Sunday, December 18, 2011

Tips for Using Our Vintage CD's, More Bird Cards & Crafts by DT & Link to Giveaway!

Hi Everyone,

I have more fabulous Birdie samples to show you this time by our DT Ladies , plus - some tips & links for using our Vintage CD's, a link to Vicki's Giveaway, a great Christmas bird theme tutorial and a peek at a NEW Bird Stamp Set! Our vintage birds are so popular we have birdies on several products and everyone always asks for more. I love this little fairy nest with the bird & fairy boy DT Leader Vicki Chrisman made using our Altered Fairy Scraps.


Vicki is having a great Giveaway on her Blog for a My Book Calendar and she decorated this one using papers and images off our CD's.


Here is the 'My Book Calendar' you can win and customize. Leave a comment on Vicki's Blog   by next Wed, Dec 21/11 to be entered to win on.
I always love the altered wall art projects Vicki designs and this one using our Birds & Blossoms Booklet looks so great with the broken clay pot nest she made using a glue gun, moss and mini eggs.


I may have gotten a little carried away with birds on CD 2 as I had Cindy, our graphic designer turn them into about a dozen 12 x 12 papers, 6 B&W files, png files you can layer, plus a couple of fun templates.  Here are the birdy papers included on the CD.


This pillow below was created using one of the image files from CD #2 reduced to an 8 x 8" size and printed on fabric. You can purchase fabric printable sheets at several craft & scrapbook stores but you can also print images on fabric by ironing it to freezer paper!  Freezer paper is like wax paper but it only has wax on 1 side you iron onto cotton fabric. Here is a link to a great tutorial by Monique at pocketfulwhimsy for a photo pillow she created of her kids using freezer paper. You could use the same method with images from our CD.



Look at this great card DT Member Gini Cagle made when she reduced this image but you could also use both roosters & chicken images to create wall art or a pair of pillows for your kitchen. You may have image editing program on your computer but a few people have called or emailed who own older computers wanting to know what program to use to resize the large images on our CD's and our free Printables.  Adobe Photoshop Elements is super popular and is included on more computers and even some printers now. Costco just had it for $49.00 but there are also several free programs! 

Paint is a free program on many PC's but you can also download Paint.net a free image editing  program (just click on green their button)  It has over 1000  4* reviews with way more features to allow you to resize, crop and even layer images, plus I love that it has unlimited 'un-do', if you don't like your changes.   If you have a Mac you can use iphoto which is similar. Gimp is another free program you can download, plus there is Picasa from Google and other free image editing programs you can read reviews about Cnet.

I showed this beautiful card DT Member Linda Duke created recently but I wanted you to see the before and after B&W Birdie Darling and other B&W images included below. Oh my - I also adore this one!

Ooops, it looks like I squished the image as it's really 12 x 12" but can be reduced to 8 x 8", 4 x 4" etc. These are the other B&W bird files on CD #2


Here are the different color png bird files which include a couple of journal cards and birds you can layer over paper as they are png which means they have a transparent (not white) background. You can also go hybrid - print them and cut out for projects.


There are also a couple of templates shown above with a 3D standing robin and 2 birdy seed packages which are fun to fill with candies or money.  I showed this apron Vicki's friend Gabby made last time but now you can see the egg image she used above with a bit of ribbon.


Now onto some projects using our Bird Stamp Sets.  DT Member Michele Kovack created this striking card below using our Bird Notes Set and I love how she colored the birdies on the branch, a popular stamp on this set.


I've always wished for a stamp with a branch of birds with flowers you could color. So you can see part of a draft of a new bird set below we recently finished.  Yes, we are still working on NEW Clear Art Stamp designs - they will just be distributed by another company. I'm currently working on licensing arrangements and will give you NEWS ASAP. This is just a corner of the new set that will be called Sing For Joy. I just adore their faces and had Cindy add the blossoms and leaves. Do you like it?
 I've always adored this artsy layout Michele made with her daughter Courtney years ago using the birds and squirrel on our Fairyland set. She simply cut text print leave shapes and inked around the edges.


DT Member Pam Hooten made this sweet card using a stamp from our Love You Mother Set and look how she stamped extra apple blossoms to cut out and add.


DT Member Heidi Blankenship used one of the bird and flower images from our Best Buds Postcard Kit on this postcard made from a cream coasterboard so it inks and stamps beautifully as you can see here how gorgeous it looks stamped with the set included in the kit.
This tag is also beautiful.

DT Member Julie Campbell decorated this wonderful birdy 3D Shadow Box using our Altered Fairy Scraps except the nest in the middle is from the Birds & Botanical Booklet. You can also see a postcard Julie decorated here on her blog.


