Friday, October 31, 2008

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I hope you're all having a frightfully good day :)

I have a special piece of art to share today. I have been saving it for just this occasion.

I was honored to be the lucky recipient of one of Tim Holtz's demo projects from Summer CHA!

It is made with my favorite ink colors, the Ink Blending Tool, my fav. new stamp set and fav. new mask all made by the man himself right there in front of me!!

Doesn't get much better than that at least in my book!

Here you go...Enjoy!!

Tim's Halloween Tag 003

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

More Halloween Fun!

I have another Halloween themed project I want to share with you today...a couple actually :) Both of these items are made using a variety of Ranger products (of course) one focuses on Adirondack Color Wash - Terra Cotta while the other is all about my love of Glossy Accents!

Here you go....

Happy Haunting Slide Mailer -

Supplies:

Slide Mailer - Hannah Grey

Adirondack Color Wash - Terra Cotta - Ranger

Distress Ink - Ranger

Embossing Ink & Black Embossing Powder - Ranger

Archival Ink - Ranger

Halloween themed stamps - TAC

Tiny Alpha - Making Memories (the magnetic alpha)

Leaves - Prima

Embellishments & Computer Generated Images

Slide Mailer - Happy Haunting - cover

(inside)

Slide Mailer - Happy Haunting - inside

Boo Halloween Door Hanger

Supplies:

Wood Door Hanger - Michaels

Halloween Images - DCWV

Charms - Karen Foster

Glossy Accents - Ranger

Rub-Ons - Autumn Leaves

halloween door hanger A

(back)

halloween door hanger B

So, anyone have any fun Halloween plans?

I'm thinkin I'd like to watch the Ghost Hunters Live show if I can talk dh into it.

(we have 1 tv and he doesn't get into TAPS like I do)

I know...not as fun as a party or anything but that's about as exciting as it gets here ;) LOL!!

B-day Winner!!

The winner of the b-day goodies

with the birthday of

September 1st

(by selection of Random.org)

poster #20....

Paul B!!!!!!!!!!

Paul B said...
Happy Birthday Roni & here's to many many more!!!I'm September the first which meant I was the oldest kid in the school year, in fact in my last year of Primary, I was the oldest child in the school!Px
October 27, 2008 5:16 AM

Congratulations Paul!!

Please send me your snail mail addy so I can get your goodie bag in the mail.

Thanks everyone for sharing your birthday and mine!!

Happy Birthday to us All!!!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Friends Altered Halloween Word

Here is a fun little project I made for a "friend" who is into Halloween...

Halloween Friends Plaque

Each letter has been altered in some way to represent Halloween.
The F & S were covered in vintage Halloween papers;
R is a mummy wrapped in cheese cloth with 2 wiggly eyes;
I is a not so scary witch;
E is a ghost;
N is a pumpkin with a little black cat standing guard;
and
D was glittered up and embellished with a glow in the dark skeleton!

Paper Arts Winner!!!

Sorry about the delay in announcing the winner of the Paper Arts gift certificate.

The winner ~

chosen by the owner of Paper Arts .com.....

is.....

Erin Glee!!

Congratulations Erin!

I hope you enjoy your winnings!

Thanks So Much...

For all of the wonderful posts and e-mails for my Birthday :)

I really appreciate it ~ you've helped to make it a wonderful 41st b-day...

I especially laughed at the 29 comment ;) If only - LOL!!

Seriously, I think age is what you make of it...you're only as old as you act/feel.

(((((((((HUGS))))))))) to you all!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Tomorrow's my B-day!

Woo Hoo!!
It's my B-day and I'm throwing a party!!
Yep, I'm going to have a B-day Give-A-Way!
What do you have to do to enter?

Just tell me when you were born :)
Don't worry, just the date & month ~ not the year unless you want to - LOL!!
What will you win?
Hmmmm, let's see...I have a bag full of fun stuff ~ Blanks for Cards, ATC's, Tags... Maybe a rubber stamp or two and embellishments to top it off. Just a nice bag full of goodies for one lucky friend!
You'll have until 12a.m. to post and I'll pull out the lucky winner on Tuesday a.m. :)
Good Luck Everyone!!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Typewriter Poll...

WOW, looks like the overwhelming majority of people feel I should leave it as is and use it....

So, that's what I'm going to do :)

My youngest son is very pleased about it because he really liked it and thought it was a pretty cool typewriter ~ he'd never seen one!! Kids these days (tee hee hee...sounds like my parents!).

SO, it's gained a stay of execution and will live out it's life in my scrapbook room looking cool and typing whatever I might need. Next ? is finding out a bit more about it so I can buy a ribbon or two.

Next order of business...the Paper Arts gift cert. winner... I'm going to get with C from PA's and see who the winner is :) I'll let you know as soon as I find out!

Did you all have a great Saturday so far? I sure hope so ~ it's cold and blustery here today...a perfect day to stay in, cover up with a blankie and read a good book or watch a nice movie. Going to go do that right now!

