“Wishing You a Merry Christmas” Treat Bags

by Steph Ackerman

"Wishing You a Merry Christmas" Treat Bags

As we near the holidays and time gets more elusive, consider creating your holiday projects in assembly-line style.  In this fashion, you can create your projects in stages and not get overwhelmed.  I love creating colorful gift bags, placing little goodies inside and giving them to friends and neighbors during the holidays.  A large background stamp inked with Onyx Black sets the stage for the addition of colorful images using Memento Markers.  Not only are gift bags fun to make, but they can also easily be customized using the wide assortment of inks and markers available from Imagine.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Ink background stamps with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink. Stamp onto gift bags. If the stamp is not wide enough to cover the gift bag, reink a portion of the stamp and stamp it again on the gift bags.


Step 2

Fold down the tops of the gift bags and ink the edges with VersaMagic Red Magic Ink.


Step 3

Stamp images with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink and use the coordinating dies to die cut the images. Using assorted Memento Markers, color the images. Die cut a larger green circle and adhere to each bag. Adhere the trucks and packages across the center of each bag. Stamp the phrases with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink and VersaMagic Red Magic. Mat the phrases with cardstock and adhere above the trucks.


Step 4

Fill the bags with assorted goodies. Punch holes in the tops and tie closed with twine.

Supplies

Imagine
  • VersaFine Inkpad – Onyx Black
  • VersaMagic – Red Magic
  • Memento Markers – Angel Pink, Bahama Blue, Cantaloupe, Dandelion, Desert Sand, Lady Bug, London Fog, Pear Tart, Rich Cocoa, Rhubarb Stalk, Summer Sky, Tuxedo Black
Other
  • Just For Fun Rubber Stamps – Background
  • Stampendous – Truck and Packages stamps and dies
  • Whisker Graphics Bags
  • Twine
  • Spellbinders – Circle dies
  • Cardstock – White, Green

Product Announcement: Dewlets Etched Metal Die

Product Announcement: Dewlets Etched Metal Die

Dewlet Etched Metal Dies are perfect for use with DewDrop inkpads! Use Memento, Brilliance, or VersaMagic DewDrop inkpads to stamp a droplet-shaped image, align the cutting die, and run the image through a die cutting machine to quickly cut it out. Arrange your Dewlets into daisy flowers, flip them for a poinsettia, use them as leaves or arrange them in any creative pattern you wish! Compatible with machines designed for use with a thin metal cutting die; they will cut through most stamping media.

 

Supplies

Create a Grey Plaid Poinsettia Handmade Christmas Card

by Martha Lucia Gomez

In this world, we want to buy everything we like and see, but sometimes experimenting and recreating is part of the fun. Today, I am sharing with you a card that I made using beautiful single pieces that I combined with “necessity” because I don’t have a plaid stamp! I am crazy with the fabulous plaid designer papers that I saw during this season but I decided to create my own pattern just using two colors of VersaFine Clair Ink and without embossing to make it more rustic.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

I took a stamp set from Peek-a-Boo Designs that includes a lot of different stripes and selected just two or three to be used on my card. I positioned the stripes in my Stamparatus and stamped stripe by stripe using for the wide strip VersaFine Clair Morning Mist and for the thin VersaFine Clair Nocturne.


Step 2

When I was satisfied with the vertical pattern I decided to add a horizontal different design to make the plaid more interesting. To stamp these lines I only used VersaFine Clair Nocturne. Since the top of the Stamparatus has grids, was very easy to follow the pattern just moving the paper and not the stamps. I left this stamped piece side for a few minutes.


Step 3

In a separate piece of whisper white cardstock, I stamped with VersaMark Ink one festive poinsettia included on the stamp set Poinsettia Tangle from Dare2B Artzy and covered it with Silver Embossing Powder that I melted with the heat tool. I fussy cut poinsettia with my scissors.


Step 4

With the leftover cardstock, I used three colors of Fireworks to create a soft green tone that at the same time show me a little shimmer. I used Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray in Cottage Ivy, New Sprout, and Bamboo Leaves. After the piece of cardstock was totally dried and cut some leaves using a die cuts from Prima.


