PWA ATC 1-4-1 Swapping √

On our Yahoo Group community we host many different art swaps.  One of my favorites is the ATC 1-4-1.  This is a small group of swappers of about 16 artists.  (The number fluctuates slightly from month to month depending on how many people join and drop from the swap.)  It’s a nice easy commitment to keep because there isn’t a set theme to design around and each person could receive a different atc from me.

This month though, they are all the same.  I was so pleased with my design that I made enough for all 16 swappers and even a few extras, just in case!  (wink!)

A roll of 2-1/2” wide ribbon with music print was the inspiration and background for this design.  I cut the ribbon to 3-1/2” long to make the standard atc size.  Then I cut a sheet of O’So Sticky Tape to the same size and put  it over the ribbon.  The leaf shaped trim and black grosgrain ribbon were added on top of the exposed tape and then the whole thing was pressed into a tray of clear micro beads.

The final embellishment is a postoid created by stamping once onto the green metallic paper and again onto pink.  The pink heart was cut out and placed over the one in green with foam tape to give it some height.  Decorative edged scissors were used to give the edges a postage stamp look.

If you are already a member of the Pennywise Arts Yahoo Group and want more information about our 1-4-1 swap, just contact Julie I.  aka “cougstamper”.  To take part in our swaps we do require group membership and our community is open to swappers of all levels, ability and geographic location!  Come play with us!

Stamp Credits: Studio g 

Ribbon Credit:  May Arts

(Look for them in the dollar bins at a Michael’s craft store!)

 

P.S. See the check mark – √ up top on the blog title??

Post a comment and you could win one of these atc cards in your mailbox!!

When Not Much Stamping Is Getting Done

So when not much stamping is getting done, and not much of anything else is getting done either… it’s probably due to this fun doodle art form that is popping up in so many of the art/stamp/craft magazines!  This particular style is called Zentangle and I learned how to do it in a class.

I’m really liking the art journals that I’ve seen in magazines that utilize this fun zen-doodle-thing.  One lady even did her furniture!

Why the coffee cup?  Well, I am glad you asked!  I was in a local coffee shop the other day and saw that they had a shelf where they were collecting doodled on cups and it inspired me to save mine and see what I could do with it.  I am going to take it back to them next time I go in!

Hugs!  Suzanne

Love Is In The Air

It’s been so much fun going through the many, many boxes of cards and creations by our design team and beadie buds! 

I find it especially fun (and funny) when I email Julie that I’ve found a great card that she made some time ago and since I know she saves all of her instructions could she please email them to me?  And she does, even though she has no memory of what the card looked like she can find those instructions every time!  So here it is for all of you to see – including Julie!  Ü

P.S. I think it’s quite clever how Julie made the shaker look like it was part of a picture frame hanging on the wall!

Love Is In The Air Shaker

By Julie Imsland

Supplies:

Pennywise Arts: Big Window Basic Shaker Template, Green Translucent Glass Micro Beads, True Green Opaque Glass Micro Beads, ¼” O’So Sticky Tape™

Uptown Rubber Stamps: F23112 Cloud Swing Couple

Karen Foster Design: 00372 Mini Casual Snap-Stamps

Mini Heart Flower: Unknown Source

VersaMark ink

StazOn Ink: Jet Black, Black Cherry, Eden Green

Black Embossing Powder

Memory Box: Red Mini Plaid Cardstock

Other Cardstock: White, Black, Red

Dritz: Large Red Eyelet

Scrap Arts: Black Square Mini Eyelets

Black Wire

Chalks

Acetate

Foam Tape, Adhesive

Directions

1. Stamp Cloud Swing Couple with VersaMark ink onto a 3” square of white cardstock, heat emboss with black embossing powder. Color as desired with chalks.

2. Begin preparing shaker as directed. After cutting frame opening, stamp “love is in the air” with the snap-stamps and black StazOn ink . Use chalks to color around frame.

