Every Moment Pin by Pinky Hobbs

Good morning, Pinky here with a pin tutorial today.

If you think you can make jewelry from paper, well you can! :) 

Here is a step by step tutorial on making this pin.

Using Samantha Walker Orchard Harvest papers (6X6 pad works great)

Open Samantha Walker 8 Piece Tag Set in Design Studio (Silhouette Software).

Select entire group- Click UNGROUP

Delete all tags except the two chosen for pin.

Resize each tag to same size. 

Cut using Silhouette, remove from sticky mat.

Stamp Sentiment on middle of base (Samantha Walker  Retro Mod Clocks)

Using ink- "tarnish" around top layer of tag. 

Lay onto wax, parchment paper, or non-stick mat....coat top layer

thoroughly with Crackle Effects. (It will bend but you can straighten after it dries).

Coat base (not too thick) using Glastique or a clear coating.

 After they completely dry (overnight is suggested) adhere layers using strong adhesive. 

Lay between 2 books for '1-2 hours for very flat pin base. 

If you want all around sealing, turn pin over and coat again using 

Glastique or a clear coating, allow to dry additional 24 hours. 

 Add Liquid Pearl accents, using strong glass/acrylic adhesive-add crystal beads.

 Adhere pin back.

 Pinky Hobbs- Samantha Walker Creative Team

*******

Sneak Peek: Spellbinders™ Summer Spectacular Day 4

I love this time of year! Don’t you? It’s fun to have the kids home from school, we’ve been actively engaging in swim team, having water fights in the backyard, and forgetting that it’s dinner time because the sun doesn’t want to go down. While they run around in the sun, I can enjoy their fun kid noises from my home office as I busily create new things for you to create with. I’ve been especially anxious about sharing my new Spellbinders™ sets with you!

This summer I have two new sets releasing with Spellbinders...a set with a Parisian theme...which is perfect for all your girly projects...and the second set a botanical themed set with a whole new concept in die cut crafts...just wait...you’ll see what I mean in just a minute...
Here is the first project I created:

Spellbinders Supplies:
Grand Calibur® 

S5-146 Botanical Swirls and Accents MSRP $29.99 (used in the first project)

S5-145 French Frills MSRP $29.99 (used in the second project)




















Cross Promotional Partners Supplies:

JustRite stamps Ooh La La French Frills clear stamp set (New CHA Summer 2012!)

JustRite stamps Botanical Swirls Label cling rubber stamp set (New CHA Summer 2012!)
Other Supplies:

colored card stock (pink & brown)

various ink (pink and brown)

make-up applicator powder puff

wax paper

Today I’m going to share the steps to create the card wrap pictured above with the Botanical Swirls and Accents set.

First I cut a 8 ⅛ x 8 ⅛" square out of card stock.

{Die preparation hint: this is a very intricately detailed die...please run the die through your Grand Calibur® machine with wax paper first to make die releasing easier...or you can lay wax paper over your project as you cut your card stock. This is what I did--makes releasing the paper from the die a piece of cake.} Here's a video link that also references the wax paper tip...you'll love the detailed dies that Kim Hupke shares in this fantastic clip.

Next I laid my corner piece from my Botanical Swirls set exactly over one corner of the 8 ⅛" square. Make sure that the edge of the die is exactly on the edge of your paper. Then I taped the die into place.

Then I ran it through the Grand Calibur® machine. Then I removed the die and positioned it into the next corner.

After the second corner was cut, I removed the outer edge of excess paper so that it didn’t get caught in the machine. (You can also see that my wax paper is getting smaller. I remove the cut corner portion of the wax paper each time I release the paper from the die.) I repeated this 1 time on each corner until all 4 corners are cut.

This is the portion wax paper part I remove after each corner is cut.

Then I embossed it with using the base plate, rubber mat and pink plate and ran it through the machine again.

After embossing each corner I quickly stenciled the high points of my embossed areas with a light pink ink, and then repeated the process until I embossed and inked all 4 corners. (Yes, that is a make-up powder puff I used to apply the ink with...you can get them cheap at the drug store and they wash up great.) The inked areas really highlight the embossed areas as shown in the photo below.

Next I folded the corners into the center, making sure to fold only at the dotted line. (You don’t want to fold the delicate design area.)

Then to crease the flaps so that they laid down flat, I ran it through my Grand Calibur one more time with my base plate, the rubber pad, and my pink embossing plate. I made sure the embossing rubber mat was touching my embossed leaves so that it didn’t flatten my project as I run it through to crease the folds.
I placed a black 5 ½" square card insert into my card wrap. You can get creative with your card insert, but I just left mine simple here as I’m only demoing the card wrap portion of this project today.

