the CLASSroom

Trend Watch - Vintage Invasion by Becky Olsen

First things first, you were probably expecting a post from Lisa today, but we are re-arranging the furniture here a little bit! In the hunt to keep things fresh, we have a few exciting changes happening here. The first is that I will now be doing my posting on Monday and Lisa will be doing hers on Tuesday. The second is that what was once Trend Watch Tuesday has now been edited to Trend Watch! (The Tuesday being dropped for the obvious reason that I won't be sharing on Tuesdays now, lol!) The next couple of surprises I am leaving up to Lisa to share, but let me just say, you won't be disappointed! We have been trying to cook up some ideas on how to share more information and be even more inspiring to you and to be even more enabling to your crafty ways!

So now that we have that business out of the way, let me just thank you for all of your wonderful comments and support that you have shared with me on Tuesdays! It means so much to see the comments that you leave, and it excites and inspires me to find more trends to share with you in this forum. I have loads of fun trends to share with you over the following months, so I hope that you will stick with me and come visit me every Monday. Maybe together we can find a way to make Mondays fun and something to look forward to  ;o)

The trend that I want to dig into today is the one of all things vintage! Everywhere we look we find that the vintage trend has invaded everything from our crafting supplies, to our clothes and even the cars that some of us are driving! I have to admit that I am a sucker for a big American muscle car, and seeing some of the newest body styles being derived from my favorite classics really gets my heart racing! The new Camaro and Challenger body styles are almost exact replicas of cars from over 30 years ago! (My sons are contagious, sorry!) And in the latest clothing trends we have stirrup pants, shoulder pads, prairie prints, and high waisted skirts waving at us from every mannequin in the window. So whether the vintage is recycled, re purposed, or has a new spin, it might look familiar, but it is far from old!

Let's start with the Tim Holtz Accoutrements. they are beautiful buttons with that vintage flair! And we all know that you can never have enough fabulous buttons!

Jenni Bowlin has been bringing fresh vintage to the crafting market for a few years, but nothing has had as much impact on the trend as her Bingo cards! These are the little black dress of the vintage craft trend, they literally work on any kind of project for anyone!

Melissa Frances has been in touch with the trend for years as well, and has many inspiring products that are sure to get your vintage creative juices flowing! This Vintage Colonial House is a fun product to alter into any season and reason that you can imagine!

Hero Arts has added some very fun vintage inspired images to their product line lately, and they are very clever! This set is called "Variety and Quality" and is full of witty vintage ads.

Or in classic Hero Arts style, elegant and simple with a vintage twist this stamp called "Girlfriend" is a winner in my book!

 

The Rummage Bin line from Cornish Heritage Farms has been a leader in vintage inspired art stamps for a few years now. This set, "On the Desk" encourages you to keep up with your loved ones the old fashioned way! I know that I love to get some good, old fashioned happy mail, how about you?

This Vintage City Scrapblock gives us a tour of Old London.

And how great would it be to take that tour in this delightful old General Motors 1938 Suburban?

Feeling inspired yet? Want more ideas on how to bring this trend into some of the projects that you make for the men in your life? How about a 12" x 12" sheet of gorgeous vintage cars called "On the Boulevard" from Graphic 45? These are sure to convince your men that paper isn't just for girls!

And if your guy happens to be a gentleman as well, this sheet of "Dashing and Debonair" vintage ads for men's products certainly will catch his eye and possibly tickle his funny bone!

Now to travel back to the feminine for the rest of our trip. Webster's Pages does a beautiful job of taking vintage images and reviving them with a decidedly modern twist. This group is the "Vellum Journaling Cards", and the colors are so fresh and now, and the art is fantastic vintage that transports us back to a softer time.

 

And last but certainly not least, jewelry is bringing vintage back with the coolest twist of all! Re-purposing and re-using is one of the hottest trends in jewelry today! Lot's of fun baubles that you might have found in your grandma's box of treasures are now being created by Making Memories and are designed by Jill Schwartz! Having been lucky enough to meet Jill in person, can I just say that she is a brilliant designer and a creative dynamo! She is sharing the aesthetic from her high end pieces of jewelry art at a price point that makes them accessible for all of us!

These pieces were so inspiring that I decided to give the whole vintage inspired jewelry thing a try myself!

I cut a piece of Webster's Pages vellum the same size as my two pieces of 2" x 2" Memory Glass, and fussy cut around one of the butterflies in the design. Sandwiched the vellum between the two glass pieces and wrapped it with the copper foil tape from my Simply Swank Creative Art Kit. I then proceeded to follow the directions for applying the solder that were included in the kit as well. This is my first attempt at soldering. I learned so much, and can I just say that I am hooked! Being able to create a beautiful piece of jewelry that was inspired by this vintage trend was so fulfilling and exciting! I can't wait to play again and integrate the art that I create into wearable jewelry that is also one of the hottest trends going! I will be sure to share the finished look when I get the rest of the pieces that I have in mind to put it together with!

Vintage has invaded and from the looks of it, it is everywhere and won't be going anywhere but up in popularity! With so many playful, beautiful and clever products on the market, this is a trend that you can enjoy in most any project at hand. And with all those options, it is even easier to make it your own by mixing and matching from all the different manufacturers. Vintage doesn't mean fuddy duddy anymore. It means cool, hip, playful and creative!

B-

Butterfly Pendant and Earrings by Debbie Olson

Welcome to the Classroom!  Today I have a pendant necklace and earrings set to share. To give you an idea of the size, the pendant circle is just under 1-1/4" in diameter, and the earrings are just under 1/2" in diameter. 

 

I started with some Webster's Pages Lullaby Lane papers, Glass Glitz pieces (30mm and 12mm), and Ranger Glossy Accents. I used a 1-1/4" and 1/2" circle punch to punch the papers to fit behind the glass, but I had to trim a bit by hand since the pieces were a bit too large. Also, I cut out two small butterflies and added them on top of the paper under the large glass, wanting the butterflies to tie all of the pieces together.

 

I used a liberal amount of Glossy accents to seal each piece of paper to the glass and let it dry completely before trimming and sanding a bit of excess paper at the edges and then coating the back of the pieces with Glossy Accents too as protection.

 

After the glass and paper pieces dried completely, it was time to build the earrings and pendant.  I made one up and left the other one in pieces so that you could see which pieces I used. Besides the 12mm Glass Glintz pieces, I used a 16mm Bead cap, medium and small jump rings from this assortment, and and earring base and back from this package.  

 

For the pendant I used the 30mm Glass Glintz as well as a Passion Flower Filigree, some assorted jump rings, and a butterfly charm. For me the trickiest part is simply getting my jump rings opened and closed correctly when I need reading glasses to see them! ;-) You probably know this if you've used jump rings before, but you never want to pull them wider apart; you want to swing one side out so that you maintain the nicely rounded shape of the jump ring when you close it again.

 

I chose a Figaro chain and lobster clasps to finish the necklace. Now for the big question: what shall I wear this set with? 

Thanks for stopping by the classroom today! 

Inchie Photo Art Frame by Julia Stainton

Summer is on it's way if it hasn't already arrived yet. The new Cosmo Cricket Delovely line inspires bright and fun projects and makes me think of summer and teen projects. Pairing up a 6x6 mini papers pad with Black Inchies, a photo and some Craft-a-board makes a fun photo frame alternative.

To create this project I first started with 16 Black Inchies and arranged them into a square.

On some of the inchies, I adhered 3/4" squares cut from the the Cosmo Cricket Delovely Mini Deck.

Leaving the four center squares blank, I stamped some pretty Hero Arts images in white craft ink onto the remaining inchies. By using the black inchies instead of white, it really makes the colors of the paper pop. the images shown here are from the Antique Engraving and the Earth Flowers stamp sets.

 

To add the photo to the center of the project, print out or cut to a 2" square size and then cut into 1" squares. This will work best if you keep the cuts away from the main features of a face.

I decided I didn't like my original spacing between the inchies and moved them closer before adhering them well. Once all my layers were adhered together, I glued them to a 6" square piece of black cardstock.

The Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type letters make a quick and easy sentiment.

 

While looking for the perfect embellishments for this project, I came across some of the Green at Heart Bloomers by Basic Grey in my stash. I was amazed at how well the colors matched up and I seriously love these fun stitched fabric flowers. They look like custom handmade embellishments without all the work.

To give this project stability, I adhered the layers onto a 6x6" square of Craft-a-Board. I love this sturdy and oh so useful product for so many things. To keep this frame propped up, I created an easel back the same as I did for the Craft-a-Board frame here. If you click on the above photo to enlarge it, you'll be able to see the Craft-a-Board layer.

 

I chose to make this project into a fun paper frame but you could also use it for other things. Punch the top or the project with a Crop-a-Dile and thread with ribbon to hang it up. If you cut more 6x6" squares of Craft-a-Board you could bind them together with the Bind It All to create your own mini album or notebook.

Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom!

Colorful Butterflies by Sharon Harnist

 

Can you get any more colorful than this?  I don't think so!  I LOVE these gorgeous bright summery colors in Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely Mini Deck!  To start this card, I used the May 15th Inchie INKlings Inchie card sketch #6 for inspiration. 

My card base is the DeLovely paper with rounded corners, adhered to a Memory Box Currant notecard.  The yellow base for my Inchies was created with Spellbinders Labels Four, by first die cutting & embossing the yellow paper, trimming off all the embossed edges, and then adhering it to a pink mat cut with the same die.

The butterfly Inchies were created by punching Eclipse Masking Tape with Martha Stewart's Monarch Butterfly punch.  To achieve successful results, apply the masking tape on printer paper, turn the paper over so the masking tape is on the bottom side of the paper, turn the punch over so you can see the metal underside and punch the paper.  I found punching this way (two butterflies on the left in the photo below) gave cleaner results than punching from the Eclipse side of the paper (right butterfly).  When the punch pushes the Eclipse tape into the paper, it doesn't cut as cleanly and you'll be left with some of the inside areas (that are supposed to punch out) still attached.

