In the Works...

June's 1st Place Winner

In my last post I revealed the names of June's winners in the smART Card Stamping Contest.  Now it's time to start taking a look at the individual winning entries...

In first place is a card entitled, Coffee Mug Rack, by Sarah Kornhaus:

It's a card which can be described in a single word: CLEVER.

To start with, Sarah used real wallpaper to design the cupboard/counter background for her card. She also combined parts of a scroll punch with brads to make the hooks, created glazed mugs (they look ceramic) via embossing, AND made freehand coffee beans by cutting bean shapes from dark brown cardstock, scoring, and clear embossing.

Another clever aspect of this card has to do with the stamping of the coffee mugs themselves...The original mug image from DK-07 Mug Trio, is plain, but Sarah took one of the flowers from the FL-16 Real Stems & Blossoms stamp set, and gave her mugs a motif.  Such a cool idea!  Even Dina Kowal, designer of the mug trio set, was impressed, and confessed, "I never thought of that."

Up close and personal, the total effect of everything -- colors, textures, materials, and techniques used -- works together to make this a fun card which keeps the viewer's interest... One just wants to keep looking...and looking...and looking...

Obviously, Sarah put A LOT of time into both the designing and executing aspects of Coffee Mug Rack, and her first place win is well-deserved. 

Beyond the "win", Sarah has earned a $20.00 gift certificate for more smART rubber, and two premium, handcrafted, acrylic blocks (any size).

If you'd like to see more of Sarah's work, you can visit her at her blog, Encouraging Impressions, or at her business website.

Have a happy 4th,

A New Month

Where did June go?!?  That was the question I kept asking myself as I sat at the computer updating the smART website for July.  I just couldn't believe the last 30 days had passed so quickly...

Be that as it may, all the "updated monthly" areas of the site are sporting new specials -- The Spotlight Special (great pricing, including postage, for stamps used on the month's project card), Overstock Central (stamps/sets that are exceeding their allotted shelf space - 50% off), and our vendor's spot at AMRSC (featured stamps at club pricing - 25% off).  All of these areas are great ways to save $$$, and yes, I am always willing to combine orders from all areas, and adjust the shipping...

We also have another round of winners in our smART Card Stamping Contest.  Kudos for 2008's second quarter go to:

Sarah Kornhaus
Elizabeth Gavan
Sarah Stainback

In the next few days, I'll be featuring a post for each designer and her card, but if you want to take a sneak peek at these winning entires, click HERE.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with July's Monthly Project Card - Some"bunny" Cares:

I gained some of my initial inspiration from one of the design team cards by Heidi Kingery, then altered and added, and drew up a template for cutting "the wave."

Nitty gritty instructions, along with the template, can be found on the Monthly Feature page at www.smartrubber.com, so I won't duplicate them here.  I will, however, "explain" the bunny... 

He's stamped on the card and again on scrap, and cut out. Then he's adhered to the card, with his head and body glued down flat, BUT his ears are "popped" with foam tape. Really makes him look as if he's about to hop off the card...

Have fun in the sun and enjoy July,

Susan T.

Still Flying

Made it through the first official week of summer vacation with everyone enjoying the let-up of intense structure... Well, hubby did have to start attending a 3-day, all-day science conference on Wednesday (today's his last day  ~yay!), but the rest of us have been taking it "as it comes" -- up a bit later, meals a bit later, "putting off" chores, and remembering what it is like to have nowhere to be, but home.  Ahhhhh... breathing is lovely!

As alluded to in my previous post, this summer-style of easy living isn't exactly conducive to getting a lot tangibly accomplished throughout the day, so once everyone has turned in, that's when I generally turn "on," and for right now, it seems to be working.

I must add, I think I've learned a bit better that when one lets go, and allows the Lord to guide as to what one should be doing at any particular minute in time, it is God who works things out, and allows one to make the most of all the other minutes.  Everything just seems to mesh together better...

Here is another very simple "on the fly" card using the flower stem from FL-41 Enjoyable, and the sentiment from WD-216 Thankful:

The bright colors were chosen for a specific reason -- the recipient was Eli's bus driver, Jeri, a very spunky "retiree," who hands out candy, occasionally swears at other motorists, and has allowed Eli to "serenade" everyone on the bus with trumpet solos.  She was the one bright spot in Eli's school year, and although an inner part of me cringed when I heard some of the "Jeri stories" (especially when I pictured a quick stop, and Eli ending up toothless, or choking to death on an atomic fire ball), I was also very grateful... to him, she was a friend who shuttled him to and from school safely, and eleviated at least some of the teacher stress he had this year. 

