May 2017 – Artful Musings

Hello my crafty peeps! I’m happy to be here again this month as part of the Fun & Crafty blog hop. This month’s theme is new catalog preview, that magical time of year when there is a 236-page treasure trove of new (and carrying over) goodies to crave.

What am I excited about? How long do you have? My catalog is a bit dogeared and contains oh so many tape flags of the must-have goodies. Some “must have” suites and stamps include: Coffee Break Suite (stamps, dies, papers, and accents all with a coffee theme), This Little Piggy (the cutest stamp set of pigs and sentiments), Birthday Memories Suite (so cute with it’s fun party images and dies that cut images out of the DSP – so creative), and Delightful Daisy Suite (combining the freshest colors and floral imagery, this set is sure to be a staple in the next year). Some “must have” tools and embellishments include: mini pop dots, Ombre ribbon, glitter enamel dots, faceted gems, embossing paste, copper trim, and crinkle seam binding.

Here are some catalog details, painstakingly complied by my fellow hopper, Stacey over at A Work of Carte.

Catalog “By the Numbers” | Top Ten Edition

Stamp Sets: 192 (82 NEW)
New Ink Colors: 5
DSP: 15
Embellishments: 23 (18 NEW)
Ribbon STYLES: 23 (15 NEW)
Ribbon SPOOLS: 71 (56 NEW)
New Adhesive: 2
Punches: 32 (8 NEW)
Folders: 18 (7 NEW)
Dies: 57 (20 NEW)

For this month’s blog hop I’m focusing on the new Wood Words stamps (143925), Copper Trim (144179), and Wood Textures DSP (144177). These new items were some of the very first things I zeroed in on in the new catalog so when it was time for demonstrator pre-order I was thrilled they were on the list. There is also the Wood Crate die (143730) , which creates the cutest little 3-D crate and is perfect as a goodie basket to hold SU! embellies, candies, small cards, soaps, or even a gift card. These items will all be available on June 1st when the new catalog launches.

For my project today I’ve created a simple card and I’ve also cut out and built the crate. Interestingly enough, the wood crate is sized to fit perfectly in the 3″ x 6″ gusseted cellophane bags (141704).

For my card I used Mint Macaron cardstock (retiring on May 31st) and two different sheets of the Wood Textures DSP (a light and dark). I began with an A2 (4.5″ x 5.5″) card base in Chocolate Chip. To this I mounted a 4″ x 5.25″ mat in Mint Macaron and on top of that a 3.75″ x 5″ piece from the DSP. The top layer consists of a 3.25″ x 4.5″ mat in Mint Macaron and the topmost piece (where I did most of the stamping and embossing) of light DSP (3″ x 4.25″). First, using my mini MISTI I stamped the large floral image from the Wood Words stamp set twice (on the top and bottom) using Versa Mark ink and sprinkled on Copper embossing powder (141636), which I then heat set. Once it was cool I used my Mint Macaron Stampin’ Write marker to color in the open flowers to match the card stock mats.

The last thing I decided on was the sentiment. I wanted to pull forward a bit more of the Mint Macaron so I die cut the smallest banner from the Bunch of Banners Framelits (141488) and then mounted the DSP panel to the Mint Macaron mat. Again, using my mini Misti, I stamped in Versa Mark and embossed in copper the sentiment “Hello Friend”, also from the Wood Words stamp set. For the final touch, I wrapped some of the new Copper Trim around this top panel sticking it to the back before I mounted the final panel to the card. HINT: To add a nice bow I usually tie it separately and then adhere it to the ribbon I laid down using a mini glue dot. This helps me have a pretty and even bow every time! Because this is a dark card base I also cut a Mint Macaron mat (4″ x 5.25″) for the inside so I could write a note!

I just love this stamp set with it’s farm fresh images and I can’t wait to play further with all the dies and stamps in this bundle. Remember, the new catalog launches on June 1st! There is much to enjoy throughout this hop, all of it from the new catalog that launches on June 2nd. Since you started here, I encourage you to grab a cup of coffee and visit the other talented team members listed below to leave them some blog love! Next up is the talented Merit at MB Squared Designs. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo
Beanie

Christine — Artful Musings (you are here)
Merit — MB Squared Designs
Pamela — Stinky Tofu
Susan — Stampin’ By the SF Bay
Stacey — A Work of Carte
Jennifer — NW Stamper

Supplies Used:
Wood Words Stamps
Wooden Crate Framelits Dies
Wood Textures DSP
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip & Mint Macaron
Mint Macaron Stampin’ Write Marker
3″ x 6″ Gusseted Cellophane Bags
Copper Trim
Inks: Versa Mark
Copper Embossing Powder

Hello my crafty peeps and welcome to my first Innovation Station post! This is a new monthly feature, focusing innovative tips and tricks. During the 2nd week of each month I plan to share an innovation that I find myself going to again and again.

I’ve been “innovating” since I bought my first stamp at The Stamp Cabana in Winter Park, FL back in 1997. Over the years I’ve seen things come and go and come back again! In all this time, I’ve found myself going “back to the well” for techniques that never seem to get old.

There’s nothing worse than finishing a card only to realize it’s missing something! Often I find what’s missing is a textile and my go to textile is ribbon. Many times I can get by with an off the rack neutral ribbon (black, brown, gold, silver), but there are times when I think, “If only I had a color-matched ribbon, all would be right in the universe!”, which brings me to this month’s innovation: custom dyed ribbon.

My go to ribbon for this innovation: seam binding. It’s cheap, readily available, and holds up well, but you could use any ribbon for this process. You can use many things to dye ribbon (Color Burst powders, Distress stains and sprays, or Perfect Pearls) but my favorite for custom color matching is reinkers or ink pads. Here is what you need:

White Ribbon or Seam Binding
Craft Mat
Reinkers
Ink Pads
Water bottle
Heat Tool
Baby Wipes
Craft Scrubbie
Ribbon Iron (optional)
Gloves (optional, if you don’t like inky fingers)

Custom dying ribbon is a very simple process. First, cut the length of ribbon you need for your project. Next, place a few drops of reinker, or smear the ink pad, onto your craft sheet. I start with 2 drops of reinker (you can always add more if needed). Add water to the ink.

Using the ribbon, soak up the liquid, making sure the entire ribbon is saturated. If needed, you can also spray water onto the ribbon. After the ribbon is completely covered you can add more ink if you want a deeper color.

Once you are happy with the color, dry the ribbon with your heat tool (if you have time you can let it air dry). Sometimes I scrunch it up so it looks “ruched” and other times I dry it flat and run it through my ribbon iron. I hold it in my hand, moving it around until it’s completely dry and volià, custom dyed ribbon, a perfect finishing touch for any card or scrapbook layout.

By the time you are done dying ribbon your fingers are quite inky (left hand) so it’s the Craft Scrubbie to the rescue (right hand). Inky fingers don’t stand a chance when you have the Ranger Craft Scrubbie.

Thanks for hanging out with me, and learning (or relearning) a fun innovation! Join me next month for another of my go to innovations, white washing. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo

Supplies Used:
Inks: Berry Blast, Fresh Fig, Lemon Lime Twist, Powder Pink, & Tranquil Tide
Ribbon: Hug Snug Winter White Seam Binding
Ranger Craft Scrubbie
Ranger Craft Mat
Distress Water Bottle

Month: May 2017

Fun-n-Crafty | New Catalog Preview

Innovation Station | Custom Dyed Ribbon