Stampadoodle Blog

ALL NEW RANGER, 2019

2/12/2019

You all know it's coming... and IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

New stuff from Ranger!!!

* Pearlized Alcohol Inks
* Oxide Spray Inks
* Dylusions Journals

Now, I had NO IDEA these new Pearlized Alcohol Inks would be SO AMAZING but they are so Pearlescent and magical!!

Tim Holtz has a wonderful video, and you can view that here!! https://youtu.be/xL-yQ-TfU2s

We have the 4 new colors of Alcohol Pearl Inks (Sets 1, 2, 3, 4 are shown accordingly in the photo below)

The other thing we are SO EXCITED ABOUT is the ALL NEW Spray Oxide Inks!!!

Now, traditionally, Spray Inks are deluded inks... but with the Oxide Inks they are EVEN BETTER because there is a special chemical compound in them allowing them to retain their color on dark AND light papers... pretty cool stuff!!

Check out this video of Tim Holtz while he shows you all the fun effects from these new sprays!!

We have all 12 WONDERFUL colors!!

Aren't the colors just Delicious!?!

Check out these new Art Journals from Dylusions!!

The black journal has BLACK CARD STOCK pages, great for using Gel Pens or Pearlescent Paints!!

The larger one, the Jumpstart Journal, has all these fun pages with some collage designs!! Great for inspiring a collage journal!

Stop by to see all the WONDERFUL goodies coming in from Ranger!!

If you saw anything you'd like to have or order, give us a call here at the store!!

360-647-9663

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Translucent Papers, Ideas and More!

2/9/2019

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Here at the store we carry several different kinds of paper.. and some of our favorite are the Translucent ones

Check out some of these fun ideas!!

When using Translucent Papers, you can really get creative with some of the techniques!! Because the Papers are so thin, however, you need to be careful which papers you use to get certain effects.

Let's start with Embossing Folders!

When you run Vellum in an Embossing Folder, it tends to "crack" .. in order to prevent this from happening, we recommend using a "carrier" of a piece of card stock AT THE SAME TIME so the Embossing Folder embosses both the vellum AND the card stock.

We wanted to know if you could emboss OTHER Translucent Papers..

But we found out you CANNOT emboss Matte Dura-Lar... it just DOESN'T hold texture!!!

Next we tried Embossing the Handmade Mulberry Paper (Wendy chose the SUPER THIN Mulberry Paper with No Inclusions). As you can see, the paper has a SUPER LIGHT embossed texture... neat for an overlay!!

Wendy played around with stamping on the SUPER THIN Mulberry Paper.. Here she used Staz-On Black ink

Wendy tore some of the images from the Mulberry Paper and then used Crystal Lacquer to adhere them to a painted white Wooden Canvas. When she did that, the MULBERRY PAPER DISAPPEARED and the image stayed vibrant!!!

Wendy also stamped some fun natural images in Archival Ink on the Thin Mulberry Paper so that when she does collage with the papers later the inks WON'T BLEED out... Archival Ink is permanent when dry!

You can stamp and Heat Emboss on 3 of these WONDERFUL translucent papers!!

Thick Vellum
Dura-Lar Wet Media Film
Dura-Lar Matte Film

Vellum has quite a bit of Tooth to it... so it has a rougher-feeling than the Dura-Lar. When you stamp and Heat-Emboss it will WANT TO CURL so make sure your Heat-Gun is nice and hot before you heat-emboss!

The Dura-Lar Wet Media Film LOOKS like Acetate but YOU CAN EMBOSS ON IT!!! You can also use dye-based markers on the Wet Media Film!! It also holds embossing beautifully.. just make sure to USE AN EMBOSSING PREP PAD before you emboss otherwise the Embossing Powder will stick everywhere!!

One of our FAVORITE PAPERS to use for Heat Embossing is the Matte Dura-Lar .. the Matte Dura-Lar is SO SMOOTH and it embosses WONDERFULLY!!

You can combine Dura-Lar Matte and Wet Media Film to do Multi-Step Stamping as well!!

I love the look of the Dura-Lar Wet Media Film here... we stamped and Heat-Embossed the Wings and used Tombow Markers to color the wings

Here, we did a combination of Dura-Lar Matte and Wet Media Film... the effect is wonderful!!

Gluing down just the middle of the Dragonfly and popping up the wings really makes the image come to life!

I LOVE this overlay art piece Wendy created!!!

First, Wendy used her Alocohol Inks to colorize the Translucent Papers like Stained Glass!!
Wendy stamped the new Nature Walk image stamps from Darkroom Door onto the Wet Media Film Dura-Lar using Black Staz-On ink
Then, Wendy used the Black Glaze Pen to add doodles and swirls to the papers
Next, Wendy cut out the new Hero Arts Butterfly Die-Cut out of black card stock and pasted it down.. it looks like stained glass when you look at the pieces through the light!

Wendy then created a Tri-Fold out of card stock and then sandwiched the pieces of Vellum, Matte Dura-Lar, and Wet Media Dura-Lar between another card stock Tri-Fold.

When the light passes through it you can REALLY see the colors!!

When the Tri-Fold is closed, you get this really cool card with overlays...

But when you open it up.. The colors COME TO LIFE!!!!

I am always so impressed with what you can create with the products we carry here at the store!!

Stop by to see us to get inspired! We would love to see you!

360-647-9663

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Tuesday with Wendy, February 5th

2/5/2019

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GREAT cards this week for Wendy's card making class!! As always, Wendy likes to teach new techniques in her Card Making classes. This grouping of cards is just FANTASTIC!!

The first card Wendy designed was made using the Scribble Circles die-cut from Impression Obsession as well as the Embossing Folder from KaiserCraft, Distressed Dots

To make the card:

Start out by first taking a piece of black card stock and embossing it using the Distress Dot Embossing Folder in your Home Die-cut Machine
Then use a little bit of Nuvo Mousse, Indian Gold, and rub some on the black card stock you just embossed. We just used our fingers to apply the mousse to the paper. Doing this really brings out the texture from the Embossing Folder!
Attach the textured paper to the front of your card base using double-sided tape. Apply some red mesh ribbon along the left side of the card and adhere it with a little bit of The Ultimate Glue
Next, Wendy took a piece of Handmade Paper and cut a small piece that has an embossed swirl design in it. She cut 2 small pieces and put one on the outside and one on the inside of her card.
Wendy cut out the die-cut Scribble Circles out of Red Mirricard card stock and used the shapes, bits and pieces to make an interesting design and art piece on the FRONT of her card and then opened up the card and made ANOTHER art piece on the INSIDE of her card. Wendy adhered the pieces of Red Mirricard using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
Wendy finished off the card by added the Bright Gold Nuvo Crystal Drops occasionally on the front of the card

I LOVE THIS CARD!!!

It not only is FUN AND VIBRANT it also makes for a really great card that can be used for ANY OCCASION

... and even better?? EVERYONE'S CARD WAS DIFFERENT!!!

The next card that Wendy designed was made using this BEAUTIFUL Row of Trees from Stampotique, the Picket Fence Blending Brushes, as well as 4 colors of Distress Ink (Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, and Black Soot)

To make the card:

Start out by first stamping the Row of Trees image on a piece of Solar White card stock using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and Detail Black Embossing Powder
Use a LARGE BRUSH from the Picket Fence Blending Brushes set and apply a VERY LIGHT LAYER of Distress Ink Weathered Wood to the entire surface of the white card stock
Next, cut out a circle and apply a Removable Glue Dot to the back of it. Stick the circle down in the area above the Row of Trees where a moon would sit in the sky
Now use the Large Picket Fence Blending Brush to apply Distress Ink Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, and finally Black Soot
Remove the circle and watch as the MOON APPEARS IN THE SKY above the Row of Trees
Layer the scene onto a white card stock base

Isn't this card SO BEAUTIFUL?!?! I love how easy it is to create and really has a gorgeous effect... once again this card is great for ANY occasion!