Have a Cup of Joe?

I have some cards and ATC's that I made recently dedicated to most peoples drink of choice...
Coffee!!!

I say most peoples because there are some people like me who never acquired the taste for coffee - LOL!! I know I know...I hear it all the time from my family. My uncle says I must be adopted because I don't like it. ;) Sorry...love the smell but can't stomach the taste. NOW, I will make an exception if you doctor up some of that International Coffee or some of the toffee flavor coffee by making it with milk instead of water ~ that's pretty good ~ full of sugar but still pretty tasty!

Anyway...here you go ~
all made with Ranger Distress Inks; Archival (coffee) and Stickles.

Coffee - PF - Sept001

Coffee - PF - Sept006

Coffee - PF - Sept007

Coffee - PF - Sept009

Coffee - PF - Sept010

Coffee - PF - Sept017

Hope you're all having a great weekend....

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Autumn Accordion Album Piece

Hi all!

I wanted to share one of the projects Ranger took to Summer CHA a few months ago...it's my Autumn Accordion Album made using Adirondack Color Wash; Embossing Powders; Distress Inks; Acrylic Paint Dabbers and more!!

Hope you enjoy!!

Summer CHA 08021

Summer CHA 08018

Summer CHA 08019

Summer CHA 08020

Hope you've all had a great week so far!

Remember -

You've only got a couple days left to enter the Paper Arts $25.00 Gift Certificate Give-A-Way!!

You can't win if you don't enter :)

Have a wonderful evening guys!!

Broke 300 Today!!

Wooo Hoooo!!!

Ink Stains broke the 300 mark today on Stamping Top 50!!

I know that sounds ridiculously high BUT I think it's pretty darn cool since I started out at 780 something when I joined! I'm just so tickled ~ it's all because of you guys :)

So, THANK YOU!!!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Clear Stamps - Photo Polymer; Acrylic; Vinyl, ?!?!?!

Sheryl asked a very good question. She mentioned that clear stamps are called so many different names and wanted to know if they were the same and/or interchangeable.

The answer to this question is no, not all clear stamps are made the same! There are some real differences in them and I'll try to (ahem) "Clear" up some of the confusion ;P Sorry, I know it's really a bad joke but I couldn't resist!

Acrylic Stamps - This is the universal term used to describe all clear stamps.

Photopolymer or Polymer Stamps - The most common clear stamps available on the market. This is the high quality material used by most manufactures. It is specifically designed for this purpose and holds it's shape just like a red rubber stamp and they last just as long as rubber stamps. Only photopolymer has the microscopic porosity, developed for the printing industry, necessary for excellent ink transfer. These types of stamps are also naturally sticky which is why they work so well on the acrylic blocks.

Vinyl & Silicon Stamps - This is a cheap version of a Polymer Stamp. The vinyl/silicon material used doesn't hold it's shape as well. They almost feel like jelly and are easily compressed or loose their shape. These are the stamps that are easily smooshed making a blurry impression if too much pressure is applied. The silicon and vinyl materials have a non-porous, slick surface, which has difficulty in even ink transfer. Also vinyl and silicon stamps tend to loose their stickyness after time because the material used just wasn't designed for this purpose. I actually have a few stamps like this but I just figured it was because they were dusty...I just dampen the acrylic block a bit (not too wet - the stamp will skid right off the block if you do!) and the stamp sticks fine. Vinyl and silicon stamps break down fairly quickly and will not last as long as the Photopolymer or Red Rubber stamps do.

IMPORTANT Health Issue....Genuine photopolymer clear stamps are latex free and contain no phthalates or other know harmful ingredients. The manufacturing process uses biodegradable materials that are not harmful to the environment.

Hope this information helps!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Clear Stamps vs. Rubber Stamps - Ink Test

Hey all!

As a follow up to the post about Clear Stamps I wanted to share a side by side comparison of just exactly how each stamp works with various types of ink. Below are the results. I'm not going to tell you which stamp is clear and which stamp is rubber until the end. I want you to look at it with an objective eye first.

I will however tell you that BOTH stamps are from well known long established stamp companies and I did nothing different when I stamped each piece. Both were inked and stamped....no special care taken with either.

On to the examples!!

Distress Ink - Broken China

Clear vs. Rubber011

Distress Ink - Dusty Concord

Clear vs. Rubber012

Colorbox Chalk Ink

(oops...didn't get the one stamp too clean before I used this ink!)

Clear vs. Rubber003

Nick Bantock Dye Ink

Clear vs. Rubber004

Brilliance Ink

Clear vs. Rubber002

Ranger Adirondack Dye Ink

Clear vs. Rubber009

Ranger Adirondack Pigment Ink

Clear vs. Rubber008

Archival Ink - Ranger

Clear vs. Rubber010

Stampabilities - Metallic Gold Pigment Ink

Clear vs. Rubber005

Ancient Page

Clear vs. Rubber001

So, there you have it...side by side examples using many different types of ink.

