Category: Stencil Paste

Tuesday with Wendy, April 16th

4/19/2019

Cards from Wendy's card making class this week were SO FUN it was really hard to choose a favorite!!!

I mean, just LOOK how wonderful!!

The first card that Wendy designed was inspired from this stamp set from Stamper's Anonymous, Funny Farm, as well as these 2 new stencils from Tim Holtz, Gradient Hexagons Layering stencil and the Gradient Squares Layering Stencil

To make the card:

Start out with 2 cut-down pieces of Solar White card stock.
On each piece of white card stock, apply a soft layer of Distress Inks using the Picket Fence Blending Brushes. Start with Mustard Seed, then Twisted Citrone, and finally Broken China. Remember to apply a VERY soft layer...
Next overlay one of the new Tim Holtz stencils on the papers and apply a darker coat of the Broken China and Twisted Citrone.. you will end up with BEAUTIFUL tone-on-tone designs across both pieces of paper.
Next, use your Tim Holtz stamp platform to stamp the farm animals and their words on the back side of ONE of your stenciled papers. Wendy used Versafine Clair, Nocturne ink.
On the other stenciled paper, die-cut the holes. Wendy created a nice guide for cutting out the circles.. She used the Hero Arts nesting circles and cut out the paper in 4 areas with 4 sizes of circles. The holes she cut out line up PERFECTLY to allow you to see the animals peeking through the holes!!
I LOVE how clever this hinge is!!! To make the 2 pieces of paper fold like a card, she took 2 of the larger circles she cut out and adhered them to the 2 pieces of paper so one half of the circle is on the front of the card and the back half of the circle is on the back of the card...
The 2 leftover circles Wendy cut apart to add interest to the INSIDE of the card!! HOW FUN!

This is card is SO, SO, CUTE!!!!

The next card that Wendy created was inspired from this STUNNING Seahorse stamp from Indigo Blue as well as this Tim Holtz Stencil, Gradient Circles Layering Stencil and the Round Sponge Stamp from Fred Mullett

To make the card:

Start with a piece of light blue card stock. On the front of the card, use the clear, Versamark Ink to stamp the Round Sponge stamp image across the paper.
Next, use the Versafine Clair ink, Twilight, to stamp the Seahorse image 3 times on the front of the card, it is ok if the seahorse images overlap the sponge images you just stamped.
Now, apply Detail Clear embossing powder to the ENTIRE card front, shake off the excess, and heat-set using a heat-gun.
Then, use the ALL NEW Dream Drops from Nuvo (Wendy used the green ones, Dragon Scales) and apply small drops along the edge of the Round Sponge images.
Next, take the Tim Holtz Stencil, Gradient Circles and lay it around the edge of the card. Apply a small amount of Nuvo Expanding Mouse, Boatyard Blue using the new Silicone Media Spatulas. Heat-set the image using your Heat-gun and watch as the Expanding Mousse expands and raises with the heat!!!

The last card that Wendy designed was inspired by this ADORABLE Llama stamp set from Creative Expressions!!

To make the card:

Start out with a coral-colored card base. Use the Nesting Oval die cuts from Hero Arts to cut out 2 sizes of ovals, one larger one out of Dark Coral card stock and one out of Ice Gold Stardream card stock that is a little bit smaller. Adhere the 2 ovals together using double-sided tape.
Stamp the Llama image with Versafine Onyx Black ink onto the Ice Gold card stock. Use Detail Clear embossing powder and heat-set the image.
Use Tombow Markers and a Waterbrush to colorize the Llama image.
Use one of the filagree stamps to stamp a fun flower filagree in each corner of the front of the card base. Use Tombow markers and the Waterbrush to also colorize the little flowers
Use pop-dots to adhere the oval to the front of the card base, centering it between all the filagree stamp images you did in the corners.
Finish off the card by applying a few drops of Copper Crystal Drops to the crown of the Llama!

I LOVE how sweet this card is!! The added embellishment on the Llama crown is so sweet..

Card making class is SO MUCH FUN to attend!!

The next card making class will be offered on Tuesday, May 7th.. you need to sign up by the SATURDAY before class to reserve your spot!!

360-647-9663

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New Tonic and Nuvo products!!

4/12/2019

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We JUST GOT IN so many new things from Tonic and Nuvo!!!!

NEW TOOLS!
NEW MOUSSE!
NEW DROPS!
NEW DIE-CUTS!
NEW GEMS AND GLITTER!!!

...can you tell I'm excited?!?!?!?

Ok, ok... It is all SO AMAZING I will start from the beginning!!!

For those of us who craft ALL THE TIME there are some tools that we use regularly.. and we have FALLEN IN LOVE with these newest tools from Tonic!!

NEW Silicone Media Spatulas!!

Silicone is super easy to clean AND works with a variety of mediums.. from Mousse to Acrylic Paint to Resin... these Silicone Media Spatulas are a MUST HAVE in the craft room... I use mine ALL THE TIME and I am over the moon at the design

Specifically, they work great with the NEW Expanding Mousse!!

We also got in these SUPER SOFT and wonderful Stencil Brushes!!! Great for getting in-between all the intricate lines of your stencils... They come in a pack of 4 brushes. We haven't had a chance to play with them yet but we are EXCITED TO!!

