Handcrafted Inspirations

ARTFUL LIVING • JEWELRY MAKING • SEWING & FIBER ARTS • JOURNALING & MIXED MEDIA PAPER CRAFTING & SEASONAL • DIGITAL ARTS & PHOTOGRAPHY • DOLL MAKING

Special Offers Inside p.1

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Tempting Template

DRESS PATTERN p.189

175+Handmade Project Ideas

Volume 2

JENNIFER BLAIR

IRENE BERNI

Autumn ’12 Issue Available August 1st

IRENE BERNI

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Pull up a chair, sit back and relax with your caffeinated beverage of choice close at hand as you explore the second installment of Handcrafted Inspirations, a NEW free digital edition that highlights some of the finest artwork, techniques, and favorite articles originally featured in Stampington & Company’s most popular titles.

All of the content has been specially chosen from our most-loved issues, and each page gives you an exclusive look into a number of magazines, representing a wide spectrum of arts, crafts, and lifestyle interests.

Whether your passion is paper crafting, jewelry making, mixed media, home décor and entertaining, or fiber arts, each publication is devoted to providing inspiration for creative minds of all levels and genres. With an unmatched level of artwork and photography, our magazines have been embraced by artists worldwide for over two decades. We are constantly looking for new ways to delight readers with unique content and a fresh look at modern creativity.

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p. 199

kindred artistic soul – the more the merrier.

Go ahead, light that creative spark,

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We’re delighted to unveil our NEW blog — which delivers tips, tidbits, and an endless stream of artful inspiration: • Guest artists & bloggers

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• 5, 10, or even 25 ways to use a unique crafting item or perform an unusual technique – we’ll show you how!

• The latest: sales, specials, breaking news, editor’s insights, and creative inspiration Grab a cup of tea, and join us as we craft more memories in our online studio space.

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01/23/12 10:40 AM

Enjoy some of your favorite Stampington & Company Magazines now available as Digital Downloads!

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Now you can explore every article just as it appeared in each issue, complete with live links to each artist’s blog or website. Best of all, you can download instantly* – without having to pay any shipping charges!

Download Digital Editions Instantly! *Instant downloads are not compatible with Apple iPad or Linux operating systems.

Artisan Downloads Discover more than 300 vintage elements available for instant download on e-Crafting.com – with collections starting at just $1.95!

Download yours today to use over and over in your digital and mixed-media projects.

Artists

Are you an artist interested in selling your digital downloads on e-Crafting.com? We’re looking to team up with artists offering unique clip art, collage sheets and more! To have your artwork considered, please send samples to marketing@stampington.com.

ARTFUL LIVING Artistic Inspiration Compiled

by Michelle Spaw & Kelsi Maree Borland

SEWING & FIBER ARTS 6

So Sweet Keepsake Boxes

10

A Warm Welcome For Guests

14

Put a Pin on it

16

Switching it Up

20

Thankful for Friends

26

Partying the TomKat Way

36

by Vivienne Slivka

by Vanessa Spencer

by Heather Anderson

by Renee Houston Zemanski

by Amber Demien

Story by Amanda Crabtree Blog by Kim Stoegbauer

Kristin Alber: Found

42

Whispers of Beauty

55

All Wired Up

61

Geneva

66

Autumn Colors

68

by Denise Yezbak Moore

by Becky Shander

by Emily Mah

72

Lady in Red Coat

74

Unconventional Canvas

80

Frida in Bloom

84

Scrap Scarves

90

The Romance of the Red Coat

94

Shabby Chic Burlap Bags

98

by Candace Marquette

by Donna Barnitz

by Donna Downey

by Danita

by Lindsay Ostrom

by Shea Fragoso

by Deb Hodge

Little Creek Pink Houndstooth Purse

102

Icing on the Cake

106

An Indigo Mood

110

by Aynn Lackey

by Donna Downey

JEWELRY MAKING

by Kristen Robinson

Artist’s Camisole

by Olivia Thomas

JOURNALING & MIXED MEDIA A Painting a Day: Wintery Paris 115

by Lisa Bebi

Fun Wax Paper Creations

by Ellen Wilson

118

ON THE COVER p. 118

Clockwise from lower left: Natalie Malik, Becky Shander, Paula Whittaker, Kim Klassen, Natalie Malik, Michelle Spaw, Viki Dvorak and Renee Houston Zemanski.

p. 80 p. 144 Enjoying the Process

122

Stamping on Sea Glass

186

Summer of Love

128

Tempting Template Pattern

189

Self Empowerment

134

Vintage Halloween

190

Just Let Go & Create …

136

Paper Stockings

194

Beautiful Beyond Words

141

For the Love of Art-Money

144

Uplifted Voices

148

Playing with Leftovers

152

by Dina Wakley

by Natalie Malik

by Brandi Evans

by Louise Nelson

by Shelley Haganman

by Hanne Matthiesen

by Julie Collings

by Ruthan Miller

Measured in Sunshine

156

Words to Live By …

162

by Dina Wakley

PAPER CRAFTING & SEASONAL PROJECTS Clever Die-Cutting

by AJ Otto, Cindy Coutts & Michelle Haney

by Amanda Crabtree

by Dawne Marie Schwartz

by Catherine Matthews-Scanlon

170

Stenciled in Style

258

by Amber Demien

ECO-FRIENDLY PROJECTS Sophisticated Elegance

262

Fresh Footed

267 270

198

Frayed Flowers

Kim Klassen Café

204

WHERE WOMEN COOK

Crafty Soul

210

Carolyn Robb:

Painterly Satisfaction

216

Love of Layers

222

by Vicki Dvorak

by Kim Klassen

by Dawne Boynton Polis

by Theresa Martin

DOLL MAKING Evelyn’s Wonderland

228

Miss Erma Butterfield

234

by Evelyn Santiago

by Barb Moore

Beatrice & Belle

240

Waste Not

176

Murder Time Mary

244

Tempting Template

180

Geoff, Moose & Ketchup

248

by Kelsi Maree Borland

254

by Bethany Kartchner

Simply Hue

174

by Paula Whittaker

Power Plaques

by Jane Pierce

Quick & Easy Gift

by Vanessa Spencer

CREATING WITH KIDS

by Monica Sabolla Gruppo

DIGITAL ARTS & PHOTOGRAPHY

by Rachel Rerko

FOR BEGINNERS

by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare

by Heather Patterson

by Kimberly Young

by Robyn Moore

by Cassandra Cheng

p. 22

by Maize Hutton

The Royal Touch

274

THE ART OF JUXTAPOSITION

Artwork by Michelle Spaw Story by Kelsi Maree Borland

Artists roam the earth with wide eyes,

cultivating artistic inspiration as they amass found objects and other materials for their artwork. Most do not need much for inspiration to begin blossoming — falling leaves, the sound of the ocean, children laughing, and even the rusting objects found on parking lot floors are enough to send an artist into their studio for hours.

Artist Michelle Spaw follows in this tradition, collecting various materials throughout her day to bring back to her studio for inspiration. Most recently, Michelle began saving her fortune cookie messages. “I love the playfulness of a fortune cookie message and the idea that my destiny and fate could be expressed in just a sentence or two,” Michelle explains. “I decided to expand on the concept of strips of paper and text.” Using her good fortune as a starting point, Michelle created an inspiration kit — a compilation of materials meant to spark creativity.

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Somerset LIFE Autumn 2010

• Volume 2

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2010 issue of Somerset Life.

www.stampington.com

7

The Inspiration Kit contains an assortment of text-themed pieces to incorporate Michelle’s fortuitous starting point. Vintage copy bundles, monogram brads, alphabet tiles, script rolls, collaged wooden balls, and, of course, fortune cookie messages fill a recycled photo box, the home for Michelle’s type-faced items.

“Objects with typography tend to find their way into my studio in one form or another,” says Michelle about her kit materials.

“I collect things purely for intrinsic or aesthetic quality, and not necessarily function.” Michelle’s interest in the intrinsic value of found materials allows her to explore the vast artistic possibilities of each piece. Rather than debase the material by using it as a small part of a larger artwork, Michelle elevates the value of her materials by viewing them as a whole.

Michelle’s goal is to find the potential in every material. In The Inspiration Kit, her favorite materials are the collaged wooden balls because they look different from every angle, allowing her to become inspired in a different way every time she studies them.

And, of course, studying the materials in such a way lends itself to the purpose of the kit. “To me,” Michelle explains, “the kit is an idea starter. I envision a chain-reaction event, and hope the viewer will be inspired to take an ordinary idea, expand on it, and make it their own.” Michelle’s vision of a chain reaction is the very spirit of the kit, which itself began from a chain reaction sparked by Michelle's unique interpretation of fortune cookie messages.

An inspiration kit can be composed of any materials that will cultivate artistic inspiration. Compiling such items is part of the creative process — an expansion of creativity. Michelle agrees, saying, “In an age where everything seems mass produced, it is important to express who we are. The handmade speaks volumes.”

The voice of handmade goods carries with it the voice of the people; a world of artisans and art enthusiasts connected through materials and inspiration. They are all apart of the handmade process — people, inspiration, and, finally, the juxtaposing of materials. “I think of it as a song,” says Michelle. “Individual notes mean very little on their own. It is when they are combined with other notes that a symphony is born.”

Michelle Spaw is a mixed-media artist and freelance writer from Kansas City, Missouri. Her artwork can be viewed in galleries across the country, and on her Web site, michellespaw.com.

38 8 Somerset LIFE Autumn 2010

• Volume 2

Somerset Life is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

www.stampington.com

9

by Vivienne Sliwka

by Vivienne Sliwka

Throughout time,

man has required boxes to contain and to hold what is precious to him both emotionally and physically. From the earliest wooden chest, which stored textiles and documents, to boxes that andboxes protected foodstuffs, man contained has required to contain and tothere hold is a box to suit every purpose. what is precious to him both emotionally and Many ofFrom us store physically. thepapers, earliestpostcards, wooden tickets, chest, and all manner of items in shoeboxes which stored textiles and documents, to under boxes the bed or inand theprotected bottom foodstuffs, of wardrobes. that contained there Drawers with our day-to-day is a box tofillsuitfrequently every purpose. “stuff,” specific to keeptickets, these Manyhaving of us nowhere store papers, postcards, items just waiting to be filed … until that day and all manner of items in shoeboxes under comes when you summon the courage to have the bed or in the bottom of wardrobes. aDrawers good sort! fill frequently with our day-to-day “stuff,” having nowhere specific to keep these items just waiting to be filed … until that day comes when you summon the courage to have a good sort!

Throughout time,

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Somerset LIFE Autumn 2010

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This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2010 issue of Somerset Life.

www.stampington.com

11

86 Somerset LIFE Autumn 2010 12

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Keeping Precious Memories Safe

Many of our happiest memories get mixed up with our everyday bits and pieces. Precious photographs get dog-eared and small sentimental items get lost. So that is where keepsake boxes hold a special role.

It was mentioned to me by a friend that one of my box canvas mixed-media pieces did actually look like a box. She suggested that she would very much like a box decorated with mixed-media to give to her daughter on the arrival of her expected baby. This got me thinking that it would be wonderful if I could decorate a pretty box with an original piece of mixed-media, incorporating specific text details too. This would be perhaps an original gift to give on a special occasion, such as a wedding, birth of baby, or even a general keepsake memory box.

Finding a Design

I gathered up my stash and had great fun playing with designs that I could replicate to a certain degree. I also found that I could type on linen using my old typewriter, the details of the happy couple or the baby’s name. Working with mixed-media is very flexible and it’s all about surface texture, pattern, and text.

One of my customers ordered a baby keepsake box for his wife for Mothering Sunday from their newly born baby girl. He graciously told me a little while later that he had given the box to his wife on Mothering Sunday morning, and that it had indeed been a treasured moment for them as new parents. His wife had been thrilled to have a specific place to now keep her treasured baby’s mementoes.

I hope that these boxes are an individual and personal way of holding treasured memories, to be opened and enjoyed for many years to come.

Vivienne Sliwka is a mixed-media artist. View more of her work by visiting hensteethart. blogspot.com.

Somerset Life is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

87 Somerset LIFE www.stampington.com 13 www.stampington.com

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• Volume 2

CREATIVE LIVING IDEA #144

M

Make your house guests feel welcome by

providing them with big, white fluffy bath

towels to use during their visit. To take it up a notch, wrap them in a handmade muslin bag and tie with a sweet ribbon, just as Vanessa Spencer did here.

This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Somerset Life.

Somerset Life is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

Somerset LIFE www.stampington.com 125 15 www.stampington.com

PutONaITPin

by Heather Anderson

T O O L S & M AT E R I A L S

I was inspired to build this clothespin frame while staring at the stack of papers on my counter. Oh, how I love being inspired by the most mundane things. I hastily gathered up my supplies, all of which I found in my home. Use this frame as a way to keep organized and inspired. Consider hanging photos, recipes, or anything else you’d like to keep out in the open and uncluttered.

• Adhesive

16

• Volume 2

• Clothespins • Frame: vintage, large • Paper • Pencil

• Screws & screwdriver or small nails & hammer • Tape measure • Wire: 20-gauge

This article has been borrowed from Volume 6 of Somerset Home.

www.stampington.com

17

Somerset Home is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

D E TA I L

TECHNIQUE Decide how many wires you’ll string. Measure and mark with your pencil so your screws/nails will be directly across from each other. Attach screws/nails. Embellish clothespins with paper, using either glue or Mod Podge. Wrap each wire around a screw/nail, string clothespins onto wire, and secure to the other side. Hang and enjoy. I chose to paint my frame white, and I used screws and 20-gauge wire, but this project is perfect for using up whatever supplies you have already.

Making a house a home is Heather Anderson’s absolute favorite thing to do in the whole wide world. You can join her on her adventures at postroadvintage.com or shop her handmade and antique home décor at postroadvintage. etsy.com. Email her at postroadvintage@yahoo.com.

She’d love to hear from you.

The photos pinned on this frame are copyright Johanna Love.

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• Volume 2

French Market

Infuse Creativity into every facet of your Life!

Contemporary and romantic photographs accompany stories offering simple and accessible ideas to help transform ordinary moments into extraordinary ones. Explore touching moments captured by inspiring artwork, unique ways to present gifts, and creative living ideas in every spellbinding issue.

Inside the Summer ‘12 Issue: • Using washi tape around the office • How to tint mason jars blue

• A new take on prom-wear from Cynthia Shaffer

lfe house ad

• Stitched and adorned muslin bags

by Colette Copeland

Michelle Ferullo

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THE SOMERSET LIFE RSVP PACKAGE $59.99* Sign up to automatically receive four consecutive volumes of Somerset Life, free of shipping & handling charges! *Price good for orders from within the United States.

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Michelle Ferullo

Thiiiss iissue Th ssue is is available available on on newsstands newssta or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/ somersetlife or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

Previous issues available for $14.99 + S&H. French Market

This article has been borrowed from Volume 6 of Somerset Home.

20

“

“

I use the switch covers as mini canvases to experiment with different art techniques.

• Volume 2

Switching IT UP

by Renee Houston Zemanski

Years ago, I took an interior design class. One point the instructor emphasized was that “details do count.”

She used light switch covers as an example. I took that lesson to heart and have had a thing about switch covers ever since. I can honestly say that 80-percent of the switch covers in my house can be considered decorative accessories.

The light switch covers featured here are a sampling of what I create for homes. I use the switch covers as mini canvases to experiment with different art techniques.

While each of these switch covers is different, they all have a common thread — the use of a French script stamp for the background. I love the way script looks when stamped on an object. It not only adds texture, but a romantic and mysterious aura.

TO O L S & M AT E R I A L S • Adhesive: super glue • Clean rag • Found objects & embellishments • Gesso • Glazing medium • Inkpad: black • Joint compound: white • Light switch covers: wood or vintage metal • Paint: acrylic, craft or latex • Plaster spatula: plastic • Sea sponge • Sponge brush • Stamps: French script & Parisian-inspired

D E TA I L www.stampington.com

21

TECHNIQUE Every one of my mini canvases starts with a coat of gesso, and then I use whatever paint I have on hand as a base coat. To create the dark gray, slate look, I painted a wooden double-switch cover slate gray. Next, I applied a gray joint compound to craft an Old World Venetian plaster look. I then applied a small amount of joint compound in an overlapping pattern with the spatula.

I continued overlapping and scraping off the compound until I had a texture that I liked. Don’t completely cover the surface at this point; let some areas of the base paint show through. Let dry completely.

Mix a small amount of three parts glazing medium with one part black paint, and apply it in small sections to the switch plate, wiping off and reapplying it in spots to create different shades of gray. Some of your base color will show through and the black will gather D E TA I L 22

• Volume 2

in the textured part. Let dry. Next, add another layer of texture using inked stamps. As a final touch, I chose to embellish this one with vintage rhinestone earring pieces because I love the way they sparkle against the rustic slate-like appearance of this switch cover.

I also used the Venetian plaster technique on the single light switch cover. First, paint the wooden switch cover bluegray. Then, mix joint compound with the same blue-gray, and apply it randomly, scraping it off in spots. After it dries, paint it

with a mixture of three parts glazing medium and one part gray paint, and wipe it off with a rag. Stamp it lightly with French script, and distress the edges with ink. You can then add an embellishment with super glue. I used a rusty skeleton key and then dabbed some rust-colored ink in spots to carry the rust color throughout.

One of my white switch covers also features the Venetian plaster technique. It was an old metal switch cover that I painted white, and then used the technique with white joint

TI P S • When working with joint compound, use your spatula to stipple it a bit, and then skim over the surface very lightly, scraping some away and leaving some. You are trying to create different, random textures.

• Practice the Venetian plaster technique on a block of scrap wood before you attempt a switch cover.

• For even more detailed instructions relating to these projects, visit Renee’s blog, wherethegrassisgreener-rz.blogspot. com, and type in “tutorial” in the search box.

www.stampington.com

23

compound. To achieve the look, use a mixture of slate gray paint and glazing medium to give it a hint of gray. Stamp it in random and use the ink to lightly distress compound.

Tospots, achieve thethen look, use a mixture of slate gray the edges with a sea sponge. glued embellishment paint and glazing medium toIgive it aa wood hint of gray. Stamp top (also painted and glazed). ittointhe random spots, and then use the ink to lightly distress To create white, French-inspired switch cover, the edges with athe sea sponge.

I glued a wood embellishment paint white, and glazed). then antique the edges with a tosimply the top (alsoitpainted black ink andthe umber French-inspired To distressed create Tothe white, French-inspired switch cover, compound. achieve look,glaze. use a Add mixture of slate gray stamps andglazing aitwood fleur-de-lys embellishment. simply paint white, and then antique the of edges a paint and medium to give it a hint gray.with Stamp black distressed ink and umber glaze.

Add French-inspired it Somerset in random Home spots, is andavailable then useon the ink to lightly distress stamps andwith a wood fleur-de-lys embellishment. thenewsstands edges aor sea sponge.from I glued a wood embellishment directly toStampington the top (also painted and glazed). & Company atTowww.stampington.com or create the white, French-inspired switch cover, 1-877-782-6737. simply paint it white, and then antique the edges with a black distressed ink and umber glaze. Add French-inspired stamps and a wood fleur-de-lys embellishment.

Switch it up.indd 6

24 Switch it up.indd 6

compound. To achieve the look, use a mixture of slate gray paint and glazing medium to give it a hint of gray. Stamp it in random spots, and then use the ink to lightly distress the edges with a sea sponge. I glued a wood embellishment to the top (also painted and glazed).

To Houston create the white, isFrench-inspired switch cover, Renee Zemanski passionate about her family, creating antiquing, and taking simply one-of-a-kind paint it white,art, and then antique the photographs. edges with a She lives in Annapolis, withAdd her husband, three black distressed ink andMaryland, umber glaze.

French-inspired Renee Houston Zemanski is passionate about her family, sons, and hera wood dog. She sells herembellishment. art, taking created from found creating one-of-a-kind art, antiquing, and photographs. stamps and fleur-de-lys

Ren cre She son and com sell and blo

andlives repurposed objects, at wherethegrassisgreen.etsy.

She in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband, three com. and Her her otherdog. shop, countrytagsale.etsy.com, is where she sons, She sells her art, created from found sells repurposed the vintage findings can’t bear to take apart and objects,that at she wherethegrassisgreen.etsy. and Her repurpose.

Visitcountrytagsale.etsy.com, her blog, wherethegrassisgreener-rz. com. other shop, is where she Renee Houston Zemanski is passionate about her family, blogspot.com tofindings share in her sells the vintage thatadventures. she can’t bear to take apart creating one-of-a-kind art, antiquing, and taking photographs. and repurpose. Visit her blog, wherethegrassisgreener-rz.

She lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband, three blogspot.com to share in her adventures. sons, and her dog. She sells her art, created from found and repurposed objects, at wherethegrassisgreen.etsy.

Switch it com. up.indd Her 6 other shop, countrytagsale.etsy.com, is where she sells the vintage findings that she can’t bear to take apart and repurpose. Visit her blog, wherethegrassisgreener-rz. blogspot.com to share in her adventures.

05/24/12 1:28 PM

• Volume 2 05/24/12 1:28 PM

Volume 7

Available August 1st, 2012

JENNIFER RIZZO

SHARON HUGHES

PAULETTE ADAMS

VANESSA SPENCER

Come home to the Seventh Volume of our inspirational décor magazine that’s overflowing wing with charmingg accents and creative ideas to beautify utify any living space..

In this issue…

• Pillow projects to suit every taste om • Inventive ways to illuminate any room es designed d to eenlighten, nlight nl hten, ht • Hundreds of tips and project samples ing pl plac ace ac organize, and smarten up any dwelling place

Only $14.99 + S&H &H H This issue is available on newsstands August 1st or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/somersethome or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

Event by Rosie & Rosella Story Amber Demien Event by by Rosie & Rosella Story by Amber Demien

Event by Rosie & Rosella Story by Amber Demien

textures, and spirit of fall, photographer Rosie of Simply Rosie textures, Photography and her friend Rosella had been talking and spirit of fall, photographer Rosie of Simply Rosie about throwing an outdoor party during this inspiring Photography and her friend Rosella had been talking season for some time. As these two friends put their about throwing an outdoor party during this inspiring heads together, it was only natural that they would season for some time. As these two friends put their choose the theme Thankful for Friends. heads together, it was only natural that they would textures, choose Thankful for Rosie Friends. and spiritthe of theme fall, photographer of Simply Rosie HANDLED WITH CARE Photography and her friend Rosella had been talking A party is a wonderful way to show people how much they HANDLED WITH CARE party during this inspiring about throwing an outdoor mean to you, and Rosie and Rosella made sure to plan A party a wonderful waythese to show people howput much they season forissome time. As two friends their their party with care. They began by getting together meantogether, to you, and Rosie andnatural Rosella that madethey surewould to plan heads it was only to share ideas, inspirations, images, and clippings, and their the party withThankful care. They began by getting together choose theme for Friends. browse through a variety of ea market magazines. Next, to share ideas, inspirations, images, and clippings, and they penned a to-do list, and split up the tasks between browse through a variety of ea market magazines. Next, HANDLED WITH CARE the two of them. All in all, the entire planning process they penned a to-doway list,toand split up the tasks between A party is a wonderful show people how much they took about two months. While the majority of the prethe two of them.

All inand all, Rosella the entire planning mean to you, and Rosie made sure toprocess plan party preparation was handled by Rosie and Rosella, tookparty aboutwith twocare. months. thebymajority the pretheir TheyWhile began getting of together Rosie explains that their husbands did lend a hand, was handled Rosie and Rosella, to party share preparation ideas, inspirations, images,byand clippings, and saying, “Our husbands played a huge role in supporting Rosiethrough explains that their did lend aNext, hand, browse a variety of eahusbands market magazines. our ideas and helping set up on the actual day of the saying, “Our husbands played a huge role in supporting they penned a to-do list, and split up the tasks between party, and my husband, Mark, prepared a bunch of the and All helping on the actual day of the theour twoideas of them. in all,set theup entire planning process tasty treats!” party, andtwo mymonths. husband, Mark, prepared bunch of the took about While the majoritya of the pretastypreparation treats!” party was handled by Rosie and Rosella, Rosie that their husbands did lend a hand, www.mingle-mag.com 44 explains saying, “Our husbands played a huge role in supporting www.mingle-mag.com 44 our ideas and helping set up on the actual day of the party, and my husband, Mark, prepared a bunch of the 036_053_MIN1011.indd tasty treats!” 44 036_053_MIN1011.indd 44

26 44

www.mingle-mag.com

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This article has been borrowed from Volume 1 of Mingle.

www.stampington.com Autumn 2011 •

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AMONG FRIENDS The party took place on a beautiful fall day in October in Rosie’s picturesque backyard. Rosie and Rosella had decided on an intimate gathering, so they invited just their closest friends by sending them handmade invitations, tucked inside of tea-stained envelopes and wrapped with twine.

To set the mood for the party, Rosie and Rosella, two experienced do-it-yourselfers, either hand made the decorations or purchased them at ea markets, antique shops, or thrift stores. “We spent a lot of time nding mismatched plates, saucers, and coffee mugs,” she explains. A rich, fall-themed color palette of yellow, red, and gray was decided upon, paying homage to the season but also complementing the vintage style. To further accentuate the vintage vibe, burlap and tea-stained papers were used in the décor, and vintage stamps were used for an extra special touch. Burlap adorned everything from pillows to place settings, and was used to create a shabby chic banner that hung across the yard. Small red and yellow rosettes were hand stitched to the banner, and red and yellow tissue paper pompoms hung playfully from the trees overhead.

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GOOD FOOD & GOOD COMPANY A fall-themed menu was also developed that happened to go hand-in-hand with the friendship theme — coffee and pie. Freshly ground coffee brewed in a French press was served, along with an assortment of sweet treats that accompanied the selection of pies. The guests enjoyed their food upon a beautifully weathered table surrounded by mismatched, vintage seating. The hodgepodge of chairs added splashes of fall color to the décor, as did the oral arrangements and variety of vintage china upon the table, one of Rosie’s favorite parts of the party. “I was so pleased with the place settings,” she shares. “I love mismatched, pretty china!”

In addition to great company, food, and atmosphere, a photo booth was set up to entertain guests, which was a last-minute decision but a huge hit. An Instax camera was used to capture special moments, and the photos were pinned to a small tree complete with handwritten messages.

Ultimately, Rosie and Rosella used their creative and artistic talents to say “Thank You” to their friends. “Honestly, the party went so well; I don’t think we’d do anything differently,” Rosie shares.

And their guests — their friends — would certainly not change a thing about the two women who so lovingly planned this incredible party in their honor.

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Mingle is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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FREE

Projects

Inspiration is always free at The Studio!

Browse our entire collection of creative

project ideas, and learn how to reproduce them by following along with our artists’ step-by-step instructions.

Explore new techniques, find your muse for all kinds of crafting projects, and break out

of any creative slump with hundreds of fresh tips and imaginative new ideas!

Visit The Studio at www.stampington.com/thestudio for a refreshing splash of creativity!

Visit www.stampington.com/thestudio for free mixed-media, papercrafting, jewelry making, fiber arts, and seasonal project ideas!

Seam Binding Ribbon Fabric and Lace Tapes Small to Large Wooden Spools

Mini Wooden Clothespins Jenni Bowlin Tart Tins

Ready-to-alter Storage Tins

Wood Mounted, Clearly Impressed, and Cling-Mount Art Stamps

Solid and Patterned Washi Tapes

Style your studio space with a vibrant assortment of art and crafting essentials available from The Shoppe at Somerset.

Visit www.stampington. com/shoppe to explore our entire colorful selection, and while you're there, be sure to stop by The Studio for FREE organizational and dĂŠcor projects to spruce up your own creative corner.

to order:

www.stampington.com 1-877-782-6737

R. S . V.P. blogs you should

plan on seeing

Story by Amanda Crabtree Blog by Kim Stoegbauer An early papercrafts artist, Kim Stoegbauer has been creating since she was a young girl. Making card after card for the people she loved, her aunt even told her — when Kim was just 8 years old — that she knew one day Kim was going to own a stationery shop. Now that Kim is the owner of a successful business and party blog The TomKat Studio, it’s clear that Kim’s aunt wasn’t too far off in her early predictions.

ALWAYS A CREATOR As a child, Kim was always drawing. In addition to cards, she loved to make books with her brother, where he would imagine and write elaborate stories and she would illustrate them. “Drawing and creating in some way have always been a part of me,” says Kim. As she grew up, her talents extended to invitations for high school and college parties, and she even created her own graduation announcements.

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Though talented and creative, Kim has never been properly trained as an artist, and admits she uses Microsoft Word to this day for all her design work. She’s never learned how to work with Adobe Photoshop, because Word has all the tools she needs for her projects.

FAVORITE PARTIES FOR THE KIDS Kim’s favorite party themes have come through her own children’s birthday parties.

In fact, a birthday party for her daughter, Kate, was the reason that Kim became so entranced with parties in the  rst place. She’d always loved them of course, and mentioned fun party ideas on her blog, but before that life-changing 2nd birthday party, Kim’s blog was still home to interior design ideas, recipes, and the like.

This article has been borrowed from Volume 1 of Mingle.

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R . S. V.P. blogs you should

plan on seeing

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Kim dedicated a blog post to Kate’s 2nd birthday party, and it was such a popular post that Kim knew she had found her calling.

From that day on, her blog became dedicated to sharing all things party. Readers of her blog were interested in re-creating Kim’s parties, so Kim began to create the paper products she used in the party. The orders were so overwhelming, however, that Kim soon created printable solutions to make her workload more manageable. Kim has not been able to keep up with orders since that  rst iconic party.

For Kate’s 3rd birthday party, Kim threw a colorful, bright, fairy garden party. “I love all of Kate’s parties because I’m so girly,” says Kim, “so I can make them as girly as can be and both Kate and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results.” Kate had her 4th birthday party this year, and the theme was “Glamour Girl in Paris.” “It was inspired by Barbie,” says Kim, “because Kate loves Barbie right now. But really, the only thing Barbie related was the cake.” The party encompassed all things French and chic, and turned out to be a perfect marriage between Kim’s love of all things French and Kate’s love of Barbie.

ALL THEIR PARTY NEEDS Kim works from home, where she can be with her kids. She’s not a party planner, but rather a party blogger and party stylist. Her

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R . S. V.P. blogs you should

plan on seeing

days are often  lled with styling photoshoots, where she uses other artists’ goods as well as her own paper goods. The only real parties she throws are for her own kids.

Desserts are Kim’s favorite part of any party. She’s a total sweet lover, and loves the current trend of the dessert table. She works with dozens of bakers, who ship things in for her styled parties. Kim determines the perfect arrangement of the sweets, then dresses up the tables with her paper goods.

She’s working now on bringing more  nished products back to her shop, in addition to the printable pieces she’s always had. She knows so many people want to throw fun and creative parties, but don’t have the artistic ability or time to do the work themselves; there is interest from some to just buy the  nished product rather than the printable items, which require a bit of work to  nish. She’d also like to sell more party supplies — napkins, plates, etc. — to match her paper goods, so people can come to her shop for all their party needs.

To learn more about Kim, visit thetomkatstudio.com.

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Mingle is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

SARA DE ST. JEAN

Spring Issue Now Available! for only $14.99!

The highly anticipated encore issue of Mingle is here, and it’s even better than the  rst!

Find inspiration for your next gathering among these spectacularly inviting pages.

You can look forward to these stunning features: Liz Lamoreux’s Your Story Retreat, a strawberry-themed party that will make you drool, a handmade wedding on the seaside, and so much more.

Let the warm air of spring and the creative ideas within our newest issue inspire your next adventurous celebration!

Mingle is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/ mingle or by calling (877) 782-6737

FOUND Kristin Alber of Arizona is no stranger to the business of design. With two shops showcasing her passion for style and creative space, you are sure to fi nd anything you need with a great story behind it. Th is expert shopper sources stock the world over to bring her clients home. These goods bring new meaning to the term “found objects.�

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2012 issue of Where Women Create.

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For as long as I can remember, I have had a love for design and an appreciation for the unique. When I was young, I would spend hours rearranging my room and setting up decorative vignettes for my own entertainment.

I have also always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I remember pricing everything in my grandmother’s medicine cabinet and playing store with her antique phone. My wheels are constantly turning and thinking of new ideas and ways to make our businesses better.

