Mama Elephant- Potted Pretties

Emily has been playing with Mama Elephant's, Potted Pretties stamp set.

She colored the cute cactus image with Copic markers and cut it with the coordinating die.  The cute shaker portion of the card was created using the window die from Poppy Stamps along with sequins and beads from Pretty Pink Posh.

 
Here's a close-up look at the shaker portion of the card.

Memory Box- Lydia Butterfly

Sorry we've been absent from the blog for a few days.  We've been busy, planning and getting things ready for our big event in April.  Mark your calendars, April 25th is a day you won't want to miss.

Today, we have a super simple and elegant card Emily created.  The photos don't capture the wonderful elements of this card well, you really should see it in person.

The details of this die cut, reflect back on the metallic paper she included for the background of the shaker box.  Yes, this is a shaker card, filled with clear beads from Pretty Pink Posh.  I know its hard to see, but trust me, it's gorgeous.

Happy Monday!!

What's New Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone.  Hope your week is off to a GREAT start!

We've been talking about our Big Birthday Party for a few weeks.  Now that our Spring Workshop is behind us, we're beginning to make plans and get organized for a super fun party.  We've finally picked the date, April, 25, 2015. So be sure to mark it on your calendar.  You won't want to miss this.

Here's a look at one of several "Make and Takes" we'll be offering.  Aren't these cute?

We have more news....we're starting a Monthly Card Club.  Here's how it works:

Each month we'll meet in our Studio to make two cards.  We'll try each month to create cards that teach a fun, yet simple technique, or use a new product.  You can sign up every month, to secure your spot, or attend only the months you'd like.  The class fee is $8.  However, if you spend $25 or more the day of the class, we'll give you $5 back!  That makes the class only $3!!!

In April, we'll be focusing on markers.  We'll use Tim Holtz Distress Ink Markers and Copic Markers to create the cards shown below.  Our April Club is scheduled for the 11th, and unfortunately, filled up before we could get our Newsletter sent out.  If we have enough interest, we'll schedule a second date.  So, if you're interested, please reply to this email with a quick note letting us know you're interested in a second class.

Here's what we'll be making in April.

Here's a peek at one of the cards we'll be making in May.  Learn some fun techniques for using Elizabeth Crafts glitter and some fun chipboard that can be die cut!  Give us a call now if you'd like to sign up for May.  It will be Saturday, May 16th, from 1PM until 3PM.

New Arrivals:

New products from Tim Holtz.  Can't wait to use our dies on this sparkly, adhesive backed paper.

New spring and summer dies from Lawn Fawn.

New stamps and dies from Mama Elephant.  Yippee!!

Such a great idea!!  Watercolor canvas (blank and designed).  Several of these have embossed designs and gold foiling.  Just add watercolors to create your own custom piece of art.  The piece below was a collaboration between Emily and Cathy.  We added the gold hearts for an extra touch.

Below are links to a few fun things you may have missed this week.

1.  We posted a fun birthday card on the blog using the Memory Box Candle die.  You can view it HERE.

2.  We've been playing with Technique Tuesday again.  Here's the LINK to some fun pocket scrabpooking cards and here's another LINK to even more cards.

3.  We found a fun Pinterest post for foiled eggs.  You can find that HERE.

4.  If you didn't see the beautiful butterfly card Emily made, head over there now with this LINK.  You won't want to miss this.

5.  We have a fun shaker card you won't want to miss. View it HERE.

6.  Our weekend inspiration post included some fun ways to use alcohol inks.  You can see that post by using this LINK.

Lawn Fawn Stamps and Dies

We received some adorable sample cards with our last Lawn Fawn order and thought we should share them here with you.  Aren't these cute?  Thanks Lawn Fawn for the wonderful cards!

This card was created using the Gleeful Gardens stamp and die set.  We'll be using this same set for one of our "Make and Takes" during our Birthday Celebration event next month.

Here's another card they sent.  It uses the Eggstra Special Easter stamp and die set.  Perfect card for Easter.

Below are images of both sets.

Avery Elle- Simply Said Stamps and Dies

I absolutely love the Simply Said series of stamps and dies from Avery Elle!  They are so fun, and super versatile!  They sent us this wonderful sample using the Simply Said You stamp and die set with our last order.  We had to share it with you.

The dotted edge is from the Dotted Border Dies.

Here's  the sentiment stamp that coordinates with the YOU die.  Look at all the combinations you can create with these two.

And...just in case you missed the Simply Said Love stamp and die, we're posting it again.  You can view this card, HERE in a previous blog post.  The stamp has numerous sentiments designed to coordinate with the word LOVE.  My favorite....LOVE you more than bacon!

