simply me

Easel Card Tutorial

Hi, it’s Maria and today I have an easel card for you showcasing some of Donna’s new products from Prima and Unity along with some PanPastel work.

Using PanPastel, I blended colors together to fill a 12” x 12” piece of Bazzill Smoothie cardstock. Colors listed below.

I love Donna’s new 2-step Unity stamps, but today I just used one part—the outline. I randomly stamped over the background I had just made with PanPastel until the page was filled.

After I was done I sprayed the card with Krylon Matte Finish to seal the PanPastel. You will need (1) 4.75” x 6.75” piece and (1) 4.75 “ x 3.5” piece of the paper for your project. Save the rest! It makes beautiful backgrounds in your Art Journal or to add to other projects. You will also need a 10” x 5” piece of black cardstock for the base scored at 2.5” and 5”.

I roughed up the edges of the paper and also added some texture stitching with the sewing machine around the edges of the PanPastel pieces. I stamped the sentiment on the smaller piece.

Using Donna’s new ATC Canvas pieces I used a masking technique using the same stamp that I used on the small piece of paper. This time I only wanted the word Inspire so I masked over the rest of the sentiment and the “d” in Inspired. This was stamped onto the canvas. I also edged the canvas with PanPastel.

One of Donna’s new Sculpture Poppies was added to the canvas with a ribbon behind it. I used Helmar 3D Zap Dots to attach the bottom piece with the sentiment to the card. It needs to be elevated to enable the card to become a easel.

Stickles were added to the centers of the flowers for a little extra bling.

Side view of the card

ENJOY!
 
Supplies used:

• PanPastels colors: Permanent Red, Orange, Yellow Ochre and Diarylide Yellow
• PanPastel Sofft Covers
• Ranger Archival Ink in Black
• Krylon Matte Finish
• Donna Downey for Unity--Create to Breathe Stamp
• Donna Downey for Unity—Peony Stamp
• Donna Downey for Unity—Insightful Meadow Stamp
• Donna Downey ATC Canvas with Grommets
• Donna Downey Sculpture Flowers Poppies
• Helmar Zap Dots
• Stickles: Orange Peel, X-mas Red, Yellow

 

inspiration wednesday + video

brought to you from the friendly skies over the atlantic! just kidding, i pre-recorded inspiration wednesday for you last week so that as i was traveling i made sure i didnt miss it!

this page started with gelatos and stamps and stayed there. i am happy, REALLY HAPPY by the repeat design of the poppies stamped onto the background and as i sat back and looked at the pages i had to listen to my gut telling me to stop...so i did just that.

keeping it simple, i thought this would be a great opportunity to write a little note to myself in my journal reminding myself just how much choosing to make the time to be creative in an inspiration journal has taught me and how important it is to continue.

watch the video...

supplies:

• inspiration journal 
• GOLDEN absorbent ground
• my NEW poppy stamps!!
• gelatos Faber Castell
• sz 8 round simply simmons brush
• heat gun
• helmar 450
• masking tape
• vintage typewriter on book page
• li'l davis tape

NEW donna downey stamps!

NEW!! donna downey RUBBER STAMPS

my beloved poppies are now stamps!

check out ALL my new designs and get ready to create because i have big plans for these big and bold new images in the upcoming months!

"poppies" stamp set

just wait until you play with the possitive and negative possibilities of layered stamping with theses beautiful blooms and be sure to stop by for inspiration wednesday to see the layered look in action as i use them with gelatos ...HAPPY PLACE!

"peonies" set

i love my 2 new 8" wood.......mounted stamps :)

"hollyhocks"

"whispy blue bell"

"open bloom" background

"create to breathe"

"adore" words set

"inspire" words set

"art & possibility" set {my personal favorite from the release}

pre-order yours today and be the first to get them hot off the presses!

a fun little christmas project...

in keeping with my bird and bird cages love here is a little fun holiday tag project i want to share!

supplies needed:

• 2 shipping tags
• bird on a wire edge punch
• tree vine double edge punch
• green cardstock
• large birdcage stamp - free to be stamp set
• bird stamp - embrace you stamp set
• black soot distress ink
• small white tag
• fired brick distress ink
• crushed olive distress ink
• black stazon
• black embossing ink
• clear UTEE
• quick dry 450
• liquid scrap dots
• create joy rubber stamp - red lead paperworks
• red seed beads
• broken china distress ink
• ink blending tool + foams
• tiny attacher
• masking tape
• quote strip "we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas"

step by step:

1. ink background tag with broken china distress ink and blending tool
2. punch tree vine from green cardstock and adhere to edge of blue tag so that it extends over the tag edge
3. punch edge of second tag using birds on the wire punch
4. use masking tape to mask off the edge of the tag so that you just ink the birds (note: if your masking tape is really tacky, press it onto your pants or clothing a couple times to lesson the grip)
5. use blending tool and ink the birds using black soot distress ink, then remove the masking tape.
6. ink the rest of the tag with crushed olive or green distress ink
7. stamp the birdcage using stazon
8. stamp the bird inside the cage using black embossing ink. pour clear UTEE over bird and heat emboss.
9. ink small white tag and text strip with fired brick distress ink
10. stamp "create joy" in stazon and attach to tag using tiny attacher
11. adhere quote strip along bird punched edge and trim to size
12. adhere small seed beads to paper vine to create the look of holly berries
13. use liquid scrap dots to create desired dimension (i like a lot of dimension), then adhere the bird tag to the background tag.
14. allow to dry and voila your done!

the tag looks really cute when hung on the tree, a tag for a special gift or glue a magnet to the back and make it a gift!

