simple dreams

Hero Hues Promotion and some Springtime Blog Candy

ETA: I am SO very sorry - I programmed the code wrong and instead of it taking off 15% it was only doing .15%. Please accept my apologies and use the new code - HeroHues15

Our product focus this week in the CLASSroom is Hero Arts. We have had so much fun with this "new to us" product line and today I would like to share a little insight into the "Hero Hues" portion of the line.

First though I would like to announce that for the next seven days we will be hosting a promotion in our store to offer you the opportunity to purchase the Hero Arts line at a savings of 15%. Please see the notes at the bottom of this post for further details. Simply place the items you would like to purchase in your cart and upon checkout enter the following code in the promo code window - HeroHues15

Be certain to read to the bottom of this post to also learn how you can participate in our blog candy drawing!

Hero Hues is a coordinated collection of papers, inks, mixed accents (pearls and gemstones) and printed paper flowers. They come in a wonderful spectrum of different Hero colors. Shown below are the different elements you can select from the Sunshine collection. (Sorry for the funky spacing and alignment - Typepad is giving me fits - LOL!)

• Poppy Chalk Ink Pad
• Sunshine Folded Card Set
• •  these are A2 size - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" 
  • (4) four each of the following three colors are included in each set
  • •  Daffodil
    • Poppy
    • Mandarin
Daffodil Notecards - (10) ten A2 size cards are included in each package
• Poppy Notecards
• Mandarin Notecards
• Daffodil Envelopes - (10) ten A2 size cards are included in each package
• Poppy Envelopes
• Mandarin Envelopes
• Daffodil 8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock - (10) ten sheets
• Poppy 8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock
• Mandarin 8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock
• Sunshine Art Flowers - three different colors of flowers and numerous shapes and sizes are included in this packet
• Sunshine Mixed Accents - these packets include both Pearls and Gemstones. Select from three different colors of pearls and/or three different colors of gemstones in a variety of sizes. This is an amazing value, that offers so much versatility!

There are six color palettes to select from (see the photo of the Art Flowers below for a representation of the colors, click on THIS LINK to see a chart of all the colors):

• Floral - the purple color family composed of - Aubergine, Iris and Lilac
• Sunshine - the yellow/orange color family composed of - Mandarin, Poppy and Daffodil
• Foliage - the green color family composed of - Pine, Grass and Celadon
• Sea - the blue color family composed of Azure, Cerulean and Powder
• Blush - the red color family composed of Grenadine, Punch and Carnation
• Earth - a neutral color family composed of Eggshell, Latte and Mocha

 

Hero notecards and layering papers are what we refer to as "duplex cardstock." Duplex cardstock simply means that it is two colors. It is a white core paper - so there is no need to line your cards if you want to write in the interior. The result is a crisp, beautiful appearance!

As you can see from the color comparison above they coordinate beautifully with the Memory Box papers we already carry. The only significant difference is the subtle variance in the shape of the envelope flap. The biggest reason I am sharing this information is because each line has a unique color palette, and it is incredible to me how well they coordinate. Please read on if you would like to help me answer a question I have and win some blog candy by doing so!

You know me - I can't just talk about something without creating a project. I must admit that I feel TOTALLY rusty though. Returning from Ranger U I was sicker than I have been in years and it is just now that I am finally getting back up to speed. So today I am going to share a little of what I learned thanks to Claudine and Tim. I still hope to do a blog post on my experience --- it was absolutely marvelous and the women I met... AMAZING!

Now on to the creativity!

SNOWCAP DABBER PAINT RESIST - Shabby Chic Look

For this technique I used the Snowcap Dabber. Ranger has reformulated these and they now work like a dream. Using my Clear Design Hero Arts stamp I "inked" it with the dabber. My bottle was fresh from the factory and so to start it out I turned it upside down on my craft sheet and gave it a slight squeeze until I could see the ink peek out from the edge. I should have taken a picture of this --- sorry about that, hindsight is 20/20.

Stamp the image and repeat until the notecard front is covered. Be careful because it is a little "slick", but if you stamp gently you should not have any mishaps.

I wanted to "shabbify" the cardfront to coordinate with the Basic Grey Green at Heart paper I had selected prior to starting. Gently heat set the ink. Then using Tattered Rose and Worn Lipstick Distress Ink and the Ink Blending tool I sponged the ink overtop the stamped designed in a circular motion. Leaving some portions of the cardstock bare brought the look of the notecard in to accordance with the decorative paper.

STUDIO PAINT WATERMARK RESIST TECHNIQUE

Another new toy --- oops I mean tool --- I have been wanting to play with are the new Alterations dies. I realize that they take up more storage space than the Nesties but there is an advantages to this product that I love. The depth of the blade allows me to cut all sorts and manners of things that are thicker than the depth of the blade on the Nesties. Today I used it to cut the Sticky Back Canvas.

It is a good thing that I always like to try the tools that I am recommending. What I came to realize today is that my label didn't immediately pop out of the die. Using a long thin needle I was able to pull it out of the die after cutting, but realized that perhaps I was missing something. I contacted Tim and he immediately replied letting me know that a "fix" is in the works. He put me in contact directly with Ellison and I was able to get an immediate resolution to my little quandry.

If you have purchased one of the new Sizzix dies that have an "open" middle - as in the new dies that Tim has designed that have the magnetic component, and are having trouble with getting your piece back out after it has been cut, then please give Ellison a call at (877)355-4766. They will be shipping out a "center piece" to help solve our problems as quickly as possible. These have been ordered and they hope to have them available by the end of this month/beginning of next month.

The die cuts perfectly, and works perfectly as designed, but wouldn't you know it - there are people like me who want to use the die without the keyhole - LOL! Ellison was most gracious and accomodating and I trust that we will be well taken care of. So forge ahead ladies - this really is a marvelous little tool!

OK - now back to the technique at hand...

This is an absolutely lovely technique that Claudine taught us at Ranger U. If you ever have the opportunity of taking a class from her you must! She is witty, sweet, knowledgeable and passionate. I could just hear her words as I mixed up my paint mixture for this technique.

To begin paint the StickyBack Canvas with Painterly Pink paint. (Just a sidenote - this color is PERFECT with the Hero Arts Carnation color.) Allow the canvas to dry completely - yes, I cheated and carefully used my Heat It tool :-D

Now I hear Claudine's voice as she instructs us to have our thinned paint ready for the next portion. You want to have this paint watery, like the consistency of "skim milk" (yep, I can relate to skim milk :-D) I mixed Sky Blue and Dab of Yellow as shown in the wonderful chart she created and has shared with us here. Then using a mini mister I spritzed this mixture with water and stirred.

The green in this photo is the correct consistency, the pink is a mixture of Painterly Pink and Dash of Red (to coordinate with the Punch color) before the water is added. I use either the end of my paint brush to dab just a dot of paint onto my craft sheet and then wipe it with a paper towel before dipping into my second color to avoid mixing the colors in the pots.

Once you have your colors mixed you will then ink your stamp with a Watermark or Resist Ink. Immediately (do NOT allow the ink to dry) gently paint your wash over the canvas surface. You can see how the paint beads up and "resists" the area that is covered with the resist ink!!! SO COOL!

SANDING DUPLEX PAPER (Both Hero Arts and Memory Box are duplex, or white core)

Another element that I adore with whitecore or duplex cardstock is the ease of creating lovely texture with the embossing folders. We are thrilled to announce that we have brought in some beautiful textured folders from Sizzix. These are essentially the same as the Cuttlebug embossing folders, but perhaps just a little "crisper" in the appearance of the finished embossed design. Tim's folders are still not available, but we hope they will arrive soon! Today I used a beautiful new Damask style design.

Please note that when you emboss on duplex papers it is important to think about which side is "up." The picture above helps to demonstrate this. I put the color side of the paper facing the side that has the Sizzix logo on it. This ensures that the positive design will pop upwards on your paper. Sometimes it is desireable to have the reverse, but typically this is the most attractive appearance.

As you can see just by running it through the Big Shot the details begin to appear in white. By gently sanding the surface with a Lucky Squirrel sander, or a Tim Holtz sander the design is enhanced even further.

In trying to figure out how to utilize this element in my card I came up with the little tag above. Utilizing the one-sided embossed notecard above I was able to stamp the sentiment on the smooth portion and use the textured portion to add some flair to the little tag. Cutting it into a "flag" shape, sanding the edges to shabbify the tag and then putting a little curl and affixing with glue dots completed this portion of the project.

Last, but certainly not least was the addition of the Hero Hues Art Flowers. There is a huge assortment in each package. I decided to share how you can use these little one layer flowers to create a glorious blossom. If you would like me to show a step-by-step photo technique on how to create these please let me know. Essentially all you need to do is to begin with the largest size, then select the next size down, and finally select another blossom that is similar sized and cut out two of the five petals. Use these elements in the center of your flower. I used a Jenni Bowlin stick pin to hold it all together.

stamps: Hero Arts Stencil Art, Essential Messages, DesignBlock Silhouette

ink: Snowcap Dabber, Distress Ink Pads - Tattered Rose and Worn Lipstick, Studio Line Paints - Painterly Pink, Sky Blue, Dab of Yellow and Dash of Red, Watermark Resist Ink Pad

paper: Blush Hero Arts Folded Cards, Basic Grey Green at Heart

accessories: Blush Print Art Flowers, StickyBack Canvas, Jenni Bowlin Stick Pin, Sizzix Damask Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz Alterations Styled Labels, 1 1/4" Moss SIlk Ribbon

BLOG CANDY OPPORTUNITY
 

This selection of goodies could be yours - please leave your answer to the the following question in the comments section below. Comments will be eligible for this random drawing if left before Saturday, April 10th at midnight.

Would it be helpful to have a color comparison of the Hero Arts cardstock collection and the Memory Box collection? Also add if you have ever used either of these collections and if so, which one? Being one who does not mind doing the work if it is helpful to our customer base I would be happy to do so, but I do not want to spin my wheels if there is no need for this comparison. Please let me know your thoughts and ask any questions regarding this line below in the comments section to be entered in our random drawing.

 

Once again we would like to encourage you to try the Hero Arts line of products by offering you a 15% discount for the next week. The promotion code HeroHues15 will be valid on all orders placed between now and midnight April 14th. Please enter this code upon reaching the checkout page. Note that upon completion of your order the discounted price will be listed on the individual product line and not at the end of the invoice.

This promotion is valid on all in-stock Hero Arts products only and cannot be combined with any other coupon code (frequent shoppers please place two separate orders and notify us at [email protected] immediately upon completion of both orders so that we can combine your orders for shipping if you would like.) For the best selection be certain to shop early!

Cards for Kate

There is a little girl and her family who need our help. They need all the prayers and positive thoughts we can offer - please visit www.prayforkate.com for more information.

As I prepared to send my own daughters off to school today my thoughts went out to the McRae family. To be blessed with healthy and happy children is one of the greatest gifts I have been given. I cannot ever begin to imagine putting myself in their shoes. I do know how hard it was as my Dad fought his cancer, so I can never imagine what it is like to fight that fight with my child.

There are three very special ladies doing something special for Kate and her family. Jennifer McGuire, Jana Millen and Kristina Proffitt have organized "Cards for Kate" and I want to join in, and hope to brighten this family's day and give them courage, by sending a card for both Kate and her parents.

As I thought about this adorable little girl, I wanted to create something that would bring a smile to her beautiful, sunny face.

I thought this cute little Panda could present her with a bouquet of flowers...

and some special stamped hugs. My hope and prayer is that sweet, little Kate will soon be healthy, happy and running around enjoying life; that she will soon be sent off to school!

Creating something for the parents was so much harder for me. What do you say to someone enduring such incredible stress? When things are not right with my children I just wish that I could take their place and yet we all know that this is impossible. I turned to this stamp because as I read through this verse, it reminded me again to believe, to have faith and courage. I want these parents who are complete strangers to know that there are many out here in cyberville who are sending our positive thoughts and prayers, in faith that their daughter will soon be healthy once more.

So each day I will think positive thoughts as I send a prayer for Kate. I hope you will join in this mission of encouragement. Inside I shared a verse from Scripture Essentials in hopes of giving this family courage in the long days yet to come. Head over to Jennifer's blog for the full details!

stamps: Garden Panda, Cutie Pie, Get Well Centers, Paisley Scrapblock, Cancer is so Limited, Scripture Essentials I 

paper: Basic Grey Lemonade, Basic Grey Lemonade Take Note, Memory Box Key Lime CS, Websters Pages Hello Beautiful Journaling Cards,

ink: Distress Ink Pads - Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Walnut Stain; Memento Rich Cocoa and Tuxedo Black

markers/pencils: Copic Marker - W1

other: Memory Box Azalea Pink Jewels and Mint Pearls; A Muse Heart Twinkle Stickers; Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly, 3-in-1 Classic Butterfly, Monarch Butterfly, Glassene Butterfly, Doily Lace Edger, and Mini Heart Scallops Edger; Icicle Stickles, Fancy Tags, Inkssentials Opaque Pen, Spica Glitter Pens Set B

Bluebird Sketch and Technique Tag #1 Card Details

Sometimes it is all in the details and this card had SO many little details that I didn't address in my post on the CLASSroom. Well, with those missing details came a lot of questions and so I decided I would just put together an additional post for those who would like to know more about these little details. I skipped these because my post was already REALLY long and I didn't realize that they would be missed - so here they are for those who would like to replicate this project or would like to try some of these "other" techniques.