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create … it CLEAN & UNIFORM ORGANIZATION To get a nice uniform look for your paperwork, magazines, or files, use Rebinder Kraft binders.

They really help declutter your workspace. To organize them, cut a strip of Kraft paper to glue along the spine of the binder for labeling. Print out or write on the Kraft strip of paper with the coordinating information for your binder. Glue the Kraft paper onto the spine of the binder.

Voilà — uniform organization!

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A self-taught designer, creativity is in my genes and my love for design comes naturally. My great-grandmother was an artist. One grandmother designed clothes and reupholstered her own furniture. She was constantly sewing and rearranging so that every time I would visit, everything would be completely different — I loved it. My other grandmother taught me the gift of shopping — not bargain shopping necessarily, but sourcing the right things and figuring out what you love. She would tell me, “We don’t have to tell your grandpa about all of these packages.” It’s no coincidence that I went to work in retail at age 15 and have been there ever since. I have a passion for helping people find things that speak to them. I also think that my ability to read people helps me select things they love.

I can also shop just about anywhere — throw me into the smallest town and I will find something fabulous.

My husband and I opened our first store nearly 13 years ago because we love the thrill of the hunt. Our latest venture, FOUND, is all about just that, those found objects. We enjoy traveling to Europe and around the country to shop for cool and unique finds. One of the most important things that we have learned in this business is that you need to be flexible and be willing to change according to the needs of your clients. We have always stayed true to our love of old, but we have evolved and changed a lot over the years according to the needs of our clients. I think most of them find it is exciting; they never know what we will do next.

Both of our businesses are design related, but Domestic Bliss is more gift y, appealing to a diverse clientele — moms, crafters, grandmas, and the younger customer. It’s the perfect place to find something unique for a present or a special jewelry piece. FOUND is our design showroom that is open by appointment. Most of our clients are looking to bring the vintageinspired style, neutral palette, and simple lines of FOUND into their home. Because everyone loves a party and we love hosting them, FOUND and Domestic Bliss hold an overthe-top special event one weekend a month.

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For this one weekend, we open the doors of FOUND to the public and showcase our newest shipments and finds. Each month offers something different. One month it might be an outdoor flea market with local artists and trunk shows, and the next month might be a designer showcase of local design talent, wallpaper demonstrations, and home design classes. One thing is for sure — you can always expect something fresh and new with every event.

My husband and I personally select all the items in both of our stores, but we don’t get too attached to things. A personal favorite is a two-seater bike we bought in Texas from a lady who owned the bed and breakfast we stayed at — it is such a cool piece. Part of the fun of antique shopping are the adventures we have and hearing the stories behind the finds. I think I operate a little differently than most designers and shop owners; I buy what I am emotionally drawn to and I encourage my clients to do the same. I find that it is easy to make things you love work together.

One of the best shopping experiences I’ve ever had was in Illinois. My husband is from Freeport and when we went back to visit, everyone came out of the woodwork with things to sell us. People were going into their attics and digging things out. We didn’t even have to shop; people just brought us their stuff and we found some real treasures — it was amazing.

My design philosophy is that a home should reflect the family who lives there. It should be fi lled with memories and meaningful pieces. I don’t believe in

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just fi lling a space; a home should be fi lled with things you love for the people you love. One of the things I pay close attention to are the little details of a space; that is what makes it special and unique to the people who live there. When I first meet with a client, I take a look at how they live and what inspires them, and I draw from that for my design work with them. Our design business and stores are very personal, and I think that is a big part of what our clients like. Everyone has a sense of style; we just help people find it.

(shown in my office on page 23)

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and some sentiments, like the kids’ artwork. I do like to change things around a lot, and I think you should surround yourself with beauty. I like to be organized and focused on what I’m doing. My favorite thing about my studio is all the catalogues and sources, styling fabrics and wallpapers — it’s like my own little shopping outlet. I am always adding to what I have surrounding me. Also, I am never without fresh flowers — they truly make me happy.

Just like the rest of the home, the office should be fi lled with things that inspire: books, photos, and other special details. I love having design books and magazines around, as they are a great source for inspiration. I even make my own inspiration books using my favorite magazines. Since many times people don’t know what they want until they see it, these can be useful tools. Being able to do what you love and help clients find their happiness and their own style is what makes my job worthwhile. I bring people home.

HOME OFFICE

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Volume 3 0 | Wh e r e Wo m e n C r e at e • | W I N T E2R

2012

Where Women Create is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington. com or 1-877-782-6737.

Where Women Create would like to thank Kristin Alber for her involvement in our Winter Issue. To learn more about Kristin, visit foundbydomesticbliss.blogspot.com.

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2 0 1 2 | w w w.w h e r e w o m e n c r e at e . c o m | 3 1

In this issue…

• Rachel Ashwell, who coined the term “shabby chic” • Liz Johnson of Sew for Home, Mary Lynn Good, and Corrine Riley • 14 stunning studios you have to see to believe

Autumn ‘12 issue available August 1st Explore the studio spaces of some of the world’s most extraordinary and artistic women in Where Women Create!

Look forward to inspirational quotes and narratives, unique storage and organizational ideas along with tips for finding your own creative style in each quarterly issue. Only $14.99 + S&H

Previous issues available for $14.99 + S&H

RSVP Package • $59.99*

Receive four consecutive volumes, free of shipping & handling charges!

*Price good for orders from within the U.S. Canadian RSVP Package rate $67.99, International RSVP Package rate $75.99; Both include shipping & handling.

Select Digital Editions $9.99 each

This issue is available on newsstands August 1st or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/wherewomencreate or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.

by Kristen Robinson www.stampington.com

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Jewelry

hispers of beauty lter into all aspects of our lives. It is when we collect these whispers and forever incase them within the magic of resin that they stay with us in a tangible form for years to come. Inspired by words and music that move my soul, the pieces included in Whispers of Beauty speak of love and wisdom while beckoning one to adorn themselves with them.

After returning home from a trade show this winter, I found myself not only surrounded by gloomy clouds, but very intense cold weather — not the best weather to work with resin.

Longing for a wee bit of warmth, I switched on all of the studio lights and spent some time treasure hunting through my drawers. I have to admit, I always nd it interesting when baubles seem to nd their way to the top of my collections — what was once not there appears before one’s very eyes. With my bounty collected, I set about pouring, wrapping, and creating what I deem Whispers of Beauty; they are all signicant with their own tale to tell.

TOOLS & MATERIALS Inside of Your Heart • Beads: mother-of-pearl, small; crystals, green; discs, mother-of-pearl

Resin How-To • Craft sheet • Craft sticks • Flat surface: cookie sheet or cutting board

• Bezels: square; (iceresin.com — Oval Hobnail)

• Resin: two-part (iceresin.com)

• Chain: silver

• Lamp with 60-watt bulb

• Headpins

• Measuring cups

• Pliers: round-nosed

• Straight pin

• Printer • Resin: two-part (iceresin.com) • Sheet music

My Love Divine • Adhesive: glue; packing tape, clear

• Silk: sari, recycled • Wire: silver, 22- & 24-gauge

• Beads: potato pearls, button pearls, round pearls, garnets

• Wire cutters

• Bezel: silver, triangle • Chain: silver

Mysterious & Romantic • Adhesive: (E-6000)

• Jewelry ndings: heart charm; Vintage Saint Key (Gilding the Lily)

• Beads: faceted, black; silver; pearls

• Clasp: S-hook; clamshells (2) • Felt: red

• Bezel: silver, small; (iceresin.com — Round Hobnail)

• Gel pen: white

• Bezel cups: (2)

• Headpins

• Chain: silver

• Resin: two-part (iceresin.com)

• Clasp

• Ledger paper

• Headpins

• Pliers: round-nosed

• Darkening solution

• Printer & paper

• Pliers: round-nosed

• Rhinestone strand

• Resin: two-part (iceresin.com)

• Ribbon: silk, red

• Rhinestone strands

• Stringing cord

• Rondelle

• Transparency sheet

• Typewriter key: antique

• Wire: silver, 24-gauge

• Wallpaper: toile

• Wire cutters

• Wire: silver, 24-gauge; steel, 24-gauge • Wire cutters

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TECHNIQUE

Resin How-To 1. Place a craft sheet on top of a at surface.

2. Pour equal amounts of Part A and Part B resin into measuring cups.

3. Using a slow folding motion, combine the two parts of resin for 2 minutes total; make sure to scrape the sides of the cup.

4. Allow the resin to rest for 2–5 minutes depending on the accumulation of bubbles.

5. Once the bubbles have risen to the top and popped, pour resin into the bezel you intend to ll.

6. Pop any additional bubbles with a straight pin.

7. Place the lled bezels in a warm area to cure for 24 hours — if you reside in a cooler climate, place the surface approximately 16 inches away from a lamp.

My Love Divine 1. Cut a piece of transparency to t into the openbacked bezel. Shade the center of the transparency with the white pen. Cut a heart from felt, and glue it onto the top of the shading. Computer generate “love” onto ledger paper, and glue it onto the heart.

2. Glue a rhinestone strand to the top of the transparency.

3. Place a piece of clear packing tape onto the back of the bezel, pressing down on all sides to secure it.

4. Mix resin, and pour a very thin layer into the bezel.

5. Once the resin has spread to all three corners, place the transparency into the bezel.

6. Fill the remaining bezel space with resin, and set aside to cure.

7. Attach bezel to the chain link on each side of the bale.

8. Create two pearl stacks by creating a wrapped loop link; place it through the chain link, and close it.

Place silk ribbon, a pearl, and more silk ribbon onto the wire, create a second loop, and wrap closed.

9. To create the pearl strand, create a knot at the end of the cord, slide the cord through the clamshell, and close with pliers.

10. Create a second knot in the cord up against the clamshell. Place one pearl onto the cord, and continue stringing, placing a knot between each pearl and an additional clamshell at the end of the strand.

11. Attach the bottom clamshell to the top loop of the pearl stack.

12. Attach one chain link to the top clamshell with a clasp.

13. To complete the adjacent side, attach one chain link to the top of the pearl stack, and continue in the same manner as above until there are three chain links and three pearl stacks.

14. To the nal pearl stack, attach a wrapped loop link strand composed of garnets and pearls. ➺

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15. To the last link of the garnet and pearls, attach a strand of three chain links.

16. Create a dangle with one pearl and heart charm.

Attach this and the key to the chain links.

17. Create three headpin charms with pearls, and attach them to the bale of the bezel.

5.

Attach the top loop of the mother-of-pearl link to the bottom of the oval bezel; repeat on the adjacent side.

6. Working on the left side (when lying at), create the chain in this manner — one crystal wrapped loop link followed by a mother-of-pearl link — until you reach the desired length. Prior to closing the last link, attach a clasp.

7. Create a bead drop with a headpin, mother-of-pearl bead, crystal, and another mother-of-pearl bead, and attach it to the clasp.

8. On the adjacent side, attach a length of chain to the top bale of the oval bezel.

9. Create bead drops composed of one mother-ofpearl bead placed onto a headpin, and attach them to each link on both sides.

10. Add silk to the tops of the oval bezels as well as the square bezel.

Inside of Your Heart 1. Computer generate “Inside of Your Heart” on sheet music, and place it in the bezel.

2. Mix and pour resin; set aside to dry for 24 hours.

3. Create a wrapped loop link with 22-gauge wire.

Create the rst loop, place through the bale, wrap excess wire, and trim. Place one crystal on the link, create a second loop, and close.

4. Attach two mother-of-pearl wrapped loop links to the top loop of the crystal link, leaving the top loops open.

To nd instructions for That You Love Me, please visit www. stampington.com/html/snoopy/2011/ jwl/bellearmoirejewelryv7i3.html.

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Mysterious & Romantic 1. Place wallpaper in the bezel cups.

2. Place a drop of adhesive on the back of the smaller bezel, and glue it into the center of the hobnail bezel.

3. Place the typewriter key into the small bezel.

4. Fill bezels with resin.

5. Wrap a strand of rhinestone chain around the perimeter of the smaller bezel, and set aside to dry for 24 hours.

6. Place rhinestone strands in darkening solution according to manufacturer’s instructions. Rinse, dry, and set aside.

7. To create the chain, cut a 10-inch piece of steel wire, and form a loop with pliers. Place loop through the bale of the bezel, and wrap the excess wire around the base of the loop.

8. Place a faceted bead on the remaining wire, create another loop, and close. Trim any extra wire away.

Repeat this process until you have the desired length and a strand on each side.

9. Attach a length of silver chain tted with a clasp to the end of each beaded strand.

10. Create a bead dangle with a headpin and bead cap, attach to the end of the non-clasp chain, create a loop, and close.

11. Attach one strand of rhinestone chain to each side of the beaded chain.

12. Adorn a headpin with two black beads and a rhinestone rondelle, and create a bead stack. ✣ Kristen Robinson is the author of Tales of Adornment: Techniques for Creating Romantic Resin Jewelry (North Light, 2011). In addition, Kristen is a Director’s Circle Artist for Somerset Studio and a Bonne Vivante for Somerset Life. To learn more about her art and online classes, visit kristenrobinson.typepad.com.

Belle Armoire Jewelry is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

Inside of Your Heart

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MOORE

RAE

MCCLUSKEY

hether your style is wire-wrapping, beading, tatting, glass working, or clay, Belle Armoire Jewelry is a musthave resource.

Each issue contains the hottest industry tips, jewelry making techniques, and how-to projects that come complete with detailed photos and step-by-step instructions designed to help artists advance their skills.

Visit www.stampington.com/bellearmoirejewelry to order online and • Peek inside each issue to preview sample articles • Find previous issues and digital editions available for a limited time • Subscribe today to receive a FREE bonus issue!

TUDOR

Only $14.99 + S&H The newest issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry is also available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/bellearmoirejewelry or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

ARANJA

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2011 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.

by Denise Yezbak Moore

ire-crafted jewelry is truly an art. The Phoenicians are the rst civilization credited with creating jewelry from wire some 5000 years ago. There are many examples of wire jewelry in ancient Rome, Greece, and Egypt. Pieces have been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs. Very few special tools are required to turn wire into a piece of jewelry you would be proud to wear or sell. The artist bends, twists, and cuts the wire to create a beautiful piece of jewelry that is literally held together by a “string” of wire. I prefer to use wire in my jewelry designs because it is sturdy. There is little fear of breakage and the pieces never have to be restrung. When I design one of these pieces, I feel as if I am creating heirloom jewelry for the future.

TECHNIQUE

1. Cut 2 feet of 30-gauge sterling silver wire. Holding wire and ring with left hand, begin wrapping/coiling wire around ring. When coiling is completed, trim wires at inner circle. Using at-nosed pliers, gently squeeze coils to ring. Repeat one time on 18 mm ring (FIGS 1–5).

2. Cut 5 inches of 18-gauge half-round wire. Holding wire and rings with left hand, begin to wrap wire around rings. When wrapping is completed, trim wire at inner circle. Using at-nosed pliers, gently squeeze wraps (FIGS 6 & 7).

3. Using 18-gauge, dead-soft wire and round-nosed pliers, form a connection link (FIG 8). ➺ 63

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TOOLS & MATERIALS T • Chasing hammer • Clamp with rubber coating • Faceted drop gemstones: assorted • Gemstones: assorted 3 mm • Liver of Sulfur • Pliers: chain-nosed (2); at or nylon-nosed; round-nosed • Polishing cloth for sterling silver • Ring: sterling silver, 18 mm & 23 mm • Steel bench block: small • Steel wool: very ne • Wire: sterling, 30-gauge; sterling, dead-soft, 24-gauge; sterling, dead-soft, 18-gauge; sterling, dead-soft, half-round, 18-gauge • Wire cutters

4.

Using chasing hammer and bench block, gently tap connection link to harden the wire (FIG 9).

5. Use clamp to secure together circles and connection link. Cut 3 inches of 18-gauge half-round wire and begin to wrap around top of circle and link. Repeat on other side (FIGS 10–12).

6. Cut 2 feet of 30-gauge sterling silver wire. Wrap wire around bottom ring to secure. Slide one 3 mm gemstone on wire and wrap once. Repeat until gems surround the ring. Wrap wire in between gems to secure. Repeat on upper ring (FIGS 13–16).

7. Cut 5 inches of 18-gauge, dead-soft, half-round wire. Holding wire and pendant with left hand, wrap wire around top of connection link. When wrapping is completed, trim wires towards the bottom (FIGS 17 & 18).

8. Using 24-gauge dead-soft wire, string faceted drop gem. Form a partially wrapped loop, connect loop to center of 23 mm ring, and wrap wire around gem. Repeat two times on top and bottom of 18 mm ring (FIGS 19–21).

9. Form a variety of wire-wrapped gems into a chain and connect on each side of pendant. Form a standard wire wrapped hook as a clasp.

10. To patina/antique, heat water; drop one piece of Liver of Sulfur into cup. Pour hot water into cup and dip necklace. For a light, colorful patina dip quickly. For a darker patina submerge longer.

11. Gently buff necklace with very ne steel wool.

After bufng, polish necklace with a sterling silver polishing cloth. ➺ 62

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A Closer Look

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TIPS & RESOURCES

Belle Armoire Jewelry is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

• Everything you need can be found at Fire Mountain Gems.

• Step by Step Wire Magazine is a great source for learning wire techniques.

• Search Etsy for tutorials on wirework. Projects are relatively cheap, easy to download, and are full of step-by-step photographs and instructions. ✣

TIPS & RESOURCES

• Everything need can be jewelry foundartist at Fire Mountain Denise Yezbak Moore isyou a frequently published and freelance designerGems. who resides in Yorba Linda, California, her husband and two children. can contact at denise@rustyroxx.com, visit her blog • Step with

by Step Wire Magazine is a You great sourceherfor learning wire techniques. deniseyezbakmoore.blogspot.com, or see more of her work at etsy.com/shop/rustyroxx.

• Search Etsy for tutorials on wirework. Projects are relatively cheap, easy to download, and are full of step-by-step photographs and instructions. ✣

Denise Yezbak Moore is a frequently published jewelry artist and freelance designer who resides in Yorba Linda, California, with her husband and two children. You can contact her at denise@rustyroxx.com, visit her blog deniseyezbakmoore.blogspot.com, or see more of her work at etsy.com/shop/rustyroxx.

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This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue of Jewelry Affaire.

Jewelry Affaire is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

GENEVA

by Becky Shander One of my favorite things to do while traveling abroad is to hunt for vintage trims and findings. It seems that whenever I’m away from my regular routine back at home, I see things differently, more clearly. New surroundings have an uncanny way of opening up the possibilities within my imagination.

While in Geneva, I went thrift store shopping and found a glass jar full of vintage sewing notions such as hooks and eyes, snaps, buttons, pins, etc. This jar full of goodies cost a mere few dollars, giving me a great excuse to make room in my luggage to bring this odd assortment of sewing supplies home.

Once I got home, I dumped the jar onto my studio table and the contents landed next to a heap of lace trims. The contrast between the soft, feminine texture of the lace next to the shiny, hard metal of the hooks and eyes immediately felt right. I was so excited to have stumbled upon this unexpected combination.

TO O L S & M AT E R I A L S • Adhesive: craft glue • Beaded dangle: assorted beads • Clasp: lobster

TECHNIQUE Use chain-nosed pliers and/or heavy metal cutters to remove the back parts, such as pinbacks, from vintage jewelry pieces.

If the back of the jewelry piece is too rough after you’ve removed the pin back, use a metal file to make it smoother.

Then use wire to attach beads to the bottom of a pin or earring through an existing hole.

Next, use scissors to cut a 2-inch strip of antique or vintage lace approximately the width of the vintage metal hook. Wrap the lace strip around the metal hook so it’s double-layered. Cut a piece of wire roughly 5 inches long and run the ends through an existing hole at the top of the earring or pin, then pierce the wire ends through the lace, wrapping each end around the metal hook. To secure the bottom of the earring or pin to the lace, use about 1½ inches of wire and pierce the ends through the lace, then back again to the front of the piece. Wrap these wire ends around the top of the dangle bead wire. You can also choose to use a jump ring to attach a beaded dangle to the strip of lace (through the metal hook). Then apply a dab of craft glue between the lace layers to keep the pieces together. Lastly, attach a necklace chain to the end loops of the metal hooks.

• Jewelry pieces: antique or vintage • Jump ring: large

TIP

• Lace: antique or vintage

• If you don’t have access to vintage metal hooks, you can buy new metal hooks from the sewing notions section of a craft store.

• Metal cutter: heavy • Metal file • Metal hook: vintage • Necklace chain • Pliers: chain-nosed; round-nosed

Becky Shander is a mixed-media artist from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and serves as a Director’s Circle Artist for Stampington & Company publications. Please visit her blog, beckyshander.com/blog or her website, beckyshander.com, to learn more about her work.

• Scissors • Wire cutter • Wire: artistic, 24-gauge

THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE SOFT, FEMININE TEXTURE OF THE LACE NEXT TO THE SHINY, HARD METAL OF THE HOOKS AND EYES IMMEDIATELY FELT RIGHT. 66

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PARTY

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2010 issue of Jewelry Affaire.

AUTUMN COLORS

by Emily Mah

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These pieces were inspired by wrist corsages and daisy chains (and, I confess, a surplus of Lucite beads and wire in my supply box). Autumn is my favorite season and these warm colors remind me of leaves turning and harvest time. This same technique can be used with any color combination of beads and wire. Variations that have been popular with my clients include sea foam wire instead of silver, pearls instead of crystals to create a baby’s breath accent, and pink and purple flowers to mimic springtime corsages. • Volume 2

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PARTY

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RING Begin with approximately 6 inches of 18-gauge wire.

Using pliers, form one end into a leaf shape, and bend the other into a loop (it does not need to be perfectly round). Form the ring around a ring mandrel. Since this ring is adjustable size is not essential, but cut any excess wire if it seems too long. Harden the metal with a mallet or tumbler, and then embellish the loop end with a Lucite bead and crystals.

EARRINGS Begin the same way you began the ring, except use 5 inches of 18-gauge wire and stop before wrapping it around a ring mandrel. Instead, bend it into a loop in the middle (this is where the flowers and crystals will be) and bend the length of wire into a “U” shape.

Harden the metal, embellish the middle loop with a Lucite bead and crystals, and attach the ear wires to 70

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the end loop. Repeat, but make sure your second earring is a mirror image.

NECKLACE Begin with approximately 6 inches of 18-gauge wire and shape each end into a leaf, using pliers. Bend the entire piece into an “S” shape and harden the metal. Anchor the piece to a length of necklace memory wire with 28-gauge wire, then embellish with Lucite beads and crystals. Make sure to cover the bindings you made to anchor the piece. Finish the ends of the memory wire with loops or beads.

Emily Mah is a self-taught wire wrap and chainmaille jewelry designer living in London, England, and this is her first contribution to Jewelry Affaire. She is also a professional writer. Please visit her Etsy shop at emilymah.etsy.com to see more of her work, or her blog at emilymah.com to learn more.

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Camisole

by Candace Marquette

I’ve found that sometimes a white top just doesn’t cut it. Sure, white can go with just about any color, but sometimes I long for a chic, punk look without going out and buying something new. This little camisole project is great for those blouses, T-shirts, and tanks that you want to bring new life to.

Tools & Materials • Brooch: 72 x 55 mm (Vintaj Natural Brass — Arts & Crafts Lilies)

• Gloves • Iron

• Embroidery needle

• Paint: Turquoise, Cerulean Blue, Golden Yellow, Black (Jacquard — Dye-Na-Flow)

• Garbage bags: plastic (2)

• Top: white

• Embroidery floss

Technique Place garbage bags on a hard flat surface. Put gloves on and place top on the covered surface.

If working with a cotton top, wet fabric to help blend colors.

Start with the Cerulean Blue and slowly pour color on shirt, leaving some white exposed. Add the Turquoise and blend with the Cerulean. Next, add the Golden Yellow for a contrast in color.

Don’t worry about putting cardboard in between the shirt; you want the colors to bleed to the back. Drip the Black in various places to give the shirt that arty look. Now that you are finished with transforming your top, take it outside and let it dry for a couple of hours.

Once dry, iron the shirt to seal in your artwork. Thread your embroidery needle with the floss and place the Vintaj brooch in the center of the top or wherever you like. Sew the brooch to your top.

Candace Marquette lives in Allen, Texas, with her wonderful husband Shane and three kids, Bayley, Bella, and Jolie. You can visit her at candypurse.com.

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2009 issue of Altered Couture.

Altered Couture is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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by Donna Barnitz

’ve fallen in love with good, old, sturdy wool.

Vintage wool coats are now a particular favorite. So, when I found this lovely old treasure, even though gh it had some moth holes, cheap looking plastic buttons, and was an unstylish length, I snatched it up like it was a true treasure.

After whacking it shorter, embellishing with lots of free motion n scribbly flowers, and reworking the collar and buttons, I think it’s one of the nicest things I’ve done. My daughter is headed off to chilly Brussels, Belgium, and I know she’ll enjoy wearing this cozy, ozy, stylish coat.

Tools & Materials • Basic sewing supplies

• Coat: red, wool

• Beads: black, red

• Thread: black, 40 wt

• Buttons: black, glass, assorted

Technique Begin by shortening the coat and the lining to the desired length. Save the fabric you cut off to make the flower embellishment on the collar. I used a coat my daughter adores as a guide for the length. Cutting off some of the length will also get rid of a fold line along the bottom that may be stained or worn out looking. Remove the buttons at this point.

After shortening the coat, free the lining by taking out the stitching that attaches it at the front. Then begins the most

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fun part of the project: free-motion stitching. If you’ve never done this, prepare to be hooked. You’ll need to drop the feed dogs on your sewing machine and use either a darning foot or free-motion foot. When the feed dogs are lowered you’re in control of where the stitching goes. No longer confined to a straight line forward or backwards, you can scribble, write in cursive, or doodle to your heart’s content. If you haven’t done this before, it would be good to practice on some of the wool you cut off the length, or on a scrap of fleece or flannel. I chose a 40-weight black thread and a size 80 topstitch needle. Be sure to use a bobbin thread that matches your top thread. If you feel unsure, mark your design with a chalk marker first. Doodle a little or a lot. I tried to make my doodling obscure some of the small moth holes. Stitching on the sleeves would be challenging, so I decided to leave them plain. When you’re finished stitching, reattach the lining.

R uffles &

ROSETTES

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2012 issue of Altered Couture.

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Collar Detail For the flower detail at the collar, begin by felting the wool that you have left over after shortening. Wash the wool in the hottest water with a bit of detergent and with sturdy agitation. It should felt to about half of its original size and should no longer unravel. Cut about 60, four-petaled flowers that are about 2 inches across. Secure each flower in the middle with a black bead or small button. Clump them close together for a dense trim and farther apart for a softer trim.

Attach a few beautiful, mismatched vintage buttons for a classy finishing touch. When you’re done, send the coat to the cleaners for a good steaming and a cleaning if necessary. Professional steaming really gives the coat a finished look, flattening the stitching and any re-hemming. The coat will come back looking new. After it was cleaned, my coat had a few small moth holes that were more obvious than I liked, so I stitched on a couple dozen small red beads to obscure the holes.

Lining Detail

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Free-Motion Stitching

Tip • Consider using contrasting black flowers on the collar, or running the flower trim around the cuff area as well.

Doodle meaningful words, or a leaf motif instead of flowers.

Donna Barnitz has made friends at the local thrift store. They have a “Donna Box” where they toss all manner of oddball, vintage clothing treasures, knowing no one else would appreciate them like she does. Donna can be contacted at donnabarnitz@yahoo.com.

Altered Couture is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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Transform your forgotten clothes into a whole new wardrobe!

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Join innovative fiber and mixed-media artists as they explore the functional and fashionable uses of aprons. With full access to templates, how-to instructions, and creative ideas, apron•ology’s inventive articles and stunningg photographs p g p will have you y recreatingg your own unique aprons in n no time.

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This article has been borrowed from Volume 2 of apron•ology.

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UNCONVENTIONAL

CANVAS b y D o n n a D own ey

T

he idea for this apron came through brainstorming ideas for a wearable art piece that was a reflection of me as an artist. I was slated to attend a weekend convention and I wanted to wear something that expressed my personal style. I am always looking to blend my passion for canvas with my desire to build interesting and provocative layers of texture, so I set about visualizing images with this combination in mind.

I began by envisioning the transformation of a plain, nondescript, canvas apron I already had. However, as I sketched out the ideas in my head, my eyes fell upon a lone bolt of canvas standing tall in the corner of my studio. I thought, “Why limit myself to embellishing this apron?

Why not create it from scratch?”

As I cut the first piece of material for the apron base, I realized that the rigid texture of the raw canvas just wasn’t the textural look I wanted. So, pulling from the stash of materials I had collected, I began scrunching

an oversized piece of muslin to fit over the canvas base and the perfect pucker was born. The “perfect pucker” is essentially a random collection of scrunches, pinches, and wrinkles that created the soft, textural overlay I had envisioned and imparted a flowing, romantic feel to the piece. Meanwhile, the canvas provided the perfect base for the apron, giving it the necessary form and functionality. The addition of a center pocket, embellished with decorative stitching, brought even more opportunities for practical usage and artistic accent.

I began the process of adding layers and building dimension by adding flowers, decorative stitching, and quilted pieces. I had been saving the lace on the bottom of the apron in hopes that it would find its way to its perfect place. I knew the moment that the apron began to come together that this was the piece it was destined for. This project evolved into what it became by simply allowing the creative process to lead me.

The soft additions and the bits of creative personality make this apron a wearable work of art. ➺

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I wore my finished apron at the convention and received so many positive comments that I decided to build a workshop around its creation. This feedback also reinforced my belief that the apron is not just for the kitchen anymore. I used this piece as a funky accessory at a business function for goodness sakes. Overall, I believe I accomplished my intended purpose — to create a wearable art piece that shouted “Me!” By tapping into the creative process, I was able to realize my vision of an eminently rich, textural, yet functional garment.

TOOLS & MATERIALS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Buttons Canvas Cotton fabric Embroidered pieces Embroidery floss Muslin Needle Pencil Ribbons Scissors Sewing machine Straight pins Tacky glue: (Aleene’s) Text pieces Thread

TEC HNIQUE Begin with a rectangular canvas base and a smaller canvas rectangle for the pocket. Cut a piece of muslin that is twice as large as the canvas base. Center the muslin over the canvas base with the pocket pinned in place over both the muslin and the base. Begin scrunching and pinning muslin in place, creating a series of imperfect puckers.

Sketch a design and embroider. Machine sew in place making sure you have included any pocket designs beforehand. Create accent skirt and machine stitch to bottom. Trim excess muslin to about 1 inch larger than each right-and left-hand side and machine stitch into place.

Create waistband to desired length and finish edges by folding and machine stitching the entire length of the band over apron base. Add trim and text. ✢

TIPS • Use straight pins, spray starch, and a hot iron to keep the perfect puckers in place as you work on the apron.

• Draw your embroidery designs in pencil and experiment with placement over the muslin. Be sure to locate the embroidered design so that it properly secures the muslin in place.

Donna Downey is a mixed-media artist residing in Huntersville, North Carolina.

Her art and information about her Inspired Artist Workshop, May 13–15, 2010 in Concord, North Carolina, can be found by visiting her Web site at donnadowney.com and her blog at donnadowney.typepad.com.

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This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2010 issue of Art Quilting Studio.

in Bloom

by Danita

ome days I wish I could make up my mind about what I really, really like. But the thing is that my tastes are very diverse and so is my art. I love vintage as much as I love modern. Some days I love bright, saturated colors and other days I prefer the soft, more muted ones. That definitely shows in my work. That’s why when I started making these quilts I ended up with very different results. For all of them I used previous paintings that I turned into art quilts. For some, I printed the images directly onto the fabric and for others I “drew” on them with thread and fabrics.

Most of the images I used are of Frida Kahlo, whose passionate legacy greatly inspires me. There are some images that aren’t overtly Frida but perhaps somehow related.

Tools & Materials • Acrylic paint

• Pencil

• Batting

• PVA glue diluted with water: 50/50 ratio

• Cheesecloth

• Scissors: fabric

• Fabric scraps • Ink-jet printing fabric (or muslin with freezer paper) • Lace • Osnaburg (or muslin)

• Sewing machine with freemotion foot • Thread: assorted colors • Wool felt

• Paper: vintage, tissue

Technique For the quilts that have a more simple and modern look (shown on the following spread), follow these steps: Cut two pieces of Osnaburg and make a sandwich with one layer of batting in the middle.

