AE Liquidation Sale

Thank you so much to everyone who has been concerned about our existence. I am here to reassure you all that the store will continue, in a new and improved style. The liquidation sale is exactly that...aside from a few things which we will continue, we are letting everything go...and the things we are keeping are on sale now, too.

We have had too much stuff in the store, and it has not run in the way that would make us successful. So we faced the choice: close up, or reinvent ourselves. I am choosing the "reinvention" route, going more into Mixed Media, Art Journals, stencils, pastes, inks, paints, Zentangle, and Gelli Plates. We will still have a strong focus on card-making and we are bringing back quite a few wood stamps...they just look so good!  Also, we will do more of our mini books and special kits.

One of the things we had to consider in making this decision was our difficult Fall and early winter...so we are asking for your continued support in keeping us open. I know you were all worried that this great source of art supplies might disappear.  At one point, I was, too.  The only way to thrive is the be supported by all of you customers, by asking you to shop us first, before big box stores, and online sites. Anything we don't carry in the new mode, we are happy to order whenever possible.  

So, going forward, for example, we will definitely have Distress ink pads, just not every color. Shown below are the colors we are keeping. If you are interested in any of the other colors, maybe you would like to come in and get them now, while they are on sale!!  These colors below are also on sale, and we will be restocking them as needed. We will probably stick with these colors for the Sprays and reinkers, too. (missing from the photo is Pine Needles..will have to get that one back in.) At any point, we can easily get in other colors...just ask.

Additionally, during the sale, we will have special deals on every Tuesday and Saturday, so watch Facebook for those announcements.

We have just put out some brand new Impression Obsession stamps that have recently arrived, and of course, they are at a bit of a discount!!

Thank you all for your support during the sale, and please visit us often these days.

Bo Bunny "Altitude" Papers Make a great Winter Album!!

 Gather up your favorite winter dies, and put together a really nice winter album, using the Bo Bunny "Altitude" papers, plus the 8x8 Maya Road chipboard album. Kate B has done a super job here...the book is in the store...feel free to come in and take photos. We have the album and the papers, and most of the dies, in stock now.

                                   This great Lawn Fawn alphabet  is put to good use for titles...

                                           Here are  most of the dies she used...that sweater die would be a ton of fun making "ugly sweaters,"...yes, we have all worn them at one time or another.

As  you may guess from the above picture, Kate B. used the lyrics from the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" all through the album...so sweet!!

Great Gift Idea
We have a special project for you, at this busy time of year...Make this really sweet notebook pad, reminder, list-keeper...We have packages for sale that include three of the lined white paper pads, a set of twelve magnets, and a full set of instructions, with photos. The kit is $11.99. You will need to supply your own paper and adhesives. We can do mail order, too. We can ship one or  two kits in a $5.25 box from the Post Office. Call us, 978-887-6397, for further details. We can do cc over the phone, or send you a paypal invoice.
(These kits are back in stock now, with even more in production. Terri has made thirteen so far...a lot of people will be receiving them!!)
There is a video on our Face Book page, here,  showing the entire construction of this project.  All the details are covered in the instructions included in the kit.
There are a few samples in the store to check out.  This first one uses the February paper from the newGraphic 45 line, Time to Flourish, and is the same one shown in the Face Book video.

 In this lower picture, I have shortened the pad so I could add tabs to the bottoms, and make it very useful as a holiday shopping etc guide.

Graphic 45 New Calendar Papers, etc...!!

This is a brand new book from Annie's Papercrafts, showing some great ways to take your card designs and create wall art, or canvases for other use...maybe book covers

 On the inside you can see a sample of a card as the inspiration for a mixed media art piece...

The above and below photos show many of the supplies you will learn about in this book...it covers a lot of techniques, for lots of the stuff you probably already have!!

Just arrived today...the new Graphic 45 papers, pads, and calendar pages for their newest calendar-making release, called Flourish in Time. There are 8x8 calendar pages, and we also have some separate 12 x 12 blank grids for a larger-size calendar. The photos below show the June papers, then the October set, and then finally, a bit of December, January, and the stickers, which cover the whole year.  This will make a great holiday gift!

You can get the papers individually, in a 12 x 12 paper pad, or in an 8x8 paper pad...plus there are assorted embellishment packs.

Holiday Slippers...

Today, I am showing you some sweet little die cut slippers, which can be used as gift tags or even tree ornaments. Finished, these slippers are about five inches long.

