Cracked Glass Tutorial

Happy Hump Day! It's my turn ~ Maria ~ to bring you a tutorial. I always have fun creating Cracked Glass so thought I'd share this technique with you. Cracked glass adds texture and dimension to your project. It also highlights your main image, giving it that 'pop' factor or a vintage-like appearance.

Here are the supplies:

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel
Heat Gun
Powder Pal Tray or an old shoe box
Versamark or Embossing Glue Pad (mine is tinted)
Memento Ink
Cardstock
Copics (or other colouring medium)
Freezer
Sponge and ink for distressing

Step 1:
Stamp image on cardstock ~ I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the Victoria Case image and then coloured the image with Copics and sponged the edges with distress ink.


Step 2:
Apply Versamark over the entire piece of cardstock.


Step 3:
Place your cardstock in a Powder Pal (before I got one, I used to use an empty shoe box) and pour Ultra Thick Embossing Powder (UTEE) over the cardstock. Tap off excess powder.


Step 4:
Using your heat gun, heat powder until it's all melted. The first layer of UTEE will look lumpy when you have done heating. The more layers you add and heat, the smoother the finish.


Step 5:
Repeat Steps 3 and 4 a few more times while the UTEE is still hot. If the UTEE has cooled, go back and repeat Step 2 (reapply the Versamark or embossing glue pad) and then continue with Steps 3 and 4. I added UTEE 8 times to my sample as I wanted it thick.

TIP:
The more layers you add the smoother the finish, the glossier the look and also thicker to more easily create cracks.



Step 6:
Once you have finished adding all the layers of UTEE, place cardstock in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes so that it cools completely. When you remove it from the freezer, the cardstock may be warped but that's ok.


Step 7:
This is the fun part. Bend the cardstock gently until you hear cracking and you are satisfied with the look. You'll notice I over-cracked the image on the left as I got a bit over-zealous when I should have been a bit more gentle. I did do-over but decided to post my over-cracked so you could see what can happen. Updated to add: BTW, if you're not happy with how your cracked image turns out all you have to do is reheat it with the heat gun and it goes back flat and smooth and then you can rebend/crack to your liking.


Step 8:
This is my favourite part, using a distress ink or any other ink you prefer, sponge directly on the cracked glass to give it a more vintage look. The darker the ink colour, the more you will see the cracks. Wipe off excess ink with a paper towel or clean rag and place on your card.


Final Project:
Here's the card with the cracked glass image. I have kept the card fairly simple without too many embellishments - not even a flower ~ yikes ~ so the focus remains on the main image. Gluing down the image was a bit of a challenge so I ended up using pop dots.


Here's a close-up of the image in all its 'over-crackedness' but I still like the effect.


Hope you have enjoyed today's tutorial and feel free to ask questions.

Have a great day,
Maria

on a rainy Monday...

We still have some inspiration for you! Did you see the new images we used on our cards on Friday's challenge post? (And are you playing along?!)

Well we have another taste of yum to share... Our Scrapettes are having fun using all these gorgeous new Victoria Case stamps, and there are TONS of amazing stamps available at The TownScrapper....

for example:

Janet used the ALREADY-IN-RUBBER Evan's Big Catch

Krista did, too!

Zoe used the fabulous Lola, who's out for production
and will be available in rubber SOON! :)

check out the BLING!

You can get Evan at The TownScrapper NOW, and Lola is on her way - we'll keep you posted! For information or to place an order, drop Phebe a line at 519-882-0623, or by email at info@townscrapper.com - she provides EXCELLENT customer service and will ship internationally - plus she has loads of the newest products from BasicGrey, Prima, Bazzill... Not to mention all the fabulous stamp lines! The Greeting Farm, C.C. Designs, Magnolia, Kraftin' Kimmie, Whiff of Joy, Wags 'n Whiskers, My Favorite Things... She has a great selection!

Don't forget there's still plenty of time to get in on the Easter-themed challenge - CLICK HERE to play along, and for your chance to win this Sophie with Daffodil stamp:

Happy Monday, crafting friends!

Ribbon and Rubons winner, and new VICTORIA CASE STAMP up for grabs!

