the CLASSroom

"Jen's Sunshine" Blog Hop

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadow." -Helen Keller

We would like to invite you to join us today as we do our best to help bring a ray of sunshine into Jen Scull's life. Jen has been a customer of ours for several years and it is an absolute honor to be invited to donate a prize for the Party Time Tuesdays blog hop. During the blog hop participants will be sharing the sweet digi set created by Paper Makeup - Jen's Sunshine to help Jen and her family during this difficult time. All proceeds from the sale of this set will go directly to Jen's family.

For complete instruction on how you can participate in the blog hop please head over to Paper Makeup Stamps blog. You will find information on how you can join in the fun and possibly win the $25 gift certificate we have provided there, as well as numerous other prizes! As well please keep reading this post for yet another opportunity to brighten someone's day.

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I love the sentiments and sweet imagery in this set and wanted to participate and encourage Jen and her family! It was so easy to purchase and download this set to create the project below.

I resized the images in Photoshop and broke the sentiment into two parts creating a little hidden message with the last phrase of the sentiment.

Using the My Favorite Things Bookmark Duo die I was able to create an interactive card to honor Jen. This sentiment holds so true - I feel blessed and happy to know that perhaps our little contribution might bring sunshine to someone else's life. Jen we will hold you in our thoughts and prayers and wish you and your family moments of sunshine in the rough days ahead!

Jen's Sunshine Digi Set	My Favorite Things Die-namics, Bookmark Duo (Die Only)	My Mind's Eye, 6x6 Paper Pad, The Sweetest Thing -Tangerine	Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
COPIC Sketch Marker Y00, Barium Yellow	COPIC Sketch Marker Y11, Pale Yellow	COPIC Sketch Marker Y21, Buttercup Yellow	COPIC Sketch Marker R14, Light Rouge
COPIC Sketch Marker R27, Cadmium Red

InLinkz.com

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AND it gets even better... we would like to donate a second $25 gift certificate to our store here! If you are creating and using this set or would like to leave words of encouragement for Jen we would love to encourage you to share your creations and thoughts - simply link us up to your project below and/or leave a word of encouragement for Jen in the comments section. We will randomly draw a winner from the combined links and comments we receive before the September 4th deadline.

Appliquéd Onesies by Julie Ebersole

My daughter, Hayley, and her husband, are expecting our first grandchild and I very recently had the fun of hosting a baby shower for her! Being the crafty mama I am (and grandma I will be!!!), I thought it would be fun to have a crafty activity for the guests to enjoy! *grin*

Appliquéd baby onesies make a darling group project, and with a little forethought and advance preparation, they can be easily made during a party, even by inexperienced crafters!

Plain white baby onesies in a variety of sizes were purchased and then washed, making sure not to use any fabric softener or fabric softener sheets; this step will remove the sizing and help create the best/strongest bond when fusing the appliqués to the onesies.

ETA (as per a question down in the comments, related to this project post):

For any fabrics you are using to do the applique work that could potentially shrink, you will want to pre-wash and dry them, without any softener, as well. Then iron them flat before fusing the Heat-N-Bond to the back side so you have a nice, smooth application.

As far as washing a finished onesie, machine wash on the delicate cycle and then I personally like to hang-dry, instead of machine dry.

After purchasing a few printed cotton fabrics, I also went through my collection of felt for fun colors. I love the wool/rayon blend felt we carry at Ellen Hutson because it cuts very crisply with both my steel rule and low-profile dies, such as those made by Memory Box, Savvy Stamps, and My Favorite Things , etc. For more information on the various types of dies, please visit this awesome article by Ellen from the InTouch Newsletter Archives.

Before die-cutting, we fused Heat-N-Bond Ultra Hold (purchased at a fabric store), an Iron-On Adhesive for appliqué work, to the back side of the printed cotton fabrics, and pieces of felt we wanted to work with.

It helps to cut the Heat-N-Bond to slightly smaller than the piece of felt or fabric you are ironing it to, and to use a pressing cloth; this will prevent any possibility of adhesive melting onto your iron by accident. Ask me how I know! LOL! ;) Take care to use a medium-high setting, and no steam.