Print desired image onto paper and then trace it with a pencil onto the top piece of the Osnaburg.

Select fabric scraps that you’d like to incorporate into the art quilt and lightly sketch onto the scraps, the corresponding ➺

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ost of the images I used are of Frida Kahlo, whose passionate legacy greatly inspires me. www.stampington.com www.stampington.com •

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Follow manufacturer’s instructions and print two copies F of image onto ink-jet fabric. If you don’t have inko desired d jet je et fabric, you can make your own by cutting a letter-sized piece pie of muslin and ironing it onto the shiny side of a p piece pie of freezer paper that is also cut to letter size. Be p careful to trim all of the loose threads before running ca c this th through the printer. Feed either the ink-jet fabric or o fused muslin and freezer paper into the printer to generate a colored image. For the pieces shown here, g I generated colored images of my original Frida Kahlo paintings.

You could generate images of paintings p you yo have done or family photos that you’ve scanned, vintage images, or clip art. Also, be sure to generate v a spare copy of each print so that you can use the extras to cut into smaller shapes and incorporate e into in other portions of the quilt.

Make a sandwich with a piece of felt as the base, followed by a piece of batting and then your piece of prepared paper fabric. Next, decide where to place ➺

portions of the image. Mix and match several different fabrics for a more interesting effect.

When you have all your pieces ready, pin them in place and take everything to your sewing machine. Here’s where the fun begins. Start “drawing” with your matching by going around all of your light sketching — going backward and forward or in a spiral, depending of the figure you are drawing. As this is happening, you should be anchoring the fabric scraps that you’ve pinned in place over different sections of the drawing.

Next, take one or two colors of acrylic paint and dilute each color with water. Use the diluted acrylic to fill in portions of the art quilt. For example, you can paint the girl’s hair with diluted black paint, and give her rosy cheeks with diluted pink paint.

To finish, add straight stitches to the edges.

These are simple, beautiful mini quilts that you can make in no time. You can display them framed or sew several together to make a bigger quilt. You can also use them as an accent piece for a big piece. Now, if you’d like to make more colorful art quilts with printed fabrics, follow these steps: Start by creating a paper fabric base. This is done by using PVA glue to adhere a base layer of muslin with a piece of vintage paper. Be sure to fully saturate the layers to allow for sturdy adhesion. To this, adhere a layer of tissue paper and then finally a piece of cheesecloth. All layers can be adhered by using PVA glue as you fully saturate each layer. To learn more about this paper fabric technique, read Mixed Media Explorations: Blending Paper, Fabric and Embellishment to Create Inspired Designs by Beryl Taylor.

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the printed image and pin down. Anchor all of the layers by using straight stitches on all the sides. Once these larger elements are sewn down, the quilt will be easier to manipulate so you can get more creative with it. From the spare computer-generated copies, cut shapes that can be incorporated into the quilts. For example, on one of my Frida pieces, I used parts of the extra image to cut flower shapes to add to the quilt. On another quilt, I used the spare print to cut bubble shapes to add to the quilt.

Once you have decided how to position the extra cut-out shapes, pin them down and with your sewing machine and freemotion foot, start sewing all over the quilt. You can sew lines, circles, flowers, or even scallops. You can go as heavy or as light as you want with this step — it’s totally up to you.

Once the sewing is done, use the diluted acrylic paints (as explained above) to add colors in strategic spots on the quilt.

For example, you can add polka dots, fill in stitched scallops, and enhance details of flowers. To finish the quilts shown here, I applied a wash of Burnt Umber (Golden) to give everything a nice antique look.

Let everything dry and you’re done. ❖ Danita is a mixed-media artist who lives in Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. To learn more about Danita, visit www.danitaart.blogspot.com.

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Artwork by Bozena Wojtaszek

Summer 2012 Issue Now Available

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If you want to take your quilting ltin to aanother nothe level, Art Quilting Studio supplies es the imagination and innovation that results ts from traditional quilters, mixedmedia artists,, and fine art quilters meeting all in one must-read place! Join us for an uss informative ve forum where enthusiasts can share inventive new techniques, ideas and ve inspiration in each spellbinding issue. ira

Artwork by Olivia Thomas

Artwork by Bozena Wojtaszek

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This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Belle Armoire.

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by Lindsay Ostrom I can tell you that the inspiration for these Scrap Scarves came from a canceled flight to Chicago last year. Really, that’s the truth. I drove all the way to the airport to go to Chicago for work last year and there was extremely bad weather, so they canceled the last flight of the day — mine!

So, I drove all the way home and waited until the next day for the next flight … did I mention that the airport is about an hour and a half away? When I got home I decided to

sew I had had this idea for some time, but my sew. unexpected moment at home provided me with une the opportunity to just start in on it. I had a bunch of sscraps from a friend’s quilt that she had finished, pull pulled some ribbons, yarns, and fibers in with it, and set off to sew.

Star with a piece of muslin. Decide on the width Start and the length you want and cut or tear on the bias if you like the scrappy look. You may want to consider c how you’ll wear the scarf as well; for example, if you’ll end up folding the scarf in half, exa you’ll have to make it wide enough to do so. Cut you some pieces of fabric and rip others, and just start som sewing. Don’t allow yourself to plan or over-think sew

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the placement of the scraps too much. I will tell you that I did some straight, and then started angling them. I do like the angled/criss-crossed look. Add some strips of fabric and then add in a piece of twill or ribbon occasionally, and throw in a bit of fiber here or there for texture. Use a variety of cool stitches, especially with the fibers. The “couching” of the fibers helps to hold them in place. If you have access to a sewing machine with a variety of stitches, this will add a lot to the look. If you use a thread that stands out, like white against a dark color, it shows up really well.

When you have finished the scarf, you can add strips of fabric to make fringe on the ends or leave it plain. Again, this is your choice. I chose to take the remaining bits of fabrics, ribbons, and fibers and make a fringed mess at the ends. I love it all jagged and kind of raw there. I do think it’s a good idea not to cover the entire length of the muslin with strips of fabric. Leave some open spots here or there. I also have an idea to do some similar to these but add some text and lettering, either by hand or with rubber stamps in some of the open muslin spaces.

I wore this scarf at the show I was attending and got quite a lot of great comments. I taught it to 15 ladies at a retreat later that summer and I will say that everyone’s came out a bit different and unique to their personality.

Each of those gals has made more to give as gifts, as have I. These scrap scarves are fun and easy to make. I made mine in a few hours ... then I went to bed and drove back to the airport to catch that canceled flight.

Lindsay Ostrom lives in the Sierra Mountains in Northern California with her husband, three kids, and two really cute dogs. She loves playing with fabric, paint, and lettering.

You can follow Lindsay and her creative endeavors at lindsayostrom.blogspot.com.

Belle Armoire is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

11292 Summer 2011 • www.bellearmoire.com • Volume 2

DERYN MENTOCK

HOLLY LAKE, PHOTO: RUBEN PRACAS

VILTE KAZLAUSKAITE, PHOTO: SVETLANA BATURA

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by Shea Fragoso

This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Belle Armoire.

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In my art studio, on a vintage mannequin with a patch over its neck that symbolizes a part of my past, I have displayed one of my most beloved and treasured gifts. To call it a gift is incorrect. It is a labor of love. It is what we lovingly refer to as “The Coat.”

Nine years ago, when my fairytale wedding was just a few months away, my mother came to me with an idea. I had chosen to be married at Christmastime. I wanted to combine the emotion and distinction of the holidays with the drama and formality of the season. To me, that was wedding perfection.

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I had chosen my gown, my glorious silk satin strapless ball gown with enough beading and embroidery to make me feel like a princess. But my mother’s plan was to make me a coat for my grand entrance into the reception. When the fittings for my wedding dress began, so did her pattern drafting.

She took measurements, and made a muslin version to fit to perfection over my dress. I was never allowed to see the coat in progress, only to offer my opinion of how large to make the cuffs and what shape to make the collar. All of the details were up to her.

A couple of days before my wedding, as I was standing on the platform of the bridal salon for my final dress fitting, she presented me “The Coat.” It was a moment that belonged to just the two of us. I put it on, fastened the gorgeous vintage crystal closure, and we cried. It was everything that she envisioned and everything that I didn’t know I wanted. My beautiful red velvet coat.

All these years later, with it always being proudly on display, I still smile when it catches my eye. It has been moved from one house to another, even to a different state. It has been borrowed and admired. But one thing it has never been is the star — for much to our astonishment and dismay it was hardly photographed at the wedding. It was time for that to change.

This past March, my mom and I were getting ready to make our annual spring pilgrimage to the Marburger Farms Antique Show in Central Texas. As luck would have it, our 122

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amazing photographer was going to be joining us on the trek. Somewhere in some conversation, while the three of us were sitting around, we decided that the meadows of the Texas country would be the perfect backdrop to capture the timelessness of the coat.

As we planned our story for the photographs, I decided that I didn’t want to be portrayed as a bride. This wasn’t going to be about me. It was about the coat. When we stumbled on our location, it all fell in to place. The rolling meadow, the 150 year-old country church, the stacked stone walls. Yes, it was all just perfect. Waking up the morning of the photo shoot to a thick rolling fog was just the icing on top. Our renaissance story was complete. We joked that day that all we were missing were a bow and a horse.

The coat that my mother made me so many years ago for my wedding has been a vivid image in my memory of that perfect night so many years ago. With so few photographs of it on its debut, I think that taking it out into the gorgeous Texas countryside was just the honor it deserved. My beautiful coat is back on its special mannequin in my studio.

Now, when I gaze in its direction, I get to remember the fun that we’ve had not only on the best night of my life, but on one of my best days as well.

To learn more about Shea Fragoso and her mother, Debbie Murray, visit agildedlife.com.

All photos for this article were taken by Martha Schuster of I See the Moon Photography. To learn more about Martha, visit iseethemoonphotography.com.

Belle Armoire is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

www.stampington.com

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I love anything that has a lot of texture, both soft and rough, then combining the two, creating a balanced blend.

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2009 issue of Haute Handbags.

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Shabby Chic

BURLAP BAGS

by Deb Hodge

I have been sewing and creating since before I was 10 years old. My mother and grandma taught me to sew, and my work has only evolved since. I learned a love for all things old from my wonderful mom. She surrounded her seven children with vintage and antique pieces, each holding a special place in her heart. I was inspired by my mom’s love of the Catholic Church, her early childhood during the 1930s and ’40s, and her adoration of children, nursing and her family. I have learned many difficult lessons in the recent past, but continue to have an optimistic enthusiasm for sharing my creativity with other amazing, artistic and colorful women.

W W W. S TA M P I N G T O N . C O www.stampington.com M | Haute H A N D B A G S

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TOOLS & M AT E R I A L S • • • •

Basic sewing supplies Burlap webbing Embellishments: found objects, etc.

Fabric

TECHNIQUE I don’t like using patterns when I create a bag. I prefer to just draw from the look and feel of a textile when I come upon it. My creativity then is driven visually as the piece progresses. I love anything that has a lot of texture, both soft and rough, then combining the two, creating a balanced blend. I seek out found objects to embellish each bag, anything from rusty doorknobs, to fine crystal from the turn of the century. My amazing friend, Rita Read, does all my soldering.

I cut out the front and back of the bag, sew sides 36

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together, leaving the seam open only on the bottom of the lining so that the bag can be turned out and finished. I add a raw silk trim to the bag’s front and top, then sew both the bag’s outside and lining pieces together. I finish by topstitching the bag, and add the burlap webbing to the sides using a box stitch.

Deb Hodge sells her work at Paper Tales in San Diego and at La Maison Rustique, among other locations. She lives with her husband and two children on Coronado Island, California. For more on Deb, visit her blog at www.breathingbesideus.blogspot.com or her Etsy store, www.breathingbesideus.etsy.com.

Haute Handbags is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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Little Creek Pink Houndstooth

PURSE

by Aynn Lackey

I design and hand piece each one of my purses in my Little Creek studio on our eastern Oregon farm. My felt is prepared using wool fiber sheared and processed from my very own flock, consisting of Texel, Border Leicester, and Dorset breeds.

My fiber is processed by a family-owned woolen mill that needle felts my fibers for me to dye, cut and sew. From winter snows, to summer heat, each fleece sheared reflects a year in the life of our ewes.

T O O L S & M AT E R I A L S • • •

Buttons: (2) Coordinating fabric: 4" x 12½" pieces (2); 4½" x 28½" piece (1); 3¾" x 28½" piece (1) Felted wool or any non-fraying fabric: 11" x 8" pieces (2); 1¾" x 1¾" pieces of felt for button accents (4)

• • • • • •

Fusible interfacing Lining: linen/cotton blend 11" x 8¾" pieces (2) Magnetic snap or hook & loop tape Pinking shears Ruler Scissors

• • • •

Sewing machine & thread Sewing pins Wonder Under: 3" x 11" pieces (2) Wool blanket binding: 18" x 1½" (4)

TECHNIQUE Use ⅜-inch seams unless otherwise noted. Trim the bottom corners of the bag with a slight curve. Cut two pieces of interfacing ⅜ inches smaller than the felt, center, and iron to the back.

Pin two handle pieces together and topstitch. Repeat with the other two pieces. Place handles on the facing side of your bag and pin in place 2½ inches from the top edge and 2 inches from the side. Sew the handles on and begin stitching 1½ inches from the top edge of the felt to the bottom of the handle.

Center and iron Wonder Under to back. Before removing the paper backing fold the long sides over ½ inch and press. Remove the backing, place approximately 1¼ inch from the top edge of felt, pin in place, making sure that it is centered from left to right and hangs over the edge. These pieces will cover 1¼ inch of the handles. Iron in place, then topstitch ¼ inch along folded edges.

Using pinking shears, trim the edges and pin below handles. Topstitch in place using an X design. Center buttons and hand stitch in place. (Apply an interfacing 50

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if you have chosen a lightweight fabric for your gussets.)

Iron over ¾ inch all the way around and then pin — wrong sides together to the front. Make sure that the fabric panel on the front and back is folded over and pinned into the seam, topstitch and repeat with the back panel.

Right sides together, pin the gusset to the front and sew together. Repeat for back. Attach the magnetic snap 2 inches from the top raw edge of the lining fabric.

Fold top edge over ¾ inch and press. Insert lining, matching the gusset seams, wrong sides together, pin and topstitch around the top.

TIP •

When you assemble the snap use an oval piece of plastic milk jug on the back. The plastic will be sewn into the top seam and will provide rigidity.

Visit Little Creek Lambs Woolen Designs at www.oregontexels.com or www.littlecreeklambs.etsy.com.

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2009 issue of Haute Handbags.

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Semiannual

When it comes to purses, clutches, totes, bags, and attachés — Haute Handbags is a must-have resource for ideas and inspiration!

Embark on a journey through some of the most artful accessories around, and find tips and techniques on how to alter your own stylish creations.

Visit www.stampington.com/ hautehandbags to order online and •

Peek inside each issue to preview sample articles

•

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Only $14.99 + S&H

The newest issue of Haute Handbags is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/hautehandbags or by calling 1-877-782-6737

Sew Somerset illustrates how to stitch some life into new projects in innovative ways through stunning samples and instructions from top artists.

Our newest issue features cutting-edge paper, fabric, and mixed-media projects transformed by stitches of all shapes and sizes, so be on the lookout for:

Order Today! $14.99 + S&H

• A vivacious fabric book by Roxanne Padgett • Colorful mixed-media tags by Dina Wakley • Freehand embroidery wall art by Danielle Daniel • Exquisite botanical collages by Caterina Giglio

DEBBIE BLATT

Summer 2012 Issue Now Available TRUDI SISSONS

Digital D Editions E Only On $9.99 CRYSTAL JEFFRIES

This issue is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/sewsomerset or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

Previous Issues are available for $14.99 each + S&H

I CI N G O N T H E

Cake

by Donna Downey

Fabric is one of my favorite mediums to work with — more specifically, raw canvas. I love the texture the frayed edges create and the way the acrylic paint absorbs and blends into the fabric. The combination and contrast of textures is what I look for when I create. The look of soft cotton printed fabrics or muslin with a rough texture of canvas somehow just speaks to me.

Adding in touches of papers, beads, and found objects is the icing on the cake. Fabric art is like small pieces of happiness for me, and can quite possibly serve no other purpose but to allow me small places to experiment and play. They make me happy to piece together and even happier to display.

• Acrylic paint: fluid • Adhesive: quick-dry fabric glue

T O O L S & M AT E R I A L S

• Book text: circles • Canvas: 12" x 12" (2 for each project); assorted circles • Cardstock • Fabrics: assorted cotton, felt & muslin • Flower center: green • Leaves: fabric • Pencil • Quilt: mini, flower • Quilt batting • Seed beads • Sewing machine • Thread • Water

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This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Sew Somerset.

Fabric art is like small pieces of happiness for me, and can quite possibly serve no other purpose but to allow me small places to experiment and play. sew Somerset Stampington &www.stampington.com Company

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Sew Somerset is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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An Indigo M OOD

by Olivia Thomas

Over the last few years I have slowly been recreating my décor to reflect my current artistic life. Art is with me waking and dreaming, so I want my surroundings to inspire me as well.

I collect and display works of other artists, as well as my own. Just a glance at a well curated vignette on a shelf or tabletop brings a smile to my face even on the gloomiest of days. So here is my adventure in indigo.

I find that most artists gravitate toward their favorite color or combination of hues to begin a project. My favorite color is red, so that is the first pencil, crayon, or paint tube I naturally grab.

When I reach for fabric, it’s often the red stash that gets the first look, and then I take in the assortment of surrounding colors. I went out of my comfort zone in this project and made myself select a color other than red first. Indigo was my choice. I created a few of these pieces to brighten a corner or two. And of course it didn’t hurt that red worked well with it.

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t echnique

KNOW HOW TO RIDE Adhere old dictionary pages to the center of a stretched canvas.

Dry-brush shades of indigo acrylic paint around all the edges of the canvas and onto the paper. Add quick swipes of cream and black paint to the background. Use a damp, soft cloth to wipe away and smudge the paint. Glue a strip of fabric around all the edges to finish off the sides of canvas. Gather a combination of fabrics in a variety of textures in the chosen color palette. (When I chose indigo, I knew denim would play a part. I have also chosen vintage ticking and quilt pieces in a well-worn, faded blue. I knew a few of my rusted fabrics would complement the indigo as well.)

Don’t overlook sheers and laces, as they add a pleasing contrast to the more rugged textures. The focus on the quilt section is a gel method photo transfer which has been trimmed and mounted onto an assortment of fabrics. Hand stitch all of the fabrics, and the photo together with red embroidery floss. Embellish the vintage crochet lace with red seed beads and stitching, and mount it to the top of the work. Machine stitch a computer-generated

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2010 issue of Somerset Life.

This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Sew Somerset.

www.stampington.com

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2 Cents

Know How to Ride

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Bluebird

• Adhesive: (Mod Podge); (Fabri-tac)

• Paper: old dictionary page, newspaper, vintage map & book pages

• Awl

• Pencil

• Book cover: old

• Photo

• Canvas: stretched, 8" x 10"; 5"x 7"

• Punch: circle; flower

• Craft knife

• Rag or paper towels

• Crochet cotton

• Ribbon

• Embroidery thread

• Ruler

• Ephemera: numbers, pencil, sequins, beads

• Sandpaper: fine-grit

• Eyelets & setter

• Scissors: pinking shears

• Fabric: linen & scraps

• Seed beads

• Flowers: dried

• Sewing machine

• Foamcore

• Stuffing

• Mica

• Tacks

• Needle

• Wood stain: walnut, water-based

• Paintbrush

• Wooden disk: 2"

T O O L S & M AT E R I A L S

• Acrylic paint

Know How to Ride

quote with red thread to a piece of sheer fabric.

Mount all of the quilt sections to the canvas with Mod Podge. Push four map tacks into each corner, and wind a length of red crochet cotton around, connecting all in a framing for finished work.

2 CENTS Slather a stretched canvas with Mod Podge, and mount a section of newspaper to it. Use a piece large enough to wrap around the edges of the canvas and give them an instant finish. Adhere the headline “5 day forecast” front and center. Dry brush cream and black acrylic paint over the newsprint, and then quickly wipe it with a damp paper towel to wipe away and smudge the colors. Mount the quilt section onto the canvas with a reverse appliqué technique. Sandwich three slices of fabric together in tan, red, and indigo linens. Stitch the edges with cream embroidery floss. Frame ephemera with fabric and embroidery floss. Adhere the numbers in place with a dot of Fabri-Tac, and then add red crochet cotton. Stitch pencil through the canvas into back with the red thread. sew Somerset Stampington &www.stampington.com Company

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BLUEBIRD Doodle a bird pattern onto a piece of scrap paper, cut out, and trace it onto a doubled section of the linen. Stitch and trim it leaving a ¼-inch seam allowance. Leave an opening at bottom of bird. Turn the bird right side out and stuff firmly with batting. Sew the opening closed, and paint the bird and wooden disk with acrylic paint. The disk will be used as a mount for the finished work. When dry, add a wash of walnut wood stain. Once the application is completely dry, lightly sand it. Cut out three map sections, two the same size for wings and one for the tail.

Accordion fold each piece, place on bird body with a dot of glue, and then stitch with crochet cotton to hold in place. Create eye with a sequin and bead combination, and stitch onto the head.

Cut a circle from a vintage map with pinking shears, and punch 2 Cents a flower shape ; mount both to the wood disk, and glue the bird the middle with Fabri-Tac. 2to Cents

Bluebird Bluebird Bluebird

top. U story. book silk t foam moun tacks frame loop

2 Cents

BLUEBIRD VOULOIR top.

Useproject, pages from thethe book andofvocabulary words to tell the Doodle a bird pattern onto a piece of scrap paper, cut out, In this I used cover an old elementary French BLUEBIRD story.

Mount these onto brown paper from the fl yleaf of same and trace it onto a doubled section of the linen. Stitch and reader as the substrate. Mount two eyelets on each side of the BLUEBIRD top. Use pages from the book and vocabulary words to tell the Doodle a bird apattern piece of scrap cut out, book.

Position strip the of text above with awords sectiontooftell men’s top. Use pagesafrom book andcenter vocabulary the trim it leaving ¼-inchonto seamaaallowance.

Leavepaper, an opening at Doodle a bird pattern onto piece of scrap paper, cut out, story. Mount these onto brown paper from the flyleaf of same and trace it onto a the doubled section and silk tie.

Th e focus section is an art piece previously built.

Add a story.

Mount these onto brown paper from the fl yleaf of same bottom of bird.

Turn bird right sideof outthe andlinen. stuff fiStitch rmly with and trace it onto a doubled section of the linen.

Stitch and Somerset book.sew Position a strip summer of text 2011 above center with a section of men’s trim it leaving a opening ¼-inch closed, seam allowance.

Leave anand opening at 42foamcore frame covered with paper and painted with a photo book.

Position a strip of text above center with a section of men’s batting.

Sew the and paint the bird wooden trim it leaving a ¼-inch seam allowance. Leave an opening at silk tie. The focus section is an art piece previously built. Add a bottom of bird. Turn theThbird right side out and stuff firmly with mounted mica previously to the front withAdd mapa silk tie. Thbehind. e focus Attach sectionaispiece an artofpiece built. disk withofacrylic paint. e disk willside be out usedand as astuff mount forwith the bottom bird. Turn the bird right firmly foamcore frame covered with paper and painted with a photo batting.

Sew the opening closed, and paint the bird and wooden tacks.

Glueframe a few covered dried rosebuds into the Adhere this foamcore with paper andbox. painted with a entire photo fibatting. nished Sew work.the When dry, add a wash walnut stain.

Once opening closed, andofpaint the wood bird and wooden 42 mounted behind.

Attach a piece of mica to the front with map disk with acrylicispaint.

The disk be used a mount the038_047_SEW0611.indd frame to abehind. piece ofAttach upholstery fabric that has beaded it. mounted a piece of mica to the frontedge withon map the completely dry,will lightly sandas outfor three diskapplication with acrylic paint.

The disk will be used asit.a Cut mount for the tacks. Glue a few dried rosebuds into the box. Adhere this entire fi nished work. two When dry, addsize a wash of walnut wood stain.

Once loop a tea-dyed ribbon through the eyelets for hanging. tacks.

Glue a few dried rosebuds into the box.

Adhere this entire map sections, the same for wings and one for the tail. finished work. When dry, add a wash of walnut wood stain. Once frame to a piece of upholstery fabric that has beaded edge on it. the application is completely dry,onlightly sandwith it. Cut out frame to a piece of upholstery fabric that has beaded edge on it.

Accordion fold each piece, place bird body a dot of three glue, the application is completely dry, lightly sand it. Cut out three loop a tea-dyed ribbon through the eyelets for hanging. map sections, thecrochet same size for to wings one for the tail. loop a tea-dyed ribbon through the eyelets for hanging. and stitchtwo with cotton holdand in place.

Create eye mapthen sections, two the same size for wings and one for the tail.

Accordion foldand eachbead piece, place on bird body withonto a dot glue, with a sequin combination, and stitch theof Accordion fold each piece, place on bird body with a dot ofhead. glue, and then stitch with crochetmap cotton hold inshears, place. Create eye Cut circle from a vintage withto punch and athen stitch with crochet cotton topinking hold in place. and Create eye O l i vi a T ho mas with a sequin and bead combination, and stitch onto the head. awith flower shape and ; mount to the wood andonto gluethe thehead. bird a sequin beadboth combination, anddisk, stitch Cut a circle from vintage map with pinking shears, and punch to the withaa Fabri-Tac. Cut a middle circle from vintage map with pinking shears, and punch O l i vi a Tdesigner ho mas isO a folk art a doll T and mixed-media artist residing in Phoenix, Arizona. l i vi ho mas a flower shape ; mount both to the wood disk, and glue the bird a flower shape ; mount both to the wood disk, and glue the bird To see more of her work, visit oliverose.com. She accepts emails at pezman@ to the middle with Fabri-Tac. concentric.net.

VOULOIR to the middle with Fabri-Tac. is a folk art doll designer and mixed-media artist residing in Phoenix, Arizona. is a see folkmore art doll mixed-media artist Phoenix, Arizona.

Sew Somerset is available To of designer her work,and visit oliverose.com.

Sheresiding acceptsinemails at pezman@ In this project, I used the cover of an old elementary French To see more of her work, visit oliverose.com. She accepts emails at pezman@ concentric.net. on newsstands or directly from VOULOIR concentric.net. reader as the substrate. Mount two eyelets on each side of the VOULOIR Company at of an old elementary French In Stampington this project, I & used the cover In www.stampington.com this project, I used the cover of an old elementary French or two eyelets on each side of the reader as the substrate. Mount reader as the substrate.

Mount sew Somerset summer 2011two eyelets on each side of the 1-877-782-6737.

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4/22/11 10:07:20 AM 4/22/11 10:07:20 AM

This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Somerset Studio Gallery.

BY LISA BEBI

BY LISA BEBI

In Bicyclette, Song (the finch), and French Models I flattened atmosphere. Thankfully there was a little cafe around the corner nearly all of the backgrounds until I viewed the image as mere with a bar, which was nice to sit, visit, and drink while my pups busy, but to help with my visualization t was November I was getting very excited shapes2010. to color in. In Mon Chere, Aw, Paris, andme Sacre-coeur rested.me And in River Walk, Aw, Paris,process, along theand walk in a park the backgrounds werethe veiled cold fogfeed was my muse in Paris, I imagined snow on the path and scratchy leaf-less trees. with some romanticism. and antsy about going to Paris daylightly after as if snow ormaybe to help me with my visualization process, and t was November 2010.

I was getting very excited subject matter and the two background.

In Thbut e Long Christmas tobetween teach athe 3-day workshop with of me busy, DAILY PAINTINGS feedthemy muse with some romanticism. and antsy about Paris the dayI liked after the contrastmaybe Viewgoing of thetoEiff el Tower, between my art buddies, Renee Richetts and Pam Carriker. But I was TIPS likedEiff theel idea of doing a painting a day on my daily blog. I trees against Christmas togreenish teach a black 3-daywintery workshop with two the of lavender Isnowy DAILY PAINTINGS having a hard time visualizing Paris in the winter.

Th is made me I remember feeling a chill I painted my art buddies, Renee tower.

Richetts and Pam Carriker.

But run I wasdown my back haveasseen other artists this,onand always wondered you doing are worried thehave ink bleeding, I liked the idea of doing• aIf painting a dayabout my daily blog. I you can prime your image uneasy and added tovisualizing my ants-in-my-pants-i-ness. thisParis particular scene. was interested in showing wintery having a hard time in the snow winter.

ThisImade me how they could promise paint painting, andpainting. then with this, the to matte medium and allow itupload, to dry before have seen other artists doing and havea always wondered scenes, so I obscured the background instead of blocking it out uneasy and added to my ants-in-my-pants-i-ness. blog aboutpromise it everytosingle day.

Th ings comeand up.then I wanted to CONTAINING MY EXCITEMENT how they could paint a painting, upload, completely. I wanted the Eiffel tower to be in the background. I • Sometimes the best things are simple; just a few colors and it and toofmake a promise to my blog readers, I was so excited to MY be going to Paris in the winter Iand could blog about it every singlebrushstrokes, day.

Th ingsand come up.

I wanted to but I knew CONTAINING EXCITEMENT chose the colors of lavender ivory to state thetry temperature you’re done. try it and to make a promise to my blog readers, but I knew I wasstand so excited to be going to Paris in the winter I could myself.

At least I thought I did.

So I promised to attempt to hardly it. I made myself a to-do list: buy a wool coat, the piece.

• IfIthere isSoanIinteresting pattern on a dress or tree branches, only myself.

At least I thought did. promised to attempt hardly stand it.

I made myself a to-do list: buy a wool coat, me, Alley Catwith seemsnon-slip there ought to be a cat somewhere paint a wintery Paris painting every day until I to ran out of scarf, gloves, beret, and maybeTosome boots partially block them into the background, letting the interesting a wintery Paris paintingBut, every day until I ran of scarf, and maybe some boots withofnon-slip in here one ofinthe painting really it’spaint the ideas, dank narrow I was guessing. it turned outout I didn’t run out of treads forgloves, soles.beret, By contrast, San Diego IParis, was but wearing marks peek as through. ✢ ideas, I wasI guessing.

But, as it turned out I didn’t run out of contrast, here in ISan Diego I was wearing alley that wanted portray.

Th is is the kind ofideas. street know Oh contraire!

I painted a painting-a-day, 48 paintings fl iptreads flops for andsoles. had By a sunburn from sitting attomy daughter’s Oh contraire! fl ip flops and had a sunburn sitting at Paris. my daughter’s of from and love about After I painted Redideas.

Windmill I thought I painted a painting-a-day, 48 paintings in all, from November 10 until the night before liftoff, swim meet. It was crazy hot here even though we were in inIall, fromatNovember 10 Bebi until the night before , be emailed at lisabebiart@aol.com. To swim meet. It was crazy hot here evenI though we were insnow. When that maybe should have added arrived this Lisa lives in Southern California.liftoff She may December 25.addicted I learn wasmore addicted andvisit to atkeep going. Turns mid-November. fromthe the heat, and lips windmill myheat, legs knew itmy — a climb, but all was worth of herwanted artwork, her daily blog lisabebi.blogspot.com or her website December 25. I was and towanted keep going.

Turns mid-November.I Iwas wasdying dying from and my lipswhat werewere outmore the and more I painted, more Itowanted to paint, chapped too. it as it was accompanied by a out colorful view atthe lisabebi.com. the I painted, morethe I wanted paint, and the and the chapped too. kept coming. ➺ I was ready stingofofcool, cool,nippy nippy ideas ideas kept coming. ➺ I was readytotowelcome welcome the sting air air on on my my moremore cheeks bothfront frontand and cheeks —— both rear.

I was lookingforward forward rear.

