Letter Stickers - part 2

I really love letter stickers. They are sooo versatile! For today's tutorial I am going to show you how to use your letter stickers as a mask. For this example I used the Webster's Pages Storytellers letter stickers, Basic Grey Marrakech letter stickers, glimmer mist and a shipping tag. The Webster's letter stickers work particularly well for this technique because they are repositionable therefore they give you a good amount of working time. I used some glimmer mist but you could also use maya mist or any kind of misting bottle filled with reinkers/water, watercolor paint, or watered down acrylic paint. First I decided what I wanted my tag to say. In this case I chose FALL. I applied the letters to the tag then misted until I had the desired depth of color I was looking for. I allowed the tag to dry, which took about 10 minutes. I carefully removed the letters I used as a mask and set them aside. I then added some Basic Grey Marrakech letters to my fall tag to finish the saying, little strands from a piece of burlap and I have a great piece for my layout "FALL FAVES". This technique can be done right on your layout or card too. Just be sure to mask off anything you do not want to get mist on!
To make my letters go even further, I used the misted letters I had removed from the masked tag. I love the way the pale blue looks with the coppery tone of the mist. I added these letters to another tag which I had already misted with a different color. You could also do this with a tag you make from patterned paper or cardstock or put them right on your layout or card. I also added the '09 in numbers from the Merrakech collection and then some twine wrapped around the tag. For very little time and product I have two wonderful pieces that can be used as accents or titles for scrapbook pages. Easy and quick with a designer look!

Finished tag showing the masked letters, burlap strands and Basic Grey Marrakech letters.

Finished tag with the misted letters, twine wrap and Basic Grey Marrakech number stickers.

Give this technique a try and let us know how you like it! Thanks for stopping by the embellish IT! blog! We appreciate each and every one of you!!!

september kits of the month

we are very excited about our kits of the month for septemeber - many new kits released:

explosion box using basicgrey's wisteria




darling layout using crate paper's katlin


boys will be boys using fancy pants rough & tough


dancing girl using fancy pants


spooky using fancy pants trick or treat



boo using basicgrey's eerie

plus 2 new product kits using imaginiece's brand new releases:

let's roll (darling boy line)

perfectly posh (for all those princesses)

kits of the month are released on the THIRD sunday of the month. Minimum of 2 kits released & sometimes more! Kits are limited & when they are gone they are gone. If you'd like to be sent an email once they are released as a reminder, please let us know you'd like to be added to our email list.

click here to go to september kits of the month


Have a great sunday!

Anatomy of a layout

Let's talk about these gorgeous products from Webster's pages. For this example I have used products from the Nature's Storybook collection pack and the coordinating calendar/journaling cards. (side note: I have found that, for those who like to use ink on their projects, Tim Holtz's Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap is a great color for this line) One of the things I love most about this Webster's product is that it is so easy to make a great page. For this page I have used two of the same sheets of paper, one for the background/base of the layout and one to cut out the images. I used my handy exacto knife and cut out the birds, flowers, leaves, and bunny. I used part of the vellum to back my photo and journaling piece. Vellum, with it's translucent quality adds just enough definition for the picture without overpowering it. Next, I used a piece of the coordinating stripe paper, with a border punch, to anchor the photo on the vellum. Once my photo and journaling were in place I used foam tape to "pop up" the elements from the paper that I had cut out with my exacto knife. A few bits and bobs from the sticker element sheet and my design was done. For my title, I used some Basic Grey chipboard letters covered with Tim Holtz's crackle paint in green. The word "way" was done using the Webster's sticker letters, placed on a transparency, then adhered on top of the chipboard letters. By using the transparency I gave some stability to the sticker letters.

All in all this layout did not take that much time to put together. The exacto knife cutting takes a little bit of time but it is so worth it... Don't you just love the look!

That's it for today. Hope you have a great week!

