all in an inch

A Holiday Sparkle Little Village

 

Working with the Little Village kits can be overwhelming as there are SO MANY options in terms of how you can color and decorate them!

We laughed when asking Sharon if she was finished with her sample for today's post and she said, "Not yet, I can't decide how I want to color them!" But decide she did, and we think her sparkly Little Village is a perfect example of how you can color and decorate them for the holidays. 

Just as Dina did with her Spooky Village on Monday, Sharon has mixed the components of Little Village 2 with a super cute town silhouette die cut that she positioned in front of, and behind the Village pieces. And to add additional 3D dimension to her piece she actually used the dies to emboss extra details of doors and windows into the LV pieces!

By using a 4" white Art Square as her background she was able to accommodate a lot of pieces! And of course the color and sparkle comes from painting the background and pieces with Perfect Medium, Perfect Pearls and the addition of a bit of glitter tape. 

 Please visit Sharon's blog, PaperFections to learn all the specific details. And be sure and visit Ellen Hutson's inspiration and education blog, theCLASSROOM, every day this week as they join us in celebrating all things Inchie Arts - including 20% off all in stock Inchie Arts merchandise at Ellen Hutson LLC. 

What exactly is a Little Village?

Little Village kits, Original and 2, are new from Inchie Arts!

This is the first time that Inchie Arts has experimented with die cut pieces. The kits were created to provide a series of small shapes that when decorated and assembled would be like little buildings, or a "Little Village". All of the components of each kit are made from our signature 4 ply museum grade matboard. In addition to the small pieces, each kit includes a white Inchie Square and a white ATC size Art Square that may be used as a background piece.  

 

These are all of the components of the Original kit. You can use the carrier sheet as a stencil for drawing buildings on your ATC background, cut more pieces of your own choosing, or even as a palette to test stamping and coloring ideas.  

 

Just to give you an idea of how they might be assembled, here are the pieces from the Original kit arranged (before decorating) in the same way as shown on the packaging. The original kit is distinctive because it has a crescent moon. A single panel village is a perfect size to put on a card.

 

As soon as we shared the Original kit with our friends there were immediately requests for another version with a greater assortment of shapes and sizes. Here are all the pieces included in Little Village 2.

 

This layout shows the pieces arranged in a similar fashion to the sample shown on the front of the packaging. And by popular request we made sure there was a steeple, circles for moons, suns and clocks, and even a Mansard roof!

 

Each kit has completely different pieces so that they may be combined and mixed to create oodles of versions of Little Villages.

 

 By using ALL of the pieces in both kits, you might create a standing 2 panel layout that looks like this!

 

There are SO MANY pieces that you can spread them out by adding another ATC size Art Square to create a 3 panel standing Little VIllage.

 

Or, use only a select few pieces chosen from each kit and arrange them on a bigger background like our 4" white Art Square.

 

(select pieces from both kits, spread out, with an extra white ATC Art Square background to create this 3 panel piece) 

Now that you know what they are, be sure and stop by again for the next several days to see different ideas for coloring, stamping and decorating Little Villages.

And, if you want to see more creative ideas for Little Villages and other Inchie Arts products, visit Ellen Hutson's education and inspiration blog, theCLASSROOM this week to see samples from their design team! And while you are there you can see (and purchase!) every size and color of all Inchie Arts products! at Ellen Hutson LLC. 

 

A Spooky Little Village

Happy Halloween!!

We are very excited to be partnering with Ellen Hutson LLC for a week of design collaboration featuring Inchie Arts products. 

Our very own Dina Kowal is kicking off the week on our end featuring Inchie Arts newest product called Little Village. Each kit (there are 2 versions) features a selection of die cut shapes made from our signature white matboard. In addition to the assorted pieces, each kit contains an Inchie Square and an ATC size Art Square that you can use for the background. 

The possibilities for coloring, stamping, embellishing and assembling are endless!! 

