AndreasScraps.com

Starving Artistamps Blog Candy!

andreasscraps — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:15:48 +0000

In love with the DoodleFactory characters from Starving Artistamps? Well, 2 new sets of images and 3 new sets of sentiments were born yesterday and they ALL can be yours!

Check out the Starving Artistamps Blog to enter the blog candy drawing. Remember that you must put the link to where you spread the word in your comment to be eligible!

GOOD LUCK!

I know, Halloween is past…

andreasscraps — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:11:54 +0000

but I couldn’t resist playing with the Witch Trio set from Starving Artistamps! Truth be told is that I was a little late getting my samples in and I finally was able to get them done to the level that I was happy with. Ever have an idea then go to execute it and it looks totally wrong?? LOL, well, if you haven’t be prepared for a back-up plan when it does!

Anyway, these witches are a great size to fill up the front of an A2 size card (4 1/4 x 5 1/2), but what happens when you want to go smaller? Move into the inchie size and use your favorite part of the image or use an address label! Yes, this is my new fun thing - using return address labels in my card designs. They work really well and are self-adhesive! Thanks to Hero Arts for showing this concept on their blog not too long ago. I’ve adapted it with these clear cards and it works just marvelously. Do some coloring with watercolor pencils and voila! Instant witch!

Don’t forget that if you like these witches, use my 10% off code in the side bar to knock off a little on the price!

BasicGrey is oh so Bittersweet!

andreasscraps — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:14:18 +0000

Every time a new BasicGrey collection arrives, I always think that I’ll be able to resist buying it. Yeah right! I’m lucky enough to be teaching the Bittersweet Card Kit at Scrapbook Central in February - just in time for Valentine’s Day, weddings and those thoughtful “thinking of you” occasions, heck maybe even a birthday! If you’re in the area, come on by for the class on Wednesday night, Feb 4th, or Saturday afternoon Feb 7th to experience a “Bittersweet” class including stamping. Yes, I always need to include some fun in there and yes, you can stamp on BasicGrey without disrupting the beautiful pattern. In fact, you’ll think that the stamping belongs there! I hope to see you soon…

Welcome 2009!

andreasscraps — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:53:31 +0000

In just a short time, it will be 2009. I’m looking forward to it! There are some “to-do’s” to continue doing this new year and I intend to follow through and continue to realize my “potential”. Per Ali Edwards, that was my word for 2008 and I’m carrying it into 2009, because I can! What’s your word??

Creative Imaginations Narratives

andreasscraps — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:48:49 +0000

Wowie, talk about gorgeous paper and embellishments?! One of the newest collections from Creative Imaginations has such beautiful specialty edged paper, super 3d embellishments and fantastic rub-ons that you’ll just want every piece of the collection! I was lucky enough to work with the black, cream and white collection courtesy of Scrapbook Central, for my DT kit. The rub-ons were like no others that I’ve tried - super sleek but not too sticky. You know when they cling to everything you don’t want them to? Well, these were very forgiving without the hassle of not applying correctly. That’s the beauty, they DID apply wonderfully! The long rub-on under the photo in the layout was actually cut and the remaining cut portion was turned vertically to go along the left side of the photo. Looks like it should belong there doesn’t it? Pretty cool! Don’t forget that you can mix your titles - this one if 1/2 sticker letters and 1/2 rub-on. Don’t be afraid to add a little extra glam too. The 3d stickers had a nice glisten to them, so I dressed up the rub-ons to match. Thanks for looking!

Sandylion Oh Boy Collection

andreasscraps — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:38:13 +0000

Such a cute collection! Check out one of the latest reviews at ScrapFriends to see all the comments. The layout is actually using 2 of the same patterned paper with one sea dragon cut out, offset and popped over the other one in the foundation. Doodled mats around the pictures worked well with the overall casual theme to the paper.

These mini cards are an idea from the Hero Arts blog. The cards are actually 1 1/4″ wide by 8 1/2″ then folded in half. They are super cute for quick table placements, bookmarks and gift cards. The stickers backed with cardstock proved to be great embellishments.

Merry Christmas!

andreasscraps — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:54:32 +0000

Stampington & Company, Artists’ Papers and stamps

andreasscraps — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:49:21 +0000

Stampington & Company publications are worthy of keeping in your library for years - their quality is fantastic and such a visual treat too. This review at ScrapFriends was of the Artists’ Paper sometimes included in the Somerset issues and for sale outside of the magazine. The paper is just as wonderful as the magazine pages are - thick and richly colored. We also looked some of the clear stamp sets for this review also. The set that I received had 3 large images that provided some great play time!

Glittery Holidays

andreasscraps — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:36:54 +0000

Oh, the joy of sparkling things at the holidays, welllllllll any time of the year really! Doesn’t glitter just make you smile and sparkle?

PK Glitz has some wonderful ultra-fine glitter hand blended in a bunch of colors that make you drool. Their Sticky Paper is super fantastic and holds glitter better than any product I’ve seen before. Way less mess than liquid glue and easy to die cut and trim into any shape. Read a review on it at ScrapFriends.

Here are a couple projects from the recent review and expect to see more VERY soon!

Tinkering Ink’s Stamps & fixing stamping snafoos

andreasscraps — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 23:40:50 +0000

Clear stamps are wonderful in that they allow you to see where you’re stamping. I find it especially useful when needing to overstamp or restamp an image that didn’t quite come out dark enough the first time around. By being aware of the position of your mount during stamping, going back over the image again can be done with a little patience. I’m not a truly “exact” stamper, meaning that everything needs to be straight and perfect, but a crisp, clear, dark image is what I strive for when stamping. I usually always have a back-up plan in case the 2nd stamping does come out right.

One old faithful back-up is to stamp the image on an entirely new piece of paper and cover the original spot completely. The trick is making it look like it belongs there, not just placed over the area obviously to cover a mistake! Ink the edges, layer different papers underneath or doodle to blend and embellish.

Another favorite is to use a Ranger nib to color in the ink where it is light or missing. Basically, touch the nib to the ink pad and use it as a pen to fill in the area. Going slow is the key here. Remember that ink is your friend and you can always put more on whereas removing it is nearly impossible which requires the implementation of the first trick above!

Yet another trick is to fill in the area with a like-colored marker. Stamping in black allows this as a great back-up plan, colors are a bit more difficult. Keep a white pen handy so that maybe coloring the background provides the best option instead of coloring the image.

When all else fails, add an embellishment! Paper flowers, bling or brads make a nice camouflage over a section that needs some help.

Below are some projects using the Holiday Whimsey set and the review can be seen on ScrapFriends.