Stampadoodle Blog

Tuesday with Wendy, March 19th

3/22/2019

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cards from this week's card making class!!! THEY ARE ALL SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Perfect cards for Spring Time!!

The first card that Wendy created was made using this BRAND NEW stamp set from Creative Expressions, Pink Ink Designs called Dragonfly Wings Series. Wendy also used paper from this new paper collection from BoBunny, Harmony

To make the card:

Start out with a half-sheet of light yellow card stock, score your paper in the middle and fold the card in half.
Next, open the card flat and stamp your Dragonfly Body image on the INSIDE OF THE CARD on the right side using Versafine Clair Ink, Medieval Blue. Use Crystal Embossing Powder and heat-set it. Then place a piece of decorative paper on the INSIDE OF THE CARD on the left side.
Now, with the card open, score your paper AGAIN this time coming from the right side of the card, score it it at 2 1/8" making sure NOT TO SCORE over the dragonfly body!
Use an X-acto Knife to cut out the Dragonfly Body on the LEFT SIDE OF THE SCORE LINE ONLY. Once you have trimmed the body of the dragonfly, you can fold the flap of the right side of the dragonfly body so it creates a tri-fold card.
Next, stamp the Dragonfly Wings on a piece of thick vellum using the Hero Arts Unicorn White Ink pad and use White Diamond Embossing Powder. Then heat-set your image. Also stamp little dragonflies on the decorative paper we placed on the left side of the card
Fussy-cut the 2 sets of Dragonfly Wings. We suggest you keep the top and bottom wings connected so you can easily adhere them in place with a little bit of Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive. Make sure to just adhere the wings at the Dragonfly Body base and leave the rest of the Wings free-floating
Then, use 2 of your Hero Arts Nesting Oval dies to die-cut a thin oval out of light pink card stock. Use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the oval on the decorative paper.. it's ok if you cover up your little dragonflies just slightly.
When you close the tri-fold card, your Dragonfly should look like it is resting in the middle of the thin pink oval.. kind of giving the impression of a dragonfly landing on a lake!!

This card is so delicate and STUNNING in design and beauty... we all LOVE this card so much!!

The next card that Wendy designed was inspired from the ALL NEW Lavinia Stamps, Seeing is Believing and the Zen Rose

To make the card:

Start with a piece of white card stock and use the Versafine ink, Onyx. Wendy used this ink to stamp the fairy image in the middle of her card stock THEN went back in with the Zen Rose stamp and stamped around the fairy image
Then, Wendy sprinkled on Embossing Powder. She put Crystal Embossing Powder on the fairy (then shook off the excess) and then covered the rest of the image with Detail Clear Embossing Powder. Then she heat-set the entire image.
Wendy used a coral-colored piece of card stock as her card base. She used the Hero-Arts nesting Rectangles to cut out an oval in a piece of pink card stock
Adhere the stamped fairy image/zen roses to the coral-colored card base and finish off the card by adhering the oval cut-out on top of the image.

I LOVE THIS CARD!!!!

It is *so magical* and brings me so much joy!!

The last card that Wendy designed was inspired from this die-cut from Creative Expressions, Happy Birthday Edger

To make the card:

Start with die-cutting the Happy Birthday Edger paper out of white felt-weave card stock
Use the Picket Fence Blending Brushes and 3 colors of Distress Ink: Seedless Preserves, Shabby Shutters, and Peeled Paint to create a beautiful ombre color on the Happy Birthday die-cut.
Now use the Aqua Shimmer Pen to color across the entire die-cut so the colors of ink now look *iridescent* and magical
Use a card base that is a darker shade of purple. Wendy used a small strip of paper from the Graphic 45 Bloom Collection above and below the sentiment.
Use pop-dots to add dimension to a few of the letters of the Happy Birthday die-cut... this adds interest and makes it MORE FUN!!

This card is WONDERFUL and is so fun and brilliant... and looks dramatic and exciting (even though it's an easy card to create!!)

If you would like to join us for the NEXT Tuesday with Wendy card making class, you can sign up by calling us here at the store!

It will be offered on Tuesday, April 2nd

360-647-9663

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Handmade Papers Demo

3/15/2019

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Last week for Demo, we learned about the world of Handmade Papers!!

