the CLASSroom

ATC Fun and Random Drawing for Ellen's ATC

ATC's have always intrigued me, but I must admit this is a new adventure for me - I cannot remember ever creating one before (insert big eyes!) I had no idea what the "requirements" are for an ATC and so I began with what I know. I know that Claudine has ATC sized Sticky Back Canvas, so I went and grabbed one to use for this project :-D

So what is an ATC? I decided I'd best figure that out and there is NO better resource than the CLASSroom - right?!? Note the wonderful categories on the side index - yes sir, ATC or Altered Trading Cards are right there amongst the mix. A little reading was in order - I encourage you to follow this link and read more about ATC's if you have never created one and are intrigued. 

 

With Sticky Back in hand I decided to do a transfer, but what could I try that might be an interesting lesson. I decided to test the punched edge to see what type of interest this would add to a project.

 

Apply a generous amount of Matte Multi-Medium to the canvas face and then a small amount to the printed side of the patterned Prima paper. Rub the paper firmly to affix to the canvas and let it dry. Yes, this is the hardest part --- allowing it to fully dry is imperative!

 

Once completely dry mist the paper until you see the paper change color. In the photo above you will note how the paper in the center is not moist enough - this will not rub off easily. Once again use the flat part of your finger as I showed in the Transparency transfer to remove the excess paper. You will notice how the top edge does not have the decorative paper transfered to the canvas - this is because there just wasn't enough adhesive in that location to affix the decorative paper properly. I love that random look and so when applying the adhesive to my canvas I allow some portions to be drier than others to get this random application. You will also note that I really did try and define that punched edge by applying plenty of adhesive to that area before the drying process began.

 

Remove as much of the paper "fuzzies" as possible. If you would like to get rid of that white cast brush a very light coating of matte multi-medium over the finished piece. The part on the left is still not covered so that you can see a comparison.

 

I knew I wanted to add some fairly heavy embellishments to my ATC and so I decided to use Craft-a-Board as my base. Craft-a-Board and Color Wash are a match made in heaven! In my spray box I misted the surface with Stream Color Wash and some plain water until the surface was soaked. Using a brayer I then went over the surface. This grabbed a little of the color from previous sprayings and achieved the most gorgeous color mix. Hopefully soon I will have the time to do a "Use Your Spray Box To It's Full Advantage" post. :-D

 

Inking one of my favorite Hero Arts backgrounds with Walnut Ink was the finishing touch for my ATC backing.

 

I don't know if you recall my foray into Shimmer Sheetz the other day, but the flower shown above is one of those experiments :-D I simply punched the flower from the Shimmer Sheet and then heated it, curling the petals while it was warm. Susan, who happened to be in my studio that day (yes, I'm a lucky lady!) grabbed an embossing stylus and put a vein down the center of each petal. We then used the Crafter's Pick to add a hole. This flower turned out to be THE perfect color embellishment for this project - I love when a happy coincidence occurs! Using a Tim Holtz foliage piece together with a brad I attached the flower as shown above.

Remember that you can alter the length of chain on most of these embellishments. Simply removing a few of the links made the length much more appropriate.

 

What could be more perfect for an ATC than an Odds and Ends ticket (using a Stamp-a-ma-jig helps me get these tickets in the best position on my ticket strip), together with a mini paper clip and a bird for that little bird house?!?

 

Yes, my little ATC is REALLY lonely in this adorable Mini Library Drawer. If you collect ATC's then this little drawer is THE perfect place to store your collection.

I believe that the point of ATC's is to just create for art's sake and then trade them, so with that I will be giving my lonely little ATC to someone who might enjoy having this lonely little character - LOL! I know that there is absolutely no way I can make enough to trade but I can give the one away that I did make... if you would like to be included in a random drawing for this little ATC you must show me your ATC's! At the end of this post we would love for you to share one of your ATC projects! Link us up and inspire other's to just create art for arts sake :-D

 

stamps: Hero Arts Cling Fabric Design Background, Tim Holtz Odds and Ends

ink: Distress Walnut Stain Ink, Archival Coffee, Stream Color Wash

paper: Memory Box Bayou CS, Prima 6x6 Madeline, Craft-a-Board

accessories: Studio Line Natural ATC Sized Sticky Back Canvas and Matte Multi-Medium, Prima Vintage Bird Trinkets, Tim Holtz Crafter's Pick, Ticket Strip Die, Foliage, Mini Paper Clips, Swivel Clasp; Hero Arts Self-Adhesive Cream Ribbon Strip, EK Success Deco Scallop Punch, Iridescent Black Shimmer Sheetz, Martha Stewart Flower Punch and Stamp, 7 Gypsy Antique Brass Reinforcer and Mini Library Drawer

You have until March 2nd to create an ATC and share it with us here to be included in a random drawing for my ATC. I would love to hear from you --- tell me if you create and trade ATC's. If so how many do you typically create? Thank you and have a wonderful day!

ETA: Please feel free to add your ATC to the Gallery and link to it there!

Love is in the Air #1 - Shimmer Sheetz Texture

Today starts the first of our 4 Tags of Love series for 2011! We would like to welcome you once again to our little tag mini series where we focus on some fun techniques and share them in a love-filled tag format. I can tell you that each tag will be VERY different from the next, so I hope you will continue to join me for the full series.

 

Today's tag is inspired by a technique that I learned while at CHA from Judy Kauffman, the creator of Shimmer Sheetz. I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this background looks in real life! The combination of the Shimmer Sheetz and the Glitter Ritz is incredible! I wish that I would have the ability to better capture this in photos, so you are just going to have to trust me that it just makes you say... WOW!

 

To begin attach Be Creative Sookwang tape to a piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. Using a teflon bone folder or a brayer go over the entire surface to adhere the adhesive well. Then cut out your tag.

Cut a piece of Shimmer Sheetz to fit slightly larger than the size of the tag. Run the Shimmer Sheetz through an embossing folder, I used Tim's Damask Texture Fades.

 

Next remove the tape backing and affix the Shimmer Sheetz to the sticky surface. Place on your work surface and brayer over the entire surface to adhere the raised surface of the Shimmer Sheetz to your cardstock tag.
 

Carefully remove the Shimmer Sheetz from the tag surface doing your best not to finger print the sticky surface of the tag. I like to use my teflon bone folder as I work to help hold the tag as I remove the Shimmer Sheetz. As you remove the "sheetz" you will note that the surface of the mylar sheet is attached to the tape only in the portions that were raised.

Now for a little magic!

 

For a high contrast look use Black Glitter Ritz and dump it over the entire surface of the tag. Tap to remove excess.

 

Then use your finger to embed the glitter into the adhesive --- remember, this is the burnished velvet technique (you can read more about burnished velvet here.)

As you can see I made two tags - note the subtle difference. By flipping the Shimmer Sheetz and using the opposite side you get the reverse image.

Can you imagine the possibilities?!? Tone on tone, high contrast, Perfect Pearls rather than glitter... I can hardly wait to hear what you think and when you try it I would LOVE to see your projects - so be certain to share them in the Gallery!

 

Are you tired of me sharing the wonders of Craft-a-Board yet? LOL! I wanted to keep my focal point simple so that the background would not get lost.

I stamped this gorgeous Iron Orchard Designs image from Unity Stamps using a Pearl Paint Dabber and allowed it to dry.

 

My first attempt I misted the Craft-a-Board with Cranberry Color Wash. I felt it was just a hair too dark and so decided to experiment with the Color Wash. By mixing 1/2 Color Wash and 1/2 water the intensity of the color was reduced to perfection!

Hmmm - can you imagine the beautiful range of monochromatic colors you can create!

 
I then cut around the image and inked the edges using an ink blending tool and Concord Grape distress ink, stitched some silk ribbon to the tag and affixed some gemstones and this darling Whimsy Heart (LOVE these!)

The last step was to punch a butterfly from the remaining Shimmer Sheetz. Yes, Shimmer Sheetz can be die cut and punched! Imagine the possibilities!

I would love to hear from you! Have you ever worked with Shimmer Sheetz before and if so what did you create with them? Thank you for joining me here for my first of four tags!
 
stamps: Unity Stamps Iron Orchird Designs - Be Still Beloved Collection

ink: Dusty Concord Distress Ink

paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board

accessories: Iridescent Pink Shimmer Sheetz, Black Glitter Ritz, Be Creative (Sookwang) 4 1/2" Tape or Tape Sheet, Webster's Pages Pink Heart Whimsy, Black and Pink Gemstone Crystals, Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly Punch, Damask Texture Fades Embossing Folder

Valentine Chandelier by Sharon Harnist

I must admit this wasn't my original idea -- I recently came across this wonderful Valentine Chandelier and wanted to make my own version of it -- a little more vintage-themed one, so here's my take on it!  Sorry these photos are not better -- it's hard to get a good photo of things that are constantly turning and twisting!

For the base of the chandelier, I used one chipboard heart "page" from Maya Road's Heart Chipboard Album:

These hearts are a nice size -- approximately 6.50" at the widest point and almost 6.25" tall.  With eight "pages", you can either make a lot of these type of projects, or a very full Valentine album!  Alternately, you could use some of Ellen's Craft-a-Board or Crystal Clear Plastic to fashion whatever shape you'd like your chandelier to have.  That's what I was originally going to do, until I saw how nice and large this heart album was!

I covered the chipboard heart with patterned papers from 7 Gypsies' Lille 6x6 paper pack -- I love the warm tones and vintage collage style of these papers!

The 6-inch paper will not quite cover all of the heart chipboard -- it must be turned at an angle into the corner of the paper and then just some tiny slivers of the chipboard will still show.  The rose trim I used around the edge of the heart chipboard shape finished covering the chipboard just fine. But if this bothers you, the Lille papers are also available in a larger 8-inch size!

 

I trimmed the edge of the heart with Cream Small Organza Roses, adhered with Copic's X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape (shown below is the top side of my paper-covered chipboard heart, untrimmed and the bottom side, shown trimmed with the cream roses):

 

For the photos, I used Ellen's fabulous selection of Assorted Doilies:

See those cute heart doilies in the pack?  They are the perfect size (approximately 4" x 4") for about a 2.50" x 3" photo!  So I made them into "frames" by cutting my black & white photos into heart shapes and adding some Zva Clear Swirl Crystals to dress them up: 

 

I backed the doilies with patterned paper, to give them more stability & weight, and make them pretty on the reverse side, too!  I sponged some Antique Linen Distress Ink on the white doilies, so they would match the vintage patterned papers a little better.  Instructions for the red tissue flowers are below with the Bingo card and the little "love bird" was die cut with Spellbinders smallest Nested Bird die set.

 

I used a Jenni Bowlin Red Adore Mini Bingo Card and since the back of it is plain white, I machine stitched more of the Lille paper onto the back and then trimmed the edges with pinking shears.

 

To accent the front of the Bingo card, I made a tissue flower by die cutting several layers of red tissue paper with Spellbinders Nested Peony dies.  After die cutting, just stack the layers of tissue paper together and secure them in the center (I used Tim Holtz's Tiny Attacher) and cover the staple with a large pearl or rhinestone.  Then fluff up the layers of tissue paper -- quick and easy!  Alternately, you could use a brad to secure the center of the flower.

The "wonky" hanging hearts were die cut with Tim Holtz's Heart Wing Bigz Die (shown below): 

from Memory Box Cranberry cardstock (solid heart) and then topped with the swirly heart die cut from Lille papers (these are two separate shapes on the die):

 

More solid hearts were die cut from Memory Box's Red Biscotti cardstock, aged with Antique Linen Distress Ink so they would match the Lille papers better, and accented with red gemstones. To make it quick and easy to die cut matching images (that you want to have a nice front and back), fold the cardstock in half (Memory Box is colored on one side and white on the back), so the white is on the inside. After die cutting, just adhere these two mirror images together and you'll have a colored heart on both sides! To adhere smaller die cuts like the swirly heart above, I like to use a mini bottle of Ranger's Glossy Accents -- it's a great liquid glue!  The bottle is easier to hold, the small applicator makes it easy to control the "glue" in tight spaces, and it dries quickly.  The double heart at the bottom of the photo above was cut on the fold of the cardstock and then opened up and backed with another piece of patterned cardstock.

 

If you've never used any of Tim's or Sizzix's Bigz dies and don't have either Sizzix's or Tim's die cutting machines but have a Cuttlebug, these dies work perfectly and easily in it!  I just use a Cuttlebug B plate on either side of the die and get perfect cuts every time, even with cardstock doubled like I've done here.

 

The birds were die cut with Spellbinders Nested Bird die, again from doubled Memory Box Cranberry cardstock, and I made the wings from Tim Holtz's Heart Wings Bigz Die!

To assemble the the chandelier, I lined up all my elements in four different columns and played with the placement.  Then I threaded an embroidery needle with fishing line and strung each of the four lines separately, leaving enough fishing line at the top and bottom of each string to allow for tying.  Using my Crop-a-Dile, I punched holes at the point of the heart and on the top of the heart, at each of the curves.  A piercing tool was used to place a hole in the center of the heart for the fourth line.