The ink used to stamp the stem was from a Colorbox Cat's Eye, lime pigment pad, and since none of the hundred or so ink pads I have matched the vibrant  red-orange cardstock, the "Thank You" was colored with a Marvy marker, huffed on, and stamped that way.

Yellow glitter glue was applied to the punched, and layered flower centers -- punches by EK Success, and PBM2.  The two smaller blossoms were glued down flat to the card, but the larger blossom was adhered with foam tape.

Inside... a note from Eli, and a gift card held in a handmade, text weight (bright yellow polka dot print) envelope which was embellished with three more punch flowers, and adhered to the side of the card opposite the note.  I so wish I had thought to scan the little envie, but Eli and I were rush, rush, rushing that evening... 

Now for a couple of TIPS: 

• For a perfectly sized, yet custom gift card holder, ask at the place of gift card purchase if they have a simple card sleeve/holder -- You can buy the relatively inexpensive ones they have on display, but a simple & FREE version is often available if you ask -- Carefully "open" holder along its seams, trace it's outline onto print paper, and cut out... Then referencing the original, score, fold, and glue.  Perfect fit!

• For neater card presentation from a child, cut a piece of lined notebook paper 1/4" less than the size of the card (both length & width), and have him or her write their message on that, then adhere the note inside the card using a single length of double-stick tape. The kiddo feels good about how it looks, and so do you.

And it's back to summer for me,

Susan T.

On the Fly...

School is finally out in these parts, and the Trask family has now enjoyed their first two days of summer vacation! 

For me it's wonderful and terrible all at the same time...  Wonderful because I love having everyone around, terrible because trying to work with everyone around is not so easy.  Thankfully, I can put many things "on hold," and do what needs doing for smARTworks once my family is in bed for the night.  It also helps me to know, based on years of prior experience, that after a couple of weeks "adjusting," I'll feel at peace with the new schedule, hit my stride, and be back in sync. Until then, I'll just have to manage by working and stamping on the fly...

For stamping, that means keeping things simple, basic, tried, and true.  Here's an example using a single flower image from the FL-15 Grow set, and WD-180 B-day Dreams:

I've said before how much I like white bases for cards... To me they're just so crisp and clean looking, and whatever one stamps on them really stands out... The added bonus is any ink, in any color will generally "work" because there's nothing to match (the thing which usually takes me the longest) .

The stamping technique used on this card, if one can even call it that, is a simple "formula" -- Fluid Chalk inks applied directly to the rubber of a "backyard botanical," then over-stamped with a saying in black ink, and clear embossed with Transcendence powder... The effect created is a wonderful contrast of textures -- creamy smooth with sleek and shiny.  Always striking!

One of the benefits of unmounted rubber is the flexibility it allows for positioning the stamp on the acrylic block.  As shown on this card, stamping, then repositioning the flower, and stamping again (and doing this several times), creates a unique composition, and adds a lot of interest without being time consuming.  Besides, it's just plain fun to see what one can do by simply "bending the rubber."

For some extra pizazz, a little yellow glitter was glue applied to the flower centers... One of those big impact, little effort embellishments...

As I said, basic, simple, tried and true...

Time to fly,

Susan T.

Edited

My previous post has been edited... Right in the middle of taking a shower, it dawned on me that when explaining the positioning of the print paper on the card displayed in "Pour the Tea," I wrote about a different card than the one I had posted.  Good grief!!!  It's all better now, but I think I'd better make it an early night...

Susan T.

Pour the Tea

I'm a little sad to say that today's tea party is the last one the Cookies and I will be having for awhile.  Each of us has an extremely busy summer ahead, so have mutually agreed to table our teas for the remainder of June, all of July, and at least part of August.I already know that I for one, am truly going to miss these bi-monthly get togethers.

That said, our hostess for today's T-party is Trish D'Antonio, and her challenge came by way of a color scheme:

Use some shade of brown, white, and one other color of choice.

It turned out I didn't have to struggle very hard with this one... I recently taught a class called "All In the Cut," and each class card was designed in shades of brown and pink, and ivory.  I never quite got around to sharing any of those cards with you, so I guess doing so today is something like "killing two birds with one stone."

I can't explain exactly why, but I REALLY like this card!  Maybe it's because I was able to combine several fairly unrelated components that, when put together, just seemed to gel... I always feel such a sense of accomplishment when that happens. 

Individual components were:

1) The colors -- warm chocolate, ivory, and deep rose.  My cues, taken from the rather unappealing on its own print paper were not a color combo for which I would normally reach...It is now, however, one I will definitely use again...Strong and delicate all at the same time, and much more pleasing than I ever anticipated.

2) The positioning of the print paper-- sort of like two, gigantic, layered "photo corners," but really just a square of print, and a slightly larger square of cardstock, each cut on the diagonal.  One of those classic layout ideas that frames a central panel nicely. 