 

NOTE: This punch is one of Martha Stewart's collection considered to be a "double punch", as it punches a shape with "holes" in it. This punch will not punch the butterfly out all the way. Your shape should remain attached to the paper with two little "tabs" which you will need to cut (you can probably see where the butterfly is still attached at the tops of the wings. This will prevent the punchout from getting stuck in the punch. Simply use your paper snip scissors or an X-acto knife to free your beautiful Monarch butterfly!

 

Next, I placed the butterfly masks onto my Inchie Arts White Inchie Squares and sprayed them with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (this one is Viva Pink):

 

I didn't have a shade of green Glimmer Mist to match my papers, so I airbrushed Copic YG23 onto this Inchie Square and then made it shimmer with Old Lace Glimmer Mist:

 

Caribbean Blue Glimmer Mist was used on the other Inchie -- hopefully you can see all that pretty sparkle in the photo below!

 

I was very pleased with how well the Inchie Squares "hold" the Glimmer Mist and didn't warp from even the heaviest of applications of the colorant!

To finished my card, I used Copic markers B02, R85 and YG23 to color the edges of the corresponding Inchies and I stamped Hero Arts ClearDesigns All Occasion Messages with Ranger Jet Black Archival ink onto each of the Inchie Squares.  The yellow popped-up diecut is accented with Zva clear crystals and May Arts Fuchsia wide silk ribbon ties it up!

The bonus to this technique is that you can also use those butterfly masks you made and turn them into another similar card, or break them up and use them on smaller note/gift cards!

 

This is a Memory Box Key Lime notecard trimmed to 3.50" square. Inchie is accented with Spellbinders Big Scalloped Square-Sm Nestabilities diecut.

Thanks for being with us on our colorful journey here in the CLASSroom!

 
Stamps: Hero Arts ClearDesigns All Occasion Messages
Paper: Cosmo Cricket DeLovely Mini Deck, Memory Box Currant & Key Lime notecards
Ink: Ranger Jet Black Archival, Copic markers B02, R85, YG23
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, Inchie Arts White Inchie Squares; Martha Stewart Monarch Butterfly punch, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Caribbean Blue, Viva Pink & Old Lace, Eclipse Masking Tape, Spellbinders Labels Four & Big Scalloped Square-Sm Nestabilities dies, WRM Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, May Arts Fuchsia wide silk ribbon, Zva clear crystals

Thank You Blocks by Kim Hughes

Color blocking is a timeless look that I took advantage of today when creating my card.  

 

Supplies:

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Butterscotch

Hero Arts: Cling Messages, Set of 3, Gemstones, Small Blossom, Fancy Felt, Buttons,Spring, Gemstones, Smooth Clear Round, Art Flowers, White & Cream, Card Buttons, Flowers

Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, Garden Variety, Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, Delovely, Cosmo Cricket Buttons, Garden Variety

Inchie + Squares, White

Dew Drops Bottle, Plumeria

Maya Road: Ribbon, Ruffle Edge Trim, Cream, Mini Chipboard Set, Houses

Vintaj: Bead Cap, Blossom 6mm

Basic Grey Woolies, Sugar Rush

inchies are so perfect for this.  Cover them with paper, paint on them, stamp on them...have fun!

 

Use the squares as temporary building blocks to work around
 

punch a butterfly, embellish a cute metal flower and cover a house chipboard shape with paper to represent an arrow
 

cut down a clear clock and tuck into a corner
 

embellish the yellow square with a clear flower button...and the flower with a sweet dew drop

change up the colors...or create a monochromatic look!

Have a BLAST!!

Technique Tag Tuesday - How Can You Resist? by Becky Olsen

We are going to be playing with a couple of fun resist techniques today!

To start we have a #8 White Tag, Sunset Orange Pigment Adirondack, Clear Embossing powder, Non-Stick Craft Sheet,  Hero Arts "Row of Houses" stamp and Heat It tool.

Apply the pigment ink to the stamp, and then sprinkle the embossing powder over the top.

Heat with the Heat It tool until all the embossing powder is melted. This creates a resist that will protect those cute little houses from the next few steps we are going to make.

Press Faded Denim, Shabby Shutters, Milled Lavender and Broken China onto the craft sheet.

Spritz lightly with water from a Mini-Mister to loosen the inks and help them start blending together.

Place the Hero Arts "Clouds" DesignBlock down into the ink and wiggle around a tiny bit

Than stamp over the top of the tag. It will be a little damp from the water, so you can give it a little love from the Heat It if you would like. But be sure to gently wipe with a dry cloth, the beading ink from the little houses that we did the resist on.

Now we are going to get really fancy and add some sparkle to our cloudy sky with Maya Road's "Resist". What is really great about this product is that it isn't permanent like the clear embossing technique we did previously. This product can be applied a few different ways and is really easy to remove. It has and excellent precision applicator tip that would have worked just fine for this project, but I wanted to see how it would work with a brush for finer application points.

It works really well when applied with a brush and is relatively easy clean up. A word of caution, you have to work fast or rinse the brush out every few minutes if you have a large and intricate project. Also, the product does dry quickly which is fantastic for moving through a project quickly, but that means that when applying with a brush it will gum up on the top of the brush bristles. I found this very easy to clean by using a straight pin to gently pull through the bristles it pulls the gummed material right out.

Squeeze a little resist out onto your mat at a time and quickly apply with your brush onto the clouds. This will keep the clouds white when we apply our next layer. When finished immediately clean your brush.

For the little hit of happiness inducing sparkle, I loosened up some Frosted Lace Stickles with a little water and then put a little Silver Stickles into it for some depth.

Remember that Distress inks are water soluble, so will "move" when the moisture from the Stickles hits it. With that in mind we are going to lightly brush the stickles onto the surface of the tag.

Wipe the little houses down again with a clean cloth to remove any stray glitter.

In this image you can see where I have removed the resist from a few of the clouds to show you the difference the resist makes. This resist is so easy to remove too, it only took a minute to get it all cleaned up.

Now all of the resist is removed, and you can see the glitter on the sky, but the clouds are still fluffy white and the houses are that happy orange and glitter free!

I wanted to have a ribbon that looked like the suns rays shining onto our happy little row of houses, so I got out two Copics in two types of yellow, Y 06 and Y 19 and a piece of that gorgeous silk May Arts ribbon that is so fun to color.

Lay down the lighter color first in random streaks...

Then add the more golden color.

Tie it all up in a pretty bow and sew on a Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl" button for good measure.

The little houses to be grounded, and because I can't help myself, I used green thread and ran it through my sewing machine. I think it is so happy and cute!! A fun and sweet spring tag that can be used for all kinds of occasions, how about on a house warming gift or welcome to the neighborhood basket.

I hope you can't resist trying these fun techniques for yourself ;o)

B-

Hero Fun Polyshrink - By Lisa Strahl

I had a lot of fun playing with Hero Arts images this week.  The range of styles that Hero is currently offering is really exciting.  Because I am a technique junkie, I often see images in terms of how versatile they are - how many different techniques can I apply to one image? 

My post today focuses on the first two images that I ordered from the Winter 2010 CHA Release.  They were my "gotta have it" stamps!

The first image is simply called Large Line Flower and is a nice big stamp measuring 4x4 inches.  Polyshrink techniques are a little easier with large images like this one to ensure that the finished piece is still big enough to be a focal point on the card. 

Polyshrink Line Flowers

Prepare the Black Polyshrink by sanding it gently in straight lines horizontally and then vertically.  It's important to use a Polyshrink Sanding Block as the grit is just right.

Stamp the Large Line Flower with New Canvas Palette Ink and allow to dry.

Trim the image close to the frame with sharp scissors or a small guillotine trimmer for precision. 

Shrink according to package instructions.  If you shrink in the oven the image will shrink the more evenly as compared to a heat tool.  I used a heat tool!  The shrunk piece is shown below and measures about 1.75 x 1.75 inches.

Painting on a glossy surface can be a challenge, especially a black one!  I used Wild Plum Adirondack Dimensional Pearls mixed with a little water on my craft sheet and one of the smallest Studio Line Brushes to color the flowers.
 

I added Glossy Accents (Ranger) to the flower as well as some small clear jewels.  The Polyshrink piece has been layered on Iris Cardstock (Hero Arts).

...and the sentiment does not always need to go on the outside of the card.  Sometimes a little surprise tucked inside can be fun!  This sentiment is from the Life is Not Perfect  stamp set as was watercolored with Pink Sherbet and Raspberry Adirondack Ink.

 

 

Spritzed Background Dandelion Artist Trading Cards

Randomly mist a full sheet of Craft-a-board beginning with a Mini Mister filled as follows - 3/4 water, 2 full droppers of Scattered Straw Distress Ink Reinker and a pea size scoop of Pearl Perfect Pearls.  Shake and mist.

Continue spritzing with a mister filled as above with Broken China Distress Reinker and Pearl Perfect Pearls.

One more time with Aged Mahogany Distress Reinker and Blush Perfect Pearls.  Keep adding color until it is beautiful and sparkly!  Heat set.

There is going to be lots of ink left around the edges of your Non-Stick Craft Sheet.  Use that ink to create more backgrounds by pressing smaller pieces of Craft-a-board directly to the sheet and "printing" the color to the surface.

 

Here is the background after many layers of added color.  Just something that I will set aside and use another time when I need some inspiration.

Here is a shot of the full sheet finished.

Next I cut the sheet into ATC sized pieces - 2.5 x 3.5 inches.  I am completely amazed at the serendipity of the color combinations!  Gorgeous and each one is different.

 

This is the other stamp I just had to order as soon as it was available.  It's called Dandelion Frame and it is just gorgeous!  I stamped it with Jet Black Archival Ink on the ATC backgrounds.

I finished them with a sentiment from the Vintage Butterflies set which reads "Life involves passions, faiths, doubts and courage".  I also added some small black gemstones in the flower centers.

This set is all ready for my ATC swap group this month!  I love being ahead of the game and these were so quick to make.

 

I do wish you courage in whatever you are facing this week!