NOTE: When adhering the heart and bird fronts and backs together, I only placed a strong adhesive on the edges and not in the middles, so I would be able to string the fishing line through the centers of the double-sided cardstock shapes.  These "sandwiched" shapes were then easy to slide up and down the fishing line, to determine good placement and then stayed in place very well.

To anchor the doily heart frames to the fishing line (since I had not thought ahead and glued all of the photos and backing papers to the doilies and didn't leave a space through the middles!), I sewed the fishing line through the bottom of the front of the heart, along the back, and then back through the top of the heart to the front side.  Until the exact placement of the frames was determined, this let me slide the frames up and down the fishing line easily:

   

Once the proper placement was determined, I placed Mini Glue dots on the back of the heart frame where the fishing line was "sewn" through the cardstock.  To make the Glue Dot a little prettier, I sprinkled Glitter Ritz Warm Highlights Transparent Microfine glitter over them!

To weight the ends of the fishing line, I used these beautiful Melissa Frances Diamond Chandelier Drops:

 

The Chandelier Drops also help to weight each line, so they hang nicely.  And the darling butterflies are Jenni Bowlin Vellum Embellished Butterflies in Red! 

Finally, to make the hanger at the top of my chandelier, I used ivory satin ribbon threaded through each of the three outer holes (knotted separately on the bottom of the heart base) and knotted them together at the top. I hope I've explained the construction of this chandelier well - if not, please let me know if the comments and I'll answer your questions! Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!  ~ Sharon

 

Paper: 7 Gypsies-Lille 6x6 paper pack, Memory Box Cranberry Cardstock & Cranberry Biscotti Cardstdock; Essentials by Ellen Assorted Doilies, 
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Antique Linen,
Copic Markers
Tools: Tim Holtz Bigz Die-Heart Wings; Spellbinders Nested Bird & Nested Peony die templates; WRM Crop-a-Dile, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher,
Accessories: Jenni Bowlin Vellum Embellished Butterflies-Red & Mini Bingo Cards-Red; Maya Road Chipboard Album-Heart; Prima Small Organza Roses-Cream; Melissa Frances Chandelier Drops-Diamond; Hero Arts Assorted Gemstones-Red; Ranger Ink Blending Tool & Mini Glossy Accents; 3/8" Glue Dots; Glue Glider Pro with Perma Tac adhesive, Copic X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape; Zva Clear Swirl Crystals, Glitter Ritz Warm Highlights Transparent Microfine glitter,
Other: fishing line, red tissue paper, pinking shears, sewing machine + ivory thread, embroidery needle

12 Days of Christmas: Day 6 - Sweet Borders Album By Julia Stainton

This past year, I'm finding myself in a place I never thought I'd be.I seriously cannot get enough of die cutting. The more I play around with my die cut machine and various dies, the more I realize that the possibilities are endless.

One of the products that I absolutely love to die cut is Craft-a-Board or chipboard. They are basically the same product but I love that Craft-a-Board is a very light off-white color and can be altered in so many ways. The idea of creating a Craft-a-Board mini album popped into my mind a few weeks ago and I just had to put it high on my to-do list. I was thrilled with how this project came out and how much fun it was to create.

One of the most fun things about this project is the use of the Tim Holtz On the Edge dies for creating different shaped borders on edges. To create these unique pages, simply cut as many 6x6" pages as you wish out of Craft-a-Board. I've covered mine with 6x6 papers from the beautiful Sweetness line by Pink Paislee.

 

After you cover the pages, die cut the right edge with any of the On the Edge dies for a beautiful look.

These dies also cut Crystal Clear Plastic Sheets which make lovely inner pages as well. In the above photo you can see this clear sheet in the album and I've placed some gorgeous Sweetness rub-ons on these clear pages to embellish them.

 

Here's a page with the Flourished Edge Border...

And another with the Bracket On the Edge die.

To put the album together, punch holes with a Crop-a-dile and use binding rings to keep it together. I love using these rings as you can always expand your book whenever you wish.

Varying the edges makes for a beautiful book.

I couldn't resist using a few more beautiful Sizzix dies to embellish my cover. Becky Olsen makes the most stunning roses using the Tattered Florals die. You can find her stunning tutorial in Ellen's Premiere Ezine.

Every album needs a theme and I decided mine would be my family. The Prima Letters are a beautiful and easy way to add text. They take ink extremely well and I've sponged on Tattered Rose Distress Ink here.

Supplies: Craft-a-Board & Crystal Clear Plastic by Essentials by Ellen, Sweetness 6x6 paper pack & Sweetness Rub-ons by Pink Paislee, Pearl Flourish by Zva Creative, twine, Tattered Florals and Tattered Leaves dies by Sizzix, Tim Holtz Scrollwork & Bracket On the Edge Dies by Sizzix, letters by Prima, Tattered Rose Distress Ink by Ranger, sanding block by Advantus, Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road

Do you like to die cut too? I hope I've inspired you with a few new ideas. Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and happy cranking!

On the sixth day of Christmas my Sizzix package could be:

• Texture Fades Embossing Folders, Burlap and Swirls
• Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Floral Flourishes and Vines
• On the Edge File Tabs Die
• Precut Mat Board 3-D House
• Precut Craft-a-Board Tea Cup
• Precut Craft-a-Board Cake Box

 
To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only for each goodie package. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight. We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

We would love to have you share one of your favorite crafting moments from this past year with us today - leave it in the comments section below to be eligible for this random drawing.

Remember to visit the following 12 Days of Christmas blog candy drawings --- be certain to post a comment to the question on each individual post to be included in that drawing!

• One Stampin' Treasure
• Two Melting Tools
• Three Copic Goodies
• 3 Stamps + 1 Color Sampler = Four Memory Box Treats
• Five treats from Claudine's Lines

12 Days of Christmas: Day 3 - Copic Airbrushed Graffiti Style Cards

Watching trends is something I really enjoy. This past year I have noticed that there are a ton of "tattoo art" shows on TV, as well as airbrushed looks being shared in some of the graphic design magazines I enjoy. I haven't brought myself to watch any of the shows yet, but was thinking that it would have been handy for this post - LOL!

For today's post I thought I would try and create something that has quite a different look for me and create a project that might appeal to a teen in your life. Maddi offered her arm as a spot to try a temporary alcohol ink tattoo, but I thought it would probably be best to just create a card :-D

 

Most "heart" tattoos I have seen have been a combination of red, pink and purple and so I used that as my guide to start this project.

 

To begin I stamped the new Hero Arts fabric background (LUV IT!!!) using Pearl Paint Dabber as my "ink." Remember how I shared that acrylic ink can act as a resist when used with dye ink, well I wanted to see what would happen when alcohol ink was added. Since I was going for a rather ethereal look I felt this would be a fun combination.

 
To get the image to pop I used an ink blending tool, with Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick Distress Ink.

As you can see I don't always go with my first choice - LOL! To stamp over the acrylic paint I prefer to use Archival Ink. You need to select a permanent ink for this to work. I snapped the photo and then realized that this text would not be ideal for the look I had in mind, so I started over and used the new "friend" dictionary stamp. Rather than take photos all over again I thought I'd just admit that I changed my mind part way through :-D

 

Using the Winged Heart die I cut masks from the Art Magnetic Masking material.

I then positioned my heart and wings and pulled out my airbrush system. The airbrush is PERFECT for creating a graffiti look and the best way to control the spray pattern is by using it in conjunction with masks. Someday I hope to do an entire article (or two, or...) on creating masks to control your airbrush spray but today I thought I would once again share how wonderful these magnetic masks are. The air from the spray does not move a magnetic mask :-D They are so very easy to place and relocate until you get them into the position of your choice. AND they are reusable!

The Craft Assistant was placed on my work surface, then my stamped cardfront and the magnetic masks snapped into position atop my cardfront.

I began by spraying around my mask with the darkest purple, V17.

 

I then removed the wings and airbrushed using V15 for a slight contrast in color next to the heart.

 

As you can see the look is quite striking! The Copic ink is translucent enough to see through, yet adds more depth than regular ink because it does "stick" to the acrylic paint.

To add emphasis I free-handed additional detail using a Copic Brush Multiliner.

 

A teen card would never be complete without glitter!

For added depth and sparkle I cut the "scrolly" heart, from the same die, out of Craft-a-Board which had Be Creative (Sookwang) tape adhered to the surface. I removed the tape backing and sprinkled with Burgundy Microfine Glitter, burnishing the glitter into place.

 

The last little trick I would like to share is one I learned from Claudine. To ink up regular stamps you can put a little Studio Paint on your non-stick craft sheet and use an ink blending tool saturated with paint to "ink" your stamp. I figured if you can ink a stamp that way, why not just stamp with it?!? I love the little block design that resulted :-D Hmmm - what other shapes could one cut these little sponges into?

 

I felt it was still lacking something and so I grabbed the Ranger White Opaque Essentials pen and added even more contrast to the wing outline. The crown was completed by painting Pearl Dabber on the Craft-a-Board die cut, embellishing it with black gemstones. A little sewing to outline the focal image and this graffiti style card was complete.
 

stamps: Hero Arts Dictionary Greeting, Cling Fabric Design

ink: Archival Jet Black, Distress Ink Pads - Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick, Copic V15 and V17, Brush Multiliner

paper: Neenah Solar White, Craft-a-Board

accessories: Tim Holtz Heart Wingz Die, Pearl Paint Dabber, Air Compressor, Air Brush System, Be Creative (Sookwang) Tape Sheet, Burgundy Microfine Glitter, White Opaque Pen, Black Crystal Gemstones, Craft Assistant, Art Magnetic Masking Material

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me (OK, so perhaps we are not your true love, but maybe crafting is - LOL!)...

• a Copic Airbrush System,
• a DVD showing how to use the Airbrush System,
• and a Copic Multiliner .03

To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only for each goodie package. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight. We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

It so very easy to participate in our 12 Days of Christmas. Today all you need to do is leave a comment telling us what your favorite part of stamping is, or what your favorite technique is. I'll start - my favorite part of stamping is coloring... it is SO relaxing! :-D

Don't forget the following 12 Days of Christmas blog candy drawings --- be certain to post a comment to the question on each individual post to be included in that drawing!

• One Stampin' Treasure
• Two Melting Tools

12 Days of Christmas: Day One - One Stamping Treasure

Welcome to our 12 Days of Christmas! There is no partridge in the pear tree here, but we will be putting flowers in a tea cup. Remember to read through to the end of this post and leave a comment to be eligible for today's blog candy! You may also want to visit previous year's 12 Days of Christmas posts for some wonderful inspiration.

During our 12 Tags series I asked what you would like to learn about. Many of you answered that you wanted to learn more about Ranger's Color Washing sprays. Well... they finally arrived and so today I am hoping to share with you some of the beautiful things you can create using these ink sprays.

 

Most of the color in today's picture is achieved by using the Color Wash sprays. To begin I want to share with you the special feature that these sprays are rather permanent when heat set! They are PERFECT for use on fabric and so today I am sharing some of the little treasures I tried them on.

Before beginning I made a trip to the fabric store. I hope to have future posts to share the use of some of the other fabrics I purchased, but today I'm going to focus on the products I picked up from behind the cutting counter. The Joanne's, which is a 15-20 minute drive from my office, was my stop for these goodies. Be certain to pull your number early in your quest on any trips during this busy time of year and soon you will have your turn.

Purchase all sorts of "odd" things! Crinoline (used to make those poofy skirts - yes, it is behind the cutting counter so insist they look!), Pellon, Fusible Lining, Tulle, Linen, Cotton. Any 100% natural fiber fabric will take the dyes of these sprays well and you will be able to create some beautifully colored projects. Experiment with the man-made fibers as well because you will achieve some interesting results!

I have to admit that I am so grateful for the textile training I received during college. It has come in handy on so many occasions as I experiment with the wonderful stamping products we have - but experimentation is the key to discovery, so don't be afraid to try new things!

 

Today I used both Crinoline and Pellon. Use the Tattered Florals Die to cut out three sets of fabrics for each flower.

As you can see I used two products today - Cranberry Color Wash for the dark tones and Viva Pink Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist for the lighter color. I needed a lighter color and wanted to see how these two products would mix. Incredibly is my answer!

First I sprayed one set with Cranberry Color Wash. 
 

Next I sprayed a set with Viva Pink and then placed these petals into the Cranberry spray droplets that remained on the non-stick craft sheet. Gorgeous combinations of color were the end result.
  

I just had to share this next series of pictures. I am in LOVE with the Craft Scrubbie. No longer do I worry about getting inky fingers - head to the sink, scrub your fingers using the "Scrubbie" and voila --- clean fingers!!!
 

Now it's time to cut the petals to create your flower. For each flower:

• Cut down between two petals, to the center - then cut a small circle in the center.
• Cut out one petal and then cut a small circle in the center of the petals.
• Cut out two petals and create a small half circle where the center once was.

You should now have five pieces as shown above.

 

I prefer to cut down the petal before gluing each section together as shown in the photo above. Be certain to leave enough room to attach the opposite petal to form a circle (or cone.)

 

For the two petal and one petal sections roll the crinoline, pellon, or fabric of choice before applying the adhesive.

I prefer using Beacon Adhesives FabriTac for these types of projects. It holds extremely well and dries quickly!
 

Prepare petals and allow to dry.

