Snazzys Design Team Call 2013

Good morning Snazzy friends.

Followers of this blog will I’m sure appreciate just how fortunate we have been in the amazing Design Team talents who have shared their projects and inspirations through this blog since it began almost two and a half years ago.

Had it not been for our original DT co-ordinator Gillian, the blog would not have become what it is today and we have been privileged to enjoy the work of Lesley and Astrid right from the first blog cycle too. During this time we have also been amazed by the work of Paula, and for the past eighteen months Hels, and although we are saying our goodbyes to our first DT here, we are sure you will continue to be inspired by all of their work through their own blogs.

The observant amongst you will have notice I have missed someone out, and I am sure you will be as thrilled as we are that the inimitable Nicky, aka Minxy has decided to travel another time around the DT block with us, so her innovative and quirky projects will continue and we can still look forward to the occasional video too!

Now we know there are oodles of very talented people out there so, if you are an active blogger, you enjoy sharing your projects, and think you can find the space in your no doubt busy life to create a minimum of one project per cycle for us please do read on.

What are we looking for?

Again we are looking to build a small DT of varied styles and talents from cardmakers to scrapbookers, mixed media and art journaling enthusiasts to collage artists and pretty much anything in between.

 We are very much a specialist stamping business so don’t sell peel offs, decoupage or punches/dies. I am a complete stamp addict and, if forced, will own up to an extensive and eclectic collection of stamps and our business very much reflects that with lots of inks, powders, blanks, paints and other mediums too. This is also reflected in the DT kits we send out.

 What do we ask of you?

We ask that you produce a minimum of one project per cycle from the DT kit we send out and that you try, in the main, to use products held by us in your projects for the blog. We would also like some of your blog posts to include step by steps / tutorials / videos where you feel they are appropriate.

Projects can be a handcrafted item of your choice whether scrapbook layouts, stamped greetings cards, mini books, ATC’s, tags, canvases, altered art, mixed media, art journal pages etc, whatever you are inspired to make really!

The ability and willingness to teach your project(s) as workshops either in store or online would be an advantage, as would a willingness to be involved in taster / demo days.

We will also ask you to design and host one challenge per year and we will provide a challenge prize for your favourite entry.

So what’s in it for you?

The opportunity to work with the latest product releases included in your free stash bag sent out each cycle - our policy is to try to regularly have something new in store and we actively seek out stamp and other collections not so widely held in other stores. Your stash bag will almost always include stamps, but we try to ring the changes and add in a variety of other products too.

We also offer DT discounts on product bought from us, free and discounted entry to shows, the occasional opportunity to attend retailer training events and, if you wish, the chance to earn workshop fees from teaching workshops in the studio.

Mostly we hope to offer you the opportunity to be a part of a small, friendly team of diverse crafty talents and interests and have fun!

 Interested?

 Email us at snazzy@snazzysstudio.co.uk  to tell us why, a little bit about yourself and what you enjoy creating, with a link to your blog and what you feel you would bring to the team.

We are hoping to introduce the new DT team at the beginning of November so the closing date for applications will be Sunday 27 October with the first week of the new blogging cycle starting on Sunday 17 or Monday 18 November.

 We look forward to hearing from you!

I will be back again soon with more news on Snazzys revamp, both in store and online, but meantime Mr Random says 16 is the winning entry to win the MME Chalk Studio papers from this month's kit so congratulations Aquarius, email us with your postal address and we will get your prize off to you.

Take care

Val xx

PS The online store is having a major revamp and we don't expect it to be back online before the first weekend in November but it will then include all sorts of new features and integrations. Do feel free to email us or give us a ring if you want to place an order whilst we are offline.

Goodbye ... from Hels

Gooodly Morning Snazzyfans and a very happy Saturday to you all!   As my title suggests, it is time for me to say goodbye to the Snazzy DT.  Thank you to Gillian and the rest of the girlies on the team for making me so welcome... and to Val & Don for having me.  For my very last Snazzy creation, I have used the fabby Chalk Studio papers from My Minds Eye and made a tag.