Cheers, Lisa 

Sweet 16 - Be Creative Glitter Stickers

There is a VERY special young lady in our household and she has a big day coming up this week! Yesterday as I stood besider her in the bathroom I looked in the mirror only to realize that she is now taller than I am. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but her beauty radiates from within. As a mom it brings tears to my eyes when her teachers, and other parents, tell me what a kind and thoughtful daughter we have. But what surprises me is when her friends tell me that someday, when they are all grown up, they hope that their daughters will be like Maddi. My children are such a huge blessing in my life and I cannot begin to imagine my life without them. Each and every day I watch them grow into the young women they will become and feel grateful for being given the opportunity to be their mom. So without further ado - I love you my sweet Maddi and I am so very proud of the adult you are growing into. Nothing can state better the sentiment of this card - Happy Birthday my sweet 16-yr-old. Thank you for being you!

Now enough of the proud mom stuff - LOL! Nothing speaks "sweet 16" better than bold, bright, fun colors and a little glitter :-D It is amazing to me that when I put boundaries on what it is that I am going to create how easily it all comes together. This week the challenge I gave myself was to use the same products that our team will be using here in the CLASSroom - Hero Arts, Inchie Arts and Cosmo Cricket. I immediately knew what I wanted to use - Delovely, it is so very lovely. Combine it with some of the bold Hero Arts stamp designs and a few Inchie squares and you will have a perfect card for your teen.

A very hot trend is to use glitter letters and numbers on our cards. Today I am going to share a little secret with you - you can easily make your own custom glitter sticker letters/numbers in any color you would like using Be Creative Tape and any color of glitter. We are going to be carrying some Ultrafine glitter shortly that will coordinate with the paper colors we carry, but for now I used some of the fabulous, regular Martha Stewart glitter we carry.

To begin I cut squares from the Be Creative sheets using the Tim Holtz Sizzlits Alpha Vintage Market Die. The sheets are so easy to use because they come already backed. I haven't tested to see if I can adhere the regular tape to a different surface before cutting, but it is something I will be experimenting with. For now I just went with what I guessed would work. You know me - always testing and experimenting - LOL!

First remove the portion of the tape that the adhesive is not sticking too. I played around with trying to figure out which side the adhesive would stay adhered to and it appears to me that it is the side I have facing up when I punch - but I'm just not certain yet. You may need to experiment with this depending on what type of die you are using.

I removed the white backing and using a tweezer located the number in position. Next burnish the number in place using a teflon bone folder. As you can see on the number "1" I did not get a clean cut - this worked to my advantage. As I removed the backing, the adhesive stayed on the number one and not the surrounding area. If it had I would have snipped around the number, but as it was I was able to easily use the extra paper like a little "handle."

 

Sprinkle glitter over the adhesive and then burnish in place with the teflon bone folder. Use a soft brush to remove the excess.

WARNING: This is section is NOT a recommended technique - so proceed at your own risk - you may destroy your punch! BUT I just couldn't help myself and had to give it a try - LOL! Guess what it worked :-D

Curiosity killed the cat you know and being a curious one myself I just had to try this next technique. It is not recommended that you punch through the tape with regular punches, never mind highly detailed ones like the Deep Garden Trellis! BUT I had to test it for myself and found the results to be simply breathtaking.

Once again I used the Be Creative Tape sheets due to the backing being in place. I punched my design in the tape being very careful to remove any excess bits of paper or adhesive that appeared on the underside of my punch with each pass through. One of the incredible things I discovered about these punches is the amazing detail in the way that the punch is designed. The engineering is so well thought out. These detailed punches do not punch through your paper in all one area. The punch is designed so that there are peaks and valleys to allow the punch to pass through only small portions of the design at one time. I would like to suggest that you take a look at the bottom of your punches - it really was an eye-opener for me. So cool!

Once I had my design the width I felt worked best I removed the backing. What I found was that this time the brown backing needed to be removed (just the opposite of my Sizzlet punched image) and the adhesive remained on the white portion as shown above.

I positioned my design and then once again burnished it in place. I followed the same procedure with the glitter - applying it and burnishing it in place, then using a soft brush to remove the excess.

As you can see the detail of the punched designs is incredible! Following are some cutting techniques I have tried, or plan to try:

• Sizzix, Sizzlet and other steel blade dies,
• Low profile dies such as the Nestabilities,
• Punches - these are ones I canNOT fully endorse because of the possibility of ruining your punches, but...my oh my are these every cool,
• Cricut or Silhouette electronic cutters - I'm going to be giving this a try soon. I can hardly wait to see what the results will be.

The other experiment that needs to occur is what types of media I can apply once I remove the second side of the adhesive. Following are just a few of the products worth experimenting with:

• Glitter (of course)
• Fun Flock (I punched out a little bunny and applied white fun flock, adding a little pom pom tail - OH SO CUTE!)
• Perfect Pearls
• Dried, crushed flowers and leaves
• Flower Soft - Ultrafine may be way cool - I can hardly wait to try!
• Gold Leaf - wowsers this will be gorgeous!

So many ideas - so little time :-D You all have to help me out here by playing with these ideas and giving me your feedback - LOL!

Next, was the selection of my image. One of the beautiful things about the 6x6 pads is the wonderful scale of the images on these papers. I selected a Hero Arts image that was bold and beautiful. I love the fact that the images come mounted on a storage sheet that I can also use to locate the perfect portion of paper to stamp my image. 

 
Stamping the image three times on different papers made for the perfect layered flower! I LOVE the design of this Hero Arts image for paper piecing!

Using a 2-way glitter pen I added details to the leaves and top flower. Sprinkling the same turquoise glitter as used on the numbers and trellis. I allowed the adhesive to dry and then once again used a soft brush to remove the excess glitter.

Tip: When threading buttons I keep a needle threader handy and simply insert my DMC Embroidery floss using this handy, dandy tool. 

The final details include Black Inchie+ Squares covered in decorative paper, a Tiny Type sticker (these are fabulous stickers and such a great value!) and a silk ribbon tab.
 

stamps: Hero Arts Big Flower Pattern

paper: Cosmo Cricket Delovely 6x6 Paper Pad, Memory Box Sunflower Cardstock

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

accessories: Be Creative Tape Sheets, Tim Holtz Alpha Vintage Market Sizzlet Die, Martha Stewart Turquoise Glitter, Pink Tiny Type Stickers, Black Inchie Square, Black Inchie+ Squares, 2-way Glue Pen, Teflon Bone Folder, Fuschia Silk Ribbon

Be certain to visit our "*Weekly Special" section and use promo code HAIACC upon checkout when purchasing any of the Cosmo Cricket, Hero Arts and Inchie Arts products we have used in this weeks posts!

Forever Begins Now Card by Julia Stainton

Love must be in the air as wedding season kicks off with the beautiful weather. If you have a wedding to go to this year, consider making a special hand-crafted card for the event. The new Basic Grey Cappella line makes wedding themed projects elegant and timeless treasures.

There is nothing I love more than flowers on a project. For this card I'll show you how to create your own rolled flowers out of simple paper strips and inspired by Becky's ruffle trend post, add a sweet little lace ruffle. Here's how to do it.

Start by creating your 5.25" square card base from Neenah Classic Cream Cardstock. I've used a piece of Robin's Egg Cardstock by Memory Box as a thin mat and also for some accents. I seriously love this color and it matches Cappella perfectly! Adhere the layers of gorgeous Cappella patterned paper from the 6x6 paper pad.

To easily create ruffled lace, thread a piece of Farmer's Market twine onto a needle and straight stitch through the holes of some Prima lace. I suggest cutting a piece of lace approximately twice the length you wish to cover.

Place a piece of Wonder Tape along the edge and adhere the ruffled lace to the project, evenly spacing your gathers as you go. Press down well. You may wish to apply a tiny dot of Glossy Accents to the ends of the thread to adhere them in place.

To create a rolled paper flower, cut two strips of 1"x12" Cappella 12x12 paper.

Adhere ends slightly overlapping and then fold the strip in half. Your strip should be approximately 1/2" x 23". Crumple and twist the strip in your hands until it is pliable and easy to form.

 

Starting at the center, adhere your flower to a scrap piece of paper. Twist, turn and roll paper as you go. I like to use a hot glue gun as it adheres well and dries quickly. After your flower is as large as you wish, trim excess paper from beneath your flower and adhere to project.

 

I've added a couple Jenni Bowlin Buttons to my embellishment cluster and a Maya Road Crystal Trinket Pin. The little Classic butteflies were punched from some of the Robin's Egg cardstock stamped with the Vintage Text Scrapblock by Cornish Heritage Farms.

 

The "Forever begins now" sentiment is from the Wedding Centers stamp set by CHF. Here it is stamped onto more Robin's Egg cardstock with Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger. The little tab is created by die-cutting the paper with the Labels Four die by Spellbinders. Some mini staples from the Tiny Attacher hold it in place.

 

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom today! I hope this inspired you to get creating!

Distressed Anniversary ATC by Sharon Harnist

 

Today, I have an anniversary ATC to share with you, because tomorrow happens to be my 16th wedding anniversary!  Distressing and aging are some of my favorite techniques and you'll probably see them on most of my projects, so I thought I'd share a few things I like to do.

First, I'd like to refer you back to the ATC basics I did here and you can click on the ATC category over on the left sidebar for more ATC inspiration.

Second, when working with patterned papers for my ATCs, I like to use a template I created.  It's just a scrap piece of cardstock in which I cut a 2.50" x 3.50" opening: 

 

This allows me to move the template over all parts of the patterned paper, choosing just the right part of the pattern I want to use.

Third, I like to use the scrap piece of cardstock I cut out of the template to arrange the stamps I want to use ... moving them around until I find a placement I like:

 

Fourth, I'd like to reiterate that using punches and die cuts on your ATCs is sometimes overlooked simply because the smaller 2.50" x 3.50" canvas size of ATCs can be intimidating.  Just remember, smaller punches and dies can work wonderfully on them!  Here's an example where I used a die to cut the base of my ATC.

On today's project, I used EK Success Daisy Chain edger punch to cut a Memory Box Water cardstock accent for my ATC:

 

As you can see in the photo above when I was playing around with the arrangement of all the elements, left unsponged with Memento Rich Cocoa ink, the daisies might have looked a little out of place on the brown/pale blue/cream patterned  Basic Grey Cappella paper I used -- they wouldn't have maintained the shabby feel the paper has.

