Rubber!

I'm setting a bad example... It's been my turn to post to the blog for about 4 days now, and I'm totally slacking. I'm doubly bad because I was supposed to post a tutorial for an Alcohol Ink mono-printing technique, but I haven't had time to make up my samples. I haven't been sitting around doing nothing though; the first set of Rubber Inspirations orders went out the door this morning, and everyone who ordered will be getting new toys to play with soon!

As these awesome stamps and supplies started showing up at my door last week, I got to really see for myself how awesome these products are. So instead of the tutorial today, I want to show you the stamps that we're carrying from Stamping Sensations instead. I fell in love with the images as soon as I saw them, but getting them in my hand cemented the deal. You're never going to find unmounted rubber sheets of this quality for a better price!


First of all, these sets are HUGE! You can't really tell from the images on-line how big they really are. Rubber Inspirations is mainly carrying two sizes at this time; a large 8.5"x11" sheet, and a smaller 5"x7" sheet.



The large set, Loving You, Father is shown above, retails for $21.95 and that includes a sheet of EZ-Mount cushion.

You can kind of get an idea from the picture above how large some of the images included are, but here's a close up for you...

This cute teddy bear stamp from the Sweet Bundle set measures just over 4 inches square! These large images are not only great for cardmaking, but also for scrapbooking and altered arts. They're fun to color, but they also are awesome for techniques like paper piecing, and if you want to show off a background technique, the collage images are perfect for that!

Of course many of the sets have both larger and smaller images included, so if you're not sure about using the larger stamps, you still have plenty of gorgeous images to choose from.

Now did I mention the quality? As you can see, the rubber is a dark blue, which hides all of that nasty ink staining that can occur over time to your well loved stamps. It's also a nice thick plate of rubber, so your images will stamp crisp and beautiful every time. I just know you're going to love these stamps as much as I do!

If you have any questions about any of the stamps or products Rubber Inspirations carries, feel free to email me and I'll help you however I can!

Have a great day!

Anne

Gift Sets

Need a fun gift for a friend that is heading on vacation or trip to the beach?

Invited to a Housewarming Party or a morning coffee group, and you wish to bring something special, but tired of bringing the same store bought cinnamon raisin coffee cake?

Well, I just might have the right thing for you!

Not only will you be bringing something special to your next get together, but it will surely be the topic of conversation!

You can make some uber cute and easy gifts too, with just some Frappachino holders & spray paint…..or other cardboard 4 pack bottle holders, or even a 6 pack holder will work too!

I will show you two projects I made, along with some ideas for you to create and fill one too!

Coffee gift set

~project credits~Tea & Coffee stamp set from Pink Cat Studio - Rubber InspirationsPrinted paper by Rhonna Farrer/Rubber Inspirations~inside~Splenda and sugar packets, 2 Millstone coffee packages, 1 Coffeemate powdered creamer, coffee stirrers, Splenda Mocha flavor Blends packets

With my first Frappachino holder I spray painted it a mocha brown semi-gloss color. You do want to do this in a well ventilated area, (I worked in my garage), and cover your area with many layers of newspaper or another type of cloth. Spray paint, as you well know, is very, very messy and has strong vapors.
Please follow all the instructions on the can carefully.

One even coat worked well, which darker colors usually will cover well with one coat of paint.
Allow to dry completely. I waited overnight.

Beach Gift Set

~project credits~Life's A Beach-Beach #1 stamp set from Pink Cat Studio - Rubber InspirationsPocketful of Posies, DCWV ~inside~sunblock, bottle of water, sand shovel, beach ball

To create the texture of sand on the holder for the Beach gift holder, I used Krylon’s “Make It Stone!” in the lightest shade. It is a textured spray paint that is a bit tricky, and it took me a bit getting used to, to get good coverage. My suggestion is to do at least 3 coats of paint, and allow it to dry before the next application before applying the next coat. Really, trust me on this one.

(Where is that *DOH!* Smiley when ya need him? LOL)

Now comes the fun part! Alter and embellish your holder!

Your theme may determine how you alter your holder. I of course chose a coffee stamp set for my coffee gift set, and a beach stamp set for my beach gift set.
But, you do not have to do it that way. You make it special and let your creativity shine!

Any variety of patterned papers, cardstock, rubberstamps, ribbon, embellishments, and stickers are just some of the things you can use for your project.

