www.susankweckesser.com

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Stamped & Soldered Pendant


CherylsWindow_primabead_SusanKWeckesser-3
Hello!  Cheryl Boglioli here to share a quick little happy piece I made.  I’ve created a happy personalized necklace using papers and a small sentiment Unity stamp from Create Your Day by Susan K Weckesser.  After cutting out the paper, I added a little more pop of color using my PanPastel colors around the edge and around the butterfly.  I stamped the sentiment using Ranger black Archival Ink and heat set to make sure it didn’t smear when placing between the two memory glass pieces.  I sandwiched the little piece of art between two pieces of 1.5x1.5 Inkessentials Memory Glass and wrapped with copper foil before soldering.
I’m not a solder expert yet by any means, but I’m having fun practicing.  I’m still working on the whole process and am actually anxious to look back in a year or more and see how my beading, jewelry design, and soldering skills improve over time.
CherylsWindow_primabead_SusanKWeckesser
To finish and attach the pendant to my necklace, I set two Stainless Steel jump rings in the top and one in the bottom of the pendant. I cut a Prima Bead Stainless Steel chain in half and added a jump ring to both pieces before attaching to the pendant. I also added a few drop beads to the top jump rings and the bottom for greater design interest.   You can find more details about this piece and my earrings over on my blog today too.
Go out and CREATE YOUR DAY today!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Live In Full Colour - A Mixed Media Layout

Hello friends!  It's Lee-Anne here.  I am so honoured and so excited to be asked to be a guest designer on Susan Weckesser's Design Team.

Today, I have a layout to share that I created with Susan's stamps, stencils, and patterned papers. It was fun to create and it made me happy to use all the cheery, bright colours.



I used the background paper as my canvas and used some modeling paste and a stencil and added some designs for texture and also on the rooftop of the house.  I then took my Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mists in the colours Primrose, Mint Green and Chartreuse and added splattered dots and also misted my diecut title that I created with my Silhouette Cameo.  To add some more dimension, I layered and fussy cut some of the patterned paper and corrugated paper and adhered them to the layout. With Susan's  cute Heart Unity Stamp, I used a pink Pitt Big Brush pen and inked the stamp and then cut it out.  Finally I used some twine and adhered it to the fussy cut sun to give more interest and then some flair buttons, little flowers and a pearl for the door knob as well as machine stitched around the door of the house with thread for more texture.  Below are some more closeups:





I hope you enjoyed my layout and thank you for letting me share.  Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Altered spoon from the homefront . . .

 Hi everyone, Tracy here today with an altered spoon to share with you all.
Wanting to add a little something extra to some of my containers at home in my garden and at the allotment I grabbed a few supplies . . .

My favourite go to stamp set -
along with a few essentials 
Faber Castell Gel Medium
 Tim Holtz Distress Stains, Distress Paints and Distress Ink Pads
Archival ink pad
 Clear Embossing Ink pad 
Inkssentials Kraft tag
and lastly a little Raffia.
My favourite part . . . Getting Messy!
I started by applying a layer of Gel Medium to the spoon, leave it to dry or if you are impatient like me then blast it with a Heat Tool.
Next came a layer or two of Distress Paint in Picket Fence, smudging it around with my fingers!
Time to ink up the little house stamp with an Archival Ink Pad, no acrylic block needed as the spoon curves it`s easier to apply using your hand.
A little bit missing on the roof but I kinda like the rustic feel.
 Now the fun part, adding color with Distress Paints and Stains.
A little doodle dooo time adding birds, puffs of smoke from the chimney and scribbles . . .

I stamped one of the sentiments from the set, chopped it all up and fixed in place with a hot glue gun.
Next I stamped all over the spoon with a Clear Embossing pad, sprinkled with a little Cosmic Shimmer Embossing powder and set with my ever trusty Heat Tool, repeat the process once more.
 Love what embossing powder adds to a project and how alive the colors become.
At this stage you could use a clear varnish but I think the embossing powder should do just as well . . .
fingers and toes crossed!

Ooops, I almost forgot to mention that I applied Black Soot and Walnut Stain Distress Ink all around the edges of the spoon to shabby it up a little.
A quick look at how the spoon started life in my shed and the finished spoon.
The spoon is now at my allotment along with a few others in the wild flower section for all to see.
Want to see more spoons . . . then pop over to this post here on my blog.
Thank you so much for looking
Till next time
Tracy Easson
Susan K Weckesser Design Team Member

Monday, July 22, 2013

Creating...just because

Hey sweet bloggers! Rita Barakat here with a peek at an art journal
page I am working on.
Using lots of stamps and PITT pens.
Not really sure  where I am going with this one but I did have
fun stamping all the images around her. Sometimes
I just paint, to paint. Do you do that?
She kinda reminds me of the Mona Lisa! LOL!
Its fun just to create and see where it takes you!
 photo 30f97b72-4f96-4dea-ae94-1e7248df6f50_zps1fa57618.jpg

Friday, July 19, 2013

Tickled Pink

Well I am Tickled Pink that my niece Grace is coming for a visit this summer, I only get to see her once a year so it is a whole lot of catching up when we do.  This is a layout to celebrate her coming, this is when she was well under 1 and now she is 4 and going to go to school this year.