Hello, friends of The TownScrapper! Glad you made it to another fabulous Friday morning, and we're happy to see you again!

It's a dreary, rainy morning here in South Jersey, but it's better than the snow we've gotten this year! And the rain is a sure sign that SPRING has arrived! Soon we'll be seeing lots of flowers popping up, and trees full of lush, green leaves. I can't wait!

We Scrapettes have been having LOADS of fun with these new Victoria Case stamps - are they not AMAZING? That gal does some wonderful art, and we're so thrilled that she's designing these stamps JUST for The TownScrapper! Many of them are already available, but we've been bringing you some sneak peeks, too, so as soon as they're available for the public, we'll let you know!

In the meantime... let's get on with the news today, shall we? First of all, while we didn't have as many players last week for our Ribbons and Rubons challenge, the submissions were LOVELY! You've all given us some new ideas, which is ALWAYS a treat - thank you!

Of our 9 players, random.org selected lucky number 3 as our winner of the sweet Sophie in the Garden stamp - CONGRATULATIONS, Deanne!
here's Deanne's adorable card:


Deanne, please email Phebe at info@townscrapper.com with your mailing address so she can send your stamp out to you, and congrats again! We hope you'll love playing with this new Victoria Case cutie!

And today, we bring you the next TownScrapper challenge, just in time for Easter! This time, the prize is the very sweet Sophie with Daffodil stamp:


And our challenge? EASTER! Use your cutest or loveliest Easter stamps and create something for the occasion... How about some ideas from our Scrapettes?

Ann:



Krista:


Melanie:


Katie:


Tricia:


Janet:


Kelly:


Lisa:


Can you tell we are LOVING the little Easter Cutie Kids? Well these will ALL be available to buy SOON, so get that wish list ready. :)

You have until next THURSDAY, April 1st at midnight EST to link up your projects (not to your general blog, please!) for this challenge below. Please remember that your projects must be created NEW for this challenge, and you must link back to us in your blog post, and we will draw one lucky winner for the Sophie with Daffodil stamp. Good luck, have fun crafting, and we'll see you again on Monday with another TownScrapper showcase!

Tutorial - Make Your Own Charms

Today's charm tutorial is brought to you by our very talented DT Coordinator and Scrapette Kim B. I'm sure you'll enjoy it and have loads of fun making your own to add to all your card and scrapbooking projects.

Supplies & Tool

Hole punch (i.e. Crop-a-dile)

Shrink plastic (i.e. "Shrinky Dinks")
Stamps of your choice ("Humble Pie" used here)
Shape punch (i.e. Stampin’ up scalloped circle & Marvy Uchida)Heat tool & Tweezers
Permanent markers for colouring
Stazon Ink Pad

TIPS
You may wish to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for shrink plastic. However, if you don't want to bake yours in the oven, you could use a heat gun. Not only is the hot gun faster, but you have more control when it starts to curl. Don't worry too much when it starts to curl - KEEP HEATING, and BE PATIENT, because it usually uncurls itself. However, if it sticks to itself, you have to pry it apart with tweezers, while it's warm, and then continue heating.

Step 1
Stamp images with Stazon onto the shrink plastic or trace simple designs using a permanent marker.

Step 2
Punch or cut out shapes around stamped image. I find the scalloped circle punch to be the most forgiving. It doesn't seem to lose it's shape during the shrinking process. I haven't tried to use my die cut machine, but I hear that works as well.

Step 3
Colour your images, using colours that are much lighter than you want because they darken as the charm shrinks.

TIP
You don’t need to be super-precise with your colouring when you shrink because the colours darken and any spots you miss are barely noticeable. Be careful not to touch the stamped portion of the image with your colouring marker though– the black Stazon will bleed into your colour. The stazon ink and the permanent markers are both alcohol-based so they tend to blend. DO NOT use Copics with Stazon as the Stazon will stain them.

Step 4
Punch one hole (for charm) with hole punch (Crop-a-dile). Keep in mind that the hole shrinks, too, so punch a larger hole than you want.