Once the adhesive was bonded to the fabric, we were ready to die cut! By cutting the fused materials to sizes just large enough to accommodate the size dies we were working with, we could easily run multiple shapes through the Big Shot Machine all at the same time. YAY!!!

For any of the low-profile dies that were more intricate, the metal adaptor plate helped provide just enough additional pressure to ensure a complete cut.

Here you can see just how crisp and clean the dies cut through both the cotton fabrics and the felt! LOVE!!!

We also hand-cut some shapes--many of my low profile dies are smaller in size, and were suitable for the smallest of the onesies (0-3, 3-6 mos.), and on the larger (18-24 mos. size), we hand cut larger shapes I didn't have dies for that we thought would be fun. Even though I can't draw, my daughter can! So while I die cut shapes, she also drew shapes on the paper backing that we could cut out by hand.

We then put an assortment of cut shapes that worked well together, along with some coordinating buttons, into a zip loc bag, and rolled them up inside a onesie, creating "kits". The little kits were then placed into a basket so that guests could choose a kit to assemble!

(Moonlight Butterfly, Umbrella dies by Memory Box)

All the guests were able to simply peel off the paper backing of the appliqués, and place them where desired on the onesie. We had an ironing station set up on one table, which we protected with folded bath towels.

When ironing the appliqués to the clothing, it's a good idea to carefully place a pressing cloth over the top of the appliqués, taking care not to move/shift them, and hold the iron down in one spot, for about 6-8 seconds, then lift and move the iron and repeat, until the entire appliqué is bonded, using a no-steam setting. Avoid rubbing the iron back and forth (although it's instinctive to rub the iron back and forth, you'll get best results by simply pressing down, then lifting and pressing down in the next area.) Felt may require a slightly higher heat temp, and possibly keeping the iron in place for 8-10 seconds because it is thicker than the lightweight cotton fabrics.

(dies: Puffy Clouds and Meadow Bird by Memory Box)

 

(dies: Puffy Clouds by Memory Box, Eiffel Tower by MFT)

If you notice any edges of the appliqués lifting up, you may need to press the iron to them again, holding in place a little longer to make sure the adhesive is melting and fusing to the onesie.

(hand-cut shapes)

 

(finished onesies)

Each of the onesies turned out ADORABLE and I couldn't resist taking a shot of them all! And, it was super fun to watch all the guests, including Hayley's own grandmother, thoroughly enjoy making them--I couldn't have been more tickled when some of the gals mentioned to me that they thought it was the most fun baby shower idea they had ever seen and that they really had a ball making them!

Thanks for joining me in the CLASSroom today and I hope sharing this project sparks some ideas for you in using your dies, felts and fabrics in fun new ways!

Dies:  Assorted from My Favorite Things, Memory Box, Sizzix

Buttons: From my stash

Other:  Needles & thread (for sewing on buttons), Heat-N-Bond Ultra Hold Iron-on-Adhesive (fabric store supply), Cotton Fabrics (fabric store supply)

WoolFelt, 12"x18" Cotton Candy	WoolFelt, 12"x18" Baby Blue	WoolFelt, 12"x18" Gold	WoolFelt, 12"x18" White
WoolFelt, 12"x18" Strawberry Parfait	WoolFelt, 12"x18" Pea Soup	WoolFelt, 12"x18" Chocolate	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink
Memory Box Die, Metal Adaptor Plate	Memory Box Dies, Petite Umbrella	Memory Box Dies, Moonlight Butterfly	Tweezer Bee

InLinkz.com

Boo Time by Sharon Harnist

Autumn is right around the corner and that always puts me in the mood for cute Halloween images. Karen Lockhart just released her new Fall & Holiday stamps and I used four of her images to create these sweet Twinchie (2-inch square) magnets:

I stamped the Happy Ghost and Spider Web with Memento Lulu Lavender dye ink onto X-Press It Blending Card. Using the lighter ink to stamp helps to make the images seem more realistic. The ghost was shaded with BV0000 and BV00 Copic Sketch Markers and his eyes accented with Lilac Atyou Spica Glitter Pen (hopefully you can see that by clicking on the photo below for a closer view):

The  Boo sentiment was stamped onto Memory Box Persimmon cardstock and then traced with Black Spica Glitter Pen. The cardstock was trimmed with pinking shears and adhered to an Inchie Arts Black Twinchie Square. The ghost and web were popped up with Copic Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape to give these magnets cute charm (I'm always amazed at what foam tape can do for your artwork)!