 
You should have five pieces completed as shown above for each flower.

 

Start with the largest piece as your base. Place adhesive around the open circle as shown.
 

Insert the next smaller section as shown above. Be certain to offset the petals from the first piece for a natural look. Add adhesive and repeat until all pieces are used.

 

Upon completion I allow my flower to sit base up so that the adhesive can dry without sticking to things. Flower should look similar to the one in the background upon completion.

 

As you can see the smaller, pellon flower takes the spray in a completely different manner. The pellon almost looks like felted wool once dry, BUT let me tell you... this is so much easier than felting! The petals shown above is pellon sprayed with Cranberry Color Wash. It is interesting to see how the man-made fibers take the spray. Experimentation is key!
 

Next I want to share how you can use the gorgeous stick pins as flower center. I began by using three petals. Apply adhesive around base of petals and wrap.
 

Off-setting the petals, add three more petals.
 

For this dainty style flower I mixed pellon and crinoline - alternating the layers. Creating these flowers is the same as for the first flower above, the only difference is that there will be more layers and therefore more cuts. Cut the petals as stated below:

• Pellon - Cut down between two petals, to the center - then cut a small circle in the center.
• Crinoline - Cut out one petal and then cut a small circle in the center of the petals.
• Pellon - Cut out two petals and create a small circle where the center once was.
• Crinoline - Cut out three petals and create a small circle where the center once was.
• Pellon - Cut out four petals and create a small half circle where the center once was.
• Crinoline - Cut into three sections of three petals.

Glue as in first example and then insert pin with petals as shown in the photo above.

 

To create the tea cup Sizzix recommends folding the second tea cup back against the score line as shown in the photo above. I have found that this comprimises the design and so rather than cutting my second teacup using the crease pad I simply cut it out and then on the correct side I score through one layer of the Craft-a-Board. Compare the two looks and you will see why I am particular - LOL!

 

I have found that acrylic paint makes a WONDERFUL resist to inks.  For this teacup I used the Pearl Dabber to ink these fabulous crochet stamps. I masked the handle and stamped my teacup with the trim pattern.
 

Allow the paint to dry and get prepared for some magic!
 

Spritz with Lettuc Color Wash. The Craft-a-Board absorbs these colors in an absolutely delicious way. With a little finessing I think that you could achieve a wonderful gradient effect, but for this project I simply spritzed the exterior and interior.
 

I use a paper towel to dab the excess Color Wash from the paint stamp design to allow it to pop even further.
 

TIP: Bend pieces so that interior of score lines are exposed. Spritz and allow to dry.

Paint the handle, cup lip and saucer edge using Aged Gold Metallic Paint. Allow to dry.

 

Apply adhesive as shown on instructions. I applied to one side of the teacup only and then prepared my styrofoam fill.
 

Trace shape and cut out styrofoam. Spritz the top of the styrofoam and allow to dry.
 

I also prepared some mulberry leaves using Butterscotch Color Wash and Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist.

I pulled apart one of the brand new Webster's Pages Floral sprigs and attach some of my flowers to the wire stems. I added wire stems to all of my leaves as well. Insert the wire stems and pins into the foam. Your flowers will be firmly in place. Add a little FabriTac adhesive to some petal edges as shown above and then sprinkle with Twinklets Diamond Dust. Shake off excess.

Insert styrofoam into teacup.

 

The Butterscotch color wash was also used to dye the tag to emulate a tea bag. The sentiment was stamped using Palette Noir ink. Palette ink is one of my all-time favorites for utilizing on "odd" surfaces.

This little "pretty" can be used at a tea or luncheon to decorate each place setting or give as a gift to "warm" someone's day if they are not feeling well. So many possibilities!!!
 
stamps: Studio 490 In Love with Art, Inkadinkado Inchie Greetings

ink: Adirondack Color Wash - Cranberry, Butterscotch and Lettuce; Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls Mist, Viva Pink Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, Palette Noir

paper: Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board

accessories: 3-D Teacup Die, Inkssentials Craft Scrubbie, Webster's Pages Waiting For Santa Floral Pick,

 ***Please note - please check in the alterable items category at www.ellenhutson.com, shortly for precut teacups, and other Sizzix die shapes. We realize that many of you simply don't have the resources for all of these dies and may only want to create one or two projects using some shapes. We (my daughter Maddi is cranking away :-D) are currently working on preparing some kits especially for you. So check back soon!

We can't have the 12 days of Christmas without some gifts ;-D So start humming the tune...

On the First Day of Christmas my goodie box could be...

• Just So Artsy stamps to play with!

 

To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only for each goodie package. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight. We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

What new discoveries have you made or techniques have you learned by visiting us here in the CLASSroom? Knowing that we do make a difference helps give me the energy to just keep at it ;-D

Let It Snow Projects by Julia Stainton

Snowflakes are one of those beautiful timeless images that never go out of style. I love using them not only for Christmas projects but also throughout the winter. Snowflakes are classic.

Where I live we've had unprecedented amounts of snow. It's definitely a winter wonderland and so I've been inspired by nature around me to create a few snow themed card designs to share with you today. I hope you'll enjoy the different styles and techniques.

The first card is a fun and trendy design. I started off by creating a tree from some Pink Paislee paper.

 It has a beautiful embossed design and by applying some Crushed Olive Distress Ink with a sponge, it tints the paper and also brings out the embossed design.

This card was so much fun to create as I used some Webster's Pages fabric to create an overlay in this design. Notice how stitching the fabric over the tree adds depth and makes it look like it is snowing.

Supplies: Holiday Sayings stamp set by Hero Arts, Basic White 6x6 paper pad by Basic Grey, sewing machine, twine, Mitten Weather chipboard by Cosmo cricket, Vintage Inspired Netting by Webster's Pages, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Crushed Olive Distress Ink by Ranger, Crystal Star Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Parisian Anthology Fancy Filigree paper by Pink Paislee

 The next snowflake project uses some simple stamping and embossing. The beautiful snowflake images are stamped onto a piece of Craft-a-Board and then heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. Craft-a-Board makes a wonderful chipboard substitute. The white color is perfect for inking, painting or leaving as is.

 Often when creating a resist, I sponge on ink but I wanted to create a slightly different look and used Glimmer Mist to spray on the project.

The shimmer of the Glimmer Mist and the glossy embossed snowflakes looks so beautiful in person.

Supplies: Grunge Flakes stamp set by Advantus, Holiday Sayings Stamp Set by Hero Arts, Clear Embossing Powder & Jet Black Archival Ink & Distress Embossing Pad by Ranger, Sanding Block by Advantus, Solar White Cardstock by Neenah, Bayou cardstock by Memory Box, Craft-a-Board by Essentials by Ellen, Deep Plum & Caribbean Blue Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels

 I've saved my favorite project for last. I love white on white designs. To create the background, I've taped some Tim Holtz Tissue Tape across a white cardstock panel and then trimmed the edges.

Next I painted these sweet Maya Road Snowflakes with some Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and allowed them to dry. When painting and misting I love working on a Non-Stick Craft Sheet. It makes clean-up a breeze. If you don't own one, do yourself a favor and buy yourself one for Christmas. It makes a fabulous work surface. In the final photo you can see how beautiful the snowflakes look when the paint has dried and cracked.

 One of my favorite products from the past year are the Pink Paislee Artisan Elements. There are so many things you can do with them. I decided to keep this one it's off-white color and stamp a sentiment on it with Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger. Heat set the ink after stamping for a permanent impression.

And here's the close-up of the final project. The combination of different textures makes this white on white card work. If you wish to see more detail in any photo, click on it to enlarge.

Supplies: Solar white cardstock by Neenah, Mini Snowflake Chipboard by Maya Road, Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road,  Innoscence line flower by Prima, white embroidery thread, White Vintage Buttons by Jenni Bowlin, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint by Ranger, Holiday Sayings stamp set by Hero Arts, felt snowflakes by Hero Arts, Sparklers by Webster's Pages, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Tidings Tissue Tape by Advantus, Pink Paislee Ornaments Artisan Elements

While all these snowflake projects are Christmas cards, you can change up the sentiments to make them work all winter long. A fun frosty design may be just what you need to send some warmth and cheer this winter.

Sending you all my very warmest wishes for a blessed Christmas and a wonderful year to come.

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist - Day 12

What an incredibly inspiring two weeks! I have really enjoyed learning more about some of the latest products Tim has designed and his thoughts as to how to use them. Today I played with a ton of ideas that I hope I have time to post about in the days ahead. With limited time I decided I could only finish one tag today - I hope you enjoy this experiment. One of THE most important things I hope you learned this week is to just give things a try, even when you don't know what the result will be. It is this experimentation that allows you to explore your own creativity.

Oh how I wish that I could capture a better photograph of this tag because the sparkle is beyond belief.

I have loved trying to cut all sorts of things with these new dies. Today I wanted to explore with gold foil (you could substitute other foils or metals as well.) I began by adding Be Creative or also known as Sookwang tape to the back side of the gold foil. I then adhered this to Craft-a-Board.

Run it through the Big Shot.

Next place the ornament in an embossing folder and run it through the Big Shot again. The very cool thing about Craft-a-Board is that it adds sturdiness to your projects, but also embosses perfectly!

I am now switching out to the second ornament because I did an additional experiment with the ornament above and I am still waiting for it to dry. I can hardly wait to see what it looks like when I return to work tomorrow!

Using a felt applicator, ink with Various Ink Refills BG72 and B23. Ink back side of ornament.

Drip Various Ink, colors BG72 and B23 (or any other alcohol ink) directly on to face of ornament. Allow it to spread and just blow on it to move it around.

Remove excess ink using felt applicator, leaving plenty of ink on surface. Barely touch the felt to the surface to pull up excess ink. If you leave too much ink on the surface it can have a sticky feel to it.

I loved the way it looked but was still concerned about it being a little sticky and so I sprinkled some holographic embossing powder on the surface and the melted the powder with my Heat It tool.

Oh my, oh my!!! WOW!!! Incredible! You asked for other alcohol ink techniques and I think this is a must try for anyone who likes to experiment.

To balance the bling I cut a piece of backed Be Creative tape (the sheets come backed) using the Scrollwork die. I then cut it slightly smaller than shown above and attached it to the Jovial paper and applied Sand Microfine Glitter Ritz and burnished it in place with my finger (search Burnished Velvet using the search mechanism in the top right hand corner of our blog for more information.)

I then did the same with the reinforcement, inked it with embossing ink and dipped it in UTEE creating a sparkly reinforcement similar to the red one created a couple of days ago. Super blingy I tell you and so pretty!

This is the base tag.

Affix a bling swirl to the ornament, tie on some Vintage Netting and embellish with a Sparkler button, baubles and seam binding.

May your holidays sparkle as much as this tag! Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season ahead!

ink: Copic Various Ink B23 and BG72; Distress Embossing Ink, Adirondack Stream Dye Ink

paper: Basic Gray Jovial 6x6 Paper Pad, Inkssentials Manila Tag #8

accessories: Tim Holtz Carved Ornaments and Scrollwork Dies, Regal Flourish Texture Fades, Bauble; Gold Foil, Craft-a-Board, Be Creative (Sookwang) Tape Sheet, Webster's Pages Vintage Inspired Netting, Vintage Sparkler Button, 7 Gypsies Adelaide Seam Binding, Zva Coffee Flourish, Holographic Embossing Powder, Sand Microfine Glitter Ritz, Clear UTEE

One last day of blog candy! We would like for you to be able to make some of your own ornaments, so we are giving you the Carved Ornaments Die, Damask/Regal Flourishes Texture Fades, and some Craft-a-Board. You will be able to make some VERY cool things using these tools!

The drawing for this tag closed in December 2010. Thank you!

To be eligible for the random drawing for this batch of goodies all you have to do is leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you are most excited about trying from the techniques that, Tim or we shared. We are going to leave this drawing open until Wednesday morning, because Tuesday morning is going to be busy already with Hero Arts drawings. Don't forget to take a quick peek at what we shared on our Hero Arts Scavenger Hunt page and leave us a message!

Remember to get your shopping done before 12/15/2010 midnight if you want to purchase items in our 12 Tags of Christmas category and use the 15% discount promo code - timstags.

Christmas Past Wall Hanging

So happy you took some time to join us in the CLASS room today!

I have a fun holiday decor item that I would love to share with you. The Christmas Past collection from Graphic 45 has so many beautiful patterns and colors that work seamlessly together, those along with a few bits and baubles from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology line came together to make a wall hanging that would be great for a focal place on a wall, hanging from a special door or placed on a wreath hanger for your front entryway.

I used Craft-a-board as the base and various sheets of paper from both the 8"x8" pack of Christmas Past and the 12"x12" as well. All the pieces were inked with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink with a foam applictor around the edges and the holly leaves and berries were cut out by hand, inked and then had Distress Stickles applied for extra texture and dimension.

Punch a hole in the top and set an eyelet, use Jump Rings to attach Muse Token and a Swivel Clasp with the Typewriter Charms spelling "JOY".

Attach Game Spinners to Timepiece clock face with a brad and then adhere in place.

