We’ve had almost a whole month of awesome posts on Impressabilities™ and I thought it would be fun to remind you of a few techniques you might have learned this month, teach you a new one and use it all on a card…with Partial Impressabilities™, Impressabilities™ Letterpress, Chalk over Ink and using one of our most popular Limited Edition die templates…all in one card. Sound like too much?

Naaaaah, we like to put it all together.

So, just to remind you, Beth put together this tutorial on how to use Impressabilities™ as a Letterpress and Margie put one together last Saturday on how to use a Partial Impressabilities™. So I used both those techniques but also want to share with you a technique that Stacey Caron created. It is simply called “Chalk over Ink”. It’s not too challenging but gives a great “wow” effect. Let’s check it all out, step-by-step.

Gather your supplies: Wizard™, S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities®, I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley, S4-235 Fancy Tags, The Robin’s Nest Halloween Swirl patterned paper, Cosmo Cricket “Girl Friday” patterned paper, Clearsnap ColorBox cat eye inks in Chianti and Picante, Taylored Expressions sentiment stamp, Creative Impressions ribbons, 3L SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES–Black 3-D Adhesive Squares and Photo Tape, Decorating chalks, Hole punch, Green staples, Stapler

Next you might want to go review the techniques in the links above. You’ll need to cut one of your Impressabilities templates and letterpress some paper using a slow-drying pigment ink. I started by using green ink as in this example but tried orange and used it for the final card.

Then just color away with your decorating chalks. I like to use my bare finger to rub color over the inks and around on the smooth cardstock. You’ll notice the ink seems to grab onto the chalk, intensifying the color. I used several colors–red, orange, green and yellow–on this to get the desired effect.

Next, cut the letterpressed paper using the largest Pumpkins Nestabilities™ so that the letterpress image shows right where you want it. I do not emboss over letterpress as it tends to flatten the image.

The rest is up to you…After creating the Letterpressed pumpkin, trim a background mat to 5-1/4  by 5-1/4″ and add it to the card base (11×5-1/2″) folded in half. Punch a hole in the stem of the pumpkin, thread the ribbons through it and staple to secure. Stamp a sentiment onto paper and cut/emboss it with S4-235 Fancy Tags. Adhere the pumpkin by placing a double layer of 3-D adhesive squares down the middle. Add 3-D squares to the sentiment tag and add to the card: VOILA a lovely, fall friendship card, using several techniques.

Eli

Hi Everyone! Its Stacey here, and I am so excited to announce the winner of our Pendant Project Contest. The new and innovative line of Spellbinders’™ Pendants and Borderabilities® are going to take your artwork to the next level! These detailed designs are quick and effortless, but so beautiful, and with 8 timeless designs to embellish your cards, scrapbook pages and decor.

Did you see the Pendant Project Gallery?  Wow, I am so inspired by the artwork there! Each and every project is beautiful and creative. It was so hard to choose the Top 5 Winners. Our judging panel agreed on these projects (in alphabetical order):

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1. Diane of Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA! Diane’s creative card using acetate and S4-204 Fleur de Lis Pendant with vellum caught our attention.

2. Margarita, of Grand Junction, Colorado, USA! Her entry was an elegant mini heritage album using S4-207 Kaleidoscope Pendant and S4-216 Kaleidoscope Borderabilities®.

3. Marion of Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia! Marion’s adorable Baby card incorporated S4-208 In Spades Pendant, and S4-217 In Spades Borderabilities® (both pieces!).

4. Monica of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada! Monica wowed us with her Queen’s Necklace. Monica used S4-204 Fleur de Lis Pendant, shrink plastic and a copper leafing pen to achieve these results!

5. Nicole of Wateford, Pennsylvania, USA! Nicole’s Framed Butterfly Quilt is just stunning. She used the S4-204 Fleur de Lis Pendant on this 12 x 12″ framed home decor piece.

The winner’s name was drawn thru Random.org. In addition to winning $500 in Spellbinders™ die templates of her choice, our Coordinating Partners have sweetened the prize with a few of their own products. Our lucky Grand Prize Winner will also receive the following:

A sampling of our product line sure to fulfill the winner’s needs for a loooong time to come! Some of the contents include: E-Z Runners®, Mounting Squares, Photo Corners, 3D Foam Squares and PLENTY of Adhesive Sheets to use with your products! The retail value of this package is over $200.

A “one of” our entire Abbey Road line. It has a retail value of over $130.00.

A set of 8 Smooch colors, a retail value of $36.00

Core’dinations prize valued at over $68.00 including:
Black Magic assorted pack - 20 sheets
Vintage assorted pack - 20 sheets
WhiteWash assorted pack - 20 sheets
Super Assortment pack - 80 sheets

The entire JustRite Christmas Release with coordinating blocks:
JB 08765 Old Fashioned Christmas Borders & Centers
JB 08760 Christmas Treasures Borders & Centers
JB 08117 3 ¼” Wooden Stamper
JB 08770 Christmas Joy Borders & Centers
JB 08420 1 ¾” x 2 5/16” Oval Wooden Stamper
JB 08650 Round 2” Stamper with Bonus 15 pt Font
JB 08780 A Merry Little Christmas
JB 08785 Holiday Demi Phrases
JB 08115 1 5/8” wooden stamper
Total Retail Value- $117.55

Here are the results from Random.org:

 And the winner is #2, Margarita! 

