A Slight Detour...

Hello everyone...and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Today is indeed Tuesday which means it is time for my weekly installment of Tips, Tools and Techniques. However, this week with the holiday, I am going to take a small hiatus. (insert, obligatory "awwww" here!)

With all the holiday goings on, coupled with some pre-holiday deadlines I am under the gun...so to speak. So instead of authoring a post without my whole heart in it, I have decided to take the opportunity to say....HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!...a little early.

Now don't fret too much....because I will still be posting my weekly Sizzix Blog Hop project. Week 4 will post on Thursday...featuring one of Eileen Hull's very cool dies! As always, I'm just excited to get hopping! Then next week will be back to "normal"!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving feasts...whether you are cooking them or not! I am cooking this year...and I'm grateful for that. I really enjoy cooking! YUM....

Artfully yours,

Theresa

My Favorites Friday: ATCs

Happy Friday! I hope this post finds everyone well and gearing up for a fun and exciting weekend. The weekends always seem to fly by so fast. This week I want to share with you one of my favorite art forms...Artist Trading Cards or more affectionately known as ATCs.

What is an ATC? An Artist Trading Card is similar to Baseball Cards. ATCs are miniature works of art. There is really only one strict rule to creating an ATC...size! All ATCs measure 2.5" x 3.5" in size. After that, you are only limited to your imagination.

The ATC above was created using scrap book paper, dye ink, rubber stamps and a miniature tag. It is a mini collage that incorporates several elements. It has many layers which gives it a texture. You can be as simple or elaborate as you wish.

You can purchase blank ATCs just about anywhere. Dick Blick is a very popular site for purchasing such materials. However, you can use simple playing cards or you can cut your own. I like to use card stock or old post cards...as is used in the sample above. I have even created them out of fabric, but I usually use some type of one sided fusible interfacing to give them a little more stability.

On this ATC I punched the image into the top layer of paper. I used gold pigment ink around the edges and image to make them stand out.

This ATC incorporates a decorative brad and a slide. I don't generally worry about things sticking off the edge of the card. I trim them later by turning the card over and trimming off the excess with an Xacto knife.

What do you do with an ATC? That's simple! You trade them, of course!! There are all sorts of swap groups out there. As a matter of fact, if you belong to any of the groups that are out there you should check to see if there are any for Artist Trading Cards. I bet they do! There is a really cool site called ATCsforAll that has been around for quite a while. They are constantly running swaps. You should really check out all the swaps they ran so far this year! These guys are obviously passionate about ATCs!!

If your interest is piqued...here is another fantastic site with some outstanding eye candy: Art-e-zine Trading Card Swap. This takes place in the UK...which just goes to show you...ATCs are global!

I hope you enjoyed this little preview on Artist Trading Cards. Whether you create these precious gems already or are going to give it a try...feel free to share! I'd love to see what you are creating. Plus, if I get enough feedback, I'd love to post some pictures of other artists' cards.

Artfully yours,

Theresa

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP WEEK 3: MY VINTAGE GARDEN

Welcome back! We are now on Week 3 of Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop. I had so much fun this week playing with the featured die...which was designed by Brenda Pinnick. So go grab a cup of java and settle in...I have lots of pictures this week!

Let's start with a list of supplies:

• Sizzix Original Die #655455 - Flower, Beauty Bloom by Brenda Pinnick
• Big Shot cutting machine
• Felt from National Non Woven
• Fabric - Couluer Vie by Brenda Pinnick for Henry Glass & Co.
• Off White cardstock

Other Supplies:

• 12x24 stretched cotton canvas
• Sizzix Sizzlets Die Set # 656539 3PK - Flower Layers #3
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink: antique linen, tea dye, vintage photo, walnut stain
• Stipple brushes
• Make-up sponges
• Small brads: pale yellow, bright yellow, antique brown
• Mod Podge: paper and fabric
• Paper piercing tool
• Folk Art High Definition Visual Texture by Plaid: sunflower, yellow ochre, forest moss, hauser green medium, thicket
• Textured stamp
• Vellum
• Bazzill papers

I started with a blank canvas. It matters not what size you choose. I selected 12 x 24 because I wanted to have a lot of surface on which to add texture. I did not treat the canvas with Gesso or anything else. I left a completely bare surface.

Then using Tim Holtz's Distress Ink in my fav colors, some makeup sponges and stipple brushes I start to distress the surface of the canvas. I stippled and I sponged...and I even went direct to canvas with my pad. If you are not familiar with the process, you simply rub the surface of the ink pad directly onto the surface where you want the color. **IMPORTANT NOTE: Canvas is a textured surface...so be aware that the stamp pad surface can get a little bit chewed up. I have doubles of all my pads, so I have a set just for this purpose.**

When I distress anything I start with the lightest color and work to my darkest. I also start at the edges and work my way in towards the middle. I use my darkest colors towards the edges.

