RANGER U - THE BIG FINALE

A week ago today, I was "leaving on a jet plane"...headed for what was to be one of THE MOST memorable experiences of my life!

 Here I am at the Ranger mailbox with "Freckles".  This is Hels Sheridan's constant companion.  
He's been everywhere with her...like a Flat Stanley.  Check out her blog today.  Tim is holding Freckles!!

It seemed as though I had just walked through the door for our first day of Ranger U and in fact, it was our third and LAST day.  The "airport girls" all decided that we were going to stage a sit in and not leave when our last session was over!  Either that or spread Matte Multi Medium or Glossy Accents on our rear ends and glue our behinds to the chair....good test to see just how adhesive those two products really are!!!  (smile)

Our last day together was an incredibly informative day.  It was devoted to the complete Adirondak lines of Pigment Inks, Dye Inks, Pigment Pens, Embossing Powders, Color Wash, Alcohol Ink, Paint Dabbers, and the White Opaque Pigment Pen.  Whew!!

Here is what all of our technique tags looked like for just this one day.  

We covered A LOT of material and techniques but it was so enlightening!  I now have a MUCH better understanding of inks and their properties. That has always intimidated me.  What is the difference between a pigment ink, a dye ink, water based vs. oil based and when is something permanent and when is it not?  Now, I get it!!!

I really had not used some of the products in this line all that much.  Again, I was of the mind set that a pigment ink is a pigment ink and Color Wash was not a big deal.  It's just spray dye.  Oh how wrong I was!!  Color Wash is amazing but it is a permanent dye so you have to take some extra precautions when using it.  But, the results are so worth it!

TECHNIQUE TIME...PAINTING WITH ADIRONDAK EMBOSSING POWDERS!!!

 The colors against the black are VIBRANT!  My camera does not do this sample justice.

1.  Using black cardstock gives you dramatic results but it will work on any cardstock!  Stamp your image onto the cardstock using clear embossing ink.

2.  Place your cardstock on a piece of paper or newsprint (to catch any excess powder).  Pinch a very small amount of Adirondack Embossing Powder between your thumb and forefinger and begin sprinkling it onto different sections of your embossed image.  It only takes a little bit of powder for this...REALLY!

3.  Repeat step 2, using multiple colors of embossing powder to cover the entire image.  Just the image, not the entire piece of cardstock.  I can't stress enough how little embossing powder this takes!!

4.  Now for the MAGIC!!  Rather than doing the usual technique of turning the cardstock on one side and gently tapping off the excess powder...you will hold the cardstock FLAT and lightly begin tapping the UNDERSIDE of the cardstock with your fingers.  Move your fingers across the bottom of the tag, gently tapping it.  As you do this, the powder will begin to move and like magic...the image will appear!  It is the coolest thing to watch!!!  Once your image is completely visible, then you can turn the card on it's side and gently remove any excess powder.  The underside tapping allows the colors to mix and "dance".

5.  Heat emboss with a heat tool.  If you over heat this powder, it will begin to turn white...so stop when the colors are vibrant! 

ONE MORE TECHNIQUE TIME...COLOR WASH BRAYERING!!!

 Usually you think of Color Wash as bold splashes of color achieved by simply spraying it on.  Well, here is a great technique for backgrounds using Color Wash that still gives you the vibrant colors but a completely different look.

1.  Spray a little Color Wash on to a craft sheet, creating a palette of several colors. 

2.  Lightly roll a small Inky Roller into a color of ink.  Don't press down hard or you will smoosh the ink off of the brayer.  Just lightly roll it across the color.  

3.  Roll the brayer across the tag.  Repeat with any additional color or colors you choose.  You can blend the colors even more by spraying water on the craft sheet, blending your colors and then running the brayer on to the tag.  Color Wash is water reactive; so water will change the appearance of the colors.

4.  Heat set with a heat tool.  

Throughout Ranger U, Tim told us stories about his beginnings in the industry and some of the funny things that have happened to him along the way.  He is hysterical; a great story teller.

No, he's not doing a monkey imitation here.  He was telling us about a really funny experience that happened to him involving some bright raspberry paint.

Upon completion of Ranger U, we took our "class photo".  Amazing people from all over the world; Austraila, Canada, Great Britain, South Korea, and all over the United States.

After our class photo was taken, we were all given our certificates and a box of "goodies" that you would not believe!  I am proud to say that I am officially a "Certified Ranger Educator".  But, it is so much more than that.  I am a member of a unique "sisterhood" (this is not to exclude the men who have attended Ranger U).  There is a kinship between us.  A love of what we do and a burning desire to always evolve, always keep learning, always keep sharing.  I hope my stories about Ranger U will encourage you to do the same.

Also...a special shout out to Mario.  He is the most amazing person!  He is the man behind the scenes that quietly keeps things running like a well oiled machine.  He tweets everything that is going on.  He made sure we had our breakfast waiting for us every morning.  He refilled our drinks and made coffee.  He arranged and had lunch ready for us every day.  He never gets flustered...he is simply Mario and everyone loves him so much!  So, thank you Mario for taking such good care of us!!  I am proud to call you my friend.

I encourage you to use Ranger products.  I've seen them...from the vat to the labeled and shrink wrapped bottle.  Their quality control is amazing.  Their attention to detail and performance is unsurpassed.  I was always a Ranger girl.  But, now I'm totally a Ranger advocate!  Thank you to Ranger Industries, Tim, Mario, Claudine and all of the "family" of Ranger who made this dream come true for me!

And finally...a sad farewell to our "inky binkies".  These were towels given to us at the beginning of Ranger U and returned upon graduation.  They were our "security blankets" in a sense.  Security that we could clean up a mess or wipe off a potential disaster.  I'll miss my inky binkie!!