In the paper pack are two sets of stickers.  Now I am not usually one for stickers but I rather loved this sentiment... so I unpeeled it and popped it onto cardstock, cut it out and then popped 3d foam on it... hello a nice 3d sentiment... that's why I don't like stickers!  Cos they are flat!  Anyways, along with the 3d sentiment, I also added layers of papers to my tag (which is a Size 10 one), edging them with Frayed Burlap and then distressing the edges for the shabby look.

I love a smidge of black so I used Black Marble Dylusions to add that hint across the tag, jut a very light mist is all that is needed... and it is a bit of a "hold your breath" moment whilst the spritzing is going on... but if you do it before any of the embellishing and you make a muck of it, you can always just pop stuff over the top :O)   I piled some paper flowers onto kitchen roll and gave them a spritz with more Black Marble and then Antique Rose Cosmic Shimmer for some sparkle.  A quick zap with the heat tool to dry the inks off and then popped onto the tag using good old Cosmic Shimmer glue to adhere them all together.  And there you have it... a simple but pretty tag... and not a single stamped image in sight!

Thank you to everyone who has left lovely comments for me over the past 18 months whilst I have been part of the Snazzy DT... it has been lovely!  Thanks for looking... TTFN!

Hels x

In The Shadows... By Hels

Goodly Morning Snazzyfans and a very happy day to you all!  This month we have been playing with the delicious Chalk Studio papers from My Minds Eye.  These papers are double sided (always a hit!) and the colours are right up my alley!   As well as the papers we have also had some fabby sentiments from Kaiser Craft and the one I have used on this creation is one of my faves!

I have altered an old shadowbox that had been languishing on the "things to alter heap" for way too long.  Starting by painting the frame with Pitch Black Dabber (applied with Cut & Dry foam) and once dried, I sanded it back to show some of the wood again.  Next I used Walnut Stain Distress Ink and blended it right over the top. I love the aged rustic finish this technique achieves.

I added some of the papers into the centre of the shadow box and distressed the edges, again using Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  I stamped the sentiment from the Confidence stamp set using Jet Black Archival ink and popped this onto 3d foam.  I cut a load of flowers from the other papers in the set and made 5 roses, attaching these, along with some leaves and spikey flowers to the inside of the shadow box using 3d glue and then adding some little metal embellies for decorations.  And there you have it.  A relatively quick creation that will most definitely be gracing the wall of the Room of Stash!

Thanks for looking, please do remember to check out the Snazzy website and scroll back through the rest of this months posts to see the amazing creations my teamies have made!  TTFN

Snazzys DT project 2 by Astrid

Hello everyone, welcome, lovely to see you here and as most of you will know, this month we are featuring the Enjoy Everyone paper kit by MME. We are also using some Kaisercraft clear stamps. 

Well this is my final project for Snazzys and before anything else I want to thank you for all your visits and support!! The sentiment on the cover of this project is what I wish  for all of you!!

This time decided to make a shaped card.
I started by cutting two Tim Holtz cabinet cards both out of Kraftcard and also four out of my chosen letters paper.
I inked around all the edges of my paper with Black Soot Distress Ink and then started to decorate the inside of the card first.

I cut two panels from Manila card stock to fit the inside of the cabinet cards and and cut the bottom edge with one of my Tim Holtz on the edge dies. I then created a background by doing some wrinkle free distress with Gathered Twigs, Vintage Photo and Antique Linen Distress Inks. I did some background stamping with various of the Kaisercraft Texture clear stamps and a script stamp from my stash.I distressed the edges and sponged Walnut Stain DI around. Here you can just see a little corner of the Manila card stock with the background.

Below you can see the right side finished.

As you can see I cut a piece of black card-stock for this side. For the other side I took one of the label stickers in the paper collection I stamped and embossed my chosen sentiment in Wow Vanilla White embossing powder for both sides.

Finally I embellished with some die cut leaves and flowers, some curly ribbon etc. and added some high lights with Treasure Gold in White Fire

I created a little spine for my card out of black card stock, scoring 1/4" scorelines down the center to leave room for my embellishments and to ensure the card could still be folded close.

