Great Impressions DT - Easter Chicks Tag

(For those of you wanting that chicken lentil soup recipe from last week, please accept my apologies! I've been under the weather and getting lots of rest. Hoping to be up to snuff in a couple of days!)

Spring Break is almost over...I have enjoyed having a houseful of kids, but I'm ready for everyone to get back to the regular routines! This stamp reminds me of my home...busy chicks everywhere!

Stop by the Great Impressions Stamps blog to see more inspiration...and maybe to pick up a tip on what to do with that leftover egg dye this year!

Happy Thursday!

Inky hugs,

Angi

Great Impressions DT - Chicken Soup - Not Quite Like Mom's

Another Thursday, another Great Impressions' project! Here's a peek...

Visit the Great Impressions' blog to see what's cooking'!

Stop by Friday afternoon  THIS POST for the recipe...it's good!

Inky hugs,
Angi

Live Class - Great Impressions Beyond the Board Cards and Box

Just a quick post today. I'm teaching on Thursday (tomorrow) at Simple Pleasures. Yay! I miss being around all that crafty goodness...if you're interested there are a few spots left and if you can't make class, you can order a kit!

Call the store to register! Please bring your basic class kit (detail scissors, wet and dry adhesives and don't forget foam tape/pop dots, etc.!)

Thursday, March 22 @ 10:30am

Simple Pleasures 719.528.1338

Plus an Anything But A Card project...

By the way...this is a monthly class that features stamps from the current Great Impressions Stamps Stamp of the Month set. New stamps, new card designs, including one project that isn't a card Every. Month. Available as a kit, too!

Have a great day!

Inky hugs,

Angi

Great Impressions DT - Early Easter Greetings! Pillow Box

Can't believe it's Thursday already... Last week was crazy busy with multiple projects (stop by Friday Wednesday to see the samples for an upcoming class!), the blog hop and to top it off I was out of town with the Mister!

This week has been full of appointments, Spring Break (we have 3 this year...) and catching up with everything else.

Well, at least today I have a simple project to share...here's a peek!

There are lots of ways to cut out the pillow box: by hand, by electronic cutter or manually using dies. This time I chose the fastest - the die!

I cut this pillow box out of patterned card stock and stamped and embossed the Easter Greetings stamp onto white card stock. As with a lot of projects, you could whip out a bunch of these with a little planning and better yet, a little help!

Are you working on your entry for the Great Impressions Stamps March Challenge?

Want to know more? Read the Challenge #1 post...

Have a great day!

Inky hugs,

Angi

Stamps: Great Impressions Easter Greetings (E747)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark Watermark, Copics

Paper: We R Memory Keepers Cotton Tail: Easter Basket

Other: Sizzix Eclips, ribbon, clear glitter, Adirondack Embossing Powder Eggplant

Blog Hop! - Great Impressions Stamps & Creative Inspirations Paints

Happy Friday!

Keep reading to find out more...

Welcome to the Blog Hop with Great Impressions Stamps and Creative Inspirations Paints! We're so excited you could make it! If you started at the beginning, you came from Barbara's blog - Magic Delights and now you're at Stop #3 - Making Mayhem with Angi. Skip the green text to get to the good stuff!


If you have no idea what I'm gushing on about read on...


A Blog Hop! What a wonderful way to celebrate the Grand Opening of Great Impressions Stamps' Online Store! Stop by and take a look around. Make sure to register, so you can keep a wish list! We're sure you're going to need it...


This Blog Hop features Design Team members from both companies, showcasing projects on their blogs that use both Great Impressions Stamps and Creative Inspiration Paints - prepare to be inspired! 


Okay...I'm sure you're wondering what to do, how to do it and what you will find at the end of this colorful rainbow...


What & How:
Visit and leave a comment at each stop along the way. At each stop there will be a letter - part of a secret phrase - make sure to keep track of those letters! 


Make sure when you get to the end of the Blog Hop you leave the secret phrase in your comment on the last stop - the Great Impressions Stamps blog.


You have all weekend to complete the hop - Friday, March 9th 8:00a EST - Sunday, March 11th 8:00pm EST.


The Prizes:
The winner will be randomly drawn from all those that followed through, left comments and revealed the secret phrase at the last stop to win:


5 jars of Creative Inspirations Paints - your choice! - and a $25.00 Gift Certificate to the new Great Impressions Stamps Online Store!