I was looking to the smell of wood to the smell of wood burning fi res and maybe burning fi res and maybe even roasted chestnuts even roasted chestnuts sold by street vendors, like soldonbythestreet vendors, streets of Italy. like I on couldn’t the streets waitoftoItaly. sit in Ia couldn’t wait tocafe sit sipping in a small corner strong blackcafe coffsipping ee, eating small corner a crepe fi lled with strong black coff ee, Nutella eating and chocolate, and looking a crepe fi lled with Nutella out a frosted tiny window and chocolate, and looking panes at people scurrying out a frosted tiny window by from one indoor panes at people location to thescurrying next. But by from one indoor until then — I would location dream.to the next. But until then — down, I would To calm I thought up an exercise for dream. myself to not only keep To calm down, I

thought up an exercise for myself to not only keep

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TOOLS & MATERIALS • Acrylic ink: (Liquitex) • Acrylic paint • Gel pen: white • Image: color copied or black-and-white • Paintbrushes: various sized • Paper: bond paper: 20 lb. & plain • Photocopier • Stamps: Fancy Letters (Stampington & Company); textured • Water bucket

COMING TOGETHER I had just received some alphabet stamps from Stampington & Company to work with on an Artiston-Call assignment. The font of the stamps reminded me of art nouveau posters. I was intrigued. This set my mood and just like that I knew my direction. I wanted to paint them in vintage colors and some in the style of Toulouse Lautrec … I have always loved his posters.

TECHNIQUE All of these paintings were done on top of photocopies that I printed onto plain paper. I like to paint on top of photocopies because then I don’t have to worry about drawing, proportions, or composition if I don’t want to. Instead, I am left with the pure thrill of painting and laying down colors as I see fit. I live for this. To create with only the pure uplifting experience of painting is what I call the paint over technique.

I first acquire an image that speaks to me. I prefer to copy it in black-and-white, but color copies work too. I like to paint straight on top of the paper without covering it with matte medium. With an opaque colored paint, I paint the background and anything else that is not essential to the focus of the piece. Next, I paint the mid-tones of the focal point leaving the darks or blacks from the original photocopy alone. In other words, 0the dark 178 116

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shadows are left dark. After I am satisfied with this process, I add in the highlight colors by blending them into the mid-tones and then touch it up here and there with the brightest highlights of all. Th is is adds pop, but, not too much.

I then outlined the letters with a white gel pen.

me busy, but to help me with my visualization process, and 2010. I was getting very excited maybe feed my muse with some romanticism. going to Paris the day after In Bicyclette, Song (the finch), and French Models I flattened atmosphere. Thankfully there was a little cafe around the corner Bicyclette, Song (the finch), and French Models flattened with atmosphere.

Thwas ankfully there was a and littledrink cafecorner around thepups corner Song (thebackgrounds finch), and French Ithe flattened atmosphere.

Th ankfully there was a little cafe around the chInaBicyclette, 3-day workshop with two ofIModels nearlyIn all of the until viewed image as Imere a bar, which nice to sit, visit, while my DAILY PAINTINGS nearly of the backgrounds until IParis, viewed the image as mere withAnd a bar, was nice to Paris, sit, visit, andthe drink while my pups nearly all of the backgrounds until I viewed the as mere with a bar,rested. which was nice to sit, visit, and drink while my pups shapes to all color in. In Mon Chere, Aw,image and Sacre-coeur inwhich River Walk, Aw, along walk in a park hetts and Pam Carriker.

But I was shapes to color in.

In Mon Chere, Aw, Paris, and Sacre-coeur rested.

And in River Walk, Aw, Paris, along the walk in parkI hapes to color in.

In Mon Chere, Aw, Paris, and Sacre-coeur rested.

And in River Walk, Aw, Paris, along the walk in a park I liked the idea of doing a painting a day on my daily blog. the backgrounds were veiled lightly as if snow or cold fog was in Paris, I imagined snow on the path and scratchy leaf-lessatrees. aris in the winter.

Th is made me the backgrounds were veiled lightly as if snow or cold fog was in Paris, I imagined snow on the path and scratchy leaf-less trees. he backgrounds were veiled lightly as if snow or cold fog was in Paris, I imagined snow on the path and scratchy leaf-less trees. between the subject matter and the background. In The Long have seen other artists doing this, and have always wondered between the subject matter and the background.

In Th e Long etween the subject matter and the background.

In Th e Long View of the Eiffel Tower, I liked the contrast between the my-pants-i-ness.

TIPS to paint a painting, upload, and then View of the Eiff el Tower, Iagainst liked between the between the View of thegreenish Eiff el Tower, I liked the contrast the how theyEiff could promise black wintery trees thecontrast lavender snowy el TIPS TIPS greenish black against the lavender Eiffel reenish black wintery trees wintery against the lavender snowy Eiff el snowy tower.

I remember feeling trees a chill run down my back as I painted blog about it every single day. Th ings come up. I wanted to MENT I remember feeling a chill down my back wintery as I painted • If you are worried about the ink bleeding, you can prime your image ower. I remember feeling a chill run down myrun back asinI showing painted thistower. particular snow scene.

I was interested • If you are worried about inkitcan bleeding, you prime your image If you are worried themedium ink bleeding, you prime yourcan image theabout matte andthe allow to dry before painting. it andit•wintery to makewith a medium promise to my blog readers, but I knew Paris inscenes, the winter I could this particular scene.

I was inblocking showing his particular snow Isnow was interested in interested showing wintery so Iscene. obscured the background insteadtry of out the matte medium to dry before painting. with the mattewith and allow it toand dry allow beforeitpainting. scenes, sothe background instead blocking it out so Icompletely. obscured background instead of to blocking itofout thethe Eiff el tower be inmyself. the background.

I Sometimes the simple; just a few and At least I• thought I best did.things Soare I promised tocolors attempt to acenes, to-do list: buyI Iwanted aobscured wool coat, I wanted the Eiff el tower to be in the background.

I • Sometimes the best things are simple; just a few colors and ompletely.chose I completely. wanted the Eiff el tower to be in the background.

I • Sometimes the best things are simple; just a few colors and the colors of lavender and ivory to state the temperature of brushstrokes, and you’re done. paint a wintery painting day until I ran out of some non-slip the colors of lavender and ivory to state the of temperature of Paris brushstrokes, andevery you’re done. hose the boots colors of with lavender and ivory to state the temperature brushstrokes, and you’re done. thechose piece.

• If there is an interesting pattern on a dress or tree branches, only the piece. he piece. me, Alley there ought to beideas, a cat somewhere I was guessing.

But, asinteresting itinto turned Iletting didn’t run outonlyof re in SanToDiego I Cat wasseems wearing •interesting If there is an pattern on abranches, dress orthe tree branches, • If there is anpartially pattern on athe dress orout tree only block them background, interesting Alley Catof seems ought to the be adank cat somewhere To me, in Alley Cat seems there ought tothere be areally cat somewhere oneTo of me, the painting Paris, but it’s narrow partially them into theletting background, letting interesting partially block them intoblock the background, the interesting marks through. ideas.

Oh contraire!

I peek painted a✢painting-a-day, 48thepaintings om at my daughter’s in one of theParis, painting of Paris, really it’softhestreet dank narrow n onesitting of the painting of really it’sisbut the dank narrow alley that I wanted tobut portray.

Th is the kind I know marks peek marks peek through. ✢ through. ✢ alleylove that Iwe wanted portray.

Th isofisstreet the in kind of street I know lleyeven that Iofwanted to about portray.

ThtoisAfter isin theI kind I know all, from November 10 until the night before liftoff, re though were and Paris. painted Red Windmill I thought ofmaybe and love about Paris.

After I painted Red Windmill I thought Lisa Bebi lives in Southern California. She may be emailed at lisabebiart@aol.com. To f and lovethat about Paris.

After I painted Red Windmill I thought I should have added snow. When I arrived at this December 25.

I was addicted and wanted to keep going.

Turns om the heat, and lips were maybe Imy should have added When I arrived at Lisa Bebi lives in Southern California.

Sheatat may be emailed at lisabebiart@aol.com. hat maybe I that should have added I climb, arrived at this Lisathis Bebi liveslearn in Southern Shevisit may bedaily emailed lisabebiart@aol.com.

Toor her website To windmill my legs knewsnow. it —When what asnow. but all was worth more ofCalifornia. her artwork, her blog lisabebi.blogspot.com legsit knew it — what a by climb, but the allview was worth learn morevisit of her artwork, herwanted daily blog at lisabebi.blogspot.com or herthe website windmill my windmill legs knewmy itit — what climb, but all was worth learn more herlisabebi.com. artwork, daily blogvisit at I lisabebi.blogspot.com her website and out more I ofpainted, the more toorpaint, as wasaaccompanied a colorful and at it as it was accompanied a colorful view and at lisabebi.com. it as it was accompanied by a colorful by view and at lisabebi.com. more ideas kept coming. ➺ sting of cool, nippy air on my

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BBY ELLEN WILSON

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have fond memories of making wax paper creations: They hung in the windows of my parents’ glassed-in porch. It was a place of reflection and grace. The morning sun would shine inwards, as I swung on the paisley po porch glider. Mom and I used to sit and watch thundershowers, sing songs, and shell pe peas. My best friend and I often shared secrets about our latest crush, and we would pluck daisies and chant “Loves me, loves me not,” while swinging.

Wax paper is an inexpensive medium that lends a homey touch. I love its sheer transparent appearance and how it makes things feel special. My mom used it when sharing cookies, wrapping gifts, and mailing photos. Those special touches awaken magical memories of giving. My wax creations symbolize beginnings. My daughter recently turned 15. I see her pushing boundaries as she is testing her wings. Gifts of grace allow time for reflection as w we grow, discover, and rediscover what we love. Our rites of passage redraw the blue blueprints of our soul. ➺

TOOLS & MATERIALS • Adhesive: Tacky Glue (Aleene’s); white craft glue • Cardboard • Ephemera: vintage millinery • Fabric: sheer, torn cotton & scraps of lace

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• Pins: floral • Poems • Punch: hydrangea (Martha Stewart) • Sewing machine

• Floral stamens

• Stain: tea or pink lemonade (Crystal Light)

• Flowers: dried & silk

• Stamps: number

• Inkpad

• String

• Image

• Tags: oval

• Iron

• Thread

• Paper: scrapbook & vintage ledger

• Transfer paper: iron-on

• Paper bags

• Wax paper: regular & sepia

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TECHNIQUE Grace

Print out vintage images of a little girl. Tear off two sheets of wax paper. Fold paper in half and add eyelet trim, sepia wax paper, dried lavender, ledger paper, and vintage ephemera.

When in place, iron the wax paper between two paper bags. Let cool and cut into a mitten shape; repeat. Sew the mittens, using different stitches for varied interest. Tear a piece of cotton fabric and fray the edges a bit. Stitch again to reinforce the mittens.

Type out poetic words, a sentiment, or a name you prefer using a typewriter font. Print out words onto an old book page.

Attach the name in the middle of the thumbs, with a floral pin.

Cut out words and adhere with craft glue. Add a bow in the handle if desired.

Reflection

Cut out a house from ledger paper and cut a strip for the roof top. Print out an image of a girl onto an iron-on transfer paper, cut out, and iron onto a sheer piece of fabric. Cut out wax paper, fold in half, and layer the following items: sheer girl, dried lavender, and sepia wax paper. Add an oval tag with a sentiment written on it. Take the paper bags and layer wax paper inside of them; iron. Let the bags cool, and then cut out an image of a house shape ½ inch larger than the first house.

Stitch the outline of the house with an assortment of stitches.

Punch out wax paper hydrangeas. Make a tea bath, add some cool water after it has steeped, and then soak the wax paper flowers. Mix a weak amount of pink lemonade with water, 10 120

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and then dye wax paper flowers in this solution. Now dye a silk daisy or flower of your choice. Cut a strip of lace for the bottom of house and adhere with craft glue. Print out word using typewriter font onto ledger paper. Attach with a floral pin. Cut out a roof and adhere. Cut three pieces of cotton string, tie in a knot every 2 inches, and then attach a torn-up strip of sheer fabric at top and knot. Glue the string onto the back of the house. Now, glue on the dried wax paper dyed flower. Pinch the daisy in half, glue in floral stamens, and adhere the daisy into the center of lace.

Loves me, Loves me not

Make a sheer transfer of a vintage image using iron-on transfer paper. Print out the image and iron onto sheer fabric. Print out the image onto ledger paper in the same manner. Cut out image, layer with vintage ledger paper, and a poem. Cover in a sleeve of wax paper. Stitch together using an assortment of stitches. Create the rooftop out of a cardboard triangle, layered with vintage ephemera. Make a plant tag out of ledger paper adhere to the rooftop. Cut sheer ledger paper, gather, and glue.

Print out sentiment and attach with a floral pin. Glue on a dried flower, add a piece of torn cardboard and stamp on a number.

Tear a piece of cotton and fray the edges. Knot and glue to the cardboard roof. ✢ Ellen Wilson is a green-thumbed poet; she finds inspiration in nature and her memories. View more of her work at ellasedge.blogspot.com.

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BY DINA WAKLEY

enjoying

journaling ART

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rt journaling is an integral part of my life. I’ve always been a journaler in one form or another — a need to express is ingrained in me. I work in my journals almost every day. I might not always create a complete page, but I usually do something artsy. I might create dozens of collage papers to cut up later, paint backgrounds in an entire journal, or even just create lots of little tags. I think the mere act of putting paint on a brush and then filling a page with color is so fulfilling.

I always say the process is as important as the end product, and for me, that is really true — especially considering my art journaling process.

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This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2011 issue of Art Journaling.

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Give Me Space My art journaling process is very organic. I never, ever begin a page with an idea of where it will go. I just start creating.

I put down color or do a background technique. The focus is play, experimentation, and seeing what happens. When I work on my first background layer, I don’t generally cover the entire page with color. I like to leave some visual white space, although that white space may end up completely covered with layers later on.

ART

Creative Choices After my initial color is down, I start making more conscious choices. I examine the background and let it speak to me.

I might add more texture to the background with ink and stencils, or I might start working on a focal point. Most of my pages do have some sort of focal point. I also tend to use a lot of silhouettes and simple shapes. I think silhouettes are powerful, especially the human silhouette. There is a dual meaning in a silhouette — is the person there, or not there? I use simple shapes, too, because shapes, like hearts and stars, have so much meaning and symbolism. Plus, honestly, they’re just easy for me to create.

I love to create a silhouette (of a person or a shape) and then journal inside the shape. I purposefully keep my journaling loose and free, and often it is stream-ofconsciousness. I write whatever is in my mind at that

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exact moment. Sometimes it’s emotional and meaningful, and sometimes it’s as mundane as, “I hate doing laundry.”

Whatever it is, it is authentic to that moment.

Top Texture After I get my focal point and journaling down, I start adding more visual interest. I love to add additional color with spray ink or acrylic paint. If I feel like my focal point is getting lost, I might paint around it so it pops out more. I love to add bits of paper or sewing tissue, or dip a cardboard tube into gesso and stamp circles everywhere.

I call this “top texture.” For me, top texture really makes a page interesting.

I don’t love every page I make, but I do learn something from every page. I might learn that I don’t like particular colors together, or I might learn that I needed to stop layering five layers ago. Usually, I just let an “eh” page be what it is. Sometimes, though, a page bothers me so much that I paint over it with gesso and start again. There’s no shame in painting over something. In fact, I think it is part of the learning process. Oftentimes an “eh” page under gesso provides a great foundation for building a new page.

Colors and textures peek through and I can give them new life by creating a new page over them.

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Detail Turning the Page If I am working on a page but I’m not feeling it, I don’t force the creative process. I turn the page and start something new or take a break. My journals often have unfinished pages in them, and eventually they do speak to me and I go back and finish them.

I also have three journals going at any one time, only because I am impulsive and I hate waiting for paint to dry. If I am really in a creative zone, I set one journal aside to dry and pick up another. My husband laughs because sometimes I sit at my desk with several journals on the floor behind me, all opened up to pages that are drying.

Because I journal almost every day, I always have paint and ink on my hands (and arms and clothes).

I wear my paint spots proudly. If I have inky hands, then I know I had a great day. Here’s to many, many more inky and painty days!

Dina Wakley is a mixed-media artist and scrapbooker who lives in Glendale, Arizona. You can visit her on her blog, dinastamps.typepad. com, or e-mail her at dinawakley@q.com.

Tips & Tricks • When you use spray ink that is heavily pigmented, try spraying and then blotting it with one pass of a roll of paper towels. The paper towels pick up any excess ink and your work will look incredible.

• Paint splatter is my secret weapon.

Try splattering paint in a contrasting color on your work. The splatter adds visual interest and also helps unify the composition.

journaling ART

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• When you’re done painting, take manila tags and drag them through your paint palette. The tags end up with interesting colors and textures, and you can use them in your work as collage elements.

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BBYY NNAATTAA LL II EE M A LL II KK MA

N ATA L I E M A L I K

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2011 issue of Art Journaling.

SU SU MOM M SU M M E RM FEERROOFF

journaling www.stampington.com ART journaling www.stampington.com ART

LOVE LOVE LOVE

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ooking through my Summer of Love journal you wouldn’t guess, but I hate summer.

I know, it’s a shock. Summer is usually the most boring, blank season of the year for me. It means no school, lots of part-time jobs, and everyone’s on vacation except for me. But, and behold, there was hope in thic summer, and it began with finding the Summer Summer of Love journal you wouldn’t guess, but I hate summer. of Love class on Kara Haupt’s ooking blog. Shethrough showed my us magic and happiness in the blistering know, it’samazing a shock.toSummer usually boring, heat of summer. Not only did Ithis sound try, but itisalso wouldthe fillmost up my boringblank season of the year for me.

It means no school, lots of part-time jobs, and summer with wonderful sessions at my craft table (I’ll find any excuse to be at my crafteveryone’s table). on vacation except for me. But,toooking and behold, theremy wasSummer hope in thic summer, andyou it began with guess, findingbut theISummer through of Love journal wouldn’t hate summer.

And so it began, my journey finding the magic and fun in summer.

L

L

of Love class on Kara She showed us the magic andboring, happiness in the blistering I know, it’s aHaupt’s shock. blog.

Summer is usually most blank season of the year for heat of summer.

Not only this sound to try, it also would fion ll up my boring me. It means no did school, lots ofamazing part-time jobs,but and everyone’s vacation except for summer with wonderful sessions at my craft table (I’ll fi nd any excuse to be at my craft table). me. But, and behold, there was hope in thic summer, and it began with finding the Summer And so itclass began, journey to fiblog. ndingShe theshowed magic and in summer. of Love onmy Kara Haupt’s us fun magic and happiness in the blistering 11/22/10 9:56:51 AM

heat of summer. Not only did this sound amazing to try, but it also would fill up my boring • Volume 2 summer with wonderful sessions at my craft table (I’ll find any excuse to be at my craft table).

And so it began, my journey to finding the magic and fun in summer.

Winter 2011

From Book to Journal I still cannot believe what I had to do to construct the journal — let’s just say, a poor old book was stripped of its cover and spine, and its pages were cut from its binding.

But, it was definitely worth it. This made a wonderful hybrid of an altered book and an art journal. Each of my pages were made with two book pages glued together to make it thicker. I used regular glue sticks instead of wet adhesives because I wasn’t using any gesso, and using any wet medium might have warped the page. Glue sticks are dry, and less messy. To put the book together, I hole-punched the book pages, and drilled holes with a power drill through the book cover and back. Binder rings keep the book pages together, and are great if you want to re-arrange or add pages.

journaling ART

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C Creating the Season When I think of summer, I think of nature. Feathers are W a motif throughout my journal because they make me think of nature. I also used a repetitive element of floral th patterns, telephone pages, and other neutral-colored p paper. I wanted to use earthy colors and an abundance p oof flowers.

This collage technique is much different than my oother journals, which is what I liked about this class and journal. I had to work with a simple text background, jo so that called for a simple collage with little paint. I also used glue sticks to glue down my collage elements. al Masking tape, or Washi tape, was a fun element to add M to the collages (and very addictive). Using the same tape really pulls the look of the book together, along ta with other similar elements. This is important when w making a themed art journal. m

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Winter 2011

Getting to Know Summer I divided my journal into four chapters. This signified my changing opinion of summer and it was a great separation of prompts. Chapter One signified my excitement of exploring the greatness of summer, with pages that described summer and what it meant to me. Chapter Two continued the inspection of summer, with more in-depth prompts. Chapter Three was when the excitement wound down, and I began to document my daily summer endeavors. Don’t be afraid to document the boring part of your day. That’s what art journals are about. They are about you — exciting and boring. Chapter Four delved into the darker side of summer, and the end of my journey.

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Tips & Tricks • When using flimsy, thin paper like book pages, glue two or more pages together to make it sturdier for collage and paint.

• If you want to add different sized pages and like re-arranging, try binding your book together with binder rings. This will give you flexibility to work on one page at a time, compared to spiralbound or book-bound journals, where paint and glue might get on the other pages.

• When cutting out pages from a bound book, use a craft knife and cut as close as possible to the binding to get as much paper as you can. To keep edges even, compare each page and cut off any extra paper with scissors or a knife.

journaling ART

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Appreciation & Awareness The prompts were inspired by Kara, with a few additional prompts of my own. The goal of the book was to find the small things about summer, and appreciate them — the hot rain, the blue skies, the beautiful clouds, or the starry night. Her prompts told us to go outside and study the environment around us, capture it through the lens, and document it in our journals. Making myself more aware of summer made me understand it, and take action. My summers were boring because I was boring. I needed to get out there and make summer an adventure. So while I adventured, I had my art journal to remember every moment.

To accompany almost each page, I took a picture based on the prompt. I took pictures with my iPhone using applications like Hipstamatic, More Lomo, and Lo-Mob. This is a great option if you’re not very Photoshop-savvy, but want a cool camera effect.

This was great when I didn’t want to risk hurting my camera, and light for on-the-go journaling.

I feel like summer has seen the end of its “least favorite season” title. Fall will always be my favorite, but now I can really learn to love all year long. Heck, let’s make an art journal for each season, and then we can really learn to appreciate the changing of seasons.

Natalie Malik is an artist and college student living in Victoria, Texas. View more of her work on her blog, awkwardnbeautiful.blogspot.com.

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This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue of Somerset Memories.

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by Louise Nelson

magine this: I am a minimalist at heart with the soul of an artist. There is a constant struggle between desperately wanting to create layouts that are clean, crisp, graphic, and precise in all design details, and an artistic need to creatively express myself passionately, intensely, and purposefully with heartfelt intimacy. It is a creative struggle that I relish and delight in. More often than not, I create layouts quite unconsciously, as I just let go and let a layout evolve. I don’t always have a specific motivation or tangible source of inspiration.

I have been scrapbooking for nearly five years now. Learning to let go has occurred only over the last couple of those nearly five years. This has been an exercise of intense self-discipline. Despite that, my creative journey during this time has ensured that I have remained true to my creative self, enabling me to create in a way that brings me the most joy and satisfaction. The resulting impact on my style has been dramatic and very personally fulfilling.

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I have been told that my style is unique, although I haven’t figured out what people mean by that. All I can say is that my scrapbooking and creativity comes straight from my heart and soul.

There are common themes and techniques in my layouts: the use of kraft cardstock, the use of non-scrapbooking elements and found objects, the use of white space, minimal and/or lack of a title or journaling, the use of paint and spray inks, and lastly, and probably least obvious, is my almost obsessive need for visual balance in my layout design. I don’t always achieve it, but hey, that’s life.

Most of these layouts document the feelings and observations I have of my great friend Natalie and her gorgeous daughter Jessica. I have been invited to share their everyday lives and be their friend.

Scrapbooking these memories, moments, and emotions is creatively fulfilling and ultimately will be my gift of gratitude to them.

The Bottom of the Garden is a Gorgeous Fairy is by far one of my favorite layouts. Why? Well, because it encapsulates my underlying philosophy that guides my creativity, and it demonstrates my ability to let go and create without inhibition, and with freedom and honesty. When I created the background for this layout there was a complete lack of conscious thought and planning. I just sprayed, misted, splattered, heated, and tilted my page to get some dribble action happening. When I finished, it just worked. If you have ever created with glimmer sprays then you will know how hard they are to control spray patterns and where the blobs land. z

• Acetate sheet • Adhesive tape: double-sided • Brads • Cardstock: (Bazzill — kraft) • Chipboard alphas: (Bella & Scrapware) • Chipboard shapes: (Scrapware & AED) • Correction pen/fluid • Crochet cotton • Doily: vintage • Edge distressor • Gel adhesive: (Pritt) • Gel pens: (Signo & Zig Memory Writer) • Glitter powder: (AED) • Grunge board shapes: (Tim Holtz) • Mirror embellishment: (Craft Queen) • Paint: (Kaisercraft & Semco & Luminarte — Twinkling H2Os) • Paintbrushes • Paper piercer • Patterned paper: (GCD — Book Page, AED) • Punches: (Martha Stewart & EK Success) • Sharp craft knife • Spray mist: (Glimmer Mist) • Staples • String • Vine tendrils: dried

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2010 issue of Somerset Memories.

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It’s difficult to get just the right concentrations of color, glimmer, and shading — let alone getting your dribbles just right. You need to get it right to achieve the mood and look you desire. I am sorry to say that I don’t have any hard and sure fire tips that ensure you get it right. I just let go and create; sometimes I think to myself that my hands are guided.

To create the background for this particular layout I used just two spray inks, Glimmer Mist and Twinkling H2Os. Mostly I work from the bottom of the page up, applying required concentrations of spray ink, and then working quickly to achieve the dribble effects and/or the shaded concentrated areas of color and glimmer. I tend to create the dribble patterns first, which I use to create tree trunks, flower stems, directional elements, photo or element framing, balloon strings, etc.

To do this, spray a moderate to heavy application of Glimmer Mist to the cardstock while it’s on a flat surface, holding the nozzle of the applicator approximately an inch away from the surface of the cardstock. Then, to direct the flow of the dribble, work quickly and tilt your page downward in the direction you want the dribble to flow. If you find that there isn’t enough fluid to create the desired dribble, then apply another burst in the same area

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into the Twinkling H2Os and onto the cardstock.

For the remainder of the layouts — Shez a Day Dream Believer, U at Tulka Beach, Love this Mother and Daughter, and Quite Simply Stunning — I have utilized a much simpler technique to maintain a minimalist look and to ensure that the photo and/or the memory/emotion is the focus of the layout. While the pattern of the ink and paint droplets may appear random on these layouts, I must confess that I do add extra droplets after the initial application in strategic places to ensure the layout design appears relatively balanced.

To achieve these droplets I begin by loading the spray nozzle. I repeatedly pump the spray nozzle, but not all the way out. I do this approximately 3–4 times. While the cardstock is on a flat surface, I then hold the spray bottle horizontal to the layout, approximately 1½ inches above, and then gently flick in a downward motion and droplets will be released from the nozzle onto the page. If I need to add an extra drop here and there I remove the spray nozzle from the bottle and gently flick drops off the end of the feeding tube where required. m Louise Nelson is a passionate and sometimes arty scrapbooker living in Adelaide, South Australia. She may be reached by email at loolabelle1961@ hotmail.com. To see more of Louise’s creativity, please visit her blog at louise-justloolabelle.blogspot.com.

as before and direct the flow along the original dribble created by tilting the page as before. I usually dry it with a heat gun, not just because I am impatient but because it achieves a wonderful concentrated effect of the color.

It will dry darker, and, more often than not, it will have an increased concentration of glimmer. You can use this effect to your advantage to create shape, contour, and visual dimension to the misted effects and images you create as I have with this layout, on the ground and at the base of the flowers.

To create a feeling of mood and to make the layout appear ethereal, I have used luminescent Twinkling H2Os, which have been misted in a normal manner around the top margin of the page and along the margins of the base of the flowers and the ground.

Again I have hit this with the heat gun to ensure a concentrated glimmery appearance. An extra element used to add to the ethereal feel of this layout includes printing the photo of Jessica in black-and-white onto clear acetate.

The above technique has also been used to create the backgrounds for A Beautiful Soul and a Beautiful Heart and Oh Jessica you Bring Joy to your Mother’s Life. With the Oh Jessica … layout I added additional glimmer powder to the final spray of Twinkling H2Os while it was still wet. The glimmer powder then dries

Somerset Memories is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

www.somersetmemories.com • Autumn 2010 swww.stampington.com Somerset MEMORIES 55139

Julie Kirk

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Cindy Gonzales

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2009 issue of Somerset Memories.

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• Alphabet: (SEI) • Button: (Autumn Leaves — clear) • Canvas boards: flat, 5" x 7" (2) • Distress Ink • Embroidery thread: (DMC floss) • Fabric • Grungeboard: (Tim Holtz) • Iron-on photo transfer sheet (for ink-jet printer) • Labels: (Martha Stewart) • Milkcap: (Jenni Bowlin) • Overlay: (Hambly Screenprints) • Pen: (American Crafts Slick Writer — black) • Sheet music • Stickers: (7gypsies) • Vintage game pieces • Zutter Bind-it-All machine & Owires* * Please read our article on page 10 about how to use the Bind-it-All

One of the techniques I used was to use a photo transfer made on my ink-jet printer that I applied it directly onto the canvas board with an iron. (Just remember when using a transfer that if there is any writing on your photo you will need to set your printer to “mirror” or “reverse” the image so the word transfers the correct way.) After applying the transfer and letting it cool, I then used Distress Ink and rubbed it all over the canvas and the photo. This gave the cover an aged look that I was looking for. I also used this Distress Ink to alter the Grungeboard. I love the texture of this particular Grungeboard but wanted it to stand out even more so I rubbed the ink on both sides of the board. I thought this almost made it look like wood when finished. Another thing I love about Grungeboard is that you can staple it, use brads and eyelets in it, and cut it to any shape or size you want. I also used some plastic sheeting in this album.

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I kept it very simple and just wrote a few words or phrases directly on the sheet using a Slick Writer.

I like how you can see something beautiful beyond the words. To add to the antique feel I was going for I also added items like vintage buttons, paper pieces to old games and vintage sheet music just to name a few items. I really enjoyed the process of making this album and I love how it turned out. m Shelley Haganman is a scrapper/photographer who resides in Iowa City, Iowa. More of her work can be seen by visiting her blog at www.scrappergirl.typepad.com.

Somerset Memories is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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This article has been borrowed from the Jan/Feb 2005 issue of Somerset Studio.

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h For the Love of

Art-Money

by Hanne Matthiesen

A

s an artist living in Demark, I became intrigued when I learned a few years ago, about a newly created bank. It’s called BIAM, which is short for Bank of International Art-Money. The founders of BIAM wanted to provide a unique opportunity for artists to create our own currency in the form of original artwork – with each artmoney piece possessing limited but desirable value for goods and services among participating artists.

On these pages, you are seeing the art-money that I created, within the parameters set by BIAM. The first step I took was to fill out an application that is available through the BIAM web site. I sent in my application with three art-money pieces that I created according to their guidelines. Basically, artists can use almost any media to create original work that measures 43⁄4˝x7˝.

Upon receiving my art-money and application, BIAM officially registered me as a participating artist. As such, I am able to make, sell and accept art money according to BIAM’s conditions. BIAM affixes a value of 20 Euro for a single piece of

art-money when it is “sold” for the first time. Each year after that, the art-money gains an additional 5 Euro in value until it reaches its maximum value of 50 Euro.

When you produce and distribute art-money, you also accept to get paid a portion of what you sell with art-money.

For example, if you’re a painter and also an official BIAM artist, you can agree ahead of time to accept a portion of the cost of one of your paintings with artmoney and the remaining portion with normal currency. But it doesn’t have to be just art – it can be other goods and services that you provide. BIAM participants are lovers of art and become avid collectors of original art.

Making my own money makes me to feel powerful, creative, and uniquely entertained. The size and form of art-money is also a good exercise in technique as it forces me to try and make what I would usually create, but on a much smaller scale. I usually deal with collage-making, painting, stamping and sewing. Outlined below are the tools and materials and techniques that I used to make my very own art-money.Y www.somersetstudio.com • January/February 2005 www.stampington.com

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h Making my own money makes me to feel powerful, creative, and uniquely entertained.

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Tools & Materials h Glue h Gauze h Plaster h Ephemera h Sewing machine h Watercolor paper h White acrylic paint h Old pages from a hymn book h Vintage photos or other images

Tools & Materials h Glue h Gauze h Plaster h Ephemera h Sewing machine I start with a piece of quality watercolor paper that measures 3 h Watercolor paper 4 ⁄4˝x7˝. Then I adhere a page from an old hymn book with glue. h White acrylic paint Depending on my desired look, I follow with a layer of plaster or h Old pages from a hymn book gauze or white paint. Sometimes I mix the plaster and paint with Vintage or other images the gauze and layer the saturatedhgauze overphotos the paper panel.

