Make Today Count at Simon Says Stamp

Hi everyone!

I am blogging over at Simon Says Stamp today.  

Hope you will stop by for a visit 

to see what I did...click here and it will take you right over!

Have a great weekend!
carry on,
paula

2015 Ranger Challenge

Back in December, I was asked to participate in the CHA Ranger Designer Challenge.  This year the task was to use Dina Wakley's Media line to create whatever we wanted on a canvas base. I had to think a while about this one.  I'm not a painter but I love the thick heavy body paint, so I just decided to get over myself and try.

After a Gesso base was painted on (and dried), I added ripped pieces of vintage wallpaper and pages from a vintage school book with Gel Medium.

Once the papers were secure, I started adding layers of Dina's heavy body paint (sky, turquoise, lime, and magenta) to the canvas.   Like I stated previously, the paint is thick and smooth.  It is super easy to manipulate with a brush or wet wipe.  I think my biggest challenge was knowing how much to squeeze out of the tube...sometimes I got it right and other times I had way too much.  I think it is just a matter of practice really.

Funny story before I go on...I decided I really wanted a small touch of yellow (lemon).  I did not get that color in my box, so I went to my local craft store and purchased a tube of Lemon.  I get it to the check out counter and the cashier does not know the price - so with a nice long line behind me, she says into the microphone, "PRICE CHECK ON BODY PAINT".   I quickly stated that it is found in the art section and it's acrylic paint...and not edible the last time I checked.  

Once I had a basic painted background, I used a pencil to sketch some flowers, stems and leaves over the surface, then colored in what I had sketched.  You might notice I added painted Sticky Back Canvas in a few places just to give the canvas more texture and interest.
The last step was to add some stamped images (circles) and the written words, love you.  I used Archival ink in Aquamarine for the stamping, so that it was waterproof.

Once the background was complete, I added another page from the primer book as the focal point.  The old ripped paper seen below the blue chip stamps was sitting on my desk from another project - it came from a vintage cigar box. 
The blue chip stamps are a favorite of mine to find on junking trips (they were a big deal in my house growing up- it was my job to paste the stamps into the book!)  The baby fork is just something I had in my stash and the photo of the woman is from the new idea-ology Photobooth pack.  

There was a wonderful moment of serendipity while I was putting this together.  I needed to get the entire page, Read and Write from the school book so I opened it as far as I could, which revealed the fabric tape that had been used to bind the book.  Low and behold the owner of the book had written their name on the fabric tape.  I was so excited to see that.  It was really too good to pass up so I carefully removed it from the binding and added it to the canvas.  It is laying on the canvas just as it was in the book, with one end rolled back.  Now it was complete.

If you have not seen the other designer challenge pieces, you can view them here on Rangers blog.  Mine kinda sticks out like a sore thumb in the group but I'm okay with that.  I did what speaks to me and that is good enough. 
now carry on,
paula

InLinkz.com

Sizzix and Stampers Anonymous

Today's post is all about Sizzix and Stampers Anonymous.  First up is Sizzix!  Tim had a brand new demo table to work on, so we needed a great backdrop for it.  As you can imagine, it started out with just a big wood wall...so we brought a few props...lol.

I think we used every show prop we have and then some (some from my house, some from his...)  It turned out wonderful.  It was the best the "demo table" area has ever looked! 

The samples were beautiful! Even though there were multiple designers - Mou, Audrey, Tammy, Richele, Aida and Jan...the colors all worked really well together and made for a beautiful display.

 

Tammy Tutterow-  Tammy created a few samples for the booth, one of which was the darling Burlap Panel showcasing the new the Bird Silhouette Bigz die.  The words are from the Handwritten series of Thinlit dies.  There is so much detail to Tammy's work, including layers of Remnant Rubs, Ephemera and handmade flowers that really make this an extraordinary piece.

Aida Haron -Aida created two canvas panels using a combination of old and new dies.  The orange harlequin background is part of a new Thinlit set called, Mixed Media and the feathers are from the new Bigz/texture fade combo called, Feather Duo.  Be sure to click on the picture to see Aida's canvas larger because it was stunning in person.

