all in an inch

Recent store samples

 

(Stampendous Garden Background stamped across 6 white 1-1/2" Inchie + Squares with Memento dye based ink, then colored with Copic Markers)

You may have seen the sample cards we send out with every store order. We try really hard to illustrate a variety of techniques that can be used on our different size and color ART SQUARES; from inchies to our new ATC size and 3" squares. We are honored to have relationships with many stamp companies and if you like the image you see on one of these samples, be sure and open up the card to find out the manufacturer and supplies used to create the finished piece.  

   

 
(Starting with a 3" white ART SQUARE, stamp Fred Mullet's Gingko 2 stamp by coloring it with various Tombo markers and misting lightly with water each time before stamping. Dab white areas with yellow pigment ink and heat set. Moisten entire square with Versamark ink, dip in clear embossing powder and heat set. Sentiment from Rubbermoon)

 

(starting with a dark gray 2" Twinchie Square stamp Full of Posies stamp with white Fresh Ink pigment ink and dust with Judikins White Diamond embossing powder - heat set. Then stamp New Moon with black ink inside circle. Using pale pink and pale blue Prismacolor Pencils lightly color the 'posies' and the face of the moon. All stamps are from Rubbermoon.)  

 

(Stamp 4 white 1" Inchie Squares with Dylusions small flower using Memento Dye based Tuxedo black ink. Color around stamped flower with Copic Markers, being sure to color the actual edges of each square. Sentiment from Rubbermoon)

And if you happen to be in Anchorage, Alaska stop by Stamp Attic to see these samples! Thanks Betty!

 

Heartfelt Creations Alumni DT Hop

Wow, Dina has been busy! Wait until you see the detail on this card she created for the Heartfelt Creations Alumni DT Hop. The color combinations on this card are gorgeous. Although she didn't specify which color Art Squares she used....I suspect it was either the wheat or dark cream Inchie + Squares - they certainly add a richness to the coloring!  

So jump to Dina's blog here and join the hop!

 

 

 

 

More store samples....

  

In our last posting we ended with the Lockhart Ribbon Heart. It's part of a collection of three hearts. The opportunities for coloring these are endless; especially with this Paisley Heart. The heart was stamped with Tsukineko Memento Ink and colored using a combination of Copic Markers (first!) and then Prismacolor pencil detail work on a white Twinchie Square. The sentiment is from Rubbermoon.  

A little bit of this...and a little bit of that...seems to best describe the samples that are going out the door with store orders. But it's that versatility that demonstrates all of the different types of stamping and coloring...and direct art applications of our Art Squares.  

These next few samples use cards from our various Inchie Notes card packs. Each package contains 12, 3-1/2" square cards and white rectangular envelopes (can't imagine paying a surcharge for a square envelope!). They come in a variety of color packs, each with 4 different color cards (3 each). The color assortments have white insides and include Peach/Pink, Blue/Lavender, Green/Yellow, Wild Sherbet, Fall and Holiday, The neutral color assortment (Ivory, Khaki, Light Gray, Dark Gray) is solid color inside and out and coordinates really well with our neutral tone squares! Check out the web site, inchiearts.com for photos of the assortments. 

 

 The photo doesn't do justice to the next two cards. They both use White Diamond Embossing Powder from JudiKins which not only has a tremendous opague quality, but has sparkle as well, adding a fun dimension to your cards. We stamped Fred Mullett's Lil Maidenhair Fern using a gray pigment ink on a black Inchie + Square and then dusted it with the powder and heat set. To add extra attention we drew a line around the image with a silver metallic gel pen. The card is the dark gray from the neutral assortment pack of Inchie Notes.   

 

 

Whether it's Valentines Day or Mother's Day or just a perfect spring day there are many ways to stamp with Savvy Stamps Vine Heart. The color combination of pink and gray is a classic and we have again stamped with a light pigment ink, dusted with White Diamond Embossing Powder and heat set on a dark gray Twinchie Square. Placing tiny pink pearls over the 'dots' of the stamped image adds a special touch. The sentiment is from Lockhart. This card is the dark gray from the neutral assortment pack of Inchie Notes. 

(remember, you can click on any photo to see an enlarged view)

 

 

Simple and sweet but with a twist on a stamping technique. This Gerber Daisy stamp from Savvy has enough 'rubber' surface area to experiment with combining pigment ink and Twinkling H20 watercolor paint from LuminArte. Turn the stamp face up and carefully 'ink' the flower (Versacolor Orchid) and the stem (ColorBox Moss Green). Then dab in, just at the center of the flower, a concentrated drop of Lemondrop paint. Bring a white Twinchie Square to the face up stamp, press on to inked stamp, turn over, apply a tad bit of pressure and remove. You will be left with a blurring at the center of the stamp where the paint and ink combine. When it dries you will see the shimmer left at the center of the flower from the mica in the paint. This card is from the Peach/Pink Inchie Notes assortment.