 

To color the bird I opted to use watercolors. I select which technique I am going to use when coloring in my images depending on the final look I want to create. I adore this little bluebird and did a Google image search to see what the "true" coloring of these birds would be. Once I saw the pictures I felt that watercoloring would be the route to take. I then went and selected my patterned paper based on the color scheme of the bird. The Hopscotch Graphic 45 paper is delicious and perfect in color tone!

I am finding these papers to be SO easy to use in my cardmaking because one side always has a scale that is appropriate and the color schemes are summed up in one word - YUMMY!

 

I stamped my Bluebird using Archival Jet Black Ink. Next I selected Distress Ink (Faded Jeans, Broken China, Weathered Wood, Fired Brick, Old Paper, Vintage Photo and not shown, Scattered Straw) to color this image. I used the dropper that is attached to the lid in these bottles to place one little droplet of ink on my non-stick craft sheet. I left the bottles on my surface to help me determine which droplet went with each color. Then using my waterbrush I painted in my little bird. There are a number of tutorials on the CLASSroom that talk about watercolor techniques. You will find that the colors will spread beautifully on your papers in the areas that are wet. If you do not want your color to float past a certain line, then do not wet that area of paper.

 

I have had numerous questions regarding the flower that I used on this creation. I should have known that this would be a rather elusive little item that need more explanation. The new botanical line of papers from Prima Marketing are superb! I have placed them in a number of different sections in the store to try and make it easier to find and figure out what they are for. I have put this line in two spots - Specialty Papers and Die Domain: Accessories.

These papers are phenomenal to cut with the low profile dies. In this case I used my Nested Flower die. I then inked the edges using an Ink Blending foam and Antique Linen distress ink. As you can see I opted to use the sponge only, making it easier to manipulate and just use one corner to add color to the edges only.

 

Hmmm - what else did I miss. I used the sentiment included in this month's special value "Gardener's Hands". Each month Cornish Heritage Farms comes out with a Stamp of the Month which is a 20% savings. Once our inventory runs out on this item we will then need to order these items independently and at a higher cost. So purchasing them in a set is a "good thing" if you like both images!

Last, but by no means least is the image from the exquisite Rummage Bin set created by Julia Stainton - Ornamental Beauty. This is a must have set for me - I LOVE the architectural like images that are included - they remind me so much of my interior design days!

I truly do hope that this helps answer some of those questions I left hanging with my technique post on the CLASSroom. I will do my best to create two posts simultaneously in the future. I am trying to keep those posts on the precise technique I am trying to share and not make them too lengthy, but when I get an opportunity to create my mind just goes wild and I throw everything in to the mix, but the kitchen sink it seems - LOL!

A Muse Benefit for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

 

Last year, Linda Carnell of A Muse Artstamps, designed a calendar to raise funds for Scleroderma Research, an illness her mother suffers from. The project was so successful, that she was determined to expand the variety of calendars, and find another great cause to support!

In honor of Victoria Nelson, an avid fan of A Muse who is undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's Disease, 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this year's calendar will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This year's calendar features 16 months, and includes September 2008 through December 2009. It also includes a perpetual calendar, which is great for keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries. As well, the calendar has been designed in several different sizes.

There are THREE donation levels per calendar. The minimum donation is $4 per calendar, BUT there is also an option to donate $10 or $20 for each version.

We hope people will enjoy stamping and creating these calendars as fun projects and gifts for friends and family, while contributing to a great organization at the same time!

So please head on over to A Muse Artstamps right now and place your order for your calendar and make your donation for this important cause.

CREATING THE CALENDAR

I am so honored to have been asked to participate in this special "event". To be able to use my creativity for something positive is something I hold dear. I hope that you are inspired to create some calendars as gifts this year!

 

In thinking about how I would use this calendar, so many different ideas ran through my head. I thought about doing a bunch of different things for different months, but I just like consistency waaaay too much - LOL! Therefore the calendars I have created all share the same concept.

When I realized that there was a Perpetual Calendar included in the package I decided I really wanted to showcase an idea that would put the regular calendar together with the perpetual one. This is an item I can see placing in a prominent position on my desktop, being I most definitely need a reminder other than my everyday pop-up calendar, to give me forewarning of the upcoming birthdays I need to plan for. Rather than binding them together in some method I opted for creating 12 individual little "stand-alone" calendars.

I began by printing off the file and cutting the calendars down to size. This particular calendar measures 4"x4" in size, with the perpetual calendar being 3 1/2"x3 1/2" square .

Next I selected twelve different stamps, trying to find ones that would be appropriate for each particular month and fit within the space I had visualized. I used a mix of A Muse Artstamps together with Lockhart Rubber Stamps to complete the 12 months in 2009.

Using an old technique called "Spotlighting" I stamped the images in Black Memento Ink on the calendar face, trying to position each one so that the "spotlight" portion would be in approximately the same place on each month. I then stamped a second image on an extra piece of white cardstock.

Figuring out the precise location of the individual elements was a bit tricky until I figured out how to get these pieces in a similar position. By positioning my little yellow Inchie Finder from the Inchie Paper Pack over the exact position I wanted to spotlight I could see what portion of the image I wanted to punch out. Then using my 1" punch I was able to select the same portion of the image as was showing through the yellow inchie finder. Voila, no more problems!

By using the same mix of Copic markers throughout this project it helped me keep a cohesive look to all the images I colored. These little colored beauties were then affixed to Black Inchie Squares being I wanted that little hint of a black outline to help the spotlight pop off the page. 

Next I selected notecards that would coordinate with the color of the month name. Again I used a mix of A Muse Notecards together with Memory Box Notecards. I cut the Memory Box ones down to the 4 1/4" square size by trimming off one end.

 

As you can see I affixed the 3 1/2" square perpetual calendar to a 4" square piece of black cardstock before attaching it to the inside of my notecard.

I love how these can be changed out on my desk with each month, knowing that I finally have a place that I can look to regularly for upcoming birthdays and anniversaries!

 

 

 

 

I believe that you can read more about this worthy cause at the A Muse Artstamps blog, as well as find links to the other amazing creations a very talented group of women have shared. Thank you so much for stopping by today - I hope I have inspired you to help make a difference!

ETA: I used the Square Format to create this version of the calendar. I hope this helps you pick the one that is right for you.

Candy Corn "Boxi-Bag"

Bring a designer look to your gifts this season! FIll these little bags with candy, cookies or your favorite crafting treats. If you are on a diet fill them with craft supplies Ü If you need a gift for you teacher fill it with pencils, erasers and other fun little "school" items. Make something special for your kids or grandkids to include in their backpacks or to have awaiting them upon their return from their first day at school. Oh the ideas I have - now just for more time to actually do it - LOL!

Mish introduced me to these awesome little "Boxi-Bags" when she created her Candy Stand Kit. Well, we have some "leftovers" in our inventory and so if you would like to grab them up before we run out then head on over to our store today. (Please note that the ribbon and other items are not included with the bags and bases.)

As you can see there are so many ways to dress these little "Boxi-Bags" up. I decided to take a different route with these and used an Inchie and brads to add additional embellishment to the little box base. 

Being that the box is a separate unit from the bag it was easy to attach the Inchie and insert the brads.

To complete the Inchie I inked the edge of the white Inchie Square with my YG95 Copic marker and then covered it with Memory Box Twiggy paper. Using the 1" punch it is easy to locate what portion of the pattern to select. Just flip your punch upside down and view where it is that you are locating your pattern on the paper.

Next I stamped the IB Scarecrow on Solar Crest cardstock. I then quickly colored it with Prismacolor pencils and added some glitter to his nose, patch collar and leaves using Spica glitter pens. Simply cutting out the Scarecrow and adhering to the Inchie made for a cute little focal point on this package.

Finally I created the little tag by cutting a piece of Craft-a-Board and then cutting and embossing Key Lime cardstock. The sentiment "enjoy" seemed so appropriate for this little treat. I glued these two pieces together using Perfect Paper Adhesive. Adding a layer of Craft-a-Board to the tag added substance and made it much more durable. Simply tie the tag to the cello bag with a pretty piece of ribbon and you have a fabulous looking little gift item to share! 

Be certain to return tomorrow for a very special announcement and a link to our brand new blog "the CLASSroom"!

Modern Influence

In my previous post I talked about how the black and white with the pop of an accent color was inspired by the Spring magazine from our local mall. Well the cover of this same magazine also grabbed my attention in a big way and so I decided to replicate it in a card as well. When I saw this very modern, artsy cover my mind immediately went to the butterflies. I chose the Checkered Butterfly because I was drawn to the two circles in the lower portion of the wings. The boldness of this image is so different from the typical "Ellen" look - I just had to share this side of my personality with you Ü

Being a multi-tasker and all I decided to nail down a number of the CHF challenges in just one post - LOL! Time is of the essence these days Ü

The first challenge I missed was partial backgrounder stamping - fading or stamping part of a layer. The texture in the dress and artwork in the magazine photo were wonderful to emulate for this particular challenge. I used the Rice Paper backgrounder to create the striations in the Raspberry cardstock and the Scratched Grid backgrounder to create the uneven appearance on the Lagoon cardstock. To create this uneven texture I place my backgrounder face up on my worksurface. I do not ink it evenly to begin with and then when I place my cardstock on the surface I let my fingers do the walking, so to speak. Rather then pressing evenly over the entire surface I only lightly press in an uneven manner on the areas I want to catch the detail. To really make the white pop off the raspberry cardstock I did use white embossing powder and was careful to only leave a small amount on the surface, brushing away any excess from many spots.

The next challenge was to stamp on anything but paper. I have been dying to show you why I purchased and added clear buttons to my store. VERSATILITY - gotta love it. I began by creating a little tab pull for my button as shown below. I love using blue painters tape for this type of use being it always comes off easily.

As you can see I placed my Scratched Grid backgrounder face up and then inked it with Palette ink. Using the tab on the button I was then able to set it straight down on to my backgrounder, ink it up and then pull straight up. I then allowed this to sit and dry. Now how long it needs to dry I am not certain being I never get to complete a project once I start it - LOL! So mine sat for maybe an hour before I got back to airbrush it. I doubt it takes anywhere near this time to dry, but... I'm just not certain. To add color to the buttons I then airbrushed them with my Copic Markers. Gotta LOVE versatility! Being the buttons are clear I used embroidery thread to attach them - neatly stitching them into place.

Last but not least I just needed to add some additional texture to the base white. Piercing is always one of my favorite fallbacks for adding texture in an inconspicuous manner. I love the fact that the Nestability dies are open in the center. I used a larger size Nestability circle as my outline to aid in keeping my piercing "round". I could never eyeball round - LOL!

Hopefully this post will once again leave you with a "cool idea feeling!" Gotta love a few good challenges for bringing out the creativity within each of us and the CHF challenges have been so much fun! So I challenge you to try something from this post - use the sketch, use the partial stamping, use the button idea, use the piercing or use the magazine ad with the mod colors. Just sit back create and enjoy!

Backgrounder Blitz - Hot and Spicy

Sometimes I just have to create to have fun - this creation was one of those! I am constantly inspired by the things that I see around me. Recently a brochure from the local shopping mall arrived in my mailbox. It was fun to sit down and quickly browse through it. What impacted me the most in this particular issue was the clothing in multiple ads - they were all black and white with just a touch of some sort of accent. That accent was a bright/bold color! This inspired me to just go for it and see if I could bring a similar feeling to a card I had in mind.

I stamped the backgrounder (Open Circles) and the image (Chilis and Cilantro) using Palette Noir. The stamped image was immediately followed with embossing powder. I had thought that I would just leave the image black and white and so I wanted to the black/white detail to pop.

The color pop was added with this beautiful, wide red satin ribbon. BTW what do you think about this ribbon - I would love to hear your response as to the width! The I added the black gemstones. I must admit that I was wondering what on earth one would do with black gemstones, but this hit me like a lightning bolt - talk about bling!

Well as you can see it just didn't feel as "hot and spicy" at this point as I thought it would. It was OK, but... So I pulled out my Copic Markers and added some color Ü

Now we're talking! A little Crackle Accents on the Cilantro and Glossy Accents on the Peppers, another larger black gemstone to cinch the waistline and voila - we have "Hot and Spicy". 

