a fun change of pace today with video!

hi all!

first day of Spring Break down...4 more to go until the weekend :P  today we went to Great Country Farms.  It is a cool place - a full on working farm that is also set up as a Upick farm AND huge play/activity area.  there's all sorts of things like a giant jumping pillow, play sets, huge slides plus farm animals galore and lots of interesting farm facts along the way.  they also have a lot of fun things set up throughout the spring-fall seasons for holidays and festivals. ending with my son, trev's favorite - pumpkin chunkin'!

we had a crazy busy weekend that included picking up our new momma foster kitty!  she had her babies friday night and we picked her up saturday morning.  she is a beautiful lovey dovey teeny brown tabby and she had 2 grey babies and 2 black & white ones.  we decided to name her Candy.  the 2 grey boys are Twizzler and Skittle and the 2 B&W girls are Peppermint & Taffy.  Taffy is the runt and VERY laid back and cute - not very runty just a bit behind.  Twizzler is the biggest and boy has he got a mouth on him!  Candy is settling in to her space in my studio nicely and has the whole basement to herself.  i really thought bubba might be happy to see her and the babies since he is constantly trying to play with my big cats but nope.  he hates her.  i am hoping he will warm up to her eventually because i think he would have lots of fun playing with the kittens.  pics are at the end of this post!

we also de-winterized our camper so we can be ready for our first trip of the season in 2 weeks.  we are headed to PA to ride trains with pezza - she is very excited!

ok on to my fun projects - i took a quick detour from the papercrafting and mixed media to do some jewelry!

 i was first inspired by the necklaces i saw one day at Kohls.

i made the pendants using UTEE and Luminarte Primary Elements in a bezel and adding some Gala Glitz too (vintage glass shards and microbeads).

I added a variety of other beads and charms along the chain.

fun and surprisingly easy!  here is a second one in black and silver

i love it paired with the green and black

there is a video below that has this charm in it along with other things you can do with UTEE - SCACD carries the bezels, UTEE and Primary Elements i used.

it turns out that making the little eyes on the top and some bottoms of the danglies is actually super easy!  in fact i just might make some more stuff!

one tip - go pick out your beads, chain and additional charms FIRST and then decide on the colors for your Bezel.  It is really tough to do the bezel first and THEN look for matching beads :P

here are the kitties...

and now the video...

have fun!

garden of shimmer

hi all!

no chit chat today - just bizness!  i am joining the SCACD girls for the latest release - Susana Loves Stamps presents the Eye of Dreams Collection!  You should have arrived here from Lou Mac's blog. 

I got to work with this little cutie!

Her name is Garden Eyes.  I colored her with my polychromos pencils

her flower garden is done with Luminarte Primary Elements artist pigment powders and one of the newest Crafter's Workshop stencils by Julie Fei-Fen Balzer - you can get them at SCACD!

I began by mixing up some shimmering mist using Primary Elements, gum arabic and water in a mister.  I misted the paper with sunburst and summer breeze.  Next I mixed Blushing Rose Primary Elements with Dreamweaver Translucent embossing paste and scraped it over the stencil and lifted.  Gorgeous shimmering pink embossing paste flowers!

my simmering glass tile is actually a piece of chipboard from a maya road collection - i inked it, covered it in UTEE and added primary elements on top along with more UTEE - look for a video on this technique and more soon!

Be sure to mention that our International Friends can purchase these stamps at Quixotic Paperie:

now head on over to my long time buddy Sandie's blog for the next stop on the hop.

UTEE tutorial - part 3 - and the best!!

ok Catherine - this ones for you! this technique comes from a book - Paper Transformed by Julia Andrus (creator of perfect pearls):





The perfect pearls is "captured" in the layers of UTEE in a sort of web-like pattern.

















Gather supplies: UTEE, cardstock cut to size, cardboard cut to same size, ink pads in 2-3 colors, foam blending tool, versamark, perfect pearls, small paintbrush, heat tool.

Run your cardstock thru a xyron or cover with adhesive and attach the cardboard to the back - i use cereal boxes :) - UTEE can be heavy and make your paper curl - this will keep it straight and stiff.

color your cardstock with the ink and blending tool (or start wit colored cardstock). smoosh it into the versamark pad and cover really well - remember you can check under a light - the versamark will be shiny.





brush on 2-3 colors of perfect pearls. this works best if one is a "metallic" (here i used bronze) AND if you don't put the same color pearls as the ink underneath. now the tricky part - cover the piece with UTEE BUT there is nothing for it to stick to. SO i heat it just a tiny bit to get it a little sticky and then cover with UTEE. start heating with the gun really high up and move slowly closer to the paper - if you see the UTEE start blowing back up a bit. once it starts melting you can get closer. this can take awhile - 10 minutes even - be patient! the effect is so worth it! the UTEE will bead up and drop through the layer of perfect pearls creating "windows" to see the ink beneath.

i am out of town right now at CKC but have this set to post automatically

UTEE tutorial - part 2

Here is the next UTEE tip from the LO i posted yesterday - this will explain how to do the pearlized embellishments:

I love this technique because they aren't just all shimmery but also sort of "poofy"


Supplies: grungeboard or chipboard pieces, versamark, UTEE, small brush, perfect pearls, small stylus or tweezers to hold the piece while heating. Smoosh your grungeboard piece into versamark until it is coated really well. Place it in the bead tray and cover with UTEE. gently dump off the excess.

