all in an inch

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!

Really Unique Idea #5 - truly 'artful' valentines!!

I am a great admirer of the work of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. She is a graphic designer, painter, artist and even author... she is multi-faceted with a wide range of expertise involving art journaling, scrapbooking, fabulous original design work, mixed media, unique crafting...you name it!

I visit her blog often, if for no other reason than to get a creative boost, and always come away inspired. 

A couple of months ago I had sent her some of the Inchie Arts products. I was dying of curiousity to see how she might utilize the squares with her style of imaginative design. Needless to say when I saw her Valentine posting today I was blown away and wanted to share her wonderful creations with everyone. 

Check out her incredible valentines with Inchie Arts squares at http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2011/02/valentines-day-inchie-cards.html

I love how she used everything from glaze pens to watercolor crayons on the squares. 

Thank you Julie...once again, I am truly inspired!!

Really Unique Idea #4 - inchie letter 'squares' for scrapbook layouts

 

Ever have a tough time finding that perfect piece of scrap paper for a title block for your layout?

Regina Mangum solved the problem by using a white Inchie Square for each of the red adhesive letters. This is a great way to deal with spacing and positioning options too - you can position each letter individually and then paste them down one by one.

Be sure and visit her blog, The Stampin' Bean for all kinds of creative layouts, cards and papercrafting ideas!

 (Really Unique Ideas are a collection of projects from various artists and papercrafters that have used our products in very creative and different ways - be sure and click on the category archive listing on the right to see more of these amazing ideas)

Product on the way to the UK!!

 
As many of you are aware, we have been patiently waiting the arrival of the January issue of Papercraft Inspirations magazine. Well, it finally arrived and we are quite speechless about the 6 page Masterclass article about Inchies.

Not only that, but the number of e-mails that we have been receiving from readers in the UK has been unbelievable! Thank you all so much for your very kind comments and your inquiries on where to purchase product! 

We have good news for all of you who have been looking for a stocklist store in the UK. We are very pleased to announce that Marie at Wolfs Head Crafts will soon be carrying Inchie Arts products - the box is on it's way to the UK! Just click on the link to learn more about her store.

 

WOW!!

 
 

Attending CHA is definitely eye opening! From the gorgeous displays and booths of so many creative companies to the sheer volume of participants...it simply takes your breath away!

It was an incredible experience being invited by Laura and Cindi of Savvy Stamps to demonstrate their wonderful images on Inchie Arts products. I met TONS of people and introduced quite a few to Inchie Arts. We created 8 cards for the demo - with the goal to try and show different methods of art application to illustrate the high quality of our squares.

  

 

Our pre-cut squares are unique in that they can 'absorb' an enormous amount of moisture without surface deterioration. This makes them an ideal foundation for coloring stamped images with Twinkling H2O paints. These wonderful little pots of watercolor have a touch of mica to make them sparkle when dry. The Scallop Heart was stamped on a white Twinchie Square with black pigment ink and embossed to insure no bleeding or fuzzing (we recommend doing this if you are coloring with a very wet medium like watercolor paints). Then....paint with water and 'dab in' Passion Fruit, then Apple Blossom and finish at the bottom of the heart with Yellow Rose. Don't fuss with blending the colors, if you have put down enough water, and color, then they should blend themselves. As tempting as it is to fuss with them - let them alone to blend and dry on their own. Although it's hard to tell in the picture, the entire background and edges was colored with Copic marker RV000 pale purple (it looks like a light pink).  

 

 
This card also uses the technique of stamping and then coloring with the Twinkling H2O watercolor paints on a white Twinchie (2") Square. The stamp is Outline Carriage and it is colored with Key Lime, Guatemalan Green and Ocean Wave. The colors on the hat and mitten were added with matching Copic markers.

 

 

This next series of cards relies on having an assortment of pigment ink colors. While it can be intimidating to purchase several different colors it can be a worthwhile expenditure when trying to find a certain color to match or compliment different card components.

A simple Brush Stroke Flower becomes more interesting by stamping off the edges of white Inchie Squares in four different colors. Versacolor Orchid, ColorBox Peony and Fresh InkRed Currant and Ginger.   

 

 

Another card with white Inchie Squares becomes a bit whimsical by stamping the Small Flower Onesie in Fresh Ink lavender, pool, feesia, celery and gypsy blue and then stringing the squares together with thin blue satin ribbon. (we punched the holes with the small hole on a Crop-A-Dile)

(we also had a very amusing encounter with the security folks at the airport trying to explain to them the purpose of this tool - course we forgot to pack it in the checked baggage and had it with our carry on sample making supplies!)

 

 

Create a puzzle effect alternating ivory and dark cream 1 1/2" Inchie + Squares. (tip: use a non permanent adhesive to anchor them on scrap paper while stamping) The Double Heart Flower was stamped with Fresh Ink strawberry. 

  

 

Add a 3 dimensional effect by stacking all 3 sizes of ivory squares! The Twinchie Square was stamped with Floral Background in Fresh Ink basil, then the Inchie + Square using the Brush Stroke Flower (from the card above) in Fresh Ink capri blue and finally on the Inchie Square, the Speckled Butterfly in Fresh Ink french lavender.   

(note: all of the word stamps are from Savvy Stamps too!)

 

 

Inchie Arts squares also have a perfect surface for coloring with Prismacolor color pencils. We often use a technique we call fractional coloring to achieve the blending effect shown here.The Simple Flower Head stamp is perfect for this technique. Start by coloring each petal all over with minimum pressure using small oval pencil movements. The first color is blue slate. Then color with light aqua starting at the outside tip overlapping 2/3 of the first color. The last color...parma violet is applied only at the very outside edge and tip. Remember, color intensity is best created with constant overlapping rather than applying more pressure.

(you can click on the photos to see an enlarged view)

 

 

I think this card is our favorite - created with Primacolor pencils using the overlapping fractional coloring technique. Start with a white Twinchie Square and stamp the Zinnia with Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Using the color pencils the first layer is spanish orange, followed by rose and finished at the very tips with magenta. We stamped a piece of dark gray card stock as well and colored the leaf with pale sage before lining up the stems and pasting down the finished Twinchie Square.

Be sure and visit the stores page on our web site to locate a retailer that sells Inchie Arts products!

Again....a very special thank you to Laura and Cindi at Savvy Stamps for all their support and encouragement during my first visit to CHA!