As you know I normally don't comment on results of these types of comparisons.

I like to let you decide for yourself on what you see.

Now that you've seen the examples any guesses on which is which?

Yes - No?

Well...

here

you

go...


Left = Inkadinkado Clear Stamp


Right = Hero Arts Red Rubber Stamp


Opinions? Thoughts? Comments?

Please let us know what you think!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Paper Arts

Today's featured retailer is PaperArts.com. An awesome on-line store that offers an amazing variety of papers for a very reasonable price.

I talked to the owner of Paper Arts, C Grey, about her incredible site and decided I had to share this gem with everyone!!

I asked how she got started and it was rather an amusing story...."When the local paper store was closing down, I thought about opening a store and woke from a dream with the idea to purchase the phone number from the existing business. A deal was struck for the phone number and I had customers the first day my doors were open." Talk about a dream come true!!

You will not believe the collection of papers offered here. Stocking over 2,000 - yes that is two THOUSAND different handmade, decorative and fine arts paper. The paper sizes range from 8x10 all the way up to 28x40" sheets. For your convenience they do offer 3x6" swatches of all of their paper each labeled with the paper name and item number. An excellent tool for color matching before purchasing the whole sheet.

When we were talking, C shared this fun bit of trivia about paper making with me....Papermaking was invented in the Orient about two thousand years ago and the basic steps remain much the same. Raw material, such as Abaca found in the stock of Banana trees, or bits of Cotton rag are beaten to a pulp and suspended in a vat of water. Then the mould, a fine mesh in a frame, is dipped in the vat. When lifted, the mould holds a layer of matted fibers creating a sheet of paper with a deckled edge. Wet sheets are stacked between felts and pressed to remove excess water, then dried. Today's handmade paper combines Old World craftsmanship with Modern Technology.

I asked C where she found all of her sources and amazingly enough she has contacts in 18 countries and usually deals directly with the manufactures both large and small. I found that very interesting because she went on to tell me about various factors that you never think about when you purchase papers like this. She was explaining how she has lost several paper vendors in the past year due to natural disasters such as Tsunamis, Typhoons and the fear of civil unrest in our ever changing world.

Here are just a few of her experiences in the world market:

*The price of gas in Nepal is $8.00 dollars a gallon and electric service is intermittent.

*The Lokta paper is made up in the Mountains and brought down on the backs of donkeys to market.

*One of the major paper mills in the Philippines was destroyed in a fire.

*When the Tsunamis struck Thailand it not only destroyed the paper mills, the water removed all the plants that the paper was made from.

*The women's co-op in Africa is not making paper at this time, due the treats of kidnapping.

*A Typhoon in Japan reached a paper mill specializing in Washi paper. The handmade wooden blocks used to print the paper were damaged beyond repair and are too costly to replace.

*There is a woman who makes cattail paper from the marsh located behind her house!

So many fun stories!

After spending some time browsing the site I asked her what was her favorite papers and why.

"Gampi paper has a wonderful surface and is great for collage, alternative photography and printmaking. Good quality Gampi paper is hard to make and even harder to find with the family owned paper mills closing down in Japan.

Marbled Metallic Paper from Thailand is very exciting to use as every sheet is unique with a wrinkled surface that is very forgiving and the designs are hand created. This paper is excellent for book arts, collage and lampshades as it is strong and translates light very well."

Now, I don't think if it were me I would be able to choose just one or two. I'm thinkin' I'd have trouble just narrowing it down to 8 or 10 - LOL!!! (I'm going to tell you about some of my fav's in a minute.)

A bit about the store it's self...Paper Arts ships to the USA, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii and also Canada. The reason for this is once you leave these areas it's not possible to track shipments making it impossible to ensure that your package arrives safely. There are no minimum orders. C & Paper Arts understands you may only require a few paper art supplies at a time and want you to be able to order exactly what you need. C would love to talk with you about your project or answer any paper questions, it's how we stay connected with trends and our customers needs. You may shop for papers using one of 2 methods....alphabetical or by color (simply click on one of the color boxes under the main menu).

Oh and I almost forgot...Paper Arts offers up loads of other cool items you might need....Stationary & Vellum; Ribbon & String; Embellishments and so much more!!!

Now, like I mentioned earlier...I just could NOT just pick one or two favorites so here are a FEW of my fav's....

*Ancient Tablet Paper in Copper/Black #1533 - OH MY!!! This stuff is so cool...it is a very rough, textured paper! LOVE the color.

*Bark Amate Paper - Dark Purple #1014 - O.k....the photos of this stuff just does NOT do it justice. The pattern you see in the photos is much more evident in person. I used purple as the example but all of this stuff is great! BEAUTIFUL colors.

*Bark Fiber Sheets #2035 - OMG ~ this is way cool...it's like a sheet of very thick cheese cloth that once it is wet can be stretched and molded for various applications. I'm going to dye some with my reinkers!!