I can't remember if I ever showed this cool altered piece that DT Member Jan Hennings created using the Birds & Blossoms Scraps but I like all the colors and nest. Jan also stamped on fabric with our Bird Nites stamps and had her muslin bags featured in Sommerset Life.


Look at this beautiful card DT Member Debbie Marcinkiewicz created with the Little Blessings Scraps. Debbie also hosts the Shabby Tea Room Challenges and we are the Sponsor Company for Dec 26th, the same day we start our Shopatron SALE with our companies at Splitcoast!  Most of our items are already on sale but there will be some new items, specials and free shipping Dec 26 to Dec 31/11.


Here's another birdy on sheet music paper from CD # 1 which DT Member Victoria Warren-Mears used to decorate an journal composition book. This would make a great inexpensive gift. I also like this layout with the birdy page from CD # 1.


This isn't birds but I wanted to tell you about the fabulous Christmas cards DT member Tammy Roberts just posted like this one for her mom using our Christmas Image Booklet. You can see the other cute card here on Tammy's Blog. 


Lastly, I want to show you a great tutorial by past DT Member Lisa Zappa on how she created a background paper with our Birdie Clear Art Stamps using Spellbinders Nestabilities round & scallop circles dies to make Christmas ornaments, name placecards and a candle wrap. She stamped the sheet music with a border from Artsy Banners and names stamped with ABC Top Hat. You could easily change the colors and even stamps to create any theme table setting. They look like they would also make fab coasters if you sealed the tops.


PS -  We still have some Single Sided Scraps left which are marked down to $1.99 each in Easter, Girlfriends, Travel and Wacky Animals

Wishing you joy, creativity and a very Merry Christmas! 

If you missed our new free Santa Printable Gift here is a link.
Sandy Redburn
Crafty Secrets

Check Our Store Locator
Visit Our Online Store
Join Us on Facebook!

This Blog: http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com
Our Website: http://www.craftysecrets.com
Toll Free Phone or Fax 1-888 597-8898
Local Phone 604 597-8817


Crafty Secrets Head Office
15430 78 A Ave.,
Surrey, BC V3S 8R4


USA Warehouse
250 H. Street, #436
Blaine,WA 98230

16 comments:

Dawnll said...

Wow ladies!
These are all so beautiful-and I just love birds and nature inspired images.
So much inspiration
Happy Holidays

Jan Hennings said...

Beautiful creations :)

Larajc said...

these are all so beautiful! Makes me want to go home and craft!

Rene said...

Just beautiful, though I admit the pillow was my favorite piece. I am glad you are working on an arrangement for new stamps--those birds look adorable!

Angelnorth said...

Lovely samples and the new bird set look fabulous. With regard to your newsletter - yes please to the company considering licensing the clear stamp sets! I'd love to see Crafty Secrets stamps stay as something we can buy. I like to get away from the computer when I craft and I also like to stamp on things I just can't put through a printer!

Anonymous said...

LOVE your stamps - they are the ones I collect and reach for each time I make a mini book. Could use a 6 sided start (Star of David) instead of only 5 points. You have the BEST stamps ever!

Lana said...

Sandy I sure do hope someone does keep on making your Crafty Secrets stamps. I wish they make them out of rubber instead of clear.God bless and Merry Christmas!!!

BethW said...

I would be thrilled to see someone continue producing your "hard goods".There's nothing quite like them anywhere else and I love them.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful inspiration, as always!
I'm THRILLED that another company may continue with your gorgeous stamps and images!! I'm sure that the CD's are beautiful but they simply cannot replace the "real" thing. Your stamps, papers and Scraps not only provide me with endless inspiration but also the wonderful satisfaction of creating beautiful cards, mini's and pages for the people I love.

Merry Christmas Sandy :)

Kathy/NorthCarolina said...

Sandy...I'm very excited to hear you have a company interested in printing your stamps and printed images. Although I bought both CD's, I'd still love to have access to the other items as well. I just love everything about CS products, and am very hopeful that I'll be able to buy them! Merry Christmas!

Vicki Chrisman said...

ahhhh... love birdies!

Bobby said...

Love them! I love birds too, such a beautiful subject, can't go wrong!

Usemeplz said...

Awesome work! I like such "ancient" style. great

Michelle H. said...

Amazing and gorgoeus projects!!
Love the sneak of the new stamp!!

Michelle H. said...

Amazing projects!!
Love them all!!
The CD is amazing
I love mine!!
I'm late responding to this but I would love to see a Company take on some of your amazing products!!
The email mentioned some of the clear stamps,cotton products, and paper items?
Have a blessed 2012!!

mani said...

Working with colors and birds is really inspiring , good color combination.

plastic id cards
membership Card Printing