Creativation – CHA – 2017

I had the opportunity to go to Creativation yesterday and I can tell you that it’s everything you think it would be. Admittedly, I wish I could go for multiple days and next time I will sign up earlier so I can take some classes. We didn’t make it to all the booths that we wanted to because it’s a big event but we did find some awesome NEW things coming out in the next few months!

OK, not the best pic of me, but it had to be done! 

We found these gnomes and couldn’t resist the photo op! 

When I saw Finnabair (Anna Dabrowska) she was the first “craft celebrity” I had seen in person. So naturally I creeper stalked and took a photo from a weird angle while my Mom and BFF urged me to just go say hi!

Some lovely work in the Prima booth (assuming it’s Anna’s.)

Next craft celebrity I ran into was Dina Wakely! I was again star struck but this time I talked to her and asked a few questions. She has some great products coming out that Intoxicating Arts will be carrying. Don’t forget we already carry her paints and other products! P.S. I did not realize how FUNNY Dina is! I didn’t want to leave but her voice was starting to give out on her and we had a lot of the show left to do.

How cute are these little guys?! You can see them next to a full size archival ink. They are adorable minis. I love that they kept the rectangle shape too. We will be stocking these along with the full size ones that we already carry.

Of course you find what you are looking for when you’re not looking! We thought we would find Tim in the Ranger booth but he has products throughout the show and we stumbled upon him at his Ideaology booth. Yes, he is super nice and happy in person too! 

Tim Holtz art found in the Sizzix booth. If you guys want these dies, you need to let me know! 

More awesome houses

We made our way to the Therm-o-web booth where Gina K was exhibiting her new line. These products will be shipping in March and we will be carrying a pretty good chunk of the line (including her to die for paper and luxurious ribbons!) She made this entire card using only products she’s collaborated with therm-o-web with. ( I asked for the card and she let me have it!) If you love her style of clean and simple cards and you have been wanting to get in on the foil craze, you will want to stay tuned.

Alte New is staying true to their brand with buildable stamps. I was really drawn to this one.

Waffle Flower wowed with some unique stamp sets. They have these ones along with buildable ones that look like cross stitch! 

This stamp set caught my eyes because I was thinking of mixed media cards. The lady working the booth showed me that it actually creates a marble pattern! How awesome! 

It’s hard to tell in the picture, but these are some truly amazing stamps! As you pull the black lines over the images they become animated. It’s just like a children’s book I bought my daughter.

These super cool embossing folders by Sizzix also cut in the middle to make a shaker card. It does it all in one pass. Genius! 

Towards the end of the day were were wandering around trying to find Lawn Fawn ( we forgot our map in the car, oops!) and we happened to walk by the Ranger booth and BAM! I saw Wendy Vecchi, Christine from Scraptime and Dyan Reaveley. I didn’t have a chance to say hi to the others because they walked off, but I did get to talk to Dyan for a little bit and let her know how much I enjoy using and selling her products. 

Ashley and I next to the Graphic 45 booth!

I was very glad to get to go to the show this year since it was moved to Phoenix. I took more pictures and saw even more awesome products. You will see some new things in the store in the coming months! I will make sure to do blog posts to update.

P.S. thanks for sticking with me. I now have a 4.5 month old and it’s tough to keep up when you also work full time plus have a side business. I’m trying to keep it all going because I love crafting and I love selling these products. Never give up on your daydream, right!?

Making 3-D Flowers for a Card

This card was pretty time consuming, but I’m very happy with how it came out. I have a video on youtube of the making of this card if you are curious how it was made.

Here’s a list of supplies:

Spellbinders Rose Creations Die Set

140 Lb Watercolor Cardstock

Ranger Non-Stick Craft Mat

Adirondack Color Wash by Ranger in Purple Twilight and Wild Plum
           
Spray Bottle for Water ( not used, but recommended)

Distress Stain in Mowed Lawn

Ken Oliver Color Burst in Pthalo Green

Smooch Spritz in Mixed Berries

Luster Mica Powder in Hawaiian Orchid

McGill Paper Blossom Tool Kit

McGill Paper Blossoms Molding Mat

Mariposa Matstack by DCWV

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Tim Holtz Cling Stamp Set Phrases 1 ( I couldn’t find my stamp set since it’s old, but I found one with this same stamp)

Glossy Accents in a syringe (worked great to control the flow of glue!)

Black Brads (from a local craft store)

Pretty Pink Posh Clear Droplets OR Glass Dome Seals from http://www.8seasons.com. The ones I used are actually 10mm and 15mm, so they are much larger than the Pretty Pink Posh ones. 8seasons.com is overseas and the shipping is not usually worth it unless you place a large order. The 10mm Glass Domes are only $2.83 for 100. The 15mm Glass Domes are $2.83 for 50. If you click the pictures below you can get 200-225 4mm clear droplets for $3.00 or 75-100 6mm clear droplets for $3.00. Not a bad deal.

