The ABC's of Inchies

Yeah - I'm back! I've been BUSY!!! There are some fun surprises in store for those who would like to participate. I'm not certain how many of you have noticed a new link on our store home page but we are putting together a mailing list for our current customers. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and you will see the link. Watch for this new form of communication - our newsletter to hit your in box shortly. Our team will be providing you with new tips and techniques to try out. You will also be the first to know of upcoming sales and events, as well as new items that are available in our store. Our goal is to keep our newsletter simple and informative. We will do our utmost not to bombard you with constant updates, so if you are interested and are not a current customer of ours then hurry and sign up now - we have some wonderful things to share with you soon!

One of those items you are going to be given a BIG hint at tonight! It has been some time since I have posted information about Inchies - they have not been forgotten. In fact Karen Lockhart and I have been working together with a new business colleague, Lisa Lee of Inchie Arts. We are thrilled to support her new adventure - she has been helping us out with solutions to our Inchie problems. Realizing that 1"x1" matboard squares are difficult to cut perfectly a solution was needed. Lisa has come to our rescue with some wonderful solutions. Wait until you see what she has come up with! I am not going to give away all the details yet so be certain to watch our blog, sign up for our newsletter and watch our store for changes!

As with all good things it is important to me that I do my very best to share as much information as possible in regards to new ideas. I want to get your creativity flowing, your enthusiasm for crafting stimulated - I want you to have FUN!!!

So here we go. Karen Lockhart has created THE most adorable accordion of Inchies - Inchies from A to Z!

With each post I will cover a new letter of the alphabet sharing from Karen's wonderful Inchie Accordion. I will also be adding my own ideas and inspirations for each letter of the alphabet. Tonight we are going start with A.

A is for Apple

Created using Itty Bitty Apple, decorative paper and Rub-On Alphabet letter.

We are also going to talk about the ABC's of Inchies. Whenever I hear about the ABC's of something it makes me think that I am learning the basics - it's back to those five W's.

Who started you on the Inchie craze?

I'm going to blame it all on Karen Lockhart - LOL! It's ALL her fault Ü She told me about them and then she started creating them. I fell in love with these tactile, adorable little squares she created and now I am creating them too - oh dear - I guess I'm a lemming!

What is an Inchie?

It is a miniature work of art that one can give as a gift, use as an embellishment, or trade with fellow crafters.

What size is an Inchie?

An Inchie should measure 1"x1" square - now technically I guess it will no longer be an Inchie if it goes past that size but do you really think someone is going to be measuring your Inchies - LOL!

What material do you use to create an Inchie?

I primarily use mat board and chip board as the base for my Inchies. Others create Inchies using fabric or cardstock. Use whatever you can think of! I plan on covering Inchies with Metal, make them out of clay, play with epoxy and glass, enclose them in UTEE, frame them with toothpicks and branches. Just wait until you see some of the beauties that Karen has created already!

What style should an Inchie be?

Contemporary, whimsical, quirky, quaint, collaged, simple, complex, unconventional - it doesn't really matter. Pick a style, pick a stamp, pick something that speaks to you and build your little piece of artwork around that element.

OK - so I created my Inchie - now what?

I believe that you have a couple of different alternatives here. First is the collectability of an Inchie. This is what can make them such extraordinary fun! Invite a group of friends to participate and pick a challenge. Begin with something as easy as a color. For example - "let's all make green Inchies this time." Do your very best work so that you can be proud of that little itty bitty piece of artwork that is going out to your friends. When they arrive you will number them and enter that number in a journal (that will be letter J). You can then create a storage system (more to come on this topic as well - this time you only have to wait until B - Ü) to view them and keep them safe, or you can put magnets on the backs and attach them to a frame or a fridge or... (yep you guessed it - more to come on this as well).

The other alternative is one that more people can relate to - use them as embellishments, make them into jewelry, put them on a cardfront. As you can see there are no set rules - it is all up to you - what would YOU like to do with your Inchies?

Where do I go to get started? Who can help me?

