Archive for August, 2009:
Technique Junkie Treasure Hunt, Arrrrr
BONUS TECHNIQUE:Â Art Squared; STAMPS:Â I Brake for Stamps
Ah maties, this here is our second treasure hunt. Arrrr.  The Design and Turbo Teams of the Technique Junkie Newsletter, have put together some awesome cards using BONUS techniques from the soon-to-be-released annual CD. Arrrr, do you maties have your name signed up to receive a CD? A limited number of CD’s are in production, so let Pat know you want one today!
Did you come from the beginning of the Treasure Hunt map? If not, why don’t you start at the beginning of the map and continue right through to the end of this short little journey. If you want to start from this location, that’s fine too ‘mate. Before you stumble upon the next seabaring treasure, you need to pick up the treasure found right here in the lobster shack with me. Here ya go matie–here is your letter G. Arrrrr.
Jump in the boat I left on the shore, and continue on ’til you meet up with Chris. I hear she has some great treasure for you too!
The prize will be a TREASURE CHEST of goodies that will include the new cd, a couple of stamp sets and a package of shimmers!
Tutorial Tuesday will resume next week ‘mates
Subscribe to the comments for this postS&D Challenge 6: Monochromatic Cards and Projects
My card uses the Happy Moose image
Woo hoo, we’re back on line, and to welcome you back to Sunflowers and Dragonflies Creative Designs, the Design Team has a challenge for you. Can you tell what it is?
monâ‹…oâ‹…chroâ‹…matâ‹…ic (mon-uh-kroh-mat-ik)
| 1. | of or having one color. |
| 2. | of, pertaining to, or having tones of one color in addition to the ground hue: monochromatic pottery. |
| 3. | Optics. pertaining to light of one color or to radiation of a single wavelength or narrow range of wavelengths. |
| 4. | Ophthalmology. of or pertaining to monochromatism. |
Cambridge Dictionary definition
MAINLY UK not interesting or exciting
Can you believe that?! The Cambridge Dictionary says “mainly UK, not interesting or exciting.” Clearly, Cambridge Dictionary has not seen the beautiful work that rubberstampers do with our supplies!
Anyways, on to our challenge details….
Create an ugly monochromatic card or project.
You are welcome to use any product. Of course we’d prefer that you use images by Sunflowers and Dragonflies Creative Designs, but feel free to use other images if you don’t have one of ours.
Please post a direct link to your challenge project (with a link back to the challenge) from either your blog or an online gallery so we can view it, no later than Saturday afternoon.  If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword S&D6. Please check out the challenge projects below from each of our DT members and click on their blog links to find details about each specific project.
Beth uses our Canada Goose Standing image
Kim uses the Egyptian Door
Jennifer uses our Moose image
We look forward to seeing your cards and projects.
Office Is Finally On The Move and Blog Candy
Gasp–that is some mess you have there! How did you allow it to get so bad? I can just hear you now. 
First, I am able to upload because I packed Donnie packed up my camera cord. Lots of pleasantries cursing took place when Donnie had to climb underneath my desk and unscrew the table.  My son came by and helped Donnie carry the desk massive desk downstairs to the basement, which happened to be ready after Donnie and I spent the entire day in the basement purging. I can’t believe I actually gave in and threw out all those projects my son did in school  He probably doesn’t want them when he’s an adult anyways–or would he? Hmmmm.
With the van packed to the brim, off we went to deliver all my framed cross-stitches I did over the years, my first needlepoint I did 25 years ago, all back issues of Legacy and Sommerset Studio AND Cloth Paper Scissors. 
As I was daydreaming thinking at work today, I thought about the 25 bottles of empty and dirty maple syrup bottles I collected on our last trip to Cracker Barrel in Michigan (I live on the US border and we love Cracker Barrel). Oh how sweet the waitress was; when she saw me grab some bottles on the tables around me, she collected 20 more for me while we were there. Okay, back to my story—while I was daydreaming thinking, I thought about the snowmen on the cover of Cloth Paper Scissors from last winter. Oh no, please don’t tell me I got rid of that issue!!! What will I do with 25 maple syrup bottles that I worked so hard on to peel off the labels and wash out?! There might be one small chance that I have that issue in my “will do” might do file pile. If I don’t have it, maybe you can send me a photocopy of the article. Tami, I know you have it because you made those gorgeous snowmen and even got an on-line publishing spot.