Brenda was very generous with the amount of blooms she supplied and so I took one of the paper bloom and used it as a stencil. I placed the bloom onto the canvas surface and then stippled some tea dye and vintage photo around the edges of the bloom. It created this effect:

Next, I printed out a poem that I really liked onto vellum. Now I realize the poem refers to daffodils...but I am taking artistic license here! I tore the edges and then I stippled on the BACK side of the vellum one of my lighter color inks, again working from the outside to inside. If you can see in the photo below...I didn't stipple the color over the entire piece of vellum. When you do this technique, the color should be darkest at the edge and gradually lightens as you work towards the middle. Then, I flipped the vellum back to the front and with the next shade darker ink...I stippled just the very edge of the vellum.

Using a very thin coat of Fabric Mod Podge, I adhered the vellum to the canvas. Now don't worry if the vellum resists sticking. What I did is put a book under the canvas, then I placed a piece of wax paper over the vellum and put a couple of heavy books on top of that. I left it for a a while. Once that adhesive is dry, it's on there! **NOTE: always put wax paper or butcher paper between layers that are still wet from glue so that they don't bleed on each other or stick together!

I really love using vellum. Because it is translucent, you can still see the stenciled blooms behind it.

Next, I began to layer the pieces of the blooms together. Brenda sent such a variety that no bloom looks the same! I did stipple some ink onto the paper pieces and some onto the fabrics and felt to mute down the color to go with my vintage theme. Isn't that beautiful!

I cut a few extra blooms with another Sizzix die I had so that I could cover more of my surface and compliment the Brenda's big flower blooms. I altered some of the blooms with the ink and a textured stamp. I assembled the flower layers and pierced the centers with a paper piercer so that I easily slide in the brads.

I used Mod Podge for fabric and for paper to adhere the blooms to the canvas...then I let it dry completely.

Once everything was dry, I started to add some details by doodling some vines and leaves onto the canvas with the Visual Texture by Plaid. I just love that stuff! It adds a lot of dimension. I also added some extra details right onto the flowers!

I was really pleased with how my project came out this week. It is very me! I can't wait to see what everyone else has done...I am sure you feel the same. So, go ahead.....hop forward!

Artfully yours,

Theresa

Tips, Tools and Techniques Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Welcome to this week's installment of Tips, Tools and Techniques. This week I am going to share with you one of my very favorite and one of my most cool tools!

If you're wondering what in the heck that thing is pictured above...allow me to introduce you! This is a Japanese Push Drill (sometimes referred to as a Screw Punch) and it's purpose is to punch holes. If you don't have one, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. If you are someone who uses a lot of eyelets and brads, this is a must have tool! Now you might be saying to yourself...I already have hole punches, I don't need anymore. Well this, my crafty friends, is different.

With your average hole punches, you are limited. You can only punch a hole as far into the paper as your tool will let you, which isn't very far! Yes, there are long reach punches, but most of them won't reach into the center of a 12x12 piece of card stock. There are those really great eyelet setter kits that you have to use with a hammer, but they are noisy and everything around you shakes while you're banging the tool with your hammer! Which means a few things... first, it really isn't convenient at 2 am (you know you do it!) and second, if you are at a crop, you're table mates will get irritated quickly.

There are several benefits to adding a Japanese Push Drill to your arsenal of tools. A Japanese Push drill:

• will punch holes anywhere
• has assorted bits in a variety of hole sizes
• is easy to use
• doesn't hurt your hand
• eliminates the need to own several punches
• is quiet and not intrusive
• will punch through a variety of surfaces INCLUDING (but not limited to) paper, fabric and mat board (which really comes in handy if you like to make your own books)

Allow me to give you a really quick demo:

Please....Please....be sure that you have a self healing cutting mat when using this tool. Just as you would use one with an Xacto knife, you need to protect your work surface.

Look carefully at the picture above. Down near the tip of the punch, you'll see that there is a piece that has those sort of ridges. That piece unscrews and loosens so that you can put the bits in and take them out. Once you've put a bit in and tighten it up, you're good to go.

You want to make sure that you place the punch perfectly straight up and down. The punch should be at a 90 degree angle to your work surface. You don't want the punch to be at an angle or what will happen is you will only punch one side of the hole.

Then you want to push straight down. This is all you have to do most of the time. However, if you are punching through thick card stock, mat board or multiple pieces of paper give the punch a twist while it is fully collapsed. This ensures that the punch goes all the way through.

Release the punch and it will fully extend. When you remove it from the paper or whatever you're punching, you will have a nice clean hole.

Japanese Push Drills are not difficult to find in this age of the internet. You can do a Google search or hit eBay. I recommend, however, Talas. Talas is a great resource if you are a book maker or paper artist of any kind.

Artfully yours!

