February 4, 2015 By Steph Ackerman Leave a Comment

I Love You Card

Hi everyone, Steph Ackerman here today with roses for you.

I began by painting a white cardstock panel with Aquamarine Iridescents using my finger for a random effect. I then stamped the Dots stamp from Unity Stamp Co.’s 1″ Stripes, Dots and Hearts stamp set randomly on the panel with Lilac Crafter’s Ink.

After matting the panel with black cardstock and adding it to card, I inked the tips of little white roses with Berry Crafter’s Ink. I found some coordinating ribbon which I tied around the stems before adding the roses to the card.

The sentiment was stamped and then added to the card with foam adhesives for dimension. I then added some bling to finish the card.

Thanks for stopping by today.

February 2, 2015 By Design Team 1 Comment

Mixed Media Embossed Card

Spring is pretty much around (at least here in Israel). So I begin to smell it and to think it and to craft it.

This stamped and heat embossed Spring card is a first one , but sure not the last. I made it with Ann Butler’s products and a lot of heat embossing.

I used a glossy cardstock (recycle, recycle, recycle those packages… ). Then I made kind of s grid, but pretty much random one and stamped with 2” and 1” Ann’s Unity Faux Quilting stamps using Clearsnap Night Crafter’s ink and Clearsnap Clear embossing powder over them. After all squares were stamped I added some double sided glue strips over the seams and added three colors of glitter with heat embossing.

The corners of those strips didn’t look nice after heat embossing, so I just added some lovely pastel buttons to cover those corners. Then the whole piece was inked with Ann Butler’s Sunshine Crafter’s ink and one single sticker sentiment was glued on the card.

I hope to make a bigger piece using Ann’s new Clearsnap big background stamps and to make a part of a big journal page with the same technique.

January 31, 2015 By Steph Ackerman Leave a Comment

Hello Stenciled Card

Hi everyone, Steph Ackerman here today saying hello.

I’ve used ColorBox Crafter’s Ink for Ann Butler in Sunshine, Limelight and Tangelo with several stencils from The Crafter’s Workshop.

With the stencil in place, I used art daubers to add color to the design.Once I inked the design, I inked around the panel with Sunshine Ink and matted it with brown cardstock. I also inked around the card with Sunshine Ink. Using a second stencil with Tangelo Ink, I fussy cut hello, matted it with brown cardstock and added it to the card with foam adhesives for dimension.

Once I inked the design, I inked around the panel with Sunshine Ink and matted it with brown cardstock. I also inked around the card with Sunshine Ink. Using a second stencil with Tangelo Ink, I fussy cut hello, matted it with brown cardstock and added it to the card with foam adhesives for dimension.

Due to the longer drying time for these inks, you have time to blend the colors together if you desire.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Please visit my blog.

January 29, 2015 By Design Team Leave a Comment

Photo Cube With Ann Butler Designs

I had a GREAT time at CHA and am finally getting my mojo on! Hard to not be inspired by the FABULOUS new products by Ann Butler and brought to you by Clearsnap!

I love my family and friends. I enjoy having photos out and about rather than always having to get out an album I have made shadow box style “albums” to sit out so I can see my family. This inspired my thought for some photo cubes.

So here are the supplies used:

Ann Butler Designs – Crafter’s Ink and Stamps by Clearsnap/Ann Butler Designs – Earth Safe Finishes/Smoothfoam – Cubes/Connie Crystal – Crystal Sheets/Tombow – XTREME Tape Runner & Mono Multi Glue/Golden – Acrylic Paints.

I painted the Smoothfoam cubes with the paint and let dry. I then inked up the stamps and stamped all sides of the cubes. Because the ink stays wet longer I worked on a paper towel and as I rotated the cube to stamp each side, the ink blotted on the paper towel.

I then added the Earth Safe Finishes to the sides that had the square pattern. I then printed and cut down the photos I wanted to use. I made a Disney Cube, a CHA cube with my designer friends and a Highway Patrol Graduation cube. The EXTREME tape holds the photos to the cubes very well. I added a little black ink on the edges then added the rows of crystal! Photos and Bling!

