CDAC Member Giveaway

Membership does have benefits especially at Crafter's Digital Art Center!  How would you like to win the awesome Genius MousePen 8" x 6" Graphic Tablet that is pictured below?

"Genius MousePen 8" x 6" Graphic Tablet

One CDAC Member will win this Drawing tablet. You can learn to draw your own digis with this prize. This brand new tablet is ergonomically designed for drawing, handwriting, sketching, coloring, or picture editing, and powered directly by the USB connection. It’s not only a fantastic media tool for designers, but a "hand-eye" coordination, fun input device for a computer. Giveaway ends Sept 13th and winner will be picked by random generator.

Prize Features are..

8"x6" working area, comfortable for easy drawing, painting and using the PC

1024-level pressure sensitivity for all kinds of shapes and thickness control

Make handwriting notes/drawings on the Internet and in any application program

Cordless mouse and pen design gives you unlimited freedom

3D scroll wheel for fast browsing on the Internet and in Windows documents

Corel Painter-The ultimate digital sketching and painting tool

Supports Windows 2003/XP/Me/2000/98"

WOW!  Wouldn't you love to win this?  I know I would, so that's why I'm telling you about this great prize that a member of CDAC will win!  There are some requirements to win this blog candy, but if you're already a member of CDAC you're off to a good start!  Here's the requirements: 

"1. You must be a member of CDAC since this is candy to Thank our members.
2. Display the CDAC member badge on your blog sidebar (see badge on the right sidebar)
3. Add a photo of this prize/candy to your sidebar and link it to the front page of CDAC (http://priscillastyles.ning.com/)
4. Blog about CDAC and this prize and link the blog post to Mr. Linky below. (link your "my page" if you do not have a blog)
5. Meet some new people by following and comment on 5 New Groups here on CDAC
6. Follow the "priscillastyles" Group and Blog
7. Buy at least two digi from any of the digital artists here on CDAC between now and Sept 13th. We all appreciate the business here on CDAC so these purchases are based on the honor system and I would like to thank you in advance for your support to our artists.
**If you don't have a blog that is ok too...just follow the steps above and in place of steps #2 & #3 , please email at least 10 friends about CDAC and any help with spreading the word about CDAC is appreciated."
 
This information was copied from the CDAC, so you have to go there to sign up with Mr. Linky.  This shouldn't be a problem since you were probably going there anyway to sign up to win this wonderful blog candy!

~~  Lee  ~~

A Thousand Sheets of Paper Blog Candy

Talk about some blog candy!  Over at A Thousand Sheets of Paper blog, she's celebrating by giving away a Thousand Sheets of Paper!  How cool is that?  And it gets even better!  She has tons of stamps to give away, too!  For more details on how you can win one of the great packages, hop on  over to her blog.  Hurry, signup ends Friday, September 3rd!

OWH | Old Spice

I had to share this with all of my wonderful Blogger friends!  Sandy always goes over and above for all of our wonderful Heroes serving overseas, but I don't know how she's going to top this one!  What do you think? 


Now, if you want to know more about what YOU can do to help, go to Operation Write Home.  I'm sure you have extra cards laying around that could be put to good use, or maybe you can donate a few dollars to help pay some of the postage for the USPS Priority Flat Rate Boxes that are full of cards for our troops!  Spread the word!  We need your help!

~~  Lee  ~~

Double Pocket Card Tutorial

I hope all of you have had a chance to go through the Michelle Perkett Studio DT Blog Hop!  What fabulous creations from everyone that was involved in this hop thanking Michelle's first DT for their inspiration throughout their tenure.  Michelle gave us her new image, Leilani, to use for the hop plus she introduced two other beautiful digis to also celebrate the occasion.  If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, go to Michelle's blog to start at the beginning.

I tried to post this tutorial yesterday, but we finally had rain to cool us off from our 90 and 100 degree heat.  Unfortunately, we usually have good storms to go with the rain, so our electricity kept getting knocked out.  Sorry for the delay, but it's here now!  I've only done one short tutorial, so I hope I made this easy enough for everyone to understand.  I prefer to see videos myself, but this way is much easier for me right now.

