Gingersnap Creations

Wrap-Up: GC133 - Use a Set

2012-01-31T00:01:00.009-05:00

Great work with all your great sets! Thanks to all who played! Your art was amazing.

Thanks to Stampotique Originals for their generous sponsorship of this challenge! The winner receives a US$30.00 gift certificate to the Stampotique Originals store.

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Mary Ann Potter

Congratulations, Mary Ann! Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by February 21, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Set-Sensational
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Zuzu

Artwork by Sharon Celtic Crafter

Artwork by Karin (Peppermint Patty)

Artwork by Dawn

Artwork by Happy Days

Artwork by Debbie R

Artwork by Avril B

Artwork by Caro!Q

Artwork by Salamanda

Artwork by Terry

Special Guests

Artwork by MeggyMay
Visiting Artist November 2011

Artwork by Trisha Too
Ginger

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Chestnut Theme Challenge.

Nicks: Are You Getting Rusty??

2012-01-29T00:01:00.000-05:00

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my last tutorial - I am loving my time on Gingersnaps with you all.

For my second tutorial with you I thought I would share my way of obtaining a rust effect, without the use of expensive, complicated and potentially toxic potions. You can use this on many different surfaces, but if you want to use it on a non-porous surface you will need to use a coat of gesso first so that your surface has a 'key'.

For this tutorial I am demonstrating on a piece of mountboard.

You will need:

PVA

a large brush

- such as a decorating brush or I use an old stencil brush - do not use your best/new brush as this technique will ruin it, use an old beat up one that you didn't clean properly when you decorated the living room!

Acrylic paint

Black

Orange

Brown

Grey

Palette (I recycle polystyrene trays Pizza trays)

Old credit card

Sand

Apply a generous coat of PVA to the mountboard using the credit card (you can of course use a brush - but CC's are easier to clean and quicker).

If you stole the sand out of your husbands green house like I did, you need to make sure it is dry. I spread it mine onto a baking tray and popped it into the oven on a low heat for just a few minutes.

Sprinkle the sand over the wet PVA - dont be too particular, you dont want it to be too even, tip the excess onto a scrap piece of paper and tip back into the pot.

Mine was a bit too even for my liking, so I rubbed a bit off here and there with my finger.

Allow it to dry.

Get all your paints ready by squirting a generous amount onto your pallette - my orange was running a bit short and I tapped the bottle to get it out - as you can see some splashed into the other colours, but that'sok as they are all going to get blended anyway. You don't want to wash your brush in between using each colour, as the mixing of colour adds to the effect.

Start to apply your paint using a pouncing action, don't try to brush it on. Try not to think too hard about what you are doing as you want a very random effect. Twist and turn your brush so that you dont get too many repeat patterns. Start with both black and brown on your brush as these will be the main colours on you piece - then move away from the black and add brown and grey.

Finally add touches of orange - keep playing until you are happy but dont overwork the project and muddy the colours TOO much.

I used some green Adirondack colour wash to add a hint of 'verdigris' as I only wanted a hint I removed the spary attachment from the bottle and splattered it on rather than spraying it - then gave it a light spray of water to blend it into the paint.

Heyhoe.... final result. (two different pieces) It looks fab in the 'flesh' and has a lovely rusted texture.

Now it is yours to do with as you wish.

I made mine into a cover for a large box of matches that lives somewhere in our front room ready to light the fire - its such an ugly box that I wanted to make it look more beautiful so it could live on the mantelpiece.

Initial plans was to decorate it, but actually I like it quite plain and simple - plus I realised it would be getting a a lot of handling, so I am leaving it as you see it in the photos.

So there you have my second tutorial, I hope you have enjoyed it and will have a go, I would love to see any works of art you produce. Please hop over to my blog and leave me a comment with a link to your blog and I will visit and have a look

Thank you for having me as your Muse

Happy Creating

Nicks x

Stampotique Goes Green

2012-01-26T00:01:00.005-05:00

We're all green with envy at the fabulous inspiration that the Stampotique Originals team has given us as they play along with our new Color Challenge - Glorious Greens!

Artwork by Willy
using Large Stylized Happy Birthday
and Twinkie from Stampotique Originals

Artwork by R. Maria Sabina
including Bird in a Cage and and Beauty Verse
from Stampotique Originals

Artwork by Jane Wetzel
using Floating Dog
from Stampotique Originals

Artwork by Gez Butterworth
using Angel and Kitty
from Stampotique Originals

A big thanks to the wonderful design team members of Stampotique Originals for playing along with us all month!

Annette Goatley: Going Green with a Canvas Diary

2012-01-26T00:01:00.004-05:00

Hi, these are the products I used to alter this 50p Diary.

A Sheet of Acrylic Canvas 12" x 10" (sold as a pad), Mask, Rubber Stamp, Texture Paste, Acrylics: Copper and Hookers Green, Fabric Glue, Palette Knife, Sponge and an old Kitchen Tile for Mixing.

Placing the Mask on the Canvas Sheet, use your palette knife to apply the Texture Paste. Once dry apply the Acrylic Paints and Stamp.

Thought you would like to see a close up of the finished Canvas Sheet.

Luckily my Canvas Sheet was the perfect size for the Diary which measured 8" x 6" and I had enough left over for a large bookmark. The great thing about the Acrylic Canvas Sheet is that it stretches beautifully so when you glue it onto the diary it fits brilliantly.

You can add extra embellishments according to your likes. This has a lovely feel to it, very touchable and much softer than Sticky Back Canvas.

Wishing you all a very creative weekend, hugs Annette x

GC136: Color Challenge - Glorious Greens

2012-01-25T00:01:00.010-05:00

Here we are in the midst of winter weather with white and gray dominating the landscape. So what are we going to do? We're going to inject some

Glorious Greens

Artwork by Annette Goatley
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Bird Legs (small) & We cannot all do great things

into our art! Embrace the color green and let it infuse your art! From lime to olive to moss to forest green, let the color of growth and life inspire you.

We would like to thank Stampotique Originals for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!
One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a $30 voucher to the Stampotique Originals store.

When the challenge closes on January 29 , 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using shades of green as your color palette;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on February 21, 2012. You have until February 19, 2012 to enter!

The Gingers really let their art grow and blossom with this lush challenge!

The Fresh and
Gingers

Artwork by Sharon Briss
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Chilly

Artwork by Suzanne Brookfield
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Femme Collage & Collage Definition

Artwork by Alexa Noble
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Hiya Cinth & Fabulous

Artwork by Joanne Wardle
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Grass & Quiet Place

Artwork by Laura Liddell
Featuring Stampotique Originals
3 Smiles & Today is a Gift

Artwork by Ali Manning
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Dragonfly & Dragonfly Verse

Artwork by Gerri Herbst

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Sue Davies

Artwork by Tracey Metcalfe

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC132: Soft Yellows and White

2012-01-24T00:01:00.007-05:00

It looks like you all had fun with this soft color combination! Thanks to all who played! It was obvious that creativity burned bright throughout all the entries.

Thanks to Pennywise Arts for their generous sponsorship of this challenge!

The winner will receive a free bag of Pennywise Arts Iridescent Bubble Beads!

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Nancy Johnson
of
Scrap, Paper and Glue

Congratulations, Nancy. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by February 14, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Bright and Sunny
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Cheri Weston

Artwork by Dawn

Artwork by Gisele

Artwork by Jenni

Artwork by Kezzy

Artwork by Mary Ann Potter

Artwork by Michele

Artwork by Mynnette

Artwork by Sharon

Artwork by Shirley

Special Guests

Artwork by Gerri Herbst

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Color Challenge.

Alexa Noble: Scrap Paper Collage

2012-01-20T19:08:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone ... Happy New Year to you all!

This month our theme has been getting organized and using our scraps. I don't know about you, but I keep everything (just in case) which can get a little out of hand! Hopefully if you take a look at all this month's tutorials, you may get some ideas about how to reduce the pile and make some exciting projects.

I am going to show you how to position your scrap papers to get a fantastic textural and colourful result which you can use in all your art projects.

As we are looking at utilising things which are almost classed as waste (can I say that?!) I decided to make my project from recycled items and so I started with some jars left over from Christmas.

Choose papers with colours which broadly match your theme. For my first jar, I used a combination of text pages, old music, greens, browns, checks and blues.

Start by stamping your image(s) onto an old piece of scrap paper to give you a guide for which papers will appear in the various parts of your stamp. Cover them with PVA glue and then tear pieces of the scrap papers and place on the images. Glue papers to cover the entire image with room to spare.

Allow the glue to dry, and then re-stamp your images over your collage.

I painted mine with Croco base coat as it gives a great finish but you could leave them uncoated or use an alternative medium such as Mod Podge. If you are going to use a medium, make sure you stamped your image with a permanent ink so that it doesn't smudge.

Allow to dry and then cut out your images which will have fantastic background colour and texture!

I painted my jar with Fantasy Moon glass paint by Pebeo. I added sections of a chicken wire panel (Dustyattic) onto which I fixed my bees.

This technique of positioning your scraps is not just reserved for stamping. It can also be used with cutting machines and my second project shows how you can do this.

As before, choose your scraps with a theme in mind. I selected sea/beach elements and for added interest, all my scraps were from papers I had created myself. Rip and tear them as you like and stick them onto an old piece of paper using PVA. I painted mine with Croco once it was complete, but as before, this is optional.

Allow it to dry.

This collage piece can now be used in any cutting device.

Obviously, if you use a die cutting machine, it is very easy to position the page on the die to maximise the collage elements. However, it is also possible to use it in electronic cutting machines. I used my Cricut for this project and by moving the cutting head around my page, I was able to cut my elements on precise parts of the page.

I cut my beachy scene from all across my collage and them fixed them onto my jar which I had painted with turquoise glass bead gel.

I made a late night dash to the beach (which fortunately is only at the end of the road) to get some sand for the lid to which I also added some miniature shells, a sand dollar and the very lovely Octopet by Stampotique who are our sponsors for this month.

