Hey everyone. The party we’re throwing in our gallery at Splitcoaststampers.com is filling it with a ton of amazing art featuring Spellbinders’ die templates. It is fun to skip over there and see the new stuff. We are so excited. Everyone still has a few more days to upload one card, one layout and/or one altered project. If you do upload a project, you’ll need to use the following key words to make sure each project is included in the random drawing for the winner in each of the following categories:

Spellbinders_card

Spellbinders_layout

Spellbinders_altered

{Click on the above links to see what has already been uploaded. If you plan to upload in the categories above, use the underscore or it won’t find its way to our list.}

Please note: We would really appreciate it if everyone would upload projects to those specific “keywords” with only one per category. To be fair, we will count the first item per designer for each category.

Of course you may upload as many items as you’d like to the Splitcoast Stampers’ Spellbinders gallery (feel free to keyword it as Spellbinders) as you’d like but for this contest, just one per category…

If you have any questions, just comment here and we’ll do what we can to help us.

Thanks, Eli

Reverse Stenciling.  We’ve been tossing these words around like you all know what we mean.  Today’s Savvy Saturday is a tutorial on Reverse Stenciling, so you really will know what we mean.  I hope you try it and like it, because it’s really fun and easy, yet impressive and allows you to take your Spellbinders’ Die Templates to another level.

First, to use your Spellbinders’ Die Templates as a stencil, you would apply chalk, ink, paint or your favorite embellishing product to the paper from the back side of the die, the side with the openings.  The openings are what allow for embossing.  By applying ink to the back side, you are coloring the embossed area of the die cut.

For reverse stenciling, we will be coloring the debossed area of the die cut.  To do that, we need to apply ink to the inside of the die, from the cutting side, and apply it before we feed the die into the Wizard.  When using the geometrically shaped die templates such as the Nestabilities, reverse stenciling makes a beautiful crisp edge around the die cut.

Design Team Member Holly Craft provided us with some step photos. Holly used an ink brayer to ink the cut side of the S4-044 Rose Blossom Edgeabities with a darker green ink. You could also apply the ink pad directly to the die template.

Holly cut and embossed the papers.  The debossed area is colored with ink.

She can then apply a different color of ink to the embossed area, using the die as a stencil and applying through the opening on the back side of the die template, or directly to the die cut as shown.

Now Holly has a multi-toned die cut.  These pieces were done for Holly’s daughter’s wedding.

Here are a few more examples of how our Design Team Members have created amazing artwork using the reverse stenciling technique.

Wendy Weixler’s Flower Wreath using the S4-200 Flower Bouquet Miniabilities is just gorgeous!

Heidi Blankenship’s layouts utilize reverse stenciling on some of the flowers and the moth, and the suitcases.  Isn’t her son adorable!

Thank you ladies! To see the detail even closer, you can click on the pictures. Have a wonderful Saturday!!
Beth

Good Morning Spellbinders Fans,

After hosting an amazing contest for the 2009-10 Spellbinders’ Design Team, looking at a bajillion pieces of incredible art, reading short essays from the designers, checking out blogs and more, we chose the top 20–which many of you noticed was actually Top 24 because I have such a hard time deciding!

Then each designer received Spellbinders’ die templates to create another piece of art. We waited (not so patiently) for projects to arrive in our in boxes. When the art images all finally arrived, we knew we were in trouble. Such amazing entries…
So we chose 14 incredible designers.

I am proud to introduce to you and welcome to our family
the 2009-10 Spellbinders’ Design Team

Check out the GoogleMaps where our new Design Team Members reside…That’s kind of fun.

But in case you can’t see that, let’s run down the list (alphabetical by first name):

Christy Farneth-Kerr, Ohio

Debbie Seyer, Missouri

Heidi Blankenship, Minnesota

Holly Simoni, Wyoming

Jennifer Davis, Nebraska

Janine Blackwelder, North Carolina

Julie Overby, Oregon

Karen Hunsaker, Arizona

Karen Taylor, Missouri

Kazan Clark, Colorado

Kimberly Crawford, Minnesota

Lesa Rapp, Idaho

Mary Pfaff, Arizona

Terre Fry, Arizona

Each year, I choose an alternate or two to help us out if a designer needed: So I’d like to invite Judy Hayes to fill that roll.

Thanks again to ALL who submitted. Spellbinders is a leader in the paper crafts industry because of you all, designers who love our product and support it in your art. We will continue to produce cutting-edge products with you in mind. We say thanks!!

For now, our current design team will continue to bring you great art on the website, their own blogs, our gallery, here on our blog, and more.

