all in an inch

A Valentine Memory Game

This very unique valentine is actually a memory game made from Inchie Arts White Twinchie Squares that was inspired by an article in Country Living magazine. Perfect for all ages it's a fun alternative to a traditional greeting 'card'...plus it's an activity you can play with your 'valentine'!

 

Begin by creating the same image on the 'back side' of Inchie Arts white Twinchie Squares. One package contains 18 squares, or what will ultimately become, 9 matching pairs.

 

Stamp the Rubber Soul Whirly Heart with red ink (we used Fresh Ink Pigment Red Current) onto Eclipse Art Masking Tape and also onto a white Twinchie Square. Trim out the heart that is stamped onto the masking material.

 

Next, carefully place the trimmed heart over the heart stamped onto the Twinchie Square. The Eclipse Masking Tape has a perfect amount of 'tack' for easy removal and also for keeping things in place when you are stamping in layers.

 

Stamp over the masked heart with a large pattern stamp such as this one from Savvy. To contrast with the rich red we used a fun pink from Fresh Ink called Fresh Lemonade.

 

It's pretty amazing how many times you can reuse the trimmed out heart before you have to make a new one. Remember, you have to repeat this process 18 times in preparation for the second part of this project.

Be sure and stop by tomorrow to discover our 9 pairs of memory challengers along with some tips for creating them!

 

It's all about "Ash"!

 
In February we did a posting about a class we were teaching, that created a unique pop up card. from photos from our local farmers market. The card stayed on display at Impress after the class and due to customer requests we are teaching it again. 

Even more exciting is to see what others have done with the concept! A dear friend of ours, Vee, has a precocious and photogenic cat named Ash. She designed a version of the pop up with a collection of pictures, all about Ash. This pop up concept is an easy way to showcase and share a collage of images whether that be a trip, hobby, children or special pet.

We love to see what others are doing with our Art Squares or project ideas - send us your photos!

A Pop-Up photo card

 

A very special thank you to all the gals that participated in the Pop-Up Photo Card class at Impress in Tukwila, WA. Congratulations on your patience as we worked through the precise details of measuring and cutting to create this unique display card that illustrates, "A Day at the PIke Place Market". 

 

 
Without a doubt the most challenging part of this project are the details of creating the pop up panel card. Just like a 'story' problem in math, you just have to slow yourself down and focus on the instructions for measuring, cutting and folding. Over the years I have collected a wealth of resource books and this particular design came straight out of one of those books. "The Pop - Up Book", by Paul Jackson contains "Step by Step Instructions for Creating over 100 Original Paper Projects". I did adjust the measurements a tad to accomodate the placement of Twinchie, Inchie + and Inchie Squares. But once you understand the engineering principals, these designs can be tweaked to your hearts content.  

 

 

All of the photos were taken with a point and shoot style digital camera with an automatic close up focus feature. A public market is a great resource for pictures; from flowers to produce to seafood!!

Leaving a perfect 1/16" border around the trimmed photos is a no brainer when using a 7/8" punch for the Inchie Squares and a 1-3/8" punch for the Inchie + Squares. You will need to trim the larger photos for the Twinchie Squares to 1-7/8" with a paper trimmer. Remember when punching to turn the punch upside down so you can 'select' the part of the image you want to use and 'see it' through the punch 'window'.

This is a great project to use the 'darker' colored squares. The three sizes of black, dark gray and wheat squares were the perfect shades to accentuate the photos. (these are all available in color assortment packages, just ask your favorite store to order them from us if you can't find them!)

While we did start with a blank piece of gravel colored cover weight paper we added a decorative element by adding streaks of acrylic ink in burnt orange and black with an almost dry brush (these inks are a favorite of Art Journalists and can be purchased in art supply stores). Random lines of a gold Gelly Roll pen completed the background.    

 

 

Everyone had a color xerox template as a guide for selecting and placing photos but were invited to mix and match with additional images from the market. We all talked about all the different experiences that can be documented with this technique...family events...a trip to a garden center....even a day in the life!!

 

 
Thanks again everyone - it was a really fun class!

Photo transfers with Twinchie Squares!

Recently, one of the members of our design team (Kimmie) was tinkering with photo transfers and we asked her if she had tried it with Twinchie Squares. The results are amazing and you have to visit her blog, Art In Red Wagons, to see for yourself.

Not only that, but scroll down through the postings and she explains everything step by step. 

We continue to be amazed at the variety of papercrafting projects that can be created with Inchie Arts squares - just think of all the possibilities with this technique - scrapbook pages, cards, holiday projects, collage boards, journals. And experimenting with the different sizes and colors!! 

Thank you Kimmie for your wonderful inspiration! 
 

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Summer Memories Mirror (in progress)

I admit it, I caught her in the act - she was so fully absorbed in her creativity that I was able to snap the first picture before she even realized I was there! To say she was surprised was an understatement! 

When I barged in, as I often do, Karen (of Lockhart Stamp Company) was in the middle of creating the most amazing decorated mirrors. First she had covered the mirrors (a very inexpensive version from IKEA) with patterned paper and was in the process of carefully positioning a collection of very charming images. As you can see, the stamped images have been colored with Prismacolor pencils and are of assorted shapes, sizes and subject matter...as well as inchies! The images have been trimmed and mounted in some fashion to either a background paper or Inchie Square. A few of the Inchie Squares have even become a design element by simply covering them with patterned paper and a tiny embellishment. 

With careful thought given to design, positioning and color Karen has created a stunning piece we would all wish to own!  

So henceforth begins what I will refer to as the sneak peek postings. More specifically, the goal being to catch Karen Lockhart doing what she does best; creating unique projects with her images...with inchies...and with paper...and believe me, she does the most amazing things with paper. And, I will tell you right now that there is no way that we are going to convince her to slow down and take pictures of the process. So we will all have to be satisfied with the sneak peek pictures that I hope to be able to capture!

   The Best of Autumn Mirror