THE RANGER U EXPERIENCE - DAY TWO

Day Two of Ranger U...I made these Ranger U shirts for Hels, Linda and I to wear on our first day.  But my luggage was lost and I didn't receive it until late the first night of Ranger U.  So, we decided to wear them the next morning.

Here are Hels, myself and Linda wearing our Ranger U shirts.  Tim was sweet enough to jump in the picture with us!  The shirts were fun to wear and now we have one more memento from this incredible experience.  It is amazing the bonds you develop so quickly with your Ranger U peers.  These girls are like my sisters.

Day two of Ranger U began like a breath of Spring.  Claudine Hellmuth was pretty in pink as she began our morning session working with her line of Studio line of paints, mediums, gesso, brushes, Sticky Back Canvas and her new Creative Layers Foam and Clear Stamps.  She is adorable!  She has been painting since she was 14 and has always had a fascination with paint.  Lucky for all of us....her paints are awesome!

We did 10 techniques using her amazing Studio Products.  I was one of those people Claudine talked about who thought an acrylic paint is an acrylic paint is an acrylic paint.  After using her product, I now realize that there is a HUGE difference between her product and the other lines I've used in the past.  Her paints are so smooth.  They have a real creamy consistency.  They glide on and the colors are really fun!  I LOVE Claudine's Matte Multi Medium.  It is so versatile!  I use it as a sealer, a glue and for transferring.  Speaking of transferring, we played around with a couple of different transfer techniques using Gesso, one using Matte Multi Medium and one using the sticky side of Sticky Back Canvas and a piece of patterned scrapbook paper burnished together.  

Very fun techniques and they worked every time!  We did some resist techniques using Matte Multi Medium and a Watermark Resist pad. We stamped with her new foam stamps and paint followed by her clear stamps and Archival black ink.  Her new stamps are so signature Claudine!  They are retro-"ish" fun that intentionally don't line up perfectly when you put them together.  It's like you flunked kindergarten coloring...close but not quite in the lines.  Really fun stamps!!!  After our session, we had a little allotted to work on techniques or make a mini project.

Claudine had a display of her work set up when we entered our second day of Ranger U. Isn't it lovely?  Her stuff is so fun!  Check out her faux batik bag.  It was awesome!  She has flowers made out of Sticky Back Canvas and notice all of the things she's made using her Creative Layers Foam and Clear Stamps.  Her style is very unique and recognizable!  I love it!

TECHNIQUE TIME...FAUX BATIK!!!

1.  Brush a thin layer of Matte Multi Medium onto a craft sheet.

2.  Stamp a foam stamp (works better than regular stamps) into the Matte Multi Medium and stamp it onto Sticky Back Canvas.  Create your pattern however you want to.  I used one of Claudine's new Creative Layers foam stamps and imprinted a house design reverse of each other.

3.  Dry the Matte Multi Medium with a heat tool or let it air dry.

4.  Use a small craft stick and put a little bit of Studio Paint on the craft sheet.  Spray water from a Mister a couple of times on the paint. 

5.  Use a paint brush to mix the water and paint together, making a thinner paint mixture.

6.  Spread the paint mixture on top of the Sticky Back Canvas; including over the Matte Multi Medium images.  

7.  Blot the paint with a paper towel to remove the excess.  The Matte Multi Medium will resist the paint and reveal the stamped image.

Isn't that cool?  Indulge me on this...it's not every day that you get to have your picture taken with someone as pretty or as talented as Claudine Hellmuth!

How about a BONUS TECHNIQUE??? (yay!)

GESSO TRANSFER!!!

 1.  Paint your tag with any color of Studio Paint you choose and either dry it with a heat tool or let it air dry.

2.  Spread some Gesso on to the tag using a paint brush.  Don't make it thick but put enough on for good coverage where you are going to do your transfer.  Feather out the edges.

3.  Press your photocopy face down into the wet Gesso and lightly burnish it with your fingers to make sure there is good contact between the Gesso and the photocopy.  (An inkjet photo copy works best.  Just print on regular paper.)

4.  Allow the photocopy to air dry.  Usually around 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how much Gesso you use.

