October 2010 Newsletter - Halloween Treats

Halloween Treats

Just for fun, host a Halloween treats workshop! These projects are fast, fun, cute but just a tiny bit creepy.  Each guest will make a treat bag, 2 pencil toppers, and a pipe-cleaner spider which can be worn like a broach.  You'll also receive directions so you can make more of any of these projects at home.  

These little gifts are perfect for handing out at work, sending to school with your child, or even handing out on Halloween as an alternative to candy.  

Are you planning a Halloween party and you'd like to make these for party favors?  Invite your friends over and have a favor assembling pre-party party!  

Just one of my paper packs ($5) includes enough paper and card stock for 8 treat bags, 8 spider broaches, and 16 pencil toppers.  Additional materials include pipe cleaners, Halloween pencils, cello bags, ribbon, etc. - contact me for a complete list.  Buy two paper packs to make enough favors for 16 guests.  I have two different Halloween styles available.  

Schedule your free Halloween workshop before it's too late!  

Stamp 'n Watercolor Class

Wouldn't you like to take a little time out for yourself and try a new hobby?  Come to my class, relax with some friends, and enjoy watercoloring the easy way.  With stamps to make the design perfect every time, and Aqua Painters to take the mess out of watercolors, stamp 'n watercoloring becomes a very stress-free hobby.  

We will be making two Autumn-themed greeting cards, which can be used either for thank you cards or "thinking of you" cards,  and a Christmas-themed gift box.  We will be using Aqua Painters three ways:  to do detailed coloring, to give a casual painted effect, and to make a background.

Join me on October 23rd at 2:00pm for my class.  The fee is $20.00, which includes a set of two Aqua Painters and all the supplies to make the three projects.  Please sign up by October 14th so I can order your supplies in time. 

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Calendar

Oct. 14: Stamp 'n Watercolor sign up

Oct. 14 6:30: Bracelet Club meeting

Oct. 23 2:00: Stamp 'n Watercolor class

Oct. 24 2:00: Freestyle Stamping Club

Nov. 18: Brayer Class sign up

Nov. 18 6:30: Bracelet Club meeting

Nov. 27 2:00: Brayer Class

Nov. 28 2:00: Freestyle Stamping Club

Dec. 9: Snowflake Ornament sign-up

Dec. 16 6:30 Bracelet Club meeting

Dec. 18 2:00: Snowflake Ornament Class

Dec. 19 2:00: Freestyle Stamping Club

Freestyle Stamping Club

Come to my Freestyle Stamping Club to give yourself a little crafting time and stamp with friends.  I will provide ink, some stamp sets, basic tools, and I will have paper packs available for $5.00.  Or bring your own materials, any brand.  There is no fee, and everyone is invited!  Please RSVP.  

Simply Adorned Bracelet Club

Come make a personalized, totally unique charm bracelet featuring your photos, your colors, and your style.  Club meetings will continue and rotate until everyone has a chance to make all three charm designs.  Contact me for prices.  

October Class - Stamp 'n Watercolor

Try something new!  With a stamp and an Aqua Painter it's hard to go wrong.  Come make a hand-painted card and gift box.  Class fee is $20 and includes an Aqua Painter set.  Please sign up by Oct. 14th so I can order your supplies.  

November Class - Using the Brayer

I'll show you tips and techniques to take you from "what is a brayer?" to becoming a brayer goddess.  We will be making a card and also a photo background suitable as a gift.  Class fee is $17 and includes a brayer.  Please sign up by Nov. 18th so I can order your brayer in time.  

December Class - Snowflake Ornaments

Become the King of Bling!  We will be using the Big Shot to make snowflake ornaments, and I will show you several techniques to make them glitter.  Class fee is $12 and includes rhinestones and pearls.  Please sign up by Dec. 9th.

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Fabric!  

Stampin' Up! fabric is here!  For years we've asked for color coordinated fabric to match the inks, card stock, and designer papers from Stampin' Up.  Now we have two different fabric collections to choose from, and they're both beautiful.  

The Candy Cane Christmas fabric is bright and versatile.  The fabric patterns can be used for Christmas, or for cheerful cards or scrapbook pages for any season.  

Shown in the bottom left, the Deck the Halls fabric is elegant, a vintage style, and also can be used for any occasion.     

Our quality fabric can be used for traditional crafts such as sewing or quilting, but unlike at the fabric store, our fabric coordinates beautifully with our buttons and ribbon.  Plus, quilters love the amazing fabric-cutting Big Shot!

But fabric is also great for papercrafting.  I like to use it like a ribbon, as you can see in the pine cone card. I also use fabric like designer paper, as in the ornament card.  But fabric is most fun when used as fabric, like in the Christmas wreath and butterfly cards.  

Try using our new fabric for yourself!

Simply Adorned Bracelet Club

Are you thinking ahead to the holidays?  Are you going to need to come up with the perfect gift for your mother, sister, or mother-in-law?  I suggest the charm bracelet shown here - you can customize it with your recipient's favorite colors, photos of kids or grand kids, and of course a little bling.  

Join my Simply Adorned bracelet club, the meetings continue on the third Thursday of the month at 6:30pm.  Were you not able to make it to our first meeting?  No problem, club meetings will continue until everyone who wants a bracelet has a chance to make one.  This month we will be working with Itty Bitty stamps, punches, heat embossing, and tiny pearls and rhinestones.  