Once dry, I adhere the primary collage motifs. Whether the motifs are of people or objects, they should be selected to suit your personal taste. One of my favorite sources for finding nicelooking images is in my grandmother’s photo album. I like to photo-copy vintage photos of prominent members of my family and place them on the face of my art-money. step is to of usequality ephemera to add interest to the collage.

IThe startnext with a piece watercolor paper that measures 3 Some I haveaused pieces of with scrapglue.

4 ⁄4˝x7˝.items Thenthat I adhere pageinclude from anold oldlace, hymn book paper, and an bottle cap.

To keep everything place, or I Depending onold myrusty desired look, I follow with a layer ofinplaster either glue or sew the Sometimes objects ontoI mix the panel. gauze or white paint. the plaster and paint with elements are in place, I finish by using the After gauzethe andcollage layer the saturated gauze over the paper panel. assorted Forthe some pieces, I like motifs. to add Whether an extra layer Onceart dry,stamps.

I adhere primary collage the of parchment paper, or which givesthey it a should delicatebeeffect, making the motifs are of people objects, selected to suit money look extra artwork to beforanfinding officialnicepiece your personal taste.valuable.

One of For my the favorite sources of BIAMimages art-money, finish by signing the backalbum. and writing the looking is in my grandmother’s photo I like to web address vintage for BIAM: www.art-money.dk or www.art-money.org. photo-copy photos of prominent members of my family NOTE: information appears on the front of my artand placeThis them on the facealso of my art-money. money requirement. toto dothe that to The but nextthat stepisisnot to ause ephemera toI just add chose interest collage. make lookthat more official.

Some ititems I have usedFinclude old lace, pieces of scrap paper, and an old rusty bottle cap. To keep everything in place, I Hanne Matthiesen a mixed-media artistthe whopanel. resides in Denmark. either glue or sew isthe objects onto After the collage elements are in place, I finish by using assorted art stamps. For some pieces, I like to add an extra layer of parchment paper, which gives it a delicate effect, making the money look extra valuable. For the artwork to be an official piece Somerset Studio is available of BIAM art-money, finish by signing the back and writing the on newsstands or directly web address for BIAM: www.art-money.dk or www.art-money.org. from Stampington & Company NOTE: This information also appears on the front of my artatbut www.stampington.com or I just chose to do that to money that is not a requirement.

1-877-782-6737. make it look more official. F

Technique

Technique

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Hanne Matthiesen is a mixed-media artist who resides in Denmark.

Upl i f t e d Voi ce s

by Julie Collings

Y

ou can imagine my excitement as I was packing up to attend Artfest for the first time last year. I had spent hours poring over the classes, trying to choose which ones I most wanted to attend, and after sending in my registration, I impatiently waited for my envelope to arrive that would let me know what classes I would be attending. I was thrilled to find out my friend and I both got in Nina Bagley’s (www.ornamental.typepad.com) class titled “Gatherings.”

T H E G AT H E R I N G The hardest part for me is packing what to bring to a class. I started with a few things I most wanted to use in my book and laid them out on my desk. I could see a color palette emerging with a range of browns, teal blue, copper, ochre, and the color of aged paper. With this limitation in mind I started gathering things from my suitcases and boxes, opening drawers looking for treasures and sifting through the glass dishes of leftovers on my desk. I cut snippets of fabric and ribbons to bring instead of taking the whole piece, I tucked in an assortment of vintage papers instead of taking a whole book and I put together a small collection using my colors as the foundation.

I tucked in a couple of my favorite finds, things I had been saving but afraid to use. I was determined to conquer this fear of mine and finally create a place for the little tortoise shell magnifying glass and the heavy French ribbon I couldn’t even imagine cutting. One thing I have learned about traveling to a class is always bring the things you work with the most, even if it they don’t seem to fit with the style of the teacher. I always add some sort of flower to everything I create so I have given in and always pack a little bundle of vintage millinery pieces. ➺ 148

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T H E I N S P I R AT I O N Once in the class with Nina, she passed around the pages of her gorgeous book and talked about how she designed each element and showed us how to make the little boxes to display our treasures. I had a moment when I had no idea what to do. I had my Ziploc bag of supplies and I was finally there in that room, but how could I make my own book, one that would reveal my own heart?

I let the title of my book “Uplifted Voices” begin the idea for what I wanted to say and decided to make a page for each of the voices I listened to in my life. The morning voice is a quiet meditation in my mind as I begin each day, voices from the past allow me to see where I have come from, the voice of reason and the voice of nature shape my life, and as the voices from the dust the heart speaks with a clear voice of what is true. Once I decided on the direction of my book and what I wanted to say, each decision became more intuitive.

THE PROCESS The old hymnal I used for the front and back covers of my book already had the pages falling out, so I removed them and cut the spine out of the book. I only attached the heavy French ribbon to the front cover and left the back cover unattached until I was sure how thick the book would be in the end. Inside the little shadowbox on the cover is a carved mother-of-pearl button from Grandma’s button box and an old cuff link with the words “wide thy heart’s door” attached to the mica. A reminder for me that the door to my heart must always be open wide to give freely and also to be able to receive fully all that is offered.

Sometimes the greatest challenges in a piece end up making it the most unique. Several of the “pages” of my book are constructed on book covers. When I ran out of covers I liked that fit inside I had to find some other base for the pages.

I decided to try an old envelope and a vintage photograph frame for two of the pages and found they turned out to be my favorites.

T H E A RT “First Lessons” — the voice of reason is created on the back of a velvet photo frame. I liked the little hanging ring showing.

Unfortunately the lower left corner of the cover broke away during class, so I glued an old book spine in its place. I ended up liking that it looked like the decaying inside of an old wall.

Originally I had planned to cover the back of each book cover with music pages from the old hymnal but changed my mind as I saw how much the handwriting, stamps, twisted wire, tape, and string added a chorus of voices to the feel of the book.

“Voices from the Dust” is built on an old envelope that Mrs. Barker received with sewing patterns inside. The letter sewed on the front is heartbreaking. Dated April 11, 1887 and in lovely old brown ink it reads “Dear Sister, we buried our oldest daughter 20

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Elizabeth on the 9th day of last Nov.” I sewed together the little heart on the top for that sweet mother with fabric from an old dress and hung it from a bit of rosary chain tied to the metal envelope tab. I finally found a place for my little magnifying glass, wired over the photo of sweet little Elizabeth.

Inside the back cover, the voice of nature holds a little nest of cat tail fluff from our pond, under a sheet of mica with three small stone eggs I gathered with Nina two years ago at the ocean while attending Asilomar. Using the original letters, photographs and illustrations I found added such an authentic feel to my piece. I am sorry that on the back cover I decided to save the original nature print and use a copy for the page. I will probably never again find a place to use it.

I worked on my book throughout the day and brought the pieces home to finish. After stacking all the pages together I was able to measure the ribbon binding and attach it to the back cover. I love the way the old ribbons hold all the loose pages stacked together. It is a wonderful way for me to display the treasures I have gathered along my path. Thank you Nina … ✢

Julie Collings is a mixed-media artist living in Springville, Utah with her husband Matt and their four children. Her latest book titled Pretty Little Felts is published

by North Light Books. To learn more about her work and adventures, please visit her blog at www.theadventuresofbluegirlxo.blogspot.com.

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Playing

with Leftovers

BY RUTHAN MILLER

Y

ears ago, when it was chic to be shabby, the silk flowers I wanted to use for a project had frayed edges, making them a little more shabby and a little less chic. At the time, it was common practice to stop a fraying ribbon by quickly searing the end with a flame. This technique inspired me to sear the ends of my flowers to stop the fraying. By simply holding a silk flower over a candle flame with needle-nosed pliers, you can melt the edges to crispy, tinged, shabby chic petals. The leaves crisp up and crinkle in a more natural pose, and by the time you are done the flowers and leaves don’t look

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as perfectly silky as they did. Instead, they look shabby chic.

I like to use the materials that I already have, so I save all the scraps that have collected on my work surface and floor after a project. I sift through them like I’m mining for gold.

By mixing these scraps with a matte gel medium, I create a crusted material that I put onto a firm surface with a palette knife, creating a textured surface that can be painted or left as is. Any non-soluble item can be included — grit, beads, glitter, sand, punched paper, and chopped-up silk flowers all make great inclusions. ➺ SOMERSETSTUDIO.COM • MAY/JUNE 2010

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TOOLS & MATERIALS • Adhesive: strong-hold

• Melting pot

• Acrylic paints

• Paintbrushes

• Beeswax

• Pallete knife

• Filter mask • Frame

• Paper scraps: tissue or mulberry

• Gloves

• Pliers: needle-nosed

• Heat or embossing gun

• Sanding block or sandpaper

• Image: of your choice

• Silk flowers: assorted

• Ink-jet printer

• Spoon

• Matte gel medium: regular or heavy (Golden)

• Synthetic fabric: scraps

TECHNIQUE Using a heat or embossing gun is a great alternative to using an open flame, and reduces the safety hazards of the project. I recommend wearing a filter mask and staying in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling the fumes as much as possible. The edges 62

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• Volume 2

of the flowers do become very hot, so wear gloves and wait until they have cooled to handle them.

Begin by picking an image for your project. An image that includes flowers and foliage works very well for this technique.

Gather scraps of tissue paper, mulberry paper, images, objects, and shapes that represent focal points in your selected image.

Make a color copy of the image or print it from your computer using an ink-jet printer. Transfer the image onto a firm surface by layering it with a generous amount of gel medium. The transfer will produce a mirrored image, so if you do not want a mirrored image, reverse the image before the transfer. Lay it face down on your surface and allow it to dry overnight. This will give you a pattern to follow. Wet the back of the transfer with water using a spray bottle or sponge and rub off the paper backing. Using gel medium manipulate various colors of torn tissue paper to form the background elements, like sky, clouds, trees, and grass. Try to create movement, in the piece such as swirls, . Let dry. You can dry brush the dried tissue papers with acrylic paints using a brush or sponge to get highlight and shadow effects to create depth if needed.

Create a crusted material by mixing floor sweepings, workstation sweepings, and tiny bits and pieces of snipped silk flowers with gel medium. Use a palette knife to move the mixture onto the piece to create a textured dimension that will represent foliage and grass. Allow the textured surface to dry

overnight. Dry brush acrylic paints over the top if needed.

Once the piece is dry, adhere images, melted silk flowers, fabric, and any other interesting found objects onto the surface with a strong adhesive. By using torn mulberry papers and acrylic paints you can integrate these images into the piece. Allow feathered edges of the papers to add interest. Let dry. Control drip the melted beeswax over images. If needed, you can use a spoon or bead scoop to cover adhesive spills.

Finish the project by framing your piece with a repurposed thrift store frame. ✢ Ruthan Miller is a self-taught mixed-media artist who lives in Minnesota with her husband, grown children, five grandchildren, and five grand dogs. If she’s not digging in her stash she’s out scrounging for more. She welcomes e-mails at ermiller52@ charter.net.

TIPS

• Hold flower pieces down with a wooden dowel or chopstick while heating with the heat gun. If the gun is held in the same position for a long time it will melt holes through the material.

• Use a metal tray or tempered glass as a surface. A discarded glass microwave tray is perfect and can often be found at thrift stores.

• The position you hold the gun will cause the petals to crinkle in certain directions, but it’s not a guarantee. They have a mind of their own so you have to experiment.

• Place a book on top of project while the adhesive is drying to hold everything in place.

Somerset Studio is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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Measured in Sunshine

by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare

12" x 12"

12" x 12"

This mixed-media piece was directly inspired by the Walt Whitman quote, “You are so much sunshine to the square inch!” I just loved the sentiment, and wrote it down in my sketchbook to save for a painting, as I knew that I wanted to illustrate his words. One day when I was cleaning off my worktable, I came across two little square scraps of leftover paper: one square that had some little numbers on it, and the other that had the word “inch” on it. Finding those were the start of the composition for this painting.

This mixed-media piece was directly inspired by the Walt Whitman quote, “You are so much sunshine to w w w. s t a m p i n g t o n . c o m | S o m e r s e t A p p r e n t i c e | 87

the square inch!” I just loved the sentiment, and wrote it down in my sketchbook to save for a painting, as I knew that I wanted to This article has been illustrate his words. One day when I was cleaning off my worktable, borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue Somerset I came across twooflitt le squareApprentice. scraps of leftover paper: one square that had some little numbers on it, and the other that had the word “inch” on it. Finding those were the start of the composition for this painting.

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Measured in Sunshine

INSTRUCTIONS

TIPS •

•

Don’t let the acrylic paint dry on your rubber stamps! I keep a small spray bottle with water nearby as I work and spray the stamps and dab them dry on a towel as I use them.

I like to use pre-gessoed Gessoboard because of its smooth working surface.

TOOLS & MATERIALS • Acrylic paint: heavy-bodied (Golden) • Artist pencils: hard lead (Staedtler) • Graph paper: vintage, antique • Colored pencils Gel medium: semi-gloss (Golden) • Gessoboard: 12" x 12" • Paintbrushes: various sizes • Stamps: antique letters • Stencils: letters

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FIG 1

� Adhere paper scraps down on gessoboard with gel medium. (Using gel medium as your glue, brush a little on the board, add your collage element, then brush a nice even layer of the medium on top of the paper.) Always use the gel medium with a UV filter to help protect the delicate antique and vintage papers. � Next, write out a quote. Start by simply using pencil in your own handwriting, and then switch to antique rubber stamps dipped in my acrylic paint for the “MUCH SUNSHINE” text (If you want those words to stand out and become the central focus of the painting) (FIG 1). � Mix up the style of the text, by using a combination of your own handwriting and the rubber stamps, as well

FIG 2

FIG 3

as rub-on letters, different-sized letter stencils, and light pencil lines. � Continued the theme of the “inch” by cutting up some of the other bits of collage into square-inch pieces and adding them to the painting with the gel medium. � At the same time you add the collage papers, draw some horizontal lines with half-circle shapes throughout the painting. Fill in the shapes with paint to add color. (This is an easy way to add some softness to the piece and to draw the eye around the composition) (FIG 2). � Once you have the first layer of collaged papers and drawn elements where you want them, paint in the background of the piece with hues of yellow and

blue, trying to capture a “sunny” and light feel to the piece. Water down the acrylic paints as you work on the background, using them almost like watercolors (FIG 3). � Work rather fast, and try to stay loose as you paint, letting the quote and collaged papers tell the story. The lines and shapes continue the idea of measurement, and that lead me to title the painting Measured in Sunshine. � Once the paint is dry, add some more collage — a line of green ledger paper, some small strips of numbered charts, and a piece of a Bingo paper with black numbers to help tell the story and finish the painting.

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FIG 4

FIG 5

FIG 4

FIG 5

� The flower (from a very old flower guide) was also incorporated as a last minute addition, and serves as a focal point, something else to draw the eye to. Paint the petals a contrasting violet color so that they would pop � The flower (from a very old flower guide) was out against the yellow of the painted background. Rubber also incorporated as a last minute addition, and serves stamp letters with a pencil (FIG 4). as a focal point, something else to draw the eye to. Paint �� Lastly, I added the bird because the text below the the petals a contrasting violet color so that they would pop bird image reads “American robin, about 10 in long,” and out against the yellow of the painted background. Rubber incorporating that last collaged piece seemed to pull the stamp letters with a pencil (FIG 4). “inch” theme together nicely (FIG 5). �� Lastly, I added the bird because the text below the bird image reads “American robin, about 10 in long,” and incorporating that last collaged piece seemed to pull the Somerset is (FIG 5). “inch” themeApprentice together nicely

available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & 90 | S o m at e r swww.stampington. e t A p p r e n t i c e | w w w. s t a m p i n g t o n . c o m Company com or 1-877-782-6737.

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media painter, author, and workshop instructor who lives in Northampton, ARTIST INFO Massachusetts, with her ecologist husband Sarah Ahearn Bellemare is a mixedand chubby cheeked, adorable baby girl. media painter, author, and workshop Her first book, Painted Pages: Fueling instructor who lives in Northampton, Creativity with Sketchbooks and Mixed Massachusetts, with her ecologist husband Media, was published in May of this year and chubby cheeked, adorable baby girl. from Quarry Books. To learn more about Her first book, Painted Pages: Fueling Sarah, visit sarahearn.com, or read her Creativity with Sketchbooks and Mixed blog, sarahearn.blogspot.com.

Media, was published in May of this year from Quarry Books. To learn more about Sarah, visit sarahearn.com, or read her blog, sarahearn.blogspot.com.

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ARTIST INFO Sarah Ahearn Bellemare is a mixed-

• Volume 2

Inside the July/August ‘12 issue: • Making paper from milk cartons

• Artist Profile: Lisa Engelbrecht

• A collaborative art quilt from mixedmedia “all stars” Lynne Perrella and Anne Bagby

• Ranger’s 2012 Designer Challenge, featuring Tim Holtz, Claudine Hellmuth, Lisa Pace, and more!

Artwork by: Taryn Reece, Becky Shander, E’layne Koenigsburg, Debi Adams, Chris Raissis, Merry Rozzelle

Previous Editions Available!

Brush up on the latest innovations in paper crafting and mixed media with the NEW issue of Somerset Studio. With four handpicked artist papers tucked inside, each issue is perfect for intermediate to advanced artists looking for information, inspiration, and the latest trends in lettering and fine art. Only $8.99 + S&H.

Previous Issues are available for as low as $5.95 Select Digital Editions: $6.99 each

The July/August 2012 issue is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/somersetstudio or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

Words to Live By Tag Art

by Dina Wakley

I

love tags. They are inexpensive and easy to work with because of their small size. If you mess one up, no big deal, you can just grab another one. You can make just one tag, or you can make lots and combine them to create interesting art. The tags on this canvas celebrate life’s mottos and words to live by. Don’t be afraid to use your own handwriting. Relax and write with a loose hand, and it will work well with the colorful art. Display your words to live by so that you can be inspired every day. Create your own colorful canvas with words that will uplift and inspire you.

22

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue of Somerset Workshop.

T O O L S & M AT E R I A L S

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• Aluminum tape

• Paper towels

• Canvas: 11" x 14" (1)

• Pen: black

• Cardboard ring: scrap

• Printer

• Ephemera: vintage book pages, sheet music

• Sewing machine

• Gel medium: matte Multi-Medium (Ranger — Claudine Hellmuth Studio)

• Spray Ink: Stream, Butterscotch, Lettuce, Wild Plum Color Wash (Ranger — Adirondack)

• Gesso: (Ranger — Claudine Hellmuth Studio) • Inkpad: black

• Stencils: Pebbles, Retro Squares, Birds (Crafter’s Workshop); plastic canvas star

• Inspirational quotes: computer-generated

• Tags: heavyweight, manila, size 8 (6)

• Paintbrush

• Thread: black

• Palette knife

• Water

• www.stampington.com

• Volume 2

For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

1 1

Use a palette knife to apply gesso onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

Use a palette knife to apply gesso onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

2 2

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

23 23

Lift the canvas and allow some of the ink to run down.

Lift the canvas and allow some of the ink to run down.

3 3

4 4

Spray some Stream Color Wash onto the lower part of the canvas.

With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around to fill in the rest of the white areas.

Spray some Stream Color Wash onto the lower part of the canvas.

With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around to fill in the rest of the white areas.

www.stampington.com

Autumn • 2011

163

Dina Wakley For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

Using your fingers, splash some water onto the inky canvas.

5 1

Use a palette knife to apply gesso onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

6 2

Blot the canvas with a paper towel to lift some of the ink and create an interesting pattern. Set the canvas aside to completely dry.

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

24 23

7 3

Use a palette knife to apply some gesso to six manila tags. You don’t need to completely cover the tags. If you partially cover them with gesso, you will get interesting ink variations in later steps because ink actsthe diffcanvas erently and on raw paper than on gesso.

Lift allow some of the ink to run down.

164

• www.stampington.com

• Volume 2

8 4

Place three of the tags on your work surface, and lay the Pebbles stencil over the bottom third of the tags. Spray through the stencil with Butterscotch Color Wash. Remove the stencil, and blot the ink with one passStream using aColor paper towel.

Spray some Wash onto the lower part of the canvas.

With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around to fill in the rest of the white areas.

For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

9 1

Place the other three tags on your work surface, and lay the Retro Squares stencil over the bottom third of the tags. Spray through the stencil with Stream Color Wash. Remove the stencil, and blot the ink with passknife usingtoa apply paper gesso towel. onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a Use aone palette little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

10 2

Use a wet paintbrush to dissolve the overspray (i.e. the ink that sprayed over the top of the stencil) on the upper portion of the tags.

This will give the tags a flowy watercolor look.

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

25 23

11 3

Use Wild Plum Color Wash and the star-shaped plastic canvas to add more stenciling to the tag. Position the star so it is hanging off the edge to preserve some open space on the tag. Be sure to blot the ink with a paper towel.

Lift the canvas and allow some of the ink to run down.

12 4

After you’ve sprayed one tag, flip the star shape over and stamp it onto another tag. This ink residue gives you the reverse image of the star and also doesn’t waste ink.

Spray some Stream Color Wash onto the lower part of the canvas.

With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around to fill in the rest of the white areas.

www.stampington.com

Autumn • 2011

165

Dina Wakley For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

13 1

Repeat Steps 11 and 12 until you’ve added purple stenciling to all six tags. Use a wet paintbrush to dissolve the overspray again on each tag. Allow the tags to dry.

Use a palette knife to apply gesso onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

Ink the edges of the tags with a black inkpad.

14 2

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

26 23

166

15 3

16 4

Use the birds stencil to trace some birds onto a vintage book page.

Cut the birds out, and ink the edges with a black inkpad. Lightly outline the edges of the birds with a black pen.

Lift the canvas and allow some of the ink to run down.

Spray some Stream Color Wash onto the lower part of the canvas.

With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around to fill in the rest of the white areas.

• www.stampington.com

• Volume 2

For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

17 1

Lay the tags on your work surface, and decide which birds you want to put on which tag. Use a sewing machine to sew the birds onto each tag using black thread. (I kept my sewing on the lower part of the bird Use palette knife tolike apply gesso onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a so it awould look a bit a nest). little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

18 2

Cut vintage sheet music into strips. Machine stitch to the top of the tag. Repeat for all of the tags.

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

27 23

19 3

Cut aluminum tape into strips and apply the tape to random edges of all the tags.

Lift the canvas and allow some of the ink to run down.

20 4

Gather words, i.e. song lyrics, poems, quotes, really anything that moves you. Use a black pen to write the quotes onto the tags. Don’t worry about having perfect handwriting. Vary the placement of the Spray some Stream the lower part of the canvas. quotes on each tag toColor give Wash visual onto variety.

With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around to fill in the rest of the white areas.

www.stampington.com

Autumn • 2011

167

Dina Wakley For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

21 1

Use gel medium to adhere the tags onto your prepared canvas.

Use a palette knife to apply gesso onto an 11" x 14" canvas. Create a little texture by not smoothing the gesso completely, and remember to cover the sides. Allow the gesso to completely dry.

28

22 2

Use white gesso and a cardboard ring to add some circles to the top of the canvas and tags. The circles will provide visual interest and unify the composition.

Spray some Lettuce Color Wash onto the top of the canvas. With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around on the upper part of the canvas.

D I N A’ S FAV O R I T E Q U O T E S 23 • Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more. — Mother Teresa

— Marcia Wieder

• The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. — Eleanor Roosevelt

into the light. — Helen Keller

act but a habit. — Aristotle • The best way out is always through. — Robert Frost

• Forever is composed of nows. — Emily Dickinson

• We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our

• Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. — Henry David Thoreau

every dream precedes the goal. — Pamela Vaull Starr

Lift the canvas and allow some of the ink to run down.

• Volume 2

souls. — Winston Churchill • Insist on yourself. Never imitate. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for

• www.stampington.com

• Believe that you have it, and you have it. — Latin Proverb • We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an

• Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge

168

• Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.

3

• Your real influence is measured by your treatment of yourself.

— A. Bronson Alcott

4

Somerset Workshop is available Spray some Color Wash the lower part of the canvas. onStream newsstands or onto directly With a paintbrush, add some water to the ink, moving the ink around from Stampington & Company to fill in theatrest of the white areas. www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

For the Love of Color, Layers & Spray Ink

29

www.stampington.com

Autumn • 2011

169

This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2011 issue of Take Ten.

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• Volume 2

clever die-cutting

Sometimes it’s hard to look at a die-cut and see the possibilities it holds. The fact is that by using your die-cuts with fun patterned papers or embossing folders, you can totally change their look.

Step further outside the box and think about what else a die-cut can be — a triangle as a slice of pizza, a flower as a piece of popcorn — the possibilities really are endless. Whether you layer them, cut them, or color them, start die-cutting and see where your creativity takes you.

detail

Congratulations Banner • 5½" x 4¼" AJ Otto • Federal Way, WA Die-cut triangles from patterned papers, and adhere to card with pop dots.

Adhere twine to card. Stamp sentiment onto card.

Supplies Stamp: sentiment (Unity Stamp Company). Accent: die-cuts (Spellbinders)

Congratulations • 5½" x 4¼" Cindy Coutts • Paducah, KY Adhere scalloped strip to bottom of card. Wrap card with twine, and add foot charm. Stamp airplane and banner onto patterned paper, and cut out.

Adhere to card. Adhere button and rhinestone to airplane. Dry-emboss patterned paper, and die-cut clouds from panel. Ink edges of clouds, and adhere to card; some directly, others with pop dots.

Supplies All images by Papertrey Ink. Paper: patterned (Papertrey Ink)

To You From Me • 4¼" x 5½" Michelle Haney • Sacramento, CA Die-cut flowers and stems, attach brads to centers, and adhere to cardstock.

Punch circle from vellum, and cut into vase shape. Color vase, wrap with twine, and adhere to panel. Stamp sentiment onto panel. Layer panel with green cardstock, and adhere to card.

Supplies All supplies by Stampin’ Up!.

www.stampington.com

summer 2011 | take ten

www.stampington.com

99 171

Take Ten is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company To save yourself some time,ordie-cut a variety at www.stampington.com tip of shapes from a wide selection of patterned 1-877-782-6737. papers and cardstock. When you are ready to make a card, you’ll have a huge selection to choose from! You can even stamp some of your die-cuts ahead of time.

To save yourself some time, die-cut a variety tip of shapes from a wide selection of patterned papers and cardstock. When you are ready to make a card, you’ll have a huge selection to choose from! You can even stamp some of your die-cuts ahead of time.

Good Friends • 4¼" x 5½" AJ Otto • Federal Way, WA Wrap card with ribbon. Stamp sentiment onto die-cut.

Use pop dots to layer stamped die-cut with black diecut, then adhere to card with pop dots. Die-cut stars, and adhere both to card. Highlight small star with glitter Good Friends • 4¼" x 5½" glue.

AJ Otto Stamp: • Federal Way, WA Supplies sentiment (Unity Stamp Company).

Wrap card with ribbon.

Stamp sentiment onto die-cut.

Accents: die-cuts (Spellbinders) Use pop dots to layer stamped die-cut with black diecut, then adhere to card with pop dots. Die-cut stars, and adhere both to card. Highlight small star with glitter glue.

Supplies Stamp: sentiment (Unity Stamp Company).

Accents: die-cuts (Spellbinders)

As you can see by these cards, the possibilities really are endless when using die-cuts.

Whether you cut them from an interesting paper, stamp them, trim them, or reinvent them, we would love to see what you can come up with. Don’t worry if you don’t have a die-cut machine — craft punches will provide you with a wide variety of

we challenge you

As youready can see by these cards, really by areJuly endless when using die-cuts. shapes to customize.

Sendthe us possibilities your submissions 15, 2011, for possible Whether you cutWinter them from anissue. interesting paper, stamp them, trim them, or reinvent publication in our 2012 them, we would love to see what you can come up with. Don’t worry if you don’t

100 172

take ten | summer 2011

have a die-cut machine — craft punches will provide you with a wide variety of shapes • Volume 2 ready to customize. Send us your submissions by July 15, 2011, for possible

we challenge you

publication in our Winter 2012 issue.

Jill van Iperen

Dixie Sampier

Jill van Iperen

Ivette Newport

Tamara Laporte

Michelle Defi llipo

This issue puts a spotlight on Rebecca Sower, Ruth Rae, and Cynthia Shaffer. You’ll learn how to make gel medium transfers and how to create your own stencil in “Artful Building Blocks.” You won’t want to miss insider tips and tricks from successful artists like Suzi Blu, Mindy

Kate Thompson

Spring 2012 Issue Now Available!

Lacefield, and Jessica Swift in this must-have issue! Whether you want to learn the fundamentals of creating Somerset-esque artwork or simply perfect what you already know, this edition is guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing. Only $14.99 + S&H.

Available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/somersetapprentice or by calling 1-877-782-6737 Previous issues are available from $7.99 while supplies last.

take ten

q u i c k

&

e a s y

g i f t

Whether you need to package sweet treats or contain craft supplies, these simple tins embellished with stamping will get the job done — and in style too. For a wonderful party favor, fill the tins with almonds or candy, and include a stamped sentiment on top. If you have an artistic friend, fill the tins with embellishments, and tailor the stamped décor to her taste. To make the tins really special, adhere magnets to the bottoms so the recipient may display them in her studio, keeping those all-important p final touches within w reach.

detail Treat Tins • 5" x 6" Vanessa Spencer Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Stamp floral border onto newspaper page. Cut out border to fit side of tin, wrap around tin, and adhere in place. Stamp sentiment onto newspaper scrap, cut out, and adhere to lid of tin.

Supplies Stamp: Holiday Trims X4 (Stampington & Company — Christine Adolph)

There are few things that speak from the heart better than a handmade gift, but unfortunately we don’t always have time to make a gift from scratch. Luckily, it only takes about 10 minutes to enhance a gift with rubber stamps! Use your stamps to dress up a gift or the gift wrapping, and submit your projects for possible publication in the

we challenge you 92 174

www.taketenmagazine.com | autumn 2011

Quick & Easy Gift department of Take Ten. Deadline — Ongoing

• Volume 2

Enjoy 300 quick and easy stamped projects in the newest issue of Take Ten! JOY SCHWERER

In each issue of Take Ten you’ll find hundreds of quick and creative stamped cards, gifts, and projects that can be made in only ten minutes or less. Whether you craft often or only on occasion, there’s an abundance of artistic stamped samples to try on every page!

Only $14.99 $14 99 plus S&H

ackageeet!

RSVP P h E Stamp S

RE Incudes F

e will ensure SVP Packag tomatically R n Te ke au The Ta signed up to lumes, free vo that you are ve ti cu se r con charges! receive fou & handling g in p ip sh f o

$59.99

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l; Internationa ada; $75.99 g. an lin C nd 99 7. $6 ing & ha clude shipp both also in

LAURA TURNER

Summer 2012 Issue Now Available

TENIA NELSON

Call for Artwork Here at Take Ten, we are always on the lookout for quick and easy stamping techniques — but that’s not limited to cards! We’d love to see what you can create when you go beyond cards. Pick up your stamps, give yourself 10 minutes, and see what interesting stamped projects you can come up with, from tags to boxes to frames, we want to see it all!

Visit www.stampington.com/submissions for a complete list of submission dates and guidelines.

TERESA ABAJO

This issue is available on newsstands s or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/taketen or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

SARAH RAINES

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue of Take Ten.

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• Volume 2

waste not

Sequin waste, or punchinella, is the plastic or paper sheet that is leftover after sequins have been punched out. This factory byproduct has become a popular art supply, and can be used to create fantastic background treatments. Paula Whittaker of Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom, used sequin waste to stencil inks onto her cards, resulting in edgy, eye-catching backgrounds.

Whether you buy sequin waste or create your own with a hole punch, don’t miss out on this fantastic technique.

detail Dreams Come True • 4" x 8¼" Swipe green inkpad directly onto card. Sponge yellow ink onto card. Stamp flowers and tree onto card, and hand draw shading at base of tree. Sponge red ink over sequin waste. Stamp circles onto card with plastic lid. Stamp sentiment onto scrap, ink, and adhere to card.

Supplies All images by Art Journey. Ink: Mustard Seed, Barn Door, Faded Jeans (Ranger — Distress Ink); Citrus (Ranger — Adirondack); Onyx Black (Tsukineko — VersaFine)

Art • 4" x 5½" Sponge ink onto card through circle-punched panel to create sun. Sponge ink onto card through sequin waste. Stamp bird, sentiment, and flowers onto card.

