Blog Hop Starts HERE

How about some mid-summer fun with a Blog Hop?!

The girls have been busy creating and have some lovely eye candy for you !  Please leave them some love on their blogs.  At each stop on your way, there will be a special word... collect them up and there will be instructions at the end of your journey on how to enter.

The winning entry will receive $20 GC for the Fred She Said Store AND.... (AND!) ... a $20 USD Gift Certificate for CropStop so you can get that punch, or dies, inks, or embellishments you have been having you eye on :)  We will receive entries until Thursday August 5th Midnight EDT.

Here is the order of Blog Hop participants in case you lose your way.

Michelle
Lora
Carol H
Maria
Darsie
Sonya
Shelly
Tracey ( end of your journey and blog hop entry instructions)

Now please go to Michelle's Blog.  Have fun!

EDIT  OH Dear... there was a few hiccups at the end of the hop!  The LAST hop never posted so please if you need the last word and instructions please go here  CHALLENGE BLOG!

Corner Gebera Daisy Coloured Set

Corner Gerbera Daisy Coloured Set is finally up at the store.  10 nummy colours :)

Last week was not terribly productive for me. I was shuttling Nolan back and forth to an Art Class out of town.  Emma and I stayed around for the 3 hours his class took as the drive is 45 min.  Nolan had alot of fun and learned sooo much.  The teacher was Mark Thurman, a fabulous cartoonist and illustrator with 40 years experience.  He taught all the kids how the professionals did it, great inking and drawing techniques, using the tools of the trade.  Nolan is going to take part 2 of this class next year, colouring illustrations with coloured pencil.  His coloured work is amazing!

Oh before I forget.  There's a BLOG HOP this Friday, July 30!  Please come and hop with us!  Great prizes too!

I am going to try and get some more drawing in today and then housework.... blech!  Have a great day!

:)*  Fred

CupCake Inspirations Challenge

Hi all!

I am so happy to sponsor the CupCake Inspirations Challenge Blog this week.  I made them a lovely Daisy CupCake to play with ;) ...and ooooo from the sneaker peakers, the CupCake DT made some yummy cards!  I lurve cupcakes... nummers!  Go look and have a play, a $20 GC to the FSS Store is up for grabs! 

Want this badge?

Flowery Cupcakes!

Also added in the Store: Yum Yum!

"Daisy CupCake"

"Plain CupCake"

 * Great for adding your own embellishments like... Fred's Flowers! ;)

Burds

Just added to the Store:  "Burds" ;)

"Burd Love"

"Real Burd Love"

"Burd Love's Complicated"

Single Burds

*YES, I realise Burd is mispelled.  But a Burd is a Bird, ya know? ;)

**Burds are a concept by son, Nolan ( drawn on a grocery list notepad ).  He let me run amok with his Burd.  He is so nice. LOL I thought this Burd was sooo cute I couldn't pass up the idea.  Thank You Nolan.  Nolan will be well compensated for his creative input :)

New in Store: Peonies & Gerbera Daisies!

Hi peeps!  New Stuff ...yey!!!!   I hope you like.  I'll have more goodies next week.  The Corner Gerbera Daisy Digi you see will have a Pre-Coloured Set available early next week.  I ran out of time... ack! 

These are available in the Store NOW:

Gerbera Daisy in a Jar DIGI

Corner Gerbera Daisy DIGI

Peony in a Jar DIGI

Corner Peony DIGI

Have a great day!!!  :)*  Fred

Paper Rose Blossom Tutorial

 Here is the Paper Rose tutorial you have been waiting forever for!  Sorry, I'm so tardy. 

 "Let Us Begin"...

Materials:
-Printed sheet of Paper Roses & Leaves Template Set OR flowers and leaves cut from the SVG version on a digital cutting machine.  Printed on a thinner white Card Stock
-work surface for inking and spritzing ( non-stick craft sheet)
-scissors
-pinking decorative scissors ( optional)
-embossing/foam/mouse pad
-embossing stylus or something round and pointy LOL
-something to curl with eg a skinny end of a paint brush
-distress inks
-sponge applicators
-white or tacky glue - I used Aleenes Fast Grab Tacky Glue
-shimmer spray ( mine is a mini mister with interference gold pearlex mixed with water and a bit of gum arabic)
-a stamen punch and glitter glue to color it; or another punch or a brad/pearl/dewdrop, anything for a flower center.

For this one I hand cut 2 large and 1 medium flower and leaves with stem.

I used a proto-type... it now is a variegated leave BUT you can still use pinking scissors to get the variegated look... or not, it is easy to hand cut.