It is a simple layout using Susan's paper as a back ground, but also cut out to make embellishments. the clouds are cut from one piece and the tickled ping from another.  The banners were stamped with her banner stamp - Celebration of Simple and then cut into 4 triangles from the one stamp to make a smaller banner.  The sun was stamped with the sun from the Fly Away set.




Here are a few close ups of the details.  What a cute little birdie! 




Well I cant wait to see Grace this summer, of course I will have my camera out and ready to go.  I am sure I will get some great photos to share. 

Have a great week, Jennifer

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Paper Bracelets with Inkssentials?

Inkssentials & Patina Bracelet 2 SKWeckesserBe it known that I am not a jewellery maker, nor do I pretend to be one! I can tie a ribbon around my wrist…that’s cute! Or…I can string a charm on a piece of jute and wear it around my neck….I like that! BUT, I am not a fancy, dancy jewellery maker! It doesn’t work for me. I can work with paper and mixed media. So, when I was at Ranger U and saw Tim Holtz talk about the neat effects that Inkssentials have on paper products a light bulb went off in my head. You see, when you soak paper, card stock, card board or really any paper products with Inkssentials, the paper becomes soft, pliable, and even more hardy. It takes on a leather look which is CRAZY COOL! And that is how I made my bracelet.

Inkssentials & Patina Bracelet 3 SKWeckesser

I took long stripes a super think cardstock. I then sprayed the strips in some Ranger Ink Inkssentials and while it was still damp I rubbed in some of Tim Holtz Distress Paint : colors barn door, rusty hinge & tarnished brass. It really aged the look of the paper. With the paper was still wet, I loosely braided it.

041

I punched a hole in it with a Crop-a-Dile so I could place an anchor wire and then I wrapped it up!

Inkssentials & Patina Bracelet SKWeckesser

The charms that I used are from Vintaj and Prima Marketing Inc. And to get that wonderful color and distressed look on the metal I use Patina from Vintaj mixed with Vintaj Glaze.

Once I lightly brushed some on, I lightly sanded the pieces to get a lovely aged look! SO much FUN!!!

  018

 

And yes….. I was playing with my Ranger melting pot in the garden again. Do you KNOW all the cool things that you can do!? AMAZING!?! Look at this sweet little flower. After it set my daughter cracked it into half. The seeds and flower are so well preserved. This is going to look AMAZING on a mixed media canvas!!!

Guess what?

I have a new stamp line over in the UK and you can find it at Personal Impressions.

You can see more of my UK line on their website.SKWeckesser Stamps UK

The winner of the NEW Rhonna Designs App is……

Deirdre Smith July 16, 2013 at 7:45 PM

Photography for me is my way of expressing to my children, family and friends what I just saw when they are looking the other way. It is my way of capturing the joy I felt when I saw all the colors in the distant scenery. It is my way of capturing and leaving behind my journey for when I am gone....Thank you for the inspiration and the opportunity...

 

Congratulations Deirdre!

Please email me at susiebeestudios@gmail.com .

Thank-you everyone for your wonderful comments! I love to read about why we all LOVE to be CREATIVE to KEEP MEMORIES!

Have a AWESOME day everyone!

Susan

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Just a Little "Thankful" Post

Hello everyone!  Lynne here with a quick little "thankful post" for you today.  In case you weren't aware, I live in Alberta, Canada on an acreage just north of Calgary.  And if you have been watching the news lately you probably know that this part of Alberta has been dealing with some severe weather issues - if it's not water related (flooding) it's wind related (tornado's!) and we have even been having CRAZY lighting storms and HUGE hail ...larger than golf balls in some cases!  And all this weather has been swirling around our little acreage, but nothing has actually been a direct hit... (grateful sigh)  And as I watch the clean up that is taking place in the area, and help out where I can, I find myself saying a continual prayer of gratefulness in my head, heart and soul for our home still being safe and dry... I am SO VERY THANKFUL!
So I created this little card to give some tangible expression to my grateful heart... using Susan K. Weckesser's "Sail Away" stamp (again... grin... can you tell I LOVE this one... Bigger Grin) I stamped, colored and cut-out three images and re-layered all those pieces using foam pop dots to create dimension and layers.


I created my card base using 120lbs watercolor paper and a simple watercolor wash sprinkled with salt while still wet.  After it has dried you brush off the salt and you have this really great texture.  I used my black copic liner to draw in the horizon and the sun after I had glued down all my pieces, I also added some extra lines in the water to give a "water wake" effect.  

And as always (for me...smile) some stickles and liquid glass to highlight some areas and a wobbly black line around the edge finished off the card.   Thanks for stopping by the My Sweet Earth Blog today ... and I encourage you to take a moment in your day to stop and recognize all you have to be thankful for in your life right now - Cheers!!! Scrapbook Lynne

Monday, July 15, 2013

Send it with love...