There are SO MANY ideas for using your handmade papers... just check out what you can do!!

We carry SO MANY beautiful handmade papers!!!! They come from ALL OVER THE WORLD!!

Some of them are from Italy....

We carry others that are made from 100% Recycled Cotton Fibers from India...

We have a large selection of hand-silk-screened Chiyogami Papers from Japan.. these are some of our favorites because they are SO BEAUTIFUL!

We LOVE these printed ones from Nepal... these images are always popular around here!!

We also carry these fantastic papers made from the Mulberry Plant.. These papers are great for creating Privacy Windows at home because they are a little bit translucent

I love the idea of using some of these papers as overlays... Take these papers, for example, that look a little bit like lace. They are GREAT for laying on top of patterned papers to create a *totally different* effect!!

You can also use these textured papers to cut out die-cuts!!

These handmade ones that are slightly translucent are great for overlays because they pick up the color of paper behind it.. which works GREAT for layering!

You can take one of the patterned handmade papers and put a translucent piece of Mulberry paper on top to soften the pattern. THEN you can fussy-cut some of the images to lay on top of the overlay... this makes it so the focal point matches in color to the background.

You can also take a piece of handmade paper and cut out some of the images... like the marbled pattern in a paper... and you can use pop dots and mounting tape to add dimension

You can "enhance" the handmade papers by simply adding a little bit of shimmer... it is easy to do with the Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Pen!!

You can also make mottled-looking paper by using PVA to adhere pieces of wrinkled Tissue Paper onto a piece of card stock.

If you stamp an image with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink onto the tissue paper and THEN adhere it, your stamped image will be waterproof and won't move when you glue the tissue paper in place with the wet glue.

... when I made this card some of the tissue paper ripped... but I actually like the look!!!

You can also colorize tissue paper with Distress Inks and the Picket Fence Blending Brushes so you get this beautiful ombre effect...

I decided to use this die-cut from Impression Obsession (I trimmed off the doe and buck) to make a beautiful serene scene with just the tissue-paper overlay... what an easy and gorgeous effect!!

You can make your own decorative handmade papers with inclusions by using a piece of white card stock, some leaves or feathers, PVA, and a very sheer piece of the translucent Mulberry Paper

I love how we used fresh pieces of Pine and it smells SO GOOD even after being in the paper for a couple days.

Brush on a VERY thin coat of PVA onto a piece of card stock (a foam brush works great)
Next, lay down a feather, dried flower petals, or fresh pines onto the glue
Now, take a piece of VERY thin Mulberry Paper and lay it on top of the inclusions
Place a clean paper towel down on top of the Mulberry paper and press firmly making sure to fully press on the Mulberry paper so it adheres evenly.
Trim your paper down to size using a paper cutter and some scissors

You can take an image from one of the Italian papers and make little squares (folded in half) to add dimension to an image!!

Some of these papers are textured.. you can change the color by using your Versamark clear ink pad and embossing powder to make it look like dragon skin!!

And, the easiest way to use your translucent handmade papers is to make a sweet little lantern (like this one below using the new Hero Arts Fairy Window) and back the frames with your handmade paper!! It has a great appearance and looks beautiful even if there are no tea-lights on inside!

Stop by the store to see all the ideas in person!! We would love to show you ideas to help you feel inspired!!

See you soon!!

360-647-9663

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HOLY MOLY New, New, New!!!!!

3/15/2019

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We have LOADS of new items at the store right now!!! I am SO EXCITED to share it all with you!!

First off, PAPER!!! We have gotten is SO MANY new papers in the last couple weeks and many of them are BRAND NEW!!!!

BoBunny
Altenew
Graphic 45

.... and MANY OTHERS!!

Take a look at all the newest papers!!

These ones JUST ARRIVED YESTERDAY!!

Just LOOK HOW CUTE these little hedgehogs are! We LOVE how some of them are even wearing glasses!!

New Baby-Theme papers as well... look at this Alphabet sheet!!

Several great designs for Spring, Birthday, and Just Because...

Of course, I can't ignore this STUNNING PAPER LINE, Harmony, out from BoBunny that showcases beautiful watercolor designs.... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!