So what can you do with a "Hot and Spicy" card? I thought this bold little number would make a wonderful congratulatory card for someone who has been making an effort to lose weight - or how about an anniversary card?

What inspires you? Where do you get your ideas? Curious minds would love to know Ü

Inchies from A-Z: C is for...

C is for Cupcake

Created using IB Cupcake, Prismacolor color pencils, Sakura Clear Glaze Pen, Quickie Glue Pen, Ultrafine Glitter

C is for Challenge and Club

As a paper crafter one of the most fun ways of creating is to take on a challenge. Mish just hosted an Inchie challenge amongst fellow blogging friends - you can see the response to their challenge here. If you haven't had an opportunity to view this challenge yet be ready to have your socks blown off. These girls never cease to amaze me!

So here is my first challenge for you!!! Many of you have purchased the Inchie products that we are carrying in our store, so I know you now have the goodies ready to put to good use, so let's have some fun!!!

Spring - March 20th, that's tomorrow, (or perhaps today by the time I get this post completed - LOL) is here! I am SO very thrilled to see my Camellia blooming, the plum and cherry trees starting to bud and blossom. Oh it feels so good to have a little sunshine in the area. I would like to invite you to become a part of our very own Inchie INKling Club. Yep, you heard me right - I am starting another blog that I hope to reveal following Easter weekend - Inchie INKlings: Habitat for those who are Inchie Challenged - oops I mean want to be challenged by Inchies - LOL!

It will be a place where we will hold a monthly challenge. We will set up an album so that you can see what everyone else is creating. We will be sharing Inchie Sketches (card layout ideas as well as little "templates" for ways to divide up your Inchie - I bet you didn't think that was even a possibility on such a small canvas Ü) and a copy of our Inchies from A-Z will be located on that blog as well. There is more to come, but I can't dish it all right now because I need to get going on the challenge and the remainder of this post!

So let's run with our theme, Spring! I would like to invite you to join the Inchie INKlings by making an Inchie that shows what about spring appeals to you. It will need to feature a Lockhart Stamp Company image and be entered in to our gallery by April 20th. Details for how this will happen will be located on the new blog, so please stay tuned.

C is for Cottage Flowers, Crop and of course Challenge continued

I can't propose a challenge without playing myself! So here goes - I'm going to cover as many C's with my challenge creation as possible.

Being that it is the flowers that begin to sparkle and shine I picked a stamp that started with the letter C, Cottage Flowers, and focused on the element of spring I love the most.

Using the Inchie Finder included in the Inchie Papers I located the area of the stamp that I wanted to crop. Cropping an image can lead to all sorts of possibilities. Finding the right part of an image for an Inchie is so much easier if you use an Inchie Finder.

Using a Retractable Blade Crafe Knife I carefully cut out around the Inchie finder being careful not to cut the Finder. You can also trace around it with a pencil if you are afraid of cutting it with your knife.

Begin by coloring your image with your lightest color tones.

Complete your coloring with a range of Copic colors and a little airburshing.

Be sure to add a little sparkle with your Copic Spica Glitter pens or some Ultrafine Glitter.

Just a couple of quick tips using the Inchie Pins (or nail head look) as well as the background above.

Insert the pins through your cardstock before mounting on the Inchie Square. I use a foam pad beneath so that the pins can go all the way through the cardstock. I then remove the pins and affix my decorated surface to the Inchie. Next I reinsert the pin into the hole and hold the base between my thumb and pointer with my left hand and push the pin through the mat board using a spare Inchie Square to protect my right hand fingers as I push (I am right-handed). Once it has gone through the mat board I complete the other pin and then turn my Inchie over pushing the pins firmly into place. Put on a pair of safety glasses and using wire cutters snip off the excess pin.

Copic markers ability to revert back to their original color is truly amazing. To create the color "swoosh" above place the Medium Broad tip of B23 against the Medium Broad tip of V01 - press firmly together. The color will transfer from one marker to the other. The next step is to just color your strips and voila you get these wonderful mixes. Continue to color with your marker and soon you will have your original color back again.

I used my trusty old Snap Stamps to create the word Spring. Oh how I wish someone would come out with a new variety of these flexible stamps!

C stands for some other very important Inchie elements, so watch for a continuation of this post soon.

So let's get the party started ladies - put your thinking caps on and start your creative process. I hope you will consider entering into our Spring Challenge and join the Inchie INKlings, becoming an Inchie INKlet. Watch for more details soon!!!

Inchies from A-Z: B is for... continued

Product Updates:

Nestabilities have just arrived in Phoenix today! Can you see me doing a happy dance? So what does this mean for timing? It means that unfortunately our waiting game will continue just a little longer, but I want to assure you that these items will be included in our sale on Monday, March 17th as Preorder Items. If you haven't looked at or received our Newsletter Coupon please let us know so that we can forward it to you in time for Monday's sale. Or join our mailing list at the bottom of our homepage and we will try and get a current copy of our newsletter to you before Sunday evening at 6:00pm. It will be essential for you to enter this code to receive the discount.

Our Copic supply is also not quite at the levels we would like. We are awaiting the arrival of more sets of CD24D and Copic Gotta Have It All's. Our delivery dates for these items will be the end of March, so with perhaps a little anxiety (OK - so maybe it is more than a little being I truly like to ship your orders immediately) I will go ahead and put them up as Preorder items as well so that you can use your coupon.

B is for Bunny GIrl

Created using: Bunny Girl (this is the last opportunity to pick up this darling stamp being it will no longer be available once our inventory is gone); Copic Markers - Custom Y21, RV11, RV34, E55, E27, E39; Pale Gold Leafing Pen; Gold Glitter Pen

B is for Background

1. Basic Copic Background

Copic markers on the White Inchie Squares are BEAUTIFUL! There are so many ways to create intricate backgrounds, but for that post you are going to have to wait all the way until W. Can you make any guesses as to what the letter W stands for? So for today we are going to look at the Basic Copic Background.

Creating backgrounds for basic designs is simple. By basic design I am referring to an Inchie I create when I stamp directly on an Inchie Square. There are not a lot of layers to this type of design.

Begin by placing your stamp, rubber face up, on your work surface. Ink the surface of your stamp image determining where it is that you would like to position your Inchie on the image. Being that this stamp had recesses in the rubber on either side of the Inchie I was able to easily set my square atop the stamp. If I didn't have this recessed area I would have used my little "pull tab" for the back of my Inchie Square.

This pull tab is created using Blue Painters Tape. This tape is ideal for this application being it will not mar your surface when you remove it from your project.

After inking your Inchie Square using Adirondack ink it is essential to heat set your square. I have found that the porosity of the Inchie Squares does not allow the ink to sink in to the surface as readily as the Neenah paper and therefore if you go straight to coloring on a stamped surface you will more likely than not cause the ink to bleed.

As I colored the background of the image I began with my new Y21. (See this post for information as to how to make your own custom colors.) To create the sunshiney window effect I did pick up my darker Y21 from my palette and added it around the edges.

2. Paper Covered Background

So what can you do with all those bits of paper that you have left over from a large project? Well turn them into 1"x1" squares of course!

Or if you are not fortunate to have saved all your scraps then we do have a packet of Inchie Papers available for you to purchase. This fun collection of 108 patterned paper 1-1/2" squares will keep you supplied for quite some time. You can die cut or trace and trim before attaching them to your Inchie Squares. Each of these packages also contains two (2) Inchie Finders. These little 1" squares of yellow acetate are the perfect tool for "finding" a section of a prestamped image or part of a pattern. Simply place, trace and trim. The yellow color will hopefully help you spot it easier amongst the mish mash that occurs on most of our tabletops when we get in a creative swing.

Karen always has the best organizational tips! I absolutely adore this beautiful box she has put together to keep her Inchie backgrounds prepped and ready to use.

When sorted by color it makes it easy to find the perfect background for your art. Prepare some of these backgrounds for your projects in advance if you are not feeling "it". You know those times when you would like to relax and create, but you just don't have a long-term vision for what it is that you would like to create. Then start at a later time to create the elements or embellishments to complete your Inchies.

I will be sharing more of the backdrop for this little assortment at a later date. For now I just want you to focus in on the assortment of papers that Karen used on these little creations and how she added the focal points to each Inchie. I have to admit I am a bit envious of her beautiful handwriting Ü I would hate to think about how many beautiful Inchies I would ruin if I were to write in cursive on them - LOL! So if you are like me perhaps you might consider printing and cutting out words or stamping them and adhering them to the finished creation instead.

3. Other Background Ideas

• Stamped Backgrounders
• Prismacolor Color Pencils
• Twinkling H2O's or Watercolors
• Old Book Pages
• Word Documents such as Definitions, Special Words

These are just a few of the ideas that I could come up with today/tonight. I hope that they inspire you to try a myriad of different background techniques when creating your Inchies!

COPIC Easter Eggs

I just had to interject an inspirational Easter Egg post in the midst of Inchie Mania Ü One of the first things Marianne, of Copic Marker, told me about last year was how fun the airbrush system is with Easter Eggs. Since that time I have been anticipating what I can try with this concept. So today I will share a couple of different ideas I played with.

This first egg was created by inking the Dottie Bunny stamp and laying it inked image face up on my work surface. I then VERY carefully rolled my egg across the inked image. Needless to say this is try number three - LOL! - but persistence paid off. I then created a mask out of Eclipse Tape and secured it firmly over the bunny. Using the airbrush system and Sketch Marker colors Y38, BG45 and YG03 I sprayed the egg using the Medium Broad tip. The really cool thing about this is that as I sprayed, the air from the brush gently rolled the egg from one side of my work surface to the other. This allowed me to evenly spray the egg without even having to touch it. I then sprayed each end with it's coordinating color. Finally I removed the mask and used E55 and RV34 to color in Dottie.

I did learn that Adirondack ink needs to be heat set for quite some time when used on an egg surface. I also had to be careful to stay within the lines being that my marker did pick up hints of the ink when I colored in the image. Perhaps Brilliance ink would have worked better for this project, but time was of the essence Ü

This next series of eggs I will call my "Masked Eggs". Once again I created a mask out of Eclipse Tape for the bunny stamp. This time I secured it in place and once again sprayed using the same series of colors. The middle back egg was sprayed with the same three colors. I then came back using Y38 and created the flowers with the COPIC Marker Sketch Brush technique I shared with you back in February in this post. The last egg in this series was created by punching the little flower masks out of Avery Color Coding Labels. Ribbon and bling was added to create this fabulous little trio. Other totally fun embellishments to use would be pearls, flowers, and Dew Drops.

Or you could load up one of the mini mister's with some alcohol blending solution and alcohol ink refill or Color Wash, add a little Perfect Pearls to it and give it a Tim Holtz like whirl. Ohhhh - shimmery misty eggs. Or load up a paper towel wtih alcohol blending solution and after airbrushing give your egg a very unusual tie dye effect. Or put some alcohol ink on a felt applicator and pounce it on your egg, then roll it on a stamp.

You are going to have to watch Mona LIsa's blog - I know she has something cooking as well :D

OH NO - this gives me more ideas and I don't have any more time!!! So help me out ladies - create some wonderful Easter Eggs and link me up to them!!! I want to see what it is that you will be inspired to do with this concept.

Inchies from A-Z: B is for...

Before beginning on the letter B I want to forewarn you to the fact that when you link to Inchies on my storefront it comes back with a blank. This will change tonight! I wanted to ensure that it would be fair to all our newsletter readers and customers that you would all receive the same chance at receiving the Inchies that Karen and I have created to give away with your purchases (see details in newsletter). Please know that the links will all become live tonight, Tuesday March 11th at 8:00pm PST. Thank you for your patience and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter where all details are provided! Click this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to join our mailing list. Our newsletter will keep you up to date on our store promotions, news, and fabulous tutorials and tips. Don't forget to click on the link to the soldering tutorial in the latest newsletter - it has been receiving rave reviews Ü

B is for Bride

 

Created using Bride, Prismacolor color pencils, Spica Clear glitter pen, Sakura Stardust glitter pen, and Ultrafine glitter.

B is for Binder

The question became quite apparent as Karen began producing her Inchies - how would she keep track of them? where would she put them? It was at that time that Lisa of Inchie Arts went in search of a solution. I absolutely LOVE the solution she came up with! This binder is such a cool concept! It is made out of recycled corrugated cardboard and is 100% recyclable. The most unique feature of the binder is that the metal spine containing the rings can be removed from the binder allowing you to lay it flat for decorating.

Simply remove the screws from the metal rings and detach the rings from the cover, lay flat and personalize. Cover with decorative papers, paints, stamps, embellishments and Inchies of course! Reattach the ring spine once complete and you are ready to go. Being that the cover is completely removable you can also change out your covers after they become worn or if you determine that you would like a new fresh look.