*Bark Woven Amate Paper #1866 - another way cool paper. When they say woven they really mean it! It's got a very defined weave to it that is awesome! You just have to see it to kwim. I can think of loads of fun stuff to use this on!

*Cavallini Paper #1953 - Paris Postcards - this stuff rocks...it's actually 28 Paris themed post cards! You can cut them up and use them for cards, ATC's; collage, etc. Or you could leave it whole and use it. Talk about a bargain...

Well, see, I'm only up to the C's and I've already got 5 favorites ;) I tell you, you're absolutely going to LOVE this place!!

Now, it's your turn!

YES ~ another GREAT give-a-way!!!

Tell me what your favorite or favoriteS are...(be sure to include the item # so we can use the search option to check em all out).

You'll be entered to win a $25.00 gift certificate from Paper Arts so you can buy that favorite paper or whatever else your heart desires.
You have until October 25th to post your comment!!

So come on people...tell me what you like!

and remember....

You can't win if you don't post!

Templates -

Not sure if anyone has noticed and I forgot to mention it when I added the button. If you scroll down the page on the right hand side you will see a button that has a little dude with Free Templates. You simply must check this guy out! Dan the Template Man (least that's how I think of him).

He offers up a new set of templates each week for a variety of items. This week it is Christmas Ornaments. New templates come out on Saturday and are up for just 1 week so if you see something you want, grab it when you see it because when Saturday rolls around it will be gone!

The templates are offered up in 3 styles, a printable version, some program that you can print it off your Cricut or one for Craft Robo cutters.

He also shares his cool creations on the blog as well. So, if you haven't stopped in and checked it out you really should :)

Saturday, October 18, 2008

New Rule on Give-a-Ways....

I wanted to take a second and post a little something about the Give-A-Ways. I have had a couple people who won goodies never contact me after they have won. :( Needless to say I've had one set of stamps sitting here forever and another set at a rubber stamp retailer waiting for a new home for quite a while.



My new rule...you have to contact me within 7 days of your name being drawn or I'll pull a different winner from the hat. No sense in these things just laying around homeless now is there!



On that note I have 2 new winners who need to send me their addy's :)



The NEW winner of the Paper Artsy stamp set is....



ANDI!!




Andi (RrlScrapGal) said...
I love my "nature' sets from the Urban Snapshots collection!!! They are awesome!All the new ones are so darn cute!!! Love those ATC sized stamps - especially the squigly arches! Adorable!And those Christmas doodle ones? Oh man...
September 30, 2008 12:03 PM



AND




The new winner of the Alluring Impressions Pin UP Girls is.....



LIZA!!!!




Liza said...
I Simply love the Pinup Girls! They are all simply devine!!! These are Perfect for ATCs!!!! Luv Luv Them all!!
August 4, 2008 1:19 AM



Please contact me with your snail mail addies asap so I can get these out to you :)



Congrats Ladies!

We'll be having another fun new company feature tomorrow...not stamps but fun stuff none the less!!

Be sure to check back in then!

Crafty Secrets WINNER!!

Hey there everyone!

Sorry it's so late...went to the convention today and was somewhat unimpressed... There were a couple of really cool stamp companies ~ Stampland and Starving Artistamps. I bought a few stamps from each of them. The rest were pretty cutesy or expensive ~ 8.00 for a single um stamp is crazy when I can buy a whole sheet for that on line. Most of the "extras" were expensive as well...again, I can buy it cheaper on line. LOADS of women pushing and shoving to get what they wanted though... I gave up and went to Hobby Lobby - LOL!!
I was very excited ~ I stopped at the local Salvation Army store and found lots of old plaques that I'm going to use in my book. I am trying to find a company that will contribute canvas products (stretched & boards) that I can use but nobody seems to be interested. I was a bit disappointed at the prices of them. Pretty expensive....anyone know where to get bulk canvas cheap?

Now, enough rambling...on to the winner :)
The winner of the
Crafty Secrets
Bird Stamp Set & Journal/Image Booklet
is.....
(chosen by Random.org)
PHREE!!!!
Congrats Chickie!!
Please send me your snail mail addy and I'll get this out to you ASAP!

Rubber vs. Clear Acrylic Stamps

I'm a member on several rubber stamping/craft groups. Recently on 2-3 of these groups I've noticed that there have been discussions about how difficult clear stamps are to use and how much people don't care for them. It's amazing how many rubber people have never even tried clear stamps but profess to "hating" them.... Many more people tried clear stamps many years ago and had 1 bad experience. They too refuse to use them. I was extremely surprised to say the least!

SO, I want to set the record straight with my own personal experiences on clear stamps....

*One complaint I read was that clear stamps get hard, turn yellow, or loose their stick after a while.