Step 5
Using the heat gun, shrink the image but be sure to use a piece of corrugated cardboard as your base. Secure the unshrunk charm with a pin through the punched hole. Then, using tweezers, without touching the plastic too much (it will leave an impression wherever you touch), turn on your heat gun and hold it about 6″ away from the plastic, and keep it moving to distribute heat. The charm will curl up – use your tweezers to keep it from folding and sticking to itself. Keep heating until it curls and then uncurls (be patient). Remove the pin and allow to cool. Don’t overheat because it will burn. It takes only about 10-12 seconds to shrink. While it’s still warm, you can flatten it out, if needed, with an acrylic block, or other flat-surface tool.

The charms will shrink to about 1/3 their original size.

The Humble Pie images make adorable little charms. They can be made into keychains, earrings, necklaces, cell phone charms and of course added to your cards or scrapbook pages.


Here's a necklace and matching earrings our talented Kim B. made.


Hope you have enjoyed today's tutorial and that you give it a try.

Have a great day and don't forget about this week's Ribbons and Rubons challenge HERE for a chance to win the Victoria Case stamp, Sophie in the Garden which is exclusive to The Townscrapper.

Showcase Monday and Candy Winner

Happy Monday everyone and for our Canadian friends returning from March Break, we hope you had a great one! Let's have a look at today's Showcase line-up and all the goodies the DT is bringing your way.

Leah (Isn't this NEW Lola image by Victoria Case,
exclusively for The Townscrapper, the spunkiest?
Image will be available mid-April so stay tuned.)

Kim S. (Sophie image by Victoria Case,
exclusively for The Townscrapper)

Phebe (Sugarplums Spring Couple by CC Designs)

Shelly (Sophie in the Garden by Victoria Case,
exclusively for The Townscrapper)

Oooh so did you think I forgot all about today's winner? I just wanted to keep the suspense going a litttttttle bit longer - lol. Thank you to everyone who grabbed our funky Scrapette Banner and posted it on their sidebar with a link back here to The Townscrapper Blog. So the winner of 1 brand new Victoria Case image is LORI. Congratulations and please email Phebe at info@townscrapper.com to let her know the Victoria Case image you would like and also provide her with your address.

Don't forget to play along with this week's Ribbons and Rub-Ons challenge HERE. You have until Thursday, March 25th at midnight EST to enter for a chance to win Victoria Case's Sophie in The Garden stamp, exclusive to The Townscrapper, and featured on Shelly's card above.

Happy Crafting.

3-Button challenge WINNER and new Victoria Case stamp up for grabs!

WOO HOO! Another Friday, and it's absolutely sunny and gorgeous here in South Jersey!

We Scrapettes hope you've all had a wonderful week and are enjoying some springy weather wherever you may be. :) We know that people are joining us from around the globe, and the seasons differ so much from one country to the next, but SUNSHINE makes us ALL feel great, so here's wishing you all lots of sunshine for the weeekend!

A quick reminder that if you haven't already added our brand new SCRAPETTES logo to your sidebars, you have until Sunday night to get it done and leave us a comment ON THIS POST for your chance to win one of the GORGEOUS new Victoria Case stamps, designed exclusively for, and ONLY available at The TownScrapper! CLICK THIS LINK to take you to the post and let us know you've added our little banner, and you're automatically entered to win! We'll be announcing the winner on Monday, with our next TownScrapper Showcase!

Speaking of winning... I spent a couple of minutes chatter with my good friends at random.org today, and we're happy to congratulate lucky number 13 (yes, really!),

LINDA B, of Card Challenges & More, with THIS CARD:



HOW CUTE, right? Love that bling! Linda wins her choice of our new Victoria Case releases found HERE (check out the Scrapettes' samples and pick which one you like best, and Phebe will happily send it your way!). Congrats, Linda! Please send an email with your full name, mailing address and stamp choice to Phebe at info@townscrapper.com so she can get your prize out to you!

Today, we have a brand new challenge for you, and we all had a little fun with it, trying different things. LOTS of possibilities with this one!

