Jennifer McGuire, ink.

How-To Video: Stamped Backgrounds

Morning!

Over on the Hero Arts blog, I posted two videos today.  (Can you saw overachiever?  Ha! No... I just am having fun with iMovie.  Very addictive.) 

But I couldn't leave all you scrapbookers out, so I decided to do a page using a combination of the simple background techniques I did on the Hero Arts blog today: spotlighting, glittering and chalking.  Nothing remarkable here... just playing around.  I normally wouldn't have put all these techniques together, so it was a fun challenge.  The video isn't the best, but I wanted to do something quickly.  (Forgive my stumbling on words... it is getting late. :)

Supplies:

Hero Arts stamps (backgrounds of butterfly, flourish and flower)

Versamark Ink (for chalking)

Green Memories Ink

American Crafts Thickers (I have a serious addiction...)

Pebbles chalk (love the colors they have)

Bazzill Smoothies Cardstock (a must for stamping... love 'em)

Other: String (again inspired by the amazing Robyn) and pop dots

As for the chalking I did there on the little squares, HERE is a good example of a card using that background technique.  You would be amazed how fast it is to do.  Sally is the master of fast card-making-masterpieces. :) 

Thanks for stopping by.  I have another video ready to load soon (and a giveaway!).  See ya...

Another video...

... HERE today on Hero's blog.  Shows a few little tricks, including a swing card.  Thought I would share another example of this type of card here.  Basically, there is a brad on the top of that circle and it swings up to reveal the personal message beneath.  (So the card doesn't open like a traditional card.)

The technique on the butterfly is a twist of the embossed resist shown on the video on Hero Arts' blog HERE.  I just stamped the butterfly with Versamark ink on vintage text paper. I then heat embossed with white powder.  I applied green watercolor over the image and wiped away the excess with a wipe.  Easy!

Supplies:
Hero Arts stamps (butterflies, greeting) and notecards
Versamark ink (for butterfly)
White embossing powder (on Versamark for butterfly)
Black Memories Ink
Watercolor (to watercolor over butterfly)
Marvy punches
Vintage text paper (torn from old dictionary)
Brad (found on the floor in my scraproom... hee)

More later!  Happy Tuesday...

And the winner is...

I Just discovered this blog today and all I can say is wow! So many neat ideas! Thanks for sharing your talent with us. :)
Happy Mother's Day!
Our day will be very simple, getting together for dinner and just having a relaxing day!
Tina1689, posted at 4:09pm

Woohoo!  Email me at the address on the sidebar and I will get your prize to you.

And just a quick card share from a class awhile back.  Shows the tip of folding flowers into blossoms that was demonstrated in yesterday's Hero Arts blog video HERE.  The frame is heat embossed for a raised look.

Supplies:
Hero Arts stamps (greeting, frame and flowers), flowers & pearls
Colorbox Primary Chalk Ink Queue (flower stems)
Colorbox Chocolates and Blueberries Chalk Ink Queue (background flowers)
Versacolor Bark Pigment Ink (for frame and greeting)
Bo Bunny Dot paper (I have an addiction)
Other: circle punch (to punch notches on corners), mini glue dots, clear embossing powder (on frame)

I am off to finish up a video for tomorrow.  Good night!

Morning! A link...

Hi!

Sounds like you all had great Mother's Days.  So glad.  It's amazing how one day can lift our spirits so much, huh?

I will post a winner tonight.  I just wanted to post quickly before I take Colin to art class to share a link to one of my videos.  I am the host again this week on the Hero Arts blog.  I will be sharing lots of videos there, so be sure to go look often.  Today I posted one on creating embossed resist backgrounds.  I will have videos throughout the week here, too.  (Click HERE for the blog.)

Hope you have a great day and more later. :)

Happy Momma's Day!

Happy Momma's Day to everyone!  Hope you have a great one.  I usually like to spend the day planting flowers with my mom, but it is too early this year to plant and it is pouring buckets.  So, instead, I got to go to Ikea and pick up the last bit of stuff for my reorganizing. I guess that comes in a close second. :)  I am going to do some scrapbooking, too.  Seeing this stuff on your desk is a good thing...

Supplies (hee):
Starbucks Peppermint Mocha
Fiskars super-sharp scissors
Colorbox Chalk Ink (the best)
New stamp from Hero Arts coming soon...

I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway to celebrate the day.  And since every momma deserves flowers, I am doing a giveaway with lots of flowery-kind-of stuff.  RAK includes lots of fancy Prima flowers, Autumn Leaves ribbon, epoxy stickers and clear stamps, American Crafts flowers, flower felt and some cute stickers from Tinkering Inks' new Al Fresco line (which I LOVE the colors of)...

