Greetings from CHA!

Greetings from CHA Winter 2012!  We have a few pictures from the Ranger booth that we wanted to share with you today:

Our fabulous "What's New" wall, featuring Dylusions, Distress Markers, Liquid Pearls, Inkssentials Clear Fabric Medium, Inkssentials Collage Glue Stick, Ice Stickles, Inkssentials Surfaces Specialty Stamping Paper, Melt Art Texture Treads, Vintaj Patinas and more!

Our Designer Challenge for this show was to decorate a paper mache dress form with Liquid Pearls and Stickles.  (Those of you who watched Alain's Extreme Stickling episode will no doubt recognize the dress form on the far right!)

The other side of our Designer Challenge display.

Wendy Vecchi demos in the Ranger booth.

Debbie Tlach demonstrates Melt Art.

Tim Holtz's demo was mobbed!!

If you're at CHA, please stop by Booth #1338 and say hello!  We always love to hear from our fans.

NEW!! Inkssentials Products

 
We've got a bunch of great new additions to our Inkssentials line of products that we are very excited to announce:

From top-left and going clockwise we have:

• The Inkssentials Craft Nib Holder.  We've renamed our Cut 'n' Dry Nibs "Craft Nibs," and we've designed this fabulous holder to make writing, coloring and doodling with them as easy as using a pen or paintbrush!  Ergonomic and sleek, the Craft Nib Holder comes with 2 Craft Nibs, and you can purchase replacement packs containing 10 Craft Nibs each.  Use Craft Nibs to custom color with paints, chalks, dye inks, pigment inks, watermark resist inks and embossing inks.  They are absolutely perfect for photo tinting techniques when used with Distress Inks, too!
• Inkssentials Clear Fabric Medium.  Use Clear Fabric Medium to create custom fabric paints!  Mix it with Archival Ink, Adirondack Pigment Inks, Adirondack Alcohol Inks or even Perfect Pearls Pigment Powders.  Create sparkly fabric paint by mixing in glitter or embossing powder, too!
• Inkssentials Collage Glue Stick.  This convenient, fast-drying adhesive bonds paper surfaces permanently and is ideal for paper collage, photos, ephemera and more.  Perfect for bringing along to crops and classes!
• Inkssentials Surfaces Specialty Stamping Paper.  This unique matte coated paper is perfect for crisp stamping and coloring. Available in both 8.5" x 11" sheets and ATC sizes, Specialty Stamping Paper is the ideal surface to ink, paint, emboss and embellish!

For more information about these great new Inkssentials products, read the press releases for the Inkssentials Craft Nib Holder, Specialty Stamping Paper, Clear Fabric Medium and Collage Glue Stick.

Project: Inkssentials Shrink Plastic Joyful Butterfly ATC

 

Check out this beautiful new project by Richele Christensen on the Ranger website!  You will learn how to create a stunning ATC using Adirondack Alcohol Inks, Inkssentials Surfaces Sticky-Back Canvas ATCs, Archival Ink, Liquid Pearls, and everyone's favorite: Inkssentials Surfaces Shrink Plastic!

New Year's Organization

 
Happy New Year, everyone!!  So let's see a show of hands: how many of you have made New Year's Resolutions to finally organize your craft space?

Wow, that's a lot of you!

Never fear, Ranger is here to help.  We have a plethora of organizational products and tools that will help you to sort your crafting stash.

For example, we have the Inkssentials Craft Spinner (which can be stacked up to three tiers high) for keeping your Ink Blending Tools, Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers, Jenni Bowlin for Ranger Paint Dabbers, Adirondack Alcohol Inks, Stickles, re-inkers and more within easy reach:

We also have free, printable labels available for download from our website, so you can label the sides of your ink pads for easy retrieval:

We even have blank color charts that you can fill in with the colors of inks, paints, Stickles and more that are currently in your collection:

Our fans are pretty clever and innovative when it comes to organizing and storing their favorite Ranger products, too!  Check out some of these great ideas that we found online:

Christie Hund affixed a metal strip under her crafting cabinets and attached all of her Stickles bottles using magnets. Gravity keeps the Stickles ready to use at any time!

Ron Wilhelm has a different solution for upside-down Stickles storage: PVC couplings glued together in a honeycomb-like arrangement!

Ron uses PVC pipes to hold Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers, too!

So let us know, Ranger fans: in what clever ways do you store and organize your favorite Ranger goodies?  Let us know and on January 6th we will select a winner, who will receive:

...a Tim Holtz idea-ology Trinket Case AND...

...a Tim Holtz idea-ology Cargo Case!