Letter Stickers - part 1

Today I'm going to share with you a few ways to give a little something extra to your letter stickers. Many times when I am creating a project I want to have some way to make the title or wording stand out a bit more. I usually can do this by trying these tricks.
The photos for each example shows you the supplies, the steps, and the finished look.
The first example is really quite simple. Sometimes you may have letters that need to stand out a little bit from your background paper. One very simple way to do this is by using a micron very fine-tip pen and tracing around the letters once they are in place on your project. I used some Basic Grey letter stickers, micron pen in black, and a scrap paper. Notice that both the paper and letters I chose are very light in color. The black marker really makes those letters pop off the background.

This next example uses a thicker marker and the same letter stickers. But in this case I don't want to trace the letters on my background paper because I want them to have dimension so I will be adding some foam tape. In this case I use a scrap piece of non-stick backing (leftover from a roll of glue dots). I put the letter stickers on there and trace around them so just the very edges of the letters get the darker color. I then turned them over, added the foam tape, and added them to the project. This gives definition by color and a little dimension by being popped up.

Sometimes, when I have a project that is more "distressed" I like to distress the edges of my letter stickers. This looks really great when you are going to place the letters on a darker background. In this example I used darker letters and background and you can see how the distressed edge really allows the letter show up. I used my Basic Grey file set to do this because the different file sizes allow me to get all the nooks and crannies of the letters without having to be a contortionist. Just hold the letter in hand and gently file the edge. It's easy and looks great!

For this last example I am going to show you how to use different letters (great for leftovers!) and transform them into something unified. I used two different font/color letter stickers for this example. Stazon inks work really well for this. Place your letter stickers on a non-stick surface and just dab the ink pad on top. Once they are completely covered with ink give them a minute to dry. You will then have letters all the same color and ready to be placed on your project.

That's it! You've got 4 fabulous, quick and easy, great ideas for using your letter stickers! If you have any questions please email and I will answer as soon as I can. Next time I post a technique I'll be adding to this with more ideas for using your letter stickers. Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by the embellish IT! blog!

winners

yes, winners- i don't like picking. i din't really think about it & this is so hard to pick... i prefer the number generator. thanks for the ideas - they were all great but the winners are (i could not decide on just one)

Suella : great idea - love nook & pantry! i already have a recipe book in the works - i am lovin' it!

Jingle: those flowers are darling! love them & they are sooooo simple! thanks for sharing!

email me @ news@embellishonline.com to claim your Creative Escape Book & goodies!

also, just an update on Preorders. ALL Preorders will be shipped today EXCEPT those with Crate Paper. Crate Paper is expected to arrive early next week so hopefully we can get the remaining PreOrders out in just a few more days. thanks for your patience - i know it is hard!

everything now shipping so if you haven't place a PreOrder - now is the time to order! again, your order will ship right away unless it has the new Crate then it will ship beg. of the week. special promo: order before 9/9/9 & you will receive the look book FREE with your order.

have a fabulous holiday weekend!

winners & creative escape

congrats!!! 3 lucky winners for $25 gift certificates to embellishonline.com-
email news@embellishonline.com to claim your gift certificate!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
11 224 98
Timestamp: 2009-09-01 15:28:09 UTC

ant1nette said...
I signed up!
AUGUST 25, 2009 3:44 PM

deiha said...
Can't wait to hear more from embellish it.
AUGUST 26, 2009 4:50 AM

Wendy said...
I signed up! Looking forward to all the news!
AUGUST 25, 2009 5:05 PM


if you have never been to creative escape, just let me say this: you should go if you have the chance! it is a scrapbook weekend in arizona put together by bazzill & heidi swapp which includes: technique boutique, trucnk show from all the teachers, classes, night extravaganza, delicious food at aan amazing resort (& yes the massages are well worth every penny) & concluding with inspirational keynote. it always falls the last weekend in august- which is a really bad time for me. august is our busiest months with traveling/shows/teaching/new product releases but i have always gone to creative escape & would not miss it no matter what! when i went to the first one 4 years ago- it was the first time i had taken a scrapbook class! it has helped me realize a couple of things:
1. i teach too fast
2. i am more comfortable teaching than doing
3. i am a sloooooooow scrapbooker
4. i am use to having a table to myself when i design so i get a little anxiety having to share in such close quarters with others

