exciting news! joined the new inked stamper design team

I am very excited to announce that I have been selected to join the inked stamper design team!  Courteney, our Design Team Coordinator, will definitely keep the team on our creative toes so be sure to follow along.

Round #1 of the NEW Design Team!

Hello everyone; its Courteney here!  I’ll be posting a lot more now for my position as the Design Team Coordinator.  I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgivings. I have been really busy this last week going through design team applications and I have to say you really did NOT make this easy on me. Everyone who applied was seriously so talented. Thank you so much for taking your time to apply we truly appreciate it. We could only pick a small team this time and I know you will not be disappointed. So please help me in welcoming these very creative, very talent ladies! For the next few days will be introducing Inked Stamper Design Team.  (In no particular order, we love them all!)

 
Pam Klebanov


With a main focus on mixed media, I love using materials in ways they may not have been originally intended.  Sort of like a craft scientist, I am often creating and designing in some unconventional mind space, experimenting with materials and mediums, mixing, deconstructing and altering to create multifaceted projects.  Friends and family, particularly my little muse, Alex are my greatest inspirations. everythingshetouches originated from a desire to share with others some of the things that I enjoy: paper crafts (layouts, tags, cards), sketching, journaling, painting, making jewelry and photography. Born in Montréal, Québec, I now live in Edmonton, Alberta.








Kate Tymko


My name is Kaitlin, but I sometimes go by Kate and I have lived in St. Albert for twenty two years. For as long as I remember, I've always been creative and surrounded by art. In the last few years I dove into papercrafts and have loved every minute of it. My parents (who I'm forever in debt to for letting me transform their basement into a creative studio a couple years ago) and boyfriend, Terry, have given me unwavering support in all my crazy creative pursuits. Blogging came next and fit in naturally between work and school. I'm constantly trying new things and finding new projects to work on and can't wait to see what I create with the Inked Stamper Design Team.

See you back tomorrow with Round 2! We have a total of 4 Designers, 2 Guest Designers, plus myself and Dawn. 

Courteney

it is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness - lucius annaeus seneca

New Heights Stamp Set by Simply Gorjuss Urban Stamps was the inspiration for this birthday card for my mother-in-law.  We all know someone in our lives who pushes us to be better versions of ourselves.  My mother-in-law is one of those people, in my life, who pushes me to new heights.

From 130-lb white cardstock I cut out a triangle (math folks look away; it's not really a triangle.  Yes, I know triangles only have three sides.  I took creative liberty) quadrangle (is that really a word?) and layered on strips of washi tape.  I picked out the little ms. heights colours before I started my washi layering and selected my washi tape with those colours in mind, so that the card was pulled together and had continuity.  I also slipped in some tribute washi: music and Paris.  My mother-in-law loves music and traveling.

The little butterfly and sign are both from this seven-piece set. Can you believe the level of cuteness?  I know most of you have gasped at the complete disconnect with my usual more intense style (I can be cute.  I own a smiling frog and a fox) but seriously how can you not love the Gorjuss series?  I plan on getting many many more (look away mr. everythingshetouches).  And if you live in the greater Edmonton area you too can find many of these darling stamp sets at The Inked Stamper.  

I embossed the sign with my wood embossing folder and distressed the raised image with vintage photo distress ink.  The butterfly was coloured using coloured pencils and highlighted with bronze stickles.

 

ms. heights was coloured using colour pencils.  I chose coloured pencils as the medium because I wanted to give her a bit of an airy feeling, to keep the card light and bright.  And I added a few pieces of sequence because, quite frankly, who doesn't love a bit of good sequence?

Little ms. heights will be one of my very first Etsy Shoppe posts next month.  She will come in a four card pack in different colours, made to order.  Check it out.

when a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a watch - r.c. sherriff

One of my work colleagues, ms. giraffe, retired this summer and in lieu of a card or photo album I created, with some assistance, a memory book.  What is the difference, you ask?   A memory book is a card and photo album rolled into one, including photos of ms. giraffe and colleagues through her years at the office, co-worker salutations and some brilliant work done by the graphic artists.  And all was supported by my bestest enabler/amazing friend.  Thank you, I could not have retained any sanity without you.

WARNING: There are several photos in this post of the eleven page memory book.  I suggest a coffee, tea or apple cider, sit back and review at your leisure.

Every page has at least one pocket to hold photos and/or colleague greetings and/or well wishes and signatures.

Cover:  I cut out the follow your dreams: transform your life quote and layered it on top of a self-made paper and photo collage.  One of our graphic artists at work took the photos of the boots and birdcages at Fort Edmonton Park which, if you recall, is one of my favourite Edmonton sites.  It never disappoints.  For photographer fans, it really is a great find.  The dress form and bike die cuts are from Memory Box.

Page One:

This little envelope was created with my envelope maker.  Thought it added a sweet touch especially with the hat pin as a faux closure.

Page two: Developed friendships

Page three: Group events

Using Dina Wakley techniques, I transformed this image of settlers into a playful moustachioed group.  I was inspired by the fun and playful photos of the group events included in the pocket of this page.

Page four: This is one of my favourite pages.  I love the colour combination, the little Memory Box clouds, the mini red clips and the wood chipboard birds which I distressed with vintage photo distress ink.