 

 

From stacked squares to multiple ink colors, there is a lot going on on this small card. Begin by anchoring 4 white Inchie Squares to a piece of scrap paper, fitting them up against one another, with a removable adhesive (our favorite is from Tombo, the light green dispenser, of Mono Adhesive Removable). You can actually do a block of 8, or even 12 squares at a time (enough to make 3 cards!)

Stamp with Fred Mullett's Spider Mum stamp across all squares, running off the edges too. We used four different Fresh Ink pigment colors; Freesia, French Lavender, Island and Grass on the background and then Freesia on a diagonally turned white Inchie + Square. Separate the background Inchie Squares a bit when you glue them down, and use foam dimensional tape to 'llft' the Inchie + Square above the background. This card is from the Blue/Lavender Inchie Notes assortment.   

Hurray, hurray....the sun is out today!!  

 

 

A spider twinchie

 
A really easy way to transform an ivory Twinchie Square is to sponge dab all around the edges with four different ink colors.  (A special thanks to Susan Roberts at Rainy Day Creations for this insipiration!) We used disposable makeup sponges and Fresh Ink pigment inks in Harvest, Honey, Fig and Black Tea (left to right). Be sure and leave the middle open for your stamped image. Our spider is part of a Clearly Wordsworth Ghostie set from Rubber Soul.

 

 
The card stock is from Memory Box ( jack o lantern) as is the pattern paper with the spooky trees (blackbird)...and the background paper is from the Morroco Journey collection from 7 gypsies.

Happy Halloween!!

  

As of today...it's officially 'fall'

As we do occasionally, we wanted to share some of the new card samples that are going out with store orders. All three were made with different Inchie Square colors - non of them white! And...all three of these cards are from the fall color assortment pack of Inchie Notes.

There are just a few seasons...or holidays...that you can instantly comprehend just by the use of color....and fall is one of them. It's an instant switch from summer brights to rich emotive colors.

The color palette of rich earth tones is a perfect compliment for using neutral color Inchie Squares. This card starts by laying down 4 dark cream Inchie Squares snug up against each other and then stamping. With so much stamping (all the little acorns!) it's always a good idea to anchor the squares on a sheet of scrap paper with non permanent adhesive (we like the Tombo Mono REMOVABLE in the green dispenser). The acorn stamp, from Rosies Roadshow is really tiny so take your time as you stamp with VersaMark ink to achieve a watermark look as a background. The wreath stamp from Memory Box continues to be a favorite because it is so indicative of this time of year - go ahead and stamp it across all 4 squares with black dye based ink. Color the oak leaves in the wreath by first coloring every other leaf with Copic markers YR14 Caramel and YR24 Pale Sepia. Then go back over these colors touching the tips of each knob of the leaf with E09 Burnt Sienna and use YG63 Pea Green to draw over the vein line on each leaf. A finishing touch is added by using a Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll pen over the outside edges of each leaf. You can click on the photos and see a larger version for a close-up view.

(note: if you want to see a photo of these Copic marker colors just scroll down two postings - guess they are our new favorites!)

 
Local farmer's markets are just starting to bring in late summer squashes and pumpkins. Don't forget to take your camera for some close-up photos. They are perfect for creating easy photo cards like this one. They key is to use a 7/8" punch. (tip: remember to turn your punch upside down so you can move around the 'window' and select exacty what part of the photo you want to punch) Then glue each photo square to a black Inchie Square and arrange in a pleasing manner. You can use this technique for many more than just 4 squares too!! Finding papers that coordinate with the colors in your photos does make a difference - but remember, it's the simple images that want to be the star of the show on this card.

 

I know, I know...the pumpkins don't fit perfectly onto the squares...but that's OK!! In fact sometimes it makes it more interesting to have part of the image falling off the edge. Nothing evokes fall more than pumpkins, and since we haven't made the leap yet to Halloween, we are referring to the lovely ones you find in the farmers markets and at the state fair! 

