Studio Calico

weekly challenge

Hi! Maile here, and I'm so glad to be joining you today to give you this weeks challenge.  How many of you have a few favorite go-to layouts or designs?  I do for sure.  I have a few basic designs that I like to refer to from time to time; either when I find myself stuck and need a place to jump start my creativity or just need to create something real quick.

 

So, my challenge to you is to pull out one of your favorite basic designs and quickly assemble a trio of cards.  Stick to the same layout, but switch things up by using different pattern papers and embellishments on each project.

 

For my card trio, I've chosen to pair my favorite go-to layout with the new Darling Dear collection...

(supplies : patterned paper - Darling Dear 6x6 Paper Pack ; stamps - Darling Sentiments ; stickers - Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Hearts and Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Speech Bubbles ; veneer - Darling Dear Wood Veneer Tags & Plates ; cardstock - Papertrey Ink Rustic Cream ; ink - Archival Viridian and Papertrey Ink Limeade Ice, Canyon Clay, Ocean Tides, Enchanted Evening, Dark Chocolate)

It's easy to quickly crank out an assortment of projects when sticking to one basic design.  So whether you're planning on cranking out Christmas cards or just need to refill your card stash, this just might be the quick fix you need.  I hope you give this challenge a go! To be entered to win a $5 GC to the Studio Calico Shop, just complete a project based on this challenge, then upload it to the Studio Calico gallery. Leave us a link to your project by November 12th in the comments here.

stamps

Our CHA-S release stamps have made it to the Studio Calico shop!We know you've been waiting patiently for these, and will want to ink them up the second you get them. Here's a little inspiration to get you started!

 

(spread joy by Lisa Spangler - featuring the Spread Joy stamp set : veneer trees - Studio Calico; ink - Hero Arts Ruby Dye Ink & Green Hills mid-tone ink, Evergreen Bough Distress ink, Colorbox white pigment ink; notecard - Hero Arts; embossing folder - Hero Arts/ Sizzix; twine - Lawn Fawn; other - Rock Candy Distress Stickles)

(happy holidays by Dawn McVey - featuring the Spread Joy stamp set : veneer - Wonderland snowflakes; patterned paper - Wonderland Toboggan, Alpine, Ice Caps;

(Junkstock by Lisa Truesdell - featuring Oh Snap and Sam stamp sets : patterned paper - Studio Calico Wonderland Toboggan; Darling Dear Flynn, Temple, Monroe, Hepburn Vellum; feather veneer - Sock Hop kit, ledger washi - Roller Rink kit; thickers - Charcoal Sotheby's; star sequin - Yearbook Ephemera; chipboard heart - Darling Dear Printed Chipboard Hearts ; arrows - Darling Dear Heart & Arrow Stickers, Vellum Shapes; ink - Hero Arts Wet Cement, Black StazOn; tiny attacher)

(Back to School by Kelly Noel - featuring the Back to School stamp set : cardstock - American Crafts; patterned paper - SC Darling Dear Flynn, SC Darling Dear Monroe; stickers - SC Darling Dear Hearts & Arrows;  ink - Prima Chalk Edger; diecuts - SC Yearbook Ephemera Pack; badge - SC Darling Dear Badges)

(Love Jason and Lisa by Lisa Spangler - featuring the Cal & Spread Joy stamp sets : mist - Mister Huey's Calico White; ink - Hero Arts Neon Pink, Neon Green, Soft Granite and Tide Pool; Colorbox white pigment ink; gems - Hero Arts; washi - Heidi Swapp & etsy; other - gray cardstock and corner rounder punch)

We're excited to see what all of you make with these stamps!

tutorial

If you love stamping, mists, and rainbows…I've got a fun tutorial to share with you today!  I used this same technique on my "Happy Day" layout from the Summer of '69 gallery, using the awesome chevron stamp from the Five and Dime add on.  It's very easy to do and who doesn't love pretty colors?  If you take the time to gather your supplies and get everything ready before you start, it's pretty fast too.  Let's get started!

1.  Gather your supplies:  stamp (large background stamps work well), Versamark ink pad, white embossing powder, white card stock, foam brush, and a rainbow of Mister Huey's mist colors, heat gun, water in a small bowl, some aluminum foil to use as a "tray" (or something else to hold the mist drops).