5.  When dry, spray the photocopy paper completely with water from a Mister.  Completely saturate the paper so that it will be easier to peel.

6.  Begin gently rubbing off the paper to get the image below to appear.  Keep lightly wetting and rubbing if you need to so that you can remove all of the paper.  Keep rubbing until all of the white paper is gone.  Some of the transfer may flake off or pull up; so don't freak out if that happens.  It is supposed to.  Notice the bottom of my transfer - part of the ground pulled away.

7.  Once you have removed all of the paper, take a little Gloss Multi Medium on your finger and lightly rub it all over the transferred image.  That will get rid of any little remaining fuzzies from the white paper.

**  WARNING!!!  This is a fun technique but you may not want to attempt this technique using faces or something that you would mind if part of the image lifted during the transfer process.  I like the imperfection because I think it adds interest and character to a piece...but you may not.

The afternoon session was very DISTRESSING!  But, not in a bad way!  

It was ALL ABOUT DISTRESS!  

 Tim took over and we were immersed in Distress:  Embossing Powders, Crackle Paint, Distress Inks and Stickles.  We covered so much about the products and learned 19 techniques in that afternoon!  I was in heaven!!!  Again, I thought I knew a lot about Distress Inks.  But, Tim put a whole new spin on some things.  So now, it's like my Distress Inks are, in many ways, BRAND NEW to me! 

Here are all the techniques we learned.  These are just techniques, not projects but I think the tags are really cool looking!  Don't you LOVE the Distress Ink colors?

TECHNIQUE TIME....DISTRESS INK PHOTO TINTING!!!

You are going to LOVE this technique!

1.  Print a black and white photo on glossy inkjet or laser photo paper.

2.  Tone the background area of the photo by using either Antique Linen or Old Paper Distress Inks.  Only those two colors will work.  Antique Linen gives more of a sepia tone. Old Paper gives more of a greenish cast.  You tone the background by using a piece of Cut 'N Dry foam or a blending tool with one of those two colors on it.  Gently tap the foam pad on the photo and add the color.  Don't swipe it across the picture.  Just tap it add the color.

3.  To tint the photo, decide what object you want to tint.  Just pick one or two objects to tint; not the whole picture.  Swipe a Cut N' Dry nib across the color of Distress Ink you choose to use.  On this photo, I used Antique Linen to tone my background and Barn Door to tint the little girl's dress and bow.)  After you'd swiped the nib across the pad, gently use a small circular motion to add the color to the photo.  It's that simple!

4.  You may want to stamp some text (or other images) for added interest.  If you do, be sure it is Archival ink.  In this case, I used black Archival to add a portion of text to the picture.

I love this technique because it gives so much character to pictures.  I almost feel like I'm bringing the subjects to life as I'm coloring them.  Try this technique and see if you don't agree.

And so ends Day Two of Ranger U.  Several of the girls piled into two cars and we took a mini trip (about 20 minutes) over to the Jersey Shore.  It was getting dark so we didn't spend any time at the ocean but we did see it.  We found a neat little retail area with nice outdoor shopping and restaurants.  We pushed some tables together at Stewart's and enjoyed hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, Stewart's Orange and Cream and Root Beer.  Right next door was a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  Of course, NONE of us stopped in there!  R-r-r-r-i-g-h-t!!

Day Three ... Our Last Day of Ranger U ... Tomorrow.

THE RANGER U EXPERIENCE - DAY ONE

Whew...isn't it amazing what a good night's sleep can do?  As promised, here are some of my highlights (and techniques) from Day 1 of Ranger U.

 This is a very unassuming door...but don't let that fool you.  It was our Ranger U door every morning...but it is also the doorway to a crafter's paradise!  RANGER INDUSTRIES is incredible!

  From the time I walked through this door, a real sense of "family" ensued.  Not just our motley crew but the Ranger Company.  It is a family owned business and their employees may not be related by blood but they are still very much "family".  They care about their company, the quality of their products, and good customer service.

Many of you may already know Patti Behan from the technique tutorials she posts online.  She is a very talented artist and was instrumental in coordinating Ranger U.  There were lots of behind the scenes Ranger folks who made Ranger U happen.  A huge shout out of THANK YOU to them!  Your hard work made our experience PERFECT.