There are not a lot of images that work well across 3 Inchie Squares, but this stamp, 3 Pumpkins, from the Lockhart Stamp Company is just right. It's your decision if you want to anchor the squares with removable adheasive while stamping, but since this is just one impression, you don't really need to. Again, it's all about color and while it may be a little hard to see in the photo we used ivory Inchie squares instead of white because the softness of the ivory coordinates so much better with the other color components of the card. Again, we used those same 3 copic markers; first color the pumpkin all over with YR24 Pale Sienna, then YR14 Caramel at the top, bottom and sides (remember your junior high art lessons on 'shading a round object') and finishing at the top and bottom with the darkest one E09 Burnt Sienna. If you want you can go back over everything with the lightest color, YR24 Pale Sepia and blend. The sentiment is one of the wonderful calligraphy words by Gretchen Ehrsam for Rubbermoon.

How come this season gets two names.....fall....and autumn?! Hmmmm?

Twinchie and inchie....orchids

One of the hardest transitions to make in creating art with inchies is to break out of the habit of only using images that 'fit' in that 1" square. When you do make that leap of faith, the discovery of all the possibilities is amazing - in fact you will likely go back through your entire stamp collection and re-discover stamps that you might not have thought to use in an inchie format. 

By the same token, sometimes it's tough to break out of the mold of using a stamp that you first used on Inchie Squares and then transition to using it...in a different way...on say a Twinchie Square.(2")   

I suspect that there are even a few of you reading this that would never have picked an image like this to use on either the Twinchie Square...or Inchie Squares! The risk is worth it as shown in these two cards!!

(the stamp is called Phalaenopsis from The Lockhart Stamp Company)  

In this 'puzzle' card lay the 3 Inchie Squares end to end on your work surface (you could tape them together on the back side with painters tape if you want, although it's not necessary) and stamp the image while centering the stem. This was colored with Copic markers and then the flowers were accented with opaque white pen.
  

The detail of the flowers in this stamp is so beautiful that it begs to be repeated. Stamp the first image centered on a Twinchie Square. Then re-ink the stamp and stamp again to the left and right of the first image. Although these were colored to match, it would be fun to do even more of them on one Twinchie Square and make subtle changes in the color of each flower. These were colored with Prismacolor pencils which have an opaque quality vs. Copic markers. The reason that it was important to have opaque vs. transparent coloring is due to the fact that the Twinchie Square is light gray (from our assortment pack) to match the card stock and the colors needed to stand out and be their brightest.

(click on the image to enlarge it to see the detail that a white opaque pen adds to each flower)

Strawberries!

We were reminiscing the other day about great neighborhood block parties and recalled the"Annual Strawberry Festival" in a neighborhood where we lived several years ago. The highlight of the event was a GIGANTIC strawberry shortcake. We wrapped a long shelving board with fun pattern oil cloth (and saran) and then constructed a dessert big enough to feed the neighborhood. Every family contributed ingredients and we engineered an assembly line to put it all together!

 

Create your own invitations to a berry festival or any summer party by mixing and matching two different stamped images. In this case it was key that all the components coordinate...from the stamps to paper to ink and cardstock. 

Lil' Strawberry stamp from Hot Potatoes (I have had this stamp for eons, but was thrilled to find out they still carry this image!) 

Vines and Leaves stamp from RubberMoon (this is one of my favorite stamps because it can be used in many different ways)

Ivory Inchie Squares

"Garden Variety" pattern paper from Cosmo Cricket

Inchie Note card - from the Holiday assortment  

Color Box pigment inks

(although you can't tell in the photos, the strawberry was actually embossed with the cranberry ink and clear embossing powder to give it an extra bit of oomph on the card. Also, while it looks like the greenery was stamped all at once...each square was stamped separately)

 Enjoy all your summer entertaining!

Tea Bag

 Although not an 'official member' of the Tea on Tuesday blog group over on Kimmies blog -

Art in Red Wagons - we couldn't resist joining the theme for the day

   This papercrafting technique is another great way to use your stamps in a completely different way. It's fun too, because while it is very easy, the finished card appears more complicated than it really is!

 

 

This technique is really enhanced if you take the time to coordinate your supplies.

 We started with the pattern paper and then purposefully matched:

the brick red accent square to the color of the big flowers

the little flower stamp to the little flowers (they are pretty close!)

the olive ink for the background stamping to the color of the little flowers

The Tea Bag stamp is from Lockhart Stamp Company and the Tiny Flower 1 is from Rubber Soul.

 

 

Begin by stamping the Tea Bag 3 times with Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink. First on a dark cream Twinchie Square, then on an ivory Inchie + Square and finally onto the pattern paper.

  

Create your own background on the Twinchie Square by randomly stamping with the Tiny Flower stamp using the olive ColorBox pigment ink.

Cut out the tea bag from the pattern paper and glue it into the tea bag stamped onto the Inchie + Square.

