tiny details matter...

it's true...

and I'll show you here...

I stamped my paintbrush stamp on grungeboard, using jet black archival ink...

& cut it out...

then I inked the handle with tim's new brushed corduroy distress stain...

I waited so long for this color!

LOVE IT...LOTS!

and I inked the bristles with faded jeans distress stain...

it looks...ok...

but just...OK...

not spectacular...

YET...

now with a few tiny details added...

I used tim's AWESOME drill punch to make a hole in the handle for a black eyelet...

and a bit of Ranger's Memory Foil Tape to make it look more authentic...

the memory foil tape is self adhesive...

so it's simple to use...

just peel off the backing & add to your art...

the foil was a bit too new looking for my project, so I toned it down with sepia archival ink...

applied with a Cut N Dry nib...

did you know that alcohol blending solution, in addition to lightening, blending & removing alcohol inks,

will remove archival ink from NON-porous surfaces?

it's cool...

because if your stamping is crooked...

or if you apply too much ink...

or don't like the color...

you can remove it & start all over...

like magic!

I found this handy dandy little tool in my mom's sewing stuff, when we cleaned out the house about 7 years ago...

I had no clue what it was...

but it looked interesting & I thought it had potential...

so I saved it...

we used it in my class last weekend & the gals said it's a sewing pattern tracer...

now...with those 2 details...

the paintbrush looks so much better...

here's a closer look @ the foil tape accent...

and because the brush was stamped on grunge, it's simple to shape it & make it dimensional...

just bend the bristles...

crackle paint is another option to add to the bristles...

that looks cute too...

and that eyelet in the handle...

is the finishing touch...

the moral of the story today is that tiny details do matter!

so pay attention to the details when you...

make art!

wendy

ps...one more thing...

stop the press!

about that handy dandy sewing tool...

run it across an ink pad...

and then on to your art...

it adds a subtle detail...

and with lots of ink colors to choose from...

the detail can be any color you need!

a set a day #3...

ART PARTS HOUSE??

ART PARTS LEAVES???

What are you guys talking about?

What peek?

You promised...

I thought you saw nothing???

Today...

is day 3 of the new CHA stamps and I can show you...

another large set...

this one is called...

ART GONE POSTAL...

starting @ the top...

"read the fine print"...

LOTS of fun & funny uses for that one...

the mesh is great stamped in coffee or olive archival or any distress ink for that matter...

it's a good collage filler stamp...

it's large...

just what I like...

except when I like mini...

it works well both when stamped horizontal & vertical...

and like to apply the ink unevenly...

for a vintage/worn effect...

I've used the the postal border BUNCHES already...

I LOVE it stamped in the background...

I created it from actual old postage marks from some letters we found @ Rick's aunt's home...

she had a box of letters tucked away in a closet and we rescued them after she died...

I've been wanting another "filler type stamp" for a while...

I was thinking something round that could be used in those odd spaces that just NEED something extra...

this is an actual vintage wood handle rubber stamp, that we found @ an antique mall along with some other postal things...

and...since my dad was a postal worker...

postal things remind me of him...

I've used this guy on several projects...

and I like it LOTS...

stamp it once or stamp it several times to make a longer border...

now that bottom mini quilt is FUN...

here's a very simple ATC I made with it...

probably the first ATC that is actually regulation...

everything is ON the ATC...

nothing hanging off...

shocking!

I stamped it twice on grungeboard, inked the bottom one with denim color wash & the second with meadow...

and cut apart the individual squares from the meadow quilt...

I think it looks like a mini game board...

complete with game pieces...

hey...

about those game pieces...here's a tip...

they are made from the little circle cutouts that come in the art parts spool kit...

and the sampler pack...

I lightly inked them with butterscotch pigment ink...

tim's mini star stamp is a PERFECT fit...

I was happy to discover that tidbit...

use just one for an embellishment...

or use several...to makes a cute border...

the ledge that the game pieces are sitting on is a section of the straight art parts flower stem...

and speaking of ATC'S...

get ready to play with some...

new ART PART ATC's...

