April Newsletter

Store Opening!

I am pleased to announce that after over a month of hard work, our online store is finally open for business! You can visit our store at: www.starmosaics.com

Please note that registration for the store is separate from our gallery and message board.

Monthly kit reveal!

Each month, we are going to put together a great kit, with everything you need to create a fun, unique altered item! This month the ladies on our Design Team where given a kit containing:

2 – 6x6 pieces of Inspirables paper

1- CD

1 – Making Memories Charmed Frame

1 – Pack of Chatterbox Nails

1 – Whispers ink pad in Barn Brown

1 – Pack of Alphabities stickers

12” of ribbon

Here is what they came up with:

By Tanya

By Melanie

By Frédérique

By Heidi

The kit is now available in our store, in pink and blue for the amazing price of $11.50 (while quantities last)

Our Design Team

I am pleased to announce that starting April 1^st, we have a new Design Team member, Melissa Godin. I hope you will come by the site and check out her awesome work and great challenges.

Last month we introduced our Design Team to you, now it’s time to learn about them. View their pics and bios at our Design Team bio. Page!

Crop News

We held our first online crop on March 19^th and fun was had by all. I’m pleased to announce another online crop will be held beginning April 22^nd at 7pm and ending April 24^th at 7pm (all times are eastern) Hope to see you there.

We will also be hosting a crop on May 28^th in Montreal, and a few spots are still available. To join us on this fun filled day, please visit this link:

http://www.scrapbookstar.ca/cropform.pdf

Support a Cause

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a woman with a mission. Julie Faucher will be doing a 60km walk for breast cancer and has asked the scrapbooking community for their support. To date 12 stores, including Star Mosaics have stepped up and donated prizes to be raffled off. For information on the prizes, the event or to buy tickets please contact Julie at yvon.julie@sympatico.ca Tickets are 5$ for 1, or 12$ for 3.

To read Julie’s story click here:

www.juliefaucher.com

Technique Tutorial with Tanya

Working with paper clay

Paper clay can be used for many different projects such as scrapbooking, card making and home accents. It is an acid free non toxic material that can be air dried or baked in a low oven at 200 degrees for a couple of minutes. It can also be sanded, painted or heat embossed. You can also pre-dye the clay by kneading in powdered paint into the clay before you shape it.

I have used it for many different projects.

I cut letters from foam core board, flattened the clay and wrapped it around the letters and then stamped on it to give some texture. Once it was dry I painted them with acrylic paint. Another project I did was to make hot air balloons to hang in my sons’ room. I did it in the same manner as the letters but with a Styrofoam bowl and cup

It can also be used for accents on scrapbook pages and cards. Here’s one way how;

1. Roll out clay like you would cookie dough. Make it as thin as possible but not thin enough to see through.

2. Here is where there is a lot of creative freedom! I like to use cookie cutters to make my shapes. You can also freehand with a knife. It can be stamped on or you can create many different textures by pressing different things on it such a burlap for example.

3. Make sure to remove from surface as not to stick. Use a piece of wire to scrape it off the surface. Let air dry on plastic or foil or place it on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for a couple of minutes or until dry.

4. If needed you can sand any rough edges.

5. Now comes the fun part! (ok, it’s all fun!) You can leave as is or paint it, walnut ink it, or heat emboss it. Whichever you choose. You can even gold leaf it. To give the gold leaf added dimension you can apply UTEE over the leafing.

A couple more ideas for using this material is making letter tiles. Follow previous instructions, then cut into squares and stamp letter in. Finish as desired. You can also make rope or freehand letters by rubbing it in-between your hands to create a skinny string and form into whatever shape you want.

This is such a fun medium to play with and it is only limited to your imagination. It can be purchased at many craft stores and is very cost effective. It is also a nice way to make your projects unique since no two are alike. I hope you try paper clay and enjoy it as much as I do!

Tanya Mundt

Design Team Member

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