Be sure and visit Dina Kowal Creative for the details on how she created this 'spooky village' as well as visiting Ellen Hutson's education and inspiration blog, theCLASSROOM every day this week to see what their design team has created with all things Inchie Arts. 

And if you want to connect directly to Ellen's store to purchase your own Little Village kits, just click here. 

Be sure and stop by again tomorrow for more Little Village inspiration!  

Dina creates with Art Squares!

For those of you that follow our Inchie Arts blog you will know how privileged we are to have Dina Kowal, also a designer for Impression Obsession Stamps, as a member of our design team.

Whenever we share photos of Dina's work with Art Squares, you can be sure that all the details will be available on her blog, Mama Dini's Stamperia, including this wonderful ornament made from 2" Art Squares and decorated with a new holiday die from Impression Obsession.   

And while you are there, check out some of her recent work with 4" Art Squares AND our new SWATCH size that is 2" X 4" - perfect for both horizontal and vertical images!

 

 

Be sure and visit Mama Dini's Stamperia - so many great ideas!!

 

 

 

 

A special welcome to Simple Pleasures

It's always a joy to announce that an independent art/stamp store will be carrying our products! We are like proud parents when store owners and artists share our passion for creating with Art Squares. 

If you are in the Colorado Springs area be sure and stop by Simple Pleasures and perhaps you will see some of the samples we have sent Cathy to illustrate a few of the different ways for using Art Squares.  

  The card above was created by stamping a Fred Mullett Big Scallop stamp on a white 3" Art Square with Versamark clear ink. Dredge the Art Square in clear embossing powder and heat set. Then overpaint with watercolor paints (we used Koi) and use a damp paper towel to wipe away any excess paint from the stamped image.  

 

Ever a favorite technique with white ATC size Art Squares, this die masked card was created using the new Playful Posies die from Penny Black. (step by step directions for this technique can be found on an early blog posting HERE) 

 

 

Need a quick and easy birthday 'card' that's not a card?! Line up 4 white 2" Art Squares on your work surface with a light removable adhesive so they are fitting tightly together. Stamp the Happy Birthday sentiment first and then stamp the floral Centerpiece stamp across the other 3 squares with black die based ink. Color with markers and assemble using a coordinating Washi tape. (both the sentiment and floral stamp are from Penny Black)  

 

Photo mosaic cards are still our most favorite way to use black 1" Inchie Squares! You can either hand cut these 7/8" photos, use a single hand punch or if you want to stamp out 16 photo squares at once look for the new Garden Patch die from the Susan's Garden collection from Elizabeth Craft that was created to work with our 1" Art Squares!

 

Die Masking with Inca Gold Metallic Rub

Our friend Dianne Johnson recently shared with her readers a really unique take using our Die Masking Technique and it's so cool we had to share it with you.

In all of our past work with Die Masking (you can see earlier posts and step by step instructions if you click on die cuts in the Categories section) we have always started with white Art Squares and then used various colors of pigment inks as our coloring medium. 

We are in love with Dianne's version using a black Art Square and two different colors of Inca Gold Metallic Rub as the coloring medium. Not only that, but she used one color as a rub...and another as a paint and the results are stunning!

To see the step by step instructions with photos just click on this link to her blog called Backporch and be sure and check out all her other wonderful work as a member of the Magenta Design Team!   

Twelve Days of Trees - Day 6

 

If you follow this blog, you know that we are in love with the die masking technique and are excited to show it again with this wonderful Cutout Christmas Tree die from Impression Obsession!

What is so great about die masking is that it gives you a whole new way to use your metal dies and is something that can only be done with Art Squares (versus paper or cardstock) because of their 4 ply thickness. 

Begin by covering a 4" white Art Square with Eclipse or Inkadinkado masking paper. Postion the die on top of the masking paper and run through your embossing machine enough to incise through the masking paper and cut slightly into the Art Square. For this card, we peeled away the background and all the little details in the tree - leaving the tree and flourish masked. Stamp the Impression Obsession Christmas Cheer sentiment with pigment ink and then begin dabbing extensively, overlapping with several different colors of green pigment ink until you like the effect. When finished coloring, remove the remaining masking paper and promptly dredge the entire square with clear embossing powder and heat set.