YIPPEE!

there are 3 styles in the package...

square corners, rounded corners & cute little cut corners...

9 ATC's total in the pack...

so 3 of each...

they are a great solid surface to work on...

I used the square corner ATC for the piece above...

now for a totally different look from that same mini quilt stamp...

take a look @ how it transforms the 8 petal flower into a flower that looks like 4 hearts...

I was surprised when this developed...

here's what it looks like when this flower is stamped over 4 of the squares...

I didn't see it...

until I stamped it...

a fun discovery!

I'll be redoing this one in red for sure...

make that barn door!

So....that's it...set #3...

art gone postal...

I'll be patiently waiting to hear your thoughts...

keep them coming!

THANKS for taking the time to comment...

YOU MAKE MY DAY!

Pop back tomorrow for set #4...

and here comes the usual...

make art!

wendy

ps....

so...one art parts package of ATC's and 13 more NEWpackages coming...

I wonder what they could be?

another fun gift...

happy holidays & here's another thanks for being blog friends...

this is another quick...

handmade gift idea...

start with a 4 inch length of tim's new trimmings...

the ruffled one...

wet it with water, then drop it into a sandwich bag & add 2 or 3 drops of espresso pigment ink reinker, & squish it around to alter the trimmings color...

when dry, stamp it with the polka dot stamp, using coffee archival...

let dry...

(every time I type RE-INKER, this machine changes it to reindeer & makes me laugh)

your trimming should look like this...

much more vintage...

or as dear Rick said...

"how did you make it look dirty?"...

it's all a matter of perspective...and choosing the right words!

use tim's new tag die to cut a tag & reinforcer from grungeboard...

use a scrap of grungeboard to cut just the top portion of the tag again...

it's about an inch tall...

since this is for a tote bag or camera case...

I wanted a smaller tag, so I cut the tag down to 4 1/2 inches tall...

here's a little tip...

if you lay the extra tag top upside down on the bottom of the tag, you can easily cut the corners for a perfect match to the top corners...

stamp the heart on grungeboard, using jet black archival...

cut out & ink with vintage photo distress ink...

ink the back too, since a portion of the back will be visible when it's assembled...

use the blending tool & butterscotch pigment ink to ink the tag & extra tag top...

make sure to ink the back of the large tag too...

add some vintage photo distress ink around the edges to distress...

ink the reinforcer with forest moss using the blending tool...

use coffee archival & this text stamp to lightly stamp the tag...

use the scallop stamp with jet black archival to stamp the scallop about one inch from the top of the tag...

measure the exact stamping location with the extra tag top to make sure it's not going to be covered up...

use coffee archival with this background to stamp the extra tag piece...

add pen stitching detail around the tag edge...

your pieces will look like this...

use jet black to stamp "vintage" 2 times @ the bottom of the tag...

use jet black to stamp the polka dot border across the center of the tag...

use a post it note to cover the lower portion of the tag & stamp the polka dots again, above the words...

stamp the flower on grungepaper, cut out & ink with stormy sky...front & back...

then stamp using jet black...

with this background stamp...

stamp the leaves 2 times on grungepaper, cut out using just 3 of the leaves...

ink with peeled paint & forest moss...

stamp over the leaves with the text and jet black...

glue the extra tag top in place...

add the reinforcer...

add the trimming to the heart...

then trim off excess for a perfect fit...

add a grunge scrap under the heart before gluing it to the left of the tag...

form & shape the flower & leaves, then glue the 3 leaves under the flower & add the accoutrement button as the flower center...

add to the left side of the heart...

some satin cord is the perfect way to add it to a tote bag...

your tag will now look like this...

and a close up...

options for the back...

you can stamp any background stamp...

or write the recipient's name...

or stamp a saying...

or write a special message...

because this is made from grungeboard, it's nice & sturdy & will last a long time...

trust me...

mine travels everywhere with me & it's still looking' good after 3 years!

so there you have it...

a quick little gift for someone special...

it's fun to give & VERY fun to make...

news flash!!!

if you want to see more holiday art...

again with instructions...

check out Ranger's blog today for another holiday project...

ah...that one was fun too!

if you'd like to leave a comment here & again on Ranger's blog...

you just never know when Rick will be packing up more goodie packages!

time to head to the studio...