3) The stamps -- rose image from Liz's Teapot set, and the saying from DK-14 Rose Trio #2 -- The two seemed to compliment not only each other, but also appeared as if custom-made to use with this particular print.

4) The coloring "techniques"-- the blossom portion of the rose image wasn't really "colored" at all, but stamped in brown on a scrap of rose cardstock, cut out, then using foam tape, layered over the full image on the ivory panel.  The stem and leaves were colored using markers, but instead of applying a traditional "green", I used a shade of beige, similar to the color used for the leaves/stems in the print.

5) The satin ribbon-- one of those clearance bin "finds" that never before seemed to match anything. A bit brighter shade of rose than that of the cardstock, but still perfect, AND my $0.99/5 yards purchase was finally justified. (Oh, to have the will power to stay away from clearance bins!!!)

Put these all together, and there you have it! A winning combination of chocolate and roses!

smART Cookies participating in today's "Brown, White, and ???" challenge are:

Hostess Trish at Tah Dah,
Dina at Mama Dina's Stamperia,
Donna at Dee's Studio, and
Heidi at Sweet Somethings. 

Thanks for stopping by and sharing tea,

Susan T.

Feathers Winner

Mr. Eli pulled the name, "Sue D" out of his hat this morning.  Sue wrote:

My favorite bird is a goldfinch. I like their cheery bright yellow color and they are so fun to watch at the feeders.

So, Sue D, please e-mail me with your contact information, and I will pop your set of "Feathers" in the mail.

I enjoyed reading EACH of the favorites submitted.  The list of birds was so varied, and the reasons for liking them had me saying," Yes, I agree," more than once.  Birds, like all of God's creatures are certainly fascinating.  

I also want to share an excerpt from one comment/story that made its way to me via e-mail vs. blog comment, so was not included in the drawing.  It came, in fact, from Peggy Lamb's sister, Wendy... Her favorite bird is the infamous blue jay.  When she proceeded to explain why, I learned something I'd never heard of before... Thought maybe you'd enjoy me passing it along:

Unfortunately it wasn't until after our Father's death that I read the"Birds in Winter" book that had a chapter on Corvids (which is the family of birds the Bluejays are in)and discovered that Bluejays have pouches in their cheeks (sort of like Chipmunks)that are designed to scoop up a lot of seeds at once and then their glands produce a secretion that sticks the seeds together, and the Bluejays fly out into the deep woods and stick globs of seeds onto trees in the forest,meaning to return throughout the winter to eat these seeds themselves (sort of like Chipmunks storing nuts for hard winter days).  In actuality, lots of other birds eat these seeds, so Bluejays end up feeding a multitude of birds too shy to leave the deep forests to visit bird feeders.  Thereby keeping alive birds even shyer than the Chickadees -- a practice that my Father surely would have approved of if only he'd known of the Bluejays' unintended mission.

I love stories of people doing something intended to benefit themselves, which in actuality ends up benefiting others, and delight in the fact that critters do the same.  And that is why Bluejays are my favorite birds.

I'm sure you've deducted this favorites was intertwined with a little story about her dad... He LOVED Chickadees and the blue jays were his nemesis... Anyway, I so appreciate the time Wendy took to write to me, and so loved learning something new, that I will also be sending a set of "Feathers" her way as a thank you.  Besides, I can't bear the thought of she and Peggy fighting over Peggy's set. ~hee hee

Have a feather-fluffin' good day,

Susan T.

ReDo B-Doo B-Doo

There!  I feel much better!!!  Posted redos of Feather Challenge cards for Trish and Peggy.  BIG improvement!

Practice makes better,

Susan T.

Feather-Fluffin' Good

Father's Day weekend already!  Time to introduce our new resident guest designer, Peggy Lamb, present what she and the other smART Cookies have done for the 5th smART Cookie Design Team Challenge, and sponsor a little giveaway for the stamp set used in the challenge.  Lots to do, so let's get started...

In April, after the departure of one of its members, the smART Cookie Design Team was left with a void. Enter Peggy Lamb, a fellow Maine-iac and avid stamper...

I didn't know whether or not Peggy would have the time, or even if she'd be interested, but I knew I admire her work, and that she already loves and uses smART rubber, so I made a little offer... Fill the team's empty seat for the remainder of this season wearing the title "resident guest designer," and if you like the design team experience, stay on as a full-fledged Cookie when the new term rolls around... Offer graciously accepted.  Thanks, Peggy!

You can read Peggy's bio here.  Peggy doesn't have a blog, but before too long, I'll be setting up her gallery, and her work will also be posted on the design team's showcase - From the Cookie Jar.  I just know your going enjoy what this smART designer has to offer.