Post pictures of your crafty solutions on our Facebook wall, too!  We'd love to see them, and you just might inspire a fellow Ranger fan to get organized in 2012.

12 Days of Ornaments! Day 12

 
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!  OK, we know some of you like to wait til the last minute, but... this is it!  This IS the last minute!  So let's get these holiday ornaments all wrapped up for 2011, yes?  It's the final day of Ranger's 12 Days of Ornaments!

Diane Spiak's 2011 bauble was created with:

• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator and Felt
• Adirondack Pigment Pad in Snow Cap
• Stickles in Crystal
• Inkssentials Glossy Accents
• Inkssentials Surfaces Shrink Plastic
• Inkssentials Heat It Craft Tool
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Tim Holtz Alterations by Sizzix Carved Ornaments Movers & Shapers Die and Vagabond Machine
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Grungeboard Mixed Minis
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection Stuff to Say Stamp Set

Debbie Tlach painted a glass ball with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso and dripped Stickles in Christmas Red, True Blue, Eucalyptus, Waterfall, Star Dust, Platinum and Lagoon, and Ice Stickles in Arctic Ice, Grape Ice and Crystal Ice.

Well, that does it for this year's ornaments, everyone!  We hope we inspired you to create some ornaments of your own and to share them with your friends, family and loved ones.  Don't forget to leave comments on Friday's post and yesterday's post in addition to today's, because we will be drawing winners once we're back in the office on Monday.

Happy holidays to all!!

12 Days of Ornaments! Day 11

 
Tomorrow's Christmas Eve?!  Already?!  But we still have so many ornament ideas to share with you!  Well, we'd better get started then.  Here it is: Ranger's eleventh day in our 12 Days of Ornaments series! 

Today we are showcasing the talented men of Ranger Industries, so let's hear it for the boys!!

Brian Van Liew II's amazing upcycled Graffiti Spraypaint Cans and Stencil ornaments were created with:

• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sticky-Back Canvas
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks
• Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers
• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic Paint
• Inkssentials Glue N' Seal
• Stickles
• Perfect Pearls Mists

Marc Elepano used glycerin and water to create a snowglobe ornament, filled with shrink plastic snowflakes!  He used:

• Inkssentials Surfaces Shrink Plastic
• Inkssentials Heat it Craft Tool
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Mixative in Snow Cap
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Sail Boat Blue
• Tim Holtz Alterations by Sizzix Winter Wonder Snowflake Bigz Die and Vagabond Machine

Don't forget to leave comments on the post from Day 10 as well as today's post: we will be selecting prize pack winners as soon as we return to the office after Christmas.  But we'll be back tomorrow to wrap it all up with our final day of ornament inspiration!

12 Days of Ornaments! Day 10

 
Welcome to Day 10 in Ranger's 12 Days of Ornaments series!  Only two days left to get all those ornaments crafted before St. Nick arrives!  (No pressure or anything...)

Teresa Natividad's pearly, dimensional Geo ornament was created with:

• Inkssentials Surfaces Manila Cardstock 12x12
• Tim Holtz Distress Pads in Dusty Concord and Seedless Preserves
• Tim Holtz Distress Stains in Dusty Concord
• Perfect Pearls Mists in Cappuccino and Bronze
• Inkssentials Heat It Craft Tool
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Inkssentials Craft Scraper
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Plain Grungeboard

That's not ribbon wrapped around Bonnie Egenton's ornament: it's embossing powder on top of Wonder Tape!  This deceptively easy project was made with:

• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks in Pink Sherbet, Raspberry and Wild Plum
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Metallic Mixatives in Pearl and Gold
• Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator and Felt
• Inkssentials Wonder Tape
• Queen's Gold Embossing Powder
• Inkssentials Heat It Craft Tool
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet

Graphic designer Lisa Bihuniak's typographic ornaments were created with:

• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic Paints in Charcoal Black, Dash of Red and Blank Canvas
• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium
• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Artist Brushes
• Stickles in Candy Cane

Congratulations to our newest winner from yesterday's post: Bunnyfreak!

"Everyday you guys surprise me with more great ornament ideas. I am just wowed."

For a chance at winning a Ranger prize pack of your very own, just hit the lil' "comment" button below and show us some holiday love!  We will be announcing the winners from Days 10, 11 and 12 after Christmas when our Ranger "elves" are back in the office... so you have even more days to get those great comments in!  Good luck!

12 Days of Ornaments! Day 9

 
On the 9th day of Christmas, Ranger gave to me..... more great ornament ideas for all my tree-trimming needs!