• Well you can start right here at our blog, as I said we are going to cover Inchies all the way from A-Z. Hmm - do you think that I can come up with 26 different posts?
• You can also visit our store - soon something will pop up when you click on this Inchie link. I can't tell you when right now being then I would actually have to be ready at that time - LOL! But stay tuned it will be SOON!
• Karen Lockhart of Lockhart Stamp Company
• Lisa Lee of Inchie Arts - be prepared for good things to come. What you see is just the beginning.
• Cindy Lyles and Sharon Harnist - Inchie Arts designers extraordinaire
• Debbie Olson, Michelle Wooderson and Trudee Sauer - incredibly talented designers

When will the big reveal happen?

I guess you didn't see that little sentence above - I can't tell you this minute because then I would actually have to be ready - ha, ha! All I can say is SOON!

Why Inchies?

Because they are adorable, addictive, tactile little squares that delight and warm your heart. To see a grouping of these displayed together just makes you smile. You will have a hard time keeping little ones and old ones alike from wanting your Inchies, from playing with your Inchies :D I wish you could feel the delight that we feel when we set eyes on the fabulous creations that have been set before us. I hope to share the FUN that Inchies are with you over the next month or two.

A is for Airbrushing

A wonderfully quick way to add color to a white mat board Inchie is by using the airbrush. In creating this special little Baby Bee Karen used the airbrush to quickly create the background for this priceless collection of Inchies.

When using a light color tone it is so easy to airbrush the entire piece, stamp and then color without any effect showing through in the final colored piece. Be certain to stay tuned for more information regarding these cuter then bees knees Baby Bees!

A is starting at the very beginning

I am going to share a little project that I have been creating with you. I'm going to "start at the very beginning" and walk you through how it is that I have created these adorable little Worm Inchies. I know it sounds like it should be Inch Worms, but I think in this case they should be called Worm Inchies. Hmmm - I guess I must be getting tired I'm not certain which way it should go - LOL!

The first step in creating a group of Inchies is to determine the number you will be creating. I created 36 very special little Inchies. I began by stamping out 37 of these using my Adirondack Pitch Black pad - yep, one extra just in case I made a mistake. As you can see in the coloring progression above I began with the lightest Yellow Green. Being that I knew I was going to cut these out (yes, I am insane - certifiable I do believe) I didn't worry about staying within the lines and so I colored FAST. As I colored I held both markers, the YG00 and the YG03, uncapped in my hand. I would lay down the YG00 immediately followed by a hint of YG03, in the next stroke I would come back and blend the two colors again with the YG00. I colored in all the worms and then came back with the Melon glitter pen to add some glam to my cute little worm.

Then the cutting began - I was having WAY too much fun! Look at this - LOL!

See - it almost looks like an A - ha! ha!

Being that I had another project in mind that I wanted to create simultaneously I then created my own background paper. Creating background paper can be a ton of fun. I typically will use Microsoft Word to create my definition documents. Using Dictionary.com I look up the word I want to use. In this case it was bookworm. Maddi, my daughter is such a bookworm and well... I guess I'd best stop with that story before I give away too many details on the next project.

I then created an entire page by repeating the definition over and over again. If you would like to see this document take a peak here:  well shoot - that didn't work - I will try again tomorrow, my brain is just too fried tonight to get this link to work. You can even use this document if you would like to create your own bookworm Inchies. I printed this document out onto Solar White cardstock and then cut it up into 7/8" x 7/8" squares. Being that I had cut off the antennae of the Itty Bitty Inchie (the worm that is) I needed to stamp Inchie on to my little white squares. To be precise about the placement I did use my Stamp-a-ma-jig. This is still a tool that I use on a constant basis being I do believe I have a tendency towards perfectionism. (I can't believe I just told you all that - I'm certain you had no idea until now - right? LOL!)

Each little square was then outlined with a Krylon Silver Leaf pen and adhered to a 1" x 1" black mat board square.

(Sidetrack here yet again - but aren't those little worms just hilarious all piled up together! I just have waaaay too much fun when I get to do things like this!)

To attach my little pieces I still like to reach for my Quickie Glue Pen. It makes it so easy to keep my adhesive exactly where I want it. So I attached all my worms and voila - 36 Worm Inchies - or is it Inch Worms - what did you decide? See I even initialed them in the bottom right hand corner.

So what do you think I will be doing with these little creatures? Take a few guesses and in the meantime if you haven't purchased from our store before and you want to receive our newsletter, be certain to head over to our home page and enter your information pronto!