The last card that Wendy designed was made using this STUNNING floral set from Altenew, Wispy Begonia

To make the card:

Start with placing your flower stamp on your Tim Holtz Stamp Platform
Apply the leaf stamps to a Clear Acrylic Block
Use a piece of black card stock and stamp the floral image and the 2 leaf images with Versafine Onyx Black ink (Yes, stamp black ink on black card stock)
Now, use Prismacolor Pencils to color the floral image and leaves, taking your time to add shadows and monochromatic tones for the flower.
Now, stamp the floral stamp AGAIN in the EXACT SAME PLACE with the Versafine Onyx Black ink and use Detail Clear Embossing Powder over the ink. Heat-set the image with a Heat Gun
Next, stamp the sentiment, "You are in my thoughts" with Hero Arts Unicorn White ink and apply Pearlustre Rubellite Embossing Powder to the ink and Heat-set (By using the WHITE INK here, the color of the Embossing Powder really pops on the black card stock!! )

SUCH A GREAT CARD!! And perfect for the upcoming Spring season!!

Once again, EVERYONE'S card was a little different!! I love these florals!!

Thank you to all who joined us for class this week!!

The NEXT card making class will be on February 19th! Please register ahead of time by calling the store!

360-647-9663

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Embossing Folders, New Ideas!!

2/4/2019

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Embossing Folders are a folding piece of plastic that you slide paper in and run through your Home Die-cut Machine that create texture into your paper

This week for Demo, Bekah was the Demonstrator!! There are SO MANY THINGS you can do with your Embossing Folders!! Check out some of these ideas..

A quick way to use your Embossing Folder in a new way is to use a Sizzix Embossing Diffuser

An Embossing Diffuser is a piece of plastic you lay in WITH your Embossing Folder and paper to PARTIALLY EMBOSS on a piece of paper

We have carried 2 different Embossing Diffusers from Sizzix: the original Embossing Diffuser Set as well as the Heart Embossing Diffuser Set

The Embossing Diffuser Sets come with both the outside AND inside cut-out.. so you can emboss and leave areas NOT EMBOSSED so you have a nice place to stamp a sentiment, or a nice focal point for the front of your card.

Another fun idea for using your Embossing Folders is to rub Stamping Ink along the inside of the Embossing Folder.. When you run the Embossing Folder through the Home Die-Cut Machine, the ink transfers to the background of the paper and the TEXTURE REMAINS WHITE...

Bekah then showed the same technique using the Distress Oxide, Lucky Clover. I love how she used the Dot Embossing Folder and you can see how the green ink landed between the dots here! (Bekah finished off the card with dot patterned paper and a cute little ruffle to separate it... FUN IDEA!!

Check this out... Bekah showed us all how she used the Brick Embossing Folder from Taylored Expressions.. All she did was rub a Pigment-Based Ink pad on the inside of the Embossing Folder!! When she ran the Embossing Folder in her Home Die-cut machine, the ink landed BETWEEN THE BRICKS!!

Bekah used Versafine Clair, Nocturne ink for the Distressed look...

And she used the Hero Arts White Ink for the bright look!!

THIS CONCEPT IS GORGEOUS!!

Now check this out... you can use the same concept ... but with ACRYLIC PAINT!!!

Check out here what Bekah did... She painted blue and silver Acrylic Paint on the inside of her Embossing Folder and then put in 2 PIECES OF WHITE CARD STOCK and ran it through the Home Die-cut Machine.

The results are SO COOL!!

One of the images is EMBOSSED and the other image is DEBOSSED. Check out the differences ... remember this is the same Embossing Folder!

** IT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR EMBOSSING FOLDER WHEN YOU ARE DONE**

(otherwise the Acrylic Paint will dry and it will bond to the plastic, making it much harder to clean later!)

With Acrylic Paint... you can apply it to the Maid-O-Metal Decorator Foil!!

Here, Bekah use blue, red, and yellow Acrylic Paint and painted it onto the Rose Embossing Folder from Taylored Expressions. She then put a piece of the Copper Maid-O-Metal with a piece of white card stock and when she ran it through the Home Die-cut machine, she got the EMBOSSED and DEBOSSED images again...

JUST LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL!!

You can Emboss onto Suede Paper and it looks SO BEAUTIFUL and crisp!!

If you have some Embossing Folders laying around and you want some ideas on how to use them, stop by the store!!

We would love to inspire you!! See you soon :-)
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ALL NEW PAPER!!

1/29/2019

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We JUST unloaded a bunch of new paper!!

This grouping is all from BoBunny!!

This is the Bee-utiful You Collection... This color palette is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

DID YOU SEE THE BEES!!! AHHHHH!!!! We love them!!

And just look how bright and cheerful this one is!! This is the Sweet Clementine Collection <3

But what we are REALLY excited about is the ALL NEW LACE PAPER!!!!

The detail in these papers is just WONDERFUL and works great for making Wedding Invites!!

Even these bright tones are SO GORGEOUS!!

Stop by to pick out all your favorites!! We would LOVE to show you all the newest stuff!!

We can always ship items to you too... so if you see something on our blog you NEED to have, give us a call to have it mailed to you!!

360-647-9663

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Gel Plates and Nature Printing

1/25/2019

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Last week for Demo, Wendy was the demonstrator!! She showed her take on Gel Plates and Nature Printing!!

Just LOOK at how fantastic these designs are!!

Gel Plates:

What is a Gel Plate? Gel Plates are a soft bit of acrylic.. it is like a squishy, clear block... and it feels a bit like hard gelatin!

To use a Gel Plate:

Take some Acrylic Paint and squirt a *tiny bit* onto your Gel Plate. Use a Brayer to roll out a thin coat of paint across the Gel Plate. Use Stencils, textured ribbon, leaves, feathers, etc, to make impressions and designs into the Gel Plate! Then take a piece of card stock and press down onto the Gel Plate, use the Brayer on the backside of the card stock so the paper picks up the entire image. This process is called "Mono-printing" (roughly translated, it means a "single print")

Here, Wendy rolled on gold, purple, and copper Acrylic Paint and then laid down some dried foliage and finally rolled on some Black Acrylic Paint at the end. She removed the leaves and did a mono-print!

Wendy took the leaves from the above Gel Plate and placed them down and did another mono-print of just the leaves... I love how you can see how intricate the leaves are!!

It's fascinating how different the outline of the leaf looks vs. when a mono-print is done with the leaves included.. you get way more detail when you print the leaves after they have Acrylic Paint on them!

Ok, now for Nature Prints!!!

Wendy has explored the world of Nature Printing for awhile now... and you can too if you have a Home Die-cut Machine!!

Organize your Big Shot die-cut Machine with the following layers: Base Plate (with all the flaps folded back), a piece of scrap paper to catch ink, a CLEAN cutting plate (no cuts in it) with Versafine Clair inks pressed onto it, a few foliage pieces (or feathers, flowers, etc), a piece of white card stock to print on, another piece of scrap paper, and your final cutting plate.

When you roll the above layers through your die-cut machine, you can get some AMAZING PRINTS!!

Check these out.. Wendy did the same technique as above, though this time when she put Versafine Clair inks on the CLEAN cutting plate, she also used some stamps to make impressions in the ink (look for the swirl images below) and THEN she laid down feathers!!

LOOK HOW STUNNING THESE ARE!!!

The Nature Printing technique is SO MUCH FUN because not only do you get this impression of natural images, but you also get THE TEXTURE!! Literally, the paper is textured like the foliage or feather you chose.. you can even feel the veining on the card stock!!

There are SO MANY options for doing Nature Prints! What exciting combo can you come up with? Ferns and green inks? Maybe dried flower prints in pink and orange inks? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!!

Stop by to see AND FEEL these samples.. you will want to explore this idea further.. Such amazing ideas, Wendy!!