Theresa

My Favorites Friday: Technology

Welcome to this week's installment of My Favorite Things! Now sometimes I will be blogging about some of my very favorite projects whether they be mine or a colleagues (with their expressed permission of course!!). Other times, like today, I will share with you some of my very favorite tools or ideas. As you may be able to surmise from today's segment title, we are going to talk about one of my most very favorite things....TECHNOLOGY!! So here we go...

Let me start by saying...I am absolutely NOT a hater! Of PCs, that is. Quite to the contrary...I am a lover of Apples. More specifically, my Mac Book Pro. Now I have always been a technojunkie, so to speak. I've been using computers since it was not fashionable to do so. Interestingly enough, my very first home computer was given to me by an old friend of mine who was upgrading...and it was, in fact, an Apple computer. When it was time to replace that computer, I switched to a PC. I really didn't know a lot about computers back then and everyone I knew was saying how I HAD to have a PC with Windows.

I will spare you the gory details except to say that I found myself replacing my computer every two years and I absolutely despised the "customer service" I received. My final straw came when I decided to circumvent the first level technicians by asking for a supervisor only to be told (after 45 minutes on hold) that there weren't any supervisors in! In a very seething tone I said to this poor man, "Don't tell me they left you peons there alone!" It was then that I knew if was for everyone's safety that I make the switch.

So, within the week, I had my new Mac Book Pro. That was back in March of 2007 and I haven't looked back. As a matter of fact, everyone in my household is a Mac user. I'm not saying that it was an easy transition. As a matter of fact, it took me quite a while to stop over thinking how to accomplish things. Once I got over it, I was in my glory. I find that all the programs are phenomenal and I haven't been happier.

Some of the perks of a Mac for me are:

• No viruses
• Simplicity of use
• One to One sessions available (you won't find better education anywhere)
• iWeb which comes standard and enables me to create and maintain my websites
• Time Machine - Apple's back up system
• it enables me to save time as I don't have to restart and it is more user friendly
• it enables me to save money as I can create my own marketing materials right in Pages and Keynote

Anyway, I feel it necessary to say that I am not receiving any type of endorsements from Apple!

LOL I just really believe in the product. If you are a creative crafty business owner or not...I highly recommend this product.

Artfully yours,

Theresa

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP WEEK 2: B is for BABY

Hello again! Welcome to Week 2 of the Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop! This week features Karen Burniston's Twist Cube Die. Lemme tell ya...it is a really fun die to play with because it is interactive. When using the die as originally instructed, it twists and pops up. Very cool effect. I, however, decided to do a little something different with it. Hope you like!

The materials you will first need to get started are:

#656739 Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Cube, Twist, 3-D by Karen Burniston

Sizzix Big Shot cutting machine

Sizzix Accessory - cutting pad, extended

Sizzix Accessory - premium crease pad, extended

Die Cuts With a View cardstock

Here are some other materials that I used:

ATG Tape Runner

Paper Trimmer

Xacto knife and mat

Family Treasure's Scalloped edged scissors

1/16th" hole punch

PPA

Golden's Fluid Matte Medium

Baby Feet paper, Stemma

Pastel colored card stock, Bazzill

Pale green satin ribbon - 1/8"

Yellow organza ribbon - 3/4"

Plaid's Folk Art Paint in light blue, jamaican sea, lemonade and baby pink

Doodlebug Design Sugar Coating lily white glitter

Stickles

Tissue paper

Candy

Karen and the lovely staff at Sizzix were kind enough to send me a nice neutral color...black. The first thing I did was assemble the box. I am going to be very honest here! I had no idea what I was going to do with it after I'd assembled it. I only knew that I wasn't going to make it pop up. Don't take that the wrong way though. It wasn't that I couldn't think of what to use it for...quite to the contrary! Did I want to make a photo box? Or an ornament? Maybe a bat...because that is what those top pieces remind me of? Get the idea?

As I was looking at it I thought, "that would make a great alphabet block!" However, having only one to play around with....and of course, I'd gone and assembled it already...it occurred to me how cute it would be as a baby block that one could use for a baby shower favor!

So, I worked a little bit backwards. If I hadn't put the cube together first, I probably would have covered the individual pieces with paper first. Since I didn't do that, I had to work a little bit backwards. Now a note to all....if you are going to use your diecut as a pop up, will want to do your assembly with really super strong glue! As I knew my box would be stationary, I used my ATG tape runner to put the actual box together.

I covered the top tabs first. I used PPA to apply the paper to the cube. I have found that once the glue dries, it adds a little stability.

Then I covered the sides also using PPA. I didn't cover the bottom, but of course, if you'd like to on yours that's just fine! I also chose to cut away the part of the tab that looks like a wing.

Next, I used 1/8" pale green ribbon to finish off the top edges of the box. It hid any black sticking out and gave it a cleaner look.