If this is your first stop, you want to go to the beginning: The Creative Inspirations Blog and continue on from there.


Okay...now that the necessary stuff is out of the way...here's the good stuff!


With Easter coming, I thought this year that I would revisit a lovely oldie, but goodie -  using a few Great Impressions Stamps:


Easter Lily (G452)
Friends (E748)


Decoupaging Eggs!


The real kind...so first you have to blow out the eggs, rinse and dry them. (If you want to keep the egg contents, make sure to keep the shell bits out of the bowl!)

A BIG Thanks! to my super awesome helpers!

Then prep the egg shells using bits of tissue paper (you know...all that tissue paper you've saved from the holidays...oh...is that just me? lol), Claudine Hellmuth's Multi Medium and a foam brush. Brush on a thin layer of Medium, place a bit of tissue paper - smoothing the paper over the shell with your finger, brush on a little more Medium. (Soft, torn paper edges work better, than cut hard edges.) Repeat until you've gotten your desired coverage. (I only did one, but I'd recommend two or three to cover the holes...) Let dry between layers or use a heat gun.

Shake up the paint - make sure the lid's on tight...just saying'. Using a medium flat brush, scoop a little paint out of the lid onto a craft mat (or plastic lid) and thin with water. With a light hand, paint a section of tissue paper. I found that painting the tissue paper first, carefully tearing off bits and then adhering with Medium to the egg shells worked best. If you want to keep the background white, skip this step! Let dry between layers or use a heat gun.

Make sure to use an ink, such as Ranger's Archival Ink (Jet Black), that's waterproof/resistant. Creative Inspiration's Paint is water based and gorgeous shimmery - these pictures don't do it justice! Check out this painted ribbon - thin first and then paint - it adds body, but doesn't harden!

Okay...here's an egg in the process of being covered, almost finished and one stamped, but not painted.

To add a specific image, stamp then tear close to the design, then adhere...

  

I {heart} the well loved look!

I painted 2 layers of color; the Multi Medium seals the paper...

These are the colors I used on these two eggs, the ribbon and the small rose!

Wow! Did you make it all the way to the end of this post?! I was having so much fun sharing my project I almost forgot to tell you my super secret letter...it's E...good luck to you!

Thanks for coming by today! Your next stop is April at Stamping, Crafting, Creating!

Inky hugs,

Angi

If you need to see where you are and where else to go...here's your blog hop map:

Creative Inspirations Paint http://creativeinspirationspaint.blogspot.com/

Barbara Washington http://magicdelights.blogspot.com/

Angi   <---  YOU ARE HERE!

April Lower http://allaboutthelowers.blogspot.com/

Dawn Lotharius http://www.dawnscraft.com/

Deloris http://stampingatthelake.blogspot.com/

Gini Cagle www.ginicagle.blogspot.com

Shanna http://scsdesigns.blogspot.com/

Holly Brown http://glitterstampsandink.blogspot.com/

Jenny http://www.stampingicandy.com/

Irit Shalom http://iritshalom.blogspot.com/

Theresa http://www.thescrapbookingqueen.com/

Kassi Hulet http://kassicreations.blogspot.com/

Kendra Sand http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/

Kianel http://lescrapdekianel.canalblog.com/

Great Impressions Blog http://greatimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/

Great Impressions DT - To Unpathed Waters & Undreamed Shores

This has been a crazy busy week! Wish I could play all day...been crafting for the last 2 days. My studio is a disaster...ahem...creative mess...but I have enjoyed making the mayhem!

This week the Great Impressions' Design Team had a "Not a Square" challenge and it took a bit to think outside the box...(pun intended!)

Made a rocker/wobble card. This one was fun to put together. Once I decided I needed a little something extra for this one I sent my kids on a mission hunting for 'driftwood' in the yard. Let's just say they took it to heart & I've got plenty of wood now...

Clear embossing and the Water Swirl Border...again.  :)

Love. This. Stamp.

Okay...got an early morning, so I'm off. Now if you need some creative time, consider making something new and entering something, anything handmade into Challenge #1 on the Great Impressions' blog. Check out the details in THIS POST. 

The prize is fabulous.

Seriously.