The web was also accented with BV00 marker and Lilac Spica Glitter Pen. The Itty Bitty Spider was connected to his web with a line hand drawn with a fine black Copic Multiliner and he accented with Black Spica Glitter Pen. The cardstock behind the web is Memory Box's beautiful Boysenberry cardstock.

Add some Inchie Magnets to the back of the sturdy 2-inch Black Twinchie matboard squares and you've got yourself some cute refrigerator art, ready to hold all those important back-to-school papers and photos (or to give to your new teachers)!

Thanks so much for visiting the CLASSroom today!  

~ Sharon

Happy Ghost	Boo	Spider Web	IB Spider
Blending Card by X-Press It, 25 Pack	BB9 Cardstock, Persimmon	B7 Cardstock, Boysenberry	Memento Ink Pad, Lulu Lavender
COPIC Sketch Marker BV0000, Pale Thistle	COPIC Sketch Marker BV00, Mauve Shadow	COPIC Spica Glitter Pen, Clear	COPIC Spica Glitter Pen, Black
COPIC Spica Glitter Pen, Lilac	COPIC Multiliner Fine 4 Piece Set, Black	Twinchie Squares, Black	Inchie Magnets
High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"

InLinkz.com

Die Cut Post-It Notes

Post-It notes come in so many fabulous colors and it dawned on me as I was looking at my boring square Post-It notes that they could also come in fabulous shapes!! By simply using my traditional Sizzix dies I can create fun shaped Post-It notes!

The next step in the process was figuring out a cute way to present this special little packet of pretty Post-Its. So I designed this little card that is supposed to represent the dress form in a mirror.

Begin by selecting a traditional steel rule die (these will cut through multiple layers - read this post for a comparison on the different dies on the market that we carry in our store).

Count out approximately 15 Post-its and position them atop the die as shown above. Make certain that the sticky portion of the Post-It is at the very end of the die and that this is also the widest portion of the die. You want to keep as much of that sticky area as possible!

In this case I used the Mini Sewing Room Movers & Shapers dies.

How cute are these?!? I am going to use them to create a little surprise package of goodies for when we drop my sweet girl at college this week. I hope it makes her grin when she marks her textbooks or notes using these cute little Post-Its. I'm guessing that all the boys in her Engineering classes will be jealous - bwah, ha, ha!

To create the little "mirror" first cut an opening in the Lagoon notecard using the Cherise die. Then cut out the Tiffany die shape from Jack O Lantern cardstock.

I simply used scotch tape on the back side to hold the Tiffany frame within the Cherise frame. I think you can see it when you click on the photo above and enlarge it. It will be completely hidden when the second layer is attached from behind.

Cut a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of linen cardstock and attach the Post-It notes to the surface using Washi tape. The fabulous thing about using Washi tape is that you can easily remove it without damaging your Post-Its!

Use dimensional 3D-dots to attach the dress form behind the mirror. I now have sweet little notecard to share these special Post-Its. I encourage you to give it a try and share what other dies/shapes will make fun little sticky notes!

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic Die Set 2PK, Mini Sewing Room Set	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Base Tray	Memory Box Dies, Cherise Label	Memory Box Dies, Tiffany Frame
My Mind's Eye, Decorative Tape, Together (Tangerine)	Memory Box Cardstock, Jack O Lantern	Memory Box Cardstock, Lagoon	Essentials by Ellen, White Linen Cardstock, 25 pk
3D-Dots, 1/8" Thick

InLinkz.com

Flocked Warm Fuzzies by Krystie Hersch

Welcome to the CLASSroom!  I think "sending warm fuzzies" is the perfect, playful sentiment for a friend who's feeling blue.  I decided to go literal and make the hearts fuzzy with flock!  I like this flock assortment because it has cute little bottles in a rainbow of colors.  

In my experience working with flock, I have the best results by using a matching color underneath.  You can sometimes see beneath the flock, so having a matching color will give the appearance of perfect and even coverage.