This card shows tags sticking out of both of the pockets.  I love pocket cards because I like to add a special note when giving the recipient a gift card.  I don't like everyone to be able to see private notes, and this type of card really fits the bill.  I originally found a video on You Tube for this type of card, but when I went to make it, it was just too small to show off the image I wanted to use.  Needless to say, I played around with regular paper to make a pattern that would work.  Note to self - write down all dimensions instead of relying on the pictures!  It's amazing what the measurements look like at different angles! 

Now for the details!  This card front will fit on top of a 5" x 7" card base.  The base of this card is actually a "Z" fold card.  The overall dimensions will be 14 1/4" x 6 3/4", but since most card stock isn't that wide, you will have to make this card with two pieces of cardstock adhered together.

SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Four pieces -

First piece 9 1/2" x 6 3/4"

Second piece 5" x 2 3/4"

Third piece 3 1/4" x 5"

Fourth piece 2 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Coordinating pieces for matting your image

Design Paper: 3 pieces -

First piece - 4 5/8" x 61/2"

Second piece - 4 5/8" x 3 3/4"

Third piece - 4 5/8" x 2 5/8"

Card Base 5" x 7"
Adhesive

Ribbon - 5"

Fibers
Edges of doily to fit

White Gel Pen

Embellishments
Paper Cutter
Scoring Board and/or Bone Folder

Fiskars Oval Cutter or Stencil & Scissors

Cut the FIRST base piece of cardstock to 9 1/2" X 6 3/4".  Score this piece at 4 3/4".  Cut the SECOND base piece of cardstock to 5" x 6 3/4".  Score this piece at 4 3/4" and fold over with a bone folder.

Take a piece of design paper that you want to be on the top section of the card, and cut it 4 11/16" x 6 1/2".  You can cut it shorter, but remember that your tag will be going up and down so it could catch if it's too short.  Put adhesive on the back of the design paper and place it on top of the largest section of the 6 3/4" x 9 1/2" (not including the cutout section) piece of scored cardstock.  I added stitch lines to the design paper with a white gel pen. 

Now, cut another piece of design paper to measure 4 11/16" x 3 3/4" that you want to be in the center of the card.  Again, you can cut it shorter than 3 3/4" high, but the tag for the gift card will also be going in and out of this pocket.  Put adhesive on the back of the design paper and place it on top of the smallest section of the 6 3/4" x 9 1/2" (not including the cutout section) piece of scored cardstock.   Add the faux stitch lines with a white gel pen.

Cut the last piece of design paper 4 11/16" x 2 1/4" that will go on the bottom section, or the piece of the cardstock that is 6 3/4" x 2 3/4".  I used a border punch on the top side of the cardstock, so you may have to adjust the heigth of the design paper to compensate for different sized edge punches.  Just measure from the bottom of the lowest cut piece to the bottom of the cardstock and subtract 1/8" so you have room for the border.  Now is a good time to put a ribbon on the card before you glue it to the front of the cardstock.  Finally, you can put the adhesive on the back of the design paper and adhere it to the cardstock.  Finish this piece off with some more faux stitching with a white gel pen.

Now you apply the adhesive.  I like to use a good non-foam strip adhesive here, but you can also use a strong liquid glue like Scotch's Quick Dry Adhesive or even a good quality double stick tape.  The picture above shows where you will place the adhesive on the cardstock pieces except that I cut off the left side of the big piece that also needs tape.  It's easier to get the proper amount of tape if you place it on the left side versus the right side.  The top piece will have the design paper on the right side, not like it's pictured. The adhesive on the left will fold over the top of the right side piece to make the first pocket. The bottom piece will have to be flipped over, so the design paper will be on the other side. I cut the top section of this piece with the border punch after I took the picture, but it's much easier cutting it first. Make sure you also place the adhesive on the flap on the left side. This will be what holds it to the cardstock piece on the top to make the second pocket. Now, flip this piece over and adhere it to the bottom section of the bigger piece.