 

inspiration wednesday + video

a day late but i had fun!

this weeks inspiration journal allowed me to play with some more of my favorite things! i even used bling?

totally added it after the fact but i am so glad i did! adds just the perfect touch across the bottom!

watch the video to see what i did!

inspiration journal 7/8/10 from donna downey on Vimeo.

supplies used:

• inspiration journal - (just added some new ones today!)
• be bold stamps
• white gesso
• light peony acrylic paint 517 (folk art/Plaid)
• golden titanium white airbrush paint
• golden quinacridone magenta fluid acrylic
• golden green gold fluid acrylic
• golden cobalt teal fluid acrylic
• bling (no idea where i got it)
• black stazon
• liquid scrap dots and helmar quick dry adhesive
• dr martins cherry red india ink
• nib pen
• small shipping tag
• date stamp

EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE TOMORROW...stay tuned!

4th of july blowout sale + grand opening!

LET'S CELEBRATE!

   in honor of celebrating new beginings, freedoms, independences and well just because we are on cloud 9 about our new studio, we are having a

4th of july weekend blowout sale!

today through monday july 5th! 

All the items you have been hoping to get and then some are on sale all weekend long!

BETTER YET, use this code: july4 and get $4 off shipping!  WHahooo!!!!!

GRAND OPENING

IT WAS AWESOME! it was standing room only...i thought it might just be kandi, bill, the kids and i and we had over 25 people show up to celebrate with us.

we did a real ribbon cutting and will totally share the press with you when it is printed in the papers! 

 

i really just liked the big scissors!

 

i was so excited i didnt even take any pictures of the inside filled with people...too busy being social.

inspiration wednesday + video

{supplies used: embrace you stamps, she said stamps, create today stamps, titanium white airbrush color, black india ink, nib pen, windsor & newton watercolors, golden gel medium}

inspiration wednesday 6.23.10 from donna downey on Vimeo.

it is beginning to really hit me, my studio dream come true!

 

it is a little slice of my own little heaven and i have been busy adding some new products to the studio as well as to the online shop. i want the store to be filled with the products, patterns and objects i love and these are a few of the latest additions that lately I cant create without. hold on tight there will be more added little by little creating the perfect little happy place to create and  shop in.

gearing up for CHA next month, i have new stamp set releases with Unity "Be Bold" & "Little Whispers" that are now available! These stamp sets are going to debut at this year's summer CHA show and you can be the first to get them!

Unity has also just created half sheets of my original "The Artist in You" and "Where You Are" stamp sets.

 

and it is all about the glue! of course I can not create any project without my Helmar products. I just absolutely love all of their adhesives! If you have not tried any of their products, you need to! if you like dimension then YOU NEED LIQUID SCRAP DOTS if you havent tried them...they are frickin awesome!

 

I'm begining to add fabrics to the studio and am now offering all of my favorite fabrics by the yard.

and seed beads, my god i love these things i have been sewing them onto everything lately!

meet back here tomorrow for inspiration wednesday and

looking forward to seeing some of you in the studio tomorrow for the cupcake workshop!

inspiration wednesday

 

good news!!! : ALL NEW UNITY STAMPS are back in stock!!!

ALSO, go to my facebook fan page for special $5 grab bag link - better HURRY while supplies last! SOLD OUT!

getting ready for cha - can you say CRA-ZEEE!

i love CHA, the products, the people, the products....this year i am taking on a lot more than usual, but with only 48 hours till go time i am nervous.

here is what has been going on inside the studio...

For my new Prima canvas line i have been transforming these

into these.

 

ok even i have to admit the camera bag came out flippin' adorable! ruffles make me so happy!

This year i will have my own booth in the license and design section and designing the booth has been like designing my studio, love the idea of a blank space to fill. hopefully the booth will look as cute as i hope. i only have 10x10 sq ft to play with, however that is bigger than my own studio. i will take pictures i promise (only if i like how it turns out, hee hee!)

i have also been creating some artwork to put on the booth walls...
not quite finished with this piece, i need to put some words on it.
 

this one is a smaller piece and i like it so much the way it is i am going to leave it for a while, but it need words too.

used my new huge Prima foam stamps on this one

 

then, so get this, i bought a cute cardigan sweater at target the other day and had nothing to wear it with and made this skirt today. (LOVE LOVE LOVE MY SERGER)

 

i also made this skirt a couple weeks agoand am planning to wear at CHA

 

made this cute little make 'n take for my booth time at the supershow

 

got my new unity stamps from Unity the other day! i wanted her to make them big for me and they look FAB-U-LOUS! Unity rocks! check it out!

so if you are going to be at the show swing by one of my workshops, seminar or demos!

hope to see you there!!

• Donna Downey Workshops
  1. Elegant Garden
  W0205 Friday 9am-11am
  2. Effervesce
  W0902 Sat 11:30am-1:30pm
  
  Celebrity Appearances
  Friday 12-1pm
  Saturday 10-11am
  
  
• Scrapbook Oasis Jan 22-23
  17895 Sky Park Circle
  Irvine, CA 92614
  (949) 756-2729
• 
  CHA Trade Show Jan 24-27th
  
  Donna's Appearances
  1. Donna Downey LLC Booth
  Booth Number 2644
  
  2.Craft Trends Seminar
  S107-Sunday 4-5pm
  
  3. Canvas Creations Workshop
  W0808-Monday 12-2pm
  W1005-Tuesday 7-9am
  
  4. Silhouette America Booth
  Monday 10-11am