I am so pleased with the way these came out! I love the way Ann’s Ink worked on the Smoothfoam! This is a wonderful project to make with your kiddos for vacation photos, school friends, pets and so much more. The pictures showing are of some of my favorite peeps including ANN BUTLER with her two co-owners of Bella Publishing, Lisa Rojas and Theresa Cifali! What a really fun and creative trip!

Happy Creating! Find me on Facebook!

January 26, 2015 By Design Team 1 Comment

Sewn Mixed Media Art Journal Canvas Page

Hello Crafters and happy monday!

Zoey’s here today with a quick and easy art journal canvas page! As you might have noticed my approach to mixed media is really easy peasy. I love to make my own background , add some texture here and there with stamping and modeling paste and add words on it…everyone can do it and I hope you will give it a try too!

Crafter’s Ink Art Journal Canvas Page

To create this Art Journal Canvas Page I used:

ColorBox Crafter’s® by Ann Butler ( Berry , Tangelo , Sunshine )
ColorBox® Art Screens – By Ann Butler ( Lattice )
ColorBox® Background Basics by Ann Butler ( Checks 1 )

Additional items :

White Canvas Paper
Small Brayer
Modeling paste
Alpha stickers
Sewing Machine
Black watercolor pencil

I started by adding color to my background, to do this, I used a brayer. I rolled it over the ink pads and then I rolled over the white canvas paper. I used ColorBox Crafter’s® by Ann Butler to do this and of course I had to use my favorite color combo… Berry, Tangelo and Sunshine!

Crafter’s Ink Art Journal Canvas Page

I helped the ink dry with my heat tool. I love how juicy these ink pads are, rolling the brayer was so easy!
When the ink was dry enough, I added some stamps. To do this I used the brand new ColorBox® Background Basics by Ann Butler that I love! I used the one called Checks 1 , it is big, sturdy and have a really nice texture. Of course I used it without the acrylic block.
As you can see in the image, my stamp is not really clear. To achieve this result (I didn’t want a bold stamp, just a hint of it) I swiped the ink pad over the stamp without too much pressure.

Crafter’s Ink Art Journal Canvas Page

Once again, I used the heat tool to make sure the ink was dry and then I applied a bit of modeling paste through the ColorBox® Art Screens – By Ann Butler – Lattice. I rotated the stencil because I wanted the straight squares so it was matching with the stamp I used previously. I let the paste dry with the heat tool.

Crafter’s Ink Art Journal Canvas Page

And then I just stitched the heart to the background and I sewed around the border to give a bit of movement and to add some interest to the whole page.

Crafter’s Ink Art Journal Canvas Page

The quote is from Cindarella quote, of course! hehe

Crafter’s Ink Art Journal Canvas Page

And that is all for today! I hope you had fun and got inspired…stay happy stay creative, till next time!

Ciao, Zoey

January 23, 2015 By Design Team 1 Comment

DIY Crafted Rosettes and Stamped Treat Bags

Hello, it’s Graciellie and today I want to show you an easy and elegant way to customize pretty treat bags for Valentine’s. Ann’s stamps and Crafter’s inks were key during the process of making these projects I’m showing you today!

Main supplies
Colorbox Background Basics by Ann Butler
Colorbox Crafter’s Inks by Ann Butler in Sunshine
Colorbox Crafter’s Inks in Bark and Snow
Colorbox Background Basics by Ann Butler – Basket 1 and Picnic 1
Colorbox Color Blender
Other supplies
Velcro Mini Fasteners – Round 3/8″ Dots
Westcott Titanium Bonded Trimmer and Titatium Non-stick Scissors
Ad-Tech Crafter’s Tape
Enviromental Technologies Easy Cast Resin and Easy Mold Silicone Putty
Miscelaneous
Grip Liner
Leather textured cardstock
White tulle
Linen thread
Jute twine
Vintage button
Resin flower
staple
Mini tag

I absolutely love the final look of these pretty treat bags, but for them to look like this I had to create every single thing from scratch. That’s right! The embellishments, the bags themselves were all made from scratch! Let me start with how I made those vintage looking rosettes:

1. Get a roll of white Grip Liner and your choice of Ann Butler’s Crafter’s Inks. I made one yellow rosette and a vintage brown one (mixing Sunshine and Bark to create a lighter brown).