LEAVES:

Colour the unprinted side ( "right" side) by sponging Bundled Sage distess ink.  Emboss the center line and the veins using an embossing tool/mousepad on the wrong side of the paper. Flip the leaves over and skim your sponge ( with Forest Moss -darker green ink) over the vein lines.  The veins should darken.  Use stronger pressure and ink near the center line to give the leaves more dimension.  Bend/crease the leaves along center line using your fingers and then mould the  outer edges to give them gentle curve and dimension.  Sponge the stem with either a green or brown distress ink.

FLOWERS:

Sponge all over with the lightest color of your rose ( I used Spun Sugar ).

Sponge from the center out, with a darker ink ( Aged Mahogany )- use lighter and less pressure the further to the outer edge.

Cut between the petals a quarter of the way in around all the flowers BUT, on a large and medium flower, cut all the way to the center on one of the cuts.

On the embossing pad, score lines ( maybe 4 - 6 ) down the length of each petal on the wrong side.  On you work surface, do like on the leaves and ink these these veins with your darker ink on the right side.  This step is optional but it gives a rich variegated appearance to your rose.. I just like it :)

-click to enlarge and you get a better view of the veins.

One the 2 flowers you have a cut-line to the center... on that line, glue one petal over the next petal with the tack glue.  Some people use a paper clip to clamp them together until the glue sets.  My glue was fast grab so didn't need to do this.

Curl the edges of the petals around a skewer or skinny paint brush.. whatever will work for you ;)

On your embossing pad, smush the center down a bit on the 6 petalled flower, with a big embossing stylus or eraser end of a pencil.  On your work surface, spritz it all with shimmery spray ( optional)  or paint some shimmery lines on the petals or kiss them with glitter glue or chunky glitter .

Glue ( with a generous amount of tacky glue on the bottom of flower on the pointed part) in this stack from bottom to top.. Large 6 petal flower -> Large 5 petal flower - Medium 5 petal flower ( you might want to hold the pieces together for a few minutes for it to set ).  ...then add a "stamen"... mine is a Big Sky Flake punch inked with yellow ink and stickles and a gem on top.  I glued my stamen in using silicon glue so it stuck up a bit from the center.

My card was totally coloured with distress inks.  The oval has chunky glass glitter on it (Twinklets Diamond Dust ).  The background paper was done by layering several inks on my craft sheet, spritzing with water, and sweeping the CS through it.. and drying with heat tool... then used cuttlebug and embossing folder, then brayered gold encore ink on the embossed parts.  The dark green background is various greens sponged together with a bit of aged mahogany.

Here is another leaves and stem variation from the same Roses & Leaves sheet:

NOTES:

There are so many different ways you can make flowers with this set.  There are tutorials all over the internet for paper roses.  Tim Holtz is the instigator with the  Grunge Rose.  oooh I loves that Timmy!  This will give you a realistic rose center - I have done several with this set but haven't shown yet ;)

Tim uses grunge paper that is more pliable than card stock.  But here is a tip for you to make your card stock flowers more pliable.  Run the cut flowers through a crimper several times while changing the angle you run them though with.  Then, flatten the texture using something round and smooth like the bottom of a spoon on an embossing pad.  The fibres in the paper are now more pliable. Now your flowers are less likely to tear when moulding them.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and it made sense LOL!

Have a great day!

:)* Fred

CARD: Happy Birthday Little Chicky!

Inside:

"Look Who's 1!"

"Happy Birthday, Little Chicky!"

My cousin's DD turned ONE this weekend, Olivia is sooo cute and just sweet and curious.  One of my favourite birthday years.... where you let the little one year old discover cake and icing with all ten fingers!!!! LOL  They let her at a whole cake ... it was awesome.  There was a separate cake for the grown ups.  ;)   While everyone was eating, Olivia wanted to put her pointy in everone's cake LOL. 

Card uses the freebie I offered to help kick off CDAC's first challenge.  What alot of fun. One of the winners picked my store for their prize.  Thanks so much and I feel honoured :)  They have several new challenges up with different themes and some awesome digi artists hosting... Please go check it out!

Anyhoo, the kick off challenge is over and I thought I would add the freebie here ( it is also still on the CDAC group).

Clicky on the Chicky, then right-click and SAVE

CARD deets:  Whazzup Chicky Freebie, FSS Paper from Blue Poinsettia Pack, and Fred's Flowers v1, colored pencils/OMS, nesties, gold leafing pen, pearlescent WC paints edged on flower, MS punch, distress inks.

I have imported pics from my camera and will get to work on my Paper Roses tutorial tomorrow.. so see y'all soon!  Have a great day!