Last week was when we got in the ALL NEW paper pack from Altenew (as well as some of their Wooden Button embellishments...) This paper pack features 16 HIGH QUALITY double-sided sheets of card stock.. really fantastic designs...

And, probably my MOST FAVORITE has been... Graphic 45!!!!

We now have both NEW COLLECTIONS

Kaleidoscope Line
Bloom Line

The number of NEW PAPERS is a bit overwhelming... IN THE BEST WAY!!!

Llama papers, Mermaid papers....

Fiesta papers, Graduation papers...

There are SO MANY wonderful things to see and love... and it seems there is a paper for everyone!!

We are also carrying 3 ALL NEW COMPANIES!!

Whimsy
Creative Expressions
Lavinia Stamps

Whimsy Stamps are some of our FAVORITES for snarky sayings and cute animals... but their more intricate images are just STUNNING!!

And, we have been OVER THE MOON with the newest from Creative Expressions!!!

This company is from the U.K. and they create BEAUTIFUL designs!!

Embossing Folders
Wood-Veneer die-cut pieces (like the flying keys that you see below)
GORGEOUS stamps (just LOOK how intricate!!)
Fantastic die-cuts and sentiments!!

My ALL TIME FAVORITE COMPANY though.... is Lavinia Stamps!!!!

EEEEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!

There are AMAZING designs for those of you who love fairies, mushrooms, intricate images, and foliage.. gosh I am IN LOVE!!!

I have been SO IMPRESSED with the intricacy of these images... they are WONDERFUL!!!

Stop by to see us to indulge in ALL THE AMAZING goodies we have been getting in... I know you are just itching to use some of these new products in your art creations!!

Give us a call if you need any of these items shipped to you! We are happy to accommodate!!
360-647-9663

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Tuesday with Wendy, March 5th

3/9/2019

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Check out the 3 wonderful cards from card making class last week!!

You can really tell Wendy is in the mood for creativity!!

The cards this week were really fun!!

The first card was created with a bit of Wendy Pizzazz!!! She was inspired by this new Washi Tape from Dylusions, these 2 colors of Dylusions Spray inks (Vibrant Turquoise and Funky Fuchsia), and this new stamp set from Seth Apter, Grunge Grids

To make the card:

Start out with a half-sheet of a piece of white card stock. Stamp the Grunge Grids stamp with Versafine Clair Inks Warm Breeze, Nocturne, and Morning Mist over the outside of the card base (front of the card and the back side of the card)
Next, use a piece of pop-tone 100# card stock to apply a FEW SPRITZ' of ink of each color of the Spray Ink.
Now take a small piece of white card stock and apply 3 different widths of Washi Tape.. Wendy chose these funky ones!! **we used white card stock so you can clearly see the images on the Washi Tape since the Washi Tape is slightly transluscent**
Now cut a piece of black/white patterned paper to add interest. Wendy liked to cut hers into little squares and strips
Back the piece of paper with Spray Inks on it with a piece of black card stock and adhere it to the card base using double-sided tape
Also back the piece of paper with Washi Tape on it with a piece of black card stock and adhere that down using double-sided tape
Use Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to paste down the black/white patterned paper strips

Look how fun these cards turned out!!

I think we can all agree... this is a very "Wendy Style" card... it is SO FUN!!

The next card that Wendy designed was a Shaker Card!! She was inspired by this Monsters Stamp from BoBunny

To make the card:

Stamp your Monster Stamp (with a circle for the tummy) on a piece of white card stock using Versafine Onyx Black ink.
Fold your card base in half. Use your Home Die-cut Machine and a circle die-cut to cut out the stomach of the monster image AND the front of your card base.
Next, cut a piece of chipboard ( 2" x 4") and cut out 2 holes that are slightly larger than the hole you just cut out of your card base. **You may need to use the die-cut machine here at the store to do this because most die-cut blades will not cut through chip board** . Once you have cut 2 holes in your piece of chipboard, cut the piece of chipboard in half. You should now have 2 small squares of chipboard with a hole in each one measuring about 1 1/2 inches.
On the front of the card, where you cut out your hole, adhere a piece of Acetate using double-sided tape.
Now place BOTH PIECES of chipboard down and adhere them to each other using Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive. The holes of the chipboard should line up nicely with the hole in the card base
Now FILL YOUR SHAKER CARD!! Wendy used Blue Ombre Sequins from Hero Arts. Once you have filled it (NOT FULL) place a piece of Acetate on the front and adhere it with double-sided tape. This will hold your shaker bits.
Then, adhere your Monster in place!! Remember to line up the holes so the shaker card makes sense!
Wendy chose a piece of fun "cartoon" looking paper and cut out an oval using her Home Die-cut Machine and laid the cut-out on the front of her card base to finish off the front of the card.
Next, stamp 2 little Monster images on the INSIDE of the card... and if you can.. arrange one so he is peeking through the stomach!!
Now close your card and look in awe and have fun with such an ADORABLE card!!!