Page five:  This was a super fun page to create using tissue paper, Dina Wakley stencils and book pages.

Page six: Last page of photo memories.

Page seven:  I wanted to create a retirement book that included both memories as well as ms. giraffe's interests.  Pages seven to eleven reflect ms. giraffe's love for reading, traveling, camping, biking, gardening and giraffes starting with a tongue-in-cheek photo of our team.  All of the photos on pages seven through to eleven were created by the graphic artists.

I made a little comic book out of some internet images I found.

Page eight: 

Page nine:

Page ten:

Page eleven:  I love this page.  The artists did a remarkable job superimposing ms. giraffe's face onto a person hugging a giraffe.  I built three gift card-sized envelopes for memory tokens and the gift card.

Back cover:  Image taken by one of the artists at Fort Edmonton Park.

Finished book:

I had a great time putting this book together.  Are memory books something you would like to see in my Etsy Shoppe?  What is a reasonable price?

Next up:  Retirement book number two for mr. chemistry.

window hunting: father's day part two

My father-in-law loves hunting and looks forward to his hunting trip every year starting from the last day of being out in the field.  I focused on the anticipation of hunting for this Father's Day card (see geek is new sexy fathers day part one for my Father's-Day-in-August/September explanation), gazing out the window, watching the ducks swim by, dreaming of deer and moose ..

I stamped my Impression Obsession cover-a-card distressed brick stamp using antique linen distress ink and embossed it with clear powder.  I am obsessed with IO.  Seriously.  Quality stamps and fabulous images.

I cut the Memory Box grand madison french doors from white cardstock and clear distressed crackle painted (Ranger: clear rock candy) it to create a white-painted-wood texture.

I found the binocular embellishments at R&R Scrapbooking.  R&R is a phenomenon every crafter must experience.  If you're in the Edmonton area add this wonder to your list of things to see.  But be sure to save about 2 or 3 hours and a ton of spending money.  I'm not kidding.

So many exciting projects to come: two retirement memory books, a thank you gift for teachers, daycare staff or family, a Gorjuss birthday card, my take on a graffiti birthday card and a Halloween double-sided tag swap.

geek is the new sexy: father's day part one

Yes, the title is correct.  Somehow, and I have said this a lot lately, time has slipped away.  Perhaps it was the heat of the summer, the start of a new position at work and/or the volume of projects I have initiated and agreed to over the past few months that have shifted my priorities requiring some adjustment.  Regardless, I aim to catch up and get back on track over the next little while.

Although Father's Day part one and part two were intended, and given, as Father's Day cards, they certainly can be used for any event requiring a more masculine card.

I absolutely love my new geek is the new sexy stamp and washi tape given to me by one of my very special and wonderful craft enablers. And it definitely works in the context of a card for my geeky, sexy, supportive, lovely and amazing husband.  

I cut out some leftover book spines from a cardstock I had prepared to used for mr. chemistry's and ms. giraffe's retirement memory books (both in the preparation phases of posting) and popped them up for added dimension.  The computer keys were a great adorable find at Michaels.  I kept a few extras for an Alex computer layout I plan to put together (on the long to-do list).

Keep an eye out for Father's Day part two in a few days.  If you have a hunter in the family you will not want to miss this one.

I have a registered Etsy Shoppe: everythingshetouches and I plan to begin posting shoppables in October.  If you see a card or project that you think will make a good entry please let me know.  And if you're a vendor and you would like to share tips or have advice I would be very grateful.  Send me a quick message with your email address and I will respond by email.

i am only a sparrow amongst a great flock of sparrows - evita peron

I realise that it's been a while since I last posted.  Somehow time has just gotten away.  I spent a fair bit of time putting together two retirement/memory books for colleagues who have started new life adventures. And once completed, I decided to take a bit of a craft respite to renew and refresh.  My version of a craft break involves moving my crafting space to an entirely new location in the house.  I previously occupied the dining room with bits and pieces and odds and ends in different spaces and now I am, and my stuff is, all one space.  And I think, although the space is currently devoid of storage furniture and my materials do not yet have homes, I will be very happy and crafty in my new space.  I also spent some time with the greats: Finnabair and Dina Wakley.  I will post the class results sometime in the next month or so.

I have been struggling, as many of you know, with keeping things clean and simple.  There has been many discussions and great coachings but every so often I need a strong reminder to pull back on the reigns.  One of my crafting enablers had a birthday recently and her style is clean, simple and elegant.  She likes the Dina Wakley chickadees and so the focus of the birthday card was this adorable little sparrow.  And without much fuss and mess I crafted a CAS card.

 

I started the background by splattering and dripping silks acrylic glaze (fuzzy peach) onto heavy white cardstock (I said there wasn't MUCH mess; there always has to be a bit of mess).  I highlighted and transformed the splatters into little precious flowers with my gelly roll pen (black).  The sparrow was highlighted with vintage photo distress ink and perched onto of a Memory Box birch tree (converted into a branch) which was cut from cherry wood paper.

 

I added some greenery to the tree/now branch.  The adorable cloud thread is a Memory Box die-cut.

Coming soon: Father's Day cards (either late for this, early for next year or something to consider for that special man birthday), Finnabair, Dina Wakley and the two retirement/memory books.

Thank you so much for stopping by.