with love, from me to YOU...

as a special THANK YOU for being blog friends...

and...

for all the wonderful comments you leave...(hint)

I have a valentine tutorial, just for you!

I'll show you how to use Ranger's pigment inks to make an easy awesome background and I'll show you a completed valentine tag...

studio 490 style...

The pigment inks are a quick drying pigment ink, that provide opaque coverage. So, they are perfect for quickly inking chipboard or grunge.

They'll air dry on porous surfaces in about 15 minutes...

or if you're like me...impatient...

just blast them with the heat-it craft tool for a few seconds and you're ready to move on.

So that's one way to use the inks...to provide complete coverage.

But I found another way to use them, for a totally different look.

This technique can also be done with the Distress inks, but because they are transparent and pigments are opague...
you'll see that the look is very different with each.

Using the pigment gives a chalky look, that I really like...
Let's go!

Make sure to work on your Ranger non stick craft sheet.

To make the Perfect Pearls mist, add a small bit (what fits on the end of a popcycle stick) to an empty mini mister & fill 3/4 full with water. Shake to mix.

Perfect pearls are set with water, so they won't rub off & no special stinky fixatives are needed.

For this sample, I used Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls and Ranger's Red Pepper & Denim pigment inks.




2. Lightly swipe the ink pads onto the craft sheet, placing the inks close together.

Just a light touch is all it takes...

it should look like this...



3. Shake the Perfect Pearls solution to mix, then mist the inks to create dots of color to look like this...



4. Place a manila tag over the area & swipe your hand across the back of the tag.

DO NOT drag the tag thru the color...

that will mix the inks & make mud. trust me!

DRY with the heat it craft tool & the tag will look like this, with a base coat of color.

Nothing exciting yet...
but this technique is about adding layers to create interest...




5. Lightly tap the tag onto the remaining ink dots & pick them up.


DRY...repeat picking up the ink dots until you are satisfied with the background.
Dry between adding layers.

STOP when you like it...

if you go too far, you KILL it & calling 911 will do you no good! trust me!


It will look like this...notice the bling from the Perfect Pearls.



6. Using red pepper again, stamp the scallop 3 times as shown.

DRY with heat tool.

I designed the scallop stamp as a time saver.

Instead of rethreading the sewing machine each time I wanted a new color...now it's simple...

I just change the color of the ink!

7. Using denim, stamp the register stamp & dry, with the heat tool.



8. Trim the bottom of the tag along the scallop, to make a scalloped edged tag. It's so EASY...& I LOVE the look!


Use the gold Paint Dabber to edge the tag.


I chose gold...but other coordinating dabber colors would be fine too.





9. Using jet black archival, stamp "with love" @ the bottom of the text.

10. Next, grab a scrap of grungepaper and stamp the heart, using jet black archival.

Cut out the studio 490 heart.

11. Using the ink blending tool, lightly TAP the blending tool onto the red pepper pad.

Don't rub...just tap lightly...pigment pads are foam.

***Use just a bit of ink...remember the pigments are opaque, so use just a bit. Too much covers up the stamped image***

You can always go back & add more.

another...trust me!

12. Stamp the 2 mini flowers on grungepaper scraps with jet black archival & cut out.

Using denim, lightly apply ink with the ink blending tool.

Use jet black archival to stamp the register stamp over the flowers.

13. Using olive archival, stamp the leaves onto grungeboard scraps.

Cut out & ink with peeled paint, on the front & back.

Curl each petal to shape.

Stamp just the leaves from this flower, using jet black archival, onto a scrap of grungepaper.

Cut out, ink with peeled paint (front & back) and overstamp with a background stamp and jet black archival.

sorry...no photo...someone?? deleted it accidently! duh...

14. Assemble as shown.

Add a threaded vintage button for the flower center.

The finishing embellishments are a mini heart pin, from Maya Road and a bit of gingham ribbon, also from Maya Road.

Pen stitch around the edge of the tag.

Here's a close-up...

15. and the finished tag...
for that special someone...

Once again...thank you for being blog friends!

