NEW ARRIVALS!!! Scrapbook Trends June 2012 and Cards June 2012 in SnC

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This issue is full of ideas for stamping, baby, frills, die cuts, weddings, graduation, and more! 

The One Amazing Album section features an incredible album by Norine Borys, which she created to celebrate her father. You'll love how Norine incorporated her father's hobbies to tell the tale of his life. You'll want to find out more about how she created it and the story behind it! 

Join Wendy Sue Anderson for this month's How to: Numbers section. Here she demonstrates the many fabulous way to incorporate numbers into your layouts--with no math required! 

In Award Winning Style this month, Christa Paustenbaugh celebrates (and scraps!) her realtionship with her husband on a goregous layout you won't want to miss! 

Real Life: Summer Plans is sure to inspire you. Whether you want to have all kinds of adventures or simply make time to relax, put your summertime goals into their own scrapbook page. 

You'll find five inspiring cards in our Father's Day Cards section to help you wish the men in your life a very happy Father's Day this month. Get your copy today from Scrap-n-Crop.com now by clicking on this link HERE.

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In this issue of CARDS you'll find inspirational ideas for Father's Day, Fourth of July, thank you notes, mini cards, friendship, and more! 

You'll want to check out this month's style challenge involving a palette of sunshine yellow, sky blue, and sailor navy--what could be more summery? 

Be sure to check out the Inspiring Sketches section to see the cards our designers have created based on a simple sketch. 

Our Designer of the Month is Julia Stainton! Get to know Julia better and see the incredible cards she's made to share just with you. 

So get your copy today from Scrap-n-Crop.com by clicking HERE and come celebrate the month of June with us!

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SUBSCRIBE today to enjoy better discounts on Northridge Publishing items in Scrap-n-Crop.com today.

View the super SPECIAL LOW RATES HERE.

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NEW ARRIVALS!!! Core’dinations Cardstock Distress Collection in SnC

Ranger and Core'dinations have teamed up to bring a collection of cardstock to “core’dinate” with the Tim Holtz® Distress™ color palette. The Tim Holtz collection of Distress Papers will include 1 each of 36 nostalgic colors that coordinate with the Distress product line. 

The cardstock can be used to create the vintage, aged look paper crafters are after.

• Premium 80# cardstock in 12x12" sheets
• Acid-free
• 36 shades of Distress colors

@ RM 2.80 per sheet only!

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Click HERE to buy yours from Scrap-n-Crop.com now.

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NEW ARRIVALS!!! Somerset Studio Gallery Summer 2012 in SnC

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Somerset Studio Gallery is filled with hundreds of samples of extraordinary art pieces presented up close and in detail. Whether your passion is rubber stamping, mixed media, or paper crafting, the newest issue features everything you love about Somerset Studio in 200 lush pages. 

Don't miss the informative how-to-articles, hundreds of beautifully photographed handmade creations, found object assemblages, and stunning creations by your favorite artists and our talented readers.

Check out what's in store in Somerset Studio Gallery Summer 2012 issue below and click HERE to buy your copy from Scrap-n-Crop.com now.

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Love the Stampington & Company publications like we do?

Well, check the many different publications carried by Scrap-n-Crop.com HERE - guaranteed to be a crafter's heaven for mojo, inspiration and ideas.

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Do check out mixed-media products sold in Scrap-n-Crop.com too.

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Becks is almost 5 years old!

Left to right clockwise: 

(1) Becky cutting her cake at school just before term breaks, 

(2) "mummy, look at my tongue!", 

(3) "yummm… the legs are the yummiest bit!" so says the boys in school - 

good thing the teacher intervene or the head would have been gone too, 

leaving Becky in tears (possibly)

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Well, she's almost 5 years old.

Not quite yet. We had to celebrate it earlier as school term was done.

 yay! it's summer break!!!

As of yesterday she said to me:

"ee ee, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."

{grins} 

"then my real birthday!"

{squeals}

That's about right.

No point trying to correct the count-down.

A hopeless argument of accuracy - which an almost 5 year old -

will NOT appreciate. 

It's a rather hard task for me. One that requires a huge amount of

discipline and self restrain. 

I love maths {yes!!! crazy huh?} and I am a stickler for accuracy

and attention to details. But I tell myself that the squeals are already

deafening. I don't need a protest to blow my delicate ear drums.

{ahem. spoken like a true single.ton}

Well, before you think I'm such a callous, insensitive person …

I did make the party pack tags by punching two circular scallops out

of Bazzill card stocks with EK Success 1-1/2" and 2" scallop punches,

topped with felt cut-outs of dinosaurs in matching colours.  