Now to inspire you with some binder decorating ideas. Each one of you will have a look that is distinct to you. As I designed my cover I let a creative side of me show that I rarely expose. I love the grungey look and so I decided to bring that side of my creative personality out in this cover.

The wonderful thing about corrugated cardboard is the textural quality it has. I began by removing bits and pieces of the cover surface. This was NOT easy - LOL! This cardboard is VERY well made and so it took me a bit to work it off as I did so in a systematic fashion. I then followed up with two different colors of Distress Crackle Paint - Antique Linen and Old Paper. After allowing the paint to dry I then followed up by sanding the surface and then sponging and rubbing Distress Ink - Tea Dye and Old Paper - over the entire surface.

To enlarge the area of the focal point I stamped the Grid Paper backgrounder in Beaux Arts Blue. I also wanted to balance out the front surface of the binder and have been patiently biding my time hoarding my wonderful Kim Hughes Silhouette Blooms I for the perfect occasion. These stamps coordinate beautifully with Tim Holtz Nature's Moment Queen Anne's Lace. The scale of the two together made me giddy - LOL!

I then set about creating an Inchie "puzzle" using the Lockhart Hydrangea stamp. One might at first wonder how on earth you would incorporate a Lockhart stamp in to a grungey look, but it was SO fun to bring a new look to this otherwise colorful stamp. I began by creating my Inchie definition background using Word. (I still hope that I can figure out how to link up a document here on my blog. If anyone has any suggestions I would truly appreciate knowing how to do it. I have read the Typepad information, but... just not enough time in the day to figure it out without spending a ton of time.) I then stamped my Hydrangea image onto Solar White Cardstock. Next I stamped and created a mask with my Eclipse tape and placed it over my stamped image. I then sent my cardstock through the printer and achieved the results shown below.

Karen has recently been describing a wonderful artist technique referred to as grisaille to me. I do believe that she has some upcoming classes that may include this technique. After looking it up on the internet I learned that it is a multi-layering art process. It is begun by applying shades of gray to your work surface. So using the many Warm Gray's and French Gray's in my Prismacolor Colored Pencils I played with this concept.

This is then followed by the addition of muted color.

I scaled the image to a 2" square and cut it into quarters applying it to Black Inchie Squares. Then these were adhered to a Black Mat Board Base and using a silver tag holder I attached the binder title.

I did have to laugh being in the end my grungey look still has a sense of elegance to it - oh well, what's a girl to do?

Now I want to share a polar opposite of this binder to spur on your creativity and bring you a completely different look. Karen is the queen of covering!!! Her ability to cover boxes and books and... is extraordinary. I so admire the amazing detail and crisp quality of everything she creates.

"Country Kitchen" are the words we are using to describe Karen's binder. It has a warm, cozy feeling to it.

The details are incredible. First I want to tell you about the framed square - it is metal! So you know what that means - she can change the Inchie on the front with a whim.

 

Being that Karen is so meticulous she also covered the inside of the binder!

Look how beautiful the details are!

This view shows the inside of the binder. In this picture you can see how the Inchie Pocket Pages work. In each pocket Karen has inserted a black piece of cardstock to give each Inchie a unified background. After journaling in the Inchie Index regarding each Inchie it is then inserted in to a pocket or put out for display. Much more will be coming on ways to display your Inchies as well as more information regarding this storage system.

Well it is apparent to me that Typepad is not on my side today - LOL! I have just been switched over to the Edit HTML method of posting, being my post has become too complex - aargh. I don't know HTML - LOL! So this last part could be rather interesting when it goes live. I'm going to give it my best shot to wrap up now.

B has many more entries that could be posted about - backgrounds is one that is essential. I hope to share more regarding the letter B tomorrow. I'd best just make this post go live now. Thanks for hanging in here with me and have fun playing with this whole concept!

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!

Stamp of the Month, March

OMGoodness - I can not believe it is March!!! AND I can not believe that Easter is in March - March 23rd to be exact! Can you ever remember Easter coming so early??? In thinking about what would be appropriate for this month's Stamp of the Month, spring fever hit me. I am SO very ready for sunshine, warmth and pretty colors outside! Being those colors are not yet here I just had to use bright cheery colors in this month's creations. Lockhart's Dottie Bunny has hit a soft spot in my heart. I don't know if it is the folksy, cute factor or the little polka dots - LOL!

One of the things that I heard from you is that you enjoyed the simplicity of some of the projects I have created recently. So I took my lead from that and created TWO easy projects for you to replicate using this month's Stamp of the Month packet.

The new collection of Memory Box decorative papers, Sprout, has some of the most wonderful images to use as backgrounds with rubber stamps. I love the scale, diversity and color range within each collection! I began with the Dottie Bunny and selected a very simple tone on tone portion of the floral background to stamp the bunny on. I then colored in the circles with my E27, Africano, Copic Marker. Cutting out the bunny is so very simple and allows you to add depth to your project.

Next I selected a patterned paper that would make a wonderful scenic background and selected "just the right" piece of that pattern to cut out my backdrop. I did use my largest rectangle Nestability to cut and emboss this layer, but you can also just cut a rectangle if you do not own the Nestabilities.

I would like to share the following tip when you work with background papers. If the color of the image on your background paper is not exactly what you want, then simply adjust the color with Prismacolor color pencils or Copic markers. In this case I used Chocolate Prismacolor color pencil to add a little more of the correct brown tone to the leaves - this really helped aid in bringing the entire card together and added a little more texture to the area I wanted the eye to focus on. Place this decorative paper on top of the Vanilla Bean cardstock and punch your holes. I then added adhesive to the back side of this element, but did not place it in position until I had threaded my ribbon. Once your ribbon is threaded you can then affix this element and tie the knot.

Another tip I would like to share is in regards to placing your punch for the holes. Look carefully at the picture below and you will notice two little Sharpie Marker lines on my punch. They are hard to see so I put white arrows indicating their placement. This ensures that I reach in the same distance each time I punch. You can also use your Crop-a-dile to do this, but if you don't own one this is the next best thing Ü

To complete this card I added some brads to help bring balance and interest and placed my bunny to jump over the bushes.

This month I just couldn't stop with one card though - LOL! The next idea hit me like a rocket and I just had to share it with everyone as well. It all began this time with the egg. I purchased an egg shaped McGill punch last year right before Easter - did I use it? NO! What a shame - so I pulled out the punch and created the egg. What could be more odd, yet cute, than a bunny jumping out of that egg? Ü

I will include a copy of this egg, hand-drawn, in this month's packet for those who don't have the punch or who don't feel comfortable drawing a cracked open egg. You will then be able to trace the version that I created.

The next adventure I will share is how to create the tag. Being that I didn't have the exact sentiment I wanted, in the exact size I wanted, I decided to create my own. I selected to use a whimsical font call Witchcraft - OK, so I really don't like the name, but I love the font - LOL! The key to getting precise placement is quite simple. First, print out the font on a regular sheet of typing paper. Next cut out your tag and holding it up to a light source affix it to your typing paper precisely over the printed area, centering as need. I typically use a permanent adhesive being that when I pull it off the typing paper it is the typing paper that will tear and not your decorative cardstock, but I have also used temporary adhesive and it seems to have held quite nicely. Then just reprint by sending that typing paper back through your printer a second time. Voila - you will have a precisely printed label. Filling in the letters with some additional color brought the lettering out a little more. I felt that the striped paper had the appearance of grass and so selected it for this label. The holes on the label were just a little too large for the brads so I punched a little 1/4" circle out of coordinating cardstock and affixed it to the label. Then the brad fit nicely to hold the label in place.

Last but not least I added some texture to the background using the wonderful CHF Paisley backgrounder inked in a coordinating pink (I believe I used Stampin' Up!s Pretty in Pink or perhaps it was Adirondack Shell Pink - I forgot to write it down and now my memory is failing me - arrgh). Prepped the coordinating stripe, egg top edge and bunny tail with 2-way glue and blinged it with this awesome Iridescent Glitter.

So get hoppin' girls - you don't have much time this year to get those Easter greetings prepared and sent!

A is for Adorable - Lis Inspired

Stamping with friends is SO much fun! Last night my buddy Lis came down and ate some yummy cake with me to celebrate my birthday Ü I've been telling myself this past week that with each year that passes I must be getting a little more "learned" - can't think of it as getting older - right?!? So instead of celebrating with a birthday card I thought I'd go back to the very beginning of days when babies are simply "adorable" and celebrate those days instead.

One of the huge benefits of stamping with my friend Lis is that she stamps differently than I do. She will create key elements for her cards, using the oh so clever techniques she has learned over the years. Some of the techniques she has shared with me are from the courses she has taken, others are just things that are trial and error. So I just started to "trial and error" with her Ü. Using many of the fabulous stamping products that are tucked away in my cabinets brings glee to my heart. I am quite tickled with the finished trials of today. At first I questioned them, but I create with an end picture in my mind. I created my elements wondering if they would be good enough and WOW - they all came together when the finishing touches were added.

I began with the letter "a". Lis was playing with her grungeboard and I was loving her results, but instead of grungeboard I had Cosmo Cricket chipboard Alphabuttons. We discussed the merits of these different materials. Lis had also created a piece using a chipboard button and it really intrigued me. So I started off on my little journey emulating and learning from what Lis had done. I painted the chipboard with a handy white Paint Dabber allowing it to dry. Then the Large Polka Dot backgrounder was stamped over the white background and embossed with clear embossing powder. After heat setting the powder I then rubbed a Lettuce Paint Dabber over the letter. This is when the trial and error part started for me - LOL! Timing is obviously of the essence with this technique. You are supposed to let it dry a little and then rub off the excess paint with a damp tissue or wipe. Well this little exercise happened a couple of times before I felt like the color and look of the letter was "good enough".

I couldn't leave well enough alone and so at this point I inked up the Paisley backgrounder with Silver Encore and stamped my letter, quickly realizing - oops I shouldn't have done that if I wanted to keep the polka dots exposed. I grabbed my heat gun and began heating it to see what effect this would have. Not liking where it was headed I grabbed a paper towel and quickly wiped the entire letter. This is when accidents can turn into beautiful discoveries. You can not see it in this picture, but the letter has an almost irridescent quality to it and woohoo - the polka dots were still in place. Yep, a happy mistake.

I then took my blending tool and added several different Distress Ink greens to the edges of the letter. I love the soft feel that this spongey tool gives to my projects. This was followed by edging the letters with a Silver Leafing Krylon pen. Yeah - I had one fabulous element for my card and a fun adventure and new discovery that I wonder if I'll ever be able to emulate again - LOL!

The next component was the brown piece of cardstock. It is also difficult to see the beauty of this piece, but here is a closeup to try and give you a better idea of what it looks like.

This piece was created by taking Vanilla Bean CS and stamping the Paisley backgrounder using a Perfect Medium ink pad. I could have used an embossing ink pad or Versa Mark pad, but this is the one that was convenient - LOL! Once again I used clear embossing powder and then heat set it. I followed this application by sponging over the top of it in a circular motion using Distress Peeled Paint and my blending tool. This helped bring my brown cardstock closer to the brown/greens that were in the decorative paper I had selected from the new Memory Box Sprout collection.

Last but certainly not least was the little Sweet Pea that would be the focal point of the card. I stamped it on Arturo using Palette Burnt Umber (this is a waterproof ink) and watercolored the image using a waterbrush and Lyra watercolor crayons.

A scalloped classic circle, a little more sponging, some piercing, brushed silver brads and some pink gingham ribbon and wheeew - I was finished. Woohoo - I made it all the way through - did you? LOL! I think it took longer for me to describe this process then it took for me to actually make the card Ü So my final thought for today is don't be afraid to experiment - sometimes you discover fabulous things by doing so!

Recess Time

The paper collection Recess, from Basic Grey, was getting completey overlooked by me. I had totally forgotten about it being I seem to be in a rut reaching for the light and bright colors instead. Well Jasper, or perhaps it was Buddy, (one of our cute little puppy threesomes) reminded me that this was a very delicious paper indeed - the corner seemed to be especially tasty. So the girls pulled it out of our supplies and brought it up to my table. I flipped through it and absolutely fell in love with the funky designs and earthy colors that are a part of this collection.

For some time now I have been meaning to decorate a little notebook for Katrina's teacher and this series of paper just screamed teacher to me. No wonder they named it Recess, LOL - it was a bit of a duh moment for me.

This is just one of those cute little notebooks you can purchase at Target. Hunting through Target for little office supplies and booklets was once one of my favorite things to do. It's a good thing that I have a little stash of stuff to work with at times like these when time no longer is a luxury Ü.

I adhered the striped Recess paper using my ATG gun. I then used the seed packet to create the little envelope on the front of the notebook and slipped one of the lined papers cut out as a tag into the little packet. Rather than embossing this little packet I just ran it through my Wizard using the "cut only" option so that the word "seeds" would not be visible. I adore the little curve in the top of this packet - with spring time right around the corner I think I will be using this little packet to perhaps house some real seeds. Can you imagine a garden journal with these little pockets tucked in to the pages?!!

