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Monday, June 22, 2009

Unity Stamps & Piggy Tales on Sale



Just wanted to let you know that we have a small assortment of Unity Stamps in the older packaging...lovely organdy bags. We are marking them down at 30%.















We also have a several of the Piggy Tales collections, rub-ons, embellishments and books for 30% off. They include Itsy Bitsy Spider, Ole King Cole, Cinderella, the Ballad of Mulan and a couple more lines.

We need to get ready for CHA and all the offerin
gs that your favorite companies will have there. So, we have to move out inventory to make room for new.

Happy Shopping!
Daisy & Joy

PS...We are anticipating the new Basic Grey collections, Lemonade and June Bug to shipping soon.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

How to Paint with Perfect Pearls

One of the first techniques that we learned at Ranger U was how to use Perfect Pearls. It was great to learn how to use them in many ways. Learning what to do with Perfect Pearls made me really appreciate them...all over again. It's a great product to either discover or re-discover. It does not take up too much room; a little goes a long way so it's a great value; the secret sauce is a little H20.



Perfect Pearls™ Pigment Kits have found their way into the eP product mix. These are great beginner sets since they also include the brushes and medium. The one thing you need to know that makes Perfect Pearl(by Ranger) a great product choice is that it is a mica-powder with a built-in binder. You won't have to seal it with another medium. A little water mist will activate the resins and binders built into the powdered pigments.

Mixing Perfect Pearls with water can form a variety of inks, glazes, and paints. You can control the water and Perfect Pearls to make either an opaque paint of sheer wash. It dries fast, too. Applying it on different surfaces can also give it a different affect. Use a Mini Mister to lightly spritz and set your projects when using Perfect Pearls.
eclectic Paperie has several kits available as well as offering them in individual colors. Wouldn't that be fun to spend an afternoon playing with your Perfect Pearls? Get together with some friends to share ideas and color away. A little can go along way.

Perfect Medium and Perfect Pens were designed specifically to work with Perfect Pearls. It looks like a stamp pad but it is not an ink pad or pen. Many compare it to VersaMarkTM but it is not the same. Perfect Medium can be used as a watermark, a resist on glossy paper and as an embossing. Perfect Medium was designed to work with and make Perfect Pearls stick.

The sample and technique shown above was done by stamping, then embossing the image on black cardstock. This Studio 490 butterfly was a good stamp to experiment with practicing how to paint with Perfect Pearls. A little water misted onto the Perfect Pearls creates a good wash. The amount of water controls the color intensity you desire.

Now it's your turn to try. Happy painting!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

More Alcohol Ink Resist Info


Okay, here's a little more info the Alcohol Ink Resist technique. Remember, it's not white ink stamped unto a piece of acrylic. It's alcohol ink that has been applied; then a little technique using a stamp and black archival ink, and carefully swiping will create a great look to your project. Here's, the sample again.












  1. Take a Fragment shape of your choosing:
  2. Prep your Alcohol Inks and choose the colors you want on your Ink Applicator;
  3. Apply ink to Fragment;
  4. Let dry completely(eating a piece of chocolate can lend for ample drying time);
  5. Choose a good image to stamp. Take into consideration the Fragment size when choosing stamp. You want some detail to your stamped image. The stamp in the sample is from a floral swirl from Floral Tattoo(Tim Holtz Collection);
  6. Using Jet Black Archival Ink, ink up your stamp. Light press Fragment onto stamped image and lift carefully;
  7. Using a lint free cloth, carefully blot the black ink. The black ink will rub off the alcohol ink to reveal the stamped image;
  8. Back up the Fragment with glossy white cardstock and voila'...it will look awesome!

I used Studio 490 Funky Flower Art(Wendy Vecchi) and found that there was a half flower and stem that would be perfect for the stamped Fragment. I also used one of the fun mesh-like background stamp from Psychedelic Grunge to give the card more interest.


Try the technique out a couple times. Experiment with different alcohol ink combinations/colors and also try out different stamps. Here's another sample I did at Ranger U using the a stamp from Sketch Elements(Tim Holtz Collection).

You can also view the technique HERE.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Happy Birthday, Taylor!


Sending birthday wishes to a friend who will be missed from California. Taylor has lots to celebrate besides her birthday. So thrilled and proud of her successful adventure with Taylored Expressions. She is moving back "home" and will be able to devote her full time with Taylored Expressions. I've loved getting to know her at numerous CHA events. Being CHA roomates a couple times lent for many laughs and memories. From the infamous popcorn search in Chicago(sad face) to those mysterious metal elements found in her suitcase, to Taylor being our cheerleader, she has been a constant eclectic Friend to eP. I have valued her support and friendship.

Taylor has a big heart for her faith, friends, family and all things cupcakes.


Happy Birthday, Taylor! Hope all your wishes come true! Good luck on your new adventures and new home, too.


CHEERS!

Daisy

SUPPLIES:
A little Glossy Accents and some Cmas Red Stickles can make for some easy embellishment fun. Of course Taylor's stamps screams for some Copic coloring, too. I like to reach for the Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder for a quick background and texture. These are 2 different stamps from 2 TE stamp sets(Home Sweet Home & Season's Sweetings).

PS: You can go to Taylor's blog and view her weekly sketch and leave her a birthday comment, too. You can also view more Taylored Expressions samples at SCS and search for tayloredexpressions or SASI.

eclectic Feed: Episode 9 (Alcohol Ink Resist)



Presenting another technique using Alcohol Ink and Jet Black Archival Ink. It's one of my favorites that we learned at Ranger U. I'll try to upload more details and photos within the week.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Studio 490 Contest



We {heart} Wendy Vecchi, her blog, and stamps. She shares some very creative projects over at Studio 490. We've teamed up with Wendy to bring her stamp collection, Studio 490, to you. We'll be teaming up to bring you some more future surprises and adventures. Visit her blog today to get details of a fun contest that she is hosting this weekend. She has an extra surprise for the winner.