Tammy Tutterow

Sunday Stamping: When I Want to See Love. . .

2012-01-22T08:00:00-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone! I am still knee deep in CHA prep so I am cheating a bit and posting a tag that didn't make the cut for the show for today's Sunday Stamping. I am stamping today, but it is more top secret stuff! By the way, if you haven't checked out Tim's post on Sizzix's new Stamp2Cut, you need to! I have been using it in my studio this week and it is totally amazing! I can't sing it's praises enough. If you happen to go to CHA next week, be sure to stop by the Sizzix booth (#949) and let me show you all that it can do in person!

For this week's tag, I had some fun playing with different colors of Ranger's Archival Inks. Next to Distress Inks, this collection of inks is my favorite. I love using them with an ink blending tool and applying them to my surface just like I would Distress Inks.

For this tag, I cut a piece of manila cardstock to fit the top portion of my tag. I stamped my script stamp on the piece using Coffee Archival Ink. Next, I stamped the floral design using Jet Black Archival Ink.

I pressed the lid of my selected Archival ink Colors so that the inside of the lid would make contact with the ink pad inside. I used a water brush to pick up the ink off of the inside of the ink pad lid and then brushed it onto my design like a water color paint. I finished of the topper by using an ink blending tool to blend Coffee Archival Ink around the edges. I machine stitched around the edges of the tag topper securing it to the tag below.

On the lower part of the tag, I again used the ink blending tool to color the surface of my tag with Coffee Archival Ink. I inked over the blended tag with a wood grain image stamped in Coffee Archival Ink. I added more Coffee Archival Ink along the edges as well.

For my phrase, I cut a piece of Sticky Back Canvas like a banner. I brushed the surface of it with Rose Madder Archival Ink using an ink blending tool. I brushed the edges directly with the edge of the pad to give them a strong punch of of color. I used Jet Black Archival Ink for the phrase.

I removed the backing on the Sticky Back Canvas only on the portion that would be under the topper, using the adhesive on it to hold it in place. I left the backing on the lower portion of the banner so that it would hang free.

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I have news to share!

2012-01-21T08:00:00-06:00

I have been keeping a secret for a little while. . .

If you follow Sizzix on Facebook, you might have seen this announcement:

Hello Sizzix Fans! We wanted to welcome our newest Sizzix team member, Tammy Tutterow to our family. Tammy will be joinging us at CHA next week and blogging live with photos, videos and tons of tips on all of our new products. You will want to also checkout Tammy's own blog for new projects and the latest techniques and ideas that include Sizzix and all of your favorite brands. We are so excited to have Tammy join our creative crew and we know that you will love getting to know her. WELCOME TAMMY!

I am thrilled to share with you that I have joined the team at Sizzix! Next week I will be attending CHA and working in their booth. I will be demoing, blogging, and sharing all of the awesome things Sizzix has in store! We have some really fun things planned for the fans of Sizzix that we will share more about after the show.

If you don't already follow Sizzix on their blog, on Facebook or Twitter you should! There will be a lot of fun happenings there and I know you won't want to miss a single bit of it!

Enchant Your Life

2012-01-18T12:33:53-06:00

I feel like I have been a bit of a stranger here lately. With CHA drawing so close, I am in a major last minute design crunch to finish up samples. Of course, as always, the sample projects are all kept secret until the show. Once the show starts I will have lots to share, but until then, it is a bit slow in the blogging department. I do have a few tags that didn't make the cut for samples to share. I hope you will find a little inspiration in them while we wait for the show to kick off!

This tag starts with a manila base that was covered in a couple of layers of Picket Fence Distress Stain to soften the color.

After drying the tag, I inked my stamp with Cloudy Blue and Juniper Ranger Pigment Inks.

After drying the ink, I misted the surface of the tag with Perfect Pearl Perfect Pearls Mist.

I used an ink blending tool to blend Broken China Distress Ink around the edges of the tag. After drying, I brushed Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges.