Check out this fun idea.... One of the students used her oval cut-out to make a secret flap for the inside of her card!! How fun!!

The last card that Wendy designed was MY FAVORITE!!! It is SO CUTE!!

Wendy was inspired by the new Lawn Fawn Mushroom Border and the Gentle Bunny from Memory Box

To make the card:

Start out by using a light green card base. Take a piece of floral-patterned paper and cut out an oval using your Home Die-cut Machine.
Use the Lawn Fawn Mushroom Border to cut out some mushrooms and grass for the front of the card.. Wendy used a mottled, flesh colored card stock for the mushroom base and a bright red card stock for the mushroom tops.
Arrange your mushrooms and grass in the oval cut-out for the front of the card. Use pop-dots to give dimension to your mushrooms.
Lastly, cut out the Gentle Bunny from white card stock. Use the skinny brush from the Small Picket Fence Blending Brush Set and apply a tiny bit of ink from the Distress Oxide Worn Lipstick ink pad to colorize the ears, tail, and nose of the bunny. Use a pop-dot to adhere the bunny to the front of the card

This card is SO CUTE!!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!

Join us for the next Card Making class!!
Tuesday, March 19th

Give us a call to sign up!! You MUST sign up by the Saturday before class to reserve a spot!!

360-647-9663

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Weaving and Knots

3/8/2019

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Here at the store.. the Queen of Weaving and Knots is Wendy!! This week for Demo, Wendy was our Demonstrator!!

Wendy loves to add interest in her by incorporating weaving into her art... just check out some of these ideas!!!

Now, if you have ever watched Wendy create a woven piece.. you may notice that she starts with a bunch of paper strips (aka scraps) that just "inspire" ... Well, some of us see a disaster.. but she see's a creation waiting to happen!!

To start... I LOVE what Wendy does here with some of the Handmade Paper scraps and some black, white, and red papers...

Just look how she took these scraps to an AMAZING LEVEL just by working in this color palette that is so pleasing on the eyes. I LOVE how she even wove-in the swirl!!

Check out this next idea... Wendy used strips of white paper to make a trellis... just pasting down the ENDS of the white strips so she can go in with smaller pieces to weave-in a little lattice... HOW CUTE IS THIS??!?!

I love that Wendy added in the new Lawn Fawn Mushroom Border and leaf ribbon ... it is TOO CUTE!!

You can also create a series of knots by using just a yard of twine and wrapping and knotting the ribbon to itself.... Wendy wrapped it around the card and it makes a nice embellishment for nautical cards or cards for men!

Another idea Wendy had was to take a few colors of TEXT WEIGHT PAPER (like copy-paper weight) and wove a section on a piece of 8 1/2" x 11" paper. THEN she put the woven piece onto a piece of Double-Tack (which is like a sheet of double-sided tape) and cut out an oval..

I love how Wendy trimmed the oval so it looks like an Easter Basket!!!

Wendy used strips of brown paper to create a cute idea for a corner of a card.... This is such an easy and sweet idea....

You can even make the strips a little long and TUCK THEM under the front of the card so you can add another layer for interest!!

HOW SWEET IS THIS?!!?

A quick and easy idea is to use wood grain textured paper to make a little rustic fence!!

You can also punch a hole in the front of a card and use 2 colors of ribbon to put a bow on the FRONT and another color of bow for the INSIDE!!

There are LOTS of ways to add weaving and knotting to a card or art project...

