The Next Level

CUPCAKE DECORATION CLASSES

2011-10-25T06:49:00.010+01:00

Well I just wanted to let you all know that the cupcake decoration classes are going really well and the ideas keep flowing. I have now completed two designs for the forthcoming Christmas workshops and I thought you might like to see the photographs.

There is quite a lot in the melting pot at the moment, with a plan to do On-line cake decoration classes, so those of you who are outside the UK and would love to learn how to create the perfect cupcake and decorate them - this will be perfect for you.

If you would like to register as a follower on my blog and also add a Like to my Facebook pages I can keep you posted.

Ann xx

http://www.facebook.com/CreativeCakeAcademy

http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/

CUPCAKE WRAPPERS - A NEW DESIGN

2011-09-01T21:17:00.001+01:00

These are a new range of Cupcake Wrappers called Rose Garden. They are in a pdf digital download format and come in a set of 3 wrappers, matching tags and a sheet of pretty matching spotty paper to print on the reverse of the wrappers. The beauty of Cupcake Wrappers that are digital is that you can print as many off that you want, whenever you like, so you never have to keep paying for the wraps over and over again. They are shortly to be released with some freebies on offer, so if you are interested in knowing more about them please register as a Follower on this blog page and on our Facebook page to be kept informed of their release.

http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/CreativeCakeAcademy

There will also be a really pretty range of Digital Craft Papers and tags following the Rose Garden theme which will be released in the near future - again in a download format.

Ann x

WE DID IT - 41 AND CLIMBING!!!!

2011-07-16T06:00:00.000+01:00

Thanks everyone who had a chance to check into the Facebook page (see link in previous post) got to 41 and rising, with an extra special thank you to Jacque and Dawn for their tremendous support. I have masses of new ideas, just bursting at the seams with them - and maybe some blog candy along the way - so keep checking in to the Creative Cake Academy blog for details.

(The candy will be card related - so don't panic - lol).

Have a great weekend xx

WOW - A YEAR HAS GONE BY !!!!!!!

2011-07-13T16:50:00.002+01:00

It is amazing to see that a year after The Next Level had to close its doors, we still have a massive following - you truly are dedicated followers.

Dawn and I are still great friends and have so many creative projects on the go it is amazing. For the time being I would just like to fill you in on what I am doing now - my time is spent between two passions - creating artisan soap and cake decoration and design. You can clearly see that I have not been able to switch off the creativity button. I need followers for my new cake decoration blog and at least 25 likes for my facebook pages before I can get a personal url - so any help would be so gratefully appreciated.

http://creativecakeacademy.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Creative-Cake-Academy/165180916881434

Ann xx

P.S. You will be pleased to know that I have finally sorted out my migraines, just need a good pair of glasses!!!!!!!!! -

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 7

2009-07-13T08:19:00.003+01:00

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 7

Back to one full issue this week - so click on the links below to take you to all sections. We have a great Challenge this week which is a Sketch with a little twist. Fantastic prizes on offer from our Sponsors, Copic shading Tutorials and some extras, the usual Hints and Tips section and some really lovely Freebie downloads.

Ann and Dawn xxx

Scroll down the page to access each of the sections below

Announcements

Sponsors and Prizes of the Week

Challenge of the Week

Tutorials

Hints and Tips

Grab that Stash

Have Your Say

Challenge 6 Prize Winners

Our four prize winners this week, were chosen by Random.org - based upon the number allocated at the time the comment entry was made in the Challenge section.

The first selected prize winner is Beccy from Beccysbits. Congratulations you win the Kim Sherrod Stamp set of your choice. Click HERE to go to the stamp collection page so you can start choosing.

We now have 3 further Prize winners of the Bow Maker Kit from Stamp Simply. The three lucky winners are Jeannie from Lilac Kitty Creations, Regina from Scrap Creations, and Jill from A Life Well Crafted. If you were not a lucky winner click HERE to purchase one.

Could all prize winners please e-mail us at The Next Level so that we can arrange for you to receive your prizes..

SPONSORS AND PRIZES OF THE WEEK

2009-07-13T08:18:00.004+01:00

This week our two sponsors have donated fabulous prizes for the two prize winners of the Challenge 7.

Priscillastyles is the creator of the most fantastic Envelope Templates, that are in varying sizes, but the prize that is on offer today is the 6 x 6 inch thick envelope template which is ideal to use with the 3D cards featured in the Challenge this week. Alongside the Kit, Priscilla is also giving away this magnificent envelope that she has prepared using the kit. Click on the Priscillastyles link above for more details of how you can proceed to purchase these kits it you cannot wait to see if you are the lucky winner this week.

Hope Stamps Eternal have a fantastic on-line store and they are offering a

$25 CREDIT VOUCHER

for the winner to spend of items of their choice - what a great prize. Click on the Hope Stamps Eternal link to go direct to their website to browse the store - you will not be disappointed.
Currently they are taking pre-orders for the Autumn collection of Martha Stewart punches - definitely one not to be missed!!!!

The winners of this week's prizes will be announced under the Announcements section of Issue 8 out next Monday. The winners will be selected by the first 2 numbers selected by Random.Org. based upon the number allocated at the time of posting their challenge entry.

Good Luck everyone xx

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

2009-07-13T08:17:00.001+01:00

CHALLENGE 7 - SKETCH WITH 3D IMAGE

.his week we have a Sketch for you - but with a twist - your image needs to be layered or raised in a 3D effect. The design team have created some fantastic cards to give you inspiration. A special Thank You this week to Jacque from Jacque's Joie De Vivre who is our Guest Design Team member of the week - thank you Jacque for your gorgeous creation

Click HERE to download the actual size template

Click on the Design Team cards to open them in a new window for more detail, and click on the DT name over the card to take you to their blog site for more detail on the created their card for the Challenge this week.

.

ABBY

BETH

DAWN

DEBBIE

JACQUE

TRUE

Closing date for entries to be in for the prize draw is Sunday 20th July - 9pm UK time.

TUTORIALS OF THE WEEK

2009-07-13T08:16:00.004+01:00

This week we have Two Tutorials - centred around using Copic pens, but in the case of the First Tutorial, you can easily use Pro Markers to get the same effect. The second Tutorial is designed to assist you in Choosing your Copic Colours from their fantastic range of 322 colours to get the right colour blend and shading, together with a downloadable Blank Colour Chart for you to keep a track of the colours you purchase.

SHADING WITH ALCOHOL INK PENS

When I made my DT card for Issue 1 of The Next Level, I took photographs at each stage of the colouring to show how the finished effect was made up. The secret to colouring with Copics or Pro Markers is to start off with the lightest shade possible. When I first started buying Copics and Pro Markers - I always went for the bright and pretty colours, but quickly learned that my images lacked shading and depth, because if you start off with too dark a colour, you really have nowhere to go when you want to shade it even darker.

Later on in the Tutorials, I have shown the Copic Colour Wheel to help everyone understand the Copic Colours, and the best colours to start most images off with are the ones on the very extreme of the colour wheel, usually with numbers ending in 00, 000, or even 0000.

Above you will see the finished image, which has been layered to produce a 3D effect. This does mean quite a bit of work, as you have to colour each image separately - always make sure you keep your best one for the top layer. In all of the images below you will see on the right hand side a completed image, so you can track how it is made up in the varying colouring stages.

To start with the whole of the pink section of the dress was coloured in RV00

Now go over the outside edges and in the creases and folds with the same RV00 to build up some depth

Then I have started to build up the shading with RV02, clearly defining the edges and where dark shading will fall. I am cautious that I keep the centre areas untouched now as much as possible because this is where I deem the light will be falling, full on the front.

I finally added RV34 to the areas I wanted the most depth and then again blended this in with the RV00

Now I have started to colour the green part of the dress. Here I have used BG10 and coloured all parts

Here I have started to show the shaded areas with BG13 colouring the areas that would be shaded from the light or darker because of folding

Now I have used the darker of my 3 greens, BG15 and put deep colouring on the areas where I want to show the most depth and shade

Then I blended all three colours together with BG10 my lightest green shade, pushing the colours towards the lightest section, but not going over the paler area where I want to keep the most light falling on the dress

Here is the finished image completely coloured and ready to go on the card.

THE COPIC COLOUR WHEEL

Copic Markers come in a range of 322 different colours - just amazing - choosing colours is just like being in a Sweet Shop. But be wary and buy wisely - as there is a method is choosing the blend and shade of colours to get the right effect in your colouring.

The Copic pens come in 3 different types, the Original Marker, which are the largest of the 3 and square in shape, the Sketch which is the next size down and oval in shape, and finally the Ciao which is the smallest in the range and circular in shape. Average prices are around £5 for the Original, £3.50 for the Sketch and £2 for the Ciao. The 322 colour range is available predominantly in the Sketch range. If you use the Copic Airbrushing system, it does state that this only works with the original Markers, but I find that they work just as well with the Sketch

The Colour Wheel below is downloadable, either by right clicking on the image and pasting to your desktop, or by clicking on the link below where the image will appear and you can then save. Ideally the best way to view the wheel to get the most information and detail of colour is on screen, you can print it off, but you will need to re-size the downloaded image, and remember the colours will ony be as good as your printer and printer inks define!!!!

You will see on the right hand side of the Colour Wheel the detail of how to chose the right colour, how to make sure that colours blend together and are in the same 'family' of colours, and how to select a set of ideally 3 close colours in the family, to get the best effect when blending and shading.

Click on the Image below and this will open up to fill your screen so you can get a good view of the colours and then scroll to the right to see the information of choosing the right range of colours.

Below is the image of the 2 pages that you can download from the link below so that you can colour in the sections as you buy your Copic pens, to keep a track of the colours you have. When I am preparing to colour an image, I first pull all of my papers together and then sit them alongside my colour chart - I then write down the numbers that offer the best colour combination and then go and select from my stash.

Here are the links if you wish to download the images of the blank colour charts, and remember you will need to re-size them on your printer to fit on two A4 sheets. The link is also below for the Copic Colour Wheel - again resize this to suit, but you will get the best image and colour detail when viewing on your computer.

Copic Colour Wheel

Copic Blank Colour Chart 1

Copic Blank Colour Chart 2

Well I hope this has given you food for thought on using Copic and Pro Markers. I by no means am an expert in the art of colouring, but I am learning, and the best way to learn is to keep practicing - enjoy !!!!

Ann xxx

HINTS AND TIPS

2009-07-13T08:16:00.003+01:00

Did you know?

1. When using Rub-ons on your project, breathe on them first before using them as this helps them to release from the carrier sheet more easily.

2. When your ink pads are running out, turn them upside down for a few minutes before use to get the last drops of ink to the surface.

3. When using embossing powder always use an anti-static bag to wipe over your work first, or a tumble dryer sheet, as this will help stop excess embossing powder sticking to your work.

4. When heat embossing on Vellum always heat from underneath to stop the Vellum warping.

BORDERLESS PRINTING

A great tutorial from The Hybrid Chick on borderless printing. Click HERE to take you to the Tutorial pages.

GRAB SOME STASH

2009-07-13T08:15:00.002+01:00

We have been on the scout around again this week to find you some really gorgeous freebie downloads and we hope you will not be disappointed with what we have found.

A really great kit from Digital-Crea - click HERE to go to the product page, you will need to go through checkout, but the item is Free.

Another really pretty kit from The Little Scrap Garden - click HERE to go straight to the download page

A great Vine Brush from Bluebird - click HERE to go straight to the download page

Word Art freeebies from Choukette Design - Click HERE to go straight to the download page

Have fun!!

HAVE YOUR SAY !!!

2009-07-13T08:14:00.001+01:00

We would love you to take the time to stop by this section and Please give us feedback on this issue of The Next Level

THE NEXT LEVEL – FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT – ISSUE 6

2009-07-10T08:01:00.002+01:00

Good morning everyone - Welcome to the Friday supplement of Issue 6 of The Next Level

We hope you have enjoyed having your Magazine in 3 supplements this week and it has not spoilt your enjoyment of your weekly read. Please keep the feedback coming in, we do love to hear from you.