This in part has to do do with the manufacturing process. Clear stamps USED to turn yellow. This yellowing doesn't effect the stamp or final image but people think that there is something wrong with it. Recent advancements in resins have taken care of this problem for the most part.

There is some validity to the fact that some stamps loose their tack - please read....

"There are some imported stamps being made for the clear stamp market from silicon and vinyl compounds. While these stamps look great and are very clear, they have some problems. The compounds being used are not meant to transfer ink. They lack the porous surface structure of rubber or photopolymer stamps, which provide even ink transfer. You can improve their ink transfer by conditioning the surface with a nail file or eraser to rough up the smoothness. This simulates the porous surface and helps transfer ink.

There are also complaints that the imported stamps lose their tack and stop sticking. The silicon and vinyl materials are not sticky, so washing the surface doesn’t help. Photopolymer stamps are naturally sticky and should regain their tack with normal cleaning."

(now, personally I've never filed a clear stamp in my life....I'm not sure what mfg's buy their stamps over seas but if I've got some they work just as well as the others so far.)

*Another complaint of clear stamps is that they won't pick up ink?!?!?

First, all new clear stamps have residue on them from the mfg. process. You cannot expect a stamp right out of the package to make the first impression perfectly. You have to either wash the stamp off or stamp it off on scrap paper to remove this residue. Many people don't realize and/or do this. Therefore, the first impression isn't what they had hoped it would be. Clean your stamps BEFORE using! It will save lots of headaches!!

Now, I have never had any trouble with stamps not making proper images no matter what ink I used. Yes, the Distress Inks make lighter images but they are light with the rubber stamps as well. I use (all Ranger) Archival Inks; Dye Inks, Pigment Inks, Embossing Inks, Distress Inks and even Acrylic Paint without problem. If I get a bad image it's operator error. Either I didn't ink it up enough or I pressed the stamp down unevenly (because sometimes I hurry!).

*The next complaint was that clear stamps don't last.

Well, that is another mystery....I have been buying clear stamps for several years now (almost since they came out) and still own every single set I have ever purchased. None of them have deteriorated in any way shape or form. Yes, a few of them have yellowed but those are the very first ones I bought...they still stamp just fine. I buy stamps from all sorts of clear stamp mfg. including Fancy Pants, Autumn Leaves, Wildflower Stamps, Technique Tuesday, Fontwerks, Creative Imagainations; Crafty Secrets; etc. and they are all going strong!

*Several people mentioned that they can't get "clear" images from clear stamps...they seem blurred.

Pure and simple, this is operator error, this is not the stamps fault. Most people who are used to rubber stamps smoosh those babies down like they were killin' a bug. If you apply the same pressure to a clear stamp you are going to get the stamp impression plus half the stamp wall as well. You do NOT need to press down that hard to get a great image......we're making stamp impressions, not paninis. Gentle pressure is all that is needed...we're going for the peaceful method of stamping....kiss, don't kill your stamps. (ha, that's pretty good...I just made that up - LOL!!!)

I hope this has answered some of the questions people have about using clear stamps.

Also, please don't get me wrong...I love my rubber stamps too! I love ALL of my stamps equally and seeing how I have about 50% rubber and 50% clear stamps I am an equal opportunity stamper :)

Next week I plan on sharing side by side comparisons of the various ink types I mentioned so you can see with your own eyes that clear stamps really do work just as well as rubber stamps.
Have a great day friends!!
Go Get Inky!!!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Crafty Secrets - Glamour Girls!

More fun stuff to share with you from Crafty Secrets! Today I want to share with you a few creations I made using the Glamour Girls set. This is the newest large set that Crafty Secrets offers. It has 21 art deco inspired stamps that range from 1/4"(flower) up to approx 4 1/2" (fashionable lady on the right) in size. I also used a few pieces from the Girlfriends Images & Journal Notes Booklet. Fun Stuff!!

Here you go....

Girlfriends005

Girlfriends003

Girlfriends001

Girlfriends006

Hope you've enjoyed all these fun examples!

Well, tomorrow I'm off to our only rubber stamp convention in the area.

It's small but it's better than nothing :)

Can't wait!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

I'll pull the winner of the Crafty Secrets Stamp/Image Booklet tomorrow afternoon when I get home!

Good Luck Everyone!!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Support the Girls - Crafty Secrets!

Today I have a couple of fun little projects I made using another favorite Crafty Secrets stamp set....Support the Girls! A fun play on words and great "support" for all of our friends!

"Hot Flash"

Background - Wrinkle Free Distress Technique & Collage Word Stamp from the set

Support001

"A Good Friend..."

Support004

"Thanks for the support!"

Love those sexy undies!!

Support003

See why it's one of my favorite sets!

These were just fun quick little examples, you could do so much with this set and bring a smile to all of your girlfriends faces!

Hope you're all having a great week!!

It's Official!

Well, all of the paper work is done and I can share a bit about what's been going on for the last few weeks..... I AM WRITING A BOOK!!!! This is why my posting has been a bit sporadic and will probably continue to for the next few months.

