

 

Position the center back and the front edges as shown above, holding them in place with glue dots. Make certain the glue dots are not on your thread lines. Gently pull the gathering thread until the crepe paper fits perfectly along the back of the shoe. Follow the instructions included in the download for adhering the shoe liner.

 
TIP: Hold your shoe sides gently in place and position the liner. Use tweezers to remove the red tape liner. This method allows you to have everything positioned correctly and helps you avoid getting the adhesive stuck in the wrong position. YEAH for the little tricks ;-D
 

Gather the toe ruffle as shown above. I used a large glue dot to affix this piece inside the toe.

 

Total sweetness! It only takes one little bloom to brighten someone's day - try your hand at creating these beautiful paper blossoms that are timeless!

Thank you for once again visiting the CLASSroom and wishing each of you a wonderful Mother's Day weekend ahead; one filled with sunshine and love!

 
shoe template: original Wicked Shoe Template which is cut by hand can be found here - Digital Download coming soon!

stamps: Hero Arts Envelope Pattern Background, Sweet Threads Thank You

ink: Distress Ink - Scattered Straw and Spun Sugar; Copic Markers - YR30, Y21, RV32, YG63, YG95, G85, G29

paper: Hero Arts Daffodil Layering Paper, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

accessories: Paper Bouquet, Punch Bunch Super Giant Begonia, Large Geranium Leaf, Alpine Flake Large and Paper Crafting Tools, 12" Strip Pink Pearls, Snow Cap Paint Dabber, Ink Blending Tool, Cream Crepe Paper, PITT Pastel Pencil #193, 1/8" Red Liner Wonder Tape

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.