You can use your imagination as what you wish to do with your holder. If you are stumped for ideas, see the list of below that I have come up with……

*Pedicure/Manicure…files, emery boards, clippers, polish, toe seperators, polish remover, cotton balls, lotions, spa socks/gloves
*Movie night….popcorn, candy, tickets, gift certificates, soda pop
*Chocolate Lovers….need I say more?
*Tea Lovers.....A mix of some flavored teas
*Hot Chocolate Lovers…..Hot chocolate packets, marshmallows, plastic spoons
*Kitchen Gadgets…..small kitchen tools, fun for Bride to be or Housewarmings
*Golf Lovers…..tees, balls, gloves, anything small for your favorite golfer
*Fishing Lovers…..lures, bait, fishing line
*Gardening…seed packets, small tools, gloves, plant sticks

*Sushi Lovers...use your beautiful Asian stamps to embellish, and visit your local market for seaweed wrap, rice, soy sauce, chopstick, bamboo mat, and other Sushi items.
*New baby….bottle, pacifier, bibs, small toy, washcloths, small baby needs

*Kids.....for boys, fill it with Hot Wheels and small action figures. For girls, costume jewelry and small dolls. Possibly enclose a gift card inside as an added bonus.
*Papercrafters….tools, stamps, small punches, Prima jars, hand punches, stickers, embellies
*Pen/Pencil caddy…..cut water bottles in half, (below the holder) glue them in place in the holder, and you have a cute caddy for pens and pencils! Wonderful for teachers gifts!

You can use tissue paper in yours for a pretty gift presentation.

Wrap clear or transparent colored cellophane around it and tie ribbon around the top for and extra special wrapping for your gift!



I hope my projects and suggestions have given you a few ideas to get you started on making a project that will boost your creative mojo!

Have fun and enjoy!

Life's A Beach!

I got to play with new goodies from Rubber Inspirations the other day! Yay me! So here it is, my first card as a Rubber Inspirations Designer:

I had a good time with this card. Bright is normally not my thing. My favorite colors to work with are Purples and Greens. And subdued Purples and Greens at that. So this card was out of the box for me! But I like the way it turned out. Here's what I used to create this oh so fun card!

Supplies: White Cardstock, Orange Cardstock, Pocket Full Of Posies Paper Pack (try saying that 5 times fast-- I couldn't even say it once with out flubbing it. LOL), Life's A Beach- Beach #1 Stamp Set, Lemonade Grosgrain Ribbon, Festive Fuchia Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Ink, Colored Pencils

O.k. so, I took kind of... how do I put this... an unconventional route to making this card. I started out by coloring my stamped image. And then came the daunting task of find paper that was just right for my oh so strangely colored image. LOL O.k. so it wasn't so daunting. I just started flipping through the Paper Pack and found it almost immediately. It was perfect! It was as if the paper had been calling to me all along telling me what colors to color the image. (Can you tell I haven't been getting much sleep. LOL) So I picked out cardstock to mount the image piece on to give it that extra pop against the yummy paper I had chosen. I ultimately settled on Orange. After all, the colors I used were out of the box for me so why not go with it. Then as I went to mount the yummy paper onto the card base I decided it needed ribbon. So I chose two colors to compliment my card and set about trying to figure out how to lay them. A fellow RI designer suggested I see what it would look like if I criss-crossed the ribbons. Yes, now that's the ticket! After attaching my newly criss-crossed ribbon I mounted my yummy paper onto the White Card Base and then attached my image. Ahhh but it was missing something. I needed a sentiment to balance it out. So I took a scrap piece of the yummy paper and tried out a couple of different colors to stamp my sentiment in. I ultimately decided that Black looked the best so I went with that. Then I finished the card off by stamping the sentiment in black in the lower left hand side of my now finished card. And so there you have it! My very first card as a Rubber Inspirations designer.

Evolution of a Card

Sometimes a card design or idea does not always translate well from my head to the paper, as was the case of the original version of this card. I was very unhappy with how it turned out so I chatted with another RI designer and we bounced around some ideas on what I could change to make it into something that I was satisfied with.

I definitely needed to take the original card apart and start over. Since I use a liquid glue (Mono Multi) to create my cards, it was not easy to take it apart. Imagine me at midnight with a heat gun and palette knife trying to salvage pieces of my card.

