Category: Picket Fence Blending Brushes

Handmade Papers Demo

3/15/2019

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

0 Comments

Tuesday with Wendy, February 19th

2/22/2019

0 Comments

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

0 Comments

Tuesday with Wendy, February 5th

2/5/2019

0 Comments

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

0 Comments

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

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!!