(Tip:  If you're using flock with a stamped image instead of die cuts, I'd recommend using a pigment ink that matches your flock. Stamp, then emboss with Sticky Stuff, then apply flock.)  

For this card, I'm covering die cuts, so I started with coordinating scraps of cardstock.  

I attached a small foam piece to the back of each die cut so that I'd have something to grab.  I smeared a light coat of Mono Multi liquid glue over the top, then pressed the heart into the flock.

Shake off excess and repeat with each color.

I stamped my sentiment onto a piece of striped paper and tied a bow with striped twine.

There you have it, soft, fuzzy hearts to brighten a friend's day.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  

ClearDesign: Everyday Sayings	A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack	Echo Park 6x6 Pad, Dots & Stripes, Homefront	Hero Arts Frame Cuts Dies, Heart Frame
Memento Ink Pad, Tuxedo Black	Doodle Twine Assortment, Boy	Doodlebug Crushed Velvet Flock Assortment	Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, .88 oz

InLinkz.com

Creating with Kraft by Julia Stainton

I just can't get enough of kraft product. It's a good thing it's so popular with paper crafting manufacturers as there is always  good supply for me to have on hand.

When you first look at Kraft, well, it's pretty humble. Just a plain neutral, greyish brown color. One might think it even boring. Perhaps the beauty of Kraft lies within it's simplicity. Kraft is classic. Kraft goes with almost everything and with almost every style. How can you resist something so versatile?

Today I have two Kraft-based cards to share with you. I hope you enjoy the Krafty-inspiration.

My first card is very simple and elegant. Yes, Kraft looks great in it's very simple form and while we often think of Kraft with a vintage or home-spun look, it can be very elegant as well.

This card is made from a recent cardstock addition to the Ellen Hutson shop. It's called Desert Storm by Neenah and while it isn't labeled Kraft, it is my new favorite Kraft cardstock to use. I've been looking for a good source for Kraft and I love how beautiful and strong the Desert Storm is.

Ever think of heat embossing Kraft cardstock? Stamping it with Versamark Ink and embossing it with clear embossing powder gives a beautiful and elegant look.

Lately I've been excited to find lots of Kraft patterned paper on the market. Ellen carries a few different manufacturers of it but I narrowed it down to this kraft paper pad from My Mind's Eye to create with.

One of my favorite styles to use Kraft on is a vintage or shabby style look. This card is soft and subtle with a tone on tone look and some small white accents for highlights.

Kraft cardstock looks great with ink sponged on the edges. Because it is a midtone color you can use a white pigment ink or a nice soft brown distress ink. For this card I've used a white pigment ink on all the Kraft edges.

Many chipboards also coordinate perfectly with Kraft. For this card I've layered many different Kraft products together along with the laser-cut chipboard bird. Inking the edges defines the layers and adding lots of texture keeps the design interesting.

If you're looking for Kraft products, you'll find the ones I've used linked below. The search function also works really well in the Ellen Hutson on-line store when you are looking for something specific. Simply type Kraft in the search box at the top left corner on the store site.

Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Happy "Krafting"!

Basic Grey, Clippings Cling Stamp, Square Pattern from Hero Arts	ClearDesign: Find Joy	NEW Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black	Distress Ink Pad, Brushed Corduroy
Adirondack Pigment Ink Pad, Snow Cap	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, 25 pk	Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	My Mind's Eye, 6x6 Paper Pad, Kraft Funday Everyday Fun
Tim Holtz, Tiny Attacher	Innoscence, Wedding Shoes	Innoscence, Snow Peony	Trinket Pins, Vintage Pearl Butterfly
Trinket Pins, Vintage Pearl	Kraft Mini Tags	Kraft Note Envelopes, White Polka Dot	Kraft Ticket Strips, Large White
Trinket Pins, Vintage Kraft Flag	Chipboard 6x6, Birds	Accent Pearls, Medium	Applique, Petite Frames Assortment

InLinkz.com

Poppin' Poppies by Lisa Spangler

We are absolutely thrilled to have Lisa Spangler joining us here in the CLASSroom today! Lisa is one of the very talented Hero Arts women whom I have had the pleasure of meeting at CHA on several occasions and is now my friend. Her warmth and genuineness shine through and make me feel so very special!