You can now have fun decorating the front of the card.  I put this 4 1/4"oval section with a 4 5/8" matt on this card.  I glued the edges of a doily in between the matting, or you could even use ribbon here.  I like the doilies because they are lighter and less bulkier.  The main thing you'll want to do with the doily is to cut the bottom section (part that you'll glue to the back) about 1/4" apart making sure you don't cut into the design you want to show on the front.  This makes it easier to go around the rounded edges easier (ignore this if you are doing this to a square or oblong piece).  I used a heart shaped doily on this piece, but other shapes will work fine.  To add the oval to the front, you can't put adhesive on all sides to secure it like you normally would.  Lay the oval where you want it placed, and then place the adhesive so you can slide the tags back and forth across the pockets.  I only used two pieces of adhesive like what is shown on the picture, but use what you think is appropriate.  You can also use a smaller oval or even use a circle for your image here.  This portion helps hide the tags, so it's up to you to use what you want.  Some people even leave the front as is or add just a few embellishments.  I based my oval on the size of the image I was using.

Now that the card front is done, you need to make the tags.  The bigger tag is 3 1/4" x 5".  Measure 1" from the top left and right sides and make a small mark.  Go down 1" from the left and right sides and also mark those spots.  Cut diagonally from the top and side marks, and then repeat this on the other side.  The second tag is 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".  I made a mark on each side 3/4" from the sides.  Then, I made another mark at 7/8" on each side from the top down.  Cut these diagonally from each side like you did on the other tag.  In order to keep the gift card or other type of card from getting lost in the pocket, I made a pocket with a small plastic bag.  First, find a bag that the tag and card will fit into comfortably.  Cut the bag 2" from the bottom up, and then tape the excess over and tape it at the back.  Also make sure to tape the plastic bag to the cardstock at the back.  Now, punch a small hole in the top center of each tag and tie fibers or ribbons through the holes.  You can also use reinforcements on the front and back of the hole if you like. 

Finally, you can glue the card front to the card base.  Since this is heavier than your basic card, you will want to make sure and use a good adhesive like I mentioned above.  I finished this card by decorating the inside with some stickers that matched the front of the card.  My finished card is shown below.

Well, I hope you are able to make sense of my tutorial, and I look forward to seeing what you make.  Just leave your URL to your project in my comment section, so I can stop over and check it out.  If you have any problems with this, just leave me a comment or send me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

~~  Lee  ~~

Michelle Perkett Studio DT Aloha Blog Hop

Aloha!

Today, you are in for some awesome treats as we celebrate the Michelle Perkett Studio first Design Team's departure with a Blog Hop!  It's been six months since this wonderful group of people began designing all kinds of wonderful challenges for us, so we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of them for all of their wonderful inspiration!  You'll be able to see all kinds of eye candy from all over the world on this blog hop.  Isn't it great how we're able to see so much talent from all over the world thanks to the internet?
If you came here from Pattie's Blog, then you are in the right spot.  If you get lost along the way, you can always go back to Michelle Perkett's blog for all of the stops.

Since I wanted to really highlight Michelle's new image, Leilani, I made this pocket card on a 5" x 7" base.  I will post a tutorial tomorrow telling you all of the measurements of this card.  The DP and stickers are from a page kit from NRN Designs I had bought a couple years ago but could never find a good use for them.  Thanking the design team is an excellent reason to use these yummy papers! 

Leilani was colored with my favorite medium, colored pencils, and blended with tortillions (paper blending stumps) and baby oil.  The highlights were made with a white Sakura gel pen.  The "lace" behind the image is actually a paper doily.  They are so beautiful, and they also don't make as much bulk or weight on the card like ribbon does.  Leilani is popped up with foam adhesives, and the flower stickers by her feet are also from this page set.  The DP is "attached" with some white gel pen faux stitches.  The fibers are from my stash and Little Black Dress Designs.  Don't you just love this 3M Smart Kraft floral ribbon?  This was some blog candy that I won from a blogger in Australia.