Then I used the large leafy window die to cut the artisan shape for my card wrap seal. I didn’t use the leafy frame, but rather the insert from the center of the leafy frame. I stamped that with my NEW coordinating stamp set from JustRite stamps called Botanical Swirls Labels.
Then I cut the a smaller artisan square using the smaller square die from the set (which has 4 holes punched in it which makes it perfect for threading ribbon.) Then I stamped this piece with the “Love You” stamp from the Botanical Swirls and Labels set from JustRite.
Then I layered my labels onto one another, and thread black checked ribbon through two of the holes on my smaller label, and secured it around my card wrap.
Here are few other ideas for this set:

I wanted to mention that if you start with an 8 ⅛ X 8 ⅛" square (like we did in the project above,) your result will be four corners that fold into the center without overlapping each other. See how the corner looks in this picture below?  That is what you are looking for when using this die to fold a card wrap.

However...

If you start with a square that is 7 ¾ X 7 ¾", your result will be overlapping edges when the corners are folded in. This can be desirable if you are trying to create an envelope instead of a card wrap. You will want to trim the inside corners that are created as you fold as to not add bulk in the folded corners. Then you can glue the overlaps down to seal them like an envelope and leave one of the flaps unsealed for the envelope opening.
Another idea is to buy or create a square envelop and then use the triangle die from this set to simply cut a lacy design in the envelope opening flap.
This set has so much potential for all kinds of projects. I would love to see what unique ways you find to use this set. I can't wait to see what YOU create!


For even more ideas with the botanical set, you should click HERE. Kim Hupke introduces even more fantastic ways to work with this set.

 Next project...

I made this project (or should I say projects) with my Paris Frills set...Oh My Heavens!!! Let me just say...this set has addiction written all over it! There is so much fun girly stuff all in one set!

Do you want to know how I created that 3D Eiffel tower??? 

Well I’m not going to tell you today...you will have to come back tomorrow.

It’s so easy peasy lemon squeezy...

I only use one die...and a little adhesive.

Really!

And those dress forms in the card above...well I’ll show you how you can use your Grand Calibur® like a letterpress to really show off the emboss detail of these fun dies.

One more thing...If you come back, I’ll also show you my new coordinating stamp set that I used on this card. 

So please come back tomorrow to see a few more tricks and ideas.

Now for the contest info:

The Sneak Peek: Spellbinders™ Summer Spectacular! 

Begins on June 21st and will end on June 28th, 2012. It consists of 24 individual prizes and one grand prize drawing. Enter the Sneak Peek: Spellbinders™ Summer Spectacular! by visiting the participating blogs each day.

At the end of each blog post, click on the "Enter HERE" to open the entry form. You may only enter once from each blog each day.

Spellbinders™ will randomly draw one winner from each participating blog to receive that blog’s newly revealed dies. The Grand Prize Winner will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants who sent entry forms from each and every participating blog during the 48 hours each blog was open. For the full list of official rules please click RULES.

The contest is now closed!

Don’t forget to enter at today’s other participating blogs!

Debbie Olson

Michelle Woerner

Questions? 

ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us

No entries will be accepted at this email address. 

"Hi Resolution - A New Year's Studio Meet and Greet"

Updated: If you are looking for my studio remodel project, scroll down...I talk about it in this studio-tour blog-hop....then you may want to hop to the other artist blogs to see their working studios. It's a treat!

Thanks for stopping by!

If you've been hopping through the other artist's blogs in our group before you came to mine, I bet you've already enjoyed so much before landing here. Your last stop should have been Phyllis Dobbs blog. If you happened upon my blog before going through the other blogs in this fun hop...may I suggest you start at the beginning Aaron Christensen's blog and enjoy the journey.  We are having a "Little Studio Tour and Meet and Greet." I have some incredibly talented and wonderfully warm friends...and I think you will agree too! After my blog, you will visit the outrageously talented Sharon Himes.

Samantha Walker copyright 2011

Now that we've made it through the holidays...and we've entered the New Year...I've had the chance to reflect on my past year with hopes of how I can make this year even better.

Last year...
was such a fantastic whirlwind of a year, with so many exciting things happening in my licensing business. In addition to continuing my design work in fabric, paper crafts and home decor, I added two more regular licenses. I am thrilled to be designing cut and emboss dies for Spellbinder's Paper Arts.

Samantha Walker copyright 2011

What's my big project this year?
This year, my husband and I decided that we would finish our basement, which will include a whole revamp of my studio space, and add a man-cave for him.

So Why remodel?
We've been in our home for a while, and our kids our getting older. We are looking for a place to to entertain older kids and their friends.  I'm also looking forward to creating a creative space that works. I started working more...and my space wasn't sufficient to all the kinds of work that I was doing. It will be so nice to finally have one central area that I can design, sew, craft, play, work...etc.  I've been divided between areas as my computer is currently upstairs...and all the crafty stuff is downstairs.  Bringing it all together this year is going to be fabulously fun!