Inky hugs,

Angi

Stamps: Great Impressions To Unpathed Waters (E680), Cat Tails (H91), Water Swirl Border (H200)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Copics

Paper: vellum cardstock, Basic Grey scraps

Other: Sizzix Eclips, clear embossing powder, Tim Holtz Distress Stain Picket Fence, hot glue gun, garment pin, 7 Gypsies key charm, twine

Great Impressions Challenge March - Something Handmade

Happy Sunday! So glad you could stop by...

front of sachet

Today's feature is my project for Great Impressions' Challenge #1 - Something Handmade! This challenge is open to everyone! If you're here to see how I made my project read on...

If this is the first you've heard of the challenge, visit ** this Great Impression post ** to see all of the Design Team projects and then click on back and let me know what you think!

This has been a whirlwind week! I've changed jobs and have found myself around the house more...and I'm lovin' it! Of course, being around the house more means I find more things to do around here...like cleaning out closets and drawers. And that leads to...

Coming up with some creative projects to help make this house more of a home! My to-do list is miles long...so we're starting small.

Sachets.

There's definitely something homey about sachets - tiny pretty parcels evoking olfactory memories.

Huh?

You know...how smells can help you remember an event, something or someone? The smell of warm chocolate chip cookies reminds me of baking with my mother. The smell of Butter Rum pipe tobacco reminds me of my grandfather. Cedar reminds me of home. If I need a pick-me-up I make cookies or sachets. (You didn't think I was going to say smoke a little Butter Rum, did ya? lol)

I've usually made cedar sachets out of scraps of fabric and lace, but when this challenge project came to mind I was thinking stamped, cute and paper-based. And isn't that adorable *skunk stamp just perfect?

So, without further ado, the supplies I used for this project (feel free to substitute with whatever you have on hand) :

Clean Filter (Can be used, just make sure to rinse well and dry flat. I used round, unbleached.)
Great Impressions Stamps: *Skunk (E751), Lacey Border (H225), Friends (E748)
Range Archival Ink: Jet Black
Tim Holtz Perfect Pearl Mist: Pearl
Copics: RV21, FV2, FYG2
Signo White Gel Pen
12-16" Ribbon

Aromatic Filler: cotton balls scented with spray, cedar shavings, dried herbs, etc.

Sewing machine & thread

Here are the simple details:

1. Spritz filters with water and let dry flat. (Or if you don't want to wait - dry 'em with a heat gun.)

filters: (l-r) Dried, Wet, Out of the Package

 2. Fold the filter into quarters (fold it in half, then half again.) Trim into a square/rectangle. (No need to be precise. I just snipped the first one. Here I've written approximate measurements.)

3. Cut the rectangle in half. Using the Archival Ink, stamp your images for the front and the back. Mist both pieces with Pearl to give a little shimmer. Color with Copics and use the Signo for white details. (I mostly dabbed on my color, waited till it finished wicking and then dabbed on more color as needed.)

4. Fold the top of both the front and back pieces to the inside about 1/2". Place ribbon between (wrong sides together) and sew across. Then sew each side. Fill and then sew closed.

5. Tie the sachet over the closet rod, a hanger or the review mirror. Enjoy your lovely bit of aromatherapy!

back of sachet ("Friends are the flowers that bloom in life's garden.")

Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. See you soon!

Inky hugs,

Angi

(The Skunk stamp is one of Great Impressions' Stamp of the Month stamps. It's only available from participating retailers until April. To order your own Skunk click HERE.)

Great Impressions DT - These Old Boots...

Welcome to another Thursday, Folks! That means I have a Great Impressions' Design Team project to share...say "Hello!" to a couple of the March Stamp of the Month stamps:

Old Boots

& Western Boots!

Lately, I've been feeling a little worse for the wear, so this card could have been made for me! Didn't take long to put together - and hey! I think I can consider this a CAS (Clean and Simple) card for me! Not too many techniques. Ha!

So, first off this is a window card. A bit of distressing here and there...

Ink and embossing...done! If you want the project recipe, please visit the Great Impressions' Blog.

If you are interested in the March Stamp of the Month stamps, visit your local participating store! (The Stamp of the Month stamps are available exclusively from participating stores for the month of March!)


Alrighty, off to catch some much needed sleep! Until next time...may all your mayhem be creative!

Inky hugs,
Angi