Hey sweet friends Rita Barakat here with a friendly idea to make someones day!
You will need a little packing tape, gesso, staz on ink, paint brush,
 paper towels, water, your favorite stamps and some paint.
 Use a non stick surface or glass and place some tape down.
Wet a paper towel and have it nearby. Gesso areas big enough to fit your stamp.
It's hard to see but in between the gesso spots I stamped a saying on the tape
with staz on ink.

Before the gesso dries take your clean stamp and stamp the area 
- you are lifting the gesso off the tape. Wipe clean after each stamp- 
I keep a wet paper towel nearby and stamp that. Dont let the gesso dry on your stamp!
Obviously you can tell that this is my favorite stamp from 
 Susan K. Weckesser/Unity stamps-"Sing your song". 
 Then I painted my image! Easy! And it makes for really cute
"new and improved" packaging tape!
How cute would it be to recieve a goody in the mail with this tape?
 photo 30f97b72-4f96-4dea-ae94-1e7248df6f50_zps1fa57618.jpg

Friday, July 12, 2013

A word of advice mini album

Hi crafty friends! Einat Kessler here with a new project!
My boys always say: "Mom stop worrying so much", "stop telling us what to do" etc. Well I'm only giving them a piece of advice...right??
So instead of telling it directly to them I created a little mini album with a few advices.


I started with this beautiful house I cut from Susan K. Weckesser patterned paper. I used a stencil to create the brick pattern on the house as well as the waves on the roof. I also cut an I shape on the window so I can open it a little.

I cut different Susan K.Weckesser patterned papers as pages and used a different stamp on each page.


"May the sun shine on you! But only if you let it". I stamped a the sun on patterned paper, cut it out and adhered it on the page with 3D foam tape. Then I added my advice.


"Let your dreams fly high". I stamped the kite directly on the page. Then I cut out only the top part of the kite so I can raise it a little with 3D foam tape. I stamped the kite again on a different paper and cut the small ribbons out and added them on the page. I hand drew the clouds and added my advice.


" Don't be afraid to get wet...". stamped the cloud on patterned paper, cut it out and adhered it on the page with 3D foam tape. I added stickles rain drop and wrote my advice.


"LOVE". I stamped the word love on the page. I hand cut two hearts, distressed them and added a frame with a black pen. I also added little hearts and a punched border.


"Always listen to your mom!". My final most important advice...I stamped the image on the page, added a net fabric and some punched buttons.

Finally I bind it all with a Bind-it-All.

Have fun creating!
Einat
Susan K. Weckesser DT member

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Rhonna Designs Photo Editing App Giveaway!

photo (21)

I have been so privileged to be part of Rhonna Farrer’s Creative team for almost two years now. it has been a wonderful blessing to be part of Rhonna’s team because I have been able to work along side some truly amazing and talented women! Not to mention it has been so incredible to watch Rhonna’s designs and products grow and bloom. She is incredibly sweet, gracious, and talented. What I really have liked about being on Rhonna’s Creative team is that even when I have been busy designing and creating my own designs and writing articles, I have been lucky enough to design and play with Rhonna’s beautiful photo editing designs and tools. To take beautiful pictures and then play and edit them…..well, for me…I find that extremely relaxing. It helps me to relax and unwind! That is why I was SO THRILLED when Rhonna told us that she was developing an app with app developer Devin Pitcher. How COOL is that!!!!!  I have had SO much fun helping to test the app along with the rest of the Rhonna Farrer Creative Team!!!

photo (19)

I have tried quite a few apps for editing my pictures and I have to admit….this one ROCKS!!!! It has so many cool functions, texts, layers, and MORE!! Truly AMAZING!!! I have said it repeatedly…It is like having a mini studio in your pocket!!!!! SWEET!!!!photo (18)

AMAZING!!! Look how by selecting the ‘shadow’ option on Rhonna’s app,  I made the bee appear like it is actually flying off my picture! How cool is that!

And, if you are not sure how to do these things on your own, DON’T WORRY…. Rhonna has  free video tutorial workshops on her site, Rhonna Designs!

RDpreviewAPPtuts

To purchase the app, which is number #1 in Photo & Video category on the charts...in the 'new & noteworthy', you can go to the Apple ITunes App Store…HERE.

Here are a few more of my edited pictures. These are picture that I snapped on my IPhone and then edited with Rhonna new app. photo (17)

photo (16)

photo (22)

Guess WHAT!?

Rhonna Farrer has given me an app to giveaway!!!! Leave a comment telling me why you like taking pictures and be sure to go and like Rhonna Designs on Facebook and say Hello from Susan…your creative & Canadian friend! *grin* On July 18, I will announce the winner!

CONGRATULATIONS to RHONNA FARRER for creating such an AMAZING & FUN APP…..

and thank-you Rhonna for this fun give-away!

Now…lets get snapping everyone!

hugs,

Susan xo

Live in Full ColorC-n-Clogo-8"

REMEMBER….. I am teaching at CHA this month and I would LOVE to get CRAFTY with you so COME & JOIN ME!!!! Registration information HERE!