Q & A and 6 WINNERS!

my plan for today was to include a stencil or SiSi tutorial…

but I had this idea…and I HAD to try it…

which lead to several other experiments…
which explains why there's no tutorial today…

I simply got carried away!

but I did discover that my original idea will work…
I just had to figure out the key ingredients…
shhhhh…don't tell anyone…
BUT it's a new way to use my archival inks…

this will be a tutorial very soon...

so today...

I thought I'd answer some recent questions…

#1…is the vintage floral stencil the same size as the stamp in your heirloom stamp set?

no…I made the stencil larger…I wanted to be able to mix & match the flower with other stencils/stamps…

making the stencil larger also made it a bit easier to cut out the pieces (especially those little leaves) & it fits large art journal pages better…
yes...it still fits card fronts too…

I also wanted it larger to make the holes for the little dots larger, so we could add ink thru the stencil…
when the stencil was the same size as the stamp, those little dot holes were just too small...

but…it you have the stamp, you can stamp the flower on a scrap, cut it out & layer it over the vintage floral stencil flower…
that's easy & really fun!

#2…do you start designing immediately again after CHA or do you get a well deserved break?

don't feel sorry for me! I LOVE my job!

we did have some new product discussions yesterday…these things take time, so we start early!

right now I'm working on my teaching schedule & my demo schedule for Ted at conventions & for Ranger…

I've been in contact with store owners to choose dates & to decide classes…
and after that comes scheduling flights…

I should have at least the start of my teaching schedule up here on the right sidebar in about 2 weeks…(I hope)

at the beginning of the year I also work on new classes and this year I am refreshing my Ranger class to include new products and new favorite techniques…

this year I'm planning to teach a 2 full day large art journal class, where we'll spend the weekend making the cover from my new art parts & then we'll fill the journal with technique pages…
I'm super excited about this…
come spend the weekend with me!

the 2 full days will allow us enough time for everyone to leave with a really cool multipage mixed media art journal...

I also want to revamp my studio & change things around a bit…

and then there's always a house project idea brewing…
mum's the word…I haven't told U_KNOW WHO yet…
surprises are good!

#3…are you planning stamp giveaways like you have done in the past? did I miss them?

YOU BET I AM! I just got the email today from Stampers Anonymous that they are shipping some prizes…stay tuned!
I'll give some away here & some on my FACEBOOK page too...

#4…I just discovered your/Tim's blog. would you recommend a beginner starting with a blending tool or the new round one?

you'll really need & LIKE both & here's why…

I will always use the original rectangle for large backgrounds…
it's much larger, so your background will get inked much quicker...

the new mini is perfect for stenciling or for adding shading to the edges of your art…

the small size will also make specific shading in areas much easier...

so…each is important & has a use…

#5…how are you adding a hole to your stencils for your stencil binder…do the new stencils have a hole?

the crop a dile is what I use. it works like magic…
paper punches are not strong enough to go thru the stencil material easily…

no, the new stencils do not have a hole in the corner…

#6…the mini distress pads are so cute. please tell ranger we want them all…

haha! it's already in the works…

there will be 3 sets released every 2 months…so it doesn't break the art budget…

I agree…they are super CUTE!

#7…would you explain your SiSi? I think I understand, but then I'm not sure I understand all of the idea…

you bet I will…that will be a tutorial in the very near future…
please stay tuned!

#8... when are new things shipping?

YIKES! I HATE this question…because I can't give you an exact answer…

Ted has 9 lasers working 16 hours a day, 7 days a week cutting stencils & art parts…

the factory is BOOMING & the staff is working overtime...

they had a good supply done before CHA…
but the exact date depends on when your store placed their order…
first ordered gets shipped first…

BUT...the new crackled texture paste should be restocked any day…YIPPEE!

as for stamps, that too depends on the order date…

the last I heard,  my 6 new Ranger archival inks will ship early February…
so no long wait there…AWESOME!

I'll keep you posted as I hear more details...

#9…what happens to your CHA samples at the end of the show?
can stores purchase them? 

well…I have NONE here!

the samples I made for Ranger stay with Ranger & get taken to events…

the samples I made for the Stampers Anonymous booth, travel to all the conventions with Ted…so you just may see them at a stamp convention near you…

so that's why they are not for sale to store owners...