This is Sheila.  She is such a sweetheart!  If you've ever called Ranger for customer service, chances are you've talked to Sheila...another of the Ranger "family".  I would liken her to "the  gatekeeper". Very dear lady.

Every morning....waiting for us was fresh coffee, soft drinks, water, juices, snacks and ....

Dunkin' Donuts!  This was just one box.

Our first morning, we were given a tour of Ranger Industries by the co-owners of the company, Alain and Justin ... and yes, they are family.  We did not take pictures inside the manufacturing portion of Ranger for obvious reasons but I can tell you that I was totally amazed at the facility.  You talk about an efficient, product control, attention to every detail company...Ranger U is it!  To see some their wonderful products actually being made from start to finish certainly gave me a whole new understanding of the essence of Ranger...the company and the products.  

Then, onto our work room.  There was inspiration everywhere!!!

This alphabet wall was made by various Ranger Designers and Employees.

 I had these two beautiful smiling faces sitting across from me every day at Ranger U...Linda Ledbetter and Yvonne Blair...simply the best!  We all got situated and then....

The magic began.

 Tim Holtz began to teach!

 He told us to grab some stamps to work with.  They were all wood mounted, lots of vintage, well used and any design you could want!  Oh my gosh...that stamp wall was like crack to an addict!  We were all drawn to it.  We had free access to it.  We just had to touch them, feel them, look at them and yes... USE them we did!

See what I mean.....CRACK!

We started with Perfect Pearls.  Honestly, I thought I knew quite a bit about Perfect Pearls.  Good thing I went to Ranger U because what I found out that first morning was "you ain't see nuthin' yet!"  I was blown away with the technique tags we made and the many uses for Perfect Pearls.  This is the first technique tag I did at Ranger U...using one technique of Perfect Pearls.  Just a tag...not a project.  But, I fell in love with Perfect Pearls all over again.

 We attached every technique we learned on a tag so that we could have a wonderful reference tool.  It by itself is art....even though we were focusing on technique, not a project.

Here are the Perfect Pearls tags and techniques.  All simple and just amazing fun! My picture doesn't really do justice to the vibrancy of the iridescent color.  Just yummy!  In this first session, one product in particular started making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!  SERIOUSLY!!  Just wait until you try this technique....you'll get it, too!  It is not a Perfect Pearl.  But, when you use it and THEN put Perfect Pearls with it........MAGIC!
I know...you love hearing all about Ranger U and seeing pictures from it.  But you want..... 


TECHNIQUE TIME....This is called Faux Suede!

And this is Ink Refresher in a WHOLE NEW LIGHT!

1.  Take a piece of plain black cardstock.

2.  Spray it with Ink Refresher...YES, INK REFRESHER... until it is completely shiny and wet on top.  Don't saturate the paper...just get it completely shiny wet on the top.

3.  Wrinkle the cardstock up in your hands and massage the Ink Refresher into the paper.  The paper will begin to change its properties from a paper feel to a fabric feel.  It is amazing.  This process make take about 30 seconds-"ish", depending on your technique.  

4.  Then smooth your paper out but leave those cool high and low ridges because THAT, after adding the Perfect Pearls is what makes it look and feel like suede.

5.  Dust the cardstock (using the larger of the Perfect Pearls brushes) in various places with the Perfect Pearls colors that will create that luminous faux suede look.  I used Perfect Copper and Perfect Gold and probably some Perfect Bronze as well.  

6.  Heat set it using your Ranger Heat it Craft Tool or let it air dry.  

Just imagine the card background you could create with this when you are struggling with a background for a masculine card.  And Steampunkers......Mwaaaaah!!!!!!!!

TRUST ME....IT IS MAGIC...I'M JUST SAYIN'!!!

After the morning session of Perfect Pearls, we moved into the afternoon session of Melt Art.  

It was a lot of fun as we learned ways to use a Melting Pot and UTEE to create all sorts of shapes, colors and textures.  We made 10 different things using Melt Art.