One of the things that people always ponder is the layers of color that appear when using colored pencils. I took a quick picture of the range of Prismacolor (and Faber Castell, yep one lonely one) color pencils that I used on this little colored pencil jar. Beginning with a light color tone and adding layers of varying depth aids in creating the round shape of the pencils. To finish it off I used a layer of Glossy Accents on the jelly jar. I wish I could capture in this photo the incredible depth this adds to this little piece.

The tag was finished off with some of the coordinating Recess ribbon and a red brad that I added some R89 Copic marker to to make it work better with the Dymo Label. I had not yet tried my new little Around the Block labeller until today. I must say that I am VERY pleased with the results - I'm loving the clarity of this particular font and look forwards to trying the lowercase one at some point as well.

My plan is to have Katrina write a short note on the little tag. For once I am ready for teacher appreciatian!!! WOOHOO! Being that you don't have a little puppy reminding you that some of the best stuff you have may be stashed away I hope that this little project inspires you to pull out some of those goodies you may have completely forgotten about.

Monochromatic Bugs

As we go about making cards we sometimes get stuck in a rut. Being that many come to me for guidance in coloring most of my creations incorporate coloring to some degree, but I also enjoy stamping without doing any coloring at all. When I need a really quick card I go back to some very basic stamping techniques. The Lockhart Stamp Company images are ideal for coloring in, BUT they are also adorable just simply stamped on colored cardstock or patterned paper.

I thought about stamping each bug in black on the circles I had cut out using the smallest Nestability circle die. The more I thought about it the more I realized I wanted them to just be a subtle part of the card and not jump off of the paper as a black image would. The final destination I wanted your eye to settle on is the floral piece. Monochromatic stamping is subtle - select an ink color that is slightly darker than the color of cardstock you have selected and stamp your image in this tone on tone format.

It was quite easy to eyeball and stamp each bug in the coordinating ink color, but if you are afraid of missing and having to start over you can always pull out your Stamp-a-ma-jig. It is a tool I use often, but found unnecessary in creating this card. I then placed the circles back in the Nestability die and embossed the images. I find it easiest to cut, stamp, and then emboss.

I am loving my new CHF backgrounders! They are allowing me the freedom to be a "Stampy Stamper". This is a phrase that Mona Lisa coined and it describes me to a "T" - I love stamping and to have the freedom to create distinctive papers that coordinate has given me much pleasure Ü The scale of the Large Polka Dot backgrounder was perfect for this card.

One other design element that I thought about as I created this card was the repetitiion of the circles - it's a LOT of circles I used, but it was this repetition that I felt would bring a strong statement to this card! If I could nudge my focal line of circles over to the right about 1/8"-1/4" then my layout would make me much happier - yes, it's the perfectionist in me. I should have laid my circles down before applying adhesive - LOL!

To finish this card off I felt that the sentiment "It's the little things in life that matter most" would be perfect with all these little bugs. Try creating one of these tone on tone, circle cards and link me up girls - I'm still waiting to see what you are all creating!

Background Fun

I got quite the chuckle when I saw Debbie's post - her creation is OVER THE TOP beautiful. So why chuckle you ask - well I chuckle because she used the Bride and Groom. Over the weekend I had started the creating of the card for this post - guess which images I used? Yep, you've got it - the Bride and Groom - LOL! And yes, I was begging Karen Lockhart for this groom, so please buy it - LOL! I absolutely am thrilled with how well this couple fits together - they truly do compliment one another.

It's the season for wedding preparations. With all the summertime weddings coming up it is now, that many brides (and grooms) are working eagerly towards getting ready for their big day. So why not start thinking of how you will surprise them with something hand-made on their wedding day.

Weddings typically have a soft edge to them and so in thinking through this creation I felt that I wanted to use simple Pergamano techniques to create an ethereal feeling to the image. I began by stamping the groom using Palette New Canvas ink on the Parchment Paper. To get my placement exact on the bride I did the exact same thing as Debbie - I pulled out my Stamp-a-ma-jig. It is a tool I just can't live without being I always like to stamp with precision.

To bring out the softness of the white stamped image I used a combination of two different embossing stylus - both the fine stylus and extra small ball. Once the image is dry I flip it over on to the specially designed embossing pad and draw over the stamped outline using these fine-tipped stylus. Once completed I then colored the image on this side with Copic markers. Copics work SO well on Parchment paper - they truly allow you to get a watercolor like feel to your images.

When teaching stamping classes as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator there were two ink pads I always recommended to a beginning stamper - one was black and the other was VersaMark. The subtle watermark or color tone change that occurs on most cardstocks when you stamp an image using this particular ink pad is subtle, yet distinct. I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that Memory Box Cardstock is made completely different then cardstock that is colored all the way through and therefore VersaMark does NOT leave a watermark on Memory Box Notecards or Cardstock. So for this creation I used Certainly Celery cardstock from Stampin' Up!

As you can see from the finished creation inking the Scalloped Lace Backgrounder with VersaMark and stamping on cardstock leaves a beautiful, monochromatic impression.

This beautiful addition allowed me to create a simple card with a lot of WOW factor. The window was cut and embossed using a rectangular Nestability, and white pearls were affixed to help complete that "wedding-like" feeling.

Now for my storage tip Ü I have taken a few pictures to share how it is that I am storing my backgrounders. First I run the paper insert that comes with the backgrounder through my Xyron machine - laminating both sides of the insert.

I then remove the backing on the backgrounder and attach it to the back of this insert as shown below.

When I ink my stamp I just leave my backgrounder on this laminate covered piece and lay it face down on my work surface, tapping the ink pad evenly over the entire backgrounder.

Place your cardstock on your background in the desire location as shown below.

I then flip the scrap paper that I am working on over the top of this "sandwich", lightly holding the card in place.

Next I gently rub my hand over the entire surface. Lift and remove.

Look how beautiful and crisp the image is Ü Thank you to Julie Ebersole for the wonderful tip of using the scrap paper I am working with - no longer do I go running around looking for a scrap piece of typing paper when I am getting ready to use my backgrounds - LOL!

Being that I know others like to feel the stamp in their hand we do have an alternative for those who prefer this method. We have found a beautiful acrylic block that is just the right size for use with backgrounders and other large stamps.

Having the ruler grid allows me to easily line the stamp up perfectly. As well the finger grip positions make it more comfortable to use.

I have a rather small hand - 8" from tip of my thumb to the tip of my pinky when my hand is fully stretched open. I can still control these blocks due to the finger grips that are in place.

Another method for those who already own wood mounted backgrounds that have a decal in place on the front is to remove the backing on the Smart Cushion or EZmount stamps and temporarily affix it to the face of a wood mounted background. Once you have finished stamping clean the stamp, remove it and place it back on to your storage surface.

One last little bit of information that I would like to share in regards to storing Smart Cushion or EZ mount is extremely important.

Please Note: It is not recommended that you store any of your Smart Cushion/EZMount Stamps on Acetate Sheets. Acetate is made with chemicals that will react with the Smart Cushion/EZMount and any other cling cushion type product, making an almost permanent bond between it and the cling. Acetate products include transparencies and many binder inserts. Laminate sheeting is not supposed to have the same effects and therefore the reason I am really excited about being able to use my Xyron for this purpose.

Well, it is time to crawl into bed. I hope that you enjoy my version of the bride and groom as much as I have enjoyed Debbie's! Be certain to take a peek - her watercoloring is incredible! Thanks for stopping by and be certain to read my post of two days ago for a little surprise at the end - you have one more day Ü

Sittin' Comfy

I am loving your guesses, but so far no one has even come remotely close. The Heidi Swapp masks have been in my store for at least a month and I love my Distress Inks, but I hadn't thought about carrying those - hmmm, perhaps I should. But this is something I love even more than masks and ink Ü I have once again used this new product again tonight.

I have always been intrigued with adirondack chairs - they are so comfy looking and to sit in them with a glass of lemonade and a good book is a very relaxing thought.

I have been doing a little thinking about trends lately and was a little surprised to read that neon colors will be resurfacing again this year in a much bigger way. So I thought perhaps a bold "neon" colored chair might be appealing. Being that the Lockhart stamp has a very folk-like feeling to it I didn't want this chair to completely jump off the paper - I wanted it to look aged - distressed. I pondered for a bit as to how I might achieve that look.

I began by coloring the chair, flowers, pot, and grass with Copic markers. I started with intense, bright colors, but then I added a little pale olive to the neon blues I had colored the chair with just to add the feeling of rusticity. Next I created a reverse Eclipse mask as shown below. As you can see only the chair remains visible behind this mask. Everything else is covered. To cut out such fine detail I stamp my image on the Eclipse tape and then adhere it to my Magnetic Precision Mat and use my Retractable Blade Craft Knife  to cut the image out. This knife allows me to get in to the tiniest of places. Then using the Weathered Wood backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms I overstamped the chair using Antique LInen Distress Ink. This gave the chair a wonderful used feel.

Here is another view of the project in progress.

I felt at this point it was still a little stark and wanted to add color to the background. I used the other portion of the mask and placed it back over my chair and did a little airbrushing as shown below.

Airbrushing from the right side allowed me to control the spray so that it did not hit the flower pot, thus giving a brighter look to the lower right corner. I then removed this portion of the mask and using my Colorless Blender added clouds to the sky.

Just a few added touches of linen and thread brings that rustic feel back to this bold, bright card.

Keep those guesses coming girls - I can hardly wait to debut this new product on Monday!

Masked Love

Surprises are coming and I am wondering if any of you might figure out what we will be adding to our line of products over the weekend based on what has been used in the project below! This is a brand new product for us and I am thrilled to be carrying this product! I can hardly wait to spill the beans, so stay tuned and hopefully before Monday I will be able to share our latest excitement with all of you Ü

I'll take one of the guesses out of the equation though - it's not the additional Copic markers we are all waiting for. I am hoping that these will arrive this next week as well, but I have been hoping that for a LONG time now and therefore I am no longer holding my breath for fear of fainting - LOL!

I also want to let you know that we are making progress on the Scalloped Heart Nestabilities. The design has been redone and sent off - Spellbinders is hoping to have them in within the next two weeks. We have sent out an email to all of our customers who have ordered this product through us - if you have not received an email from us please let us know ASAP - we hope we didn't miss any of you. We will be sending another email out shortly with how and when it is that we are going to get this new improved product to you Ü

Masking and airbrushing - what a cool combination this is! I have fallen in love with creating some of my own background papers by combining masking, airbrushing and stamping.

In creating this card I made a couple of discoveries that have nothing to do with masking though. The first is that the Urban Couture ribbon line looks fabulous with the Memory Box Enlighten paper series. Secondly, I discovered that it is fun to color over patterned paper with Copic markers. I stamped the Lock Heart on patterned paper so that it would tie the color scheme together, but realized that some of the detail disappeared in to the pattern. By highlighting the special features of the stamp with just a light touch of marker it emphasized them just enough to bring those details to the forefront. The little key is made by Jolee - I picked some up to put in the store, but of course they aren't up yet - LOL! Could I please have just a little more time in my day, so that I could get all these things done?

Of course I forgot to take pictures of the background as I created it and so I needed to recreate the key steps to share with you for the pictures below. For the card above I used the Newsprint alphabet and for the examples below I used the Damask mask.

The first thing I would like to remind you to do is to lightly tap your finger tips over the entire sticky surface of the mask before adhering it to your project. This is important being that the masks are SO sticky they might pull your paper surface off if you attach them directly to your project first. Be certain not to overdue this step though being you want it to still stick to your project.

Lightly stick the mask on to your paper by pressing it down gently all over. I then selected a pink Copic marker in a darker value of the pink color and airbrushed over the entire piece.

Upon completion remove the mask and adhere it back to it's "plastic-like" surface so that you can reuse it for your next project. Also don't try taking pictures with your right hand as you spray with your left simultaneously, or you will get a "hot-spot" like I did as shown above - LOL!

If you do not own an airbrush please do not hesitate to try this technique. Instead what you will do is select an ink pad that is a slightly darker value of the color of cardstock you have selected.

Then using the Ink Blending Tool pick up color from the ink pad and smudge and smooth it over the entire surface with a smooth motion. The results are slightly more mottled, but this is a fun effect as well.

I finished the project off by using the Spanish Script backgrounder from CHF, a little piercing, ribbon and accent paper. Another idea that you could spin off of this project would be to write out the sentiment "i heart u" (using the Lock Heart as the heart). What other ideas do you have that you would like to share?

Well put your thinking caps on and get ready - what do you think it is that I have fallen in love with this time? I can hardly wait to share our exciting news!

XO

"XO" - the universal sign for Hugs and Kisses. What could be more appropriate for Valentines then a play off of this favorite set of symbols?

