I'm Distressed! Part 2

Ah, distressing. Ever since I was introduced to it, I have a very hard time doing a card or scrapbook page without it. I even digitally distress my online scrapbook pages! I just love the grunge, worn, textured look. In my last post, I distressed paper by inking the edges. Today, you are going to do something unheard of - tear your paper. That's right - it won't be pretty, it may even be painful, but I know you can do it - and you just might love the results!

Something as easy as tearing paper sounds like a no-brainer, but there really is a technique to it - especially if the paper you are tearing has a white core. Ideally, you want to see the white core of the paper in your tear. All a "white core" refers to is that the paper is not the outside color all the way through - it's basically white cardstock that's been printed on one or both sides with a color. Some cardstock is the same color all the way through, which doesn't make for a dramatic tear. White-core cardstock is also the only cardstock that you can distress by sanding...but that's Part 3.

So, in order to "properly" tear your paper, hold the cardstock between your thumbs and forefingers. The piece you want the torn edge on should be on the left, and the scrap you will tear off will be on the right. Start tearing the paper by pulling the right side toward you (see below).

Notice the white edge you get from tearing the white-core cardstock. If you had torn the edge away from you, you would still get the white edge (though you would have to turn the piece over to see it), but you wouldn't be able to see and control the look of your tear the same way.

Continue tearing your paper all the way down the right side, moving your thumbs and forefingers down the edge as you go (this will give you much more control over how the paper tears).

Well, that was easy enough. So let's take tearing cardstock one step further. Let's tear a piece of cardstock and use it to make a cool, airbrush-look background for our card. First, use the step described above to tear a roughly 2" wide piece of cardstock. Make the edge uneven and varied to add interest.

Next, with the torn edge facing you, lay it across the bottom of your card base, approx. 1" up from the bottom. Using ink & a stipple brush, stipple along the edge of the torn cardstock until you've got the color coverage you want.

Repeat this step two more times, moving the torn piece of cardstock up an inch or so each time, and using a different color ink each time. You can also move the torn cardstock left or right in order to vary the pattern a little.

Once your stenciled background is complete, stamp an image onto your card, and complete with the torn green cardstock piece we did first, a sentiment, and some embellishments:

Voila! Gorgeous! The torn edge of the green cardstock really "roughs" the card up a bit, making it much more "outdoorsy" to go along with the images. And the "mountainous" background we created with the torn cardstock and stipple brush - what a perfect way to add both texture and depth to the image.

I hope you are having as much fun being "distressed" as I am! Next time - sanding. And, no, we won't have to go to the beach to do it! (Though that would be nice!) Until next time - Happy Tearing!

I'm Distressed! Part 1

Oh, but this isn't a bad thing! Distressing is a way of adding depth, texture, and interest to your artwork. It can also make your piece look aged or grungy, which is all the rage right now in paper crafting.

There are many different ways you can distress paper, so I will be doing a series of posts on several of my favorites and most popular. In Part 1, I will show you how ink distressing the edges of your paper can make a big difference in your project.

First, let's take a look at a card:

It's very nice as it stands, but let's see what inking the edges will do for it. There are also several ways you can apply ink to the edges of your paper. You can drag your ink pad along the edge, or in turn, drag your paper through your ink pad. But my favorite is the sponge dauber. This is a small, round sponge attached to the end of a "cap" that fits over the tip of your finger - sort of like a thimble. Once the dauber is on your fingertip, dab it onto your ink pad, then, using a downward motion, flick the inked sponge along the edge of your paper:

Do this along each edge for every piece you want to distress. I usually use some color of brown to distress the edges of my paper, but you can use any color that matches your project! After distressing all the pieces, this is what the card looks like now:

See the difference? There's a lot more texture, which in turn, creates more visual interest. Ink distressing can also be really helpful in making an image "pop" off of a background that it would normally blend into. See what ink distressing can do for your next project! And tune in for "I'm Distressed! Part 2" when we'll talk about paper tearing!

Until then - Happy Distressing!

Close To My Heart Holiday Open House!