Why not dig down into that box of scraps, see what's lurking at the bottom and turn them into something wonderful?

x

Sharon Briss: Ribbon Organization Idea

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

I have tried drawers, baskets, and posts for my ribbon and nothing ever seemed to work. While checking out some studio organizing options at The Container Store, I came across some stackable market baskets. I immediately knew what I was going to do with them!

I bought some simple dowels at the craft store and cut them down to just a bit longer than the basket. I then placed my ribbons on the dowels by color and threaded the leading ends through the slots! Voila! Great ribbon storage without the tangle or stacking and all where I can see it!

What's your favorite way to store ribbon? Leave a comment to let us know.

Stampotique Shows Us Their Favorite Papers

2012-01-19T00:01:00.005-05:00

The Stampotique Originals team is back to help inspire us with their take on our latest Random Redhead Challenge - Favorite Paper!

Artwork by Willy
using Daniel's Hearts and Love You Heart
from Stampotique Originals

Artwork by Gez Butterworth
using Whisker Monster with Sign
from Stampotique Originals

Artwork by Jane Wetzel
using Smile
from Stampotique Originals

To play along with the Gingers and the Stampotique team, visit the challenge post!

GC135: Random Redhead Challenge - Use Your Favorite Paper

2012-01-18T00:01:00.009-05:00

We're focusing on using our scraps this month as well as getting them all organized. We know you have some fabulous scraps just hanging around your craft table. For this challenge, we want you to grab a scrap of your

Favorite Designer Paper

Artwork by Deb Corder
using Stampotique Originals
Quasimoto 3 (6015), Give Self a Hug (4010)

and make something amazing with it! You could hoard all that pretty paper, but it's much more fun to use it! Honest!

We would like to thank Stampotique Originals for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!
One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a $30 voucher to the Stampotique Originals store.

When the challenge closes on February 12, 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using your personal favorite designer paper;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on February 14, 2012. You have until February 12, 2012 to enter!

Even the Gingers have parted with the bits and pieces of their favorite papers that they have been hanging on to for so long! Check out their wonderful pieces for this week's challenge!

The Scrappy
Gingers

Artwork by Laura Liddell
using Stampotique Originals
Bird Legs (9077)

Artwork by Stephanie Severin
using Stampotique Originals
Timeless (7153), Aborigine (8918)

Artwork by Alexa Noble
using Stampotique Originals
Giant Shroom (3009), Bla Bla Bla (6001), Quasimoto 5 (6017)

Artwork by Petra Berendsen
using Stampotique Originals
Little Friends (9154)

Artwork by Lucy Edmondson

Artwork by Helene Huber
using Stampotique Originals
Perhaps (8865)

Artwork by Jean Franks Beck
using Stampotique Originals
Small Butterfly (3018), Papillon (3020)

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Tracey Metcalfe

Artwork by Sue Davies

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC131: Candelabras, Chandeliers and Candles

2012-01-17T00:01:00.002-05:00

We gave you a lot of options to play with on this one and the Gingersnapper community really met the challenge! Thanks to all who entered! The art on this challenge was just gorgeous!

Thanks to Pennywise Arts for their generous sponsorship of this challenge!

The winner will receive a free package of Shake It's shaker card pouches - Large Circle!

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Kezzy
of
Kezzy's Crafty Journey

Congratulations, Kezzy. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by February 7, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Fresh and Fancy
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Marina

Artwork by Beverly G

Artwork by Giogio

Artwork by Renee Z

Artwork by Lynne Moncrieff

Artwork by Mynnette

Artwork by Electra

Artwork by Debi Ryan

Artwork by Esther

Artwork by Rachelxx

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Random Redhead Challenge.

Trisha Too: Serendipity-style mixed media background for collage, atcs, twinchies, etc

2012-01-16T14:57:00.002-05:00

This is, undoubtedly, one of my all-time favorite, tried-and-true techniques. It's easy, it's fun, the results are great, and guess what?? It uses your stash, your scraps, whatever you have on hand -- perfect for this round of challenges!

First, you need something for the base--I usually choose an old piece of 12x12 scrap paper--plus your favorite adhesive, and, of course, your scraps. I keep mine in a (okay, yes, SEVERAL) collage boxes. AKA as old shoe boxes, but that's beside the point . . .

Ready to dig in?

Start gluing scraps all over the base. Don't worry about lining things up just right, and don't fret about color combinations--don't think, just glue! Sometimes it's helpful to continually turn the base as you glue, to prevent a discernible "top" or "bottom" to the background.

If you have some pet pieces you want to remain in the picture, be sure to save
them until last, because you really . . .

should COVER the base. At this point, you could stop and use your background piece as it is, but I generally try and unify the colors somewhat.

Here, I'm using a light acrylic wash, first in a blue, and now with a pink.

Once again, you may want to stop here, but why stop when you can STAMP???

Randomly stamp images all over the background--again, don't think too much, just stamp!

Finished? Whatchya gonna make? Time to CUT:

Here are some twinchie (oh, did anyone mention the Gingersnap Twinchie art exchange??) and atc backgrounds, all ready for some main images and embellishments!

If that's too pastel for you, go bright like I did in this background:

Squirt paint over the top of your background, and then smear it around,
making sure the paint is thin enough that the images show through.

And there is always the option of MORE paint!

Here, I printed with found objects.

Some other serendipity backgrounds:

Have fun!

:)

Petra Berendsen - Restructured Paper

2012-01-13T01:15:00.028-05:00

This is a project I wanted to do since I had seen it in the Cloth Paper Scissors magazine: Restructured Paper using whatever paper and other scraps you have at hand. It was a workshop by Frankie Fioretti and Susan Pickering Rothamel.

I started by making my supply list: lots of scraps, glue, non-sticky mat, brush.

Frankie and Susan recommended to use PPA (Perfect Paper Adhesive) .. which I don't have. I also do not have Modge Podge so I experimented with gel medium and PVA glue which worked fine. (The PVA glued piece buckled a bit but I ironed it later before using it for my art work.)

Then I figured out that my non-sticky mat would not be big enough for the project. I found a substitute in the brown greaseproof paper, the one with the waxy appearance.

I covered the greaseproof paper with the glue and then started the 'fun' part by layering bits and pieces of paper onto the glue and glued a bit more whereever necessary. Very quickly the first paper layer was finished and then various other bits and pieces were added including thread, lace, die-cuts, ....

I allowed the paper to dry over night which was difficult (lol) and then peeled it off the greaseproof paper. The finished 'new' or restructured paper (front and back):

So, having created a new piece of paper ... what can you do with it? I stamped on it, heat embossed it, cut it, layered it, ..... I think the answer is: the choice is yours just get creating! But one word of warning when making restructured paper, you might find that you will never ever be able to throw anything away anymore ever - even the tiniest of scrap (lol) - enjoy, Petra.

Ravishing Ribbons from the Stampotique Originals Team

2012-01-12T00:01:00.003-05:00

The fabulous designers of the Stampotique Originals team have joined us again for another fun challenge. This time they are playing the new Spicy Supply Challenge - Ribbon!

Artwork by Gez Butterworth
using Carol's Flower (small) and Happy Birthday to You

Artwork by Kaz Boughton
using Two Gifts

Artwork by Willy
using Tulip and Tall Word Collage

Artwork by Kim Howard
using Keykeeper 4000, Beauty Verse 3056,
and Splatter Long 3014

Artwork by R. Maria Sabina
using Happy Rat, Dejected Cat

Artwork by Nellie van Leeuwen
using Happy Rat, Dejected Cat, Beauty Verse
and Dream in Color

Artwork by Jane Wetzel
using Dance Party Breakup

We hope you join us and the Stampotique team for our Ribbon challenge!

GC134: Spicy Supply Challenge - Ribbon

2012-01-11T00:01:00.005-05:00

As we continue our month of organization, we want you to delve into your supplies and pull out all that

R i b b o n

Artwork by Stephanie Severin
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Folded Tags
Art is the Energy

we know you have stashed away! For this challenge, use ribbon somewhere on your creation.

Need some ideas? Check out these past Gingersnap Creations articles on using ribbons:

Alison Manning's 10 Ways to Use Ribbon Scraps
Elina Koutsouradi's Crepe Ribbons
Erika Taylor's Ribbon Borders

We would like to thank Stampotique Originals for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!
One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a $30 voucher to the Stampotique Originals store.

When the challenge closes on February 5 , 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using ribbon somewhere in your creation;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on February 7, 2012. You have until February 5, 2012 to enter!

Well, the lovely Gingers have worked up some ravishing ribbon creations!

The Gingers
Take a Bow

Artwork by Penny Bennington
Featuring Stampotique Originals
The Wave
Word Collage

Artwork by Joanne Wardle
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Strolling

Artwork by Trisha Too
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Great Moon
Starbird with Chick
Fly Word

Artwork by Gerri Herbst

Artwork by Alison Manning
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Dragonfly
Dragonfly Verse

Artwork by Laura Liddell
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Prom Queen
What? Never seen a diva before?

Artwork by Petra Berendsen

Artwork by Helene Huber
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Splatter
Wishing you "sun-fish" days
Beauties

Artwork by Deb Corder
Featuring Stampotique Originals
Heart Throb
Hug Enclosed

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Sue Davies

Artwork by Tracey Metcalfe

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC130: Wax

2012-01-10T00:01:00.003-05:00

What amazing creations we got for this challenge! Everyone was really creative in their use of wax! Thanks to all who played! Your art was beyond beautiful.

Thanks to Pennywise Arts for their generous sponsorship of this challenge!

The winner will receive a wonderful digital holiday collage sheet like the one below!

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Ellie Knoll
of
Paper ~ Stamps ~ Color

Congratulations, Ellie. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by January 31, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Waxily
Wonderful Ginger Gems

Artwork by Kezzy

Artwork by Wax Beach Artist

Artwork by Joanna K

Artwork by Zoechaos

Artwork by Mary Ann Potter

Artwork by Nancy Johnson

Artwork by Marjie Kemper

Artwork by Debi Ryan

Artwork by giogio

Artwork by Anita Houston

Special Guests

Artwork by Suze Bain
Visiting Artist,
November 2011

Artwork by Tracey Metcalfe
Visiting Artist
January 2012

Artwork by Trisha Too
Current Ginger

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Spicy Supply Challenge.