We also got in... MORE EXPANDING MOUSSE!!!

Nuvo Expanding Mousse is a kind of Stencil Paste, but when it is wet you can use your Heat-Gun to heat-set it and when you do it PUFFS UP and looks really cool!!!

Just look how the Mousse puffs up when heated with the Heat-Gun!!

AND AND AND

Check out the NEW MIDAS TOUCH Shimmer Pen!!!!

If you are like us, you probably already own the Aqua Shimmer Pen (it is iridescent, great for watercoloring techniques and SHIMMERY!) but now they have come out with a GOLD VERSION!!!

The Midas Touch Shimmer Pen has a gold hue to it, and in my personal opinion, makes it appear SUPER SHIMMERY!!

Just look at the comparison...

We got in all 6 colors of the Dream Drops and I can tell you... Bekah owns all 6 colors now!!! And I own 3!!

THEY ARE SO MAGICAL and AMAZING!!!

If you LOVE the Nuvo Crystal Drops you will be EXCITED TO HEAR we now have:

Vintage Drops
Stone Drops
Dream Drops

YES they are ALSO SELF-LEVELING as well as iridescent!!

CHECK OUT THIS IDEA!!

You can use your Dream Drops (or any Crystal Drops for that matter) as a STENCIL PASTE!!!!

Here's how:

Apply a small amount of Dream Drops to your Silicone Media Spatula
Use a stencil on a sheet of paper (or the hole left-over after a die-cut works too...)
Smear the Silicone Media Spatula over the stencil and then lift it off and CLEAN IMMEDIATELY (otherwise the medium will bond to the stencil)
Look in Aw at how STUNNING the image is!!!! And how cool is this... ANY Crystal or Dream Drops can quickly become a stencil paste... what a fantastic concept.

I LOVE the iridescent effect!!!

I paired this background I created with the ALL NEW Sentiment die-cuts from Tonic!!!

I decided I wanted to create a soft-background so I cut my die-cut out of 2 shades of white... a metallic card stock (Stardream, Ice Gold) and a matte white card stock (Solar White, Smooth)

JUST LOOK how magical this card is!!

Ok, ok... Now it's time for MY FAVORITE!!!!!

NEW Gems and Glitter!!!!!!!!

Star-shaped glitter is AMAZING for shaker cards, as an embellishment, or to have just because it is amazing!!

The GEMS are flat-backed and include 3 sizes of gems in each container... JUST LOOK HOW MAGICAL!!!

I loved this idea... stamping an image and doing some watercolor. Then framing the image with the purple gems.

I use The Ultimate Glue to adhere my gems to my paper... and the shape/color/sizes make for a WONDERFUL embellishment with this Laurel Burch image, Mermaid Flow

There is SO MUCH to love here at the store these days... stop by so we can show you JUST HOW WONDERFUL!!!

See you soon!!
360-647-9663

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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

Altered Books

11/16/2018

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What beautiful and clever ideas, Bekah!!

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

Liquid Gold Leaf

10/26/2018

We recently brought in Liquid Gold Leaf... which is an AMAZING product!!!

If you are familiar with traditional Gold Leaf (or Composition Metal), you may know that it comes in Leaf form and is VERY light-weight and soft.. it sticks to anything that is sticky and leaves a really stunning effect...

.. But Liquid Gold Leaf (or rather, Liquid Leaf as it also comes in Silver) is DIFFERENT because you can actually paint it on!!

Liquid Leaf comes in 4 wonderful colors... Classic Gold, Brass, Florentine Gold, and Silver

To work with Liquid Leaf:

Start out by SHAKING the bottle very well, you can also stir the Liquid Leaf with a disposable skewer
Use Synthetic Brushes such as the Nuvo Brush Set (you can use Rubbing Alcohol to clean the brushes when you are done)
Paint like normal onto card stock, glass, metal, clay and MORE!!!!

Just LOOK how vibrant the color is!!! You can even do Brush Lettering on all sorts of papers.. like this Matte Dura-Lar!!

Check out how cool this splatter effect is on the Matte Dura-Lar!! It is slightly embossed and is just as vibrant as traditional Gold Leaf

Write on black card stock to create a REALLY stunning effect!!

You can also use Light Molding Paste with a stencil... here I used the Olive Branch Stencil from Echo Park

Apply the paste with a palette knife and, once the paste has FULLY DRIED, brush on Classic Gold Liquid Leaf across the paper so that the entire image is coated with the metallic paint

We have also been playing around with the new Apoxie Clay! This clay bonds HARD AS A ROCK in just 24 hours and requires no heat.

While working with the clay, I made and shaped my own lock and put it on an old Altoid tin... I used the Brass Liquid Leaf to colorize the lock and I LOVE the results! Or check out this Harry Potter style wand with droplets of Brass Liquid Leaf throughout...

Check out this idea...

Take a plain tile and use the 2-part resin mix to float Alcohol Inks on the surface THEN drip on a little bit of the Liquid Leaf and watch as the colors move and flow together...

It has such a BEAUTIFUL appearance!!