You are cordially invited to my Annual Close To My Heart Stamping & Scrapbooking Open House! You are not going to want to miss it! There will be tons of BRAND NEW products and artwork to see, the NEW Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book, a Make & Take project, A FREE GIFT just for coming, product demos, a demonstration of StudioJ - Close To My Heart's Online Scrapbooking Program, and more! Here are the details:

Date: Friday, September 3, 2010
Time: 6:30 - 9:30pm
Hosted by: Michelle Morrissey
Place: 3 Willard Drive, Uxbridge, MA

We would love to have you there! PLEASE RSVP ASAP to aafaa@charter.net if you can stop by so I can make sure you have a Make & Take to take home! I look forward to seeing you!

Little Known Fact...

Acrylic stamps are all the rage these days - and with good reason! They allow you to SEE where you are stamping, they are less expensive than wood-mounted stamps, they are easier to store, and so much more!

But did you know that they should be "seasoned" before you use them? Yes, this is the "Cooking with Crafts" blog, so we are seasoning our stamps - but not with salt & pepper. What I mean is that when you first open a package of acrylic stamps, there is a build-up of chemicals across the top of the stamps from the processing used to create them. This "film" can cause your stamped images to be blotchy and uneven as in the image below:

There are several ways to season your stamps - or remove the film from them. You can mount your stamp on an acrylic block and scrub it really hard across your ink pad using back & forth and circular motions. Stamp your image a few times on a scrap piece of paper for best results. I've heard you can also scrub the stamp on your upper arm or thigh - but that can be painful! A third way to season your stamps, and my personal favorite (because I get the best and most consistent results) is to "erase" the film with a white eraser. White erasers are available at art supply/craft stores, as well as office-supply stores. They are softer than pink erasers. Just run the eraser over the surface of the stamp, first going horizontally, then vertically, until you've really given the stamp a good scrub. I then use a stiff paintbrush to get all the "eraser flakes" off, as well as wiping it on an alcohol-free baby wipe (the means by which I clean my stamps). The next image was stamped after "erasing" the stamp:

Try each method to see which works best for you. In addition, not all acrylic stamps will need to be seasoned in order to give a nice, clean impression. I find that mainly just the solid images, especially larger ones, need to be seasoned before being able to use them properly. I hope this allows you to get more from your stamps!

Happy Stamping!

Second-Generation Stamping

Did you know that you can get multiple shades of a color from a single stamp pad? It's called "second-generation" stamping, and here's how it works:

First, ink up your stamp as you usually would.

Next, stamp your image once on a piece of scrap paper.

Once you've done that, you can stamp the image on your project. Your second image will be lighter than the first impression, or first-generation image.

If your ink color is dark enough, you can actually get a third, and maybe even a fourth generation image.

Here is a card I made using the first, second & third-generations of the teacup image:

It is an especially nice technique to use when creating background papers to create depth and visual interest. Have fun with it and see what you can cone up with!

Happy Stamping!

Something Splendid

Hello everyone!

So sorry that I was unable to post for the last week - we were away in New Hampshire at Jellystone Park. What an incredible time we had! Perfect weather all week, with only one overcast day. I even made cards while I was away! It was so fun!

I wanted to post a layout that I did with this month's Stamp of the Month from Close To My Heart. The set is called "Something Splendid", and even though the set is floral and "feminine", I used it below on a very "woodsy" page. So it can be very versatile - not to mention gorgeous! So if anyone is interested in purchasing the set, contact me SOON - it's only available until the end of this month!

Happy Stamping!

P.S. - the chipmunk photo was taken by my husband on our vacation - how adorable!!

It's a "Triple Play"!