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Tuesday with Wendy, Jan 22

1/25/2019

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This week for Wendy's card making class, Wendy was at it again designing cards you can use for Valentine's Day!!!

(And let's admit it... who doesn't love receiving a Valentine?!!?)

Check out how wonderful the cards are!!

The first card Wendy made was inspired from this set from Taylored Expressions, You Make My Heart Soar as well as 2 sets from Penny Black, Heart Balloons and Hearts Galore

To make the card:

Start with a pink piece of card stock as your card base
Take a piece of red card stock and a piece of Gold Stardream paper. Use your Home Die-cut Machine to cut out 2 sizes of the Heart Balloons at the same time.
ON THE INSIDE OF THE CARD, adhere the BACKGROUND of the the balloon cut-outs.. Take the Gold Stardream paper (with the Heart Balloon cut out of it) and adhere it with double-sided tape. THEN place the red card stock that is ALSO balloon shaped (with the little balloon shape cut-out of the middle) and adhere that in the middle of the balloon cut-out in the middle of the card. The red card stock Heart Balloon should fit PERFECTLY in the Gold Stardream cut-out Heart Balloon. You will have a piece of pink card stock peeking through that looks like a little pink heart balloon!
Stamp your sentiment, "Wishing you tons of love xoxo" in the middle of the pink heart balloon shape using Versafine Clair ink, Charming Pink and use Detail Gold Embossing Powder and heat-set it.

Next, ON THE FRONT OF THE CARD, lay down a piece of Lavendar Stardream paper and adhere it with double sided tape.
Now take a piece of Shizen Handmade Cotten Paper and cut out the die-cut, Hearts Galore (SAVE THE CUT-OUTS!! You can use those in a future card!). Now take the paper that has the little hearts cut out of it and adhere it onto the front of the card base, on top of the Lavendar Stardream paper
Take your 2 Heart Balloons and layer them on the front. Use the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the large Heart Balloon first. Then, use a pop-dot to pop-up the little Heart Balloon in the middle of the big Heart Balloon.
Tie a little bit of purple twine on the end of the little Heart Balloon and wrap the twine around the card and use a little bit of Deluxe Adhesive to hold the twine in place.
Next, stamp the Elephant image with Versafine Clair ink, Monarch. Fussy-cut the Elephant image and use a pop-dot to adhere him to the front of the card. Tie the other side of the twine around the trunk of the little elephant so it looks like the Heart Balloons are helping him soar!!

Isn't this such a sweet card?! I love how she used the Heart Balloons AND the reverse cut-outs to make this card fun on the inside and the outside!!

The next card that Wendy designed was made using the same 2 Penny Black die-cuts, Hearts Galore and Heart Balloons

To make the card:

Start with a piece of coral-colored card stock as your card base. Cut a piece of floral-themed paper and mount it onto the front of the card base using double-sided tape.
Use a piece of red card stock to cut out one of the Heart Balloons. Use the REVERSE heart-cut out piece and overlay a piece of Acetate on the back (so you have a heart window with Acetate covering it). Adhere the Acetate in place with double-sided tape.
Next, use Mounting Tape (on the Acetate side of the heart window) to wrap around the outside of the heart shape. Then tuck in the "confetti" heart cut-outs from the Hearts Galore die-cut, and adhere it to the front of the card base on top of the floral paper.
Take a small piece of Gold Stardream paper and cut out a smaller Heart Balloon and cut the "balloon tip" part of it so it looks like a normal heart. Use double-sided tape to adhere it in place.. Wendy was clever in designing this card.. she placed the gold heart so it COVERS the "balloon tip" of the heart window we created earlier
To finish off the card, Wendy used an *even smaller* piece of floral paper and cut a final small Heart Balloon and ALSO cut off the "balloon tip" part. She then mounted the heart onto the gold heart using a pop-dot.

I love how this card turned out!! This card is really fun as a Shaker Card.. but doesn't HAVE TO be one! The Acetate over the heart window is just so fun on it's own!!

The last card that Wendy designed was made using this STUNNING stamp set from Darkroom Door, Nature Walk, this die-cut from Paper Rose, Stitched Ovals as well as this sentiment stamp from Impression Obsession, One Person.

To make the card:

Wendy started out with an ivory-colored card stock and layered a piece of Gold-Leaf Stardream card stock onto the front of the card.
Then, Wendy used her Home Die-cut Machine to die-cut a Stitched Oval for the front of her card, she cut this out of the same ivory-colored card stock as her card base.
On the Stitched Oval, stamp the wildflower and sprigs from the Nature Walk stamp set. Wendy stamped with 2 colors of ink: Versafine, Smokey Grey AND Versafine Clair, Morning Mist. The 2 shades of grey look SO GOOD together!! Wendy stamped the images several times so you get the shadow effects from the "ghost" stamping
Then, Wendy stamped the sentiment on the same color of ivory card stock with the Versafine Smokey Grey ink. She tore the paper around the sentiment to give it a "distressed" look. Then she used the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the sentiment to a piece of dark brown card stock. She then tore around that card stock too so that she got a layered/shadow effect
Wendy mounted the sentiment to the front of the card by using a couple pop-dots

Isn't this just a GORGEOUS CARD? I love how simple and elegant it looks... fantastic design!!

Have you always wanted to take a card making class?? Give us a call to sign up for the next one!

Tuesday, February 5th
$10 class fee
*3 class times available*
PLEASE SIGN UP AHEAD OF TIME!!

360-647-9663

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Embossing Powders, New Ideas!!

1/18/2019

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This week for Demo, we played around with Embossing Powders!!

What is Embossing Powder?? It is a Powdered Resin that melts at 450 degrees. Embossing Powder will stick to wet ink, something sticky (such as double-sided tape), or even paint! You MUST use a heat gun to melt the ink to reach the desired 450 degrees to melt the powder.

...And before you even ask NO YOU CANNOT USE A HAIR DRYER!! (I tried! It broke my hair dryer!! Why won't this work?? Because a hair dryer will NEVER reach 450 degrees... it would melt your head!!)

Please use a heat gun, we sell them here at the store and they are a wonderful tool to have on hand :-)

Traditionally, to do Heat Embossing, you'll need:

A Heat Gun
Ink (Pigment Ink works best)
Embossing Powder
Stamp

First, stamp your image with Pigment Ink, sprinkle on Embossing Powder (cover the entire image and shake off the excess back into the bottle), and then use a Heat Gun to heat-set the image.

You can use:

Colored Pigment Ink with Clear Powder -- When you stamp an image with Colored Ink and Clear Embossing Powder, you get a raised image in the COLOR OF INK you chose

Clear ink with Colored Embossing Powder -- When you stamp and image with Clear ink and Colored Embossing Powder, you get a raised image in the COLOR OF POWDER you chose

Multi-colored Embossing can be REALLY fun!!

Stamp your image with Pigment Ink (such as Versamark or Versafine)
Sprinkle on one color of Embossing Powder and shake off the excess in ONE DIRECTION off the page so the powder doesn't cover the entire image. Put excess powder back in the bottle
Now sprinkle on a second color of Embossing Powder, this time covering the entire image. Shake off the excess and put it back in the bottle.
NOW heat-set the entire image and watch in awe as the powders melt together to create beautiful tones!!

Now that we've explained HOW heat-embossing works, we can show you NEW WAYS to use it!!

Did you know Embossing Powder sticks to Acrylic Paint?!!? That's right.. you can paint an image.. taking your time to add in details.. and THEN sprinkle on Embossing Powder. The powder will stick to the Acrylic Paint. When you heat-set the powder, the powder will melt in the areas where it stuck to the paint!!