 Audrey Pettit - Audrey made a lot of fantastic cards for our Sizzix booth, one of which was this coffee lovers card using the super popular, "Fresh Brewed" Bigz die.  I love the coloring she got on the cup on the right and the use of the corrugated paper that comes in the new idea-ology Texture Pack.  What a fun to card (Audrey has up close pictures of this card on her blog, just click here)

 

Richele Christensen - Richele created these cards using the new Globe and United States dies.   I love the layering of words on the Adventure card.  You might notice that the word Adventure is cut from cork (another surface in the Texture Pack)!  The USA card is super cool with red string that runs from coast to coast.  Clever!

 I love this group of projects by Mou Saha and Audrey Pettit that showcase more new travel dies; Mini Airplane and Clouds, Postage Dots and Adventure Words (as well as that fantastic globe again).  Loving the spring like colors Mou and Audrey used to create these!

Mou Saha - Throughout this review of projects you have probably noticed the large tags that were created by Mou Saha.  Every single time I have worked with Mou over the past 5 years or so, I am always blown away by something she creates.  Last year it was a series of Burlap panels using Found Relatives.  This time it was this series of #12 tags.  The pictures here do not do them justice.  I don't know how she does it, but know I love it.  

STAMPERS ANONYMOUS

Chelle Fowler - The majority of our Stampers Anonymous cards were made by the lovely Chelle Fowler.  Chelle's coloring with Distress Markers and use of the stamps for layering is just stunning.  I'm sharing my favorite card just because I love the bright pink flowers so much.  She also used the Dots and Floral background stamps (on the teacups) that will be released mid February.  You can see more of Chelle's CHA cards on her blog, just click here.

 Another of my favorite cards from Chelle!  The stamp set is called Bird Crazy.  Super cute!

Bobbi Smith - I loved this card by Bobbi that has the most perfect blue butterfly in the center.  This is from a set called Perspective, that is out now.  The background is Mesh and Linen, that stamp set ships in February.

Well that is my favorite picks from the Sizzix and Stampers Anonymous.  I hope you had a great time pin pointing some things that might interest you.  I know I have some favorites already.  I think my Distress Markers better get ready, they are going to be getting a workout!

now carry on,

paula

Idea-ology Samples

Hi Everyone,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend (and holiday for those of us in the US).  I'm back today sharing a samples from each of the designers that contributed to the idea-ology booth (I will talk about our Sizzix and Stamper Anonymous sample designers in another post).  I picked one sample from each designer just to show you a broad view of what we had in the idea-ology booth.  Prepare to be inspired!

Jan Hobbins - I love the way Jan can layer product on a 12 x 12 layout.  She easily mixes idea-ology paper, ephemera and trinkets, uses a Stamper Anonymous Layering Stencil for texture and can still fit in die cuts from Tim's Sizzix line.  What I like about Jan's work is that she always surprises me with what she comes up with...it's never the same and never ordinary!

Karen Knight- Karen comes to us by way of Australia!  We loved Karen's tag collages so much that we asked her to add them to a Collection Folio.  You can see that she cut the spine so that it fits along the top of the folio and the pages flip up.  You know you want to see more of this one, right?  Lets hope she shares the rest on her blog.

Cheiron Brandon -  Cheiron created this great 6 x 8" Configurations box for the Correspondence side of the booth, using the new Trophy Cup, Foundry Frame (can't wait for those to come in) and vintage flair buttons.  Cheiron did a great job pulling everything together to create a military spin using a basic Configurations box. 

Vicki Boutin - Dear sweet Vicki...we have worked together many times over the years and she never ceases to amaze me...seriously, what comes out of that brain of hers!  Using an idea-ology Elastic to hold the Trophy Cup in place on the front of the Flip Frame mini book is genius.  I think she is going to be teaching this as a class this year so be on the lookout for that!

Cathie Parreco - Cathie is someone I have followed for a a while now.  Her work with tags is amazing and I always learned something from techniques she uses.  I asked Cathie to go outside her comfort zone (just a bit) and create in 3-D for the booth.  She did not disappoint.  This piece is quite amazing...I have never seen anyone who can cut paper so very delicately.  We had many a discussion in the booth starting with, "how do you think she did it?".  Again, I hope Cathie will show some of her up close work on her blog, just so you can get the full beauty of the many layers of this piece.