To create the "letters" for these symbols I began with the "O". Using an old Stampin' Up! copper tag I removed the paper insert. Next the Folk Heart was stamped using Palette Burnt Umber. I selected this ink pad because it is waterproof and I really felt the "need" to watercolor - LOL! There are so many different mediums one can use to watercolor, but in this case I decided to us my Stampin' Up! Watercolor Wonder and Lyra Crayons. Using the small tip of the waterbrush allows me to pick the color up off the crayon itself and then fill in the little details on this stamp.

The letter "X" is from one of the We R Memory Keepers chipboard collections - these are an awesome value for the dollar. First I sanded the letter to remove the pattern it comes printed with. I then painted it with off white acrylic paint, let it dry and lightly sanded it again to create a more distressed look that would coordinate with the Basic Grey Blush papers I had selected. Judikins makes some fun background stamps and I used their Paisley to stamp the letter to coordinate with the overall look I was hoping to achieve.

The card base is a Memory Box Pink notecard with a scalloped accent cut from Vanilla Bean and a complimenting band from the Blush pad. The fibers are coordinating Basic Grey Blush fibers and the sparkley brads are from KI Memories.

Thanks for stopping by today and send some XO's this Valentine's season.

Dress It Up Valentine

Bells and whistles went off in my head when I saw Sharon Harnist's gorgeous "beribboned" (is that even a word?) creation on her blog the other day. It reminded me so much of the Southern Living "Dress It Up" collection that I believe is now retired and how I need to remember to look to home accents for inspiration - there is so much out there just begging to be translated in to card format. I knew I just had to make a card using the new Hearts and Scalloped Hearts with this design - I just loved it too much. So here is my version of a "Dress It Up" Nestie Heart.

Valentine's are mostly pink, but the soft yellow just seemed like the right touch with the new Basic Grey Two Scoops paper.

I have heard that some of you are having trouble with your dies slipping and so I thought I would share once again how it is that I use the dies and magnetic plate in hopes of helping you. I guess I really need to learn how to make those videos - but I just haven't had the time to learn, so hopefully these photos will do the trick.

To begin with I have cut my magnetic placement mat to be the same size as the white spacer plate. This seems to help me keep things perfectly aligned. I then lay the master plate on the table, followed by the white spacer plate and then the magnetic placement mat. I place my dies in to location precisely as I would like them cut - they "snap" to the magnetic placement mat and have held firmly in place. I do not lift the magnetic placement mat without having a solid surface such as the white spacer plate beneath it. If you do lift it alone it will bend and move your dies.

Next make certain that the edges of the magnetic mat are aligned with the edges of the white spacer plate.

Then place your paper atop this stack pattern side, or right side, facing down. Top this sandwich with your second master plate and send it through the Wizard.

One tip that might be helpful is to note the position of your die on the master plate before sending it through. I typically have the thickest portion of the sandwich towards the back and start my sandwich with the end that does not have as many ingredients. Note how most of my ingredients are towards the bottom of the plate. This allows for the machine to get a good grasp on your plates without shifting the product that is within. I believe that some of the shifting that may be occuring is due to the force that is placed on your sandwich. If the thick part of the sandwich is right at the start the machine may be shifting your layers within. I wish I could observe others working first hand so that I might be able to better figure this out and give better tips.

After passing through the machine I can then lift my plate and the dies are lightly embedded in to the master plate or still attached to the magnetic plate. If embedded in the master plate I use my fingernail to lift the die out, and then flip it back over on to the magnetic placement mat as shown below.

Once again note how the thicker part of the sandwich is located towards the bottom end of my master plate - the end that enters the die cut machine first has minimal product located there.

The detail of your heart should be crisp and clean.

To complete I flipped the heart over and made light pencil marks to locate where I would punch my holes and then using my crop-a-dile punched those holes, threaded a beautiful silk ribbon through them, backed it with yet another patterned paper from the Two Scoops collection, added my sentiment, dew drops and piercing.

I hope these pictures might help some of you with your shifting problem. I would love to see how you "Dress Up" your nestie creations Ü Link me up in the comment section below :D

Reflections and Goals

2008... WOW - how can it really be? It was only yesterday that we brought in the year 2007. As I sit here and reflect on this past year of creating there are many things that run through my mind. Never did I realize how little discoveries would bring such change to some areas of this crafting industry. In setting goals for this new year I had to ask myself what I was proud of accomplishing this past year in hopes that it would lead me to what I would like to pursue business-wise this next year.

I am thrilled with how much you all love the Nestabilities. Being an integral part in the design of these little tools is something I am tremendously proud of. For those of you who didn't realize it, this was in a big way part of my brainchild, so if you don't like them please don't tell me - LOL! OK, so I'm just kidding. It is important for me to hear the negatives as well as the positives so that I can continue towards creating things that really "work". To know that you all appreciate the value, versatility and creative options these offer makes me grin from ear to ear. Knowing how much you appreciate these makes me want to strive to achieve other products that will utilize these three qualities.

My next "baby" this year was the COPIC markers. To see the response that has evolved just blows my mind. Research and education are such an important part of who it is that I am. So it once again thrills me to know that I have had a part in bringing a fabulous tool to the papercrafting community. Sometimes there are things out there just waiting to be discovered - they are there, they have been around for many years, but no one really knows about it, being that it's from another "arena". This quality product is a joy to work with and I believe that we are just beginning to discover the beauty we can create with these special tools. I look forward to the year ahead and hope for more time to create, share and educate.

So this brings me to a couple of my goals for this coming year - I hope to continue to keep on designing and innovating things that will be useful in your arsenal of crafting tools, I hope to keep educating you as to how to use the products we are involved with, as well as share more of my design education with you all and we hope to continue to provide you with the best customer service humanly possible.

So with that I would like to bring in the new year by celebrating - I would like to celebrate each of you. My life is made so much more special each and every day by YOU. The messages you send to me, to all of us here at Ellen Hutson LLC brighten our days - they make us want to work even harder for you and give you the best that we have. They bring smiles to our faces - YOU are special and I would like to celebrate you to begin the start of the year 2008!

Just a brief note about this card so that it makes a little more sense. Try turning your Inchies in to an Inchie clip - what a fun way to hold a group of papers together, or put a magnet on the back and attach those notes to your fridge in a much more appealing manner. Be certain to tell the recipient of your card that they need to use their Inchie - LOL!

"Cheers to you - thank you all for being here with me!"

Inchie Pendant

My first Inchie!!! I am so excited to finally have made one and am able to share it with you :D You know how when you hear of a new idea how excited you get to try it out and put your own spin on it. Well, this little creation has been nestled in my brain for some time and tonight I finally had the opportunity to give it a whirl. I'm quite excited with how it turned out. What I also find so exciting is that I actually sat down and finished this project in a snap - WOWIE, that's a first in a long time - LOL!

I have been acquiring tools over the last few weeks to help make this an easier process and I hope to share those with you soon. Everything seems to take me forever, especially at this time of year - LOL!

To being with I have a possible recipient in mind for this little creation. I'm not certain yet whether she will like it and so I need to get some input from a few important people first. This wonderful lady loves birds and red - thus the beginnings of this creation. I began with an old book page. I stamped the Itty Bitty Birds on it using Adirondack Pitch Black Ink. I then colored the birds using Copics, Prismacolor Color Pencils and a Spica Glitter Pen. I made a 1" square template out of clear plastic to act as my positioning and tracing guide, so that I could get my little creation cut out in just the right spot. It is so helpful to have this little "tool" to help guide in "finding" your place on a stamped image. I will photograph it in the next project I create - I forgot this go round because I was having way too much fun. After tracing and cutting out my 1" square I adhered it to a 1" chipboard square using Matte Perfect Paper Adhesive. This adhesive is perfect for this job being it doesn't soak the paper. I'm guessing that most any white, clear drying glue would work well though. I then embellished the "nail heads" and sides with a gold leaf pen.

The base layer was created using another piece of chipboard, a Lettuce Dabber, Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, the Millinery Holiday Embellishment stamp and some gold Rub 'n Buff. My beading skills leave a lot to be desired, but it seems that the little "dangley" did work on the bottom.

In seeing this project in it's GIMUNGO size on the screen I am thinking that next time I might try sanding the text down a little first so that it isn't so dominant. What do you think???

So yet another way that you can share Inchies with your friends Ü They could use this as a pendant or hang it as an ornament on their Christmas tree. Maybe I'll give that one a try if I decide that this isn't quite the right gift after all. I hope you like this latest twist - there are many more ideas to come, so stay tuned and I'll try and "Inch" my way along being that slow and steady seems to be my way.

Oh what fun it is...

...to stamp, with a dear, sweet friend of mine. (sung to Jingle Bells) It has been far too long since I just stamped and explored, and... There is this wonderful woman who I am so lucky to call my friend. Mona Lisa once again drove down this weekend to spend a day with me. It was so fabulous having her here!!! I just hope and pray she doesn't get this awful cold of mine. Unfortunately as with all good things it just didn't last long enough.

Lis brought ALL kinds of toys along with her and we began to share. She shared her Ranger product knowledge with me and I shared my Copic coloring knowledge with her. Let me tell you - I LOVE Ranger products - LOL! Lisa also had her fabulous new CHF Backgrounders and Kim Hughes stamps along with her and so we went in to a stamping frenzy. Hopefully I will get these projects completed that I have started and be able to share them all with you over time. Tonight I'll start with the first three.

The first card I created uses the adorable owl that Kim drew. It is over the top - oh so cute!!! I began by showing Lisa how I color using the Copics - I started with the body and eyes of the owl and then inspiration hit. Lisa had shared the new Ranger Crackle paint effects with me moments earlier and that twig was just screaming at me to give it a try. What I learned is that when you spread a thin layer of the paint on your project you get tiny cracks, when you spread a thick layer you get larger cracks and thus came about the twig branch. I painted on the first layer very lightly and then gooped it on to the areas that I wanted to have a larger crackled effect. I also added a little to Mr. Owl so that he would have some texture as well. The paint colors coordinate with Tim Holtz's distress inks - they are several shades lighter than the ink. Thus when they dry you can easily apply the distress ink to really make those cracks jump out at you. Being that they weren't exactly corresponding with the Copic colors I had used I also added in a little YR24 to bring the branch colors a little closer to the colors I had started with, so that it would coordinate a little better.

In putting the card together I needed a "moon", I tried a number of things - pearls, twinkle stickers, when Lis suggest Page Pebbles. Ahhh yes - I colored the Page Pebble with my Copics and had the perfect little embellishment in just the right color.

The wonderful corner circle was made using Lisa's new Lined Paper Backgrounder - can I tell you how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that one! I kid you not that I stamped off a good dozen of these in pink and blue for upcoming projects. Guess what will be in my possession SOON Ü

Sorry about getting carried away with the airbrush - moral of the story - watch what you are doing when using this - don't try and do two things at once - LOL! The shape of course was created using the Classic Scalloped Circle Nestability and the ribbon color adjusted slightly with that same Copic marker I used on the Page Pebble.

Now Miss Lisa teased me at this point because it took me hours to complete this one little project. But this is what else I was doing Ü

When I actually stamp my little Katrina likes to join in - especially when Miss Lisa is around Ü Kim's little critters are over the top adorable and Katrina just had to participate! So we have this series of three - the bunny is day time, the kitty is sunset and the puppy is night time (you can't see all the wonderful Glitter Pen stars she added to the sky). So see - it was worth the long drawn out project after all - I had one VERY happy little girl and she now has a special card to share with someone someday soon. I think she would love to hear from you - being that her eyes got huge when I asked if I could share her card on my blog Ü and she exclaimed in a voice of wonder - you mean it will be seen all over the world!!! So needless to say I think I need to get these little cuties for her.

The next card is inspired by Kim Hughes - her "style" is so distinctive, and I love it - I do believe that she likes the Hambly overlays Ü Am I right Miss Kim? So I created my own overlay using the new Grid Background. This is another oh so me background - it takes me back to my years of interior design and all the drafting I spent hours doing on this surface. Yes, another background I can't live without!!!

The snowman followed in fun flock, but alas it just was not dark enough to hold his own. So I repeated it in white embossing powder and voila - there he is just right! A few twinkle stickers, another background (this time Spanish Script) at an angle over the now gone Figgy Pudding paper (boy did I LOVE that collection!) and some Lily Kate ribbon and this project was complete.