:)*  Fred

Sponsoring Paper Sundaes today!

Hi all!

I just wanted to let you know I am sponsoring the Paper Sundaes Challenge blog this week :) (Sunday July 4)  What a awesome challenge blog and LOOVE their name!  Sundaes---Sundays  hahaha and Paper... what's not to love?

  There is a $20 gift certificate for the Fred She Said Store up for grabs.  I love the challenge theme they have for this one ( not telling ya!)  and can't wait to see what their DT have been up to ;) I let them play with whatever design they wished heehee!

Please go check it out :)

:)*  Fred

TUTORIAL using Digi's with FREE PrintMaster Express

Hi Peeps!

I have been wanting to do this forever and show you this neat little program I use that you can download off the internet called PrintMaster Express.

I use it to create a sheet layout that can contain everything you need on ONE sheet, your digital stamp ( even change the colour of the stamp outline), digital papers (resize and crop them to the exact size you need), even add a customized sentiment in your favourite font.  You can even Paper Piece by adding a PNG tranparent background stamp over a digital paper or a coloured swatch or oval you create. 

You can also IMPORT all your favourite digi's and papers ( any TIFF, PNG, GIF or JPG image) into the empty ART GALLERY and organize them anyway you wish.  ( I'll have another tutorial on that later )

You can download PrintMaster Express HERE.

Here is my introductory video:


This is an older program so PLEASE make note of these:
-The sentiments gallery, animated greetings, internet and web features ( add images from expressit.com) no longer work as the internet links no longer function.

-This program was developed for Windows 98/2000 BUT I am running a Windows 7 PC and it works fine.  But I suggest before you started changing an existing font on your layout that you save first.  I was on one machine and the program went POOF.. it might have been an issue with the font itself but better to be safe!

This is WINDOWS only.  No Mac version BUT I think you can purchase Print Master ( FULL of images and new features) for as little as $10.  This software can still be purchased ( windows too ) through www.broderbund.com  really cheap and you get tons of images, etc with it. 

- I like this free version as the gallery is empty! And your digital stamps won't get lost in all the other images ;)



I will have more tutorials on the various features soon!

:)*  Fred

Whazzup Chickies!

LOL

No offense to my male audience! 

Sorry soooo quiet .... I kind of took a little unanounced hiatus.  June is such a busy month and I  have been zonkered and a little out to lunch LOL   I had blood tests finally come back that I have iron AND  vitamin B12 anemias.  Now to figure out WHY... who knows but hopefully the supplements will help soon LOL.

I am attempting to get "back at 'er" LOL  so hopefully you will see new designs and some new tutorials soon.

Notice the title of this post heehee.  I started a new group at the new hoppin' ( place for digital stampers and artists)  Crafters' Digital Art Center  headed by the oh so awesome Priscilla who hosts the also oh so awesome "Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge":)  They are having a kick off challenge and many digital artists have offered freebies to use :)



Please notice the title of this post heehee.  I have offered a free digital image called Whazzup Chicky.  You can find it at the  CDAC Fred She Said Designs Group and all the info and freebies at the Freebie Digi Kick Off Challenge!



 Have a great day,
:)*  Fred

Monarch Butterfly UPDATE

Hey all,

I was playing with my butterflies and noticed an annoying black frame around 2 of the white butterflies with outlines. I  have updated the product file.

The product affected is  FSS-Monarch Butterfly DIGI and SVG SET #3032

If you purchased this and want the update, please email me and I will send you the updated product :)

Have a great day!

:)* Fred

Blog Hop Winner!

Hi everyone!  This announcement is a little late as we had some hiccups LOL! 

The WINNER of our Here Comes Summer Blog Hop is:

Nancy Newell!!!!

Nancy has won a $20 GC to the Fred She Said Store.  I'll be emailing you, Nancy!

Also today is the LAST DAY to get your entry in for the April FSS CHALLENGE!  Don't miss another chance to win a $20 GC :D   I will announce the winner tomorrow!



:)* 
Fred

Paper Roses & Leaves Templates SET

I have just uploaded a new Temple Set.

 Paper Roses & Leaves Templates SET

  This set has a gazillion different files.. don't let it scare you LOL..  here is an example of the ready-to-print outline sheet:

Those are the shapes available as outline sheets you hand-cut ( also has a leaves sheet and just flowers sheet), or as a digital stencil ( transparent shapes with a solid white background you digitally place on top of coloured or digital paper so just the patterned/coloured shape prints out - no black outline.  There are also single images available so you can resize and use to fit your needs.  I also included an SVG cutting file sheet to be used in digital cutting machines, as well as sheets and images that are solid black shapes so that you can import/trace in various cutting software and machines. 