Here, I used 3 colors of Embossing Powder to colorize the Octopus (Carnelian, Detail Gold, and Detail Black). After the Octopus was colored, I went back in with Acrylic Paint to create suction cups and used Detail Black Embossing Powder. I heat-set the image again, this time only the Detail Black Embossing Powder on the suction cups melted... the rest of the image retained it's detail

Did you know... Embossing Powder STICKS TO TAPE?!!?!?

Yes, it does!! You can take a strip of Double-Sided Tape and lay it on your paper... maybe create a grid or plaid.. and then apply your Embossing Powder (I buffed in the powder a little bit into the tape to make sure the powder stayed STUCK to the tape!!) Shake off the excess Embossing Powder into the bottle and heat-set the Embossing Powder that is stuck to the tape.

IT IS SO COOL!! I love how you can make a quick frame for your sentiment.. and the sentiment can be stamped and embossed in the SAME COLOR!!

Ok, Ok... now for the good stuff!!

YOU CAN EMBOSS ON ROCKS!!

Stamp an image with Versamark ink, apply Embossing Powder, and then Heat Emboss with your heat-gun! **THIS TAKES AWHILE** to heat because the rock has to heat up.

THE ROCK IS VERY HOT after you melt your Embossing Powder, so please be very careful. I recommend waiting for about 5 minutes before touching the rock so it has plenty of time to cool down.

You can also HEAT EMBOSS ON TILE!!!!!

Stamp your image with Pigment-Based ink and then emboss with Detail Clear Embossing Powder

**THIS TAKES AWHILE TO SET** because the tile needs to heat up. The tile will be VERY HOT for about 5 minutes. Be careful!! I usually wait for the tile to cool completely before I touch it.

The leaves will be raised up in the color of ink you chose.. the effect is WONDERFUL and hot glasses will be able to sit on it without harming the embossed image. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

With this next idea, you can use die-cut letters to cut out a word. Then, take the Super Soft Blending Brushes and brush Versamark, clear ink, over the words and sprinkle on Embossing Powder. The powder will stick to where you applied the ink! Heat-set the image to make the words pop on the paper!! Back your words with a bright-colored paper.

Do you have a large selection of Embossing Powders? Well, now is a great time to get them out and play!!

We are FULL of ideas and inspiration around here, so if you need any help, feel free to stop by!

360-647-9663

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Life Changing Blending Brushes

1/11/2019

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This week for Demo, we learned all about the AMAZING new Picket Fence Life Changing Blending Brushes!!

Picket Fence Blending Brushes are for blending your Dye-based or Pigment-based inks. The bristles are SUPER SOFT and are made from synthetic, plastic fibers. DO NOT GET THESE NEAR YOUR HEAT GUN!!! (otherwise those super soft bristles will melt!!)

There is SO MUCH you can do with these brushes!! There is a nice video up that really helps show how these brushes work.. and if you haven't played with the brushes yet, I highly recommend watching it!!

Now, at first glance the brushes look like foam... but they are actually brushes with SUPER DENSE bristles so you can really blend those colors together!!

Did I mention yet that these brushes are HEAVENLY SOFT?!!? Because they are. I mean it feels like FUR!!

Right off the bat, we talked about blending with Distress Inks. I LOVE Distress Inks because you get the BEAUTIFUL gradation of color!!

Here, we blended from Olive tones to Yellow tones using one of the brushes from the LARGE SET... just look how beautiful that blend is!!

Look how easy it is to cover a piece of paper!! Here we just used a few colors to show how a sunset background might be created...

Here is another fun way to use your brushes!

Just stamp an image with Versamark ink and heat emboss with detail white embossing powder.

Then brush your inks over the top to reveal the image you stamped!! In the sample below, see how we stamped and embossed the image "Yes, but no, but yes" from Impression Obsession. Then, we used 4 colors of Distress Inks to go over the image

In the Small Set, there are these skinny blending brushes... which I love to use for creating shadows!!

We used the Distress Ink, Weathered Wood as the background color and used the 2 sizes of skinny blending brushes to add in the Distress Inks Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire around the banner image below... just look how you can really get in the corners of the image!!

You can also blend with your pigment inks!! Here, I used the new Versafine Clair Inks to show how EASY it is to blend them together!!!

First, we stamped and embossed an image with detail black embossing powder.
Then, we brushed in some inks.. starting with the Versafine Clair Warm Breeze, then Twilight, and finally Nocturne at the top.
Next, we took a little bit of Brush Kleener on the end of a blending brush and buffed-out a Moon!!
We "flicked" a little bit of Brush Kleener across the image to look like a night sky.
Finally, we took the Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Pen and made the Moon look iridescent!!

Isn't this SO COOL?!?!

Now, traditionally, once the Versafine Clair inks are dry, they are waterproof. But one of our customers at Demo suggested using Stamp Cleaner (Brush Kleener) to remove some ink and IT WORKED!!!

I love the effect... Thanks for the idea Joanne!!

You can also use die-cuts as a mask for creating interesting scenes and backgrounds on a piece of card stock.. here we cut out the Fresh Pine Forest Landscape die-cut from Memory Box and used it as a mask. Then we used the Blending Brushes to apply inks over the top.

You can even use the reverse image as a mask!! Great for creating rows of trees!!

When using the Blending Brushes, I found using a paper that has a coating on it is the BEST because you have more work-time with the inks! Below, I used a Rainbow Ink Pad (Kaleidacolor ink pad) to blend inks across the surface. The inks blend and move BEAUTIFULLY on both Kromkote and Stardream papers

On the Kromokote paper, the inks float on the surface just long enough to blend the inks across the full sheet of paper... and then the inks dry immediately and remain just as vibrant as when you blended them!!

Here, we showed the EXACT same technique on Ice Gold Stardream paper.. and as you can see the colors are more pastel because the ink FALLS BELOW THE METALLIC FINISH of the paper. Because of this metallic coating, the inks stay wet long enough for you to blend them.. and the results are WONDERFUL

A SUPER FAST way to use your Blending Brushes is to apply Pearl-Ex Powders.

Start by first stamping an image with Versamark Ink (clear ink) and then use the Blending Brushes to brush on a SMALL amount of Pearl-Ex powders and become AMAZED as the stamped image appears before your eyes!!

There are SO MANY THINGS you can do with these Life Changing Blending Brushes...

The Blending Brushes come in 2 sets.. Large Set and the Small Set.

If you would like to order your very own set, give us a call today!!

360-647-9663

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New Year, NEW STUFF!!

1/5/2019

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I know many of you were *JUST HERE* for our wonderful New Year's Day sale!! Thank you everyone who attended!

Of course, as is tradition around here, we just got in MORE NEW STUFF!!!

Check out all the fun goodies on the counter just waiting for you!

There is SO MUCH to see!!!

The thing that caught my attention first was ALL THE BRAND NEW Poppy and Memory Box die-cuts!!!

Look how fun these new Valentine's Designs are!!

And, this is just sneak peak... there are BOXES of new dies to look through! The new Whittle Animals dies are SO CUTE I was definitely screaming!!

The next thing that caught my attention was all the BRAND NEW stamps and dies from Penny Black!!

OH MY GOSH THEY ARE SO GOOD!!

In my opinion, Penny Black makes the best sentiment stamps... just look how wonderful!!

You'll have to stop by the store to see everything in person.. all I can say is we LOVE it all..

AND, AND, AND if that wasn't enough, the ALL NEW Hero Arts Shop Box just got here too!!!

With GREAT new images and sentiments... we think you will love it too!!

Now, you KNOW I saved the BEST FOR LAST!!!

That's right... NEW PAPER!!!

WE LOVE ALL OF THESE NEW PAPERS!!!

There are some wonderful designs for winter and some fantastic florals that can be used year-around

AND THE BEST PART?!?!!?

ALL NEW Graphic 45!!!!!

YAY!!!!

Just look how wonderful and precious these papers are!! The Imagine Collection is so WONDERFUL with all the steampunk looks and the intricate designs that we have always loved about Graphic 45 papers!

