pixels and glue

The blog has moved

2015-03-02T22:30:00.000+01:00

Thanks for visiting!

I have moved this blog to the new Pixels & Glue website.

You can now find all old and coming blog posts here:

pixelsandglue.com/blog/

Also, please don't forget to update your feed readers or e-mail subscription:

subscribe to pixelsandglue.com

Spring is going to be colorful!

2015-02-01T16:00:00.000+01:00

I hope you don't shoot me for posting about a class the second day in a row but I have a feeling the bonus kit for this one is going to go FAST and I don't want you guys to miss out!

Scrapbookers, I need to confess: Sometimes I get a little kit envy... for example when you got the beautiful silkscreens in your SC kits in fall. I loved them but truthfully, I already have so much stuff here and couldn't justify to get the SB kit or add-ons just for those screens. Well, and if I had gotten them, I would have still needed to figure out how to effectively use them.

Now, imagine my happy dance when I woke up to the news that Wilna Furstenberg (!!) is going to teach a class this March at Studio Calico with four beautiful silkscreens as part of the bonus kit! I have a feeling that Spring is going to be fun… and colorful!

If you don't know Wilna yet (is that even possible?), she's certainly a favorite in the scrapbooking world when it comes to playing with paints on paper projects. She makes it look so easy and artistic, all while keeping it real. And did I mention, she likes to do cards occasionally? ;)

Here's what the class description says about Color Theory:

Let Wilna Furstenberg be your guide in learning how to use your Color Theory paints like a studio artist. In this class, you'll explore amazing paint techniques and tricks for creating perfect color combinations on every project.

BY ENROLLING IN THIS CLASS YOU'LL RECEIVE :

8 technique videos + new projects from Wilna, all featuring cool techniques you can do with Color Theory Paint.
24 projects from our contributors, sharing their take on the techniques. We'll be featuring layouts, cards, and Project Life® spreads.
8 PDFs sharing step outs and thoughts on the techniques from Wilna and her contributors.
Access to a class message board and gallery, where you can share and learn with your teacher and fellow students.
Weekly challenges to inspire you to use what you've learned.
Digital Die Cut files from Wilna's I Heart Studio

Enrollment for Color Theory will close on February 28th at 11:59pm EST. While supplies last, Color Theory students will receive a set of four 4x3 inch silkscreens and one Color Theory Deja Blue Acrylic Paint.

This bonus class kit will ship to you for free, no matter where you are. In addition, ONE lucky Color Theory student will receive all 12 Color Theory Paints. Head over to the class page to sign up! While you're there, check out the "Buy three, get one free." offer for class students who sign up until February 8th.

I personally can't wait since I never had formal training in arts or design and working with paints. It surely wouldn't hurt this old pony to learn a new trick or two ;-)

On the Grid Sneaks

2015-02-01T00:00:00.000+01:00

Thanks for visiting!

I have moved this blog to the new Pixels & Glue website.

You can now find this blog posts here:

https://pixelsandglue.com/blog/2015/02/on-grid-sneaks.html

Also, please don't forget to update your feed readers with my new blog address:

Subscribe to pixelsandglue.com

Studio Calico Cirque Kit

2015-01-29T00:00:00.000+01:00

Hey-ya! Today is the day when you can start ordering this month's Studio Calico kits. I'll quickly give you a tour through the first two of my gallery projects and how they came together. I wrote up step by step instruction along with some tips and hints on the design. I did something similar for my On the Grid class projects and thought you might enjoy this on the blog, too, for a change.

Thinking of You Card

Gallery: Thinking of You card | Kits: SC Cirque Card Kit, Everyday Sentiments Stamp Set

How to:

Stamp the balloons first and color them with Neocolor watercolor crayons and/or Copic markers. You can add dimension by stamping/coloring a second image and punch the balloon out with a 1 1/2" circle punch. Just put it on top of the image on the card base.
Next, fill the gaps on the card by stamping a few clouds (ink color: Mint Hint) and "line" them on the bottom with a silver gel pen. Tip: You can flip the cloud image for more variation.
Die-cut the frame image from Everyday Sentiments and stamp the open frame with Versamark ink. Sprinkle the die-cut with embossing powder (American Crafts Zing Aqua) and fill the frame with a sentiment sticker. Put some foam squares on the back of the die-cut to create dimension and staple it in place (tool: Tiny Attacher).
Decorate the card with puffy heart stickers. Note how the hearts and clouds both build a triangle that lead your view to the sentiment.

Sending You Hugs Card

Gallery: Sending You Hugs card | Kits: SC Cirque Card Kit

How to:

Stamp the balloon image first with black ink and color the wicker basket with Neocolor watercolors (start on the left and blend out to the right).
Then stamp three of the mountain images as well as the sentiment (ink color: Clean Slate).
Add three clouds images using Versamark watermark ink and heat emboss them with American Crafts Zing Opaque White. Clouds are white/grey after all not blue (Yes, I needed a moment to process this while making the card.)
Watercolor the mountain images and sky. As for the sky, it looks more natural to start in the corners and blend out to the middle. Use a circular motion with your brush to create some depth.
Lastly, punch three 1 1/2" circles, stack them and sow them down the middle. You can then fold them up for dimension.

