Crafter's Companion USA Christmas Blog Hop

Welcome to the Crafter's Companion USA Christmas blog hop!

We are so excited to be giving away so many of Crafter's Companion's fabulous products, as well as sharing many Christmas project ideas.  If you are coming from Ann's Blog, you are in the right place.  If not, make sure you head over to Crafter’s Companion USA  over here, where the blog hop starts.

The Christmas Inspiration

The inspiration I made for this blog hop is a Hand Painted Christmas Gift Bag and Candle. I used the Ivy Stamps from the Sheena Douglas Christmas Collection. Instead of painting it with Acrylic paints, I experimented using the new Spectrum Noir Markers.  Don't you love the end result?? I love it! I enjoyed making this inspiration project. I am going to paint more candles to use as Christmas gifts. You should give it a try because these markers are amazing. 

I used the Masking and Painting/Stamping on Candle techniques for my inspiration projects. 

Painted Ivy Christmas Gift Bag & Candle

The Christmas Giveaway

  We are giving away a prize on every blog, including the entire set of our new Spectrum Noir alcohol markers to one lucky winner who posts a comment on every blog. These markers are so new, that you will be receiving our first prototype of them.  That's 72 markers!

Spectrum Noir pens are alcohol ink based which have been designed specifically for crafters, but these affordable markers are also great for beginners, students and hobby artists alike.  Each pen is double-ended, with a broad chisel nib for large area fills and a fine bullet tip for detailed work.  Spectrum Noir marker pens will soon be available in 168 colour shades including a colourless blender.  The colours blend seamlessly and can be mixed or layered over each other.  These fast drying, alcohol based markers are acid-free and non-toxic, and the coloured ends of the pen allow for easy colour identification.  (Please note: The design of the pen, color names and numbers may be different than the pens that will be released in January.)  The image colour has been reproduced as accurately as possible.

I hope you were inspired by my project today and try your hand at creating your own Christmas Gift Bags and Hand Painted Candles. I am giving away the Humphrey stamps of your choice to one lucky random commenter.  Just comment before Sunday, December 11th at midnight for your chance to win.  All the winners' names will be posted at Crafter's Companion USA News blog on Tueday December 13th.  (Must be a U.S. resident to win).

PS. When leaving a comment, please mention what Humphrey Stamp you would like to have as a prize.  Please don't forget to include your email too. You can check the stamps here. 

Your next stop is the talented Lisette of Totally Inspired. 

Crafter’s Companion News Blog - http://crafterscompanion.blogspot.com/

Lisette - http://totallyinkspired.blogspot.com/ 

Holley - http://holleybarnhartsblog.blogspot.com/

Lynda - http://positive-force.blogspot.com/ 

Amy - http://yorkieluver2.blogspot.com/

Denise - http://lalasworldblog.blogspot.com/ 

Khristen - http://khristenscraftroom.blogspot.com/ 

Stacy - http://scrapwithstacy.blogspot.com/ 

Ann - http://stampwithme-ann.blogspot.com/ 

Jinky - http://www.jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/ 

Thanks for joining us today! 

Altered Clipboard & Easel Card w/ Paint Fusion

Congratulations to Amber S for winning my Crafter's Companion Blog Candy last month. Please provide me your complete name and snail mail address so I can send out your prize. Thanks! 

Hello everyone! It's the first Thursday of the month and I have some very exciting news to share with you. This is my scheduled post for Crafter's Companion blog and I am very excited to let you know that the most awaited Paint Fusion products by Sheena Douglas are now available on the Crafter's Companion USA site!

The Paint Fusion products include:

• Rubber stamps - Simply Sweet, Berries, Daisies, Rosebud, Sweet Pea and Poppies
• Laminated practice sheet + four page inspirational samples inserts
• Paint Fusion DVD - over 3 hours long of step-by-step instructions to help you get started
• Die-cut mount board shapes
• Acrylic paint sets
• High quality Royal and Langnickel Paint Brushes

It does not matter if you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced crafter, the Paint Fusion technique will help you achieve a stunning result.

 

Honestly, I am a newbie to painting. I was terrified at first, but after watching the Paint Fusion DVD,  I finally developed the courage to try. The practice sheets + the rubber stamps + the step-by-step tutorials on the DVD helped me to get started. Sheena Douglas made everything look so simple and achievable.
 

For my first two Paint Projects, I made an altered clipboard and Easel Card for Mother's Day. I used the Sweet Pea Stamps and Crackle technique for my background.

Mother's Day Easel Card with Paint Fusion

Altered Clipboard with Paint Fusion

I also gold embossed some swirl from the Sweet Pea Stamp set and painted a flower bud on vellum to create a 3D- effect on my Paint Fusion project. I love how it all came together. 

I can not believe I was able to create this piece of art considering I have never painted before. Give this a try and I know you will be painting like a pro in no time.