The new Graphic 45 Princess Collection is MY NEW FAVORITE!!! I want to use this line all the time, I just LOVE IT!!

Stop by to see us 7 days a week to see just how wonderful it all is!!

Give us a call if you have any questions, we are always happy to help!
360-647-9663

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Calendar Paper and Ideas

1/5/2019

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Every year we bring in different Calendar Papers to inspire those who like to build their own calendars or desk calendars!!

Check out the newest calendar line from BoBunny, Banner Year

Each sheet of 12" x 12" paper contains a mini blank calendar as well as some fun areas to write and some cut-outs that pertain to the month

I thought it might be fun to create a Pocket Calendar that you can put in your purse!! It fits perfectly in this check book cover and can be changed out depending on the month

I folded a small piece of card stock and put photo corners on one side to hold the mini calendar in place. I only tucked it on the left side of my check book cover and when I fold it over there is a space at the back of the card stock to make a little pocket to hold a grocery list. The photo corners allow me to trade out the mini-calendar with a new month

The pocket on the right side of the check book cover is great to hold to-do lists, notes about upcoming birthdays or anniversaries, or to hold your check book!!

I placed a fun piece of decorative paper in the front and back of the check book cover to make my Pocket Calendar more fun!!

You can also make a fun Desk Calendar for your self using card stock, acetate, decorative papers, and double-sided tape

I made a quick tent-fold for the base and scored each side at 1/2" to fold under for the bottom. I taped a piece of Acetate at the bottom to keep the base from falling over. This is also where I place the upcoming months for when I am ready to switch it out!

I used 1" strips of decorative paper to make the pockets on either side of the tent fold and tucked in items like a mini-calendar and some fun cut-outs from the sheets of decorative paper to make it more *exciting*

On the other side of my tent-fold base, I put in little reminders about birthdays or bills that are due! Or, because I love it, little inspirational sentiments!!

I loved the idea of cutting out some of the little tags to make it more interactive and to more visually pleasing.. besides who doesn't love to be creative?!?

And, the little pieces for the upcoming months can just slide right underneath the tent-fold base so you can easily transition into the next months!

What I love about the calendar papers is you can just cut them up and use them to make a few cards as well!!

Stop by to get inspired 7 days a week!!

360-647-9663

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Accordion Book Tutorial, Wedding/Anniversary

12/30/2018

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For MANY years, we have been creating our own Accordion Books using products we carry here at the store!!

Check out this Tutorial on how to make your VERY OWN Accordion Book!

For this book, I chose a BEAUTIFUL Black/Gold/White color palette and this paper line from Simple Stories, 2018 and this sheet from ColorPlay from their Hello New Year line

You will need:

3 or 4 sheets of 12" x 12" patterned paper
2 sheets of 12" x 12" Chipboard (Kraft color)
4 sheets of black card stock (or other solid color)
3 to 4 sheets of other solid card stock to layer with (I chose a Stardream Gold Leaf and an Ivory card stock with a fleck in it)
Gold Ink Pad
Ranger Ink Blending Tool
Paper cutter
Score board
Scissors
Double-sided tape, mounting tape, and pop-dots
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
1 yard of ribbon (I chose a black satin ribbon)
Die-cuts, stamps, or other sentiments that you like

To make the Accordion Book:

Start by first taking the 2 pieces of Chipboard and cutting the pieces down to size using a paper cutter. You will need 6 pieces of chipboard that each measure 4 1/2" x 6 1/2"

Then, using the Ranger Ink Blending Tool and a Gold Ink Pad, ink the edges of each piece of chipboard

Next, take a piece of the Stardream Gold Leaf colored card stock and cut it up to get 5 pieces that measure 2" x 5 1/2"

Score each piece of the card stock at 1" so the pieces will each fold in half lengthwise

Then, use Double-Sided Tape to adhere the "hinges" to the pieces of chipboard MAKING SURE to alternate sides that the hinge is adhered so that the book creates the "Accordion" look

When you lay it flat on the counter it should look like this:

Next, cut your pieces of black card stock so that they create nice pages for your chipboard base. You will need a total of 12 pieces that each measure 4 1/4" x 6 1/4"

On the BACK page, adhere the piece of Black Satin Ribbon to the Kraft Chipboard piece using Double-Sided Tape. THEN lay down the last piece of black card stock and adhere it in place so the ribbon is secure.

Then, use decorative and patterned card stock to decorate the book!!!

Once you decorate ONE SIDE, flip the book over and decorate the OTHER SIDE!!

The front of the book can be as basic or as exciting as you'd like!! REMEMBER that the front of the book will be the page that opens up LIKE A BOOK. You don't want your Accordion Book to be backwards!!

We used these BEAUTIFUL die-cuts to decorate the front of the book!! Since this will be a wedding or Anniversary themed book, I used the Mr. and Mrs. die-cut from Impression Obsession and this Mini-Frame Circle from Jeanine's Art

I love having a nice, big sentiment at the back of the book.. and this "Pop, Fizz, Clink" cut-out from the patterned paper is just PERFECT!!

I also used these fun heart die-cuts to use in the book... The Hearts and Flourish Heart are both from Impression Obsession. I cut them out of Glitter Paper and the Stardream Gold Leaf color of card stock

I used both the inside cut-out of the Flourish Heart so I had embellishments for 2 pages!!

As you can see... with an Accordion Book, you can open it like a book page-by-page OR lay it out on the counter for all to see!!

Stop by to see it in person!! Accordion Books are not only FUN TO MAKE they also make a great gift idea!!! Great for Anniversaries or a Wedding... or even for displaying Graduation Photos!!

Stop by to get inspired to build your very own Accordion Book today!!

See you soon!
360-647-9663

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Tuesday with Wendy, Dec 18th

12/21/2018

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Wendy is READY FOR WINTER TO BE OVER!! (and it just started!!)

Check out her cards from class last week... the theme is.. YOU GUESSED IT!!.. Valentine's and Love cards!

The first card that Wendy designed was inspired from this new die-cut from Taylored Expressions, Framed Script- Love. Wendy also used this Nesting Rounded Rectangle die-cut set from Hero Arts

To make the card:

Wendy used a peach-colored card stock as her card base
She picked a paper from the new paper collection, Garden Goddess (by Graphic 45) as the background. It is a BEAUTIFUL floral paper in peach and pink tones.
Using the Hero Arts Nesting Rounded Rectangles, cut out a rounded rectangle from solid paper (Wendy chose a vibrant coral color)
Then, die-cut the Framed Script Love from the same kind of floral paper as the background
Use the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the Framed Script Love to a piece of bright green card stock and then fussy-cut around the Framed Script Love so the bright green card stock only shows up behind the word "love"
Mount the Framed Script Love onto the Rounded Rectangle die-cut using double-sided tape
Mount the rounded rectangle onto the floral paper using Mounting Tape (for a little dimension). Tape the entire design onto your card base using double-sided tape.
Finish off the card by tying a bit of dark green sheer ribbon on the front of the card on the far left side and using Diamond Stickles to outline the Framed Script Love so it looks glittery

Isn't this card beautiful?! I LOVE the combination of colors and the floral image is just gorgeous.

The next card was made with the new Big Heart stamp from Taylored Expressions and this embossing folder from Sizzix, Tiny Dots

To make the card:

Start with a light pink card stock as your card base
Use your home die-cut machine to emboss a small piece of white card stock... Apply Versafine Onyx Black Ink to the INSIDE of the tiny dots embossing folder and then place your piece of white card stock inside the embossing folder and run it through your home die-cut machine. The ink will transfer as well as the tiny dots impression on your paper.
Adhere the piece of embossed white card stock to a piece of black card stock using double-sided tape. Mount the entire design onto the front of the card base on the left side.
Next, take a piece of pink wood grain patterned paper and cut it down to a square and fold the square in half. Wrap a piece of black polka-dot ribbon around the folded square so it will tie closed when the square is folded.
Adhere the back side of the folded square down to the card base on the right side. It will slightly overlap the embossed white card stock.
Now, stamp the Big Heart stamp onto white card stock 3 times using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink. Fussy cut the images and fold each of the hearts in half. Adhere the first heart down on the inside of the folded square, on the left side, fold-side of the heart in the middle of the folded square.
Then, adhere the next folded heart on the inside of the folded square on the right side. And adhere the last heart in the middle of the card between the 2 other hearts. All of the curves of the hearts should match up perfectly when you open the folded square, and should fold flat when you close the folded square.
Close the folded square and tie it closed so the opening is a secret!!