Nicks: A Ghostly Technique

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

First of all I would like to say Thank you to the Gingersnaps Team for asking me to be the Monthly Muse this month, what a great start to the year!

Anyone who has kindly taken the time to visit my Blog will know that my two arty loves are Altering Stuff and Journalling. I also love to make my own backgrounds, I have used the technique I am sharing with you today on many journal pages, but here I am doing someting a bit different with it and using it as a background on a canvas. I hope you enjoy it and will have a play - its great fun and a bit 'magical' !

Gesso/Colourwash Ghosting

Materials and Tools required

Black Acrylic Paint

Adirondack Colourwash

Gesso

Paintbrush/foam applicator/old credit card

Masks or Stencils

Sponge

I used this technique on an oval shaped canvas - but you can use whatever you like, if you want to use it in your journal or as a background paper, I would advise using card or thick water colour paper.

First of all, paint your background using the black acrylic paint, I applied the paint using a foam applicator as I find this is quick and provides a nice finish. Leave it to dry completely. I wanted a smooth finish, so I left it to dry naturally and didn't speed up the drying process with my heatgun as I didnt want the paint to bubble - but if you want this effect then thats fine.

Next, lay your chosen masks/stencils onto the canvas

You don't have to used ready made masks etc.. I use all sorts of things, sequin waste, lace, feathers, nuts, bolts, die cuts wire mesh .. the list is endless.

Spray over the masks with the Adirondack colourwash, if you use more than one colour be careful not to mix/muddy the colours too much and don't overspray as you will find the wash can run under the masks.

I can't bear to waste all that lovely inky stuff, so I flipped the masks over onto a piece of paper in my art pad and will use the result in a future project.

Whilst the wash is wet, you can see the design quite clearly but as it dries it seems to fade - again I prefer to allow the colourwash to dry naturally as I find using a heatgun seems to make the colours dull a bit - but thats personal choice - either way, it is important at this stage that your project is completely dry.

STILL WET

DRY

Now for the fun part... You need to apply gesso in selected parts of your background. You can do this how you wish, freehand or through some kind of stencil - here I am using a Fiskars Shape template.

I use a foam 'splodger' to apply the gesso (dont know what the proper term for one is?) you can also use a piece of sponge. Dab the gesso on and dont't over work it, if you brush the gesso on it can 'move' the wash around and you get a smudgey look .

As you can see it doesnt look very exciting at first - but as it dries the colours really come through -

its like magic!!

So there you have it .... now its over to you to do with it what you wish.

Serendipty hit the day I was working on this tutorial - a surprise parcel came through the post from a friend - a bag full of clay shapes she had made - (in the hope I think of getting me back into altering stuff - perhaps she is fed up with seeing lots of 'flat' stuff), Thank you Debs what great timing! I painted the faces black and highlighted them with some gold wax rub ons. Clocks are a passion of mine, so decided to make this into a clock, and added some cogs that I die cut and then 'rusted' using rusting powder.

After much persuasion from my husband I have decided to open an Etsy account and sell some of my old tat ... this may be the first thing to go on sale!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and you will have a go at ghosting!

I will be back at the end of the month for a second tutorial

and finally

Credit where credit is due, I first learnt this technique from the fabulous Journal Artista , she learnt if from someone else and I have passed it onto you - and so the wonderful world of crafting goes round...

Nicks x

January Muse Showcase: Nicks

2012-01-07T00:01:00.013-05:00

Gingersnap Creations is proud to introduce our January Muse, Nicks! Nicks is an incredible altered art and mixed media artist whose creations are just a delight!

Dream Big

Nicks has been a guest designer on the Artistic stamper creative team blog. She was also on the Design Team for The Altered Element, which is now sadly closed.As usual, we'll let Nicks tell you about herself! We are sure you will enjoy getting to know her and her art.

"I am known as Nicks by close friends and people within the crafty circle. I am a stay at home, busy mum, who inbetween working for my husband's business, being very involved in my son's school and looking after various elderly relatives.

Fancy a Cuppa?

I enjoy nothing more than ignoring the dust and retreating into my craft room. I live by the adage 'A creative mess is better than idle tidiness' which is quite obvious if you ever see the inside of my craft room.

A Creative Mess

I began stamping about 9 years ago when my son was a baby. At school I was told I couldn't do art because I wasn't terribly good at drawing and painting, yet I always felt creative.

Favourite Advent Tag

Once I discovered stamping I released the arty side of myself and soon moved into ATC's, Altered Art, mixed media and more recently journaling.

Always Follow Your Heart

I love to give anything a go and love learning and trying new techniques and using different medias and materials.

Steampunk Chicken

My family have learnt never to throw anything out without asking me first - just in case!

Beeswax Birthday

I am a firm believer that everybody can create and has an artistic side!"

Once Upon a Time

We would like to thank Nicks so much for joining us this month! Look for some of her great creations later on this month.

To see more of Nicks' great art now, check out her beautiful blog - Nicks Arty Stuff.

Jack the Ripper's Diary

All art in this post by Nicks.

Stampotique Takes on GC133

2012-01-05T00:01:00.005-05:00

We are delighted to welcome the talented designers of the Stampotique team! They'll be playing with us throughout the month of January!

Today, they are taking on our Chestnut Theme Challenge to Use a Set or Line of Stamps!

Artwork by Kaz Boughton
using the Kira Nichols line from Stampotique
including Monster with Budgie, Keykeeper,
Whisker Monster with Sign and Floating Dog

Artwork by R. Maria Sabina
including Containers Cubed #2 (Amy Wilson Wellenstein)

Artwork by Jo Capper-Sandon
using the Jo-Capper Sandon line from Stampotique
including Medium Bee with Small Bee, Swirl Stalks and Wish

Artwork by Gez
using the Daniel Torrente and Jill Penney line from Stampotique
including Queen of Life, Kitty, and Hanging Hearts

Artwork by Willy
using the Jo Capper-Sandon line from Stampotique
including Medium Bee with Small Bee,
Hearts Cubed and Jasmin

Artwork by Nellie van Leeuwen
using the Amy Wilson Wellenstein line from Stampotique
including Escape the Ordinary and Word Collage
and from the Olivia Thoams line - Olive Rose

We hope you join us and the Stampotique team for this fun challenge!

GC133: Chestnut Theme Challenge - Use a Set

2012-01-04T00:01:00.015-05:00

As we get organized for the new year, it's time to actually use what we already have! So today we ask you to

Use a Set or
a Line of Stamps

Artwork by Sharon Briss
using the Jo Capper-Sandon line from Stampotique
including Quiet Place, Medium Bee
with Small Bee and Swirl Stalks

That's right! You know you have a particular line of stamps that you love or a particular set that always comes to hand. Get them out and start stamping!

We would like to thank Stampotique Originals for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!
One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a $30 voucher to the Stampotique Originals store.

When the challenge closes on January 29 , 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using a particular line or set of stamps in your creation;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on January 31, 2012. You have until January 29, 2012 to enter!

Our Gingers have been hard at work on this one! Check out what they have made to inspire you!

The Artfully
Amazing Gingers

Artwork by Penny Bennington
using the Amy Wilson Wellenstein line from Stampotique
including Winter Ride, The Wave,
Word Collage and Joy Definition

Artwork by Annette Goatley
using the Daniel Torrente and Jill Penney line from Stampotique
including Moon Girl, Carrot and Twinkie

Artwork by Lucy Edmondson

Artwork by Suzanne Brookfield
using the Jo Capper-Sandon line from Stampotique
including large bee, shrooms, hexagon
and the Amy Wilson Wellenstein also from Stampotique
dream and word collage as well as
picket fence (Daniel Torrente line)

Artwork by Laura Liddell
using the Daniel Torrente and Jill Penney line from Stampotique
including Hearts and Queen of Life

Artwork by Jean Franks Beck
using the Jo Capper-Sandon line from Stampotique
including Large Bee and Wish

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Tracey Metcalfe

Artwork by Sue Davies

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC129: Starry Night

2012-01-03T00:01:00.014-05:00

Everyone really lit up those dark December nights with loads of brilliant art! Thanks to all who submitted! Your art was breathtaking.

Thanks to Pennywise Arts for their generous sponsorship of this challenge!

The winner will receive winning a free bag of Pennywise Arts micro beads!

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Tiggertastic
of
Tiggertastic: Bearly Mine Designs

Congratulations, Tiggertastic. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by January 24, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Bright and
Shining Ginger Gems

Artwork by Zoechaos

Artwork by Dawn

Artwork by Tina G.

Artwork by Cathy P

Artwork by Brenda Brown

Artwork by V.S.

Artwork by Marilyn

Artwork by BrianK

Artwork by Hazel

Artwork by Kezzy

Special Guest

Artwork by Suze Bain
November 2011 Visiting Artist

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Chestnut Theme Challenge.

Getting Organized in January

2012-01-01T00:01:00.010-05:00

Happy 2012!

Wishing all the Gingersnappers out there a fabulous year filled with fun, friends and fantastic artistic adventures.

Artwork by Sharon Briss
using Angel Boy from Stampotique

If you are like us, you are probably still trying to get back to normal after the holiday season. That's why we are going to concentrate on Getting Organized in January and focus on using up our scraps!

This month, we are delighted to have Stampotique Originals as our January sponsor. Stampotique Fine Art Stamps began June 1, 1996, in Phoenix, Arizona, out of the love for rubber stamping and papercrafting. They began as a fine art rubber stamp store and, in January 2000, began manufacturing their own rubber stamps. Stampotique Originals now ships all over the world, although, in their words, they remain a ‘mom and pop’ business so that they may still offer full attention to each and every order. Check out their easy-to-use website to see all their great images and take a peak at the Stampotique Originals Blog for inspiration.