The die is a Sizzix die, shown below. I cut a bottom and toe piece out of decorative paper, using the Graphic 45 "Night Before Christmas" release. I am making two slippers, so, for one slipper, you only need one of each. I also cut a bottom out of chipboard (seen in white.) 

 Additionally, I took the Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia die and cut it twice from red cardstock, but I am only using the two smaller sizes from each set. In the photo, you can see that the toe piece has tabs, all of which bend under and are used to glue the toe to the rest of the slipper.

 Using the Ranger glue stick, and applying the glue to both the patterned paper and the chipboard, I stuck them together to give the ornament extra strength.

 At this point, I added some Distress ink around all the edges of the two shoe pieces, and the toe pieces, too.  I also used two different embossing folders on the red poinsettia pieces, for a little dimension. The image looks a little more noticeable after rubbing a bit of gold pigment ink across the raised parts on the poinsettia. I used the adhesive shown below on all the tabs, and held the toe piece in place briefly. It really does dry quickly.

This is the new Jumbo Tattered Pinecone die from Tim Holtz. After bending back all the edges, I used Quick Dry Scotch Adhesive, and glued a bit as I turned to create the pinecone.

Using Multi Medium, in matte finish, I added some of the Stampendous Shabby White Embossing Enamel. It has extra pieces of glitter and gold already in the mix, and it all embosses together, to make a snowy look.  I layered the poinsetttia, using the Prima 3-D Matte Gel. This stuff is like cement when it dries!! I used this same adhesive to put the pinecone into the top of the slipper. As a final touch, I added some Ice Stickles, in "crystal ice" color. (See photo at the top of the page.)

This is an easy and fun project, great for name tags at the table, too.

Special Deal on All 24 of the Brand New Spray Stains

Are you a Distress Spray Stain collector???

Yes, there are new Distress Spray Stains...the final 24 to complete the set...and this one includes the great Festive Berries...just in time for the holidays... We are running a limited special. Purchase and pre-pay the entire set of 24, and receive a 20% discount. This special will last for the next week only, until November 15th.


I am pretty happy with Pam Carriker's stencils for color wheel designs, from Stencil Girl. They are all in stock, and not only great as an aid for choosing colors, but adding the color wheel, with your chosen colors for a certain piece of art, will add a great artistic element. I used the Neocolor ll crayons for these wheels.

 Seth Apter has a new release with Stencil Girl, with elements for inside and outside ...it all fits together

 ...and finally, new great words, from Carolyn Dube...

 ...and I think that you can still get the gist of this sideways photo...another great elephant from Nathalie Kalbach...plus a cool willowy tree....all from Stencil Girl.

 

Some of the new items in the store...

I want to show you a few of the newest items in the store this week. First up are the newest dies in from Sizzix. You can make those great "fortune cookies"...give everyone one as a place card at the holiday table. The other die in the top pic is a mini-pizza box, which can be filled with gift tags...!! Pop a big poinsettia on top of that baby, and you are the hit of the party!!

These are some of the seasonal dies from "Susan's Garden, great holly, pinecones and leaves, and, yes, the picture is sideways...just for extra fun...

               These flowers are just in from Petaloo...perfect for adding to any holiday project.

 With Joanne Sharpe arriving this week, we are putting the Tombow markers on sale at 30% off, starting tomorrow, Monday, through Saturday of her class.. There are still places in her class for the all-day Saturday...check here for all the info.

 I have a class planned for a color wheel session, so I have brought in the Neocolor ll crayons and I am creating a kit of 14 colors for each student. We will be making assorted color wheels. Additionally, I did bring in two other colors, Salmon, and flesh, perfect for journal faces and skins, and they are available individually. The copying pencil, as seen in a recent video, has also arrived.

 Below, you can see the above mentioned crayons and pencil, along with all the current colors of the               Stabilo All pencils.

I am kind of excited to try this new paper, Yupo...it is a synthetic paper, and has different properties than regular papers. I have it in full, large sheets, about 22 x 30, I am guessing, plus a few of these smaller pads. My advice for now is to google it and see what people are doing with it...or try Pinterest..there is a lot there and it is very cool.

The grey palette paper pad was suggested by Pam Carriker, ( I know, our names rhyme!...just don't get tired of saying this!) who told us that the colors will show a bit more truly, plus you can see the white, and there is no glare. I have liked using it, especially to be able to see my white crayons.