Just leave a comment on this post by 11:59pmEDT today telling me what fun things you have planned today and I will pick a winner.

Oh!  And the first person to post (and email me) a link on the last thread was Michelle.  Thanks, girl!  I will send you some treats, my friend.  You are always so helpful.  HERE is the link the the clear stamp article form last year. 

Have a great day!

Creating Keepsakes and Clear Stamps...

Good evening!

I just got my CK in the mail today.  I gotta say - the cover was one of the best ever.  Maggie Holmes did a fantastic page!  My article in there is on using clear stamps.  And since we decided it was best to show how-to photos, some of the projects were saved for online.  So, I thought I would share it here a bit, too.  But for the whole article, click HERE.  If you are like me, you may not be one to read stuff, but rather just look at the pictures.  (Opps... did I just admit that!? ;)  But I would recommend reading this... the steps are very helpful in learning some fun things about clear stamping.  I love the editors I work with there (Brittany and Joannie) and they help me so much with the writing part.  Me not good writer.  Ha.  (That is why I went to engineering school!) 

This was one of my favorite projects to make.  I used a box-making template after covering cardstock with stamping. (The tip is to mount LOTS of images onto a large mount and stamp repeatedly... a great way to make backgrounds quickly.) 

Supplies and details:
See creatingkeepsakes.com HERE.

And I think they left the layout out of the article by mistake.  It is in the magazine, but I thought I would share a (not-so-good-sorry-about-that) scan here.  Man, this little dude loves Legos.  He got it from Kay - she still loves to play with them. 

Supplies and details:
See creatingkeepsakes.com HERE.

This was actually my second clear stamping article for CK online.  Back in 2007, I did one, but I can't find it on their site.  (If someone can find the article on their site, I would love you forever.  In fact, the first person to find it - if it is still there - will get a goodie box - I will send you some fun scrappin' stuff!)  Here are some of those projects...

This layout shows the same shadow stamping technique that is in the current CK article.  This layout makes me happy because Kay and I talked about the journaling one day - that idea of why scrapbooking is so good-for-our-souls.  And then I did this page.  I actually did it as a 2-pager, but didn't scan the second.  The second just extends all the photos.  We got a lot of good ones from our first family trip to St. John.  So happy that the girls' school is almost over and then we go back to St. John again!

Supplies :
Not sure if I can remember...
KI Memoires, Cherry Arte, Fancy Pants, Fontwerks & Someone Else's clear stamps.
Autumn Leaves buttons.

This next one is of my great-grandparents.  When looking through old photos, I noticed that they were always with each other - always close, holding hands or leaning on each other.  Makes my little heart soar.  Anyway, the tip was to mount your alphabet letters once and then use them repeatedly.  Oh, and you can see that I adhered a couple of the journaling strips in the wrong order.  I fixed it after I scanned.

Supplies :
Fontwerks alphabet stamps
Cerry Arte paisley stamps
Making Memories paper
Doodlebug's awesome trims
Other: ribbons, ink, flowers, white embossing powder.

This last one was one of those layouts that looked sooooo much better in my head than on paper.  Ha. But, oh well.  It is done, right? :) Tip was to mount long, thin images/words/greetings at an arch.

Supplies :
Hero Arts clear stamps (discontinued), inks and clear tag.
Lots of sewing.  Lots.

So, how is that for a lot of randomness about clear stamps? :)

I wanted to answer some questions from the comments that you all have left.  First, yes, I will post pictures and videos once my scrapbook room is done.  But I have a feeling it won't be for a few weeks.  I have my CK article due this coming week and am hosting the Hero Arts blog.  So I will be busy trying to work IN the mess instead of working ON it. :)

As for questions about Gamsol: I use Gamsol with Prismacolor Colored Pencils.  They are my fave - by far.  And, nope, you can't get Gamsol at your local chain stores.  But you can order it HERE.  You use compressed paper pencils (paper stumps) with them to apply.  You can get these at your local chain stores.  Hope that helps.  There is a video on using it on my sidebar.

And I also wanted to let you know that I do have plans to do videos based on your suggestions, including the photo cropping stuff.  Soon. :)

OK... time for bed.  Night!

How-To Video: Pop-Up Greeting

Hello out there. 

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you have TONS to do, but instead find it necessary to take on a huge project that could have waited?  Oh, yes.  I decided that I needed to redo my scraproom.  And this project keeps growing and growing.  I need to stop!  Ha. Meantime, the work piles up.  Eek.

Anyway, here is a video that I did for pop-up greetings.  This is an old technique in the cardmaking world, but it is a favorite of mine.  Easy to do.

Again, the wonderful music of my brother-in-law, Keith Chapman.  More about him below.

