We reintroduced Spellbinders’ Pierceabilities not too long ago, here.  Thanks Eli, for the 101! Lets take another look at some more examples.

I made this quick card to use as a lesson for Spellbinders’ Pierceabilities Die Templates.

1. Cut white cardstock 8.5″x5.5″, fold in half.

2. To make the decorative edge on the white cardstock, line up the cut edge of S4-173 Fancy Scallop Pierceabilities die template with one edge of the card.  Secure the die template with household tape.  Cut this edge, no need to emboss it.

3. With a piece of peach Worldwin Double Mates cardstock 5.5″x4.5″, align the cutting edge of the Pierceability with the edge of the cardstock.  Tape in place.  Cut and emboss in the Spellbinders Wizard.

4. Leaving the tape on, you can embellish through the die template like a stencil.  I used ink applied with a sponge applicator for a subtle look.

5. Place die and paper (still taped) onto a foam pad.  Use a piercing tool to poke through the small holes in the die, through the paper.

6. Remove the tape, adhere the pierced cardstock to the front of the card.  Be sure to line up the decorative edges.  Trim excess to fit card front.

In this example I cut and embossed both Long Rectangle die templates.  Then I cut and embossed the S4-165 Pinking Pierceabilities die template along one edge, as above.  I pierced the design while the die template was still taped in place. I traced the outline of the Pierceabilities die template design with a Copic Spica Atyou pen, then traced the Long Rectangle die templates.
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Each Spellbinders’ Pierceabilities Die Template comes with a clear guide. Don’t poke through it! This is used when you want to line up a Pierceabilities Die Template for precision piercing.

Simply decide where you want the pierced design to be, lay the clear guide over the selected spot, then slide the die template underneath the clear guide.

Pierce through the die template, embellish through the die if desired.

You don’t have to cut or emboss with the die template to use the piercing holes.

Wendy Weixler’s Journal of Thanks used the Pierceabilities Die Templates to make the background border on this altered notebook. Wendy used S4-165 Pinking Pierceabilites and S4-147 Labels Trio.

Heidi Blankenship airbrushed with Copic Markers through the die templates and over the flower Impressabilities.  She used S4-173 Fancy Scalloped Butterfly, S4-171 Nested Butterflies, L2-1004 Impressabilities Flowers.

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

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!

Hey piercing fans! Spellbinders Pierceabilities are back and ready for action. You can now order them at SpellbindersPaperArts.com. Or you can head to your local scrapbook store soon to pick them up soon.

We thought you might enjoy a little refresher course on how to use them.

Lights! Camera! Action!

To create this project, begin by gathering supplies.

Make sure you have some kind of piercing tool (specific piercing tools can be found on the web or, in a pinch, try a push pin).

Next, you’ll need some kind of mat that you can pierce INTO. Again, you can find piercing mats on the web or grab something around the house that functions as an equivalent unit…hmmm…how about a piece of thick cork, a yoga mat or even a spongie mouse pad? Now, I haven’t tried these myself but know you can experiment with a variety of household items to save a bit of money. (Which’ll leave you more for the really important stuff: more die templates.)

Don’t forget to collect your Pierceabilities die templates, Wizard, Mats, Pads and papers too.

Begin with the cut/emboss step that we use so frequently here. Notice that Pierceabilities only has one cut edge. This gives you versatility to cut a card edge, create a border or cut, flip it around and cut again for a strip. Cool.

You might be asking a question: Why didn’t Spellbinders make templates that already punched the holes? We did think about it. BUT again, we want to provide versatility. If the template punched all the holes, you wouldn’t have any choices. This way, you can choose which parts you want to pierce, or NOT pierce…nice, huh.

So, you’ve cut/embossed to get something like this:

Then, it’s time to use your Pierceability for what it was made:

1. Place your project onto the piercing mat.
2. Align the template onto the original embossing or wherever you want to pierce.
3. Use the piercing tool to punch through the template holes and paper.
4. Try to get the piercing tool to the same depth each time a providing consistent holes.
5. Use your piercing tool perpendicular to your project, or as vertical as possible, also for consistency. Complete all the holes desired.
6. Remove template and enjoy the results.

Let’s enjoy some of our Design Team members “results” with these three projects.

Card by Holly Craft. Altered Pillow Box by Jennifer Ellefson. Layout by Wendy Weixler.

We can’t believe it’s already time to award the die templates to the winner of Day 10. Time flies when you are having fun. Yes, we are having fun and hope you are too. We are so glad that our visitors continue to enter in numbers over 2,000. So, let’s get to it and see what is being given away today:

Our winner today, comes to us through Random.com’s choice of number:

Here are your random numbers:
914
Timestamp: 2009-01-17 04:19:41 UTC

From that number, we contacted our new friend:

Georgette of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Who Said:

Wow. It doesn’t get much better than that (Well, at least only for a few more days.) Thanks again to everyone who is joining us for our Fifth Anniversary Celebration. Good luck over the last few days of contests.