 

After sponging the daisy chain, I noticed the centers of the daisies were still pristine pale blue (center daisies in the photo above), so I took a Copic E25 marker and just lightly touched it inside the center hole of each daisy (bottom daisies).  I think this really continued the distressed look I wanted.

All the elements from the Rummage Bin-Sweet Bee stamp set I used on my ATC were stamped with the Rich Cocoa ink onto Memory Box Water cardstock, cut out, and sponged with Rich Cocoa ink.  Remember, when trying to maintain a shabby feel, keep your coloring muted, too. 

 

The beehive was accented with Copic markers E31 & E50, and the word HONEY word was highlighted with Gold Copic Spica Glitter pen.  The bee was stamped onto Neenah Classic Cream cardstock (again, a muted color instead of using bright white cardstock), colored with Copic YR31 & BG0000 markers, cut out and popped up on foam tape.  His body was also accented with the gold glitter pen.

To finish the distressed/shabby feel of my ATC, I roughed up the edges of the patterned paper with the Tim Holtz Paper Distresser and mounted it onto more of the Water cardstock, sponged with Rich Cocoa ink.  When adhering the daisy chain to the paper, I intentionally put adhesive over the holes of the daisies, and then sprinkled on some Crystal Fine glitter.

I hope you'll enjoy trying some of these techniques/tips on your ATC creations!

 
Stamps: CHF Rummage Bin-Sweet Bee
Paper: Basic Grey Cappella 6x6, Neenah Classic Cream cardstock, Memory Box Water cardstock
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Rich Cocoa, Copic markers (detailed above) & Gold Copic Spica Glitter pen
Accessories: EK Success Daisy Chain edger punch, Tonic Tim Holtz Paper Distresser, Martha Stewart Essential Colors Glitter Set (Crystal Fine)

ATC Trio by Kim Hughes

They're versatile and super cute...I adore the sweet ATC size.  They can easily be added to a card or tag base and they make me feel extra artsy when I create them!

Supplies: 

Ranger: Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Butterscotch, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Cranberry, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Terra Cotta, Distress Ink Pad, Walnut Stain

Basic Grey Brads, Green at Heart Glazed

CHF: Backgrounder, Open Circles, Scrapblock, Vintage Text

Martha Stewart Craft Punch, Classic Butterfly

Basic Grey Opaline Half Pearls, Wine/Champagne

Manila Tags, #8 (Large)

Crystal Clear Plastic, 8" x 8" sheets

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Spray, Walnut Gold

Hero Arts: Cling Curly Flowers,  Cling Circle Doily, Cling Messages, Set of 3, Cling Reversed Flowers and Leaves

Pull out a piece of the clear plastic and dab the edge of the ink pad onto the surface. 

 

repeat with an orange ink pad
 

and a third time with cranberry ink
 

dab a few drops of glimmer mist and rub the stamp onto the clear , inked surface.
 

stamp onto a manilla tag multiple times, picking up ink as you go
 

complete with a stamped sentiment.  Clean clear sheet with baby wipes and use again

Ink up the top of the patterned stamp with the darkest color to the lightest, making sure to overlap each color

 

Bring out the plastic sheet once again and ask off the center section.  Stamp with cranberry ink first.  Then cover the columns on the right and left and ink the center with orange ink...complete with covering the middle and stamp with yellow ink

 

cut the tag to ATC size (2 1/2 x 3 1/2) and stamp the bottom
 

complete by adding a touch of color with a Copic marker, a punched butterfly and some pearl/brad accents

Have a wonderful day :)

Trend Watch Tuesday - Ruffles Are All the Rage by Becky Olsen

As a little girl I had ruffles on my clothes. I loved them for all of the frilly, foofy and swirly fun that they brought to my little girl duds. But as times and fashions changed the ruffle went away from my wardrobe, I became too cool for them and honestly they didn't exist for years in fashion. Everything was cleaner, simpler and less constructed. Clothes were fashionable, but just not as much fun for me. Well many years later (we won't do that math, lol!) the ruffle has made it's way back. And not in just kids clothes or on the hems of skirts. No, it has stormed back taking the fashion world by surprise, and ruffles have made clothes not only more feminine, but more fun!

How about this couture top that is not something I could get away with in my everyday wear, but stunningly beautiful and so inspiring!
 

This little black halter top might be something a thinner me would try though. It has fantastic movement and is so elegant!

The look that I could be comfortable wearing and is appropriate for my stage in life is more like this fun top! Casual and sassy that looks so comfortable!!

How about a skirt that plays with lots of layers and gathers? A simple line made fresh with layer upon layer of fabulous foof and frill!

 

When I first saw these gorgeous shoes my first thought was Dorothy's ruby slippers, and then a little chuckle came out and I said to myself, "Oh Toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore..."

Ruffles made their way onto handbags too!

This flirty bag is beautiful, and with all those layers of white, it is like a little piece of Heaven!

Or how about this elegant ruffled handbag that moves into a centered flower that happens to be all the rage now? Happy accident? I don't think so! Creative genius for sure!

As if we haven't got the picture yet on how influential and important this trend is, here it is in home decor! I love this look, and If I didn't have a husband that would have a conniption and two dogs that would destroy it in 3 seconds flat, it would be mine!

So how do we find this trend in crafting or use it as inspiration for our projects?

Well, I started off with this adorable cream "Ruffled Edge Trim" from Maya Road. It comes in four colors and the cream takes Copic coloring beautifully.

 

I found a piece of paper in my Green At Heart 12" x 12" paper that got my brain going!

First I cut a folded card base at 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" from Neenah Solar White and then a card top from the paper at the same size. I stitched the trim between the stripes.
 

If you don't have a machine, use the "Be Creative" tape to attach the trim instead. Super fast and easy!

I then created a sentiment on a #1 White Tag using a Prima E line 5 petal flower, a White Flower Center, Maya Road Kraft Mini Tickets, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type letter stickers and the heart is from the Green at Heart 12" x 12" paper pack sticker sheet.

Paint a Maya Road Mini Chipboard House set with Distress Picket Fence Crackle paint and adhere it all to the card using dimensional foam from Scrapbook Adhesives.

This next project was inspired by all of the layers of ruffles, but especially that ruffled handbag with the flower. So decadent and girlie but such a feast for the eyes that it is worth all the work!

I started with pink Jenni Bowlin "Crepe Paper Ribbon".

I sat and watched some television and gathered 5 rows of 5 1/2" wide pieces to decorate a white card base with. Just use a needle with some floss to create a running stitch in the top of the ribbon. It is a delicate paper, so you will need to patient with the process.

Start by laying a piece of 1/8" Be Creative double sided tape down onto the bottom of the card. Peel of the protective layer and adhere your first row.

Repeat until all five rows have been applied. I wanted a small visual surprise in my project so the center row is the ribbon that has the polka dots on it.

To implement the flower from the handbag into this project I used a Prima Innoscence flower to finish it off. This card works for so many different occasions, so I left the front blank and when the right occasion comes along I will create the sentiment on the inside panel. It is so girlie, frilly, foofy and fun, I am sure that any one of my friends would get a huge kick out of receiving it.

With ruffles all the rage right now, we see them on everything! Why not take that inspiration, play with it and make something fun and super girlie that will take this trend and make it your own!

B-

3 Ways to ATC - By Lisa Strahl

Monday, Monday...nah nah nah nah nah nah.  Another full week here at my house, but I had a loverly weekend and enjoyed an evening coffee outside with my hubby last night.  Perfect.

I have a few Artist Trading Card themed projects for you today.  Even if you are not an ATC kind of crafter, I think you will find lots of inspiration from the teachers here at The CLASSroom this week.

ONE OF A KIND

My first ATC is an "art for art sake" piece.  I created this when I just sat down to play with stamps and paper and ink that I loved.  See the supply list right below the photo for more details.

Stamps:  Botanical Bliss set and Stitches Scrapblock (Cornish Heritage Farms)  Ink:  Pearlescent Chocolate Brilliance (Tsukineko), Vintage Photo Distress (Ranger)  Paper:  Cotton Candy (Memory Box), Natural White (Neenah)  Other:  Circles and Ovals Fragments (Tim Holtz), Paper Distresser and Piercing Tool (Tonic), Ink Blending Tool (Ranger), Crackle Accents and Glossy Accents (Ranger), Chino Pearls(Kaisercraft), E77 Maroon Copic Marker, Brown Waxed Linen Thread  Finished Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches

SWAPS OR MASS PRODUCTION

My second ATC could be created on mass or at least a few at a time if you are a person who makes 4 or 8 cards.  I like to create on a single layers when possible which is why I chose Craft-a-Board as the base for my ATC.  Collage Elements I (Kim Hughes) are the images featured.

Begin by sponging Juniper Adirondack Pigment Ink (Ranger) in a circular motion over the entire Craft-a-Board ATC with an Ink Blending Tool.  Heat set.

Repeat the process with Terra Cotta Adirondack Pigment Ink.  This time ink only a portion of the background.

One more time with Purple Twilight Adirondack Pigment Ink - again just sponging certain areas.

Stamp the polka dot background stamp from the Collage Elements I stamp set in the pattern shown with Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger).  The round acrylic block can be found here.

Add some text.

And some flowers and stamp words as shown in the finished project photo.

You may have noticed the silver rim around the edge of the ATC in first photo for this project.  That was created with a Silver Krylon Leafing Pen.  There is a little trick I use to get the ink flowing.  First, it is important to shake the pen well - there is a little ball that will help the mixing.  If you press the tip to your Non-Stick Craft Sheet several times the ink will begin to flow and you can build up a pool of ink on your sheet. 

This will allow you to pick up more as you need it easily.  Heat set when done.

Create centers for the flowers with Mint Green Liquid Pearls and allow to dry.

 

Layer Kioshi 6x6 Papers (Basic Grey) together for the card front and create a line of faux stitching as shown with the Tim Holtz Design Ruler and Retractable Craft Pick.  Use a Black .05 Multiliner Pen to trace between the holes you have pierced to create a "faux stitch".  Place Mango and Lavendar Pearls along the stitch line.