3. Ink mini heart flower stamp with red and green StazOn inks and stamp repeatedly along bottom edge of frame opening.

4. Stamp mini heart flower stamp with red and green StazOn ink along bottom edge of a 2.75” acetate square.

5. Continue construction of the shaker as directed. Use a very small amounts of the translucent and opaque green beads for filling the grass area along the image.

6. Once shaker is constructed, punch 2 small holes at the top of the shaker and set 2 small black eyelets.

7. Affix a black wire hanger with adhesive behind each eyelet.

8. Adhere the hanging shaker to a slightly larger square of black cardstock.

9. Punch a hole centered near the top of a 4.25” x 5.5” mini plaid piece of

cardstock. Affix shaker to mini plaid card front with a small piece of foam tape.

Wire hanger should be caught when setting the large red eyelet.

10. Mount the card front to a top folded 4.25” x 11” red card.

Shake It Up Baby

We’re just gonna keep on shakin’ it up over here because there are a lot of shaker cards to share!  Everyone has been so creative in the ways that they have used them.  This one is by Gayle Page Robak.  Not only did she bead the frame of the shaker card, she also beaded the heart inside!  The gold beads tumble around the heart for a really neat effect!

Stamp Credits:  Hero Arts flourish background

Always

Dee Moran “always” does such a beautiful job on her cards!  Our shaker card templates are very popular because they make it so easy to create works of art like this one!!

Go grab a free template and some micro beads and you’ll be half way there!

Stamp Credits:  Stampendous, Stampsmith & Stampin Up

Happily Ever After

Annette Lanker had a great idea to use birdseed in her wedding themed shaker card!  Won’t be long and wedding season will be upon us…… 

Valentine Treat Box √

Julie has been a busy bee coming up with fun ideas for Valentine's Day treats!  This treat box was inspired by a die cut that Julie had seen in a scrapbook store.

Julie used one of the hearts from our new Valentine Collage Sheets for the top and traced the hex opening from one of the templates (see below) to create the closure.  1/8" O'so Sticky tape was fit around the edge and gold beads used to border the heart.   3/8" O'so Sticky tape was used to cover each of the little petal tabs that fold through the hex opening and they too were covered with gold beads.

My Brian is always happy to help out with templates - it helps him justify the expense of updating is CAD program every year! Ü  Today he whipped this one up just for you! 

NEW AND EXCITING!!  There is also an SVG cut file for those using a Cricut with a computer software program.  This is our first of MANY SVG’s to come, so stay tuned! 

You may want to print the PDF file as a folding guide when using the SVG cut file.

If you own the Sure Cuts Alot software you can also download the SCAL file!!

All the details and template downloads are available from this page of our website:  http://www.pennywisearts.com/archive2/juliestreatbox.html

Important Blog Note:  We have just added a new way for you to identify which items we are giving away to commenters!  Look at the top line of this blog post – see the check mark on the right side?  It looks like this:  √     In the future whenever we are giving something away that is featured on our blog it will have that simple check mark on it.  Cool eh?

Blooming Friends Bead Masking

Sharing Jean’s Love card yesterday reminded me of a card I once made using the masking technique for a PWA shoebox party.  The party was a couple of years ago in Idaho at Mary Jo Mcgraw’s home.  I was thrilled to discover that I still had the instructions for this card saved on my computer!  (see below)

Blooming Friends Card

© Suzanne Glazier, Pennywise Arts

Supplies:

White Cardstock 8.5” by 5.5” folded to make card base

Blue Cardstock 4.25” by 5.5”

Green Cardstock 4” by 5.25”

White Cardstock 2” by 2”

Blue Cardstock 2.25” by 2.25”

Green Cardstock 2.25” by 2.25”

O’So Sticky Tape™ Sheet Cut 4” by 5.25”

Tidy Tray

Blue Gingham Ribbon 7” long

Adhesive

Foam Tape

Scissors

Tweezers

Verse Stamp of Choice

Fuschia Ink Pad

Lettuce Translucent Micro Beads

Teal Opaque Micro Beads

Purple Opaque Micro Beads

Royal Blue Opaque Micro Beads

Fuschia Opaque Micro Beads

White release paper liners from previously used tape

Miscellaneous Floral Punches to punch tape liner shapes

Preparation:

Gather supplies and cut all paper and O’So Sticky Tape ™ per above dimensions. Using floral punches and release papers from previously used O’So punch out several different shapes and sizes of flowers.