Isn't this card SO MUCH FUN?!!? I love interactive cards!!

This idea is even sweeter because you can include some fun pens or colored pencils for them to color the Big Heart image!!

The last card that Wendy designed was made with the new Raining Hearts stamp from Altenew and this Caps Lock Love die-cut from Taylored Expressions

To make the card:

Use a piece of grey card stock as your card base
Place a piece of decorative handmade paper on the front of the card base and adhere it with double-sided tape. Wendy chose a geometric paper that has black, gold, and white colors in it.
Take a strip of Stardream paper, Ice Gold color, and stamp the Raining Hearts stamp across the paper. Emboss with Detail Gold embossing powder
Then, take the same strip of paper and die-cut the word "Love" out of it using your home die-cut machine and the Caps Lock Love die-cut. Adhere the strip of paper with "Love" cut out onto a piece of Stardream Antique Gold paper. Then, adhere the entire design onto the front of the card (on top of the handmade paper) using double-sided tape.
Use the L, O, V, and E from the above die-cut and use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the letters inside the card.

What a fun card this is!!! I LOVE how the inside is the cut-out from the front of the card!!

Join us for the next Tuesday with Wendy card making class!!

It will be offered on January 22nd! 11am, 1:30pm, or 6:00pm.. the same class is offered 3 times during the day.

Give us a call to sign up ahead of time!! 360-647-9663

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Paper Terrariums

12/15/2018

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Have you always loved the look of botanicals? Check out this idea for making your own faux terrariums using paper!!

You can create paper terrariums using paper, ribbons and embellishments...

We like to think outside the box... and one of the first ideas we came up with was using this Poinsettia die-cut to create a cactus by folding it inwards.

You can see how we added texture to the little cactus by using the Nuvo Crystal Drops and a little "flower" by using a small amount of ribbon..

Check out this idea to make a 3 Dimensional "Dome Terrariums" ... Just 2 pieces of Acetate cut two half-ovals and cut a slit in each one to make it 3D. We placed an Acetate circle down as the base and used The Ultimate Glue to adhere the dome top to the base

Then, we used Fake Flowers and faux botanical items to fill the Terrarium..

To make the topper of the the little Terrarium, we used a Thimble Charm from our charms collection!!

It is the *perfect shape* for the terrarium!!

I loved the idea of making a Winter Terrarium scene.. Here we used a combination of different die-cuts as well as some mesh-textured ribbons..

This is a quick terrarium idea.. Just a piece of Acetate cut 3" x 12" glued with Hot Glue to an Acetate circle base ... and look how the little Thimble Charm looks with the terrarium!

I love the look of the snowy-white papers together.. SO BEAUTIFUL!

You can make a little garden in a terrarium by just pairing together all the botanical die-cuts, ribbons, and fake flowers

You can cut out a box using the die-cut machine here at the store. This little box is *technically* a cupcake box, but you can make it a mini-terrarium in no time at all!!

Or make a quick Terrarium out of Acetate... and add in the little flowers and foliage!!

This is a Terrarium die-cut from Hero Arts... it kind of looks like a 3D geometric shape...

By pairing it with a few botanical die-cuts, and adding a bit of twine, you can really make it into a great card!!

This is one of my ALL-TIME favorite Garden Greens set from Sizzix.. it is SO GOOD!!!

Join us for Demo NEXT WEEK for the Holiday Demo!!

The last Demo of the year will be on Wednesday, December 19th from noon to 1pm

No need to sign up for Demo, just stop to join in the fun!!

See you soon!!!

360-647-9663

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Food Grade Cellophane Bags

12/10/2018

Here at the store, ESPECIALLY this time of year, we get in lots of people looking for the Goodie Bags!!

Here are some fun ideas to get the creative juices flowing as you prepare to package up cookies or treats for the Holiday Season!!

We offer the Food Grade Cellophane Bags in a variety of prints..

Check out this idea using Decorative Papers and Ribbon to hold some Dog Treats!! The Paw Print Paper and Cellophane Bag go PERFECTLY together!!

Here, we used one of the Star-Patterned bags with some Gingham Ribbon and Metallic Twine.. We picked out some of the toffees to put in the bag and added the Ribbon to tie it all together!!

Or, if you are having a New Year's Party.. Here is a great and easy way to pass out some Sour Candies.. So you can all *ACTUALLY STAY AWAKE* to welcome in the New Year!!

All of the Food Grade Cellophane Bags are gusseted so they sit flat!!

Whether you are closing them with ribbon or just sealing them with some card stock and a stapler... your bags will fit whatever goodies you may be sharing!!

We even have Skinny Gusseted Food Grade Bags so you can put in a couple pieces of Biscotti or suckers or other fun candy treats!!

Stop by to see our selection!! We would love to show you all the choices we have for Gift Bags, Tissue Paper, Ribbons, and MORE!!

See you soon!!

360-647-9663

Tuesday with Wendy, Dec 4th

12/4/2018

This week's Tuesday with Wendy cards are SO MUCH FUN for this time of year!!

Check out how exciting they are!!!

The first card that Wendy designed was inspired from this Paper Rose Stamp Set, Cozy Christmas as well as this die-cut from Taylored Expressions, Birch Tree Border

To make the card:

Use your home die-cut machine to cut out the Birch Tree Border from ivory card stock and cut a snow drift (for the bottom of the card) using a pair of scissors to cut a nice snow drift
Use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the tree and snow drift in place
Use the Versafine Clair ink, Nocturne, to stamp the little animals from the Paper Rose stamp set. Wendy arranged the animals in a cute way... I LOVE how she perched the little bird on the hat of the little bear!!
Stamp the little Snowflake image with Hero Arts White Ink around the tree.
Use Prismacolor colored pencils to color in the little images from the stamp set, like the little bears, birds, and owl
Finish off the card by applying Marvy Liquid Applique along the branches of the tree. Use a heat gun to dry the Liquid Applique and watch as it raises and puffs.. making it look JUST LIKE SNOW!

LOOK HOW CUTE this card is!!!!

Not only are the little animals so cute, but this card is great for the Winter Season!!

Check out how one of the gals colored their images... I LOVE IT!!!