The new team will gather in Phoenix, Arizona mid-April for a retreat to learn, play, get to know each other, eat chocolate and have a ton of fun. We’ll be introducing them to you as we finish up with our 2008-09 team.

Stacey Caron, President of Spellbinders Paper Arts

The great state of Utah is home to today’s spotlight Design Team Member and bundle of energy, Wendy Weixler!

When did you start crafting?
I’ve been crafting, in one form or another, since I was a little girl (mudpies and Mod Podge come to mind!) A friend of mine introduced me to scrapbooking over 10 years ago, and I made the transition to add cardmaking and other papercrafting about 6 years ago.  I learn from a variety of sources, but mostly from the cool people around me (friends, family and online communities).  I’m always open to something new!

Did you go to school for art or design?
Never did go to school for art… just the school of life!

What inspires you?
I can be inspired by a number of things… a beautiful sunset, some lovely music or something I see in an online gallery.  I like to try new things, so if I see something interesting that I haven’t done before, I jump right in!

What are your favorites?
I have a fondness for ALL of the Spellbinders’ Nestablities, but a special place in my favorites list for the butterfly from S4-008 Bugs. It looks especially gorgeous when you use the reverse stenciling technique, which happens to be my favorite. I LOVE how the details just fly right out at you when using it!  I am also a Glue Dot junkie . . . the pop-up ones find their way into about every project I ever make!

Do you prefer to make cards or scrapbooks or altered?
It depends on what kind of mood I am in.  I primarily make cards, but there is NOTHING in my house that is safe from alteration!

Tell us about your family.
I have been married to my best friend, Ron, for nearly 24 years (this is the part where you look at my picture and say, “How can she be THAT old???”).  We have three great kids… Devan age 20, Garrett age 17, and Amelia age 14.  We live in Salt Lake City, where I have lived since 1980 when my parents moved here from the San Francisco area.  We are also the happy owners of the sweetest little toy poodle named Daisy!

Do you work outside the home?
I have kind of been a “Jane of All Trades” for many years.  I keep the books for our family owned business (my father-in-law, husband and two brothers-in-law custom build furniture).  In addition, I have done many different part-time jobs for the past several years which include teaching beading and fitness (spinning) classes.  I also spend a TON of time volunteering in the schools that my kids attend.

How much time do you spend crafting?
Depending on the week, I can spend anywhere from 2-10 hours a week!

What time of day do you like to craft?
I usually try to craft early in the morning or late at night when my family is busy doing something else (like, perhaps, sleeping!!).

Do you work alone or with a group?
BOTH!  I teach classes to friends and craft just for the fun of it by myself.  I enjoy making things with my daughter the most, though.

What do you use most - paper, hybrid or digital?
I am very tactile, so I am a paper girl all the way!!

Do you shop for supplies locally or online?
BOTH to this question, too!  Wherever I can get the best deal (since I live in the Craft Mecca of the Universe, aka Salt Lake City, it’s easy to find good deals at local stores here)!

Can you describe your style?
I would have to say clean and classic.

What have you been working on this week?
Just a few cards.  I have a few I need to get in the mail this week!  Oh!  And some cards for a group of teenage girls I have coming over tonight!

Besides paper, what other materials have you used?
What HAVEN’T I used would be an easier questions.  Chipboard, flashing, soda pop cans, cereal boxes… if I can get it through my Wizard, I like to try it!!

Where do you find inspiration?
I usually look on blogs and websites/forums of many people whose work I admire.

What has been the most difficult aspect to learn?
To expect “perfect” every time.  Sometimes the best ideas come from “failed” projects!

What do you enjoy most about crafting?
I love the creative outlet it gives me.  It is such a stress reliever.  And to be able to create something I am happy with in an hour or two gives me a lot of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.  I love to give away the things I make and see the reactions that they elicit from the recipients!

Do you ever teach classes?
Yes, at least once a month, but sometimes more often!

What else do you like to do aside from scrapbooking? I love to spend time with my family and do ANY activity that allows me to be outdoors (camping, biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, canoeing… you get the idea!).  I am also a fitness nut and LOVE Disneyland!!

What kind of workspace do you have?
The BEST!! After 20 years of crafting on my dining room table, I was finally able to put together a craft space in my basement that it fabulous!!  I am even jealous of my own self sometimes!!  I went to Home Depot and designed the space based on the dimensions of the room (with a bit of help from one of the guys that worked there).  I am proud to admit that I assembled every single piece of cabinetry in my craft room myself (although, I do have to admit that my husband hung and mounted everything!).