Today we feature a stunning TUTORIAL FROM ABBY, one of our Creative Design Team members. You may have seen a really stunning card a few weeks ago from Abby where she did a 3D rose on her card - it was absolute perfection - so we asked her if she would not mind showing how she had achieved this beautiful effect - and here it is for you all today.

Hint for Monday's Challenge 7

We did say that our Friday Tutorials would in many instances link up what what is going to be on the horizon for the Monday Challenge and this week is no exception. We will not be asking you specifically to make up a rose just like Abby's - but if you do not have in your stash some glue such as Beacon 3 in 2, Pinflair, Mini Glue dots or Double sized Craft Foam pads - you might want to pop out and get some over the weekend !!!!

Quick Links to Issue 6 Supplements

Below are the Quick Links to the Monday and Wednesday supplements and remember -There is still plenty of time to enter the Challenge 6 this week with 4 prizes on offer.

Closing time for entries - Sunday 9pm Uk time.

If you wish to enter and do not have a blog, please e-mail us your photograph and we will post it for you.

HINTS AND TIPS

GRAB THAT STASH

SPONSORS AND PRIZES OF THE WEEK

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK - BUTTONS AND BOWS

HAVE YOUR SAY

Have fun everyone - See you on Monday

Ann and Dawn xxx

3D ROSE TUTORIAL FROM ABBY

1. Stamp the image multiple times onto water color paper using black Staz On ink. I prefer lighter weight water color paper for my 3D floral images because it is easier to manipulate into your desired shape

2. Water color the images as you desire. For this rose I focused on coloring the large rose only since it will be cut out it was not necessary to color the images in their entirety. This helps to cut back on work and time

3. Once you've water colored the images cut them out as close as possible. Select one to keep as your base then proceed to cut along the lines of the petals on the remaining images. Don't worry about cutting perfectly since it should be a natural, untailored look. Just be sure they resemble the shape of rose petals. One key point is to color the back and along the edges of each one with a matching marker so that there’s no white showing underneath or throughout the edges of petals

4. Select one of the larger petals to start building the outer edge. Curl the bottom edge of the petal slightly and add a touch of glue to the curled edge then place it on the rose image. I use Beacon 3 in 1 glue because it holds beautifully but also allows you to move the petals if you happen to make a mistake or decide to move the petal to a different location. Just be sure the glue is not completely dry or you may tear it

5. Once you've glued the first petal allow the glue to dry and gently shape it with your tweezers

6. Continue the same pattern with the rest of the petals starting with the larger ones for the outer edge and the smaller petals for the center

7. As each petal dries you can go back with your tweezers to gently shape the petals so that they resemble the look of a real rose

.
8. Once you're getting close to the center select one of the smallest petals and curl it inward and use a mini glue dot to place it in the center. This will offer a guide for the placement of the remaining petals. You may find that you'll have to trim the petals to fit your desired space

9. Once you're finished adding all of the petals grab your tweezers for some final shaping then finish with a touch of glitter on the edge of each petal

10. Here’s the finished rose which will be added to a future creation. Hope you'll give it a try!

ABBY

THE NEXT LEVEL - WEDNESDAY SUPPLEMENT - ISSUE 6

2009-07-08T08:09:00.001+01:00

Welcome to your mid week supplement of Issue 6 of The Next Level

Please scroll down to find the 2 Sections below

HINTS AND TIPS

GRAB THAT STASH

Click on the Quick Links below to go direct to the sections in Monday's Edition

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SPONSORS OF THE WEEK

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

HAVE YOUR SAY

There are some great entries in the Challenge this week, and remember we have 4 Prizes on offer this week, so lots of time to get your entry in - closing time is 9pm UK time on Sunday.

Friday's Edition brings your Tutorial section - a beautiful creation by Abby and believe us - we are preparing you for your Challenge next week - maybe we will give you a clue!!!!!

Also please keep the feedback coming in on the new style of The Next Level - we have some who like the split and others who like the original format - direct links above will take you straight to the Have Your Say section.

Enjoy - Ann and Dawn xxx

VERSAMARK STAMP PADS - DID YOU KNOW HOW MANY WAYS YOU CAN USE THIS?

A TRULY CLEAR EMBOSSING PAD
Use like you would the Top Boss. Just stamp and emboss with colored powder or clear powder for a see through shine.

A WATERMARK
This is great for backgrounds, it will deepen the shade of colored paper wherever you stamp. Just think about this, for every color of paper you own, you now have a complementary color of ink!

POPPIN’ PASTELS
There are a couple of ways to accomplish this effect on light colored card stocks.
1.) Apply chalks to the area to be stamped, stamp with VersaMark and allow to dry or use heat gun. Then rub gently with a clean cotton ball. You can get a dramatic effect by adding more chalk to a cotton ball or dauber after you stamped with the VersaMark. Or you can emboss while stamped image is still wet with clear embossing powder and the image will jump out at you!
2.) Stamp first then chalk gently over the stamped area and watch the image magically appear.

REVERSE PASTELS
This time you use brightly colored chalk to cover dark colored card stock (Basic Black, Night of Navy, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, etc.) and then stamp over the chalked area. The ink will pull out the color of the paper from beneath the chalk. Be sure to clean the stamp before re-inking it as the chalk you removed is now on your stamp and you will dirty your VersaMark pad.

SHADOWING
This is a technique to use with Kaleidacolor pads and word stamps but you can use it for anything really. Just stamp directly over your first image. Because you will seldom be exact you will make a shadow that gives the initial image a 3-D effect. You can even take it a step further and emboss with a transparent powder like Pearl or Iridescent Ice.

BRAYER RESIST
This technique can be done with Gold Encore or VersaMark. Stamp image(s) onto Glossy White card stock using one of the above inks. Gently wipe away the ink using a lotion-free tissue and small circular motion. Ink up your brayer and roll it over the paper. Wherever the VersaMark ink was stamped, the paper will resist the colored ink from your brayer. This works on matte card stock but looks better on glossy.

VERSAMARK & 2-STEP STAMPIN’
Stamp the same image first w/VersaMark & then with metallic (Encore). Just shift the image a little bit when stamping the metallic ink. It gives it a shadowed look. Looks great on baroque burgundy and forest foliage!

EMBOSSING ON GLASS
Using the embossing buddy first, then using the VersaMark to stamp the image on a glass container, then emboss with detail gold or silver. Fill it with candy and tie a ribbon on it.

EMBOSSING WITH YOUR 48 STAMPIN’ UP! PADS
Ink your stamp with VersaMark then stamp on one of our 48 color pads or you can use a dauber to apply the color ink if you are worried about the color pad. Stamp and use clear embossing powder. Heat. Now you can emboss and be perfectly coordinated with the SU! markers, cardstock and inkpads. Be certain to clean stamp before re-inking on VersaMark pad or you will leave color on it.

DISCREET JOURNALING LINES
Although the VersaMark ink is sticky when applied, it dries like regular ink and loses the stickiness. It is Acid-free and safe for scrapbook pages. It works perfectly on all of our colored cardstock.

BATIK TECHNIQUE
Simply stamp your image using Versamark on ultra-smooth white or confetti or some other light CS and then emboss with clear embossing powder. Let cool. Then gently wad paper into a ball or you could fold it into a small square for a different look. Unfold it and smooth it out. Place it on a towel and wet with water so the paper is very damp. Next ink your brayer with a Kaleidacolor pad and brayer across the paper. The image will stay white while the ink will seep into cracks and the rest of the paper will have a batik look. (Like back in the 70’s when you applied wax to a pattern on a shirt and then dipped it in dye, cooled and chipped the wax away.

Thank you MaryZ for this great piece of work on the uses of Versamark and for your approval for us to use this on The Next Level

We have been on the scout around again this week to find you some really gorgeous freebie downloads and we hope you will not be disappointed with what we have found.

A gorgeous set of papers from Raspberry Road called Nanny's Garden paper pack, perfect for this time of year. Click HERE to get this free after completing checkout.

A really fantastic kit with loads of really beautiful elements on top of the really pretty papers. The gingham and check papers are so useful and remember you can recolour these using the tutorial from Summer Driggs in our earlier issues of The Next Level. Click HERE to go straight to download, no registration required.

Well as you know we are adding more and more challenges which feature stitches, so here is your chance to grab a freebie digital zig-zag stitch set. Click HERE to go to the download page - no registration required.

Digital buttons are so brilliant and a great standby. Again remember you can re-colour them if you want to. The best way to make these look really realistic is to print off two or three of the same button, and glue them together, colour the edges with an inkpad or marker pen, and they really do have the dimensions of buttons for your project. Click HERE for a direct link to the download page

Have fun everyone - and if you spot some great freebies out there, tell us about your find in the comments box below.

See you all on Friday xx

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 6 - MONDAY EDITION

2009-07-06T08:14:00.012+01:00

Welcome everyone to

Issue 6 of The Next Level - Part 1

We have been listening to your brilliant feedback and the many e-mails you have been sending us. It appears that you love The Next Level - but one weekly edition is quite a read - and you asked if we could break the Magazine down over several days to give bite size chunks on a regular basis - so we thought we would give this it a try and see what you think.

So the format for the coming week is :-

Monday - Challenge of the Week, Sponsors and Prizes of the Week, and the Prize and Guest Design Team Winners of Issue 5

Wednesday - Hints and Tips and Grab that Stash. We have some top features this week on Versamark uses and really beautiful downloads - all for free.

Friday - Tutorials of the Week - Tutorials in pipeline include several Copic Features and a beautiful creation by Abby - one of our talented DT members.

The Challenge and Sponsorship section will run right through the week and will be linked quickly and easily into each new feature day issue.

We hope this is what you have been looking for - please take the time to leave your feedback here on this section to let us have your thoughts.

Ann and Dawn xxx

.

Announcements

Sponsors of the Week

Challenge of the Week

Have your Say

Challenge 5 Prize Winners

Our two prize winners this week, were chosen by Random.org - based upon the number allocated at the time the comment entry was made in the Challenge section.

The first selected prize winner is Jenny from Just Jenny's Little World. Congratulations you win the Simon Says Stamp - $25 Voucher- just click on the link to pop over to their shop and start choosing your goodies.

The second prize winner is Cathy from Ellieskeeper's Creations. Congratulations you win the £15 gift voucher from Bunny Zoe Crafts - just click on the link to pop over to the shop and start choosing your prize

Jenny and Cathy could you please e-mail us at The Next Level so that we can arrange for you to receive your prizes.

Thank you for the wonderful array of challenge entries this week - the standard is so extremely high - Another tough decision, but our chosen Weekly Guest Design team winner of the week is Kathy from Distressed Stamper who has produced a very beautiful card this week - a great take on the sketch. We will be in touch with you shortly with a view to you joining us on Issue 8 of The Next Level.

Our previously Weekly Guest Design Team winner Moni from Nixe07 is showcasing her design team card this week, and next week we will be featuring Jacque from Jacque's Joie De Vivre.

SPONSORS AND PRIZES FOR CHALLENGE 6

2009-07-06T08:14:00.009+01:00

This week our two sponsors have donated fabulous prizes for the winners of the Challenge

We will have FOUR WINNERS THIS WEEK, drawn randomly on Sunday at 9pm 12th July, based upon number allocated at time of entry.

.

Our first sponsor this week is Kim Sherrod from Sherrod Studio. Kim has launched 4 beautiful stamp sets, which were released on the lst July, two of which are previewed above. Click HERE to go along to Sherrod Studio to view these gorgeous stamp sets. The winner of this prize will have a choice of one of the stamp sets.