Let me know if you like this new format! Happy shopping :)

Studio Calico Cirque Kit Sneaks

2015-01-24T18:00:00.000+01:00

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is of to a great start :) Maybe I can even brighten your day a little with my sneaks for Studio Calico's Cirque card kit?

I surely wish the days had more hours this month to create some more cards because these kits are so good! This next picture is an actual kit (vs. project) sneak so you get an idea what will come your way should be a subscriber or want to order the card kit. Lots of pinks and stamp sets with cute but graphic images and versatile sentiments.

Oh, and Studio Calico is running a fab promo if you want to start a new subscription. You can start to sub with January's Far Far Away kits for just $5* - and as a bonus, new subbers have the chance to be randomly selected to receive a free 12-month subscription. Yay!

* The codes expire 1/26/15 at 11:59 pm EST. Valid only on new subscriptions with Far Far Away kit and requires a 6-month commitment. Add the Far Far Away kit to your cart and the corresponding promo code. Early subscription cancellations are subject to termination fee. Not valid on previous purchases. Must enter promo code at checkout. Refunds will not be issued for misused or non-entered codes. One winner of a 12-month subscription will be randomly selected from new subscribers who subscribe between 1/1/15 and 1/26/15. The winner will be notified by Studio Calico via email on or before 1/30/15.

I also have a sneak for my On the Grid Class contributions but I will leave that for another day. Can't wait to see? Head over to my Instagram account! One of the card sneaks is up on there so far.

Happy Scrappy Friends | Christmas Supplies

2015-01-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hello hello, how about starting this Monday right with a bit of inspiration x 9? Well, so be it! This month's Happy Scrappy Friends blog hop is about using your leftover Christmas stash in a non-Christmassy way.

I don't own a lot of Christmas stuff except for a few stamp sets and patterned paper. One of my all time favorite Christmas product lines is the Sligh Ride collection by Crate Paper, which is where the patterned paper for my card came from.

It's a beautiful paper, back and front, so I used both here and added a kraft color flower and a bit of washi tape from my last Studio Calico kit to give it more of a non-Christmas/non-winter look. Very simple!

For more inspiration on using up your Christmas scraps etc., you want to hop to these fabulous ladies' blogs:

Also, if you want to participate in our challenge, please visit the Happy Scrappy Friends blog and enter your own project. You have the chance to win a $25 gift card to the SC shop this time. Talk about motivation to work on the post-Christmas stash ;)

Anyway, your regular next stop is Elvan. Happy blog hopping!

On the Grid {Studio Calico Classroom}

2015-01-07T20:08:00.002+01:00

Hello there and happy new year! I hope you all had an amazing start :) I must confess, I completely slowed down during the holidays and my "mojo" is still very mucho in hibernation mode.

Before I go and dust off my little craft space (read: I closed the doors to the chaos on the 25th and never opened said door until a few minutes ago), I want to tell you about a new class that's coming to the Studio Calico Classroom in Feburary: On the Grid! The fabulous Marcy Penner is the head teacher for this class and I call myself lucky to be one of the contributors. Yay!

Here's what the class description says:

Save your projects from falling flat - learn how to give each one a solid foundation with On the Grid. Marcy Penner shares her secrets for using a grid based design to create perfectly pulled together projects in a flash.
You'll get Marcy's expertise in multiple areas to create the perfect base for your projects by exploring using basic grids, playing with design through the use of tags and other materials, and getting out of the square format by experimenting with other shapes or stamps.

On the Grid offers the blueprint to success - no heavy equipment needed.

By enrolling in this class you'll receive:

24 all new projects (each sharing a different take on the grid) from Marcy and her contributors.
4 videos and 4 in depth tutorials sharing Marcy's grid design secrets.
Step out photos that show how the contributor's projects came together.
Printable accents, labels and digital die cut files from Hello Forever.
Access to a class message board and gallery, where you can share and learn with your teacher and fellow students.
Weekly challenges to inspire you to use what you've learned.

While supplies last, On the Grid students will receive a bonus class kit containing enamel dots, die cuts, stickers and a veneer grid. This kit will ship for free, no matter where you are. NOTE: This bonus class kit will begin shipping in mid January. Anything that you order along with the class will be held and shipped with the kit - if you'd like the rest of your supplies earlier, please check out with them separately.

Contributors:
April Foster, Dana Fleckenstein, Emma Wood, Geralyn Sy, Jamaica Edgell, Karen Baker, Kelly Noel, Lea Lawson, Lisa Spangler, Lisa Truesdell, Melanie Louette, Magdalena Hanell, Pam Baldwin

What you'll need:
This class is a great resource for digging into your stash of kits and exploring the design tricks behind using a grid based design as the foundation of your project. Here are a few things you'll want to have to get started:

Patterned paper - Grid based designs are a great way to use up your scraps!
Embellishments - We'll be adding some embellishment clusters to our grid designs, so look for a mix of larger stickers and die cuts and small accents like enamel dots and sequins.
Stamps - Any of your favorite designs will work, but designs with simple shapes will be the most versatile.
Die Cuts and Punches - Many grid based designs call for repetition of shapes. Die cuts and punches are a quick and easy way to build a grid!
Tags & frames - These are both great items to start off your grid designs.