Yvonne Blair - Yvonne created this Assemblage Clock with a great coppery patina finish.  She used a picture of her grandfather from his first year in the Coast Guard as her inspiration.  What a great way to showcase such a special memory.  The new Typed Tokens are a new favorite - simple typed words on a lightweight coin (really, the most perfect size).  I found myself using them over and over again in recent projects.

Richele Christensen - My dear friend Richele made so many samples across our 4 booths that it was hard to even pick which one to show here.  I chose this 5 x 5" Configurations box because the use of vintage mixed with idea-ology just makes me happy.  The Pulley Wheels are a favorite (seriously, more things should have wheels!) as well as the Mini Lantern (always a lantern).  Thank you Richele for saying yes to every single thing we asked of you!

Tammy Tutterow - Tammy created some great pieces for the idea-ology booth.  Love when Tammy gets one of her crazy ideas - this time it involved hinging two burlap panels together to create a layered mixed media piece.  From the tiny flowers to the quilted heart, it's classic Tammy.  And I love that.

Aida Haron - Many of you may be familiar with Aida's work, which is layered and super creative.  We asked Aida to work with a Large Collection Folio which she did, creating this fun journal for a 2015 adventure.  Don't you love the man (from one of the Ephemera Packs) peeking out from the Sizzix die cut window? Love the way Aida can layer everything and make it come together seamlessly.
We'll see more of Aida's work when I blog about the Sizzix booth on Friday.

Cathe Holden - We asked Cathe to create a special vintage piece just for us.   Cathe married old and new, bringing together a vintage frame and book, with pieces from the new idea-ology release.  We love it.  Cathe has even posted on her blog, "Just Something I Made" how she created this piece, right down to how she put together faux pocket-frame daguerreotype, using of all things... foam core!  Never would have guessed it!  Just click on her blog name and the link will take you right on over to check it out!

Andrea Ockey Parr - Andrea created this medium Collection Folio using many of our classic papers.  From there she switched it up by adding her signature color scheme.  You may notice that the spine of the folio is only attached by a Swivel Clasp at the top.  Super fun, totally different and unique...just what we were looking for from Andrea!  If you are up for more of Andrea's bright colored art, pop by her blog to see what she's done with Tim's Assembly Snowman die (let's just say, it's not a snowman anymore).

Wanda Guess - Wanda created some fun cards using classic idea-ology product, mixed with a bit of new, like "Photobooth".  These super fun strips come in a pack of 30.  There are 3 photos on each strip, so you get 90 distinct photos per package (and I should mention that they are only $3.99 per pack).  I'm glad Wanda showcased one such photo here, so you can see how easy it is to add to a card along with some ephemera and Wallflower Velum.

Mona Pendleton - Mona created a couple projects for us, one of which was this stunning large Collection Folio.  She based the folio around a trip to Venice, adding in lots of the new Correspondence papers and Pocket Cards.  I have added two photos here just so you could see some of the layers.  Super fun and a great way to document a trip.  This is one of those projects you just want to turn the pages!!

Wendy Vecchi - I have to give a shout out to our friend Wendy.  She created a few pieces for the booth, just because she wanted to.  This was my favorite, using the new Deco Sheets mounted on Clearly for Art, so the flowers could be molded and appear lifelike.  One of my favorite samples using Deco Sheets.  Stunning in it's simplicity.  Please click on the picture so you can see it larger!

And lastly, I'll share my favorite piece.  The new Clip Carousel was the foundation - two tiers, a metal base and a split ring at the top.  Found Relatives were my inspiration and then I just added a bunch of junk.  Pretty darn fun to make, when anything and everything is on the table.  I will write a separate blog post about this piece and show you some close ups, but for today, it's here as my choice for my favorite sample I made.

Well, that's it for today.  Like I said at the top of today's post...total inspiration in the idea-ology booth.  We don't take our jobs lightly...when we say we want to inspire shop owners with our products, our booth and our samples...we mean it.  It takes work and dedication from many people, starting right at the top with Tim.  Absolutely the most inspiring person I have ever worked with.  I'm glad to be on board...because this train shows no sign of stopping.  #lovemyjob

Don't forget, I will be back at the end of the week with the designers that did work for us using Sizzix and Stampers Anonymous product.  You won't want to miss that!

now carry on,
paula