Congratulations Margarita! Have lots of fun with the Grand Prizes!  Another hearty congratulations to the other 4 ladies in the Top 5, and to all who participated!

Love, Stacey

Hey all,

Thanks for your patience in waiting for the Savvy Saturday as it is now Sunday. Our team arrived in Phoenix, AZ on Tax Day, April 15th. We had lots more fun gathering in PHX than the rest of the nation had dropping those envelopes in the mail. Not only ’cause of how much we loathe paying the IRS…but because this group of women is astonishingly creative, funny, caring and more. Here’s a little pic from our arrival at our “home base” for training…

Arrival of Design Team Members

For the next three fun-filled days, Stacey Caron, Kim Hupke, Cathy Chlebana and me, Eli, trained our 15 new Designers every currently invented way to cut, emboss and stencil with the Wizard and our die templates.

Terre learns a new technique

We missed Beth who was doing her duty at a Distributor’s event in California.

As if that weren’t enough, our cadre of special guests included: Tobi Hall, VP of Marketing for Spellbinders™ who gave an amazing look into the world of Marketing. (Several of us wished she had been our college marketing professor…). Katherine “Kat” George presented an amazing session on Design Principal.

Tobi Hall, VP of Marketing and Katherine "Kat" George, Design Consultant

Heidi Blankenship, returning Design Team Member, taught a session on how to condition our new JustRite stamps, donated to the team by JustRite.  Last but not least, Marianne Walker from Copic Markers trained our design team in the lost art of “coloring.”

Marianne Walker, Queen of Copic Markers

As if THAT weren’t enough, we all got to bring home a pile of amazing products, some of Spellbinders™ faves. Our team got products from Copic Markers, Fancy Pants, My Mind’s Eye, Magic Mesh, 7 Gypsies, Taylored Expressions, JustRite Stampers, Glue Dots, 3L, oh gosh…there were more but I must get this post out before the day is over.

Kimberly Crawford shows off some of our Cross Promotional Products

We had a photo shoot with all the Designers and Christy Kerr, new DT member, who is a hair dresser EXTRAORDINAIRE! was our amazing stylist to make sure each member looked perfect.

Christy Kerr adds some final touches to Holly Simoni's "do" for her headshot.

During our free time, we all laughed together as we shared meals and a few moments of relaxation. We even had a swap among the team. Each designer brought something from home that shared a bit of themselves and their home town.

Design Team Swap "bootie"

When all was said and done…I think we would all agree that this week was a total blast, full of learning, sharing, growing and mostly being really thankful to the Carons (Jeff and Stacey) for creating such an amazing line of products and for choosing such a phenomenal group of women to share the next year producing art together…with the BEST product in the business…

Cheers to all…Eli

Don’t miss Spellbinders’ President and co-founder, Stacey Caron demonstrate the Wizard and a number of very special dies on QVC, Wednesday March 25th, during the 1 - 3 PM* Creating Keepsakes scrapbooking show with Lisa Bearnson. (Times noted are Eastern Daylight Savings time and subject to change.)

You can watch from your computer too! Just click on the ‘Watch Live TV’ link in the left side of the screen, from QVC’s website.

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

Hello my paper crafting friends,

It’s Stacey here with my husband, Jeff. We are the co-creators of the Wizard.  We started with a small idea in 2003: make a universal die cut machine with die templates that are the most detailed on the market. We are so thrilled to be celebrating our 5th Anniversary with you, our loyal customers and fans.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all my Spellbinders’ Designers and Bloggers for their inspiring and beautiful sneak peeks. Its true, Spellbinders Die Templates are the most beautiful and detailed dies available today but it’s our designers that give you the wonderful vision on how to apply our die templates to your paper crafting projects. My vision from the beginning of Spellbinders was to form a Design Team SUPERIOR to any in the industry.  I think that goal has been achieved! I am looking forward to all the new 2009 Design Team Contest entries pouring in after CHA!

Immediately after CHA last summer I started to create the new die concepts that you see today… truly it’s never ending. After reading some of the posts from our awesome supporters, I realized that most of you do not know how or who makes the Spellbinders’ Die Templates come alive…

Toni has been with us since the beginning of Spellbinders and Fernando is going on two years with the company! Time flies when you are having fun. So, thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts for your support, it really does mean the world to us that you like the newest designs… it makes all my sleepless nights worth it.

I have been watching the excitement from everyone’s posts over the past few weeks.  It has been a blast to see the list of die templates grow each day. To see all the comments come in from excited paper crafters and the very excited winners, has been priceless.

Anyone who knows me, knows this next comment is so true
“If I could, I’d give you all prizes! (but then I couldn’t send my boys to college some day!! And aren’t they adorable!!)”

So, before I say bye for now, I have to tease you just a little. We have created one more new and fabulous product that I know you are going to swoon over. But you’ll have to wait a few more days. We will introduce this innovative product right here, on our Blog the day the Craft and Hobby Association Trade Show opens: Sunday, January 25,
9 am Pacific Time. You will want to be here.

I do have a little hint: imagine we got tired of embossing and wanted to spend some time debossing. Well, let that simmer a bit and come visit back here on Sunday to see what the buzz is about.

Then check out the website to see all the new die templates that are being released! We can’t wait because there is much more to come!

Well, its time to pack my bags, we’re off to CHA!  Come see all the new products and artwork in booth 4873, and say hello too!

Yours in the details,

Stacey