I stamped a ornate border stamp using Coffee Archival Ink on the lower portion of the tag to create an anchor for my embellishments. I stamped a phrase on a small scrap of kraft paper torn to fit over the border image.

For my embellishments, I used three different types of blingy brads to adorn the center of three flowers. (These are really old Prima flowers that have been in my stash forever, so I am sorry, no name or link for these.) I also added a few wire stem jewels and a glittered skeleton leaf behind the flowers, both also older Prima products.

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Fabric iPad Tote Tutorial

2012-01-16T12:02:20-06:00

Just a quick note to share a link today for a new tutorial I have posted on the Fiskar's website today. It is a easy to follow how-to for making your own iPad tote without a pattern.

You can find the tutorial here: http://www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Crafting/Project-Gallery/Sewing-and-Quilting/Fabric-iPad-Tote

This tutorial is bittersweet because it is the last of my tutorials for Fiskars. I have officially stepped down from the team. The team at Fiskars (and especially my sweet friend and team leader Stephenie) have been beyond amazing to work for. I can not express how wonderful my time with them has been. I had the opportunity to be a team with amazingly talented ladies who I admire so much and was given creative freedom to write about not only paper but also fabric projects. For a long time my creative world has been focused on paper. It was wonderful to fall back in love with one of my first crafty loves.

Honestly, I would have stayed on this team forever if I could have, but because of another opportunity that was just too good to say no to, I had to step down. More on that other opportunity soon. . . but for now, my deepest and heartfelt thanks to Stephenie and the team at Fiskars.

Tuesday Tutorial: Enameled Idea-ology

2012-01-10T18:23:23-06:00

I am so in love with the flowers on today's tag! I have shared before how I love adding embossing powder to metal embellishments, especially Tim Holtz's metal Idea-ology pieces.

Today instead of using my Heat It Craft Tool to melt the embossing powder, I am sharing how to use the Ranger Melting Pot. I was inspired to use the melting and embossing powder and melting pot from the technique shared by the fabulous Jess Lincoln from Vintaj at CHA-S.

Begin by warming up your Melting Pot. I put mine on the highest heat setting. Place a small piece of a craft sheet in your melting pot. The sheet will make it easy to remove your items after they are hot and will make clean up easier. Place your metal pieces (foliage pieces are shown) on the piece of craft sheet. For my craft sheet pieces, I used an older damaged sheet that I had. I bought a new one for inking and used the one I replaced for cutting up.

Use your fingers to pick up a pinch of embossing powder and sprinkle it on to the metal embellishment. Picking up a pinch of powder at a time will help you control how much powder you apply. You can use any type of embossing powder. In this set of flowers and leaves I used Distress Embossing Powders.

After I sprinkle the powder on, I allow the pieces to sit and melt. I like to put the lid back on my pot to keep the heat in. You don't have to, but I felt like it helped it melt a bit faster. Distress Embossing Powder will still look very textured when it is melted. I really like the texture it creates. You will notice here that I didn't not cover the pieces completely with the powder. I knew I would be adding layers and that they would get covered by the end of the process. I also like the finished pieces to look a bit vintage and chippy which is accomplished by leaving some bare metal.

After the first layer of powder is melted, you can add additional color if you would like. I like adding a second color to flowers and a darker green to leaves.

Remember, the Melting Pot gets very hot as do the metal embellishments. Resist the temptation to move things around with your fingers. You really do not want melted sticky embossing powder on your skin. . . trust me. Keep a pair of long handled tweezers handy to move your sheet and pieces around. If you notice pieces are melting unevenly, simply rotate the sheet. My Melting Pot in these photos gets much hotter in the deep end so I found that I needed to rotate my sheet after a minute or so to even out the melting.

You could at this point remove the pieces and let them cool. With the Distress Embossing Powder finish alone, they will have a bumpy matte finish. They look great like that, but I wanted shine, so I added a clear coat. The clear coat will also fill in and smooth the roughness finish of the Distress Embossing Powder. If you want a smooth finish, you will want to add a top coat.