Of course, what would a brand-new year be without a brand-new Muse? We are pleased to welcome Nicks, altered artist and mixed media artist, as our January Muse.

Artwork by Nicks

Finally, we can't wait to introduce our Visiting Artists for January who will be sharing their phenomenal talents and art with us in our challenges! We are delighted to welcome Tracey Metcalfe and Sue Davies to help us out with our challenges. We can't wait to see what they create this month!

Here's our To Do Checklist for January 2012:

~ our 4 regular challenges: Chestnut Theme, Spicy Supply, Random Redhead and Color

~ 4 more wrap-ups with more stunning Ginger Gem art and 4 new Home Page Artists and prize winners

~ a Muse Spotlight with Nicks, papercrafting and mixed media artist

~ some great tutorials by Trisha Too, Petra Berendsen and Annette Goatley

and

~ another fantastic column by Contributing Artist, Alexa Noble

Join us in January and start off the new year in style!

GCAE#10: Twinchie Art Exchange

2011-12-30T15:42:00.007-05:00

Welcome to another Gingersnap Creations Art Exchange! This time around we're asking you to get out your scraps and create some vintage inspired

TWINCHIES

Details:

Format: Twinchies - 2" x 2" squares - made from scraps. Include more than one layer and a sturdy base.
Theme: Any theme
Style: Vintage
Number of Pieces: 6 for 6
Sign-Ups/Withdrawals: by February 15, 2012
Due Date: February 29, 2012

All the exchange details are on the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group.

In order to participate in the exchange, you will need to become a member of the Yahoo Group, so that we can maintain proper communication. The membership process, including a short questionnaire, is quick and easy. Once you've requested membership, be sure to look for your questionnaire in your email and return it to us ASAP so that we can process your request!

If you live in the UK, Gingersnaps DT member, Laura Liddell will receive and mail out your artwork to save you some postage.

If you have any questions, please email alimanning@charter.net.

Wrap-Up - GCSP10: Thank You Notes

2011-12-29T00:01:00.004-05:00

We are all so grateful that so many of you took time to play the Blue Moon Thank You Challenge during the holiday season! All your thank you notes were outstanding!

The randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Amy Duff
of
Amy Duff: Papertrails Leaver

Congratulations, Amy. Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Gracious
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Mynette

Artwork by Zoechaos

Artwork by Margie Kemper

Artwork by Mary Ann Potter

Artwork by Peggy G

Artwork by Electra

Artwork by Cheri

Artwork by Debi Ryan

Artwork by Beverly G.

Artwork by Nancy Johnson

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

More great new challenges coming in 2012!

GC132: Color Challenge - Soft Yellows and White

2011-12-28T00:01:00.014-05:00

Can you believe it's our last challenge of the year? Well, we usually go out with a huge party-style bang but this year we are getting mellow with

Soft Yellows and White

for your final color challenge of the year! Keep it soft and light and have a fabulous 2012!

Artwork by Suzanne Brookfield
using Antique Silver Micro Beads by Penny Wise Arts

We would like to thank Penny Wise Arts for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!

One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a free bag of Iridescent Bubble Beads!

When the challenge closes on January 22, 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using Candelabras somewhere in your creation;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on January 24, 2012. You have until January 22, 2012 to enter!

Our fabulous design team has some great creations to inspire you!

Our Mellow
Yellow Gingers

Artwork by Ali Manning
using Clear Translucent Micro Beads by Penny Wise Arts

Artwork by Stephanie Severin

Artwork by Joanne Wardle
using Bubble Beads by Penny Wise Arts

Artwork by Deb Corder

Artwork by Petra Berendsen

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Yvonne (Meggy May)

Artwork by Louise LePierres

Artwork by Cath Wilson

Special Guest

Julie Imsland,
Pennywise Arts Team

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC128: Yellow, Red and Brown

2011-12-27T00:01:00.008-05:00

Great use of our rustic colors from all our players! Thanks to all who submitted!

Thanks to Rogue Redhead Designs for their generous sponsorship of this challenge! The winner receives a US$15.00 gift certificate to the Rogue Redhead Designs store.

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Cathy Calamas
of
A Surcee Life

Congratulations, Cathy. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by January 17, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Colorful
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Aimeslee

Artwork by Alie

Artwork by Cindy

Artwork by Ellie

Artwork by Esther

Artwork by Gerda

Artwork by MusAnna

Artwork by Nancy

Artwork by Sharon

Artwork by Silvia

Special Guests

Artwork by Gingersnaps DT Member Trisha Too

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Color Challenge.

Barbara Lindsey of PWA: Glass Block Tutorial

2011-12-26T00:01:00.006-05:00

We are delighted to have another fabulous tutorial from the talented Pennywise Arts team. Today, they are going to show you how to turn a simple glass block into some beautiful decor item! Instructions were written by Barb Lindsey and the artwork created by Suzanne Glazier.

Here's Barbara to show you how!

Supplies:

Glass Block (Glass blocks can be purchased at most building supply stores, i.e., Home Depot, Lowe's)
Drill
1/2 inch Ceramic Tile Masonry Drill Bit
Ribbon
Hot Glue
Graphic of your choice (You can print a graphic on regular text paper, use a pretty tissue paper, stamp your own design on text weight paper or even use a decorative napkin)
O'So Sticky Tape Sheets & Roll
Set of Christmas Lights (Depending on the size block anywhere from a string of 20 up to a string of 50. Look for them at a dollar store)
Micro Beads Clear

Tip:
Remember that O'So Sticky Tape likes to be warm. It's a good idea to heat the surface of your block with a heat tool before you add the tape for best adhesion of micro beads.

If your graphic is very fine in detail, you might want to use the Ultra Fine size of micro beads. This will keep the image from distorting too much.

Instructions for cutting the hole provided by Barb's DH:

CAUTION: Use safety glasses; wear protective clothing, and a respiratory mask. Glass flakes are not good for the human body. Also, these blocks do shatter easily, so be careful! Barb's dh uses a drill press with a 1/2 inch Ceramic Tile Masonry drill bit. Set the drill press at the lowest speed. GO SLOW AND STEADY. When the bit cuts into the block there is an intake of air. At this point use a Dremel tool with a Ceramic Tile Masonry bit to enlarge the hole to the desired size. 1/2 inch. (Big enough for the string of lights to go in and out). There will be glass dust in the block you can rinse it out with water and drain.

Instructions:

1. Clean surface of glass block with alcohol. If you want to clean the sides you can, but the ribbon will cover them.

2. Lights. Remember to test your lights before using them. Feed the string of lights into the block leaving the plug on the outside. If you like you can try to manipulate them with a dowel to distribute them more evenly.

3. Measure the surface of the block to size your graphic. Remember that the lights shine through the graphic. For best results avoid dark colors and too much of one color. Center your graphic on your block and apply with adhesive of choice. Make sure you burnish it down good.

4. To apply micro beads, put O'So Sticky Tape over the image and pour beads onto it. It's good to use a tray to catch them in!

5. Finish your block with a ribbon if you like. Or you can add any embellishments. Wrap the ribbon around the block and attach it anyway you like. (Hot Glue works great!) Then make a pretty bow for the top!

Thanks Barbara for such a great idea and thanks to Suzanne for creating such gorgeous examples.

We have been very fortunate to have the Pennywise team sharing all their fabulous ideas with us all month! While, this is their last tutorial on Gingersnap Creations for this year, be sure to check out the amazing tutorial archive on the Pennywise Arts website for more great ideas!

Holiday Greetings from the Gingers

2011-12-25T00:01:00.008-05:00

The Gingers would like to wish everyone a fun and festive holiday season!

Artwork by Sharon Briss

Artwork by Ali Manning

Artwork by Laura Liddell

Artwork by Jean Franks Beck

Artwork by Annette Goatley

Artwork by Stephanie Severin

Artwork by Jean Franks Beck

Artwork by Petra Berendsen

Have an amazing day!

Suzanne Glazier and Julie Imsland of PWA: More Beaded Winter Votive

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today, we will be presenting another great project from the talented Pennywise Art's team! First, Suzanne Glazier will show us how to create a basic beaded votive wrap and then Julie Imsland will show you how you can customize this design! Her project is really gorgeous! We're sure you'll keep coming back to these wonderful tutorials!

Here's Suzanne first with the Basic Beaded Votive Wrap!

Supply List:

Paper Template and Punch Guide
Colored Cardstock Paper (8 1/2" x 11")
Heavy Vellum Paper (Cut 4 pieces 2" square)
Square Punch - 1 1/2" Size or an Exacto knife and straight edge will work!
Rubber Stamps, Ink Pads, and/or Versamark Pad
Glass Votive Candle Holder & Tea Light Candle
O'So Sticky Tape Sheets (Cut four 2" squares)
O'So Sticky Tape 1/4" Roll
Glass Micro Beads - Clear

Step 1:
Cut Out The Paper Template and Punch Guide. Cut the colored cardstock to match the paper template and score the lines onto the cardstock as indicated on the punch guide. (Once you cut your paper template you no longer need that piece of the pattern

Step 2:
This is how your colored cardstock should look!

Step 3:
This is the trickiest part but I know you can do it! Use removable double stick tape or paper clips to hold the punch guide to your cardstock. Your colored cardstock should be lined up behind the open (white) portion of the punch guide - see how it fits there? Once you have secured the punch guide to your cardstock you are ready to punch perfect square windows and feet! Turn your punch over so that you can see the black squares through the bottom of the punch. Line those up and punch it.

Step 4:
Cut four pieces of heavy vellum paper in 2" squares and stamp on them! These will take longer to dry - you can use a heat gun if necessary - but be careful not to scorch them! Stamp the outside of your lantern now too!
Step 5:
Cut FOUR 2" squares of O'So Sticky Tape Sheets. Peel one liner and place on the BACK side of each of the stamped vellum pieces. NOT over the top of your stamping - but on the BACK! Peel the second liners on each and bead with clear micro beads. Putting the beads on the back will make a pretty raindrop reflection on the vellum when your candle is lit!

