Photo Expressions

Creative Corner with Hero Arts

You've got to check this video out!! Hero Arts shows you some great stamping techniques including a super cute Christmas Tree card using Metallic Decor stickers, the QuickStik pen from QuicKutz, and Copic Markers. Take a look!

Creative Corner with QuicKutz

QuicKutz' website has tons of fabulous ideas for using their brand new Santa's Workshop Gift Set, including their accessory dies. Here's just a sampling of what you'll find on their site:

Creative Corner with Hero Arts

Vendor blogs and websites are a wonderful way to gather ideas and inspiration for your upcoming projects. Hero Arts' website and blog are always full of wonderful ideas! Here are 3 cards posted on their blog that I think you're gonna love!

Created by Leslie Lightfoot, this card uses a totally unique colour scheme to celebrate the season. I love her multi layers and variety of techniques including border punching, layering and stamping.

 

This card was designed by Tami Hartley and instructions can be found here.

 

And I love this lil' one from teamwarner:

Creative Corner with Hero Arts

Here's a great video from Hero Arts on paper tearing techniques. This is such a simple and yet effective technique for adding depth and dimension to your papercrafting projects.

Creative Corner with Stampendous

I came across this card sample on the Stampendous website and thought it was a great idea for using the plethora of flourish stamps I seem to have accumulated over the last year! Here are some basic instructions:

1.  Fold an 8 1/2" X 5 1/2" panel of Lemonade card stock in half to form card base.
2. Stamp small flower image over top half of card with VersaMark ink to form background.
3. Stamp Flower Swirl in VersaMark ink on a 5 1/2" X 3" panel of Atlantic and emboss with Midnight Black Embossing Powder.
4. Cut off top of blue panel along edge of swirl and flowers. Adhere to front of folded card.
5. Emboss center flower again in black on lemonade card stock and on white card stock. Cut flower out of Lemonade and center of flower out of white. Glue together
6. Apply yellow flower to center of blue flower with dimensional foam adhesive.
7. Stamp small flower and greeting on yellow area of card with Versafine ink.

Creative Corner with Paper Craft Planet

Another great idea gratefully borrowed from Paper Craft Planet. For easiest viewing, click on the 'fullscreen' button just below this paragraph and then use the scroll button down the side of the panel and the controls at the bottom of the screen to move through the tutorial. Enjoy!

 

Creative Corner with Gail

One of our regular customers, Gail, brought in this gorgeous sample of a Christmas card she made using one of the Thomas Kinkade stamps from Cornish Heritage Farms. Often people will shy away from these stamps because they look too intricate and intimidating. But Gail created this stunning card in just a matter of a few steps!!

• She stamped the image on cream cardstock using a dark brown ink. She distressed the edges of her cardstock with the same ink pad.
• Then she used a variety of coloured pencils to add colour to various areas of the image such as the windows, the woman's skirt, the present, lampost, etc.
• As a finishing touch, Gail added just a touch of glitter to the edges of the house and along some of the tree branches (not visible in this scan, but definitely worth the extra minute of work!)

Once the image was complete, Gail mounted it onto a cardstock card and added a bit of twine and accent pieces in the top left corner to finish it off.

Thanks so much Gail for sharing with us!

Creative Corner with Kate

Oh my goodness! I am in love with this technique so I simply had to share it with you! It's a tutorial on creating fall leaves for your papercrafting projects, by Paper Craft Planet. If you're a stamper, you'll probably have all the supplies needed already. And this technique could be applied to lots of different stamps. Take a look!

For easiest viewing, click on the 'fullscreen' button just below this paragraph and then use the controls at the bottom of the screen to move through the tutorial. Enjoy!

Christmas Card Inspirations

We've added 5 more cards to our Christmas Card album on Facebook. These new cards were designed by Kerry for her Fast & Frugal Christmas Card class. Take a look!

Christmas Cards

Have you checked out our page on Facebook? We have a couple of albums started with some cards and layouts to inspire you! Check out the beginning of our Christmas Card Album here.

All Wrapped Up!

Check out this Halloween card that we received during our card swap with stores across the continent. This super creative person used the 'All Wrapped Up' paper from Reminisce's Trick or Treat line. They then punched out a couple of black and white circles to create the eyebells, layered them with a few strips of the paper, drew on a mouth and added a title! This sample is in the store if you want to come check it out!

Creative Corner with Bo Bunny

Take a look at this FABULOUS idea that we found on Bo Bunny's blog!

Designer: Tonya Dirk

Product Used: Advent boxes (we carry the ones from Karen Foster), Tis the Season, Tis the Season Treasure, Tis the Season Yuletide, Tis the Season Snowflakes, Tis the Season Carol, Tis the Season Fa La La, Tis the Season Stripe, Holiday iCandy Jewels, Merry Christmas Stamp, Tis the Season Buttons and Bling

Creative Corner with Michele

Halloween Card Idea

Photo Express was involved in a card swap with a group of scrapbooking stores from across the continent. We received oodles of fabulous ideas, some of which are posted on our Facebook page here if you'd like to take a look.

 This is one of our favourite cards from the swap, created by Tiffany Square using the new cat die from QuicKutz. We just received a re-order of this die in the store, and I know a few of you were waiting for it, so come in today to get yours!

Great Halloween Centerpiece

Here is a great idea from Basic Grey.  Use as a centerpiece or at a party.  Or make some to give to friends.