 

 

Once cool, add a finish coating that makes the entire square look like a tile, by going over the entire square with a VersaMark ink pad getting complete coverage. Promptly dredge entire square again with clear embossing powder and heat set. Take your time heat setting as there is now quite a bit of powder to melt. Don't touch for a couple of minutes as it will be super hot!

If these directions seem overwhelming, we created a step by step photo tutorial of this process that can be found by scrolling down to a post from November 21st! 

"I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." - Dr. Suess

An inchie mosaic

Gorgeous isn't it!

We told Dina when we first saw the photo of this card that we thought she was single handily creating renewed interest in using Inchie Squares in card projects!

She created this beauty for a Mix-Ability 'inchie' challenge using black Inchie Squares and stamps from Impression Obsession's Valentine release (so jealous she gets to use them before the rest of us!)

We spend so much time educating artists about the properties of our Art Squares and how they are so fabulous to use with direct application of wet media that we ourselves forget how perfect they are as a surface for an inchie mosaic or puzzle - especially the black and darker colors. By using the Sissix Gridworks die you are able to punch out 9 perfect 7/8" squares from your art. When you mount them on the Inchie Squares that leaves a perfect 1/16" border all around.

Suffice it to say that it can get a little challenging reassembling the squares (wink wink) but the results are simply stunning!

Visit Mama Dini's Stamperia for the details.   

 

Day 6 - more die masking with a 4" Art Square

 

Die masking is such a great technique we couldn't resist doing it again on a 4" white Art Square for our final day of collaboration with Penny Black!

 (step by step directions for this die masking technique can be found on yesterdays post)  

 

 

What is fun about this card is that it uses the Penny Black Sparkly String die 3 separate times, in 3 separate postions on the 4' white Art Square. The die is about 6 inches long and by adjusting it's postion each time before you run it through the die cutting machine you can fit 3 impressions on the Art Square.

Don't be bashful about your color selections- just have fun. And yes, a more detailed die like this will take a little longer to 'peel away' the background, but the results are worth the extra time!

 

Be sure and visit the Penny Black BLOG today for their last posting of this great collaborative event. And as an extra bonus, Jill Foster and Elizabeth Allan will be posting Art Squares projects today on their blog, Studio Sessions! 

It's not too late to enter for the giveaways!  

2 winners will each receive $25 worth of stamps from Penny Black!

2 winners will each receive 4 boxes of Inchie Arts products!

To enter to win a product giveaway leave a comment here on the Inchie Arts blog and then visit the Penny Black BLOG and leave a comment there too. And, there is even a bonus entry by "liking" and commenting on the Facebook pages of both Inchie Arts and Penny Black. One winner will be selected from the collective blog comments and another winner selected from the collective Facebook likes and comments. That means 2 winners will each receive 4 boxes of Art Squares of their choosing and 2 winners will each receive $25 worth of stamps from Penny Black. Giveaway closes at 11/22/14 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on the Inchie Arts BLOG and Facebook pages on Monday November 24.   

6 days...6 different sizes of Art Squares!

It has been a joy to read all the comments on both our All in an Inch blog and the Penny Black Blog and both Facebook pages. In addition to the many observations from those who were new to Inchie Arts Art Squares, there were many questions. So, in addition to announcing the winners on Monday the 24th we will also be doing our best to answer many of your questions. 

 

Day 5 - An ATC and die masking - a very different way to use metal dies

Even though an ATC (Artist Trading Card) isn't a square, it's actually 2.5" X 3.5", how could we not include it as part of the Art Square line of products! It was really more about the fact that we knew many of our customers were trading 'inchies' and a great many of them traded ATC's too. Did you know that the number in each package (12) was determined by how many are often traded at a time?

We created the 'die masking' technique over a year ago as an alternative way to use metal dies. They were becoming more and more popular and we figured there had to be a way they could be used with Art Squares in addition to direct application onto the squares.    