Supplies:
Hero Arts stamps (big tree, bird and greeting), notecards, flowers, tag and black gem
Ranger Diamond Stickles (this the must-have one)
Versafine Black Ink
Chocolates and Blueberries Chalk Ink Queue
Stampin' Up Slot Punch (for scallop edge)
Jute, trim, colored pencils and Gamsol

Back to the music guy - Keith. :)  He is married to Ken's sister and they have three cutie kids who I scrapbook about often.  They had been doing dental mission work throughout Africa on the Mercy Ship.  But they decided to move to Liberia just recently and are currently trying to make a house a home there.  (At this moment, ithas no power, etc.)  We love them and miss them, but we are super proud.  They are opening a dental clinic there and living as missionaries.  Amazing.  Anyway, he has always loved music and created a few cds.  They are available for purchase - just email me if you are interested. And feel good knowing that the money will be going to support them as they help people in need.  (BTW... I am sharing all this because I have had a few people already email me.)

Want a good laugh?

For a good laugh, go watch the video on Hero's blog today.  (You can find it HERE.)  Sally and I are big dorks.  :)

If you are my mother-in-law, please don't look here. :)

If you are my mother-in-law, please move on.  I am sharing your Mother's Day card here and don't want you to see it yet! :)

A few people asked about Mom's Day cards and gifts. I am not making any gifts this year, but often have in the past.  My favorite thing to give my mom and my MIL is a set of handmade notecards.  They both love them.  I pick a theme and try to do a rainbow of colors, greetings, etc.  I put them in a cute little box along with postage-included envelopes.

But this year, a card will have to do.  This is the one for my MIL.  She is absolutely the kindest person I know.  So very thoughtful and caring - you wouldn't believe it.  So I thought I would use this "kindness" image on the front and stamp "Happy Mother's Day" in the inside.  And here is something fun to do with the butterflies: Put a thin line of adhesive down the center of the butterflies.  (Or you could stitch here.)  Then take a glue dot and roll it in your fingers and tuck one behind each wing to make the wings stick up.  That way, when they open the envelope, the wings kinda pop up.  Simple, but makes a great impact.  BTW, this card was very inspired by the amazing Shari Carroll's card HERE.

Supplies:
Hero Arts stamps ("kindness", background, butterflies and mom's day in the inside), notecard and pearls
Black Memories Ink
Misty Meadows Chalk Ink Queue
Black American Crafts pens
Ranger Diamond Stickles (on the flowers on the butterflies)
Bazzill scallop cardstock
Glue dots

And see those pretty flowers the card is sitting on?  The fabulous people at Hero sent those to me on Saturday.  I tell ya, they are such an amazing company.  WOW.  I am so thankful for them.

Looking for more Mom's Day card ideas?  Try these:

An adorable card by Kandis.
Nothing is better than a photo card!
This sun one by Roree would be great for mom.
My mom would LOVE this butterfly masterpiece by Nichol.
And, oh my - what a gorgeous mom card by Lisa!
So so clever... by Sally.

Want to get started early on Father's Day?  Here are some ideas:

Another photo card... my two cutie boys. :)
My Shari just rocks this card!
This is classy... by Laura Griffin.
Here is a great Father's Day kit.
Another simple one of mine.

Sorry most of the links are from Hero's website, but that is the only one I know really well. If you have links to other great Mom's or Dad's Day cards, please let me know!

Have a good one.  Off to watch Deadliest Catch.  Anyone else love that show?!

 

Oh, and I have gotten several emails asking if I ship class kits.  If this is something enough people are interested in, I can do it.  If you are interested, please email me at the sidebar so I can get an idea of if it is possible.  Thanks!

Upcoming Classes

Hi!

I have received several emails asking if I still teach classes and where.  I do teach locally at two stores. I never traveled to teach at stores (I hate to say yes to some and no to others), and I stopped doing CKUs and such when Colin was born.  Just want to stay home with the kiddos more.

But I do have two classes coming up locally.

I am teaching at Simply Scrapbooks in Dayton, Ohio, on May 17.  There is a scrapbook class (two 2-page layouts and 2 cards) and a card class (9 cards) that I will be co-teaching with the fabulous Jana.  Can't wait!  That store is HUGE and a scrapbooker's dream. :)  For information on these classes, email vcostello (at) fuse.net.

I also teach often at my local stamp store, Stamp Your Art Out.  I am friends with the owner and love love love teaching there.  I highly recommend going to this store, too.  It is the best true stamp store I have ever been to.  Heaven for a stamper.  My next class there is June 5.  You can find info HERE.

I would love if some of you locals could join me for a class sometime. We have fun! 

More projects later. I am redoing my scraproom and have to get it done.  Eek!