I am ready for it to be Spring. This weekend I spent an unexpected happy couple of hours in my garden. I took all the leaves out of my backyard flower beds. I don't usually get to do this until the beginning of May, so this progress made me very
happy. The crocus are blooming and the daffodils and hellebores are starting to bud. I volunteered to host my garden club's luncheon in June, so there is a lot of work (& pressure) to get it ready for other garden lovers to see. I'll post my progress.
Pretty soon, colors will be popping everywhere in the garden. This got me thinking about colors, or rather coloring, on cards. In this newsletter, I focus on an easy and fun way for you to get color on your cards. I invite you to give it a try, I think you may have some fun doing it. But first, you may want to think about Spring cleaning. Stampin' Up! has got
you covered. Keep reading to find out about their new storage system that will keep your inks, markers, blends and embellishments tidy and stylish.
Stampin' Storage Now Available!
Whether you have an entire room or a small corner in your home for stamping, your creative space should be tailored to you. Stampin' Up!'s new product line, Storage by Stampin’ Up!, provides you with modular storage solutions that let you organize—and customize—your
space your way!
Storage by Stampin’ Up! is designed to store and showcase your Stampin’ Pads, Stampin’ Ink Refills, Stampin’ Blends, Stampin’ Write Markers, Watercolor Pencils, and other accessories.
Features of Stampin' Storage:
- Keeps products organized, tidy, visible, and trackable at all times.
- Ensures that your Stampin’ Pads, Stampin’ Write Markers, and Stampin’ Blends are all stored horizontally, as recommended.
- Designed to be stylish, durable, compact, stackable, and modular.
- Blends in naturally with most home decor with its white neutral color.
- Stacks vertically and can be arranged to fit practically any flat workspace.
- Easily assembled and disassembled for rearrangement and/or cleaning.
Click HERE to see the Flyer with Components and measurements
Click HERE for the Configuration Chart
Storage by Stampin' Up! is available beginning on April 1st and will also be featured in the upcoming 2019/20 Annual Catalog. You can build your storage as you build your supplies.
Brusho Colour Crystals - Easy Coloring!
Do you want an easy way to color? The Brusho Colour Crystals are watercolor ink crystals that work like magic! Once they touch
water they burst with color. You can use them in a variety of ways to get a variety of looks. Experimentation is a must to see what style you like (and a lot of fun too). Each container of vibrant color contains different pigments to create depth within each color. That's what makes this set of 5 colors a perfect thing to have on your craft shelf (or in your new Storage system). Colors included in the set: Brilliant Red, Gamboge (orange), Moss Green,
Prussian Blue, and Yellow. #144101, $30.
All you need to create with the Brusho Colour Crystals is paper that can absorb water (Watercolor Paper or Shimmery White Card Stock) and an Aqua Painter.
Ways to use Brusho Colour Crystals:
1. Sprinkle the crystals directly on a water-washed paper and watch the colors burst. You can leave it to dry or swirl to get a more evenly washed look.
2. Sprinkle the crystals on dry paper and then spritz with water. A very different look than above, just in reverse order.
3. Use like watercolor paint. Sprinkle the crystals in a puddle of water (on a clear block or plate) and dip your Aqua Painter into the color and watercolor within the lines of a stamped image. You can change the intensity of color by the amount of crystals you use.
4. Emboss Resist. Emboss your images first and then wet & sprinkle.
Best Results:
1. Brusho coloring is not exact and never the same, which makes it perfect for creating background papers (unless you are picking up colors with the brush like watercoloring).
2. I recommend taping your paper down with painters or masking tape so it lays flat when the paper gets wet. Letting it dry flat will prevent rolling color water drops & puddling.
3. Experiment drying methods: air dry, heating tool or blotting with paper towel. Your results will all be different.
4. Heat embossing with embossing powders pairs beautifully with Brushos. You can emboss first and then "paint" within the lines or emboss on top of the dried, colored paper you created.
Important note: DO NOT OPEN THE CAP OF THE CONTAINER. You will want to use a push pin to pierce 3 holes into the top cover so you can sprinkle/shake the crystals out. A little goes a long way and these powders will last you years.
Products that work with the Crystal Colors (with links):
11 Reasons to Make & Send Cards in April
Do you work better from lists or prompts? I find I do much better when I write a task down and feel really good about checking it off. If that's the case with you, then here is a list of 11 reasons why you should make & send cards this
April:
1. Send anyone who is recovering from a winter cold a get well card
2. National Handmade Day - April 7 - make anything handmade and attach a card or tag
3. National Library Workers day - April 9 - make some bookmarks and give them to your local librarians
4. Bridal & Baby Showers are popular in April
5. Passover - April 20-27
6. Easter - April 21
7. Earth Day/Celebrate Spring - April 22 - send a card but don't write inside so it can be re-used
8. Administrative Professionals Day - April 24 - thank you cards are always appreciated
9. Arbor Day - April 26 - get your tree stamps out and make a tree card to send to anyone who loves nature & the outdoors
10. Send your college kids & grandkids a good luck with finals card - you may want to tuck in some late night pizza money too
11. Graduation cards - college graduations are typically on the first two weekends in May
This "Wishing You a Lovely Day" card was made by Valerie, a demonstrator friend, who in my mind is the Queen of letting the Designer Series Paper shine in her clean & simple cards. She used the pre-scored notecard from the Notecards & Envelopes pack, a 3
1/4" x 4 3/4" piece of Calypso Coral card stock and a 3" x 4 1/2" piece of patterned paper from the Happiness Blooms Designer Series Paper pack. She stamped a single sentiment image from the Forever Lovely stamp set on a
white circle with matching Calypso Coral ink. A perfect card for any reason and it made me smile when I opened it yesterday. I love to receive happy mail.
Easter Card & Treat Class - April 4 & 5
There are still spots available in both sessions for the Easter Cards & Treats class. Be sure to RSVP by tomorrow at noon.
This class is a great one for beginners!
Class times:
Thursday, April 4 at 9:30 am &
Friday, April 5 at 7:30 pm
RSVP:
Do you know someone who likes to Papercraft?
Please share what I do with them. I want everyone to enjoy & learn the joy of paper crafting. Forward this newsletter and share my Facebook posts. Personal referrals are the best way of sharing information.
If this Newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend, be sure to sign up for my weekly emails. You can do that by clicking the below link, and you will be sent a video tutorial on how to make an easy gift card holder as a thank you.
|
|
|