This might just be what I (we?) need to get the creative juices going and work on the stash (after all CHA is just around the corner). Hop over to the Studio Calico website to sign up for On the Grid - see you in the classroom!

Far Far Away {Studio Calico January Kit Reveal}

2014-12-31T00:00:00.000+01:00

Hello, hello! Have you already seen the new Studio Calico "Far Far Away" kits? They've gone live for ordering yesterday and I think most items are still in stock if you want to pick something up. Today, I'm going to quickly share my Creative Team cards for the gallery.

First up, I have two main card kit only cards for you. One featuring the large pineapple stamp, which I heat embossed and watercolored. Pineapples are one of the micro trends I noticed since summer and I have some ideas to stamp on fabric with this.

Gallery: You're Sweet Pineapple card | Kits: Far Far Away Card Kit

The second card with the main only was so quick and fun to make. It features two favorites from the kit: a veneer butterfly (painted with nail varnish!) and the Neocolor crayon (along with two other colors from my stash).

Gallery: Hello, hello card | Kits: Far Far Away Card Kit

Beside the main kit, I also got two add-on stamps. Both very different in style both awesome in their own right. One is the Balloon stamp set designed by Tina Aszmus - completely adorable, don't you think? There are also heart shaped balloons and Valentine's sentiments in there. So, if you celebrate this holiday you might want to take a look at it (the kits and add-ons I used are all linked under the respective card).

Gallery: Happy Birthday to You card | Kits: Far Far Away Card Kit, Balloon Stamp Set

The second add-on I got, was the Diamond stamp set which has a variety of diamond shapes and "fillings" as well as mix and match sentiments to go along with them. My idea for the card below was to create kind of a Christmas thank you card and you can make them it lots of different colors to suit your recipients taste.

Gallery: Happy Birthday to You card | Kits: Far Far Away Card Kit, Diamond Stamp Set

One last tip: Today is also last call (=shop sale) time! I took a peek at the offers and there are lots of fun stamp sets from previous kits in the sale section, e.g. from popular artist like Ashley Goldberg and Lindsay Letters. In addition you can enjoy 25 % off the stamps (excluding Heidi Swapp sets) in the regular stamp section with the code STAMPSALE25 (expires 12/31/2014 at 11:59pm EST).

Thank you for visiting!

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Studio Calico is an online community and curator of designer kits and coordinating add-ons containing the latest papercrafting supplies. They offer three different types of crafting kits every month. One is designed for scrapbooking, one for card making, and a third for Project Life®. Click here to learn more and receive monthly kit deliveries created just for you!

Studio Calico January Kit Sneaks

2014-12-27T00:00:00.000+01:00

Hello hello, hope y'all have and had a fabulous Christmas time! I know I had, although, as always, it all came too fast to get everything ready in time… like sending out all cards, ehem. I guess, there will be coming some winter or New Year's themed packages and cards to the blog soonish :)

Something that is also fast approaching? Studio Calico kit reveal is just around the corner. Less than 24 hours for subscribers even. So what is you can do with the card kit? I'll give you some sneaks here.

The first two are made with just the main card kit, for the last one I turned to the fabby new Diamond stamp set, a card add-on, which is awesome to build your own patterns and so much more.

For even more sneak peeks at all of the kits you can visit the Studio Calico blog aaaaand the digital files for the Far Far Away kit are already up for you to see and shop. While you're there you can also download the new purchase planner which will be a subscriber exclusive thing beginning next month.

Hope to see you tomorrow for reveal night and your weekend is off to a great start! We're expecting snow tomorrow and since I don't have to commute I'm actually kind of excited for it.

Studio Calico Creative Team 2015 and Sneak Reveal

2014-12-14T22:56:00.001+01:00

If you closely follow everything Studio Calico, this is kind of old news for you but I want to make it official here on the blog, too: I'm honored that I was invited to stay on the Creative Team for another year. How crazy to think I'm entering into my third term with this amazing company! This coming year, the team is smaller than in the two years before and I'm just as sad to see some members leave - especially those I have met in person before - as I am excited to see some new and returning faces.

You can read more about the who is who and the opportunity to become a contributor for the monthly kit gallery yourself on the Studio Calico blog.

Speaking of Studio Calico and their kits, tonight was sneak night for their upcoming January Kit "Far Far Away". My kit should be delivered any day this week and I'm looking forward to play with that pineapple stamp in particular.

Oh, and the stamp add-ons… hello cute balloons! You got to check them out in the sneak slideshow until I can show you my own samples on Instagram and on here.

Lastly, there is a pretty cool promo coming to SC this week. If you start a new subscription for either the card, scrapbook or PL kit, you will receive an add-on (no matter which, as long as it is still available in the shop) for free. You just need to check out using the promo code "DEC14SUB".