The next card Wendy designed was inspired from this tree design from Penny Black, Christmas Foliage and this ADORABLE die-cut set from Impression Obsession, small birds

To make the card:

Wendy used the Tim Holtz Stamp Platform to apply the Versafine Clair inks to the Tree image.. She applied the Rain Forest ink to the foliage part of the tree and the Pinecone ink to the trunk of the tree.
Stamp the image onto ivory card stock
Cut out the Little Birds die-cut (from Impression Obsession) out of black card stock and arrange the birds on your tree in an appealing way. Use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the birds to the tree

The last card that Wendy designed was inspired from this new stencil from Kaisercraft, Sea Urchins and this Sea Urchin stamp from Fred B. Mullett

To make the card:

Use the new Seashell Wide Washi Tape from Altenew and adhere a strip along the left side of the card base
Wendy cut out a piece of background paper for the right side of the card (she chose a paper from the Kiasercraft Deep Sea Collection, Anemone) and stamped the Sea Urchin Stamp using the Versafine Clair ink, Monarch. Wendy stamped the Sea Urchin image several times on the background paper. Use double-sided tape to adhere the paper down.
Next, take a piece of white card stock and rip the edges to make it look distressed. Use the new Picket Fence Large Blending Brushes to apply Distress Ink to the piece of card stock. Wendy used Distress ink colors Wilted Violet and Broken China. The new Blending Brushes are SO SOFT and work great for applying a soft layer of ink.
Use a Palette Knife to apply some Light Molding Paste to the Silicone Craft Mat to create 2 piles of paste... one is colored with Violet ColorBurst and the other is colored with Ultramarine Blue ColorBurst
Use the Light Molding Paste and the Sea Urchins stencil to apply a thin layer of the Light Molding Paste to the SAME piece of ripped card stock.
Sprinkle some Multi Crystal Glitter Mix to the Sea Urchin-stenciled paste while it is still wet.
Put a piece of the the Gold Mesh Ribbon in the middle of the card and use The Ultimate Glue to adhere the ripped strip of paper on top of everything.
Stamp the Sea Urchin stamp onto teal card stock and heat emboss with Detail Gold Embossing Powder. Fussy-cut the Sea Urchin image and use Mounting Tape to adhere the Sea Urchin image so it adds dimension

Just look HOW FUN this card is!!! We love how artistic it is... and the movement of the Sea Urchin throughout the card is just PERFECT!

One of the gals in class decided to sprinkle on the Detail Gold Embossing Powder on top of the wet Molding Paste and used a Heat Gun to heat-set it. The effect that is created is called the "Molten Lava" effect... and although this technique was not taught in class... it still looks SO COOL for this card!!!

Join us for the next Tuesday with Wendy!! It will be offered on December 18th.

Give us a call to sign up!! 360-647-9663

Paper Lanterns!!

12/1/2018

Last week for Demo we learned about making Paper Lanterns!!

Check out these fun ideas!!

With each of the lanterns that has Vellum, you can use a battery-operated tea-light to light them up. We were able to find several at our local dollar store

This first idea was SO MUCH FUN to create!!!

Using the new Picket Fence Blending Brushes, we applied a light coat of Distress Ink to this piece of Vellum... then we stamped the Skaters stamp from Impression Obsession on the bottom part of the lantern and made.. this LITTLE TENT LANTERN!!!! It turned out *so cute* and is even better when you light it up at night!!

This next idea was SO EASY to put together.. and although this Paper Lantern does not light up, it is great for celebrating the Chinese New Year or for hanging up multiple lanterns outside for a garden party... just some strips of paper, twine, and a few embellishments make for a nice, easy decoration!!

You can make your own tassel by wrapping a bit of twine, creating a knot, and fraying the end

This next idea is inspired from the new Mushroom Paper we just got in from Renke Designs.. we fussy-cut the little mushrooms and used the Distress Ink, Walnut Stain to add a distressed look to the Paper Lantern.

We used a die-cut machine to cut out the ovals and backed the open ovals with Vellum. The bottom of the lantern is open so it can be set on top of a votive

If you are looking for a quick way to make holiday Paper Lanterns, look no further than the new Tim Holtz / Sizzix Tree Light die-cut. The die-cut comes with 2 sizes of trees with little cut-out holes at the bottom so you can easily set it on top of a battery-operated tea-light.. and they are just SO SWEET!!!!

You can make quick Paper Lanterns by stamping a strip of Vellum with Stampscapes stamps... adhere the strip of Vellum to the backside of a strip of card stock (using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive) and score it in 4 places to create the box-shape of a lantern..

In the samples below, the lantern on the left has stamped images on the inside of the Vellum and the lantern on the right has the images stamped on the outside of the Vellum.

Just look HOW BEAUTIFUL this turned out!!!

This next idea fits into a standard envelope size... and is easy enough to stand up on a desk!

We embossed the Vellum with the Tiny Dots Embossing Folder from Sizzix and used nature image die-cuts from Memory Box and Impression Obsession.. the black silhouettes look SO GOOD on the embossed Vellum!! Especially when the Paper Lantern is lit up!!

There is always a lot around here to get inspired by... stop by to see us 7 days a week to see what's new!!

360-647-9663

Tuesday with Wendy, Nov 20th

11/23/2018

This week for Tuesday with Wendy card making class, Wendy was inspired by the winter and holiday images!!!

Check out the 3 cards and FALL IN LOVE because they are just fantastic!!

The first card that Wendy designed was inspired from this Stampscapes image, Pines and Rocks as well as this die-cut from Poppy, Magnificent Moose

To make the card:

Start out by selecting a metallic paper to cut out your Moose die-cut and frame from. Wendy chose this marbled card stock that has a gold/champagne color to it.
Use the Hero Arts Rounded Rectangle die-cut set to cut out a rounded rectangle out of the marbled card stock paper. Use the inside piece of the cut-out to then cut out your Moose
Use The Ultimate Glue to adhere a piece of Acetate to the back side of the rounded rectangle cut-out
Stamp the Pines and Rocks image using the Versafine Clair ink, Rain Forest
Use Mounting Tape to adhere the Rounded Rectangle to the paper that has the Pines and Rocks image stamped on it.... This will create dimension for a shaker card *PLACE SEQUINS INSIDE THE SHAKER CARD* before you adhere it completely!!!
Layer the card with solid green card stock and paper with pinecones on it for the patterned paper.
Mount the design onto the front of your card base, which is white card stock

**Look below, to see how one of the gals cut out a second moose to make it even MORE FUN!**

Just look how fun this card is!!

And the best part is... it's a SHAKER CARD!!! (Which is just so fun... whether you are making a card for kids or adults)

This design is great for cards for men or a card for the Hunter in your life... and the patterned paper is PERFECT for the Pacific Northwest

The next card that Wendy designed was inspired from this Stampendous image, Snow Bird

To make the card:

Stamp and heat emboss the Snow Bird image with Versamark ink and Moonstone Embossing Powder
Color the image using Prismacolor colored pencils... Wendy chose 3 tones of light brown to add some tone-on-tone color to the Snow Bird
Layer the image with the light brown marbled paper and mount the image onto the embossed handmade paper and adhere it using The Ultimate Glue
Adhere the design onto the front of your card base. Wendy chose an ivory colored card stock as the card base
As a final touch, use Nuvo Crystal Drops, Ivory Seashell, to add some berries onto the Snow Bird branch.. the color and texture mimics the embossed handmade paper perfectly!!!

What a stunning card!!! Such a perfect image for the winter season..

The last Card that Wendy designed was inspired from this stamp and die set from Spellbinders, Christmas Joy and this die-cut from Poppy, Whittle Moose

To make the card:

Use the Hero Arts Infinity Circles die-cut set to cut out 2 sizes of circles. Use a dark brown card stock for the larger circle and a decorative paper for the smaller circle (for this card, Wendy chose this whimsical tree paper from Photoplay and it is SO CUTE)
Stamp your Christmas Tree with Versafine Clair ink, Rain Forest
Color your Christmas Tree with light green and yellow Tombow Markers. Then use the Christmas Tree die-cut to cut out your tree
On your green card stock base, adhere a small strip of dark green card stock in the middle to add color contrast
Use double sided tape to adhere the layered circles on the right side of your card
Die-cut the Whittle Moose out of brown suede paper and use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the Moose to the middle of the layered circles
On the left side of the card, use pop-dots to adhere the stamped Christmas Tree image.
At the top of the card, stamp the Christmas sentiment in Versafine Clair ink, Rain Forest
Finish off the card by tying a bit of red polka-dot ribbon along the left side of the card and tie a little knot to hold it in place

This Christmas card is JUST ADORABLE!!!!

I love the colors, the movement, and how the tree paper matches the tree stamp perfectly!!

Fantastic cards this week!!!

To sign up for the next card making class, give us a call here at the store!!