Samantha Walker copyright 2010

Well...this is what my studio used to look like...
In all it's uninspiring glory, and not connected with my computer area--which is upstairs in the office. It would be a great place if it were just a hobby space, but my hobby has now become work, and this space just hasn't been very practical these days. I spend a lot of time traveling between the computer upstairs and this space here.

It was also the only room finished in our basement. You had to walk across the entire unfinished basement part to get to this room that was finished by the previous owners. I was grateful to have it...but it was time for a total makeover. 

Tearing down walls...
We decided to tear down the closet wall, and put the door on an entirely different wall. The closet area, will become my main crafting area. Here's a crude drawing of what I hope the crafting alcove will look like when it's finished:

Collecting used items:
I've been buying used cabinets through local classified adds and have been putting the area together with the pieces that I've collected. The turquoise cabinet in the middle is a kitchen buffet cart that I'll be painting turquoise and distressing. The cabinet group in the middle is a bargain I found on an IKEA glass cabinet and two side cabinets. I also found 4 file coordinating file cabinets for my room...two will serve as a base for holding my countertops--we will put bead board on the outside edge to make them look nice. My husband will help build some shelves to connect the cabinets.  The panel on the right side wall is a fold down ironing board that mounts between the wall joists.  It will fold over the top of the counter, I'm using every inch of space I have.  

This is what my room looked like a few weeks ago...

So in this picture...I'm standing in the area that used to be my closet looking into my room...

What a mess!   The contents of my studio and a myriad of other basement contents are under that tarp! You've heard the phrase you have to make a mess in order to organize a mess. It can only get better from here...right?

You can see the full effect of tearing down that wall here...

Yup...the walls are completely gone on the closet side. We had to install a beam and a post...because evidently, the front wall of the closet happened to be a support wall.  Dang...

Framing it in...
Here, we've framed in the back crafting alcove and built the post that holds the beam right into the wall. You may wonder why the strange cut-out shape on the backside of my room...we have a clever idea of adding a kitchenette with a restaurant booth in that alcove.  If you use your imagination...that black post thing-y in the middle of the alcove will attach to the wood support between the wall joists to hold up the table between the booth seats. We have literally measured the furniture on both sides of the wall to determine where the walls will go...there won't be a wasted millimeter of space when we are done. 

A room with no doors...
In the above picture, you are looking at my room but can't see in. The wall in this picture is where a fun sliding barn door will go...if you haven't figured it out already...the room has no door at present...we boxed it in on the other side too, where we rebuilt the closet area into a craft alcove. 

So right now, if you want anything from that room, you have to go through the wall studs to get it. 

Unfortunately, all the Christmas wrapping paper is in there under the tarp somewhere, and I still have lots of things to wrap. I felt as magical as Santa Claus with the ability to go through walls.  Not really...I felt more like the abominable snowman getting a nice white coating of dust and trying to squeeze through the studs while holding boxes of wrapping stuff. I made it back through to the other side, but the box didn't. I had to grab single rolls, one by one through the studs. It's going to be crazy around here for the next few months.

In this photo, I'm standing where we are going to cut the space for the barn doors in my room looking out to the room that will be next to mine. This will become our wide open family room.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the more interesting window side of the room. It is light and bright for a basement.  My ultimate goal is to get the basement not to look like a basement in the end.

The Plans:
You can see what I mean from using every last millimeter of space...and building our walls around furniture. If you visited my blog a few weeks ago and saw the post on my studio remodel then...I've modified my plan a bit as we've moved along on our project.

Updated to add... This was just one of 9 posts detailing my studio remodel project.

If you want to catch up on the whole project you can read more in these posts here:

The beginning plans sketched out (don't laugh at the timeline here...Putting it together has truly been a process.)

Starting with a Door

Etching the glass doors

The story of the Printers Cabinet and Armoire (the debate to paint or not to paint...so glad I did not paint!!!)

The Floors this post

The Paint

Moving in

The Details 

The extras 

Thank you again for stopping by! I am grateful to those of you support my products...I wouldn't have the opportunity to design for these companies, without those of you who choose to create or decorate with my designs...Thank You!  For those of you who aren't familiar with my designs, and this is your first time visiting my blog...Thank You also for taking time to get a little glimpse into my world.  I appreciate you too!

The next blog on the hop is Sharon Himes, make sure to pay her a visit...she is a You'll love here art studio in a quiet hideaway! 

If you get lost....

Here is a complete list of the bloggers participating in this studio meet and greet...you are in for a treat!