all in an inch: 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!