Our second Sponsor of the Week is STAMP SIMPLY. Sharon Johnson is passionate about the Bow Maker product and has this very simple, but extremely effective product for sale from her blog. Sharon has donated THREE BOW MAKERS as prizes this week, but if you cannot wait to see if you are a lucky prize winner - click on the link HERE to purchase one and also to check out the Bow Maker Video and Tutorial.

The winners of this week's prizes will be announced under the Announcements section of Issue 7 out next Monday. The winners will be selected by the first 4 numbers selected by Random.Org. based upon the number allocated at the time of posting their challenge entry.

Good Luck everyone xx

THE NEXT LEVEL - WEEKLY CHALLENGE 6

2009-07-06T08:12:00.011+01:00

This week we have a THEME for your CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

BUTTONS AND BOWS

That is it - you can be as creative as you like, make anything you like, but it must have BUTTONS AND BOWS on it - the more the merrier!!!!!!!!!!!!

A special thank you this week to Moni from Nixe07, who joins us as the Guest signer of the Week - thank you Moni for your wonderful creation. Sharon our Bow Maker Sponsor of the week has also prepared a really pretty DT card to share with you all.

This week we have the DT roll call in reverse name order for a change.By clicking on each of the cards they will open up to a larger size if you want to see more detail and also by clicking on the names over the photographs, it will take you to the individual blogs so you can see more photographs and details of how the cards were created.

Please post your challenge entries in the Comments section below and if possible please try to do a direct link to the card on your blog page - support on how to do this is in the Hints and Tips section of Issue 5.

Closing date for entries to be in for the prize draw is Sunday 12th July - 9pm UK time, but of course you can keep your entries coming in after that time to share with everyone if you wish to. The tutorial on how to post a link is under Hints and Tips - Enjoy!!

HAVE YOUR SAY !!!

2009-07-06T08:12:00.003+01:00

We would love you to take the time to stop by this section and Please give us feedback on this issue of The Next Level - are we on the right track? - what do your want more of or less of? Your feedback will help us shape future Issues.

Thank you xx

THE NEXT LEVEL - SOMETHING NEW!!

2009-07-05T08:40:00.000+01:00

A reminder to everyone to be bright and early in the morning for Issue 6 of The Next Level with a New Announcement after listening to your really top class feedback over the past few weeks.

The Challenge 5 is still on today, so time left to get your cards in by 9pm UK time this evening.

Have a great day everyone.

Ann and Dawn xxx

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 5

2009-06-29T06:54:00.005+01:00

Welcome everyone to

Issue 5 of The Next Level

We have been putting our 'creative hats' on again this week to bring you a mixture of your usual Challenge of the Week and a range of informative Tutorials, Freebies and really useful Hints and Tips.

Our Challenge of the Week features a Sketch which is one of your favourite kind of challenges and the Design Team have worked their magic to inspire you.

We hope you enjoy this edition and please remember to keep giving us feedback - we love to hear from you.

Ann and Dawn xxx

Announcements
Sponsors and Prizes of the Week

Challenge of the Week
Tutorials

Hints and Tips
Grab some Stash

What's New out There?

Have your Say

Sponsoring the Next Level

Challenge 4 Prize Winners

Our two prize winners this week, were chosen by Random.org - based upon the number allocated at the time the comment entry was made in the Challenge section.

The first selected prize winner is Cherry from Blodwyn3's Nights Dream - Congratulations Cherry you win the Joanna Sheen £20 Store Voucher - just click on the link to pop over to their shop and start choosing your goodies.

The second selected winner selected is Jill from Jill's Cards - Congratulations Jill you win the Stampin'Up 'A Little Bit of Happiness' stamp set and a Stampin Pad of your choice - the great prize from Zoe Tant - Stamping Scene.

Could you both please e-mail us at The Next Level so that we can arrange for you to receive your prizes.

Weekly Guest Design Team Announcement

The quality of the entries this week was oustanding. We did give you a more difficult Challenge this week, and a very time consuming one, but you certainly delivered in the effort you put into your creations. After another week with a very difficult choice, we finally decided that the Weekly Guest Designer winner of the week would be Jacque from Jacque's Joie de Vivre. We would love you to join us for Issue 7 of The Next Level and we will be in touch with you shortly to arrange.

Our previously Weekly Guest Design Team members are Linda from Funkie Junkie who has her design team card showcased this week, and next week we will be featuring Moni from Nixe07.

From the Challenge entries this week we will be choosing the feature Guest Designer for Issue 8, so lets see lots of entries from you all - we have given you a choice of two designs this week, so lots of oppotunities to be creative.

SPONSORS AND PRIZES OF THE WEEK

2009-06-29T06:37:00.004+01:00

This week our two sponsors have donated fabulous prizes for the winners of the Challenge

We will have two winners of the week, drawn randomly on Sunday at 9pm 5th July, based upon number allocated at time of entry.

Our first Sponsor is Simon Says Stamp and they are donating another massive $25 Credit Voucher to spend in their Store. If you click on their name it will take you direct to the shop front where you will see a lots of wonderful items available to you - what a great prize.

Our second sponsor of the week is Bunny Zoes Crafts - a really great shop where you can choose goodies up to the Gift Voucher value of £15. Please click on the link to go and check out what is available.

The winners of this week's prizes will be announced under the Announcements section of Issue 6 out next Monday. They will be chosen by random number selection based upon the number allocated at the time of posting their challenge entry.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

2009-06-29T06:36:00.005+01:00

Well we know you love your Sketches, the Poll just over a week ago told us that - so this week we have given you a Sketch to create - we hope you like it.

If you are feeling extra creative this week, you can add stitches to your card which some of the Design Team have done - the choice is yours.

Click on the link below to download the actual size template. Just right click when the image opens and copy to your Desktop. Please make sure when printing this off that your printer is not set to make any adjustments to your image sizing.

Sketch 2 Template

The Design Team have produced a really lovely collection of Cards to hopefully give you inspiration for the Challenge and each have a really individual and completely different take on the Sketch itself.

A special thank you this week to Linda from Funkie Junkie, who joins us as the Guest Designer of the Week - thank you Linda.

By clicking on each of the cards they will open up to a larger size if you want to see more detail and also by clicking on the names over the photographs, it will take you to the individual blogs so you can see more photographs and details of how the cards were created.

ABBY

ANN

.

BETH

.

DAWN

.

DEBBIE

.

LINDA

.

MINDY

.

TRUE

.

Closing date for entries to be in for the prize draw is Sunday 5th July - 9pm UK time, but of course you can keep your entries coming in after that time to share with everyone if you wish to. The tutorial on how to post a link is under Hints and Tips - Enjoy!!

TUTORIALS OF THE WEEK

2009-06-29T06:35:00.001+01:00

This week we have Three Tutorials for you.

Two are from Beth, one our brilliant DT members, she has created two instructional videos especially for The Next Level, covering the different ranges of Ink pads and Their Specific Uses and the Art of Masking Stamped Images.

The third Tutorial is Using The Colour Wheel, giving you an insight into how to use the wheel to help you choose colours for your designs.

Using a Colour Wheel

Using a Colour wheel will help you mix and match colours and help you select a colour scheme that will compliment and tone. It is quite easy to use and if you right click on the main image below you will be able to save this to your computer to refer to for future use.

The Colour Wheel

PRIMARY COLORS

Red, Yellow and Blue are the primary colors. These are the three basic colors that are used to mix all hues.

SECONDARY COLORS

Orange, Green and Purple are the secondary colors. They are achieved by mixing two primary colors together.

TERTIARY COLORS

Tertiary colors are more complex hues that are achieved by mixing primary and a secondary colors that are adjacent on the colour wheel.

OPPOSITE and COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

Opposite colors are diagonally opposite one another on the color wheel. You can work out the opposite color to any primary color by taking the other two primaries and mixing them together. The result will be its opposite or ‘complementary’ color.

ANALOGOUS COLORS

Analogous colors sit next to one another on the color wheel. These colors are in harmony with one another.

Some Formulas for Color Harmony

There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas .

A color scheme based on analogous colors

Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.

A color scheme based on complementary colors

Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green. In the illustration above, the opposing colors create maximum contrast.

We hope that you have found these Tutorials helpful and please leave a comment if you have the time to let us know what you think.

HINTS AND TIPS

2009-06-29T06:34:00.001+01:00

Did you know???

Here are some more hints and tips that are worth a try…..

1. When adding small jewels and beads to your cards and projects, use a cocktail stick with a small amount of blue tack moulded onto the end, this will make it so much easier to pick up them up.

2. Before you throw away your old garments, remember to cut off any buttons, ribbons and pieces of lace etc. and these will always come in hand on your future projects.

3. If you are lucky enough to have a craft room, the easiest way to store ribbons is to wind them onto a piece of wooden dowel and create a rail effect, so they stay in good shape and you can easily just take the amount of ribbon that you need.

4. When you are embossing the back of your punched out flowers or die-cuts, rub some soap or a tumble dryer sheet on the reverse side, it will make your embossing tool glide over the surface and emboss without dragging.

5. When you have finished making your card or scrapbook page, do not throw away larger pieces of your craft paper, they make great tags for your envelopes to compliment your card.

Hyperlinking your Challenge entry

When you post your challenge entries in the comments section would you please try to add a direct link to your entry to make it easier for people to go to it direct and leave a comment. If you do struggle please do a copy and paste - but it does sometimes deter people from visiting if they have to deviate away from the blog page to do this.

1. First open up your blog page with the Challenge entry on the page and then right at very top of the page you will see the address of the blog page starting with http:// etc etc.

2 .Highlight your address bar by right clicking and select copy from the drop down menu. Now open up a Word document and just copy the address bar to the blank page.

3. Unfortunately you cannot type the link line into these instructions for you to copy and paste, as they will only appear on this page as Here's my Card - so the link line details below are actually a photograph, that you can right click upon and save the image to your desktop to refer to. Carefully type out the line into your Word document, omitting the blue letters and pasting in your blog address which you have already saved in your document. Be careful not to delete the inverted commas at each end.
4. Now right click and copy the whole new line with your blog address in it, and go along to the Comments page - add your comments and then right click and paste your entry line.

5. It is always worth previewing your entry on the comments page before you publish it just to make sure that it appears as a hyperlink so you know it will run properly - it should just show the words Here's my entry with no other detail.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY HINTS AND TIPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

Please do not be shy - take the time to post your hints below - every one will have a value to someone.

GRAB SOME STASH

2009-06-29T06:32:00.003+01:00

We have been on the scout around again this week to find you some really gorgeous freebie downloads and we hope you will not be disappointed with what we have found.

This paper set is from Raspberry Road Designs, you will need to register and go through checkout process, but the kit is totally free. Click HERE direct to the page.

The matching Elements set for Swanky papers from Raspberry Road. Click HERE to go direct to the page.

A really beautiful paper set from Mary Beth Cryan blogspot - Click HERE to go direct to the Page. No registration required on this kit, just a straight download.

A really pretty brad set which do print out beautifully and look great in the centre of your flowers. Click HERE to go to the page.

Have fun everyone - and if you spot some great freebies out there, tell us about your find in the comments box below.

WHAT'S NEW OUT THERE?

2009-06-29T06:31:00.001+01:00

This is your chance to feature in The Next Level. If you spot anything interesting or new that you think would appeal to our sense of creativity please leave a comment below and post a link to what you have found.

It is hoped that this section will be a really valuable source of inspiration and information to everyone and that you check in each day to see what has been newly posted.

Let's see what creative ideas you can all come up with!!!!

HAVE YOUR SAY !!!

2009-06-29T06:30:00.002+01:00

SPONSORING THE NEXT LEVEL

2009-06-29T06:28:00.001+01:00

If you are able to offer a prize sponsorship to The Next Level in return for a feature and link, please contact us direct on our e-mail address at the top of the page - we would love to hear from you.