Since this promo is not yet official to the masses (the code already works though) you can use this to your advantage and pick from a greater range of add-ons. Just saying! I think my choice would be the Waldorf embellishment add-on for that Lizzy Mackay stamp set alone ♥

Happy Scrappy Friends | Christmas/Advent

2014-12-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

Welcome to our monthly Happy Scrappy Friends blog hop and challenge! This month we took inspiration from the season and celebrate everything Christmas, advent, winter and glitter.

My card has more of an untraditional color scheme. I opted for light and bright with a bit of sparkle from a strip of glitter tape and a rhinestone on the snowflake die-cut.

Hope you like my challenge sample. For more inspiration, please visit this month's blog hoppers:

Stephanie
Alexandra
Cathleen
Dana (moi!)
Elvan
Jana
Marjan
Nina

… and of course you can always refer back to the HSF blog, which is also where you can enter your own project into the challenge for a chance to win. Happy blog hopping!

Letterpress X-mas

2014-12-06T06:00:00.000+01:00

You would think a cardmaker has a Christmas card to show by now, right? Well, well… there's a prototype of a letterpress card. The colors are unusually cool; certainly not your regular red and green.

I used part of a letterpress alpha and selectively inked the X only, then completed to x-mas with a gray uppercase sticker alpha from an older Studio Calico kit. And yes, my favorite metallic is back again: silver glitter tape, silver sequins, silver thread :) Unfortunately I also wanted to use sprinkles of the Calico Shine mist. Don't use this on cotton paper, friends! It soaks immediately and looks splotchy.

Anyway, it's a nice and simple design with options to get a little variety from card to card by using different ink colors, card bases or embellishments. Which is a winner in my book.

How about you? Have you finished and mailed your cards already?

Supplies
Letterpress: Letterpress Bundle, Craft Die & Letterpress Plate Set: Alpha, Letterpress Ink (hot pink), 12x12 Thick Letterpress Paper
Cardstock: Hero Arts
Other: American Crafts Glitter Tape (silver), Studio Calico Atlantic Collection Sequins, sewing machine/thread, Studio Calico Mister Huey Calico Shine

How to | Shaker Card with Sequins and Glitter

2014-11-30T23:30:00.000+01:00

So, I'm not particularly a fan of interactive cards - that is, when I have to make them myself - but a shaker card with sequins and glitter? Yes, please!

I was commissioned to make this for a friend and thought I'd quickly document the steps. If you want to make a card with this technique, too, you can follow my tutorial here.

Step 1 - Fold a card from cardstock and die-cut a window into it.

Step 2 - Cut a piece of acetate to size leaving it at least 1/4 in than the window in your card base, then glue it down on the inside, e.g. with Glossy Accents.

Step 3 - Decorate the window and card base to your liking and find a piece of patterned paper to find behind the window.

Step 4 - Before you glue to patterned paper on the back of the window, make sure you leave an inch without adhesive or if you also use glue tape, leave the backing on this portion. This will be, where you will fill the window later. Note: The glue tape will help to keep the glitter inside the shaker window. If you plan to only use sequins a few dabs of glue to hold the paper in place are absolutely fine.

Step 5 - Sew around the edges of the die-cut window. Make sure you leave out the portion where there is no glue so far.

Step 6 - Fill the shaker window with sequins and glitter. When your finished remove the backing from the strip of glue tape.

Step 7 - Continue the sewing line around the window. Finished shaker window!

Hope you find this helpful for your own crafting. If you like the patterned paper as much as I do, there's a deal to get this brand new kit at a discount until midnight tomorrow. Details and code can be found on the Studio Calico blog.

Thanks for coming by!

PS: Speaking of glitter and sequins, did you see Shanna's newest class "Sparkle"? That tiny sneak looks so fab already!

Supplies
Patterned Paper: Studio Calico Park Ave. card kit
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Rustic Cream
Other: Studio Calico gold sequins, Studio Calico die (banner from Penny Arcade card kit), Studio Calico Mister Huey spray mist (gold), sewing machine/thread, Martha Stewart glitter, American Crafts alphabet, typwriter, Glossy Accents, Depot glitter tape

Studio Calico Park Ave. Kit Reveal

2014-11-28T00:30:00.000+01:00

Hey there and happy Thanksgiving to my US readers :) Regulars around here already know that today is reveal day at Studio Calico. By now subscribers can already go shopping and for everyone else it's only a few more hours until the Park Ave. kits go on sale.

November has been busy and I didn't get to play as long and as much as I wanted with these kits. I mostly dug into the main kit which is nice if you want to get a feeling for the potential of the main kit alone I think. This is what you'll be getting:

Park Ave. Card Kit

And let me tell you, I'm a little jelly for you'll be getting that cute masking tape (my kit was already on it's way when the tape hit the warehouse). Just about the first card I made with the kits was this following one.

Gallery: Hello Nightsky card | Kits: Park Ave. Card Kit

I heat embossed the house stamp fillers in white on watercolor paper, then started to color the houses and sky with Neocolor watercolors. For a little more depth, I also used the Color Theory inks with a sponge on the dark blue night sky. Lastly, I couldnt help myself and put on some sprinkles in Mister Huey Calico Shine for the finishing touch to mimic stars.