Susan Baldwin's filmstrip-inspired ornament was created with:

• Perfect Pearls Mists in Interference Red
• Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Black Soot
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Metallic Mixative in Silver
• Archival Ink Pad in Jet Black
• Embossing Tinsel in Silver
• Inkssentials Wonder Tape
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Tim Holtz by Tonic Studios Kushgrip Snips and Retractable Craft Pick
• Tim Holtz Alterations by Sizzix: Filmstrip Frames Decorative Strip Die and Vagabond Machine

Debbie Tlach's Poinsettia Pocket ornament was made using:

• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sticky-Back Canvas in Natural
• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint in Modern Red, Landscape Green and Classic Teal 
• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Black Gesso

Terry Horvath's reindeer snow globe ornament was created with:

• Inkssentials Surfaces Shrink Plastic
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Inkssentials Heat It Craft Tool
• Melt Art Melting Pot
• UTEE Clear
• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Artist Brushes
• Tim Holtz Rock Candy Distress Stickles
• Tim Holtz Alterations by Sizzix Bigz: Winter Wonderland, Reindeer Flight, Holly Branch and Pine Tree
• Embossing Tinsel in Bridal & Snowflake
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Ink Metallic Mixatives in Silver and Snow Cap 
• Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks in Citrus, Bottle, Caramel and Ginger
• Inkssentials Glossy Accents

What great ornaments today!  You know what else is great?  Winning prizes just for leaving comments on our blog posts!  The lucky winner from yesterday's post is Karen Linkogle:

"When I decorate my tree my favorite part is remembering the history of the ornaments. I love hanging the ones that my children made and seeing them now as adults and remembering how they were when they created the ornament. Haley will certainly be celebrated for years to come on her Christmas tree! Thanks for the warm fuzzies and for reminding us how special it is to craft with our children! PS I love the ornaments!"

Thanks, Karen!  We couldn't agree more, and we hope you have fun creating memories with the Ranger goodies that we will be sending you.

12 Days of Ornaments! Day 8

 
It's the eighth day in Ranger's 12 Days of Ornaments series! The holidays are a wonderful time to spend creating memories with family, and so today we have some glittery treats courtesy of a mother-daughter craft team!

Aimee Billington created a double-ended photo ornament using:

• Inkssentials Memory Glass, 2x2 clear
• Inkssentials Memory Frames, 2x2 Black Patina
• Stickles in Silver and Christmas Red
• Liquid Pearls in Silver Pearl
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Winter Seasonal Series

This colorful, sparkling ornament was created by Aimee's daughter Haley, who is only four years old!  Wow!  A crafting prodigy, for sure.

Haley created her ornament by squirting Stickles (in Christmas Red, Silver, Crystal, Green and Golden Rod) into a glass ball and letting them drip down the inside.  Awesome!

If you would like to create some Stickled crafts with your own family members this holiday season, we have some more inspiration on our website in the form of a video.

Congratulations to Okienurse, who is the winner from yesterday's post! Her winning comment:

"Awesome ornaments again today. Love the retro/vintage look they have today! Thanks for sharing."

Keep those great comments coming, we love reading them!  (Oh and they just might win you a Ranger prize pack, too!)

12 Days of Ornaments! Day 7

 
We're in the homestretch, everyone: only 6 days til Christmas! Did you all have a busy weekend of crafting, shopping and gift-wrapping?  Well don't count your to-do list as finished just yet, because Ranger's still cranking out the ornament inspiration all the way til Christmas!

Debbie DiStefano's cheerful angel ornament was made with:

• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sticky-Back Canvas
• Perfect Pearls Mists in Perfect Pearl
• Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder in Perfect Pearl
• Stickles in Golden Rod
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Regal Adornments

Patti Behan made a shabby chic ornament with:

• Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Worn Lipstick
• Stickles in Platinum
• Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet
• Perfect Pearls Mists in Pink Gumball and Sunflower Sparkle
• Tim Holtz idea-ology Baubles and Trimmings

We've got three days of comment winners to announce, too.  Congratulations to:

Day 4: Barbara Washington: "More fabulous inspiration. Love the stained glass technique ornament. The ornament wreath is one of those 'Why didn't I think of that?' projects...so cool."

Day 5: Ellie knol: "Amazing how each day it is so different and yet so beautiful, LOVE them all!!"

Day 6: Karenajo: "What a clever idea to personalize an ornament by using an initial - very pretty! Cindy's 3D ornament is very striking, elegant ! Thanks for sharing such great ideas with all of us!"

Don't forget to comment on today's post for a chance to win a Ranger prize pack of your very own!