For my clear coat, I used white Enamelware Embossing Powder to the pieces on the left and clear embossing powder to the pieces on the right. This was the first time that I have used the enamelware powder and am totally in love with it! It leaves a white finish that is clear and glossy with specks of white in it. The pieces with the clear powder are very glassy looking. Both are amazing looking!

To remove your sheet from the pot, use two tweezers (or needle nose pliers) to pick up the sheet and lift it out of the pot. If you are using tools with metal tips, be careful to not scratch up your pot's nonstick interior.

Set the sheet on your work surface and allow it to cool. Remember the metal pieces are hot to allow them to cool before picking them up.

I wanted to also show you how the pieces would look by using a regular embossing powder. In this example I used Ranger's Adirondack Embossing Powder (Butterscotch and Lettuce). I also wanted to share what would happen if you used a spoon to sprinkle on your powder. If you have long fingernails the pinching method might work as well for you so you might want to use a spoon.

For me, using a spoon is much harder to control the amount of powder applied to the embellishment. These pieces ended up with a heavy first coat.

For a second coat, I decided to try a specialty powder instead of a second color. I sprinkled on Ancient Gold Embossing Powder in Enchanted Gold. I love this powder! It melts like butter and leaves the prettiest gold sparkle. The photos of the finished pieces really don't show it well, but in person, there is a gorgeous gold glimmer to the pieces it is on.

To finish off this set, I sprinkled on a small amount of the enamelware and a heavy coat of clear embossing powder.

As before, lift the sheet out of the pot and allow the pieces to cool before handling them.

After cooling, the embellishment and any excess powder around it may be stuck together. They pieces can be cleaned up very easily.

First, break off the excess pieces. They snap off very easily.

Next place a clean piece of craft sheet in your pot. . .

and lay the pieces back on the sheet to re-melt. If you get a lot of pooling of melted powder under the pieces simply scoot the pieces around on the sheet with your tweezers to get them out of the puddle. If after cooling the holes for the brads are covered, use a craft pick or round metal file to clear the hole.

Keep in mind, you don't have to stop at flowers! You can apply this treatment to any of the Idea-ology pieces. I especially love using the Ornate Plates. On this plate I combined Broken China, Shabby Shutters, and Antique Linen Distress Embossing Powders with the Enamelware Powder. I think the finished piece looks like weathered vedgris metal. If you want a rough texture with the verdigris color, leave off the top coat of enamelware or clear powder.

I should mention, that if you don't have a Melting Pot, you could still achieve this look by laying your embellishments on a craft sheet and heating them with a heat tool. The advantage of the Melting Pot for this because is that it is faster since I can do multiple pieces at a time and that I don't have to sit and hold the heat tool. I can do other things while the melting happens.

Finally, you can't have fancy colored flowers and embellishments with out coordinated brads. Making matching brades is super easy! Simply hold a brad with a pair of tweezers and heat the tip until it is hot.

Dip the hot tip directly into your jar of embossing powder.

The hot tip of the brad will pick up powder.

Heat the tip of the brad again until the powder melts. If you like the texture and coverage, allow the brad to cool. If you want more color, dip the brad in powder again while it is still hot.

If you would like a clear coat, you can heat the tip again and dip it into your clear or enamelware powder.

Heat the brad again to melt the powder. Once it is melted, allow the brad to cool on your craft sheet.

I used my assorted colored pieces to embellish a tag. They would also look amazing on a book cover or home decor piece or even as jewelry pieces.

Seriously, these make me swoon. The remind me so much of vintage enamelware jewelry.

You can see how the bits of exposed metal add to that vintage chippy look.

This set really demonstrates the white speckles in the Enamelware Powder.

I wish you could see in this piece in person! The gold is is so pretty!