Use the stylus or tweezers to hold the piece still and begin heating - start with your gun high above and slowly move it down as it begins to melt, once it melts you can get closer. Aim your gun away and sprinkle on more UTEE into the soft UTEE until you get a good solid coverage. Let it cool slighty - this is a bit of trial and error - and then brush on the perfect pearls. it will stick to the UTEE. once it is covered heat it just a little bit so the perfect pearls sticks-you will see a slight change. sometimes i add another layer of perfect pearls so it is good and shimmery!

have you seen the new grungeboard coming out???? i am SO excited about it! nature shapes and holiday shapes PLUS grunge BOOKS!!! you can preorder on my website.

happy stampy hugs!!

UTEE tutorial - part 1 (and new cuttlebug folders)

i have been seeing lots of questions about UTEE so i am going to do a few tutorials with it up next. i am by no means an expert and i know this incredibly versatile product can do ALOT of things but i am going to give you a few of my basic faves. my examples are all on a LO - YAY got a LO done!! frist the sketch i used:

This is an 8 1/2 x 11 sketch but i did it 12x12. sometimes ny finished product looks just like the sketch and sometimes it ends up so different i don't even post the sketch but in this case i did not stray far...







Can YOU find the UTEE in this LO?? HAHAHA just kidding - i have a total of 6 items, 3 techniques here and i will do a lesson on each one.

First page:

Second page:

lesson for today - sample#1

Lesson for today - sample#2

did you see the new Cuttlebug embossing folder borders!!! if you haven't gotten any RUN over to Crop Stop and check them out!!!
tell haily jo i sent you!!!
smudged up the embossing with versamagic (luscious stuff! more on that thursday) and the foam blender tool.

This technique is called cracked glass and i in no way came up with it :)

supplies: UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) in clear, versamark pad, heat gun, glitter tray, stamped/colored images or die cuts on cardstock.

Smoosh your image into your versamark pad - really smoosh it in there and get a good coating of versamark all over the front - you can tell in the light because it looks wet and shiny.

Now pour some UTEE over it and then very gently dump the loose extra cystals off. set the image in your glitter tray. **DISCLAIMER** very meesy, especially the first few times you do this. before using UTEE i usually make sure my area is cleaned up. it will also get all over your tray so you need to have a sort of s=designated UTEE tray!

the large crstals don't actually STICK as well to the versamark like regular embossing powder. when eating you don't want to start out very close or the gun will blow the crystals everywhere. and i do mena everywhere! so i start very high up and slowly move closer - if i see any crystals start to move around i back up a bit. as it gets warm and starts to melt you can move in closer.

in this pic you can see it has started to melt. at first it beads up and then it smoothes out. this process takes longer than regular EP.

You want a thick, smooth, even coating so while the UTEE is still hot aim the gun away and sprinkle more UTEE, heat it, repeat over all areas until you feel it is a nice thick coverage. next put your image in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.

Take the image(s) out of the freezer one at a time and quickly, gently bend them in different directions to crack the UTEE - not too hard or it might pop off.

next you can use a foam blender and smudge it over with a dark ink like vintage photo to get the cracks more noticeable. wipe excess ink off surface.

i plan to have the next two tutorials post wednesday and friday (yes skipping ANOTHER TOTB Friday) as i will be out of town at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Vally Forge PA - anyone else going to be there??? if so leave me a comment! i look ofrward to some cool classes and lots of shopping as well as some full nights of sleep, room service, no dishes and time to add a slew of new products to the website!!!! baby and daddy will be on their own for the first time ever!! don't worry the boys have strict instructions to help entertain her and the neighbor is on call for emergencies!

a winner AND a yummy card to share!

and the winner is.........Chris! i hope you love the adorable little dish whether you keep it or use it as a gift! shoot me an email so i can get your addy!

and now for the card - ANOTHER pink cat!! this is for a sketch challenge over at Paper Patch Crafts. Go check out all the new stuff Ann has gotten in - i especially have my eye on the new design street papers.

i stamped the kitty in currant adirondack ink and i like the look - a nice change from straight black all the time. i colored her in using my aquapainter and adirondack inks in purple twilight, shell pink and clover. i just love the brightness of these colors! the three little roses are also from a pink cat studio set - they are covered in cotton candy stickles and so is the pink rose on her hat. then i hand drew some doodles and traced those in cotton candy too. and now to explain the bottom portion of the background. here are a couple close ups:


the pics definitely don't do it justice. i got this technique out of julia andrus's most recent book - paper transformed - i highly recomend it! i started with white cardstock, colored it with the adirondack inks and my ink blending foam. covered it in several layers of UTEE. put on some perfect medium and then several colors of perfect pearls. more UTEE on top and then as it melted it sunk down thru the pearls in droplets and created an interesting mottled effect.

now off to work! keep watching as there will be more giveaways as we near the product release date PLUS i am working on a contest with a BIG prize coming in a couple weeks - this one is just for you studio g girls!!

NEW PRODUCTS!! and some cards to share...

HI all!!

I have spent the morning adding many more new Ranger products to my website - Paint Dabbers, Adirondack pads and re-inkers, Cut 'n Dry felt and foam, UTEE to name a few - hurry over and have a look - prices are great and i keep shipping down as much as possible!

Keep an eye on it for some exciting new changes coming up in the next few weeks too.... ;)

Thought I'd share some more cards I have been working on for the Craft Show my mom will be at in Thibodaux, LA:






Backgrounds and vases done with alcohol inks on Ranger's glossy paper, cut outs done with Cricut Walk In My Garden cartridge, Stamped images are Doodlebug Clear stamps and colored using Prismas and Gamsol.