Supplies Stamps: birds, flowers (Tim Holtz); sentiment (Butterfly Kisses). Ink: Wild Honey, Mustard Seed (Ranger — Distress Ink)

we challenge you

We love Paula Whittaker’s technique of sponging ink over sequin waste to create edgy, mixed-media backgrounds, and we would love to see what you can create too! From stencils to masks to interesting found materials, sponge ink over it onto your card and see what happens! Choose your favorites and send them in for possible publication in our Spring 2012 issue — just remember to keep it quick and easy, and please mark your submission with “Ink it Over Challenge.”

Deadline — October 15, 2011

www.stampington.com autumn 2011 | take ten

177 103

A Little Bird • 4¾" x 4¾" Sponge ink onto card through sequin waste. Stamp numbers onto scrap paper to remove excess ink, and then stamp onto card. Stamp circles onto card with plastic lids. Ink edge of credit card, and create lines on card. Stamp bird onto patterned scrap, cut out, and adhere to card with pop dots.

Supplies All images by Art Journey. Ink: Barn Door, Mustard Seed (Ranger — Distress Ink); Onyx Black (Tsukineko — VersaFine)

Faith • 4" x 8¼" Stamp girl onto card, and color. Cut squares from patterned paper, and adhere to card. Stamp sentiment onto card. Trim alphabet stickers, and spell sentiment on card. Add hand-drawn lines to card. Sponge ink onto card through sequin waste. Stamp circles onto card with plastic lid. Ink edge of credit card, and create lines on card. Sponge ink onto card.

Supplies Stamps: girl (Art Journey); Faith (Art Impressions). Ink: Stream (Ranger — Adirondack); Onyx Black (Tsukineko — VersaFine); markers (Copic). Accents: alphabet stickers (Making Memories)

detail

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• Volume 2

Take Ten is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

7/20/11 4:33:54 PM

NO W Q U AV AR AI TE L AB RL LE Y!

Artwork by Lillian Lumachi

D

iscover hundreds of artful tips, tricks, and innovative techniques for using rubber stamps within the inspiring pages of The Stampers’ Sampler. With more than 200 samples in every issue, this quarterly publication is packed with exciting features, tempting templates or patterns to get started, a free artist paper, and clever project ideas for every occasion.

Only $9.99 + S&H Previous Issues and Select Digital Editions are available for as low as $5.99 each.

Artwork by Kim Sears

FREE Template in Every Issue!

Artwork by Rachel Chieppa

This issue is available on newsstands July 1st or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/thestamperssampler or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

Tempting Template

In each issue of The Stampers’ Sampler, we present a template and then invite any and all who would like to participate to build on that template and create their own stamped masterpiece.

We then select our favorite ideas based on the template and publish them here for your inspiration. For this issue, we have two remarkable template results. First, take a look at the dress template, introduced in the June/July issue, and based on a sample by Melanie Schulenberg. Then, look through the results of our envelope template, which was originally introduced in our April/May 2010 issue, and based on an idea submitted by Janet Faris of Nioeville, Florida.

Detail Luxury Gown • 5½" x 8½" Janet Lonergan • Vista, CA Scan lace into computer, and print pattern onto cardstock. Stamp polkadot pattern and flourish onto cardstock.

Print lace pattern onto paper, and then print dress template onto the same paper.

Cut out dress, and stamp with polka-dot pattern. Embellish pattern with Glossy Accents. Print a second template, cut out, and stamp bodice with lace stamp. Color some areas with black pen, and embellish colored areas with glossy accents. Circlepunch patterned paper, apply Glossy Accents, and adhere to bodice. Print out a digital image of a necklace, apply Glossy Accents, and adhere below bodice. Cut out skirt from original template, and adhere below bodice. Embellish the bottom of skirt with glossy accents. Adhere dress to card with pop dots. Cut out curtains, and adhere to card with pop dots. Embellish card with brads and rhinestones.

This article has been borrowed from the Dec/Jan 2011 issue of The Stampers’ Sampler.

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the stampers’ sampler

Supplies Stamps: flourish, lace pattern (Inkadinkado); polka-dot background (Hero Arts). Accents: Glossy Accents (Ranger)

|

december/january 2011

• Volume 2

Challenge Results

Hearts • 3½"x 5½" Karen Webb • Hereford, AZ Stamp book text onto scrap paper with yellow ink. Using template, cut dress from stamped panel, and adhere to cardboard cutout of dress.

Punch hearts from book text. Distress edges of hearts and adhere to dress. Embellish with trim and pearl buttons. Cut collar from distressed p p and adhere to top of dress. paper, Supplies Stamp Stamp: book text (Stampin’ Up!)

Fantasy • 7½" x 5" Butterfly Fan Winston • Hitchcock, Texas Sonya Winsto distress, and color paper.

Crumple, distr Cut out dress ffrom template, and cover with distressed paper. Stamp butterfly design onto dress with black and floral desig ink. Embellish bodice with ribbon and glitter to stamped image. brooch. Add glit

Harlequin Dress • 3½" x 5½" Jane Schmidt • Brainerd, MN Stamp diamond pattern onto bodice and bottom of dress. Color diamond shapes with a black marker. Trim edges of white cardstock with decorativeedged scissors. Layer trimmed strips of cardstock onto dress. Stamp harlequin three times onto dress, and color. Trim edge of dress with decorative-edged scissors. Adhere embellishments.

www.stampington.com

december/january 2011

|

the stampers’ sampler www.stampington.com

51181

Challenge Results Stitched • 3¾" 3¾ x 5½" Renee Zarate • Bolton, MA Cut dress from blue b cardstock using template, and ink edges. Cut patterned d paper strips, and adhere to card. ca Border-punch unch cardstock, and adhere to bottom bo of dress. Stamp pattern twice onto dres dress. Cut bow from patterned paper, and adhere adhe to dress. Embellish with flower and rhine rhinestones.

Supplies Stamp: Sta pattern n Anonymous — Tim T Holtz)

Blue Flowers • 3½" x 5" Bonnie Kohane • Indianapolis, IN Cut out dress using template. Color bodice with watermark ink. Stamp flourish onto bodice and side of dress. Color flourishes on side of dress with Copic Markers. Spray cardstock with Glimmer Mist, and wipe away. Stamp reed onto cardstock, tear edge, and adhere to skirt. Stamp flourish onto scrap paper, and cut out butterflies. Adhere butterflies to dress.

Supplies Stamps: flourish pattern (Inkadinkado); reeds (Hero Arts). Inks: Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels); markers (Copic)

Zzzzz • 5½" x 6" Joy Schwerer • Bloomingdale, IL Layer patterned papers onto card. Print sentiment onto transparency, and adhere to card. Cut out dress from patterned paper using template. Cut out star shapes from patterned paper. Adhere dress and shapes to card. Stamp stars across card. Embellish with “Z” brad and rhinestone rub-ons.

Supplies Stamp: stars (Hero Arts)

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| december/january 2011

• Volume 2

(Stampers

Challenge Results Delight • 5½" x 8½" Valerie Dornoff • Federal Way, WA Stamp pattern onto card. Stamp flowers onto paper. Stamp flourishes and sentiments. Cut out dress from patterned paper using template. Tie ribbon and beads to dress, and adhere to card. Stamp flower onto scrap paper, cut out, and adhere to card. Stamp pattern onto scrap paper, color, and accordion fold. Adhere strip to bottom of dress. Adhere panel to card.

Butterflies • 3½" x 5" Bonnie Kohane • Indianapolis, IN Stamp reeds onto skirt with watermark ink, and emboss. Spray skirt with Glimmer Mist, and wipe away excess. Stamp flourish onto bodice, color flourishes, and cover with Diamond Glaze. Stamp butterflies onto scrap paper, cut out, and adhere to dress.

Supplies Stamps: flourish (Studio G); reeds (Hero Arts). Ink: (Tattered Angels — Glimmer Mist)

Amore • 5" x 6½" Lillian Lumachi • Holmdel, NJ Layer blue cardstock and patterned paper together, and adhere to card.

Using an embossing folder, emboss blue cardstock. Layer embossed cardstock onto black cardstock, and adhere to card. Cut out dress using template. Stamp flourishes and sentiment onto dress. Adhere ribbon to dress, and then adhere ribbon to card. Stamp sentiment onto blue cardstock, layer onto black cardstock, and adhere to card. Embellish with flower brads. www.stampington.com

december/january 2011

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the stampers’ sampler

www.stampington.com

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183

Challenge Results

Hope has Wings • 4¼" x 6½" Michelle Rondeau • Québec, Canada anada Cut two dresses from white cardstockk using template. Cover skirt with patterned paper, and bodice with green paper. Stamp wings onto cardstock, and cut out. Layer patterned tterned paper dress, wings, and plain dress together. ogether. ring to Stamp sentiments onto tags, attach string each tag, and adhere to ribbon. Adhere ribbon ostmark to bodice and tags to dress. Stamp postmark in corner. Adhere ribbon and trim too skirt. dstock, Stamp Hope has Wings onto green cardstock, mbellish circle-punch, and adhere to skirt. Embellish with breast cancer ribbon.

Supplies Stamps: (Hero Arts); (A Stamp amp in the Hand); (Dawn Houser)

Tie-Dye • 4" x 6¼" Diana Britt • Iowa Park, Texas Make a color copy of a stained and bleached baby wipe used to clean ink from another project. Cut dress from copied paper using the template. Stamp script onto dress. Ink fabric flowers, and adhere to dress. Adhere rhinestones to bodice and flower centers, and then adhere ribbon.

Old-Fashioned Memories • 6" x 10" Kristina Anderson • Dunedin, FL Fold patterned paper into card. Enlarge template, and cut out. Sand and ink edges to distress. Using an embossing folder, emboss dress. Ink raised image. Spray cheesecloth with Copper Glimmer Mist, and let dry. Wrap dress with cheesecloth and ribbon. Adhere flowers to dress, and adhere dress to card. Stamp shoes and hat onto parchment paper. Emboss images, cut out, and adhere to card.

Supplies All images by Anna Griffin Rubber Stamps. Inks: Coffee (Ranger — Archival); Antique Linen (Ranger — Distress Ink); bronze embossing powder (Hampton). Accents: embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

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Challenge Results Gold Swirls • 3½" x 5½" Jane Schmidt • Brainerd, MN Cut bodice and skirt separately from brown cardstock. Stamp petal pattern onto brown cardstock, circle-punch, and adhere to dress. Adhere flowers to dress with flower brads. Adhere flower petals to bodice, and then adhere bodice to skirt. Draw flourishes with gold ink.

Cut trim from brown cardstock, and embellish with petals, flower brads, and gold ink. Adhere trim to bodice.

Book Dress • 3½" x 5½" Karen Webb • Hereford, AZ Cut dress from heavy cardstock.

Stamp floral pattern onto book page with burgundy ink. Adhere stamped book page onto dress. Punch flower from book text, and layer onto heavy cardstock. Trim and ink edges of flower, and adhere to dress with button at center. Cut trim from book text with decorative-edged scissors, and adhere to bodice. Embellish dress with buttons and ribbon.

Supplies Stamp: (Stampin’ Up!)

flower

pattern

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Winter Dress • 3¼" x 5¼" Lolita Dally • Carrollton, Ohio er.

Cut dress from patterned paper. mp Dry-brush gesso over dress. Stamp th snowflakes onto bottom of dress with ds, gesso. Embellish dress with pearl beads, re ribbon, and snowflake brad. Adhere fluff to edge of skirt.

Supplies Stamp: snowflake (Plaid Enterprises)

Script Dress • 3½" x 5" Susan Jansen • Milwaukee, WI Cut dress from patterned paper. Stamp mp flourish onto dress. Adhere cardstock ck trim to skirt and straps. Punch flowers rs from cardstock. Adhere flowers to bodice. Adhere pearl beads to flower er centers. Adhere fabric flower to dress.

The Stampers’ Sampler is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737. www.stampington.com

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Stamping on Sea Glass

Heather Patterson, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, stepped outside of the box. Rather than simply stamping on paper, she used StazOn ink to stamp on sea glass.

The permanent ink won’t smear away from the sleek stone, making it the perfect embellishment to add to your card. Then, Heather layered papers and cardboard together to complement the 3-D effect the sea glass adds to the piece. This technique is such a simple way to add innovation and interest to your card.

This article has been borrowed from the June/July 2011 issue of The Stampers’ Sampler.

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Still • 5½" x 4¼" Machine stitch book text, map, and cardstock together, and adhere to card.

Layer torn papers and corrugated cardboard together, and adhere to card. Stamp image onto sea glass, and adhere to card. Adhere letter beads to card to spell “still.”

Supplies Stamp: Scroll Heart (Stampington & Company — Romance Collection). Ink: black (Tsukineko — StazOn)

Seek • 4¼" x 5½" Machine stitch book text to card. Adhere torn pieces of patterned paper and corrugated cardboard to cardboard square, and then adhere to card. Stamp image onto sea glass, and adhere to card. Adhere letter beads to card to spell “seek.”

Supplies Stamp: image (Clear Art Stamps). Ink: black (Tsukineko — StazOn)

Love Always • 4¼" x 5½" Machine stitch book text, cardstock, patterned paper, and corrugated cardboard together, and adhere to card. Adhere letters to card to spell “always.” Stamp image onto sea glass. Layer image and paper scraps together, and adhere to card.

Detail

Supplies Stamp: Scroll Heart (Stampington & Company — Romance Collection). Ink: black (Tsukineko — StazOn)

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Lovely • 5" x 7" Machine stitch patterned paper, book text, and sheet music together, and adhere to card. Adhere corrugated cardboard and sheet music to card. Stamp image onto sea glass, and adhere to card. Adhere nail, plastic piece, and rhinestones to card.

Supplies Stamp: image (Clear Art Stamps).

Ink: black (Tsukineko — StazOn)

Open • 4¼" x 5½" Adhere corrugated cardboard and book text to card. Stamp image onto sea glass, and adhere to card. Adhere key to card. Adhere letter beads that spell “open” to card.

Supplies Stamp: image (Clear Art Stamps).

Ink: black (Tsukineko — StazOn)

The Stampers’ Sampler is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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Volume 2

On almost every special occasion, holiday, or momentous family gathering we put on our finest attire to announce our celebration of the event. There is something special about dressing up — it expresses your personal style and marks the day as being uniquely special.

Dressing up art projects with embellishments, colors, and stamps can have the same charming effect, so we are playing dress up for this Shades of to Spring D Dress issue’s Tempting Template. From elegant outrageous, this dress 6" x 9" template is the perfect way to express your creative style. Send in your Melanie Schulenbe Schulenberg dresses for possible publication in our December/January 2011 issue.

Baton Rouge, LA

Tempting Template

Shades of Spring D Dress 6" x 9" Melanie Schulenbe Schulenberg Baton Rouge, LA

Absolute Deadline — July 15, 2010

Template Instructions Enlarge or reduce template as desired.

Cut out.

Stamp, decorate, and embellish as desired.

www.stampington.com

You can find all templates and finished samples (past and present) online at Youwww.stampington.com/temptingtemplates. can find all templates and finished samples (past and present) online at www.stampington.com. Click on the box marked “Tempting Template” in the left navigation bar on the home page. june/july 2010

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Template Instructions Enlarge or reduce template as desired.

Cut out.

Stamp, decorate, and embellish as desired.

www.stampington.com

This article has been You can find all templates and finished samples (past borrowed from the and present) online at www.stampington.com. Click June/July 2010 issue of Template” in the left on the box marked “Tempting The Stampers’ Sampler. navigation bar on the home page. june/july 2010

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This article has been borrowed from Volume 3 of Somerset Holidays & Celebrations.

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• Volume 2

by Dawne Marie Schwartz

vintage, and I wanted to create something different, something that was 3-D and something that would be fun for a party; I also wanted to incorporate some vintage photographs of children, which I love to use in my work.

So my muse set to work and presented me with this delightful idea. I decided to keep the traditional colors of black and orange, while still creating something whimsical and sweet. After all, who says Halloween has to be scary — especially with these cute, sassy little girls?

These sacks are perfect for presenting Halloween treats to your own sassy little witches, ghosts and goblins. Of course they would be equally perfect lined up along a mantle, with just a bit of tulle poking out for a sweet Halloween decoration.

TOOLS � MATERIALS • Adhesives: (Diamond Glaze); double-sided tape

• Kraft paper bags

• Beads: (6 mm)

• Mini Mister or other small spray bottle

• Book pages

• Needle & thread

• Brads: assorted metal colors

• Paper cutter (optional)

• Buttons

• Paper flowers: (Bazzill)

• Cardstock: ivory, orange

• Ribbon

• Coffee wash

• Scissors

• Craft knife

• Scrapbook paper or other patterned paper

• Gel medium: (Golden — Soft Gel Matte)

• Sewing machine (optional)

• Glitter glue: (Stickles — Black Diamond)

• Vintage photos

• Hole punch: ¼ inch • Ink: (Ranger — Distress Ink Walnut Stain, Antique Linen)

www.stampington.com

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Somerset Holidays & Celebrations is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

TECHNIQUE Directly apply Walnut Stain Distress Ink all over the bag, including the handle. Mist generously with water and let dry.

Create text in Photoshop and print out onto ivory cardstock.

Adhere text. Cut out and ink edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. Cut out a piece of orange cardstock slightly larger than the photo and ink the edges.

Cut out a hat from scrapbook paper. (I first created a template from cardstock.) Once the hat is cut out, glue it onto cardstock with gel medium and place it under something heavy to dry. Cut it out again with a craft knife. Ink the edges with the Walnut Stain and run a thin line of glitter glue around the perimeter.

Fill in the brim and apply dots with the glitter glue as well.

Sew the photo onto the orange cardstock. (I used a sewing machine for this; you could also sew it by hand. I left little ends of the threads showing to add to the vintage look.) Attach the hat with brads, using a hole punch to make the holes first. Tear a page from an old book and distress with several applications of coffee wash (brewed coffee diluted with a little water) and Antique Linen Distress Ink (lightly directly apply the ink). Let dry between applications.

Sew the photo piece onto the book page. Use double-sided

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adhesive to attach the photo piece (which now comprises the photo, cardstock and book page) to the bag. Stain the paper flowers with the Antique Linen ink and sew a 6 mm bead into the center of each. Glue the flowers with Diamond Glaze along the bottom edge of the bag. Apply dots of glitter glue all over the bag.

Apply the Antique Linen Distress Ink to the ribbon and wrap it around the handles, gluing the ends down with Diamond Glaze. Once dry, glue a button down over the ends with Diamond Glaze.

TIPS

• Apply the coffee wash to both sides of the paper to help keep the paper flat. If you choose to sew by hand I recommend using DMC floss and punching the holes prior to sewing.

• You could use photos of your own children instead, or even your pets.

Dawne Marie Schwartz resides in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, and has been happily playing with paper, glue and glitter for several years now — especially the glitter. She also creates unique and distinctive bead jewelry. She may be reached at dawnemarie@ chocolateolivestudio.com. To follow her creative escapades visit her blog at www. whatifimamermaid.wordpress.com.

Earnest

by Dina Wakley

Holiday Trims X4

by Christine Adolph

(D1010)

(C8435)

Grungy Silhouette

by Dina Wakley (D1007)

Acrylic Mounts (5CLR-AMKIT1)

Wrought Scroll

by Christine Adolph (C8473)

Temptress

by Lynne Perrella (P2243)

Boys Star

by Dina Wakley (D1001)

B Y S TA M P I N G T O N & C O M PA N Y With over 1,000 designs from top artists, you’ll find the perfect stamp to complete your next scrapbooking, paper crafting, or mixed-media project!

Available in three easy-to-use formats: CLING MOUNT • CLEARLY IMPRESSED • WOOD MOUNTED Visit www.stampington.com/artstamps or call 1-877-782-6737 to order.

STOCKINGS

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This article has been borrowed from Volume 4 of Somerset Holidays & Celebrations.

by Catherine Matthews-Scanlon

and bustle of the holiday season it’s nice to find a little time to spend with friends and family to celebrate in the joy.

How wonderful it is to take a break from shopping, cleaning, throwing parties and all that we do, to sit down and enjoy the company of people that we both love and are inspired by. It can be a breath of fresh air to ease our stress.

Every year during the holidays, I gather with my artsy friends for an afternoon or evening of crafting and decadent food. We bring projects to work on — whether it’s a last minute card that needs to be made, finishing that special handmade gift, or just enjoying one another’s company. The details don’t matter — what matters is the calm, laughter, and fun we have before we part to spend the holidays with our families. The time spent is definitely a respite from wrapping, cooking, shopping, and looking for a place to park at the mall.

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Buttons HeatnBond Lite Iron Jingle bells Muslin Paper: vintage wallpaper, sheet music, or book pages Ribbon & lace Scissors: decorative-edged Scraps of velvet or felt Sewing machine Thread Wire: 18-gauge, black Wire nippers

When the party is at my house I try to decorate each place setting with something special for my dear friends to take home.

One year it was a glittered pear stuffed with a felted snowman, made fancy with ribbons and a pretty tag. This year I plan on making these lovely fabric paper stockings to fill with a few special trinkets or gift cards.

These stockings come together pretty quickly so you could make quite a few in one evening. They make perfect party favors or place setting decorations for your guests to take home and decorate with. Since they are made from vintage paper and muslin they’re reasonably priced too.

Somerset Holidays & Celebrations is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

TECHNIQUE

Cut a piece of paper or wallpaper and muslin to size. Cut a piece of HeatnBond slightly smaller than the paper and iron to the backside of the paper following manufacturer’s instructions.

Remove the backing from the HeatnBond and iron the paper to the muslin. Create a stocking template from scrap paper and trace the outline on the fabric paper that you just created. Cut out two stocking shapes, one for the front and one for the back, using decorative-edged scissors. Pin the two shapes together, wrong sides facing in, and stitch them together using coordinating thread.

Embellish with ribbons, papers, lace, buttons, or whatever pretty embellishments you have. Cut a piece of wire approximately 20 inches long and stick one end of the wire through each side of the seam in the stocking to create the handle. Curl the ends up and embellish the wire with a ribbon or tag created from leftover fabric. Create a unique stocking for each person in your party.

Catherine Matthews-Scanlon lives in Maine with her family where she creates art for her blog, EK Success Brands, and online classes in her home studio. She currently teaches online classes that include projects like this at My Creative Classroom, mycreativeclassroom. com. You can see more of her art on her blog cmscanlon.blogspot.com.

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olidays and celebrations are moments to cherish and can be made even more special with handmade projects. Readers learn how to create a lasting impression on special occasions like birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day in each annual issue of Somerset Holidays & Celebrations — an endless source of handcrafted inspiration. Visit www.stampington.com/holidayscelebrations to order online and …

• Peek inside each issue to preview sample articles

• Find previous issues and digital editions available for a limited time

• Sign up for our Special Subscription Package, and receive a $20 gift certificate to The Shoppe at Somerset

Only $14.99 S&H

The newest issue of Somerset Holidays & Celebrations is also available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/holidayscelebrations or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

by Vicki Dvorak

by Vicki Dvorak

Putting Dreams on Hold You’ve most likely heard this before, but blogging has truly been a life-changing experience for me. As a mom of three, I’ve stayed at home with my children for several years, taking on various part-time jobs to supplement our income. Also, with a chronic neurological illness (Probable MS), I’ve spent years going from specialist to specialist seeking a diagnosis for my troubling symptoms. During these times, I hadn’t pursued many of my own dreams or interests, putting them on hold while taking care of the needs of my family and my own health.

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You’ve most likely heard this before, but blogging has truly been 3/22/10 a life-changing experience for me. As a mom of three, I’ve stayed at home with my children for several years, taking on various part-time jobs to supplement our income. Also, with This article has been a chronic neurological illness (Probable MS), I’ve spent years borrowed from the Summer going from specialist to specialist seeking a diagnosis for 2010 issue of Artful my troubling symptoms. DuringBlogging. these times, I hadn’t pursued many of my own dreams or interests, putting them on hold while taking care of the needs of my family and my own health.

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A Whole New World I’ve always had a passion for art and decorating and earlier that year I’d started my own business as a color consultant.

That day, I did a search to look for Web sites where I could advertise inexpensively to promote my services. After spending several hours perusing decorating blogs, I became hooked and decided to set one up for myself. I wanted a place where I could give people guidance about using color in their homes while promoting my business at the same time. I’ve had a blog for almost a year now and it has become so much more than a place to promote my business.

Artful

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Endless Opportunities Over the past year I’ve made friends from all over the world — Italy, France, England, Africa, India, and Australia to name a few places. The positive vibes that travel from blog to blog are energizing and uplifting. There’s so much encouragement and support to be found by visiting other blogs and corresponding with their writers.

Every couple of months I host Spotlights, where mid-month I post a Call to Photographers, Artists, or Designers. For a week at the beginning of the following month, I feature the work of three talented people each day. It’s such an honor for me to be able to do this, and it brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment.

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Blogging has also helped me discover a new and rewarding hobby — photography. After seeing all of the beautiful images that are posted on the blogs I read, I decided to try my hand at taking photos. I took my inexpensive digital camera out and began taking photograph after photograph of charming vintage items, such as rustic old barns, and storefronts. It surprised me when I posted my photos on Flickr and they received such positive attention. In the last few months, I’ve been approached by two art galleries and have two photography shows coming up. My work has also been featured on several notable decorating blogs and I was recently approached by an online stock photo library. I never would have imagined that these amazing things would come about through blogging.

Artful

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Time to get Started If you have a blog or are considering creating one, here are a few things to think about. What are your needs as a person? Do you need interaction with people with similar interests? Do you need support and encouragement? Do you want a place to promote your talents, your creativity, your online shop or Web site? Would you like to support the talents and creativity of other people? Think about what it is that you desire and create a place on the Web with your goals in mind. There are so many resources to help you get started and so many bloggers who are an e-mail away who will be happy to answer the questions that naturally come up when you are setting up your first blog.

After it’s clear in your mind what your purpose is in setting up a blog, decide on the mood or feeling you want to create through your blog’s appearance. If you have a craft or are artistic, feature your work proudly. Your blog should be a reflection of you and your personality and interests and a place where you can be as creative as you’d like. It’s also a place where you can inspire others along the way. I encourage you to go for it. You never know what the future may hold as a result of your creativity. ( Vicki Dvorak lives in Seattle, Washington. All photos shown here are

by Vicki and can be viewed on her blog, matissecolor.blogspot.com.

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Partial Post

Artful Blogging is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

matissecolor.blogspot.com

Monday Morning Inspiration January 11, 2009 Good morning! Hope your Monday doesn’t feel like a typical Monday.

I’ve already been out and about taking my husband to his dental surgery, mailing things at the post ofce, and running a couple more errands. Today will be a short post but I just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking about you before I tackle my long “to do” list today.

So, with the new year here, do you have any goals? Here are a few of mine. Concerning “Simply Hue” I want to 1. Write more from my heart, 2. Support other bloggers by commenting on their posts, 3. Feature even more talented artists, photographers and designers in 2010, and 4. Blog more consistently. Somehow I’ve gotten out of the habit over the last couple of months and I need to get myself in gear again. ;) As for personal goals, here are my three main ones: 1. Take “excellent” care of my health. That means making my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs top priority. I even want to pick up some hand weights this year, which isn’t my favorite form of exercise. 2. Nurture friendships/relationships that are important to me, 3. Don’t sweat the small stuff (or as an elderly lady I met at the dentist’s ofce said to me this morning “Don’t sweat the small stuff OR the big stuff!”).

OK, your turn! What are a couple of your goals for the New Year?

Artful

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This article has been borrowed from the Summer 2010 issue of Artful Blogging.

by Kim Klassen

This past summer I picked up my first copy of Artful Blogging and fell head over heels in love. I said out loud right there in the store there I found it, “Someday, I will be featured in this publication!” Honestly I did — and now here I am.

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Content with Being Me For as long as I can remember I have been a person who truly enjoys being by myself. I find it comforting to contemplate and reflect on my thoughts. For me, being alone isn’t a sad thing, and I like my own company. I do have my family and friends around me, but honestly I’m very content in the quiet of my studio, alone with my creative hopes and dreams. To be honest, I don’t remember ever feeling any different.

As a child I would pretend to be sick so I could spend the day at home alone. I loved when my parents and brother were at work and school and I could just hang out in the quiet of our home with my dog. Now here I am, at 41, doing the same thing. Playing hooky from the real world and hanging out with my thoughts and my Beagle, Andy, while typing on about my blog.

Artful

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After reading a raw and honest post on another blog, I realized … I’m a loner. I love being alone and hadn’t thought of myself in that way until I had read that posting. “Do I want to change?” No, not really. I am so happy in my life, doing what I love. I know some people need to be surrounded by people, but not me — my husband, my boys, my close family, and just a few friends, along with my beloved Beagle are more than enough for me.

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Feeling Alone Recently our family went through a difficult time. I tend to pull into myself when I am struggling. Some people reach out and need to talk to people, but I withdraw myself from the world. However, I started to feel very alone, unable to talk to the people around me. I didn’t want to discuss the trouble and stress of our life anymore. It had been discussed to death.

I started to blog a little more and realized that the land of blogging had become my happy place — a place where I could share and be uplifted. It was a place where I could share and discuss my blessings, and I didn’t have to dwell on what was wrong in my life.

Artful

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One Thing Led to Another As I sit here in my studio, surrounded by paint, brushes, stamps, ink, stacks of magazines, and paper, I ponder what I really, truly, deeply want to share with readers.

You see, this is a true gift to me, and I can truly say that blogging changed my life. I started writing posts more frequently, which led to a month long daily painting series that I shared with my readers. It’s always a blessing to read e-mails and comments from my friends out there who really appreciate and get it.

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Once I started blogging I discovered many inspirational, gifted, and sharing people. It’s also allowed me to reconnect with my friend, Prairie Girl, who lives just a few miles down the road.

Our boys grew up together. Once we started talking I discovered she loved the land of blogging as well. From there we started e-mailing and talking on a regular basis. We now bounce thoughts, links, and inspiration back and forth. The greatest part about it all — she was another human, right here that got it.

Reconnecting with her has been an amazing blessing in my life.

As I started sharing a little more, I discovered my camera and wow, my life changed even more. My brushes were no longer my only method of art. My camera allowed me to see my little world in a big and beautiful way. I discovered the Flickr community and all the amazing, encouraging people that shared their passion daily through photographs.

I honestly can’t imagine life without the opportunity to share and connect with people so like me. I truly am blessed beyond belief. W Kim Klassen lives in Rivers, Manitoba, Canada. All photos shown here are by Kim and can be viewed on her blog, kimklassen.blogspot.com.

Artful Blogging is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

Artful

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by Rachel Rerko

Crafty Soul This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2011 issue of Somerset Digital Studio.

Job Offer?

I am a crafty soul at heart. I’ve dabbled in candle making, jewelery design, crochet, card making, and paper scrapbooking. I became addicted to rubber stamping after attending a Stampin’ Up! party, and amassed a huge collection of products and magazines. It was in the back of one of those magazines that I discovered digital scrapbooking. I was addicted immediately! My husband was glad I finally settled on one craft, as my hobbies were getting quite expensive.

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The Everyday Stuff

I began using Photoshop Elements 5 in 2007, and have since upgraded to the full version of Photoshop. I also like to edit my photos using Lightroom. The awesome thing about digital scrapbooking is that it takes up little physical space (although your hard drive may become quite full), and there are so many online resources for inspiration and products. I use scrapbooking as my creative outlet.

Job Offer?

I am traditionally a paper scrapper, and the majority of my digital pages reflect this. However, I am always so impressed by the fantasy layouts I see in the galleries. This creation was outside of my comfort zone. I extracted my girls

— Ella on the right and Helene on the left — from a photo I took while we were waiting in line to see Santa. I placed them among a bunch of stuffed animal elements and a couple little elves. I added talk bubbles and some silly thoughts that the elves might be having about my girls.

The Everyday Stuff

This layout was inspired by a photo hunt challenge. You were given five things to find and photograph, and then scrap a page about them. I am often inspired to create by challenges because it was about “everyday stuff.” I created the page using PSCS4. ➜

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digital studio

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Dress Up

Lost in Thought

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My Life Divided

Dress Up

I like to capture everyday moments ... the things that slip by unnoticed and often become forgotten. This page is a tribute to my youngest daughter Helene. She likes to dress herself.