Whew! This tutorial has been a long one! I didn't want to close it out though without mentioning the tag, just in case someone wanted to duplicate the look of it. I began with a plain manila tag. I added swipes of Peeled Paint and Picket Fence Distress Stain in vertical swipes. Next, I used Peeled Paint Distress Ink to stamp my image onto the tag. I added Vintage Photo Distress Ink the edges of the tag and then misted the surface with Biscotti Perfect Pearls Mist. I blotted away the excess and then dried the tag with my heat tool. The final step was to apply a coat of Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint over the entire tag. Once the tag was dry I added my embellishments.

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Crinoline Help and Facts!

2012-01-07T10:44:45-06:00

I am hearing from several readers that they are having a hard time finding crinoline like I used in the Rosette Posies and Crinoline Tattered Roses tutorials. I think part of the problem comes down to two things- fabric store employees who totally sure of what crinoline is and also that it seems to have become kind of a generic term for any kind of petticoat material.

A blog reader (thank you Mary!) shared with me that her local Joann's had crinoline in the area near the felt and that it has a stock number of #1491265. The photo above is the end of the bolt information from my local Joann's store for crinoline and buckram. At my local Joann's, the crinoline is in a section with other white utility fabrics, like the fabric that you put on the bottom of footie pajamas. Joann's online shows two different fabrics when you search for crinoline. One is acrylic (which to me makes it a tulle) and the other is cotton crinoline. You can find it online here: crinoline at Joanns.com.

Cotton is they key, you want cotton, not acrylic. By the way, I am mentioning Joann's a lot because that is where I buy the crinoline that I used in the tutorials. I have an awesome independent locally owned fabric store that also carries it. They stock it near the special occasion fabric. Local stores usually have very knowledgeable sales people, so if you have a local fabric store, give them a try. With a google search for "cotton crinoline" I found it online at Vogue Fabric Store. I am not familiar with the store, but what they show in the photo is consistent with what I use and the price is also in line with Joann's.

{shown cotton crinoline: photo courtesy of Vogue Fabrics}

When you find the cotton, you will probably find two similar fabrics- crinoline and buckram, which is what is shown in my photo. I have added photos here to try to show the difference between the two. Both are cotton and white and both have a square weave that you can see through. The buckram weave is bigger and the threads making the weave are thicker than the thinner threads and tighter weave of the crinoline. Another difference is the stiffness of both. Buckram is very stiff. It is often used in millinery arts for shaping and form. The crinoline will be stiff, but very bendable and pliable. Crinoline will work for either of the flower tutorials, buckram though, because it is so stiff, will really only work for the Crinoline Tattered Roses tutorial. (I haven't tried it, but I don't think the rosette strip die will cut the buckram.) The product that is applied to the fabric to stiffen it will resist dying somewhat. Because crinoline has a light coating, it will dye uniformly but slightly lighter than the color of your dye. Buckram will dye, but it will be less uniform in color, more stiffener on it means more resist. I personally like that because it creates color variation from only one color of dye.

{shown cotton buckram: photo courtesy of Vogue Fabrics}

Crinoline is NOT tulle, net, or bridal veil material. Some people use those for petticoats so I think that is where some clerks might get confused. Both crinoline and buckram look like fabric and are cotton, whereas tulle is synthetic and looks like netting and has a diamond weave.

{shown tulle: photo courtesy of Vogue Fabrics}

I hope that helps everyone who has had questions. Both crinoline and buckram are great fabrics for die cutting and am thrilled that so many of you have been interested in giving it a try! If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment here (I will respond by email) or by emailing me at the link above (below my photo).

Tuesday Tutorial: Crinoline Rosette Posies

2012-01-04T08:00:00-06:00

I really love using crinoline for die cutting. If you are not familiar with it, crinoline is a fairly stiff utility type fabric. If you have ever dressed up in formal wear and wore petticoats, they were probably made with crinoline. Crinoline has a loose weave and a crisp finish. It die cuts nicely and takes inks and dies wonderfully. Even though it has a stiffness, it can be worked with and manipulated easily and holds it shape nicely after shaping. Today I am sharing two styles of flowers I made with crinoline and the Paper Rosette die from Tim Holtz's Sizzix Alterations line.