To create the wire hanging piece I used Vintaj 28 wire on the spool (the finer gauge, if you want it be sturdier use the 18 gauge) and cut four pieces of the length that I wanted and then twisted them together. For the coil that is over the top I wrapped the wire around a small paint brush handle and then threaded it over the twisted wire piece. Then attach to the Hinge Clips by threading through the holes and then twisting into place.

Use Scrapbook Adhesives Dimensional foam adhesive to attache the leaves and berries and any other little bits you may want to add, I used some Blank Canvas Studio Paint to fill in the letters on this Philosophy Tag and then attached it to the project with a Trinket Pin.

  
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend that maybe allows for a little personal crafting time :o)

B-

Jovial Christmas Blocks and More by Julia Stainton

The holidays are such a wonderful season to craft for. There is something special about handcrafted Christmas cards, decorations and gifts that both the giver and the recipient enjoy. This is one of those projects I was enjoying so much, I spun the scraps into two more items before I could bear to leave my craft table.

It all started with this little Noel blocks idea I've had in my head for quite some time. These little blocks are 1" square and are best covered with scaled down papers such as the 6x6 mini paper pads. This project and the following uses the Basic Grey Jovial 6x6 paper pad.

To create the block project, cut little 1" squares of patterned paper and adhere to your blocks. I found the blocks to be just shy of an inch and the Titanium Black mini Scissors by EK Success were really great for trimming closely. After covering all sides of each mini block, they were so easy to embellish with tiny accents. The noel sentiment is created with the Tim Holtz Stencil Type. You can adhere these blocks together in a permanent arrangement or just set them up each year the way you wish.

So my project was done but I had all these darling little scraps of paper on my desk. What's a girl to do but to put them to good use? First off, I had all these 1" strips left over from covering the wood blocks. They quickly made themselves into a card front. From the larger scraps I created my own "chipboard" stars with Craft-a-Board from Essentials by Ellen and some star dies.

 

A tag size piece of Craft-A-Board left on my desk inspired the remaining project.

 

It's covered with patterned paper and then die cut for a negative star shape. Hmmm... What if I backed the tag with Crystal Clear Plastic and stamped my sentiment in the window... It was quick and fun and I'm happy with the result. I wonder whose present this will adorn this year.

 

Supplies: Classic Solar white cardstock by Neenah, 6x6 Jovial Paper Pad by Basic Grey, Craft-a-Board by Essentials by Ellen, Crystal Clear Plastic by Ellen Hutson LLC, Nested Star Dies, twine, Tiny Attacher by Advantus, 1" Square Wood Blocks, Bean Stalks Twine Red & Brown by Jillibean Soup, Holiday Sayings Clear Design stamps by Hero Arts, Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger, Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by Ranger, Kiwi Chandelier Crystals by Heidi Swapp, Tim Holtz Stencil Type by Advantus, Red Vintage Sew-on Buttons by Jenni Bowlin, Tim Holtz Mini Pins by Advantus, rose silk ribbon by May Arts, Cropadile by We R Memory Keepers, Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Black Wood Bingo Numbers by Maya Road

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and enjoy getting ready for the season ahead!

 

Boo Halloween Banner by Julia Stainton

I'm totally loving banners. They are so much fun to create as you can make them as large as you want or start small and add more pennants as you find the time.

Today's project is a Hallowe'en banner for my home. Each of the pennants is 5"x7" and is created on a Jenni Bowlin Bingo Card. I know it's difficult to get an accurate idea of the size and detail as blog width ends up making the banner photo very small. To counter this, I'll be sharing each pennant individually as each is a unique creation in itself. Each pennant is larger than card front size and was so much fun to create. Please click on the smaller images to bring them to their full size for a better look.

To create the banner, each bingo card is decorated. You could stop at this point and create a mini album or a scrapbook page accent but I've punch a hole in the top corners and strung them together with some hem tape ribbon.

To keep continuity in the banner project I repeated a few elements on each design. I wanted each to be unique but still tie the project together.

• each pennant is created from a coordinating Jenni Bowlin Bingo Card
• the edges of each pennant are highlighted by "inking" them with a Black Adirondack Paint Dabber
• each pennant has some Graphic 45 Halloween in Wonderland accents
• each pennant has die cut leaves that I've sponged with distress ink

Now for each of the pennants I'll show you a closeup for the detail and highlight some of the design elements of each one...

• star is created by die-cutting Craft-a-board with the Classic Star Nestability die and then covering it with Melissa Frances Silver Glass Glitter
• a fun Tim Holtz Keyhole accents one of the o's in Boo
• the bat accent is a Tim Holtz Fragment that has been masked with a bat from the Tim Holtz Seasonal Masks and then painted with a Black Paint Dabber

 

• Tim Holtz Tissue tape crossed over the bingo card resembles crime scene tape
• a little Memo Pin holds a Kiwi Chandelier Crystal
• the Paper Rosette Sizzlets die makes a darling black flower rosette from black cardstock

• add dates or word accents with Tiny Type and Graphic 45 letter stickers
• The black cat is another use of the Tim Holtz Seasonal Masks

• Ellen's new Ellen's Essentials Doiles are so much fun to use as an achor for a group of embellishments and accents
• Add a fun chipboard button to the rossette center for extra dimension

• the fun Halloween ticket stamp is one of many occasions found on the Tim Holtz Odds and Ends stamp set
• frame your stamped image by stamping it onto a large kraft ticket

So there you have it.

Lots of fun techniques and ideas to try in one fun project. You could also rework it for a different occasion such as Christmas, a baby shower, or whatever you wish. You can find lots of fabulous and varied Bingo Cards by Jenni Bowlin here to use as a base.

Supplies: Halloween Bingo Cards & Vintage Halloween Chipboard Buttons by Jenni Bowlin, black cardstock, Jabberwocky patterned paper & Halloween in Wonderland Tags by Graphic 45, twine, Silver Glass Glitter by Melissa Frances, Tiny Attacher , Memo Pin and Market Place Tissue Tape by Tim Holtz for Advantus, Pitch Black Paint Dabber, Jet Black Archival Ink, Crushed Olive Distress Ink, Barn Door Distress Ink & Wild Honey Distress Ink by Ranger, Tattered Leaves die by Sizzix, Orange Halloween Felt by Hero Arts, Medallion Flower by Maya Road, Classic Star Nestability Die by Spellbinders, Tim Holtz Odds and Ends Stamp Set by Stampers Anonymous, Tim Holtz Fragment and Hinge Clip by Advantus, Tim Holtz Seasonal Masks, Vintage Pearl Trinket Pin and Leaf Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Paper Rosette Die by Sizzix, Assorted Doilies by Essential's by Ellen

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom and happy creating!

October Calendar by Sharon Harnist

 
 
I know October is a third over already, but I'm just now finding time on this school and Columbus Day holiday to finish my October calendar!  So I thought I would share that with you all today.  You may remember when I introduced you to my 2010 calendar for this year, here.  It's a mini-book style, made out of 4-inch square pieces of Ellen's fabulous Craft-A-Board!  You could prep one of these calendar books for next year to give as a gift, leaving space for the recepient to add photos of their own as the year goes along, if you wish!

I started by cutting two pieces of Craft-A-Board 4-inches square and then round the corners with Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper:

 

Next, I chose papers from Cosmo Cricket's Matilda Mini Deck and covered the Craft-a-Board with them, using a glue stick.  Then I stamped Karen Lockhart's sweet new Basket of Leaves with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto Copic's new X-Press It Blending Card.  I noticed Ellen has several affordable package options of this fabulous new cardstock available now -- you can find them here!  Your Copic markers will blend wonderfully on this new cardstock and you won't see any feathering of marker color or stamped lines like you might on other cardstocks. 

Here's a quick step-out of the Copic markers I used on the basket image, chosen to match the Matilda papers (click on any photo for a larger view):

 
L - E31 on the basket, YR21 on the basket cross weaves and leaves, pumpkin & apples.  R - E33 & E35 on the basket and fruit stems.

 
L - YR16 on some leaves and pumpkin.  R - YR18 to deepen the pumpking and some leaves.

G82 & G85 on leaves and one apple.

Sorry I didn't get a photo of the last few steps:

R24 on last apple.
E31 & E33 on what I decided would be pods or nuts in the basket and to finish the basket rim, some E37.
YR16 & YR18 on the flowers on each side of the basket.
W1 & W3 to shade under the basket and for the blowing leaf trails.
Gold Atyou Spica Glitter Pen accents everything.

I cut out the image and popped it up on foam tape.  Now, take a look at my finished colored image next to the papers I chose:

 

I love the bright white of the Copic X-Press It Blending Card -- it produces very crisp and vivid colors.  But notice how different it is (bright white) than the ivory of the patterned papers and Neenah Natural White cardstock that I printed my computer-generated calendar on?  Now this may not bother some people, but it bothers the perfectionist in me, LOL!  So what to do?  Here's where your hand-dandy Copic E50 Egg Shell comes to the rescue!

 

I used it to color any of the remaining white areas of the basket image.  In the photo above, I started on the right side of the image, up to where the tip of the marker is pointing -- the left side of the image still remains white, so you can see the difference the Egg Shell marker makes!

And here's a close-up of the finished image -- hopefully you can see the nice sparkle the glitter pen adds (click for a larger view):

 

I used Martha Stewart's Picket Fence Edger Punch and Maple Leaf Punch to punch more Matilda paper for accents on this page.  The leaves were edged with Copic E35, crumpled and added with Mini Glue Dots.

For the right side of my calendar, I cut the Cosmo Cricket Matilda pumpkin background paper a little smaller than the 4-inch Craft-a-Board and colored the edges of the Craft-a-Board with Copic G85 marker.  Next, I die cut my computer-generated calendar with a Spellbinders Labels Four die and sponged the edges with Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink.  It is popped up on foam tape.  

 

Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type Brown sticker letters make the 'october' word on top of my calendar.  Using Spellbinders Nested Maple Leaf die, I die cut & embossed green plaid Matilda paper, sanded the edges, and then machine stitched it.  Strands of ribbon make "hinges" to hold the two calendar pieces together like a book!

Thanks for joining us today -- Happy Columbus Day!  ~ Sharon

 
Stamps: Lockhart Basket of Leaves
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Matilda Mini Deck & Tiny Type Brown letter stickers, Copic X-Press It Blending Card
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink
Copic markers: YR21, YR16, YR18, R24, E31, E33, E35, E37, E50, G82, G85, W1; Gold Atyou Spica Glitter Pen
Accessories: Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board, Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Spellbinders Labels Four & Nested Maple Leaf die sets, Martha Stewart Picket Fence Edger Punch & Maple Leaf Punch, Sanding Block, Mini Glue Dots

Hocus Pocus Test Tube Treat Holder

I keep seeing these test tubes arrive and depart here in the warehouse and have wanted to create using them for over a year! EEK!

How to present these has been part of my fascination... I think. Test tube holders are either really expensive, drab looking and/or way too large or small. Our lunch time conversation yesterday turned to the many different ways to hold these test tubes. The template that I have designed is based on the fabulous advice of all the girls here at work. Have I told you how lucky I am to have such fabulous women to work with?!! So I decided to create a template for all those of you who purchase these from us :-D Simply download and use the dimensions attached below. As well, we will be adding this file to the description of the test tubes in the store so that you can easily find it in the future.

You are going to hear me raving about Craft-a-board again today - LOL! Two days ago I created the Halloween treat box base using it. I absolutely love how this product is sturdy enough to really hold it's shape for making a wide assortment of projects. I shared how you can cut part way through using the Zutter Kutter. WELL...  guess what!!! Most of you don't have Zutter Kutter's BUT you do have an Xacto Knife and steel edge ruler :-D

It dawned on me that if I used my Fiskar's tool together with the Tim Holtz ruler I may have discovered a solution for the others to be able to create the sturdy boxes I have been utilizing. Oh the feeling of jubilation when it worked like a charm! As you can see I held my ruler firmly in place and then gently, yet firmly cut through the first layer of the Craft-a-board surface.

This picture shows the reason I am so very excited about this. By cutting through the top layer only you can create crisp, clean folds!!!

If you find that you have cut too deep you can always use adhesive or tissue tape to reinforce your fold lines, but I did not have to do that at all on this project. In fact it worked better than the Zutter Kutter :-D

This photo shows my test tube holder base with all lines, what I am going to call "deep scored" (the top layer of the Craft-a-board being cut through and the bottom layer remaining intact.)

There are many ways to color the Craft-a-board. One of the quickest and easiest is to use an ink blending tool and dye inks. I love the color palette of the Distress Inks and so they are frequently my first go-to-ink for anything involving the blending tool. I inked the edges of the Craft-a-board and then the portions of the holder that were not going to be covered with decorative paper.

For more ways to use Craft-a-board simply click on the category link on simple dreams, In Touch and here in the CLASSroom.

Another product I cannot remember ever using before is rub-ons :-O Yes, the girl who likes to try everything hasn't tried rub-ons! As we have continued to explore and expand the lines that we carry in the store these have puzzled me.

Decorating a rounded surface can be somewhat tricky for those of us who are stampy stampers and so I stepped off the edge, so to speak, and broke open my first package of "Press Ons."