Step 1:  Adhere  blue cardstock to white card front and set aside.

Step 2:  Adhere large precut piece of O’So Sticky Tape™ to large green cardstock.  The secret to applying O’So Sticky Tape™ perfectly every time is to peel back just one small corner of the tape sheet to begin with as pictured below. Next, with the fold facing down towards your cardstock base begin to align the O’So Sticky Tape™ sheet to fit squarely. The folded flap will keep the O’So from actually touching your paper. Once the tape is lined up with the base press firmly on the exposed corner to anchor the O’So Sticky in place (see photo below.)  Next remove the rest of the liner from the back of the tape and gently smooth it into place as you go.

 

Step 3.   Remove the liner from the O’So and lay the blue and white ribbon on the card about 2/3 of the way down.

Step 4:   Place the small piece of green cardstock as shown in finished picture

Step 5:   Place paper liner flower masks randomly over the remaining areas of the O’so.Use the tweezers to do this part, it will make it so easy!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Look closely at the flower masks, they will be shiny on one side and flat on the other. You MUST place them shiny side down for them to release and come back off later!

Step 6:  Lay card in tidy tray and pour Lettuce Translucent micro beads over, press in and tap off excess, return beads to bag.  Use a brayer to roll the beads firmly into the O’So

Step 7:  Gently remove liners at random and add colored beads as desired. Take care not to tear them They can be used over and over.It is easiest to lift several liners at once and bead 2 or 3 flowers at a time of the same color. My preferred bead method for this project is to remove the liners and lay the card IN the tidy tray, then pour the beads onto the areas that are exposed, press the beads in with my fingers, tap off excess and return them to the bag. Repeat until all flowers are done.

Step 8:  Stamp verse onto white cardstock square.

Step 9:  Apply verse to blue cardstock square.

Step 10:  Adhere verse to card with foam mounting tape.

Step 11:  Secure ribbon to the back of the green flower piece with 1/4” O’So.

Step 12:  Adhere green flower piece to the front of the blue card.

Stamp Credits:  Unknown

Soon I will be showing you some amazing artwork made by a very special lady who used this technique and took it extremes we never imagined!  Be on the watch for Brooke’s Boxes!

Happy Valentines

Here is another fun take on our shaker box template by designer Annette Lanker!

I like how Annette used a creative cut in the window, rather than doing the standard square.  Now that’s thinking outside the box!

Stamp Credits:  Stampers Anonymous and unknown

All You Need Is Love

Francine Domschine-Hill sent in this unique shaker card design using a paper punch design in the background of the shaker card.

Don’t forget that we have lots of FREE shaker card templates on our website here:  http://www.pennywisearts.com/supersimpleshakercards.html

If you’ve never made a shaker card before our simple tutorial will walk you through it step by step.  Shaker cards are a fun and interactive card to send or receive.  Whenever I need to really concentrate on something  I will  often pick up a shaker and tip it back and forth to create the soft swooshing sound the beads make as they roll back and forth.  It’s almost a hypnotic sound that helps me feel calm and relaxed.  Try it! 

Coming soon!  Free SVG cut files of our shaker card templates!!

Love

I “love” this shaker card made by designer Jean Sunderman.  The red and yellow colors are so vibrant and complementary!    The frame of the shaker box is beaded with red and gold micro beads and edged with a gold Krylon pen. 

Are you wondering how Jean crafted the neat petal design on the shake box frame?  The secret is to save the white kraft release papers from your O’So Sticky Tape sheets – these can by cut or punched to create all sorts of design elements and then used as masks on the tape sheet when beading. 

This part is IMPORTANT!!  Be sure to lay the SHINY release side down on exposed O’So Sticky Tape when masking – there is a non shiny side that will not release from the tape.

I have a tutorial here somewhere,….. I’ll see if I can find it to share!

Hugs,

Suzanne