now about that peek...***updated***

phew...

FINALLY Blogger is allowing photo uploading...

to thank you for your patience...

I made this peek larger than I planned...

this should keep you busy for a bit...

there are new studio 490 stamps & art parts too...

I *hope* you're liking what you see...

I am having a flipping' blast with this new release...

back to it...

gotta...

make art (LOTS of art)

wendy

ps...for the questions about white art parts in a previous post...

NOPE...

as usual...

they were covered with Ranger's snow cap white pigment ink...

YES...it IS really that white...

even over kraft colored art parts...

that explains why I LOVE it so much!

*****EDIT*****

stop the press!

NO...those are NOT art part alphabets...

or punctuations...

they are tim's alpha parts...

here's a peek...

to start the week!

this is one of the projects featured in book #5...

there is LOTS of stuff here if you look closely...

let me know what it is YOU see...

I've had quite a few questions about Clearly For Art the last few days...

so...

I hunted down this video that was filmed by the Simon Says gals @ CHA & I think it pretty much tells the whole CFA story...

and should answer any questions you have about the products that can be used on Clearly For Art...

like...

Ranger's snow cap white pigment ink...

Tim's alcohol ink...

jet black archival...

and metallic dabbers...

ok...

talk to me while I...

make art!

wendy

pigmented & stained...

I *may* have mentioned a time or 2...

or 50...

that I LOVE tim's new distress stains...

and that we NEED the other 24 colors...

just a reminder for Justin & Alain...

anyway...

I had a little idea that I wanted to try...

I tested these 6 distress stain colors...

but it will work with all 12...

here's the *key* ingredient for this technique...

Ranger's snow cap white pigment ink...

always get the re-inker for the pad...

I like the pigments nice & juicy...

for the sample below, I inked the tag on the left with the snow cap...

I tapped the pad over the entire tag...

and covered it completely...

I DRIED it...

the pigments will air dry in about 15 or 20 minutes,

depending on the humidity...

that's a unique feature of Ranger's pigment inks...

but I'm impatient,

so I just blasted it with the heat-it tool for a few seconds...

once dry,

I used the distress stains right over the snow cap

to create a chalky like effect...

the tag on the right has the stains applied

directly to the naked manila tag...

here's the side by side comparison...

note too, that you can still add distressing to the edges with the blending tool...

I used walnut stain (pad) on the outside tag edges for this sample...

you can see that the stains on the manila tag

on the right, are transparent & vivid...

the same stain colors over the snow cap

are chalky/shabby looking...

and the stain colors are more pastel-ish...

the distress stains make this technique quick & EASY for creating large backgrounds...

just use Ranger's new manila cardstock...

it's the same great material as their tags...

now we can use the same inky techniques to make larger than tag size backgrounds...

the moral of today's post...

by using the snow cap white pigment pad with the distress stains, you have even MORE options to...

make art!

wendy

ps...another technique coming later this week...

stay tuned!

from the bottom of my heart...

THANK YOU ALL

for the hundreds of emails, comments, Twitter & Facebook birthday wishes...

YOU ALL made my heart so happy...

we had a very fun FRIGID day...

SHOPPING of course...

we braved the brutal Illinois weather...

HUGE thanks to the guy who invented cars with butt warmers...

I REALLY love you...

seriously LOVE YOU...

as we were driving, Rick asked what was going on with all the dinging from the IPad...

well it was message after message...

and then more messages...

WOW!!!

THANK YOU AGAIN!

and speaking of hearts...

here's a holiday gift card holder I made for my friend...

the base is grungepaper covered with Claudine's sticky back canvas...

I must admit that when this canvas first was released...

I was a little intimidated...

but now that I've used it & found out that it's not hard...

I'm REALLY enjoying it...

& now the ideas are brewing for more canvas projects...

and there are 5 sheets in the package...

so a good deal...

and...

the color washes are PERFECT for canvas...

just my opinion, but it's quick & easy...

anyway here it is...

and here's a little quick HOW TO...

I made just for you...

my blog friends...

cover a piece of grungepaper with sticky back canvas...

I used the natural again...

die cut 2 hearts...

PLAN B, if you don't have the Sizzix die...

would be to trace 2 hearts onto the grunge & cut them out...

or even 2 squares would be just fine...

2 pieces of the same size are the ingredients to start with...

mist the hearts with red pepper color wash, then mist with water & a squirt or 2 of heirloom gold Perfect Pearls Mist...

dry with the heat-it tool...

use the blending tool to add red pepper PIGMENT ink to the edges to accent them...

I frayed the edge just a tiny bit...

use the red pepper PIGMENT ink to stamp polka dots across the top of the heart...

use coffee archival to stamp the lower heart with this background...

tip...you'll also want to color the insides of the heart, because they are visible & everything should be colored for a more professional look...

hey...

how did Ranger sneak in here?

this guy thinks he's a dog...

he follows me everywhere...

this is the bathroom...

on a funny note, since he thinks he's a dog, I'm training him to come when I call...

if he DOES...

he gets a bit of COOL WHIP...

I work for stamps...

he works for Cool Whip...

we're quite the family here...

ok...back to business...

put the 2 hearts together & use the Crop-a-dile to punch holes to attach the link chain...

(this is a great tool...ask Santa to bring you one)

add eyelets in the holes...

add pen stitching detail around the heart...

it's simple to make perfectly coordinated ribbon...

just start with a piece of tim's trimmings...

moisten with water, scrunch it up, mist with red pepper color wash & a blast of heirloom gold perfect pearls mist...

dry & then randomly stamp with the text stamp , using jet black archival...

I keep it all squished/crushed up & just stamp randomly...

attach the ribbon with the tiny attacher to the front...(another tool to ask Santa for)...

then wrap around the heart & tie on the right...

add 2 rhinestone swirls (ZVA, I think?)...

add grunge holly...