Sitting at my table puzzling over how I would hold it in place without moving it Cathy came to my rescue. I used basic removable office tape to hold it in place as I worked :-D

Using the Basic Grey Rub-on Roller I carefully applied my first Press-On. Success! I am hooked! Those optical lenses are now calling my name and I think I must find a way to make a few "dangly" Halloween decorations :-D

The next piece to the mental puzzle of creating the perfect test tube holder was creating the hole that would hold the tubes firmly in place. My circle was a little to large and then it dawned on me. I have seen these funky pinked edges on store packaging. I trace the location of my circle on to my decorative paper as shown above, making certain that it would be positioned in just the right spot.

Look at how perfect the Cosmos flower fits this circle! It was meant to be.

Another rub-on was added to the cork and a gemstone to add just that little bit of bling.

A little more bling with a strip of adhesive and Glitter Ritz, as well as the perfect little amber circle bling and now I have a very fun little vessel and holder in which to present my gift. Purple Nerds to the rescue momentarily for this picture, but soon I will have this filled with some crafting goodies to gift to someone very special.

We hope that you enjoy this little treat holder. Think of all the possibilities!!! You could stamp the decorative paper, add a focal image, drop a tag from it and so much more!!! Add an inch or two to the overall width, cut in additional holes, and you can easily hold two or three test tubes. I would also like to encourage you once again to give Craft-a-board a try. It has SO many uses --- I will continue to do my best to share the many ideas I have to help you bring a higher level of quality to the items you create. Thank you for joining me here in the CLASSroom - now go and get creative!

template: Download Test Tube Favor Stand Template

paper: Pink Paislee Hocus Pocus 6x6 Paper Pad

ink: Dusty Concord Distress Ink Pad

accessories: Martha Stewart Test Tube Favors, Craft-a-board, Fiskars Fingertip Knife, Tim Holtz Ruler, Pink Paislee Hocus Pocus Press-ons, Basic Grey Rub-on Roller, Copper Circle Rhinestone Borders, 1/4" Be Creative Tape, Apricot Glitter Ritz, Cosmos Flower Punch

Owl-o-ween Trick or Treat Pencil Box

I LOVE the days that our customers stop in to pick up their will call orders and they bring along projects they are working on. Ann, thank you so much for sharing your adorable treat box!!!

Nothing could be more fun than this little creation!

Ann is making these for an entire class - I know they will absolutely love this treat!

Well... I couldn't resist giving this a whirl. I pulled out a rather boring pencil box to get measurements to design this template. When I am back at work tomorrow I will measure my box and add the dimensions here. Then using Craft-a-board and my Zutter Cutter I was able to quickly design the base for this box.

Craft-a-board is an inexpensive, fantastic alternative to chipboard!

The Zutter Kutter has a very cool feature which allows you to cut part way through thicker materials. To cut through the Craft-a-board I use the regular setting. To cut a deeper score line in the Craft-a-board I set the dial to "3". This creates a cut which allows you to easily create beautiful boxes!

Then using Distress Inks and an Ink Blending Tool I sponged the surface to coordinate with the Hallowe'en in Wonderland spider web paper.

Above are the Copic colors I used to color the oh, so cute Tufted Owl.

Resisting opening the latest sketchy tree die from Tim Holtz was futile - it was just too perfect. Cutting the tree and then wrapping it around the box to position the owl within the harvest moon... well - I just had to do it :-D

A little added sparkle (Rock Candy and Wild Honey Distress Stickles), along with Black Enamel Accents on the eyes adds dimension for the finishing touch.

Ann, thank you once again for inspiring me and providing THE most fabulous of ideas!

stamps: Memory Box Tufted Owl, Hero Arts ClearDesign Happy Halloween

paper: Graphic 45 Hallowe'en in Wonderland 8x8 pad, Neenah Natural White, X-Press Blending Card

ink: Archival Jet Black, Distress Ink Pads - Weathered Wood, Faded Jeans, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey

accessories: Craft-a-Board, Nostalgic Tissue Tape, Black Enamel Accents, Rock Candy and Wild Honey Distress Stickles, Tim Holtz Branch Tree Bigz Die

June Beach Calendar by Sharon Harnist

 

I haven't shown you all my desk calendar for this year ... so I thought it was time to remedy that!  I've been making it with 4-inch coasters, attached together with ribbon "hinges", so it can stand up like a book on my desk.  Well, I finally ran out of those 4-inch coasters, so Ellen's Craft-A-Board came to my rescue!  I cut two pieces 4" x 4" and rounded the corners with the 1/4-inch side of WRM's Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper.  Then I covered the CAB with Cosmo Cricket's DeLovely 6x6 patterned papers ... so bright, cheerful & summery!

 

I thought Karen Lockhart's Beach Chair image would be perfect for this month starting off the summer season ... I can't wait to be on a beach chair in the sand at the beach somewhere, and will be dreaming of it until the end of the month when I get there!  I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah Classic Crest Natural White cardstock and colored it with these Copic markers:

 

Next, I trimmed the image to 3.25" x 3.25", punched the corners with Martha Stewart's Sand Dollar Corner Punch and the straight edges with Beach Shells Edger Punch ... I love how this frame turned out!  Then I masked off the shell edges and airbrushed Copic BG11 on the background:

 

The edges of the shell frame and blue paper behind it were inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink and here's the easy way I accomplished this:

 

Here's a great Ranger tip I came up with:  Antique Linen Distress Ink is my favorite Distress Ink color and I use it on the edges of about 80% of my work!  So while browsing Ellen's store, I came across this empty Ranger Standard Foam Pad and I wondered how it would work as pad to ink the edges of my artwork.  So I inked one end of the foam pad with my Antique Linen Distress Reinker and now I have a quick and easy pad to grab and ink the edges of anything!  This foam pad is soft and gives a softer look to inked edges than the standard felt pad of the Distress Ink pads.  Now I certainly may not be the first person to think of this, but I certainly was bouncing in my chair when I discovered it worked so well!

 

One hint: It won't take as much reinker as you might think to soak the pad, so go lightly at first, letting the ink gradually absorb into the pad and testing it after each addition -- until you have it inked as you'd like.  I made the mistake of putting way too much reinker on the first time and ended up blotting off quite a lot of the ink because it swiped onto the edges of cardstock darker than I usually prefer.  I also have room on the other end of the pad to for a different color -- I hope you have fun with this idea!

 

Next, I printed my computer-generated calendar onto Neenah Classic Crest Natural White cardstock, trimmed it to 3.25" wide, and used the same Martha Stewart punches on the lower edge of this piece and the Corner Chomper on the top corners.  The month name of "June" was spelled out with Cosmo Cricket's Cream Tiny Type Letters ("dream" on the beach chair image is also from this set of stickers) and Copic BG11 airbrushed lightly on this background, too. 

 

The finishing touch is a top border of Neenah Natural White cardstock punched with the border punch again, inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink, and then the whiter star-shaped punched-out pieces of cardstock glued back onto the border for some contrast and texture!

I hope this June calender gives you a few helpful hints for your summer papercrafting and helps to put you in the spirit of summer!

Stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company-Beach Chair
Paper: Cosmo Cricket DeLovely 6x6, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Antique Linen Distress Reinker; Copic markers: E30, E33, BG11, BG72, RV14, Y15, W1
Accessories: Copic Airbrush System-1, Essentials by Ellen Craft-A-Board, WRM Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Ranger Standard Foam Pad, Martha Stewart Sand Dollar Corner Punch & Beach Shells Edger Punch, Cosmo Cricket Cream Tiny Type Letters

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 

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

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

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

custom chipboard stickers by Kim Hughes

Chipboard stickers are very cool...at least I think so :) So I was inspired to make some of my own.

Supplies:

Karen Lockhart: IB Radishes, IB Carrots, IB Peas

Cosmo Cricket: Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket Ribbon, The Boyfriend, Cosmo Cricket 6" Mini Deck Paper Pad, Material Girl, Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Stickers, Black

Craft-a-Board

Manila Tags, #1 (Small)

COPIC Sketch Marker YR24, Pale Sepia, COPIC Sketch Marker G28, Ocean Green, COPIC Sketch Marker YG63, Pea Green, COPIC Sketch Marker R27, Cadmium Red

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Pitch Black

Here is my inspiration:

I started with 3 of Karen Lockhart's tiny garden images and stamped on Craft-a-Board that I used to take the place of chipboard...being white is a bonus!

 

I colored each image with a Copic marker.  Nothing is blended since most stickers are a solid color.
 

I then cut closely around each image since it's more difficult to navigate the scissors around the heavy duty specialty paper.
 

Keep your scissors steady while turning the image in your other hand.  Keep a visual edge around each image.  These images are easy to stamp and color if you need to try again.

add a thin layer of crystal effects over each image and allow to dry. 

 

Design a card base and add some more Craft-a-Board under the green paper strip to help tie in the colors.  I added ribbon to each tag but changed them up at add interest.  Adding a machine stitch helps to give this card a little more character
 

I completed the tags with the custom chipboard "stickers" and some sentiment letter stickers.

If you are not comfortable with using scissors, you can try a cutting blade with a glass mat.  Just cut slowly and precisely.  Thank you for stopping by :)

Puzzled by Susan Roberts

Today’s project is a magnetic travel puzzle, and the Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board and the Magnetic Masking Material were the perfect combination to make it happen.

 

Using the Spellbinder’s 4”X6” “Puzzle Madness” Die, the puzzle was cut from the Craft-a-Board and the Magnetic Masking Material.

 

(The Magnetic Masking Material has a black side and a white side.  Black sticks to black and white sticks to white.)

A scene was created on cardstock by masking and using several Hero Arts stamps:

A Simple House

Home with Flourish

Clear Design: Birds and Branches

Clear Design: Life is Not Perfect

Design Block Clouds

(Also used a retired Hero Arts Stamp: Rickrack Ribbon)

The scene was then cut with the puzzle die.

Next the three different mediums (cardstock, Craft-a-Board and Magnetic Masking Material) were glued together making sure that each layer was glued exactly over the other with no overhang.

Any excess glue needs to be removed.

   

 

A sanding block was used to gently sand a few of the edges where the fit was especially tight.  The sanding block was also used on the Magnetic Masking Material before applying the glue so that the glue would have a rougher surface to hold on to and thereby adhere better.

 

 

A puzzle base was made using more of the Magnetic Masking Material which was cut ¼” larger than the 4”X6” puzzle.  This was adhered to a piece of Craft-a-Board which was cut ½” larger than the puzzle.

 

 

Before cutting the scene, a picture was taken and printed.  It was adhered to Craft-a-board and designer paper from Cosmo Cricket’s “Garden Variety” pack was adhered to the back.  This is included with the puzzle to be the guide.

 

Recently I purchased some pillowcases at Target that came in a small white linen bag.  It was the perfect size for my puzzle.  I stamped a few of the puzzle images on the bag, too.

 

 

The Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board and Magnetic Masking Material are such fun to play with.  There are so many possibilities!  Thanks for dropping by the CLASSroom today.

 

Happy Crafting!

Stamps: Hero Arts “A Simple House”, "House with Flourish", “Clear Design: Birds and Branches", "Clear Design: Life is Not Perfect", "Design Block Clouds", “Rickrack Ribbon” (retired)

Designer Paper: Cosmo Cricket’s “Garden Variety”

Other Supplies:  Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board, Essentials by Ellen Magnetic Masking Material; Spellbinder’s 4”X6” “Puzzle Madness” Die

Craft-a-Board and Wood Paper Shapes by Lisa Strahl

Good Monday morning friends!

I had much to much fun die cutting this week!  I spent an entire evening just playing with different papers and dies and cut dozens of fun elements to create with in the future.  I encourage you to try it.

My focus today is to share some of the newest Spellbinders dies and some products you may not have used with them such as Craft-a-Board and Real Wood Paper.

Die cut  and emboss the Lotus Pendant from Craft-a-board.  If you need help with die cutting use the low profile Spellbinders dies, please click here.  For more information regarding Craft-a-board, click here.

 

Apply Dries Clear Adhesive (Art Institute) to the back side of the Lotus with a paint brush and press it to the light green grid sheet from the Origins 6x6 Paper Pack (Basic Grey).  Allow it to fully dry.

 

Trim the excess paper from around the edge with Fingertip Craft Knife on the Precision Mat (Basic Grey).  This is a self healing mat is a great size and heavy duty enough to handle the abuse it gets in my studio.

 

Apply thin lines of Antique Linen Distress Sticklesto every other petal.  It's actually quite easy to use Stickles in a very precise way because they hold their form.

 

If you have any areas that are uneven you can make it smoother with a piercing tool or I like to use the head of a pin.

More details about this card:

-tie a knot in the Ivory Eyelet ribbon (Webster's Pages); adhere it to a large button from the Black Line Collection(Jenni Bowlin) with Memory Glue Dots

-base card is Licorice which comes with a matching black envelope (Memory Box)

-bird image mini paper from the Vintage Black Line(Jenni Bowlin); the bird was colored with E31 Brick Beige, the leaves where colored with YG06 Yellowish Green

-Enjoy (Lockhart) sentiment stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink

-Medium Accent Pearls (Hero Arts)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Next I'd like to share a little about a new product that I am completely in love with.  It was the "one thing" I just had to see at CHA Winter in Anaheim - Real Wood by Creative Imaginations.  Real Wood  paper is printable, embossable, die-cuttable, stampable, and paintable. Great for cardmaking, custom embellishments, custom borders, mixed media, veneering, wood constructions. Real Wood comes in 8.5"x11" sheet and is available in 2 thicknesses.  I am using Thin Cherry Real Wood today.