I'm workin' on NEW stamps...

(and art parts too)

so we can...

make art!

wendy

I couldn't decide...

on a title for this post...

I considered these...

there's a lot of stamping going on...

there's a lot kitting going on...

there's a lot of shipping going on...

buy stock in Fed-Ex...

it's been REALLY hectic...

and then there's chemo...

which all explain why there have been no recent blog posts...

yesterday I gave my brother a shot (Neulasta) to boost his white blood cell production...

amazingly it costs...

$4036.00 for each injection...

he'll get a minimum of 4...YIKES!!!

I worked in surgery for 30 years, so I am familiar with the costs associated, but we were shocked to see the cost of this tiny bit of fluid...

not sure why you need to know this tidbit...

but it's on my mind...

maybe someone from the drug company (AMGEN) will see this & work to lower the cost...

but then again...

maybe not...

other post titles I considered...

rotten eggs...

HUGE thanks to COSTCO for notifying us that we purchased eggs that may be contaminated with salmonella...

I think that's AWESOME customer service.

Costco rocks!

and I thought about these titles too...

I'm honored...

take a look @ the amazing art...

those 2 titles were brought about because of this challenge...

check it out...

there's TONS of inspiration...

over @ Simon Says...

how freaking cool...and what a thrill!!!

the design team projects are all over the top AWESOME!

and wait 'til you look @ the entries...

they are REALLY COOL...

so that challenge prompted me to add these goodies to the prize package...

and sweeten the pot...

so now this week there will be 2 random prizes...

YOU...gotta enter (make art) to win!!

2 more blog title considerations...

if one is good, 3 is better...

I bet you knew this was coming...

those came to my mind because of the following project...

one of the COOLEST items in my DT box from Tim was his alterations Sizzix die that makes the rosette.

the minute I saw it I thought...

FLOWER!

I had an immediate idea for a ...

multi LAYERED FLOWER...

So, using paper from Tim's lost & found paper stash, I cut 3 rosettes...

but before I folded them, I trimmed 2 of them to make smaller...

ROSETTES!

The largest size is right from the die...

the middle one is trimmed to 3/4 inch wide and the smallest is cut down to just 1/2 inch wide...

is that mini not THE CUTEST ever?

after folding & gluing, they looked like this...

you'll see that the perforations were too stark, so I added a bit of brushed corduroy distress ink over them...

I left the smallest to show you the original look...

then inked it after the photo...

and this is the finished piece...

the 3 layer rosette is a good fit for my smallest art parts flower...

more lost & found paper inside the art parts rectangle frame...

some grunge leaves, a butterfly, a portion of tim's flourish, a mini flower & 3 vintage buttons finished it off...

ah...

life is good...

I feel so much better now that I took time to...

make art!

wendy

thanks...thanks and more thanks!

WOW!!

A MILLION thank YOU's for all the wonderful comments about the Paper Crafts blog hop.

I TOLD you it would be really fun!
Talk about amazing contributions from everyone involved....

I was very impressed! It's fun to see what others SEE.

and MORE thank you's to everyone who has signed up for this Saturday's workshops @ Scrapbook Friend'z, in Bloomington, Illinois ...

WITHOUT even seeing one of the projects...
YIKES...

You guys are very TRUSTING!
Last I heard...there were only 2 seats left. REALLY TRUSTING...

Ok...on Saturday we'll start with this very fun...
ALL grunge...
perfectly practical pocket journal...




and then after lunch we'll be making this...???

Well since you haven't seen the final finished real deal...
I'll just show you some peeks...

I LOVE the new memo pins...a LOT!