What are two craft tools that you could not live without (aside from Spellbinders’ products)? I am really partial to rubber stamps (of all kinds) and embossing folders.  But now that Spellbinders has Impressabilities, they may be moving their way to the top!  Oh!  And RIBBON!!

Wendy has chosen the projects as her favorites to share with us:

Whew, I’m tired already! Flutter on over to Wendy’s bio, and then to Wendy’s blog, Wickedly Wonderful Creations, I dare you to just try to keep up with her!

Thank you Wendy!

OK, It’s my turn to share some fun projects with Impressabilities™, give you a few hints and show you a sweet spring layout…

First, I want to share some definitions a couple of terms that we are using with Impressabilities™. I know Beth showed you some amazing stuff but I think it bears repeating, I mean this is pretty fresh and hot.

1. Emboss: to raise or represent (surface designs) in relief. (dictionary.com)

2. Deboss: to indent (a figure or design) into a surface

3. Letterpress: the process of printing from letters or type in relief, rather than from intaglio plates or planographically.

4. Stencil: a device for applying a pattern, design, words, etc., to a surface

So, you can do all these things with Impressabilities, wanna see? Below you’ll see several images, all created with the Butterfly Impressabilities™ and Core’dinations Cardstock….

As a small note, the top two hearts are actually a darker blue that were run through with the Impressabilities template and sanded. The bottom two images are lighter cardstock with a dark ink.

Below is the layout that I created using sanded embossing, sanded debossing and letterpress…Thanks for letting me share. Order you Impressabilities™ today and start playing with them soon…

Here is a close up of the letters before and after:

Supplies: Wizard™ Embossing and Die Cutting System, Flowers Impressabilities™, Curved Rectangles die template, Kelly Font (Retired), Prism and Core’dinations Cardstocks, Glue Dots, etc.

So have fun with these very versatile templates!!! Eli

Most of you know that we changed up our website a couple of months ago. But I bet you don’t know about all the amazing things that are on the site…today is the day to find out about it! Today is not a day for projects, I know, I hear you sniffling in sadness but WAIT ’til I tour you around the site for some things that you might not have realized were there. Oh, and I’ll still probably share a few images (I can’t resist).

So, open a new window or file tab with the homepage, maybe I can help you out with that: SpellbindersPaperArts.com. It should have opened in a new window, so you can go back and forth if you need to…go to the very bottom of the homepage where you see the following:

• About Us
• Customer Service
• Press
• Retailers

• Site Map
• Search Terms
• Advanced Search
• Contact Us

Donya, welcome to the Designer Spotlight! How’s the weather out there in Iowa? Let’s get some hot chocolate and spend a little time together.

Tell us about your crafting life.
I’ve been pretty much crafting since birth. I’m not sure if it would qualify as nature or nurture, but everyone in my family is amazingly crafty, for example: my uncle built his own unicycle when he was a kid and my mom restored furniture. They are great role models and teachers.

Did you go to school for art or design?
No, but did always sneak out of pep rallies in high school so I could spend a little extra time in the unattended art room!

What inspires you?
I’m an extremely visual person (surprise) so going to museums is a great way for me to get inspired. The last time I went, I wound up coming home and everything I made that week had gilt frames on it! When I can’t get to an art museum, historical museums are great. I went to Amelia Earhart’s childhood home in Atchison, KS, and got totally inspired by the great, funny family photos in a scrapbook they had laying on a dresser. That and the wallpaper, I took a bunch of pictures of their great floral wallpapers!

What is your favorite die template?
My favorite die template….well I am completely in love with all of the Label dies, but if I had to pick one single favorite it would have to be the 12″ Classic Lace Border. It is so perfect for all my frippery needs.

Favorite Technique?
Reverse Stenciling! Oh, it just makes the nicest borders on the Spellbinders Nestabilities, and is such a neat effect with the shaped dies. Plus, I tend to get a bit inky when I’m doing that technique. You can always tell I’m having a good time if my fingers are inky.

Preferred Product?
Websters Pages is my favoritest of all my favorite preferred product. I am a sucker for their paper. Swoon. But aside from my paper addiction I go through TONS of Kokuyo’s Tape ‘n Roller plus refills, it is the best tape runner (and I’ve tried dozens)!

Do you prefer to make cards, scrapbooks, or altered?
I like to make cards because I can do them in a day and share them. My scrapbook pages are really disjointed chronologically and topically, since I end to just scrapbook whatever photo appeals to me that day, but I love the idea of passing on not only the photo, and the basic information of the event, but also the feeling you had about it (through color and style choices). I’m still really intimidated by altering objects, but I think I love it the best since it makes me stretch my abilities the furthest.