I began by die cutting the Labels 13 die - you can see how crisp and clean it cut. 

Paint the front of the wood shape with Matte Multi Medium making sure to get full coverage.

Press the wood shape to this sheet of paper from the Origins 6x6 Paper Pad (Basic Grey) and burnish with the Teflon Bone Folder to ensure that the paper is completely adhered.

Once it was completely dry, I trimmed the excess pattered paper around the shape with the Finger Tip Craft Knife, again on the Precision Mat.  I wanted my piece to have a little more substance, so I die cut the same image from Craft-a-Board, adhered it and trimmed around the edge.

 

I had never noticed that Basic Grey put a clever little quote in the middle of this mat!  "Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything."  Mark Twain  So true.

Score the back side of the patterned paper that was adhered with the Multi Medium and then paint the surface with a Niji Waterbrush.  The water will disappear inside the scored marks.

 

Begin rolling the wet paper away with your finger.

 

Continue this process until all of the white paper is removed.

 

You may still have a few areas where the image looks hazy with white...or you are just in a hurry like me!  Rub some Mutli Medium with your finger into the paper to reduce the haze.

 

A few final details:

-stamped sentiment from Motivational Centers (Cornish Heritage Farms)

-Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger)

-Night Clematis Bling It Rhinestones (Basic Grey)

-Midnight Black Crystals (Hero Arts)

-Origins 6x6 Paper Pack (Basic Grey)

-Moss Green Twill (May Arts)

-Dill Note Card and Envelope (Memory Box)

The mad scientist in me has been testing all sorts of ink and paint on the Real Wood product and I hope to share a more in depth tutorial on that soon.  I promise you will see a lot more wood from me!

Thank you so much for spending a few minutes with me today in the CLASSroom.

Cheers, Lisa

Hybrid Mini Album by Julia Stainton

Hybrid crafting is a fun way of crafting, combining both the digital and paper crafting worlds. As there are great techniques to do in both creative mediums, hybrid is a great way to pick the best of both and expand your creativity.

For this hybrid mini album, I created six layouts leaving space for a few extra embellishments and then printed them out to create my album. The thing I love about digital is the items can be used over and over again and if you make a mistake, you can simply undo it. 

I created each layout at 8x8 as that was the smallest choice. You can add pages to your scrapbook and create them all in one file. After you have the layouts as you wish, click on the print from home button and your layouts will be sent to you in jpeg format. To print, open the files and then print at desired size. I used a photo editing program to size them to 4" square and then printed on heavy white cardstock.

 

After all the pages are printed out, crop them down to the 4x4 inch size. If you'd like a closer look at the details on this project, click on any photo for a larger view.

 

Next you'll want to cut three (for a six page album or more if necessary) 4x4" pieces of Craft-a-Board to give the project stability.

 

Adhere mini layouts on each side of Craft-a-Board pages to make your album.

 

I used the Zutter Bind it All to bind my little album. My album is the older blue model but Ellen's pink one works exactly the same. I love binding the 4x4 size as it is so easy to line up the bottom of the pages with the right side of the unit. Punch each page.

 

I used the 5/8" size wire for this project. There's room to add in another page or two still if you'd like to make your album larger.

 

This is the album bound and ready for embellishing.

 

On pages two and three you can see that I added some quick and easy embellishments. As I used mostly Jenni Bowlin digital files, these pretty extras are so easy to work into the design. On the left I added in and Embellished Butterfly, Black and on the right, another Jenni Bowlin item... a Rhinestone Button.

 

I could have added in journaling with text before I printed out my layouts but I've become a huge fan of handwritten journaling. I just wrote it in right on the printed pages using some of the ledger and journaling spaces I designed into the layouts. A Tim Holtz Fragment adhered with Glossy Accents over the writing. I love using a Copic Multiliner for my journaling as I know it writes well and won't smear or bleed.

Here's a peek at the back view. I didn't embellish it so that the album could lay flat for looking at.

 

And finally, the album front. Some handwriting, another Jenni Bowlin Butterfly and a Trinket Pin look pretty adhered over the digital printed page. I couldn't resist embellishing the Bind it All wires and tied on lots of beautiful silk ribbon.

What do you think of Hybrid? Fun huh?

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom!

Spring Blossom Card by Julia Stainton

I think Spring just may be finally in the air. It has me dreaming of birds and flowers and soft sweet colors. I've chosen some Memory Box products to work with today that are oh so pretty. Pairing them up with some Nestability dies makes it easy to create this unique card.

To create this card, I started off with a Lavender Memory Box note card. By placing the largest Scalloped Circle Die over the notecard, you can die cut your own shaped card. Make sure that you allow at least three scallops to cross over the fold to ensure stability and to make sure you don't cut your notecard into two pieces.

The beautiful striped patterned paper is from the Frond 6x6 paper pad by Memory Box. It is die-cut with the Circle Standard Large Nestability Die and then all edges were sponged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink. Adhere to the card front.

The next element of the design is the glittered chipboard flower created from Craft-a-board. Using the Nested Dahlia die and a smaller circle from the circle Nestability set, die-cut the flower from Craft-a-Board.

After inking the edges for a vintage look, I applied some Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter by sprinkling it over the die cut element coated in Ranger Glossy Accents.

Now I'm pretty tickled with how the next element of the design worked because I totally didn't plan it. Don't you love it when that happens? I decided to stamp the sweet Batik Birds image onto a piece of Neenah Classic Solar White cardstock and layer it behind the flower for a window effect. If you're looking for the ink color, I used Shabby Shutters Distress Ink by Ranger.

On my desk, I just happened to have some Glass Glinz, 30 mm clear embellishments that I hadn't put away from the post yet. Unbelievably they fit the center perfectly and I love the dimension and how they seem to magnify the stamped image behind. Sweet! Once again Ranger Glossy Accents comes to the rescue and easily adheres this clear element.

 

Using another piece of the Frond 6x6 paper pad, I hand-cut leaves and then scored them and tucked them behind the flower image for a pretty look.
 

Now the Batik Birds image was just too pretty not to show the entire image so I stamped it again, this time on the inside of my card. I added some rhinestones, Basic Grey Bling It, to accent the branch and then added in a short sentiment by spelling out friend with the Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Stickers.

 

To finish off the project, add in a twill ribbon tied with twine and a Vintage Sew On Button by Jenni Bowlin and the card is complete.

Why not give it a whirl and step out of the square box and give a circle card a whirl?

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom today! Happy Creating!

Graphic 45-Hero Floral Door Hanger by Sharon Harnist

I seem to be into door hangers lately -- I like that they can be hung from a door or decorative hook and also used as a piece of wall art!  This one was made using Spellbinders Labels Eight Nestabilities die that measures approximately 5.50" x 4".  I die-cut my base out of good 'ole Craft-A-Board -- I love this stuff!  Then I cut this beautiful Graphic 45-Le Romantique 8x8 paper with the same die and adhered the two together.

The Hero Arts Big & Small flower was stamped onto more coordinating peach & green Le Romantique papers (twice) and then easily & quickly cut out using my pinking shears:

A few more straight snips with scissors between the petals and this big flower was done!  I colored the flower center with Copic E35 marker and put a large Glue Dot in the center and covered it with Martha Stewart's copper glitter.  The petals of both flowers were curled with my fingernail and layered together.

This great Hero Arts sentiment (from the Life Is Not Perfect set) was stamped with Adirondack Espresso ink onto an Inchie Arts Wheat Twinchie Square -- these squares are the same wonderful museum-quality matboard as Inchie Squares, but are 2-inches! 

 

I topped the Twinchie with another piece of the Le Romantique paper that was punched with Martha Stewart Arch Lattice Edger Punch.  I also rounded the corners of the Twinchie easily with the 1/2" Corner Chomper.  I was about to call this project "done" but then spotted these beautiful Zva crystals in my drawer and they just begged to be used!  Good news is that Ellen will be carrying Zva's beautimous bling in the store but the sort of bad news is that they haven't quite arrived yet!  So please keep checking back!

To finish this door hanger, I punched holes in the top and tied up some pretty lace.

 
Stamps: Hero Arts Big & Small, Life Is Not Perfect
Paper: Graphic 45-Le Romantique 8x8
Ink: Ranger-Adirondack Espresso dye ink, Copic marker-E35
Accessories: Spellbinders-Labels Eight Nestabilities dies, Essentials by Ellen-Craft-A-Board, Inchie Arts Assorted Twinchie Squares (Wheat), Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Prima-Jaqueline Lace, Martha Stewart Edger Punch-Arch Lattice, Glue Dots, Martha Stewart Essential Colors Glitter Set-Copper, Zva Crystals (arriving soon!)

 

Pumped About Embossing by Susan Roberts

Today I want to shoe you something really fun, making your own embossing template.  It’s easy peasy and can add an interesting detail to your creations.

I chose the “Party Shoe” stamp by Karen Lockhart for the template.

The image was stamped on Ellen’s “Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board” and then cut out.  This Craft-a-Board is sturdy but very manageable to cut fairly small details.  A small border should be left around the image when cutting.

 

I passed the card stock through my embosser with the shoe template.  One layer of Craft-a-Board was enough to leave a perfect embossed image.

To center the image for stamping, I used a “Stamp-a-ma-Jig” over the embossed area.

 

I LOVE the resulting look!

 

Shoes were colored with Copics.  Basic Grey designer paper was used to cut several coordinating pieces to paper piece onto the shoe.  These pieces were quick and easy cutting.  Consequently, I cut out so many of these!  I will store them with my stamp, along with the template, for future creations.

 

Before adhering the paper pieces to the card stock, I embossed some of them.

 

This was a blast!  As I was going through the different designer papers trying to decide which papers to use and once several were cut out, it felt like I was trying on different shoes as I placed the little cutouts on the different colored shoe images.  But, I finally made my decisions.  Below are larger pictures of each of the four cards in the set.

The sentiments are all part of the Cornish Heritage Farms “The Shoe Boutique” set.

Each card has a corresponding sentiment stamped on the inside as well.  These are shown directly below the card.  Also listed are all supplies used on that particular card.

------------------------------

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Blueberry" and Basic Grey "Sugar Rush"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: Martha Stewart Edger Punch "Threader"; May Arts 1/4" White Silk Ribbon; Hero Arts Button "Summer"

------------------------------

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Key Lime"; Basic Grey "Origins"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: May Arts 1-1/4" Black Silk Ribbon; Kaiser Black Pearl

------------------------------

 

 

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Key Lime"; Basic Grey "Sugar Rush"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: Hero Arts, Neutral Art Flower; Prima Marketing White Flower Centers

------------------------------

Stamps: Karen Lockhart "Party Shoe" and Cornish Heritage Farms "The Shoe Boutique"

Papers: Essentials by Ellen: Craft-a-Board; Memory Box "Blueberry" and Basic Grey "Eskimo Kisses"

Inks: Memento "Tuxedo Black"; Copic 0.3 Black Multiliner and

Copic Individual Markers:

Accessories: Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page "Eyelet Lace"; Prima Marketing Creme Ribbon Lace; Hero Arts Neutral Fancy Felt Flowers; Hero Arts Art Flowers Neutral; Kaiser Black Pearls

------------------------------

Happy Crafting!

Lockhart Window Photo Album by Sharon Harnist

 

Today I have a photo album cover to share with you.  I made this to hold 6-inch scrapbook pages that I hope to fill with pages of my daughters to give to their grandmother for Mother's Day!  I'm hoping if I get an early enough start on it, I might finish it in time!  This beautiful Basic Grey Origins 6x6 paper was begging me to be used and I thought it would be perfect for this special keepsake album.

I started by cutting two pieces of  6-1/4" square Craft-A-Board to use as my album cover base.  Then I adhered the paper to the front and rounded the corners with Zutter's special corner rounder tool that cuts through chipboard like butter!  The edges of the album cover were inked with Antique Linen Distress ink.

Karen Lockhart's Tulips in the Window was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto Neenah Natural White cardstock and then cut out.  The center pots of tulips were carefully trimmed away and this left a nice sized (1-1/4" x 1-3/4") opening to have a photo of my girls peeking through!

The window was softly colored with the Copic markers listed below.  Copic Melon Spica glitter pen was used to color the tiny leaves and then Summer Flower Soft applied to make some flowers on the vines (you can click on the photo for a larger view).  The window was popped up on thick foam tape over the photo that I printed at about 2" x 3" in sepia tones.

 

I used Becky's Trend Watch Tuesday-Text advice from this week and stamped CHF's Vintage Text Scrapblock with black ink onto Natural cardstock and then die cut it with Nested Dahlia dies.  The flowers were wrinkled up, the edges inked with Antique Linen Distress ink, and then layered together with foam tape.  A black tied button finishes the center of the flower.

