A Great Day for a Ride!

Now, this is bike-riding weather! How sad when 81 degrees actually feels cool, huh? This Thursday's free make-and-take card features several stamps from Hero Arts. It also features a fabulous technique Marilynn calls the "fade away". That's what gives the card its vintage look. (I love that Marilynn chose a different color to create the fade than a "standard brown"). And, this card is perfect to send to anyone - even a man. If you're like me, it's sometimes hard to come up with good card designs for men. So, stop in Thursday, learn a new technique, create a wonderful all-occasion card, and enjoy the weather! Perfect!

Spooky!

Come have a frightfully good time playing with Claudine Hellmuth's new BLACK Gesso and Sticky Back Canvas. You'll love this fabulous opaque primer that works on virtually any surface and dries without getting brittle. This is especially important when you're using it on canvas - you don't want it to crack as it gets handled or sent through the mail. Join Jenn this Tuesday between 12-2 and get a little messy! Can you think of a better way to spend your lunch hour?

Thursday Make and Take

How about a little brightness in your life? Be sure to stop by the store Thursday (10am-8:45pm) to make a free card featuring one of the latest stamps from Lockhart as well as some of the bright textured dot paper from Bazzill. You will make a great any-occasion card to have on hand to send to someone who needs a little sunshine in their life. We look forward to seeing you!

Earthquakes and Excitement

Well, today was a very exciting day for Northern Virginia. First, there was a large Earthquake that many of us were not expecting. Second, there were all kinds of new additions to the store.

Many of you requested that we carry the very trendy baker's twine by the yard. Well, your wish is our command! Now we carry all 12 colors of Divine Twine Baker's Twine. At only 20 cents a yard, it is a very affordable addition to your crafting projects!

All of our twine options are located together, so they are very easy to find in the store:

Have you ever knocked things off of our shelves while shopping? Well, the earthquake threw a lot of supplies off of our shelves! The good news is that it prompted us to straighten, move items, and generally revamp the store. I want to walk you through some of the changes.

First, Marilynn worked very hard to clean up the back wall. She straightened everything and organized all of our new samples from Lockhart and Rosie's Roadshow to make it easy to find all of the new products. Doesn't it look great?!

Dee fixed the area with all of the new Claudine Hellmuth supplies as well as the Tsukineko Fireworks sprays and the Tim Holtz Distress Stains:

Hare moved all of the Faber-Castell supplies over to the space that used to be occupied by the Staz-On pads:

Don't worry though, the Staz-On pads are easy to find with the other ink pads:

Ready to start stamping for fall? Be sure to check out the paper rack by the door. It is loaded with Fall-themed papers by Imaginice. The candy apple paper is especially delicious!

Speaking of seasonal stamping, are you ready to start thinking of the holidays? We moved many of the new CHA holiday items together next to the door. I think the new supplies will definitely inspire you!

Hero Arts has all kinds of new goodies, and we have ordered EVERYTHING! They are gradually shipping us all of the new supplies, but you can see that we already have many of the new Halloween and holiday stamps. We can't wait until the new dies arrive! If there is anything in particular that you want, be sure to let us know, and we will be happy to hold it for you the second that it arrives. The only hard part will be choosing from all the new goodies:

Whenever we have blank spots in the store, it always makes people nervous. Don't worry, though since we are expecting all kinds of new products. Here is a picture of the space we are reserving for new supplies:

In the front, we are going to add a new sample board from My Favorite Things as well as all the stamps and dies needed to recreate the cards.

On the side, we are going to add all of our new Stamps by Judith images. If you are interested in ordering from Stamps by Judith, be sure to stop by the store soon. We are placing our first order on the 26th, and we would be happy to order your stamps as well. Be sure to check out their catalog. It is loaded with great images as well as samples to help inspire you!

The earthquake was pretty darn scary, but it really prompted us to move things around. It is great timing to organize a bit, because we have an overflow of brand new product that we need to add to the store! I hope you can stop by soon to see it all.

For cards that are Just Rite

One of my favorite things about Just Rite stamps is that they are interchangeable. But almost as impressive is how well they work with punches and dies. With just a few sets, you can create lots of different combinations - I LOVE that! Stop in Tuesday between 12 - 2 and see how easy they are to stamp with. If you can't join us for our demo (or if you just can't get enough), join Angela for her Just Rite class on Thursday, October 18.

No rules!

Sometimes, when I'm in a rut, I'll see a stamp and wonder how I'm going to make that work on an A-2 size card. Seriously? Who made the rule that all cards have to be A-2 sized? And if there were such a rule, who's going to enforce it? The Post Office simply insists that a card fits into an envelope, so enjoy the freedom to change things up a bit! This cute little card fits into an A-2 envelope and features one of the new stamps from Hero Arts. This is a great design for those of you who have to send lots and lots of Christmas cards - quick and easy to replicate. Stop in Thursday between 10 and 8 and make one for yourself.