I will not have access to my computer for the next week, so I am posting this a day early. Close To My Heart's National Stamping Month Campaign starts TOMORROW! Now, officially, September is National Stamping Month, but they're going to start the party early! Starting August 15th through September 30th, you can get your hands on the "Triple Play" Kit - FIVE different ways! First let me tell you what you get:

- 1 My Acrylix "Love This" stamp set (pictured below)

- 4 Exclusive Inks Mini stamp pads (Desert Sand, Hollyhock, Indian Corn Blue, & Sunset)

- nine 4" x 12" Panels (3 ea. of 3 color schemes)

- three 6" x 12" Die-cut Sheets

- 72" of Colonial White Grosgrain ribbon

- 3 hook & loop fasteners

- 1 full-color brochure
When you are done putting everything together, you will have completed three 4" x 4" mini albums, each in a different color scheme! All of the stamping is done on the die-cut pieces, so you won't even have to cut them out! These mini albums make great gifts - if you can bear to give them up! And here's the best part - five ways to get them!

1) Buy the kit for $29.95
2) Purchase $25 in My Acrilix Stamp Sets and get the Kit for $15 (Note: the purchase of the Stamp of the Month or K-size stamps do not count toward the stamp purchase qualifications)
3) Spend $40 on My Acrlix Stamps, and get the kit for $5!
4) Host a Gathering with sales of $300 or more and get the Kit for FREE!
5) Join my Close To My Heart team as a consultant in the month of September and get the Kit for FREE!

Whew! With so many ways to obtain one of these kits, they will be going FAST - did I mention they are available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST?

You can order directly from my website at http://funforyou.myctmh.com under "Shop Online"! You don't even have to wait for me to have computer access again! You are going to love this kit! Here are the photos of the first album I put together - I did the blue/tan one, but there is still a pink/tan & a Sunset/green one to do!

Until next week - Happy Stamping!

Put YOU in your Scrapbooks!

OK, I've been teasing about an upcoming challenge - and here it is! So often we scrapbook the "events" in our lives - vacations, births, birthdays, weddings, holidays...all very important. But just as important are the everyday things - a day in the life, your home, why you drive the car that you do. But MOST important, and what rarely seems to get scrapbooked, are the things that make you, you! How many photos of yourself are in your scrapbooks? One? None? How are your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, or great-nieces & nephews going to know who you are?

So, here's the challenge: Create a scrapbook page about yourself. It can be any size you prefer. Scrapbook about your favorite hobby, your favorite books, TV shows, colors - anything that you're passionate about. And here's the catch - somewhere on the page there must be a picture of YOU! Be creative - and when you're done, email me a photo of your page by August 22, 2010 to aafaa@charter.net. One page will be chosen at random to receive a cool prize! Here's a page I did a while back about my love of the ocean: {By The Sea Page}.

I can't wait to see your pages! Good luck & Happy Scrappin'!

Zentangle!

Have you heard of it? My kids just took a class on it this morning. Anyone can do it. Well, what is it? If I quote Sandy Steen Bartholomew from her book, "Totally Tangled", "Zentangle is meditation achieved through pattern-making. A Zentangle is a complicated looking drawing that is built one line at a time. Simple tangles, or patterns, are combined in an unplanned way that grows and changes in amazing directions. With your mind engaged in drawing, your body relaxes. Anxiety ans stress move to the back burner." After we got home from the kids' class, I couldn't wait to try it myself. This is what I created:

Kinda cool, huh? There are so many different tangles (patterns) - the combinations of which are endless! Here are the one's my kids did in class today:

The top two are my 6-year-old daughter's, and the bottom two are my 9-year-old son's. They had a lot of fun! If you are interested in taking a class, certified instructor Toni Henneman will be teaching on the following dates, times, and places (the one's that I know of):

A Time For Memories, 78 Worcester Street, Suite 2, North Grafton, MA  (508) 839-9111
Saturday, August 14, 2010 from 10am - 12pm  (Registration deadline - August 12th!!)

The Crop Shop, 333 Weymouth Street, Rockland, MA  (781) 792-2767
Friday, August 27, 2010 from 7 - 9pm
Saturday, August 28 from 10am - 12pm

The class fee for each of the above is $35 which includes all your class supplies. So if you're in the mood to try something new, give it a shot! Go to www.zentangle.com for more inspiration! Happy tangling!

August Stamp of the Month...and then some.

Hello Everyone! I am so busy preparing for my big annual Close To My Heart Open House next month! I hope you can stop by! There will be LOTS of new product to see, and I am trying to create just as much artwork to go along with it!

