Design Team Wednesday - Studio Calico Storytime with Suzanna

Suzanna here to share with you an oldie but a goodie; Studio Calico's Storytime collection. It's not that old really, it was released at Summer CHA 2013. That's only a season ago! To tell you the truth, I sighed (rather heavily at that) when Cheryl told me what she wanted me to create with this month. My kids aren't babies anymore, this is going to be a challenge! And, I'll be honest, I prefer "current" collections. Especially with all the Winter CHA goodies waiting to be added to my ever expanding stash! Now, on the other side of creating, I am thrilled! Let me show you why!

Just because the embellishments and theme are baby, doesn't mean you have to create baby!!  This is my baby, my youngest, but not a babe in arms. She looks right at home with this collection; pout, sulk, tantrum and all!! I used the clouds as the theme of this layout and it suits it just fine! I added a few extra clouds using a The Crafters Workshop template and some mist. The picture was actually more vibrant than it is here; I toned it down in PhotoShop so it wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb amidst the more subdued color palates of the collection.

Yup, this is a baby layout. This baby is my now 11 year old!! He was born in the electronic"dark ages", before we owned a digital camera. Back when you conserved your film because it was expensive to print and you had to print everything before you knew what it looked like. I was a scrapbook "hoarder" back then and honestly haven't reached that far back in time. It was a pleasure to relive those memories and get some of the younger him scrapped!

Last, but not least, a card!! Those of you who know me are probably trying to pick your jaw up off the ground right about now. Yes, I made a card of my own will! I had a lot of the sticker embellishments left over and really wanted to use them up. This was a quick and easy card based on a format that I've used before. The most tedious part was lining all the letters up to stamp my sentiment and it truly wasn't that bad.

Detail shots and a card sketch based on the above card are available on my blog, you can find it HERE. If you like what you see, be sure to visit the store and grab it while you can! This collection is back in the baby section, on the same wall as the register. If you can't find it, be sure to ask one of the ladies, they are always there to help you!

Just a heads up that, living in Richmond, my layouts and card will not be at the store until Saturday if you are heading there in search of them! Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause!

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Stamping Basics Class

Stamping Basics is back!  If you've ever been curious about which inks to use, which paper is best to stamp on, and simple techniques that make stamping easier then this is the class for you!

Stamping Basics will start with a lecture and a hand out to help you keep everything you need to know about stamping straight.  I'll bring samples of my inks, stamps, and papers to demonstrate everything we talk about.  Class will finish by making a card so you can have some hands on experience with acrylic stamps, inks, and coloring.

Here is the sample we will be creating in class:

Here are the class details:

Stamping Basics
Saturday, February 8th
1:30pm
$10.00
To Bring: pencil for notetaking, adhesive, scissors, and any questions you may have about stamping

So if you've ever had questions about stamping, this class is perfect for you!  Hope to see you there- be sure to stop by or call the store to sign up today!

-tessa

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Design Team Wednesday- A Couple of Fall Cards

Hello and happy Wednesday!  I'm so glad to be guesting with the Scrapdoodles design team today and have created a couple of cards to share.  I chose two cute stamp sets from Darcie's Heart and Home and some adorable patterned papers from Lawn Fawn to create these cards:

This first one uses the Pile of Fun stamp set:

I love this image!  Darcie's Heart and Home gives you so many options- cling rubber or clear acrylic in each of the sets we have at the store.  They also added pigtails to the set so you can make it a boy or a girl- isn't that clever! I made mine a little girl and had so much fun coloring her.  I used my colored pencils and really love how easy they are to blend.  If you have trouble with Copics, these are another great option for coloring!

I chose the Plenty of Fun set for my second card:

Isn't this little turkey cute?  I couldn't walk out of the store without him! lol!  I used colored pencils again to color the image- they worked great on the kraft cardstock.  I chose colors that would go along with the patterned papers from the Into the Woods collection from Lawn Fawn.  Using your patterned papers as inspiration for your colors is a great place to start if you are having a hard time.

I had so much fun stamping with the adorable sets by Darcie's Heart and Home.  I think I'll stop by the store and pick out a couple images for wintertime, too!  

Thanks for popping by the blog today!

-tessa

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Stamping Basics Class

We've added a new class to our fall schedule- Stamping Basics!  If you've ever been curious about which inks to use, which paper is best to stamp on, and simple techniques that make stamping easier then this is the class for you!