Can't give you all of the details but I can tell you it's a technique oriented book focusing on collage & altered arts :) I'm very excited because it's basically an extension of what I do here on my blog.

So I hope you'll all understand when I miss posting a day or so here and there...it's all for a good reason :)

I will pass on more details as when I am able.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Crafty Secrets - Believe!

Today's Crafty Secret stamp set is Believe! I just love this stamp...the angel is just stunning! One of my very favorite sets Craft Secrets makes!

Believe....

Suze's Stickles 006
Supplies:

Believe - Crafty Secrets
Archival Ink - Ranger
Distress Inks - Ranger
Cut & Dry Nibs (for coloring the image) - Ranger
Ink Blending Tool & Foam - Ranger
Suze's Glitz Stickles - Ranger
Ribbon - Unknown

Here is a close up of the angel....

Suze's Stickles 006
Hope you enjoy her!!
Happy Columbus Day Everyone (in the US)!
and
Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in Canada!!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Random tid-bits....

Some of you might have noticed that I deleted the Twitter thing....I just cannot seem to get in the habit of posting to the darn thing ~ too busy doing things to post about what I'm doing I guess...anyway ~ it's history.

BTW, the Fat Book Swap is almost finished!! By the end of this month there will be 1,000 pages made, sorted and flying back to it's rightful owners!!! As soon as I get the photos taken I will start sharing them with everyone here. You will be wowed by all the awesome pages we all created :) I can't wait to share them with you!

I am going to be posting a poll sometime this week but you can answer now if you have an opinion. I bought a cool old typewriter at a garage sale ~ $10.00 if you can believe it!!!!! The keys aren't glass covered but they are old and with a layer of Glossy Accents or Glaze they will look the same. It is in great working condition I might add. Now, sets of keys like this go for anywhere from $35.00 - 65.00 PLUS shipping on E-Bay. WAY too rich for my pocketbook!

So, here is the ? ~ Do I cut the keys off and use them for altered projects OR do I leave the typewriter in tact and use it as a vintage typewriter? I am so torn...I hate to destroy a perfectly good typewriter but I sooooo want to have some keys to use on projects. I just don't know what to do! HELP! Your input might help sway me one way or the other. Any suggested alternatives to the Genuine Keys?

You'll notice if you haven't already that I'm not posting as early as I had been...I've got a big project that I'll be able to tell you about soon that is taking much of my daylight hours and in the coming months will be taking up much MUCH more.

Well, that, design team commitments, farm stuff, home stuff and every other little thing is eating away at my free/creative time daily.

I usually don't have time to make things ahead so everything I post is made that day, photos taken, edited (takes longer than you might think), then posted. I try to work on it through out the day but seems like at night after everyone has gone to bed is my most productive time.

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and working on things....just later than normal.

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend...I had loads of time to get caught up on things so I'm feeling good about where I'm at.

Take care everyone!!

G'night!

Crafty Secrets!!

YES! Today's rubber stamp company is Crafty Secrets! I absolutely LOVE this company...for many reasons....

*Their vintage & retro images are simply marvelous ~ such attention to details, you can see every wisp of hair, the expressions on each of the little faces, and the humor of their sentiments are perfect.

*The quality of their stamps are of such high quality, you would expect to pay far more than what the retail prices are.

*Crafty Secrets stamps are made right here in the USA from high quality photopolymer, free of latex & phthalates (a chemical known to cause adverse health conditions).

*Their founder, Sandy Redburn ~ owner, designer & teacher, is such a sweet person to talk to and deal with. I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with her at Summer CHA. Down to earth and so very helpful, it was refreshing change from some designers/owners who won't even give you the time of day. Meeting her made the company all that much more appealing!

*Another plus to Crafty Secrets is not only do they offer great stamps but their product line also includes pattern papers, Vintage & Heartwarming Expressions Stickers, Vintage Booklets, Vintage Cuts (collage sheets), Sweet Chips and more!!

I could go on but I think you see why I love them so much.

Like I mentioned yesterday. There are so many cool stamps here I couldn't just feature them on one post sooooooo today I am going to be sharing some projects I made using one their newest sets - Halloween Fun and the Vintage Booklet - Halloween Image & Journal Notes.

Crafty Secrets 1003


Crafty Secrets 1008


Crafty Secrets 1010


(this photo isn't the greatest ~ Stickles really messes with the auto focus sometimes ~ Sorry!)

Crafty Secrets 1001


NOW, Sandy was so very generous in donating goodies that I have not only a beautiful set of stamps to give away but one of their Vintage Booklets as well!

Crafty Secrets 1001-1


All you have to do is post a comment on today's or any of the coming Crafty Secrets posts to come later this week. You will be entered each time you post without limit.

Everyone both in the United States and out are invited to join in on the fun!

So come on people ~ what's your favorite Crafty Secret product?

Stamps, a particular set?

Vintage Booklets?