I used my Bind-It-All and 1-inch black Owire to bind my covers and scrapbook page protectors together.  Wide ivory silk ribbon finishes this album cover ... quick & easy!  Now to fill it!  I hope to show you a few scrapbook pages I prepare for this album over the next few months.  Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 
Stamps:  Lockhart Tulips in the Window, CHF Scrapblock-Vintage Text
Paper:  Basic Grey Origins 6x6, Neenah Natural White
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Antique Linen Distress ink. Copic markers: YR31 custom lighter, YR31, YR21, E40, E31, T2 & Melon Spica Glitter Pen
Accessories: Craft-A-Board, Bind-It-All, BIA 1" Black OWire, Round-It-All 1/2" corner rounder, Flower Soft Floral Bouquet Color Collection (Summer), Spellbinders Nested Dahlia die set, Button, May Arts1-1/4" Ivory Silk Ribbon

Stuck on You Part One - Glue Dots and Recipe Holder by Julia Stainton

For the next four weeks, I'm excited to be writing about different adhesives and how you can use them in your crafting projects. While we'd all love to have just one perfect adhesive, I've yet to find such an item and so. Because of this, I tend to use many unique adhesives in my designs, each being dictated with the need for each particular project. Choosing the right adhesive for the job makes for professional looking creations and ensures the longevity of your project.

While I've used a few different adhesives in creating this project, today we'll focus on an adhesive that I just couldn't be without and one that is extremely easy to use, Glue Dots.

Glue  Dots come in a variety of sizes. The mini ones are perfect for very fine projects but usually my standard is the 3/8" size. They are small enough to hide behind embellishments but have enough adhesion to keep your flowers, buttons and chipboard firmly in place.

Glue Dots are very sticky little circles of adhesive that come on a roll . Because they are not wet, they fall under the dry adhesive category. To use them simply press onto the item you wish to adhere and then onto your project. No mess and no drying time. One quick tip I learned early on is to not pick up the glue dot with your finger but press it right onto the embellishment or item you want to adhere.

Glue Dots are great for specific uses. I've incorporated a few of them into this recipe holder.A little kitchen love to share with you all.

First cut Craft-a-Board into two 6x6 inch squares and adhere them together to make a strong base. I used a liquid adhesive for this but you could also use a strong dry adhesive such as the Glue Glider Pro. I then covered the surface with some Graphic 45 papers from the Domestic Goddess collection, Domestic Goddess Tags & Quilting Bee and from the Renaissance collection, Tudor Rose.

This is what the actual Glue Dots look like on the roll. I'm going to use them for the next step, adhering a transparency.

 

Glue Dots work great as an adhesive for transparencies as they are strong, small and clear. I've put mine under some of the black detailing on this Prima Transparency, Clear Paintables Frames Two but they can also be hidden under embellishments or other layers where they won't be noticeable.

To add some interest to the front of this recipe holder, some fun Domestic Goddess tags make a fun accent. The Tim Holtz Sanding Block adds a nice vintage look to the edges.

 

Adhering items on top of transparencies can be more difficult than adhering to paper. Glue Dots aren't the best choice for large pieces of paper so in this instance I've used Scor-Tape. I'll share some more ideas for it in an upcoming post.

 

When I create, I love adding lots of embellishments. I almost always use Glue Dots to add these to my project. It's fast and they adhere well with them. Glue Dots also work well with the layers or clusters of embellishments that I enjoy using. For this project, I've added in some Hero Arts Vintage Art Flowers with Glue Dots.

Knots and bows of ribbon are also easy to adhere with Glue Dots. This beautiful blue silk ribbon is tied into a bow and then added to the project. I've also slid a Maya Road pin into the knotted bow and the glue dot holds the weight of it as well.

To finish off my recipe card holder, I've die cut a piece of patterned paper with a Spellbinders Circle Nestability die and then added a Tim Holtz Hinge Clip to the top of my board. The back of this project has an easel that props up the piece and allows you easy reading of your recipe while you bake. The easel was created the same as for the Craft-a-Board Frame project here.

Every Domestic Goddess needs a little bling and I've attached a sweet little Heidi Swapp Sky Chadelier Crystal to the hinge clip.

 

This project would also be fun as a photo display or a place to clip your to do list or your grocery list.

Try using Glue Dots for other embellishments such as buttons, chipboard and sheer accents. The extra sticky properties of these dots also make them great for adding dots of glitter or flocking to your projects.

Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom.

Craft-a-Board Frame by Julia Stainton

One of the types of projects that give me the most satisfaction in paper crafting are those that I can make to display around my home. I love altered projects and especially photo frames. They are perfect for those special photos of my loved ones. Today, using a couple of Ellen's Essentials products and some Nestability dies I'll show you how I created this little display frame.

Ellen's Essentials products are not the most glamorous in the store but I there is a reason they are called essentials. They really are essential. Great products that can be used it so many different ways, the only limitation is your imagination. I've primarily created this project out of Craft-a-Board. Craft-a-Board is a chipboard like material that you can do so many things with. I love the soft white color that makes it so easy to create on. Unlike the greyish chipboard, you can stamp and ink on it and have the color remain true. While a little more porous than cardstock, it will stamp nice and cleanly.

To create this 4.5" square frame, I used one sheet of Craft-a-Board. To get started cut three pieces of 4.5" square Craft-a-Board. As you can see here, I cut out six so that I could make two frames at once. Adhere two of them together to form a stiff base. I then adhered a piece of Domestic Goddess, Lady of the House paper by Graphic 45. The edges were sanded with the Tim Holtz Sanding Block to reveal the white paper core.

Next create the top layer by adhering Domestic Goddess Quilting Bee paper by Graphic 45 to the remaining piece of 4.5" square Craft-a-Board. Die cut this with the largest Scalloped Square Nestabilty die and then die cut the center using a shape. I used a Nestability Circle die but a heart or other shape would be a pretty alternative.

Essentials by Ellen Crystal Clear Plastic is perfect for lining the frame opening to protect your photo. Adhere to the wrong side of your frame opening.

Use a tacky dry adhesive on three sides of your frame front to adhere it to the base. You want to leave that one side open to slide your photo in and be able to change it out again.

As I mentioned previously, Craft-a-Board is fabulous for stamping on and it is also great for die cutting. I've stamped a piece of Craft-a-Board that has been die cut with a Nested Butterfly die. The Newspaper Ads Scrapblock adds that vintage look I am going for on this frame.

The Craft-a-Board embellishment is sponged with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink. Any color will look good on this board.

I love Basic Grey buttons. The colors are fabulous and they have a nice clean look to them. I wanted to make this one more distressed and vintage in appearance so I gave it a quick sand to reveal the inner white core.

Here's my button and butterfly embellishment put together. It is layered over a Maya Road Journaling Tag.

Photos and film strip just seem to go together. Instead of fabric ribbon, I used the Tim Holtz Filmstrip Ribbon. To hide where you've adhered it, just put your glue under other embellishments. Here I've used a Tim Holtz Adage Ticket to do that.

My frame needs one last thing....a way to stand up. To create a little easel back, cut a piece of Craft-a-Board to 2.5" x 3.5". Score about 3/4" in from left side and fold. Measure up from the bottom on the right side and mark 3/4". Trim from the top of the easel at the fold to the marked point. Trim from the marked point back to the bottom of the fold to form a triangle.

Adhere to the back of your frame.

That's it! Your frame will be nice and light. If you wish to change up the project a little, leave off the easel back and apply magnets. This project is light enough to hang on your fridge and it would be a great light project to send in the mail.

 

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom!

Happy creating and have a fabulous day.

ATC Home Decor by Sharon Harnist

 

If you don't know people interested in swapping ATCs, or if you're like me and just can't bear to part with some of your creations (!) -- why not make them into home decor items?  Here, I simply made my Valentine-themed ATC and then placed it on a plaque.  There's another suggestion for ATC swaps ... you can make them seasonal and then use all the cards you've swapped in a grouping for your seasonal home decor.

Here's what the plaque looked like when I found it on clearance at the craft store -- I knew it had good potential for altering!

Basic Grey's Sugar Rush paper matched the colors of the plaque perfectly, so I just decoupaged the paper to it and then added some of Maya Road's pearl trinket pins to the beads, to make them a little more special:

 

Again, I gave my ATC some shape by die cutting some of the pink solid Sugar Rush paper with a Labels Four Nestabilities die -- the second to the largest die in the set measures almost exactly 2.50" x 3.50" (ATC size).  Then I stamped Karen Lockhart's wonderful new Love Angel with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored her with the Copic markers pictured below. 

 

TIP: I like to use the Cocoa ink as opposed to black whenever I want to keep my final colored image a little on the softer side -- to match the softer pastel colors of the paper I'm working with.

To achieve a nicely graduated shading like I did on the Angel's dress, start with a base coat of your lightest Copic color (BV0000).  Doing this first will "prime" the paper and make the next colors blend easier:

 

Then add the middle shade of your 3-color grouping of markers (BV000) to the bottom two-thirds of the dress:

 

Next, add the darkest color in your grouping (BV02) to the very bottom of the dress:

 

The last step is to go back with your first lightest color and blend everything together.  You can then add back in a little bit of the darker color at the bottom of the dress, if it needs more definition.  Sometimes I repeat the last two colors another time, just to get a little deeper color saturation.

I cut out and mounted the angel with foam tape to the Nestie die cut, which is also on foam tape:

 

To give the die cut stability, I backed it with some of Ellen's fabulous Craft-a-Board.  I love that it is a beautiful shade of cream and cuts easily most of the time with Spellbinder's dies -- see it peeking out of the edges of the pink Labels die cut?  Much nicer than traditional chipboard!  The more open kind of die like the Labels Four I used here usually cut very easily all the way through the board on a first pass through your die cutting machine (mine did here).  More detailed dies may take a few more passes through your machine or require a little snipping of the Craft-a-Board in spots where it may not have cut all the way through -- but that's just the nature of low-profile dies. 

TIP: If a die isn't cutting through the Craft-a-Board (or ANY thicker material, such as GrungePaper) all the way, use this sandwich in the Wizard die cutting machine to help get a better cut (from the bottom, up):

-Spellbinders White Master cutting mat
-Die, cutting side up
-Material to cut
-Eyelet Setting Plate (copper colored metal plate that comes with your Wizard)
-White Master Mat

 

I used Glossy Accents to adhere the die cut paper to the die cut Craft-a-Board -- it gives a good, quick bond.  The tiny hearts the Angel is dropping are the punched-out centers from Martha Stewart's Lace Heart Edger Punch, attached with Quickie Glue Pen and shimmered with Copic's Clear Spica Glitter Pen.  The Angel's wings and hearts on her dress were also covered with Clear Spica and Pink Spica was added to the heart she is carrying (hopefully you can see all that shimmer if you click on this photo to make it larger):

 

I think I know two little girls who will love to have this revamped plaque hanging in their room (if they can get it away from Mom)!  It will be good for Valentine's Day or any day you want to spread a little love!

 
Stamps: Lockhart Love Angel
Paper: Basic Grey Sugar Rush, Neenah Natural White
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa ink pad, Copic markers, Copic Clear & Pink Spica Glitter Pens
Accessories: Craft-a-Board, Labels 4 Nestabilities dies, Martha Stewart Lace Heart Edger Punch, Maya Road Vintage Pearl Trinket Pins, Royal Coat Decoupage Finish, Ranger Glossy Accents, Quickie Glue Pen

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7: Alterable Items, Canvas Album Part Four by Julia Stainton

One of the fabulous things about the Prima Canvas Album is all the wonderful techniques and ways you can alter it. For this page, I've had a lot of fun with altering surfaces with paint and trying out a really fun way to give your photos an easy and unique look. Thanks for joining me.

For this page, I thought it would be fun to create a page without paper. Actually, if you look closely, the flowers are made from paper but for the rest of the design...it's paper free. And that includes the photo. I started off by painting my own background right on the canvas. You don't need to do anything to the surface first, just brush on your paint. I've used brush strokes in Blank Canvas, Painterly Pink and a tiny touch of Landscape Green to create this artistic styled background. To get this effect, use a dry brush and brush on the paint with horizontal and vertical strokes until you've built up the color the way you want it.

 

Allow paint to dry well.

My second step was to add a stamped Bracket Block Scrapblock to the canvas page. This helps anchor the design. The Adirondack Paint Dabbers are really great for applying paint to rubber stamps and give a beautiful impression much different from the look you would get with ink. On this page I've used Hazelnut. The paint also works really well on top of the painted background layer.

After the paint has dried well, the next step was to add the photo.You can either use a digital photo or like me, scan in a vintage photo, edit and then print directly onto Claudine Hellmuth Sticky Back Canvas. The 8.5 x 11 sheets fit perfectly into your printer and print. I used a black and white image but color images also print well on this canvas. An ink jet printer will work well with this technique as well as a laser printer.

 

As you can see, it gives the photo a lovely texture and the detail comes out well on this surface. I used my Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer to cut out the canvas as it works well on heavy paper and other surfaces.
 

To create my own custom embellishment, I used Craft-a-Board and die cut it with the Spellbinders Nested Bird die, medium size.
 

A really easy way to cover chipboard and Craft-a-Board is alter it with Distress Crackle Paint. I used Shabby Shutters and then while wet, sprinkled it with Martha Stewart Glitter.