Oh look...the saying is a perfect fit for the 1 1/2 inch square memory frame...
who planned that???

and yes...the glaze pen dots are on top of the memory glass for more dimension...



one final peek...

we fired up the Big Shot Express & cut LOTS of textured grungeboard with tim's new Sizzix alterations regal crest die...

You KNOW what's coming next...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the dies...
SERIOUSLY...
LOVE them...

and I LOVE to use my background stamps over them!

See that peek of yellow in the lower right corner?

It's my new favorite...butterscotch pigment...

I've been using it on everything...with the blending tool...what FUN!

OK...gotta run...

LOTS to do here...

The painters will start Monday for a redo of the main bath (getting rid of the wallpaper...I'm so OVER wallpaper...loved it...now it's out of here...), our bedroom, the office and the laundry room.

I HATE chaos...but I think that's on the agenda for next week...

I may need a mojito for medicinal purposes only...just thinking ahead...

so...after the painting is done...

we can FINALLY bring my Christmas gift home...

I been waiting a LONG time for sure. My brother was teasing me that if we didn't get it here soon...it would need to be refinished again... YIKES!!! I GOT the hint!

Off to finish the kits and write some instructions for Saturday...

I hope to recruit Rick to help with stamping...

if we can crank the kits out...

and get the supplies all packed...

I may be able to squeeze in a few minutes to...

make art!

wendy

when favorites all work together...

you can make art!

in no particular order...

1. studio 490 stamps...(hey...it's my blog & I can't lie!)

2. Ranger PIGMENT inks...
the more I play...the MORE I LOVE them...
add some Perfect Pearls for serious fun!

3. Maya Road...gotta have something cool to ink & stamp ON...
this time it's my favorite chipboard heart...

4. Sizzix dies...
especially Tim's new alterations...
be still my heart...I'm IN LOVE!

I'm patiently waiting for the rest of them to be delivered TODAY...I hope the man in the brown truck hurries...

I thought I heard the truck about 6 times already...
even though I KNOW the delivery time is usually 3pm or later...
I feel like a 5 year old on Christmas eve...
I want them NOW!!!

I am NOT known for being patient...are any girls?

So where is rambling this leading???

This is a take off of this post...

using pigment inks with Perfect Pearls to make backgrounds...

So...after using that technique...
I wondered about other surfaces besides tags & grunge...

I wondered if it was possible to use chipboard...

I wondered if it got too wet...would it dry ok???
It was fine...but make sure to immediately dry it well...

So...I started with this Maya Road chipboard heart...

I like it for mini hangings...
cards...
to use instead of a gift tag...etc...

Here's the starting point...the naked heart...



I used denim & butterscotch pigment inks...misted with sunflower sparkle Perfect Pearls & pretty much water...
How's that for scientific...pretty much?

to make this...really cool mottled...
kind of cloudy look, since pigments are opaque...

which also has a little bling...

Pigments give a totally different inky background...as compared to the distress inks...

The polka dots & lined background were both stamped with olive archival...




The leafy border was also stamped with olive archival...
and then the scrolls and saying were stamped with jet black archival...

to make them stand out...

Stormy sky distress ink was the perfect color for adding the distress look to the edge...

The flower is made of 2 of the flowers in tim's tattered floral die...

the large was inked with butterscotch pigment...then stamped with the register stamp & jet black...

the center was painted with the black dabber...

and a Maya Road button was a perfect fit in the small flower.

A little pen stitching and some tiny accent dots ...using the Sakura glaze pen ...finished it off...

So we have...

A quickie blog tutorial...

a little booth sample...

and I had inky FUN!

A triple play!

*

I'll be in Columbus this Friday & Saturday...

Yippee...I was there last year & LOVED it!

I'll be there with Michelle...Mrs. Stampers Anonymous...

*

Ted will be demoing in Philadelphia...Saturday & Sunday...make sure to stop by...

EDIT...SORRY...change of plans...Ted won't be there...but the booth FULL of stamps WILL!

*

Hope to see you in Columbus!

While I'm waiting (still) for the truck...

I think I'll...

make art!

wendy