Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Hop’s End

BlogHopIcon

It’s Sunday, March 28, 2010 and tonight at midnight our first ever Beadie Buddy Blog Hop will officially come to an end and our grand prize will be awarded.   I must admit that the whole event really took me by surprise.  Oh, I knew that the hop was happening but what I didn’t know was what to expect or how it would feel or what response we would get.  That has been the surprising part of it for me. 

I was awed by the amazing projects shared by each designer that participated.  I am energized by the excitement generated around this weekend event.  I was touched by the words that  each blogger wrote and touched again by the comments left by the hoppers.  And I was totally inspired by the shared creativity and thrilled to see so many people connecting over the weekend. 

If you’ve been around the hop circle once, don’t forget to hop again to Stamper’s Quest, where Bea Rosenleaf has posted a second dose of NEW projects for our event with a wonderful surprise ending!

bg_masthead

http://stampersquest.com

Even though this official hop is ending, the true beauty of it all is that the kindness and friendships we share will endure.   We have living proof of it on our Pennywise Arts Yahoo Community and we welcome you to join us!

The other thing that endures are the posts and projects that were created for this hop.  They will live on in blogland for as long as the blogs exist which means if you saw something this weekend that you really liked or would like to see again, just make note of the blog and revisit it any time!  (or come back here to the blog roll and find it that way).   And if you met a blogger this weekend that really inspired you, fan them, follow them and bookmark them to return for more!   I know I did - and I will!

If you are just getting started on the hop, you can catch the whole lineup in the post below this one.  There is definitely still time to take it all in and win a prize!

Be sure to visit the Pennywise Arts blog often, because we feature all of our newest design team projects here and try to update several times a week to keep your creative juices flowing!

Our Pennywise Arts featured designer coming up in the month of April is Evelyn Spikes.   Evelyn is a very talented artist and dear friend.  I know you will enjoy the projects she has created to share with you here next month!

This is one of my favorite cards, made by Evelyn:

IMG_2958cr

The technique used for this card element is simple.  A piece of clear acetate is stamped in black Staz On with the flourish design and a piece of O’So Sticky Tape is adhered on the back of the acetate.  Expose the adhesive on the back and sprinkle micro beads around the edges (here Evelyn used purple opaque) and then fill in the rest of the exposed tape with opal flakes (we call it Fru Fru) and clear micro beads for a very dramatic effect.  The piece is then layered onto colored cardstock to complete the design.

Click on photo for a larger view.   The acetate, beads and flakes are very reflective and difficult to photograph!

Stamp Credits:  Stampers Anonymous

Thanks for joining us this weekend!  I hope you had as much fun taking it all in as I did! 

Hugs, Suzanne

P.S.  As soon as we can verify the winner of the $50 Pennywise Arts gift certificate, we will make the announcement here!

 

More words……..

Hum,….. The original post for the blog hop that I put up on Friday has evaporated!  It looks like this one over wrote it some how.  Ooops!  I’m not an expert at these things yet, sorry!

Here is the blog roll again – in case you still need it!

  • Suzanne
  • Bea
  • Rita Ann
  • Jen
  • Linda
  • Marianne
  • Jennifer W
  • Kathi
  • Jennifer T
  • Bea (yes, back to see Bea again)
  • Stephanie
  • Michele
  • Beki
  • Bridget
  • Lisa
  • Evelyn
  • Suzanne (yes, you will start and end with Suzanne)
  • Thursday, March 25, 2010

    Springtime In Paris

    Speaking of Spring…  here is an amazing micro beaded beret done by a very special PWA friend and artist, Brooke Swinney.   It’s titled “Springtime in Paris”. 

    Several years ago Brooke grabbed a hold of our O’So Sticky Tape and micro beads and she took them to a whole new level that we like to call “Bead Extreme”!  See for yourself just how extreme she went  in these photos of Brooke’s beret!

    This is the top view:

    Top View

    Brooke’s designs include teeny tiny details, like this little beaded blue bird:

    Bluebird View Here’s a butterfly created with O’So Sticky Tape, micro beads and wire:

    Butterfly Dreams

    Paris just wouldn’t be complete without a bereted poodle: Parisian Poodle

    Here we have a swan sailing on the Siene:  Swan Sailing The Siene

    I just love this cute little ladybug: Ladybug View

    Isn’t the detail simply stunning?

    Springtime in Paris Cropped sm

    Brooke, you are an inspiration my friend! 

    Hugs, Suzanne

    P.S.  Someone asked a question about how many beads Brooke used to create this beret and I honestly cannot answer that question, sorry!  I sent Brooke a flat rate box full of beads because she was also doing some boxes for us – I’ll be sharing photos of those soon so be sure to check back for more amazing and EXTREME micro beading!

    Burnished Sunflowers

    Years ago, when we were doing weekly classes on our Pennywise Arts Yahoo group, we had a great project taught by Katrina Merryman.  It’s been one of my favorites to this day.  Kat showed us how to do a technique called “burnishing”.  I still remember the fun chant she used during that class….. “Don’t dab, don’t rub ya gotta scrub!”

    Here’s a photo of Kat scrubbing for us:

    Tutorial Step 1a - Burnishing

    I completely fell in love with these beautiful richly colored sunflowers and of course I had to buy the stamps too!  About once a year I get them all out again, and burnish sunflowers on anything I can get my hands on.  It’s a technique that I keep going back to because I never tire of the fun results!

     Sunflower Pen & PIN Purse Cropped

    If you haven’t seen the tutorial on how to make these cute post it note purses, we have it on our website HERE!!  Kat’s tutorial on burnishing is also there!

    (And I am sure that if you think out of the box better than I do, you’ll find lots of things to burnish in addition to sunflowers!)