so, off to creative escape i go. i had bags packs then i realized that last year i had to buy stuff in the gift shop to keep me warm - they kept the classrooms freezing (duh - i should know this by now....) so, i pulled out all my summer clothes that you would expect someone to take to arizona when it is 112 degrees & packed long sleeve outfits. crazy i know but it was a good move on my part :) this year, i had a little more baggage than normal: i had my 4 month old baby in tow. don't get me wrong, he is sooooo good, actually perfect but still a lot of extra stuff to haul. i know what you are thinking: WHY? well, to be honest it wasn't a question if i would take him OR if i was even gonna go to ce - more of a question of HOW! then, a good friend Leigh Ann offered her 19 year old daughter to come to the hotel & watch him in my room - soooo perfect! i could run up during breaks but also just enjoyed the classes without worrying about him - she took such good care of him - thanks jordyn!

ok. back to creative escape (sorry i tend to get off track with thoughts of baby :).

it was WONDERFUL again this year.
classes: FABULOUS! all 8 of them!
attendees: could not of been a better group of gals!
food: DELICIOUS.


i truly feel inspired. rejuvenated. ready to try harder. to be better.

it is not just classes from great artist. it is an experience. one that every year, i have walked away feeling inspired - yes, inspired with creativeness but most important INSPIRED TO BE BETTER. as a person. to do better in various aspects of my life. i love this feeling. i am so grateful for the opportunity to get my batteries recharged. it is the ENERGY i have at this moment, that i LOVE! we all need to be uplifted & energized from time to time.

highlight of the event: during the event they had various raffles & opportunities to donate to Lymphoma Cancer Society. it hit home for me since my father died from lymphoma at 52. at the end of the event, they had a live auction of 2 lamps that had been decorated: one by heidi swapp & another one by tim holtz. they were beautiful. i had my eye on the tim holtz one as it would be the perfect touch to my office. i text steve (my husband) as soon as they started the auction, telling him about the donation i was about to make. a win-win - a donation to a great cause & a extra benefit of getting the beautiful lamp. how could i not... he was very supportive at $5000, $10,000 said he trusted my judgement as i was the accountant, $15,000 said i must of really like the lamp, & then as the bid went up & up, he was grateful that someone else had the funds to donate that & it wasn't me. LOL
not sure the total they raised but i believe it was in the ballpark of $60,000. not bad for a 700 scrapbookers at a weekend event. i am overwhelmed at the choice individuals we have in this industry & that i can closely associate myself with.

we were even able to get a little pool time for crew -


the only thing about the weekend that wasn't perfect (well, besides me not getting the tim holtz lamp - HA!): bread pudding. how can it not be perfect?!

here's the story: thursday is registration & technique boutique, trunk show then the welcome. after the welcome everyone is on their own until breakfast the next morning. which means the hotel restaurant is packed trying to feed all the women. there is nowhere close as far as food options & the resort is so far that nobody delivers - not even a pizza option. so, i ordered room service (since i had the baby) & it took well over a hour & was expensive. they had tres leches bread pudding - for a HUGE bread pudding fan, i was delighted. it was $9 plus the 3.50 delivery charge plus the 21% gratuity. but is was thinking it would be well worth it & a once in a lifetime thing. so, i ordered it after thinking for 2 seconds about it. it came. it was a huge disappointment. small. dry. fruity. not creamy. definitely not worth the $ but more than anything else a total pop in my balloon that had been so high & full.

so, for all those who stuck through this looooong post - i have a giveaway:

creative escape 2009 inspiration book (& other creative escape goodies)
the book includes supply list, all the projects with detailed instructions & step-by-step pictures & you can even download the teacher's classroom presentation. so, for those of you that were not able to be one of the lucky 700 people who attended - you can be too be inspired!!

leave a comment with a project idea you like, have done, have never seen, would like to do, etc. i will personally pick my favorite idea on friday morning. be creative. think outside the box. warning: you might see your idea transform into a kit?!

have a great week! be back on friday to announce the winner!
shelby-