This is the final result, which looks nothing like it did to start except for the main image.

Image: River City Rubber Works-Sunflower Bucket
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket-Wanted

I am quite happy with how it turned out. My advice....never be afraid to re-work a project until you are satisfied with it.....and maybe try working a little earlier than midnight. LOL

Rubber Inspirations Grand Opening!

It's finally here, the moment you've all been waiting for...

Rubber Inspirations is open for business!

Our goal at Rubber Inspirations is to encourage you to unleash your creativity through stamping, scrapbooking and papercrafting! We are now offering you the tools to do just that! Come check out the brand new Rubber Inspirations stores!

Rubber Inspirations

Friendship

My first creation as a Rubber Inspirations designer and I made this card using these beautiful stamps from the Oriental #1 set.

Patterned paper is from the Pocketful Of Posies pad, and it has just the right amount of glitter added to the center of the petite flowers. I added crystal Stickles to her purple flowers on her sleeve, and the one in her hair, to give her some glitter too.

I also chose this particular paper because I thought that the pattern in the paper resembled the mountains of Asia.

The symbol means friends/friendship.

Up to the Challenge!

A fellow Rubber Inspirations designer and I were discussing some of the new Pink Cat Studio images that I recently received. She had a hard time falling in love with a certain Fluffy Hat so she challenged me to make something cool with it. Never one to shy away from a challenge, I got right to work, bound and determined to create a Fluffy Hat masterpiece!

Images: PCS - If the Shoe Fits
Paper: DCWV Glitter Stack

I think I did it justice! And now there will be no more disrespect for the Fluffy Hat! :)

Ranger Inks

I'm so excited! Last week our first order of Ranger products came in. Yes, we're going to be carrying the entire line of Ranger Inks and accessories!

I love these products, and you're going to love them too! Why? Well, I thought you'd never ask! Let me tell you about them...

I have to say that the thing I love most about the Ranger line of products is that everything coordinates. They're so easy to use because it takes all of the guess work out of the process for you.

Ranger has made an Adirondack Ink Chart for you to use to help find coordinating colors. Just pick any two or three colors in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) and you'll have inks that go together. Inks from each color collection also work well together.

Now if that's not cool enough for you, Ranger also provides coordinating product lines. The Adirondack line includes Color Wash Spray's, Pigment Pens, Alcohol Inks, Paint Daubers, Dimensional Pearls and Embossing Powders! All of these products are available in Earthtone colors that also coordinate with the Lights and Brights palettes.

We'll also have the entire line of Archival Inks. These pads are a wonderful hybrid ink; dye based, but waterproof! They're great for watercolor techniques or any other time you don't want your inks to bleed.

I can't forget the Tim Holtz Distress Inks either! These are waterbased pads that stamp great, and are completely washable (so they're great for kids to use). They're designed to bleed and blend when sprayed with water, but won't dilute or turn off shades! There are so many great techniques these pads can be used for! They also come with a coordinating line of Distress Embossing Powders, specifically designed to emboss with an aged, antique look.

Is that enough for you? Are you excited yet? Well there's even more. We'll have the entire line of Stickles, Ice Stickles, Liquid Pearls, Perfect Pearls, Big and Juicy Rainbow Pads, and so much more I can't list it all!

Keep checking back, because every day we're a little bit closer to our grand opening, and in the mean time we'll keep you entertained with some wonderful projects, and fun techniques to try using these great products! Also, don't forget to submit and application for our design team. We'd love to see your artwork!

Hugs,
Anne

Last Minute Easter Idea - Mini Treat Basket

If you are looking for a quick, last minute Easter idea, try creating this Mini Treat Basket!

Images: Pink Cat Studio, Easter Set

Cut a piece of cardstock to 6" x 6". Stamp Easter images randomly with watermark ink. Score at 2" and 4" both horizontally and vertically. Cut the vertical score lines only as far as the first horizontal score line. Do this on opposite ends. Fold the center cut section up. Fold and overlap the other cut sections so they meet at a point and glue. For the handle, cut another piece of cardstock 1" x 6". Stamp Easter images randomly with watermark ink. Glue to the inside of the basket at each pointed end. Stamp an Easter image on white cardstock. Color and mat with a coordinating color. Glue to the basket. Tie a coordinating ribbon around the basket handle. Fill with Easter grass and your favorite Easter candy.