PREMADE BACKGROUNDS

My last tip of the day is one that may surprise you.  I make a lot of ATC's and Inchies.  I also really, really, really *love* 6x6 paper pads because they are created for the scale of projects that I like to create.  Are you sitting down?  Have you swallowed that mouthful of coffee?

When I purchase a new 6x6 pad, the first thing I do is pull out one of each sheet and cut it into ATC and Inchie bases as follows:  

I am using a piece of Kioshi to illustrate.  Cut at 3.5 inches.

Take the 3.5 x 6 inch piece, turn it and cut at 2.5 inches, two times.  (Illustrated in the next two photos.)

 

You will have a 1 x 3.5 inch strip left.  Trim off the 1/2 inch and then trim the remaining porting into three 1 x 1 inch squares.

Now cut the remaining piece measuring 2.5 x 6 as shown - cut at 3.5 inches.  You will be left with a 2.5 inch square.

Here are the pieces you will have created - 3 ATC's (2.5 x 3.5), 3 inchies (1 x 1), a 2.5 x 2.5 inch square to use as a mat or could be cut down to a Twinchie (2 x 2 inches).  I even save that little .5 x 1 inch piece and adhere it to an Inchie Square.  Now I have ready made backgrounds that just need a little embellishing or stamping to create a fabulous ATC or Inchie.

Here is a photo of all of the ATC's I cut from the Kioshi 6x6 Pad:

 

Do you have any idea how this little fan of ATC's makes me?!  Ack.  Love it.  The other benefit of cutting into the paper right away is that you get to *know* it.  AND, your hoarding tendencies will be curbed because you have already cut it.  :P

If you are still with me after this lengthy post, good for you!

Cheers, Lisa

ATC's as Card Focal Points by Debbie Olson

 

When Ellen gave us this week's challenge, ATC's (altered, or sometimes artists', trading cards), CHF stamps, and Basic Grey papers, I knew that I would have to think of a use for the ATC's. You see, I don't really collect them, nor do I stamp in mass quantities and trade them. More power to those who do! I just have this wide utilitarian streak that makes me try to think of uses for things. . . It occurred to me that they are a great size for a card focal point, and I thought I could put together a little card kit in which the parts were interchangeable. 

 

I started with four Basic Grey Kioshi 6" x 6" papers and a couple of stamp sets, Botanical Bliss and Sweet Bee. Not pictured, but used on one of the ATC's, was Key Elements.

 

Next I chose some Adirondack inks that would coordinate with the papers. (Click on the pictures to see them in readable size!) I chose the Memento in case I decided to color parts of the images with Copic markers. 

There really aren't a lot of rules about ATC's, except that the size is generally 3-1/2" x 2-1/2". Besides the simple stamped images below, I used some white twill tape and Memory Box cardstock in blues and greens, as well as a couple of buttons, rhinestones, and my sewing machine.

 

Here are the finished ATC's, matted in a dark gray cardstock. A couple of them I sewed around and mounted the image on top, and the other two I mounted using foam tape and placed the image behind a window.

 

And here is my next step--backgrounds made out of that Basic Grey Kioshi and matted with the same dark gray cardstock that I used to mat the ATC's.

 

I haven't attached the ATC's to the cards fronts yet--just laid them on for a picture. Package the card fronts, card bases, and envelopes with the four ATCs for a great little gift for a crafty friend who doesn't have much time. She'll love you for it!

Altered Prima Canvas Camera Bag by Julia Stainton

Taking your paper crafting supplies and using them for other fun altered projects is a natural progression for crafters and a real industry trend right now. I love being able to try new things and ideas and I was thrilled to be able to alter this sweet Prima Canvas Camera Bag. It's the perfect size for my teenage daughter's point and shoot camera and turned out so cute that I'm thinking I just may need to create with the larger canvas camera bag size for my own camera. A super fun accessory for my creative travels.

Here's a picture of the Prima Canvas Camera Bag that I started with. It's a great blank palette of thick canvas and a padded interior.

To color the bag, I spritzed it with Viva Pink Glimmer Mist on all sides. The Non-Stick Craft Sheet makes a fabulous surface for creating on as it's super easy to wipe up the over-spray. Have lots of tissue or paper towel on hand to wipe up the excess. Allow the dye mist to dry well before trying to adhere embellishments to it.

The Prima Innoscence flowers are fabulous for custom inking and misting. This Fiesta flower is sprayed with Viva Pink Glimmer Mist and Tiger Lily Glimmer Mist.

 

Here's what the flower looks like dry. In real life you can see the beautiful shimmer the mist leaves.

Because I had decided to use some black accents on this project, I didn't want the flower to look washed out beside them. After laying a strip of wax paper over the petals to protect them, I colored in the stamen tips with a black Copic Marker. Then center of the flower was then colored in with a RV14 Begonia Pink Copic Marker.

To adorn the top flap of the camera bag, I adhered a rhinestone flourish by Zva. The flower was adhered with liberal amounts of Glossy Accents.

The Zva Alpha rhinestones made a great button embellishment with the initial of my daughter's name.

I adhered on a portion of a Maya Road Journaling Tag to the front of the pocket using more Glossy Accents.

 

To finish off the project, I tied on a strip of beautiful Black Crochet Ribbon by May Arts. It's fun and unique and my daughter is thrilled with the gift.

Looking for other fun ideas for altering? There are lots of great canvas products in the store that you can use the same techniques on. The Large Canvas Camera Bag, the Canvas Apron, Fabric Bags and many many canvas albums would all be wonderful to alter.

Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom!

Father's Love Frame by Sharon Harnist

 

I made this hinged frame & poem combination gift for my husband for Father's Day, out of sturdy Craft-a-Board ... here's how:

Beautiful pieces of Webster's Seaside 6x6 Petite Papers were used to cover the Craft-a-Board, the corners rounded with the Corner Chomper and edges inked with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

 

To create the photo side, I used Spellbinders Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities-Lg & Labels 12 dies to create a photo frame out of Craft-a-Board.  You can cut both of the dies together, taping them in place -- just be sure the dies aren't touching each other:

 

I cut another frame from coordinating Webster's paper and covered the Craft-a-Board frame with it.  It's popped up on foam tape over the photo (photo was die cut with with the same Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities die).

 

Here's my favorite part: For the poem side, I traced my youngest daugher's hand onto Art Magnetic Masking Material and cut it out, to make a mask!  The magnetic material also cuts very easily with most dies.

 

Using Ellen's fabulous new Craft Assistant, I was able to move the hand mask around on my paper, to find the perfect spot.  The Craft Assistant is black coated metal that holds the magnetic mask securely in place for airbrushing, misting with color sprays, or sponging ink color on -- and then it's very easy to wipe clean after using it!  Next, I airbrushed Copic BG11 marker over the mask:

 

I printed the computer-generated poem out on regular printer paper first, and then aligned my patterned paper in just the right spot over the poem, securing the paper in place with repositionable adhesive.  Then I ran the paper back through my printer, printing the poem in a chocolate color. 

 

I love the soft outline of my daughter's hand on the paper and the poem's reference to hand-held walks!  On the back of the frame, I dated it with the age of my daughters.

 

I finished the frame with Small Hinges secured with brads and a few seashells!  Here's the poem, if you'd like to copy and paste it to use.  (I found the poem online somewhere and now cannot find where, so my apologies for not knowing who the author is or if the author was even listed):

FATHER’S LOVE

Loving eyes that shine with pride,
Thoughtful words that teach and guide.
Rowdy games and quiet talks,
shoulder rides and hand-held walks.
Always there for smiles or tears,
a beacon through the troubled years.
The days have passed before our eyes,
wondrous times with laughs and sighs.
And though the child has gone away,
Father’s love is here to stay.

 

Paper: Webster's Petite Papers Triple Pack-Seaside/Garden/Nature
Ink: Ranger Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, Copic BG11 marker
Essentials by Ellen: Craft Assistant, Art Magnetic Masking Material, Craft-a-Board
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System, Spellbinders Nestabilities Big Scalloped Square-Lg & Labels 12 dies, WRM Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Simply Swank Small Hinges, Ranger Ink Blending Tool, Brads, Tonic Tim Holtz Non-stick Serrated Scissors

"Super" Dad card by Kim Hughes

I only say "super" because this card is more than an ordinary card.  It's an accordion shape which means that it's technically a mini album or brag book.  But this little nugget can be carried proudly around in a wallet as well.  Well, maybe if Dad empties everything in it, but none the less, he can carry it around with ease if he likes.

Supplies:

Arturo Cards and Envelopes, White

Jenni Bowlin: Journaling Cards, Homespun, Mini Die Cut Circle Label Papers

Tim Holtz, Grungeboard, Minis 5"x8" Sheets 7/Pkg

Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, Garden Variety, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Stickers, Black

COPIC Sketch Marker R27, Cadmium Red

Basic Grey Buttons, Eerie

You will need 3 Arturo envelopes for this project.  One to make the accordion shape and another to use as a template and frame.

 

This is how the two envelopes will be adhered to one another.  One one side there are 3 pockets and on the reverse side, there are 3 solid sides.
 

Cut the third envelope in half and cut a frame from it.  Cut down clear plastic the same size to create a photo frame.
 

stitch along the sides and bottom, leaving the top open to slip a photo in and out.  Then you can adhere both folded envelopes together
 

Take the second half of the envelope and cut off the "pocket" piece and use it as a template.

trace it onto patterned paper and add it to the posket sides of the album

 

Insert polka dot papers onto the back sides of the album, behind the pockets.
 

To create the cute embellishments, simple color grungeboard shapes with a Copic marker
 

I added a punched circle to the larger star to help bring the color around to the inside of the project.
 