2. Color a section of the Grip Liner pressing the ink pad directly onto it.

3. Tap lightly the colored section with a clean cloth if needed. Since I wanted a weathered look, doing this made the hues softer.

4. Cut strips from the colored Grip Liner. The width of the rosettes is your choice, but remember that you can always trim them after they’re done if you want them smaller.

5. Use a wide piece of two sided tape as a base and start putting the rosette together. You won’t be able to stick completely the strip, but it will help you put the structure of the rosette together. In the end, add a generous amount of silicone glue to the center of the rosette so that it stays put.

6. Embellish the center of the rosettes as desired. I added a vintage gold button to the brown rosette and a clear resin rose to the yellow one. In the end, I decided I would darken the edges of the yellow rosette with a mix of Sunshine and Bark inks, and I also added a large tulle rosette to the back of the brown one.

I find this is a GREAT way to get the most out of everyday materials and upcycle them!

The treat boxes were made out of a digital template and a gift bag punch board. To make them unique I roughly stamped them (before putting them together) with the new Background Basics stamps by Ann Butler. They are large and made the job easy! To make the stamping uneven, after inking the stamp I cleaned parts of the block. That technique gives a nice worn, mixed media look to any project! I used Sunshine ink for the smaller box and snow on the large bag to heat emboss it in gold. I completed the treat bags with jute twine, linen thread and a “love” tag I sponged with a mix of Bark and Sunshine inks. To close the bags I simple stapled the smaller one and then on the large one I adhered a set of mini Velcro fasteners.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Thanks for stopping by!

January 16, 2015 By Ann Butler 1 Comment

Faux Quilted Memo Board

While ate the CHA Mega Show last week I had the opportunity to teach How to Create a Faux Quilted Memo Board in the Clearsnap Booth using my new line of Background Basics Stamps and My Crafter’s Inks….

The project I created was memo board as I was able to use all 8 of my new Background Basics Stamps and every color of my inks…plus it was a functional item that could be hung on a wall with VELCRO® Removable Picture Hangers.

Materials and Supplies:

Ann Butler’s Crafter’s™ Ink: Lilac, Sunshine, Berry, Limelight, Aquamarine, Tangelo, Sand, Canyon, Blueberry, Deep Woods, Ocean Breeze and Evergreen

Ann Butler’s ColorBox® Background Basics Stamps: 3” Square – Double Diamonds, Picnic, Squares and Basket

Ann Butler’s ColorBox® Background Basics Stamps: 3” Triangle – Double Diamonds, Picnic, Squares and Basket

Art Canvas Board: 9” x 12”

Crystal Mesh; Connie Crystal: 2” x 2”

Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac™

Trim, white: 4 yards

Velcro® Picture Hangers, 4

Tools:

Westcott Brand Scissors, baby wipes, ruler, heat gun, pencil, push pins, paper towels

Instructions:

Find the center at the bottom of board and stamp one square in color of choice, with a point of the square at the bottom edge.
Stamp a second square above the first in color of choice, see photo.
Stamp the third and fourth square on either side of the first two squares in colors of choice. You will now have a large 6” square in the center of the board.
Align and stamp two more squares in colors of choice on either side on 6” square, see photo.
Stamp around the edges with the triangle stamps in colors of choice.
Glue trim on the back of the art board, bring across lines to cover where stamped patterns meet and glue onto the back side of the art board. Trim and repeat until all lines are covered.
Measure and cut 4 lengths of the trim adding two inches to each piece so that you will be able to glue the ends of the trim onto the back of the art board with each piece.
Add a small amount of glue to the bottom piece of trim where trim pieces cross.
Cut 6 pieces of crystal mesh two crystals by two crystals and glue on the top of the trim where the trim pieces cross, see photo.
Apply Velcro® Picture Hangers to the back of the art board according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Tips:

Heat set as needed.
Use baby wipes to clean off stamps before going into another color.

January 14, 2015 By Design Team 3 Comments

Valentine Heart Card

Hey everyone. It’s Dana from Got Joy Creations back with you today. How’s everyone doing? Are you ready to spread some love? I’m working on Valentine’s Day projects and want to share a quick tip with you. So let’s get started.