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 4

2009-06-22T08:21:00.005+01:00

Welcome everyone to Issue 4 of The Next Level - and we have some fantastic items and treats in store for you this week. Again a massive thank you for your tremendous support - each day the number of Followers increases and the Challenge entries continue to grow.

Results of our Poll - Last week when we asked you to identify what you were looking for in the weekly Challenges, it was revealed that Sketches and Techniques were top of your list. We will of course be covering these over the coming weeks, but also use others to add flavour and interest for you. Thank you for your participation in the Poll, it really helps us to shape future issues. We will be carrying these out from time to time just to make sure we are on the right track.

This week we have Three tutorials.

Two are designed to support you this week with the Challenge of the Week. Your choices are a Free Standing Pop-up Card as demonstated by Debbie one our of creative Design Team Members, the second choice is the Stair Step Fold Card, with a tutorial to support you. The third is a brilliant and easy to understand Tutorial from Marianne on Colouring hair with Copic Markers.

Check out the Freebies also in Grab that Stash, some specifically chosen to give you some options and papers for the Challenge this week. Hints and Tips also offers some great ideas and support on loading your Challenge entry.

The rest is over to you - your comments and challenge entries make up the rest of our Magazine Issue, so please make sure you contribute regularly - we love to hear from you and see your fantastic creations.

Ann and Dawn xxx

Announcements

Sponsors and Prizes of the Week

Challenge of the Week

Tutorials

Hints and Tips

Grab some Stash

What's New out There?

Have your Say

Sponsoring the Next Level

Challenge 3 Prize Winners

Our two prize winners this week, chosen at random based upon number allocated at time of entry - the first selected is Sassy from Sassy's Secrets - congratulations Sassy you win the $50 Store Voucher for Simon Says Stamps - just imagine how many goodies you will be able to buy with that!!!!

The second winner selected is Veronica from VronCards. Congratulations Veronica you win the Tim Holtz Stamp Pads, Embossing Powder and Tools from The Artistic Stamper - we hope that you enjoy using these great products .

Could you both please e-mail us at The Next Level so that we can arrange for you to receive your prizes.

Weekly Guest Design Team Announcement

Wow the Challenge entries this week were stunning, so much detail and creativity going into your cards. There were possibly 10 cards on the table this week from which to select the Weekly Guest Designer, but our final decision is Moni from Nixe07. we would love you to join us for Issue 6 of The Next Level and we will be in touch with you shortly to arrange.

Our previously Weekly Guest Design Team members are Murielle from Scrapmumur who has her design team card showcased this week, and next week we will be featuring Linda from The Funkie Junkie

From the Challenge entries this week we will be choosing the feature Guest Designer for Issue 7, so lets see lots of entries from you all - we have given you a choice of two designs this week, so lots of oppotunities to be creative.

SPONSORS AND PRIZES OF THE WEEK

2009-06-22T08:20:00.008+01:00

This week our two sponsors have donated fabulous prizes for the winners of the Challenge

We will have two winners of the week, drawn randomly on Sunday at 6pm 28th June, based upon number allocated at time of entry.

Our first Sponsor is Joanna Sheen and they are donating a £20 Credit Note to spend in the Store. If you click on their name it will take you direct to the shop front where you will see a lots of wonderful items available to you - what a great prize.

Our second sponsor of the week is Zoe Tant - Stamping Scene - Zoe is an independent Stampin'Up! Demonstator who is providing a great prize this week of 'A Little Bit of Happiness' set and a stampin pad - colour of your choice. Zoe is keen to offer support and advice to anyone keen to know more about Stampin'Up! products and availability - so click on the link to take you to her blog for more information.

A massive thank you to both of our sponsors this week for your generosity.

The winners of this week's prizes will be announced under the Announcements section of Issue 5 out next Monday. They will be chosen by random number selection based upon the number allocated at the time of posting their challenge entry.

STOP PRESS !!!!!

Scrap Revolution - sponsors of Issue 2 with the Making Memories Ribbon Slot punch tool now have them back in stock - so pop along there, follow the link in the sidebar to secure yours quickly before they go out of stock again !!!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

2009-06-22T08:19:00.004+01:00

This week, we are really spoiling you - how? -

We are giving you a choice of which design of Card you want to make up for your Challenge entry

STAIR STEP FOLD CARD

FREE STANDING POP UP CARD

Both of these techniques are covered in full for you in the Tutorial section, so maybe having a look at these will help you decide which one you want to create for the Challenge this week.

Remember you can print off the Tutorials for you to refer to as you create your card. They are both a little challenging, but the finished result is well worth the effort -they really will allow your creativity to blossom.

The Design Team were all asked to create the Stair Step Fold card, and Dawn has followed this style of card but turned it on its side, so this is an option too. Debbie has done both because we asked her to create a feature Free Standing Pop Up card as part of her tutorial this week, and she has done a magnificent job.

A special thank you this week to Murielle from Scrapmumur who is our Guest Designer of the week, she has produced a really beautiful card for us.

You will find hopefully lots of inspiration from the DT cards, there is also loads more information and photographs on each individual DT members blog - so just click on their name above the photo images and it will take you there. Clicking on the card itself will enlarge the card for you to see more detail

So - go create - we cannot wait to see what you come up with xx

ABBY

ANN

BETH

DAWN

DEBBIE (2 cards)

MINDY

MURIELLE

TRUE

Closing date for entries to be in for the prize draw is Sunday 28th June 6pm UK time, but of course you can keep your entries coming in after that time to share with everyone if you wish to. The tutorial on how to post a link is under Hints and Tips - Enjoy!!

TUTORIALS OF THE WEEK

2009-06-22T08:17:00.004+01:00

Three Tutorials for you this week

Free Standing Pop-up Card, beautifully presented by Debbie in her creation of her Butterfly Magnolia Garden Card

Stair Step Fold card - which is the second option for your Challenge theme this week

Art of colouring hair with Copic Marker pens a feature from Marianne from I Like Markers on one of the tricky tasks we all encounter and that is how to colour hair correctly.

FREE STANDING POP-UP CARD

This week Debbie, our Design Team Member was asked to re-create a card that she did on her blog called Butterfly Magnolia Garden. The card is a free standing pop-up card, the folds flat. Debbie has taken the basic theory of creating this design of card, but has literally taken it to 'The Next Level' with her unique style and creativity in completing the card. We hope you will find inspiration from her creation

So over to Debbie for the step by step instructions on how to create this stunning card.....

1. For the base, cut a piece of card 4¼” x 11”. Stamp at this stage if desired

2. Score at 1”, 2¾”, 3¾”, 5½”, 7¼”, 8¼” and 10”.

3. Mark ⅝” in from both sides on the 5½” scored line. Cut a narrow strip between these marks. Leave base card to one side for a moment.

4. For the stand-up background cut a piece of card 2¾” x 5¼”.

5. Cut a piece of decorative paper 2½ x 5” and mat onto card you have just cut

6. Now back to the base card. Apply double-sided tape, or glue to the right side of the two 1” end sections. (One strip next to score line, and one at the edge). It is important to get this in the right place, as it will hold the tag in place. See steps 8 & 9

7. Pop the ‘tag’ through the slit in the base

8. Turn over and fold base around, trapping bottom of tag in end folds.

9. Press on to tape or glue to secure.

10. Congratulations, your card base is now complete. At this stage your card will fold flat to fit it in an envelope, however if the embellishmentsare bulky you may need to make a box for it to stand in.

11. I used Prima hydrangea flowers; I also punched out flowers using an EK Success Retro Flower medium punch, that I shaped with a ball tool, and ready made paper roses. I used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch to make the butterflies

12. The tufts of grass were made by colouring ordinary copy paper then cutting slits along the length to make a fringe. The top was randomly shaped, then pieces cut off and added to the design where required.

There are many different options and themes you can use. Just let your imagination run riot and have fun producing something truly unique. I chose to do a butterfly theme so this is my Magnolia Butterfly Card

STAIR STEP FOLD CARD

1. Cut your base cardstock to the size of 10.5 X 5.0 - if you want to stamp on this, now would be the time to do it

2. Score your cardstock at 1.25" - 2.5" - 4.25", 6" and at 8.25". When scoring remember to flip the paper back and forward when creating the score lines for the hills and valleys, it will make it easier to fold in the right direction and less chance of tearing. The smallest 1.25" fold is folded down as this forms the front of the card. See the card above to show the direction of the folds. If you want to mat and layer your base - glue or stitch this first before you score your cardstock.

3. At this stage if you want to, you can turn your card on its side (as in Dawn's card) this is called Accordian fold as opposed to Stair Step Fold.

4. You now start to add your design - it can be stamped images, punched images, stickers, cut-outs, the choice is yours - decorate to your hearts' content.

5. Remember that if you are giving your card away as a gift, you will need to tidy up the back of any images standing proud of the fold lines. If you are stamping and colouring your images, paste a patterned sheet to the back of your stamped image page before you cut it out, then when you do cut around it, you will have a pattern on the back that looks clean and pretty when viewed from the rear

6. To keep your Stair step fold card closed - there are many pretty ways to do this by adding ribbon detail. My example below is done simply by folding a piece of ribbon right around the closed card and marking with 2 pins where the ribbon joins at the rear. I then stitched it on the sewing machine and added a pretty bow to the front. This now slides off completely to allow the card to be opened, but can be fully closed and held in place by the ribbon band

Hope this gives you enough detail to create your Stair Step Fold card - I have given a detailed breakdown on the make-up on this card on my blog if you need more information

Have fun, Ann xx

COLOURING STRAIGHT HAIR WITH COPIC MARKER PENS

Our third Tutorial if colouring straight hair with Copic Markers and over now to Marianne who is a product specialist for Copic Markers, and has a fantastic blog I Like Markers, where she shares her knowledge and expertise on the art of colouring using Copic pens. This week Marianne covers the tricky art of colouring straight hair ........

To really get nice looking hair you have to understand a few things about hair:
• Hair is not all one color
• Hair catches light in small clumps, not flat
• Healthy hair is shiny, and shiny things have more contrast
• Hair has layers, a front side, a backside, and it curves around your head

When coloring hair, keep in mind:
• ALWAYS color in the direction the hair grows
• Streaks are OK, and the back of the paper doesn't need to be soaked.
• Try lots of different color combos until you get the look you want
• Pay attention to where you put your shadows.
• As you layer colors, leave bits of the base color peeking through to give your hair dimension.

As you begin coloring hair you should practice on some scratch paper to get the technique down. I've noticed in my classes that a lot of people have trouble with basic feathering using the brush nib.

This technique is useful for feather blending, making grass, and other basic coloring so if you are not comfortable with feathering I urge you to practice, practice, practice!

I feather by holding the brush at a slight angle and lifting up at the end of each stroke. Consistency is the key. I want each stroke to start in the right place and lift up in the same place as well.

I want my hair to look a nice golden blonde color, so I'm going to lay down a base color of YR21. (Other good pale blonde base colors include Y00, Y11, Y21, YR31, though you should experiment on your own). You can see that with one color her hair looks OK, but it's not very exciting.

To make the hair appear shiny I am leaving highlights along the sunny front edge of the hair, and along the top of her head where the hair curves down to hang straight. The hair will be slightly darker on the shadow side of her head and down behind her head along the back of her neck. Now I can accent her hair and darken it up by adding streaks of Y28. To get thinner streaks I hold the marker more vertical and use only the finest tip of the brush. I deepen the darkest shadow areas by letting the base colors dry then adding another layer of color. Always color in streaks and leave some of the lighter areas show through. This keeps the hair from looking too flat.

Notice how the darker yellow really tones down the hair. Now it looks more believable as a hair color and you can see shape of her head better. I hope this helps you as you color. Have a great day!

We hope that you enjoyed the tutorials this week, and remember you can print of the Tutorial section in isolation if you want to refer back to them as you create your card and colour your images.