You can see more of Lisa's beautiful work on her blog Sideoats & Scribbles. I would like to invite you to head over to Lisa's blog now and help us thank her for sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today. Please leave your comment on her post about being a guest here and as our way of thanking you for taking the time to do so you will have a chance to win some of the fabulous products she used in this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following pic.

Thank you Lisa for sharing your creativity with us here in the CLASSroom!! -Ellen

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I love poppies! There's just something about the delicate petals and how they catch the light that makes me want to grab my camera and TRY to capture them. I say "try" to capture them because I'm never really happy with how the pics come out, ha! Here's one that I took at my Dad's this spring with my phone, isn't the red just gorgeous? And if you think that's pretty, you should have seen it in real life!

So when I saw this Poppy die by Savvy Stamps I couldn't wait to try it! But how to make it look more like a poppy? I thought and I thought and finally it hit me: Distress Inks and Perfect Pearls. LOTS of Perfect Pearls, hahaha!

Here's how I did it!

First make a spot shim by placing pieces of tape over the holes to help make them easier to pop out later. I also used the Memory Box adapter plate in my die cut machine - it helped a TON. But some of those holes were still being pesky so on with the tape!

Next cut a bunch of poppies out of a nice heavy watercolor paper.

Crease and fold the petals to give them some dimension and also to give the ink places to grab onto.

Rub with distress inks! I used:

• Squeezed Lemonade
• Barn Door - I think this is the best poppy red since it has a touch of orange!
• Picked Raspberry

The folds and creases will hold on to more of the ink and will look awesome later!

Now for the fun part! Dump in a BUNCH of Perfect Pearls - I used almost half a jar in a 2 oz spray bottle filled with water, shake to combine, and then mist, mist, MIST! You just can't mist too much if you really want them to POP. :)

Let the water absorb into the paper for a bit - maybe 5 minutes or so - and then pinch the petals back into shape, following the creases and folds you made before. Set aside to dry. It's HOT here in Texas (102 as I type this!) so my poppies only took about a half hour to dry sitting in a spot of sunlight on my desk.

While you're waiting for the poppies to dry, grab some Mowed Lawn Distress Ink and some of this awesome silk ribbon. Rub the ink on the ribbon, mist with the Perfect Pearls and water, scrunch it up a bit and set aside to dry. Note: You WILL have green incredible Hulk-like hands for a few days ha! BUT that just makes you a stamping super hero, right?

This is the first time I have tried this, and now I'm hooked! I plan to stock up on this ribbon - so awesome how you can make it any color you like! And it's a beautiful silk, too!

To finish off the poppies stitch through the centers with black twine, then add a Black Crystal gem. These gems aren't just your basic solid black - they have bits of all kinds of other colors in them - really goes great with the shimmer of the Perfect Pearls!

And speaking of shimmer - make the card base by stamping the new Hero Arts Envelope Liner cling stamp with VersaMark Dazzle Frost ink. This ink gives a subtle shine that you have to see to believe. Love!

Stamp the Savvy hello and trim to a pennant shape, then wrap the car with ribbon, add the poppies with foam tape and sit back and enjoy!

Thanks so much for poppin' by! I had a blast! And thanks so much to Ellen for having me as a guest designer! It's truly an honor. Big hugs! -Lisa

Savvy Stamps, Hello	Cling Envelope Liner Background	Tim Holtz Limited Edition Summer 2012 Seasonal Distress Ink Pads	Tim Holtz Limited Edition Spring 2012 Seasonal Distress Ink Pads
Distress Ink Pad, Barn Door	VersaMark Dazzle, Frost	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, 25 pk	Watercolor Paper, Felt Finish Bright White
Savvy Stamps Dies, Poppy	Memory Box Die, Metal Adaptor Plate	Perfect Pearls Mists, Perfect Pearl	Inkssentials Mister, 2 oz.
Silk Ribbon, White 1/4" by the Yard	Gemstones, Black Pearl Crystals

InLinkz.com

Wedding Simplicity

Do you ever need a card and you simply have VERY little to no time to create it? We were so thrilled for my niece as she got married this summer! Life has been an absolute whirlwind, but it was important to me that I create a special card for them.

Within 15 minutes I was able to create this card from start to finish. Be certain to click on the picture to make it bigger to see the embossed detail.