I hope this was fun...

now get those supplies & stamps out and...

make (valentine) art!

wendy

ps...some teaching locations have been updated.

Check the right sidebar.

answers and art...

Ok...looks like I left out lots of important detail about the bouquet yesterday...


The questions were...
1. i love the vase art...what ink colors did you use?

These are the new distress ink colors...
the blue is tumbled glass...
the green is bundled sage and...
the orange-ish is rusty hinge.

#2. I love the flowers in the spool, what sets or die cuts did you use for the flowers .. I only ask because I'm going to have to try to copy it

The large blue flower is a new flower from this set...
the others are from tim's new Sizzix die...
it's FATE how they fit together so well...

any flowers will work!

3. what did you use for the center of the large blue flower?

ahhh...Another perfect fit...
I used one of tim's new
timepieces with 2 foliage flowers and a brad...

again, you'll see that I used olive archival ink for the stamping...

I'm in LOVE with it...
especially when combined with the tumbled glass...or the bundled sage...


the medium sized rusty hinge flower has the crown from his "adornments" charm set and a foliage flower, that I altered with the gold paint dabber...

it's stamped with my spatter stamp & coffee archival ink...

the smallest blue has a tim "accoutrements"...
for us common folk...a BUTTON!

I LOVED how this fit too...

*

my large butterfly stamp, embellished with tim's new "locket key"

I added just a tiny bit of gold again, with the gold paint dabber...

and here's my mini butterfly...

*

I used the back of it for a different look and added another of tim's charms (adornments)

and a reminder...

to change the look of stamps...

*

like the large flower, which has writing on it...

stamp it on the canvas side of the grungepaper...

cut it out and then stamp the front with any background stamp...

*

it's like having LOTS more new stamps!

So...the flower easily can be plaid...

polka dot...anything!

*

One last thing...

REMEMBER to keep your eyes OPEN...

*

Art is everywhere and obviously...

ANYTHING can be ART!

I thought this was awesome...

airport art...

*

spotted in California...

junky old boxes...

made to look like...

ART!

Sorry for the glare, but I think you'll get the idea...

it really looked cool!

*

That's it for today...

more Q&A tomorrow...

*

gotta go...

make art!

wendy

take one of these and 4 of these....

add few more ingredients, pictured below...

you'll also need some scraps of grungeboard & grungePAPER & peeled paint distress ink...


Now you can make this...



here's how...............

Stamp 4 studio 490 leaves onto grungeboard, cut out & ink the fronts & backs with dusty concord.

Using Jet black archival ink, stamp a studio 490 background stamp on all the backs...

Punch one tab from grungePAPER...
ink with dusty concord...& stamp with a background stamp...

Edge each piece, using Ranger's gold paint dabber...

I LOVE that it's so simple...and it dries quickly...
I like that since I have zero patience...

The finishing touch is a few squirts of Perfect Pearls.
I used sunflower sparkle...

It's mixed with water in a mini mister...just mist, then dry it with the heat tool...

Once mixed with water...the sparkly Perfect Pearls are set...no special fixative is needed...

no mess like glitter...I like that a lot...

Sunflower sparkle is my favorite...
but then so are turquoise...perfect gold...and I can't leave our heirloom gold...

HEY...
this is MY BLOG!

I can have as many favorites as I want! ha!

Here's a closer look...



Once again...

a reminder...

Look past the obvious...the leaf...

and see the potential...it's FUN!!

And speaking of fun...

Here's a little teaser for the art chicks attending Scrap St. Louis...

A box FULL of Ranger goodness...it just arrived yesterday...




Want to see what's inside???

Hmmm........too bad..

I guess the photo doesn't show everything.

You'll just have to come to St. Louis to see it all...

I hear that there are some openings...

I hope you can join us...

I'm expecting a GREAT weekend!

There will be...

Lots of workshops...lots of SHOPPING, lots of friends & laughs...

lots of good food...YEA!! NO COOKING!!!

Did I mention LOTS of SHOPPING?????????

And one more thing...

I'm certain we'll all....

Make ART!

wendy

A Ranger video for you...

ROADTRIP...