ATG Gun

Sizzix Big Shot

Card Bases and Envelopes

You Are My Sunshine Card

I was searching through the Silhouette Library looking for a good file to make a card with. When I found the “You are my Sunshine” sentiment I just knew I had to use it.

Using the feature in Silhouette Studio that creates an outline of the letters made it so much easier to get the letters straight. All I had to do was adhere them to the outline and then adhere the outlines to the card. This large sentiment is the main focus of the card so just a few embellishments were needed.

Here’s a clickable list of supplies I used:

Silhouette Cameo 2
Prima Water Soluble Oil Pastel (for blue background)
Luster Mica Powder in a Spray Bottle (for background)
Tim Holtz Stamp from Psychedelic Grunge (sun rays)
Versamark Ink
Gold Embossing Powder
Sequins (from the $1 store!) You can also get some lovely sequins here. 
Rhinestones
Glitter Paper
ATG Tape Adhesive Gun
Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Pen (used on sentiment)
Multi Medium Matte (to adhere the sequins)

Here’s a close up where you can kind of see the shimmer from the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Pen. It’s a lot more sparkly in person.

This card came together quickly and easily. I can’t want to see what I can make next with my Silhouette Cameo 2!

We’re Expecting a Baby Girl Card #2

Here’s the second card I made to announce to family in other states that we’re having our first baby! This card came so naturally to me. I find that I have the most fun making card with spray inks and using my fingers. If it leaves my hands messy then I probably had that much more fun making it!

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Here’s a list of the supplies I used:

Cardstock Stencil made using Amperzand Font on Silhouette Cameo 2  traced with Fude Ball Pen 

Ken Oliver Color Bursts in Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue

Luster Mica Spray Mist ( I stopped selling these due to the time they take to make. I still have the powders and bottles available if you are interested. I can post them for sale.)

Floral Frame Stencil used with Distress Paint in Spun Sugar , Gel Medium mixed with Mica Powder, and Silks Acrylics. (apply using a palette knife)

Tim Holtz Dot Fade Stencil used with Inka Gold in Champagne. (rub with your finger. Such a fun effect!)

I thoroughly enjoy making mixed media cards. I hope you give this one a try! Remember, subscribe to us on YouTube so you can get notified when the video for this card goes live!

Many of these products can be purchased at Simon Says Stamp as well as our e-bay store.

25% off Everything in the Store!

We have a sale on the e-bay store right now for an extra 25% off all of the items in the store (with the exception of the MINC Mini Machine). This even includes some hot new items that we just posted for sale!

There is no coupon code required. Just add the products to your cart and the the discount will be applied at checkout.

Here’s some of the new items listed (Click the pictures to get to the listings):

 

Available in individual jars too! 

Available as individual brushes too! 

 

There’s more listings, but these are the ones I am the most excited about! Check out the e-bay store. There’s some great deals to be had!

Turn Your Stamps into Die Cuts

As you know from my last blog post, I recently got a Silhouette Cameo 2 Electronic Die Cutting Machine. When I finally decided to purchase this machine after drooling over it for years, I told myself if I am going to dish out hundreds of dollars for another electronic die cutting machine I BETTER USE IT A LOT. Yes, I yelled it at myself in my head. I deserved the yelling though. Considering I spent $350.00 on the Sizzix Eclips when it first came out and I have a SLICE machine. I actually occasionally use the SLICE machine still just because it’s so small and convenient. Sizzix obviously realized they made a huge mistake with the Eclips machine because the cartridges that they used to sell for $40-60 each are now $5.00-6.00 on their website. I’d say that’s admitting you messed up. I didn’t purchase any cartridges and the only reason I bought the Eclips was because I knew I would also purchase the ECAL software (for $50.00 more) and make my own designs. Sizzix actually has an Eclips 2 now that’s specifically designed to be used only with a computer.  I suppose I could have just kept using my Eclips but I just did not like the software at all! So, after years of contemplation, I bought the Silhouette Cameo 2 and got a great bundle with a ton of extra stuff for only $250.00 and Silhouette doesn’t charge you for software (unless you want the designer edition). Now there’s a company that knows what they’re doing!

So, here’s a fair warning that a lot of my blog posts will likely include the use of the Silhouette Cameo 2 machine. However, I am sure a lot of what I am using it for could be achieved in other ways. Such as fussy cutting or using the dies that manufacturers make that you can run through a manual die cutting machine such as the Big Shot (which I still plan on using).

On to the real reason we are here! 

I was playing around with the Silhouette Cameo 2 and thought it would be sooooo cool if I could turn some of my stamps into die cuts!