I then cut two lengths of ribbon and glued them to the outside of my card and then adhered my second two die cut bits of papers over them. I inked around the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink again and decorated the front with another couple of stickers  from the paper collection, the label one was again embossed with the Wow white embossing powder. The little dove sticker I just gave a little eye with a black pen to bring it out a bit more.

Well that's it. Hope you like my shaped card, it's going to a friend who is going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment and I hope it will cheer her up a bit.

Thank you again and I hope to see you elsewhere in Blogland. Don't forget to come back on Monday for Hels's post!

Snazzys DT project #1 by Astrid

Hello and welcome lovely Snazzy visitors! Well, today is somewhat of a bitter-sweet day, as this will be my one but last project for this design team. Like Gillian and Lesley, life has pulled me in different directions.....

But without further ado, today I'm showing my first project for this week using the fab Chalk Studio/MME - Enjoy Everyone paper kit and the clear stamps from Kaisercraft we have been featuring this month.

I decided to make a pocket card with several tags and a little envelope to hold a gift card. I made my card in shabby chic style to form a contrast to the bold chalk board stickers and tags that come with this fabulous collection.
Here you can see the inside:

So how did I go about making it?
Well I picked some of the lighter coloured papers, cut them down to size (my card is 6 x 6") so I cut the papers to 5 3/4 by 5 3/4" and toned them down even more by spraying them with several layers of Dylusions White Linen. I then inked around the edges with Victorian Velvet Distress Ink, used various stencils and Weathered Wood Distress Ink, did some background stamping with a Darkroom Door script stamp and some of the Kaisercraft Texture stamps that are all stocked by Snazzys, and finally inked around it all again with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

For the outside I matted my chosen paper on Kraftcard and distressed the edges. I added some lace and then stamped one of the sentiments in Versamark and then embossed it in Wow Vanilla White embossing powder onto one of the labels that comes with the collection. I then embellished with a doily, some flowers and bits and pieces from my stash.

For the left inside I created two pockets and made a number of tags and a little money wallet (using a Tim Holtz die) to fit in the pockets:

The tag on the left has a stamped white embossed sentiment onto one of the stickers in the collection, the one on the right was a pre printed label that comes with the collection. Both are mounted on inked Kraftcard. The money wallet was cut from one of the papers which I had inked with Gathered Twigs again to match the Kraftcard.

Here on the right side, just one pocket with a flap. The tag was stamped again in the same way and embossed in white once more and then mounted again on Kraftcard.

For this project I have not made the description too detailed as I think the pictures pretty much speak for them selves and I did not want to bore you. If you have a question, please just email me or leave a comment.

Well, I hope you like my shabby pocket card, I will be back on Thursday with my final project for Snazzys. I wish to thank all of you for your wonderful support over the months!! Your lovely comments have been a joy to read!!

DT Project #1 by Minxy, Featuring:

My Minds Eye Chalk Studio

Hi Stampers, Thanks for baring with me and my delayed project share.

I decided to make a vid to share the album as there were so many elements.

which you can watch right here.

 and here are some pics to boot

I hope you like my very first attempt at a paperbag album, Any questions feel free to leave a comment here or on utube and i'll do my best to help xo And like I said in the vid I will do my best when i've time to get a tutorial done on how you make the album.

Astrid will be here Monday with more MME goodness.

Till next time... Stay Inky

Normal Minxy DT service will resume shortly!

See what happens when former blog boss Gillian leaves.. all hell breaks loose lol

But seriously peeps, Sorry for the lack of a proper blog post today.

I got my project finished last minute and then I was away to london for the Ally Pally show and i've not had 5 minutes to photograph it properly.. So today your getting a quick peek

 It's a paper bag album so requires lots of pics to see it all, which I promice will be on their way either tomorrow or wednesday at the latest.

I managed to nab a quick snap of the bosses standing around drinking coffee b4 the show opened yesterday. The calm b4 the storm as they say!

Right I best get on and get these album photos snapped.. catch ya later, gators