The Finishing Touches!
Using 1/4" O'So Sticky Tape, attach the vellum squares to the inside of the windows with the stamped side facing out - the beaded side facing the back.

Secure the tab with 1/4" O'So Sticky Tape, making sure that the tab edges are lined up evenly.

Here's how Suzanne finished hers.

Place your lantern over a glass votive candle holder with a tea light candle inside. Light the candle, turn off the lights and enjoy your romantic creation!

Caution: Never leave burning candles unattended!

Now, let's see how Julie Imsland finished off her votive wrap using the same technique but turned it into a beautiful Winter decoration!

Julie Imsland is well known for her collection of punches and the amazing fact that she actually uses them often!

Check out this wonderful beaded winter votive that she created.

Julie really took the idea to a whole new level of “Wow” with the darling small town border punch! Julie also added more dimension by raising the tree scene along the bottom with foam tape.

Supplies:

Stickles™ Frosted Lace Glitter Glue
Ek Success Alpine Trail Edger Punch
Martha Stewart Crafts™ Frosty Village Edge Punch

She started with Suzanne Glazier's Beaded Votive Wrap Tutorial (shown above) and created her own finishing touches! Follow the directions for the Beaded Votive Wrap, stopping just before “The Finishing Touches!" step and then follow the directions below.

Punch Frosty Village border along the top edge of the votive wrap.

Using 1/4" O'So Sticky Tape, attach the vellum squares to the inside of the windows with the stamped side facing out - the beaded side facing the back.

Secure the tab with 1/4" O'So Sticky Tape, making sure that the tab is lined up evenly.

Punch Alpine Trail (tree) border along a narrow strip (1-3/8” wide) of matching cardstock.

Apply Frosted Lace Stickles to simulate snow on the tree strip and the village border. Set aside to allow Stickles to dry.

Once dry, apply small pieces of foam tape to the back of the tree strip. Beginning under the windows at one corner of the votive wrap, temporarily clip the tree strip to one side of the wrap, crease at the corner (allowing room for the foam tape); continue around the wrap in this manner fitting the tree strip. Trim the end with approx. ¼” to lap under the beginning of the strip.

Now starting at the under lap of the tree strip, remove any clips and adhere the strip with the foam tape around the bottom of the votive wrap windows. *Note that the strip does not cover the “feet” of the votive wrap.

Use a piece of the 1/4” O’So Sticky Tape to secure the end of the tree strip over the lapped end.

Place your votive wrap over a glass candle holder with a tea light candle inside, I especially like the little battery votives that flicker like a real candle, but don’t need the constant attention of a burning candle.

Turn off the lights and enjoy your creation!

Look through your punches, and see what other designs you can use for other seasons of the year. These look great on a mantel, or as a special touch on a dining table at each place setting.

To see more variations from the whole Pennywise Arts team, check out samples from the original tutorial.

Sharon Briss: Modern Menorah

2011-12-22T00:01:00.002-05:00

e are in the midst of Chanukah, the beautiful Holiday of Lights. I have always admired the wide variety of menorahs available from dignified and antique to marvelous and modern. From formal to fun, these beautiful candelabras are always a delight.

This year, I decided to add a little modern flair to our holiday table with a modern menorah! It was as easy as One-Two-Bead.

It started with a very simple idea and nine round candles. To make your own, you'll need 9 candles, 1/2" blue ribbon, 1/2" double-sided tape, 1/4" double-sided tape and some Pennywise glass microbeads.

To begin, I measured the ribbon around the candle and cut it so that it overlapped slightly. I then cut 8 more strips of ribbon the same length.

I then attached the 1/2" double-sided tape to the back of each piece of ribbon.

I then attached the second smaller piece of double-sided tape to the front, centering it in the middle of the ribbon.

Next, I took the protective coating off the small ribbon and poured microbeads over it, being careful to catch all the extras in a tray.

All that is left to do is to attach the ribbon around each candle.

Once complete, arrange all 9 candles onto a decorative plate and you are done!

As with any decorative candle, do not let it burn down to the decoration and never leave candles of any kind unattended!

May the season of holiday lights bring cheer and warmth to your home!

GC131: Random Redhead Challenge - Candelabras. Chandeliers and Candles

2011-12-21T00:01:00.009-05:00

A sign of elegance and culture, we urge you to put some

Candelabras, Chandeliers and Candles

Artwork by Laura Liddell

into your art! You can go for quirky, stylish or original! We just want to see those lovely holiday lights!

We would like to thank Penny Wise Arts for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!

One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning free package of Shake It's shaker card pouches - Large Circle!

When the challenge closes on January 15, 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using Candelabras somewhere in your creation;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on January 17, 2012. You have until January 15, 2012 to enter!

Our fabulous design team has some great creations to inspire you!

Our Sparkling
Gingers

Artwork by Gerri Herbst

Artwork by Trisha Neal

Artwork by Sharon Briss using Penny Wise Antique Silver Microbeads

Artwork by Alexa Noble using Penny Wise Black Glass Micro Beads

Artwork by Helene Huber using Penny Wise Clear Ultra Fine Micro Beads

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Yvonne (MeggyMay)

Artwork by Louise LePierres

Can't wait to see what you create.

Wrap-Up - GC127: Livestock

2011-12-20T00:01:00.005-05:00

Wowzers! You all rocked the barnyard with this one. Thanks to all who played!

Thanks to Rogue Redhead Designs for their generous sponsorship of this challenge! The winner receives a US$15.00 gift certificate to the Rogue Redhead Designs store.

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Silvia (Barnie)
of
BarniesBaustelle

Congratulations, Silvia (Barnie). Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by January 10, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Farm Fresh
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Jeanette

Artwork by Beth

Artwork by Gail

Artwork by Stamping Sue Wisniewski

Artwork by Cathy Calamas

Artwork by Jack

Artwork by Inkypinkycraft

Artwork by Cathy P.

Artwork by Cheryl (Shestamps)

Artwork by Beverly G.

Special Guests

Artwork by Nancy Johnson

Artwork by Ginger Trisha Neal

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Random Redhead Challenge.

Deb Corder: Beeswax

2011-12-17T01:36:00.006-05:00

Let me start by saying that I've never worked with beeswax before this week. So, I'm not sure this is so much a tutorial but lessons learned along the way. Some things worked. Some things didn't.

But let me take you on my journey.

A couple of points of interest. Beeswax smells like honey and is sticky....not too surprising. It can be thick and opaque or thin and transparent. Either way it's easy to add or remove wax if you don't like what you have. Just reheat with a heat gun.

I had been looking at various methods for melting wax including the UTEE heater by Ranger. Truth be told, I found that a bit pricey for an experiment. Then I happened across this mini crock-pot for $16. Two things. 1) This mini gets VERY HOT...so be careful not to burn yourself. 2) Don't try to reuse for food later.

I put about 1/4 c of pellets in the pot. It took about 15-20 minutes to completely melt.

For this collaged piece I wanted a sturdy ground. This is foam core. You can find it at any hobby craft store near the poster board. There is paper on both sides of the foam. It cuts easily with an Exacto knife. Just score thru one side.

It will break along the score line and then you can cut thru the other side. I cut a 6x6 piece.

To cover the foam core, I found different music paper backgrounds. In the end I mostly used some of Tim's tissue paper.

Beeswax will act as a glue. Using a natural bristle paintbrush I just started laying down layers of melted wax, paper, and more wax. It cools quickly.

To remove layers, I reheated with my heat gun and scraped layers of wax off with a used gift card.

When I got to the point where I was satisfied with the musical layers, I added a piece of white card stock and clipart. One of the great things about beeswax is that you can buff it with a cloth to add a shine. So as I heated and buffed the clipart was glued down and covered with wax.

I tried adding a little Pearl Ex to the wax. The first bit of mica bunched up but as I buffed it worked its way into the wax. I used dried out baby wipes as a buffing cloth.

I also sprinkled embossing powder around the edges. The beexwax and EP combined into a very nice texture. Then I added a few pellets of wax around the edges and heated them directly.

And as Donna Downey would say..."I love the drip-age"!

I added a bit more Pearl Ex and then buffed the entire thing until it shined (which made getting a good picture difficult). I trimmed the extra paper off and embellished my carolers with a die-cut lamp post, wood scroll and greenery.

I hope you've enjoyed my waxy journey. I don't think this will be my last try with beeswax.

Happy Holidays to all!

Deb

Suzanne Glazier of PWA: Beaded Votives

2011-12-16T00:01:00.004-05:00

We are delighted to have Suzanne Glazier, owner of Pennywise Arts back with us with a fabulous and fun tutorial on creating Beaded Votives. For this project, as Suzanne says herself, she took our December theme of Holiday Lights quite literally!

Here's Suzanne and her fabulous holiday idea, perfect for your own home or as a gift for a friend.

"Here's a project I made with the theme "Holiday Lights" in mind!

A template for any glass votive can be made by wrapping it with paper and trimming the edges to fit. Then, the template can be traced directly onto a sheet of O'So Sticky Tape.

All four votives in this tutorial were wrapped with O'So Sticky Tape and embellished using masking techniques. Save the liners from the O'So Sticky Tape to use as release paper masks. Always put the shiny side down when using release papers. The other side of the liner is designed to be able to write and draw on and will not release if place onto O'So Sticky Tape.

Here are ideas for 4 different candles!

Red Candy Candle: Decorative paper circles were punched and placed on the the exposed O'So Sticky Tape. Then the votive rolled in Red Translucent micro beads. The candy circles were added with foam tape for dimension.

Green Candy Candle: Release paper from the O'So Sticky Tape was hand cut into circles and swirls. First, all the circles are placed shiny side down onto the exposed O'So and the whole votive rolled in Lettuce Translucent micro beads. Then the circle masks are removed and the swirls put into place in the centers (shiny side down). Then, White Opaque micro beads are sprinkled into each area. Finally, the swirl masks are removed and Red Opaque micro beads complete the candy centers.