The first projects Peggy has submitted are for smART Cookie Challenge #5 which uses the WD-196 Feathers stamp set.  Projects from all the Cookies can be seen in the Feathers gallery. 

You'll notice this challenge is being displayed in a new format.  NOTE:  Although I like this format for the individual Cookie galleries, I'm not sure whether it really suits the challenges. What do you think?

I found several things about this challenge somewhat curious:
1)  Everyone chose to use the same saying.
2)  Everyone choose similar color palettes, and
3)  Almost everyone added some type of "shimmer."  Although beauteous in real life, these shimmery, shiny effects did not scan very well.  Sorry.  At some point I may attempt trying to redo as photos to see if that will make any difference.  Until then, you'll have to use your stamper's vision.

So, are YOU ready to win your own set of Feathers? 

All you've got to do this time is submit a comment answering the following question:

What is your favorite kind of bird, and why?

On Tuesday morning, June 17, before he heads of to school (yes, it's still in session), Mr. Eli will pull one of the comments out of his beloved bowler hat, which by the way, he wears everywhere he goes, then I will post the winner later that same day.

~Tweet ~Tweet ~Tweet,  See you then,

Susan T.

Scrap Happy

Last evening I taught a class entitled Scrap Happy.  Not scrap as in "scrapbooking," but scrap as in "something leftover." You know, all those excess bits 'n pieces we stampers have left after working on other projects, then save because they're too good to throw away -- paper (all kinds)... ribbon (3-inch lengths or less)... punch shapes & other embellishments (one of this, two of that, etc.)

All three cards for the class were specifically designed to offer participants a variety of ideas/ways for diminishing the "scrap heaps" they have at home.  Here's a sample:

For this card, I threw a few curves into an old technique... a technique I initially tried several years ago using glossy cardstock.  Beyond that, I'm sort of fuzzy on the details, can't give it a name, or even credit the original source because I was absolutely positive it came from Suze Weinberg's book, The Art of Rubber Stamping, but when I went to double check, no could find...

Anywho, I call my version the Print-Patch Mosaic Technique.  Materials list, and instructions are as follows:

Materials List
5-6 Assorted Print Paper Scraps (these do NOT have to be very large, be uniform, or match in any way)
5-6 Rubber Stamps - all types - one needs to be a focal image, but the others just add interest
Sticker Paper OR Label Paper OR Double-sided Adhesive Sheet
Black Dye Ink
Embossing Powder - any color
Heat Tool
Large, Soft-bristled Brush - I use a make-up brush from the dollar store
Paper Cutter OR Scissors & Ruler

Instructions
1)  Size sticker paper -- for a standard A-2 card, 3.5 inches x 4.75 inches makes a nice card front. Set aside.
2)  Without leaving a lot of empty spaces, randomly stamp a different image across all but one of the print scraps. NOTE: The largest scrap shown here measures 2 x 3 inches, but even half this size is more than adequate.

3)  Keeping width of shapes to 1-inch or less, cut stamped scraps into various sized squares and rectangles.

4)  On the remaining scrap, stamp a single image. This is the focal image.  Size as desired.
NOTE: The image panel needs to be lager than any of the previously cut shapes.  It also needs to fit on the sticker paper with enough room for a margin all the way around.

5)  Peel backing off sticker paper, and keeping sticky side up, lay paper flat on work area.  NOTE: Once adhesive is exposed, avoid touching the "sticky" with your fingers.
6)  Leaving a margin around all its edges, adhere focal image to sticker paper.

7)  Working outward from image, and leaving approximately 1/8" between pieces, cover remaining, exposed adhesive with previously cut shapes -- it's okay for pieces to hang over the edges.

8)  Trim overhang flush with edges of sticker paper.

9)  Cover trimmed mosaic with embossing powder.

10)  Rub embossing powder "grout" into all the "cracks".

11)  Tap off, then brush off excess powder.

12)  Heat emboss.

13)  Layering as desired, mount card-ready mosaic to card.
14)  Embellish. (optional)

Finished card pictured at the beginning of post has been embellished with mini punch flowers (younger girl's garland), and diamond glitter glue (older girl's crown).  The focal image is from a section of Sisterhood Collage.  Other images come from various stamp sets. The "grout" is Antiquities Ochre embossing powder. 

ON A PERSONAL NOTE: I like the Antiquities line of powders for this technique because it gives a grainy, matte finish, very much like that of real grout.  Another great choice is metallic gold... it turns out very snazzy... 

Additionally, Print-Patch Mosaic cards make great showcases for single charms or decorative buttons.

So dig out some scraps, give it a try, and let me know what you think. 

Susan T.