It was easier than I expected and I am so happy with the results.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Pick a stamp and stamp it in black on white cardstock. (I used Tim Holtz Flower Garden Stamp Set)
2. Take a picture of the stamped images after mounting them on your PixScan Mat. 
3. Import the Pixscan image and trace it. Don’t just trace the outside edge like you normally would. Trace the entire image.
4. Cut out the images and assemble on a card.

   It’s as easy as that! I also cut out the outer edge so I had something to stack the inside of the flower on. I love how well this worked and it’s an awesome way to stretch your stamps.
   
   Isn’t that just amazing!? If you have a Silhouette Cameo, I HIGHLY recommend getting a PixScan mat if you don’t already have one. It will greatly increase your creative abilities.

   All of the papers used on this card are Authentique and the stamped sentiment is by Avery Elle.

   That’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

End of Year Sale on the ENTIRE Store!

That’s right! For 3 days ONLY we are offering an additional $5.00 off for every $20.00 you spend. This is an additional savings on top of the other sales and discounts we have going on right now.

This offer applies to all items in the store priced up to $40.00!

This is our best sale all year long and it’s the perfect time to load up on craft essentials and new Valentine’s products!

To see what’s for sale Click Here! 

Black Friday Sale!

No Coupon Codes Required! Just add at least $100 of product to your cart and you will get an EXTRA 10% off and Free Shipping. The best part is, you can still use your coupon codes to save even more. Seriously! 

JUST CLICK HERE TO GET TO THE STORE! 

The sale starts NOW and ends at midnight on November 30th!

Lawn Fawn Thanksgiving Card

Last night I made my first Thanksgiving card for the year. I have to admit, I usually skip right over Thanksgiving and move on to making my Christmas cards. It’s not that I don’t think Thanksgiving is important, it’s just so hard to squeeze everything in with how close all of the holidays are together. I just couldn’t resist using this adorable scarecrow for something though!

The sentiment, scarecrow and crows are from the Happy Harvest Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn . The Tree is from the Sweater Weather Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn. That little spot of grass under the scarecrow is from the Critters in the Jungle Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn.

For coloring the scarecrow and crows, I used Ergosoft Colored Pencils and blended using Gamsol with blending sticks. Just lightly color and blend for a nice effect.

I decided that I wanted the outline of the stamps to be grey instead of the typical black and I used Memento London Fog Ink. The other inks that were used are Distress Inks. I used Ripe Persimmon on the sentiment, a mixture of Wild Honey and Fired Brick on the leaves and Walnut Stain for the tree trunk.

Those cute polka dot papers are by Lawn Fawn and they’re called Let’s Polka, Mon Amie . To paper piece and make the dots line up when using multiple papers, just cut the paper small and make sure you stamp the scarecrow at about the same spot. I don’t have the dies for this set, so everything was fussy cut (a.k.a. cut by hand with scissors).

I hope you enjoyed seeing my card. I did use a few Amazon affiliate links in this post. If you end up purchasing any other products, I get a very small commission. Intoxicating Arts also sells some of these products and those have been linked too. Thanks for stopping by!

Website Update and a Coupon Code!

Now all of the great items you love to buy from Intoxicating Arts on our E-bay Store are available on our website!

You might wonder why this is such a big deal or how it will benefit you as the consumer, so let me explain!

1. Selling the products on our website allows us to create a searchable data base making it easier for you to navigate the website. Having a search bar allows you to type in what you are looking for and the website will come back with relevant suggestions.
2. You still get the deep discounts you are expecting to find from us, PLUS you can use coupon codes!
3. You still get $5.00 flat rate shipping on orders over $40.00, PLUS if you spend just $10.00 more and have an order total of $50.00 or more, you get FREE SHIPPING within the United States!
4. You can still check out using Paypal or check out as a Paypal guest and use whatever credit card you want.
5. Create an account with us one time and have quick and easy checkout every time after.

So, why else would you buy directly on our website instead of e-bay? If you found us through e-bay and are a returning customer, we are so happy that we provided you with a great experience and you want to come back! I’m sure you are aware that e-bay makes commissions for providing the online marketplace for us sellers.I’m grateful that e-bay exists for that reason alone. However, I’d rather offer craft supplies at even lower prices and benefit my customers rather than e-bay. If you buy directly on our website, we’ll pass the savings on to you with coupon codes and additional shipping discounts.

Let’s celebrate with a coupon code! Just for being a reader of this blog, you can get 10% off your order on our website. There is no minimum purchase to use this coupon code. The code will expire on October 31st, 2015. Limit one use per customer. Please feel free to share this code with all of your friends and family! On the checkout screen enter “BLOG” , just the word without the quotations. CLICK HERE TO GET TO OUR WEBSITE NOW! 

Thank you for being a blog reader and have a wonderful day!