Stamping Basics will start with a lecture and a hand out to keep everything you need to know about stamping handy.  Class will finish by making a card so you can have some hands on experience with three different types of ink and acrylic stamps.

Here is the sample we will be creating in class:

Here are the class details:

Stamping Basics
Saturday, September 28th
10:30am
$10.00
To Bring: pencil for notetaking, adhesive, scissors

So if you've ever had questions about stamping, this class is perfect for you!  Hope to see you there- be sure to stop by or call the store to sign up today!

-tessa

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Michele Loves Lawn Fawn Stamps and Dies!

Hi!  It's Michele's turn to share one of her favorite products with us!  Here's what she has to say:

My pick for product of the week is Lawn Fawn stamps and coordinating dies.   I've loved their stamps for their cute versatile designs - but I'm even more in love with them when they have a matching die set!!!    

At first I was confused how they would work.....stamp first or die cut first?  I researched a bit and have decided stamp first.    Select which stamp/die and stamp the image.    

Use washi tape to adhere the die to the paper so it is centered exactly over the stamped image.   I use washi tape so you can secure it but still remove it after cutting.    

Use your die cut machine to cut the image.   

I find this way you get a nice clean edge around the stamped image.   Of course then you can color your image and pop-dot the shape to the rest of your card.   

Super cute and easy!!!


Michele

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Copics are Michele's Favorite This Week!

My favorite product this time around is Copic Markers!   

I have loved to color since I was a little girl- the huge box of 64 crayons was always a favorite gift for me.   I loved all the colors and shading by pressing harder or softer when coloring.   As a grown up I still love to color but now I mostly use my Copics!

I fell in love with Copics (pronounced "cope-icks") when we first started carrying them - I love the huge variety of colors but more than that I love how easy they are to blend!   I feel like they made my coloring look much better than it really is.  

Coloring for me is a stress reliever and mostly just for fun - and while I have created cards with them mostly I just color in my personal Copic coloring book!    I made this book (using my WRMK Cinch) using Copic paper and a few printouts from the Internet.  

I keep a log of the color chart, color combos I like, and stamped images - some are mine, some are friends' stamps, some are samples from online.   I also have a sheet of acetate that is removable so I can place it behind whatever image I am working on so it doesn't bleed through.

I also happen to be one of the Copic teachers at the store - so I get to share my love of Copics and teach others how fun they are!!!!!

Michele

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Chalkboard Style Name Tags

Hi There!

I wanted to share a little project I worked on recently- our new store name tags!

Name tags in general need to be easy to read and let people know that whoever is wearing one is an employee.  Since we are a scrapbooking store, we needed to kick ours up a notch and also make them creative and cute!

I have been loving the chalkboard craze that is popular right now and decided to use that as my inspiration for our new tags.  With only a few supplies and my stash of  Lawn Fawn stamps I got to work creating!

I used Lawn Fawn's Quinn's ABC's to stamp our names.  I used smaller stamps from many of their other sets as accents to make each tag unique.  I added fish and bubbles  from the Critters Under the Sea set to Andrea's!  Pam's features the happy sunshine from the Sunny Skies set!

The chalkboard look is easy to achieve!  You need a few products: cute stamps, black cardstock, Versamark ink, white pigment ink, white embossing powder, a white pen, and a sponge or blending tool.  I also used a white mist to add some speckles.  Here are the steps I took to create this tag:

1. Cut or die cut tag from smooth black cardstock.  Punch a circle and adhere it where you want to add your ribbon later.  Cut off excess circle bit.

2. Stamp your name using Versamark ink and emboss using white embossing powder and your heat gun.  I did as many letters as I could in one shot but if I had to stamp it twice because the name was longer, I embossed between stamping.  I also used an Embossing Buddy to keep the stray embossing powder flecks away.

3. Stamp your accent stamps using Versamark ink and emboss using white embossing powder.

4. Doodle a line around the outside edge with your white pen.  You can use a ruler if you have a hard time with straight lines but I like the imperfect look you get without one even more!

5.  Once your pen work is dry, get out your sponge or blending tool and your white ink.  Sponge around the edges first, rubbing towards the center.  Lightly sponge some ink in a few different spots as well to create that dirty chalkboard look

6.  Flick a little bit of white mist on to the tag if you like that look!  Finish off your tags with pretty ribbon and twine!

Now just because we made name tags with this fun technique doesn't mean you have to!  I think it would work great on cards, scrapbook pages and on Project Life inserts!  I hope we've inspired you to get out your stamps and try the chalkboard technique!

Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

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