You can use these like digital stamps but they are more like templates that you print on the wrong side of your paper/cardstock and have DP paper or hand colour the right side after you cut them out.  I am in the process of making a tutorial for this card:

 For this card, I used an outline sheet and hand cut ( the leaves are actually cut out using pinking scissors  but the variegated leaves can be easily cut around with regular scissors)  Every thing on this card was coloured with distress inks and sponges and glimmer spray.

Here is a FREEBIE I made using the stencil version of the template sheet:

 Please DOWNLOAD HERE

I used Paint Shop Pro and floodfilled the empty spaces with patterns and colours. Hope you like!

Anyway, I'll be back soon with more info and a tutorial.

:)*  Fred

True's Candy!

True  has some wonderful blog candy up on her blog.  She is having surgery and will be away from her computer for a bit and would love to read comments when she gets back :)  Her current and past DT companies have helped her put together an awesome offering!  You so have to check it out!  Click on the image below to take you to True's Candy!

Good luck with your surgery, girlfriend!

Products added

New stuff added:

Pre-Coloured Versions ( Set ) of Emma in The Strawberry Patch

Pre-Coloured Versions ( Set ) of  The Wheelbarrow:

I have a Floral Template set coming out soon ... stay tuned!

Have a great day,

:)*

Fred

CARD Butterfly

 If you are looking for the BLOG HOP it's HERE!

Here is a card I made using the Monarch Butterfly Digi and SVG cutting files set.  I cut the  Monarch Butterfly1 SVG ( it has an intricate top and a solid base to cut) and used distress inks and some homemade glimmer spray to colour.  The background is one I made a while ago by drawing and smudging randoms swirls of soft pastels then cuttlebug embossed.   The flowers are odds and sodds from my extra flower bits that I print out.  Also in the butterfly set are digi versions, which I will shows samples of soon ;)

Have a great day!
:)* Fred

New Things :)

 If you are looking for the BLOG HOP it's HERE!

I am adding new designs to the Store :)

Emma Blowing Bubbles

- there is also a Pre-coloured Set

Monarch Butterfly - DIGI outlines & NEW! SVG Cutting Files

This next set is REALLY LATE in coming.  I introduced the Digi of Emma & The Butterfly a year ago and I decided to colour it :)

Emma & The Butterfly COL SET

I am not done!!!  I will have The Wheelbarrow and Emma in the Strawberry Patch coloured by the end of this weekend.  I still have some new designs up my sleeve.. but we will see how much I can get accomplished for the time being LOL!  

Have a great day,

:)* Fred

Here Comes Summer Blog Hop Starts HERE

Hi everyone!

Surprise!!!! It's time for another BLOG HOP!  And we are celebrating SUMMER being just around the corner ( in some parts of the world ;)  )  In Canada, we normally kick off summer early on May 24 ( Queen Victoria's birthday) but it is usually on a Monday so we get a long weekend so it may not land on the 24th  all the time but we affectionately call it May Two-Four in honour of Canada's brew of choice  for the festivities and comes in a case of 24.  LOL ( in case ya didn't know... now you do ;)  )

I will have some NEW DESIGNS in the store today.  Stay tuned...  I am running behind LOL

This blog hop will run from today, MAY 21st until MAY 27. On the 28th, the winner will be announced on the "Fred She Said" blog  .  Yep, right here ;)

Along the way, you will see a special CODE WORD. Collect them all up! Once you reach the end of the blog hop (which will be the "Fred She Said" Challenge blog), follow the instructions to make your entry and your name will go in for a draw for a $20 Gift Certificate for the Fred She Said Store!

Thank-you for taking the time to play along.  Now, to continue the blog hop, please visit SONYA

Here is a list of the blog hoppers in case you lose your way:

*FRED SHE SAID  blog http://fred-she-said.blogspot.com/   YOU ARE HERE!
*SONYA
*MARIA 
*SHELLY 
*MICHELLE  
*CAROL L.  
*DARSIE B.  
*JUDY
*CAROL H. 
*LORA 
*DEANNE
*FRED SHE SAID CHALLENGE BLOG

:)*  Fred

PFP Digi Friday Workshop

Hey all!

Guess what?!  It was Digi Friday at Passion For Promarkers! LOL  Sorry so late in getting this announcement up! yikes!

Sue at Passion For Promarkers has a wonderful colouring demo ( using Emma in the Strawberry Patch) up  HERE! ...and if you leave a comment there, you are entered for a chance to win a $15 GC to the Fred She Said Store :)


:)*  Fred