Today is the 9th of August - that means there's just 3 days left to shop the "$2, $4, $6 for 8" Sale on my website! This sale has been so popular, that CTMH has actually sold out of a couple of the Paper Packs that are in the upcoming Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book! These are Aspen & Bella. I haven't actually been back to the sale since the 4th (the day it began), so I don't know what's still left, but I'm sure there's a whole lot less than there was last week! There's still time to take advantage! Go to "Shop Online" at http://funforyou.myctmh.com to get these incredible deals!

Now, I wanted to make sure you knew that every purchase you make in the "$2, $4, $6 for 8" Sale counts toward the Stamp of the Month! Which, by the way, is gorgeous. It's called "Something Splendid", and here is some of the artwork that has been created with it:

For more details on how you can get your set for FREE, check out the flyer HERE.

I appreciate you tuning in! I am working on a challenge for you guys, so stay tuned!

Happy Stamping!

Folded Shirt Card

Hi there! Today I am posting an instructional video on making a folded shirt card (it's really cute!). I apologize for not knowing the source of these instructions & patterns - I only know that I loved it and wanted to share! Hopefully that will not offend the originator of this technique! After watching the video, be sure to follow these links to download printed instructions, as well as the patterns for the tie, pocket, and Santa outfit:

Folded Shirt Card Instructions
Folded Shirt Card Patterns

Happy viewing!

Wow! I can't believe it!

Well, I took advantage of Close To My Heart's "$2, $4, $6 for 8" Promotion myself and got three different paper packs that I had been wanting to acquire, plus a package of My Stickease, all for just $20 (plus shipping & tax)! That is so cool! I can't wait to get them! Did I mention that many of these items for sale are CURRENT kits, paper packs, and Stickease? Close To My Heart is going to be moving to a different Idea Book format come next year, so they are blowing out most of their current inventory!

Speaking of that, I am posting a link here ( CTMH Retired List ) where you can take a look at the newest CTMH 2011 Retired List - and it is extensive! If you are a fan of the 6" x 6" or 9" x 9" albums, be sure to stock up now, because they will be gone come the end of this year! And a whole lot more! So check out the list, and don't worry - if you didn't get a chance to shop the SALE today, you have until August 11th to take advantage...but I doubt there will be anything left by then!

Until tomorrow - thanks for reading!

Close To My Heart $2, $4, $6 for 8 Promotion begins at 11:00am!

Close To My Heart is having an incredible promotion called "$2, $4, $6 for 8 - You're the one we Appreciate!" This sale can be accessed from the Online Ordering section of my website: http://funforyou.myctmh.com. A HUGE selection of My Reflections Level 1 Kits, Level 2 Paper Packs, and My Stickease will be selling for INSANE discounts! Stickease for $2, Level 1 Kits for $4, and Level 2 Paper Packs for $6! And it starts in 10 MINUTES! Beginning at 11:00am TODAY, you can take advantage of this sale for the next 8 days - August 4th through August 11th - or WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! So be sure to sign in early for the best selection!  Happy Shopping! More Info: $2, $4, $6 for 8 Promotion Flyer

Welcome to my Blog!

Wow, I never thought I would be doing this, but here it is! My very own blog! I hope you will "follow" this and tell all of your friends to follow, too! I will, of course, be posting all of the newest and greatest Close To My Heart news, updates, specials and promotions! In addition, I hope to share tips & techniques, artwork, and maybe even a fun challenge or two (with prizes, of course)! So, be sure to hit the "Follow" button on the right side of the screen, and let's have some fun! While I get myself together and figure out what I'm going to wow you with next, I will start by showing you this month's Project of the Month. Now, those of you who receive my monthly newsletter know that the Project of the Month is either a card or scrapbook page that I create, then post on my website with the materials list and instructions on how to make it! If you love this card, go to http://funforyou.myctmh.com and click on "My Art" at the left side of the page. The Project of the Month will be the very first entry! Thanks for tuning in & hope to see you back here soon!