Rick & I are out the door..(SPRING FEVER!)....so today, for your viewing pleasure, here's a NEW Ranger video, made by Alain.

You'll be impressed...

He uses grungeboard, the aqua dabber paint...VINTAGE PHOTO distress ink ...and some Perfect Pearls....all combined to make a fun wearable piece of art...

Take time to watch it...you'll learn a lot &

you'll love his accent!

After that...take time to...

Make ART!

wendy

ps...there are more videos on the Ranger site

and lots on You-Tube too. ENJOY!

studio 490 acrylic cover...

Yippee...got the front cover done.

Please...IGNORE the glare in the left top corner & the bottom right...
My photography skills suck...

Anyway...I cut the Graphic 45 paper so that the word "specimen" fit, to work with the title...and stitched the different papers together to look like a quilt...


I LOVE this pointing finger from the MAIL ART set...Stamped on grunge, it's fun to bend it just a bit.



The flower on the right is the daisy from the first release. Just cut off the stem & leaves...add a different center... This creates another look.
Versatile...



Like the stamp @ the top says...it's all in the details...the little things really do add interest to the finished project...

so...to add a bit of a frame to the cover, I used Ranger's gold paint dabber & edged the cover. It's a small detail...but a finishing touch. The best part...it's quick & EASY! Dries in a flash...




Back to the ordering info...
It's all on the bottom of yesterday's post. But...I got these questions too...

YES...you get both the front & back cover when you order.

YES...the 3 giant binding rings are included in the price.

How many sets do they hold?
I have 7 sets in each. It's the perfect storage...lots of stamps in a tiny space & it's sooo easy to flip thru, to find exactly what you need.

YES...Stampers Anonymous does sell the PLAIN WHITE SCALLOP sheets. Those work well for storage of any cling or clear stamps. Just type that into the comment section. They are $2.00 each & hold a bunch. And the cool thing is that you can use both the front & the back of the sheets and get double the storage on each sheet.

I think I got everything this time.
If not...
just ask away!

Time to pack up for tomorrows workshop...
If I hurry, I'll have time to do more on the cover and...

Make art!
wendy

oops...one more thing...
GRUNGEPAPER ships next week.

I bet you knew this was coming...

I had so much fun making that grunge purse the other day, that I just HAD to do another. This one is for me...made especially for Ranger U! Smaller purse...smaller scroll...

Here's a better look @ the flower. I LOVE those metal Idea-ology parts from tim. Like I've said before...why do I see everything as a flower part??

Since the grunge is embossed, I used the Adirondack denim dabber to highlight just the raised areas, then filled in with faded jeans distress ink.




And...get ready for this...Since Ranger U is an ARTY EVENT, I thought that I NEEDED arty sandals. So, I made these yesterday.


I sprayed them with a sealer, just incase it rains. Blue toes are NOT cool.

So there you have it...more grunge couture. Like it???

Have a GREAT grungy Wednesday...
wendy
ps...only one more sleep here!

Meet...Guest artist...Sarah Drayton...a winner & a new contest!

Sarah was one of the lucky gals to win a Stampers Anonymous stamp. Here's what she created, using her new stamp & her Maya Road chipboard prize. Don't you just love it? GREAT job Sarah!! THANKS for sharing!!



Here's the info Sarah sent, if you'd like to try something similiar...


I created a piece with my fab new stamp and gorgeous chipboard book. *


I used Gesso and Ranger Acrylic Dabbers in Hazelnut and Snowcap for the background, building up a few layers until I acheived my desired effect.*


I then stamped the flourish stamp into the background using Adirondack Ink in Expresso.*


Then using some more Acrylic paint to soften stamped Image.*


Next I added the PaperWhimsy image and spritzed with Glimmer Mists in Antique Brass.


Hope you like what I have created. I love stopping by to see you on your blog.




Look @ this sweetie...This is Callie, Kate's dog. See how she smiled for the camera? For those who love dogs, she's a shilo shephard.

***
Now for the drawing by Rick... I was told to leave the room & he would read the comments & make his choice...He said her blogname got his attention...