The club is free, but you will want to purchase the bracelet chain and one or two of the locket charms. (You can buy the next two charms in time for the next club meeting.)   As usual, if you order in time for your jewelry to arrive before the class, I will throw in a free filigree brad bangle.  Contact me for prices, or see my blog for more details.  

Charly Bratt

Independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator
(970) 206-9120
CharlysInkLink@gmail.com

Basic Tools for Paper Crafters

All hobbies require their own tools: knitters need yarn and needles; photographers need cameras, lenses, and filters; and woodworkers (like my husband) apparently need a garage full of large and expensive tools like table saws, band saws, and routers.

As stampers and scrapbookers we need our own tools too, but thankfully ours are reasonably priced. All our tools put together are still less expensive than just one of my husband's saw blades!

 

The paper cutter is probably the first tool you need to turn your card stock into cards. This cutter, available from Stampin' Up!, is one of Fiskars' better models. It can easily cut 12"x12" papers and card stock, but it is still lightweight and portable. It's fast and easy to use, and while I have had trouble with cheaper plastic models, with this cutter I've been able to make good straight cuts and 90 degree corners every time. ($24.95, item #104152)

The bone folder is a simple tool, but it's amazing how useful it is and how quickly it becomes one of your most reached-for items. It gives folds a nice crease; it can be used along with your paper cutter to score card stock; and I use it to separate card layers if I've made a mistake and I need to take my card apart and rework it. ($6.95, item #102300)

Paper snips are the perfect scissors for cutting shapes out of paper and card stock. I like to stamp images, color them, cut them out, and pop them up on Stampin' Dimensionals. This look adds a lot to a card or scrapbook page, and it's a fun alternative to buttons, rhinestone brads, felt flowers, or other purchased decorations. ($9.95, item #103579)

SNAIL is my first choice in adhesives, I use this more than I use any other kind. SNAIL leaves a strip of stickiness without the inconvenience of double-stick tape or the mess of glue. It's fast, easy, permanent, and the #1 choice for most card makers and scrapbookers. ($6.95, item #104332)

The Stampin' Scrub is the best and fastest way to clean your rubber stamps. Just lightly spray one half with the Stampin' Mist and leave the other half dry. The Stampin' Mist cleans and conditions your stamps, and the dry side of the Stampin' Scrub removes any leftover ink and moisture. (Stampin Scrub $16.95 item #102642; Stampin' Mist $4.50 item #102394)

The Stamp-a-ma-jig is one of my favorite tools, but not everyone uses one. This is a tool which needs to be demonstrated instead of described, ask me to show you how this works in person. (11.95, item #101049)

 

 

Sale-A-Bration is still going on, but only until March 31st. This is the perfect time to stock up on your stamping tools and supplies, because the more you buy during the Sale-A-Bration event, the more free stamp sets you can earn! If you were to buy every tool on my list your total would be $82.20 (still less than one of my husband's saw blades), and you would qualify for a free stamp set or other Sale-A-Bration reward. Add another product for $18.00 or more, and you'll receive two sets!



Charly Bratt
CharlysInkLink@gmail.com
http://charlysinklink.blogspot.com/
http://www.charlysinklink.stampinup.net/

 

All you need to start stamping is....

1) Stamps!
Most stamp sets in our catalog run between $12.95 and $38.95, with many sets under $20.00. Look for sets which include both images and sentiments, which will allow you to make multiple card designs with only one stamp set.
 

2) Something to stamp on.
Card stock is perfect for making greeting cards and scrapbook pages. Stampin' Up's card stock is extremely high quality: 80 lb weight, and dyed all the way through. I recommend buying one package of assorted colors (Soft Subtles shown here: $7.95 for 36 sheets in 12 colors - item #105568), and one package of Whisper White ($7.50 for 24 sheets - item #100730). Those two packages together would cost only $15.45, and you would have enough card stock to make 60 greeting cards, each with several layers. Make cards for Easter, Mother's Day, and all your friends' Spring birthdays!
 

3) Ink.
One stampin' pad of basic black ink is all you really need to get started, but you might like to add a little color. Some people like to buy ink pads in all the colors and a set of blender pens (#102845); some people like to buy watercolor pencils (#101879) and an Aqua Painter brush(#103954); some people like their Watercolor Wonder crayons (#106697).

Personally, I like the markers. (Soft Subtles shown here - $31.95 for a set of 12 - item #105537) Stampin' Up's markers are dual tipped with a fine point for writing or detail work, and a brush-like tip for coloring. Our inks, papers, ribbons, and other products are all color coordinated, so the Soft Subtles markers will perfectly match the colors in the Soft Subtles card stock.
 

4) Something to Sale-a-brate!
Sale-A-Bration, our biggest event of the year, is still going on. For every $50 you spend you can choose a free gift. Ask me for a catalog! Try this combination: a Basic Black Stampin' Pad, a package of assorted card stock colors, a package of Whisper White card stock, and your favorite one or two stamp sets. You can order everything you need for only $50, and then receive a free stamp set!
 
 


Charly Bratt
CharlysInkLink@gmail.com
charlysinklink.blogspot.com
www.charlysinklink.stampinup.net