We travel to Utah for today’s 5 Year Anniversary host Wendy Weixler, a stamper, crafter, wife, mother and bundle of energy!

Wendy remembers loving paper crafting and art projects since she was a little girl, creating masterpieces for the refrigerator door. No medium escaped her notice, from paint-by-number to mod podge and wood wonders! She has been a digital designer for over twenty years, working as an administrative assistant, intranet webpage coordinator and office guru during that time. She began scrapbooking in earnest over 10 years ago when she bought her first pair of decorative scissors. She was hooked. (She still has those scissors even though they don’t get used!). “A good friend introduced me to stamping and card making in 2003, and my creative juices have been on overdrive since,” she says. She loves to create handmade gifts for friends and family, and very few items that have potential for “alterability” go untouched! “I feel I am learning something new almost weekly. I enjoy the challenge of incorporating new techniques and ideas into all of my projects.” Wendy has been married to Ron for 23 years. They have three children, the lights of her life—Devan, Garrett and Amelia.

Here are 2 cards Wendy wanted to share here today.

Now visit Wendy’s blog, Wickedly Wonderful Creations and see what wonderful dies she’s creating with today, and maybe you could be the lucky winner of all the dies revealed through today!

Spellbinders introduced Borderabilites Grand Borders this past summer. The Grand Borders are wonderful fun for scrapbookers and everyone else too! Grand Borders measure true 12″ long. They come in designs that coordinate with the Rose, Daisy and Wisteria Edgeabilities Die Template styles, and one with the Symbology Die Template. You may have seen this tutorial I did for the summer reveal, but it deserves another run now that you have the borders in your stash, along with some fresh artwork at the end.
I am using Spellbinders Premium Craft Foil, which is 12 inches wide  It doesn’t matter which color I use, because I want the silver side. It comes in 5 colors plus pure copper, each color has silver on the back, except the pure copper. I used a tag from the Ribbon Tags Trio and the Daisy Patch Edgability Die Template. The paper is Worldwin’s ColorMates in Deep Awesome Aqua, Deep Totally Tan, Light Heritage White, and Inkjet Printable Translucent Vellum, and black acrylic paint. Note that this technique works on foil as well as paper. Die cutting and embossing a 12 inch long die template on standard mats is easy. Use the standard Spellbinders Die Template sandwich, when stacked from your table up: white master mat, white spacer plate, die, cut side up, material to be cut, white master mat. A little tip, if you are concerned your material will move off the die, you can use a small piece of removable tape. It won’t harm the die, and it peels off the paper easily without damaging the die cut.

Feed this into your Wizard. With a 12 inch long die, part of the die will stick out the back end, and that is fine. Only the part of the die that sits on the Spacer Plate will cut, but it won’t leave a line or crease where the spacer plate ends.

After the first pass, lift the top mat, turn the border die 180 degrees so the uncut portion is on the spacer plate, replace the top mat and feed it in exactly the same way as before. You can remove the excess cut foil from the outside of the die.

Embossing is done the same way. Leave the die cut in the die. Remove the spacer plate from the sandwich so the die sits on the bottom mat, place the tan embossing mat on top of the die, and cover with the top white mat. Feed the embossing sandwich through the Wizard. To emboss the other half, turn the die 180 degrees, cover with the Tan mat and white mat and feed sandwich again.

For my layout, I painted the entire die cut with black acrylic craft paint. Paint it evenly, and be sure to get paint into all the nooks and crannies. Let it dry slightly. With a dry paper towel, wipe the paint off the embossed areas. Be gentle, but you don’t have to be perfect. Do not wipe the paint out of the crevices. You can always add more a little more paint if you took too much off and you can always take a little more off if you put too much on.

I assembled my layout with photos and a poem.

Daisy Layout by Beth Pingry

Cathy Chlebana used the same Daisy Borderability Grand on this layout of her mother.

Layout by Cathy Chlebana

This decorative box is from Donya Schroeder, isn’t it clever how she used the Rose Borderability Grand?

Altered Box by Donya Schroeder

This heart shaped ornament from Heidi Blankenship is another example of Rose Borderability Grand.  She wrapped it around the heart shape.

Decorative Heart by Heidi Blankenship

Wendy Weixler layered the Wisteria Borderability Grand for an elegant accent on this layout.

Wedding layout by Wendy Weixler

Sally Lynn MacDonald linked together the Illumination Borderability Grand to frame her layout.

Layout by Sally Lynn McDonald

Thanks for spending some of your Saturday with me!  I hope you love the Grand Borders as much as I do!

Beth

PS.  I just got word, and its just for you!  Its an announcement.  Oh no, not just any old announcement.  This is a big one!  I bet you’ve been waiting for it too!  Come back on Monday December 15 for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.  Want some candy?  We’ve got Blog Candy coming, and a new feature too!  Its going to be so much fun, I can’t wait to tell you about it!