I often get questions about where to buy crinoline. I buy it at my local Joann's store. It should be in the utility fabric section. There is a similar fabric called buckram. It is also great for die cutting and dying. It wouldn't work well for this flower, it is too stiff, but it does work for the Tattered Roses that I have available for download. If you can't find crinoline, I have a link to Joann's in the supply section. If you want a small quantity and can't find it locally, I do offer crinoline fat quarters in my Etsy store. I offer these really just as a convenience for people who can't find it locally. Since I have to cover shipping and fees, it is a much better deal to buy it at your local fabric store.

For this flower, you could use other fabric in place of crinoline. I would recommend fabric that is stiff or fabric that has been stiffened with a fabric stiffener.

To create a tag for the background like mine, begin by covering the front of a tag with Sticky Back Canvas. For my tag, I peeled the backing away from the Sticky Back Canvas and placed the tag face down onto the sticky backing.

Cut around the tag using a craft knife or scissors. Cut or punch out the hole in the top of the tag.

Ink an ink blending tool with the desired color of ink. Brush the color onto the canvas in straight lines from top to bottom.

Brush the edges of the tag with the ink blending tool to create a bold edge.

Ink a stamp using the same ink applied to the background. The stamped image color will be bolder than the background, creating the look of two shades of the same color.

Cut two strips of ribbon to use as stems. Apply Super Tape to the backs of each piece.

Adhere the stems to the tag. Add a line of stitching around the border of the tag.

Cut a piece of crinoline that is as wide as the strip die and twice as tall. Fold the crinoline in half so that you have a two-ply strip that is the same size as the die with a fold along the top edge. Lay the die as shown, with the circle to the right.

Place the folded strip of crinoline over the top of the die. Add the die and fabric with the appropriate plates and die cut.

After die cutting, you will have two circles, two rosette strips, and a large piece of scrap.

Make a straight cut in the scrap next to the circle.

Make a second straight cut in the scrap in line with the left edge of the rosette cut. This scalloped edged piece along the top fold will be used to create the rouched posey.

Place the crinoline pieces on a craft sheet. Use Distress Stains to apply color to the crinoline. (This particular bottle of stain is very dry and didn't create much bleed through on the craft sheet below. Other bottles I have are quite juicy and flow much more freely.) If the back sides of your flowers will show on your project, you may want to apply color to both sides. You may get enough color by just dragging the clean side in the excess color on the craft sheet.

To blend or soften the colors, mist the crinoline pieces with water.

To remove excess water and stain, blot the surface of the crinoline with a dry cloth. Be careful to blot and not wipe, wiping with move the weave of the fabric and distort the shape of the strip.

Dry the crinoline with a heat tool.

Place a strip of scotch tape along the top edge on the back of each rosette strip. This is an optional step, but one I really feel adds some stability to the crinoline.

Fold the strips along the fold lines.

Add adhesive to the end flap of each strip. My favorite adhesive for this is Helmar's 450 Quick Dry. It has a fast bond that dries quickly and is clear.

Hook the two end pieces together. Allow the adhesive to dry.

An added benefit of reinforcing the edge with tape is that it allows you to trim the strip so that it makes a slightly smaller rosette. On my example, I trimmed the rosette that I used as the top flower so that it would be slightly smaller than the one behind it.

Apply adhesive to one of the circles. (I colored both of my circles even though only one shows.)

Press the center of the rosette down onto the center. Hold it for a few moments until the adhesive sets. This is my back flower so I have the tape side down and the circle on the back.

Repeat the process for the front flower. The tape side is on the back and the circle is on the front..