    With spring in the air and the amazing sunshine we had in the Seattle area yesterday, I am feeling the urge to get out my sunflower stamps and burnish something!

    Hugs, Suzanne

    Stamp Credits:  Stampin Up!

    Tuesday, March 23, 2010

    Beaded Cuttlebug Embossing

    Julie Imsland is hosting a technique swap on the Pennywise Yahoo Group and I was watching her work on her swap samples the other day.  It reminded me of this great tutorial on our website that I thought everyone would re-enjoy seeing. 

    Beaded Cuttlebug Embossing by Julie Imsland
    Creation of this technique was inspired by Julie Buhler's Cuttlebug Ink Embossing.

    Supply List:
    Cardstock
    Pennywise Arts Clear Ultra fine Micro beads [HERE]
    Pennywise Arts O'So Sticky Powder [HERE]
    Soft Rubber Brayer
    Encore Pigment Ink
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder
    Cuttlebug
    Heat Tool

    Optional:
    Anti Static Embossing Buddy
    Small paint brush
    Post It Notes

    Directions:

    Before you begin, carefully look at the embossing folder and decide which part of the impression you wish to bead. Look at the example of the heart medallion from the Fancy Corners set… you can choose to bead either the hearts themselves, or the background surrounding the hearts. The part of the embossing folder to be inked will be the side with the raised impression that you've chosen to bead. (It may seem a little backwards; because the raised portion will actually become the recessed portion once you've embossed the cardstock.)
    It's a bit easier to bead the background of the designs, because there is usually more flat surface area and it's easier to ink. If you choose to bead the design area, you may find it easiest to place masks around the design area while inking.
    Once you've decided which portion of the design you want to bead you're ready to begin.

    1. Optional: Tap embossing buddy onto cardstock to reduce static on paper surface.

    2. Apply ink to embossing folder.
    A. For large background areas:
    Roll brayer over ink pad until it is inked well.
    Lay opened embossing folder on scrap paper and using brayer, completely ink desired design area.
    **Note: you will only apply ink to portions of one side of the embossing folder.
    B. For smaller design areas:
    Mask around design area with Post It notes. Use brayer to apply ink to design area.

    3. Place cardstock into embossing folder with the front side facing the inked portion of the folder. Close the embossing folder and emboss as usual in your Cuttlebug.

    Turn the handle slowly and roll it through once and then without removing the stack of pads, embossing folder and spacer, reverse the direction you turn the handle and roll it back through the Cuttlebug again.

    4. Carefully remove the inked/embossed cardstock from the folder, and sprinkle generously with O'So Sticky Powder. Tap off excess and return to jar.

    Use a small brush if necessary to remove any stray specks of powder.

    5. Heat (as you would embossing powder), just until the powder melts and turns shiny in appearance. This will activate the Sticky Powder. (You may find it is easiest to hold the cardstock with tweezers for this step.)

    6. Lay the cardstock face down into a shallow tray of ultra fine micro beads. Gently press over the backside of the cardstock.

    7. Gently lift the cardstock from the tray, allowing loose beads to fall into tray.

    8. Heat the image once more (about 5-10 seconds to) "set" the micro beads into the Sticky Powder). Allow cardstock to cool before touching. Gently brush any remaining loose beads from the image into the tray.

    9. Clean embossing folders and brayer.

    Once cooled, you should be able to touch the beaded image and the beads will remain perfectly adhered.


    Remember that inks and cardstock combinations may respond differently. O'So Sticky Powder is like embossing powder and in the same way, before heating may "hold" onto some ink/paper combinations better than others. I suggest testing this technique with a small piece of your desired cardstock and ink before working on something larger. You may also want to experiment with other pigment inks, embossing inks, and VersaMark along with various papers (coated, printed, textured or smooth).


    Julie Imsland

    Julie Imsland

    The pink/blue & yellow/blue sample cards both have the stamped sentiment beaded with O'So Sticky Powder as described in Julie's Beaded Birthday technique shown [HERE].
    Papers: Die Cuts With a View - DCWV
    Ink: Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue by Tsukineko
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Stylized Flowers (by Provo Craft)
    Thinking of you stamp: Unknown


    Julie Imsland


    Julie Imsland

    Paper: Paper Adventures
    Ink: Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue by Tsukineko
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Spots & Dots
    Paper:  Shaded Blue/Green Basic Grey
    Ink: Encore Ultimate Metallic Honeydew by Tsukineko
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Stylized Flowers


                     Julie Imsland
    Paper: Memory Box Green
    Ink: Encore Ultimate Metallic Honeydew by Tsukineko
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Stylized Flowers

                    Julie Imsland
    Small Pink Samples:
    Paper: Paper Adventures
    Ink: Encore Ultimate Metallic Pink
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Heart from the Fancy Corners set

    Small Green Samples:
    Paper: Memory Box Green
    Ink: Encore Ultimate Metallic Pink
    Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Heart from the Fancy Corners set

                                               Julie Imsland
    Silver Encore ink and the Stylized Flowers embossing folder were used.
    The ink was carefully brayered onto the raised flowers side of the folder (which after embossing, is the negative, recessed portion of the design).


    Evelyn Spikes


    Evelyn Spikes


    Positive and Negative Beaded Comparison
    Evelyn Spikes


    Evelyn Spikes


    Evelyn Spikes


    Evelyn Spikes


    Yvonne Grimes


    Yvonne Grimes


    Yvonne Grimes


    Yvonne Grimes


    Yvonne Grimes


    Yvonne Grimes


    Beth Ullman


    Yvonne Grimes

     


    Beth Ullman


    Beth Ullman