Weekend Inspiration- Alcohol Inks

We've all been busy playing with alcohol inks this month.  If you haven't already, you should head over to our Creative Group on Facebook and take a peek at what everyone is creating.   You can find that group HERE.

We've been putting alcohol ink on all sorts of fun stuff.  Here we have a single drop of alcohol ink on the Gumdrops from Tim Holtz Idea-ology collection.  Wouldn't these be beautiful in the center of book paper flowers or vintage inspired pinwheels?  I can't wait to create a fun display with them.  In the meantime, we have this display board in the store so you can see the various colors and how beautiful they look.

We also applied alcohol ink to the Heirloom Roses from the Tim Holtz Idea-ololgy line.

Finally, we've been inking the Trophies too!  We applied a base coat of silver mixative and then some inks to make them looked aged. Can't wait to use these in a shadow or configuration box.

Here are some great projects we saw at CHA using these fun products.

Memory Box- Make a Wish Candles

The Make a Wish Candles from Memory Box include 3 sets of 3 different sized candles.  For this card I used the larger size candles.

I cut the candles from white cardstock and colored them with Copic Markers.  Stardust Stickles were added to the flames to create a sparkle effect and the candles were covered with the clear Wink of Stella pen.  It's hard to see in the image, but the Wink of Stella gives the candles a subtle shimmer.

The sentiment stamp is from Avery Elle.

Technique Tuesday- Time of our Life

Today we're sharing a few cards for your Project Life or pocket scrapbooking memory keeping.  We used the stamp sets from Technique Tuesday, "Time of our Life" and "Happy Day Flair Set" along with their Flair Maker die. We also used a couple of dies from Memory Box and Avery Elle.

The die cut stars on this card are from Memory Box.  All other elements are from Technique Tuesday.

Here's the second card we made.  We used the same die from Memory Box for the stars.  The dotted border is from Avery Elle's Dotted Border set.  The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday's "Time of our Life" set.

We used the Wink of Stella in clear to add some shimmer to the stars.

Memory Box- Lunette Butterfly

I love this bright, cheerful card Emily made using the Lunette Butterfly from Memory Box.

She used the ink blending tool and some Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to add a spot of color to the front of the card.  Then, she added the die cut butterfly on top.

The sentiment stamp is from Mama Elephant's "Everyday Greetings" set.

MFT Stamps- Say Hello Transform-able

I love making shaker cards using the Transfrom-able dies from MFT Stamps.  I used the Heart Full of Love Transform-able die to create a shaker card a few months ago (you can view that card HERE).  So, this time I thought I'd use the Say Hello die.

I love the colors in the NEW 6x6 paper pad from Avery Elle.  It was perfect for this card.

The fun borders were cut using the Dotted Border dies from Avery Elle.  The sequins are from Pretty Pink Posh.

Happy Monday everyone!  Have a great week.

Weekend Inspiration

We're sharing a page from Mary's art journal for this weekend's inspiration.  She's been using this month's challenge product, alcohol ink and one of the new stamp sets from Tim Holtz.

The pages of her journal are paper so she covered them first with Multi Matte Medium from Ranger to create a non-porous surface.  She used her felt applicator tool to apply the following inks:  Pesto, Pebble, Pool, Sunshine Yellow, and Raspberry.

She added texture paste with a stencil to create some dimension.  The butterflies were stamped with Black Archival Ink and outlined with a white Uniball gel pen.  The saying was stamped with white acrylic ink.

Memory Box - Gilded Birds Die

Our Memory Box wall is restocked for now.  As usual, it doesn't stay full for long.  So, before we are out again, we thought we'd share this beautiful card Emily made using the Gilded Birds Die and the gold metallic paper (also back in stock).

Wouldn't this make a beautiful anniversary or wedding card?

Here's a close-up look at the birds and the cage.  See how the little cage door opens?  I love that little detail.

Technique Tuesday Pocket Scrapbooking Inspiration

We're still having fun with January's stamp and die from Technique Tuesday.  Today we paired it with the 6x6 paper pad from My Mind's Eye, and our new favorite gold ink, Delicata Golden Glitz.

I love how these turned out and can't wait to get them in my scrapbook.  I also thought they'd be wonderful on the front of a card.  So, if you're not a scrapbooker, no worries, these stamps and dies are great for cards too!

The top portion of this card is watercolor paper that we painted to coordinate with this beautiful pattered paper.  We die cut the edge of the watercolored paper with the Borderline Trio die from Mama Elephant and then cut the word love from the scraps.  Love was also cut from the new chipboard we carry (great for die-cutting) and then stacked under the watercolored "love" to add some dimension.

The small stitched piece below, was also cut using scraps from the watercolored piece.  The heart was die cut and then colored with that wonderful gold ink.

In case you missed them before, here are images of January's stamp and die from Technique Tuesday.