2.  Using the Versamark ink pad, stamp the image onto the white card stock. (I'm making a card in this tutorial, so I'll just be stamping my 4x6 background stamp once.  For my layout I stamped repeatedly to get a larger background.)  I've used clear embossing powder for this technique also, but really white works the best and gives a crisper resist image on white card stock.  Sprinkle the white embossing powder onto the stamped image, shake off the excess gently, and heat emboss.  You'll end up with a white on white image that's hard to see.  But that will soon change! 



3.  I like to make a little tray out of some aluminum foil to hold my mist drops.  If you fold up the edges it keeps everything contained and you get to toss it afterwards…less mess!  Open up the mist bottles and drop a few drops of each color onto the foil as shown.  You don't need much for a smaller project like a card.

4.  Now comes the fun part!  Dip your foam brush in the water to moisten it and then dip it into the first color you want to use (RED!).  Now just brush it across the stamped image.  I decided to make my rainbow go diagonally across the card, so I painted on the mist in that direction.  You want to let the color fade as you move to the next mist color in your line up, so maybe grab a little more water on your brush and swipe it across the red on your image again towards the bottom edge.  Rinse your brush and repeat with the orange, then the yellow, then green, etc until you have all the colors done.  You can go back and add a little more water in places that end up too vivid or add mist to the places that are too washed out.  Just work quickly so that it stays wet and remember to wash off your brush in between colors. 

5.  After you have all the colors finished, take a paper towel and carefully (with the towel wrapped around your index finger) wipe the mist off of the embossed image.  Rotate the towel often so that you have a clean area to wipe with.  The embossing powder will act as a resist and the mist will come off when rubbed.  Now your embossed image should show up beautifully!

6.  Trim your card stock to the desired size and embellish.  You'll notice that the colors do fade a bit as they dry.

(Supplies:  white card stock; Versamark ink pad; Zing! white embossing powder; Zap heat gun, Studio Calico Mister Huey's mists: Overdue, Sunset, Sherbet  Taxi, Pickle, Bluegrass, and Bonney Blue; Heyday Sunburst Background Stamp; Heyday Sentiments Stamp; More Vellum; Black Stazon; Acrylic Block; Studio Calico Veneer Stars)

And that's it!  I hope you'll give this technique a try and share your creations in the member gallery. Have a great day!

Heyday Sentiment Stamps

Today we're putting the spotlight on our Heyday Sentiments stamp set! This set of phrases is just as at home on cards as it is on layouts. Here are five projects from our design team showing this versatile set in use! Just click on the links below each project to get a full list of supplies and more information.

(Kinsey Wilson // ahoy)

(lovely // Dawn McVey)

(Susan Weinroth // surfer dude-ing)

(Nicole Samuels // canvas)

(Tina Aszmus // AK State Fair 2011)

Have you had a chance to use this stamp set? Link us up in the comments - we'd love to see!

cha-s 2012 : stamps

And finally, it's stamp time!! We're excited about our latest stamp release with Hero Arts, and hope you are too. We've brought back some old favorites and mixed them with new designs that we think you'll love!

First up, our Yearbook stamps. Back to School features thought bubbles and the coveted coffee stain stamp :

And our Claire alphabet is just as pretty as the girl it's named after. ;)

For Wonderland, we have our Spread Joy set - I love the handwritten word bubbles and the little house stamps :

And our Cal alphabet, which also features some cool circle designs :

I think our Classic Calico Vol 3 sets are my favorite - Oh Snap has arrows (be still my heart!), hexagons and the sorts of phrases you'll reach for again and again :

 

And of course, we couldn't forget Sam - another alphabet set that we've paired with some basic geometric shapes :

What do you think of the stamps? Our design team can't wait to get their hands on them - we hope you feel the same way!

There's just one more day of reveal... come back tomorrow for a closer look at the Handbooks, along with some sneaks from our team!

Summer Stamp School

Just when you thought school was out for the summer, we're ready to put you back in class! Join us in July for Summer Stamp School taught by stamping extraordinaire Robyn Werlich.

This self-paced class is complete with amazing PDF lessons you can download all at once to use at your own pace. You'll find new techniques and amazing inspiration from your favorite stampers.


Included in the cost of the class is an EXCLUSIVE stamp set (not available separately, ships free) designed just for Summer Stamp School. You'll see Robyn and contributors put this awesome set to work throughout the class.