Now Lis was bookin' along making card, after card, after card - putting me to shame - LOL! This is the reason for her productivity. Lisa said something that got my attention, "This is one of the most inspirational books I have seen in forever!" The layouts, colors, coloring - I just need to try these. So I decided to share with you a project that I have completed taken from the pages of Dave's incredible book. This topic is in regards to blending three or more shades. In this lesson area of the book I selected a monochromatic scene to replicate. I wanted to show Valentine's with a twist Ü Who would think of a blue Valentine other than myself - LOL! Aren't Valentine's supposed to be pink or red? hee, hee

First I stamped Kim's tree and mailbox. I then added my hillside using the Copic Multiliner .3 - this was the best size to scale with Kim's images. I used my Copic markers and blender pen to create this beautiful blue background, I did top it off with just a hint of Prismacolor color pencils to bring out the texture of the Arturo paper, a little Spica Glitter Pen in Sky Blue and Red to add that hint of WOW and then just adhered it to a beautiful blue notecard - what a simple card to create, yet it has a ton of impact due to the icy colors. I almost put the sentiment "Frosty Greetings", "It's cold here without you!" or "Messages from you Warm my Heart", but I just left it alone being that I LOVE the simplicity of this design and I wanted to follow Dave's idea in a more "true" manner.

I hope you enjoy this little adventure we shared and I do have some other wonderful ideas I hope to share with you as well over time. 'Tis the season to be busy right now, the kids will be out of school after tomorrow and my cold is still hammering away at my head. But creativity got to be a part of my weekend and for that I am so thankful to Lis for! You are such an incredible friend my sweet Lisa!!!

If you have managed to read all the way here to the bottom - I must share that Debbie (Inchie Cards), Mish (Holiday Treats and ways to present them), Trudee (Cards), Sharon (Toile Lamp Shade) and Cindy (Amazing soldered jewelry with step by step directions!) have once again created projects that will truly INSPIRE!!! These ladies are so incredibly talented and they have blown my socks off yet again these past few days! So be certain to visit their blogs and leave them comments on their projects when you get the opportunity.

Tim's Tag Inspired

It's the talk of the town, or perhaps better said - the internet. Tim Holtz has a blog and he has WOW'ed us all with his amazing tags!!! Tim has always inspired me with his over the top creativity, so last night I finally had an opportunity to play with the myriad of toys that I have had sitting on my shelves since (embarrassed a little here) last MAY!!!

At CHA this summer I was a lucky girl - at the very end of the show, when most everyone had already gone, Tim was just finishing up his work at the Ranger booth. My good friend Mona Lisa introduced me to Tim and I had the opportunity to "quiz" him regarding the Ranger line of products and he demonstrated several of the techniques that he is well known for. We had a wonderful conversation and he made an incredible tag which I have in my collection of things I'll keep for a LONG time - LOL!

This little beauty shimmers and shines just like Tim's smile. I couldn't believe how nice he was after being "tormented" by all of us ladies, for all those days - LOL!

So in honor of Tim's tag challenges I decided to try and create one with an Ellen twist using the Lockhart Wreathe Angel. As you all know I love to airbrush and have had this idea in my brain for a LONG time - I wanted to try the Heidi Swapp Masks with the airbrush. Well the results are great - they can be repositioned and reused - a feature I do love. My only caution is that they are REALLY sticky. My first try out I stuck it to my tag and when I pulled it off along came the paper, sticking to the back of the mask. Well needless to say I decided to try something different with the next one and took my fingers and just patted all over the sticky backs to lessen the adhesive so that I could then remove it without pulling the paper off. I also did not press them down to my paper, but just laid them in place. They quickly adhere and that's when I sprayed.

The tag is a small manila one. I didn't have any of those lovely gimungo ones that Tim has. Can you believe that one? I guess it's time for another shopping trip Ü I positioned a couple of the leaves on the manila tag and then airbrushed using COPIC Sketch Marker Y63. I then spritzed with my special "Tim Concoction". I will share that below at the end of my post. After removing the masks I then very lightly airbrushed the entire tag once again just to add a hint of green to the leaf sections. I colored the angel with Prismacolor pencils and Copics after adding the embossed details to her dress. Copic Spica Glitter pen highlights were added to the ribbons and her hair. I used a Copic marker to change the color of the tag "circle".

Next I added dimension to the background paper by once again placing my masks on the Crimson paper. My secret to spraying in my craft area is this big box. I can tell you that my first spritz was not a pretty thing - LOL! I actually was holding my mini mister sideways and - a big OOPS! Needless to say I learned my lesson and now use a box instead.

Unfortunately you can not even begin to see the beauty of this paper. Talk about bling!!! I know that Glimmer Mist is the talk of the town and I am assuming that it is a "concoction" very similar to Tim's. What I love about Tim's recipe is that I have LOADS of product remaining to mix in other fun and funky ways, as well as a little pot of "bling" that still calls my name for other techniques I hope to share over time. (Or you can just stay tuned at Tim's blog - I'm guessing he will share all sorts of wonders with you all as well, being these products are his "babies"!)

So following is a simple "Tim Concoction". I use a clear mini mister so that I can see what is in each little spritzer. To this I add some color wash and Perfect Pearls. For this particular project I mixed Red Pepper Color Wash with Perfect Gold Perfect Pearls. Tim demonstrates on his blog how he has used a popsicle stick to add the Perfect Pearls to the bottle. I have a teeny, tiny spoon that I like to use. A little goes a long way. The result is oh SO Christmasy! I'm going to share a little secret with you regarding this month's Stamp of the Month project - I sprayed my flowers and background paper with this mixture too Ü The shimmer that these projects have just can't be captured with my elementary photography techniques.

A little piercing, some gold glass beads, a hammered brad (yet another cool Tim Technique and Tool), some Tarnished Gold Embossing Powder and my Tim inspired project is complete.

I hope that you have a relaxing weekend even though the holiday season is in full-swing. Take some time out to breath and create if possible and enjoy some wonderful Christmas music as you create. I have Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong playing in the background. Her voice is magical and just makes me feel warm inside.

ETA: I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind you all that once again Nichole is going to blow your socks off with her latest stamp sets - they unveil tonight. I would also like to thank Nichole for being such an absolute delight to work with!!! It is with sadness and yet a sigh of relief that I share with you that I will no longer be a part of PaperTrey's design team. As you all know my life has been VERY full this past year and it is becoming increasingly busier with each passing day. It is so important to try and maintain some sort of sanity and reduce the deadline stress load. It is so wonderful to have relationships with other women who do what I do and I look forwards to supporting Nichole and what it is that she does in the years ahead. Her talents never cease to amaze me. Thank you Nichole!

2 - Hip to be Square

It's funny how when I think those words I start humming the tune, but this has nothing to do with Huey Lewis' song "Hip to be Square". It has to do with "Inchies". I have learned that "Inchies" are hip right now, or they are becoming "hip" - so it IS "hip to be square."

Karen asked me one day, "Have you heard of Inchies?" I was totally confused - was she talking like inches in a foot, or inch worms, or... I replied - "ummm, no - I don't think so." So then she explained and my mind just went bouncy with ideas. Inchies - what are they?

Well they are just that, little 1"x1" squares. Create them...trade them...collect them.

They are a smaller version of ATC's I guess you might say. The fun thing is to see what can be done with such a little, teenie, tiny canvas. There is something about items that are gigantic or itty bitty - they seem to really grab your attention.

So Karen started creating "Inchies" and yep, they grabbed my attention. The picture you are viewing is huge compared to this little Inchie - but I thought I would share one of the many fabulous Inchies tonight that Karen has created. Over the next weeks and months we hope to share a lot more and have fun playing with these Itty Bitty canvases. These birds are from the new Lockhart images being released this Friday. They are the Itty Bitty Birds not the mongo sized ones that appear here - LOL!

The basics go as follows - Create them:

• begin with a 1" x 1" square (typically chipboard). You can use cardstock, fabric and I've even seen glass, metal and plastic. The only rule is that the surface needs to be 1"x1". I like chipboard being the depth of the chipboard makes these fun to hold in your hand and stablizes them making them a little more substantial.
• decorate your square using anything you like - you can stamp it, collage it, doodle or draw it, add words, texture, frames, epoxy tiles, decorative papers, old book pages, definitions, Diamond glaze or Crystal Effects, glitter, liquid applique, teeny tiny bellies such as pearls, tiny brads, buttons, pin heads, fibers - the list is endless - if you think of something cool - try it.
• put your initials someplace on the front of the inchie.
• optional: add a magnet to the back. Magnetic tape works great and if you want that powerful snap there are many awesome magnets on the market now, but please keep those away from small children. These little canvases are so bright, colorful and appealing to little hands and mouths alike.

Trade them:

• put together little swap groups, (or big swap groups if you are brave - LOL)
• make them at a baby shower to complete a little piece of artwork for the babies room,
• make a series of inchies to commemorate the birth of your child - make the number of inchies equal the length in inches your little one was at birth,
• make puzzle games to set on your coffee table,
• send them to a secret sister,
• what about an "inchilada party" come the new year when the doldrums set in,
• leave suggestions in the comments box if you have other fun ideas that you would like to share with the stamping world.

Collect them:

• start a little journal. When you receive an inchie immediately put a little number on the back and add it to your journal book. Use this number to remember who your inchie is from and when it was that you received it. If you are anything like me this is essential - I can't believe how easily I forget these days. EVERYTHING has to be written down - LOL!
• display them in a frame,
• or sit them on a scrabble tile tray,
• place them on a magnetic board
• if you are shabby choose a "shabby" old surface, if you are contemporary - keep it slick and clean. Get creative as to how you would like to view/display your inchies.

The first "How-To Inchie" I will present to you tonight is a very special inchie that was created by Karen.

I thank her from the bottom of my heart for "rescueing" me today. I knew I was in trouble last night when I just ached from head to toe from the coughing. After a quick visit to the doctor's office this morning it was confirmed - yep, bronchitis. So needless to say my creativity is more than zapped. Karen drove these over to me today so that I could take pictures of them and share them with you being that I just didn't have it in me to make anything inchie worthy today.

Just a brief synopsis of how Karen put this together. She began with the smooth white surface and drew the little trees in using the Copic Multiliner .03. This is the pen that she creates all of her rubber stamps with and thus the scale works beautifully with her images. Step two - shows the initial layer of color - this was added using Copic markers. Step three - more color is added using Prismacolor color pencils. This brings out the texture in the paper. Step four - Nicholas is added on a pop dot. Step five - bling it up baby - the remaining surface is covered in an ultrafine mix of glitters that just make it shimmer and shine.

Now this is the part where it gets awesome! Karen has made 30 of these for us to give away to the first 30 individuals who place an order for $30 or more of Lockhart Stamp Company images after they are released at Midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning. We are calling it our 30 for $30 giveaway. Unfortunately there is no way for us to let you know whether or not you will be the recipient of one of these goodies until your box arrives on your doorstep. I wish I could figure out a way to do this so that you would know immediately, but my mind is completely braindead at this point. Surprises are always fun though - right?!?

So place your order for at least $30 worth of Lockhart Stamps as soon as possible Thursday midnight/Friday morning after the new stamps appear on our website and if you are one of the first thirty then one of these special little treats will be yours.

I can envision these hanging as an ornament on a tree. Think of these in a cube/box format - over the top - WOW! Tomorrow I will be adding links to a few other galleries where some incredibly talented women will be putting Inchies on display - so keep coming back to find where those links lead Ü

I am also working on a post that will share a little more about who we are - yes, a little more about Karen Lockhart, the women behind the scenes (Beth, Malin and Malena) who help me right here each and every day, the incredible team of women who are our current business associates (Debbie, Michelle and Trudee), and then top it off by sharing our excitement as we announce two new colleagues that are going to assist us in sharing how to use the Lockhart Stamp Company images in innovative ways. So stay tuned for more exciting things to come!

Remember 1 inch + 1 inch = 1 inchie = fun! Watch out they will inch their way into your heart Ü

3 - Baby Love

Mark your calendars for this Friday, November 30 starting at 12:01 a.m. - you can visit our home page for more details about our upcoming Anniversary Sale.

We will once again keep the action flowing here on our blog and hope to announce some fun new ideas and special "gifts" to you over the next few days. Don't forget to leave a message on yesterday's post! The Nestabilitiy Scalloped Hearts are way cool and I want each and every one of you to have an opportunity to win them Ü There is more to come though :D

Before I begin I want to answer the question many of you have asked - why are there duplicate standard circles in the Complete Classic Circle and Complete Petite Circle sets? Well the answer to that is - the standard circle works with both sets. Some people prefer the Classic Scallop for the larger scallop - there are 22 bumps around the circumference. Others prefer the Petite Scallop which has 37 bumps and therefore a more delicate look. Being it is a better price to purchase all four dies that coordinate together we did not want to have either selection feel short changed if only purchasing one set. Now if you decide that you need both the Classic Scallops AND the Petite Scallops then please do not duplicate ordering Complete sets for both. Only order one complete set and then the Large and Small Scallops from the other set separately. You will note that in the Gotta Have It All it includes only one of the Standard Circle Large and Small dies. We tried to think of the best way to package these and this is what we were able to come up with. Hopefully this makes sense - again we did this in hopes of making certain that we gave you the best value available when purchasing either set.