When you don’t have any designer paper, it’s time to make your own. I am using the 2″ Diamonds & Plaid stamp from Ann Butler Designs and the Berry Colorbox Crafter’s ink pad. We are going to create our own designer look for our focal point of our card.

First we will stamp the image on some white card stock. The colorbox crafter’s ink is nice and juicy and will cover our stamp nicely. Make sure to press firmly as you get a good impression. Depending on the amount of pressure you use, you can change the way the print comes out which is awesome.

Isn’t this so pretty?!? I love this larger background stamp. If it is still a little bit too wet to work with just zap it with a heat gun to speed up drying.

Next I’m going to lay a heart shape die on the stamped image but I’m going to lay it sideways. This way I’m going to get a different look from the same stamp. You could just lay it down straight but let’s shake it up a little.

Look at our gorgeous designer heart. When you find yourself looking for that perfect pattern paper that you just can’t seem to find, think outside the paper pad and design your own.

And here is my final project.

Thanks for hanging out with me today. Make sure to swing back by and see what the other design team members have in store for you.

Hugs,
Dana

January 12, 2015 By Design Team 3 Comments

Creating a Card with Up-cyced Cardstock

anniversary card

Hi, and welcome to the Ann Butler Designs blog. This is Roberta and I am happy to share a card I made for my husband for our anniversary yesterday, 16 years together and where has the time gone?

Using Ann’s new background stamps makes paper crafting, and making cards super easy.

I chose the ColorBok card stack because I’ve had it for a while (I’m honest) and it has many coordinating items, including stickers.

Instructions:

I cut my cardstock to create a 5×7 card. I chose a light pattern so I could use all my luscious inks and show off my stamp.

cardstock before ink, stamp, and watercolor

Blending several inks together,I distressed the front of the card.

Next, I inked up the chunky stamp with aquamarine to stamp down the right side of the card. I left a 1″ space to insert and glue a reverse-colored piece of cardstock to add contrast. ( I painted it with the inks)

Next, I chose the floral and butterfly graphic to fussycut and watercolor with Ann’s inks, and glued down once it was dry.

The fourth layer involved cutting out the beige flowers from the cardstock, gluing it down, and then attaching the single butterfly and sentiment sticker.

: layering

As a final touch I used the DecoArt gold paper effects (with special tip which is included with the bottle)

Ingredients

ColorBox® Ann Butler Background Basics quilt-themed stamps
ColorBox® Ann Butler Crafters’ Ink, Aquamarine, Limelight, Night, Lilac
ColorBok cardstock
DecoArt Paper effects, Vintage gold
Clearsnap® ink blender
ektools clear tacky glue

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope I was able to inspire you.

January 9, 2015 By Larissa Pittman 2 Comments

Let It Snow Stenciled Card

Good morning friends. Larissa here with a wintery canvas for you this morning. The weather seems to be very cold all over the world today especially here where I am. We aren’t normally this cold. I think if it is going to be this cold we should have a little snow to go with it.

Today I made a canvas using a couple of Ann Butler Designs new stencils and inks.
I first took the new Waves stencil and laid it on a blank canvas. I took modeling paste and spread it evenly over the stencil. I repeated this 3 more times to cover the entire canvas.

I then added a little of the new ink color Blueberry to the modeling paste and mixed it together. Once it was mixed evenly I spread it over the new Lattice stencil 5 different times on the canvas.

Before it dried I sprinkled some glitter over the top.

I then took some chip board letters and painted them white.

Once they dried I took the Dot stamp from the 1″ Stipes. Dots. Hearts set and the new Ocean Breeze ink and stamped it over all the letters.
I then glued the letters onto the canvas and added a few little jewels on the snowflakes.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Check back next week for more fabulous creations from our Design Stars. Have a wonderful weekend friends.

SUPPLIES USED:
1″ Stripes. Dots. Hearts
ColorBox Crafter’s® by Ann Butler “Ocean Breeze”
ColorBox Crafter’s® by Ann Butler “Blueberry”
ColorBox® Art Screens – By Ann Butler “Waves”
ColorBox® Art Screens – By Ann Butler “Lattice”