Gallery: Hi from the City card | Kits: Park Ave. Card Kit

The adorable veneer taxi in the main kit deserved special attention. I used a light grey marker to highlight some features on it and a 0.1 Micron pen to trace the Taxi sign. The headlights were glittered and I also cut some of the cityscape paper to fit the rear window.

Gallery: x-mas card | Kits: Park Ave. Card Kit, Park Ave. Dots & Stripes Paper Pad

That card came together by chance. I'm behind on the Christmas cards (again!) and also wanted to find a way to use the house filler stamps in a different way. Here I stamped and heat embossed a pattern on a handcut Christmas tree. Patterned papers are all from Dots & Stripes paper pad.

Gallery: Hello Love card | Kits: Park Ave. Card Kit

That rose paper in the main kit is just so pretty, you hardly need a thing to add for a sweet card/love note. I heat embossed the hello stamp in gold on a die-cut tag (love the craft dies, so versatile!) and decorated with the included enamel dots from the kit.

Gallery: #sentwithlove card | Kits: Park Ave. Card Kit

For this last card today, I punched a heart from kraft paper as my sentiment mat. I masked part of the "Handmade with Love" stamp and added "sent" with the alpha letters from the main card kit.

Well, and that's all I got for today! I have another card finished and a second almost (sneak for that last one is already on Instagram). So you'll probably see some more ideas for this kit soon-ish :) Thanks for visiting!

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Next stop: Park Avenue!

2014-11-24T19:25:00.000+01:00

Only a couple of more days until Studio Calico's Park Ave kits go live. Let's take a sneak peek at my gallery projects for December, shall we?

I love that you can take this kit from bold to understated and elegant. The skyline houses in the card main are great to watercolor and the fill patterns proofed to be versatile beyond the original purpose. My favorite from this month's card kit? The adorable veneer taxi of course!

Before I go, I just wanted to give you a couple of shopping tips for items that I think work well with your Park Ave card kit:

AmCrafts Gold Zing Metallic embossing powder. Yes, it's become an addiction since the last kit or so. The raised surface of heat embossing gives such a nice texture and the gold color is looks good with both the neutrals and the purple/pinks.
Vellum. I don't think I'll give up on this anytime soon. It's my go-to to either tone done a bold paper and let the focal point shine or as a extra layer.
Glossy Accents. I specifically used this for the veneer taxi card above to adhere the glitter and give a little shine to the rear window. It's also great to fix sequins, buttons and the like.
Neocolor II. Well, Céline recommended them as her favorites in spring and by now I have a whole collection of these watercolor crayons. If you've worked with Gelatos before, they are a little different to work with but the colors are so vibrant - worth to take a look at them. If you go into the SC shop to a specific color, you also find info on which of them coordinate with the Color Theory system.

If you are interested to see more sneaks, the SC sneak page shows some more and many of the Creative Team members also add a sneak thread on the message board.

Hope to see you for reveal on the 27th!

Happy Scrappy Friends | Project Life® Cards

2014-11-12T10:00:00.000+01:00

Hooray for the 12th of the month - it means we get to offer you a fresh Happy Scrappy Friends challenge! This month's topic is using Project Life® cards on whatever project fun project you have on your mind - in my case, of course, we're talking handmade greeting cards.

I dug into my stash and busted out one of my favorite PL kits, Studio Calico's sold out Marks & Co, as well as some other finds from my left-over bin. I was determined to start with Christmas cards but that just didn't happen, so fall it was.

Supplies Kit: Studio Calico Walden Card Kit and Marks & Co Project Life Kit | Cardstock: Neenah Solar White | Other: SC Mister Huey spray mist (neon pink, Pinstripe), SC sequins (gold), SC Color Theory washi tape, AmCrafts glitter tape (brown sugar), Papertrey Ink leaf dies, Cosmo Cricket tag, neon pink thread, cork sheet

You see, PL cards are a nice way to mat a few layers and embellishments. I worked with some die-cut leaves to create a focal point but when you find a nice image instead of "just" a patterned PL card in your stash, you don't even need to go that route.

Thanks for hopping by, scrappy friends! Your next stop is Dori, who does PL on a regular basis. Also, hop by the HSF blog for a full participant list and details on how you can play along with us as well. See you there!

#SCinspires | Congrats to...

2014-11-01T17:45:00.001+01:00

Happy November to all of you and especially to Sara Swing! Sara commented on my #SCinspires post and random.org chose her to be the winner of my Studio Calico The Underground card kit giveaway. Sara said:

Sara SwingOctober 13, 2014 at 11:42 PM

Would love to start making cards...following you, thank you! SCID: sswing10

Thank you to everyone who took part in the blog hop and left a comment and big congratulations, Sara!! I'm looking forward to see your first cards pop up in the SC gallery.

Sweet Treats | The Fry Box

2014-10-31T06:00:00.000+01:00

Thanks for visiting!

I have moved this blog to the new Pixels & Glue website.

You can now find this blog posts here:

https://pixelsandglue.com/blog/2014/10/sweet-treats-fry-box

Also, please don't forget to update your feed readers with my new blog address:

Subscribe to pixelsandglue.com

Studio Calico Walden Kits

2014-10-28T22:00:00.000+01:00

Hey, hey it's reveal day! This month's Studio Calico Kit Walden is already live for shopping so it's high time to show you my gallery cards on the old blog :) Just so that you know what I'm talking about, I'll show you the main card kit first.