After we Donnie was done moving the desk, he collapsed sat down before heading out the door for his HAM radio class. I presented him with a plate of sandwiches with lots of pickles–his favourite–and tried to distress de-stress him. How? Well, I promised said that I would throw out much of what is in this photo and will organize my life once and for all. How will I do this? With your help!
How You Can Win Lots of Loot
- Give me your best organizational tip.
- How do you store your Nestabilities?
- How do you store your scrap paper?
- How do you store your wooden handled stamps?
- How do you store your unmounted stamps?
- Do you have any Stampin’ Up plastic containers I can have?
- How do you store ribbon?
- How long do you hang onto “might use on day” items?
Prize
- Ribbon
- Chipboard
- Stickers
- Old magazines I haven’t thrown out yet
- Embellishments
- Scrapbooking items
- Old unused stamps
- Dust bunnies. Only joking!
You get the idea. I have loads of loot that I’m giving away to one luck person. A random winner will be selected upon the opening of my new studio–as quick as I can get it in place that is.
Award from Scrapbook News & Review
I am thrilled to receive this award from Scrapbook News & Review.
If you haven’t visited Scrapbook News & Review, I highly encourage you too. Their website has been revamped and is easy to get around.
Follow Your Dreams
Good morning folks! I’m sitting here Tuesday night writing this post and something seemed amiss. It’s Tuesday?! Why didn’t I think about posting a tutorial. I hate to admit it, but this is the first time that I completely forgot to put a tutorial together. Truth be known, I think it is the mess of my studio that keeps my mind from thinking straight. I mean, who can think in a pig pen like that?!
On a more positive note, I finally finished this card that I have been working on a little bit at a time, over the course of a month. Jerri Kay, of A Touch of Grace, inspired me to purchase this kit from her. I have been a long-time follower of Jerri because her work is so professional, elegant and awe-inspiring.
If you like this card, you might like to visit her website where she has a store that sells products to create cards just like this one.
How I Created This Card
Card was embossed with one template–layed in four different directions. Areas around the embossing were cut out with an exacto knife. Images were traced on from a pattern provided in the kit, and coloured with Prismacolor pencil crayons and then painted with acrylic paints. Gold pen and ink line were drawn over the pattern that was traced. Left and right side of paper was trimmed into a pretty shape by exacto knife. Gold edging was placed around card edges with Krylon Gold pen. Pink paper was placed behind the beige cardstock.
Thank you for stopping by!
Technique Junkie Annual CD
The CD is coming! The CD is coming!
CD7 is in production and will be ready to ship next month. With over 100 tutorials – each with step-by-step PICTORIAL directions – this CD has the most techniques on it than any other CD!
CD7 has the 90 techniques from the October 2008 through August 2009 issues, plus 10 Bonus techniques. Each tutorial includes pictures for each step PLUS all the artwork from the Design team so you will have plenty of inspiration! Best yet, the CD tutorials are formatted for easy printing onto 8-1/2″ x 11″ paper. AND they will work with MAC or PCs since they are in .pdf format.
Pre-order your CD today!
Here is the special PRE-ORDER pricing:
Special pricing *IF YOU HAVE ALREADY RENEWED TO December 2010 or beyond: $13.50* ($14.50 for Canadian and overseas) (NOTE: This special pricing only applies to subscribers who have a subscription from December 2010 or beyond)
CD7 if your subscription ends before 12-10: $14.95 ($16.95 for Canadian and overseas)
Renew for one year and purchase CD7: $29.95 ($31.50 Canadian, $35.95 Overseas)
Renew for two years and purchase CD7: $46.50 ($50.50 Canadian, $59.95 Overseas)
A limited number of CD’s are being produced. Get yours before they run out!
New Artist in Town
I am pleased to announce that Jessica Brown is joining my team as an artist and will be designing stamps for Sunflowers and Dragonflies Creative Designs. Jessica describes herself this way:
Doesn’t she sound fun?!
We are releasing a stamp line Jessica entittled, “Beautiful Life” which will debut with the opening of my new website. I’ve been told my site will be up and running shortly. Ain’t I a tease 
Please join me in giving Jessica a big welcome.