***
And the winner of the sheer card I created for the Hero Arts blog is...

DRUMROLL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

sherri (Tied Up In Ribbons) said...
Texas in OCtober....I'm thrilled--I wonder if it is too early to sign up?!? I don't even care what you are going to do, but I know I want to be THERE.....I second Lisa's Yippee
April 20, 2008 11:16 PM


CONGRATS Sherri...send me your address & I'll get the card sent off to you.

***
Keep reading.............

***

Who doesn't like a contest??? This sounds like fun...Check out Robin's blog for all the juicy details. She's giving GREAT INKY prizes...take the time...try her bandanna technique...send her a card... SIMPLE!!

Now here's the twist...if one of MY BLOG friends wins the GRAND PRIZE...I'll send the winner a prize too! Fair enough??? You can do it...

Just SUBMIT...I have faith in all of you!! I'd LOVE to add to the grand prize!!

***

Happy Thursday...come back tomorrow to see some tags created by another guest artist. I know you'll love them.
wendy

I played and made this, shopping alert & other random news

I have been drooling over this one lonely flower since the day it arrived about 6 weeks ago. I only got one of the "jewel ribbon blossoms" in my Maya Road goodie box and it was making me crazy trying to find just the right spot for it. Yesterday I decided to actually USE it & not hoard it, just so I could admire it. This is by far THE COOLEST/classiest ribbon flower on the market. Trust me...I do know flowers!



I started by swiping a sheer round scallop page with a Peach Bellini dabber. How cool is that name? Sounds like a dessert & makes me want a huge bowl...anyway...back on track.....

Once again...more of the trinkets elements metal flowers and blossoms, scrolls from the Vineyard tin, and the stamp is from my friend Rachel Greig. I got that baby and the one on the back, personally delivered @ CHA last summer. The background is one of my most favorite/most used Stampers Anonymous stamps...newspaper scraps # U2-943. LOVE it!

I used a journaling piece from K & Co as the base for the thanks stamp.

Here's the back. The number border stamp on the bottom is also from Rachel. The stamped round chipboard is from the Maya Road foundations tin.



Now here's what you REALLY need to see...a closeup of this jewel ribbon blossom. Do you agree?? TO DIE FOR BEAUTIFUL??





Now for the random news.......

I just tracked my box of CHA samples...MEMPHIS?? WHAT??? That's the wrong way, Mr Fed-Ex...California is WEST! SCARRY!!

I talked to ART GODDESS Robin Beam the other day & got this Ranger CHA scoop...

They are coming out with a new pigment ink! Adirondack Pigment Ink Stamp Pads will start out with the coordinating Lights/Brights/Earthtones for the following colors: Cranberry/TerraCotta/Butterscotch/Bottle/Denim/Eggplant/Pitch Black & SnowCap. She loves them & told me they are perfect on chipboard. You apply them with the same Inkssentials blending tool that's used for the distress inks. Definitely added to my shopping list.

Ranger will also be selling an Inkssentials Craft Spinner, which will hold eight of the Inkssentials Blending Tools and tidy up your work space. CHECK... on my shopping list too. I like tidy.

Check out Robin's blog to see what cool things she's doing...

HERE IT COMES......................

*** SHOPPING ALERT***



*** SHOPPING ALERT***

If I haven't given you enough ideas for spending your $$, here's another. I have no affiliation, nor do I know her...but I LOVE this book. TONS of eye candy. You can find it here. It's well worth your $$.


5 days 'til I head WEST...yikes...still have plenty to do.
I better get going on more business cards.


I hope you've enjoyed these samples & that they inspire you. Use them as a starting point, add your style and...

MAKE ART!
Wendy

NEWS flashes...Read all about it!

Congrats to Linda Cain on having her book chosen to be displayed in the Maya Road booth @ CHA!!! YIPPEE!! Lucky Linda gets $75 worth of FREE Maya Road goodies as her prize. FREE a GOOD 4 letter word!! And...Linda will get a goodie or 2 from me too!


There were 14 other entries chosen. Any other blog friends get a call from (my master)...Lisa Pace?? Let me know! I'll be happy to send you a goodie too! I call her my master because she is a Memory Makers Master 08! Talent to the max in that gal...amazing. You'll see her work in lots of scrapbook publications.