Sometimes I amaze myself. As I was thinking about what I would do with the new Baby Bib that Karen designed it dawned on me that a petal card would be really sweet, and then, hey, why not use the Nestability Petite Scalloped Circle to make it?!? Woohoo - I can't believe how a brain works - I don't know where it came from, but I'm thrilled it came.

View - Front side closed. I thought about hanging a tag from the center, but... What do you think?

View - Back side closed. Do you like that twisty feel with the Dew Drop in the center?

View - Inside of announcement.

The wonderful thing about Memory Box cardstock is that it is double-sided. One side is white and the other has the most rich, beautiful color - therefore it was easy to make this candy-cane twisty color scheme (for this card I used Sugar Plum and Cotton Candy).

The first step is to cut and emboss four scalloped circles. In this case I used the largest petite scalloped circle die. In order for the candy-cane swirl to occur I embossed two with the color face down and two with the color face up. You will see why in just a moment.

Next you need to score your circles as shown below.

I used my new desktop size Mini Scor-It for this project. I must say that it is coming in handy to have this little scoring board right on my table - I don't even have to stand-up anymore - LOL! It is more transportable than the large one and still makes the same wonderful score line. The price point is also much easier for crafters to budget for (OK, budget - I guess that's a joke :D). If you already have a large Scor-It board there really is no need for a small one, unless you go out and about a lot or want it right on your work surface as you are making your card projects. I will still use my large board for many purposes, but this one has it's advantages at times.

Using the Magnetic Precision Mat made it so easy to center the scallops and align the circles.

Attach a glue dot to the lower right hand corner and then lay down your next circle.

Note how the circles are aligning, forming a square on the score lines. Add another glue dot as shown. These glue dots keep your work from shifting on you, yet they still allow for some movement to square up your project.

I turned my circles as I was working because I am SO right-handed. This picture shows how I am alternating colors. The embossing is face down - it really adds a funky twist to the completed project.

This next step can be a little tricky. Note the corner with the glue dot - you now need to tuck that corner in UNDER the white circle to complete your pin wheel look. Square everything up and then press down on the glue dots to hold your circles in place.

To complete the project I cut a square nestability out of the Cotton Candy stamping the latest Lockhart Baby Bib image (these will be available come Friday - be certain to stop by our store for our Anniversary Sale!). Adhere this piece firmly in place - this will keep those circles from slipping. The announcement is printed on Vellum Cardstock using  2 Peas Heart's Delight font. My favorite way to adhere vellum to a project is by running it through the Xyron. NO adhesive shows through whatsoever! I love how the bib peaks through from behind the vellum. Again I thought about adding a little color to the bib, but went with simplicity instead.

Last but not least was the addition of the little "flower brads". I made these by using a couple of tiny Making Memories button brads, glue dots, Prima flowers, more glue dots and then Dew Drops. The pink Dew Drops are in the Island Blossom collection. It is so fun to see these catching on and to see what you are all doing with them. Post a comment in the area below and link back to your creations if you have the time. It would be fun to share what you have done with these little finds!

Finally a simple white shimmery cord was then wrapped circle eight style around the brads to close this little announcement. This same technique would also make awesome wedding announcements. I hope that you enjoy this little spontaneous creation and the use of the scallops to create a petal card :D See you tomorrow!

4 - Charmed, I'm sure Ü

Remember when wine glass charms became all the rage. Well there is still something about them that I adore. Perhaps it's the small, cuteness factor, or perhaps it's actually the functionality of them. In thinking about projects for the upcoming Lockhart stamp release I knew that I had to use these Itty Bitty Grapes to make one wee charm. Then the question was what to package them in. I have had these tins sitting on my shelves for some time now and have never gotten around to using them, so I figured there is no time like the "present" - LOL! Man does my head do strange things to my writing skills when stuffed to the gills - I am just so not funny - ha! ha!

OK - so I had a dickens of a time getting a decent photo of this little ensemble!!! The glass, the sparkles, the see through container lid - well needless to say I just couldn't get one with all in focus in the time I had alloted myself to complete this project, but isn't it just charming??? teehee

I began by stamping on the lid of the round magnetic container. Yep, you heard me correctly - this little container has a magnetic backing and comes with a little divider in it that I just pulled out for today's project. You can store bellies in it, or whatever. I thought wouldn't it be perfect to keep your charms within arms reach attached to your fridge door?!?

I began by placing a lid topped with paper under the clear surface of the container lid to support the acetate window. I then inked my stamp with Palette Noir ink. I love how Palette ink will stick to most anything - glass, plastic, wood, you name it. I then picked the lid up and colored the image from the back side using Copic markers. By coloring on the back side it doesn't mess with the ink of the stamped image. Tricky, nicky :D To color this image I used colors R27, R89, YG03, G85 and G99 (in these colors are hints of good things yet to come - don't go looking for all the colors we girls have been using just yet, but they will be here soon. Did you hear that Copic? :D) When coloring on acetate, glass, acrylics or any other see-through material you will find that the darker colors work much better. Experiment and see what it is that appeals to you.

Then I blinged the tin by adding oodles of Fresh Grass and Hydrangea Dew Drops. Inside I punched a piece of glittery felt and attached to the bottom of the container.

One can not have a charm container without charms, so I proceeded to pull out an old favorite. With Lucky Squirrel shrink plastic you need to sand it in opposite directions and preferably on both sides. If you only sand one side then it may curl back on itself and stick. For these little projects I just use scraps that I have dropped back in my shrink plastic folder - quick and easy! Once again I stamped on translucent shrink plastic using Palette Noir ink. I did it twice because I wanted to experiment with Copic markers as well as use my old stand-by, Prismacolor Color Pencils.

This is the part that I find REALLY confusing - I thought for certain I would have a muddied ink mess when I used the Copics to color in the grapes. As you can see for yourself they are just fine. It could be that I heat set the ink after stamping on the shrink plastic from afar so as to not "shrink the plastic", or perhaps it could be that I did stay within the lines for the most part. I did get daring on the leaves and curly-q though and they seem to be just fine. I have not been able to take a decent picture of these charms now that they have been shrunk. The big difference in appearance is that the Copic charm has a glossy sheen to it, whereas the Prismacolor one is matte. I was tickled with this concept being that now you have a choice, depending on the look you prefer.

After you finish coloring use a 1/8" Fiskars hand punch to punch a circle up by the curly-q. Then cut out your charm as shown below. The addition of this circle allows you to easily attach a jump ring to your completed charm.

As I heat the plastic I use my paper piercer to hold it in place. Otherwise I end up on my knees under my table looking for my long lost itty bitty beauty. Pictured is the matte charm - it was just a little easier to capture in a photograph.

Now on to some fun! I noticed today that all of a sudden my views jumped way up and thought to myself, I'm thinking that some blog candy might just be what they are looking for Ü... So I would love for you to post one thing about this year that has been special in your life, oh yeah - you can tell me how fabulous my project is as well - LOL! On Friday, November 30th I will then use the Random Number Generator to select a winner. So would you like to know what you can receive? The winner of this post will receive these. Yes, that's right - I "heart" you all!

P.S. The Nestabilities have arrived :D :D :D - here's to hoping that we have enough to last through the weekend!

5 - Sniffles, Sneezes and Coughing, oh my

Here we go Ü Tonight begins the countdown to our One Year Anniversary sale. So with that I would like to share that for three days, November 30th through December 2nd, we will have a storewide sale of 15% off everything in the store.

This time round the sale will be first come, first serve. If we run out of an item we will not be putting it up for preorder. There are two reasons for this. First is because I know how disappointed you would all be if you do not receive that special item in time for the holiday season and unfortunately I think we will probably run out of some items. I just have no idea when those products will become available again. I have tried so hard to be certain that we are well supplied, but it seems almost impossible to predict. We have our Nestabilities arriving this week, but unfortunately what we have arriving is what we will have until sometime towards the-end of December. Spellbinders has more on order, but unfortunately they will more than likely not be here in time for the holiday season. Then there is Copic - we are still waiting, patiently (and sometimes not so patiently - LOL) waiting for the new Stampin' Up! coordinating color sets, as well as the glitter pens and current colors. If by some miracle they arrive we will put them up, but I'm not crossing my fingers at this point. There is just no telling when the Copic products will arrive and if they will arrive. I try so hard to "know" and yet there just are no good answers.

The second reason for not doing preorders is because it was a true nightmare for us on this end the last time round Ü Trying to stay on top of the preorders during the last sale was a true test of perserverance and organization. At times I really wondered if I would loose my sanity - LOL! I thank you in advance for your understanding and I hope that I was able to make a fairly good estimate as to what we need in our warehouse and that we won't run out of anything.

So now for the fun stuff!

Tonight's project wasn't the one I was going to start with, but this cold that set in on Thanksgiving has really hit hard. I just couldn't help myself being that I believe I have used an entire box of tissues already and so tonight I present one of the images and sayings that Karen has added to her line this season. Being that cold season is upon us the timing of these images could not be more perfect - ha! ha!

The little tissue box comes with the tissues drawn in place, but I just slit the top and inserted some real tissues for "effect". I then added the sentiment - it just cracks me up!

As you can see I have highlighted my personal predicaments with Twinkle Stickers - I am both sneezie AND wheezie - thank goodness I'm not queezie - LOL!

To kick off the countdown I thought I would share how I create boxes for "custom" sized products, in this case the cute little tissues. I begin by measuring the item I want to enclose - the tissues were 2 1/4" wide x 4 1/4" long x 7/8" high.

Next I take an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock and start scoring. Perhaps I am rather odd in that I don't figure this all out on paper first, but I just visualize how it is that the item will fit inside the box and begin. I have posted the picture below so that you can see how easy it is to create your score lines in the correct position if you use the centering ruler on the Scor-It board.

I have added little black lines to the score lines so that they show up a little better. The diagram below will hopefully help make this a little easier to understand as well.

I begin on the right side of the paper and score my lines moving from right to left. The first 1/2" is what you will always need to use to have a surface to adhere your box shape together. Next comes the height of the object you are making the container for. I always make it slightly bigger than the starting size - for example my tissues were 7/8" so I rounded up to 1". By aligning my first score line with the 1" mark on the Scor-It board you will be in just the right spot - score your line. The next measurement is the width of the object - the tissues were 2 1/4", again I rounded up this time to 2 1/2". Move your paper over so the score line now lines up with the 2 1/2" mark and score again. Repeat the height and width one more time and you have completely surrounded your object. Cut off the remaining paper along the final score line.

Next you need to make the height work. For the flaps I decided on 3/4" to tuck in on the ends. So I began with the 3/4" tuck-in, then added the 1" for the height of the tissues. Then comes the length of the item. In this case the tissues were 4 1/4" and so I rounded up to 4 1/2". Another 1" for the tissue height and another 3/4" flap and you have the correct amount of paper for your project.

The measurements need to be slightly larger than the actual product size so that it is not difficult to fit your gift in to the box upon completion.

Next I cut off the excess paper. Using my magnetic placement mat, metal edged ruler and retractable blade cutting knife I remove the "corners" leaving only the body and flaps.

One tip I have is to cut just inside of the score line, rather than in the center of the score line. This will help your box fit together better. I used a corner rounder to clip the flaps. Stamped and embossed the Millinery Ribbon, Rose then pierced on either side.

Red liner tape is the absolute best for holding boxes together. Attach the tape to the flap and secure the box. Spiffy it up with a little ribbon and you have the best looking tissues in town :D

I hope that this little project can be used by many of you to create gift boxes this holiday season and that not too many of them will enclose tissues Ü!

Christmas Pennant Banner

At Summer CHA banners abounded everywhere. Each had it's own personality. Then Karen Lockhart created a fall banner for her darling grandson Nicholas, and I was totally enamoured. I thought that it would be fun to create a kit that would put all the necessary components together in to one package, including directions and enough product to make it the same as what I have done or to add your own twist and personality to it.

Cosmo Cricket products are some of my favorite and so I choose the versatile "Be Good" line to piece together this kit. I think that the colors look so awesome next to a brick or wood fireplace. I can also see this pennant banner strung across the face of an old mirror, or over an open doorway. Including the ribbon this pennant extends approximately 48" in length.

In creating this banner I did use my Janome sewing machine for the very first time! Oh what fun it is to sew so simply. I highly recommend this little machine if you are interested in basic sewing on your projects. One little trick I learned was to place the needle in the "E" position and allow the foot to act as a guide - this helped me to sew oh so straight. If you enlarge the picture below you will see that the needle is aligned towards the left side of the foot. All I did was follow the center guide of my foot down my paper to create my perfectly straight seam. How cool is that?!?

Again I can highly recommend the Janome Sew Mini machine - it was SO much easier to use than my "regular" sewing machine. No tension adjustments necessary - that makes a very happy Ellen Ü

So if you were thinking about making a Pennant Banner this holiday season and this one appeals to you head on over to the store now. A limited supply is available and will not be restocked once these are sold out.