Here is the reverse side.  I added papers to the left panel...the center is the photo frame panel that I created with the envelope frame and clear sheet.  I used a Jenni Bowlin journal spot for the cover.  I wanted a little more "personality" in the focal square, so I cut down a circle paper
 

I added a "dad" sentiment along with some accent buttons

wrap it in a ribbon and tie a knot in front.  It's much easier than you may think.  Just in time for Father's Day!  I included a Starbuck's gift card in the center pocket, but you can replace that with more photos or maybe a little note from your kids to Dad?  That left panel that has paper on it can be a photo mat...you may have more than 2 children like me...or possibly include a photo of you or your pet?

Technique Tag Tuesday - Faux Hammered Silver Furniture Finish Printed Wood by Becky Olsen

I am really excited about today's technique tag!! There are a few things going on in this one that are easy, so fun to try and create really exciting textural finishes, and they are out of this world with how beautiful they are!

We will start by printing on a piece of "Real Wood,Thin Birch", for the tutorial on how to do that, refer to this post. Because I had run a really nice sized piece of wood through for my last project, I had plenty to use for this one.

For the tag base you will need a #8 Manila tag, "Silver" Adirondack Paint Dauber and the Heat It tool.

Start by painting around the edges of the tag.

  

If it looks thin give it another layer or two, nice coverage makes for a really exciting result.

   

Get out your Heat It and patiently heat each area until it gets a good bubbly texture going.

Here is a close-up of what it might look like when you are done.

 

Keep that Heat It out, we are going to be giving it a good work out today!

Trim a piece of the wood you printed on to 2 1/2" wide by 5 1/4" tall.

You will need a small piece of Cut N' Dry foam and "Tea Dye" Distress Ink, gently work a light layer of ink onto the surface of the wood. This is like a wood stain treatment that will bring variation and color in the grain and print on the surface of the wood.

Now here is where I am going to share one of my not so great learning experiences...

I applied my Distress Embossing Ink directly to the wood's surface, not the best idea. The ink from the laser printer rubbed off a little onto the surface of the ink pad from the direct contact. I strongly recommend that you use an Inky Roller brayer to apply the ink for this first layer. Not sure yet how the ink from the laser printer will affect the application of the Distress Ink on my future projects ;o)

When you have the entire surface covered with a nice layer of the embossing ink, sprinkle a layer of UTEE onto and then tap off the excess.

Then very patiently use the Heat It tool to melt it. It gets very hot and is difficult to handle so find a place to do this that won't be damaged. I always use my Non-Stick Craft Sheet for these projects because of its bullet proof surface. But make sure that whatever is underneath is also a pretty heat resistant surface.

The surface of the wood after this first layer of UTEE will be very uneven.

If you aren't familliar with UTEE, it is an acronym for Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel and is amazing stuff! Very versatile and comes in many colors! We will be playing with it again for sure!

Apply another layer of embossing ink, you can go direct from pad to surface from this point, but your brayer would already have the ink on it, so I would go ahead and use it to apply this layer. Hindsight is 20/20 ;o)

After you have a nice even application of the ink, sprinkle the UTEE on again and then gently tap off any excess.

Of course you will melt it with the Heat It again, you will need to be even more patient and careful. It is hot and you don't want to touch any part of it until it has cooled completely.

Of course when you are finished, you will see all of the incredible detail from the wood grain and the beautiful printing as well. It completely reminds me of a very fine furniture finish! Let me tell you, my mind is whirling with ideas on how to do this on a bigger scale...

Now that you have both techniques finished, it is time to start putting it all together. Adhere the wood to the tag using a heavy duty adhesive. I used my Scotch ATG 714 for this and was very generous in the application. The wood wanted to bend up a little and by applying a little extra adhesive it kept it in place really nicely.

Here is another view of how textured and beautiful this project is.

I gathered some pieces that would finish up the idea I had in mind, with black as a unifying color. The Maya Road Bird was painted with "Faded Jeans" and "Shabby Shutters" Distress Crackle Paint. There is a clock face and hands from Maya Road, a Glass Glintz in 8mm "Black" piece, and the "Jet" Double Flourish from Zva Creative.

Adhere the clock face with "Glossy Accents" and set aside to dry.

Adhere hands and Glass Glintz piece with the Glossy Accents as well and set aside to dry.

When that has set, place the flourish onto the clock face and over the top of the tag.

Adhere bird, and add a little black crystal for his eye. I just snipped the one off the bottom of the flourish, and put it in place.

and tie a piece of black lace through the top to finish it off with style!

I hope that you find some time to play with these techniques, they add amazing texture and are so versatile, you can them on so many different types of projects just by changing up colors, surfaces and images!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

B-

Magnetic Masked Butterfly - By Lisa Strahl

It's Monday and time for another week of work, school and keeping up with life in general.  I hope you had a chance to relax on the weekend and do something that you love.  It's amazing how just a small amount of "me" time will make huge difference in how well my week goes.  Today I spent a few hours in a hammock in our back yard reading.  It was perfect!

I created some Artist Trading cards last week for a swap that were airbrushed with Copic markers and it inspired me to do some airbrushing again this week.  The main point that I want to share with you about this ATC is that I stamped it on Craft-a-Board.  The best way I can describe it, is that it's a really smooth creamy chipboard that takes ink like a dream!

 

I want to share a design with you that uses Magnetic Masking Material.  These 8.5 x 11 flexible magnetic sheets have with a white topcoat that allow you to stamp and then cut out the shape.  It is thin enough to be cut with most die cut systems, dies and electronic cutters including the Cricut.  I am going to use it with the Craft Assistant which is a metal craft plate that acts as an extra set of hands. It assists by holding the magnetic masks firmly in position while I airbrush.

Stamp desired images on the white side of the magnetic sheet and trim out with sharp tip scissors.  Usually when I am cutting am image out I leave a white border, but in this case I am trimming right on the line or even just slightly inside.

Stamp the image again, this time on the paper you wish you airbrush on.  The stamp set I am using in Antique Engraving (Hero Arts) and the paper collection is Origins 6x6 Paper Pad (Basic Grey).

Place your stamped image on the Craft Assistant and then place your hand cut magnetic mask over the image.  It will stay in place even with the force from the airbrush!  So cool.  I have airbrushed around the butterfly with G28 Ocean Green Copic Marker using the chisel tip which produces a finer mist of ink.  I do use the Sparmax AC-101 Windstorm Airbrush Compressor and have to admit that I LOVE it.  It truly works like a dream and I use it a lot!

 
 

I will keep this mask and use it over and over again.

 

To finish the card:

-color the circle details on the butterfly with Lemon and Melon Spica Glitter Pens (Does anyone else notice that those two words use the exact same letters?  I am such a geek.)  Apply Glossy Accents over the areas you just colored and allow to dry.

-stamp the sentiment "My soul is in the sky" with Jet Black Archival Ink from the Vintage Butterflies stamp set (CHF)

-prick to small holes with the Tonic Retractable Craft Pick just above the butterfly's head and insert some of the wire stems from the Ivory Mini Gypso Flowers (Prima) and secure them with tape on the back side.

-die cut a Large Classic Scalloped Rectangle from Vanilla Bean Cardstock (Memory Box)

-attach small Offbeat brads to each corner of the rectangle

-adhere a Green at Heart button with Mini Glue Dots

-adhere the Origins flourish corner layer to a Vanilla Bean Note card which is sold with the matching colored envelope (show in the photo)

-adhere the focal image to the flourish corner layer with 3D Foam Squares

One more quick and simple project using Arturo Note Cards and Craft-a-Board to create your own letter press designs.

Stamp Artsy Blooms (*Please note that Ellen only sells this image Cling Mounted) image onto the Arturo Note Card with an ink compatible with Copic such as Memento or Adirondack.  Color the image as desired.  Most letter press is printed with solid and even colors, no shading.  We all spend lots of time learning to shade with our Copics, but they are fabulous to create a block of color too!

Stamp the image again, this time on Craft-a-Board and fussy cut it out.  Do leave a small white border around the edge of the image this time.

 

Create the following sandwich for your die cut machine:  plate, embossing mat, stamped Arturo paper, Craft-a-Board cut out image, plate.  I used a few pieces of Judikins Eclipse Tape to ensure that the image doesn't move while going through the machine.  It's so thin that it won't leave a mark on your paper and sticky enough to "stick" but not leave any residue behind when you remove it.

In case you can not tell from the picture, the image is embossed deeply over and just to the outside of the entire image. 

Told you it was quick and simple!  I just created a set of these as a gift for some one and left them blank so that they could be an any occasion card.

Well, that's quite enough yaking from me for today.  Have a great week!

Cheers, Lisa

Back to Basics - Patterned Paper

When I first started stamping, I used absolutely no patterned paper.  As I began to purchase it (it was so beautiful that I couldn't help myself), I actually found myself a little intimidated by it.  What was I supposed to do with it?  How do I integrate it into my projects?  So today I thought I would cover just a few "basic" ways that I use patterned paper on cards.

This first card uses paper from Graphic 45's Collections "Le Romantique" and "A Proper Gentleman".

 

Both the brown and plaid pieces are used as a background for the main image.  However the brown paper was first embossed and then sanded.  Since the paper core is white, the sanding creates a dramatic and very easily achieved look.

If you look closely, you can see a tiny clock image that has been punched from one of the papers and popped up on the "1".  So fun!

The image on this card is from Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous "Pen and Pencil" set.  The word is taken from a sentiment from Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous "The Countdown".

The second card uses an image from the Hero Arts "Owl Trio" and sentiment from Hero Arts "Birthday Messages".

 

The owl has been paper pieced and the flowers have been created using paper from Cosmo Cricket's "Material Girl" mini deck paper pad.

When paper piecing an image, I first stamp the image on a transparent sheet.  I can then "try" the image on different patterned papers and decide which paper best suits that image.  This also helps to decide where to stamp the image on any given paper.

After cutting out the image, I carefully color the edges with a marker.  This helps redefine them.

 

The flowers were made from coordinating patterned paper using the "Blossom" Nestability Dies.

The edges were lightly distressed and again colored with a marker to help pop each piece.

The third card uses sentiments from Cornish Heritage Farms' Mona Lisa Moments "Motivational Centers" and "Wedding Centers".

With the addition of the little homemade "diploma", these sentiments work well for a graduation themed card.  I love being able to take images and sentiments and give them a wider range of use other than what was originally intended for them.  Here the sentiments are stamped directly onto the patterned paper.