As for the cake … ah ha … that was sub-contracted out! though it's

rather easy to make ...

{ssshhh… don't tell Val I said that}

Handmade party pack gift tags - tools and material from 

Scrap-n-Crop.com 

Top and Bottom: 

3/4 of the leftovers to be distributed to the neighbours …

{sorry, but I put on 3 kilos just smelling cake, so no way am I eating any!!!}

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 And what better way to celebrate her 5th birthday with Hi-5 and her friends?

{note, Val is about to pull her hair off every time Becky sings or 

plays Hi-5's Happy Birthday song from Youtube}

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COMING SOON!!! Bo Bunny's Little Miss Collection in SnC

A truly sweet and adorable scrapbooking collection which I definitely can't wait is 

Bo Bunny's Little Miss Collection. 

Perculiar for me? Definitely yes! 

But with Beck's birthday looming around the corner I thought this would make 

a great 12x12 framed LO for my mother or if I'm feeling the mojo a lovely mini album.
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Kill Your Monday Blues with Hils Hints: All Things Distress Part 10

All Things Distress

Part 10 

Distress Inks, and why they are so special

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As promised, today I’m giving you another couple of ways to colour with your distress markers, using different blending techniques.  

And, as a bonus, I’m also giving you the run-down on the white Picket Fence marker, because this is quite different from the rest of the range.

First – the colouring in.

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what do you need?

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Distress Markers

Stamps 

Ranger Archival Ink (black)

Watercolour paper

A craft sheet

{Items can be purchased at Scrap-n-Crop.com HERE}

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Instructions:

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The first blending technique is very similar to those used for Copic Markers.  Simply stamp your image with Archival Ink onto watercolour paper, and then colour it with the lightest colour.  Add the darker colour, and then go over the part of the image where the two colours meet, using the lighter colour again.  I found that this technique gave very intense colours, and the shading was not particularly subtle.  I think if you used it with two colours that were similar (eg wild honey and spiced marmalade), it would work better, but perhaps not so much for different colours, such as dusty concorde and broken china.

I much preferred the second method.  It gave me a lighter image with very subtle blending.  This was achieved by  stamping as above, and then applying some of the darker colour ink to the craft sheet.  (NB you could use a palette, an old CD or plastic packaging instead – anything that is non-porous).  Take the lighter marker, and use it to pick up the darker colour, then colour in, starting with the area that you want to be darkest.  Don’t worry, it won’t ruin your markers!  The darker ink goes onto the paper first, and is gradually replaced with the lighter ink , until the marker goes back to its original colour.

For my stamped image (pictured), I coloured the middle of the flower with spiced marmalade and wild honey, working from the outside into the middle.  For the petals, I used broken china on the craft sheet, and the tumbled glass marker.  

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The Picket Fence marker

Although part of the same range, this distress marker is quite different from the rest.  The main difference is that it uses pigment ink, not dye ink.  This means the ink in it is opaque (dye inks are transparent, pigment ones opaque), and so you can use it on dark paper and the ink will still show.  It is also different in that the fine tip is not the same as the others, it looks and feels more like a felt tip.  This is to do with the properties of the ink – it won’t flow through the hard plastic tip like the die inks do.

So – it’s a white pen.  But there are some things it can do that other white pens can’t.  Here is a brief guide to what you can do with it.

The most obvious thing to do is to write or doodle with it on a dark background.  At first you can’t see the ink very well, but as it dries it becomes brighter and brighter, until it shows up really well.

You can stamp onto a dark background with it.  You have to be fast, mind you – add the ink to your stamp and stamp quickly, before it dries.  The image will show up well, and if there are any missing areas, you can always fill them in with the pen.  This is a quick and easy way to get a white stamped image on a dark background without having to use embossing powder and a heat gun. 

Use it to lighten your other ink colours.  If you have used one of your other distress markers but think it is a bit too dark for your project, you can go over the top of it with your white distress marker.  It will give a paler, cloudy effect.

If you want a light colour on a dark background, you can use the white marker first, and then colour over it with another marker.  The result is an opaque, pastel version of the colour.  You do need to practice a bit with this technique, but to my knowledge it is the only way to get a pastel colour on a dark background without using a specialist ink like VersaMagic, or using embossing powder and a heat gun.

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Handy tip

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If you stamp with your Picket Fence marker you will have to clean your stamp before using it again, as the white ink dries onto it very quickly, leaving a powder-like substance.

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