I used my pastel colored solid papers to adhere to the sides of the cube. The first layer I cut 3"x3" and taped them to the sides of the box. I cut another set the same size and trimmed the edges with my Scalloped edged scissor. How did I get that so straight? You can take a look at the technique I used at this past Tuesday's Tips, Tools & Techniques post. I layered the scalloped pieces on top of each square. Plus I made sure to have a different color combination on each side.

I love Stickles! It is glittery and sparkly without the mess. Not that I mind mess, of course, but it is fun and easy and quick to use. Here I applied a little dot of Stickles in the center of each scallop.

Don't those Stickle dots look great? Now my favorite part of the cube is the letters. I used chip board letters that spelled out B A B Y. I painted each letter a different color with acrylic paint and let them dry really well. Then I applied a thin coat of Golden's Fluid Matte Medium to the front of the letters and then dipped those into that Lily White Glitter. It is a super fine glitter and the paint color shows right through it. Love it! Then I glued one letter to the center of each paper panel.

Finally, I punched two tiny holes using my 1/16th" hole punch into the tip of the triangular side tabs. I threaded the organza ribbon through each side and tied a simple knot. The hole is so tiny that the big knot I made will not go through it. Plus the layers of paper, glue and the ribbon lining should keep anything from ripping. I mean, I wouldn't load this thing up with change...but for it's intended purpose here, it is perfect.

I threw in some tissue paper in baby colors to bring it all together. Then I filled my baby favor up with candy. Hmmm...I think I am detecting a theme. I dunno, maybe I'm always hungry when I'm working on these types of projects!

I hope you enjoyed this week's project. I really think it looks so sweet.

Artfully yours,

Theresa

Tips, Tools and Techniques Tuesday!

Welcome to the first of my new weekly segments! If you remember from my post last week, I mentioned that I would have at least two weekly segments going. I also complained about the graphic I made! So, I fixed that...I like this one better. Anyway, my goal here is to not only be consistent, but also to perhaps help you have a more enjoyable crafting experience. I know! Can we stand any more fun!! (yes yes!!)

Over the years, I have learned a lot of interesting tips. Sometimes those tips come from others. Other times they are born from a need to adapt due to the fact that my nails are REALLY long (you'll see in the pics) and I have no desire to cut them. Then there is just those times when I need to find a more efficient way of doing something. I'll be sharing some of those tips with you.

I am also a tool lover! Any kind of tool...from a simple skewer to power tools! (much to my dad's delight!) I'll be showing some of those here as well...in addition to how I use them.

Of course, with just about everything one uses, there is some sort of technique. Which brings me to today's post. It's a kind of three for one....it is a tool...that I will give you some tips for...and a technique that I use. Let's get to it, shall we?

Today I am featuring............

TA DA!!!!!! Decorative scissors! Ok, so some of you are thinking....."wha?!!? All of this build up for this? I was expecting something more exciting!" Lemme just say...yes, they may not be glamourous...but I bet you have several pairs tucked away in a crafting drawer or box somewhere. I'm right, aren't I? Come on....you can admit it.

I have found that many beginner crafters have bought a few of these decorative edge scissors, quickly became disillusioned and then put them away...never to be seen again... (cue creepy music). So let's start with what is so frustrating about them. Here are a few issues. First, some of them are just plain hard to use. Second...lining the scissors up properly so that when you move the scissor, the pattern continues. Finally, if you can't cut a straight edge to save your life...well it can be down right scary to attempt with scissors that create a pattern.

No worries my pretty lil crafters. Here are some of my suggestions and thoughts regarding these issues. Maybe they will entice you to go and find those scissors! They are really worth using.

Not all decorative edge scissors are created equal. There are some that are just plain not worth a buck. My favorites are Fiskars and Family Treasures. These come in a wide variety of patterns (which will will discuss in a minute) and they are easy to manipulate. Believe me, if you have a pair that are just hard to pull open and closed, don't keep frustrating yourself.

Now for patterns. The more intricate the edge of that scissor, the harder it will be to keep the pattern repeating. One of my favorite patterns is the scalloped edge because it is bold and easy to line up. My other favorite is the deckled edge because there it doesn't matter at all if I line up my edge properly! One word of advice when cutting...don't close your scissor all the way while you are cutting. When the tip closes, it could tear the paper.

To address the issue of being able to cut in a straight line, I like to use a ruler and pencil. I make a light line on the REVERSE side of the paper.

Then, when I begin to cut, I follow that line. This helps out a lot as I can not only line my scissor up with the pattern itself, but I can with the line as well.

See how great that scallop just lines up?

If you just take your time and use these simple techniques, you can get a really fantastic looking edge on photos and mats. Whether you are looking to make your project look fun, flirty or sophisticated you can find a decorative edge to meet your needs.

Artfully yours,

Theresa