The patterned paper used on this card is Memory Box's "Frond".  It has been punched with Martha Stewart's "Crown" border punch.  The border was doubled up on the main panel.  All edges were sponged with Ranger "Tea Dye" Distress Ink.

Patterned paper can add so much color, design and interest to a card.  I hope that your visit today has encouraged you to create something fun using some of the beautiful patterned papers available today.

Happy Crafting!

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31 Happens Card:

Stamps: Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous "Pen and Pencil" and Tim Holtz's Stampers Anonymous "The Countdown"

Papers: Graphic 45 "Le Romantique Collection" and "A Proper Gentleman", Memory Box Cardstock "Vanilla Bean", "Neenah "Classic Cream",

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black" and "Rich Cocoa", Ranger "Tea Dye", Copics

Accessories: Tim Holtz Grungeboard Minis, Tim Holtz Mini Paper Clips

One-of-a-Kind Birthday Card:

Stamps: Hero Arts "Owl Trio" and Hero Arts "Birthday Messages"

Papers: Cosmo Cricket "Material Girl", Memory Box Cardstock "Persimmon" and "Granny Smith", Neenah "Classic Cream"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black", Copics

Accessories: Cosmo Cricket Ribbon, Cosmo Cricket Buttons

Graduation Card:

Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms Mona Lisa Moments "Motivational Centers" and "Wedding Centers"

Papers: Memory Box "Frond" and "Vanilla Bean", Neenah "Classic Cream"

Inks: Memento "Rich Cocoa", Ranger "Tea Dye" Distress Ink

Accessories: Martha Stewart "Crown" Border Punch

Pretty Punching by Julia Stainton

How many border punches can you use in one card? Apparently quite a few as I've been having fun creating punched border layers for this card design. Six in total actually. It's quite a mixture but I'm loving these EK Success border punches so much that I just keep adding to my collection.

The EK Success border punches are super easy to use and I'm really pleased with their quality. One of the best things about them is they store very flat and lock when not in use. The more I can store in a limited space makes me a happy girl. For this project I've used the Binding Edge Punch, Diamond Lace Edger Punch, Daisy Scallop Edger Punch, Dotted Wave Edger Punch, Swirl Edger Punch and Parisian Edger Punch.

To create my card I've used the Webster's Pages Petite Paper Pad, Lullaby Lane/Life's Portrait. Both lines come in the same paper pad and are oh so pretty. If you've been looking for this paper, it's now back in stock.To punch the strips, I first cut them into 1.5" in depth and then punched along the strip.

 

If you've never used these punches before, simply slide the paper in to the hilt punch, then move border along until the punched edge lines up with the pattern printed on the right or left sides. I was impressed with their accuracy.

When I create a pieced together layer, I always adhere the strips of paper on a paper base. This way I can cut or die cut them all together getting a nice clean edge. You'll notice from the photo that some of the borders have a short repetition and don't need lined up but some of the larger scallops do and I've centered them on the paper. I altered colors and borders for an interesting look. I suggest you alternate fancy borders with those that are a little plainer for balance in the design.

After I've finished adhering the strips, I then trimmed off the excess for a crisp look. The layer is then matted with Neenah Solar White cardstock and adhered to a card base created from Robin's Egg cardstock by Memory Box. I like to cut my cardstock in half lengthwise for my card bases rather than horizontally.

As the design on this project is pretty non-specific, you could use it for almost any occasion. I'm always in need of thank you cards to I've created a sentiment with a sticker product that is now at the top of my "must have" list, Tiny Type by Cosmo Cricket.

To add a few embellishments, I've painted a chipboard t monogram with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint ,  sprinkled with Crystal Fine Glitter and allowed to dry.

Here's a closeup of the finished design.

I was having so much fun with my border punches that I just had to create another card with them before putting them away.

 It's a very similar project but I was thinking how beautiful the borders would look punched in all white cardstock. It looks just like a beautiful wedding dress. This time I created a 4.25" square panel of the punched border and adhered to a 5" square card base. The "two shall become one" sentiment is from the Wedding Centers stamp set by CHF. It's a great set and perfect for wedding season. The ink is Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger.

 

Once again I've used the Neenah Solar White Cardstock, this time for the entire project. For a very subtle embellishment I've punched out two butterflies to coordinate with the sentiment. 

I like them both but I'm leaning towards the all white design as my favorite. It's fun getting two different looks from the same tools and technique isn't it? Which one do you like best?

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

Mother's Day Celebration Sale and a VERY Happy Mother's Day!

For those of you who do not regularly see the home page of our store and do not receive our newsletter I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all the wonderful mothers and women who join us here in the CLASSroom a very special weekend ahead. To each of you - we wish you special memories of your Mother and/or children!

This special offer is valid beginning Friday, May 7 and running through Sunday, May 9 (Pacific Daylight Time) and will qualify you to receive 15% off everything we carry in our store. The coupon below is good for in-stock merchandise only, so shop early! This coupon cannot be combined with other promotional coupons.

Upon reaching the checkout page of our store, Ellen Hutson LLC, please type in the following promotion code to receive your special 15% Mother's Day Celebration promotional discount on your entire order - momlove2

Please 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.

Wishing all the Moms joining us a very special and happy Mother's Day!

With appreciation,

Ellen

Congrats, Graduate by Sharon Harnist

 

My 4th grade daughter is graduating from Elementary school to Intermediate and a whole new school in a few weeks, so I thought Kim Hughes' U R A Hoot stamp set would make a cute graduation card for her ... I love this sweet owl!  I stamped her onto some Basic Grey Sugar Rush solid light pink paper and accented her a little with these Copic markers:

 

Next, I die cut a green patterned circle of more Sugar Rush paper and layered that onto a 5" orange mat I created using Martha Stewart's Punch Around The Page Set-Crown.  These Punch Around The Page punch sets are a great way to make pretty-edged layers.  You can refer to this post for more instructions on how to use these punches.

The secret to getting a perfectly punched border or mat with Punch Around The Page punches: you will need to start with any combination of these sizes of paper: 3.25", 5.00", 6.75", 8.50" 10.25" or 12".  So you could make a photo mat that is 5" x 6.75" or a square page or card embellishment that is 3.25" square or 5" square (like I did here), etc, or edge your 12" scrapbook page!

To finish my card, I layered the punched orange mat onto dark pink (although it appears red in these photos!) Sugar Rush paper (a little over 5" square) and a 5.25" Natural White card base.  I stamped the tree limb on the BACK side of the striped Sugar Rush paper, just to use the stamped lines as a cutting guide, since I wanted my tree limb to be the striped paper:

I stamped the solid graduation cap with Versamark onto the solid dark gray Sugar Rush paper and heat embossed it with Ranger's clear embossing powder & Heat It Craft tool.  Then I cut it out and popped it up with foam tape:

You can also use the "leftover" punched-out pieces to decorate with: 

 

For this birthday/celebration card, I used some lime green punched pieces leftover from another project (using the same Crown Punch Around The Page punch set) and adhered them to a 3" square bright pink card base I cut from a Memory Box Currant notecard:

 

I started with the corner pieces and then filled in with the straight scallops.  Next, I cut a light pink piece of Sugar Rush paper with Spellbinders Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities-Lg die and stamped it with the "let's celebrate" sentiment from U R A Hoot stamp set.  Using Martha Stewart's Punch & Stamp Set-Cupcake, I punched two cupcakes from two different patterns of Sugar Rush paper, cut the top off of one and layered it with foam tape to the striped base.  It made for a very quick and easy little notecard!

Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!

 
Stamps: CHF Kim Hughes U R A Hoot 
Paper: Basic Grey Sugar Rush, Memory Box Currant notecard, Neenah Natural White cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark ink pad
Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Circle Nestabilities-Lg & Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities-Lg; Martha Stewart Punch Around The Page Set-Crown & Punch & Stamp-Cupcake; Ranger clear embossing powder & Heat It Craft tool

congrats GRAD card by Kim Hughes

Graduation time is right around the corner...time flies.  Whether you have a loved one graduating from Pre-K or celebrating a masters degree, grad cards are fun but can be oh' so challenging at times.  I thought of a cute way to toss that hat in the air!

supplies:

Martha Stewart Punch and Stamp, Cupcake

Zva Creative: Ice and Fire Crystal, Jet

Nestability Dies - Labels Three

Memory Box 6x6 Cardstock, Spearmint

Basic Grey 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad, Green at Heart, Basic Grey Brads, Cappella, Basic Grey 6x6 Patterned Paper Pad, Kioshi

It's easy to print your sentiment onto a smaller piece of paper when you simply don't have an 8 1/2 x 11 piece.  Print text onto printer paper.

 

and use a tape gun to adhere the paper over he printed sentiment.  This will work for even the thinnest sentiments as well.  Re-positionable tape is best but not necessary.
 

print the sentiment once again and it appears onto your small 6 x 6 page
 

send the sentiment and a blue patterned paper through the die cutting machine at the same time and add the blue paper along the left side of the main sentiment shape.
 

machine sew it with a zig zag stitch onto a peach patterned paper.
 

Use a cupcake punch to create the grad cap. 
 

trim off the curves in the "frosting"

trace the pointing top onto the back of black card stock and cut a diamond shape, to b placed on top of the cap base.  Pop up diamond with a dimensional square

 

cut 6 strips of floss to create a tassel.
 

tie a knot in the center with a separate string
 

wrap one side of the string around and tie a knot.
 

pull tight and cut off excess string, fun, right?
 

poke a hole in the top of the cap with scissors because a paper piercer hole won't be big enough
 

push the string through the hole and attach to the backside of the cap.
 

add brad to the hole...done :)
 

send the card front through the die cutting machine, gicing it a little more design elements.
 

mat onto striped paper, then purple, then black.  Complete with a black crystal flourish to help the eye see movement of the tossed cap.

play around with school colors and possibly include a gift card holder inside.  Grad cards don't need to be so scary, especially if you have a cupcake punch a brad and some string.