TECHNIQUE TIME....FAUX PORCELAIN FLOWERS

  1.  Turn the Melting Pot to the UTEE setting and cover the pot to preheat it BEFORE pouring clear UTEE into it.

2.  Pour clear UTEE powder into the pot.  You don't need a ton, but enough to be able to dip into.  Put the lid back on the Melting Pot and let the UTEE completely melt.  Don't stir it as that creates bubbles.  Just be patient!!  It doesn't take that long to melt.

3.  Attach a thin wire to a paper flower.  The ones we used were from Prima.

4.  Dip the flower into the melted UTEE by holding the wire.  Completely coat the flower.

5.  Lift the flower out of the pot and allow the excess UTEE to drip off of it and then rotate the flower.  If you get any little "hairs" of thin UTEE, you can gently brush it on the side of the hot metal pan and it will instantly melt.  The color of the flower becomes much more vibrant.  And the gold you see on the tips of the flower....they just appear because it was in the paper...just not evident until you coat it with UTEE. 

And here is the beauty of UTEE.  If you lift your flower out and it's all funky and gunky or you just don't like your result for some reason, just dip it back into the hot UTEE and let it melt off and then try the whole technique again.  How's that for an easy and mistake free technique?

You should see this flower in person....AMAZING color and the various gold tips...MAGIC!!!

(Linda, Candy Rosenberg, Suze Weinberg, Claudine Hellmuth, Michelle) 

At the end of the first day, Alain and Justin hosted a wonderful barbeque for us on the property.  We had hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, chips and a lot of fun getting to know each other a little better.  Suze Weinberg and her adorable husband, Lenny and Claudine Hellmuth joined the fun as well. 

 (Thanks to Linda Ledbetter for the use of a couple of pictures from the day).

Then it was back to the hotel for a good night's rest and get ready for Day 2!  Claudine Hellmuth and DISTRESS!!!!!

RANGER U IS HISTORY...IT WENT WAY TO FAST!

Hi everybody!!!  I'm baaaaack! I am still on my euphoric "Ranger U High" but after traveling all day, I am starting to "come down".  haha  I wanted to share a few things with you tonight and then I will share more tomorrow as I am able to download pictures and get more than two brain cells to work efficiently.

Ranger U was one of THE MOST incredible experiences of my life! In an artistic sense, it is THE most incredible experience!

But, before I ever got to Ranger U, I was shown the INTEGRITY and CHARACTER of some of my fellow Ranger U buddies.  I have GOT to share this story with you before I can chronicle the Ranger U experience itself.

Most of the Ranger U attendees traveled to get to Ranger Industries on Thursday, April 28th.  That was also the day that Mother Nature unleashed her nasty side...a VERY nasty side.  There were horrible tornadoes in Alabama and storms up the eastern coast.  Flights were delayed and cancelled all across the country.  It was total chaos at the airports.

Hels Sheridan, Cheryl Grigsby, Yvonne Blair, Linda Ledbetter and I immediately struck up a friendship upon the announcement of the Ranger U attendees.  We had agreed to meet at the Newark Airport and shuttle together to our hotel.  The last to arrive was supposed to be Linda at around 6:30.  Hels was coming in from the UK at 1pm.  The rest of us were staggered arrival times up until Linda's arrival at 6:30.  Hels came in on time.  The rest of us were EXTREMELY DELAYED.  Everyone but me finally got to the Newark Airport by around 8:30.  I was hung up in Chicago (imagine that) and would not arrive in Newark until around midnight. 
To make an incredibly long story short....these four beautiful ladies...inside and out, would NOT go ahead and keep the shuttle scheduled to pick us up earlier in the evening.  They insisted on waiting for my plane to land; knowing full well it was not due in until MIDNIGHT! For Hels, that amounted to an eleven hour day sitting in the Newark Airport after getting off of a long plane ride from the UK!!  For the rest of these dear dear friends, it meant at least 4 additional hours of sitting in an airport; waiting for me.

So, here we are..."The Airport Girls" as we dubbed ourselves....Hels, Cheryl, Yvonne, Me and Linda.  I will NEVER forget that!  That spoke VOLUMES to me about the heart of these ladies.  Aren't they great?  Part of the magic of Ranger U was getting to know the people.  Let me tell you, there were quality people in that room! 

Tomorrow....day one of Ranger U.  Tonight...going to catch a few zzzzzzzzz's!