The pockets hold a special card thanking the DT.  The DT includes Pattie, Tammy, Nancy, Rhonda, Lynne, Terri, Jean, Ileana and the originals; Jana, Carlie, Kerrie, Gini and Cabio.  What a fabulous group of talent!  They gave us lots of challenges to our own talents that many of us didn't even know existed.  I'm sure they will continue to inspire us in their future endeavors!  We can't begin to thank you enough for introducing us to Michelle's wonderful digi stamps!!!!  The challenges you gave us not only made us think outside the box, but showed us that we all have an inner child waiting to be released.  I love all of the different types of images that Michelle offers, and the DT has helped to open my eyes differently to ones that didn't first appeal to me.  I'm so happy that this wonderful group of women has helped to broaden my horizons much more than I could have ever imagined!

Don't forget to stop over by Michelle Perkett's Etsy shop to see all of the other images that she has available.  If you're like me, you'll want them all!

Your next stop in the hop will be at Pauline's blog.  This is another blogger from Australia that has some really gorgeous creations for you to enjoy!  Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for some more eye candy and the tutorial for the pocket card!  Since the Hawaiin name for Lee is Li, I will sign off a bit differently today.

~~  Li  ~~

Challenges:
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Under or By the Sea
C.R.A.F.T. #61 - Hot & Spicy Colors
Crafty Creations - Summer Lovin'
Crafty Ann - Lazy Hazy Days of Summer
The Crafty Pad - Ribbons and Flowers
Dutch Dare - Anything Goes
For Fun - Colors of Summer
Fresh Brewed Designs - #13 Inspiration Challenge
Raise the Bar - A Sticky Situation
S2G Papercrafting Contest - Summertime Fun Summer Accessory
Shelley's Images - Vacation Time
Stamping Vacation - Pick 3

Sunburned Olive Card

Well, thanks to our wonderful Blogger, I missed another challenge deadline, but at least I can post the card now.  I made this card for the Michelle Perkett Studio Challenge which called for you to use the colors red, white, pink and kraft.  I love this color combo, so I knew I had to enter this challenge!  Unfortunately, Blogger was doing weird things on Sunday & Monday.  First, it wouldn't let me post.  Then it wouldn't let me add or make any layout changes.  This one was new to me.  When I went to the layout,  there were no add a gadget buttons, no save button, and most of the gadgets were missing.  I couldn't even edit the gadgets on this page or from the main page.  Now it's not letting me change the alignment.  Oh well, that will teach me to get my cards done earlier next time!

Anyhoo, I used Michelle Perkett's digi called Olive for this card.  She was colored with colored pencils and blended with baby oil.  The pail and shovel have Ranger Glossy Accents on them to add some more dimension.  The little crocheted flower is from my stash.  Olive is popped up with some foam adhesives.

The DP is made by The Paper Patch and is called White Summer Dots on Raspberry.  The corrugated paper as well as the solid papers are also from my stash.  The yummy white iridescent paper is from some blog candy I won from the Paper Temptress.  The pearls are from Michael's and that gorgeous butterfly ribbon is more blog candy, but this is from a blogger in Australia!  Isn't it just too darn cute?

Thought you might want to see Olive a bit closer.  Her sunburn still doesn't show up as well as it does in person.  You can see the Glossy Accents on this picture better.  Some of the texture on this gorgeous white Paper Temptress paper shows up better.  I probably should have included the bottom part of this digi showing the sand, but I already cut it off before I tried it on the card.  That poor sand dollar probably wouldn't look so alone with the rest of the image.

~~  Lee  ~~

The Learning Community for Crafters

Do you ever make a card and wish that someone would honestly tell you that something wasn't right?  Have you thought about adding a ribbon or a flower to a certain spot, but thought it might throw the balance of the card off?  Maybe you've forgotten how to use a color wheel and need some help picking the right colors.  I do love getting all of the wonderful comments on my blog about my creations, but where do you go when you really want some constructive criticism about your work?

