Stickles

What are stickles? They are like the greatest invention
ever! No, not really but they are awesome, one of my
favorites. They are a must have for every scrapbooker!

Stickles are a thick glitter gel that comes in many
colors. They are so easy to use. The fine tip let's
you apply as much or as little as you want. All you
do is squeeze the bottle.

Here are some examples on how to used them, but
remember there are many more. I am
sure you can come up with some yourself.

**Used them to highlight circles, stars, squares or any other
form with dots (see ex. 1) see layout.

**Use as a flower center on small flowers like primas or
coat the entire flower for a sparkly look. Also use it

on brads. (see ex. 2)

**Use it to glue down ghost letters, flowers or stars
from Heidi Swapp. (see ex. 3)

**Use on chipboards, decorated them or outline them.
(see ex. 4)

Other ideas, try to highlight/enhance rubber
or clear stamps.

The possibilities
are endless. Remember to let them dry at least two hours or maybe
overnight if you use a lot of it.

So add sparkle and excitement to your layouts and cards. And remember
have fun.

Heat Embossing

I was introduced to heat embossing a few years ago at a Stampin' Up workshop. At first I was really nervous and not sure what I was doing, but after a few tries I realized what a cool technique it was!

Supplies you will need are your stamp of choice (both rubber stamps and acrylic stamps are fine for this), versamark, a versamarker or versaink, embossing powder, a small paintbrush, a heating tool, and I like to have a funnel tray (although a paper towel or waxed paper will do nicely too).


First you want to ink up your stamp with your versamark, make sure you thoroughly cover your stamp but don't flood it or your detail will be ruined. Then ink your paper, if you are using versamark it will leave a watermark. Shake your embossing powder entirely over the stamped image, it should be entirely covered. Hold your image over your tray or waxed paper and tap off all excess powder and return to jar. With your small paintbrush sweep off any extra powder as this will melt when heated and show in your finished product.

Once you are happy with your powdered image get your heating tool out and turn it on for a few seconds to let it heat up. Hold it directly over your image but not to close, you can singe the paper. You're image is embossed when it turns from powdery to glossy (if you are using a distress powder it will not gloss). It usually takes only 2-3 seconds for it to change. Make sure you get the entire image glossy and then let it cool off. It will be a beautiful raised image when you are done.

Create your own Rub On's

If any of you are like me you see some graphics, dingbats or other types of fonts you wished came in rub on's..well now you can have them.

Supplies you will need:

transparency
computer
word processing program
INK jet printer (you cannot use laset jet)
bone folder or craft stick
cardstock

Step one:
Open your word processing program and type the saying or whatever you want. Dingbats..alpahabet..phrases..graphics..clip art
(make sure you don't violate and copyright though!)

Step two:
Before printing, set your printer at the photo quality or “best” quality print so you can get a lot of ink transfered. Remember to reverse or mirror your text - it must print out backwards! Then print.

Step three:
Set your printed transparency aside for about 15 minutes for the ink to dry a bit. (If you use it too soon, it will smear.

Step four:
Flip the transparency over (ink-side down) and gently place over your cardstock exactly where you want the image. Using a craft stick or a bonefolder, rub over the entire printed image to transfer the ink to the cardstock. (This is the same process as using a store-bought rub-on's.) There may be some ink left over on the transparency; this can be cleaned off with alcohol and used again.

Step five:
Use your image or text to decorate a scrapbook page, a card, or even an altered gift item...the possibilities are endless!


Some tips-
*You can not use a laser printer for this...#1 - the transparency will melt (unless it is a special kind) and ruin your printer...#2 - the image/text is not printed with a wet ink...nothing will transfer from the transparency.

*I don’t know if it matters what side of the transparency you use. Some say you must use the shiny side and some say you must use the rough side. My transparency was shiny on both sides...

*Someone gave the tip of spraying the transparency with Krylon Preserve It before printing for easier removal of the rub-on...I didn’t try this and mine worked fine. If your image is not rubbing off smoothly, you may want to check it out.

*the only difference in making your own and store bought is when you rub off your own that you made only the image is rubbed off there is no "haze" around the image or letter like there is with store bought!

Happy Creating! It's addicting :)

NOTE: I did not come up with this I saw this somewhere a while back and don't remember where*

Greta...a side note from me (Noel)....I love this idea especially since you can make your rub ons any color you want (provided you have a color ink jet) and any size! Great tips!

Sew Simple

When I first noticed stitching on layouts, I thought to myself, “I’ll never be able to try that—I can’t sew!” But you know what? Even the worst seamstress (which I would probably qualify for) can sew on layouts! Stitching on your layouts adds another dimension to your project and helps to “anchor” your elements to the page.

**The first thing I do before sewing on any layout is practice on an extra sheet of paper. I like to make sure my stitching will look right and it helps to check the overall threading of the machine.

**When you are comfortable with the look of the stitch, sew directly on the paper BEFORE adhering it to the layout. If you adhere it first, you are likely to have bubbles in your page. Only after you stitch do you adhere to the layout.

**If you find that you have trouble sewing a straight line, keep your layout in the “freestyle” form so that a crooked stitch fits right in with the design.

**Get the look of sewn on buttons by running thread through buttons with a needle as your guide. Simply attach them with a glue dot once they are threaded.

**If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can still get the sewn look by handstitching. Use a needle and thick thread directly on your paper—it usually helps to punch the holes beforehand so that you can just run the stitch quickly through with the needle.

**Remember that sewing on paper usually wears out a needle faster than sewing on material. Change your needle often and have fun trying this new technique!

The QuicKutz Silhoutte

by Apryl Herrell

Best thing since sliced bread? Almost! It’s the best thing since die cut machines anyway. The Silhoutte by QuicKutz is a very versatile crafting tool.

The software that comes with the Silhoutte is easy to use. There are preloaded shapes in the software, and you can use any font installed on your computer. Additional shapes are available to download, and can be purchased directly from the Silhoutte software.

The best part is; you aren’t limited to the QuicKutz shapes! There is an option in the software to capture the outline of any image you choose! For example: I needed a coffee cup for this layout.

I just found a coffee cup image online, and saved it to my computer. I then went into the Silhoutte software and clicked on the green square at the end of the toolbar. From there you can load your image and make a cutting outline. Obviously some shapes will work better than others, but imagine the possibilities!!

You can use this same technique to create welded (connected letter) words. I use Photoshop (or your favorite photo/graphic editing software) to type out a word. If the letters aren’t already connected, I move them around until they are. I then save it as a JPEG file. Then you can go into the Silhoutte software and capture an outline just like I did with the coffee cup.

All in all, the Silhoutte is a very versatile tool. You have complete control over the size and shape of your ‘die’ cutting. Let your imagination go wild!