Category: Texture

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

Tuesday with Wendy, February 5th

2/5/2019

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

Embossing Folders, New Ideas!!

2/4/2019

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 :-)
360-647-9663

Glitter and Metallic Papers

8/28/2018

It is really fun to use a bit of metallic or glitter paper in your card making or gift wrapping... heck, a little bit of bling can really bring ANYTHING to the next level!!

There are so many WONDERFUL Glitter and metallic papers here at the store...

My personal FAVORITE way to use the glitter and metallic papers is for Gifts!!

You can use the Handmade Glittery papers for wrapping boxes because the paper is light weight and wraps around the packages without creasing.
You can use the double-sided shimmer papers to create small boxes!! The little boxes are actually pretty sturdy! I used a score board to create a nice, crisp box that holds up over time!!

Another fun way to use the metallic papers is with die-cuts! I like to pick an image that make look good if it was cut out in something that looks like metal.. Here I used the Pewter Mirri Card paper and this Watering Can die-cut from Sizzix

We paired The die-cut with this beautiful floral paper and this *PERFECT* stamp that says, "I wet my plants" ... aw I LOVE IT!!

This Scribble Circles die-cut from Impression Obsession is great for creating a focal point on a card.. I cut out the circles in Gold Mirri Card and Red Mirri Card and stamped this sentiment from the new Hero Arts set, Home for the Holidays

I LOVE THIS IDEA!! You can take any shimmer or metallic paper and run it through a Home Die-Cut Machine and emboss it...

This effect is so fantastic! Just a piece of Silver Mirri Card paper with the Diamond Plate Embossing Folder from Darice makes this STUNNING effect! It looks like *real* diamond plate!!!

You can also make an asian-inspired card using this Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Mary Anne and this fantastic die-cut from Amy Design, Happy Buddha

I love the combination of the Red Mirri Card for the image and the Gold Shimmer paper for the background .. it embosses so beautfully!!

One of our regular customers, Diana Ramsey, played with Alcohol Inks on Silver Mirri Card paper.. you HAVE TO STOP BY the store to see this in person!! This effect is just FANTASTIC!!

Diana used the Sharpie White Paint Pen to create the flowers and a Black Glaze Pen to add the dots in the center

This Nesting Teacups set from Hero Arts is perfect for making a tea-inspired card!!! I cut the tea cups out of Silver Mirri Card so they look more realistic!!

Wendy has shown this technique before, and it is REALLY easy to create.. just die-cut a solid image and tuck a piece of the Handmade Glitter Paper behind the image to bring it to life!!! We used this Memory Box die-cut, Tisdale Snowflake Collage

This is a new Wing Set from Stampendous is really sweet.. and there are SO MANY wing shapes!!!

I cut out the wings in the Silver Mirri-Card and used the same die-cut to cut out the other side so they match!!

There is SO MUCH you can do with Mirri Card and Glitter Papers.. stop by to get inspired 7 days a week!!

Tuesday with Wendy, June 5th

6/8/2018

We had a fun time at Card Class this week!!!

Wendy used ALL NEW stamps from Impression Obsession to design the cards! We LOVE each of them so much..

The first card in the series was done using this new image, Seagull Shadows

Wendy decided to use 2 different Textured Papers to use as the background..

This paper is from Echo Park, A Perfect Autumn

This is paper from Ella and Viv, Oxide 1

To make the card:

Cut a piece of black card stock to measure 4" x 5 1/4"
Cut a strip of the Woodgrain paper (it will measure 1" x 5 1/8" ) and tape it on the top
Cut a piece of the Oxide paper (it will measure 2 3/4" x 5 1/8") and tape it on the bottom, lining up the edges of the 2 papers so they look cohesive.
Stamp the Seagull Shadows stamp in Pinecone Versafine Clair ink and emboss with Clear Bark Embossing Powder
Finish off the card with a bit of twine by wrapping it around the front of the card on the left side only and tying it with a knot

What a fun and easy card! The coolest part about this technique is that the color appears black even though it is just the dark brown ink (Pinecone) and the dark brown embossing powder (Clear Bark)

This next card was made using another new stamp from Impression Obsession, Lions

This card is SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

To make this card:

Start with a piece of Solar White card stock cut down to 4 3/4" x 3 1/4"
Stamp the image with Black Versafine Onyx Black ink and emboss with Detail Black embossing powder

**HINT: if you have a piece of cardboard, you can place it under your blue craft mat and THEN stamp the image. This gives your stamp much more cushion and is ideal for stamping the solid Silhouette stamps

Use the Nuvo Blending Sponges to apply the Distress Inks to create the sunset. Wendy used Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Festive Berries, and Wilted Violet
Start with the yellow and work your way up as you apply the darker colors

Isn't this card STUNNING?!?! Such a simple technique with a BIG appearance!!

This last card in the series was just a soft and sentimental card... Wendy used the Peaceful Ocean stamp and the Sun will Rise stamp

To make this card:

Stamp the Peaceful Ocean image onto Solar White card stock using the Pinecone Versafine Clair ink and emboss with Detail Clear embossing powder
Using Nuvo Blending Sponges, apply the Versafine Clair ink (Warm Breeze), and 2 colors of the Distress Inks (Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade) to the background of the image to create a soft Sunrise
Layer the stamped image with a bit of textured ribbon and mount it on a soft blue piece of card stock
Cut a strip of orange Marbled Paper (this is a piece of Handmade paper) and cut it in half. Put half the paper above the image and the other half below the image
Stamp the sentiment in Pinecone Versafine Clair ink, fussy-cut the sentiment, and layer on dark brown card stock and fussy cut around the outside to give the sentiment a bit of a shadow
Finish off the card with a bit of thin blue ribbon and tie it on the left side of the card in front