Remember - A is for:

• apple
• accordion
• airbrushing
• ABC's - as in basics - as in the five W's
• and the start of something that can be totally ADDICTIVE!

Comments

[marie guadagno]

I would like to join your grup love mini art ---do you have Yahoo group Merry Christmas to you and yours Marie Guadagno Palmag73 @aol.com

[Shriley Anderson]

wow to join your newsletter. Creative Memories makes a punch that will punch a 1inch and 1 1/2 inch punch. They are a great tool

[Sandman]

I have made some inchies, but wonder how to store/collect them. Would a stamp collector's album be right.

If I were to hostess an inchie swap, how many should be in the swap and how many inchies should be sent to each participant?

Thank you.
Sandman

[britney]

hey i heard about inchies from a friend and i was hoping that you could tell me some more about them so just email me at [email protected] and tell me. im a fellow artist and im 11.

[Account Deleted]

I've never heard of inchies just discovered the term on another blog today, I hope to try some I create ACEO that i sell, but do people purchase inchies?

[Genevieve]

Awesome post! I'm tempted, so tempted!

[Ildiko Baigent]

wow - I always liked small things - details on cards, in scrapbooking and minibooks ( i mean really mini - like a slideframebook) it is just delightful what you have come up with!
Go on - show more of your ideas - for inspiration...
Greetings from Austria, Europe

[~liz]

Hey Ellen did you ever link to the definition of "bookworm" page. I would like to print it out? I can't find it. Thanks

[Deborah Burgess]

Another great reveal is on the way as I see the teasers above. I just love our stamps and having access to smaller ones will definitely be perfect for the 3x3 cards as well as compliments to stamps whose words are bigger..Thanks for being so innovative, looking forward to the new release.

[Stefanie Staniak]

Inchie is adorable. Like Hooty - I NEED him !! :)
Thanks for the instructions Ellen. Looking forward to your newsletter.

[kathynruss]

I am soooo going to jump on this little bandwagon. ATC's tend to intimidate me as they're TOO BIG! LOL. Not! Inchies I can really get behind. I have lots of tiny stamps, too. Woo hoo!

[Debbie Olson]

Love these, Ellen--so sweet!

[Rose Ann]

Oh my gosh, Karen's accordion book is adorable! I love all of those bookworms too, and I'm thinking they'll be used for bookmarks! Can't wait to see more!!

[Sharon Harnist]

I just realized this is a new Baby Bee, too -- how sweet!

[Sharon Harnist]

Woo-hoo, the attack of the Inchies has begun, LOL! Love Karen's accordian book -- too cute! And yes, you are certifiable for cutting out all those tiny worms, LOL! :D

[Juanita]

Wow, that is great and priceless information. Inchies are so cute, I hope my not so nimble fingers can do them, LOL. I love the idea of the newsletter. TFS.

[Ruth Gore]

Excited about the newsletter! Can't wait to start getting it. Must try making the background definition paper. Cool idea!

[Jeanne]

and A is also for awesome--love the inchies!

[KathyN]

The little bookworm is very cute on the Inchie. I can believe you cut all of those out since I would do the same thing. The cut out ones though, they look bald so it's good that they ended up on the Inchie with their antennas. They don't look too good bald. :-)

[Alli Miles]

Love your sweet inchies! Thanks for the details about them. I was wondering who started the craze *wink* It's nice to give credit where credit is due. I look forward to the newsletter and all the new surprises you have in store for us Ellen. Thank you for all your hard work. You know we adore you!

[Jan]

I have lots of inchie ideas on my blog. Check it out. www.stampqnart.blogspot.com You may have to scroll though several months. I've been making them for about a year now.

[hb]

aaack! You cut them all out!?!? Oh, but it was SO worth it! The bookworm inchies are A-dorable! You must be making something for the girls... bookmarks?

[Christine McMullin]

I've been noticing the inchie craze and kept passing it by...but I have a feeling that you are going to inspire me with some great new ideas and twists on old techniques. I'm eagerly awaiting more posts on this topic.

[Andi Sexton (rrlscrapgal)]

Oh goodie! A newsletter with wonderful tips! I'm off to register...

[broni]

What fun! I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us!!