Snowflake Candle: Snowflakes are punched from the release paper and placed shiny side down onto the exposed O'So Sticky Tape. A 1/4" strip of liner is put around the top edge of the votive and the candle is rolled into Gold Opaque Micro Beads. Then the 1/4" strip is removed and the exposed tape is dipped into Lettuce Translucent Micro Beads. Lastly, the snowflake masks are removed and White Opaque micro beads are sprinkled onto the exposed tape.

Holly Candle: Holly and berries were hand drawn onto the liner from O'So Sticky Tape, cut out and placed shiny side down onto the exposed tape on the votive. The candle was then rolled in clear Mini micro beads. The holly masks were then removed and the leaves cut from the berries. The berries were then put back, shiny side down. The holly leaves were beaded with Lettuce Translucent micro beads and then the berries in Red Opaque micro beads.

You can finish off your set with a great gift box!

Heavy decorative paper was used to create the box. A Scor It tool provides interesting texture lines. Finish off the box with ribbons and a gift tag."

Well, Suzanne really wrapped up that great tutorial with flair! Look for more projects from Suzanne and her team throughout the month!

GC130: Spicy Supply Challenge - Wax

2011-12-14T00:01:00.027-05:00

We know everyone is as busy as bees during this holiday season, but we are still going to dare you to use

Wax

Artwork by Jean Franks Beck

somehow in your next creation! Think beeswax collage, creative candles or even just a nice crayon resist!

We would like to thank Penny Wise Arts for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!

One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a wonderful digital holiday collage sheet like the one below!

When the challenge closes on January 8, 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using wax as a supply in your creation;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and ten Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on January 10, 2012. You have until January 8, 2012 to enter!

Our fabulous design team has some great creations to inspire you!

Our Busy as
Bees Gingers

Artwork by Laura Liddell

Artwork by Lucy Edmondson

Artwork by Trisha Too

featuring Iridescent Bubble Beads
from PennyWise Arts

Artwork by Annette Goatley

featuring Iridescent Bubble Beads

from PennyWise Arts

Artwork by Penny Bennington

Artwork by Joanne Wardle

featuring Iridescent Bubble Beads

from PennyWise Arts

Artwork by Stephanie Severin

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Cath Wilson

Artwork by Yvonne (MeggyMae)

Artwork by Louise LePierres

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC126: Raffia

2011-12-13T00:01:00.018-05:00

Looks like we all got really wrapped up in the great Raffia Challenge! Thanks to all who submitted! All the pieces were awesome!

Thanks to Rogue Redhead Designs for their generous sponsorship of this challenge! The winner receives a US$15.00 gift certificate to the Rogue Redhead Designs store.

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Shelly Schmidt
of
My Creative Rumblings

Congratulations, Shelly. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by January 3, 2012 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Rustic and Ravishing
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Pam L

Artwork by Maria

Artwork by Sue Law

Artwork by Sylvia / Barnie

Artwork by Beverly G

Artwork by Lizza

Artwork by InkyPinkyCraft

Artwork by Marjie Kemper

Artwork by Vickie Romaine

Artwork by Zoechaos

Special Guests

Artwork by Nancy Johnson

Visiting Artist September 2011

Artwork bySharon Briss

Founding Femme

Artwork by Trisha Too
Current Ginger

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Spicy Supply Challenge.

Debbie Warren of PWA: Altered Decorative Holiday Lights

2011-12-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here is another great idea from the Pennywise Arts team! We are delighted to show you this great idea from Debbie Warren.

She started with an inexpensive strand of decorative lights that came with clear plastic additions (flowers, bells, leaves, etc).

Debbie used alcohol inks on the plastic petals to color them and a clear drying glue to add clear micro beads to the tips of the petals for icicles.

Then she put pieces of Pennywise Art's O'So Sticky Tape over the tips of the light bulbs and dipped them into clear micro beads for the sparkly middles. O'So Sticky Tape is heat resistant and won't melt or burn on the lights.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy project from Debbie! Look for more projects from the Pennywise Arts team throughout December!

To find more projects by this talented team, check out the Pennywise Arts website!

Sponsor Spotlight: Suzanne Glazier of Pennywise Arts

2011-12-10T00:01:00.008-05:00

We are thrilled to have Suzanne Glazier to talk with us today! Suzanne owns Pennywise Arts which primarily focuses on micro beads and their branded adhesive, O'So Sticky tape.

She was featured on HGTV's "Crafters Coast To Coast" in 2005 and Pennywise Arts has been spotlighted in Vamp Stamp News magazine three times.

Please join us as we learn a bit more about Suzanne, her art and her company!

Q: Suzanne, what drew you into the crafting world?

A: I started stamping LONG before stamping was "cool". I bought my first rubber stamp at the age of 16. (And I still have it!) I didn't get "serious" about stamping until after my son Jordan was born - when I went to my first in-home demo. (Jordan is now 20 and has become quite the artist himself!) My wallet has never forgiven the lady that hosted that party - but I love her dearly . Stamping is MUCH cheaper and way more fun than therapy - that's for sure!

Q: How and when did Pennywise Arts come into being?

A: Pennywise Arts made an explosive entrance into the arts industry in March of 2003 . It wasn't exactly an intentional beginning, I really didn't set out to be in the bead business at all! In late 2002, I saw the neatest project! It was a Bic pen that had been stamped on and had tiny clear beads over it! I HAD to learn how to make that myself so the quest began! I found the beads (called micro beads) at a craft store and was appalled at how expensive they were. I showed them to my husband Brian and he went on a quest of his own. A few days later he came home with a 50 pound bag of clear micro beads and asked with a grin: "Will this be enough for your project"? Well, it certainly was! In fact, I had about 49 pounds LEFT - even after giving a bunch away to friends!!

Next, I went to work trying to figure out what to do with ALL those beads! On a whim, I listed them on eBay (isn't that what you do with anything you don't know what to do with?) And, literally overnight, we were in the bead "biz"! Since that fateful pen project, we have added our own line of tape products as well as many more colors and sizes of micro beads. In my wildest dreams I never would have guessed that Pennywise Arts would become a worldwide business. Since Brian and I don't have children together we lovingly consider Pennywise to be our "first born".

Q: Do you teach beading techniques?

A: Teaching is my passion! I love sharing what I've learned with others and seeing where their creativity goes with it. There is nothing more rewarding than to get pictures or mail from a student weeks after a class showing what they made with what I taught them. I teach in local stores and have many free project tutorials from various artists available on the Pennywise Arts website.

Q: You have a lot of wonderful micro beads available in your store. What is it about beads that you love?

A: I love how totally versatile and adaptable micro beads are. Adding our beads to any project just steps it up a notch. Micro beads are sparkly and unique to so many people that artwork including them really stands out.

Q: What types of projects are possible with microbeads?

A: Any project that anyone does from stamping to scrapping to altering to mixed media can benefit from a touch of micro beads.

Shaker cards are my favorite bead focused project because they are interactive art. Fun to make, fun to receive and fun to play with.

Q: You have some beautiful vintage collage sheets. How do you decide what goes into a collection?

A: We've networked with Michele Aiello-Zendejas of Swingshift Designs to bring high quality collage images to our customers. Michele uses many open source photos, restoring, altering and embellishing them until they are perfect. Michele takes great pride in her work and we take great pride in her!

Q: Pennywise Arts has an Annual Retreat each year. What can you tell our readers about the next event?

A: Next Spring, Pennywise Arts will be 9 years old! Every year we have celebrated our birthday with a ladies weekend-long crafting retreat. Everyone brings a project to share and we craft the weekend away being pampered and catered to. It's the highlight of my year to be there. Women come in from all over the country for it! This business has brought so many amazing people into my life and spending a weekend with some of them is a wonderful way to feel connected, inspired and rejuvenated! April 2012 will be our "Flights of Fancy" retreat. I plan to get blue hair feathers to wear for it!

Q: What is your favorite part of being part of the stamping community?

A: Without a doubt its the camaraderie, the close knit feeling of community. I work alone from home so any time I can connect with someone via email, Facebook messages or face-to-face it really brightens my day. Everyone I've met is so supportive, kind and validating. Many of my customers have become my closest friends. It just doesn't get any better than that!

We would like to thank Suzanne for spending time with us and for her generous sponsorship of our December Challenges!

If you would like to find out more about the products and tutorials available at Pennywise Arts, please check out their website or their blog.

Suzanne Glazier of PWA: Snowman Starlight Shaker Card

2011-12-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

Gingersnap Creations welcomes Suzanne Glazier, owner of Pennywise Arts, as she shares how she created this fabulous Snowman Starlight Shaker Card with us today!

Supplies:

ATC shaker card template
Acetate
Black Staz On Ink
Snowman Stamp
Snowflake Stamp
Foam Tape
Galaxy Markers
Versamark Ink
Coordinating Cardstock
Clear Micro Beads from Pennywise Arts
Opal flakes

Directions for Super Simple Shaker Card - ATC Sized

Basic instructions on constructing a Super Simple Shaker Card and further samples along with additional templates can be found on the Pennywise Arts website in the class archives.

Print the template onto desired paper. Be sure to select "no page scaling" in the print options to get a 2.5" by 3.5" finished card.

Cut out and score as marked on template. Cut out the inside window to desired size, the grid is there to make it easy!

Cut a piece of clear acetate 2.25" by 3.25" for the window.

Stamp image onto acetate with StazOn ink. Color with markers on the BACK side.

Cut a piece of cardstock 2.25" by 3.25" for the inside backing. This piece will show through the window, decorate if desired.

On the back side of the template (it's where the printing is) put tape adhesive all the way around the window opening.

Place finished acetate over the window with the back of the image facing inside the card. Rub firmly to adhere.

About 1/8" from the edge of the inside window put four lengths of 1/8" foam mounting tape. Make sure pieces touch on all four corners to form a complete box around the window. Do not leave any gaps or the beads will spill out! Take the paper liner off of the foam tape now.

Add micro beads to the inside of the foam box.

Place the backing piece over the box and press firmly to adhere all the way around.

Fold in the back tabs and secure with tape adhesive and you are all done!