Do you have a pile of paper strips laying around?!? Time to get them out and PLAY!!

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Make your Own Stencils

3/1/2019

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Last week for Demo, Bekah taught us about making your own stencils!!

Bekah loves to use powerful female figures in her art... and she is SO TALENTED!!

You can make stencils from pretty much any image....

Bekah always starts with an image she is inspired by..

Here, Bekah started with the cover of a book... She took a piece of tracing paper and traced over the portrait to create a stencil.. (you can also use a piece of vellum for tracing)

Then, Bekah took ANOTHER piece of tracing paper and made a positive and negative of each section so she could create her stencil.

Bekah used the THIN ACETATE for creating her stencil image of Malala. She laid down the acetate on her final drawing and used a ball point pen (or a sharpie) to transfer the final image.

Finally, she used an X-acto Knife to cut out the sections of acetate.

Just look at the level of detail she was able to get!!

For this next image, Bekah found a great image of Helen Keller. For this design, she just made a sketch (instead of tracing) of Helen Keller. Then, just like before, she created positive and negative areas to create her stencil.

For this one, Bekah used the THICK ACETATE and used a Hot Knife to cut into it.

**The Hot Knife only works with the Thick Acetate.... the Thin Acetate has a higher melting point**

**When using the Hot Knife, you must use a Glass Media Mat!! Bekah uses the Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat**

Next, Bekah wanted to create a fun Bear image... but wanted to use different colors for the ears, the mouth, and the eyes and nose.

To do this, Bekah drew with a Sharpie on the Thin Acetate and used an X-acto Knife to cut out the different masks.

Bekah then used the Large Picket Fence Blending Brushes to apply layers of Distress Ink to reveal her Bear

Bekah used 3 shades of Distress ink for the Rainbow Background. Then she removed the the mask for the ears
Next, she laid down the face (eyes and mouth) and applied Black Soot Distress Ink
Lastly, she laid down the circle for the mouth and used Vintage Photo Distress Ink to reveal the snout

Using MASKS is different than using a STENCIL only in that a mask covers some of the work you've already done so you can cover other areas with ink without messing up the other images.

LOOK HOW CUTE!!!!

There are SO MANY VARIATIONS for making your own stencils.... Have you played with any ideas??! We would LOVE to hear about it!!

Give us a call if you have any questions!
360-647-9663

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Sprays: Ink, Oxide, Resist

2/24/2019

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Last week for Demo, we learned about the world of SPRAYS!!!

Most of us are familiar with the Ink Sprays. Here at the store, we also carry the Distress Resist Spray and the NEW Distress Oxide Sprays. Did you know you can also create your own sprays?!

Check out some of these great ideas!!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Sprays, traditionally most ink sprays are a dye-based ink. The ink in a spray is meant to allow large coverage of a surface with minimal effort..

Here, I stamped and heat-embossed a stamp from Impression Obsession that says, "7 billion smiles and yours is my favorite" in clear ink and clear embossing powder. When I heat-set the image and spritz Ink Spray onto the paper, the stamped image acts like a resist and the words magically appear!

If you have a home die-cut machine, you can use Spray Inks on your Embossing Folders!!

Here, I used the Flourish embossing folder from Sizzix. If you spray ink down and just PRESS a piece of paper onto the design, you will transfer the design! (like a mono-print)

Or, you can spray ink on your Embossing Folder and then put a piece of paper in the folder and run it through your home die-cut machine! When you do this, the ink transfers AND the texture of the embossing folder transfers too!!

** Make sure when you run your embossing folder in your home die-cut machine that you cover your embossing folder with a piece of paper towel. This will help keep ink off of your die-cut machine!!**

*Always wash/rinse your embossing folder AS SOON as you are done so that the ink doesn't stain your folder!*

Another idea is to cut out a die-cut image (like this Butterfly from Hero Arts) and lay it on a piece of card stock, then spritz the ink and remove the die-cut... a great way to create your own "stencil" or "mask" !!

You can even die-cut a larger image and THEN spray ink on an Embossing Folder and THEN pur your die-cut in the folder!!

The stark-white paper now looks mottled and interesting!!

I LOVE this next idea using the Distress Resist Spray!