The new Memory Box alphabet dies are fabulous for using on cardfronts - the scale is perfect!!! You simply snap them apart and file down the nubs.

Cut a piece of Letterpress cardstock to 4" x 5 1/4" size and use tissue tape to hold the letters in position. Cut.

TIP: Pat tissue tape on blue jeans before adhering to avoid damaging the soft Letterpress cardstock when removing the tissue tape.

Run the completed project through your die cut machine using your embossing folder. The letterpress cardstock embosses beautifully - super crisp and clean looking!

Attach to the face of your notecard and add a pearl heart. I love how the notecard color peeks through from behind their initials. The hardest part of this project was taking pictures of this very white surface - in real life the look is so simple and elegant. We wish my niece and nephew a wonderful life together!

H33 Cardstock, Graphite	Essentials by Ellen, Letterpress 110 lb. Cardstock, White (10pk)	Memory Box Dies, Classic Upper Alphabet	Accent Pearls, Hearts
Lifestyle Crafts Embossing Folders, Whimsy

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Heat Embossed Copic Watercolor by Sharon Harnist

Hello and happy Friday! When contemplating what to make for you today, I decided I wanted to do one of my all-time favorite coloring techniques, watercolor. I LOVE the painterly look and just sitting down to do it is so relaxing! Naturally I wanted to incorporate my Copics, for their well-known vivid array of colors!

You may remember a previous project tutorial I posted with a Copic Watercoloring technique here: Copic Watercoloring. Today’s technique is a little different, in that it incorporates heat embossing!

To begin, I stamped this gorgeous Hero Arts Cling-Stencil Flower with VersaMark ink onto Hero Arts Felt Finish Natural White Watercolor Paper and heat embossed with Ranger Clear Embossing Powder & Heat It Craft Tool. This paper is 100# beautiful cream color but if you prefer white, Ellen also carries Hero Arts' Bright White version and her own Essentials by Ellen "warm white color" 140# paper.

Next, I placed drops of my chosen Copic Various Ink Refills on a Plastic Paint Palette and used a Niji Waterbrush, filled with Copic Colorless Blender Solution, to pick up the colors and color the flowers. These are the colors I used:

Ranger/Tim Holtz also offers a few other fillable water brush options – a Detailer or Broad nib that Ellen carries.

To color the flowers, I used the lighter RV63 refill to quickly cover the entire flower:

leaving the center uncolored:

You can color right over the embossed lines – the embossing powder resists the ink, leaving all of your nicely defined lines!

Then I went back with the darker RV66 and defined some areas:

BV13 Various Ink Refill was used for the blue-violet flowers but I didn’t have a close lighter or darker color to shade with, so I just went over some areas a few more times to create more depth. G43 was used in the same manner for the background.

You can always use just your plain watercolor brush to wash away and thin out the color a little from some areas – that’s what I did with the green background and it let more of the pretty watercolor paper texture show through! YR31 fills the flower centers.

The pretty Everyday Sayings sentiment was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto more of the cream watercolor paper, cut into a banner shape, machine zig-zag stitched on the end, and X-Press It Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape used to pop it up and adhere to the card. The Memory Box Blueberry Notecard used for the card base was a perfect match with the BV13 Copic color!

TIP: To clean up the plastic palette, just use cheap, plain household rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball instead of your more precious Colorless Blender Solution.

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you have a fabulous weekend creating and I hope you’ll try watercoloring with your Copic Various Ink Refills … 358 colors to choose from sure makes it fun!

~ Sharon

Stamps: Hero Arts Cling-Stencil Flower & ClearDesign-Everyday Sayings;
Paper: Hero Arts Felt Finish Natural White Watercolor Paper; Memory Box Blueberry Notecard & Envelope
Ink: Tsukineko VersaMark & Memento Tuxedo Black;
Copic Various Ink Refills: BV13, G43, RV63, RV66, YR31; 0-Colorless Blender Solution;
Accessories: Ranger Clear Embossing Powder & Heat It Craft Tool; Niji Waterbrush; Darice Plastic Paint Palette; Copic X-Press It Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape & High-Tack Tissue Tape; sewing machine + thread

Garden Flowers Card Set by Krystie Hersch

Hello!  Welcome to the CLASSroom!  