Collage sheets?

Maybe it's the darling Sweet Chips?

Whatever it is ~ speak up and let us know.

Remember ~ you can't win if you don't post!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

New Rubber Stamp Retailer.....

Coming tomorrow! Actually, this retailer is SOOOOOOO Awesome in my book (and I hope soon to be in your book also) that this whole next week I will be sharing creations made with items from this company.

Hint you say?!?!?

Well, if you remember all of the photos of various companies I shared after Summer CHA ~ this stamp company was among them.

Any Guesses?????

At the end of the week you'll have your chance to win one of their new sets of stamps along with a little something extra. Can't tell you what the extra is because it might just give them away ;)

Till Tomorrow...

Have a great evening!!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Dream Embossed Canvas

I want to share with you a canvas I made for a friend that incorporates again various types of embossing powders on a number of mediums. It includes UTEE; Regular Embossing Powders as well as Adirondack Embossing Powders which have been applied to canvas; chipboard and acetate. I hope you enjoy!

DREAM....

Dream - EP Challenge



Supplies:

Embossing Ink - Ranger

Black & Gold UTEE - Ranger

Adirondack Embossing Powders- Ranger

Black & Gold Embossing Powders - Ranger

Stickles - Ranger

Acetate - Office Depot

Chipboard Letters - WeRMemory Keepers

Canvas- Canvas Concepts

Collage Image - DMD Industries

Flourishes - Autumn Leaves

Tulip - Magenta

Instructions:

1. Stamp Flourish on acetate and sprinkle with black embossing powder. Heat to melt. NOTE - depending on the type of acetate you are using it may warp and melt. In some cases such as this one that is desirable in others it may not be. You can actually bend and shape the acetate to the shape you desire if you apply heat in various areas for 10-20 seconds, hold and let cool. This is why I was able to make the tulip and flourishes 3-D. It's fun to see what you can do with various images! You really should give it a try!!

Dream - EP Challenge

2. Stamp Tulip on acetate and sprinkle with gold embossing powder. Heat to melt & form.

3. Pounce each letter with embossing ink and cover with UTEE. Heat to melt and add additional layers as desired.

4. Randomly pounce your embossing ink pad over the entire canvas.

5. Sprinkle various colors of embossing powder over the ink. Heat to melt.

6. Mount acetate pieces and letters to the canvas with a strong adhesive.

7. Brush the embossing ink along all of the edges paying special attention to the corners. I like to always apply extra in these areas.

8. Sprinkle Gold UTEE over the ink, heat to melt. Apply additional UTEE layers if desired.

9. Tuck the collage image of the little girl into the tulip and secure.

10. Cover the letters with desired color of Stickles.


Your canvas ready to hang or be given as a gift!


TGIF :)


Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Autumn Embossed LO Instructions

I've had a few requests asking for supplies and directions on how I created the Autumn Embossed LO I shared with you. Rather than type it up several times I thought I would just post it here :)

AUTUMN

Autumn - EP challenge

Someone asked in particular what type of cardstock I used to stamp on for the background. In this case I used Club Scrap Cardstock. I really like their cardstock when I emboss. Much of their cardstock is smooth unlike Bazzill or DCWV which has the linen texture making stamping at times difficult ~ especially if you've got a detailed image. I also find that it's thick enough to take the heat without warping which happens frequently with other types of cardstock.

Supplies:

Cardstock - Club Scrap (don't have a clue which kit...sorry)

Copper Embossing Powder - Ranger

Black UTEE - Ranger

Peeled Paint & Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powders - Ranger

Lettuce & Espresso Adirondack Embossing Powders - Ranger

Adirondack Alcohol Inks - Ranger

Ink Applicator - Ranger

Walnut Stain Distress Ink - Ranger

Ink Blending Tool & Foam - Ranger

Embossing Ink - Ranger

Heat It Craft Tool - Ranger

Flourish Stamps - Autumn Leaves

Leaf - Hero Arts

Script - unknown (gift from friend in Finland so I have no clue)

Large Chipboard "A" - WeRMemory Keepers

Small Chipboard Letters - Heidi Swapp

Giant Slide - DMD/Westrim

Specialty Paper - ????

Instructions:

1. Apply Walnut Stain Distress ink to all edges using the Ink Blending Tool & Foam. Remember to swirl!

2. Stamp flourishes with embossing ink. Sprinkle with Espresso Adirondack Embossing Powder and heat to melt. (*NOTE - I start with the flourishes first because the heat from the additional embossed images will further melt the Espresso bringing out the white flecks)

3. Stamp leaves where desired and sprinkle with a variety of embossing powders. Heat to melt.

4. Apply embossing ink to letters and melt several layers of black UTEE with heat tool. When the UTEE is still molten sprinkle Copper Embossing Powder over UTEE. It should melt instantly but if not you can give it a quick shot with the Heat Tool.