I loved to work with the big stamp images in the card main. You barely need anything else to finish a card. For the first card I made, I had created a half-tone effect with my card base and a yellow patterned paper, then layered my stamped and embossed apple on top.

Gallery: Apple of My Eye Card | Kits: Walden Card Kit

And of course there had to be some stitching and the tiny stitches from last month's projects also carried over (it's Mister Huey Inky Black this time).

Gallery: Celebrate Card | Kits: Walden Card Kit, Holiday & New Year's Stamp Set

Then, there were these yellow deer charms… quite honestly they were my least favorite item at first until I challenged my self to make it work for me. The longer I looked at them, I found they called to be painted gold for the season and it paired so well with the pastel elements in the end. I matted one of the deers on the doily from the kit and a die-cut tag (I used these dies) from patterned paper. Oh, and there's a sentiment stamped on the inside for good measure. You can see it in the SC gallery detail images.

Gallery: Magic is for the Making Card | Kits: Walden Card Kit, Holiday & New Year's Stamp Set

As for the second deer charm, I wanted to pair it with something more neutral to give it an elegant touch. Again, I pulled the tag dies, then layered a glassine bag from the kit packaging filled with the wood veneer hearts and gold sequins. Marcy Penner's Holiday & New Year's Stamp Set was a nice way to add a sentiment in between the layers.

Gallery: Nuts about You Card | Kits: Walden Card Kit

I know, man cards are not everyone's strong suite so maybe you will like my last card for today. Combining stamping and watercolors seems to be one of my favorite techniques right now. You just stamp your image (here it's the acorn) first, e.g., with Color Theory inks, then use Neocolor crayons on top. Since both are water soluble, they blend really well. Lastly, I heat-embossed over the colored image with Zing gold metallic.

That's it for today. I'm working on a fun project with the adorable French Fry stamp and hope to have this up over the next few days. Stay tuned!

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#SCneaks | Walden Kit

2014-10-27T11:00:00.000+01:00

Gold! There's gold in every single one of my card sneaks for Studio Calico's November Kit Walden. How's that for a surprise? Walden is a great kit for this time of the year. It has items far fall in there but you can easily take it to make some holiday cards. Also, don't let the pastels in my sneaks fool you - there's also a few bolder colors and lots of "Calico" aka neutrals to pair with everything.

If you want to see a little more of the kits, the Studio Calico blog gives you an overview at what's coming for reveal later today. See you there!

PS: You can still comment on my #SCinspires blog post to win a Studio Calico card kit!

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#SCinspires {Blog Hop and Giveaway}

2014-10-13T14:00:00.000+02:00

Thank you for hopping by from Natalie's blog! As we are heading into fall, Studio Calico offers you a free printable fall poster by one of their talented in-house graphic designers, Jasmine Jones, as part of a contest. It comes in two versions for you to download, full color and another with a white background.

So pretty, isn't it? I think, I'll have it printed on grid paper or light colored patterned paper… or maybe even vellum? Anyway, to participate in the contest:

Go, download the printable to enter the contest!
Share a photo on your social networks and tag it with #SCinspires. In your photo caption, explain why the photo is inspiring to you. It can be a picture of you and your free printable or anything else from Studio Calico that inspires you!

You are in to win some amazing prizes - and: As the shares with #SCinspires grow, prizes will grow, too! :) Curious to learn more? Contest details including prize sneaks can be found here and SC will also update you on their blog every Friday on the progress/number of shares so far. The contest ends 10/31/14 at 11:59PM Eastern.

Probably, you wonder what inspires me about Studio Calico? I will tell you a little "behind the scenes" story from the past few days. On October 4th, we celebrated World Card-Making Day (WCMD) and Kelsi from the SC offices asked, if some of the Creative Team members were up to contribute a challenge for the lovely message board members. I happily joined to put together a color challenge for the occasion.
Originally, I planned to just pick some colors from the Color Theory swatch book based on a recent card I made from the The Underground card kit but, well… I was inspired to create a whole mood board with supplies from the kit that subbers were to receive soon and other stash/shop items.

These are some of my absolute favorite colors, especially for "manly" cards that we often struggle with and I'm sure I will reverse the process again in a few weeks to make a card from the mood board.

But back again to WCMD! I wanted to offer some choice to members playing with my challenge and created a second mood board, this time with a warmer berry palette with lavender tones, pink, orange/copper and red colors, mostly with items from current and previous SC kits. It's a trendy fall season palette but surely one that I at least wouldn't usually pick for a project. Nevertheless, both mood board version sparked many beautiful cards with our members (look for them in this thread) and this weekend I created a card with the berry palette colors in mind, too...

What can you take away from this? Studio Calico inspires me to create, their products often inspire big chunks of my creation process. The kits prevent me from spending an endless amount of time searching for the right items since it all goes so well together as is, without being overly matchy-matchy.
Then, their new Color Theory system is a great way to mix in coordinating basics and embellishments and as you see above, something simple like the swatch book can inspire your projects... and challenge you. What is particularly fun is that the kits sometimes make me use items which I wouldn't necessarily pick on my own, but it's often these things that have me thinking creatively outside of the box, let me explore different styles and spark an idea so that I will end up loving to work with the product anyway.