Trend Watch Tuesday - Power of Pearls by Becky Olsen

What can say elegance, beauty and grace quicker than a string of pearls? With Mother's day just around the corner I thought it would be fun to explore the trend of pearl products to honor that classic string of pearls that iconically go hand in hand with the word Mom, and hopefully inspire you to share the gift of pearls with your special mom this Mother's Day.

If you start with a search of the word "Pearls" in the shop you will get pages of wonderful pearl products. Lets start with the basics and then move onto the really fancy flourishes.

The first string of pearls are these classic "Accent Pearls" by Hero Arts. They can be used individually or as a strand.

If you are looking for something with a little more color, how about these tender lovelies? These are the "Lavender Accent Pearls" from Hero Arts.
 

If you are thinking elegant colored pearls how about this combination of "Opaline Platinum and Pearl" from Basic Grey.

 
That is what I used for this Mother's Day card. I loved all of the varied sizes, and used them as one of the design elements on the project.
Products used for the card are:
Webster's Pages "Lullaby Lane/Life's Portrait" 6" x 6" paper, Martha Stewart "Classic Butterfly punch" , May Arts "Light Blue" silk ribbon. "Vintage Baby Expressions" by Cornish Heritage Farms, "Walnut Stain" Distress Ink by Ranger, and a "Memo Pin" by Tim Holtz.

We just took a look at the power of pearls to make something elegant and classic, now lets look at how they can also add whimsy and fun as well.

This Prima "Say it in Pearls and Roses" flourish is filled with different colors, textures, colors and sizes! It is fabulous and sure to catch your eye on any project you use it on.

 
Wildly ornate, but timeless this "Pearl Frame" from Zva Creative would make a stunning frame on any project.
 
If you don't want them to be white but would prefer a color that matches the project you are working on, get out your Copic Markers and color them to perfection!

If you want something that is already colored and not as busy, how about the "Rosy Pink Long Flourish Swirl"? It has fun and whimsical movement in the design, but isn't quite as detailed.

These Zva Creative "White Double Flourishes" are a little more ornate and very easy to use, they can also be colored to match any project just like any of the other pearl products. These are the flourishes that I used on the layout below.

And last but definitely not least, if you want a great value to fill your longing for pearls in your projects, these Kaisercraft Pearls have 5 different sizes in each package, come in 24 colors so if you don't have Copics you can still get a color that will match most anything that you are working on, and the price is only $1.99 per pack for 10 pearls of each of those 5 different sizes. Yup, that is quite the deal for 50 lustrous beauties!  These are the "Snow" color and I used them for my layout on the bodies of the butterflies.

This was a quick and easy layout that tells the story of my daughter's prom dress that was made by my mother for her this year. I wanted the picture to be the center of attention, so created a color scheme that would really let the dress color pop. The pink of the paper and letter stickers from the Basic Grey "Green at Heart" collection compliments the Ranger "Lettuce" and "Willow" Adirondack Paint Daubers that I used to paint the background. The butterflies were punched from the pink and orange paper from the collection pack and then a little stitching on my sewing machine to add a little quick texture.

What more can a classy mom want than a few pearls on her projects? We have to give props to the pearl for having the power to stand the test of time and remain a classic, but let's also give a hearty thanks to the manufacturers who have taken this staple, put it into the spotlight and made it one of the hottest trends going!

Don't forget to give your mom some pearls for Mother's Day this year...

;o)

B-

Inchie Gift Book by Lisa Strahl

It's Monday.  Who's ready?  Need coffee.  Lots of coffee. 

I am going to jump right in this morning and tell you that I love, lovey, love Graphic 45.  It's just easy for me to work with.  I don't have to think.  A happy place.  The project I created for you today is a fold out, Artist Trading Card sized, inchie'ish type book that I plan to give to a friend because she can appreciate an "art for art's sake" project.

I wanted to cover my ATC sized container as quickly and easily as possible, so measured the length of the case with my design ruler and cut an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of Be Creative Tape to size on my trimmer.  The advantage of the sheets as opposed to the roll is that you have backing on both sides of the tape, which means you can die cut it or cut it on a trimmer.

 

Pull off the brown backing a little at a time and simply apply around the surface of the case.  Easy peasy.  Remove the white and blue backing and adhere paper which has been cut to the same size.

 

Paint the top of the case with Pitch Black Adirondack Paint Dabber using one of the many handy brushes in the Studio Line Brush set.  It dries completely within a few minutes.  You can heat set it if you are impatient!

I made a little bouquet of Gypso flowers that have been lightly inked with Sepia Archival ink.  I love to make arrangements and couldn't help but sticking this vintage Jenni Bowlin pin into the center.  Once again I am using those Tiny Type stickers, just can't get enough.  I want to say what I want to say and they allow me to do that.

I also added a thin strip of paper that is the "b" side of Botantical News and embellished it with a row of black pearls.

 

I used a little brown ribbon to hold my fold out book closed inside the container.  The inchie square on the front cover is embellished with layered brass flowers by Vintaj.  I used Black Inchie Squares which were sanded after adhering the paper to give the effect of a worn tile.

A close up of each page is shown below.  Please scroll to the end of this port to see a full supply list.

Each Black Inchie Square has been covered with an image from the Botanticabella Tag sheet, sanded, coated with a layer of quick drying clear nail polish (to ensure the colors do not bleed), adorned with a Tiny Type sticker, embellished with a Clear Spica Glitter Pen and then covered in Glossy Accents and allowed to dry overnight.

 

 

My hope is that this little booklet could be display on a shelf or mantle and then tucked away for safe keeping in it's case.

Thanks so much for joining us today in the CLASSroom.

Cheers, Lisa
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Supplies:

Botanicabella Collection:  Botanical News, Antiquity, Botanicabella Tags (Graphic 45)

Black Inchie Squares(Inchie Arts, LLC)

Brass Flower Stacks Fastenables (Vintaj)

Ivory Gypso Mini Flowers(Prima)

Tiny Type Stickers, Black and Brown (Cosmo Cricket)

Glossy Accents (Ranger)

Clear Spica Glitter Pen(Copic)

Cream Stick Pins(Jenni Bowlin)

Sepia Archival Ink (Ranger)

8.5 x 11 Tape Sheets (Be Creative)

Brown Crochet Ribbon, Classic Trim Collection (Webster's Pages)

Pitch Black Adirondack Paint Dabber (Ranger)

Studio Line Brush Set (Ranger)

Strip of Black Pearls(Kaisercraft)

Precision Sanding Kit (Basic Grey)

Vintaj Loveliness by Debbie Olson

I have had a wonderful time playing with some new Vintaj brass pieces this week--I can feel a new crafting addiction coming on! If you like the look of soldered jewelry but prefer not to have to pull out solder and a a soldering iron, then this might be a good line of products to try. If, on the other hand, you already enjoy soldering as I do, then consider this a way to get more use out of some of the tools that you already have, like your specialty pliers.

 

I started with a charm circle bezel and a piece of Webster's Pages die cut paper. I used a 1-1/4" punch to cut out my image, but I still had to trim it by had since a 1-1/8" circle would have been a better fit. I then used some Ranger Matte Accents to glue the piece onto the blank.

 

My hand-cutting of the circle wasn't perfect, so I used some Matte Accents around the inside edge of the bezel to add little seed beads. (Good tweezers help!) After that dried, I used some Ranger Glossy Accents to coat the entire piece of paper and seal the inside edge of the bead-ring. I wish I had had some Crackle Accents; it would have been pretty here, and I have now ordered some. (My parents were visiting, and my dad was surprised to learn that I didn't already own every product ever made. . .)

 

Since I was making this for my mother who likes dragonflies, I used a dragonfly connector to attach my decorated bezel to the necklace chain, via another jump ring. The tail was long enough to bend into a loop with my concave round nose pliers. 

After adding a jump ring to the top of the dragonfly connector, I put the bezel on the figaro chain and then attached a lobster clasp to the ends of the chain.

 

I liked it as it was but still felt that it could use a bit more dressing up; so I pulled out my bead stash along with some 1" head pins and my concave round nose pliers to make a couple of little charms to hang from the chain. 

 

See? The little bead charms helped. The Vintaj line has so many possibilities. . . I've already placed another order because I loved this project so much. In fact, I'm pestering Ellen to stock some more  pieces already, so I hope that you like them too!

Thank you for visiting the CLASSroom today.

mother's day tri-shutter card by cindy lyles

I never would have believed these shutter cards are quick to assemble - they always looked like they took eons to create.  I tried one, and they do indeed come together in a snap!

This one is going to my mum this year.  If you've never made one of these, start with a 12" x 5-1/2" piece of card stock as your base.  Score along the 12" side at 2", 4", 8" and 10".  Cut perpendicular to the score lines 1-1/2" down from the top and up from the bottom, starting at the 2" score line and ending at the 10" one.  Accordion fold along the score lines as in photo above.

The base above is ready, and I'm using Hero Arts Everyday Sayings on eggshell card stock from Memory Box.  Patterned papers are from Jenni Bowlin.

Memory Box Classic Flourish image was stamped using Distress Aged Mahogany, and since Distress inks do not dry immediately I took the opportunity to apply a hint of Distress Antique Linen using an ink blending tool.  The mahogany color bled ever so slightly, giving me the vintage look I was looking for.

I added sparkle, color and the appearance of water to these Prima flowers.  Into a Mini Mister I added one dropper full of Distress Brushed Corduroy reinker and 1/2 teaspoon of Perfect Pearls Gold.  Fill the mini mister with water to 1/2" from the top, to allow room for shaking/mixing.

Working over a non-stick craft sheet, I spritzed the combined reinker and perfect pearls, then heat set.

A before and after shot.

To add the effect of raindrops on the flower's petals, I inked up the petals using Versamark, then generously sprinkled clear UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel), then gently tapped off the excess.

Heat set the UTEE.  This gives the look of raindrops on the petals.

Daffodil pearls were added to the front and back of the shutters.  Distress Antique Linen was used with the flourish image to create the back shutter panel where I'll get the kids and everyone to sign.  Fun, easy and speedy!  Thank you for stopping by the CLASSroom blog today!