YIKES…that reminds me…
I better add to my TO*DO list…
make more samples!

#10 what ONE product (from any company) did you see at CHA that got your attention?

believe it or not…I didn't walk around at all…
I know it's hard to believe…
I came home & checked out the internet to see what was there…

our demo schedule is hectic & there were just a few minutes each day to spare…

BUT…the one MUST HAVE, in my opinion, is tim's new distress marker spritzer…
if you like stencils, this opens the door to so much fun…

those little puffs of air are pure magic…
trust me…the spritzer is a MUST HAVE!

I especially LOVE that it can be used with many brands/types of markers...

#10…will your reinker technique work on glossy paper?
it kind of sort of works OK, but…
because you use so much fluid, the fluid does soak thru the paper…and if you get carried away, you will warp & ruin the paper...

I really like the specialty stamping paper the best, because the magic coating on the paper prevents any seep thru to the back…
which means…if you're doing an art journal page, the back can be used without trying to cover up an ugly mess something that soaked thru…

use it once & you'll be hooked! trust me!

#11…can your crackled texture paste be coloured with reinkers like the others?
YES! you can use just one drop of the archival or distress reinkers to change the color of the crackled texture paste, before applying it to your surface…remember that reinkers are very concentrated, so one drop goes a long way!

any more questions? did I miss any?

since I don't have a tutorial…
I thought I'd show you some different ways to use the large vintage doily stamp…

you can use the whole background stamp, like I did on the back of this art journal cover…
I covered the art parts covers with specialty stamping paper &
I used forget-me-not archival for the doily…
carnation red for the daisy SiSi, leaf green for the leaves, watering can to stencil the stripes & add a stencil & jet black archival for my words/sentiment & the cute mini bird...

on the tag below I used the same background stamp 2 ways…

it's stamped directly onto the bottom of the tag…

with tree branch archival...

to create a tag topper, I stamped the vintage doily with tree branch archival onto a manila scrap, added it to the top of the tag, but didn't glue it flat & then trimmed off the excess...

                                    

use it whole or use just pieces of the stamp…

once again…anything that can be used more than one way makes me very HAPPY…

Ok…on to the winners…

these 3 lucky people have won a seat in the online STENCILED class…

huge CONGRATS…

#1 is…

 Buttons said…

It's just a little cruel to make us choose, but if pushed to the edge of a cliff I'd have to take 'add a stencil' and 'vintage floral' with me. And then you go use them on a gorgeous tag!! I NEED both - simples. Thanks for this amazing chance to win. Jenny x

January 20, 2014 at 10:40 AM

 

#2 is...

 karen barker said...

Love love love your new CHA products. Totally love the little bits and vintage floral stencils along with the basket weave stamp. Please pick me for your online class. I'm also going to give your alcohol rub and re-inkers tutorial a try. Keep up the amazing work

January 21, 2014 at 9:22 AM

 

#3 is…

 Sisters Country Rustics said...

Your stencils combine so beautifully but to choose one only I think I would pick the vintage floral...LOVE your work! Thanks :)

January 20, 2014 at 2:19 PM

 

and we have a jar of the new crackled texture paste for these 3 winners…

#1... SusanK said...

Would love to win some class time using stencils! Your pastes make them even more versatile. Loving the checkerboard pattern...it could be done on the diagonal which I can't wait to try!

January 20, 2014 at 11:17 AM

 

#2... Claire said...

I'm loving stencils at the moment - they are so cool! My fav from your new releases has to be the sunburst - it's fab!! Thanks for the chance to win some yummy goodies! Love Claire x

January 20, 2014 at 2:36 PM

 

#3 is...

 Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

I agree Wendy stencils are so so versatile! I love using them on most of my creative pieces. Combine the stencils with your awesome crackle paste and you have a combination made I heaven . Imlove texture , I love layers , and I love your art. Imlove all the stencils, cannot just pick one lol. Enjoy your day. Tracy x

January 20, 2014 at 9:14 AM

 

please send me an email with your shipping info, if you are a

 paste winner & I'll need your email if you won a seat in the 

class…I will pass that on so you can signed up...

that's it for today!

I'm off to the studio to

make art!

wendy

ps…the Stenciled class starts Friday & the events for each 

day look great…

you can check it out here...