Giveaway time!

Now, fall is the season of gratitude, isn't it? As a way to say thanks for your continued support, SC offered to send a brand new October card kit to one of my blog readers. (If you aren't a regular reader yet but want to become one, you can subscribe here.)

To enter for a chance to win a The Underground card kit, please leave a comment on this very post - with your SC user name if you have one already - until October 31, 2014, at 11:59pm EST. I will also grant you extra chances if you follow me on Instagram and/or Pinterest. Just leave another comment telling me where you follow (of course you can enter extra comments, too, if you do already). I will draw a random winner on 11/1st!

To continue with the blog hop, you can always refer to the full participant list on the Studio Calico blog - your next stop is a lovely and talented scrapbooker from Singapore, Lilin Fang. Good luck for the contest and giveaway, all! I'm looking forward to hear in which ways #SCinspires YOU :)

EDIT: We have a winner!

Happy Scrappy Friends | Street Art

2014-10-12T10:00:00.000+02:00

Street art is the topic for this month's Happy Scrappy Friends blog hop. Honestly, one that I struggled with… but let's start with some inspiration that Marjan put together for our viewing pleasure!

Street Art inspiration | It's next to impossible to give credit for this but Marjan has sources linked on her Pinterest.

Gorgeous isn't it? The diagonal row from the bottom left to the upper right is my favorite. Yet, as I told you already up above, I did struggle with this topic. I'm not a drawer or painter. If I were to draw something from the top of my head with my own hands… oh my goodness! A five year old could easily beat me. Now, are you giggling, shaking your head with pity? Or can you relate?

What is street art - on a basis that I can work with? For one, it's colorful, full of depth and, not least, texture from concrete buildings or whatever the surface underneath. Quite often you see words in elaborate lettering. Paint drips and sprinkles. Well, and that's what I ran with! A bold hand-lettered sentiment, a textured surface and several layers of tiny sprinkles and stamped dots.

Supplies: Studio Calico The Underground Card Kit, SC Marks & Co PL Kit, Crate Paper Notes & Things 6x6 pad | Ink: SC Color Theory Flamingo | Other: We R Embossing Folder Chevron, vellum, Tiny Attacher, SC Darling Dear rhinestones, Kesi'Art butterfly dies, Garn & Mehr baker's twine copper, Martha Stewart 1" scallop circle punch

If you're just as curious as I am to find out how the other blog hop participants handled the street art challenge, you can find their blogs linked here in order:

The last link as always is the the HSF main blog - go there to play along, too! Happy Sunday :)

> > > PS: Check back tomorrow for a chance to win big!

Studio Calico November Classes

2014-10-08T01:00:00.000+02:00

I've been away for a short few days to have some fun away before it's back to school. Since there's a nationwide strike by train drivers, we left earlier than planned. Happy coincidence: I (and you, too) can still take advantage of SC's classroom offers for October. The two classes I am writing about is "Send Joy", a Christmas card class with Lisa Spangler, and Paint.Plan.Play, an art journaling class with designer Ashley Goldberg.

First, let's talk about Lisa's class because this one is a no-brainer! If you are a card maker, expectancy from friends and family and not least yourself to send cards for Christmas is kind of high, isn't it? Still, I know, I never manage to send them to everyone I have on my list in time - or worse, like last year I made only a few for design team assignments and gave exactly one (1!) away. Talk about epic fail! Sounds familiar? I read the class description for "Send Joy" I knew this one's for me:

"The Yuletide season is upon us and that means it’s time to send hand-crafted greeting cards and tags for those you hold nearest and dearest. In Send Joy Lisa Spangler will show you how to create 15 cards and 5 tags in bulk so that you can send them to 100 of your closest friends. Provide your entire Christmas list with handmade cards made with care."

Promising, isn't it? While supplies last, Send Joy students will receive an exclusive 4x3in stamp set designed by Marcy Penner of Hello Forever and there are two shopping offers for class students until October 8th:

buy 2 stamp sets from the Send Joy classroom shop and you get the third half off with code JOYSTAMPS
get 5 Color Theory inks and get one free with code CTJOY

Important: The class and stamps and/or inks must be in your cart for the codes to become effective.

In addition to a bunch of new Christmas stamps designed by JJ Bolton, Kelly Purkey and more, there are also new as well as returning letterpress designs and supplies. More details about the class and the fine print for class offers are on the Send Joy classroom page.

Now, the other workshop is a totally different beast and one that I at least want to take just for the fun of it. Class teacher Ashley Goldberg is an artist and pattern designer in Portland, OR. She has an amazing style that she will sure bring to her Paint.Plan.Play. workshop.