Here she was wearing her sister’s bath robe, her Easter hat, Dora the Explorer slippers, and, of course, a purse. I loved capturing her at

different angles and then cropping the photos to selectively show her ensemble. I used PSCS4 to create the page.

Lost in Thought

This is another photo of my youngest daughter Helene. I caught her standing at our sliding glass door staring out into the two feet of snow that

blanketed the ground. I was wondering what was going through that little head of hers. For this page, I started with a template by Biograffiti. I added some papers to the clipping masks, a few elements and brushes, as well as some journaling (which I try to include on every page I create). I used PSCS4 to create the page and Lightroom 2 to edit the photo. ➜

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Our Neighborhood

My Life Divided

Looking back, my life has been divided into four distinct segments: precollege, pre-marriage, pre-children, and the present. I wanted to capture the highlights of each segment in a newspaper column format. The photos are of me (bottom) and my two daughters (top). I edited the photos using PS Actions by Nelly Nero (she has an amazing selection of free actions for both PS and PS elements here: nellynero.deviantart.com/ ). I used PS CS4 to create the page.

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Not a Fashionista

I must admit that I am a plain Jane. I prefer sneakers and jeans over heels and dresses. I envy those women who always look so put together. This page was created to tell a bit about me and my personality. I used Adobe Lightroom 2 to edit the photos and PSCS4 to create the page.

Our Neighborhood

Some pages don’t need photos. On this layout, I wanted to tell the story of

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Not a Fashionista

our neighborhood. We are very fortunate to live in a place with great neighbors and friends. Most of the neighbors on our street do not have family close, and for this reason, we are each others families. Our children play together nicely, and the adults enjoy socializing. I used PSCS4 to create the page.

July 26th

Another everyday page. In these photos, my girls Ella and Helene were swimming with their pop pop. They spent a couple of hours splashing and floating around together – making treasured memories. I used PSCS4 to create the page. âœŚ

Rachel Rerko is a digital artist who lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two daughters. She may be reached by e-mail at rrerko@gmail.com.

July 26th

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by Dawne Boynton Polis

Painterly Satisfaction

Moulin Rouge Blue

When I was a little girl I dreamed of growing up to become a painter. I envisioned myself in a beret, silk scarf, and spit curls. I would live on an island in the middle of the Seine, and go into Paris every day to sell my paintings at a big museum. A pretty fairy tale, n’est ce-pas?

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This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2010 issue of Somerset Digital Studio.

Seinebook Instead, I became a photographer, a high school art teacher, and a mixed-media artist. But not a painter. That art form eluded me. I knew all the rules of composition, shading, and color theory, but try as I might, I could never make a painting that satisfied me. That is, not until I discovered digital photography and Adobe Photoshop. Now I make digital art that is often described as “painterly,” which is exactly the look I’m going for. And as for the fairy tale, that’s another phrase often associated with my work. I guess it’s no coincidence that I draw most of my inspiration from my fairy tale home right here on Everafter Farm ... and of course, from romantic Paris.

All my work begins with an original photograph. Although there are two Canon 5Ds and a Canon 40D in my camera cupboard, I only use them for professional jobs. My everyday camera is my trusty Canon PowerShot G10, and I carry it wherever I go. At 14.7 megapixels, with a 28 mm 5X optical zoom, and light as a feather, it’s the perfect little purse companion I prefer to shoot on overcast days, and usually avoid photographing in bright sun. The best digital capture for the type of work I do is one that is lacking in contrast, or as we used to say in the darkroom days, “flat.”

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Yellow Cottage and Lilac Moon

Faryn Dream

Near Amsterdam

Abbey Moon

After I have opened my file in Photoshop CS3, I sharpen my image. I can always soften it up later, if I choose to, but I like to start sharp. Then I add the contrast and values back into the image via a Curves layer. The well-known photographer Dan Burkholder once said that if Adobe Photoshop offered Curves as its only feature, it would still be worth the price! Nice, yes, but for my money the best feature about Photoshop is layers.

As a mixed-media artist, working primarily in collage, I am well acquainted with the concept of working in layers. Photoshop gives me the same advantage, but without all the collage mess.

Now I begin to add layers of Photoshop’s Artistic filters, such as Dry Brush or Paint Daubs, at a very low opacity, never more than 20 percent. Then, on top of this I usually add layers of texture (there are wonderful texture artists on Flickr and Deviant Art) using different blending modes on each layer. I rarely use

them at 100 percent, and always create a layer mask on each texture layer to remove texture from specific areas. Sometimes I will paint with textures. That is, I will take small selections of texture and layer them over a certain area of the image to add extra depth. And always I will try several different blending modes, to see which works the best.

Photoshop, as in real painting, allows you to add elements from other sources, such as Charlie Chaplin, whom I found in Venice, and plopped down in La Place de la Concorde. And that little French dog, Jacques, gets around town quite well. There he is on top of the Moulin Rouge. And the sheep under that harvest moon? They were moved from another farm altogether!

Text is another mixed-media element that I love to add on a layer, whether it’s a French birth certificate from artist Paul Grand or a vintage letter from aurelio monGe. www.stampington.com

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Window Garden

If I want to “pop” a certain area, I will select the area and boost the color in the selection with the Saturation slider.

Or, I can change the color altogether by choosing Image> Adjustments> Color Balance. In this way, I feel very much like I’m painting, as I push and pull the values and modify the color.

And like a painter, who uses layers of glazes to build up depth in her painting, so do I use the layers in Photoshop to build up richness and depth in my digital paintings.

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Sheep Under a Harvest Moon

I may never live on an island in the Seine, or sell my paintings at a big museum, but my digital artworks give me a painterly satisfaction nonetheless.

Dawne Boynton Polis is a photographer, digital artist, and teacher who lives on Everafter Farm. She may be reached via e-mail at iluvfrance@wildblue.net. To see more of her work, visit her blog at quiddity2.blogspot.com.

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oveof LAYERS by theresa mARTin

ale Blair of Paperwhimsy receives a Google alert whenever Paperwhimsy is mentioned online. One day, an alert led Gale to a collage I’d made using one of her images that was posted to an online social media site. She wrote to me saying she “loved the effect created with the white background and the building of the collage with several overlapping elements.” Gale said she was “thoroughly entranced” by the work, and I was thoroughly inspired to create more. All the collages I was making at that time had the white background, which is a little unusual for collage. This is something that Photoshop can excel in — the ability to leave the background white or transparent looking. While it’s possible to

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do this with paper and mixed-media, in my opinion, it’s much easier to do in Photoshop than in real life.

After Gale found my new collages online (she was already familiar with my past work), she asked me to produce a series of collages for her newsletter using her hybrid images. The majority of the images used for this article came from the digital hybrid line at paperwhimsy.com. If you’d like to see past newsletters, they are available at tinyurl.com/yld34c4 and you can sign up to receive future ones at paperwhimsy.com/newsletter_join. html. Paperwhimsy also has a forum group where you can discuss digital techniques and ask questions about working in Photoshop and Elements. ➜

This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2011 issue of Somerset Digital Studio.

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In addition to fonts and scanning, some of my sources are: • Dover Books with CDs and copyright-free images • The Pepin Press, Agile Rabbit Editions of books with CDs • Paperwhimsy Hybrid images • Photoshop brushes — some are available for free online, and others are available for purchase at reasonable prices.

• Free stock sites such as morguefile.com • Library of Congress has a huge digital section. Read carefully whether or not there are rights to the photos you find there. I’m never 100 percent sure, even if it says, “There are no known restrictions on the photo,” but it seems safe to use those selected photos from the Library.

Years ago, when I first discovered Photoshop, I was amazed by the darkroom effects available, and even more excited about the ways to blend and layer in the program. I began studying it using a book to help with the Adobe Photoshop Certification. I feel, and I think many others agree, that Photoshop has so much depth and possibilities that you’ll always be discovering new ways to use it to manipulate images, no matter how much study you put into it. That said, I tend to use only a few of the tools, occasionally adding things I learn from online tutorials or books.

With my collage background, I think it’s natural to like the layers in Photoshop best of all. While there are many filters and blending capabilities available in Photoshop, I tend to work the same as I do with paper images. Layer upon layer, I add to the bottom layer until it’s sometimes no longer visible but for a small piece here and there.

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Sometimes it’s more deliberate, and each layer is mainly visible. I use the masking tool a lot. It’s one of the most important features in Photoshop for collage — allowing the user to cover pixels without erasing them. I feel the use of layers is the best tool of all for making digital collage, and I rely on it heavily.

For me, working digitally requires the same system as working with paper and mixed-media — having a library of images to pull from is essential.

Having a well named folder system helps once you’ve found your collage bits. My sources are varied from scanning in my own images, to buying images, to using free images. Sometimes I use an ampersand, a letter, or a number of an interesting font as a collage element.

All of the collages for this article are built using multiple layers. Many of them are handcolored on a separate layer. To hand color, create

• Volume 2

a new layer, and name it something appropriate such as face, dress, wings, etc. Carefully paint color over the section, “coloring within the lines,” on that separate layer for a clean look. Once the color is finished, you can play with the blending modes to see which has the look you want. I usually use color blend, sometimes dropping the opacity until it has the right look. A separate layer for each part of the collage is useful. You can flatten the image when the collage is completed and save it as a flattened file, keeping the other file with layers so you can change things later as needed.

Another thing that is useful for collage is the masking layer. Click on the rectangular icon with the circle in it on the Layers palettes, or use the top menu and select Layer> Layer Mask> Reveal all. Click in the mask layer that is created, and use a black brush to hide parts of the layer. ➜

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ayer upon layer, I add …

Then, use the white brush to reveal layers. The beauty of this is that all your pixels are intact; it’s much better to do this than to use the eraser to hide parts of an image.

The collaboration was of benefit to both Gale and me. I was able to use beautiful images without worrying about copyright violation, and Gale was inspired to create new hybrid images. ✦ theresa mARTin lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband and fellow artist John Mors. To see more of her work, visit her Web site at theresamartin.com. She welcomes e-mails at info@theresamartin.com.

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Artwork by Shelley Kommers

Artwork by Beth Spencer

Technology is front and center in this issue as the incredibly talented Susan Tuttle takes the reader on some photography explorations with iPhoneography — meaning all the pictures and photo manipulations are done on an iPhone. Patricia Gaignat shows how to use your iPad as a digital sketchpad, and artist Traci Bautista presents Digital Doodles Unleashed.

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Artwork by Susan Tuttle

Spring 2012 Issue Now Available

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or as long as I can remember, I spent many hours sketching and daydreaming about little frocked characters. I studied fashion design at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and was fortunate enough to have worked for the Creative Costuming Department at Walt Disney World MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. All of this has helped me immensely with dressmaking.

I began painting in 2007 while seeking comfort through a very difficult time in my life. I stopped painting for a year later because it became too painful; however, that is when I started doll-making as another outlet, and that is where this wonderful journey began. .

Tools & Materials • • • • • • • • •

Acrylic paint Adhesive: craft glue Aluminum foil Clips: miniature claw Doll hair Drinking straw Fabric Glass eyes or beads Masking tape

• Paper towel • Paperclay: (Creative Paperclay) • Sandpaper • Sewing needles • Thread • Varnish • Wire: for armature

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2011 issue of Art Doll Quarterly.

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I love creating art dolls and odd little creatures that reflect everything from the sweet and innocent to the creepy and weird — where woodland creatures, anthropomorphic and Gothic Victorian characters feel right at home in my imaginary world. I also love antique dolls, and will try to re-create that feeling in my dolls. I enjoy hunting for antique fabrics, laces, and trims, or finding that perfect tattered treasure that will make my dollies feel very special and unique. I also enjoy hand dyeing the fabrics when certain colors are difficult to find.

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Technique I begin by building an armature out of wire, aluminum foil, and masking tape. Next, I add paperclay over the armature, forming the body and head. Paperclay is a labor of love, as it will take several days of curing and sanding between each layer.

Once done with the torso and head, I began sculpting the limbs. These are done over wire armatures as well.

When all of the pieces are sculpted, I set them aside for a couple of days until they are completely cured before .

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beginning to paint them. After painting them, I delicately crackle, stain, and varnish them to give the feeling of an old worn doll from an earlier time.

While the pieces are drying, I began to select fabrics, laces, and trims. Sometimes I hand dye the fabrics when I want a specific color, as I have done for Eliza and Ettie.

Each dollie has a voice that I hear, that guides me while I am making them. They speak to me while I am draping the fabrics over them. Each dress is carefully made by hand without the use of patterns. They are all hand stitched, and some dolls wear little stockings and Victorian boots that are all handmade by me.

Once the doll is dressed, I begin the wig making. I generally use mohair, and carefully stitch and glue them onto the dolls. Then they are ready for their photo shoot.

I love this part, because it allows me to set up dioramas, play with sets, and build props for the dolls. I handmade a sofa for Eliza and Ettie, who love to sit and daydream of all the adventures they will take together.

Hair Tip For that just-stepped-out-of-a-salon look, like my doll Ettie, you will need a drinking straw, scissors, miniature claw clips, and lightweight hair spray. Cut the straw into 1½-inch lengths and use them as rollers, securing them with miniature claw clips. Then leave them in for a week.

When you remove the rollers, carefully comb out the hair, tie the ribbon on her hair, and add a very lightweight hair spray. Make sure to cover the face and body with a paper towel when applying the spray. â?– Evelyn Santiago is an artist living in Palm Beach, Florida, with her little dog, Peaches. You can contact her through her website at evelynswonderland.com.

To see what she is currently working on, visit her blog at evelynswonderland. blogspot.com. www. a r t do llqu a r t e r ly . c o m | W IN TER 2012 www.stampington.com

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Butterfield, Hickenbottom & Friends & Labor Of

by Barb Moore

E

ach of my dolls is one of a kind, and starts with inspiration that I’ve drawn on paper.

I draw my patterns, and then trace them onto fabric. I use a sewing machine to sew their bodies and clothes, and hand stitch each of their faces. When dressing them, I try to think outside of the box, using items such as feed sacks, old pillowcases, and quilts, mixing and matching an array of prim fabrics. I find that their clothes don’t really need to match, and that sometimes it looks better when they don’t. Adding details helps to give the doll life, from their eyes, to their mouth and nose, down to adding silly feet. Remember to have fun with the design and to make sure to put your heart into it because it will show in each of your creations. Inspiration usually leads to design — think about all that you love, and create what touches your heart deep down inside. And then, watch as each doll comes to life in your hands. Give your doll a piece of your heart and she will fill someone else’s home with love. Lastly, before each doll leaves you to go to her new home, always remember to sign and date her. Take the utmost pride in your creation, after all, each one is a piece of you!

This article has been borrowed from the Autumn 2011 issue of Prims. stampington.com • Autumn 2011

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Miss Erma Butterfield Full of autumn spirit and the anticipation of a cool brisk breeze and the smell of falling leaves, Erma proudly shows off her freshly picked pumpkin and waves her flag. Fall is my favorite season, and every year I can hardly wait to design my fall collection. Everything about fall inspires me — the colors, the smell, and the bountiful harvest that seems to be bursting with simple beauty. Erma is that for me. I mixed two different colors of raw sheep’s wool for her hair, mismatched her button eyes, hand stitched her nose, and primpinched her mouth. Worn and oh-so tattered best describes her. I used a reproduction fabric for her pinafore, brown ticking for her dress, and homespun fabric for her bloomers. Most of my dolls come with a handmade flag — this is kind of my trademark. As you can see, she comes waving her flag. In her arms she carries a sweet little pumpkin with a stick stem, green garland vines, and a little patch on its side. As always, she is one of a kind, my own design.

Autumn blessings to everyone!

Miss Hetty Hickenbottom & Friends All Hallows’ Eve is fast approaching and Miss Hetty is ready. I dressed Miss Hetty in her finest fall duds — pumpkin print calico bloomers and a black print reproduction Civil War fabric coat.

Extreme dolls are my favorite to create, and she is certainly that. I

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gave her grungy string hair and prim, hand-stitched eyes and mouth. I stitched her nose, and then stuffed and sewed it in place. Her face is oh-so grungy. She is even wearing her favorite witchy boots with rusty safety pins and bells. My designs most always come with goodies — this time a stump witch and pumpkin were called for. She comes from that place deep within my heart where the love of primitives begins. As I created her, I couldn’t help but look at her face and imagine the story she could tell, the kind that you could sit and listen to for hours on end. She carries a piece of my heart, as do all my dolls.

Labor Of Love I was inspired by and dedicated this doll to my late father. Every spring we planted a garden together — digging up the soil and planting the seeds — such

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wonderful memories that I treasure in my heart. Labor of Love is made from heavy painter’s cloth, stuffed with rags.

I dry-brushed her with black paint, and grunged her with coffee and spices. I then baked and sanded her. I used pieces of an old feed sack for her eyes. Her nose is a mustard-soiled material, stuffed and stitched in place. I used cream floss to stitch her mouth. Her hair is raw flax fibers. Using an old feed sack for her dress, I simply tied it on with a rusty wire. I dangled an old key from the front of her dress. Her head scarf is a blue-and-cream plaid homespun, as is one of the patches on her dress; the other patch is a piece of an old quilt. I attached her arms and legs using rusty wire. I love to do an 238

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array of different style feet. I made silly prim boots with mismatched buttons for this prim. Her bloomers are blue-and-cream striped cotton. Inside her bag is her bountiful harvest of taters and string beans, freshly picked this morning and ready for cooking.

These extreme primitive dolls are by folk artist Barb Moore of The Primitive Oswald. Barb accepts email at barb4326@yahoo.com. To view more of her work, visit lemonpoppyseeds.com/shoppes/pstheprimitiveoswald or look her up on eBay at *primitive*oswald. stampington.com • Autumn 2011

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Beatrice

by Kimberly Young

& Belle

My little creations are much inspired by Izannah Walker — a wonderful doll maker from the mid-1800s. The sweet downward gaze of her dolls has always captivated me. I often wonder what Izannah’s dolls would look like if she were still alive and creating her little darlings today.

This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2011 issue of Prims.

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Nancy Gerber of Atticbabys (atticbabys. com) is also someone who has greatly inspired my work. Nancy kindly helped me through my initial learning process with paperclay, and for that I am very thankful. She’s always willing to answer questions and share tips.

Nancy always amazes me with her dollies.

Meet Beatrice and Belle I like to create very small dolls, ones that are less than 10 inches tall. So far, the smallest doll I have created is just under 3 inches. These size dolls are very challenging, from sculpting that tiny face to painting it, wearing reading glasses and using a lighted magnifying glass, but I so love to create them. I use my own patterns, and after many tries, I finally created the body type that I like best. I like to make fuller, more childlike dolls with sweet little faces. It always amazes me how each of my dolls ends up with her own little “personality,” but you can still tell it is my work. I believe this is true of many doll artists’ work. All are very unique in their own way.

Doll-making has been a big part of my life, from rag dolls to paperclay dolls. I love reading about them, collecting them, and creating them. I hope I am able to do so for many years to come — as long as I can still see, my joints hold out, and the arthritis stays away.

When creating a doll I start by deciding how big she will be. Then I draw the body and limbs directly onto muslin. I stitch the parts, firmly stuff with fiberfill, and add weight using a little pouch that I have sewn together and filled with sand so they sit nicely. Once the body is sewn together, I gesso the head and shoulder areas, then the legs and arms from the joints down. When that has dried, I start adding the paperclay lay to the head and shoulders. This is where her personality starts. I have to now decide if she is to have painted-on hair or hand-molded olded dimensional hair, which is my favorite to create.

While she is drying, I decide what fabric I will use for her dress.

I especially like the reproduction civil war prints that are now available in such a great variety of colors and print sizes, which h is very important to the size dolls I like to create. The size of the print

really has to match the size of the doll. I live in a very small town and we have only one very small fabric store, so I find many of these prints on eBay. It is a great source for supplies. I must say my favorite is to put a doll in a cream-colored dress. It gives a chance for her facial features to really show. Plus, she will go with any color scheme for displaying. I often use false hems in coordinating fabric on the doll’s dress. False hems were popular in the 18th century and used to allow many children in the family to wear the dress, as one grew out another inherited it. Nothing ever went to waste.

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I like to use salvaged vintage clothing when possible for the underclothing. Usually I find vintage doll slips, baby clothes, and ladies’ petticoats at antique shops or flea markets. Sometimes they have been at the mercy of moths or some other little creature and are destined for the trash pile. Not for me! I think that adds such charm to the piece and adds to the genuineness of the vintage look. I will work around the holes and I am usually able to put these lovely linens to use again. I just love that! I will usually add a vintage glass bead to the bodice of the doll’s dress, just for a little something extra.

Once the doll has dried, and after much sanding and many coats of gesso, I am ready to paint her little face. This is my favorite part of the process. I finally get to meet her. By this time, I have already been calling her by name. I like to use 17th- and 18th-century names the best. My mother and I just love to walk through old graveyards and look at the old names and dates. Searching old graveyard headstones is my favorite source for old names. Once her face, hair, and boots are painted, I then will crackle and stain her painted surfaces, then seal for protection from water and sunlight. After signing, dating, and numbering her on her back, I now can dress her. All done.

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About the Artist Kimberly Young is an artist residing in Chaumont, New York, with her very supportive husband, Bryan. She accepts e-mails at at kbplanecrazy@earthlink.net.

Visit her blog at the-artful-attic.blogspot.com.

Craft an Inspiring Bunch of Characters!

Prims ffeatures eattu ea urre es the th rustic elegance of primitive, folk, historic,

ARTWORK BY MARIE MORGAN N

and early Americana a an nd ea e arrlly Am A meric erriiccana an a na st sstyle t y artwork. Discover art that captivates the imagination iim mag mag g in na attio tio on and an nd enchants en ench nchan ch han ants ts with its ts simple beauty si simp imp mplle eb ea e auty ut y — be ut be iitt th tthrough thro hro rou ug dolls, ug paintings, jjewelry, je ew we elr lry, r y, y, p aint ai ntin ntin ngs gs, s, mixed-media miixe mixe xedd-m me edi di works, teddy bears, and te ed dd dy be b arrs, a a nd n d iillustrations. llu ll uss

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Murder Time Mary, November

& Mr. Creeps Robyn Moore

Murder Time Mary

She walks the woods in the dead of winter when the earth is covered in its cold, white blanket. The silence is broken only by the crunching of snow beneath her feet and the faint sound of crows in the distance. Above her, the vast dome of clouded sky looks like a snow globe, and light, delicate flakes fall quietly onto her cheeks and into the folds of her clothes. Out here, she is in her element. She is naturally pale, but the cold makes her paler. When she breathes, smoke pours out of her mouth like a cauldron in a witch’s tale. When she finally makes her way to a clearing, she is surrounded by dark, ominous trees that reach like claws up to the sky. And when she lays her tiny body down in the snow, she daydreams as a murder of crows circles around, high in the sky above her.

November & Mr. Creeps

November’s mother opens his bedroom door to see that he’s doing his homework. When she’s satisfied that he is deep in his studies, she leaves his room, quietly closing the door behind her. After he can no longer hear her footsteps, he whispers into his desk that she is gone. He then carefully reaches in and pulls out Mr. Creeps to continue their secret conversation.

} TECHNIQUE I used to make dolls with button eyes. Then one day, when I was working with clay, I thought it would be cool to make buttons that were actually shaped like eyes. I experimented with this idea and found that my dolls evolved into something strange and wonderful.

If eyes are the windows to the soul, then I feel that in giving these eyes to my creations they become something more profound and alive with souls of their own.

My dolls began with a concept that I wanted to make a reality.

One afternoon, I decided I wanted to make a doll that was more than just a doll. Inspired by the phrase “What’s on your mind?” I decided that I would find a way to make the dolls’ thoughts visible to all who look at them. I started creating sculptures to rest in their hair that would resemble what they were thinking about. I never use patterns or molds to ensure that each one is completely unique.

Sometimes, I use a sewing machine, but I usually like to sew with my hands. I find it relaxing and I also feel that in doing so, I am giving the individual creation a piece of myself.

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STUFFED

Winter 2012

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TIPS •

• •

Look beyond the norm when creating, and allow your dolls to evolve; make them tell a story.

If there is something that you want that doesn’t exist yet, make it!

Take your time with your art and enjoy it.

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2012 issue of Stuffed

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( • Clay • Embroidery floss • Fabric: assorted • Mohair • Needle & thread • Paint • Stuffing: (Poly-fil)

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1 Robyn Moore To see more of Robyn’s work, visit

foreverfall.etsy.com.

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Introduce yourself to Stuffed, a charming semiannual publication devoted to the crafting of softies. Playful characters of all shapes and sizes are featured in this colorful magazine, inspiring readers to create their own stitched creations and let their inner children come out and play.

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Geoff, Moose

& Ketchup Cassandra Cheng

Looks can be deceiving. These bears look quite stuck up and snooty at first glance, but don’t let their appearances fool you. Geoff, Moose, and Ketchup are definitely a surprising bunch.

First off, Geoff isn’t even French, and while he does enjoy fooling people with his little beret and striped t-shirt, the only French words he knows how to say are, “Je ne parle pas français,” which means, “I don’t speak French.” At least he’s honest! Geoff is originally from Mongolia, and only recently decided to visit France because his cousins are studying abroad there. He ended up falling in love with the architecture, fashion, and cuisine, and has plans to move to Nice after he finishes his schooling and learns more (a lot more) French.

Next, Moose the pirate bear is more of a lover than a fighter (he can still beat someone into a pulp if he needs to though, he’s a tough guy with a soft heart).

If you ask a pirate what their favorite letter is, I’m sure most of them would say “Arrr.” But not Moose — his favorite letter is “C” because, well, he loves the sea.

He travels the sea as the ship’s nutritionist, chef, and botanist (much like his hero Charles Darwin). He makes citrus shakes and bakes lemon bars to fight off scurvy, and uses herbs and spices from all over the world to flavor his dishes! He also makes sure everyone is happy and healthy, and keeps huge crates of first aid supplies for emergencies. Fun fact: he once set part of the ship on fire while torching the meringue on a lemon meringue pie. He has since found alternatives to using a blowtorch on ship.

Ketchup looks like he knows how to entertain a crowd, and he does, but not in the way you’d expect. He’s actually allergic to dairy (can’t take pies to the face), is afraid of balloons, is prone to injury, is a terrible comedian, and finds small children intimidating. He’s great with magic tricks, and is an amazing escape artist. Ketchup really hates it when people make fun of his name. He has a sister named Licorice, so the joke he really hates is, “What do you do when you see a girl ahead of you? You Ketchup, and Licorice!” He’ll throw his juggling balls at you if you make that joke, and let me tell you, he’s got a fast pitch!

} TECHNIQUE I actually don’t use any patterns or sketch out my designs before I make them. I freehand everything, which makes each toy slightly different in size and shape, and each one is unique. I mark an outline on the fabric, cut it out, and sew everything together. In a sense, I just wing it and hope

248

for the best — not the greatest advice, but I find that a lot of awesome things are created unintentionally. If you need more guidance though, there are some great tutorials online that you can upload for free or for a small fee, and there are many books about making plush toys.

• Volume 2 w w w.stampi ngton.com

STUFFED

41

Geoff

This article has been borrowed from the Winter 2011 issue of Stuffed

www.stampington.com

249

TIPS • •

You can find a wide variety of fabric on eBay, Etsy, or wholesale Web sites.

I recommend felt for beginners. It’s inexpensive, and there’s a ton of colors to choose from, not to mention it’s a very forgiving material.

Ketchup

250 42

STUFFED

Winter 2011

• Volume 2

Stuffed is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

( (

• Fleece

• Needle & thread • Safety eyes: various sizes

• •Fleece Scissors Sewing&machine • •Needle thread

• Safety eyes: various sizes • Scissors • Sewing machine

1 1

Cassandra Cheng is a plush toy maker and a sophomore in college from Fremont, California, who enjoys

Cassandra Cheng telling ridiculous jokes.

Visit

is a plushEtsy toy maker a Cassandra’s shop atand talkproof. sophomore college page from at etsy.com , her in Facebook Fremont, California, who, or enjoys facebook.com/talkproof e-mail telling ridiculous jokes. Visit her at soggypeanut@gmail.com.

Cassandra’s Etsy shop at talkproof.

etsy.com, her Facebook page at facebook.com/talkproof, or e-mail her at soggypeanut@gmail.com.

Moose www.stampington.com w w w.stampi ngton.com STUFFED

251 43

Get All Dolled Up! Whether it’s fabric, clay, wire, or paper, Art Doll Quarterly celebrates the art of making handmade dolls and sculptural figures. Each issue includes challenges, artist profiles, a full gallery of artistic samples, and more. If you seek creative ideas and inventive tips for doll making, look no further than this enthusiast magazine.

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Olivia Oles

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Winter issue

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Get ready to cozy up with your kids and the Winter 2012 issue of Create With Me. The articles cover a complete spectrum — from fabric and wearable art to paint, papier mâche, card making, and bedroom décor — and there is something for every age group. Adult artists will enjoy reading articles by Mindy Lacefield, Lori Oles, and Laura Bray, and kids will simply delight in the exciting projects and fun photography.

For a limited time, get FREE SHIPPING on Create With Me VOLUME 1 Use Offer Code: CREATEVOL1 Discount applies to U.S. purchases of Create With Me Volume 1 only and cannot be combined with any other offer(s).

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To Order: www.stampington.com or 1-877-STAMPER.

by bethany kartchner artwork by danika, zoey & bethany kartchner

This article has been borrowed from Volume 1 of Create With Me.

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• Volume 2

To me,

creating art is an empowering experience. Since I’ve dedicated myself to the creative process, my feelings of self-worth have taken a great leap. When I envisioned creating Power Plaques with my two girls, Danika (age 9) and Zoey (age 7), my desire was to provide them with a self-affirming project. They are on the cusp of entering a tender stage when their self-esteem will be barraged by forces beyond my control. As a mother, I aim to nurture their inherent well of personal strength so that they can grow into powerful, capable women.

partners in art Little did I realize how creating with them would also fill my personal well — it was immensely satisfying. Creating together also strengthened our relationship.

During that time, the typical role of mother/daughter morphed into a co-creator/friend relationship as each of us became loyal cheerleaders and partners in something greater than ourselves.

facing challenges I knew that teaching the girls to draw, color, and shade a face would be the most difficult aspect

of this project, but I felt that it was important that they learn for two reasons. First, I wanted to show them that they are capable of accomplishing difficult tasks, so that later in life when they face challenges, they will have a pool of positive experiences upon which to draw. Second, I wanted this project to be personal. They needed to draw themselves, yet I didn’t require that the girl on their piece look exactly like them. In fact, only Danika’s girl’s features match her own. Zoey and I varied quite a bit from reality.

www.stampington.com Summer 2011 • Create With Me 255 109

what you’ll need

how to make it

• • • •

1.

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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110

Acrylic paint: (DecoArt — Americana) Acrylic sealant: matte (DecoArt) Charcoal pencil Chipboard shapes: stars & hearts (Bazzill) Colored pencils: (Prismacolor) Decoupage: (DecoArt) Gesso: (DecoArt) Oil pastels: water-soluble (Portfolio) Patterned paper Pencil Rubber stamps: (Hero Arts); (Judikins) Shimmerz Shimmeringz: (Baby’s Breath) Inkpad: black (Tsukineko-StazOn) Watercolor paper Wax pastels: water-soluble (Caran d’Ache — Neocolor II) Wooden plaques

www.createwithmemagazine.com

• Volume 2

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Create a face on watercolor paper using a basic pencil.

Add shading and color with colored pencils, watersoluble wax pastels, and soft white acrylic paint. Cut out face, and set aside.

Create a background on the wooden plaque. Glue down patterned paper. On top of the paper, write a list of activities and things that you enjoy. Add paint and stamping until you are satisfied with the results.

Glue the face to the background. Trace around it using a charcoal pencil or a colored pencil of your choice.

Add water-soluble oil pastels to the edges of the plaque, and blend with your finger. Spray with Shimmeringz to add a beautiful shimmering layer.

Write your powerful statements on a piece of watercolor paper. Cut out each word separately. Glue to the plaque.

Trace around each word with a charcoal pencil or colored pencil.

Paint chipboard piece with acrylic paint. Glue to plaque.