Martial status, offspring, city?
I’m a single chicita living in extremely rural eastern Iowa. My black cat, Jack, and I just love it up here. I live and work at my family’s bed and breakfast while I restore the “house in town”, and old Victorian with a huge yard full of peonies and other wonderful old fashioned flowers left by the original owners of the house.

Do you shop for supplies locally?
I shop for supplies VERY locally I own a scrapbook shop with my Aunt Michelle. It’s very convenient to just be able to to cross the room and pick out whatever I need from stock, but nothing beats the thrill of the hunt I get from trying to hunt down uncommon supplies for customers who can’t find what their looking for anywhere else.

What have you been working on this week?
A diet journal. Sigh. I decided to bite the bullet and start counting calories, but the prospect is a lot more cheering when I get to keep all my information in an art journal.

Besides paper, what other materials have you used?
I love paint and soft gel medium. Oh, that stuff is fun! I’m pretty sure if you could eat it with a spoon without having to call poison control, I’d try. You have to try using it with a palette knife through the Spellbinder die templates. Way cool dimension.

Where do you look for inspiration for starting something new?
I have a huge folder on my desk full of ideas I pulled from galleries online (like the Spellbinders Inspiration Alley). Anytime a technique or new style catches my eye, I print it out for future reference, then when I need a quick jump start on my creative process, I thumb through the file and say- Oh, yeah, I wanted to try that!

What has been the most difficult aspect for you to learn?
I have trouble keeping projects simple.  I always work myself into a lather trying to do one more thing with a project, when really, my best stuff are things I got frustrated with, went for a walk, came back and decided that that one thing more would have been one thing too much.

What do find most pleasing about crafting?
Sharing it!

What else do you like to do aside from scrapbooking?
I am a baker. Cupcakes, layer cakes, biscuits, bread. Hmmm, and I wonder why I need a diet journal, lol.

What are two craft tools that you could not live without?
Paper piercer. Useful for poking holes in paper for brads, and making beautiful designs.  I’d probably hyperventilate if anything serious ever happened to my tape runner. Glue sticks just don’t cut it for 99% of projects.

Thoughts regarding a favorite piece?
The longest and hardest part of any project is getting inspired. Layouts themselves go very quickly once I have an idea. I pick a photo, then pick my paper to show it off. Embellishments set the theme. Usually the last thing to go on is the title for me, which is funny since it’s such a huge design element, but by the time I get the layout done, usually the title comes to me in a flash (and usually a fit of giggles). I’d say on average, I’m a slow scrapper. It will take me a whole day or longer to do a layout, but I don’t just sit there and stare at it either. If my ideas aren’t moving, then I get up and move myself. Go do something else, it’s the best way I know to get unstuck.

I love putting one big picture on a page so you can really get the detail. If I’d had this photo any smaller, you would be able to notice the horse (Dude) is watching the rainbow. I also love the fresh colors on this layout with all the fun, funky fresh green four leaf clovers made from Heart Nestabilities.

This is one of my favorite projects because I kept it simple and it came out fabulous! Plus shaped cards are so fun.

Spellbinders Die Templates do heritage and elegant better than any other dies on the market, I think. Look how great the cameo frame and rose border look on this may basket. The elements make it very pretty, without being overly “cute”. As a bonus I was able to make one of these for each of my neighbors without having to sacrifice my favorite metal bee charm, I was able to replicate with some foil with the Wizard.

To follow Donya’s artistic journey, see her bio and visit her blog, Puckish.

Happy Valentines Day!  Cupid’s Arrow hit me smack dab in the heart with more of Spellbinder’s newest die templates, the Inverted Scalloped Circles!  This is another die template that had some people scratching their heads, wondering what Spellbinders was thinking with these funky shaped die templates.

First I want to give a quick introduction of all the Nestabilities Circles.  They all play nice together, just the rectangles from the other day.  We have the Pinking Circles, just like Grandma’s sewing scissors, the Petite and Classic Scalloped Circles, the Classic Circles and the Inverted Scalloped Circles.  For the sake of this picture, I used and linked all the large size sets.

Now lets focus on the Inverted Scallops and the Classic Scallops and what you can do with them.  Like I said, at first they look a little funky.  Sometimes you need a little funky shape in your projects, and Inverted Scalloped Circles are perfect for that.  Now lets see how to combine these sets to make elegant or masculine shapes too.