HINTS AND TIPS

2009-06-22T08:16:00.001+01:00

Did you know???

1. When mounting your stamps onto Kling-on or Eazi Mount - after sticking your stamp to the mount but before cutting, sprinkle talcum powder or flour on to the edges of the sheet alongside the stamp so that the scissors do not stick to the sheet quite so much when cutting.

2. If you do get sticky scissors from double sided tape or glues, use Nail varnish remover or White Spirit on your scissors to clean.

3. To sharpen your punches - punch through baking foil or very fine sand paper.

4. To change the colour of buttons try using some embossing powder - this can give a sparkly effect on metal or plastic.

Hyperlinking your Challenge entry

When you post your challenge entries in the comments section would you please try to add a direct link to your entry to make it easier for people to go to it direct and leave a comment. If you do struggle please do a copy and paste - but it does sometimes deter people from visiting if they have to deviate away from the blog page to do this.

1. First open up your blog page with the Challenge entry on the page and then right at very top of the page you will see the address of the blog page starting with http:// etc etc.

2 .Highlight your address bar by right clicking and select copy from the drop down menu. Now open up a Word document and just copy the address bar to the blank page.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY HINTS AND TIPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

Please do not be shy - take the time to post your hints below - every one will have a value to someone.

GRAB SOME STASH

2009-06-22T08:15:00.003+01:00

We have been on the scout around again this week to find you some really gorgeous freebie downloads and we hope you will not be disappointed with what we have found.

First paper set is from Raspberry Road and is called Garden Rose - click HERE to go direct to the page. You will need to register to go through checkout, but it is totally free of charge.

This is the matching Elements Kit to go with the paper pack, again from Raspberry Road. Click HERE to go direct to the page.

Another Raspberry Road paper pack, Butterfly Dreams a really lovely pack with pretty papers some having butterfly detail. Again click HERE to go direct to the page.

A great flower doodle that can be used in many ways. This is from The Little Scrap Garden. Click HERE to go direct to their page

Have fun everyone - and if you spot some great freebies out there, tell us about your find in the comments box below.

WHAT'S NEW OUT THERE?

2009-06-22T08:13:00.001+01:00

HAVE YOUR SAY !!!

2009-06-22T08:12:00.001+01:00

SPONSORING THE NEXT LEVEL

2009-06-22T08:11:00.002+01:00

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 3

2009-06-15T08:51:00.006+01:00

Well here we are on Issue 3 of The Next Level - doesn't time fly!!!! Again a massive thank you for your tremendous support - each day the number of Followers increases and the Challenge entries continue to grow.

Thanks also for your feedback, not only in the Comments section of the Issue, but also in the Poll that we are running on the sidebar just to make sure that we are on track with the content that you are looking for. It is clear that you love the Techniques and Tutorials and we have lots of these in store for you. This week we have an excellent Tutorial from Mindy, one of our Design Team members on water based colouring of your images - and whilst we have not linked this in with the Challenge for this week specifically - it is something you will find lots of use for in the future.

We will make sure that we continue to introduce lots of new ideas into our Challenges alongside some of the favourites, but there will always be something new for you all. We hope you found the clickable links useful and helped you to navigate around last week and these will continue every week from now on.

So below is the Index for Issue 3 - packed with lots of activities and ideas for you to go create and remember please to keep giving us feedback so we can be sure we are delivering the right content.

Ann and Dawn xxx

Announcements

Sponsors and Prizes of the Week

Challenge of the Week

Hints and Tips

Tutorials

Grab some Stash

What's New out There?

Have your Say

Sponsoring the Next Level

Issue 2 Prize Winners

Our two prize winners this week, chosen at random based upon number allocated at time of entry - the first selected is Cindy from Royal Things blog - congratulations Cindy you win one of the gorgeous Gingerbread Joy stamp sets from Waltzingmouse Stamps.

The second winner selected is Helen from Ellephantastic Cards and Crafts. Congratulations Helen you win the Making Memories Ribbon slot punch tool from Scrap Revolution .

Could you both please e-mail us at The Next Level so that we can arrange for you to receive your prizes.

Weekly Guest Design Team Announcement

Another fantastic week of Challenge entries, making it extremely difficult just to make one choice for the Weekly feature Guest Design Team member. However in the end, we both agreed that we would love to feature the work of Linda from The Funkie Junkie - Congratulations Linda, we would love you to join us for Issue 5 and we will be in touch with you shortly.

If you remember last week we chose two Guests for the coming Issues, and we have Kim as our feature designer this week and Scrapmumur will be the feature designer in Issur 4 next week.

From the Challenge entries this week we will be choosing the feature Guest Designer for Issue 6, so lets see lots of entries from you all - we have one of your favourite Challenges this week, a Sketch, with lots of interesting detail.

SPONSORS AND PRIZES OF THE WEEK

2009-06-15T08:50:00.002+01:00

This week our two sponsors have donated fabulous prizes for the winners of the Challenge.

We will have two winners of the week, drawn randomly on Sunday at 6pm 21st June, based upon number allocated at time of entry.

Our first Sponsor is Simon Says Stamp and they are donating a massive $50 credit voucher to spend on anything in their store. If you click on their name it will take you direct to the shop front where you will see a massive array of goodies available to you, including favourites like Magnolia and Whiff of Joy stamps, Copic Markers - you choose what you would like - what a great prize.

Our second sponsor of the week is The Artistic Stamper which is also the home of Kling-on Repositionable Cushioning. Clicking on their name will take you along to the shop front where you will see a wonderful selection of crafting items, stamps, and a wealth of products aimed at colouring your images. We have asked Jennie to feature a prize this week linked in with Mindy's tutorial on aqua painting and she has donated a great prize consisting of 2 Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads, Tim Holtz embossing powder and a tool - so you can start to try out new colouring mediums that perhaps you have not tried before. Jennie has also produced a really good video on the correct way to mount your unmounted stamps using Kling-On Repositionable Cushioning and this is contained in our Hints and Tips section this week so please go and check it out.

A massive thank you to both of our sponsors this week for your generosity.

The winners of this week's prizes will be announced under the Announcements section of Issue 4 out next Monday. They will be chosen by random number selection based upon the number allocated at the time of posting their challenge entry.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

2009-06-15T08:49:00.004+01:00

Our Challenge of the week is our first sketch at The Next Level. We wanted to give you something that was a little challenging but appealing hopefully to everyone at all levels. The sketch features an arched pocket and inserted into this is a removable tag.

If you click on the Design Team members names above their cards you will visit their own blogs and see how they have interpreted the sketch. Some have an arched front to their card and others have built in the arched shape in the matting and layering. The choice is yours - be as creative as you like.

To assist you we have prepared 2 templates, by clicking on the links below you will be able to display the actual size Sketch and the arch front template. When you click the link and the picture appears, right click and save to your desktop. Please make sure that when you send the images to your printer your printer is set to print at actual size and does not make any alterations. This way you can clearly see each dimension to assist you in creating your card.

Sketch Template

Arch Template

Design Team Creations

A stunning collection of cards from the Design team to hopefully give your inspiration and ideas for your cards. Click on the photographs to open them up in a large format so that you can see all the detail.

Thank you also to Kim our Guest Designer of the Week who has produced a stunning creation for us - Many thanks Kim xx.

.

Beth

Mindy

True

Please post your links and comments below

Closing date for entries to be in for the prize draw is Sunday 21st June 6pm UK time, but of course you can keep your entries coming in after that time to share with everyone if you wish to. The tutorial on how to post a link is under Hints and Tips - Enjoy!!

HINTS AND TIPS

2009-06-15T08:48:00.001+01:00

Copic Markers - What can these be used for? - You would be surprised !!!!!

1. They can be used on bling stones to re-colour them to. cordinate with your project

2. They can also be used to colour ribbons to cordinate with your card

3. They can be used to colour your Prima flowers

4. Use them to colour hard acrylic to make a stained glass affect

5. They can be used to colour you metal charms and embellishments

6. If get copic ink on your hands while colouring you can use the colourless blender pen to remove it

Fraying Ribbons

A great tip from Mindy - When crafting with ribbon you always have to be careful of your ends fraying, but that can easily be remedied by taking a cigarette lighter and just slightly edging it through the flame it will seal the ends and prevents fray. Test this technique out on your scrap ribbon first.

Digital Printing - Planning your design

To save money when you are printing digital design papers - it is a good idea to pull all your papers together in your software editing programme and then make up a page of the various papers you like. This was you can easily see if they actually sit well together and also it enables you to then cut out the squares of individual papers and then place them side by side and overlap them to see how they would look in your design. This way you only print what you need and there is no waste.

When you add this to the tip I gave last week about sizing your paper for your card before you sent it to the printer, you really are being extremely frugal with your paper and printer inks, so it really does work out cost effective.

To give an example of the theory above, here is a copy of the sample page I put together for my DT card this week. You can see from this how I narrowed down what I would use and not.

Hope this helps. Ann x

UPDATE/FIX on Blogger Viewing Issues

Blogger have identified that the issues with the Operation Abort error message in Internet Explorer is due to the Followers link being on the sidebar. They are trying to find a resolve for this but in the meantime they are saying that first move the Followers further down your sidebar, do not keep it near the top, this may resolve the issue. If this does not work then remove it for the time being until they have a fix. The problem occurs not only on your own blog but when you log onto any other blog that has the Followers link near the top of the page, that is probably why we keep getting the error message. Remember that if you are visiting a blog that gets the error message, click ok to the error message, and on the white page click the back button on your browser, this seems to allow the page to load and you can move around as normal.

Creating a hyperlink on your Challenge entries.

Below is a tutorial on how to create a Link to make it easy for everyone to quickly click to visit your blog page.

When you post your challenge entries in the comments section would you please add a direct link to your blog page to make it easier for people to just click on the link to visit you without the need to copy and paste into the address bar. This is quite a simple process (when you have got used to it) so here are some guidelines on how to do it.

1. First open up your blog page with the Challenge entry on the page and then at the top of the title bar you should see your own blog page starting with http:// etc etc.

2 .Highlight your address bar by right clicking and select copy from the drop down menu.

3. Until you are used to creating the link, it is best that you open up a word document and then carefully type in the exact line as below. Then remove the letters URL and in their place insert your blog address bar by pasting this into the line in between the inverted commas - make sure that you do not delete these - they are needed to make the link work. You may find it simpler then each week just to go back to where you saved this link and just copy and change the URL section to link in with the relevant page of your blog and then you are ready to copy and paste your link again on the comments page.

4. It is always worth previewing your entry on the comments page before you publish it just to make sure that it appears as a hyperlink so you know it will run properly - it should just show the words Here's my entry with no other detail.

TUTORIALS - COLOUR TECHNIQUES - WATER BASED PAINTS

2009-06-15T08:47:00.001+01:00

This week in the Tutorials, we would like to feature colouring your stamped images using aqua/water based paints. Examples of these are Stampin Up, Tim Holtz distressed inks and many more you will find available. This is the preferred colouring medium used by Mindy, one of Design Team members and her colouring is just superb. So she has prepared the tutorial to give you an insight of how she lays down the colour to achieve the finished effect which can be seen on her DT card for this week's challenge.

So here it is............

MINDY'S TUTORIAL ON PAINTING WITH AQUA/WATER BASED PAINTS

1. First of all gather together all of your supplies. Stamp your image - Stazon works the best when using water paints. Also for best results try to use Watercolour paper if you have some to get a soft effect - you can try other card types - but watercolour will give the best results.

2. I have already coloured all of the image except the dress. I will now detail how to complete the shading and colouring of the dress.

3. I started with the ruffles at the bottom and the neck - dip your aqua painter/brush in the lid of your stamp pad or just touch gently the pad itself. I started at the ends of the ruffles moving in towards the centre of the dress, the color will start to fade.