Resist spray is basically a spray-resin. MAKE SURE YOUR NOZZLE IS CLEAN before starting!! AND make sure you spray inside a box... because wherever the spray gets will dry and is impossible to clean up!!

To make this AMAZING galaxy background:

Use a piece of white card stock
Die-cut a starry background using your home die-cut machine and the die-cut from Sizzix, Snowy Stars
IN A BOX, lay down your paper and spritz some of the Distress Resist Spray. Use a heat-gun to heat-set it.
Now, use your Spray Inks and coat the paper in color!!
Mount the design on a piece of white card stock to bring out the stars!!

Isn't this effect WONDERFUL?!!? I LOVE how it looks like nebulas! And texture is WONDERFUL!

Ok, now THE FUN STUFF!!

NEW Distress Oxide Sprays!!

Oxide inks are WONDERFUL because they show up on dark papers AND light papers!! Just look how fantastic this effect is when you use a stencil!!

The Oxide ink sprays are great because you can spray them are darker patterned papers.. like here we took a dotted paper and then added some Oxide Spray Inks to make a more Galaxy-themed appearance!

You can even create your OWN INKS!!!

Here, I took a tiny dab of Bleed Proof White ink and mixed it in a Ranger Mini-Mister and used the new Wave Stencil from The Crafter's Workshop..

I love how soft the Bleed Proof White spray is!!! I recommend mixing some spray, and to make it more vibrant you can add a little more ink.

You can even use your spray on Suede Paper!!

You can also put some fresh bleach into a Ranger Mini-Mister and use that!!

Bleach REMOVES COLOR from paper... and every paper reacts differently to bleach! Some papers DON'T REACT to bleach.. so recommend doing a test piece of paper first by swiping some bleach on with your finger or synthetic paint brush.. the bleach takes about 3 minutes to create the FULL EFFECT so don't be surprised if you test a piece of paper and nothing happens right away!!

Many of you have probably used your spray inks for "Shaving Cream Marbling" ...Did you know you can create that same effect on BLACK PAPER using the new Distress Oxide Sprays?!!?

There are SO MANY THINGS you can do with sprays.. .we would love to show you these ideas in person!!

Stop by to see us 7 days a week to get inspired!!

Give us a call if you have any questions
360-647-9663

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Tuesday with Wendy, February 19th

2/22/2019

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What a FUN WEEK at card making class!!!

We really enjoyed having the students join us this week... and the ideas were just FLYING!!!

Check out the cards Wendy created:

The first card that Wendy designed was inspired from this Hero Arts stamp/die set, New Day Butterflies and this Stencil from Tim Holtz, Honeycomb

To make the card:

Start by taking a piece of dark blue paper. Use the new Distress Oxide Ink Spray, Wilted Violet. USE A BOX for spraying your ink in so it doesn't get ink everywhere!! On your piece of dark blue paper, lay down the Honeycomb stencil and hold it in place with one hand. With your other hand, spritz 1 OR 2 sprays of Oxide Spray Ink over the stencil. YOU DON'T NEED A LOT of ink!! When you remove the stencil you will see the image has transferred in a very soft pattern
Then, stamp the flower images (from the butterfly stamp set) onto the honeycomb stenciled image we just created. The flowers are stamped with the Versafine Clair Medieval Blue ink
Then, take a little bit of Bleed Proof White ink (a SMALL AMOUNT like 1/8 t. amount) in a little dish and apply a spritz of water and use an old tooth brush to pick up some color. Point the bristles of the tooth brush towards the paper (the honeycomb-stenciled paper) and lightly spread the bristles. You should see some specks of white transfer to the sheet of paper in a light splatter effect.
Next, stamp your Butterfly Images onto lavender card stock ALSO using Versafine Clair Medieval Blue ink. Use Tombow Markers to color your butterflies! *The Versafine Clair Ink does not bleed when you color with markers*
Use the Butterfly die-cuts to line up the images and use Washi Tape to hold the die-cuts in place. Run the die-cuts through your home die-cut machine
Now put your card together. The card base is a bright yellow card stock. On the front of the card, the honeycomb-stenciled paper we created will be on the left and a piece of decorative paper will be on the right side. Wendy used a narrow piece of purple ribbon to separate the 2 papers.
Then, Wendy glued down the CENTERS of each butterfly and then curled, bent, and raised the wings of each butterfly to give the idea of the butterflies about to take off!

