all in an inch

Valentine sneak peek #4

When you can't find a stamp for the mood you are in, and all else fails...draw it yourself!

This began with a white ATC size Art Square. Draw the stems and hearts with a Copic 0.5 multi liner pen (pigment ink, water and Copic proof). Moisten an assortment of green, blue and pink Twinkling H2O paint pots and using waterbrush pens, paint away! Make sure you have enough water in your paints to allow blending of the colors as you apply them to the very absorbent Art Square. I think I used 3 greens, 3 blues and 2 pinks.

Heading to Impress now....see you there!! 

Valentine Sneak Peek #3

Having never worked with Silks Acrylic glazes before I was in need of tips and inspiration and visited the Luminarte Blog  and the amazing work of Jodi Ohl. I was also really curious how Silks would perform on the absorbent surface of Art Squares.

What a blast! Because the Art Squares are matboard weight they can tolerate layer upon layer of the glazes, and even a middle layer application of standard white acrylic white. What is so cool about the Silks glazes is they have a sparkly quality when dry, from bits of mica, and their texture can be manipulated with a bit of heat.

This was created by assembling the 9 white Inchie Squares (with a light adhesive) on a work surface and painting away with different layers of color...drying in between each layer. The Impress stamped images were added at the end using Brilliance graphite black ink. I am definitely a newbie when it comes to mixed media but find myself more and more drawn to this very fun and creative process.  

Hope to see you at Impress Tukwila on Saturday from 10 to noon!

Valentine Sneak Peek #2

Lots going on with this sample! This is the first time we have used the Hero Arts ink daubers and they are really fun and versatile; perfect for LOTS of layering.   

Start with a 3" white Art Square and using different lighter pink Hero Arts ink daubers create a splash effect across the entire square. Once completely dry (force drying is ok) cover painted surface completely with Inkadinkado masking paper and die cut into the square using the 2 Savvy solid heart dies. Peel away the background. Then using the darker pink and red daubers...dab away at the entire background. If you dab quickly little bubbles will form when you pull the dauber away - just leave them to dry - they create an interesting textural look. When dry, stamp a small valentine sentiment repeatedly with Brilliance Black ink. Finish by carefully peeling away the hearts!

Stop by Impress Tukwila on Saturday from 10am to noon to see this technique demonstrated.  

Impress Valentine Event - Saturday Jan 18 - sneak peek #1

This Saturday, January 18 Lisa will be demonstrating some fun techniques using all sizes of Art Squares at the Impress annual Valentine event at the Tukwila store. The demo runs from 10am to noon, so be sure and stop by!

Also, stop by this blog over the next few days to see a sneak peek of some of the techniques she will be showing. Learn how to use Art Squares for die masking with Savvy dies, Silks Acrylic glazes, Hero Arts Daubers, Impress stamps, Authentique papers and more!

(This card begins with a white ATC size Art Square. Cover with Inkadinkado masking paper and die cut with repeat runs using the Savvy Heart Die. Peel away the background and spaces within the heart. Using finger size ink daubers, repeatedly dab with different colors of Fresh Ink pigment ink. Once desired color is reached, remove the remainder of the masking paper, dredge in clear embossing powder and heat set. Finish by adding detail dots with a white opaque pen.)      

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday morning!

 

Nicholas!

   

You can imagine my surprise when I discovered a photo inchie on the magnet board of the person who practically invented stamped inchies! Upon teasing Karen (of Lockhart Stamp Company) she responded with a twinkle...oh, it's ok, that's Nicholas.  

For those of you familiar with Karen's stamp designs, that would be the same Nicholas that has provided inspiration for many of the Lockhart Stamp images...and he is (you guessed it!), her very special, one and only grandson!

Upon closer inspection it was apparent that a few small changes can really alter the appearance of an Inchie Arts Magentic Display Board. I realized it was another perfect sneak peek opportunity to share with everyone and when she wasn't looking grabbed the board from off the wall beside her craft table and took a quick photo.

Nothing changed the appearance of the board faster than a festive red, green and gold holiday bow! She then created several decorated inchies using images from the Itty Bitty collection. White inchie squares were covered with decorative Inchie Papers and then the pre-colored images were cut out and pasted down. If you look carefully you will notice that she also colored the edges with coordinating colored markers. To further reinforce the holiday theme, all the inchies, including the photo inchie of Nicholas, were arranged in the shape of a tree!

Now is the perfiect time to spruce up your Magnetic Display Board for the holidays with a special ribbon and seasonal inchies!

And, after seeing Karen's board, using the combination of photo inchies with stamped inchies my head is swirling with ideas for some very personalized magnet boards to use as gifts for close friends and family...or as a very special holiday card for my craft buddies!

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