To create this "Snowman Starlight" shaker, the image was stamped onto acetate with black StazOn Ink and colored from the back side with Galaxy markers.

The large snowflakes were stamped using VersaMark ink for a watermark effect.

The shaker window is filled with clear micro beads and opal flakes.

Thanks so much to Suzanne for sharing this great technique!

Look for more great projects throughout December with Suzanne and her team! Want to hear more about Suzanne and Pennywise Arts? Come back tomorrow and check out our interview with Suzanne!

Michele Aiello-Zendejas of PWA: Lighted Ornaments

2011-12-08T00:01:00.003-05:00

Today, we are pleased to have Michele Aiello-Zendejas join us from the Pennywise Arts team. She's going to be sharing some great projects with us today.

We'll turn it over to Michele as she takes you through making these lovely lighted ornaments.

Supplies:

Swing Shift Designs Christmas Slide Soup Collage Sheet, Designed by Michele Aiello-Zendejas exclusively for Pennywise Arts (Three Kings and the Star of Bethlehem slides)
Pennywise Arts Iridescent Bubble Beads
Pennywise Arts Ultra Fine Micro Beads
Pennywise Arts Mini Micro Beads
Pennywise Arts O'So Sticky Tape Mega Roll
Pennywise Arts O'So Sticjy Tape 1/4” Roll
Pennywise Arts Shake It Clear Shaker Card Windows, Small Square
Pennywise Arts Sure Tac Craft Glue
Acrylic Flowers
Faceted Round Beads, in graduated sizes
Mini Star Punch
Small Star Punch
1/16" Round Punch
2” Round Punch
Transparent Clear Film (aka 8 ½ x 11 Clear Transparency Sheet – you only need about a 2” square of it)
Microscope Slides Plastic or Glass (I used plastic for these projects.)
Head Pins
Craft Wire
Battery Operated Tea Light Candles
Ruler
Pen or Pencil
Chopstick
Heavy Duty Single Side Clear Tape
Re moveable Single Side Clear Tape
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

Instructions for the 3-Sided (Triangle) Ornament:

1. Cut out the three images that you want to use from the Swing Shift Designs Christmas Slide Soup Collage Sheet, Designed by Michele Aiello-Zendejas exclusively for Pennywise Arts. I used the two of the Three Kings slides and the Star of Bethlehem for this ornament.

2. Adhere the slides to the back of the images. Note: You won't see the slides, they are used for support only. You could use chipboard or very heavy cardstock instead of slides for the 3-sided slide ornament, but not for the 4- or 5-sided slide ornament. The 4- and 5-slide ornaments are lighted, so the support has to be transparent.

3. Peel one side of the backing off of a sheet/piece of O'So Sticky Tape. Lay the three slides face down onto the exposed adhesive. Leave a very small space, 2mm or the thickness of your slides, between the slides so you can fold the sheet with the microscope slides stuck to it into a triangle shape later.

4. The three slides are now held together by the O'So Sticky tape that you added in step 3. Trim the excess tape off around the outer slides. DO NOT cut between the three slides or separate them.

5. Peel off the rest of the backing, then dip the front side of the attached slides into a 50/50 mixture of Pennywise Arts Ultra Fine Micro Beads and Pennywise Arts Mini Micro Beads.

6. Place a piece of single side heavy duty tape on the back along one side of the attached slides and then carefully fold the three slides into a triangle shape. Use a chopstick to reach inside of the triangle and press the tape onto the back of the slides to secure them.

7. Run a piece 1/4” width piece of O'So Sticky Tape around the top and bottom of the ornament. Remove the protective liner and then dip it into the PWA bubble beads and then into a 50/50 mixture of PWA's Ultra Fine Micro Beads and PWA's Mini Micro Beads.

8. Attach 1 piece of 3” long wire to the inside (approximated ¼ to 1/2” in) at the top and bottom of each slide with hot glue.

9. Gather the three wires on the bottom and slide the beads on from large to small. Then bend the excess wire into a curl or scroll. Gather the three wires at the top and slide the beads on from large to small. Twist the wires together and bend into a loop. Add a hook and hang it on your tree!

Instructions for the 4-Sided (Quadrilateral/Square) Lighted Ornament:

1. Cut out the four images that you want to use from the Swing Shift Designs Christmas Slide Soup Collage Sheet, Designed by Michele Aiello-Zendejas exclusively for Pennywise Arts. I used all three of the Three Kings slide images and the Star of Bethlehem slide image for this ornament.

2. Adhere the microscope slides to the back of the images with O'So Sticky Tape.

3. Adhere O'So Sticky Tape to the front of each image. Remove the protective liner and then dip it into a 50/50 mixture of PWA's Ultra Fine Micro Beads and PWA's Mini Micro Beads.

4. Cut a hole out of the center of a small square Shake It Shaker Card Window large enough for the Battery Operated Tea Light Candle to fit through. This will be the base.

5. Measure around the Battery Operated Tea Light Candle, then add ¼ to 1/2” for overlap. Cut a piece of Transparent Film to the length you just measured by 3” tall. Roll it into a tube and secure with clear tape. It should fit easily around the Battery Operated Tea Light Candle. Attach the clear tube to the bottom Shake It square with clear tape. Insert the Battery Operated Tea Light Candle from the hole in the bottom and secure it with clear removable tape. Do not glue it in. You want to be able to remove it so you can change it out when the battery goes dead.

6. Apply O'So Sticky Tape to the top part of the base piece. Remove the liner. Place a 1/4” strip of O'So Sticky Tape down the center of each slide. Remove the protective liner from the tape and attach the four image slides evenly spaced around the clear tube. The slides should now be connected to the tube and to the base, one on each side of the base.

7. Use another small square Shake It Shaker Card Window for the top of this project. Secure it to the top of the four image slides with thin strips of O'So Sticky Tape.

8. Cover the top Shake It Shaker Card Window with O'So Sticky Tape. Remove the liner to expose the tape.

9. Add some beads, small to large, onto a head pin. Bend and trim the excess wire from the head pin and then attach it to the top of the project. It should be centered on top of the Shake It Shaker Card Window.

10. Attach four acrylic flowers to the base, and four flowers around the beaded head pin on the top of the project.

11. Dip the exposed tape on the top and base into the PWA bubble beads and then into a 50/50 mixture of PWA's Ultra Fine Micro Beads and PWA's Mini Micro Beads.

Instructions for the 5-Sided (Pentagon) Lighted Ornament:

1. Cut out the five images that you want to use from the Swing Shift Designs Christmas Slide Soup Collage Sheet, Designed by Michele Aiello-Zendejas exclusively for Pennywise Arts. I used all three of the Three Kings slide images and two of the Star of Bethlehem slide images for this ornament. Set one Star of Bethlehem slide images aside. Punch a few tiny stars out of each of The Kings slides and one of the Star of Bethlehem Slides, then punch out a few 1/16” circles in all five slides. Now punch a small star out of the center of of the Star of Bethlehem slide image that you set aside. Punch out a few 1/16” circles from this slide as well.

2. Adhere the microscope slides to the back of the images using O'So Sticky Tape. Note: The microscope slides are used for support. The 5 sided slide ornament is lighted, so the support has to be transparent.

3. Peel one side of the backing off of a sheet/piece of O'So Sticky Tape. Lay the five microscope slides face down onto the exposed adhesive. Leave a very small space, 2mm or the thickness of your microscope slides, between the microscope slides so you can fold the sheet with the microscope slides stuck to it into a pentagon shape later.

4. The five microscope slides are now held together by the O'So Sticky tape that you added in step 3. Trim the excess tape off around the outer microscope slides. DO NOT cut between the five microscope slides or separate them.

5. Peel off the rest of the backing, then dip the front side of the attached microscope slides into a 50/50 mixture of Pennywise Arts Ultra Fine Micro Beads and Pennywise Arts Mini Micro Beads.

6. Place a piece of single side heavy duty tape on the back along one side of the attached microscope slides and then carefully fold the five microscope slides into a pentagon shape. Use a chopstick to reach inside of the pentagon and press the tape onto the back of the adjoining microscope slide to secure it.

7. Punch or cut a 2” circle (or larger, depending on the thickness of your microscope slides) from the Clear Transparent Film. Use the 5 sided ornament as a template and place a dot where the 5 corners meet, all the way around the circle.

8. Cover both sides of the 2” circle with O'So Sticky Tape. Punch a 1/16” inch hole into the center of the circle. Thread a head pin through the hole you just punched. Place a small piece of tape on the head of the head pin to secure it to the circle. Remove the bottom layer of protective backing from the tape and adhere the circle to the top of the 5 sided ornament, fold the tape down onto the sides of the ornament.

9. Remove the protective liner from the tape. Thread the faceted beads, from large to small, onto the head pin. Bend the head pin into a hook shape. Place 5 acrylic flowers around the newly beaded head pin. Then dip it into the PWA bubble beads and then into a 50/50 mixture of PWA's Ultra Fine Micro Beads and PWA's Mini Micro Beads.

10. Run a piece 1/4” width piece of O'So Sticky Tape around the top and bottom of the ornament. Remove the protective liner and then dip it into the PWA bubble beads and then into a 50/50 mixture of PWA's Ultra Fine Micro Beads and PWA's Mini Micro Beads.

11. Place a Battery-Operated Tea Light Candle inside the bottom of the ornament. The battery should fit snugly. If your battery operated candle falls out, use a few small pieces of clear transparent film as a shim to keep it inside the ornament. Do not glue it in. You want to be able to remove it so you can change it out when the battery goes dead.

Reminder: never leave anything producing heat unattended.

Thanks to Michele Aiello-Zendejas for sharing these great projects with us! Look for another great project from the Pennywise Arts team throughout the month and a new project from Pennywise Arts owner, Suzanne Glazier, tomorrow!

Now that you have had such great inspiration, get going on that Starry Night project and join in on our December Chestnut Theme challenge!