We'd like to see RIBBONS AND RUB-ONS on your creations! Feel free to think outside the box, but be sure to incorporate BOTH elements on your projects, and maybe even draw a little inspiration from our lovely Scrapettes... Here's what we've come up with:

Kylie




Kelly


Krista (THIS STAMP IS THIS WEEK'S PRIZE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER!)


Kim S. (our Scrapettes are LOVING the newest images!)


Katie (ANOTHER sneak peek! Are these Easter Cuties not the most adorable little darlin's?! COMING SOON!)


Shelly



Yes, MORE new stamps to drool over! Victoria has been busy, and we are LOVING everything she's done so far for The TownScrapper! Keep your eyes peeled for the next batch and we'll let you know as soon as they're available in rubber!

In the meantime, play along with this Ribbons and Rub-Ons challenge, and link your NEWLY-CREATED projects (not your general blogs please) below by next Thursday, March 25th at midnight EST for your chance to win a BRAND NEW Victoria Case stamp, exclusive to The TownScrapper. The winner will receive the GORGEOUS Sophie in The Garden stamp featured above, and Phebe, our "Phearless" leader, will hook you up! She's got a ton of other great products available in the store, so drop her a line at info@townscrapper.com or give her a call at 519-882-0623 - she's happy to ship internationally, and she gives the BEST customer service!

HAPPY CRAFTING!

They don't MAKE acrylic blocks that big!

Wait, YES THEY DO!

Have you ever found yourself in a kerfuffle, wishing you had a bigger acrylic block to use for HUGE stamps, or to arrange stamps in order to create a larger scene or sentiment?

Well our fabulous Scrapette, Melanie, offers us a great piece of advice to resolve this little dilemma.

CUTTLEBUG PLATES! They're heavyweight, they're clear, and your stamps - acrylic, unmounted rubber - will STICK to them! Not to mention the B-plates come 2 to a pack and are much cheaper than what you'd pay for a GIANT acrylic block.

Thanks for the tip, Melanie! This will work brilliantly for larger projects like altered art and scrapbook pages! :)


***TWO CHANCES TO WIN A NEW VICTORIA CASE STAMP!***

1) Our 3-Buttons Challenge is open, and there's still plenty of time to play along for your chance to win a TownScrapper exclusive Victoria Case stamp! PLAY ALONG HERE! You have until this THURSDAY, March 18th at midnight EST to link up your projects!

2) Have you added our new SCRAPETTES logo to your sidebar? If you still have the old Humble Pie logo/blinkie, please replace it and let us know you did by leaving a comment HERE. Or if you're new to our little corner of the web, grab the logo and pop it up on your sidebar, and leave us a comment ON THIS POST, and you'll be in the running for a brand new, TownScrapper exclusive, Victoria Case stamp! Hurry! This closes SUNDAY, March 21st at midnight EST!

Showcase Monday and More Candy

Have you noticed the DT's new name and banner? We are now The TownScrapper Scrapettes and look at the lovely banner our very own super talented Zoe created for us! Woohooo - well play along with us and grab our banner, put it on your own blog sidebar making sure that it links back here to The TownScrapper Blog when you click on it. When you're done, please leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog. One random winner will receive their choice of 1 of the brand new Victoria Case images released HERE. The winner will be announced next Monday, March 22, so be sure to check back.

So here's today's line-up of inspiring creations from the Scrapettes. Have a look and let us know how we're doing. We appreciate your visit and look forward to your comments.

Leah (Posey by Kraftin' Kimmie)

Lisa (The Greeting Farm)

Maria (Izzy from the Twinkle Tots Collection
by the Greeting Farm)

Shelly (Sophie Feeding the Birds by Victoria Case,
exclusively for The TownScrapper)
Zoe (Swiss Pixie by CC Designs)

If you're interested in any of the images used in today's showcase, please contact Phebe at The TownScrapper by email at info@townscrapper.com or by phone at 519-882-0623. Her customer service is excellent and she will ship worldwide.

Hope we've inspired you and given your MOJO a kick start for the week. See you on Wednesday for another edition of tips and tricks. Oh and don't forget to join in and submit a project for our Friday challenge HERE. One lucky participant will win 1 brand new Victoria Case stamp.