4. Let dry and repeat - only this time do not move all the way to the centre.

5. Next outline the dress in your desired colour and let this dry.

6. Start your colouring again at the end of the dress, this time moving in towards the centre . See how the color fades. *hint* Try to move the aqua painter in the same direction when blending to avoid lines.

7. Finish the entire dress.

8. Dont forget to color darker under her arms

9. When dry, you are going to put another layer of color on the outer part of the dress to add a little more definition. Remember not to blend all the way to the centre - just a tiny bit inwards. See here I have completed this on the left hand side of the image above.

10. After you have done the entire outside of the dress again you are finished!

And here is the completed card I made for the Challenge this week showing the image - I hope you found this tutorial helpful and if you have not already tried using water based paints - give it a try- you will love it.
Mindy xxx

GRAB SOME STASH

2009-06-15T08:46:00.003+01:00

We have been on the scout around again this week to find you some really gorgeous freebie downloads and below you will find some beauties. Check out the Hints and Tips section with another idea on how to get the best use out of your digital downloads and to keep printing costs to a minimum when designing your cards.

This gorgeous paper pack and the one below is from Raspberry Road Designs. You will need to add this to the Shopping Cart and register, but when you go to checkout there is absolutely no charge and you download totally for free. Click HERE to go direct to this pack. We think you will find however that when you do pop along there you will be very impressed by their collections, all at top class value.

Another gorgeous pack from Raspberry Road Designs, click HERE to go straight to this pack. You will need to proceed through checkout as above - but totally free

Another stunning kit from Summer Driggs - click HERE to take you direct to the download

A free kit from Two Peas in a Bucket. A great set complete with swirls, frames and fancy edge papers. Click HERE to go straight to the download.

Have fun xx

WHAT’S NEW OUT THERE?

2009-06-15T08:45:00.001+01:00

HAVE YOUR SAY!!!

2009-06-15T08:44:00.005+01:00

SPONSORING THE NEXT LEVEL

2009-06-15T08:44:00.004+01:00

THE NEXT LEVEL - WE NEED YOUR VOTE!!!!

2009-06-12T08:27:00.000+01:00

Well its nearly the weekend and you have been really busy creating some fantatic challenge entries - so keep them coming in over the weekend - you have until 6pm on Sunday to get your entries in to qualify for the prize draw.

We would like some feedback from you on what type of Challenges you would like to see over the coming weeks. We had great feedback from you all before our opening issue and we have lots of ideas on the table - but we really want to make sure we are hitting 'all the right buttons' so far as you are all concerned.

We have put a Voting Button on the side bar which will give you a chance to tell us what you want to see. If you select 'Something Else' please pop down to the Have your Say section of the Issue and tell us what that looks like.

If you are visiting us for the first time this week, scroll down to Issue 2 below.

Ann and Dawn xxx

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 2

2009-06-08T08:40:00.015+01:00

What a brilliant first week we have had at The Next Level and what a tremendously positive response from everyone - it really does spur us on to hopefully bigger and better things. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the Lollipop Flower challenge of last week and we really did appreciate the wealth of feedback comments - please keep these coming, they really do help us shape the future editions of The Next Level.

One change we have made this week is to make the Index headings at the start of the Magazine a clickable link to take you direct to that section of the Issue. We hope this well help you when you want to navigate quickly to a specific area to read or place a comment.

So, onwards and upwards, hopefully another full action packed edition of The Next Level for you to browse and practice out your skills and to try out a few new techniques along the way.

Announcements

Sponsors and Prizes for the Week

Challenge of the Week

Hints and Tips

Tutorials

Grab Some Stash

What's New Out there?

Have your Say

Sponsoring the Next Level

Issue 1 Prize Winners

It was a little difficult this week to complete the prize draw based on number allocated at the time of the challenge entry as we had a few posted into different comment sections. We realise that the layout last week may have been a little confusing, but hopefully we have corrected this in Issue 2 and have made sure that the challenge entries comments section appears directly after the Challenge detail itself.

Our first winner is - Michelle from Michelle's Makes- well done Michelle, you win the Sir Stampalot goodies. Second winner is Debbie otherwise known as Artycrafty - Debbie wins the $15 voucher from Digichick. Congratulations Ladies, could you both please e-mail us at The Next Level so that we can arrange for you to receive your prizes.

Weekly Guest Design Team Announcement

We had two very difficult decisions to make this week, the first was who to choose from the fantastic array of cards you all contributed to the Challenge last week - and the second was to decide upon how quickly we would want the Weekly Guest Designer to be able to contribute into an edition of The Next Level following the Monday announcement. We felt that a 2 week period was necessary to allow the Guest to have sufficient time to prepare their contribution, so this will be the timescale that we will be working on in the future. This decision however would have meant we did not have a Guest for next week's edition, so we have chosen two Guests from last week's entries and would hope that we can make an exception for a 1 week gap for our first Guest to appear next week.

So we would like Kim to join us next week in Issue 3 and Scrapmumur to join us the following week in Issue 4. We hope you are both happy to become our Weekly Guest Designers and we will shortly be in touch with your respective Challenges.

From the Challenge entries we receive this week, we will announce a new Guest in next Monday's edition to appear in Issue 5.

SPONSORS AND PRIZES OF THE WEEK

2009-06-08T08:40:00.005+01:00

This week we have two fantastic Sponsors with prizes that we have linked in with the Challenge this week.

Claire Brennan from Waltzingmouse Stamps is the creator of the Ribbon Border technique and Claire has agreed that we can use her design and tutorial as the theme for the Challenge 2. Claire has produced a special card she has made using this technique as part of her prize, but the highlight of her prize package this week is a choice of one of her beautiful new range of stamp sets that she has created. For those who cannot wait to see if they win the prize, click on the link above to go and visit Claire's webshop to get more detail on how you can purchase these lovely sets.

Our second sponsor of the week is Scrap Revolution. Just click on their name link to go and check out their fully stocked website shop - there are so many goodies here - you would never know where to start. They are more than happy to ship worldwide and this could be of importance especially this week as their prize is the Making Memories Ribbon Slot Punch tool, which was especially selected to feature alongside the Challenge for this week. This tool perfectly cuts slots of varying sizes for ribbons and a half moon closure. This item is now extremely hard to find Worldwide, but they are able to supply these - so if you cannot wait to see if you win the prize - check out their shop - but move quickly before they all go!!

The winners of these fantastic prizes will be announced under the Announcements section of Issue 3 out next Monday. The winners will be chosen by random number selection based upon the number allocated at the time of posting their challenge entry.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK

2009-06-08T08:39:00.005+01:00

This week we are featuring the Ribbon Border as designed by Claire Brennan, one of our sponsors this week. You can create a card of any shape or size but your image must be enclosed by the Ribbon Border frame - that is it, the criteria for the Challenge this week.

Claire's brief instructions on how to create Ribbon Border

First of all create 4 slots in your card allowing sufficient space around your stamped or design image for your ribbon border. I did this using the Making Memories Ribbon Slot tool as this was just the right size to allow two thicknesses of ribbon to be threaded through. These slots are positioned diagonally across the corners. Take a piece of ribbon slightly longer than the distance between two slots and tie a knot in the middle, pulling tight. then slip the ends through the slots. Check the front to make sure the knot lay midway between the two slots before sticking the ends of the ribbon down. So simple. Here is a photo of the reverse to show you how it is constructed.
As an alternative to the Ribbon Slot Punch tool you could use a craft knife, but instead of just cutting a slit - actually cut out a skinny rectangle, the ribbon will need a little room. To find out what length to cut your skinny rectangle, look at your ribbon. Take a ruler and measure across the width of your ribbon at a 45 degree angle. Cut your skinny rectangle just short of this measurement so that the ribbon fills it nicely.

Design Team Creations

Our newly formed Design Team members have really done us proud this week with their stunning creations - so take a look below to see their interpretation of the Challenge this week and hopefully give you some inspiration. A special thank you to Fern, who is our first Weekly Guest Designer, she has made us a very beautiful card. If you click on the cards themselves they will open up in a new window so you can get a real close up of the detail. If you click on the Designer's name directly above the photographs you will go to their own blogs where there will be more detail on their work with additional photographs.

Abby

Ann

Beth

Dawn

Debbie

Fern (Guest Designer of the Week)

Mindy

True

Please post your links and comments below

Closing date for entries to be in for the prize draw is Sunday 14th June 6pm UK time, but of course you can keep your entries coming in after that time to share with everyone if you wish to. The tutorial on how to post a link is under Hints and Tips - Enjoy!!

HINTS AND TIPS

2009-06-08T08:38:00.002+01:00

Printing digital papers - Cost v. Convenience.

Hi, Ann here - I just wanted to answer a question that I get asked alot about the cost of printing digital papers. As most of you know that visit my blog, all of my designer papers are printed from digital downloads. When I first started to do this, I could not decide which papers to use so I used to print off a selection and then make up my design - well as you can appreciate this can get quite expensive, especially when you only use half of them. So I decided to spend more time creating a plan of my creation - in quite infinite detail before I printed anything off at all.

When I matt and layer my papers, I measure each element and then I image each one to the correct size and print off to size, this way I can get at least two different designs on 1 A4 sheet of paper if I were making a 6 x 6 inch card. I do tend to complete the inside of my cards and make matching envelopes, so you really have to plan each stage - but the beauty of doing it this way is that I am able to create a file on my computer for the creation I am making, right down to the paper size and design for each element, so that if I want to create another one, you are able to print everything off right to size - so you just need a good paper trimmer and you are away.

So, downloading digital papers can really be a great option, it allows me to change the colours, the pattern size, overlay designs, and print off just the amount I want without wasting too much of that really expensive ink. Hope this helps. xx

Installing new Fonts on your Computer

This week in the Grab Some Stash section we have some fantastic free fonts for you to download. Here is the instructions of what to do with them when you have the downloaded the font file.

Click on the download button link and click to save to your desktop on your computer. Right click on the file and select copy. Navigate on your computer to Control Panel – then to the Fonts folder. Open this and then click on Edit and Paste. The font you have downloaded will then be saved into your Fonts Folder.
When you next open your Word document click on the top bar and scroll down the font list until you see the name of the font you have downloaded and select it - it is as simple as that.

UPDATE/FIX on Blogger Viewing Issues

Creating a hyperlink on your Challenge entries.

Below is a tutorial on how to create a Link to make it easy for everyone to quickly click to visit your blog page.

1. First open up your blog page with the Challenge entry on the page and then at the top of the title bar you should see your own blog page starting with http:// etc etc.

2 .Highlight your address bar by right clicking and select copy from the drop down menu.

TUTORIAL - STITCHING ON YOUR CARDS

2009-06-08T08:37:00.003+01:00

There are a number of ways to add stitching detail to your project:-

1. Using a digital image
2. Hand drawn directly onto your paper
3. With a sewing machine.

This week our range of tutorials will walk you through each of the above techniques so if it is something you have been afraid to try in the past hopefully you will get the confidence to try it out in the future - who knows - it may be part of one of the forthcoming challenges? Click on the photographs to open up the images so you can get a close up of the detail.

1. Using a Digital image

Digital stitching is a very effective 'cheats' way of creating really good lifelike results - so if you have not tried it yet, it is worth a try.

Below is an example of a card that Ann made which features all digital stitches, you can see from this how effective they look.

The secret to digital stitching is identifying your paper size that you are going to be using as exact as possible and then cutting and pasting the stitches in your digital programme to size to fit your paper. You can rotate the row vertically to do the sides and horizontally to do the top and bottom. You can tidy the ends of each row up with your digital rubber.

Maria from MollynMax Digital Scrapbooking has produced a freebie download file of some great stitches. The download file below consists of really good cross stitch and straight stitch transparent files for you to download and open in your digital imaging programme. Photoshop and Elements users will be fine with this file, but with other programmes just download and check compatibility.