The dream team of contributors joining Robyn are: Danielle Flanders, Ali Edwards, April Foster, Vee Jennings, Nicole Harper, Jessica Witty, Susan Weinroth, Shari Carroll, Geralyn Sy, Jennifer McGuire, Davinie Fiero, Maile Belles, Dawn McVey, Keisha Campbell, and Teri Anderson.

Registration ends June 30th and the classroom opens July 1st with all materials available on that date. See you in class!

Tina's Tutorial

Hey Guys! Tina here with a quick tutorial using the brand spanking new Studio Calico stamps from their recent release of the Take Note line.

I was immediatly drawn to the speech bubble stamp and found that a repetive pattern would make a great statement to this layout. I gathered my supplies, which included my black Staz On ink pad, an acrylic mounting block, my Honey Bee scissors & the ProArts Glue Gun. I also printed off some wallet sized photos as well as a collage of some Instagrams which you can do easisly in Picnik. 


Start by stamping the speech bubble on several different patterned papers & cut out. I also wanted to use some of the other stamps in these sets like the PRINT & Approval.

Next, I stamped the image over several smaller sized photos & cut those out. (please excuse my unkept acrylic block...it's in dire need of a cleaning)

To assemple the layout, I knew I wanted some of the images to pop off the page so I adhered them with foam tabs. I left a blank spot at the bottom right corner to work in my title. This is where you can make these stamps work for you. I often cut up wording because they don't always fit & I'm not not going to use an image I love just because of that. The quote was very fitting for me right now & I wanted to emphasize the word BELIEVED. I used the Amy Tan thickers from the Handmade kit for the title & worked the stamp around the word by cutting "she".


I added a few speckles of Atmosphere mist at the bottom to finish it off. 

Thanks for joining me today! Hope this inspires you to think outside the box with your stamps as far as using photographs and cutting up phrases. 

 

CHA 2012: SC + Hero Arts Stamps

Today I'm excited to share one of my favorite parts of our CHA release... the new stamps!  The Studio Calico stamps will still be produced by Hero Arts, so you can still count on that great quality they've always produced. We've brought back some of your favorite designs and combined them with ones that are sure to be new favorites.

Here's a look at the Abroad stamps:

 

 

All single state name stamps

Cling rubber background

Here are the stamps for the Take Note line:

 

Cling rubber background

And here are the Classic Calico Vol. 2 stamps:

Cling rubber background

Cling rubber

We hope that you like the new stamps!  The design team has been playing with them already so be on the lookout for the stamps to start popping up on their pages soon.

Hero Arts Blog Hop!

Welcome back for the final day of the Studio Calico and Hero Arts Blog Hop.  If you aren't inspired to get stamping yet - well we have 7 more chances to get you that way with our last 7 stops on the blog hop.  And we will start things off with some major inspiration by finally revealing in its entirety the new Studio Calico/Hero Arts line of stamps.

Look for these beauties to be available from your favorite retailers and online shops in Mid-August.

And just like the previous two days, figure out which designer made this amazing project using the new stamps, come back here and leave us a comment and we will draw 2 winners to win a Memoir Collection paper pack. 

Next stop in the hop is the Hero Arts Blog, where I am guessing there will be even MORE opportunities to win amazing prizes!

Studio Calico & Hero Arts Blog Hop!

Last week was a big one with the reveal of our 3 brand new collections as well as some fun new products we are launching next week at Summer CHA.  Well now is certainly not the time to stop the fun, so how about we keep things going with a three day blog hop with our friends at Hero Arts!

As previously announced we have collaborated with Hero Arts to co-develop a series of clear and cling stamps coming in August! Members of the Hero Arts and Studio Calico design team have been busy creating with these new stamps and we can't wait to show them off. 
 
You have a chance to win great prizes at BOTH Studio Calico and Hero Arts!!!

So before you head over to the Hero Arts Blog and see what they have going on and their fabulous giveaway...  take a look at the below sneak of one of the projects you will find as you make your way through the hop today.  Then come back here and tell us whose blog you saw this project on to be entered to win one of 2 paper collection packs from our new Classic Calico Collection. We will randomly draw 2 winners from all the correct entries.

See you at the end of the hop today and come back tomorrow for even more great stamping projects and another chance to win!