Again, the class description just speaks to me:

"We've all experienced it – the frustration of sitting in front of a blank page for hours and still coming up empty. Well, we've got the remedy: cutting-edge artist Ashley Goldberg. Ashley’s come wielding her brush and paints to invite you into Paint.Plan.Play, an “art” class designed for scrapbookers. Grab the paints and brushes you've been collecting and let Ashley help you tap into the creativity you've got hiding inside yourself.
During the first half of Paint.Plan.Play, you’ll explore core painting techniques Ashley uses every day, then you will transition into putting those new skills to use in several projects. With Ashley’s expert guidance, you will learn how to take control of color, pattern, and text by using paint, collage, and various other mediums to add allure to all your paper crafting projects – from personally designed journal layouts to Project Life spreads."

We've had some of Ashley's patterns in the card kit lately and getting some inspiration to create such patterns myself and just exploring a modern, artsy take on paint/media sounds great to me. Check out the class homepage for details along with a cute class sneak video! Basic supplies and other things to make your class room experience extra fun can be found here in the shop. I have my eyes set on this alphabet set… yummy!

Studio Calico Flash Deal

2014-09-30T22:17:00.004+02:00

Hi everyone, just saw this pop up in my e-mail and thought it's an amazing deal that I want to pass on to you. If you ever wanted to become a new subscriber to any of Studio Calico's three main kits, now might be the time. Here's what it's all about straight from the e-mail I got:

Who couldn't use 50 extra bucks to spend on an add-on or two? You got to be fast though since the offer ends tonight (9/30) at midnight EST. You'll find all of the current kits here or by clicking on the image above. Also, if you wonder about the term "new subscriber", according to Studio Calico customer service the offer is also for you if you already subscribe to, e.g., the Scrapbook kit and now want to add the Project Life® or Card Kit to your monthly subscriptions.

Hope you find this helpful - have a great day!

Studio Calico The Underground Kit

2014-09-29T19:00:00.000+02:00

Hey hey, did you see? London's calling at Studio Calico this month! I would love to find out what you think about the October kits because it's been one of those that don't just look awesome but are easy to work with, too. Anyway, you guys are here to see some cards… first up, though, let's get an overview of what is in the main card kit this time.

Good stuff, eh? The feather die and stamps set with this clean and trendy font face may just be my favorite items. For my first card I added some extra items, though. For one, the SC tag dies and second, an Alice in Wonderland inspired Tea Time stamp add-on.

Gallery: Fall Wreath Hello Card | Kits: The Underground Card Kit, Tea Time stamp add-on

I wanted to use the Tea Time stamps in a way to proof they are not just for tea lovers. The sprig images in this set are actually great to stamp a wreath and decorate it with the flowers, rhinestones or whatever tickles your fancy or is suitable for the look you are going.

Gallery: Feather Thank You Card | Kits: The Underground Card Kit, Tea Time stamp add-on

This card is a main kit only and again this kit proofs to be really versatile beyond the initial fall/halloween feel! The feather die is so feminine and it cut through the thick copper color paper (also included in the main kit) like butter. I cut bigger feather with the Silhouette for layering here.

Gallery: Bear Hug Notecard | Kits: The Underground Card Kit, Forrest stamp add-on

Now, on to a simple but striking notecard! The whole Forest stamp set has such a modern graphic style! I stamped the bear image in Doc Brown ink, then embossed the sentiment over it with white Zing powder. See, you really don't need much to create a trendy notecard. I even matched the envelope flaps - detail images including the envelope are in my gallery as always.

Gallery: Tea Time Card | Kits: The Underground Card Kit, Tea Time stamp add-on

Ready for a mad-hatter tea party? Of course, I just had to use the tea cup from Tea Time set as well. I found the pocket tags in the card kit are great to send your favorite tea along with some warm greetings or get well wishes this fall. A single bag fits in perfectly!

Gallery: Sweet Darling Card | Kits: The Underground Card Kit

A peach, a pumpkin? I'm not exactly sure, but it sure looks cute and so fresh combined with the bright green patterned paper and just a hint of pink on the stamped image. I used punched circles to help sketch the hill shape on the back of the green paper, then cut it out and layered the pumpkin & embellishments.

Gallery: Happy Halloween Card | Kits: The Underground Card Kit

This Halloween card was the first thing I made this month and the card kit stamp set got me completely in the mood for fall. The pumpkin and tiny addition stamps can even be turned into a halloween face… both creepy and cute :) Also, this card made go a little artsy with some pencil lines and watercolors on top of the stamps for more dimension.

Gallery: Leafy Hello Card | Kits: The Underground Card Kit | Digital: Leaf Cut Files by Hello Forever

Lastly, my personal favorite from the cards I made this month. I mean, how pretty are those leaf die-cuts by Marcy? I cut a bunch from patterned paper then die-cut another from the copper paper for some contrast. After I arranged them on paper in alternating direction, I sewed the single pieces down in the middle and bent the paper up as to not have them all lay flat on paper.

One last tip: today is last call at Studio Calico, i.e. you may snag some cool items on clearance! Thanks for stopping, everyone :)

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Studio Calico is an online community and curator of designer kits and coordinating add-ons containing the latest papercrafting supplies. They offer three different types of crafting kits every month. One is designed for scrapbooking, one for card making, and a third for Project Life®. Click here to learn more and receive monthly kit deliveries created just for you!