In another news flash, yesterday the Design Team got a preview of the new Maya Road catalog cover. WAY cool eye candy and lots of inspiration. 4 of the photos on the cover are mine! I'm super happy! I can't wait to share this photo, but mum's still the word. The minute we get the OK...I'll post it. You can count on it...


I got several emails about the cool new metal flowers in the sneak peek...all wondering what I'll make with them. Guess what? I'm still wondering too! I haven't used them yet. I have to find just the right project. Yikes...I better hurry..I leave 2 weeks from today.

This is fun...check it out...blog

And other things you probably don't need to know...

I actually used PINK! And I used it twice yesterday on some CHA stuff. Never ever before have I used pink, but this idea NEEDED pink. Well...ok...I tried before, didn't like the results & trashed it. However, these dabber paints are perfect for chipboard & just the right color of pink. Shell pink & cloudy blue...way different for me, but fun stuff. I'll show you when I can.


And...this is hard to believe...I did one whole BIG project with no vintage photo. HORRORS. Only colors...matter of fact, that's the title...COLORS. That's one of the photos that was chosen for the cover...I even used MARMALADE! Imagine that!!


Ok...enough blabbering for today. Time to open some vintage photo! I was almost in withdrawal...........phew......

I hope your weekend is THE BEST EVER!!

MAKE ART!!
Wendy

How many favorites can a girl have??

Move over Faded Jeans...Here's my new favorite combo...Juniper paired with vintage photo.

I had a few of the paint dabbers before going to Ranger U, but didn't really use them a lot, since I was more INTO the distress inks. Now that I KNOW how to use them...I'm in LOVE! Here's a few tips we learned...

1. Always store them UPSIDE DOWN and shake before using, WITH THE LID ON...don't ask!! tim told some really funny stories...

2. To activate the dabber, press down (kind of hard) onto your craft sheet & squeeze @ the same time. This opens the valve & allows the paint to prime the dabber top. Once the flow starts, you're good to go. This sometimes takes 30 seconds or so. Be patient...some colors take longer than others. If it's a little hard to start, put just one squirt of water from the mini mister on your sheet. The water will help. Do not repeatedly slam it down on the craft sheet. This isn't enough time for the valve to open properly.

3. Dabbers are a no cleanup product. No brushes to wash out. Saves time ...for more arting. But, if needed, shake then remove the cap and it's ready to be used with a brush.

4. I wondered how scrapbookers got the cool looking dry brush paint look on their layouts. DUH...these guys are the perfect solution. Just swipe along the edges.

VITAL info for the photo above. I'm learning...give as many details as possible!

1. Cute chipboard scallop frame is from Maya Road.

2. Juniper paint dabber and vintage photo distress ink are from Ranger.

3. I LOVE this paper from K & Co.

Time to head to the studio.

Have a GREAT day!! Happy dabbing!!

Wendy

Mission accomplished!!!

So...I got a call from my brother's girlfriend on Monday evening. She needed a custom wedding card. Here's the mission, if you choose to accept it...yeah...right...family!! NO CHOICE!! These were her requests...

1. Not the ordinary shaped card.

2. Green & brown...they are outdoorsy people. YIKES...a green & brown WEDDING card???

3. Keep it simple. The bride doesn't like a lot of fluff.

4. Oh...I NEED it before Friday. GEEZ...No pressure at all!!



So...I started with the Maya Road heart shaped chipboard book, took out all the inner pages & used just the front & back cover. The other ingredients are...

Papers by Bo Bunny & Melissa Frances

Chipboard scroll corners by Maya Road

Micro heart by Maya Road

Chipboard foundation by Maya Road

Paint by Ranger. LOVE the dabbers! I NEED them ALL!

Stamps ( scroll with bird & the tiny LOVE) by Maya Road. LOVE the acrylic stamps because placement is sooo easy.

Ribbon & lace from my stash.

And, as evidenced by the above photos...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!
Wendy
ps...sure hope they all like it!