The following configurations, with the die templates and die cuts side by side, show you how to construct so many different images from these 2 sets.

The top circle looks like a string of pearls.  What if you lined up the bottom two and used them as gears?

Just by lining up the scallops and the inverted scallops you can create exactly the shape you need.

So lets put them together and see what happens, starting with these basic shapes:

Stack them and you get this!

Here’s a finished project, as you can see, there’s no end to the different ways you can stack and arrange the variety of Spellbinders’ Nestabilities Circles!

Can you feel the love?

Beth

One of the questions we heard a lot at the recent Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show, when introducing the newest die templates, was “do these work with the others?” Meaning, do the new die templates fit the dies already in the Nestabilities line? They were referring to the inverted scalloped and deckled edge die templates. The answer to that question is YES!

This photo compares the Classic Rectangles, Scalloped Rectangles, Deckled Rectangles and Labels. These die templates can be mixed and matched. The sizes are approximately the same, which will give you the 1/4″  increments you know and love from the Nestabilities line of die templates. For the sake of these photos, I used all the “small” sizes of these sets.

See how well they look when put together, mixed within the sets?  Gosh, I could have stayed up all night playing with all the sets, but I do need my beauty sleep, so I stopped here.

The same is true for the Long Rectangles and their partners, the Long Scalloped and Long Deckled Rectangles.

And here are two pieces that would embellish a card or scrapbook page beautifully.

If I were a teacher, and I had to grade them on playing well with others, I’d give the Nestabilities an A+!

Beth

This week we have the pleasure of spending a little time with Holly Craft (and yes, that is her real last name!).  Holly is a two time Design Team Member, she was on the very first team in 2005 and came back in 2008.

What led you to crafting?
I have always enjoyed drawing and sewing and photography and making cards. As a five year old, I would draw the comics and I would sew clothes for my Barbie doll. My father was a painter and photographer, my mother a seamstress and wonderful cook and my grandmother did needlework. I learned from all of them. I began scrapbooking in the early 90’s for the PTA at my children’s elementary school before there were any decorative papers even available. I would make cards as a child with pieces of plastic flowers….hmm; maybe someone should put flowers in a bottle and sell them?

Do you have a background in art or design?
Yes, my Associates Degree is in art and I also did studies in Graphic Design as an adult.

Tell us about your family.
My two children are both married. My daughter lives in Memphis, TN and is a high school history teacher. My son lives in Tuscaloosa, AL while his wife finishes law school and he works at a bank. My husband and I live in the metro area of Atlanta, GA where we have lived since we moved “north” from Florida in 1986.

Do you ever teach classes?
I always wanted to be a teacher as a child, so I really enjoy teaching classes. It takes a lot of time and work to prepare a class. I have taught throughout the southeastern US, but have not had the time lately, unfortunately.

Do you prefer to make cards or scrapbooks or altered art?
I enjoy all three equally….just depends what the die tells me when it “talks to me”.

Do you work outside of the home?
Crafting is full time for me. I do work for several companies and would like to get back to teaching classes when I have the time. The last full time job I had was doing artwork, displays and floral in a major supermarket. I enjoyed doing that, but once I discovered stamping, it took over my life….and house!

What kind of workspace do you have?
My workspace is cluttered with an appearance of being unorganized. I have an organized mind however, so I know where most everything is located. Perhaps I will make it a goal this year to become more organized, but I will never have one of those neat freak white studios like you see online. It just isn’t me. I am, however, always on time with deadlines.

Besides paper, what other materials do you use in your art?
I have been called the Queen of Road Trash as I am always finding things to put through the Wizard or to use as found objects. I love using metal, leather, coffee filters, etc. I have a collection of different gutter guards that I use to emboss a quilting pattern on my cards.

How would you describe your style?
I think my style would be called classic and eclectic. I don’t usually do real funky stuff or cutesy, but I feel that I can do whatever style is called for with given materials. I do like the vintage look.

Besides paper crafting, watercolor, calligraphy and photography are some of my favorite things. Luckily I can use them all together in my crafts. The examples below show my love for watercolor and nature (on the card with flower and butterfly), my love for calligraphy and photography and fonts and travel (on the layout) and my love to experiment with many materials like handmade paper and metals (the Mr. Fix It pencil box). I have been designing with the Wizard since 2004 and the ranges of things I can do with it (such as flower pounding, something I figured out in 2004) still amaze me.

To see more of  Holly’s handiwork, you can visit her Blog Frenzy Introduction, her Savvy Saturday on Impressabilities, and her personal blog, Today’s Creations.

Thank you Holly!

Beth