Now, there's finally a place you can go to that lets you give and receive constructive criticism!  Also, if someone says they like your art, they are asked to be specific about why they like it not just it's gorgeous, or nice work.  Wouldn't you really love to know what you did made your creation stand out?  How would you like to have people tell you honestly that they don't like the position of the bow, but maybe if you made it smaller or centered the bow it wouldn't detract so much from the main image?  What do you think?  Are you ready to check this new site out and try your hand at commenting on some cards to help others out?   

This is what the founder of the Learning Community for Crafters has to say about why she started this new site: 
"When I first started learning to use new products or techniques I had wished I had someone I could ask for advice or get tips on how I could do something better.

I began entering 'challenges' thinking I would get some feedback on my work. However the feedback I received was always positive and upbeat, and really sometimes my project really didn't deserve the comments it was receiving. I just wanted some honest feedback. Tell me how I can improve!

After putting the idea out about how I felt I found other people felt the same way. So I have decided to create this community where we can come together and offer each other 'CONSTRUCTIVE' crticism.

I am setting this up as a learning centre and have some bigger plans for it in the future. I am starting this on NING to begin with and if it grows and you are all finding it is a helpful resource then I will look at expanding it elsewhere.

If you have any suggestions, comments or more ideas please contact me.

Hugs & Take care
Zoe  xxoo"

Enough reading, why don't you pop on over to the Learning Community for Crafters and check it out?  If you're a member of any other Ning network, you will use the same password that you use on sites like Papercraft Planet or SNR Card Universe.  It doesn't cost you anything to look, so why don't you go on over and give it a look!

~~  Lee  ~~

Blog Candy Winner Announcement!!!

What a great party we had this past weekend for the Operation Write Home Blog Tour!  We got to meet some new people, picked up some free digis from some very generous people and best of all we got to see some more outstanding cards.  If you're just stopping here and don't know what I'm talking about, then hop right on over to the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps Blog HERE to see the cards that were featured this weekend on the Blog Tour.

I've been pretty much MIA since Saturday due to some family committments and my health problems.  Needless to say, I'm sorry I wasn't able to get more cards posted.  I did have my DGS draw a name today from all of the names of commenters and the extra chances for the followers.  I really need to check into the random picker so I'm not spending so much time writting all of the names and then checking to see if any of them were also followers so they could be entered twice in the drawing. 

So, without further delay, the name of my Blog Candy winner is:

DOLORES

of The Corner Studio!!!!!!

Congratulations Dolores for winning a menagerie of assorted embellishments, ribbons, brads and more!!!!! 

For those of you that may recognize the name but can't remember why, you'll be happy to know that she is the mother of the amazing president of OWH, Sandy Allnock!  Dolores is a new cardmaker thanks to the nudging of Sandy, but she certainly didn't need any help with the talent end of cardmaking!  She is also a painter, so thanks to Sandy helping her set up a blog, I'm sure we could all nudge her a little to show us pictures of her work! hint, hint!

 I want to thank all of you that participated in this Blog Tour, and I look forward to hearing from all of you in the future.  If you aren't familiar with Operation Write Home, please take a moment and check out the organization.  We are always looking for more cardmakers or perhaps you'd rather make a contribution to this very worthy tax-deductible organization!

~~  Lee  ~~ 

Goodbye Cornish Heritage Farms!

For those of you that haven't already heard, Cornish Heritage Farms will be closing their doors.  They have decided that now is the time to venture into a new endeavor in Missouri, so they have sold the farm and will be moving in mid to late August.  The business is up for sale, but as of now they still don't have a buyer. 

Orders for stamps will be accepted until July 15th, 2010.  They will then be closed on Friday, July 16th for inventory and will reopen, but they will only be selling the remaining inventory until their last day on Thursday, August 5th, 2010.

Hurry on over to Cornish Heritage Farms and get your stamps while you still can.  Please join me in wishing Liz and Richard your best in their new journey!

~~  Lee  ~~

OWH Independence Day Blog Tour!

Welcome to another stop on this wonderful Independence Day blog tour sponsored by Operation Write Home!  If you arrived here from anywhere other than the OWH Stars and Stamps Blog, you'll really want to go to their blog after you're done reading my post to see what all the other bloggers have created to feast your eyes on this weekend.  There are all kinds of events planned throughout the weekend as well as lots of blog candy and other fun!