Color the tab of the tea bag with Prismacolor pencil 'raspberry'

 

 

(edges and corners....edges and corners....!)

 

a couple of pieces of foam tape to add dimension...

 

And don't forget to take a .02 Micron Pen and draw in a tiny 'connector' string on the edge of the Inchie + Square. Since the edges are solid core you can color them too!

 Happy Tea on Tuesday!

 

A few card samples...

This is called a 'spotlight' technique. The purpose is to draw extra attention to a particular part of the image. Using the new Lockhart Bird's Nest Wreath we stamped it twice. Once on an ivory Twinchie Square and then again (bring Inchie square to the stamp this time) just on the 'nest' part on an ivory Inchie Square. Color both and use foam tape to attach the smaller square, matching it up to the larger image. PS - we couldn't resist using a little Glossy Accents on the eggs!  

 

So do you ever see our samples?

Every store that carries our products should have a stash of Inchie Arts sample cards. The out of season ones may be tucked away but there is bound to be something on the shelf. We try really hard to demonstrate different coloring and layering techniques on our sample cards as well as coordinate with whatever the store is ordering. If you need a creative spark... just ask to see some past season samples....the images might not match the current time of year, but they may spur a coloring or layering idea that can be applied to all the 'new' stamp images.

 

 

Subtle color cards like this one always look better in person, but you might try our idea of creating a similar background on the white Inche + Square as the pattern paper square behind it. This was done by stamping with one of the squares from the Mini Paisley Quad Set from Stampendous with VersaMagic Aspen Mist Chalk Ink. We stamped, colored and cut out one of the Poppy Stems, also from Stampendous and attached it with a piece of foam tape. PS - on this one we touched up here and there on the flower with a Gelly Roll Stardust pen and the sentiment is from Lockhart.

 

 

A quick and easy card stamped with the Lockhart Itty Bitty Kite on a white Inchie Square. The beautiful calligraphy style of the word Summer by Gretchen Ehrsam for RubberMoon really enhances the simple elements of this card. PS - yup...that's carefully applied Glossy Accents on the kite!   

 

The sage green notecards are from the Inchie Notes 'fall' color collection and the light gray card is from the Inchie Notes 'neutrals' color collection. And yes, the envelopes included in the packages will go through the mail without extra postage!

More doodles...and..."the dot".

This...is...the most inspirational art book...ever! And if you haven't read it, you absolutely must!

For several years when my kids were younger I was an Art Docent at their elementary school. I have the fondest memories of those experiences and working with young people as they discovered that they could create "art". I found that often the most challenging projects were ones where the kids received little direction and were forced to experiment or just 'play'. Holy cow, you would have thought I was asking them to eat brussel sprouts from some of their reactions.

It was just about that time that I stumbled upon a book called, "the dot" by Peter H. Reyonlds. This book proved to be a lifesaver as it tells the story of Vashti who was frozen in fear to put anything on her paper. Her very clever art teacher convinced her that even a 'dot' was 'art' and had her sign her work. The moral of the story, and the words of Vashti's teacher were, "Just make a mark and see where it takes you."

Of all the classes and inchie projects that I have taught the one that initially draws the most resistance is doodles. I frequently hear, "oh I can't draw" or "there is nooooo way". I think in many cases adults are more afraid than youngsters when it comes to creating original art. However, I am pleased to say that after a bit of encouragement and doing more than one doodle inchie there are many smiles around the table as everyone discovers the satisfaction, and surprise, at the ease of creating something unique and their own.

When you look around the internet and at all the papercrafting classes available there are many intricate and complicated projects. It can be intimidating! Here at Inchie Arts we consider everyone an 'artist' and want to encourage you to have fun with the art you create - no matter how simple...or complex. There are no rules and it doesn't have to be perfect! Get out your inchie squares, a black pen and some colors and "make a mark and see where it takes you..."  

 

 Three white Inchie Squares, black .005 Micron pen, 3 shades of blue Copic markers, black Twinchie Square; mounted on an aqua Inchie Note card from the Wild Sherbet assortment.

 

 Three white Inchie Squares, .005 Micron pen, 4 shades of green Copic markers, black Twinchie Square, accent paper; mounted on a concrete color Inchie Note from the Neutral assortment.

 

3 white Inchie Squares, .005 Micron pen, 5 shades of pink and orange Copic markers, black Twinchie Square, accent paper; mounted on a concrete colored Inchie Note card from the Neutral assortment. 

If you would like more information about the incredible story of "the dot" click on this link:

 http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763619619

to art...fun...and creative inspiration!