New Year’s Collage Tags

Evelyn Spikes is another one of our talented artists and this month she created some vintage looking  New Year’s tags using the newest collage sheets by designer Michele Aiello-Zendejas.   Evelyn discovered that our ultra fine micro beads are a perfect accent over the images on the tags.  The beads are applied with Pennywise O’So Sticky Tape.  She distressed the ones shown below with Distress Inks and stamped them all with various coordinating images.

To see more of Evelyn’s inspiring tags and other art be sure to Click Here and visit her personal blog, “Beyond Just Black and White”.

MMX Mini Calendar

Julie Imsland, our first featured designer of 2010 has created a cute mini calendar featuring several different micro bead techniques.   With lots of room for personal expression and an opportunity to use up some stuff, I think this is a great way to start off the new year!   “MMX” are the roman numerals for 2010, in case you didn’t know.

Supplies:

12” x 12” calendar paper by Teresa Collins

(Journal-It girl # TC-6447)

Black cardstock, cut 14 pieces 3.5” x 4.5”

Poster board, cut 7 pieces 3.5” x 4.5”

Permanent pink marker

O’So Sticky Tape, various widths

Large alpha “M” & “X” stamps

Colorbox Classic Pigment Ink, Pink

O’So Sticky Powder

Ultra fine micro beads

Small number stamps

Permanent black dye ink

Two – 1” binder rings

Assorted punches, brads & ribbon

Directions:

1. Front Cover: Stamp “MMX” on sized black cardstock with pigment ink. Sprinkle ink with O’So Sticky Powder, heat just until the powder melts. Pat the image face down into a tray of ultra fine micro beads. Heat the beaded image again to “set” the micro beads. Once cooled the micro beads will be fully adhered.
2. Remainder of front cover was border punched, and adhered to a piece of sized poster board with O’So sticky tape behind the punched edge. Pat the exposed tape into a tray of ultra fine micro beads. (White poster board was used, edges and exposed punched areas were colored with a permanent pink marker.)
3. Cut the calendar months apart, and stamp the appropriate numbers for the days using black ink.
4. Decorate each page as desired with small brads and ribbon. Use punches to decorate some pages and use O’So Sticky tape as directed on the front cover to fill in the open punched areas with micro beads.
5. January page backs the front cover. Each of the next 5 pages have months on both the front and back. The month of December is inside the back cover page.
6. Punch two small holes for the binder rings along the left edge to hold the calendar together. Embellish with short ribbon pieces.

Assorted Free Printable Calendars are also available at:

http://www.printable2010calendar.net/

Here is a closer look at some of the details of Julie’s calendar:

 

	Bits of ribbon are the page turners of the mini calendar
Julie punched April’s calendar page and backed it with O’So Sticky and dipped in micro beads to create a reverse beaded image.
	A cute little heart shaped brad marks Valentine’s Day!
Be sure to click the photo for a close up view of Julie’s inset beaded snowflake on December!

    

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New Year Intentions

With 2010 just around the corner, it’s “that” time when many will reflect on change they wish to see or make in the coming year. I prefer to call them intentions rather than resolutions because they really are things I intend to do.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten more realistic about the goals I set for myself which helps me to actually achieve something rather than make excuses for what didn’t happen.  I like that!  In fact getting things done excites me and motivates me to want to do more.  Which is really what this post is about… As I reflect on the things that really matter to me and what I can do to have more of  those things in my life I came to the realization that I am a “Social Crafter”.  (You all probably knew that long before I did!)  I love to craft and make things with my hands, especially when it comes to paper.  But I also tend to do more of it when I have crafting friends near by. 

Over the years of running a home business, teaching classes and just plain creating, I have accumulated a lot of STUFF.  STUFF that seems to clutter more than to create.  STUFF that is choking the life from the space that once held a shoebox party of 17 crafters.  (I’m lucky to fit 6 in there now!)  My intention for 2010 is to reduce my STUFF by about half to double the space and allow more PEOPLE to fit in there than STUFF.

Some people would wait until January 1 to get started, giving themselves time to just “be” with the idea of a new intention.  But why wait?  I actually made this decision a couple of weeks ago and I’ve already, little by little started to look at my STUFF through new eyes.  “Would I rather have this thing, or a friend in this spot?”,  I’ve asked myself.  Over and over the answer is the same.  The STUFF doesn’t really carry any weight when put opposite on the scale of the company of a friend.

So here I go!  Rolling up my sleeves right this minute.  Digging in to make way, make room, sort and purge!  And what a perfect time to be doing just this very thing,… when there is a blog prize drawing (or two, or three) coming up in just four days!  Wanna win some neat crafting supplies?  (We won’t call it STUFF when it’s yours! Ü)  Besides, this is good, loveable, amazing supplies that had an idea attached to it.  Now it’s needing to move on, be loved and used by someone new.  When you enter to win the prize (by posting to any article on this blog before the end of the year) please trust that the boxes full of fabulous things being collected to send are not junk, cast aways or more clutter.  The things selected to go to new homes will be good, some of it brand new and all of it useful and wonderful to crafters far and wide.  Seriously, I don’t buy junk.  Ü

What will your intention be for the coming new year??  I’d love to hear!