Brush the edges of the assembled rosettes with Distress Ink.

Apply adhesive to the back of the smaller front rosette.

Stack the small rosette onto the larger rosette.

Place a large brad through the center of the two stacked rosettes, squeezing them so that the prongs can be flattened on the back of the larger back rosette. Squeezing the two rosettes together will cause the front rosette edges to cup upwards slightly.

To create the ruched flower, fold the scrap strip in half. Press the edge with your finger to create a crease mark along the center of the strip.

Make a loose running stitch with several strands of embroidery floss.

Hold the threads while moving and bunching the fabric on the thread.

Tie the two ends of the thread with a tight knot. Cut off the excess thread.

Fluff the ruffles as desired.

Brush the edges with Distress Ink.

Adhere the flowers to the tag over the tops of the ribbon stems. To adhere the ruched flower, flatten one side and glue it to the tag. One mine I smashed the flower down to help press it into the adhesive. I liked how it looked smashed and smooshed so I left it. Play with it and experiment with shaping it. It makes an easy and fun flower, all from scrap fabric!

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Coming tomorrow-

2012-01-03T14:42:34-06:00

I am so close to being back on track with my normal routine! I am busy working on samples for the upcoming CHA trade show. In between I am trying to sneak some new blog projects and tutorials in. First up is a tutorial I have wanted to share for a while featuring these crinoline flowers made from the Tim Holtz Paper Rosette Sizzix Strip Die. I am am working on the photos and editing and writing. I will have it ready tomorrow morning.

Until then, I will share a tag I made for Ranger for CHA Summer featuring the same flowers.

Oh, and PS. . .

I am happy to report that my voice is back! I still can't sing (and no one in my house is complaining about that!) but for now it is a trade off I am willing to take!

Etsy shop updates-

2012-01-02T08:00:00-06:00

Just a quick note today to let you know I have added some retired class kits to my Etsy store Fairy Davis Paperie. This is a great project with a class kit that is packed with product. You can find it in my store here: Home Sweet Home Canvas Class Kit with Instruction CD.

I am mad at work on some samples for CHA. The holidays kind of turned my schedule upside down. I am also taking a few lazy days to spend time with my college girl before she heads back to school. I hope to be back in my normal blog routine soon.

Papillon UTEE Pendant

2011-12-27T15:18:20-06:00

Well. . . the voice issue continues, but it is better. It appears that it isn't related to a cold at all, but rather part of an issue I have with asthma, my vocal chord dysfunction, and reflux. Getting past the flare up is all about learning what triggers it for me and avoiding it (ugh, chocolate!). Slowly all is getting back to normal. I know several of you are really looking forward to the video tutorial I promised for the UTEE pendants. I feel terrible to have promised it and then not delivered due to my voice. It has been a bit more than being hoarse and feeling self conscious about sounding bad in a video. Some days I just have been barely able to speak. At some points my voice has just given out mid-word. It has been very frustrating. My husband hasn't said so, but I secretly believe he has been enjoying it!

So anyway, I apologize again for those who have been so patiently waiting for the video. I feel confident in saying "soon". Until then, I have images of another necklace I made using UTEE and shrink plastic. I am crossing my fingers for next Tuesday for the tutorial, so cross your fingers!

I made these two pieces thinking of using them separately, but really loved how they looked when hung together.

I really love the transparency of the top pieces that allows the text on the tile below to show through.

I really love how these two pieces shrunk and dipped in such a lumpy bumpy imperfect way. It reminds me of slumped art glass.

On this tile, it is simply the text stamp stamped in black on shrink plastic, cut out, shrunk, and then dipped.

I love the simplicity and clarity of the pendant. You could have added color, but I really think that with a great stamp design, you don't really need to have color to have a great piece.

On this piece, I added color with Copic markers before shrinking and dipping. I love the addition of color and love how translucent the colors are even after shrinking. You can color images with colored pencils and other types of markers, but not all stay so clear.

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