Many of you are already acquainted with Operation Write Home, but if not, you should be!  This organization collects hand-made cards from all over to send to our soldiers that are serving overseas, so the soldiers have something nice to send home to their family and friends.  We always need card makers who can donate a few cards or even fill up a USPS Priority Flat Rate box.  This is an excellent way to get those beautiful cards that you've made out of those stuffy boxes!!!! ;O)  If you are interesting in sending cards, or maybe you want to find out more info about the organization because you would like to make a tax deductible contribution to help with shipping and other costs, then click on Operation Write Home. 

I'll be posting more cards throughout the weekend, but the first one I've made follows the guidelines to make a red, white and blue birthday card.  I decided to something different and make my own design paper for once.  This happened by accident when I stamped a couple star images from an Art Impressions stamp and decided to continue stamping and see what I got.

The stars were all stamped on the cardstock that I won as blog candy from the last OWH Blog Hop.  I wanted to stay with the theme, so I decided to stamp it in blue ink instead of black.  The background color was added with four different colors of blue colored pencils that were blended with a blending stump dipped in baby oil since I don't have any Gamsol (OMS).  

The trees from Stampscapes were also stamped on the white card stock with the Memories dye ink.  Originally, I was going to stamp the eagle from Mostly Animals onto the cardstock, but I had seen another blogger recently that had stamped directly onto mulberry paper and I liked the effect.  The background was also colored with the colored pencils, and then the highlights were added with a white gel pen.  The stars on the corners aren't brads.  They are small die cuts that I applied Ranger's Glossy Accents to and let them dry so they would look like brads.

Some people have asked me how I got the edges to look frayed when I work with mulberry paper.  It's a real easy technique.  You just take any small paint brush that has been dipped in plain water and make an outline with the wet brush around the stamped image (or the stencil or shape).  Let the water absorb into the paper for about 20 seconds or so and then hold the paper on both sides of water line and gently pull it apart like you would stretch a rubber band.  Make sure you don't tug on the big chunks of fiber that hang out like the piece on the right side of the pictures.  Take some sharp scissors and cut the big pieces at an angle so you're just leaving a tip hang out of the side.  After you have all of the pieces apart, just gently pull the edges out by pulling the fibers between your thumb and pointer finger to make it look hairy.  If the paper has already dried, you can rewet the mulberry paper and try it again.

Next, I wanted to add a slider to the ribbon, but I didn't have any that fit the scene I had stamped.  So I just flipped one of the American Crafts Elements over and added a rub-on that was also from American Crafts.  The scene was double matted and applied on top of the single matted design paper with some Creative Memories tape and was then glued onto a card base.  I used Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive to the ribbon so it would stay secure.  Since the cards are first shipped from us to a shipper, and then unpacked and checked and then repacked for the soldiers, it's very important to make sure any embellishments are secure.  Also, it's very important that you don't use glitter on the cards for the soldier's safety.

I usually stamp a little something in the inside, or you can keep it blank for the soldiers to write to their family or friends.  The Happy Birthday sentiment is made by PSX and was also stamped with the Memories dye ink.  The edges were inked with a dauber like the front of the card and then both of the pieces were matted on more blue card stock from Hobby Lobby.  Star stickers were added to the corners to give a pop of red in the inside.

Well, that was long enough for this post!  Come on back later and see what else I have created for the OWH Independence Day Blog Tour.  You'll also want to know the details about my blog candy!  You'll have to leave a comment to win, and if you would like to become a follower, your name will be entered twice in the random drawing.  I'm working on putting together a bunch of embellishments, papers and ribbons that will work great for your OWH cards!  I'll pick a winner from the hat on Tuesday, July 6th, so make sure to come back & see if you won!  Happy Blog Touring!!!  Click on OWH Stars and Stamps Blog to go back to the tour guide!   Remember not to drink and drive on this holiday weekend!

~~  Lee  ~~