My personal stash of birthday and thank you cards has been getting low, so I've been designing cards that are quick and easy enough to make in multiples.  I wanted to share a set with you today.

All three of my cards use stamps and dies from the Hero Arts & Sizzix Garden Flowers set.  

Birthday cards are what I most frequently need, so I made two designs.

I thought the hearts and grass fringe were cute, whimsical touches.  I would use this design for an adult or child, so it's a great one to have on-hand.

The grass fringe was simple to make.  Just snip along the cardstock, trim, and run your finger along the edge to separate the grass blades a bit.

This is another design that could be used for an adult or child. 

I really like the Memory Box sentiment with this stamp.  

Hexagons are a huge trend right now, and I love how they look like honey-comb on my card.  

I put a little glue and glitter on their wings, it's pretty when the light catches it.

If you're using a small die, think about making an extra and making a coordinating envelope.  I used Memory Box notecards and envelopes here.

This thank you card is probably my favorite of the three.  I just love that bright ribbon paired with the gray polka-dots.  The dot paper and hexagon paper above are from the same 6x6 by My Mind's Eye.  It's one of my all time favorite collections!

A tip when you're using the stamp and die combination...stamp first, THEN die cut.  Line your die up over your stamped image.  To keep it from slipping, either secure using a bit of low-tack tape, or you can use the Lifestyle Crafts Genius Platform System.

These designs are easy enough to make a stack of each, and a set would make a great gift, especially packaged in cute clear card boxes!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

STAMPS AND DIES:  Hero Arts & Sizzix Garden Flowers, Memory Box Hearts Delights die

STAMP SENTIMENTS:  Memory Box Happy Bee-Day, Savvy Stamps Birthday Wish, Savvy Stamps Thank You So Much

INK & COPICS:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Memento London Fog, YR00, YR07, YR18, YR23, C2, G82

PAPER:  Memory Box Dove Gray Notecards and Envelopes, Memory Box Squash 

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Orange Twill Ribbon, My Mind's Eye 6x6 Be Amazing, Neenah Solar White

TOOLS:  Big Shot

Dabbling with Distress Stains by Julia Stainton

Distress Stains are so much fun to create with. I've shared ways to use them in the past but the other day I pulled them out again and have a few more ideas to share with you.

My first idea came when I was designing another project actually. I had decided to create a misted template background but for some reason Distress Stains popped into my mind as a less messy alternative.

To be honest, I really didn't expect it to work well. I expected the color to wick under the template and make a mess. I was so surprised to find I really liked the results.

I started off with a template laid on top of some white cardstock and then began applying dabs of the stain. You'll need to go back over the template until all the circles are covered with ink.

Just dab lightly so that the ink doesn't spray everywhere and hold the template firmly in place. If you lift the template directly up when removing it, it will help prevent smearing.

 

Working on this technique led me to another simple idea for Distress Stains. In the first background I found I just wanted to dab lightly so that this didn't happen...

Splat!

Hmmmm...

While I didn't like those splats on the template background, I did like how they looked on their own.

Don't they make a fun and funky way to color in flowers? First make your ink splats and allow them to dry well. Then stamp your flower images ove top with Jet Black Archival Ink for a fun and quick card design. A few dots of white gel pen in the center of your flower finish it off.

Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Enjoy your weekend and happy creating!

Julia

Supplies:

STAMPS: ClearDesign: My Type stamp set,  Layered Flowers Stamp Set, and ClearDesign: Find Joy stamp set by Hero Arts

INK: Jet Black Archival ink and Vermillion Archival Ink by Ranger, Tumbled Glass Distress Stain, Shabby Shutters Distress Stain, and Broken China Distress Stain  by Ranger, White Uniball Impact Gel Pen

PAPER: Solar White Cardstock by Neena

TOOLS: Mini Swiss Dot 6"x6" Template by Crafter's Workshop

EMBELLISHMENTS: Snow Peony Innoscence Flower by Prima Marketing, Self-Adhesive White Lace by Hero Arts, Vintage Pearl Butterfly Trinket Pins by Maya Road, 9 to 5 Washi Tape by October Afternoon, Symphony Tissue Tape and Sketchbook Tissue Tape by Advantus