The Magic of Pearl Ex
Pearl Ex is a wonderful, colourful, and magical medium that is used by professional artists and potters, as well as rubberstampers, scrapbookers, and polymar clay artists.  There are a variety of finishes–from metalic to pearlescent and iridescent. Pearl Ex is safe, non-toxic and archival safe.
Pearl Ex comes in liquid and powder form, but the most versatile is the powder form.
When painting with powder, water and Gum Arabic is added. Gum Arabic is a binding agent that prevents the powder from rubbing away. Rubberstampers find that a finishing spray (or hair spray for the thrifty) works just as well if Gum Arabic is omitted from the Pearl Ex powder/water mixture.
There are many ways to use Pearl Ex powder. It can be used as a colouring agent in embossing powder and polymar clay. It can be dusted into polymar clay molds before pressing the clay into the molds. One of my favourite methods of colouring polymar clay is to dust a variety of colours, with my finger, onto the clay prior to baking. Colours blend beautifully together. The adventerous are known to add Pearl Ex powder to their eye shadow.
There is a wealth of information on the Jacquard Products website where you will find products, a forum, project ideas, and more.
I hope you are inspired to try Pearl Ex out. Listed below are lots of tutorials and interesting photos to read, so grab a coffee, sit back, and enjoy.
50 Places to Inspire You
Subscribe to Technique Junkie Newsletter for ideas
Sunflowers and Dragonflies Tutorial (one I posted on my old blog)
Maria’s Bell’s Christmas Ornaments
Maria Bell’s Floor Wax Tutorial
SplitcoastStamper’s Melted Pearls Tutorial
Mini Tutorial by Camp Fire Lady
Background Technique by Inkie Fingers
Crafty Goat’s Notes makes a test strip
Crafty Goat’s Notes organizes jars of PearlEx and Embossing Powder
Amy Celona has a video to share with you
Learn That Craft shares a video
Ars Longa put together a tutorial
Kim shares a tutorial about PearlEx with Gold Leaf
Scrapbook Designs shares a tutorial
Amy put together a wonderful tutorial and Information Sharing
Cindy Lou combines chalks with PearlEx
Tanya’s crayon scrappings shine
AMACO describes a technique with Friendly Plastic
Gina P Crafts Shimmering Tutorial
Scrapbook Studio Gets A Little Messy
Polymer Clay Project Makes PearlEx Paint
After Hours Stamper’s Stained Glass Tutorial
Mona Designs’ Stunning Bracelet
Polymar Clay Buttons on Flickr
Halloween Trinket Box on Flickr
Bright Coloured Card on Flickr
Please report any broken links. Thank you.
S&D Challenge 5: Bookmarks
Stampavie image used
Welcome to the blog challenge from the Sunflowers & Dragonflies DT! This week’s challenge is to create a bookmark.
Anyone can play along in the challenge and we hope you will! There are many possibilities for making a bookmark.
There are no limits on time or supplies. Of course we’d prefer that you use images by Sunflowers and Dragonflies, but feel free to use other images. Please post a direct link to your challenge project (with a link back to the challenge) from either your blog or an online gallery so we can view it.  If you upload to an online gallery, please use the keyword S&D5. Please check out the challenge projects below from each of our DT members and click on their blog links to find details about each specific project.
Bookmark details:Â Watercoloured with Tombow markers on watercolour paper and painted with Twinkling H2O’s.
Design Team Projects
Kim uses the sailboat stamp
Beth uses a Rachelle Anne Miller stamp
Snowed Under
Help, I’m lost in all this mess!
Remember this shelving unit I had custom made two years ago? Well, for the second time it has collapsed from the weight of my supplies. I can’t open the drawers, and there is no place to store any more supplies. So, I decided to move my studio to the basement.
This is where I have been cleaning and working for the past week. Because my studio is so crowded in the small spare bedroom, I just haven’t been able to do much because I feel enclosed in and clauserphobic. My huge filing cabinet is all packed up and will be the first thing to be taken downstairs tomorrow. Next, my computer/office desk, and then my supplies will follow.
So, if you are discouraged because I haven’t posted in the past week, please be reassured that I will be back to my regular posts once my new studio is fully in place.
In the meantime, come back tomorrow for the announcement of the winner for By The Sea challenge, and see what the Design Team has in store for you this week. 
Enjoy your weekend!
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