Fabulous Finds Friday — Marvelous Magenta

I have long been a fan of the elegant art stamps from Magenta, a Canadian company that has been around for as long as I’ve been stamping. The stamps, whether wood mounted or on cling, never fail to delight — and the samples the company shows at its booth always make me drool. Now THIS is art!

 Here’s a peek at some of the Magenta style shown at the Carson stamp show:

See the pretty red bird? The bird is a cork die cut from a new Magenta product, cork sheets. The bird is dyed using Alcohol Inks. Here’s a close up of the card and the sheet:

Another card made using a different cork design:

Magenta has another nifty new product — book kits:

Imagine what you can do with the pieces from this kit! Here is one of the samples:

So pretty!

Magenta is also the North American distributor for Crafty Individuals. Here is one image I love:

(This is one stamp.)

Thanks for stopping by! And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Fabulous Finds Friday — Wendy Vecchi

I hit the Original Rubber Stamp Convention in Carson, Calif., (fondly referred to as “the Carson show”) to see what was new and happening.

It was great make new discoveries and to see some familiar faces. The crowd was small, but enthusiastic. (I remember the early days of the Carson show when people would arrive an hour early and stand on line to get in!)

Today I will show you some fun new products from designer Wendy Vecchi, sold through Stampers Anonymous.

Wendy’s line, Studio 490, is fresh and funky and includes stamps, “art parts,” and three inspiration booklets.

Look at these fun projects you can design with Wendy’s stamps and “art parts,” starting with this cute little birdhouse:

Here are some more fun projects that can be made with Wendy’s kits:

And a rack of her stamps:

You can see more on Wendy’s blog: http://studio490art.blogspot.com. Come back the next few Fridays for more peeks from the Carson show, including a beautiful technique from Judikins, sassy new images from American Art Stamp, new products from Magenta, and a fabulous project kit from Darcie’s.

Have a great weekend!

Fabulous Finds Friday — Bargain Day!

A few weeks ago I was getting some exercise (walking up and down the aisles in Michael’s — that counts as exercise, right?). I wasn’t planning on buying anything (really!) until I passed the $1 bin. I am a sucker for the $1 bin. You’ll know I’m a sucker when you see what I bought …. paper flowers… buttons… and two giant clothespins. Of course I have about a bazillion paper flowers. I have tubes and jars and baggies full of paper flowers… from Prima and KaiserCraft and Making Memories and ….  others. And I hardly ever use buttons. Don’t even get me started about the clothes pins.

But I could NOT resist these: 

They have been staring reproachfully at me for several weeks. So I finally just dove in and made two quick cards:

(text background by Stampers Anonymous; sentiment by Hero Arts)

I don’t like this one as much, but it was fast and easy:

(Paper by Making Memories; sentiment by Inkadinkado; stamped butterflies by Prima)

Thanks for coming by! Hope you’ll visit again next Friday. I’m heading to the Carson (California) stamp show this weekend and hope to have some cool things to share.)

Mapping another card

My last post featured Becky Fleck’s new book, “Page Maps 2: More Sketches for Creative Layouts & Cards.”

I was so happy with the way the first sketch moved my mojo that I decided to try again with the second sketch on this page:

Naturally, I loved the idea of using up some scraps… and here’s what fell together:

Such fun — and so quick and easy!

(Sentiment and frame by Hero Arts — I use this frame a lot!)

And this very simple one:

(Not my favorite, but it came together quickly. )

Thanks for coming by! Drop by again on Friday.

Fabulous Finds Friday — Page Maps

Do you ever sit down to make a card and just … well, just run out of ideas? Can’t figure out where to start? Don’t know where to put the focal point? Sometimes, stamping is like a journey: you need a map to reach your destination.

That’s where Page Maps comes to the rescue. Becky Fleck’s latest road trip gives us “Page Maps 2: More Sketches for Creative Layouts & Cards.”* by Memory Makers Books (part of F&W Media).

The book has 92 sketches — mostly for scrapbook pages, but a few for cards. Although I do more cardmaking than scrapbooking, I do find Becky’s layouts inspiring, and I love her sense of humor. I also like the samples and the perforated cards you can punch out and keep on your desk for easy reference. (Read below for my interview with Becky.)

Here’s an example of one page with sketches and ideas, and my card(s)  inspired by that page:

I had the chance to ask Becky some questions:

 1. Why is it helpful to follow or create a sketch before making a card or layout?

It simplifies the process of “what to put where” and gives you more time to fuss with photos, papers and embellishments. Sketches are also a real time-saver for busy scrappers on the go.

 2. How do you “visualize” a sketch?

I start out with an idea of what the sketch will look like (how many photos, etc.) then begin blocking it out on paper. When I am happy with the rough sketch, I recreate it on my computer.

 3. Any tips for adapting scrapbook page maps into cards?

All of the 8½x11 vertical and horizontal sketches are easily adaptable for card makers, as well as some of the simpler 12×12 sketches to create a square card. I’ve used them for cards and discovered that if you mentally block out some of the embellishments and remove the photos on the sketch, a solid card sketch appears!

 4. What inspires you to create a layout or card?

For layouts, my photos are always what inspires me first. Once I’ve selected them, I write my journaling. Then the fun begins in choosing papers and embellishments to complete the page. For cards, it is usually the occasion that inspires me, although sometimes I will see paper and think to myself, “That would make a great card!” 

 One more card made from the same sketch:

 

Stay tuned… I’ll post some other cards made from traveling along Becky’s maps.

 

*Disclaimer: Book provided by F+W Media.