Alcohol Inks

There are so many wonderful ways to use Ranger's Alcohol Inks that, to show you everything, Jenn would need more than 2 hours and LOTS of tags. So she had to focus. Alcohol Inks are perfect for non-porous surfaces, so Jenn has created these two tags (featuring two different techniques) on glossy card stock and on acetate. Stop in Tuesday between 12 and 2 and play! It's okay to indulge in a little "alcohol" at lunch!

New Lockhart

We just received (hot off the press) the new Lockhart stamps for fall and Christmas. As usual, these stamps are perfect for coloring with pencils or Copics. I also love the unusual images you won't find anywhere else - have you ever seen an artichoke stamp with the corresponding phrase "Okie dokie artichokie"? My personal collection NEEDS that! Pictured are just 3 of the incredible samples Karen sent with this order. Bring your camera and come see the rest!

Summer School!

If every school teacher was like Dave Brethauer, owner of Memory Box stamp company, there would be a line around the block of students wanting to attend summer school! How is it possible that one person can inspire so much creativity and so much laughter?! I know I speak for everyone who got to take Dave's classes on Wednesday (and even for those who didn't) that we can't wait for his return trip - whenever that is. Let the email campaign to "bring Dave back" begin!

Combo Card!

That Marilynn! She's very crafty - and by that I mean "sly". This stamp, by Magenta, features an open vase. There are a couple of ways to create a pattern on an open image. One is to stamp on patterned paper. But what if your patterned paper is the wrong color? Or the wrong pattern? Or so fantastic that you can't bear to stamp on it and cut it up (which is the problem I have all the time, but I digress). What Marilynn chose to do was combine the stamp with a stencil. She used a brass stencil and markers to create the stripes on the vase. She then used the same markers, direct-to-rubber, to color and stamp the image so that everything matches perfectly. Easy, pretty and yet another way to use items in a new way. Crafty, right???!!! Stop by and make this card on Thursday between 10 - 8. It's FREE!

It's Bow Easy!

I think I was probably in kindergarten when I discovered how difficult it is to tie a neat bow. (And 1000 years ago, we didn't have velcro shoes, so ugly bows were the only option!) I have since learned how to make "bunny ears" and then adjust, adjust, adjust. The problem with that technique is that it wastes an enormous amount of ribbon, so if you're going to be making multiple bows, that is not a great option. Thankfully, there is a great little template that assists in making perfect bows in a variety of sizes, and it wastes NO ribbon! Stop in Tuesday between 12 & 2 and let Jenn show you how to use it. If you get home and forget how it's done, stop back here to the blog. Simply look down the right side and you'll find a link to a video Laura created to refresh your memory. Or, you can pull out your smart phone while you're in the shop and scan the QR code and watch the video right there! We've come a long way since the dawn of velcro shoes!

Check it Out!

Do you have a Smartphone? We have started putting QR codes like the one above next to various products in the store. All you have to do is make sure you have an app that scans QR codes and then have your phone read the code on the wall. The QR code will take you to more information on the product and even to some great craft videos. We really hope you enjoy this new service. It is always so much fun to learn more about the craft supplies out there!

Bang for the Buck!

Although, I guess this deer is actually a doe. (haha) If you're like me, you look at this card and think "Wow, that's beautiful, but way too hard". You (and I) would be wrong! The owner/artist of Stampscapes has done all the hard work in creating the stamps. The stamping and coloring is surprisingly quite easy. I LOVE using Stampscapes in for cards for men, but this one would also make a lovely sympathy card. This is our FREE make-and-take card Thursday. Stop in between 10 and 8 and find out just how easy this is. You'll be surprised. And anyone who receives this card will think you spent HOURS on it. See - a lot of bang for the buck!

More New Products!

We received tons of the new Ranger Distress Stains. Here is Ranger's description on the stains:

Distress Stains are fluid water-based dyes for papers and other porous
surfaces. Use for quick and easy ink coverage for backgrounds and larger areas.
Mist with water to lighten color and create mottled effects. Apply layers of
stain to achieve more saturated color. Available in the entire Distress color
palette.

The brushed nylon dabber top has a built-in spring valve. This
allows for controlling the release of Distress Stains from the bottle. By
pressing the dabber top down onto surface, the valve opens and fluid releases.
Lift dabber away from surface to stop fluid flow. Spread Distress Stains by
swiping the dabber top lightly as a brush across the surface.

Want to see a demo instead of reading about the stains? Here is a Tim Holtz video that talks about the product and gives you ideas for using the stains:

Feel the Breeze!

It has been so hot this summer, that every little bit of moving air is a welcome mini vacation. If you feel the same way, you are going to love this week's Technique Tuesday Tag. Jenn will be showing you tips for working with the Copic Air Brush! If you have followed this blog much at all, you know I'm a big fan of finding multiple uses for products. I love how vibrant Copic markers are when you color with them. But look at how soft - almost chalk-like - they are when you spray them on. Lovely! And yet, it's the same marker/same ink. Incredible! Plus, it makes it so much easier to apply color to things that are not flat and smooth - like this flower. Stop by between 12 and 2 and take a little mini vacation with us!