I LOVE how this card turned out!! The tones match the patterned paper from the right side of the card PERFECTLY!! What a fun idea!!

The next card that Wendy created for card making class was ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!

The card was inpsired from the Ocean Waves, Bold Prints image from Hero Arts as well as this die-cut message, Thanks also from Hero Arts

To make the card:

Start out by taking a piece of Solar White card stock and apply a rainbow-ombre across the sheet of paper using the LARGE Picket Fence Blending Brushes (The ULTRA SOFT ONES!!). Wendy used some fun colors of Distress Inks to create the rainbow... Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Broken China, Wilted Violet, and Festive Berries

Once you have laid down a nice rainbow ombre on your card stock, stamp the Ocean Waves image onto the rainbow background using Versafine Onyx ink
Finally, cut out the sentiment in black card stock AND light weight Stardream Lagoon paper AT THE SAME TIME. Use the Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive to adhere the sentiment on the front of your card creating a shadow effect with the Stardream paper behind the sentiment

I LOVE THIS CARD!!! It is so beautiful and I LOVE the movement!!!

Check out some of these other ideas... Some of the gals had the idea of stamping the background a second time in the OPPOSITE direction... what a fun effect that created!!

Other gals decided to leave out the background stamp and just create a fun focal point with the Distress Inks and Picket Fence Blending Brushes!! SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!

The last card that Wendy designed was inspired by the NEW Heron from Whimsy Stamps!!

*We just started carrying this new company and we are SO IN LOVE with their designs!*

To make the card:

Start out by stamping the image using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink and your Tim Holtz Stamp Platform onto ivory card stock
Use Distress Inks and the SMALL Picket Fence Blending Brushes to color your image. The brushes are small enough and pick up *just enough color* of ink from the Distress Ink Pads to make it look like a watercolor effect! Take your time picking up different colors and shades to create the look you are after

Once you have colored your Heron image, fussy-cut around the image to bring out different parts of the image (like the trees along the top or the lily pads on the right side of the heron)
Use a piece of Handmade Paper that has a marbled image on it. Cut a small piece for the top of your card.. this is meant to give movement to the card.
Your card base is a piece of dark grey card stock. The layering piece is a piece of dark purple card stock. On this layer, at the top, adhere the small piece of marbled paper. After you adhere the marbled paper, adhere the Heron image to the purple card stock at the bottom. USE A POP DOT behind the heron and tress to give the card some dimension. Mount the purple piece of card stock to the front of your card base.

This is a BEAUTIFUL card!! Great for men's cards or for ANY occasion!!

Check out some of these other cards the gals made in class... I love how everyone cut out their Heron Image a little differently than the next!!

Card class was LOTS of fun this week!! We would love for you to join us at NEXT CLASS!!

It will be offered on March 5th. Give us a call to sign up!! 360-647-9663

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ALL NEW RANGER, 2019

2/12/2019

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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!

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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!!

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Embossing Powders, New Ideas!!

1/18/2019

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

Life Changing Blending Brushes

1/11/2019

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

New Year, NEW STUFF!!

1/5/2019

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

Calendar Paper and Ideas

1/5/2019

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

Accordion Book Tutorial, Wedding/Anniversary

12/30/2018

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

<<Previous

Tuesday with Wendy, March 19th

Handmade Papers Demo

HOLY MOLY New, New, New!!!!!

Tuesday with Wendy, March 5th

Weaving and Knots

Make your Own Stencils

Sprays: Ink, Oxide, Resist

Tuesday with Wendy, February 19th

ALL NEW RANGER, 2019

Translucent Papers, Ideas and More!

Tuesday with Wendy, February 5th

Embossing Folders, New Ideas!!

ALL NEW PAPER!!

Gel Plates and Nature Printing

Tuesday with Wendy, Jan 22

Embossing Powders, New Ideas!!

Life Changing Blending Brushes

New Year, NEW STUFF!!

Calendar Paper and Ideas

Accordion Book Tutorial, Wedding/Anniversary

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