 

This technique is one that is very rewarding because when you present someone with a finished card they are clearly stumped about how it was created!

So here is the step by step...

Cover the TOP side (rougher, slightly bumpy feel) of a white ATC Art Square with masking paper and flush trim from the back side. (refer to yesterdays post for particular brand names of masking paper)

Flip the covered ATC over so the masking paper side is facing up. Lay the die - cutting side down - on the ATC. At this point what you want to do is put it through the die cutting machine so that there is enough pressure to just cut through the masking paper and leave a slight incision into the ATC Art Square. Because the Art Squares are a 4ply material it make take a bit of experimentation to get the plates, and often paper shims, to produce the correct amount of pressure. 

We are in love with this Penny Black die called Leap of Joy! 

 Take your time and carefully peel away the masking paper that is the BACKGROUND surrounding the die cut image of the reindeer, and any little 'holes' that are part of the design. Press back down any part of the reindeer that may have lifted up.

At this point get your ink colors and pads organized. We like to arrange them in the order that they will be used. Pigment ink must be used for this technique and one of our favorites is Fresh Ink from Impress. For this card we used (from left to right) Sicilian Blue, Capri Blue, Gypsy Blue, Navy and French Lavender.

Our tip of the day: invest in a box of 100 daubers and dedicate them to all the different inks and colors you use - that way you will never have to wash them...believe us, it's worth it!

 

Beginning with the lightest color begin dabbing. Don't rub though as you may disturb the remaining masking paper or 'get under' it's edges with the ink. Vary your dabbing pressure so you are getting good coverage and blending without leaving distinct round impressions from the dauber.  

  As you lay down each color go back and use the last color to create a seemless blending, repeat this over and over until you are satisfied. You also want to 'refresh' the first colors you put down so that there are no 'dry' ink spots.

As soon as you have finished inking, carefully remove any masking paper left on the Art Square.

Promptly, before any ink dries, dredge the entire ATC Art Square in clear embossing powder.

Take your time when heat setting. Don't be tempted to rush by getting too close. There is quite a bit of embossing powder that needs to really melt - you'll see! Let it cool before handling. As you pick it up you will notice that the area where the masking paper was (the reindeer) will have a matt finish (the surface of the Art Square) and everything else will have a shiny, hard surface, almost like a real tile.

(if for any reason there were dry spots and the embossing powder did not stick on any inked areas, try this.... after heat setting and cooling...cover the entire surface of the ATC with VersaMark clear ink. Re-dredge in the clear embossing powder and heat set again. The resulting overall hard glossy surface is a wonderful finish technique too!)   

 

Because the Art Squares have a 4ply thickness and are a solid core material, it's a nice finishing touch to color the edges with a coodinating colored marker to cover up the 'glaring white edges'! The snow was added at the very last with dots from a white opaque pen, and the sentiment is from the Penny Black Joy Filled clear stamp set.  

 

Be sure and visit the Penny Black BLOG today and every day through Saturday November 22 as each day there will be new postings on both of our sites that combine the Art Squares you know and love with the incredible designs from Penny Black.

And don't forget to comment for entry into the giveaways!  

2 winners will each receive $25 worth of stamps from Penny Black!

2 winners will each receive 4 boxes of Inchie Arts products!

To enter to win a product giveaway leave a comment here on the Inchie Arts blog and then visit the Penny Black BLOG and leave a comment there too. And, there is even a bonus entry by "liking" and commenting on the Facebook pages of both Inchie Arts and Penny Black. One winner will be selected from the collective blog comments and another winner selected from the collective Facebook likes and comments. That means 2 winners will each receive 4 boxes of Art Squares of their choosing and 2 winners will each receive $25 worth of stamps from Penny Black. Giveaway closes at 11/22/14 at 11:59 pm PST. Winners will be announced on the Inchie Arts BLOG and Facebook pages on Monday November 24.   

6 days...6 different sizes of Art Squares!

See you tomorrow!