I highlighted the berries with barn door distress stickles...

add an initials to personalize...

add the link chain to hang & a vintage button or 2 @ the top of the chain...

stuff with black tulle...

(JoAnn's)

note to self...

don't forget the gift card!

here's the final again...

and a closeup...

I used this tiny text on the leaves...

the die really makes it a quick project...

if you're a blog friend, you'll see that I use polka dots a lot...

I like them...

a lot...

but I DO NOT like polka dot windows...

stay warm & be merry while you...

make art!

wendy

happy holidays ATC...

first...

the back...

Ranger's brand spanking new manila ATC...

inked with stormy sky, forest moss & walnut stain distress inks...

my ATC stamp, used with coffee archival...

and the polka dots border is @ the top, stamped in jet black...

now this was different...

I had this little idea last year...

I tried it but didn't like the results...

so I trashed it...

but today...

I played & it worked!

this is an ATC I made using Claudine's sticky back canvas as a base...

I LOVE the natural...

it's precut & ready for action...

the backing is Ranger's new manila ATC...

they come in the original white too...

the tree is made from my scalloped corner stamp...

you'll need to stamp it 5 times on grungepaper with olive archival ink...

then cut out 2 full corners...

and cut the other 3 corners progressively smaller like in the photo below...

oh...

and use a scrap of grungeboard to cut the tree trunk (aka a portion of tim's alterations hardware findings die)...

ink the scallops with stormy sky on the front & ink all 5 with forest moss on the back...

then use jet black archival to stamp random backgrounds on the 5 pieces...

plan A was to have a polka dot tree...

like the original stamp ...

but plan B developed...

all by itself...

I actually liked the backs better with each layer having a different stamped background...

so...I went with plan B...

here's how to cut the scallops...

next take Claudine's sticky back ATC, remove the backing paper...

stick it to your craft sheet...

on a side note...

in the photo below you'll see that I have a small craft sheet on a clipboard...

someone cut into mine so I salvaged a section & it's actually quite handy, on a clipboard...

NEVER EVER CUT ON A CRAFT SHEET...

trust me, you won't be happy!

apply stormy sky & walnut stain distress inks right from the pad...

mist it with a bit of heirloom gold Perfect Pearls Mist and a few squirts of water from the mini mister...

I used my finger to blend the colors, then dried it with the heat-it tool...

it was too light, so I sprayed a small amount of sail boat blue color wash...

added a bit more water from the mini mister...

dried it again & I was satisfied...

it looked like this...

next...

stamp the script stamp with the gold paint dabber...

it takes just a bit of paint...

remember to clean your stamp...

then use Adirondack black pigment ink to stamp tim's row of stars @ the top & bottom of the ATC...

I lifted it off the craft sheet,

stuck it to the manila ATC, frayed the edges & then edged the ATC with the gold paint dabber...

(aka, my newest addiction)...

so now the ATC looks like this...

next, assemble the tree starting @ the bottom with the largest full corner...

the second layer is the same full corner...

then add the progressively 3 smaller layers...

form & shape the tree layers, I curved them up...

and from the side the tree looks like this...

what happened to the corners?

cool huh???

to make the tree trunk, emboss it with the woodgrain embossing folder...

ink with brushed corduroy, then ink just the raised areas with walnut stain on the blending tool...

add long fasteners to each of the holes...

tada...a unique tree trunk!

then...paint the grunge star with the gold paint dabber...

I learned @ Ranger U, that if you pounce the paint dabber it will create a cool texture...

(this only works with the metallic dabbers)

let dry...

I figured out that by rubbing the coffee archival pad over the dried texture, you can make it more vintage looking...

and coffee is the PERFECT color...

add a gingham bow to the tree trunk before gluing onto the ATC...

everything is held in place with Claudine's multi medium...

I like the matte...

the mini bottles are AWESOME & very convenient...

the word JOY is from tim's new salvage stickers, the seasonal ones...

just put them on black presentation board,

(framing dept @ HL)...

cut the individual letters, distress the edges with tim's sanding grip & add some walnut stain distress ink to the edges, with the blending tool...

add a little pen stitching around each letter...

add a grunge scrap under the O to raise it up...

then use multi medium to adhere everything to the tag...

it was fun to think out of the box...

making the tree was a blast...

especially since the idea worked...

this could easily be adapted to a card, if you aren't INTO ATC's...

it could be the main focus...

or it could even be an ornament for your tree...

it could be double sided, by adding the same 5 layers to the back of the tree...

try it...let me know how you do...

Mr. shipping & receiving said he wants to send more prize packages...

so...how about one for...

grandma m has left a new comment on your post "a color washed gift tag...":

Your tag is different and beautiful. Love it!!
PS
To my favorite artists....
Wendy and Tim ...Great minds think alike. Awesome reindeer tags, You too are geniuses when it comes to making ART.



Posted by grandma m to Studio 490 at December 6, 2010 7:45 PM

and one for...

Sherry Cheever has left a new comment on your post "a color washed gift tag...":

I absolutely LOVE this and especially the frame! TOO COOL!!!!!



Posted by Sherry Cheever to Studio 490 at December 6, 2010 8:56 PM

and another for...

rhonda said...

Simply stunning enough said!

December 6, 2010 1:27 PM

send us your shipping info @ wbv1213@me.com

and one last thing...

for those of you looking for Clearly for Art...

I just got word that it arrived yesterday &

it's back in stock here and also here...

and both received their restock stamp orders yesterday...

just incase you NEED any rubber...

art parts were restocked yesterday too!

so if you want to leave your wish list laying around to be...

found...

guys like hints...

lots on the to-do list today...

I'm headed to the studio to...

make (book #4) art!

wendy