Spray the entire piece with an acrylic matte sealer.

words of wisdom

finding our power We worked on our pieces for over a week and as we grew closer to completion, our excitement increased tremendously. By the time we were done, each of us felt a wonderful sense of pride. Not only that, but our shared memory of the experience is absolutely priceless. My favorite part of this project is how each one of our Power Plaques reflects the individual artist. Of course, there are certain similarities between the pieces, but it is the differences that make them special — just as it is the differences between each of us that make us powerful.

Visit Bethany’s blog at creativeruminations.com. She welcomes email at kartchnerfamily@cox.net.

Create With Me is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

• Always use high-quality products when creating art. There is nothing more frustrating than spending hours creating only to discover that your final project doesn’t turn out as expected due to inferior products. There are plenty of inexpensive high quality products on the market.

• When creating with children, don’t become daunted by the vast amount of time necessary to create lovely projects. Divide your project into manageable chunks. For example, devote one day to the background, another day to painting, and another to the focal point of the piece, etc.

• Before you begin creating, set up your workspace with everything you’ll need. This allows the project to flow smoothly and prevents frustration.

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257

artwork by Little A & Merrilee Liddiard story by Amber Demien

When Merrilee Liddiard

felt the need to spice up some of her son’s s T-shirts, she remembered that an unexpected yet amazing art supply was waiting for her in the kitchen — freezer paper. A plastic coating on the backside of freezer paper allows it to be temporarily temporari fused to fabric.

This sticky situation works wor great for making stencils because it prevents the paint from seeping underneath unde the paper.

And, freezer paper is thin thi and flexible, so it’s easy to cut. It’s never been so simple to make a custom stencil stenci or a one-of-akind T-shirt. t

258 72

www.createwithmemagazine.com

• Volume 2

by Concetta PerĂ´t

This article has been borrowed from Volume 2 of Create With Me.

www.stampington.com Winter 2012 • Create With Me

259 73

what you’ll need • • • • • • •

260 74

Craft knife Fabric paint Freezer paper Iron & ironing board Marker or pencil Paintbrush & foam brush T-shirt

www.createwithmemagazine.com

how to make it 1.

2.

Cut off a sheet of freezer paper, and draw a design onto the paper. Use a craft knife to cut out the design.

Lay the stencil onto the T-shirt. Iron the stencil with a hot, dry iron; make sure to apply heat evenly and to all edges. This should take about one minute.

• Volume 2

3.

4.

5.

Apply paint to the T-shirt through the stencil with a foam brush.

When the paint is completely dry, carefully peel off the stencil. If desired, touch up the design with a paintbrush.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for heat setting the paint, if necessary.

Merrilee chose a basic pattern of triangles for her son’s T-shirt, which made it quicker for her to cut out and simpler for him to paint. The bright yellow triangles shine against the gray fabric. Each triangle is imperfect, adding a playful touch to the shirt that’s fitting for a kid. Merrilee also provided her son with a bit of black paint to add an extra special touch.

As Merrilee shared with the readers of her blog, “His favorite part was choosing where to put the two random black triangles. He really got into that little element of surprise.”

Merrilee, Little A, and family enjoy as much time as possible creating, giggling, telling stories, running, singing songs, reading, and more. You can see many more of their creative adventures on mermag.blogspot. com. For Merrilee’s professional illustration endeavors, you can find her at tuesday@tmourning.com as well as her Etsy shop, tuesdaymourning. etsy.com

Create With Me is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

www.stampington.com Winter 2012 • Create With Me

261 75

Sophisticated Sophisticated Sophisticated Elegance Elegance Elegance FOR THE

BY MONICA

BY MONICA SABOLLA SABOLLA GRUPPO GRUPPO COLD FORFOR THE THE SEASON

BY MONICA SABOLLA GRUPPO

COLD COLD SEASON SEASON

Monica Sabolla Gruppo often Monica Monica Sabollawhat Gruppo Sabolla often wondered to Gruppo do withoften the bits wondered whatyarn to what do she with tohad do thewith bits the bits ofwondered wool leftover — of wool yarn of wool sheyarn had she leftover had leftover — — the pieces that weren’t quite long the pieces thethat pieces weren’t that weren’t quite long quite long enough to make a sweater. One enough enough to maketo a sweater. make a sweater.

One One day, she decided to turn those day, sheday, decided she decided to turn those to turn those into and hercold cold scrapsscraps into scraps scarves, intoscarves, scarves, and her and coldher weather accessories haven’tbeen been weather weather accessories accessories haven’t haven’t been the same the since. same since. since. the same Most of myMost of creations my craftare creations inspiredare byinspired my by my Mostcraft of my craft creations are inspired by my insane loveinsane for upcycling love forand upcycling all types and ofall wool. types of wool. insane love for upcycling and all types of wool.

My love affMy air with love aff wool air yarn with began wool yarn in my began in my My love aff air with wool yarn grandmother’s grandmother’s remnants basket. remnants Thisbasket. wasbegan where This in wasmy where grandmother’s remnants basket. is wasofwhere she used toshe keep used even to the keep shortest even the scraps shortest of Th yarn scraps yarn she used to keep even the shortest scraps of in a rainbow in of a rainbow hues, which of hues, couldwhich be useful couldfor be useful for yarn little projects.

Asprojects. a young As girl, a young I which was amazed girl, I was bybe amazed allusefulbyfor all in alittle rainbow of hues, could the existing diff existing erent types diff yarn, types and ofmy yarn, dolls and my dolls littlethe projects.

As erent aofyoung girl, I was amazed by all even gained even some gained hand-crocheted some hand-crocheted sweaters, made sweaters, made the existing different types of yarn, and my dolls with my grandmother’s with my grandmother’s scraps by my scraps eager-toby my eager-toeven gained some hand-crocheted sweaters, made learn, inexpert learn,hands. inexpert Over hands. my mature Over my creative mature creative with my grandmother’s scraps by my eager-tolife, I’ve been life,holding I’ve been myholding childhood my passion childhood tight. passion tight. inexpert hands.

Over myand mature creative Hence,learn, I created Hence, these I created scarves these and scarves necklaces with necklaces with life, I’ve been holding my childhood passion tight. remnants of remnants wool yarn of balls. wool yarn balls.

As IHence, had approximately AsI created I had approximately only half ofonly the original half the original these scarves andofnecklaces with balls, I remnants thought balls,toI thought mix and to match mix and types match and colors, types and colors, of wool yarn balls. and that led and to a that fabulous led to result! a fabulous My creations result!

My creations not As I had approximately only halfnot of the original only took shape only took beautifully shape beautifully because of the because different of the different balls, I thought to mix and match types and colors, textures and textures thickness andofthickness the yarns, ofbut thethe yarns, mixed but the mixed and that led to a fabulous result!

My creations not colors added colors interest added to the interest finished to the pieces. finished pieces.

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84

84 GreenCraft GreenCraft • www.stampington.com • www.stampington.com • Volume 2

only took shape beautifully because of the different textures and thickness of the yarns, but the mixed colors added interest to the finished pieces.

This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2011 issue of GreenCraft Magazine.

tips • When making the scarf, don’t cut the yarns too equal. Leaving them asymmetrical adds interest to the finished work.

• Try your scarf on while you are hand sewing pearls to be sure they are visible.

• Pin the flower on the loop before securing it with hand stitches, and find the perfect position by looking at yourself in the mirror. www.stampington.com

263

t h e f i n i s hing floral touches Once the basic structure had been completed, I wanted to adorn them with something pretty to create eye-catching fashion accessories. For the black-and-white scarf, I used black velvet from a worn-out blouse to purposely create an imperfect rose, paired up with a length of white mohair yarn that added volume and defined the shape of the flower. As this scarf is meant to be worn in the evening, I hand sewed several pearls in different shapes and shades of white to make the scarf shine.

I wanted to design something to use all day long during autumn and winter too. I thought the terracotta, browns, and creams were simply perfection, whether worn over a beige turtleneck or with a tartan blazer. I saved an ethereal organza rose made out of window treatment samples from the bin. It was in the same color palette as the wool yarn, with pearls and crystals pleasantly arranged in the center. I finished the scarf off with this beautiful rose. The shorter necklace was embellished with a silk rosette, old buttons, and odd glass beads for a simpler, yet sophisticated look.

86

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GreenCraft • www.stampington.com • Volume 2

tools & m aterials •

Buttons

•

Embellishments: crystals, pearls, beads, etc.

•

Flower: organza

•

Needles

•

Rose: velvet

•

Rosette: silk

•

Scissors

•

Thread: coordinating colors

•

Wool yarn: remnants, coordinating colors

TE CHNIQ TT EECC HHNNI Q UEUE I QU E

Take a length of yarn of your choice (mine was Take Takea alength lengthofofyarn yarnofofyour yourchoice choice(mine (minewas was approximately1⅓ 1⅓ yards),and and doublewithout it without approximately yards), double approximately1⅓ yards),and doubleit itwithout cutting itfrom from the ball.

Hold each end tightly cutting it itfrom the ball.

Hold each end tightly inin in cutting the ball.

Hold each end tightly your hands, and continue to double the yarn about your yourhands, hands,and andcontinue continuetotodouble doublethe theyarn yarnabout about 2025 times, depending on the thickness of the 2025 times, depending ononthe thickness ofofthe 2025 times, depending the thickness the wool yarns available.

Ifyou you want to change colors, wool yarns available.

IfIfyou want totochange colors, wool yarns available. want change colors, take the second ball and continue in the same way. take the thesecond secondball balland andcontinue continue same take in in thethe same way.way.

When you’re finished, cut the yarn from the When you’re fifinished, cut the yarn from theball ballball When you’re nished, cut the yarn from the approximately 1½ yards longer than the approximately 1½ yards longer than theothers. others. approximately 1½ yards longer than the others.

Holding the yarns you have in one hand, create Holding the yarns you have in one hand, create Holding the yarns you have in one hand, create a aloop, and cut the others you have ininthe and cut the others you have theother other a loop, loop, and cut the others you have in the other hand.

Wrap the base ofofthe loop with the longer hand.

Wrap the base the loop with the longer hand. Wrap the base of the loop with the longer yarn, yarn,and andsecure securewith witha aknot knotorortwo. two.Continue Continue yarn, and secure with a knot or two. Continue wrapping wrappingthe theloop loopasasyou yougogowith withthe thevery verysame same wrapping the loop as you go with the very same yarn.

Make little loops, letting the loose end yarn. Make little loops, letting the loose endofof yarn. Make little loops, letting the loose end of the theyarn yarnpass passthrough throughthem thematateach eachpassage, passage,and and the yarn pass through themknot. at each passage, and pulling fi rmly to obtain a neat When the pulling firmly to obtain a neat knot. When the pulling firmly toscarf obtain acompletely neat knot.

When the loop totoclose your wrapped loop close your scarfisiscompletely wrapped loop to close yourthe scarf isend completely wrapped upup ininknots, secure very with knots, secure the very endofofthe theyarn yarn with up in knots, secure the very end of the yarn additional knots atatthe base ofofthe and sew additional knots the base theloop, loop, and sewwith additional knots at the base of the loop, and sew a acouple of stitches with coordinating thread.

You couple of stitches with coordinating thread. You can add ororbead totohide them a couple of stitches with coordinating thread. You can adda apearl pearl bead hide themif ifnecessary. necessary.

For the black-and-white scarf, embellish with black-and-white embellish with canFor addthe a pearl or bead to scarf, hide them if necessary. pearls ofofdiff erent ofofwhite. pearls diff erentdimensions dimensionsand andshades shades white.

For the black-and-white scarf, embellish with Sew them here and there with matching thread.

Sew them here and there with matching thread. pearls of diff erent dimensions and shades of white.

Apply a yarn bow and a velvet rose (made by Apply a yarn bow and a velvet rose (made by Sew them here and there with matching thread. turning twisting a astrip ofofvelvet with a alength turning twisting strip velvet with length Apply and aand yarn bow and a velvet rose (made by ofofwhite mohair yarn), and secure it itatatthe base white mohair yarn), and secure the base turning and twisting a strip of velvet with a length with withinvisible invisiblestitches. stitches.Embellish Embellishthe thecenter centerwith with of white mohair yarn), and secure it at the base pearls, pearls,and andthen thenhand handsew sewininplace placeononthe theloop. loop. with invisible stitches. Embellish the center with For Forthe theterracotta-and-cream terracotta-and-creamscarf, scarf,simply simply pearls, and then hand sew in place on the by loop. make makeananorganza organzaflower flowerinincoordinating coordinatinghues hues by For the terracotta-and-cream scarf, simply cutting cuttingcircles circlesand andpetals, petals,and andburning burningthe theedges edges make an organza fl ower in coordinating hues with witha alighter. lighter.Sew Sewthem themininthe thevery verymiddle, middle,and and by cutting circles and petals, and burning the edges adorn with beads, pearls, crystals, ororbuttons. adorn with beads, pearls, crystals, buttons. withsew asew lighter.

Sew them in thedone. very Hand totothe and Hand theloop, loop, andyou’re you’re done.middle, and adorn with beads, pearls, crystals, orfor buttons.

For the necklace, proceed as you For the necklace, proceed as youdid did forthe the scarves, but length shorter Hand sew tomake thethe loop, and you’re done.—— scarves, butmake theyarn yarn length shorter approximately ⅛⅛yards approximately yardswith with1215 1215 passages.

For the necklace, proceed as passages. you did for the Make the loop as previously described for Make the loop as previously described forthe the— scarves, but make the yarn length shorter scarves at one end, and a huge knot at the other, scarves at one end, and awith huge1215 knot atpassages. the other, approximately ⅛ yards keeping all the wool yarns together.

Add buttons, keeping all the wool yarns together.

Add buttons, Make the loop as previously described for the glass beads, crystals, and a silk rosette fi nished glass beads, crystals, and a silk rosette fi nished scarves at one end, and a huge knot at the other, offoffwith witha abutton. button.

GreenCraft is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

keeping all the wool yarns together. Add buttons, glass beads, crystals, and a silk rosette finished off with a button.

Monica Sabolla Gruppo welcomes visitors toto her blog, Monica Sabolla Gruppo welcomes visitors her blog,

the-white-bench.blogspot.com, and welcomes e-mails atat the-white-bench.blogspot.com, and welcomes e-mails monica@thewhitebench.com. monica@thewhitebench.com.

Monica Sabolla Gruppo welcomes visitors to her blog, the-white-bench.blogspot.com, and welcomes e-mails at

www.stampington.com 8787 Spring Spring2011 2011 •• GreenCraft GreenCraft

265

Artwork by Lori Brofsky

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Fresh Footed

BY JANE PIERCE

When Jane Pierce was looking for a way to make shoes smell nicer, she immediately turned to old T-shirts for material, and created lovely shoe pillows ďŹ lled with lavender and cedar.

This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2011 issue of GreenCraft Magazine.

www.stampington.com

267

es, a new idea comes from a Sometimes, d sometimes I think it comes need, and er space, or as I like to say, “The from outer Universe.”” When you visit my u can leave your house, you shoes at the door. It wasn’t at way, but for a few always that w it’s been helping with years now floor the new fl oor covering. One of the thingss I am always considering king to come up with a new when looking product iss “need” or “want.” I also like er “functional” versus “dust to consider g.” I have learned through collecting.” ollecting, decorating, and my own collecting, penchant for “must haves” that they es lose their luster when sometimes time sets in, or they fall into the as I thinking?” category.

“What was

s h o e s g alore Shoes — they are all over my house. Yess I know, you say we all have shoes, es, but I am not a shoe horse (where here did that saying ng come from anyway?). way?). My shoes are all flats, they are not fancy shmancy — they are practical, cal, safe, comfortable, ble, and in every room. m. At my front door, r, I leave my shoes because cause I do not walk on the carpeting ting with outdoor shoes. I do, however, have comfy fy beach-type slipper shoes that I wear throughout the day in the house. If I slip a pair off in a room, there’s another pair under the couch, the table, and the sewing machine — it’s a dilemma I’m working on. Every room … shoes.

s ho e pillo w o d o r a b so rb e r s Not everyone is comfortable removing their shoes, and it got me thinking that a not-too-attractive scent lingering in their shoes might be the culprit.

Enter: a functional product made from T-shirt material that slips in shoes and absorbs that lingering odor. A fun design allows you to give them as a gift, and not seem offensive by handing 26830

GreenCraft • www.stampington.com • Volume 2

over an odor-absorbing product (with no chemical solutions) that may be needed but not received with a smile. But, these are so fun to look at and even to guess what they are in their pillow form. Using T-shirt material from the hems of the T-shirts and sleeves, I have upcycled the material into Shoe Pillow Odor Absorbers. They are tried and true. The more you use them, the better they work.

There are two pouches made to fit inside each shoe pillow. I use organic lavender filled in a small heel pouch and natural cedar shavings filled in a larger-sized top pillow. Cedar shavings are a natural odor absorber; they have a fresh, woody scent with little to no dust residue. That makes them easy to work with.

The tops of the pillows can be hand stenciled with footprints. I often find fonts, feet, or pictures of shoes on T-shirts that I can cut out and sew on the pillow before inserting the natural stuffing. All of my T-shirt materials come from an endless supply made available at local thrift shops. I’ve traveled near and far and haven’t found a community that doesn’t have an abundance of T-shirts just itching to be renewed into a viable eco-friendly item.

They are functional and fun, and using or giving a shoe pillow says, “Hey you (you representing the gift recipient), isn’t this creative? Want to try it out in your shoes?” This way, you never have to say “you need these,” you’re just sharing a creative foot pillow with a funky foot on it that rocks big time and makes a difference!

Creating a usable product and helping to make a difference is going green in a good way.

To learn arn more about Jane Pierce and her artwork, ork, visit zjayne.com. She welcomes e-mails ails at zjayne@gmail.com.

GreenCraft is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

Spring 2011 • GreenCraft

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ffrfray ay eedd ray flower flower flowersss FROM FABRIC SCRAPS FROM FABRIC SCRAPS FROM FABRIC SCRAPS

BY MAIZE HUTTON MAIZE HUTTON

BY BY MAIZE HUTTON

With scraps taken from other crafting projects and old W i t h s c r a p s t a k e nmf r oo tmh eort hcerra fctrianfgt i npgr opj reocj tesc tas nadn do l odl d cW l oitthhe ss ,c rMaapisz et aHkuet tno nf r o created beautiful frayed flower pins, h easi ,z eM aHi u z et t o H nu t ct or e n c r e a t e d b et ai fuutli f furla fyready efdl ofw l o wr epr i pnisn,s , c l o tpheecr sfl eo, ct M t f o r a d d i n g t o a sawteeadt ebreoaru a handbag. With e this p e r f e c t f o r a d d i n g t o a s w e a t e r o r a h a n d b a g .

W b ua rg .s cWr ai tphist ht— hti hsai s s tpeepr-fbeyc- st t feopr taudt odri inagl , tyoo ua’l sl w wea an tt etro osra vae haal n l dy o s t e p - b y - s t e p t u t o r i a l , y o u ’l l w a n t t o s a v e a l l y o u r s c r a p s — a s t e p - b y - s t feupn tnuetwo rai ac lc,e ys os u t steor st ha av e o r’lyl iw s acnl o n yaol lu ytoh ui nr k s. c r a p s — a fun new accessor y is closer than you think.

fun new accessor y is closer than you think.

I’ve always loved stitching and working with always loved and working a needleI’ve and thread and stitching started sewing and with I’ve always loved stitching and working with a needle and thread and started sewing and creating things in the 4th grade. My first a needle and thread and started sewing and things in of thewhite 4th grade.

My first project creating in 4-H was a pair bell-bottom creating things in the 4th grade.

My first project in 4-H was a pair of white pants with turquoise ball fringe. In juniorbell-bottom project inup 4-H a pair of white bell-bottom pants with turquoise ball fringe.

In junior high, I cut mywas jeans and refashioned high, I cut up my jeans and refashioned pantsinto with turquoise ball fringe. junior them a skirt and a handbag.

I’mIn always them into a skirt and a handbag.

I’m always high, I cut up my jeans and refashioned determining how I can reuse items before determining how I can reuse items before them into a skirt and a handbag.

I’m always recycling or throwing them in the trash.

It’s a recycling or throwing them in the trash. determining how before habit I developed at Ia can veryreuse youngitems age. Even all It’s a habit I developed at a very young age.

Even ofrecycling my displays and signage for in mythe store have It’s or throwing them trash. a all of my displays and signagewood for my store have been from and habitconstructed I developed at areclaimed very young age.

Even all been constructed from reclaimed wood and discarded material found in dumpsters. of my displays and signage for my store have material found in dumpsters.

On constructed adiscarded recent trip to Japan in 2007, I became been from reclaimed wood and On a recent trip to Japan in 2007, I became inspired by the wide array of cute fabrics and discarded material found in dumpsters. inspiredofby the the wideJapanese array of call cute“Zakka,” fabrics and the simplicity what Onthe a recent tripoftowhat Japan inJapanese 2007, I became simplicity the which means the art of seeing the savvy in call “Zakka,” inspired by the wide array cute fabrics and which means the art ofof seeing thetosavvy in ordinary or mundane things, and refers the simplicity of what the Japanese call “Zakka,” ordinary or mundane things, and refers to anything that can improve your home, life, or which means the art ofimprove seeingisthe inlife, or that can yoursavvy home, outlook.anything In Japan, presentation everything. ordinary or mundane things, and refers to outlook.

In Japan, presentation is everything.

I like quick and easy projects and my Frayed like quick and easyyour projects andlife, myor Frayed anything can home, Flowers areIthat some of improve my most popular.

One of Flowers are some of my most popular.

One of outlook.

In Japan, presentation is everything. these flowers can be used to decorate anything these fland owers can used to and decorate anything like quick and easybeprojects my Frayed fromI clothing handbags to even ordinary from clothing and handbags to even ordinary Flowers are some ofdon’t my most One of household items.

You need popular. to go to the household items.

You don’t need to go to the fabric to purchase material to make anything this thesestore flowers can be used to decorate fabric store to purchase material to make flfrom ower. clothing Instead, use scrap ofto fabric even this andany handbags evenand ordinary flower.

Instead, useofany scrap of fabric and even cut up an olditems. shirt orYou pair pants. household don’t need to go to the cut up an old shirt or pair of pants.

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fabric store to purchase material to make this flower. Instead, use any scrap of fabric and even cut up an old shirt or pair of pants.

This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2010 issue of GreenCraft Magazine.

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tools & m aterials • Button • Fabric: scraps, preferably a material that frays easily, like linen • Needle & thread • Pin back or safety pin • Scissors

TE CHNIQUE Depending upon how big and thick you want your flower, cut a strip of the fabric. Mine is 1" x 44". If you want your flower smaller, don’t cut it as long or as wide. Fold over one end and secure it with a stitch. Flip your fabric strip over and start a running stitch along the bottom.

When you’ve reached the end of your strip, pull the thread so the fabric bunches up. Start to shape the fabric into a flower by pulling it into a circle. Secure all the layers by stitching through each and securing on the back. Next, stitch the button in the center. After the button is secure, stitch on your pin back or safety pin.

Now you have your very own super easy frayed flower pin. Experiment with the look by adding dangling pieces of lace, fabric, beads, chain, or ribbon.

Maize grew up with the mindset of reusing and recycling. One year her family recycled enough aluminum cans to take their entire family of five on a trip to Hawaii. Maize developed a jewelry product called Mommy Tags, and her business is dedicated to using recycled materials. She owns a working studio and store in historic uptown Butte, Montana,

GreenCraft is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

where she sells her recycled silver jewelry creations and handmade creations. View more of her work at maizehutton.com, mommytags.com, or maizehutton. blogspot.com. You may contact her at maize@ maizehutton.com.

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Autumn ’12 Issue Available August 1st

Give old jars new life by decorating their insides with scraps of fabric.

uminum Transform al ltra-chic u to in can waste your hair. barrettes for

VANESSA SPENCER

Upcycle vintage linens into a brand-new, stylish creation.

KATHY JENSEN

Turn your trash into ecologically chic creations!

Finding creative uses for old items is nothing new for artists, but this popular publication takes the “green” approach one step further. In the spirit of preserving the planet, GreenCraft Magazine provides sample projects, crafty tips, techniques, and clever ideas for repurposing waste.

Only $14.99 + S&H

In this issue…

• Bring new life to dull surfaces with chalkboard paint

INGRID POMEROY

Digital Edition Available

• Make beautiful jewelry using only your spare change • Punch up your wardrobe with upcycled clothing hangers • New creative uses for old teacups

Previous Editions available for $14.99 + S&H. Digital Editions available for $9.99 each.

This issue is available on newsstands August 1st or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com/greencraft or by calling 1-877-782-6737.

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This article has been borrowed from the Spring 2011 issue of Where Women Cook.

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the confidence to pursue my dream. My father recently reminded me that at 5 years old, I announced that I was “going to cook for The Queen one day” — and I did.

At 19 I left South Africa to work in a superb hotel in the Swiss Alps for a season. I learnt everything there is to learn about a fondue, I tried hard to master Swiss German, and I brushed up on my French, but I mostly skied at every single opportunity — sunshine or blizzard! After that, I spent a magical six months eating, sleeping, and drinking food, food, and more food while I completed my diploma in Cordon Blue cuisine in Surrey, England. Knives highly sharpened, new skills fi nely honed, and enthusiasm bubbling over, I was ready to take on the world.

I spent a very happy two years cooking for Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and their three children at Kensington Palace in London. The Duke and The Queen are fi rst cousins. Everything changed after a dinner party to which The Gloucesters invited their neighbours within the palace, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Not too many weeks later, I found myself settling into my new position as chef to The Waleses, as they were affectionately known. My dream job.

My world changed. The next 11 years gave me an intriguing insight into an incredible world of fantastic food, people, and places. The “real world,” the world as I had always known it — when viewed from within the Palace walls, became the “outside world.” I looked, I saw, I tasted, I experienced, I learned, and I appreciated things that I never dreamt I would have access to.

I accompanied Their Royal Highnesses on many official Royal tours. We visited countries that some people barely even know exist — the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan, Swaziland, The Isle of Man, Guyana, and Macedonia to name but a few. We stayed in royal palaces, presidential residences, castles, and stately homes. I cooked for Kings and Queens, Heads of State, religious leaders, some of the world’s greatest academics, actors, musicians, artists, and by far the most intimidating for me — some of the greatest chefs of our time. My kitchens ranged from palatial to very small, hot and rocky, and the galley on HMY Britannia (The Royal Yacht!). I remember cooking in my coat and scarf in a sub-zero “kitchen” with no running water in a beautiful corner of Bhutan, and setting myself up with my knives and a makeshift chopping board in a large broom cupboard in a Swaziland hotel.

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Life behind the green baize door was not glamorous, though it may sound that way, but it wove a very rich tapestry from which I will draw happy fond memories for the rest of my life. The job was exciting, highly pressured, unpredictable, challenging, and very hard work, but as an energetic 23 year old, I relished every aspect of it.

Prince Charles is a man who loves his food, and a chef couldn’t ask for a better mouth to feed. I cooked with exquisite organic produce from the kitchen garden at Highgrove, their country residence. His handwritten notes of appreciation (sometimes not more than a couple of words scribbled on a tiny scrap of paper) in the middle of a meal, “A triumph,” “Wonderful soufflé,” or “Let’s have this again,” served as a real catalyst for me to keep striving for greater perfection.

Princess Diana at home was every bit as beautiful, vivacious, and caring as the public persona of Diana.

She loved simple food and was always immensely appreciative. When I joined the household, William and Harry were 7 and 4 years old, respectively. They enjoyed traditional English nursery food: Shepherds pie, sausages and mash, roast chicken and roast potatoes, blackberry and apple crumble, golden syrup sponge, and homemade ice cream with chocolate sauce (for a treat), to name but a few favorites from the junior royal menu. As they grew up, their tastes very quickly broadened.

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3 egg whites at room temperature 3 oz. super-fine sugar 3 oz. brown sugar A few drops of pure vanilla extract 8 oz. mixed berries (I use strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries) ½ cup raspberry puree or sauce 1 cup heavy cream ½ cup mascarpone Handful of very finely chopped fresh mint leaves A few extra mint leaves for garnish Confectioner’s sugar for dusting 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking parchment.

3. Make the meringues: In a dry clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak stage — they should be glossy and stand in firm peaks.

4. Gradually add all the sugar, whisking continuously.

Continue for about 5 minutes until the mixture is very thick and stands up on its own. Add the vanilla extract.

5. Using two spoons, place the meringue mixture onto the baking tray in small mounds, or if you have a piping bag, use a medium nozzle and pipe small meringues.

6. Bake for 1–1½ hours. When cooked, they will be firm and crisp, and will easily lift off the baking parchment. Check them after 1 hour, and cook for longer if required. When cooked, turn off the oven but leave meringues in to dry out further.

7. Wash, dry, and prepare all the berry fruits.

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8. Whip the cream until thick, and then stir in the mascarpone, sugar, and chopped mint.

9. Assemble the dessert either in one large bowl or in four individual sundae glasses. Layer up the fruit and the cream alternately with the meringues and a drizzle of the raspberry puree, finishing with cream and then fruit.

10. Garnish with mint leaves, and complete the dish with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar just before serving.

Where Women Cook is available on newsstands or directly from Stampington & Company at www.stampington.com or 1-877-782-6737.

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Embrace the heart and soul of cooking with

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Since 1994, Stampington & Company of Laguna Hills, California, has been a leading source of information and inspiration for arts and crafts lovers around the world.

Launched with a small line of rubber stamps by President and Publisher Kellene Giloff, the company has since expanded to include more than 1,500 stamp images and best-selling publications, including The Stampers’ Sampler, Somerset Studio, Belle Armoire, Somerset Memories, (formerly Legacy), Art Doll Quarterly, and Take Ten. Known for their stunning full-color photography and step-by-step instructions, Stampington & Company’s publications provide a forum for both professional artists and hobbyists to share their beautiful handmade creations with one another.

Since its 1997 debut, Somerset Studio has become the flagship publication within the art and crafting industry. This bimonthly magazine attracts a large and devoted following of readers seeking the latest innovations in the art of paper and mixed media.

The Stampers’ Sampler is a quarterly publication filled with hand-stamped artwork contributed by readers and accompanied by detailed instructions.

Belle Armoire is a semiannual publication that features fabric arts, handmade garments, creative jewelry, and accessories. Belle Armoire has become known for showcasing the very best handmade wearable art.

Art Doll Quarterly is a unique full-color publication devoted to the art of making creative dolls and sculptural figures out of cloth, clay, an assortment of embellishments such as beads and found objects, and mixed-media materials.

Take Ten, sister publication to The Stampers’ Sampler, was launched as a special publication but quickly proved to be so successful that it is now available on a quarterly basis. It features rubber stamped cards that can be made quickly — in most cases, under 10 minutes.

Stuffed: The Crafting of Softies was launched in 2009 as a special publication, and highlights the wonder and personality of stuffed creations. Somerset Apprentice was also launched in 2009, as a semiannual publication to help those who desire to be Somerset artists; with detailed instructions and close-up photographs, readers can learn the tips and techniques of the pros.

Art Journaling, now available quarterly, features exquisite work in journals.

GreenCraft Magazine was launched as a semiannual publication to honor and inspire those who find artistic, functional and ecologically chic applications for normally discarded resources.

Publications launched in 2010 include Prims, a semiannual publication showcasing the rustic elegance of primitive, folk, historic, or early Americana style artwork, and Jewelry Affaire, a quarterly publication devoted to sophisticated and attractive jewelry that is both easily and artfully made.

Mingle was launched in 2011, a publication that shares artful gatherings, from intimate get-togethers to exciting retreats.

Additional titles that were launched as special publications but are now available on a quarterly basis include Altered Couture, Somerset Life, Belle Armoire Jewelry, Where Women Create, Where Women Cook, and Artful Blogging.

Annual and semiannual publications that continue to be published regularly include Haute Handbags, Somerset Workshop, Somerset Studio Gallery, Sew Somerset, Catch Up Issue, Handcrafted, Somerset Home, Somerset Holidays & Celebrations, Artists’ Café, apron•ology, Somerset Digital Studio, Somerset Memories, and Art Quilting Studio.

Past special publications include Beyond Paper Dolls, True Colors, Transparent Art, Signatures, Material Visions, Artist Trading Cards: An Anthology of ATCs, Return to Asia, Art Doll Chronicles, Art Journal Calendars, Salon, Stampington Inspirations, Legacy, Somerset Weddings, Marie Antoinette, and Somerset in Love.

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