5. Apply desired colors of Alcohol Inks to the slide mount.

6. Stamp script over the entire slide mount, cover with Espresso Adirondack Embossing Powder and heat until the white specks show up.

7. Assemble all the bits and pieces as shown.

There you have it...

Autumn in full bloom!

Hope this answers any questions you might have had but if not, please let me know...I'm more than happy to help whenever I can!

Happy Day!

Ink Stains One Year Anniversary Coming Up Soon!!

Can you believe it...it's almost been a year since my Ink Stained journey started back on November 27th, 2008! It sure doesn't seem like it's been that long ago but I guess what they say is true ~ Time really does fly when you're having fun! I hope all of you have had as much fun as I have. I also hope that each and every one of you have enjoyed the various techniques, projects, ideas, and other information I've shared along the way!

I know it's early but I wanted to let you in on my plans because I'm getting so excited about it all... To celebrate Ink Stains 1 year anniversary I am planning on have LOADS of fun give-a-ways starting the very first week of November. There will be triva, games and lots & lots of goodies up for grabs. Almost a full month of fun stuff going on :) I hope you all plan on joining me here during my anniversary celebration!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I'm back!

Whew...that cold really kicked my butt! I'm feeling much better today than I have in days. I can finally speak and be heard...for some reason the last few years every time I get a cold it takes out my voice. I end up having to whisper for days. I still have lots of icky lasting effects of the cold as well as a persistent cough/wheeze. Dh has been keeping after me making sure I don't do more than I should...not that I would over do or anything ;) LOL!!

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes...I appreciate them!

I don't have the embossing projects ready to go but I did want to tell everyone what the 4 embossing powders were that I used on the Autumn LO...

They are....

UTEE (letters) sprinkled with Regular Embossing Powders

Autumn - EP challenge

Distress Embossing Powders (rough textures) again paired with Regular Embossing Powders

Autumn - EP challenge

and the one nobody guessed....

Adirondack Embossing Powders!!!

These powders have such a unique quality...if you heat until melted and continue to heat a bit longer you will bring out the white flecks that can be seen in the flourishes below. I just LOVE this effect! Denim AEP is excellent when you want a faded jeans effect. Very cool stuff!

Autumn - EP challenge

In the mean time I thought I'd share a mini album I made recently for the Hannah Grey Design Team -

Supplies:

7 Gypsies Mini Album

Hannah Grey Birds of a Feather Collage Sheet

Sari Silk Fiber Waste

Leaf Ribbon

Bingo Chip

Vintage Text

Mod Podge

Distress Inks

Birds of a Feather

HG - Sept 004

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Paper Artsy Winner!

Hey everyone...sorry I didn't get to this sooner...bbq was great but I woke up yesterday with an awful sore throat which has turned into a full blown cold. The food was super, it was great to see my aunt & uncle who we don't see much, we went to a fun auction but by the end of the day i was totally wiped out. I went to bed at 8:00p.m....I normally stay up till midnight if that tells you anything. Not done a thing today but drink hot tea, sleep and take meds. I think I'll go right back to that after I post the winner...

So, without further delay ~ the winner of the Paper Artsy rubber stamps is (drawn randomly by Random.org)

......

lildebi said...
I really love all their stamps, but if I have to pick a favorite it is PETALS Plate 4 from the INK and the DOG collection.
September 30, 2008 7:38 AM

CONGRATULATIONS Lil Debi!!

Please send me your snail mail addy so I can get these in the mail to you :)

I had planned on having another rubber stamp retailer/designer feature today but it's so not going to happen...sorry ~ maybe I'll post it tomorrow if I'm feeling better...

TTFN friends

Friday, October 3, 2008

One last Autumn LO....

One last Autumn themed scrapbook lay-out to finish off the week....This time the focus is on embossing and various embossing powders. Next week I'm going to be talking about various types of EP's and share examples of them in action.

This particular lo has 4 different types of embossing powders...can you guess what they are?

Anyway, here is the lo ~

Autumn - EP challenge

and some close ups to help you identify the powders....

Autumn - EP challenge

Autumn - EP challenge

Autumn - EP challenge

Autumn - EP challenge

Hope you've all enjoyed seeing some scrapbook lay-outs for a change!

I've had several requests for them over the last couple months. I had promised to get them up but I have been tardy in actually posting any. Better late than never huh? I hope so anyway.

If you haven't posted your favorite Paper Artsy stamp set you're in luck...we are going to be having a hog roast tomorrow in honor of my Uncle from Pennsylvania visiting so I probably won't be drawing the winner out until late tomorrow or Sunday a.m.

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend...I am looking forward to a wonderful, cool, crisp Autumn day tomorrow. We'll be outside from 8:00a.m. till our piggie is nice and toasty....mmmmmm I can't wait!

You're all invited if you'd like to stop by and have some delish bbq'ed pork, roasted corn on the cob, potatoes baked over the coals, baked beans and apple crisp for dessert :)

TTFN Friends!!