Click HERE to take you direct to the download site, just click Download now, then wait for the countdown to show - Click now to download this file, and then click save on the next instruction – this will save the file to your computer. The stitches are in white, but if you wish to change these, follow the tutorial from The Next Level - Issue 1, where Summer Driggs taught us how to change colour using the Selective colour tool.

2. Hand drawn directly onto Paper

Hand drawn stitches can be really effective, and Dawn has demonstated this below.

Dawn uses a sharp pencil or coloured hard crayon pencil to match the papers and does small 'v' shaped lines, making sure that they go over the edge of the paper to the matted layer beneath and this is what really makes it look effective - the good thing about this technique is if you are not happy with the effect or you make a mistake, you can just 'rub it out'!!

Here is a card that Dawn has made completed with faux pencil stitches, really effective I think you will agree

3. Using a Sewing Machine

True, one of our DT members has put together a fantastic tutorial covering this to give you confidence to get out your sewing machines. If you pop along to True's blog (see link on our sidebar) you will see the beautifully detailed stitching she does on her cards, and she has prepared a really detailed tutorial of how she achieves the beautiful results that she does. Here it is........

Sewing on cards is not much different to sewing cloth except you need to make sure your stitching is spaced far enough apart so that it doesn’t end up cutting your paper by means of perforations. It does not matter what size needle you use. It just depends on the size of hole you want it to leave. I prefer to use a size 14 needle because I think the larger holes add an extra element to the card. I also have my bottom tension a little tighter then my top and that is because I am lazy! I hate changing the bobbin color every time I change thread colors and by having the tighter bobbin tension, which pulls the top stitch down farther, I can use white bobbin thread for all colors and it will not show in the holes. You don’t want the tensions so tight that it pulls and tears the paper at the holes or so loose that you get loops. All machines are a little different so you will want to try yours on a couple of pieces of scrap cardstock and make any adjustments if needed before sewing your card pieces. My top tension is set at 4 and my bottom at mid. You might try that as a starting point.

There are many stitches and ways to sew on cards but today I am going to share with you the way I feel is the easiest to keep a straight line. This seems to be the biggest struggle for most people when they first start sewing on paper. We will be doing a zig-zag stitch. My stitch length is set on ½ and width is 3 but you can play around and see what size you prefer. For this technique, you will not be sewing directly on the card so no stitches will show on the inside. You will need two pieces of cardstock or extra heavy weight designer paper. Thin paper does not work well for sewing. Your top piece needs to be at least ¼” smaller then your bottom paper. Once you have decided what placement you like, secure the pieces together with double sided tape or glue runner. You just need to do this in a few spots and try to place it so that it won’t be where you are stitching. Sewing through tape will gum up your needle and machine!

It is very important that you start your needle at the very tip of the corner on your top piece of cardstock, and that your needle is on the RIGHT side of the presser foot.

Start slowly at first using the edge of the top piece as your guide. Each time the needle hits the paper, you want it to be right on the edge. Slow way down when you get to the corner. Try stopping perfectly even with the edge of the next side, with your needle again on the farthest RIGHT. If it doesn’t happen to fall that way, you can lift the presser foot and needle and reposition it exactly on the corner, then lower your foot and needle back down.

When you turn the cardstock to start your next side, leave the needle down and just lift the foot and spin the cardstock, then drop the foot back down. Continue to sew all sides in this same manner. To end, just stop even with the farthest edge of the stitching on the first side. (Do not back up the thread to secure lock like you would when sewing cloth). Lift the presser foot and carefully remove the cardstock. You might want to pull some of the thread out of the machine with your fingers while pulling the cardstock to keep from tearing.

Flip the card over and gently pull the two bobbin threads and scrape your nail against the area where they come thru the paper a few times until at least one of the top threads comes through. (If only one does that is ok. That just means the other has been stitched over and is already secure). Tape all 3 (or 4) pieces of thread to the back of your card

If there is still a top thread on the right side of your project, just carefully trim it as close to the paper as you can. You might want to put a very small drop of glue at the point where the thread comes through the back of the cardstock, just to double secure it. This can be done now or as you are gluing it to your card.

You are now ready to attach it to your card, ether by gluing, sticky strips or double sided dimensional tape. Note: if you will be using brads or anything that will go through this layer, do it before attaching to card so they don’t show on the inside. If you would like, you can also finish the insides of your cards with the same process ................

A brilliant tutorial True, and here is the finished card she prepared, just stunning.

So lets see you practising those stitches on your cards, whichever method you use, and please let us know if you found these tutorials helpful.

GRAB SOME STASH

2009-06-08T08:36:00.006+01:00

Well everyone seemed to like this section in The Next Level Issue 1, so we have scouted around to see what else we can find out there that would definitely be worth a download. If you are unsure about the Cost of Digital Printing please check out the Hints and Tips section, where I have give advice on how to keep costs to a minimum and get maximum benefits.
So this week we have lots of lovely goodies for you to go and grab, quite a mixture - hope you like them.

A really beautiful download papers and embellishments set from Retrodiva Designs, they feature some really beautiful digital products - click HERE for the download page for this product

This is a fantastic freebie paper and embellishments pack from Shabby Princess, a really great site to visit for digital supplies. Click on this link HERE to take you to the download page.

Another lovely pack, again from Shabby Princess - click on the link HERE to take you to the download page.

A fantastic freebie Font is available for download from Two Peas in a Bucket, this would make a great addition for your creations. Click HERE to go to the download page for this font and the one below - and many other fonts available free for download.

The above free fonts are just 2 of 24 available free from the link above.
Please look under Hints and Tips for guidance on how to install the free fonts on your Computer.

We carried a feature in the Tutorials section this week on ways to use stitches in your cardmaking including digital, click the link HERE to get this great set from MollynMax Blogspot

We hope you are enjoying the download links - if you are unsure about the cost of printing digital papers, go and have a look at the Hints and Tips page for my comments on this.

Have fun xx

WHAT'S NEW OUT THERE?

2009-06-08T08:36:00.005+01:00

HAVE YOUR SAY !!!

2009-06-08T08:35:00.003+01:00

SPONSORING THE NEXT LEVEL

2009-06-08T08:34:00.001+01:00

THE NEXT LEVEL - ISSUE 1 - UPDATE

2009-06-05T09:07:00.001+01:00

We just wanted to do a brief update on this week's issue of The Next Level for clarification on timescale for posting your entries this week to qualify for the gorgeous prizes on offer.

Please have your entry posted under the heading 'Challenge Entries and Comments'. We appreciate that there has been a little confusion this week as to the section in which to post your entries and we have ironed this out for our Issue 2 due out on Monday. The timeline for your entries is Sunday 7th June, 6pm UK time. Good luck everyone.

Update on Blogger issue with the Operation Abort error message - they have still not rectified the problem, but know now that it is due to the Followers entry in the sidebar. Their recommendations are to move it lower down your sidebar as close to the bottom as you can and if this does not work then remove for the time being. The problem is here that whilst this may work for you getting onto your own blog, every blog you go onto that has a Followers banner you will have the same problem until they amend their own page. We have left The Next Level Followers near the top as we have not had any reported issues on getting onto our pages, but please let us know if you do.

Lots more time left now to enter our Challenge this week, with super prizes on offer. Remeber we will also be selecting a Guest Design Team member from the entries this week also. Scroll down to the main Issue below to read all about it if you are visiting us for the first time.

Have a great weekend everyone. Ann and Dawn xx

THE NEXT LEVEL – ISSUE 1

2009-06-01T05:58:00.006+01:00

Welcome to the first issue of The Next Level, a magazine style read designed to be more than a weekly Challenge blog, but a meeting place for you all to dip into and out of during the week to try out new ideas, tutorials, hints and tips and downloads in addition to the weekly Challenge. We also want you to be a part of The Next Level and have an input into it every week, so we have two sections at the end of the issue called - What's New Out There and Have your Say - more details later on. We have had such a massive support from everyone over the two week build up to launch day, you have been amazing and thanks to you spreading the word, we now have over 700 Followers, which has far exceeded our wildest expectations.

So here we go - here is the content of your Issue 1 Magazine this week:-

Blog Candy Winners

Design Team Announcements

Sponsors and Prizes for the Challenge this week

Challenge of the Week

Hints and Tips

Tutorials

Grab Some Stash

Your Challenge entries

What's New Out There

Have your Say

Sponsoring The Next Level

The Blog Candy winners this week are Follower No. 505 Louby who wins the first pack of designer papers, ribbons and embellishments and the second Blog Candy winner is Kristyn - Follower No. 199 - who wins the chocolate and pink paper and embellishment pack. These numbers were selected at random. Congratulations Louby and Kristyn - we will be in touch with you to arrange to send out your packs.

Design Team Members. We had over 200 applications for the Guest Design Team so you can image what a hard job it was to choose the team that will take us into the next 8 weeks, but we got there eventually. The team were chosen to bring a different design approach and speciality to The Next Level so that there would hopefully always be a new and different interpretation each week to the Challenge project. The team will be supporting us each week for the next 8 weeks and also over the coming weeks there will be a weekly feature tutorial from each Design Team member so that they can share their knowledge with you - so here they are :-

Abby, True, Mindy, Debbie, and Beth. Clicking on their names will take you along to their own blog sites so that you can see their beautiful creations. We found it so very difficult to chose just 4 which was the original idea, so we decided upon. However, we have an extra twist, each week we will choose one Challenge card/project that we particularly love, and that person will be invited to become a Guest DT member for one week. They will have a two week heads up on the forthcoming Challenge design to give plenty of time to be creative and will feature for just that one week alongside the rest of the full Design Team. Our very first One Week Guest is an amazing 11 year old, Fern, who absolutely inspired us with her beautiful creations, please go along and visit her blog, you will see what we mean. So next week, you will see the full Design team in operation, with Fern as the Guest, so lots of ideas for the Challenge for Week 2 and beyond.

This week we have two fantastic prizes generously donated from our Sponsors for the week. First is a package from SirStampalot which includes 4 double sided sheets of My Mind's Eye Pretty Please designer papers, Art Impressions Front and Back stamps Annie and Peter, (Annie is featured on Ann's card this week) two lengths of ric-rac ribbons and a pack of brads. Please click on the link to visit their fantastic website - a crafter's dream.

Our second Sponsors of the week are a fantastic Digital Download site The Digichick where you will find so much inspiration for digital fans out there, and even if you are not yet into digital papers and design, maybe now is the time to 'dip your toe into the water' They are donating a $15 voucher to be used on a download of your choice - click on the link to see what a brilliant choice you will have. Both Ann and Dawn have used papers from The Digichick this week in their design creations. Here is an idea of what is on offer :- So now we have given you a taste of the prizes on offer this week, let us move on to the Challenge for the week ahead - we hope it inspires you and really makes you think.

Our very first Challenge is to make an Aperture/Cut out Card - that is a card with an opening in the front. There are no restrictions on the size of the opening, where it is placed, or the size and shape of your card - you decide. We felt that by giving you this flexibility we will all hopefully see a wide range of different ideas and styles that we can share and gain new inspiration from in our own future creations. There is one additional compulsory element though - your card must have your own hand made faux Prima Lollipop flower/flowers on it. These flowers are really pretty, and quite easy to make. We had originally added a UTube video as a tutorial but unfortunately there has been problems with linking to this, however the photograph tutorial near the end of this Issue will allow you to read the make-up instructions on-line or print off as you wish. You can use one or any many flowers as you like, you can choose how many layers of papers in your flower and its size - its all down to you.

Posting your entry - Important

We have decided to go with the 'old fashioned' method of posting your entry with a link as there have been so many issues with Mr Linky at the moment.

Please post your challenge entry link under the separate section headed Challenge Comments to be found towards the end of The Next Level issue. This way you can add a brief comment as you add your link. Please follow the tutorial under Hints and Tips on how to create a hyperlink if you are unsure how to do this so that we can come straight to your blog without the need to copy and paste the detail.