GC129: Chestnut Theme Challenge - Starry Night

2011-12-07T00:01:00.018-05:00

We begin our Holiday Lights month with a salute to the original holiday lights - stars! We dare you to use

Starry Night

Artwork by Annette Goatley
using Iridescent Bubblebeads from Pennywise Arts

as your inspiration for this challenge! Show off your favorite night sky creations!

We would like to thank Penny Wise Arts for their generous sponsorship throughout this month!

One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning a free bag of micro beads!

When the challenge closes on January 1, 2012, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using Starry Night as your inspiration;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on January 3, 2012. You have until January 1, 2012 to enter!

As always our design team has come up with some truly shining examples for you!

The Brilliant
Gingers

Artwork by Penny Bennington

Artwork by Alexa Noble

Artwork by Gerri Herbst

Artwork by Sharon Briss
using Antique Silver Micro Beads from Pennywise Arts

Artwork by Suzanne Brookfield
using Antique Silver Micro Beads from Pennywise Arts

Artwork by Deb Corder

Artwork by Lucy Edmondson

Artwork by Helene Huber
using Ultra Fine Micro Beads from Pennywise Arts

Our Visiting Artists

Artwork by Louise LePierres

Artwork by Cath Wilson

Artwork by Yvonne (MeggyMay)

Special Guest

Artwork by Dot Alcorn, Pennywise Arts Design Team
using Golden Opaque Micro Beads from Pennywise Arts

Can't wait to see what you create!

Wrap-Up - GC125: Farm Fresh

2011-12-06T00:01:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Rogue Redhead Designs for their generous sponsorship of this challenge! The winner receives a US$15.00 gift certificate to the Rogue Redhead Designs store.

Our randomly drawn Home Page Artist this week is

Electra
of
Wish I Knew How to Blog

Congratulations, Electra. Please email us at gingersnapstamp@gmail.com with your contact details by December 27, 2011 to collect your prize.

Your artwork will be showcased on the Home Page of the Gingersnap Creations Yahoo Group as well as on the sidebar on the blog.

Now onto our fabulous Ginger Gems. When each challenge closes, we also pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems appear in a slide show in the blog sidebar for the entire week, as well as in this wrap-up post, and their creators have the honor of displaying this Ginger Gems blog badge.

For more information about Ginger Gems and entering our challenges, please visit the FAQ page.

Our Home Grown
Ginger Gems

Artwork by Yvonne

Artwork by Michele C

Artwork by Krisha

Artwork by Samantha Read

Artwork by Holly

Artwork by Silvia / Barnie

Artwork by Beverly G.

Artwork by Peggy M - Wired Angel

Artwork by Barbara Washington

Artwork by Riette

Special Guests

Artwork by Gerri Herbst
Ginger

Artwork by
Nancy Johnson
Visiting Artist, September 2011

Artwork by Trisha Too
Ginger

Congratulations to all our Ginger Gems this week! We hope you take a minute to stop by their blogs.

Come by tomorrow for a new Chestnut Theme Challenge.

December Muse Showcase: Leonie Pujol

2011-12-03T00:01:00.012-05:00

This month, we would like to welcome Leonie Pujol as our December Muse! She is a papercrafting and mixed media art who is also a craft presenter for World/Create and Craft who has been published in a number of craft magazines. Leonie is also the author of a book on Artist Trading Cards.

Leonie will be joining us throughout December and sharing her artistic passion and process with us during our celebration of Holiday Lights. If you would like more information on the lovely projects which accompany this interview, just click on the link under the photographs to be taken to Leonie's specific blog posts. She has some fabulous detail photos of many of her projects.

Papercut Altered Book

We know you are anxious to meet Leonie, so we'll turn it over to her and let her tell you about herself!

"Hi, my name's Leonie and I am a serious craft addict. I started making things as a child with my parents, so we tried lots of different things, but my first crafty love was actually clay. We made things with the air dry clay, and this progressed into using Fimo. I used to make bears, animals, and my favourite Wallace and Gromit (with all their friends and foes!).

Air Dry Clay and Gleams

I started doing craft fairs to earn a little bit of extra cash, and finally gave up my 'proper' job in a Stockbrokers, to go into the craft world full time. At this stage my stamping was very basic, but the seed had been sown.

Bunting Flag 3

I met Dawn Bibby through selling my work at Oswaldtwistle Mills, and was offered a job working in her shop, Topaz Crafts. This was like a whole world of wonder. Dawn was great, and let us take things to play with and learn, which obviously meant we could sell the products better as we had knowledge of what they did.

Distressed Air Dry Clay

I became the buyer for the shop - dream job!! That was fantastic. All that craft stuff. Heaven. I began teaching and played with loads of products and experimented with techniques. The pure variation you can achieve with stamping made me fall in love with it - and also I always craved the beautiful images that I knew I couldn't draw, but with the aid of a stamp, I could work with.

Christmas Cards

My 'stash' grew, and my interest never waned. Eventually, I started driving Dawn to London and helping in the QVC studio's. This in turn lead to me actually being a guest on TV - and then being offered a job with Create and Craft as a Presenter. All this, from making little Fimo bears! Who would have thought. It has been an incredible journey, and I consider myself to be exceptionally lucky.

Distress Stains for Backgrounds and Stamping

I work in an industry I love, with great inspirational people, learning new things every day. I now have my own web site, and have begun to fulfill a burning ambition. I always wanted to be able to see work and make it into stamps - this is finally happening.

Spellbinders Bird

I still love stamping, and everything that goes with it. I am a messy crafter, so any work with inks and creating my own backgrounds has me enthralled. Triple thick enameling never fails to impress, and there can never be enough stamps in the world - keep them coming.

Bunting Flag 2

Crafting has certainly made a difference to my life, and I will always thank the day I actually had to guts to leave my secure job in Manchester to the unknown...you just never know what's round the corner."

Paint Daubers Project

If you would like to see more art by Leonie, check out her blog - Life's About Sharing - or her website.

All artwork in this post was created by Leonie Pujol.

Holiday Lights to Warm our Hearts and Hearths

2011-12-01T00:01:00.016-05:00

It's holiday time again! That means lots of warm and cozy nights with the beautiful glow of candles and fires to light up our hearts and our hearth. This December, Gingersnap Creations is celebrating Holiday Lights and we will be focusing on candles, votive holders and all things wax.

Artwork by Sharon Briss
using Pennywise Arts' Red Opaque Micro Beads

This month, we will be welcoming Pennywise Arts as our December sponsor. Pennywise Arts supplies fabulous micro beads in a wide range of colors in both translucent and opaque styles. They also feature a variety of adhesive solutions for the avid micro beader. Look for samples of Pennywise projects on their blog and fantastic tutorials on their website.

Joining in on our holiday fun this month, the Pennywise Arts Design Team has put together some great projects for you to enjoy!

Suzanne Glazier of Pennywise Arts

Our December Muse is Leonie Pujol, fabulous papercraft and mixed media artist and author. With a wonderfully diverse portfolio, Leonie is sure to charm you with her amazing art. We'll be featuring her in a Muse Showcase on Saturday, but if you want to see her art now you can visit her blog, Leonie Pujol: Life's About Sharing.

Artwork by Leonie Pujol

We are also pleased to welcome our Visiting Artists for December who will be sharing their phenomenal talents and art with us in our challenges! We are delighted to welcome Cath Wilson and to have both Yvonne (MeggyMay) and Louise LePierres as returning Visiting Artists. We can't wait to see what they create this month!

We've all fired up about our month full of fun!

~ our 4 regular challenges: Chestnut Theme, Spicy Supply, Random Redhead and Color

~ 5 more wrap-ups with more stunning Ginger Gem art and 5 new Home Page Artists and prize winners

~ a Muse Spotlight with Leonie Pujol, papercrafting and mixed media artist

~ a Sponsor Spotlight featuring Pennyewise Arts' Suzanne Glazier

~ some fabulous projects by Suzanne Glazier and the Pennywise Arts Design Team

and

~ another fantastic column by Contributing Artist, Deb Corder

Our Yahoo Group has been busy with the current Art Exchange - Holiday Ornaments. Check out these fabulous creations!

Artwork by Nancy

Artwork by Vicki

Artwork by Cathy

Artwork by Petra

Artwork by Suze

If you want to get in on the fun in our GC Yahoo Group or sign up for one of our Art Exchanges, why not become a Gingersnapper yourself and join our group? The membership process is easy and the fellowship is fantastic and we have a new art exchange coming up after the New Year!

For further Gingersnapper social networking, you can also join other crafters in our Gingersnap Creations on FB group.

Get your creative spark burning this holiday season and join us for some fun and fellowship!

GCSP10: Once in a Blue Moon - Thank You Notes

2011-11-30T00:01:00.006-05:00

It's that Once in a Blue Moon time again! Since our 5th Challenge of the month fell right after Thanksgiving and right before lots of gift giving, we decided to challenge you to make

Thank You Notes

Artwork by Penny Bennington

as we are sure they will come in handy! Any style and any format this time around! Have fun with it!

When the challenge closes on December 27, 2011, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

For your chance to be eligible as a Ginger Gem or as a Home Page Artist, just follow the simple guidelines below:

1) Make a paper crafting or mixed media creation using Thank You as your theme or inspiration;

2) Post your creation to your blog or online gallery with a mention and link to this post; and

3) Come back to this post and leave a comment including a DIRECT link to your creation or use the linky application below. Remember to make it a link to the specific post or picture and not just a general link to your blog or gallery. We need to be able to find your art!

For more information on our challenges and directions on linking, please check out our FAQ page.

One random winner and seven Ginger Gems will be announced from the qualifying submissions on December 29, 2011. You have until December 27, 2011 to enter!

We are always thankful for our talented Ginger and their fabulous art. Check out all this great inspiration!

The Great and Gracefully
Grateful Gingers
Artwork by Stephanie Severin

Artwork by Petra Berendsen

Artwork by Trisha Too

Artwork by Joanne Wardle

Artwork by Ali Manning

Visiting Artists

Artwork by Yvonne (MeggyMay)

Artwork by Louise LePierres

Artwork by Suze Bain

Can't wait to see what you create!