After it's dry, you can see how it gives a great textured look  and a touch of shine. I had scraps of Sticky Back Canvas left over after trimming my photo and used it to make an easy pleated ribbon here. I also grouped together Confetti Cake White Flowers, a sweet Basic Grey Button and the gorgeous Say it in Studs Pastels bling embellishment.

 

A third way I used Sticky Back Canvas on this project was to stamp a sentiment on it. Love is the key comes from the Key Expressions stamp set by CHF.

Here's how I added it in along with some of the Shire ribbon lace  I've been using on each page. I love how easy the sticky back canvas is to adhere to your project.

 

Here's a close-up of the other flower cluster. It uses another Say it with Studs embellishment and some Basic Grey Bling.

A close-up of the final project...

 

If you're just joining us and would like to see the other Canvas Album Pages, you can find there at Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

Thanks so much for stopping by the CLASSroom! We hope you are enjoying the 12 days of Christmas.

SEVENTH DAY BLOG CANDY

On the seventh day of Christmas my goodie box could be:

• Seven Alterable Items (Canvas Album, Clear Buttons, White and Cream Art Flowers, Manila #8 Tag Set, 8"x8" Crystal Clear Plastic, 8 1/2" x 11" Crystal Clear Medium-Weight Plastic, Craft-a-Board)

To participate in this random drawing please leave your answer to the following question as a comment to this post. Please limit yourself to one comment only. The last day to submit a comment to this post will be January 6th at Midnight. We will post the winners (which will be drawn using a Random Number Generator) for all twelve days on January 7th.

As you can probably tell we enjoy trying different things here in the CLASSroom along with carrying different products in our store. It is so very important to us that we educate you fully, showing you how to use the products we carry. Please tell us below which products (products we carry ) you would like to see more education on.

Don't forget the following 12 Days of Christmas blog candy drawings --- be certain to answer the question on each individual post to be included in that drawing!

• Favorite Scoring Tools
• Two Soldeirng Starters
• Three Inchie Art Packets
• Four Cournish Stamps
• Five Fab Fine Art Fixings
• Six Dies for Cutting

Hero Arts Preview Party Day 3 by Sharon Harnist

 
Hello -- we are thrilled you are here again today with us for Hero Arts' 2010 catalog preview party!  Most of us naturally think of cards when we think of stamps, but I'd like reiterate today how well stamps can work with your scrapbooking, too!  I used Hero Arts Clings-Heart Flourishes background stamp and a ClearDesign-Truly Appreciated sentiment to create this 6-inch scrapbook page. 

This sentiment originally read "Sending you lots of hugs" but I just inked the "lots of hugs" part and used that.  This way, the sentiment feels a little less like it should be on a card and a little more appropriate for a scrap page. 

I like to use some of my 6-inch pages as a magnet for my refrigerator, so I backed my page with Ellen's Craft-A-Board and Inchie Magnets, so I can put these sweet faces on my fridge to look at every day!  Here's how the rest of this project came together:

I have a nice selection of Memory Box notecards and wanted to share how I utilize these for larger projects.  I opened up the lighter pink Begonia notecard and stamped it with the Heart Flourishes background, using Adirondack Mountain Rose ink (which matches the darker pink Begonia notecard!).  Then I trimmed it to 4.75" square.

I also opened up the Begonia notecard and punched it along the 8.50" edges with Martha Stewart's Simple Scallop.  This allowed me to trim the scalloped pieces to 1-inch wide and 6-inches long. Then I placed the scalloped strips on the edges of the 6-inch piece of Craft-A-Board and mitered the corners where the scalloped pieces meet.

Next, I used Copic marker R20 to color in the hearts on the background stamp.  I printed my photo in sepia tones and trimmed it to 3.50" x 4".  I rounded the corners with Zutter's 1/2" corner rounder and layered the photo onto more of the Begonia notecard.  The edges were inked with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

The sentiment was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto more Begonia notecard and die cut with Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio Two die.  Then beautiful light pink May Arts 1-1/4" silk ribbon was run through the ribbon slots.  Some Hero Arts pearls were added to the corners, to finish it all off.

I think I might know what Grandma will be getting for Christmas <wink>!!  We hope you've enjoyed all the new Hero Arts previews here on the CLASSroom!  ~Sharon

 
Stamps: Hero Arts Clings-Heart Flourishes, ClearDesign-Truly Appreciated,
Paper: Memory Box Begonia & Peony notecards,
Ink: Ranger Adirondack Mountain Rose dye ink pad & Brushed Corduroy Distress ink pad, Memento Rich Cocoa ink pad, R20 Copic marker
Accessories: Craft-A-Board, Inchie Arts Inchie Magnets, Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio Two die, Hero Arts Small Accent Pearls, Martha Stewart Simple Scallop Edger Punch, Zutter Round It All 1/2" Corner Rounder, Ranger Ink Blending Tool, May Arts Pink 1-1/4" wide satin ribbon

Thankful Tag Book by Sharon Harnist

It is certainly the season to be thankful so just in time for the holiday, I created this thankful tag book.  The idea is that while your family is gathered for the holiday, each person writes down what they are thankful for.  It becomes a wonderfully treasured album to look back through each year!

The pages on the inside of the album are made from Tag Envelopes (one for each year) and each envelope contains tags for each member of the family to write on (you can click on any photo, for a larger view).

To start, I inked the Tag Envelope with Broken China Distress ink on the areas the patterned paper wouldn't cover (since the Webster's Petite Paper is 6" and the Tag Envelope is 6.50", not including the flap):

Then I lined the inside of the envelope flap and covered the outside of the envelope with patterned paper (Webster's Postcards/Cherry Pie Petite Papers).  Here are each of the tags I created for my family:

Basic instructions will follow; these are the inks I used on each tag:

Tag 1 (Gary) - Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Espresso (Lined Paper), Stream (dandelion)
Tag 2 (Alix) - Worn Lipstick, Dusty Concord, Fired Brick, Watermelon (Writer's Block), Purple Twilight (flowers)

Inks:
Tag 3 (Sharon) - Tattered Rose, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Espresso (Lined Paper), Cranberry (flowers)
Tag 4 (Alyssa) - Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Brushed Corduroy (on tag edges & Writer's Block), Terra Cotta (flower)

The basic steps for each tag are:

Step 1 - Using first ink, add color on about half the tag (in whatever pattern you'd like), using Ink Blending Tool.

Step 2 - Add next ink to the remaining uninked area.


Step 3 - Add darkest color to edges of tag.

Step 4 - Stamp journaling lines (I used Writer's Block and Lined Paper backgrounders) onto tag with Adirondack dye ink.
Step 5 - Stamp flowers (I used Kim Hughes Silhouette Blooms I & II) in a contrasting color, using dye ink.
Step 6 - Add name and year with label maker.
Step 7 - Tie ribbon through tag hole (Webster's Classic Trim and Holiday/Winter Trim).

I used the back side of each tag, too, so we'll just have two tags in each year's envelope (which will keep the book not quite as thick).  But you could make separate tags for each person, if you think they'll have a lot to write! 

For my cover, I used Craft-A-Board and cut it to mimic the tag envelope shape.  It ended up measuring approximately 8.25" long and 4" tall.  I covered it in more Webster's Petite Papers (Magical Wishes/Sweet Life) and stamped Kim Hughes' "thankful hearts" (from Fall Silhouettes) in the center of the cover (with Cranberry Adirondack dye ink).  Then I cut out the bird from another piece of this paper pad and added it with foam tape to the center circle. 

More of Webster's wonderful trim (brown lace from the Classic trim package) finishes off the cover.  Then I bound it with my Bind-It-All, using 1/2" Antique Brass wire.  I know we will enjoy looking back through this book each year and reading what each person was thankful for.  Having two young children, this will no doubt prove a bit hilarious at times!  But wonderful to see it in their own handwriting.  We can also tuck some photos of the day inside the envelope, too.

If you happen to not celebrate Thanksgiving, you could always make this book and use it year round -- maybe having an envelope for each month and writing what you were thankful for that month.

We are thankful for YOU coming to visit us today (and every other day of the year!) and hope you are enjoying the store's anniversary celebration this week before enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with your families next week.  Take care!

 
Stamps: CHF Backgrounders Writer's Block & Lined Paper. Kim Hughes Silhouette Blooms I & II, Fall Silhouettes
Paper: Large Manilla Tag #8, Webster's Petite Pages-Postcards/Cherry Pie & Magical Wishes/Sweet Life
Ink: Ranger Distress Inks: Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Brushed Corduroy, Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Tattered Rose, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Worn Lipstick, Dusty Concord. Adirondack dye inks: Terra Cotta, Espresso, Stream, Cranberry, Watermelon, Purple Twilight 
Accessories: Craft-A-Board, Ranger Ink Blending Tool, Tag Envelopes, Webster's Classic Trim and Holiday/Winter Trim, Bind-It-All, Bind-It-All 1/2" Antique Brass Owire

Halloween Greetings by Kim Hughes

Happy 9/9/09 :)

I get excited about Halloween when I see all of the aisles of candy in stores, so I thought I'd create a card to prepare us for such a fun holiday.  I realize that it's a  not a huge card giving holiday, but why not, right?

Supplies:

 

Craft-a-Board

 

Cut-N-Dry Stamp Pad Foam

 

Memory Box 6x6 Cardstock, Dewfrost, Memory Box 6x6 Cardstock, Twilight

 

Halloween Greetings

 

Web Crawler Memory Box stamp (web and spider on one stamp)

 

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Pitch Black,

 

Dew Drops Bottle, Cowboy

 

other:

 

Buttons

 

Cut Craft a board and Stamp pad foam to the same size as the web stamp.

 

 

Heat the grey side of the Stamp Pad Foam with a heat gun.  I heated it for about 1 minute.  Press the red rubber stamp onto the hot pad.

 

 

Once you lift the stamp, ink the entire surface with Pitch Black ink

 

 

Press the foam stamp onto the craft a board.  By creating a foam stamp, you are creating a reversed image of the original.

 

 

then use the white side of the Stamp Pad Foam to ink the edges of the craft a board.

 

...until it looks a bit "spooky"

 

then use some paper scraps to design your card.  Stamp sentiment in the lower right corner

 

 

And then use the same foam pad to chalk the edges with pitch black ink.

 

 

Assemble the card and add 2 button accents to anchor the main panel.  I added some machine stitching to add interest.  Stamp a spider accent next to the sentiment and add a dew drop to the spider's body (I think it looks eerily real, but it adds such a fun touch)  As I sit back to look at the finished card, it reminds me of Charlott's web as she hangs out in the barn.  This card will be mailed out to someone, for sure...are you with me?

 

Thank you for joining me today.  :)

Custom Clock by Sharon Harnist

The first moment I saw this beautiful Graphic 45 Fashionista (Debutante) paper, I knew I wanted to make a custom clock out of it, so here it is!  I had always wanted to try making my own custom clock and finally found out how truly easy (and inexpensive!) it is -- this clock only took about 2 hours to make!

I started with a 12-inch round unfinished wooden photo frame I found at my local craft store.  Granted, round is a little bit out of the ordinary, but I've routinely seen plenty of square and rectangle shaped frames available.  The round piece in the center is where a photo would be normally.  It turns out these wooden types of frames are usually pretty good candidates for making clocks since the area the photo fits into is usually recessed on the back of the frame, making the perfect spot for the clockworks to fit into! 

I also purchased basic clockworks from the craft store -- I opted for longer hands than what came with the standard clockworks, and adhesive clock numbers also found in the same section of the store.  You could always use your own chipboard numbers or stamp them.

I started by painting the exposed areas of the frame that would not be covered with paper, using Claudine Hellmuth's black Studio acrylic paint.
TIP:I keep the cellophane packaging that comes with 12-inch patterned paper and use that on my work surface to protect it from the paint or glue.

Next, I measured and cut my patterned paper and adhered it to the wood frame using decoupage glue.  Then I came to a stumbling bock -- the center of the wood frame (that backs and holds your photo in place) was also wood and I had no way to drill a hole in it, in order to insert the clockworks.  And since hubby wasn't home, I wasn't about to try and find any kind of power tool of his to try and use!

My solution ... Craft-a-Board!  I simply traced the round wooden photo backer onto Craft-a-Board and cut it out simply, with scissors.  Then I covered the CAB with coordinating Fashionista (Le Fleur) patterned paper (again, using decoupage glue) and used this for the center of my clock.  The CAB was very easy to punch a hole in the center, using my eyelet hole making tool & hammer.

Next, I inserted the clockworks through the hole and assembled as instructed.  The photo above shows how the clockworks look on the back side of the clock/frame.

Finally, I wanted to customize the adhesive numbers, so I also gave them a coat of the black Studio paint, and then adhered them to the clock front.  To finish it all off, I decided to dry brush a little Traditional Tan Studio paint over the black -- just to give it a bit of a soft, worn look.

I can imagine all kinds of inexpensive (but don't look it!) custom clocks now -- in a variety of shapes, for any room or occasion!  I hope this gift/home decor idea gets your creative juices flowing, too!

• Paper: Graphic 45 Fashionista Collection-Debutante & Le Fleur
• Accessories: Craft-a-Board, Claudine Hellmuth's Studio acrylic paints-Charcoal Black & Traditional Tan, Royal Coat Decoupage glue 
• Other: Wooden photo frame, clock pieces