The next card making class will be offered on Tuesday, December 4th
*Please sign up by the Saturday before class*

360-647-9663

Altered Books

11/16/2018

It can be really fun to create art inside a book!! If you love to collect old books, you may be familiar with the aesthetic of holding, opening, and smelling an old book.. there is just something special about it.

This week for Demo, Bekah was the demonstrator! She showed some ideas for altering books and shared her take.. what wonderful ideas!!

There are SO MANY different concepts to consider when you alter a book... Here are some ideas!!

Use an X-acto Knife and a cutting mat to create unique cuts into old pages... back the final page with a solid piece of decorative paper to create a nice focal point. You can add findings to hide throughout your book... like hidden keys or old stamps or fun pieces of art you may have collected..

You can also take an old canvas book and tear open the front of the canvas and add in handmade papers!!!

Pictured below, you can see how the book is torn open in the middle with textured paper added. Then, add ink to bring out the texture and add in a Dragon Eye. In the sample below, you can see the molten-lava looking medium.. that is hot glue with Composition Gold Leaf applied to the hot glue... what a cool effect!!

Sometimes in old books there might be water stains... in this idea you can see how we used the water stains to start a doodle!! Just go where your mind takes you... add in collage and decorative papers to make the journal more expressive of your ideas!!

You can re-cover your old books to make them look WAY more exciting!!

Add Charms or Metal findings!!
Create new and unusual bookmarks!
Add decorative and handmade papers to make your book more fun!!

You can use inks to colorize backgrounds and then use an X-acto Knife to cut out designs and overlay them so you can see the ink behind it...

Doodle on your book pages and then use an X-acto Knife to cut out your designs!! Use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to glue layers of paper together to add dimension to your altered book..

Now, I have to share this AMAZING idea that Bekah came up with!!

Bekah has used powerful female figures to inspire her art recently.. and her ideas are just AMAZING!!

She used the book I Am Malala and traced the cover of the book onto tracing paper

Then, Bekah used the tracing to create bold areas to lay out where she would be cutting her book

Using her design on tracing paper, Bekah created a stencil from a sheet of Acetate.

In the SAME BOOK that she took the portrait design from, she created her Altered Book.

She traced out areas with a pencil. She then glued some pages together with Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive and used an X-acto Knife to cut out the chunks of paper where she traced.

Then, Bekah took Nuvo Blending Sponges and added ink to the page behind the portrait. She applied Distress Ink, Walnut Stain ink to the entire page.

When the page is turned, the portrait really stands out!!

Next, Bekah took the same stencil and Nuvo Mousse. She used 3 colors of Mousse: Aubergine (purple), Black Ash (grey), and Toasted Almond (ivory).

To make a skin tone, she used her palette knife on a silicone craft mat and added a few particles of Jupiter Color Burst and a TINY BIT of Toasted Almond Nuvo Mousse. The ivory tones of the Toasted Almond Mousse mixed with the orange tones of the Jupiter Color Burst make a beautiful skin tone.

Then Bekah used the Aubergine for Malala's scarf and the Black Ash for her hair and eyes.

She used the same book as the cutting above, just used a different grouping of pages farther in the book

I love how Bekah used the same theme for her art as the book.. it really just ties it all together!!

What beautiful and clever ideas, Bekah!!

Next week is Thanksgiving, we will have NO DEMO!!
Join us for the following week's Demo as we explore the world of Paper Lanterns!!

Tuesday with Wendy, Nov 6th

11/10/2018

Check out how wonderful the cards are this week!!! Wendy decided to make Winter/Christmas cards for this series.. and I just LOVE them as a set!!

The first card Wendy designed was inspired by this die-cut image from Impression Obsession, Deer Frame

To make the card:

Use your home die-cut machine to cut out the Deer Frame from Brown Stardream card stock
Mount the image onto patterned paper (Wendy used the paper that had a Holly pattern on it)
Use a couple pop-dots behind the deer's head to add dimension. To adhere the rest of the Deer Frame, use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
Layer the image with a bit of red card stock and mount it all on to your card base (ivory card stock)
Use a bit of decorative ribbon and tie a little ribbon around the neck of the Deer. Wendy used a nice green and red gingham ribbon
Lastly, use Nuvo Crystal Drops, Red Berry, to add a nose onto the deer!! Now your Deer is Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!!

What a fun card!! I love the addition of he red nose!

This die-cut is such a stunning image.. could be used for a variety of different cards!

The next card Wendy designed was made using this absolutely GORGEOUS stamp set from Hero Arts, Color- Layering Poinsettia

To make the card:

Start out by stamping the Poinsettia. This is a color-layering stamp set, meaning you will stamp the images in a "layering" fashion to achieve a desired effect. Stamp the poinsettias onto Solar White card stock
Stamp the BOLD images first in light colored ink and the detail images last in darker colored ink
Use the color Pallet Listed Below
- Poinsettia: Distress Oxide Worn Lipstick, Versafine Clair Galmorous, Versafine Clair Chianti
- Leaves: Distress Oxide Peeled Paint, Versafine Clair Rain Forest
Once you have stamped-out the Poinsettias, fussy cut along one edge to make them stand out a little more
Use double-sided tape to adhere the stamped poinsettia images to the right side of your card base (red card stock)
On the left side of your card, adhere a piece of decorative holiday paper. Wendy chose this paper that has poinsettias in it to replicate the movement and theme of the Poinsettia Stamp we used.
Add a bit of red ribbon down the middle of the card, giving separation between the decorative paper and the stamped poinsettia images
On a brown tag shape, stamp out a nice sentiment, Wendy stamped "Merry Christmas" with Versafine Clair Rain Forest ink
Tie a bit of green twine through the tag and tie it around the red ribbon on the card
Use a pop-dot to adhere the tag to the front of the card

What a BEAUTIFUL Holiday Card!! This is so sweet and the paper really ties in with the Poinsettia Stamp!!

The last card from this series was designed using this Snowflake Turnabout Stamp from Concord & 9th

The idea with "Turnabout" stamps is that you can stamp the same image 4 times with a different color ink each time... just turning your paper 90 degrees after each stamp.

Below you can see the idea and effect of using a Turnabout Stamp:

To make the card:

Wendy used the Tim Holtz Stamp Platform and placed the Turnabout Snowflake Stamp onto the platform
Wendy created a template for this stamp. The template below shows where you lay your square piece of card stock (4" x 4" white card stock)
Create a template by lining out a 6" x 6" area that the stamp takes up
Measure out a nice 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square in the middle of the 6" x 6" template
In the middle of the 4 1/2 x 4 1/2" template, that is where you will lay your card stock to stamp
Ink up the Snowflake Turnabout Stamp and stamp it on your paper using Versafine Clair Warm Breeze ink
Lift up the stamp platform and ink up your stamp again with Versafine Clair Twilight ink, and rotate your paper 90 degrees MAKING SURE to keep it in the middle of your template
Continue to stamp and rotate until you have coated the entire piece of card stock in snowflakes

Then, take the paper you just stamped and mount it onto the front of a blue card base, leaving space at the bottom of the card
Stamp out a sentiment (Wendy chose "Snowflake kisses and Holiday wishes" from the Concord & 9th clear Turnabout Stamp set. She stamped the sentiment in Versafine Clair Twilight ink onto white card stock and mounted it onto blue card stock for color contrast
Mount the sentiment onto the snowflake background image at a slight angle and adhere with pop-dots
Take a piece of white card stock that measures 8 1/2" x 3" and cut a wavy edge along one of the long sides. Then cut the paper in half. You just created 2 snow drifts
Place the snow drifts along the bottom of the card, using pop-dots to add dimension to the snow drift on the very bottom of the card
To finish off the card, Wendy used Star Dust and Crystal Stickles along the edge of each snow drift
Lastly, Wendy used patterned paper with bears on it and fussy-cut a few polar bears. She used pop-dots to adhere them to the snow drifts and made it look like they were playing in the snow!!