The two prizes from our Sponsors this week will be chosen at random by selecting two numbers from the total number of Challenge entries for the week, allocated by entry order and the winners will be announced at the start of next week's issue, together with the Feature Weekly Guest Design team member.

As you know, this week there is just the 2 of us on the Design Team on Issue 1, but next week we will be joined by our 5 new Guest Design team members and our Weekly Guest, so there will be lots more 'variations on a theme' to share with you all - but here are a few items we have prepared for the Challenge this week - clicking on each photo will enlarge it - there are also more details and photos on our individual blogs.

Madge (Ann)

AllPinkGirl (Dawn)

Problems getting around the Blogs due to the Internet Explorer Operation Abort message. Unfortunately Blogger have still not as yet resolved this issue, but there is a workaround for the time being. If you go onto a blog that opens the page momentarily and then the Operation Failed error message appears - Click OK - the page closes and a white screen appears - just click the back browser button and the page should re-load again normally and allow you to move around and leave comments as usual. You may in some instances need to do this a couple of times.

Creating a thicker fold line for your card. If you want to matt and layer the inside of your card, remember that you will need to allow for the extra width when placing your card fold. The best way to do this is find the half way fold line and do two small pencil dots at the centre line top and bottom, and then score two fold lines, one just each side of the centre mark. This then gives the extra space needed and allows you card to close nicely.

Lollipop Flower. A photographed tutorial to support you on the creation of the flowers for this week's Challenge is located near the end of the issue under a separate section so that you can quickly link to this and print it off if you wish to refer to it in addition to the video tutorial.

Creating a hyperlink on your Challenge entries. Below is a tutorial on how to create a Link to make it easy for everyone to quickly click to visit your blog page.

1. First open up your blog page with the Challenge entry on the page and then at the top of the title bar you should see your own blog page starting with http:// etc etc.

2 .Highlight your address bar by right clicking and select copy from the drop down menu.

Changing the colour of your Digital Designer Papers
The beauty of digital paper is that it really does enable you to change the colour, the size and many other features. Summer Driggs has a wonderful blog where she creates the most beautiful packs of digital papers and elements, all free to download, but in addition she has done a tutorial on how to change the colours of your papers to fit in with your theme. Please follow the link below, not only to become more creative with your digital work, but whilst you are there, check out the wonderful packs of papers and embellishments she has available. See more detail on the 'Grab Some Stash' section below.

Here is a sample of a before and after digital paper after following the instructions ....

Before

After

Click on this Link to have a go

Faux Prima Flower Tutorial

Ann has prepared a Tutorial that was put together as she made the Lollipop Flowers this week and you can find this on a separate entry near the end of this week's issue to print off in isolation if you wish to refer to it whilst making your flowers.

This week follow the links below to two really great sources for designer papers and embellishments. Our sponsors The Digichick have a gorgeous freebie paper pack download, so click this link to go direct to download this for free http://www.thehybridchick.com/free-paper-pack/ Whilst you are there however, do stop and browse the gorgeous digital stash at really great prizes, with lots of information too for support and ideas.

Also pop along to Summer Driggs blog, where you will not only find the Selective Colour tool tutorial for this week but a load of great freebie digital papers and embellishments for you download . Here is the latest freebie on offer and the link is ...
http://summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/05/easy-breezy-kit.html

If you like the flower detail and the envelope nameplate on Ann's card this week, this is also a a freebie from Summer called Energy, here is the link http://summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/2008/09/energy-kit.html

Whilst you are visiting Summer's blog, please note that all the packs are free, but if you could spare a moment to read about the donations Summer is looking for please to support the family of a very poor little girl, baby Bree and any small donation would really be greatly appreciated.

TUTORIAL FOR LOLLIPOP FLOWER

2009-06-01T05:50:00.009+01:00

Well this is the first time I have ever made one of these flowers for the challenge this week, but I really enjoyed it and most certainly will be making them again in the future - in fact you will probably get fed up of seeing them on my cards!!!! I decided to do this in addition to the YouTube video, just in case there were any problems in accessing it in readiness for your Challenge creations this week. I have also listed it separately from the main Tutorial section so that it can be printed of in isolation if you want to refer to it whilst making your flowers.

Materials
Gesso – or white emulsion paint
Glimmer Mist – or Perfect Pearls Recipe (see below)
Spray bottle with water if not using Glimmer Mist
Edge Distresser – or scissors
Squares of paper
Brads or buttons

1. Cut your paper, using a range of pretty papers that co-ordinate with your project into rough squares of varying sizes, you will need about 5 or 6 different ones to make a flower approximately 6cm in diameter. Then cut them into rough circles by just cutting off the corners all the way round. Vary the circle sizes to form your flower layers

2. Next use your edge distresser, or if you do not have one of these, open up your scissors and carefully use the jaws of the two blades at the hinge point to pull down the edges of your circles

3. Then pour a very small amount of Gesso (or if you do not have this use a small amount of white matt emulsion and mix with a tiny amount of water) and use your finger just to put a small amount around the edge of your circles. It will dry white so use sparingly or it will cover over the colour of your paper too much.

4. Line up your circles and punch a small hole through the centre all the way through, or use a piercing tool to make the hole. Put a brad through to hold them all together. You can either add your finished brad at this point, or a small brad just to hold them together and add a button or ribbon over the top at the end to finish. Do not close the brad at this point; leave the point so that you can hold it to get a good grip while going through the next step.

5. Start to crumple the papers layer by layer – do not be afraid to really work the papers. Then spray liberally with the Glimmer Mist or your Perfect Pearls alternative mix (see below). If you do not have either of these just use a mist of water. Spray each layer of your circle so that the paper is quite flexible. Then again shape each layer until you get the desired effect.

6. Close the brad when you have finished shaping the flower and then leave to dry.

Alternative to Glimmer Mist
If you do not have Glimmer Mist, get a small spray bottle such as a Mini Mister or travel size spray bottle and put in a 1/4 teaspoon Perfect Pearls (not Pearl-Ex) and 1 ounce water.
Shake the bottle vigorously before you use it as the particles will split out and need to be combined.
Optional: Add additional colour from a reinker if you want a darker spray as opposed to just pearlescent.

Have fun, cheers Ann xxx

CHALLENGE ENTRIES AND COMMENTS

2009-06-01T05:48:00.006+01:00

Please post your brief comments here with your link to your Challenge entries for this week. Please see the Hints and Tips Section for a tutorial on posting a Link.

We cannot wait to see your entries - have fun!!

WHAT’S NEW OUT THERE?

2009-06-01T05:47:00.005+01:00

HAVE YOUR SAY!!!

2009-06-01T05:45:00.004+01:00

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPONSOR THE NEXT LEVEL?

2009-06-01T05:44:00.004+01:00

THE NEXT LEVEL - UPDATE

2009-05-25T08:52:00.008+01:00

One week to go to Launch Day on Monday lst June and your support just continues to grow and grow. It has been a pleasure to visit your blogs over the weekend and to see the logo banners and blog candy really prominently displayed and as a result of you all spreading the word we now have over 600 Followers!!!!!

We are now in the final stages of completing the editorial for the launch issue with features that we think will have you dipping in and out of The Next Level several times during the week - and that is how we have designed it to be - something more than just a Challenge blog. We have also now closed the applications for Design Team members, with over 200 applicants you can imagine what a difficult choice it will be to select the first Guest Design Team. An announcement of the new team will appear on the lst June and their first contributions will appear in the 8th June issue.

A quick hint and tip for those of you who are experiencing the Blogger issue at the moment connected with Internet Explorer in that you are sometimes unables to access blog pages. Whilst Blogger are searching for a solution, to enable you still to get around blogland, after the blog page has loaded and you get the error message 'Internet Explorer cannot open the web site... Operation aborted' - Click ok, then when you have the white screen, click the back button on your browser and this should re-load the page for you. You may sometimes have to do this a couple of times, but doing this very often does allow you to access the blog page eventually and enable you to move around as normal.

Thanks again everyone for your fantastic continued support - we are seeing in the comments section you are all excited and waiting for next Monday - it will soon be here!!! In the meantime if you are visiting The Next Level for the first time please scroll down to see what we are all about and how you are still in with a chance to win the fantastic blog candy on offer.

Dawn and Ann xxxx

THE NEXT LEVEL - UPDATE

2009-05-22T06:00:00.003+01:00

Wow, wow, wow – that is all we can think of to say, we are rendered speechless (well almost – but not quite – knowing us two!!) by your fantastic response to the announcement of the birth of The Next Level. We have been visiting all of your blogs and love to see our logo banners and blog candy prominently displayed. We had hoped to leave a personal note on each one to thank you, but due to the immense response, we hope you will accept this update as our personal thank you as we want to focus our time on what we have in store for you.

With over 500 Followers, we have the makings of an amazing team – and we promise you we have a great start lined up with the first Challenge, just 10 days away, that will hopefully tick quite a few of the boxes of what you have been asking for. We have had lots of e-mails with your wish-lists for the coming weeks and we have tailored our first challenge around some of your favorite ideas. We have also had a tremendous response to the DT call and we plan visiting your blogs in more detail over the coming weekend, with an announcement to be published prior to the launch date, but there is still a little left time for you to register your interest, but please make it soon . So until then, keep sending in those ideas and leaving your comments and we encourage anyone new to visiting the blog to scroll down to read about how we want you to become part of our fantastic team.

A massive thank you again, love Dawn and Ann xxxx

A BRAND NEW CHALLENGE IS BORN

2009-05-17T17:23:00.005+01:00

The Next Level is the exciting new concept of Dawn (All Pink Girl) and Ann (Madgesty - Love to Create) probably better known as blog name Madge. Our aim in designing this new informative style of blog is not only to produce really creative Weekly Challenges that are not tied to any specific brand, but also to explore new avenues, ideas and techniques with a completely fresh approach.

The Next Level will not only be a fun and informative place to hang out for card crafters and scrapbookers of all levels, but it is hoped that it will also become a valuable source of information, hints and tips, tutorials, downloads and much more. We want to cover the craft of traditional card making but also add in a touch of digital, not too much to scare anyone away, but enough to explore the magical world out there at your fingertips for anyone wanting to venture.

We would very much like you all to be part of this new venture and over the next two week countdown to launch day, we need your support in getting us off to a flying start. Here's how we would like you to help:-

1. Please register as a Follower of The Next Level and also leave us a comment below with a link to your own blog if you have one.

2. On your own blog, please spread the word about The Next Level and link people back to our blog with the lure of the fantastic blog candy that will be being awarded on Launch day. Doing this in conjunction with registering as a Follower of the blog will automatically enter you for the big Prize Draw.

3. If you have the time, please e-mail us (see link in sidebar) letting us know if there are any particular elements you would like us to include in the coming weeks’ and also what are your favourite kind of Challenges. We want The Next Level to be your blog as much as it is ours.

4. The Next Level is looking for 4 Guest Design Team Members.
Initially the new guest team will join us for around 8 weeks and then we plan to invite new DT members to join us as the Seasons’ change, to give more people a chance of sharing their creativity. Any level of card maker can apply and no previous design team history is necessary - we would also love to encourage people from the UK and Worldwide. If you are interested in joining our team, please send an e-mail (see link in sidebar) to register your interest together with a link to your blog.

So what about the fantastic Blog Candy that is offfer. Below are the photos of the two stunning prize packs that will be awarded on Launch day, Monday 1st June. Anyone who has registered as a Follower of The Next Level and who also supported us with the promotion of the new blog and prize candy on their own blogs will go into the prize draw. The two winners will be announced as the new Challenge goes live bright and early on the Monday morning.

We really look forward to you joining us on The Next Level and hope that you enjoy becoming a part of it with us.

Dawn and Ann xxxx