Step 5

To finalize my card, I resized the background and arranged all the pieces over Real Red cardstock and as a final touch, I die cut the word believe in Real Red cardstock and black foam. I pasted both die cuts using On Point Glue and sprayed with Sheer Shimmer Frost. With a Memento Marker, I colored the center of the poinsettia. Sometimes, by exploring and practicing, you can discover amazing things that you can do using only your inks and this card is a perfect example.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Cardstock – Whisper White, Real Red
  • Peek a Boo Designs – It’s Plaid Time Stamp set
  • Dare2B Artzy – Poinsettia Tangle
  • Simon Says Stamps – Believe Die Cut
  • Foam Black

The Purrfect Card To Make for Your Cat Loving Friends

by Kyriakos Pachadiroglou

It’s time for someone to take charge and change the “myth” and set things straight! That was what the cat was thinking and decided to scratch out the dog in man’s best friend and replace it with the right word! Celebrate cats with your cat-loving friends by making this high contrast purrrfect card. Black and red stamping in contrast with the white card and gray distressed background enhance the bold dimensional design. Add a cute kitty stamp front and center with a little ball of string for her to bat around as adorable final touches.

Skill: Intermmediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Step 1

Cut a 4 x 2 ½ piece of watercolor paper and stamp the words “DOG man’s best friend” with the VersaFine Clair Nocturne inkpad.

Step 2

Use a craft knife to scratch the word “DOG” out making it look like a kitty paw might have done it.

Step 3

Stamp the word “CAT” with VersaFine Clair in Tulip red.

Step 4

Stamp the cat design with the same color on a scrap piece of watercolor paper and cut around the shape.

Step 5

On a 3 x 1 ¼ pice of watercolor paper stamp the word “Purrrfect” using both colors of VersaFine Clair already used.

Step 6

Die cut hearts frames from watercolor paper and full hearts from tracing paper.

Step 7

Distress a 4 x 6 in. white cardstock with Memento in London fog and a sponge dauber. Then use the stencil and the same dauber to create a darker overlay pattern.

Step 8

Add Tear It! Tape to the back of your inked cardstock, remove the backing and adhere to your card base.

Step 9

Continue to add the rest of the stamped and die cut pieces using On Point Glue.

Step 10

Cut a 5-6 in. long piece of the red jute cord. Form a little ball and set on the card with On Point Glue.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Watercolor paper
  • Tracing paper
  • Alphabet stamps
  • Cat stamp
  • Heart shape dies
  • Die cutting machine
  • Kaiserkraft – checker plate stencil
  • Red jute cord
  • Craft knife

 

Create Shimmery Greetings From Outer Space

by Jennifer Vanderbeek

How about a little out-of-this-world fun while playing with the color of the month: Pebble Grey. While deciding what to do for this prompt I was reminded of the aliens known as Greys, so created this sky scene with shades of grey and silver and drew up some simple saucers to decorate the skies. In the video, you’ll also see how I fixed a goof and rescued the card front from a galactic disaster!

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Watercolor Paper
  • Cardstock – Pale Green
  • Paintbrushes
  • Staedtler – Combo Circle Template
  • Pickett – Isometric Ellipse Inking Template
  • Pencil
  • White Eraser
  • Acrylic Block
  • Studio Calico – Make a Wish stamp set
  • Uniball – Signo White Gel Pen
  • Fiskars – Paper Trimmer, Scissors
  • Wooden spoon
  • Post-It Tape

October Color of the Month is Pebble Grey

The Color of the Month is Pebble Grey. We choose this color of cool grey to express the moody change of the warm Summer colors to the cool Autumn breeze. Some of the ink colors from the Tsukineko brand that perfectly express this cool grey is Memento in London Fog, VersaFine Clair in Morning Mist and StazOn Midi in Cloudy Sky.

Another fabulous art event for October is Inktober! This is an illustration and ink based challenge started by Jake Parker. Each day in October has a word that illustrators and artist respond to with a drawing! We are excited to have some of our own artists participate!

To start us out Roni Johnson has #poisonous posted today!

And as usual, we will have some great card making and crafting inspiration! Here is a sneak peak of what is coming for the month of October.

Martha Lucia Gomez creates a beautiful “Believe” card.